Tornado Alley Tears It Up At Borders Café Appearance By Suzanne Ernst Tornado Alley created an exciting and make-yourself-a-memory musical experience for those of us who were lucky enough to be on hand for their featured performance at the Borders Café in Syosset on Dec. 2. I had seen Tornado perform a few times, but that Friday night at Borders they were all at the top of their performance game. Sonny Speed, Vinny Crici, Tim Huss and Robert Langley created a positive force that befits the band’s name. The songs the group picked were varied in style, rhythm and lyrical content. Vinny's beautiful "Love Can Learn,” sung in dedication to his wife Gail, was touching and as gentle as a breeze. Sonny's cowboy song, "Cowboy Blue," as good or better than many songs from the saddle, made me want to sing harmony around the camp fire. Tim's ode to life in California titled "California" drove its refrain right into the most layback ear. Robert added his harmonious voice to "Ain't Too Old For That" while providing percussion. The band performed for about 40 minutes with some relaxed and fun kibitzing between songs and tune-ups. Their ease of presentation gave me a comfortable feeling, and the resounding applause at the end of each tune made me feel like a proud fellow ISS member. Tornado Alley will be playing again on Feb. 18 at the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Hard Luck Café at the Congregational Church of Huntington in Centerport. Give the band a listen; these guys are good.	Keeping Busy ISS Director Finishes One CD, Starts Another By Pedro Pereira   As the Defibrillators CD hits the streets, Sonny Speed already is back in the studio, this time with his other band, Tornado Alley (See page 2 for a report by ISS member Suzanne Ernst on a recent Tornado Alley show.) The band also includes ISS members Vinny Crici and Tim Huss as well as the Defibrillators’ Robert Langley. Recording of the Tornado Alley CD started at the end of December and Sonny said he expects the CD to be completed some time in the spring. The goal is to release it around May 1. The CD will feature songs penned by Sonny, Tim and Vinny, all of whom are accomplished songwriters. Staples of the band’s live shows are expected to find their way into the CD, and Sonny said the band is planning to record 16 songs, though no final number of tracks has been set for the CD. Tornado Alley is working on instrumental rhythm tracks, the recording of which will take the first month or so, and then come the vocals; according to Sonny Laying the vocal tracks will likely take a fair amount of work, since so much of the band’s sound revolves around the three- and four-part harmonies of the Tornado members. Sonny started the band last year with a specific concept in mind that revolves around the harmonies and the different styles of American music, from blues to bluegrass to folk to breezy California pop. And if that sounds too disparate, it’s understandable, but it works beautifully. Look for more updates on the band’s recording in upcoming issues
	From the FMSH wed page. A year ago, Island Songwriters Showcase members Sonny Speed, Tim Huss and Vincent Crici, three singer-songwriters with very distinct musical personalities, decided to join forces with percussionist Robert Langley and form Tornado Alley. As their distinctive styles merged into a unified sound, an experiment in original American roots music was born.  Tonight, they treated us to the thrills of their BIG sound that resonated as an acoustic revival band with sumptuous vocal harmonies on their diverse original compositions.  The members of Tornado Alley challenge themselves to write all original material that reflects the many genres of roots music: bluegrass, country, gospel, traditional blues and folk idioms found in California, New England and the Texas plains. A signature of Tornado Alley's sound is their emphasis of three- and four-part harmonies, coupled with up-tempo energy and universal appeal. The Tornado Alley line-up is also adept at seamlessly switching instruments and roles: Vincent Crici on vocals, guitar, bass and mandolin; Tim Huss on vocals, guitar and bass; Robert Langley on percussion and backing vocals; Sonny Speed on vocals, guitar, mandolin bass, harmonica and melodica. Tornado Alley has just finished recording its first CD and will release it very soon.
Tornado Alley 7/30/06 Jump to Comments Babylon Bay Festival in Babylon Sunday July 30, 2006 @ 4 pm TORNADO ALLEY –original american roots music A year ago, Island Songwriters Showcase members Sonny Speed, Tim Huss and Vincent Crici, three singer-songwriters with very distinct musical personalities, decided to join forces with percussionist Robert Langley and form Tornado Alley. As their distinctive styles merged into a unified sound, an experiment in original American roots music was born. Their BIG sound resonates as an acoustic revival band with sumptuous vocal harmonies on their diverse original compositions. The members of Tornado Alley challenge themselves to write all original material that reflects the many genres of roots music: bluegrass, country, gospel, traditional blues and folk idioms found in California, New England and the Texas plains. A signature of Tornado Alley’s sound is their emphasis of three- and four-part harmonies, coupled with up-tempo energy and universal appeal. The Tornado Alley line-up is also adept at seamlessly switching instruments and roles: Vincent Crici on vocals, guitar, bass and mandolin; Tim Huss on vocals, guitar and bass; Robert Langley on percussion and backing vocals; Sonny Speed on vocals, guitar, mandolin bass, harmonica and melodica; Lora Kendall on violin and vocals. Tornado Alley has just finished recording its first CD and will release it very soon.	“Tornado Hits Syosset” Sonny Speed’s new band rocks Borders Café By Pedro Pereira   Tornados are not a common sight onLong Island, though they have been known to hit as close as New Jersey. But on April 7 a musical tornado filled the Borders Café in Syosset with sound. That was the night ISS Director Sonny Speed’s new band, Tornado Alley, played a 40-minute set to kick off the monthly ISS-sponsored open mic at the bookstore. Tornado Alley is a four-piece acoustic group modeled after hippie-era roots bands such as Crosby, Stills and Nash. Besides Sonny, Tornado Alley features ISS members Tim Huss and Vinny Crici, and percussionist Robert Langley, who also plays with Sonny in Long Island’s favorite blues band, the Defibrillators. The band took the stage shortly after 8 p.m., and from the first note of the Huss- penned “It Ain’t Easy,” it filled the bookstore with undeniable groove and energy. The set opener, an up-tempo, bluegrass-flavored song Tim wrote for a friend, was a perfect choice. It spotlighted Tim’s amazing voice, which he underscores with a conviction of delivery that only the best performers can muster. The band kept up the energy, even through the slower songs, as it twisted through a repertoire of rootsy tunes penned by Sonny, Tim and Vinny. Among the songs in the set were Vinny’s “Palace of Pain,” which he brought to the ISS workshop last month. Delivered by Tornado Alley, with Tim, Vinny and Sonny taking turns on lead vocals, the song took on a remarkably different character from the recording Vinny played at the workshop. While the recording had a psychedelic Beatles feel, the live version was straight acoustic blues. The set also included several of Sonny’s compositions, folk-based, well-crafted tunes tackling typical themes, such as the road and heartbreak. One song, “Cruisin’,” was written on a bus during Sonny’s hippie days three decades ago. Throughout the set Sonny and Vinny traded instruments, now playing acoustic base, now mandolin, now six-string guitar. Sonny also brought out his harmonica for a couple of tunes and Tim stuck with his boomy Guild. Robert Langley kept a steady beat with a snare drum and a set of congas. Sonny’s idea in creating Tornado Alley was to deliver a repertoire that borrows from some of America’s best roots music. And even though the set meandered from folk to bluegrass to country and western to the blues, it had undeniable cohesion and an appeal that kept the audience tuned in the whole time. Sonny said he has plans to record Tornado Alley, though no timetable is set. With any luck, we will have some recorded music from the band in a few months.
Sonny and Lora	Vinny @ L.I. Bluegrass
5th L.I. Bluegrass Festival
Sonny,Vinny & Robert	Tim Huss @ Bluegrass Festival