Complimentary with Dinner
Our Salon Stage provides Complimentary Live Music while you dine. We feature amazing local Hudson Valley and touring artists nightly. Join us for dinner and you may discover one of your new favorite artists. As always, we prioritize seating for guests who are joining us for dinner. We also provide a great Tap Room for enjoying a cocktail or beer while listening to the live music on our Salon Stage.
Nik Rael is a singer and songwriter based in northern New Jersey who performs throughout the New York metropolitan area, the Hudson Valley, and beyond.
A singer since a toddler, Nik began his music career as the founding member of Philadelphia’s Headsoup, a psychedelic reggae/rock trio which was a seminal part of the Philly music scene in the late 90’s. Serving as songwriter, bassist, and lead vocalist, Nik and Headsoup released two studio albums, Livin Like Vermin (1996) and the Garage Sessions (2000), as well as Live from the Bitter End (1997). In 2001, after an acoustic performance at the World Trade Center, Nik was offered a recording contract from Bermuda Reef records, and he signed with manager Ray Wilson, of All Creative Entertainment. After moving north to Bergen County NJ and starting a family, Nik focused on acoustic guitar and roots music, recording his first solo effort for Bermuda Reef, Worlds Fade Away (2002), with producer and Van Morrison guitarist, John Platania, leading to nationwide airplay and recognition as an independent artist.
A busy year of club, radio, and local TV performances, not to mention his work as a public school teacher, took its toll on Nik’s voice in 2003, forcing him to cut back his singing as he worked through a long process of rehabbing and retraining his voice under the guidance of the legendary NY vocal coach Katie Agresta. Over the following decade, Nik’s voice has been completely healed and has bloomed into a beautiful and powerful instrument which has become the centerpiece of his performances.
His creative partnership with Platania went on to produce two more full-length recordings, Thank You (2009) and the Bob Dylan tribute album, Winter’61 (2011).
In the wake of Winter’61 Nik was featured on WFUV-NY 90.7 FM’s Sunday Breakfast hosted by John Platt, performing live in studio with John Platania and renown bandleader and producer Professor Louie. He also headlined an episode of WFUV’s concert series On My Radar at the Living Room in NY, and performed at the annual Dylan-Fest at the natural amphitheater at the Warwick Winery in Warwick, NY. In the last couple years, Nik has been called upon to open for major acts like Pat Benatar, Chris Isaak, Wilson Phillips, Robert Cray, and Bernie Wilson and His All-Star band in top venues such as The Bergen PAC (Englewood, NJ) and The Paramount Hudson Valley (Peekskill, NY). He has also sidelined as a frontman for the fiery Livin’ The Blues Band, which has twice headlined the Peekskill Music Festival.
More recently Nik has had an incredible time serving as the front man for Jingo: The Santana Tribute, as they have wowed audiences up and down the East Coast. And most recently he has begun to explore further his Latin roots playing bass for the Newark, NJ based salsa band, Aveces.
Nik’s focus now is TNT Music, a production partnership with guitarist/producer/songwriter Todd Mihan. So far this partnership has produced a number of great new songs including the highly anticipated “Medicine Man” which is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2023 in partnership with Unleashed Music, an artist management group.