Writing by Emma Lazar
Yasmin De Soyza: violin/fiddle, vocals, percussion; director of learning strategy at Grammy Global Ventures and co-host of The Peak’s morning show
Bryan Grone: lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, mandolin; head of production & artist relations a B-Side (“a new player in the live music space”)
Marc Lowenstein: guitar, vocals; marketing director at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Absent (because they’re not as funny):
Jim Kirkpatrick: drums; director of enterprise risk management at a financial tech firm
Ben Offenberg: lead guitar; director of enterprise loyalty & membership strategy at Fanatics
Andrew Pollack: bass; corporate restructuring attorney at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLC
Color TV isn’t just a band—it’s a finely tuned blend of old friendships, random encounters and genuine musical chemistry. The band, which combines Americana, classic rock, and rootsy vibes with throwback flair, came together organically through jam sessions, chance meetings at daycare pickups and shared musical roots. And if you’re wondering, their name is a nod to those old motel signs proudly flashing Vacancy: Color TV.
Get to know them
How did Color TV form?
Bryan: Marc and I had known each other for nearly 20 years through music circles. After moving to the suburbs, we started looking for people to jam with. I met Yasmin during her time at the Recording Academy, and she mentioned she played the fiddle. Andrew’s kid was in daycare with mine, and we bonded over our Grateful Dead t-shirts. Ben came through another band friend. Jim, our drummer, was a lucky referral and changed the game. We’ve been together for over two years now.
Marc: My version is Bryan said, “We have a gig next week,” and I said, “Who’s we?” And then we had a gig.
Yasmin: I knew it was an audition the first time I showed up… and I came to kill.
Who is the leader of your band?
Bryan: Marc and I drive the boat, but it’s a mutiny crew situation. There’s a captain… but everyone’s got a sword.
Marc: It’s a team effort. We bring songs to the table, but everyone contributes. It’s a democracy with some light chaos.
Let’s talk about the recorder. Thoughts?
Marc: It’s angelic. No better tonal quality on Earth. Truly elite plastic.
Bryan: I still know “Hot Cross Buns.” Probably.
Yasmin: I taught recorder to college students once. Two IU basketball players were in my class. Imagine a 6’8” guy squeaking through “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
What was your most memorable gig?
Bryan: Garcia’s, the club at The Capitol Theatre. We followed Lake Street Dive, so we were ready to hit our first note the moment they hit their last note to catch folks as they were leaving. But they stuck around for an extra hour of music and to have another drink. We came out blazing, and the reaction from folks was really pretty awesome, like hooting and hollering in a way that we hadn’t necessarily heard in the past.
Marc: Or that private party in D.C. We played for a friend of a friend of a friend named Maury. We drove for hours and getting set up was incredibly chaotic. It was raining, and we had to go get tarps. We ended up playing for hours and having a blast. People loved it, and then we had to drive home. It was an 18-hour journey. It was completely different and also glorious.
Yasmin: Or the Greenwich block party. I don’t even know what the temperature was, but we were all drenched and sunburned by the end of our set. Or the one where Ben got chased by a bee the entire time.
Bryan: That’s actually happened a couple of times. We call him Benny the Bee because he’s got this knack for getting chased by bees. I’m pushing him to get a bee tattoo.
Who is the greatest band of all time?
Bryan: Grateful Dead. End of story.
Yasmin: I hate this question because it changes weekly for me. I’m going to go with The Stones this week.
Marc: The Band. If you’re called “The Band,” then you better be the best band ever. And they were just about the best band ever.
Music Trivia
We asked eight music trivia questions. Here are some of their answers.
Which artist passed on recording “Wrecking Ball”?
Yasmin: Oh, I know this is somewhere deep in my brain, but it’s not going to come up right now.
Bryan: Demi Lovato.
Marc: Katy Perry.
Bryan: Are we getting close? Are these good guesses?
Connect to Northern Westchester (CTNW): You’re close.
Yasmin: Miley?
CTNW: I’ll give you a hint. It’s a pop star.
Yasmin: Oh geeze, pop star? Sabrina Carpenter? No, she’s too young…
Marc: I just Googled it, but I’m not going to say.
Yasmin: What’s the first letter?
Marc: Oh, no hints! You’re on your own.
Bryan: You don’t have to be right; you just have to make a good guess.
Marc: I’ll give you a hint. Katy Perry is way down here, and this person is way up there.
Yasmin: Ooohhh….
Bryan: Unless it was during the space thing, because then Katy Perry was way up there.
Marc: Okay, regardless of their altitude.
Bryan: Taylor?
Yasmin: Yeah, I’m going with Taylor, but that’s probably wrong.
CTNW: Good guess based on that hint, but it was Beyoncé.
Yasmin: I’m glad she didn’t do it. I’m glad that Miley did it.
Marc: Miley owns it.
Yasmin: Yeah, it was perfect for her, especially in her stage of life.
What is the highest-selling album of all time, globally?
Marc: We’re terrible at music trivia. I know we’re very young, as you can tell, but we are all old on the inside. So if this was old people music trivia, we’d be all over that.
What song is the most covered pop song by other artists?
Yasmin: I feel like it’s probably like a digital song. I feel like it’s a Beatles song.
Marc: Or an Elvis song. It’s gonna be an Elvis song.
Yasmin: I was gonna say, “Let it Be.”
Bryan: I feel like it’s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”
Marc: If it’s a Beatles song, you think it would be “Hey Jude?”
Yasmin: Or “Let it Be?” Or “Imagine?” by John Lennon.
CTNW: It’s actually “Yesterday.”
Would you rather?
We gave the band 12 “would you rather” scenarios of possible bandmates. They had to choose one for each. Here are our favorite answers.
Marc Bezos or Jeff Zuckerberg?
Yasmin: Can I become a solo artist?
Marc: I think, for the generational fit, I guess I’d have to take Zuck.
Yasmin: Bezos. Zuck’s a Westchester kid, though… he might vibe.
Bryan: I don’t know…I’ve heard Bezos is coming up with a plan to give all his money away. So I think I like him better.
Marc: Okay, sure. Hey Jeff, if you’re reading this, give us a call.
Bryan: You can play whatever instrument you want.
Chewbacca or Hermione Granger?
Marc: Chewbacca would be a real presence on stage. A total draw. Imagine the audience response.
Bryan: You have to use Chewbacca’s vocal sparingly. Otherwise, the gimmick gets played out pretty quickly.
Marc: We would just periodically do a screamo metal song with Chewbacca.
Yasmin: Or we can put him out front and do a remix of his growl.
Prince William or Kate Middleton?
(Yasmin laughs.)
Marc: It’s gotta be Kate. There’s no way Prince William has any rhythm.
Bryan: It would be hard to deal with a born prince as well. At least Kate had a somewhat normal life at one point.
Marc: Have you ever seen Prince Charles breakdancing? That’s a thing that happened. If you go to YouTube, there’s a whole compilation of Prince Charles break dancing, and it’s…astonishing. So based on the gene pool, I think we want Kate. I think we need her.
Batman or Superman?
Marc: Batman’s such a bummer. Who wants to have him around?
Yasmin: Yeah, I vote Superman. He can fly.
Bryan: Vibes are higher with Superman.
Marc: But Batman’s got that tortured artist thing.
Bryan: He’d probably be a bass player. He’s like the Trent Reznor of superheroes.
Taylor Swift or Eminem?
Bryan: I’ll gentle flex and say that I’ve hung out with Taylor Swift, and I can say she is a pretty chill hang. I’ve never interacted with Eminem, but based off of that one interaction with Taylor Swift, I would vote for Taylor.
Yasmin: I vote for Taylor, too.
Marc: I’m going with Taylor, too. And I’ll flex and tell you that one time I walked by her in the hallway at a soda machine. It was super chill, though. It was a really good interaction.
Yasmin: I met her, too. I even got a hug from her! (She shows a photo.)
Marc: Look at us! We’re three for three. Two people met her, and one person walked by her at a soda machine, which is arguably more impressive.
Follow Color TV on Instagram @color.tv.band to learn more
This article was published in the July/August 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Emma Lazar
