Writing by Alexandra Zodda
Steve Giner: guitar; real estate and fashion
Robin Reitzes: vocals (and sometimes tambourine); public relations and marketing
Julie Rosenberg: guitar; musician and artist
The band Reservoir Road named themselves after the popular Katonah walking path. “It’s a beautiful road that the entire community walks on, and we are all about community,” Robin explains. “We’re acoustic, and we’re a trio, so you can just stick us into a little pocket of something.”
Their sound is lighter and simpler, covering everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Amy Winehouse. “We really tone it down; we’re kind of raw,” Robin explains. “We don’t have a lot of equipment.” Julie adds, “We don’t use any pedals or any effects. But our vocals are huge, and the style of guitar is percussive. We’re striking it; we’re not just playing softly all the time. So there’s a percussive element in the music as well. Plus, we change the pace a lot, and we change the rhythm a lot.”
Get to know them
Who is the leader of your band?
Julie: I don’t think we have a leader.
Steve: Yeah, we’re very democratic. I think a lot of times we have to defer to Robin because if it’s not vocal for her, it’s not gonna happen.
Julie: We talk everything over together.
Steve: I think we’re very honest with each other if there’s something that’s just not right or we’re not feeling it. And we don’t take it personally.
Let’s talk about the recorder. Thoughts?
Julie: (laughs) Who wrote these questions? Did you (turning to the interviewer) write these questions?
Robin: I loathe the recorder. I hate it more than anything. And then when my kids started to play, I used to hide it. My favorite was the percussion. It was those thick sticks. They were similar to drumsticks, and you tapped them and said, “Ta, ta, ti, ti, ta.”
Steve: Do you remember the jaw’s harp? Do you know what that is? I used to play that as a kid. You’d shape the sound with your mouth.
Julie: You played that?
Steve: Yeah, back in the 70s you could find them at toy stores.
Julie: I can picture it in my mind, but I’ve never seen one in real life.
Steve: Or the kazoo. I played that, too.
Who is the greatest band of all time?
Julie: Sonny and Cher (laughs). Just kidding, just kidding! I used to like watching them, though.
Steve: That’s a completely unfair question.
Julie: Yeah, I don’t get how you’re even supposed to pick. But let’s talk about Led Zeppelin.
Robin: No. I do not like Led Zeppelin. Not even a little bit.
Steve: For me, the Beatles evoke the most emotion. They have the broadest range of work out of any band that I know of, starting with the real sort of innocent early years, to the psychedelic stuff, and everything in between. It’s a very tough question, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d have to say the Beatles.
Robin: I think you know what I’d say.
Steve: Oh, wait, wait, hold on, can we?
Julie: Karen Souza! (Everyone laughs.)
Robin: No, I was gonna say Fleetwood Mac.
Julie: I would say, as a guitarist, it would be Jimi Hendrix.
Music Trivia
We asked eight music trivia questions. Here are some of their answers.
What singer had the most number-one hits last year?
Julie: Last year?! I don’t even know what year it is now!
Robin: Kendrick Lamar.
Connect to Northern Westchester (CTNW): Wow! No one else has gotten it right!
Robin: What’s up, baby? Stick with me!
Julie: I don’t even know what Kendrick Lamar is, if that’s a man or a woman or what.
Name at least three famous musicians who play more than 10 instruments.
Steve: Prince?
Julie: Yes!
Robin: Do you think Bob Dylan?
Julie: No, definitely not Bob Dylan.
Julie: Are they all rock bands?
CTNW: Yeah, pretty much.
Julie: Are there any recent ones?
CTNW: It’s a mix.
Robin: You don’t think it’s Paul McCartney?
Julie: Is it Paul McCartney?
CTNW: Yes!
Julie: Is it a man? All men?
CTNW: Yes.
Robin: It’s such a man’s world.
Julie: Oh God, I really wanna get this. Even though there’s no prize, I still really wanna get this.
Robin: Justin Timberlake? Justin Bieber?
CTNW: There’s a famous magazine named after them.
Robin: Rolling Stones. I only know two: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Steve: Charlie Watt?
CTNW: Steve, I think you said his first name before.
All at once: Brian Jones!
CTNW: Yes!
Which artist passed on the opportunity to sing & record Miley Cyrus’ hit song “Wrecking Ball?”
Robin: Somebody else was offered “Wrecking Ball?”
Steve: David Bowie?
Julie: Madonna?
Robin: Rihanna? Britney Spears?
Julie: Katy Perry? Joan Osborne? Dolly Parton?
Robin: Taylor Swift? Christina Aguilera? Beyoncé?
CTNW: Yes!
Robin: I can’t imagine Beyoncé singing that song.
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.
Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos?
Robin: Screw them. Nope, pass.
CTNW: You have to pick one.
Steve: I pick Jeff Bezos. We’d be number one on Amazon Music!
Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo?
Robin: Olivia Rodrigo, 100 percent.
Julie: I don’t know who they are, so…
Robin: She’s amazing. She’s really fun. She’s a fabulous one. She has an incredible voice, and she’s an incredible songwriter.
Julie: Well, there you go. Robin can speak for the band on that one.
Robin: Sabrina Carpenter’s adorable. My 14-year-old son thinks that she’s really pretty. But I’m more team Olivia for talent.
Beyonce or Jay-Z?
Julie: Beyoncé or Jay-Z? Oh, Beyoncé.
Steve: Beyoncé.
Robin: I don’t like Beyoncé. I think her voice is so annoying. She’s an incredible superstar; I’m not taking away from her. She has stage presence and moves, but her voice irritates me. It’s just not my taste.
Steve: She’s a powerhouse, though. She gets out there, and she’s just oozing energy.
Robin: When she’s out there on stage, she’s a superstar. I’m not gonna take that away from her. I just don’t like her singing voice.
Batman or Superman?
Julie: Superman, for sure.
CTNW: Really? A lot of groups said Batman.
Julie: No. Superman. Superman was awesome.
Steve: He could carry all of our stuff.
Julie: Yes!
Robin: I’d have to go with Superman since he can fly.
Elphaba or Glinda?
Julie: Who’s Elphaba?
Robin: Is Elphaba the green one?
Julie: Oh, I’m a Wizard of Oz girl. I’m not Wicked.
Robin: Well, do I get to go (sings high notes at the end of “Defying Gravity”)?
CTNW: You can do whatever you want, but who is joining your band?
Robin: I want Ariana Grande in my band anytime. I love her. And she’s hilarious. She’s so funny.
Taylor Swift or Eminem?
Julie: Eminem, but only because I don’t like Taylor Swift. If you’d said Smokey the Bear, I would’ve said Smokey the Bear.
Robin: I love Taylor Swift, and I think she’s hot. And you can print that. And I like Bruce Springsteen too.
Reservoir Road will be at the Katonah Museum of Art on July 19. Follow them on Instagram @reservoirroadband to learn more.
This article was published in the July/August 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Alexandra Zodda
