NYS Music 20​16

Author: Mike Kohli

  • George Michael, Pop Icon, Dead at 53

    The year 2016 has been a particularly rough one in many respects. The music world has lost legends such as David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell. On Christmas Day, pop icon George Michael was found in his bed, a victim of heart failure at the age of 53.

    george michael

    Michael’s publicist, Connie Filipello issued a statement about his death Sunday:

    It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period. The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time. There will be no further comment at this stage.

    Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in London in 1963. His rise to fame began in the mid-80s with the Brit-pop duo Wham!, formed with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley. Wham! had a hit in both England and the U.S. with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” The video was in heavy rotation on MTV and was influential not only in the music world but the fashion world as well. The over-sized shirts with slogans such as “Choose Life” became ubiquitous around U.S. high schools in 1984.

    Michael and Ridgeley split in 1986 following a farewell concert at Wembley Stadium. His first solo album Faith was released in 1987 and launched Michael into superstar status. The lead single from the album, “I Want Your Sex” featured risqué lyrics that radio made radio leery. Despite this, the single rose to No. 2 on the Billboard charts that year. Faith went on to sell 10 million copies in the U.S. and spawned three No. 1 hits in “Father Figure,” “Monkey” and “One More Try.”

    In later years, Michael faced legal battles with his label as well as with law enforcement. He was arrested in the men’s room in Beverly Hills in 1998 on a charge of lewd behavior. Following that arrest, he came out as gay. The struggles with his sexuality and the efforts in hiding it led to bouts of depression for Michael. He became a vocal advocate for AIDS causes and gay rights.

    While his musical output waned in the 2000s, he was still able to sell tickets to stadium shows. He performed with Paul McCartney at the Live 8 show in 2005 and released his final album, Symphonica, a set of standards and originals performed with an orchestra.

    Michael was an uncomfortable star. His public persona exuded a confident performer but his inner feelings were a complex mix of doubt and struggle. Through it all, his musicianship radiated among many.

    His friend, Elton John provided the following expression of sadness alongside a picture of the two together on Instagram:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BOdVz_XFmD-/?hl=en

  • Run the Jewels Delivers a Christmas Miracle

    As Christmas Eve transitioned to Christmas Day, fans of Run the Jewels were treated to an early release of El-P and Killer Mike’s latest album. Run the Jewels announced the album drop through the help of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein on their Facebook page just before midnight Christmas Day.

    Run the Jewels 3 is live now! ??
    #RTJ3 runthejewels.com

    Posted by Run The Jewels on Saturday, December 24, 2016

    Originally scheduled for release on Jan. 13, the rap duo decided to give listeners an early Christmas present instead. The album, RTJ3, contains four previously released singles alongside ten other new songs and can be heard right now on Spotify and iTunes.

    There are several collaborations on the album include Danny Brown, Boots, Kamasi Washington and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe.

    RTJ was recently named as one of Summer Camp 2017’s headliners and they will embark on a massive U.S. tour in January, culminating with an appearance at NYC’s Terminal 5 on Feb. 25. Joining them on this tour are The Gaslamp Killer, Spark Master Tape, and CUZ.

    run the jewels christmasCheck out the new video for “A Christmas F**king Miracle” below the tour dates.

    Run the Jewels 2017 Tour Dates:
    Jan. 11 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
    Jan. 12 – Echostage – Washington, DC
    Jan. 13 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
    Jan. 14 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
    Jan. 16 – Express Live! – Columbus, OH
    Jan. 17 – Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN
    Jan. 18 – The NorVa – Norfolk, VA
    Jan. 20 – The Ritz – Raleigh, NC
    Jan. 21 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
    Jan. 23 – The Beacham Theatre – Orlando, FL
    Jan. 24 – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL
    Jan. 25 – The Fillmore – Miami, FL
    Jan. 29 – Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
    Jan. 30 – The Observatory – San Diego, CA
    Feb. 1 – Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles, CA
    Feb. 2 – San Jose Civic Auditorium – San Jose, CA
    Feb. 3 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
    Feb. 5 – Van Duzer Theatre – Arcata, CA
    Feb. 6 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
    Feb. 7 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
    Feb. 8 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
    Feb. 10 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
    Feb. 11 – The Fillmore – Denver, CO
    Feb. 13 – The Midland – Kansas City, MO
    Feb. 14 – Myth – St. Paul, MN
    Feb. 15 – Orpheum Theater – Madison, WI
    Feb. 17 – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
    Feb. 18 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
    Feb. 19 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
    Feb. 21 – Metropolis – Montreal, QC
    Feb. 22 – State Theatre – Portland, ME
    Feb. 24 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
    Feb. 25 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY

  • moe.down Returning in 2017

    After a two year hiatus, moe.down is a go for 2017.  Last year the band announced that, for the second consecutive year, moe.down would not take place but have never outright dismissed the fact that it would return. Today’s announcement puts the conjecture to rest. moe.down is returning to its original location, Snow Ridge in Turin, NY June 30 – July 2.

    The July date marks a departure from previous moe.downs, which traditionally took place over Labor Day weekend, a weekend, as any upstater knows, that can bring weather ranging from excessive heat to cold rain, sometimes over the course of one day. The July date should make for a more pleasant weekend experience for fans.

    Past moe.downs have seen the band perform six sets throughout the weekend as well as sets with side projects such as Al and the Transamericans, Ha Ha the Moose and Floodwood. The festival is known for attracting artists typically not seen at jamband festivals. Past performers have included Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven and Meat Puppets.

    Early bird tickets, VIP and RV passes for moe.down 16 go on sale Friday, Dec. 16 at noon ET. Three-day general admission tickets are $130 in the early bird allotment. For more information, visit moe.’s website.

  • Greg Lake, Prog Pioneer, Dies at 69

    Greg Lake, founder of progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and founding member of Emerson, Lake and Palmer has died at the age of 69.

    greg lakeLake, a founding member of both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, was one of the progenitors of the progressive rock movement in the late 1960s through the mid 1970s. His vocal style propelled ELP to FM radio stardom in the U.S. on songs such as “Lucky Man” and his solo Christmas song “I Believe in Father Christmas,” a constant on FM radio this time of year.

    Bandmate, and lone surviving member of ELP (Keith Emerson passed earlier this year.), drummer Carl Palmer told the Los Angeles Times:

    We have a lot to thank him for. If you look at the musical landscape of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, he wrote most of the songs that got played on American radio. What he brought was a uniqueness that the music business didn’t have at that time. We weren’t an out-and-out rock band, and we didn’t play the blues. He was a choir-boy kind of singer, a very angelic sounding voice.

    ELP carried popular rock music beyond the blues-based sounds that had been coming from British bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Faces, creating a more theatrical and symphonic style of rock music based in the sounds of classical musicians such as Mussorgsky, Bach, Copland and Bartok.

    Lake balanced the bombastic keyboard work of Emerson with acoustic songs such as “Lucky Man,” a song he wrote at the age of 12, and “From the Beginning.” He recorded his first solo piece in 1975, the perennial Christmas favorite, “I Believe in Father Christmas,” but continued recording with ELP until their break up in 1979.

    greg lakeLake’s career began in 1965 as a member of Unit Four and Time Checks, cover bands that gave him exposure in the Dorset, UK scene. His time in Unit Four led to a relationship with Robert Fripp, who recruited Lake to sing and play bass for his new band, King Crimson.

    Lake performed on King Crimson’s seminal debut In the Court of the Crimson King and the follow-up In the Wake of Poseidon before parting ways after striking up a friendship with The Nice’s Emerson in 1970. The two recruited drummer Palmer from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown to form what became the prog-rock supergroup ELP.

    Lake was born Nov. 10, 1947 in Bournemouth, England, to an engineer father and housewife mother. He is survived by his wife, Regina and their daughter, Natasha.

  • Cuomo Signs Ticket Bot Bill Into Law

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill this week that calls for harsher punishments for those using automated ‘Ticket Bot’ software to purchase large blocs of tickets for concerts and other events. These tickets often turn up on third party ticket resale sites such as Stub Hub minutes after purchase at a much higher markup.

    The new law, sponsored by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo (D-Bronx) and Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), makes using ticket “bots,” or willingly reselling tickets purchased using the software illegal in New York State.

    The use of ticket bots was already illegal in New York but this law toughens penalties beyond the civil level. It carries with it a civil penalty of a $500-$1500 fine and forfeiture of any profit made for anyone reselling tickets purchased using “bots” and rises to the level of class A misdemeanor if the person knowingly uses “bot” software to purchase tickets with the intent to resell for profit.  In a statement, Governor Cuomo said:

     These unscrupulous speculators and their underhanded tactics have manipulated the marketplace and often leave New Yorkers and visitors alike with little choice but to buy tickets on the secondary market at an exorbitant mark-up. It’s predatory, it’s wrong and, with this legislation, we are taking an important step towards restoring fairness and equity back to this multi-billion dollar industry.

    As reported by NYS Music in January, the issue of ticketing “bots” gained widespread attention when New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a report critical of the industry. Several states have anti-scalping laws on the books, but this new law provides the harshest penalties thus far.

    Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda issued a call this July, via a New York Times editorial, to get tough on ticket “bots.” In it, he praised the efforts of the AG and sponsoring legislators in pushing the bill through and called on Governor Cuomo to quickly sign the bill into law, which he did Wednesday.

    At the federal level, Tuesday the Senate, passed the BOTS (Better Online Ticket Sales) Act of 2016. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration before it can be signed into law.

  • Long Island’s Bête Noire Offers a Ska Twist on Christmas

    Desmond Dekker, Dandy Livingston, The Clash, The Specials. These artists aren’t typically associated with Christmas. Long Island‘s Bête Noire is out to change that perception with the release of its new Christmas single, “A Message to Rudolph.”

    bete noireThe song is heavily influenced by The Specials’ 2 tone remake of Dandy Livingstone’s reggae classic “Rudy, A Message to You,” recalling the infamous rude boy reindeer’s tale of one foggy Christmas Eve in a campy video.

    Bête Noire is a music collective based in Long Island. Members of the collective appearing in the video play with the bands Oogee Wawa, Aqua Cherry, Radio 4 and Hot and Ugly.

    Now that December has arrived, add a new carol to your playlist. You can download the single at Bête Noire’s Bandcamp page or through iTunes. Check the video below.

  • The Salt City Plays Tribute to The Band

    The Central New York music community has always been a tight-knit one and one that has always held a fondness for The Band. Saturday night at the Palace Theater was the perfect example of this. The fourth edition of the Salt City Waltz gathered a bevy of local artists both young and young at heart to celebrate the music of The Band, whose The Last Waltz farewell concert occurred on Thanksgiving Day 40 years ago.

    Salt City The BandThe Salt City Waltz was created five years ago (the production took 2015 off) under the guidance of producer Stacey Waterman and music director Gary Frenay and has quickly grown to become a Syracuse must-see. Los Blancos, with honorary Blanco Scott Ebner, served as the house “Band” and, much like the musicians they were honoring, are well-versed in all forms of American music. If there is any band perfectly fit for this role, it is Los Blancos.

    Rather than a re-creation of the original farewell concert, the Salt City Waltz bills itself as a celebration of the music of The Band with a focus on the music and pageantry of The Last Waltz.  The original featured guest appearances from such musical luminaries as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond and Dr. John. The Salt City version showcases some of Central New York’s finest musicians.   

    Salt City The BandThe Levon Helm Studio Horns, with special guest trombonist Melissa Gardiner, graced stage left all night, adding a punch of majesty and soul to classics such as “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Don’t Do It” and “Such a Night.” The lineup of Jay Collins, Steve Bernstein and Erik Lawrence, along with Gardiner, provided the perfect accompaniment to the evening.

    The night began with the Salt City Waltz Ensemble performing “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “Acadian Driftwood.” The latter was dedicated to the Standing Rock water protectors in North Dakota with an accompanying slide show. The lyrics of “Acadian Driftwood” were especially poignant as the images scrolled before the respectful crowd:

    They signed a treaty
    And our homes were taken
    Loved-ones forsaken,
    They didn’t give a damn.
    Try to raise a family
    End up an enemy
    Over what went down on the Plains of Abraham.

    Following the two-song intro by the Salt City Waltz Ensemble, the members of Los Blancos ascended to the stage, with Steven T. Winston’s bass dropping the opening notes of “Don’t Do It.” Winston’s soulful voice accompanied by the horn section’s punch had fans flocking to the front of the stage, getting the main portion of the show off to a funky upbeat start.

    Salt City The BandThe first guest of the night was Mark Gibson, singing “Who Do You Love.” This role is typically filled by Dugan Henhawk, who had to sit out this year’s show. Gibson gave props to Henhawk in his spirited rendition of the blues classic.

    Drummer and vocalist Bob Kane made his Waltz debut, performing “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” An obviously nervous and ultimately gracious Kane delivered with Levon-like aplomb, accompanied by the audience. See a side stage performance of this in the video attached below.

    The middle section of the set scorched as Joe Altier took the stage to belt out “Mystery Train” while Pete McMahon, founding member of local blues legends The Kingsnakes, lit up the room with some serious harp blowing. Carolyn Kelly then made Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” her own, changing the lyrics to suit the powerful female behind the microphone. Her soulful presence took over the room and was one of the highlights on a night full of highlights.

    Rex Lyonsof The Fabulous Ripcords traded licks with Colin Aberdeen as McMahon induced chills with an electric performance of “Further on Up the Road” to rival that of Clapton’s version, easily one of the night’s peak moments.

    Nick Piccininni and Jason Barady of Floodwood joined guitarists Penny Jo Pullus and Doug Moncrief with Liz Friedel on fiddle for an “Evangeline” that brought the tempo down just a bit from the high octane prior blues stomp. This one turned into another sing-along with audience members swaying along.

    No Waltz would be complete without the legendary Joe Whiting channeling his inner Van Morrison on a performance of “Caravan” that was equal parts manic, soulful and bluesy. Whiting is a veteran of the Syracuse music scene, having done everything from replacing Ronnie James Dio in Elf to performing with Van Halen and Savoy Brown. His stage presence and voice are powerful and demand your attention. His showmanship elevated the energy of the Palace to an even higher level.

    The main portion of the show closed with keyboardist and America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Jonah Smith pulling off a haunting vocal performance of “I Shall Be Released.”  Smith was accompanied  on vocals by Donna Colton, Cathy Cadley, Pullus and Friedel for a rousing and fitting close to the main set.

    The ensemble returned for an “Atlantic City” and “Life is a Carnival” singalong before the host band returned to the stage for the encore, a Levon Helm favorite, “Get Out Your Big Roll, Daddy,” a song made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis.

    The Palace Theater is the perfect setting for this somewhat annual event. No expense is spared in the set design or the sound engineering. The room had terrific sound all night and the production crew deserves accolades for their efforts. Smiles were had; memories were shared and made. This town is blessed with superbly talented musicians and behind-the-scenes people. They gave The Band proper tribute and the sweaty, smiling, sold-out crowd waltzed out into the cool Syracuse air thankful for the talent they had just witnessed.

    Salt City Waltz Setlist: 

    When I Paint My Masterpiece – Salt City Waltz Ensemble (feat. Gary Frenay, Cathy LaManna, Jonah Smith, John Cadley, Liz Friedel and Chris Eves)
    Acadian Driftwood – SCW Ensemble
    Don’t Do It – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    Up on Cripple Creek – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    The Shape I’m In – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    Who Do You Love – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Mark Gibson
    It Makes No Difference – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    Such a Night – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    Helpless – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni and John McConnell
    Stage Fright – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    The Weight – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Carolyn Kelly
    The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Bob Kane
    Dry Your Eyes – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Tim Herron
    Coyote – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Donna Colton and Chris Eves
    Mystery Train – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Joe Altier and Pete McMahon
    Mannish Boy – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Carolyn Kelly and Pete McMahon
    Further On Up the Road – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Pete McMahon and Rex Lyons
    Evangeline – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Penny Jo Pullus, Dough Moncrief, Nick Piccininni, Jason Barady and Liz Friedel
    Ophelia – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    Caravan – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Joe Whiting
    Forever Young – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Sean Patrick Taylor
    Baby Let Me – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner and Ed Zacholi
    Follow You Down – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner
    I Shall Be Released – Los Blancos w/Scott Ebner, Jonah Smith, Donna Colton, Cathy Cadley, Liz Friedel and Penny Jo Pullus
    Atlantic City – SCW Ensemble
    Life is a Carnival – SCW Ensemble

    Encore:
    Get Out Your Big Roll, Daddy – Los Blancos

  • Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Vandalized with Pro-Trump Graffiti, Swastikas

    A park in Brooklyn Heights dedicated to the memory of Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch in 2013, was vandalized during the night Thursday.

    adam yauchAdam Yauch was raised Jewish and played at the former Palmetto Park as a child. He became a practicing Buddhist later in life, apologizing for early Beastie Boys lyrics deemed offensive to women and denouncing Islamaphobia. Yauch died in 2012 at the age of 47 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

    City councilor Brad Lander took to Twitter Friday speaking out on the issue.

    Billboard reports that vandals took to playground equipment with crudely spray-painted swastikas and the words “Go Trump,” in another of a growing number of hate crimes reported since last week’s presidential election.

    Local leaders have announced a gathering in the park for Sunday morning to denounce the hate speech.

  • Leon Russell, ‘Master of Space and Time,’ Dies at 74

    Leon Russell, the long-haired, top-hatted, mystical Oklahoman who rose to fame as the bandleader for Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen touring band, died quietly in his sleep Sunday. He was 74. His wife, Jan Bridges released the following statement:

    We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this very, very difficult time. My husband passed in his sleep in our Nashville home. He was recovering from heart surgery in July and looked forward to getting back on the road in January. We appreciate everyone’s love and support.

    Russell, born Claude Russell Bridges, was known as a “musician’s musician,” having performed among rock royalty for decades, often anonymously as an in-demand studio pianist. Elton John, whose 2010 collaboration with Russell, The Union, kicked off a comeback for Russell, mourned his mentor on Instagram.

    leon russellRussell had been suffering from a variety of ailments over the past few years. In 2010, he was hospitalized for a brain fluid leak and heart failure. He suffered a heart attack in July of this year, causing the cancellation of several tour dates. Russell’s last performance was in Nashville July 10.

    In an era of flamboyant musicianship, Leon Russell was king. For a period in the early ’70s, he was a dynamo. He put together a band for Joe Cocker, performed as part of the Delaney and Bonnie and Friends touring band and played a major role in George Harrison’s 1971 benefit Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.

    Russell took an interest in music at a early age. Born in Lawton, OK April 2, 1942, he began playing the piano by the age of four. He began playing nightclubs around Tulsa by the age of 14, able to do so because of Oklahoma’s status as a dry state, forming the band the Starlighters, which also included J.J. Cale.

    leon russellHe moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17, where he became a member of Phil Spector’s infamous “Wrecking Crew,” a loose-knit group of studio musicians responsible for the backing music for Jan and Dean, Sonny and Cher, the Mamas and the Papas, Frank Sinatra, the Monkees and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

    Ever modest, Russell once described himself as a “jobber,” likening himself to an air conditioner installer in a Rolling Stone interview, “You need air conditioning? You call this guy. People called me to do what I did.” And what he did was legendary. Russell played many instruments with aplomb. Russell meandered among genres like a master.

    In 1975 Bob Dylan had requested Russell to play bass, an instrument he wasn’t particularly deft at playing, on the recording of “Hurricane,” or as Russell described it, “that song about the boxer.” Russell recalls of that session:

    “We did a take — just running it down, I thought. I said, ‘Are you going to do the real thing now?’ Bob said, ‘Why? We’re just going to make the same mis­takes.’”

    Just another ho-hum story in the life of a storied musician.

    Russell’s signature song, “A Song for You” has been recorded by more than 40 artists over the years, including the Carpenters, Willie Nelson, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Ray Charles, whose performance earned him a Grammy in 1993 for Best Male R&B Performance.

    Russell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by his friend, Elton John in 2011.

    And when my life is over
    Remember when we were together
    We were alone and I was singing this song for you
    – Leon Russell, “A Song for You”

  • Influential Poet, Musician, Leonard Cohen Dead at 82

    “If someone could guarantee me that the preliminaries will not be too disagreeable, I look forward to…”  This was Leonard Cohen’s response to a question asked of him in a 2009 interview with the CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi. What he was looking forward to is what ultimately happened Thursday. Poet, novelist, songwriter, Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82. His death was confirmed on his Facebook page.

    In a statement to Rolling Stone, Adam Cohen, his son and producer issued the following:

    My father passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles with the knowledge that he had completed what he felt was one of his greatest records. He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor.

    The record his son is referring to is the recently released You Want it Darker, an album hailed by the magazine as a “late career triumph.” The album was recorded as Cohen was suffering from back issues that kept him confined to the house. His son created a recording studio in the house the elder Cohen had been sharing with his daughter Lorca. The resulting album is nothing short of a beautiful goodbye.

    leonard cohenCohen’s most famous composition, “Hallelujah,” has been performed by everyone from Bob Dylan to high school choirs. The most renowned version was done by Jeff Buckley nearly a decade after it was first recorded.  The song was recorded for his 1984 album Various Positions, an album seen as not commercial enough by his label. The spiritual ballad has been so ubiquitous since Buckley brought it to the forefront that Cohen himself indicated that maybe there should be a moratorium on performing it. In the coming days, however, it is sure to appear many times over in tribute to its creator.

    Cohen began his career as a musician later in life than most of his contemporaries. He was a highly regarded poet and novelist, but was unable to parlay that into a career. So he turned to music in an attempt to make a living through his writing.  His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen was released in 1967, when he was 33 years old. His song “Suzanne” from his debut, was recorded by Judy Collins as well as many other artists, launching his musical career.

    Known among his fans as “The Godfather of Gloom,” Cohen still possessed a sardonic wit, once suggesting that perhaps his label should give away razor blades with his albums. Despite the grim and somber tone of his work, he influenced not only his contemporaries but a generation of pop musicians to follow. According to the New York Times, his work has been recorded over 2,000 times by everyone from the aforementioned Dylan, Collins and Buckley to Elton John, U2 and R.E.M.

    Cohen was born in Montreal on Sept. 21, 1934 to Nathan and Masha Klonitzky, his father a Polish emigre, his mother the daughter of a Lithuanian Rabbi. His father, a clothier, died when Cohen was nine years old, leaving a trust fund that allowed Cohen to pursue his writing interests.

    He enrolled at McGill University, studying English. Upon graduation, he spent time pursuing a graduate degree with little satisfaction, likening it to “passion without flesh, love without climax.”

    Cohen’s eventual move to the U.S. fostered the musical career he sought. He became a member of Andy Warhol’s inner circle and began to achieve success as a touring musician throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. Always a spiritual, if not necessarily religious man, Cohen chose to retreat to the Mt. Baldy Zen Center in the Los Angeles area in 1994, becoming an ordained Zen Buddhist monk in 1996.

    leonard cohenFollowing his five year retreat, Cohen again returned to the studio in 1999. The result was the 2001 album Ten New Songs. He continued writing, recording and touring through the early years of the 21st century. A bitter legal dispute with his former manager Kelley Lynch, however, left him financially strapped.

    In 2008, he embarked on an extensive tour, mainly out of financial necessity. Between 2008 and 2010, Cohen performed all over the world without rest. Stops on his tour included New Zealand, Canada, Europe and performances at the Glastonbury and Coachella Festivals.

    Cohen often referred to his career as a three-act play. Thursday night, the curtain was drawn on the final act of this legendary career. His final album was released in October and is a fitting cap on the life of a true Renaissance man.

    “He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them”