Breakout hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar may have created a culture shift at Kennedy Center. When it was announced last year that Lamar would perform at the storied national landmark, tickets sold swiftly. And while Lamar wasn’t the first hip hop artist to perform at Kennedy, he was the one who kickstarted a movement to push for more hip hop on the center’s Washington, D.C. marquee.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth, Kennedy Center has named Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming and St. Albans, Queens native Q-Tip (née, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed) as artistic advisors for the 2016-2017 season.
The naming of its first-ever hip hop curator marks a milestone in Kennedy Center’s storied history. Q-Tip will curate the inaugural Hip Hop Culture series this season, recognizing the genre’s contributions to society. In a press release, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts quotes Q-Tip:
With Hip Hop constantly changing and evolving, it is easy to forget the history and legacy that precede it. I want to begin at the beginning of the Culture to help people see its roots, better understand its present, and responsibly create its future.
Q-Tip rose to prominence as one of the founding members of Queens hip hop collective, A Tribe Called Quest, a main force in what was to become the Native Tongues Posse, which also included Long Island trio De La Soul. Tribe was revolutionary in its sampling techniques and incorporating jazz elements into its music.
A Tribe Called Quest recently re-released a 25th anniversary edition of its highly influential debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, in November.
Ryan Quinn, a Clinton High and SUNY Oneonta graduate, was the only contestant to turn all four chairs during the blind audition portion of NBC’s The Voice last week. Quinn’s performance of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” blew away the judges and rocketed to number two on the iTunes rock charts following the broadcast. To date, his performance has over one million views on YouTube.
This week, he faced off against fellow Team Adam member Katie Basden, performing a duet of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” and was selected to continue as a member of Levine’s team. Basden, managed to stay in the competition after Blake Shelton “stole” her for his team.
Since last Monday, Quinn’s life has been a whirlwind. His Facebook following has increased fourfold, the number of Twitter followers has done the same and naturally, reporters have come calling for interviews. No further proof of his popularity surge was needed than at his performance Friday night at one of his home venues, Cavallo’s in New Hartford.
Reservations were recommended to attend the show, and the room was at full capacity thirty minutes prior to Quinn stepping onstage with his partner, long-time family friend, guitarist Dave “Dinger” Wingfield. NYS Music was on the scene for the home town performance and also sat down to speak with Quinn about how he’s dealing with his sudden fame; what the kids at the House of the Good Shepherd mean to him and where to next.
To meet Ryan Quinn is to meet a down-to-earth, humble young man grateful for the opportunity to make music. His show Friday night, at the bar that has given him a home the past two years, was his opportunity to not only showcase his incredibly diverse vocal range and musicianship, but to also share the spotlight with his friend, vocalist Cassidy Gerkin and heap praise upon his co-workers and students at the House of the Good Shepherd for the support they have given him. Quinn paused frequently between songs to recognize the cheering section comprised of fellow House of Good Shepherd staff, all donning black t-shirts with the hash tag #Quinnsanity across the front.
Quinn’s support team, fellow staff from The House of the Good Shepherd
Quinn sat for an interview with NYS Music on the eve of the second round of competition for The Voice. The person who emerged was one eager to deflect attention towards others and who is just now coming to terms that he has earned a spot on one of television’s most popular shows.
Mike Kohli:It was great meeting you the other night. Great show. You had a ton of people there.
Ryan Quinn: Thanks for coming out Friday. I appreciate it. It was wild. Probably the best show I’ve ever played.
MK: So, has it started to sink in yet? This whole The Voice thing?
RQ: I think it’s finally beginning to. Maybe not the sheer magnitude of it, but every day it’s a little bit more clear as to what’s going on. I guess that gig was a good indication. People were there from Boston. People were there at 3:30 for a show that started at 8:00. It was so absurd to me. But, yeah, I’m finally starting to wrap my head around it.
MK: One thing about the people in this area; when one of their own does well, they’re all on board.
RQ: Oh, my God. It’s unbelievable. The support is more than I could ever have even dreamed of.
MK: It was obvious during your performance, many times throughout the night, the look on your face was one of overwhelming shock at the adulation you’re being given. You did a great job of… you were very humble, in deflecting that attention towards the people who were onstage with you, the people and kids you work with…just mentioning the House of the Good Shepherd several times throughout the show. It just kind of shows that you’re not in it to become a famous musician. You’re in it because you’re doing something you love and you just happen to have people that you love surrounding you. Is that Ryan Quinn?
RQ: Yeah. Yeah, that’s definitely me. I’m just really glad that came across. Music is just something that I’ve just always loved to do. It’s my favorite thing in the world, to sing. I’m just happy that I get to do it. And with the circumstances now, it’s just so cool. I couldn’t be any happier about it.
MK: So, the House of the Good Shepherd is your full-time job? Are you kind of on a leave right now while doing the show?
RQ: Yep. That’s correct. I’m on a leave. They’ve been super flexible with me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue working there, depending on what happens. I’ve worked there steadily for two years and it’s a great experience. Whether I can continue working there or not, I just want to always be giving back to them. They’re a great organization.
MK: What drew you to work there?
RQ: You know, funny story. My mom actually worked there a long time ago in the 70s. The guy who’s playing guitar with me [Dave “Dinger” Wingfield], he’s my dad’s best friend and his wife is my mom’s best friend and she’s still working there. It’s where she and my mother met and became friends. After college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I just knew I wanted to play music. She thought I would be a really good fit teaching music at the school and told me about the position. I applied and got it on my own. She didn’t pull any strings or anything. I didn’t really know what to expect but I ended up falling in love with it.
MK: What do the kids think about all this?
RQ: They were completely shocked. Obviously I couldn’t say anything to anybody. But they can’t even believe it. They didn’t expect it at all. I just kinda said, “I’m pursuing a musical opportunity. I’ll be back to visit.” That’s basically all I said. I dont know if you saw the WKTV segment where they interviewed them; it’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.
Sign made by Quinn’s students at The House of the Good Shepherd
MK: It has to be very rewarding for you.
RQ: Oh, absolutely. I just want to be a positive. Really, it’s just to be a positive, consistent force in their lives because it’s something they’ve never had. I just want to carry that forward.
MK: Is your style of music something they’ve been able to latch on to and be influenced by?
RQ: I don’t push it on them. I just kind of let them choose whatever they want to listen to, sing whatever they want to sing and just kind of help them do whatever they’re doing to the best of their ability.
MK: So you went to Oneonta. There’s a pretty good music scene going on down there.
RQ: I was in a couple of ensemble groups, basically just for credit. I was the lead vocalist with a funk band with Jeremy Wall. He was a founding member of the band Spyro Gyra, which is kinda cool. We played Stevie Wonder and Tower of Power stuff. I did a band called The Mothers of Intention. It was a Frank Zappa cover band. So we just did a bunch of albums of Zappa material. Yeah, the music scene there is very tight knit.
MK: You and Dave have been putting together some songs for an EP. Has there been any progress on that at all?
RQ: Ya know, kind of…I have some original material. It’s on Reverb Nation, a couple of songs on Soundcloud. It just takes me so long to write. I’ve been focusing on this and only this. It just takes me so long to write because I’m so hyper critical of everything that I do. Eventually I will put out my own material.
MK: When did you sit down and say, “I want to audition for The Voice?
RQ: Four years ago, I went to New York for an audition and it didn’t really go anywhere. And then my parents and my girlfriend and random people at gigs would just say, “Why don’t you just try?” I finally caved after about four years. So in July, I went and did an open call, and here I am!
MK: When did you find out you were going to be on the show?
RQ: (laughter) A few months after that. It was one of the most exciting days of my life. It’s horrifying too. It’s like, “My God, I’m actually going to audition in front of these people for real?” I can’t just put it on the back burner anymore. It’s like, no, you’re there. It’s gonna happen, so get ready.
MK:Obviously tonight and tomorrow night, the show is airing. You’re not sure when or if you’ll be on either show, correct?
RQ: Correct. I’m not sure when or if, but there’s always a chance. I’m gonna be watching anyway to see everybody. Of course, I hope to see myself too.
MK: It’s an exciting time around here, as exhibited at Cavallo’s the other night.
RQ: That was such a great show.
MK: You basically went straight through, what, 32 songs…
RQ: (laughter) You counted? Nice! I used to do three sets but the energy was so great that when you get the adrenaline going and everything, at least for me, I feel like I could just sing forever. I took a break not needing to, just realizing that I probably should. But I probably could have just played straight through if I wanted to. I just love doing it.
MK: Your guest vocalist…
RQ: Oh, Cassidy? Her name is Cassidy Gerken. It’s a small community here. Her father, Vic Gerken, who was doing sound Friday…he was in a band with Dinger, who I was playing with, and my dad, who was a drummer, back in the 70s and 80s. They were in a band together, all three of them.
MK: It’s all coming full circle.
RQ: It’s all coming full circle. It’s pretty funny. We’re all working together again.
MK: Best of luck to you. Thank you.
RQ: Of course, thank you.
Ryan Quinn is performing again at Cavallo’s Friday March 25. If you’re in the area, the man puts on a show covering all genres from all decades. He has a voice that does justice to Marvin Gaye and Thom Yorke. But be forewarned, you may have to arrive at 3:30 to get a spot on the deck.
Veteran rock journalist Greg Prato has penned a new volume about the life of the late Scott Weiland, titled Scott Weiland: Memories of a Rock Star. The book features 30 interviews exclusively for the book with members of bands that toured with Weiland, including Megadeth, Blind Melon and Meat Puppets, as well as with admirers of the man and his music, such as Matt Pinfield, Eddie Trunk and Richard Patrick.
Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts
Weiland was one of the premiere front-men in hard rock from his debut with Stone Temple Pilots in 1992 until his death at the age of 48 this past December. Weiland commanded the stage. Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan told Rolling Stone of Weiland:
If you asked me who I truly believed were the great voices of our generation, I’d say it were he, Layne [Staley], and Kurt [Cobain]
Prato has written for Rolling Stone and has authored such books as A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music,Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets, and Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990’s.
The book is available in paperback for $19.99 through usual outlets or as an e-book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes for $9.99.
Ryan Quinn put his small central New York hometown of Westmoreland on the musical map Monday, stunning the audience and all four coaches on NBC’s The Voice.
Quinn, a Clinton high school and SUNY Oneonta graduate, was the final performer featured on Monday’s show, performing a nearly flawless version of Blind Faith’s classic “Can’t Find My Way Home.” He eventually chose Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine as his coach to continue in the competition.
Quinn, a teacher assistant and music educator at the House of the Good Shepherd in Utica, drew high praise from his eventual coach, as well as the other celebrity coaches, with a show-stopping performance of the Blind Faith song that features Steve Winwood’s high-pitch falsetto.
Christina Aguilera turned her chair first and exhibited the emotion that many of Quinn’s Central NY fans and students were no doubt feeling as well.
Levine praised Quinn: “I’m a dude with a high voice. And when you got me going, ‘Like, damn that’s really high,’ I can assure you, that’s really high.”
Pharrell Williams was seen “Wow”ing to the performance from his chair before making his turn.
Blake Shelton was the final chair turn, and all gave a standing ovation following the performance. Shelton told Quinn, “You were hitting notes so high, my eyeballs would have been hanging out of my head.”
Quinn saw a huge gain in Twitter followers and also trended on Facebook after his performance.
While Quinn may be a newcomer to the American television audience, he’s garnered high praise around his hometown. Mark Sisti wrote of him in the Utica Observer Dispatch:
We all want to claim we latched onto a performer before he or she made it big. Well, if you’re looking for a local star to hitch your wagon to and follow to the big time, you could do worse than Ryan Quinn.
As for Quinn’s journey towards becoming this season’s The Voice, only he and the people connected with the show know for sure. Your best bet is to keep an eye on the local club listings and catch him while you can locally, because he will undoubtedly be playing larger venues soon whether he wins the competition or not. NYS Music will be there to follow the journey.
Watch Quinn’s The Voice performance below and judge for yourself:
The state’s premier outdoor concert venue is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer as Saratoga Performing Arts Center kicks off its golden anniversary concert season with the fourth running of the SPAC Rock and Run, which offers 5k, 10k and half marathon distances, on May 15. Albany-area siblings Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, who were breakout artists at last fall’s Utica Music and Arts Festival, will perform as part of the SPAC Rock and Run Races.
The annual Freihofers Saratoga Jazz Festival, featuring headliner Smokey Robinson in addition to three 2016 Grammy Award winners, Jon Cleary, Christian McBride, and Eliane Elias, takes place June 25 and 26.
Steely Dan is hitting the road again this spring and summer, kicking off its tour at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have booked several New York dates in addition to the opener, including stops in Niagara Falls, Bethel and Saratoga Springs.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will first hit up theaters and event centers on the initial leg of the Dan Who Knew Too Much tour before Stevie Winwood joins them, hitting sheds and amphitheaters country-wide throughout the summer months.
Disney’s Frozen is joining Aladdin and The Lion King on Broadway. Based on the hugely popular movie that made Idina Menzel a household name (and one John Travolta will never forget), the musical adaptation begins its Broadway run in Spring 2018.
Prior to the Broadway opening, an out-of-town premiere will take place at Denver’s Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in August 2017.
The show is directed by Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers and features music and lyrics from the film’s score creators, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as from the book by Jennifer Lee.
Frozen is loosely based on a Hans Christen Andersen fairy tale. It tells the story of a princess named Elsa who sets out on a quest to find her sister Anna. The film version spawned a slew of Elsa imitators and parody versions of its Oscar-winning song “Let it Go.”
Casting is ongoing and Disney has yet to release dates or which theater will host the production.
Upon first listen, it would be easy to mistake Birmingham, Alabama’s Wray for a band from Birmingham, England. The initial chords of Wray‘s sophomore release, Hypatia start the listener on a shoegazing journey back to the London scene of the early 1990s.
Bands such as Lush, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain were the prominent purveyors of the scene then and are obvious influences for Wray today. But while many of those earlier bands dealt in the drone of dark introspection, one can easily see the members of Wray (lead singer/bass player David Brown, guitarist David Swatzell, and drummer Blake Wimberly) pogoing along with the audience, especially during songs like “Regular.”
Reverb-drenched guitars are at the forefront here, recalling Link Wray’s surf style guitar in several spots throughout the album.
The title song is a song where one could imagine the audience singing along with Brown. The song opens with a heavy steady drum beat that is maintained throughout with a chord structure reminiscent of The Cure‘s “Just Like Heaven” with a slight Feelies sway.
All earlier references aside, Wray is surely a band that will resonate with fans of The National, My Morning Jacket and Silversun Pickups. While deeply rooted in the sounds of 90s London, Wray distinguishes itself with an American take on the shoegazer sound by mixing in a bit of southern jangle pop, establishing a unique sound in today’s indie rock scene. Wray is currently touring in support of Hypatia.
The supergroup that had Bruno Mars wondering what he was witnessing at Monday’s Grammy Awards has announced a set of dates. The first stop for Hollywood Vampires tour is set for Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona May 24.
Hollywood Vampires is fronted by Alice Cooper, also includes Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, actor Johnny Depp and Guns N’ Roses rhythm section of Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan. The Vampires are a loose collective of rock royalty, with roots in the 1970s LA scene. Artists such as John Lennon, Elton John, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr have been associated with the group.
We have to carefully schedule the Vampires. That’s because you have Johnny’s movie schedule; you’ve got Aerosmith; you’ve got Guns N’ Roses and you’ve got me! It’s five entities going in five different directions. To get those guys all at one time when we’re not working is really unique. So everybody looks at their calendar, and you have to find that two weeks where everybody’s off.
The band performed a tribute to Lemmy Kilmister at Monday’s Grammy Awards, lighting the stage aflame with Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” as well as their first single “Bad as I Am” from their eponymous album, available now through the usual outlets.
Tickets for the Turning Stone show are $74, $69 and $64 and go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 23, according to a Facebook post from Turning Stone.
Yet another Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has passed. Maurice White, founding member of soul legends Earth, Wind and Fire passed away in his sleep last night, according to a post by his brother and bandmate Verdine White on the band’s Facebook page. White was 74:
My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost…
TMZ reports that White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1992, and the effects of the disease took him off the road with the band in 1994. He was still active in band decisions.
Maurice was born Dec. 19, 1941 in Memphis, and he was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones. He later moved to Chicago and became a session drummer at Chess Studios. He played drums on the Fontella Bass classic “Rescue Me.”
A move to Los Angeles in 1969 prompted a name change for his band The Salty Peppers. This was the beginning of Earth, Wind and Fire and a hall of fame career that included such hits as “Shining Star,” “September” and “That’s the Way of the World.”
Earth, Wind and Fire will be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys later this month.
Since last Monday, 
The annual 
Upon first listen, it would be easy to mistake Birmingham, Alabama’s Wray for a band from Birmingham, England. The initial chords of 
Cooper told