Category: Manhattan

  • Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy Tour Makes 3 New York Stops

    Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy announced that they will be play a short tour together, which will make stops in Port Chester, New York City and Canandaigua.

    Guitarist Jeff Beck and bluesman Buddy Guy will co-headline the tour this summer. It kicks off July 19 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and ends Aug. 10 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The tour includes stops at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 20 and CMAC in Canandaigua on July 29. They also make a couple other stops in the Northeast at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 23 and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

    Jeff Beck, who replaced Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds in 1965, has been a guitar powerhouse for the past 50 plus years. He credits blues great Buddy Guy as being a major influence on his career. Beck said in a press release, “Sharing the stage and this moment with Buddy is a dream for me. His concerts are legendary, and the music world would be a very boring place without his influence.”

    In addition to the co-headlining dates, Jeff Beck is scheduled for a couple solo shows at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut on July 22 and at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. More dates for the tour with Buddy Guy are expected to be announced.

    Jeff Beck/Buddy Guy tour dates:
    July 19 – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
    July 20 – Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
    July 22 – Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT *
    July 23 – Borgata Spa & Resort Event Center, Atlantic City, NJ
    July 24 – Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA *
    July 26 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
    July 27 – Wolf Trap for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA
    July 29 – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Perf. Arts Center, Canandaigua, NY
    July 30 – Meadow Brook, Rochester Hills, MI
    July 31 – Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL
    August 3 – Ascend Amphitheatre, Nashville, TN
    August 10 – Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

    * Jeff Beck solo show

  • Hearing Aide: LYON “Trinity”

    LYON TrinityWhat does a music-monger love more than great weather on Shakedown Street? The answer is a solo project from a member of a favorite band.

    SOLARiS drummer Dan Lyons has released Trinity, the third studio album from the New York City producer, recording as LYON. As a member of Ithaca’s electro-rock band SOLARiS and touring for years at smaller venues around the Northeast and at festivals such as Catskill Chill, LYON brought together numerous contemporaries for this compilation, including guitarist Wiley Griffin and producers Binary Bits and Digital Davy. Members from Horizon Wireless and SOLARiS also guest starred. Trinity was mastered by Disco Biscuits‘ archivist and sound engineer Rich Steele.

    Each of the 11 songs on this album is seamlessly put together and downright smooth; and each tune features unique euphoric sounds with steady drum beats that seduce a perpetual head bob. The first key track on the record,”When I Was Young,” is a bouncy collaboration between Lyons and Horizon Wireless, while “Hydrocuff” flows as an alluring trance with touches of Caribbean steel drums mid-song.

    “Midnite Society” offers listeners a surprising and fun mixture of disco and pile-driving guitar jams, and it lead my mind to start jamming into LOTUS shortly after. The title of “Clock Strikes 12’” nicely closes out the collection, as Trinity is the perfect soundtrack for those impromptu after-hour dance parties. Or for listening to as the western sun floated down through the window and left me bouncing and grooving in my chair, feeling completely relaxed and at home in myself.

    LYON’s beautiful new release, Trinity, can be streamed in full via the artist’s Bandcamp page, and if you find yourself impressed, there is no shortage of live SOLARiS documentation to check out.

    Key Tracks: “When I Was Young,” “Hydrocuff,” “Midnite Society,” “Clock Strikes 12′”

  • Venue Change: Cage the Elephant to Play Albany’s Palace Theatre, May 11

    On Tues. May 11, rock band Cage the Elephant will now play a 7 p.m. show at the Palace Theatre in Albany. The group was originally scheduled to perform at the Times Union Center. Tickets purchased prior to the venue change will be honored. Floor seat holders are granted general admission access to the orchestra section of the Palace, and all reserved tickets will have general admission seating in the balcony section. Tickets for both price levels ($45 floor; $37.50 balcony) are still available for purchase at the Palace Theatre box office at 19 Clinton Ave. or through Ticketmaster. NYS Music was on hand to cover Cage the Elephant’s stop at Rochester’s Main Street Armory in March for the Spring Fling Tour; read more here.

    Original Post:

    The Grammy-nominated rock band Cage the Elephant will head out in May on a string of tour dates that will route the Kentucky alt-rockers to several venues in New York and neighboring states, plus stops in nearby Toronto and Montreal.

    cage the elephant palace theatre
    Jack White will release new album “Boarding House Reach” on Friday, March 23.

    The headlining North American tour kicks off May 1 in Little Rock, Arkansas, before CTE stops in Canada and takes the stage at Times Union Center in Albany on May 11, the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on May 15, and at SummerStage in New York City’s Central Park May 16. Supporting acts for this run are Portugal. The Man, Broncho and Twin Peaks.

    Prior to launching the 34-date cross-country trek, which comes to a close June 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, the band is continuing Spring Fling Tour with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands with shows billed in Pittsburgh on March 25, at the Main Street Armory in Rochester on March 26, First Niagara Center in Buffalo on March 28, XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, March 30, followed by Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island.

    The high-energy quartet consists of singer Matt Shultz, guitarist Brad Shultz, bassist Daniel Tichenor and drummer Jared Champion. CTE is hitting the road following the release of their fourth studio album, Tell Me I’m Pretty. A follow-up to 2013’s Melophobia with hits “Come a Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydreams,” the 10-track record produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys, The Arcs) debuted in December and features the alternative chart-topping single “Mess Around.” CTE has shared the stage with Foo Fighters, Muse and Queens of the Stone Age, among other big-name artists, and most recently, the group performed on the Late Late Show with James Corden, the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Conan.

    Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, March 18 at 10 a.m. Passes for the upcoming New York dates are currently available through the band’s website, the respective venues and ticketing sites like Ticketmaster.

    Cage the Elephant tour dates:

    3/16 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX ~
    3/18 – Cox Business Center Arena – Tulsa, OK ~
    3/19 – Landers Center – Southaven, MS ~
    3/20 – Freedom Hall Civic Center – Johnson City, TN ~
    3/22 – Richmond Coliseum – Richmond, VA ~
    3/23 – Constant Convocation Center – Norfolk, VA ~
    3/25 – Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA ~
    3/26 – Main Street Armory – Rochester, NY ~
    3/28 – First Niagara Center – Buffalo, NY
    3/30 – XL Center – Hartford, CT ~
    3/31 – Cross Insurance Arena – Portland, ME ~
    4/1 – Dunkin Donuts Arena – Providence, RI ~
    5/1 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR *
    5/3 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK *
    5/4 – INTRUST Bank Arena – Wichita, KS *
    5/6 – DeltaPlex – Grand Rapids, MI *
    5/7 – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI *
    5/8 – International Centre, Arrow Hall – Toronto, ON *
    5/10 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC *
    5/11 – Palace Theatre – Albany, NY *
    5/15 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD *
    5/16 – SummmerStage, Central Park – New York City, NY *
    5/19 – Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN *
    5/20 – Infinite Energy Arena – Duluth, GA *
    5/21 – Hangout Festival – Gulf Shores, AL
    6/3 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY ^
    6/4 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH ^
    6/5 – EXPRESS LIVE! – Columbus, OH ^
    6/7 – UIC Pavilion – Chicago, IL %
    6/9 – BMO Harris Pavilion – Milwaukee, WI %
    6/10 – U.S. Bank Theater at Target Center – Minneapolis, MN ^
    6/11 – Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center – Madison, WI ^
    6/14 – Calgary Stampede Corral – Calgary, AB ^
    6/15 – Shaw Convention Centre – Edmonton, AB ^
    6/17 – PNE Forum – Vancouver, BC ^
    6/18 – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater – Portland, OR ^
    6/19 – WaMu Theater – Seattle, WA ^
    6/21 – Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA %
    6/22 – Valley View Casino Center – San Diego, CA %
    6/23 – Bill Graham Civic – San Francisco, CA %
    6/25 – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, NV ^
    6/26 – Gila River Arena – Phoenix, AZ ^

    ~ Spring Fling tour dates with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands
    * with Portugal, The Man + Broncho
    ^ with Portugal, The Man + Twin Peaks
    % with Portugal, The Man

  • Choose Your Own Genre: Ether Band at Brooklyn Bowl

    Way back when on Friday February 5, Ether Band took their fans and the patrons of Brooklyn Bowl on an improvised auditory journey like no other. This experience is extremely unique as the audience is invited to aid in the style of music the band plays by choosing the key and genre before each performance. That means that every song or jam is very particular and a surprise for all in attendance. tmckenna_ether_bkbowl_14

    There was a very special guest present as famed trombonist Natalie Cressman joined the band for their improvisational expedition as the night ranged from “EDM in D” to “Nola Funk in F#,” “Williamsburg Chainsaw Massacre in F” and even some “Light Metal in D.” No matter what Ether Band played they exuded massive amounts of precision musicianship and talent; it’s as if they were reading each other’s minds during the performance. Every genre displayed someone’s chops in full swing and had the crowd moving non-stop.

    As a fan of live, improvisational music I realized that it is an absolute treat to witness an Ether Band performance; the audience CHOOSES what the band plays which ensures that no show is the same, the band is comprised of incredibly talented musicians that continuously find each other’s grooves, and lastly, there are amazing guest musicians that join in on the fun. If you’re able to see them live I implore you to do so, it’s certainly an adventure.

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  • Bell Serenades The Knitting Factory

    On Sunday February 28, Bell brought their tranquil sounds to an eager crowd at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. The southern-bred, NYC-crafted folk group is comprised of Caitlin Marie Bell (guitars/vocals), Gab Bowler (bass), Harper James (guitars) Jared Saltiel (drums) and Jason Sager (keyboards).

    It was a fitting night for their bright, soaring harmonies and placid soundscapes as Mother Nature had graced the borough with warm(ish) temperatures and plenty of sunshine earlier in the day.

    The band took the stage, made quick introductions and graciously thanked the crowd for their support. They opened with a cover of “Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me” which was performed with so much character and earnest, you’d think it was an original. Caitlin’s soft and honest vocals weave a serene story over the band’s crisp and considered notes. They’re able to tell a different tale with each song and have the audience feel as if they’re a part of it; “Isn’t That Life,” an original, is a great example of this.

    They performed an excellent rendition of Hozier’s “Work Song” showcasing their tact at turning music into serious emotion. My favorite song of the night was their amazing performance of “In the Pines.” I’ve heard this track covered before but not quite how Bell did it justice; their harmonies and endearing sentiment allowed me to perceive the pain and worry the song imbues in a way I hadn’t heard before. Once the track ended you could hear a pin drop; they have an uncanny ability to tug on heartstrings through sound.

    I’m excited to hear and see more from Bell as they certainly possess an abundance of talent. Be on the lookout for upcoming shows in the NYC metro area!

  • NYS Music 2016 March Madness, Round 2

    We are into Round 2 of NYS Music March Madness and our field is down to 32 bands from across New York State! This friendly tournament style competition throughout the month of March, bringing new bands you should know about to your attention.

    These are bands you might not know about, but should know about. Recommended for inclusion in our field of 64 by the NYS Music staff, we hit every corner of New York State, from Long Island to Buffalo, The Catskills to the North Country and all points in between, NYS Music March Madness is a great way to discover a new and upcoming band and show your support and love for bands you see often. Established bands who have gained a massive audience are not included in this year’s competition, instead the bands who are on the cusp of greatness are the stars of this year’s March Madness. There was only room for 64 but we made some great choices and picked a wide array of genres to bring to you this year.

    We’d like to thank The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Buffalo Iron Works, Funk n Waffles and The Waterhole for sponsoring a regional bracket this year. These venues represent the best of what New York State has to offer and celebrate music while inviting local and touring bands to perform for growing local scenes across the state.

    Second round matchups in the Iron Works region include:

    Stellar Young (Indie) vs Funktional Flow (funk n jam)
    Blind Owl Band (jamgrass) vs King Buffalo (stoner/psych rock)
    Sophistafunk (funk hip/hop) vs Lucky Jukebox Brigade (Indie pop punk)
    Sly Fox and the Hustlers (blues funk rock) vs North and South Dakotas (bluegrass/folk/y’allternative)

    Funk n Waffles second round matchups are:

    Waydown Wailers (roots rock) vs Last Daze (alt)
    Castle Creek (blues rock) vs Subsoil (psychedelic hip hop)
    Folk Faces (folk jazz) vs Dirty Smile (rock)
    Bump (rock) vs Annie In the Water (acoustic rock)

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen region has:

    Sprocket (jam) vs Second Trip (rock)
    After Earth (metal) vs Let’s Be Leonard (jam)
    Mister F (prog jam rock) vs Funknut (funk/soul)
    Northern Faces (indie) vs Linear North (garage rock)

    The Waterhole region brings together these matchups:

    Root Shock (roots reggae) vs Super Killer Robots (rock)
    Chris James & Mama G (Ameribeat) vs Unknown Woodsman (funklove)
    Space Carnival (slippery disco) vs Big Mean Sound Machine (Afrobeat/dance)
    The Lawn Sausages (garagepunkschlockglam) vs Formula 5 (funk jam)

    Second Round voting begins at 12 noon EST on Friday, March 11, and closes at midnight on Sunday, March 13. The Third Round begins at 12 noon on Tuesday, March 15 with the remaining 16 teams. Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!

  • Syracuse City Ballet Stages Classic Fairytale This Weekend

    This weekend, Syracuse City Ballet will present Tchaikovsky’s fairytale classic Sleeping Beauty, starring local Central New York dancers with New York City Ballet’s Ana Sophia Scheller as Aurora at the Crouse Hinds Theater. And in addition to professional choreography, glittering costumes and magical sets featuring original puppetry, audience members might catch the real chemistry between the prince and princess, as the two leads are actually a couple.

    syracuse balletScheller and Nicolai Gorodiskii, who will dance the role of Prince Desire, met back in 1996 in Argentina where the two began their dance training, as reported on Syracuse.com. Scheller, a native of Buenos Aires, became a principal ballerina with NYCB in 2012, and she first performed the role of Princess Aurora for the prestigious company in 2013. Ukraine-born Gorodiskii is a former soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet, and this will be his premier performance as Prince Desire. As told to Syracuse.com, Syracuse City Ballet  Artistic Director Kathleen Rathbun said, “Engaging a dancer who is at the level of Ana Sofia Scheller is a big step for our company. And we know that she and Nicolai will enchant our audiences with their skill and artistry in this sumptuous new production.”

    syracuse ballet
    Ana Sophia Scheller as Princess Aurora in New York City Ballet’s 2013 production.

    After months of preparation, Scheller and Gorodiskii arrived in Syracuse this Monday and began rehearsing in the theater with the Syracuse City Ballet Corps de Ballet and other cast members. The Corps consists of 12 dancers from across New York state who auditioned for the spot and have been training with Ballet Mistresses Stephanie Dattellas and Rachael Cierniakoski since January. Professional dancer Anton Kandaurov will perform the role of Bluebird and Gvansta Gavashelishvili of the Connecticut Ballet dances the role of Princess Florine, while Leonid Goikhman and Rie Aioki will play Puss-n-Boots and the White Cat. Other soloists are former SCB dancers and now Rock School for Dance Education students, Kameron Triche (yes, of the same Syracuse Basketball royalty) as the sorceress fairy, and Mary Coon as the young fairy who alters Sleeping Beauty’s curse from death to deep sleep.

    Immediately following Friday night’s show, Syracuse City Ballet hosts its second annual champagne soiree to present local arts champions with Grande Jete Awards. This year’s honorees are Syracuse University Associate Professor of Dance Anthony “Tony” Salatino and Jean Fahey, owner of the Turning Pointe. The soiree is a benefit of membership at the $100 donor level or higher. Dignitaries for the weekend performances are WSYR Newschannel9 anchors Carrie Lazarus and Jennifer Sanders. Lazarus will also emcee the awards reception, which will take place behind the stage after final curtain.

    Syracuse City Ballet is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1997, and it remains one of the only professional ballet companies serving the Central New York community. Through its dance education programs, SCB is deeply committed to serving the full diversity of youth in the community, and its special student performances of The Nutcracker each December are a well-attended and much cherished tradition. Syracuse City Ballet presents Sleeping Beauty on Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. at the Crouse Hinds Theater, John H. Mulroy Civic Center. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or the Oncenter Box Office. Check out the official production trailer below for a sneak preview of the family friendly ballet.

  • Soulful Folk: The Wood Brothers at Carnegie Hall

    On March 5, the Wood Brothers closed their 2016 Winter Tour to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Oliver Wood reminded the crowd that even though the show was in Zankel Hall, we were to refer to the venue as the world famous Carnegie Hall, which is where this smaller room resides. (He mentioned, “…because it sounds fancier.”) Eleven years ago to the date in Manhattan, the Wood Brothers picked their first notes to a live audience. The recording of that show would later debut as their first official release, Live at Tonic EP. The soulful folk-filled family reunion from that evening in 2005 planted the seed for numerous records, dozens of tours and thousands of die-hard fans waiting to have their spirits moved at the next gathering.

    The band entered the front of the stage with percussionist Jano Rix on his homemade “shuitar” and opened with an instant fan favorite, “Never and Always,” off their new album Paradise. The trio took advantage of the amazing acoustics of the room and stayed standing for the next song “Atlas” which they also performed at their first show more than a decade before. Oliver delivered the lyrics, “It’s no accident I landed here, eyes wide open and seein’ clear, I have come a long, long way,” which couldn’t be more true on this milestone show. Time travel seemed to be the theme of the evening as they jumped from new tunes to old tunes and everything in between. Rix sat down at the drums for their third song, “Mary Anna,” and Oliver made sure the crowd knew it was a Saturday night party during “Snake Eyes,” another one from their freshest batch.

    During band introductions, Oliver referred to Chris Wood as his “little dancing brother” followed by Chris playfully firing back, calling Oliver his “older, but not more mature brother, and he meant that in a good way.” Over the years, we have seen the brothers create a signature sound while simultaneously forming a stronger bond with each other. The on-stage family banter always adds a bit of comic relief before returning to their deep and thought-provoking lyrics. “Heartbreak Lullaby” cooled things down before Chris Wood made his lead vocal debut for “Pay Attention.” Oliver thanked the crowd for embracing yet another Paradise tune, “American Heartache” before Chris grabbed his stand-up bass for an eerie, tripped-out intro to “Who The Devil?”

    The band brought out their “fourth member, Big Mic,” which is an old-fashioned, “time-machine” microphone utilized by the band to create an intimate sound or as Oliver calls it “O Wood Brother, Where Art Thou?” “The Muse” was the perfect piece for their sonic time portal which led to a blast from the past with “One More Day.” Even a tame, well behaved, Carnegie Hall-dressed audience was having difficulty staying in their red velvet seats during the quiet rendition of this classic, also performed live at Tonic, way back when. The Wood Brothers from the future returned as Chris pulled out his electric bass, which Oliver noted, “Some say it’s an abomination, I say it’s the bomb!” They got electric-funky right off the bat with their intro and jam during “Wastin’ My Mind” and “Singin’ to Strangers.”

    Once again, the band went back in time with an emotional “Postcards From Hell,” which was dedicated to their light designer, Heather, on her last night with the band. After they wiped the tears from their faces, Chris slapped the bass for the memorable cover of “Express Yourself” to get the crowd wiggling in their seats again. The energy reached an all-time high as the crowd began standing up and shaking for the set ending “Honey Jar.”

    Rix came out alone for the encore and played a beautiful intro to “Luckiest Man” on the keyboard before Chis and Oliver joined to send this jazzed-up version home. The crowd was encouraged to sing along and there wasn’t one person that didn’t know every word to one of their most played songs. Oliver kept the time-travel theme alive by closing out the encore with “When I Was Young,” a song soaked with memories from the past. In the small, dark space that is Zankel Hall, the crowd leapt to their feet to give the guys a well deserved standing ovation as we all looked ahead to a big and bright future for the Wood Brothers.

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  • Sister Sparrow Celebrates Live Album Release in Brooklyn

    Friday nights at the Brooklyn Bowl typically carry a heightened sense of expectation for a combination of sights and sounds that so reliably induce ecstasy. And the New York City-based funky soul-rock ensemble Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds made Friday, March 4, one to remember.

    arleigh jackson 2

    The early crowd was welcomed onto the dance floor by the Suitcase Junket, a one-man band performing original songs on a junkyard guitar and an arrangement of foot-operated percussion instruments, including a circular saw blade. The dedication that went into perfecting such rich and yet simple instrumentation rang through clear, and the set ended with strong crowd participation on the refrain of “Wherever I Wake Up.”

    Follow-up act Wild Adriatic could perhaps be likened to Upstate New York’s version of the Black Keys. Their musical territory, that of the hard-rock trio, is well trodden, but they inhabit it with purity of intention, as if there is no one to compete with. Frontman Travis Gray led the band through a set of speaker-frying blues and pop-rock driven by big, hot riffs and punctuated with psychedelic solos that shone with the emotion of personal soliloquies. Rich Derbyshire’s boxing-glove basslines bounced and jabbed all over drummer Maceo Vosganian’s pounding beats. Gray expressed thanks to the headliner and acknowledged Sister Sparrow’s common upstate heritage, giving a sense of cohesion and solidarity to the evening’s lineup.

    arleigh 2

    The Dirty Birds began to unleash something fierce with their uptempo opener “We Need A Love.” From the get-go, the band projected a swagger that spoke of power, growth and change. In the most mundane sense, the band has changed its personnel with the recent addition of drummer Dan Boyden and the departure of founding trombonist Ryan Snow. But Sister Sparrow and her crew are evolving in a more profound sense that is impeccably documented on the live double-LP Fowl Play and showcased unadulterated at this Brooklyn Bowl gig, which also functioned as the release party for the aforementioned album. The past two years have seen this band undertake an exercise in the live recreation of a classic rock masterpiece (Led Zeppelin’s IV performed at Irving Plaza in January 2014) and a cycle of songwriting that resulted in their third studio effort The Weather Below, released last year, plus more songs debuted live since that release. The focus now seems to be on upping the ante in the live sphere. Hence the decision to drop a live disc at this juncture.

    The experience at Brooklyn Bowl last Friday night must have been similar in terms of energy and execution to the Fairfield, CT, New Year’s Eve shows that were captured on Fowl Play just two months ago. At the Bowl, the Birds were dishing out cuts from their latest studio record, playing other newer songs to boot, and sounding more musically in command of their older material than ever. Elements of improvisation hitherto unseen from this band were present throughout the handful of tunes that have been in heavy rotation over the past few years. In staples like “Don’t Be Jealous,” “Sugar” and “Mama Knows,” songwriter and vocalist Arleigh Kincheloe impressively varied the melodic inflections and rhythmic delivery of her compositions; she added an unprecedented new layer of nuanced personal expression to these tunes, which already resonate as autobiographical and sincerely heartfelt. Also present were new extended passages showcasing the band’s instrumental soloists and pushing the songs to the 10-minute mark.

    If you have ever been excited about Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds in the past (and many New Yorkers rightfully have been by now), now is the time to get even more excited. Ever the relentless touring band, the Sparrow and crew will make their way across the country between now and mid-April, delivering refined rock prowess to their loyal party fowl and hopefully reaching new ears at every show.

  • String Cheese Incident to Play Brewery Ommegang

    Beer and cheese lovers will rejoice at the String Cheese Incident‘s just-announced summer tour, which makes a stop at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown and Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Montana. The tour brings them back to New York to close out at Brooklyn’s historic Kings Theatre.

    string cheese summer 2016Following their three-night headlining appearance at Electric Forest, the String Cheese Incident will head out on tour starting with two back-to-back two night stands in Asheville, North Carolina on July 1 and 2 and an “Independence Incident” July 3 and 4 in Atlanta. A few days later, they roll into Cooperstown Friday, July 8 to play Brewery Ommegang, with Twiddle kicking off the night.

    The tour includes a couple special multi-night runs, including three nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and two nights at Big Sky Brewing Company. After two nights in Oregon, they take a couple weeks off before playing the Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Aug. 12. They close out their tour with two shows at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on Aug. 13 and 14.

    string cheese summer 2016String Cheese is in the process of recording a new studio album produced by former Talking Heads guitarist and keyboardist Jerry Harrison. They are about to embark on a March Madness tour of Nevada and California.

    Tickets for the summer tour go on sale this Friday, March 11.

    String Cheese tour dates:
    June 24-26, 2016 – Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest
    July 1-2, 2016 – Asheville, NC @ US Cellular Center Exploreasheville.com Arena
    July 3-4, 2016 – Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park
    July 8, 2016 – Cooperstown, NY @ Brewery Ommegang w/ Twiddle
    July 9, 2016 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
    July 10, 2016 – Portsmouth, VA @ Portsmouth Pavilion w/ Yonder Mountain String Band
    July 15, 2016 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ TAUK
    July 16, 2016 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Kamasi Washington
    July 17, 2016 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Hot Rize
    July 20-21, 2016 – Missoula, MT @ Big Sky Brewing Company
    July 22, 2016 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater
    July 23-24, 2016 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheatre
    August 12, 2016 – Scranton, PA @ The Peach Music Festival Montage Mountain
    August 13-14, 2016 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre