NYS Music 20​18

Author: Katie Bogardus

  • Twiddle and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong to Share the Stage at Red Rocks Amphitheater

    Tickets are on sale now via AXS and Eventbrite for the long awaited headliners’ May 2, 2019 concert in Morrison, CO. Anyone who knows the iconic stage can tell this is a summer event people will talk about long after the two Northeast-based bands bow out. Kitchen Dwellers are set to make a special appearance along with co-headliners Twiddle and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Red Rocks.

    Twiddle

    While Twiddle has headlined Red Rocks once before, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are eagerly anticipating this May as their first Red Rocks performance as headliners. Sharing this experience with Twiddle in particular, makes it extra special for the quartet of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. They have a unique bond with Twiddle, based on previous venues they’ve shared together in the last five years.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong High Voltage by Justin Mierzejewski of Miz Changes Photography

    Here’s some perspective from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong frontman Greg Ormont:

    “Words cannot express our excitement to play Red Rocks again… Not only do we get to rock out at one the best venues in the world, but we get to do it alongside our longtime friends Twiddle. We’ve played some shows in Colorado together before, but co-headlining at Red Rocks is the next level. We’re super grateful for the opportunity”

    The two groups really developed alongside each other — from their initial smaller pull of about 200 audience members to now headlining a major venue like Red Rocks together. Ormont described the upcoming Red Rocks concert as being like a, “dream to come true.” Fans can expect a collaborative rock-funk sound that the two bands are able to produce due their familiarity with one another.

  • The Revivalists Announce Beacon Theatre Performance for ‘Take Good Care’ Tour

    The Revivalists will be performing tracks from their soon-to-be released LP Take Good Care at NYC’s historic Beacon Theatre on Jan. 16 and 17, 2019 as part of their recently announced upcoming tour.

    The 18-date escapade starts Jan. 11 in Washington, DC — see full list of dates below — after which the popular alternative group will soon head for NYC. The Beacon Theatre performance is a must see. Cultural commentators from online magazine Uproxx and longtime Los Angeles magazine Flaunt both recognize the group’s talent, spirit, and virtuosity by observing:

    “…elements of just about every classic school of American music…it feels as new and engaging as it does familiar and comfortable…” – Uproxx

    “… a raucous American band making big-hearted music with an ear for instant-classic hooks…a thick, soulful musical gumbo…” – Flaunt

    Tickets for The Revivalists tour went on sale earlier this month. The highly anticipated tour is a celebration of their upcoming album Take Good Care, which will be out on Nov. 9 via Loma Vista Recordings. The 14-track LP is available for pre-order now, along with instant downloads of hit single “All My Friends” and “You and I.”

    Click here to pre-order or pre-save the album and listen to “You & I.” Every purchase of Take Good Care concert tickets includes a digital download of the album. For all ticket details,visit the band’s website.

    The Revivalists are considered to be, as USA Today states,“among the hardest-working bands.” Steadily gaining recognition for the past ten years, Take Good Care highlights the dynamic group in a bold, new, charismatic light. The track list reflects deeply personal songwriting; it is a reflection of the high-and-lows, of the kind of life that ten years of collaborative music making creates. Far from an “overnight success,” this very quality is what endears The Revivalists to dedicated fans and the music community as a whole.

    The Revivalists performed the soulful hit single “All My Friends” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Oct. 18. Billboard reviewed the track stating that:

    “[‘All My Friends’ is a] rollicking floor-stomper that digs into the raw core of the band’s rock and folk roots that flawlessly frays the ethereal sheen…”

  • Warren Haynes Celebrates 30 Years of Christmas Jam

    Boasting an impressive 30 year run, the preparations for Warren Haynes’ Annual Christmas Jam are  underway. The popular, two-night benefit will take place on Dec. 7 and 8 in Asheville, NC at the U.S. Cellular Center. Tickets for presale were released on Oct. 19, along with a limited number of discounted two-day passes and VIP packages. Regular ticket packages go on sale at 10 a.m. on October 26th.

    Grammy Award-winning vocalist-songwriter, prolific producer, and notorious guitarist, Warren Haynes has more than upheld his reputation by continuing to curate performances that draw crowds year after year. Haynes spoke on the event’s transformation over the years stating,

    I can’t believe that it has been 30 years since myself and a few friends held a small event in a local club so we could all play together around the holidays and donate a small amount of money to charity… It’s gone from being a local event to an international one and we couldn’t have done it without the help of all the great artists, bands, and musicians that have donated their time through the years… This is truly going to be the biggest and best Christmas Jam yet.

    This year’s line-up, in alphabetical order, for Dec. 7 is as follows: Dark Side of the Mule, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson, Marco Benvento, and Mike Gordon of Phish. Dec. 8, also in alphabetical order, includes: Dave Grohl and friends play “PLAY”, Eric Church, Gov’t Mule, Jim James, and Joe Bonamassa. While local and international music fans can expect stellar performances both evenings, the entertainment doesn’t stop there. There’s no need to wait around till dusk; attendees can treat themselves to “Xmas Jam By Day” concerts and events. Also note that there are still other artists to be announced as the Christmas Jam draws nearer so be on the lookout for further announcements.

    The 2018 Christmas Jam marks 30 years of great music, but it also commemorates 20 years of Warren Haynes collecting donations specifically for the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Haynes’ investment in his community and long-term commitment to this cause has resulted in the Christmas Jam collectively raising roughly 2.3 million dollars for Habitat for Humanity. For concert goers looking to be more directly involved in the charity, there is another day event which coincides with the concert. “Before the Jam, Lend a Hand” brings together the musical artists, event staff, and attendees to help construct those homes which are only possible due to concert proceeds.

    The link below is a video of Warren Haynes performing “Melissa” with Warren Haynes with Jake Shimabukuro at last year’s 29th Christmas Jam.

  • Aqueous Shares 2018 Halloween Concert Theme

    Buffalo-based, rock-quartet Aqueous is celebrating the launch of their latest LP, Color Wheel, with one of their most extensive tours to date starting on October 24th in Hamden, CT. This year Aqueous will be bringing their notorious improvisational style to the legendary Knitting Factory in Brooklyn for Halloween 2018. “We take Halloween pretty seriously over at camp AQ. In previous years we’ve done some wild themes where we’ll incorporate all the music and the whole vibe of whatever the theme is,” shares Aqueous guitarist, Mike Gantzer. Previous Halloween themes have included Wizard of Oz, Back To The Future and Super Mario Brothers.

    Attendees of this year’s Halloween special can expect a one-of-a-kind, Nicktoons influenced performance from the group backed with support from Chicago-based band Mungion (pronounced mung-yin). Gantzer spoke further regarding the excitement and motivation behind their upcoming event by stating,

    We wanted to pay tribute to a golden era of cartoon history: Nicktoons! We all grew up loving shows like Doug, Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Hey Arnold, Spongebob Squarepants, and the list goes on and on. The music from a lot of these shows is so awesome, and it’s gonna be a blast diving down this rabbit hole of nostalgia and blending the whole Nickelodeon vibe within the AQ sound. Add Mungion as support to the mix, and you’ve got a pretty bombastic show going down for Halloween this year.

    Limited tickets remain for Aqueous’ Halloween hi-jinks at the Knitting Factory. All other upcoming tour dates for the Color Wheel tour can be purchased via Aqueous’ website.

  • Traveling Wilburys Anniversary Picture Disc Available Soon

    The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 limited edition, 30th anniversary vinyl will be released on Nov 2. The 12-inch picture disc features gorgeous cover art along with a depiction of the famous fraternity of rock’n’roll. It is considered by music critics to be a historic collaboration within the genre.

    The collaboration was born out of a friends-helping-friends interaction in 1988, when Bob Dylan offered his in-home studio to fellow artists George Harrison and co-producer Jeff Lynne. The pair were in a hurry to create a B track for Harrison’s album Cloud Nine. The shared space led to not only Dylan being pulled onto the track, but Roy Orbison and Tom Petty also ended up contributing as well. The supergroup’s chemistry and artistic spontaneity manifested into what would be the first track on their eventual album, a song called “Handle With Care” The song never made an appearance on Cloud Nine, but only because the group recognized it was worth much more than a B track.

    Harrison spoke of the pressure that came from creating a song like “Handle With Care” by stating, “I just carried it around in my pocket for ages thinking “Well what can I do with this thing?”” That first collab led the band of brothers to produce another nine songs for a full length album, The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Each of the five shared songwriting and lead singer responsibilities on the album. It’s creation served to strengthen their bond as friends as each member adopted an alter ego under the premise of a family band. Bob Dylan as Lucky, George Harrison as Nelson, Jeff Lynne became Otis, Roy Orbison became Lefty, and Tom Petty took on the pseudonym Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.

    The production became even more important to the group after Orbison’s untimely death 6 weeks after the album’s debut during that same year of 1988. Not only that, but the anniversary vinyl becomes more significant to music lovers now as it coincides with Petty’s passing which took place a little over a year ago. The album holds more weight than it’s GRAMMY®s or platinum plaques could begin to suggest. The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is more than just the brainchild of musical geniuses of the late 80s. It is, at its core, a time capsule of music’s ability to create friendships, as well as, to immortalize those friendships through the shared passion it was born from. It is truly a one-of-a-kind piece for any music aficionado’s vinyl collection.