NYS Music 20​18

Author: Pete Mason

  • Premiere: Black Mountain Symphony debut first single off “Peacetime”

    Black Mountain Symphony, a six-piece indie rock group from the Capital Region, today premieres “Walk to the Edge,” off their upcoming album Peacetime, due out June 2. Peacetime showcases the wide range of styles and influences that Black Mountain Symphony bring to their music, and is the first album with the current line up, representing three years’ worth of song writing and performance experience.

    Guitarist Chris Peppe shares some insight on “Walk to the Edge” and the arrangement of the song:

    “Walk to the Edge Is one of the songs that captures our unique sound and our take on music and songwriting. When people who haven’t heard us ask what kind of music we play, this song comes to mind as a prime example. Most of the music came from group songwriting sessions and jams. We liked the idea of a folksy sounding verse paired with a hard-hitting rock chorus. The music is dramatic. It’s melancholy but hopeful and has twists that draw you in. There are sharp dynamic shifts that keep you involved. We like to experiment with adding our own touch to different styles, but this tune has something we consider our own particular sound. It was one of the first songs we wrote together with the current line-up in 2015 after Paul Burke, on bass, and Jay Matthews, on drums, joined the band. We were all letting loose and finding ourselves in the mix and our individual talents really came through.”

    Black Mountain Symphony blend haunting violin melodies, prolific synth sounds and dance rhythms, and sprinkle sets with hand-picked covers from all over the musical spectrum. The rising artist most recently won NYS Music’s March Madness and have performed with several national rock icons including Rusted Root, Modest Mouse, Flaming Lips and Days of the New. Don’t miss their album release party on June 2 at Centre Street Pub in Schenectady.

  • My Father’s Place announces packed summer lineup on the North Shore

    My Father’s Place

    My Father’s Place, the famed establishment in Roslyn on Long Island returns this summer with dozens of shows lined up by owner Michael “Eppy” Epstein.

    Staten Island native Buster Poindexter kicks off the summer at Roslyn Hotel on June 29, and is followed by an evening with Livingston Taylor on June 30, a sold out performance featuring special guests Chris Kinnear and Andy Aledort.

    Long Island’s Blue Velvo performs original blues, roots and rock on July 3 and on July 5, Ray Lambiase and the Tin Kickers and Blue Race perform with Jeanna Lewis. July is rounded out by performances from jazz fusion band Brand X, Robert Gordon, 15 year-old Long Islander Brandon “Taz” Neiderauer, Third World, John Hammond, Garland Jeffreys with Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros, Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root, Vista Hill, Zebra, Buffalo-based jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra, Jill Sobule, NRBQ and Arlen Roth.

    August will find jazz pianist McCoy Tyner kicking things off on August 3, back to back performances by Long Island Music Hall of Fame members Barnaby Bye, Sophie B. Hawkins, Sweet Suzi Blues Band, The Blasters with special guest Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones, Howie Day, Glenn Tilbrook, Ken McGorry and the Achievements featuring Ray Lambiase and The Stollers, and Christine Spero Group to finish out the month.

    Tickets and memberships for the 200-seat supper club are available on the My Father’s Place website. Read more about My Father’s Place.

  • Listen: Karolina Rose “Goodnight, Mr. Moon,” an electro-pop gem

    Karolina Rose, a Polish-American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn today released her second single “Goodnight, Mr. Moon.” The midtempo and dark electro-pop gem explores grief through dreams while pulling on the moon as a muse. Rose will release her debut EP, produced by Andros Rodriguez (Florence and The Machine, Madonna) on August 10, and is already hard at work on her second EP with producer Elliot Jacobson (vérité, KAYE).

    The lyrical spark for “Goodnight, Mr. Moon” came from a conversation with experimental artist Heide Hatry, about her work with human ashes, and asked Karolina if she could write a song about death and perform it in her end of year showcase.  “As soon as I left the concert in the LES where she and I had met up, I had the song coming to me in my head and was singing it as I was walking down the street. Initially, it was just “How do I get you back? All the pieces in one. How do I get you back? All the pieces came undone.” I kept thinking about the theme of putting the pieces together to bring one’s loved one back,” recalls Rose. Coupling this concept with Karolina’s frequent nightmares, the first verse takes inspiration from a nightmare she woke from to see the moon projecting a spotlight onto the wall. Combining these two concepts led to her writing a song about a woman who processes her grief in dreams. “She thinks it is totally real until the end of the song when she wakes up from the dream and knows that it’s really time to say goodbye, indicated by the last lyrics: “Goodnight, Mr. Moon, you gave a kiss of peace, sweet gentle release.”

    With this dark seed of inspiration planted, thoughts of grief and delirium began to dance in Karolina’s head. ‘Goodnight, Mr. Moon’ is a grieving lunar daydream. After meeting producer Andros Rodriguez (Madonna, Florence and the Machine) last year, the two began collaborating shortly after and the Polish-American artist swapped the mundane for the magical, rediscovering her romantic soul. Now, with quixotic passion, Karolina explores a celestial grief. Listen to “Goodnight, Mr. Moon” on Spotify.

  • The Nectars Release Video for “We Will Run” off Upcoming Debut Album

    Raging in New York’s underground music scene, New Jersey group The Nectars have released the video for “We Will Run,” the third single off their upcoming album Sci-Fi Television, due out June 1. The punk rock quartet have a sound of brash excitement reminiscent of the New York punk scene of the late 70s with an indie-pop twist. They previously released videos for “Heaven” and “I Want It.”

    “Our music video for ‘We Will Run’ is a love letter to simpler times. A tribute to the New Jersey of our youth. A wish for a better world” explains singer Jessica Kenny, “We wanted to capture the feeling of running away with your friends, escaping the monotony of daily life and believing in each other. With the long, balmy, summer days ahead we have our souls set on nostalgia. We Will Run, together. Here in The Nectars, we’re just 4 regular kids who want to make music, chill with our squad, be FREE and be in love. To us, this video was about sharing our story of following our dreams both on the stage and off.”

    Preorder Sci-Fi Television on iTunesThe Nectars

    UK Tour Dates:
    May 16th – London, House Of Vans
    May 17th – Brighton, The Great Escape
    May 18th – Pontypridd, Muni Arts Centre (Sold Out)
    May 19th – Birmingham, O2 Academy (Sold Out)
    May 21st – London, The Bedford (acoustic)
    May 23rd – London, The Monarch (headline show)
    May 25th – Nottingham, Dot To Dot Festival
    May 26th – Bristol, Dot To Dot Festival
    May 27th – Manchester, Dot To Dot Festival

  • NYC Brazilian/American Alt-Rock Band, Added Color Release New EP ‘Mr. Industry’

    Brooklyn-based Brazilian/American rock band Added Color have released a their second EP Mr. Industry, featuring a unique blend of funk-infused alternative rock. The five-track release pulls on their Brazilian roots with pulsating energy and blend together a myriad of sounds, genres and inspiration into the album.

    Based in Brooklyn, Dan (drums/vocals) and Kiko Freiberg (guitar/vocals), are brothers hailing from São Paulo, Brazil, and joined forces with Tim Haggerty and Danny Dahan, for a fusion of backgrounds to form the band’s unique chemistry. Embracing and celebrating their widespread connections, the band has toured across the U.S. and toured internationally in Canada, Morocco and Brazil.

    Mr. Industry comes as a reflection and personification of the current state of the music and arts industry. “The character (Mr. Industry) represents the corporate mentality that has taken over the industry in a time where it is going through a crisis,” said Added Color. “Mr. Industry cares only about putting artists in a creative box and marketing them. Basically, if you sound like everyone else, it’s easier to associate you to other acts and sell you. The idea behind the EP connects with our overall message, which is about being yourself at all times no matter what. Mr. Industry is the force that we are fighting against as we live for honest and original music.”  Mr. Industry was recorded at state of the art Silver Cord Studios in Brooklyn, NY by Jamie Uertz (Blind Melon) and Grammy nominated Johann Meyer (Gojira/Roadrunner Records).

    The video for “‘Same Place’ documents their 2017 Spring Tour of Morocco, during which they played seven shows in seven different cities. The video’s trippy feel matches the theme of the song, which is about a dream in a dystopia where people conform to social norms and obligations as they get older.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-FBYpuBV4Q

    Added Color will return to Morocco later this month, for a week-long string of dates, followed by a series of U.S. tour dates kicking off in late May. Stay tuned for the animated music video for “Panic Attack” coming soon.

    Added Color Morocco Tour Dates
    April 28 – Layounne, Morocco, Layounne Concert Hall, 8 PM
    May 1 – Safi, Morocco Safi Arts Center, 9 PM
    May 2 – Youssoufia, Morocco, OCP Place, 9 PM
    May 3 – Benguerir, Morocco, Benguerir Theater, 8 PM
    May 4 – Casablanca, Morocco, Megarama, 8 PM
    May 5 – Khouribga, Morocco, Mohammed VI Auditorium, 9 PM
    May 6 – El Jadida, Morocco, Performing Arts Center, 9 PM

    USA TOUR DATES
    June 1 – Northampton, MA, Fitzwilly’s, 9 PM
    June 15 – Portland, ME, House of Music, 9 PM
    June 16 – New London, CT, 33 Golden St, 10 PM
    July 12 – Manchester, NH, Shaskeen, 9 PM
    July 13 – Florence, MA, 13th Floor, 10 PM
    July 14 – New York, NY, Rockwood Music Hall, 11 PM
    July 20 – Fayetteville, NC, Drunk Horse Pub, 10 PM
    July 21 – Willmington, NC, Calico Room, 10 PM
    July 27 – Beckley, WV, Melody’s, 9 PM
    July 28 – Marietta, OH, Adelphia Theater, 9 PM
    Aug 2 – Chicago, IL, Tonic Room (Fuckapalooza), 8 PM
    Aug 4 – Pittsburgh, PA, Sound City Grille, 10 PM

  • Listen to Episode 4 of Empire State Music Podcast featuring The Blind Spots

    In episode 4 of Empire State Music Podcast, host Andy Hogan sits down with The Blind Spots, a female-fronted, indie-pop power house out of Ithaca, NY who have toured throughout the United States. From playing with bands & artists like Lake Street Dive, Amy Helm, and Sharon Jones, The Blind Spots are guaranteed to make you shake your bones. Tune in on iTunes and Simplecast or listen below!

    https://soundcloud.com/empirestatepod/the-blind-spots

  • The Space at Westbury to host May 24 forum “State of the Long Island Music Scene” Or “Are Tribute Bands Taking All the Gigs?”

    On May 24 at 7:30pm, The Space at Westbury will host a discussion forum with 15 panelists from across Long Island to discuss a pressing topic in the music scene across the Island – are tribute bands taking all the gigs?

    This topic could be discussed anywhere across the state, let alone the country, and has hit a chord in Long Island, where tribute bands and cover bands are keeping original music out of the clubs. Articles such as this from Newsday in April shine a light on the prevalence of tribute acts over local, original bands.

    The effort to put the Long Island music scene under a microscope is no small endeavor, and Great South Bay Music Festival promoter Jim Faith has organized this one night discussion to get to the heart of the problem. Panelists include working original artists & tribute bands, artists that play in both original and tribute acts, venue owners, media representatives, and Jim Faith serving as host of the evening.

    Included on the panel are Glenn Gamboa (Newsday), Michael Delguidice (Michael Delguidice Band), Ian Kenny (King Neptune, NGHBRS), Joe Rock (Radio celebrity/DJ), Katie Pearlman (The Joni Project/Katie Pearlman Band), Michael ‘Eppy’ Epstein (Owner: My Father’s Place), Dan Welch (Owner: 89 North, Suffolk Recording Studio) and many more.

    The night kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with a goal of lively dialogue on the state of the scene, the realities that all artists and venues face, and how collectively, we can make it better. A $10 suggested donation to the LI Music Hall of Fame is the cover charge for the event. Find out more info or RSVP here.

    Watch footage from last year’s ‘State of the Long Island Music Scene’

  • AJ Lambert, Frank Sinatra’s granddaughter, releases cover of Spoon’s “I Summon You,” will headline Rough Trade NYC

    AJ Lambert, granddaughter of Frank Sinatra and daughter of Nancy Sinatra, has released “I Summon You” from her forthcoming album, Careful You, out later this year. The record features unique interpretations of songs by artists including TV on the Radio, John Cale, Spoon (“I Summon You”) as well as deep cuts from her grandfather’s extensive catalog including “Sleep Warm” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” She’ll perform selections from Careful You at an exclusive album preview show at Rough Trade NYC on May 25.

    Britt Daniel of Spoon, regarding Lambert’s cover remarked, “If you’re gonna cover someone else’s song, you’d better be prepared to add something to it that wasn’t there before, and it’s equally important to find a way to bring your own personality to the performance. Otherwise what’s the point — in today’s world, the original version is always readily accessible via the chips embedded into the backs of our skulls. Fortunately, AJ’s managed to do both with her reworking of “I Summon You.” It’s a trip to hear my song done this way. Thanks, AJ.”

    Careful You was recorded with a full band and produced by Daniel Schlett (The War on Drugs, Amen Dunes) and Boshra AlSaadi (TEEN, Janka Nabay) and is due out later this year and will be followed by a tour in support of the album.

    AJ is currently performing complete Sinatra albums live, such as In The Wee Small Hours, with John Boswell on piano. AJ also hosts “Third Generation” on Sirius XM’s “Siriusly Sinatra” channel.

  • Electronic Duo Nite Haus Release Single and Video for ‘Calling You’

    American / German electronic duo Nite Haus have released “Calling You,” their first single and music video off their upcoming self-produced project, Saturation, due out in June. The album was recorded throughout 2015-2017 and was heavily influenced by Carrie Turner (vocals) and Nils Siegels’s (instrumentals, production) ever eventful lives in New York.

    Nite Haus shares on the influence of New York City on their music: “The City is a place full of stimuli, where your mind is constantly stimulated, and in turn, saturated. Carrie’s songwriting across the album touches on the glamour, the sex, and the energy that comes from living in such a place as New York City, while also opening up about her own experiences with depression and loss.”

    Nite Haus is an American / German electronic music duo who met through Craigslist, where Carrie had placed an ad saying: “Singer/fashion icon seeks weird amateur electronic musician.” Nils was her guy. Shortly after, the two began recording in Nils’s Williamsburg living room, and in 2014 self-released their debut album,Transform the Dark, which went to #11 on the CMJ RPM charts. Inspired by everyone from Kate Bush and Grimes to Daft Punk and New Order, their music mixes elements of house, electronic, and synthwave.

  • Enrollment in the Philosophy School of Phish is now open!

    For the fifth summer in a row, Dr. Stephanie Jenkins will teach the “Philosophy School of Phish” course—more formally called the “Philosophy of Art and Music”— via Oregon State University’s Ecampus program. Using the band as a case study, the course focuses on themes about the nature and significance of art and music. As part of their required course work, students attend three Phish concerts— in person or via webcast— and conduct philosophical interviews with artists from the Phish community. Learning about theories of art and music experientially helps students actively engage with the philosophical content and learn more about the Phish community.

    Philosophy School of Phish

    During the 2018 summer term, students will have the opportunity to participate in a field trip to attend Phish’s three-night run at the Gorge Amphitheater from July 20-22. Students will camp together at the venue. In addition to attending the concerts, students will participate in a “Phish Studies” colloquium, which will feature guest lectures from interdisciplinary scholars researching the band at other academic institutions.

    Over the course of the weekend, the students will film their experiences. They will later use this video footage to complete the “Concert Field Notes” assignment requirement for the course. Dr. Jenkins and filmmaker Kelly Morris, founder of the MORE Project and Be MORE Now Films, will collaborate with the students to edit their video submissions into a film about Phish and Philosophy, to be published in the Public Philosophy Journal and circulated throughout the “phan” community.

    Registration is now open! To participate in the Gorge field trip, students must be enrolled in PHL 360—offered via OSU’s Ecampus– and the corresponding one-credit lab section, during session three of OSU’s summer term (June 25–August 17). Students who are interested in this opportunity for experiential learning and contribution to faculty research can contact Dr. Jenkins at jenkstep@oregonstate.edu.  You do not have to be a current OSU student to take the class.

    Enrolling in the lab course will give participating students the opportunity to:

    • Collaborate with a professional filmmaker: Kelly Morris, filmmaker and founder of Be More Now Films, will meet with students during the field trip and oversee the editing of the final public philosophy video.
    • Engage in communal, experiential learning: With the addition of an on-campus lab credit, students will be immersed in their learning experience together as a class. This is not possible with an online only course.
    • Participate in faculty research: The final film will be published in the Public Philosophy Journal. As part of this project, Dr. Jenkins and Kelly Morris will be participating, as invited researchers, in the Public Philosophy Journal Creative Writing Workshop at Michigan State University from May 16-18, 2018.

    Stay up to date by following the Philosophy School of Phish on Facebook and Twitter!