NYS Music 20​18

Category: New York Singles

  • Twenty One Pilots Release Two Songs, Music Video, and Tour Dates

    Fans of Twenty One Pilots are finally privy to information about what’s on the horizon for the iconic pop duo. Two songs, a music video, and tour details have just been unveiled – “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and The Niners” are the first singles from the the long-anticipated new LP from Twenty One PIlots, Trench, which is due out on Oct. 5.

    twenty one pilots
    Twenty One Pilots, Photo by Cathy Bechle

    The ensuing Bandito Tour kicks off this fall in the U.S. Over the winter they travel to Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Dates in New York State include NYCB Live in Uniondale on Oct. 27 and Madison Square Garden in NYC on Oct. 30. Visit twentyonepilots.com for more information.

  • Bad Religion release new single/video for ‘The Kids are Alt-Right’

    Bad Religion have released “The Kids Are Alt-Right,” a sharp takedown of the alt-right movement delivered with their signature brand of socially conscious and sardonic punk.

    With a nod to The Who’s 1965 anthem, “The Kids Are Alt-Right” is poignant in a tense political climate, with lyrics that cut right to the core – “Humanity is a nowhere scene/When everybody has an AR-15.” A lyric video offers an onslaught of unnerving images, including girls taking selfies in KKK hoods and chalk body outlines as constellations. Southern California punk is awake and alive with Bad Religion and their powerful yet melodic Southern California hardcore sound.

  • 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.

  • Ace Frehley releases new song ‘Bronx Boy’

    On April 27, Ace Frehley celebrated his birthday and released a new song, proclaiming that after all these years, he’s still a “Bronx Boy.” The song is a the first single from his upcoming eighth studio album. No date or title yet on the new release, but the first release has a lot of old-school rock and roll grit that shows the co-founding Kiss is still a contender. Rumor has it the new album will be out this summer.

    Paul Daniel Frehley was born and raised in The Bronx (Boy), New York City, the youngest of three children of Esther Anna (Hecht) and Carl Daniel Frehley.

    Frehely grew up on the corner of Marion Avenue and 201st Street, off Bedford Park Boulevard (also known as 200th Street) and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx.

    bronx boy ace frehely

    Frehely invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving Kiss, Frehley embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour.

    Frehley’s second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was originally purported to be the band’s Farewell Tour. His most recent solo album, Origins Vol. 2, was released on September 18, 2020. Guitar World magazine ranked him as the 14th Greatest Metal Guitarist of All Time. Outside Kiss, Frehley had commercial success, with his first solo album going platinum. His first album with his “Frehley’s Comet” band was also a big seller. Frehley is noted for his aggressive, atmospheric and melodic guitar playing and is also known for the use of many “special effects” guitars, including a Gibson Les Paul guitar that emits smoke from the neck humbucker pickup and produces spinning pyrotechnics, and a custom Les Paul that emits light based on song tempo.

  • Upstate Punk Band Surmiser Announces Upcoming EP ‘Hold The Static’

    Surmiser’s latest EP, Hold The Static, will be available on June 8. The grungy garage punk band will celebrate the release with a show on June 9 at The People’s Cauldron in Rosendale. The band issued a music video for “Trains,” from the upcoming release, which debuted at New Noise Magazine.

    ‘Trains’ is about dead-end life in a small city and an analogy to the way that people in this place, and indeed these types of places, allow themselves to be derailed by anger, addiction and the patterns created of the previous generations mistakes.

    The video was shot by shot by Mike Parish of 424recording.com. Jay Andersen at Bohemesphere in Saugerties recorded and mixed Hold The Static. It was mastered by Oliver Ackermann at Death By Audio, Brooklyn, NY.

    Follow Surmiser for the latest news and show listings.

  • Skillet’s Jen Ledger to Release Solo EP

    Skillet drummer and vocalist, Jen Ledger, has shown her various talents behind the drum kit and on the mic during her run with the band. Now those talents will be showcased on even a higher level as she plans to release her first solo EP titled Ledger.

    Never doubting on using her talents to one day make a solo album, many fans and music insiders thought that Ledger would first unite with other very talented female musicians in rock music and form a female “super group,” with the likes of Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale, Sick Puppies bassist Emma Anzai, and Skillet bandmate Korey Cooper. Ledger, will be released on Atlantic Records on April 13. Skillet keyboardist and guitarist Korey Cooper, helped produce the EP with well known Nashville writer/producer Seth Moseley.

    In a recent Billboard article, Ledger shared her excitement about the upcoming project: “I feel I’ve just been growing and changing over the last few years and I feel the time is now. It just feels like everything is lined up all at once. It’s super exciting because it is a little bit of a destiny moment.”

    Ledger credits her Skillet bandmates John and Korey Cooper for helping her find her own sound while mentoring her though the process.

    Atlantic Records President of A&R Pete Ganbarg, spoke highly of Legder’s talents from knowing her over the past decade:

    From when I started working with Skillet 10 years ago, I was immediately impressed with how vibrant and talented Jen Ledger is. Her voice is so unique — and has become such an identifiable part of Skillet’s sound — that we’ve waited for most of the past decade for the moment when she would finally be ready to release her own music. What she’s been working on with John and Korey Cooper, as well as with Seth Moseley and others, shows that the wait has definitely been worth it. 

    Now that Ledger’s solo career is on the way, many Skillet fans are worried that her days in Skillet will soon be a memory, but the singer/songwriter has no plans on leaving the band. In fact, Ledger will pull double duty, and open shows for Skillet’s upcoming spring “Unleashed” tour starting on April 12, with her backing band, then head behind the kit for Skillet’s performance to close shows. Ledger was asked if she planned on leaving Skillet: “We’re all on the same team and we’re all kind of mixed into everything. John is actually going to be singing on one of my songs and Korey is co-producing all of it and writing it with me, so it’s ridiculously perfect. I get to do everything I want and have the best of both worlds.”

  • Indie Pop singer Yoke Lore release “Fake You” off upcoming album, Absolutes

    “Fake You,” indie pop artist Yoke Lore‘s recent single, off his upcoming album Absolutes, finds him exploring the grey areas between black and white ideas while building upon the lush, sonic palette of his past works. Adrian Galvin, formerly of Walk the Moon and Yellerkin, embarks on a solo musical endeavor that combines echoing waves of banjo, vocals, and percussion to create unforgettable pop songs with tactile sincerity and conviction.

    Galvin will release Absolutes in the summer of 2018 after a cross-country spring tour with FRENSHIP. Discussing the upcoming album, Galvin explains, “These songs all gravitate around the struggle between two sides of something. The opening track, “Fake You,” is about the difficulty of realizing your perception of someone doesn’t necessarily match who they really are. “Cut And Run” follows, conveying the instinct to flee versus the instinct to find a home, and “Concrete” illustrates Galvin’s struggle between living in the city and being in the country. “So, they are all the conflicts of absolutes,” he states. “There must be a balance, some movement and some pull. A life of absolutes is no life at all.”

    Galvin first hit the ground running in 2016 with Yoke Lore’s debut EP, Far Shore, released on B3Sci Records. In 2017, the title track of his 2017 EP Goodpain hit #1 on Hype Machine, and quickly after his songs caught fire on Spotify, racking up over 10 million plays throughout the year. The new music finds multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and visual artist Adrian Galvin polishing his heartfelt anthems and ruminating on finding balance amid respective oppositions by breaking through the notion that truth necessitates purity.

    Yoke Lore performs at the Neon Gold Showcase at SXSW on March 14

  • Sammi Rae Murciano Spreads Anti-bullying Message with ‘Reflection’ Video

    Singer/Songwriter Sammi Rae Murciano recently debuted the video for her single “Reflection,” a heartfelt track that looks back on her experiences with bullying and her journey towards empowerment. The cinematic video was produced and directed by Nick Terrana and shows Sammi’s struggle as it weaves between depictions of her as both a young girl and teenager, struggling as a victim of bullying and the effects on her self-esteem.

    A Long Island native, 17 year old Sammi Rae has been singing for three years, and is inspired by a wide range of talents before her, citing influences from Beyoncé to Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Adele, Dua Lipa and many more. Sammi’s strong and soulful voice is beyond her years and knows that you have to believe in yourself and have confidence to be successful has been her continued mantra, especially showcased on “Reflection,” which was recorded at The Loft Sound Studio with Donnie Klang, a recording artist and winner of MTV’s “Making The Band 4” and artist/engineer Matthew LaPorte.

    Murciano’s three song EP “The Story” includes “Reflection” along with “Back to Me,” about wanting to move forward and finding the strength to trust and love again, and “Never Letting Go,” a track she says she wants “to inspire others” continuing “no one should let anyone stop them from doing what they love.”

    Murciano shares about the writing behind “Reflection,” “There are many stories you hear about people being bullied and how they resort to harmful and drastic measures which could lead to dangerous outcomes. I had my singing to turn to and it’s only made me stronger. As a way to escape from the feelings of being hurt, bullied, and hated on, I started writing in my journal…which turned into a source for songs that told my story.”

    Having performed “Reflection” at the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying’s 2nd Annual Fall Gala, and with the video debut at Patchogue’s 89 North on Saturday, February 17, Murciano will certainly have better days to reflect upon as she continues to help others with her music in 2018.

  • Hudson Taylor Release New Acoustic Single and Video ‘Run with Me’

    Irish Americana-pop duo Hudson Taylor, comprised of brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson Taylor, will release their new EP, Feel It Again, capturing their fresh sound and three tracks produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy). They’ve also announced tour dates in both Ireland and the US, where they will be supporting Gabrielle Aplin.

    The brothers honed their craft busking on the streets of their hometown of Dublin, as well as cities all over Europe, leading to the release of their debut album, Singing for Strangers, in 2015. Most recently, the band enjoyed a very successful 2017, playing to one of the biggest crowds of the weekend at the Electric Picnic festival in September, and their lead-off Irish single “Feel It Again” was one of the biggest national airplay hits of 2017. Hudson Taylor’s Irish autumn tour was a sell-out and they also played huge shows with Picture This, The Script and Kodaline.

    Fresh from a sold out UK tour, Hudson Taylor are currently touring in Europe in support of their brand new single “Run With Me.” The brothers will visit North America for a tour supporting Gabrielle Aplin, kicking off in February, before returning to Ireland in March for an eight-date tour which will coincide with the release of Feel It Again.

    Hudson Taylor Tour Dates (supporting Gabrielle Aplin):

    Feb. 21 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
    Feb. 22 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
    Feb. 24 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia’s
    Feb. 25 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
    Feb. 27 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry at The Fillmore
    Feb. 28 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
    March 1 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
    March 3 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
    March 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
    March 7 – Portland, OR – Holocene
    March 8 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
    March 10 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
    March 11 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s

    Ireland Headlining Tour:

    March 27 – Belfast – Elmwood Hall
    March 28 – Dublin – Olympia Theatre
    March 29 – Cork – Opera House
    March 31 – Galway – Radisson Hotel
    April 1 – Limerick – The Big Top
    April 2 – Castlebar – TF Royal Acoustic Room
    April 4 – Derry – The Glassworks
    April 5 – Carlow – The Tower

  • Long Island Based Cloud Releases Trippy New Single, ‘Wildfire’

    Long Island’s Cloud (aka Tyler Taormina and friends) return with their new album Plays With Fire, featuring the single “Wildfire.” With a poppy, vibrant sound, hints of Panda Bear Electronics, Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins can be found in this warming tune.

    “Wildfire” is accompanied by a music video for “Watch Your Mind Wander,” which Taormina directed in Los Angeles, one which revels in the sinister side of a good time, and an exclusive non-album B-Side. Nearly 10 minutes of tenderness and melancholy, “Watch Your Mind Wander” glimmers and glistens as it loops to its gentle conclusion. It’s a powerful comedown from the frenetic crash of “Wildfire” and offers yet another hint of what’s to come on the forthcoming Plays With Fire LP from Cloud.