QNA, a fusion of hip-hop and jazz born from New York City has released the second single, “Karoshi.” off their upcoming debut EP XII. The title of the song means ‘death from overwork’ in Japanese, combining an up-tempo jazz melody with flow from MC Supe.
Formed from jam sessions under the name People Zoo, QNA is comprised of high school friends, lead by MC Supe, and a cast of players including Marina Espinet (vocals), Benjamin Chin (saxophone), TJ Adorno (keys), Dylan Kaminkow (bassist), and Marco Gill (drummer). The band also features a wealth of vocalists and rappers including Bush Tea and more.
Hip-hop at heart, QNA is jazz through and through, with chords and long solos that aren’t afraid to get out there. The seven minute jam of “Karoshi” rises swiftly and is full of rhymes and a message to let go of the grind and enjoy the wonders that nurture the soul. XII was recorded at The Breeding Room and is due out February 23. Listen to “Karoshi” below.
Strangefolk’s Reid Genauer has announced a new album via a Kickstarter campaign. The album, entitled Conspire to Smile, will contain cover songs, a new Assembly of Dust song, “Amplified Messiah,” and the first recording from the original members of Strangefolk since 1998’s A Great Long While, called “Conspire to Smile.”
Kevin Bedford & Reid Genauer
The new album is credited to Reid Genauer & Folks and includes appearances from a who’s who of the jamband scene, including Aaron Maxwell, Adam Terrell, Andy Herrick, Dave Diamond, Elliot Peck, Erik Glockler, Jason Crosby, John Leccese, Jon Trafton LEBO, Luke Smith, Marc Friedman, Nate Wilson, Ryan Montbleau, Scott Law, Scott Metzger and others to be announced.
The official Kickstarter campaign to fund the album begins Feb. 1. In the meantime, you can catch Strangefolk in a series of performances this weekend. Friday Jan. 19, the band performs at the Waterville Opera House in Waterville, ME. Saturday Jan. 20 they perform at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston and Sunday, Jan. 21 at the Warehouse at FTC in Fairfield, CT.
Genauer describes the project as follows:
It’s a celebration of the power that each of us has in the telling of our shared story, a reminder that we all have way more in common than not. Our little community is geographically distributed throughout the country and amounts to some 30,000 people or so. If each of us were to gain five minutes a week of peace of mind from this project we would create approximately 150,000 minutes or2,500 hours/week of personal energy that can be used towards addressing our challenges rather than wallowing in them. I think about it as a social version of the Doppler effect. Like the ripple from a single drop of water if each of us touches even two people and they too Conspire To Smile, the impact and outcome will be profound. My hope is that that each of us can use this project, the songs and the broad intent, as a way of being that drop of water. Let’s take care of ourselves so we can in turn take care of others.
A working version of the Strangefolk track, “Conspire to Smile” was posted on Genauer’s Facebook page. You can view that below. The preliminary track list for the new album is as follows:
1. “Conspire To Smile”
2. “Amplified Messiah”
3. “Let Love Rule”
4. “All You Need Is Love”
5. “People Get Ready…”
Albany’s Young Culture is hitting the road following the release of their latest EP, Blue. The five-piece pop punk outfit will complete a northeast run before heading across the country and back. The fun begins with a release show on Thursday, Jan. 4 in New Hampshire, followed by a show in Beacon, NY the following night. The trek across the country begins and ends in New York, with a return to Rochester on the first night of tour on February 17. They wrap up their tour with a hometown show in Albany on March 4.
Young Culture Photo: Danny DeRusso
Young Culture combines vibrant punk pop melodies with catchy lyrics, creating a sound that gets crowds bopping to the beat. They’ve opened for national acts such as Knuckle Puck and Real Friends. The upcoming Northeast run concludes with a show where they will support Belmont (Jan. 9 in Attleboro, MA). Young Culture is Nick Cavin (drums), Gabe Pietrafesa (lead guitar), Alex Magnan (lead vocals), Chris Arnold (guitar), Myron Vititow (bass, backing vocals). Blue is their second EP, a follow-up to 2016’s You. Both are available to stream on Spotify or purchase through iTunes.
https://youtu.be/DAbuOt3zfBg
Northeast Run Dates:
Jan. 4 – Manchester, NH – Bungalow Jan. 5 – Beacon, NY – The Platform
Jan. 6 – Woodbridge, CT – The ATC
Jan. 7 – Providence, RI – Dusk
Jan. 9 – Attleboro, MA – Paterson Creations
National Tour Dates: Feb. 17 – Rochester, NY – Vineyard Community Space
Feb. 18 – Louisville, KY – The Cure Lounge
Feb. 19 – St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
Feb. 20 – Omaha, NE – Dr. Jacks
Feb. 21 – Denver, CO – The Marquis Theatre
Feb. 23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Vibe
Feb. 24 – Lake Forrest, CA – Rushbar
Feb. 25 – Santa Anna, CA – 4th Street Market
Feb. 26 – TBA
Feb. 27 – Albuquerque, NM – The Jam Spot
Feb. 28 – TBA
March 1 – Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
March 2 – Cleveland, OH – Euclid Tavern
March 3 – Erie, PA – Basement Transmissions March 4 – Albany, NY – The Hollow
