The Kitchen announced they will be hosting the New York Premier for the film, “Tour Without End (Twenty-One Portraits and a Protest)”, on June 11 at 8 p.m.. The film was created by Lauren Parnes and is a Trump–era commentary on contemporary culture and politics told through the casting of real-life musicians, artists and actors as bands on tour. At the screening there will also be live musicians accompanying, including BB TAY VEE, Macy Rodman and JD Samson’s New Band.
Photo courtesy of the Tour Without End website.
The film was shot between 2014-2018 and involves over 15 DIY music spaces created around New York City. The film tries to act as an urgent time capsule to show how rapidly gentrification is affecting the city. It managed this by shooting in real environments and situations. Most of the scenes were semi scripted for the core group of characters but a lot of it ended up being improvised. The press release revealed that, “Because many of these performers are legends themselves in the New York City downtown scene, they are archetypes playing archetypes. The work revels in the sometimes hilarious— but always complex —band dynamics the characters endure in touring, collaborating, and aging in a youth-driven music industry. As the players move in and out of fictionalized characters and real life, the film moves in and out of non-linear narrative and historical document.”
The Kitchen is one of New York City’s most forward-looking nonprofit spaces and is known for showing innovative work by emerging and established artists across all disciplines. Their programs range from dance, music, performance, and theater to video, film, and art, in addition to literary events, artists’ talks, and lecture series. The Kitchen was created in 1971 and has been a powerful force in shaping the cultural landscape of this country ever since.
Show Information:
Tour Without End
June 11 – The Kitchen -New York City
Tickets $15 General / $10 Members.
With any questions about the screening, please contact the box office at boxoffice@thekitchen.org or by phone at 212.255.5793 x11.
For more information on Tour Without End visit the website
Legendary rock band Los Lobos will headline Cohoes Music Hall on Sunday, July 22. The three-time Grammy winners are known around the world for their cover of “La Bamba” which was featured in the film based on the life of Ritchie Valens. This LA-based band has always striven to maintain their Mexican roots despite mainstream success. Louie Perez, the band’s drummer, once called their powerhouse mix of rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music “the soundtrack of the barrio.” They recently released a split vinyl with The Shins on Third Man Records for Record Store Day. The song “The Fear” is now available digitally on Spotify. Tickets for the show at Cohoes Music Hall are on sale through Guthrie-Bell Productions.
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.
On Friday June 1, guitarist Tom Hamilton and pianist Holly Bowling will bring their acoustic duo project to The Capitol Theatre for what is sure to be a magnificent set of Grateful Dead material. The show is billed as ‘Acoustic Exploration of The Grateful Dead.’
Currently, Hamilton and Bowling are touring together with Steve Lyons, Raina Mullen and Scotty Zwang as the highly received jam outfit Ghost Light. Given that but also given both Hamilton and Bowling’s extensive backgrounds in bringing new life to The Grateful Dead songbook, this Capitol Theatre show should be one of those shows to get out and see at all costs. For more info, visit The Capitol Theatre’s website.
In our excitement for the show, NYS Music sat down with Tom Hamilton and discussed in depth the nature of improvisation in today’s modern music climate.
Miles Hurley: So I understand that you’ve been playing with Holly Bowling since her many sit-ins with American Babies. And then of course there’s Ghost Light, and now this duo project. What draws the two of you together musically?
Tom Hamilton: I’d say we both respect the idea of improvising, and of really trying to go places. And seeing how far away from an origin we can take things out. And we listen. The whole thing for me, and for a lot of people I think, when it comes to improvising, is listening to what each other is saying, and giving each other the time and space to say what they have to say, and then reacting accordingly.
MH: What do find is different about improvising in a two-person setting as opposed to with a full band?
TH: Well the principle is always the same, and…well with the acoustic thing, there are just different variables, you know? The acoustic thing is interesting because, not only is it just two of us, but it’s an acoustic guitar instead of an electric guitar, and the pallet that I get to choose from is different. Different than what there normally would be with a band. So I guess it’s kind of doubly-different then. And I think for Holly, you could pretty much say the same thing, because in the band she’s using the keyboards, and not an actual grand piano. And there’s an enormous difference between the way she plays those two.
It’s like having any kind of conversation. The best kind of conversations a person will have, it’s not just the other person waiting to say what they want to say, it’s: “okay, I have heard what you’ve said, and I will retort.” A real back and forth. So with Holly and I, there’s a lot of respect, and a lot of listening.
MH: I got to catch Ghost Light’s show at The Acoustic in Bridgeport, and I could see what you’re explaining going on. Seeing the way you guys interact when building jams was almost as good as hearing it.
TH: Yeah, the thing I always try to stress is, let’s try to write a song right here on the spot. Let’s try to write a Radiohead tune right now. And see what happens, and if it goes somewhere it goes somewhere, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s about making choices. I think that’s the difference between bands that can get around, and bands that kind of just noodle. It’s a thing of saying things with a period on the end, rather than a question mark. “You said this, so this is what I say.” You keep making things happen. And sometimes it’s complete dogshit, and that’s totally fine. That’s the point of it, that it can go either way, and I think people respond to that. I think that’s why people come, because it could be the greatest thing ever, or the worst thing ever, and they think, “I want to see which way it goes today.” As long as everybody’s making choices, it’s always going to be a good outcome.
MH: One thing I think is interesting is that Holly started out doing the tribute thing, and I remember asking her about writing her own music, which Ghost Light has now given her the opportunity to do. But this acoustic project and now The Capitol Theatre Show will almost kind of bring both of you guys back full circle.
TH: Yeah, you know The Capitol and the Dead are both that common thread between us two. When we were asked about doing this, we just said absolutely. For me, the thing that makes it super not a problem is that…as long as we’re still chasing original music. And I mean original music, not like, “oh I’m going to take music that’s pretty been written a thousand times and put different words over it,” or something. No, like original songs and doing original things. As long as we’re using our other time to doing that, and contributing to the lexicon, I think it’s great. It’s great that we get to have the best of both worlds.
MH: This will be another one of several different Dead related projects you’ve been involved with. I think there’s something to be said for the fact of people coming to see you tribute The Grateful Dead in not just one but multiple different projects.
TH: I mean it’s certainly flattering, I will say that. It’s an honor that people care. And we’re lucky enough that with that songbook, you can keep it fresh, as has been proven over the last fifty years. Those songs are living documents that are always going to be growing, and as long as you’re helping that, and keeping it moving in a forward direction, it’s a wonderful thing, and I’m glad to be doing it.
MH: Thinking outside the Dead, were there any particular music artists that you and the other members of Ghost Light have bonded over?
TH: The fun thing about Ghost Light, I think, is it’s five pretty different points of view. I mean, yes, there’s bands that we all agree on. Like Radiohead is fucking Radiohead. They’re the Beatles of our time, and The Beatles are The Beatles of everybody’s time. There’s certain truths you can’t escape.
But there is like…we do a couple of Rolling Stones tunes, and it’s not that I don’t like The Stones, but I wouldn’t have brought that it, and Holly did, and that’s awesome. I brought in a Derek and The Dominoes tune that we do, that probably nobody else in the band would’ve brought that in. Raina brought in this song called “Wild One” that’s just this awesome punk tune, that none of us would’ve thought of. Scotty brought in “Head over Heels” from Tears for Fears.
We all have our own place we’re coming from. That’s the thing that turns me on about the band, and about people in general. It’s a weird time we’re in that most people, through either social media or in social situations, they surround themselves with sicophants. Surrounding yourself with people that are just going to say yes, or agree with what you’re saying, or have the exact same tastes as you. Where it’s like, “well if you don’t listen to what I listen to or believe what I believe, then I can’t hang out with you.” And I get it, but it’s also bullshit, and you’re not going to bring anything new to the world, by a bunch of people just agreeing with each other. And this is bigger than just music I guess, but differing opinions need to touch each other to create a new opinion, to bring understanding and to broaden horizons.
Like, everybody in the band, we all got together because we all love Neil Diamond, okay? And, more than likely, we’re going to end up making a shitty version of Neil Diamond. Which, A) nobody needs, because nobody needs a shitty version of Neil Diamond, and B) Neil Diamond already exists, you know what I mean? I think, putting together this group of people, the fact that everybody is coming from five pretty different places, that’s what’s making this band good, and that’s why people are reacting to it. It’s not something that just like what already exists.
MH: I feel that we’ve reached a bit of an influx, in the sense that there’s so many bands out there today, doing the jam thing, but it’s getting harder to do that jam thing without sounding unoriginal.
TH: Well I think it is easy to do that, if you just work at it. That’s the thing. It’s harder, obviously. But who the fuck said it was supposed to be easy? If it’s easy then you get a lot of what’s going on, which is just a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy. If you look at JRAD, that’s five super different folks, trying to sound original every time they walk on stage. You know, for being a band that covers the Grateful Dead, I feel like we’re more original than a lot of bands going, because we openly say, “listen, the songs aren’t ours, but the jams are.” You have some of these jambands that claim to have original music, but it’s a Phish song with different words, or executed poorly.
And it’s hard, it’s not easy. When we were writing this Ghost Light record, I was banging my head against the wall for months and months. That’s the nature of the gig, you have to try and navigate through an ocean of stuff that’s already happened. This Ghost Light record, there’s a lot of tracks where I just think, this sounds like us. I’m really proud of it.
On Thursday May 24, The Space at Westbury held an open forum for musicians, artist managers, the press, and music enthusiasts to discuss the state of the Long Island music scene. Appropriately titled “Are Tribute Bands Taking all the Gigs?,” two separate panels of Long Island music scene veterans sat down and had a necessary discussion on where the scene is currently, what it once was, and the direction they would like to see it move towards in the future.
The first panel titled “Putting the Long Island Music Scene Under the Microscope” did just that. This panel was moderated by Jim Faith (musician, promoter, talent buyer, producer of Great South Bay Music Festival and Co-Founder of the LI Music Hall of Fame). With the guidance of Faith, a group of musicians, old and young, sat down to dissect what exactly is going on in the LI music scene. While many topics were brought up, the main theme discussed was whether the influx of tribute bands are oversaturating the market. To ensure everyone’s voice was heard, the panel was split nearly down the middle with musicians in tribute bands and musicians who play their own original music, accompanied by an unbiased voice from Newsday Pop Music WriterGlenn Gamboa.
A major consensus that was agreed upon was that while tribute bands are on the rise on Long Island, it does not mean original artists must suffer as a result. Demographics reveal that the typical music listener on Long Island tends to be older, have a job, and family obligations, so it makes sense that they would spend their one night out a week seeing a band they know they will enjoy and can sing along to. However, this does not mean original music is a dead artform on Long Island. Almost every venue provides at least one night a week for original artists to play and gain exposure, despite how many or few people come out. What it essentially comes down to is local artists honing their craft, properly promoting themselves, collaborating with venues, and loving what they do. While the scene is not as vibrant as it was in the 1970’s, there is still plenty of new music to be seen every night on Long Island.
The second panel, also moderated by Faith, picked up where the first left off and looked towards the future. Titled “Moving Forward: What Can Be Done to Nurture and Support Our Original Artists, Maintain a Vibrant Music Scene, and Continue Our Rich Music History”, the second panel had more of a focus on management and venues. Many of the musicians from the previous panel were replaced by an assortment of businessmen from venue owners to talent buyers, and even a local DJ/musician.
The discussion of the second panel delved into issues managers and artists were encountering, and focused on ways to correct them. Much of the discussion centered around ways artists need to promote themselves; whether it’s on social media, local advertisements, working with the venue, or even just talking to people after shows. It was agreed upon that artists must be prepared for the business side of the scene when dealing with venues or record companies, and that while many of the artists may be from Long Island and play there often, it is important to venture out of the area to promote themselves. Although some may think the Long Island music scene may seem to be on the decline, as long as there are people who are passionate about live music and keeping things fresh, there is plenty of hope for the future.
Saranac Brewery, in Utica NY, has two shows coming up you don’t want to miss. Dark Star Orchestra and Get the Led Out are both making stops at the brewery on their separate tours this summer.
Dark Star Orchestra
Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead tribute band who’s known for recreating historic dead shows. Dark Star Orchestra formed over a decade ago and their determined commitment to ‘raising the Dead’ has drawn them nationwide attention from publications as big as Rolling Stone who say they are, “Quite possibly the most talented and accomplished tribute band out there… they’ve definitely mastered their inspiration’s vagabond nature.”
Get The Led Out is a Led Zeppelin tribute band who, “have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage” according to their press release. Get The Led Out consists of six musicians and are based out of Philadelphia. They have been dubbed by the media as “The American Led Zeppelin.”
Tickets went on sale Friday, May 25th at 10AM from Creative Concerts for both shows.
Show information:
Dark Star Orchestra
July 31- Saranac Breweries – Utica, NY
Doors: 7PM // Show: 8PM
All ages.
Get The Led Out
Aug. 10 – Saranac Breweries – Utica, NY
Doors: 7PM // Show: 8PM
All ages.
For more information on Dark Star Orchestra visit their website
For more information on Get The Led Out visit their website
Chiggin, a funk band hailing from Syracuse, has started booking tour stops through Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica and NYC off of the buzz surrounding their recently released EP, “Original Recipe.”
Max Rips frontman of Chiggin. Photo courtesy of Chiggin’s website.
“Original Recipe” is a four-song EP containing the songs, “Funky Elbeaux,” “Stevie Wonder’s Morning Breath,” “Eggistential Barnyard,” and “Waiting for Marmalade (Between the Busses)” which keep to the bands funky nature known and loved by Syracuse locals at venues, like Funk ‘n Waffles, where they have become a fan favorite.
The video for their debut single, “Stevie Wonder’s Morning Breath” (which was shot and directed by Kevin Brite) was released April 6th via YouTube. The video has a classic music video format jumping between a recording studio and a live performance, which accompanies the upbeat funk sound Chiggin’s carries, perfectly.
Chiggin formed in July of 2016 in Syracuse and quickly built a name for themselves because of “their fun stage show and their untamed musicality,” according to their website. The band consists of Max Puglisi, Sam Roux, Gavin George, Nick Fields, Ethan Wojcik, Brian Caswell, and Jacob Penner and is currently pushing their plan forwards for an east coast tour in 2018 starting with some shows in Syracuse, NY.
Upcoming shows:
May 31 – Al’s Wine & Whiskey – Syracuse, NY
Chiggin w/ Tiger Chung Lee (Buffalo) – 9:30pm, Free
June 9 – Funk n’ Waffles – Syracuse, NY
Ghost-Note (Members of Snarky Puppy) w/s/g Chiggin – 9:30, $10 Adv/$15 DOS
Legendary jazz composer/performer and 14-time Grammy award-winner, Herbie Hancock, was celebrated on Sunday, May 20, 2018 and received an honorary doctorate as part of the 147th Commencement ceremony in NEC’s (New England Conservatory‘s) Jordan Hall.
Hancock was one of four distinguished musicians to receive an honorary doctorate. Joseph L. Bower, Edgar Albert Meyer, Jr., and Peter Lyman Row were the other recipients of NEC’s honorary doctorates.
According to NEC:
“Born in Chicago, Hancock was a piano prodigy, performing with the Chicago Symphony at age 11. His career began after being discovered by Donald Byrd and, shortly thereafter, he joined the Miles Davis Quintet; he later made appearances on Davis’ groundbreaking In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, which heralded the birth of jazz-fusion. After leaving Davis, Hancock put together a new band called The Headhunters and, in 1973, recorded Head Hunters, which became the first jazz album to go platinum. The winner of multiple Grammy Awards, he also won an Academy Award for his film score ‘Round Midnight. His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award, after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. Recently named by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Creative Chair For Jazz, he also serves as Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.”
Approximately 265 students graduated from NEC’s degree, diploma, and certificate programs this year along side Hancock while he received his honorary doctorate. Students graduated in a range of studies including: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, as well as Graduate Diploma and Artist Diploma.
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.”
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
Brooklyn grunge, post-punk rockers Castle Black have released a music video for their song “Broken Bright Star,” which comes off the band’s 2017 EP, Trapped Under All You Know.
Filmed in Brooklyn, the band once again turned to director Jeff Allyn Szwast for this project after directing the band’s video for “Dark Light.” The video shows their fondness for spells, dark magic and pagan-inspired rituals.
Szwast talked about once again teaming up with Castle Black: “I love working with Castle Black, because I feel like we get to make these fun, narrative mini-films. Leigh and I have similar tastes in aesthetics and themes, and all of us enjoy infusing the work with a certain amount of ’90s head-nods, as we all draw a lot of our early influence from that era.”
After recently hanging out in the studio, Castle Black is set to release their fourth EP this summer, titled The Gods That Adored You. The band tapped one of the industry’s best engineers/producers for the EP in Mark Plati, who has worked with artists like David Bowie, Prince, Spooky Ruben, The Cure and Duncan Sheik. The EP was recorded by Michael Abiuso, at Behind the Curtains Media studio, and mastered by Jamal Ruhe of West West Side Music.
The female-fronted Castle Black will play two hometown shows in Brooklyn during their current tour on June 8 at TJO Presents Showcase (Northside Festival) and June 28, at The Well.
Castle Black’s Remaining Tour Dates:
June 8 – TJO Presents Showcase (Northside Festival), Brooklyn, NY June 28 – The Well, Brooklyn, NY
July 6 – The Comet, Cincinnati, OH
July 7 – TBA, Rock Island, IL
July 8 – Bremen Cafe, Milwaukee, WI
July 10 – FireHouse, Lancaster, OH
July 11 – Melody Inn, Indianapolis, IN
July 12 – The Cure Lounge, Louisville, KY
July 14 – Camp Champe, West Branch, MI
July 15 – Kelly’s Bar, Hamtramck, MI
July 16 – Strum Around Productions, Sandusky, OH
July 21 – The Uke, Manchester, NJ
Aug. 3 – 9th Annual Elephant Talk Indie Music Fest, Mays Landing, NJ
Aug. 4 – Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
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.
A major consensus that was agreed upon was that while tribute bands are on the rise on Long Island, it does not mean original artists must suffer as a result. Demographics reveal that the typical music listener on Long Island tends to be older, have a job, and family obligations, so it makes sense that they would spend their one night out a week seeing a band they know they will enjoy and can sing along to. However, this does not mean original music is a dead artform on Long Island. Almost every venue provides at least one night a week for original artists to play and gain exposure, despite how many or few people come out. What it essentially comes down to is local artists honing their craft, properly promoting themselves, collaborating with venues, and loving what they do. While the scene is not as vibrant as it was in the 1970’s, there is still plenty of new music to be seen every night on Long Island.
