NYS Music 20​18

Category: NYC Metro

  • Ani DiFranco adds Syracuse to Fall Tour

    Buffalo native and current New Orleans resident, Ani DiFranco will perform at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater on Sept. 16 on her fall tour, Creative Concerts announced Tuesday.

    Ani DiFranco

    The folk singer-songwriter, activist, poet and entrepreneur released her 20th album, Binary, last year and is touring with a renewed vigor. DiFranco described a breakthrough moment that hit during the writing of the pro-choice anthem “Play God” from her latest album:

    When I wrote the line ‘You don’t get to play God, man/I do,’ I paused and thought, ‘Can I say that?’ It’s not the first time I’ve thought that, but it’s been a while. And in that moment, I thought, ‘I’m back, mothafuckas!

    Tickets for the all ages show are $35 in advance and $40 the day of the show. They go on sale Friday, July 20 at 10:00 through the Westcott’s website.

    Peter Mulvey is the support act for this show. Mulvey wrote the song “Take Down Your Flag” following the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC in June 2015. After his first performance of the song opening for DiFranco in Northampton, MA, Mulvey put out an invitation to other artists to add verses. Mulvey’s introduction video is below, followed by DiFranco’s version, where she is accompanied by Ivan Neville and Terrance Higgins.

    Ani DiFranco Fall Tour:

    Sept. 15 – Grand Point North Festival – Burlington, VT
    Sept. 16 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
    Sept. 28 – Lyric Theatre – Birmingham, AL
    Sept. 29 – Center Stage Theater – Atlanta, GA
    Sept. 30 – The NorVa – Norfolk, VA
    Oct. 1 – The Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA
    Oct. 3 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
    Oct. 5 – Somerville Theatre – Somerville, MA
    Oct. 6 – Bardavon 1869 Opera House – Poughkeepsie, NY
    Nov. 4 – Delta Hall at Eccles Theater – Salt Lake City, UT
    Nov. 6 – Vancouver Playhouse – Vancouver, BC
    Nov. 8 – The Neptune – Seattle, WA
    Nov. 9 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
    Nov. 10 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR
    Nov. 12 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
    Nov. 14 – Palace Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
    Nov. 15 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
    Nov. 17 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
    Nov. 18 – Emo’s Austin – Austin, TX
    Nov. 19 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA

    Check out DiFranco’s Tiny Desk Concert from last year below:

  • Aqueous Announces Most Extensive Headlining Tour to Date

    Aqueous just announced their most extensive headlining tour to date. The tour starts this September, ends in December, and will hit 27 cities.

    Photo courtesy of Aqueous’s press release.

    Aqueous is a Buffalo-based groove-rock quartet and has three studio albums under their belt. They have a reputation for their improvisational skills and are considered one of the most promising improvisational rock acts in the country.

    During their tour Aqueous will be receiving support from the likes of Mungion, ELM, The Heavy Pets, EGI and Goose. They will be stopping in five New York cities: Buffalo, Sherman, Utica, Albany, and Brooklyn. The Buffalo, Sherman, and Utica stops are technically before the tour starts but are part of Aqueous’ already existing shows.

    The band is made up of guitarist Mike Gantzer, guitarist/keyboardist David Loss, bassist Evan McPhaden, and drummer Rob Houk. Tickets are on sale this coming Friday, July 20th at 10 AM ET.

    To purchase tickets or for more information on specific dates, please head to the band’s website.

    Tour date listed bellow:

    July 21 – The Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
    July 27 & 28 – Cobblestone Live – Buffalo, NY
    Aug. 23 – Night Lights Music Festival – Sherman, NY
    Sept. 7 – Saranac Brewery – Utica, NY **
    Sept. 20 – Resonance Music and Arts Festival – Thornville, OH
    Sept. 21 – Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA *
    Oct. 24 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT ^
    Oct. 25 – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge – South Burlington, VT ^
    Oct. 26 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA ^
    Oct. 27 – The Hollow – Albany, NY ^
    Oct. 31 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY ^
    Nov. 1 – Wionder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ ^
    Nov. 2 – Union Stage – Washington D.C.^
    Nov. 3 – The Foundry at the Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA ^
    Nov. 4 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA #
    Nov. 6 – The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC #
    Nov. 7 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC #
    Nov. 8 – The Social – Orlando, FL #
    Nov. 9 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL #
    Nov. 10 – The Crowbar – Tampa, FL #
    Nov. 14 – Zydeco – Birmingham, AL #
    Nov. 15 – Aisle 5 – Atlanta, GA #
    Nov. 16 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC #
    Nov. 17 – Exit In – Nashville, TN #
    Nov. 28 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI +
    Nov. 29 – Chop Shop – Chicago, IL
    Nov. 30 – The Miramar Theatre – Milwaukee, WI +
    Dec. 5 – Hodi’s Halfnote – Ft. Collins, CO ^
    Dec. 7 – Old Town Pub – Steamboat Springs, CO ^
    Dec. 8 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO ^
    Dec. 11 – The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE $
    Dec. 12 – The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy – St. Louis, MO $
    Dec. 13 – The Hi-Fi – Indianapolis, IN $

    ** w/ moe.
    * w/ ELM
    ^ w/ Mungion
    # w/ The Heavy Pets
    + w/ EGI
    $ w/ Goose

  • Sister Sparrow Announces New Album and Supporting Tour

    Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow has announced the release of the new album GOLD. The album arrives at all music retailers and streaming services via Thirty Tigers on Friday, Oct. 12th.

    Sister Sparrow New Album
    Photo courtesy of Sister Sparrow’s website.

    The album’s first single, “Ghost,” is set to release Friday, Aug. 3. In addition to this, Sister Sparrow will also be celebrating the new LP with a major U.S. tour, joined as always by her extraordinary brass-fueled combo, the Dirty Birds.

    GOLD is produced and co-written in collaboration with Carter Matschullat (Chef’Special, Secret Weapons) at Brooklyn’s DØØM Studio. The LP takes the classic Dirty Birds sound and turns it into something altogether new, a soul-blasted contemporary pop approach supremely suited for Kincheloe’s immense voice.

    “The GOLD Tour” begins August 30 in Athens, then travels the country through early December. The tour will include a performance with Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats on Sept. 15 at Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine. Additional dates will be unveiled soon.

    For more information please visit Sister Sparrow’s website.

    The GOLD Tour:

    Aug. 30 – Athens Summer Concert Series – Athens, NY
    Aug. 31 – Levitt Pavilion Steelstacks – Bethlehem, PA
    Sept. 1 – Blues, Views And BBQ – Westport, CT
    Sept. 14 – Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival – Fredericton, NB
    Sept. 15 – Thompson’s Point (w/ Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats) – Portland, ME
    Sept. 16 – Grand Point North Festival – Burlington, VT
    Sept. 21 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
    Sept. 22 – Borderland Music and Arts Festival – East Aurora, NY
    Oct. 31 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
    Nov. 1 – Founders Brewing Co.Grand – Rapids, MI
    Nov. 2 – Otus Supply – Parliament Room- Ferndale, MI
    Nov. 3 – Mr. Small’s Theatre – Millvale, PA
    Nov. 8 – Infinity Music Hall Hartford – Hartford, CT
    Nov. 9 – Theatre Of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
    Nov. 10 – Swyer Theatre, Empire Center At The Egg – Albany, NY
    Nov. 15 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA
    Nov. 29 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC
    Dec. 1 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
    Dec. 5 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
    Dec. 6 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA

  • New York’s City Winery Forced to Vacate Location by Disney

    New York’s City Winery, which is located currently at Varick Street in Manhattan, is being forced to relocate by none other than Disney itself. The City Winery is known for putting on well-attended shows by a variety of artists. Disney has bought out the building where the winery has been located for the past decade and plans to make room for the company’s new NYC headquarters by demolishing it and the surrounding city block.

    Photo of Radnor & Lee (Josh Radnor & Ben Lee) performing courtesy of City Winery’s social media taken by Ehud Lazin.

    According to Gothamist, Disney signed a $650 million, 99-year lease with Trinity Church for the entire city block, with all the buildings to be demolished. “This is not unanticipated,” City Winery CEO Michael Dorf tells Gothamist. “When we signed our lease ten years ago there was a discussion and a clause about what would happen if they were to demolish the building. It foretold of the future. Trinity Church has been a good landlord and communicating with me about what was happening over the last couple of years. It was not a surprise at all. No one anticipated Disney to consummate the deal so quickly.”

    The Winery hopes to be able to move on to “bigger, better and improved space,” according to their press release, in attempts to try to find the bright side in their forced relocation. Their hope is to reopen the new space on January 1, 2020 with a main venue with a 300 capacity and have a secondary venue with a 150- capacity performance space. They are also hoping to be able to update their kitchens and add a wine making facility.

  • Hearing Aide: Allison Leah ‘Fly Home’

    In a time when music is being self-released by unsigned musicians at a breakneck pace, it can be hard to sift through the barrage of noise and hype. Finding something new and fresh with promise is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. For someone like myself who continuously samples new emerging artists, listening to Allison Leah was like getting a breath of fresh air.

    Leah has been making a name for herself across the state, from her New York City home to her stomping grounds in Rochester and Geneseo. The singer/songwriter even garnered some attention in Nashville when she spent a summer there cutting her teeth in the music industry. After years of honing her songwriting skills, she’s taken six of her songs and recorded them on her debut EP Fly Home.

    “A Love Song,” was the debut single from Fly Home. This pop ballad is a catchy number with its pulsing percussion, jangly guitar and layered vocals. However, the upbeat instrumentation masks the bittersweet lyrics about trying to hold onto a relationship that’s clearly long over. “Sometimes I wonder how we’ve made it this far. ‘Cause I see you with her and I don’t feel a spark. But keep pretending and keep me in the dark. That’s what we both agreed upon.”

    This song gives way to others which also have artful arrangements, catchy hooks, and relatable storytelling. There’s one about healing from heartache and another about venturing out into the world. Perhaps the most unexpected track on the album is “Black and White.” Leah addresses the issue of racism, appealing to people’s sense of humanity. “I met a man the other day and he recalls fighting hate for over decades. See? He wants his kids to learn to dream and play outside unafraid of the streets.” While the melody has a 90’s retro vibe (think Jewel or Lisa Loeb), the subject matter reveals a lot about Leah’s values and convictions about social justice.

    The EP ends with the title track “Fly Home.” Leah strips down the layers of instruments to just a piano and strings, baring her vocals and her soul. The straightforward melody creates a sincere backdrop perfect for the heart-rending tale about loving someone enough to let them go.

    Leah’s songs capture the joys and heartaches of coming of age, touching upon timeless themes of falling in love, heartbreak, self-doubt, empowerment, and rising above adversity. She has an indelible optimistic spark that permeates even the depths of sorrow in her songs. Fly Home is a harbinger of remarkable things to come from this promising young artist with a voice as sweet as honey and a heart of gold.

    Fly Home was produced by Jon Altschiller, and engineered and mixed at Chiller Sound NYC by Jon Altschiller and Danielle Warman. It was mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk. The Musical Director was Doug Derryberry, who also performed some of the instruments on the record. Additional instruments were played by John Hadfield (drums/percussion), John McFaul (bass), Eddie Martinez (synthesizer), and John Carroll (piano on “Fly Home”). All music and lyrics were written by Allison Leah, who sang all vocals as well as playing guitar and piano.

    Key Tracks: A Love Song, Black and White, Fly Home

  • Two Reasons to Celebrate Vans Warped Tour Final Year

    On November 15, 2017, founder Kevin Lyman shared that after 23 amazing summers of music, Vans Warped Tour would celebrate its final run in the summer of 2018. Making up for the upsetting news was the release of this summer’s diverse lineup, featuring bands from the electronic duo 3OH!3 to folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner, the charismatic members of popular Canadian rock band Simple Plan, to the abrasive metalcore of August Burns Red, with so much more sprinkled in.

    While Vans holds the top seat as the festival’s primary sponsor (hence the festival’s name change), several other sponsors will be hosting multiple stages on the tour, including Journey’s (who will host a ‘Right Foot’ and ‘Left Foot’ stage), Monster (with a cleverly named ‘Mutant Red Dawn’ and ‘Mutant White Lightning’ stage, named after the ultra-caffeinated energy drinks), owly.fm and Full Sail University (to stage some up-and-coming bands). The tour is already underway, making stops in Camden, NJ this Friday, followed by Holmdel, NJ on Saturday, then Hartford, Connecticut this Sunday. The tour will also make a stop at the Darien Center in New York on July 25, and Jones Beach Ampitheatre on July 28. In celebration of it’s 23-year legacy, here are two reasons why Vans Warped Tour stands out as one of the most impressive touring festivals of its era.

    1 – From start to stardom, Vans Warped Tour has introduced us to some of our favorite bands.

    Since its first run in 1995, many bands have Warped Tour to thank for their rise to popularity. Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, and Paramore are a few of the many bands that played the Warped Tour stage early in their careers, and continued to play each year in the early 2000s as their repertoire expanded. A prime example of the festival’s impact is Baltimore-based band All Time Low, who played a small stage at Warped back in 2007. Shortly after, the band released their second studio album So Wrong, It’s Right, which caught a wave of fans and charted number 6 on the Independent Albums chart in the US. The band went on to headline the festival in the following years, even topping the lineup list for this year’s fest.

    The festival always had punk rock at heart, but shed some light on other genres, hosting Limp Bizkit in 1997, the Black Eyed Peas in 1999, and Katy Perry in 2008. The festival organizers adapted to the evolving popular music scene while remaining true to their roots, and the massive following that ensued placed Warped Tour as the largest traveling music festival in the United States.

    2 – There’s nothing quite like the Warped Tour experience.

    Walking around the grounds of the fest is a treat alone. The outcasts of the everyday find sanctuary in a crowd of like-minded cohorts at Warped Tour. Goths, skaters, and punks alike flock to the stages to dance, mosh, or whatever feels right for them. This space is theirs and free of judgement, which fosters a unique and enticing crowd experience for a first-timer. The festival takes great pride in activism, drawing attention to important causes as well, from suicide prevention to breast cancer awareness. Patrons who donate to these causes can get special interactions with artists and receive signed gear, only to further awareness among the festival. You can even get express entry to this year’s fest by donating three cans of food or $5 to Feed Our Children NOW.

    Music education also plays a key role in the festival, with free lessons often offered to concert-goers. In past years, the John Lennon Bus has also set up shop at the fest, which holds a mini studio for younger attendees to interact with music in a reclusive setting. When attendees need a break from the scores of performances scheduled for the day, there are so many experiences to take in, and you’ll never know what (or even who!) you might find around the festival grounds.

    A bittersweet heaviness will follow each attendee at the festival’s last return this summer, but the nostalgic lineup and all-encompassing experience will be sure to bring great enthusiasm in honor of a successful 23-year run. Be sure to get your tickets for this weekend’s festivities and the tour’s future stops on the Vans Warped Tour site. The remaining dates can be found there as well in case you’re beyond the tri-state area. For the full artist lineup and more info, head to the Vans Warped Tour artist page and info page, and be sure to follow the latest happenings on Facebook. We’ll see you on tour!

  • Circles Around the Sun Announces East Coast Tour Dates

    Circles Around The Sun just announced five East Coast shows in August to support their upcoming double album, Let It Wander, available Aug. 17 on Rhino Records. The run begins in Asbury Park, NJ, followed by dates in Brooklyn, Ardmore, PA and Burlington, VT before concluding at Huichica East Festival in New York’s Hudson Valley.

    Photo courtesy of Circles Around The Sun’s press release.

    Circles Around the Sun (CATS) was originally only supposed to record a handful of Grateful Dead-influenced instrumentals to be played during the set breaks at the Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” concerts in 2015. But between the positive response to the tracks and the band’s enjoyment in making music together they decided to keep the band going.

    Their new album, Let It Wander, is a new beginning for the band as they move beyond their original music which was trying to evoke the spirit of the Dead and allows them to fully embrace their own personality. The album’s first single is called “Immovable Object” and shows just how the band in moving away from their Dead inspired sound to music with filled with musical turns leaving the listener not knowing what to expect next.

    http://https://open.spotify.com/album/4PjynBO0yIh05aGBVVQlKc

    Among the album’s highlights is “One For Chuck,” which features a surprise cameo by Chuck D himself. The leader of legendary hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy just happened to stop by the studio while the band was listening to a song they’d just recorded and ended up creating an intro for the track.

    The band is comprised of guitarist Neal Casal and keyboardist Adam MacDougall (bandmates in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood) along with bassist Dan Horne (Jonathan Wilson, Grateful Shred) and drummer Mark Levy (We Dream Dawn, Bonfire Dub). Let It Wander will be released on limited edition vinyl, CD and digital formats. Pre-Order is available now.

    For more information on Circles Around The Sun visit their website.

  • Barrage, An Onslaught of Classic Rock

    To save you the time and trouble, the word “barrage” is officially defined as “a concentrated artillery bombardment over a wide area.” However, the band’s motto defines this quartet perfectly.

    Barrage is a Long Island, four-member classic rock band that covers the ’60s to the ’90s. The group has been together since 2009 and consists of: Mark Nygren (Bass, backing vocals) Matt Bruno (lead vocals, guitar), Dr. Paul Scarola (drums), and Barry Weiss (lead guitar, backing vocals).

    Earlier this year, with brand new lead singer Matt Bruno, Barrage played a fundraiser for the Good Samaritan Hospital Pediatric Department. Bear in mind, Matt had only been with the band for four weeks when the event took place.

    Hosted by DJ Orlando from Long Island radio station 94.3 FM The Shark, it was set up as a battle of the bands contest. The venue where this took place was 89 North in Patchogue. In order to qualify for the contest, each band had to have at least one medical doctor in the group. Moments after the final performance of the event, Orlando declared Barrage the winner!

    I asked lead guitarist Barry Weiss what it’s like to play in a battle of the bands contest. He said, “This battle of the bands, I thought, was just slightly nerve-racking. We were all well rehearsed. The rehearsals focused on just the set for this gig for over a month. We already knew the songs, so it was just a matter of getting Matt, our new lead singer, up to speed. Which he did amazingly. He memorized the lyrics so he did not need to look at any onstage. I was checking out the other bands’ Facebook pages to see what they were like prior to the event. Most of them, I saw that they played softer music like ’60s or Country. Being on last, we got to see what they were about. We were also the youngest of the bands and we knew that we would blow them away since we were doing good classic rock. Everyone that night were talented and professional and it all went very smoothly. It really was a great time and the crowd loved it. Hard to believe people got so into it on a Sunday afternoon.”

    Barry also mentioned that the buzz continuing throughout the hospital and community has sparked demand for additional performances. Furthermore, the success of this event has enabled Barrage to secure the opening slot for a major Long Island tribute act.

    To see Barrage live, their next gig is Friday July 20th at 89 North in Patchogue. They go on at 8 pm and will be doing one 90-minute set. Doors open at 7 for advanced ticket holders. To learn more about this great band, and see their videos too, visit their Facebook page.

    This article appears courtesy of Under the Radar. Visit their Facebook page and give them some love!

  • 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.

  • The New York City Ballet is Coming to SPAC

    The annual tradition of the New York City Ballet taking up their summer residency in Saratoga, NY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is upon us. Earlier this week seven tractor trailers began arriving carrying costumes, shoes, lights, sets, and anything else a world class ballet company would require on tour. Crews are working hard to ready the stage for the dancers including hanging the beautiful backdrops, and running over 3 miles of cable. Dancer’s have an entire truck load of costumes for this year’s one week run of performances along with over 1000 pairs of toe shoes.

    This year’s run begins on Tuesday, July 17 with a production of All Balanchine. George Balanchine was a world renown choreographer, who also had a hand in designing SPAC’s stage and acoustics. There will also be performances of Romeo + Juliet, and 21st Century Choreographers, The closing performance will be on Saturday, July 21 with the 2018 Gala featuring a celebration of Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein. Details can be found at spac.org