including a three-night run at The Capitol Theatre in February and Artpark in June, Almost Dead fans around the country will be treated to the supergroup performing the music of the Grateful Dead with their own signature style.
Tickets are available via Facebook presale for these newly announced shows starting Wednesday, November 20 in three groups, beginning at 11 AM and continues at 12PM and 1PM. Passwords for these on sales will be announced via the JRAD Facebook page. General onsale will start Friday, Nov. 22 in three groups at 11am, 12pm and 1pm.
More dates will be announced in coming weeks.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead 2020 Tour
Nov. 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl (Headcount benefit) Feb. 21 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Feb. 22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Feb. 23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre Mar. 12 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live Mar. 13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee Mar. 14 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant Mar. 15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant Apr. 25 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station Apr. 26 – Atlanta, GA – SweetWater 420 Fest May 1 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom May 2 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World Ballroom June 5 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 18 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion June 19 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark almost dead June 20 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion July 9 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater July 10 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre July 11 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater Sept. 25 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater Sept. 26 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
While conducting archival research at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Judith Peraino of the College of Arts and Sciences said of the finding, “It sounds like he recorded them in his apartment with an open air microphone, just voice and acoustic guitar.”
Syracuse alumnus Reed had labeled Side 2 of the tape “The Philosophy Songs (from A to B and Back).” Side 1 of the cassette consists of songs dubbed from soundboard recordings of Reed’s 1975 concerts. Peraino said her first reaction to discovering the cassette was “disbelief and uncertainty.”
“The sound of Reed’s voice on ‘The Philosophy Songs’ is very different from his live concert performances on Side 1,” she said. But when one Warhol Museum staffer commented that Peraino had found an unreleased Lou Reed album, “that’s when the excitement really hit. Such a discovery is rare, and it is certainly a highlight of my career.”
The “Philosophy Songs” cassette is one of almost 3,500 audio tapes at the Warhol Museum, part of the extensive collection Warhol assembled of the sounds of his life. A critical source for Peraino’s research was Bruce Yaw, a bass player who toured with Reed from 1975-76. Although he passed away in September at age 73, Yaw lived near Ithaca in the village of Sempronius. Extensive interviews and personal archive were shared with Peraino, which includes demo and soundboard tapes that she used to put the newly discovered cassette in context.
Peraino said that while demo tapes and soundboard recordings are not particularly rare finds, this is different.
“What makes this rare is the gift aspect of the tape,” she said, “that Lou Reed intentionally created both a curated set of songs and a composed set of songs on tape meant only for Warhol. This is a harbinger of the mixtape culture and gift-giving that flourished in the 1980s and 1990s.”
Peraino also unearthed a partial recording of the “Philosophy Songs” at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Peraino’s extensive research into Warhol’s archive and Reed’s music has illuminated the story behind the unreleased songs. The tape, she writes, records “the entangled passions and psychologies of [Warhol and Reed’s] decadelong relationship.” Reed and Warhol famously collaborated in the mid-1960s, resulting in the multimedia Exploding Plastic Inevitable events and the album The Velvet Underground and Nico.
Their multiple attempts to start another musical collaboration in the mid-1970s is not widely known. Warhol first approached Reed to create a Broadway musical based on Reed’s Berlin album. After that idea fizzled, Reed created the just-discovered tape of songs based on Warhol’s latest book and his own latest songs and performances.
As such, the tape functions as an audio double portrait: One side is Lou Reed; the other side is Andy Warhol.
“Reed brought an experimental and literary sensibility to his songs, composing vivid and sometimes brutal portraits of complex characters in sound and words,” Peraino said. “This tape from 1975 reveals an intimate side of Reed’s musical portrait-making through a story that is his own, touching on his ongoing involvement with Andy Warhol and exploring the expressive potential of the medium of the cassette tape.”
Acclaimed indie-pop duo Tennis has announced a major North American headline tour heralding their highly anticipated fifth studio album SWIMMER, due out on Feb.14.
The first single from the album, and first new music in nearly three years, “Runner,” was released with news of the tour, along with a colorful companion video, directed by longtime collaborator Luca Venter and inspired by singer Alaina Moore’s love of “old musicals and all things Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Bob Fosse.”
“Runner” was called an “incandescent taste of Tennis’s upcoming fifth LP,” by Australia’s Happy, and Cool Hunting hailed the “Runner” video with advice to “Bliss out in technicolor. The visual treatment is full of sequins, night skies and satin—the ideal accompaniment for Moore’s falsetto, crescendoing synths, and lush production.”
Known as a captivating and charismatic live act, Tennis will celebrate the recent premiere of “Runner” with a much-anticipated headline performance at Atlanta, GA’s Over/Under Music Fest on Saturday, Nov. 23. The duo has spent much of its existence on the road, including sold-out headline runs, festival sets, tours alongside such like-minded artists as Father John Misty, Spoon, The Decemberists, and The Shins, and most recently, a sold-out summer double bill with Mumford & Sons at Englewood, CO’s Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre.
Produced by Tennis and mixed by four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominee Claudius Mittendorfer (Panic! At The Disco, Parquet Courts), SWIMMER sees the Denver, CO-based husband and wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore elevating their distinctive pop approach to heretofore unexplored new heights, experimenting with atypical instrumentation, complex time changes, and an increased focus on lyrical storytelling fueled in part by a series of life-changing experiences that only served to strengthen their already powerful personal and creative bond.
“’Runner’ is the first song we wrote for our fifth record,” says Moore. “It began as a guitar riff Patrick recorded while we were living off-grid, anchored in a fisherman’s cove called San Juanico. The only instruments we had on board were an acoustic guitar and a drum sequencer, but the limitations seemed to work in our favor. Until that point, we had no clear vision for our writing. The demo Patrick recorded that day outlined our future, the first contours of our next record.”
In addition to their frequent live activity, Tennis has made a number of high profile media appearances, spanning NPR to NBC, while also collaborating on campaigns for top brands like Gucci, Madewell, and Vinyl Me, Please.
Tennis Swimmer Tour dates
November 2019 23 – Over/Under Music Fest – Atlanta, GA
February 2020 25 – Madrid Theatre & Cafe – Kansas City, MO 27 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX 28 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX 29 – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q – Austin, TX
March 2020 2 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX 4 – Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM 26 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 28 – Top Hat Lounge – Missoula, MT 30 – Venue Nightclub – Vancouver, BC 31 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA
April 2020 1 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR 3 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA 4 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 5 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA 8 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ 10 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO 16 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE 17 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN 18 – The Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL 20 – Majestic Theatre Center – Detroit, MI 21 – Deluxe at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN 22 – The Opera House – Toronto, ON 24 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT 25 – Royale – Boston, MA 26 – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME 28 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY 29 – The 9:30 Club – Washington, DC 30 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
May 2020 1- Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC 4 – Saturn – Birmingham, AL 6 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN 8 – Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY 9 – Delmar Hall – Saint Louis, MO
At Bushwick Public House on November 20, the east-coast debut screening of Mrs. Henry Presents the Last Waltz will be accompanied by performances from Mrs. Henry and Brooklyn favorites Garcia Peoples.
The evening includes a documentary film featuring Mrs. Henry from their Last Waltz show two years ago, with both bands playing originals as well as a mix of songs from the Last Waltz. In the spirit of the Last Waltz, the bands will collaborate and invite special guests to the stage throughout the night.
On November 26, 2017 the Blind Owl Records band Mrs. Henry led by Dan Cervantes (guitar, Howlin Rain) performed the Last Waltz in its entirety with a wonderful community of San Diego artists with guest performances Pat Beers of The Schitzophonics, Brenden Dellar of Sacri Monti, Jesse Lee of The Paragraphs, Clinton Davis, Noah C Lekas and more. The film premiered at the Oceanside Film Festival and will be a part of the International Shorts Film Festival.
This screening on November 20 at Bushwick Public House will be the film’s first on the east coast, and joining the musical festivities at Bushwick Public House are Mrs. Henry’s musical comrades, and a favorite in the New York live music scene, cosmic indie jam band Garcia Peoples.
A celebration of life, love, and great working class music, fittingly performed in working class Brooklyn. For more info visit the event page.
Brooklyn indie rock fix Drug Couple will celebrate their recent debut EP, Little Hits, tomorrow Monday, November 18, released via PaperCup Music. Self-Titleddescribed the EP as “a collection of songs about finding someone special to share the end times with” – referencing everyone from the Gin Blossoms to Shania Twain… ”
Drug Couple is a musical duo bonded by Miles and Becca. The pair met in November 2015, when Miles produced a record for Becca’s previous band at The CRC, the Brooklyn studio where he has recorded artists including Chairlift, MGMT, Public Access Television, Buscabulla, Kelsey Lu and more.
The duo fell in love in with making music together, and then each other. Since, they’ve been microdosing LSD, considered getting a dog and recorded a collection of songs about finding someone special to share with.
Drug Couple’s music attempts to showcase a dialogue between genders—as opposed to one sided soliloquies that define popular music. Little Hits is a compilation of tunes to get you high, under-influenced by Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., and the musical partnership of Mutt Lange and Shania Twain.
With Miles on vocals, guitar, keyboard, percussion, and production, Becca owns vocals, bass and keyboard; Pastor Greg finishes on drums and percussion. Will Berman played drums on “U Made A Sound,” mastered by Heba Kadry, and produced, engineered, and mixed by Miles.
Drug Couple’s writing process is different for every song, but the throughline is a spirit of deep collaboration. They wrote Little Hits at home in Brooklyn, and on trips to Vermont and California. The Couple recorded the EP at the The CRC, where they first met.
Drug Couple Tour Dates
Nov. 18 – The Broadway (EP Release Show) – Brooklyn, NY
Nick Granelle, a vocalist from Long Island, gathered Bronx rapper Evan Lesoule and NYC based singer/songwriter Lillimure together in order to create his new single “Transformation.” Released on Friday, November 1, the track starts as a beat created by Jade Aubertin, utilizing a kalimba in place of a hi hat, and various unconventional percussion instruments, as well as 808 to make the track fall into amorphous categories. From there, Granelle created a multifaceted track with recorded vocals by Lesoule.
Some flavors that come to mind when listening to the track are world, pop, and hip-hop, all mixed together with ethereal female vocals, and features an uptempo ambience packed with many elements. The music video is dark, industrial and hectic, using both vintage and modern contrasting shots.
Gorilla River has announced an expert panel of judges for the Music Video Film Festival, planned for Saturday, February 8 at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. Sirius XM host Mark Goodman (One of MTV’s “First Five VJs”), Vevo VP of Original Content and Production Ed Walker, and music journalist Alan Light (author of Let’s Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain, and The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys) will offer commentary on 10 music videos which will be screened at the event. They’ll then select three winners who will get to present their videos at the 2020 Hudson Valley Music Summit.
The inaugural event brings music videos together with fun commentary and live music. The 10 artists who are selected will be given a 15 minute slot, allowing them to share their vision with the audience, show their video and receive feedback from the judges.
“MTV came on the around the time when I first became aware of music in general, so it’s an honor to have a familiar face like Mark Goodman join us at our inaugural event,” said Gorilla River CEO Dave Hoffman. “Alan Light and Ed Walker also bring insight based on their unique vantage points in the industry. We’re very much looking forward to hearing what kind of wisdom they have to offer.”
The Music Video Film Festival is an extension of the Hudson Valley Music Summit which launched this past summer in Kingston, NY. The Summit is a full-day of panel discussions designed for managers, A&R reps, publicists, and anyone who is responsible for managing an artist’s career. Local luminaries such as Pete Shapiro, owner of the Capitol Theatre and Stefani Scamardo of Hard Head Management spoke at the 2019 event. In addition to expert insight, the 200 music industry professionals in attendance enjoyed vendor tables, live performances, and a music video presented by Dennis Dunaway, founding bassist of the Alice Cooper Group.
The Music Video Film Festival promises to tap into the same spirit of creative enthusiasm as it brings a new music and film event to rock and roll fans in the area.
“This is the first event we’re doing that is specifically designed to be enjoyed by fans,” said Hoffman, who has extensive experience producing global B2B conferences. “Our tagline is ‘You want it, you got it.’ Members of the MTV Generation will get the reference.”
Bands and Video Directors looking to submit should visit the festival website for details.
Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble is a dynamically evolving 21st century orchestra with a dedication to creating a future for classical music both of and for the times we live in. Founder and conductor Andrew Cyr, who has been called “a prominent influence in the world of newly emerging music,”by the Washington Post). Metropolis Ensemble exists to support ascending contemporary classical performers and composers, often engaging them with other bleeding-edge cultural innovators and artists through its unique collaborative process.
This season’s performances reflect Metropolis Ensemble’s ongoing process of forming highly collaborative and nurturing relationships with artists to make and present large-scale projects. Past partnerships include major live presentations and studio recordings with artists such as Avi Avital, Timo Andres, Questlove, William Britelle with Wye Oak and Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and Emily Wells.
The collective has announced additional performances for their already underway 2019-2020 season. New events will find collaborations with the collective 37d03d at Eaux Claires Hiver in Wisconsin, as well as pop up shows in New York City.
Several of this season’s events in New York City are being held at Metropolis Ensemble’s pop-up venue called 1 Rivington, which Metropolis launched in 2017 to provide a place for new projects and collaborations to take shape in a supported framework. It has since presented more than 75 performances and commissioned dozens of new works in the loft space. Through these various forms of support and collaboration, Metropolis Ensemble works to re-imagine what a classical music ensemble and community can be in the 21st century. For more information on events, visit their website for details.
Metropolis Ensemble 2019-2020 season upcoming performances
11/22-23/19 — Eaux Claires Hiver – Eau Claire, WI (various locations) Members of the Metropolis Ensemble community will join the collective 37d03d (“People”) for an immersive weekend of performance and improvisation featuring Ani DiFranco, Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon, Pieta Brown, Jon Hopkins, Willam Brittelle, and more.
11/23/19 — Oak and the Ghost: Music of Nathan Schram – NY, NY at 1 Rivington The album release performance for violist Nathan Schram’s Oak and the Ghost (New Amsterdam Records), featuring the Attacca Quartet. Schram’s music meshes the acoustic world of the classical string quartet with the bumps, bruises, and richness of modern electronica.
12/02/19 — Ecstatic Music: Gaby Moreno, LADAMA and Metropolis Ensemble present ¡Spangled! – NY, NY at Kaufman Music Center Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno is joined by the women of Latin Alternative quartet LADAMA and the Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra Metropolis Ensemble (Andrew Cyr, conductor) to perform music from ¡Spangled!—her new collaborative album with American musician, songwriter, arranger and producer Van Dyke Parks (Nonesuch Records).
12/09/19 — JACK Quartet Studio Readings – NY, NY at 1 Rivington In partnership with Metropolis Ensemble, JACK Quartet will read and record existing works by artists who may not otherwise have access to professional ensembles and performance space.
1/03/20 — Fiona Gillespie and Elliot Cole: Tam Lin – NY, NY at 1 Rivington A modern adaptation of the 16th-century Scottish ballad “Tam Lin” — a story of transformation and love to life in a musical drama weaving traditional Celtic, medieval, and modern musical threads.
4/02/20 — Ecstatic Music: Metropolis Ensemble and Bell Orchestra NY, NY at Kaufman Music Center A sonorous trip into the energetic abysses and meditative heights of orchestral music from Bell Orchestre’s upcoming third album, House Music, in a large ensemble arrangement by multi-instrumentalist and composer Owen Pallett, featuring Metropolis Ensemble. Bell Orchestre consists of six musical mavericks including Arcade Fire members Sarah Neufeld and Richard Reed Parry. The evening will also feature the world premiere of a new piece, more details to be announced soon.
Amy Helm will celebrate the holiday season with two picturesque train journeys through New York’s Catskill Mountains on Dec. 15. Fans are encouraged to ‘Take in the beauty and majesty of winter in the Catskills aboard Delaware & Ulster Railroad’s Rip Van Winkle Flyer featuring a special intimate holiday performance from Amy Helm.’
Located in the Middletown hamlet of Arkville, NY, Amy Helm’s holiday express will have two trips, one early, boarding at 1pm, and a late trip boarding at 4 pm. More information can be found here.
On Saturday, November 16, hip hop, jazz, funk, and soul will merge together as DDAT brings an original southwestern feel, energy and excitement to Flushing Town Hall in Queens. The band was named by NPR as one of the top 10 bands in the United States.
Preceding the 2:15 PM family performance will be a panel discussion, led by Delbert Anderson and Chris Bidtah, both Navajo, on incorporating Navajo Culture in art-making and music as medicine.
Trumpeter Delbert Anderson says of DDAT’s upcoming panel discussion and performance:
“We hope to help people understand the importance of preserving our cultural music. During the panel we will educate and expose everyone to the idea of preserving cultural music through contemporary collaboration. There are many ways to preserve cultural music, but we also want to explain the struggles one might face when dealing with fusing cultural music.”
The funky, poetic and forward-thinking DDAT features Chris Bidtah on vocals, Delbert Anderson on trumpet, Nicholas Lucero on drums, and Mike McCluhan on bass.
Music from the quartet has been heard all over the world with features on NPR, Sirius XM, Indian Country Today, SAY Magazine, Weekly Alibi and many more. DDAT tours include several West Coast Tours, Canada’s Music is Medicine Tour, Aboriginal Music Week Tour in Canada, and Van’s Warped Tour – USA. Their first album DDAT was released in 2017.
“All audiences should be excited because there will be something everyone can relate to whether it’s the suspense of the improvisational solos or high energy music,” Anderson says. “MC Def-i will put on an electrifying show backed up by one of the funkiest, hip hop sounding bands. Those who are brave, expect to engage with Def-i while he shows his improvisation skills by rapping about what you decide to hold up in your hands! Together we are DDAT – a music celebration sharing our positive message of hope and collaboration through music.”
Tickets to the family performance are $14/$10 Members/$8 Children/$6 Member Children/FREE for Teens, and the panel discussion is free (though online RSVP’s are required). To RSVP and purchase tickets, visit the venue website.
Flushing Town Hall opens its doors to teenagers, and for free! Under the “Teen Access Program,” all 13- to 19-year-old teens (whether a member or not) will be welcomed to attend any performance for free. The program is designed to appeal to students and help foster a greater love for arts and culture.
