Crash Adams, a duo from Toronto comprised of Rafaele Massarelli (Crash) and Vince Sasso (Adams), have been around music their entire lives. With Massarelli’s uncle running a studio since before they were born, they’ve been luck enough to use the studio whenever they wanted.
As a result, the duo produce, write, sing, mix and master all their music, and this week have released their first single, “Astronauts.” The track kicks off their soon to be released EP, and does so with gusto. With a distinct club vibe and a touch of Chromeo-style funk, “Astronauts” is an infectious song for Crash Adams to make an introduction to audiences.
With an immense range of influences, Crash Adams‘ goal is to make you feel nostalgic, yet inspired.
Crash says of “Astronauts”:
“There are so many “astronauts” in the world, they may know it or not, but eventually they will achieve everything they’ve wanted out of their time on earth. It will be hard, and they will be considered different from those who aren’t astronauts. But in the end, the view of earth is greatest from outer space.”
“Musically, our album is inspired by sounds that spoke to us growing up, and what feelings helped shaped our lives. There are many hidden messages in our brand that will be revealed throughout our journey. We want our sound to be more of a feeling than a genre, and that’s what we’re striving to keep.”
Halleloo, the Brooklyn-based creative agency and production company that recently launched a monthly video series featuring artists performing acoustic versions of their songs on the studio couch has released video for November’s artist of the month, Rozzi.
First discovered on a road trip to the Catskills, Rozzi popped up on Halleloo founder Nathan Chang’s Spotify singing “The Thought of You” from her EP Time, and says he immediately fell in love. “She has one of those voices that makes you stop what you’re doing and listen. I’ve even played her music at parties before and every time I do, everyone will fall silent and someone will inevitably ask, “Who is this?” And the answer is, this is Rozzi.”
https://vimeo.com/144537733
Years after Chang discovered her, he was out to dinner with friend Julia Mattison (featured below singing background vocals) and Rozzi came up in conversation. Julia responded, “Oh, Rozzi is one of my best friends from home! We went to high school together.” And with that a connection was made immediately, and four days later they found themselves filming her session of Halleloo Couch Concert in their Brooklyn studio.
Sung live, Rozzi’s music is so powerful because she is not only an incredible singer, but an incredible performer. Her songs are packed with emotion and have a clear emotional arc when sung in one take. Chang feels that this makes the ideal setting to listen to her music. Rozzi is backed on this track by Julia Mattison (backgound vocals) and Bryn Bliska (piano and vocals).
Saratoga Spring’s premiere music club, Putnam Place, hosts a wide variety of rock, jam and funk acts this November. Check out the shows below and get down in the Spa City with these bands. For more information, visit Putnam Place’s website.
The Wheel – Thursday, November 14
Celebrating the music of The Grateful Dead, The Wheel was founded in 2010 by Andy Morse looking to play to his roots of years chasing the Grateful Dead. The Wheel is ever rolling, covering new terrain in and out of the spaces before it as we spin 24 hours a day.
Tickets are “Pay What You Want” if you are over 21, $10 for 18-21 if under 21.
Kung Fu w/ Strange Machines – Friday, November 15
Funk and jam unite with Kung Fu and Strange Machines throwing down a full night of deep funk-filled jams. Kung Fu draws on influences such as early Headhunters and Weather Report, and merges those ideas with a contemporary EDM informed sensibility. Imagine 70’s funk-fusion meets a modern dance party. Strange Machines consistently deliver high energy and engaging live performances, and the band continues to make waves throughout the Northeast and beyond.
Rock and psychedelic rock are on tap when White Denim and Spaceface arrive in Saratoga Springs. White Denim have carefully and continuously studied the greatest records ever made, but they write songs just dumb enough to drink, dance, and fight to. Theirs is a music that aims for the whole body, while equally satisfying the mind. While it has morphed, expanded, and even burst apart, White Denim’s sincere and human drive and ability to spark true rock & roll exhilaration have been unerring constants of the band’s 10-year existence.
Spaceface is led by Jake Ingalls who also plays guitar and synthesizer in The Flaming Lips. The experience reflects that influence, as it works to bring the concert grade experience to a club level. Spaceface’s music offers a refreshing approach on psychedelic rock, with transparent ’70s references but also strikingly modern elements that make this trick something to behold. Their new record, Sun Kids is hazy, psychedelic pop music, elegantly composed and features artists Mikaela Davis as well as Julien Baker.
Tickets are $17 in advance / $20 Day of Show. $5 surcharge if under 21. 18+
Given to Fly, The Otherside, Flannel Millennium – Friday, November 22
Tickets: $10, 18+ ($5 surcharge if under 21)
Remember the 90s? Well on Friday, November 22, three bands will jog your memory and transport you back to the era of grunge, flannel and OG teen angst. Given to Fly (Pearl Jam tribute), The Otherside (Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute), and Flannel Millennium (90’s / 2000’s Grunge / Alternative tribute) offer a 1-2-3 punch of classic
Looking to get your Phish fix in before Fall Tour starts? Then look no further than The Lizards, Toronto’s premiere Phish cover band. Always inventive with their setlist and playing to huge crowds throughout the Northeast, The Lizards are a great warm up for Island Tour 2.0
Tickets: $12 Advance / $15 Day of Show. 18+ ($5 surcharge if under 21)
Skeeter Creek – Saturday, November 30
The Capitaland’s premiere modern country group, Skeeter Creek always brings a party to Putnam, or wherever they’re playing! Skeeter Creek started off as a Bluegrass Band in 2002, formed by the late Tim Seabolt of Walton, West Virginia, and Joe Kulewicz from the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Skeeter Creek has become much more than a band, it’s a way of life for these talented, professional musicians.
Tickets are only $10, 18+ ($5 surcharge if under 21).
Tool, fresh off the release of their long-awaited studio album Fear Innocum, have kicked off their tour this week in Canada, and head to Brooklyn’s Barclay Center on Tuesday, November 19. And just as tour kicked off, Tool added 11 shows in January and February of 2020.
Tickets are on sale this Friday, 10 AM. For more information visit Tool’s official website.
Tool 2019-20 Tour Dates
Nov. 11 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON Nov. 12 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON Nov. 14 – TD Garden – Boston, MA Nov. 16 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ Nov. 18 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA Nov. 19 – Barclay’s Center– Brooklyn, NY Nov. 21 – Mohegan Sun Casino Arena – Uncasville, CT Nov. 22 – Boardwalk Hall – Atlantic City, NJ Nov. 24 – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC Nov. 25 – Capitol One Arena – Washington, DC Jan. 10 & 12 – Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA Jan. 15 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA Jan. 17 – T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV Jan. 18 – Gila River Arena – Glendale, AZ Jan. 21 – Frank Erwin Center – Austin, TX Jan. 22 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX Jan. 28 – State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA Jan. 29 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN Jan. 31 – FedEx Forum – Memphis, TN Feb. 1 – Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
Copenhagen-based tech startup WARM have launched WARMCharts.com, an alternative to mainstream charts like Billboard and Rolling Stone. With a goal to change how artists are discovered, WARM uses a scoring system different than that of existing charts, giving artists a better chance at breaking through.
By introducing transparent music charts, WARM hopes for a system where everyone gets a fair chance. WARMCharts uses a 1 for 1 method – one airplay on the radio equals one count. With no obscure scoring system, an audio fingerprint technique collects all airplays from more than 27,000 radio channels worldwide into one chart.
From the above image, notice that Lizzo, who has the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, is actually just only in the top 10 of most radio airplays worldwide based on the 25,000+ radio stations WARM monitors. Likewise, Ed Sheerans ” Don’t Care” (ft. Justin Bieber) and “Beautiful People” (ft. Khalid) are ranked 11 and 14 on the Hot 100. However, WARMCharts reveals that those tracks are actually the two out of three songs with most airplays worldwide.
An alternative to current music charting system, WARMCharts offers a unique formula that can level the playing field and offer another method for artists to garner insight into their rise in popularity among fans. CEO of WARM, Jesper Skibsby, discussed his vision in “No one told us we had a radio hit in Poland!,” via Medium, and spoke with NYS Music to discuss how the platform will become a utilized system.
Pete Mason: Noting that WARM Charts is a new ranking system for airplay, how does it hope to become a trusted, reliable source that is used by marketing companies and labels?
Jesper Skibsby: We have an extremely solid music recognition and audio fingerprint technology running WARMcharts as well as the largest coverage of radio channels globally. This means that everything is updated automatically, without any manual interference. This makes the charts equally fair and reliable to anyone. The charts are completely transparent, as we are counting plays, instead of having an intransparent weighting/scoring system. We are launching close to 35 new and different charts, e.g. “Global Rock”, “North American Electronic” and “Scandinavian Jazz”, this mean many more charts will be relevant to many more artists, bands and labels, and in the end this will hopefully mean that many more will start using WARMcharts as a trusted source, and as an extended and much more accurate chart structure.
Pete Mason: How did WARM first come together? What caused the creation of the site, in addition to changing how artists are discovered?
Jesper Skibsby: The idea to create WARM was brought to life based on my personal frustration, of signing a band to a major label in Denmark, and then experiencing that results outside Denmark were not relevant to my, at the time product manager. It was clear to me that there was a very big missing link in the music industry, called radio data, which clashed with the “local office major label mentality” of primarily looking at local data, in each country. There is a fight between the independent sector wanting and needing global radio data also from smaller radio, as they are often the ones supporting the indies and upcoming segment, and the major label sector, primarily working with local data principles, for then to share this between the offices. I also quickly understood, that a major label A&R in country A, can have difficulties to convince another A&R in country B and C, to prioritize a new artist or band. From an indie perspective, you should want to find your emerging markets and engaged audience regardless of where they are. Music is globally available instantly, with the help of streaming, but the majors are still primarily focusing on local data.
New York reggae-pop band The Big Takeover have released ‘Where Did I go Wrong?,” off the band’s upcoming fifth album Spilling Water. The track was self-produced by The Big Takeover and mixed by Pete Hanlon, and is due out on Friday, November 15.
Fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer/songwriter Nee Nee Rushie, The Big Takeover blend Jamaican pop traditions with the spirit of Motown and uptown sophistication of the 21st-century retro soul and R&B revival scene. Rushie says of the song:
“‘Where Did I Go Wrong?’ is a personal experience about being rejected by someone that you know wants to be with you. It explores the complication of feeling someone pushing you away, but reaching out to you at the same time.”
The Big Takeover’s sound channels melodic, big band arrangements of 60s and 70s soul music, with high-energy grooves of popular Jamaican music. This rich sound and rigorous touring schedule has led the band to share the stage with The Wailers, Sister Sparrow, Jefferson Starship, Pete Seeger, The Slackers, Toots & The Maytals, and many more. The group’s first single off Spilling Water, “Shy,” was released earlier this summer. An album is expected in 2020.
In 2018, the band shared a cover of Sophia George’s 1985 dancehall hit, “Girlie Girlie,” which was recorded as part of a UK compilation album featuring 40 covers of classic Trojan Records hits from artists around the world.
Rochester five-piece metalcore band Destroy//Create have released “Let Go,” the companion video to the recently released “Hang On.” Taken together, the two-part single/video series focuses on mental health and addiction. Both tracks were produced by distinguished metalcore guitarist, Justin Deblieck (Ice Nine Kills).
This visually captivating music video is directed by Josiahx (Ice Nine Kills, Sirens and Sailors, Like Moths To Flames) and shows the aftermath of part one’s story of two intimate individuals, both struggling with similar situations: coping with depression, anxiety and past trauma that has manifested itself into a psychosis.
One character uses art as an outlet to express and endure her pain, the other takes a more destructive path and turns to drugs and alcohol as a coping method. This video is Destroy//Create’s way of using their art as an opportunity to shed light on the issues of addiction and mental health, which are clearly prevalent in today’s society.
Destroy//Create was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist Adrian Blackwell, guitarist Jimmy Gardner, and drummer Jeff Cole. Shortly after their inception, the trio added Mike McCann on bass. After about a year of playing together, the 4-piece band added Dylan Borrelli for another layer of guitar and for songwriting abilities as well as on-stage performance. With the band’s energetic live performances and positive lyrics, Destroy//Create push to bridge together the old school and modern metalcore sound for everyone to enjoy.
A new era dawns for Brooklyn’s Turkuaz, who have shed their bright rainbow hues as they prepare to enter Kuadrochrome, the title of their new EP due out November 22. In support of the new release, the band has added additional tour dates for early 2020, with all upcoming dates branded as part of the Kuadrochrome Tour.
“As autumn continues to set in, the change around us is impossible to ignore,” Turkuaz frontman, Dave Brandwein, shared in a statement. “As with all aspects of life, nothing ever stays the same. Things come and go, and change itself is the only thing we can all count on. For the past five years, Turkuaz has been on a colorful journey all across the U.S. and more recently, around the world. But the time has come to move on to a new era.”
What the band dubs a “visual palate cleanser” ushers in an epoch of black, white, grey and tan. Turkuaz is excited to keep things fresh, for both themselves and the fans, as they look forward into the future.
“The band is more collaborative than ever before and seeks to unite our energy in a different way,” Brandwein added on the change. “The four tone scheme with chrome accents sets the mood for an era harkening back to the funk and soul that the band’s music was born out of.”
As many fans are already aware, the “colors” age is now forever encapsulated in the band’s feature concert film, None’s a Ton, slated for wide release sometime this winter. The film showcases how the nine monochromatic band members each individually brought their own style, talent and presence to the Turkuaz stage as the band moves towards an era of more cohesion and collaboration.
A special fan pre-sale for the newly announced 2020 tour dates is going on now with general on sale beginning Friday, November 15th at 10 AM local time. Find a full list of upcoming dates below and head over to the band’s website for tickets and more info on specific dates.
Turkuaz upcoming tour dates:
12/5 – Fairfield, CT – Warehouse * 12/6 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts * 12/12 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bells Brewery ^ 12/13 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theater ^ 12/14 – Nashville, TN – Exit / In ^ 12/27 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre # 12/28 & 12/29 – Frisco, CO – 10 Mile Music Hall # 12/31 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater # 1/7 – 1/12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise 1/15 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn ~ 1/16 – Savannah, GA – Victory, North ~ 1/17 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre ~ 1/18 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre ~ 1/23 – Chattanooga, TN – Songbirds ~ 1/24 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater ~ 1/25 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre ~ 1/30 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon ~ 1/31 – Chicago, IL – Park West 2/1 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe ~
* w/ Great Time ^ w/ Paris Monster # w/ Swaktins & The Positive Agenda ~ w/ Neal Francis
Alternative-pop singer/songwriter Aria Wunderland has released the music video to her newest single, “In My Head.” The track embodies the feeling of a first love with the music video providing an appropriate teenage atmosphere to go along with the tones of the song.
The music video was filmed along the Coney Island boardwalk as well as in Luna Park, formerly known as Astroland, a staple of many New Yorker’s childhoods. The classic setting provides the viewer with a nostalgic ambiance to add to the feeling of young love represented. The juxtaposition of the location mixed with Aria’s wistful vocals generates the full message behind the single.
The Washington Heights born Wunderland now calls Brooklyn home, and Aria has been making her mark by releasing her own music, which has received high-profile placements on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club. Regarding what she hopes fans get out of her music, she told Beyond the Stage magazine in 2018:
“I hope my fans feel liberated and a sense that they’re not alone in their feelings. I was a lot younger than my siblings and the only girl. I spent a lot of time alone listening to music and would always identify with the lyrics. I hope my music and my overall themes in my artistry can do the same.”
Watch Aria Wunderland’s recent music video for “Risk it All.”
This September, Andrew VanNorstrand released his debut solo LP That We Could Find A Way To Be and this month premieres the video for “Boy with Gray Eyes” off the album. Americana Highways premiered the audio for “Boy With The Gray Eyes” and said of the track, “In a song about hope and hesitation, VanNorstrand constructs comforting, introspective guitar sounds, and the low vocals, clarinet and fiddle are the icing on the cake.”
Andrew VanNorstrand, a musician, singer, songwriter and producer living in Upstate New York, has performed on festival stages, concert halls, dance floors and living rooms all over North America and beyond. For eighteen years, he toured and recorded with the popular dance band Great Bear which also featured his brother Noah VanNorstrand and mom Kim “Mama Bear” Yerton. Andrew and Noah continue to perform together in the bi-coastal folk quartet Wake Up Robin and acoustic power trio The Faux Paws.
His debut solo album, That We Could Find A Way To Be, focuses on the complicated intersections of love, faith, loss and uncertainty, queerness and the search and struggle for understanding from the rust belt to the Blue Ridge, from a cold spring in New England to a summer’s night in Charlottesville. Andrew blends traditional folk, old-time and country music with indie-roots-Americana and a passion for shared connection and a song well sung.
On November 13, Andrew will make his solo, live television debut on Central New York’s ABC affiliate, WSYR Channel 9’s Bridge Street. He also performs a few shows around CNY over the next two months. Click for details below, or visit Andrew’s website for more details.
