On Sunday, November 17, Everyone Orchestra, conducted by Matt Butler, will welcome a cadre of musicians for a performance at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.
Butler will bring with him sacred steel guitarist Robert Randolph, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Claude Coleman Jr. (Ween), George Gekas (The Revivalists), Josh Schwartz and Chris Brouwers (Turkuaz), along with Asbury Park’s Remember Jones.
If you’ve never caught Everyone Orchestra, let alone a Sunday show at Garcia’s, this performance couldn’t be better timed.
The holidays are fast approaching, and if you’re not ready, a listen to Big Band Holidays II will surely get you looking forward to the final months of 2019. The sequel to the critically acclaimed 2015 release from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis features original arrangements of holiday classics, and are joined by an all-star assortment of guest vocalists, including Veronica Swift, Denzal Sinclaire, Catherine Russell, Audrey Shakir, and the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.
There are familiar classics (“Cool Yule,” ft. Catherine Russell) and newer songs (“Rise Up Shepherd and Follow,” “(Everybody’s Waitin For) The Man with the Bag”), all kicked off by a brassy rendition of “It’s the most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
A solo piano rendition of “O Tannenbaum,” featuring the late, great, Aretha Franklin, has never before been released and serves as one of her final recorded performances. Her brief and passionate take on the classic was a surprise performance during the 2015 edition of Big Band Holidays.
A jazzed up “We Three Kings” featuring Denzal Sinclaire, and “What will Santa Claus Say? (When He finds Everybody Swingin’)” is fast moving with Carol Russell on energetic lead vocals. “Silver Bells” with flute and bass highlighted, and the smooth instrumental “Snowfall” nicely varying the tempo of the album.
The upbeat “Brazilian Sleigh Bells” has a Bossa Nova beat that speeds things up, making for one of the most energetic holiday songs you’ll encounter. “Silent Night” starts out heavier and bolder than familial versions, before soothing vocals from Sinclaire and Audrey Shakir, who trade verses before joining together in the final minutes.
Listen to the original album below, and enjoy the holidays this season with these fresh takes on classic songs.
Key Tracks: O Tannenbaum, Brazilian Sleigh Bells, Silent Night
San Fermin, an art-pop project from Brooklyn, have shared an acoustic cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit single “Run Away with Me.” Reinterpreted by bandleader Ellis Ludwig-Leone, San Fermin’s cover finds vocalists Claire Wellin and Karlie Bruce harmonizing for a warmly emotive take on the Emotion classic.
Regarding the acoustic rendition, Ellis Ludwig-Leone says, “Carly Rae’s version is a perfect party song, with that synth lead and four on the floor bass drum, so we went the other way with it. The lyrics are actually pretty intimate and lend themselves well to a quieter version. It was fun for us, as a band with eight members, to do something truly stripped down.”
“Run Away with Me” follows the October release of the group’s newest album The Cormorant I. Currently in the midst of their North American tour, San Fermin will continue with headlining dates across the U.S. and Canada before concluding with a hometown finale at New York’s Brooklyn Steel on December 6. Get ticketing information and details here.
San Fermin is the project of Brooklyn-based composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, who pairs lushly avant-garde arrangements with pop-minded melodies that are brought to life by his bandmates. Formed in 2012 – shortly after Ludwig-Leone completed a job assisting composer Nico Muhly – San Fermin made their debut with a self-titled 2013 release hailed by NPR as “one of the year’s most ambitious, evocative, and moving records.” With the 2015 release of Jackrabbit and 2017’s Belong, San Fermin garnered extensive critical acclaim, selling out shows worldwide and appearing at major festivals and opening for the likes St. Vincent, The National, Arctic Monkeys, alt-J and more. Having recently signing to Sony Music Masterworks, San Fermin usher in a new chapter with the release of The Cormorant I, the first of an eventual two-part project encompassing the scope of their new trajectory.
After releasing singles “L.B.E.,” “Losing,” and “Insecure” earlier this year, Brooklyn based R&B singer Amare Symoné released her latest single “Ellipsis” on October 24. Utilizing her inseparable ties of Jazz and R&B, Symoné creates a modern fusion of the unique two genres. A dissonant sample loops throughout the track, as Amare’s vocals float throughout in her ever-confident delivery.
This sex-positive track finds Symoné sorting through her head wondering why they both just can’t read the signs. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, this song looks to fill in the blanks, or in other words the ‘Ellipsis’ of her own feelings.
Symoné, a California born and Brooklyn bred singer-songwriter, poet, activist, and womanist, graduated from Professional Performing Arts High School in NYC. A student at Columbia College working towards a Bachelor’s degree in music business, Amare is inspired and influenced by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Destiny’s Child, Etta James and Eryn Allen Kane.
One day prior to what would have been the 51st birthday Neal Casal, nine of the late artist‘s solo discography that were previously unavailable on digital music platforms have been released. These recordings, which can now be streamed and downloaded in their entirely, make complete Casal’s entire solo discography.
Recordings by Casal released today include Rain, Wind & Speed (1996), The Sun Rises Here (1997), Field Recordings (1997), Basement Dreams (1998), Black River Sides (w/ Kenny Roby, 1999), Anytime Tomorrow (2000), Ran On Pure Lightning (w/ Shannon McNally, 2002), No Wish To Reminisce (2006), and All Directions (2007). Listen on various platforms here.
Additionally, a rarely seen video for the song “Reason” from Casal’s 1998 album, The Sun Rises Here, has been made available, including a poignant ending segment with Neal and his father discussing his rock ‘n’ roll dreams.
Neal Casal—a guitarist, singer and songwriter—passed away on August 26. He was celebrated most recently for his work with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Circles Around the Sun. Prior to his involvement in those projects, however, he recorded and toured prolifically as a solo artist. Though never reaching the wider success he found in the later stages of his career, he left behind a critically acclaimed body of work under his own name, including nine solo albums, two duo albums and a handful of compilations and retrospectives that intertwined elements of vintage rock, country and soul.
Plans are currently in the works for a series of physical reissues of Casal’s solo work in 2020, while the finishing touches are being added to his final recording sessions with Circles Around The Sun a week before his passing.
Neal Casal would have turned 51 on Saturday, November 2.
Ghost Note, the acclaimed jazz, hip-hop, funk and world-fusion outfit will gather a few talented friends for a very special tribute to Prince at Sony Hall on Monday, December 30 for a late-night show following Phish’s performance at Madison Square Garden.
Former Prince collaborators MonoNeon (bass), saxophonist Sylvester Onyejiaka (saxophone) and Dominique Xavier Taplin (keys) have made sure the Purple One’s pedigree is always well-represented with Ghost-Note. For this guest-filled, late-night Ghost-Note & Friends Play Prince blowout, the insanely gifted outfit led by percussionists Nate Werth and Robert Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy) will dive headfirst into the beloved Prince catalog to help NYC party like it’s (almost) 2020.
Joining Ghost-Note as the “Friends” portion of the bill will be Trey Anastasio Band trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), D’Angelo and The Vanguard singers Rojo “REDD” Lavoe and Ahrel Lumzy, and Cory Henry/Childish Gambino vocal collaborator STOUT. Hartswick will be pulling double-duty during the Phish run, as the TAB trumpeter and vocalist will also be playing with The Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein’s Star Kitchenthe night before, Sunday, December 29th, also at Sony Hall.
Tickets for Ghost-Note & Friends Play Prince go on-sale at 2 p.m. ET, and can be purchased here.
Celebrating their 45th anniversary in 2019, Sweet Honey In The Rock remains among the most vibrant, versatile and ever relevant musical collectives around today. Together, they perform an inspiring signature mix of soul, gospel, folk and world music, with elements of hip-hop and jazz.
While founding member Bernice Johnson Reagon has since retired, the torch continues to be carried by longtime members Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, and featured musician Romeir Mendez. This powerful and unique female a cappella vocal quartet is best known for their uplifting concerts.
Sweet Honey in the Rock will “Celebrate the Holydays” with a selection of traditional American holiday spirituals and hymns, as well as songs from other cultures.
Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon will hit the road as an acoustic duo tour this winter, with dates stretching across the Midwest and East Coast.
The two long-time collaborators are hitting the road for a rare run of acoustic duo shows performed in intimate settings that will celebrate over thirty years of musical friendship. Each night will be a journey through the pair’s long history and touch on all realms of their vast musical catalog including everything from well known favorites to long-forgotten gems, and everything in between.
They first came together on a late October evening when Vince Herman wandered into the Walrus Saloon in Boulder, Colorado, after being enticed by a sign reading “Bluegrass Music Here Tonight,. He met Drew Emmitt, whose band was playing that night, and the pair have been reshaping the musical landscape ever since. First at house parties and in the campgrounds at festivals, then in Emmitt’s bluegrass outfit the Left Hand String Band, before forming the legendary roots band Leftover Salmon on New Year’s Eve thirty years ago.
Since then, these two have been blazing new musical paths with Leftover Salmon, taking the music at their core: rock ‘n’ roll, folk, bluegrass, Cajun, soul, zydeco, jazz and blues, and crafting it into something new that has spawned a legion of bands in their wake. With their unpredictable approach in a live setting, their willingness to take chances by fusing disparate musical styles together and their incorporation of non-traditional bluegrass covers into their repertoire, Leftover Salmon has pushed that progressive bluegrass sound they were originally influenced by to the next level. Instead they are firmly settled in the long lineage of bands that defy simple categorization, always setting their own musical agenda.
Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt Acoustic Duo Tour Dec. 19 – Barley’s – Knoxville, TN Dec. 20 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC Feb. 6 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA Feb. 7 – City Winery – Nashville, TN Feb. 8 – 185 King Street – Brevard, NC Feb. 9 – Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA Feb. 11 – City Winery – Washington, DC Feb. 12 – City Winery – Philadelphia, PA Feb. 13 – City Winery (2 shows) – New York, NY Feb. 14 – The Egg – Albany, NY Feb. 15 – Stage One – Fairfield, CT Feb. 16 – City Winery – Boston, MA Feb. 27 – Kenny’s Westside Pub – Peoria, IL Feb. 28 – Redstone Room – Davenport, IA Feb. 29 – City Winery (2 shows) – Chicago, IL
One of the fall’s best tours made their way to Putnam Place on Saturday, October 26 for a night of PR&J (prog-rock and jams) with Aqueous and Lespecial, two bands that highlight the fantastic Northeast music scene, who are just starting out their 13 shows together, which run through November 10 in Louisville, KY.
For Lespecial’s opening set, the Massachusetts power trio performed an industrial set of standards “Donut Ghost House I” and “Gallows Hill.” They dipped into their Primus playbook for “Too Many Puppies” and invited up Jaq from Burning Monk, a Rage Against the Machine tribute band out of Burlington, for “Know Your Enemy,” which had the crowd jumping up and down as if Morello and De La Rocha were on stage.
For Aqueous, their two sets were a build over the night from prog-inspired tunes “20/20” and fan favorite “Warren in the Window” in the first set towards more dance-filled numbers including “Strange Times” and “Half In, Half Out” in the second set. A cover of the Raconteurs “Steady as She Goes” and a debut of Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know the Better” gave fans a taste of familiar and new tunes inspiring Aqueous. An encore of “Uncle Phil’s Parachute” found drummer Rob Houk working the drum pad for a venue filled get down.
The bands next perform at The Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh on October 31, then The 8×10 in Baltimore on November 1, and Richmond Music Hall in Richmond, VA on November 2. Find more tour dates here and download the show from Nugs.net.
Lespecial photos by Sean Bemand, Aqueous photos by Jim Gilbert.
Lespecial Setlist: Improv > Donut Ghost House I , Gallows Hill , Fruit Wolf Dance, Too Many Puppies > Hello Skinny > Too Many Puppies+, New Fish, Know Your Enemy*, The Vessel, Tonberry^
*Rage Against the Machine, with Jaq from Burning Monk
+ Primus
^bad guy, Billie Eilish tease
Aqueous Setlist:
Set 1: 20/20, Warren in the Window (1), Realize Your Light, Steady As She Goes (2) > Weight of the Word, Going Nowhere
Set 2: Strange Times (3), Mosquito Valley, Pt II, The Less I Know the Better (4), Half In, Half Out, They’re Calling For Ya > Kitty Chaser (Explosions) (5)
Encore: Uncle Phil’s Parachute (6,7)
1- Closer to the Heart (Rush) tease 2- The Raconteurs 3- Gordon’s Mule tease 4- Tame Impala cover, debut 5- Crepes the Sloth Jam 6- Schism (Tool) tease 7- Falling Away From Me (KoRn) tease
Earlier this summer, the experimental 7-piece rock ensemble Thank You Scientistreleased their critically acclaimed third studio effort, Terraformer, which debuted at Number 8 on the Billboard Heatseekerschart. Fans of the New Jersey group will have plenty of chances to catch them this fall as they embark on their first full-fledged national headlining tour, with the tour kicking off (Rochester, November 7) and ending (NYC, December 14) in the Empire State.
“We are unreasonably excited to announce our first full-fledged US tour for our latest release–the inconveniently long, yet suspiciously charming Terraformer,” shared TYS bandleader and guitarist Tom Monda. “An unexpected byproduct of our years of sloggin’ it out is the incredible network of friends we’ve made across the country, friends whose support make it possible for us to keep creating, even under occasionally dire circumstances, and can’t wait to visit all of you across the country this winter.”
“We promise these shows will be an incredible celebration for us and the fellow weirdos we’ve met on this strange journey,” continued Monda. “To make this event even more ‘extra special-er,’ we’re bringing along some of our dearest friends in the biz: Bent Knee and The Tea Club.”
Bent Knee joined Thank You Scientist for their Northeast run earlier this year. As Monda explains, “The Tea Club is a band I have loved and admired for years, so much so that I coerced them to join us on our first ever US tour many years ago! Their lineup has since expanded to include my brother on drums, making this tour figuratively and literally a family event. Don’t sleep on this or you’re grounded.”
Since the release of Terraformer, Thank You Scientist has spent the summer touring throughout the United Kingdom and recently recorded a live EP, Live At Backroom Studios, featuring three additional string players and complete video footage of live performances for “Son of a Serpent” and “Anchor.”
Thank You Scientist Fall Tour Dates
11/7 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall 11/8 – Akron, OH – Musica 11/9 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme 11/10 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen 11/12 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry 11/14 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird 11/15 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck 11/16 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall 11/17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge 11/19 – Seattle, WA – Columbia City Theater 11/20 – Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw Theatre 11/21 – Portland, OR – Dante’s 11/22 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver 11/23 – San Jose, CA – The Ritz, San Jose 11/24 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater 11/25 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room 11/27 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock Live 11/29 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room & Garage 11/30 – Dallas, TX – Three Links 12/1 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall 12/3 – Atlanta, GA – Purgatory at The Masquerade 12/4 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar 12/6 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend 12/7 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club 12/8 – Washington, DC – Union Stage 12/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall 12/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts 12/12 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne 12/13 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes 12/14 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
