NYS Music 20​19

Category: Audio

  • Brooklyn art-pop group San Fermin ‘Run Away’ with Carly Rae Jepsen Cover

    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.

    San Fermin

  • Brooklyn R&B singer Amare Symoné Announces the Release of “Ellipsis”

    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.

  • The late Neal Casal’s complete solo discography released

    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.

  • Premiere: Noon Fifteen “Time For Me,” from mini-rock opera “At The Festival”

    Ithaca’s progressive soul band, Noon Fifteen, today premieres “Time For Me,” off their upcoming album At the Festival. They’ll celebrate the album release at The Range in Ithaca on Friday, November 2.

    “Time for Me” introduces the suite’s protagonist, sung by bassist Harry Nichols, and sets up musical ideas which are revisited, twisted, and elaborated on throughout the piece. The song serves as the jumping off point for the album and was the first part written, having been inspired by a trip to festival during where Nichols witnessed a grieving friend experience renewal.

    A small town band with a big imagination, Noon Fifteen’s first release, Volume One, showcases the band’s vintage soul roots and hinted at its progressive tendencies. With At the Festival, the band dives head first into that prog propensity. The record is a seamless 22 minute suite, a mini rock opera that tells a tale of grief, and questions how far we should go to remember those we have lost. 

    Noon Fifteen Time For Me

    Based in Ithaca, the five-piece is influenced by 1960s California and Liverpool, 1970s Memphis and New Orleans, and the DIY ethos of the internet-powered independent music scene. Fronted by Mandy Goldman (vocals), Noon Fifteen is Samuel B. Lupowitz (keyboards & vocals), Joe Massa (guitars), Harry Nichols (bass, percussion, & vocals), Phil Shay (drums & vocals), and are joined by Chris Ploss for the album (percussion & vocals).

    At The Festival was recorded & mixed by Chris Ploss at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY, with additional recording by Samuel B. Lupowitz, and was mastered by Matt Saccuccimorano at Scaramanga Industries.

  • Premiere: The Phryg is Open with video and single”Bad Habit”

    The Phryg, a four piece progressive funk band from Brooklyn, best known for tremendously original music featuring deep pockets of funk have found their talents bringing them across the country. Today, The Phryg release the video and single for “Bad Habit,” a song about being ‘addicted’ to funk and attempting to suppress the urge to dance when hearing music that makes you want to let loose.

    The lyrics playfully describe the main character coming to terms with his problem and later succumbing to his primal urges stating, “If we could all come to see that the funk is a remedy.”

    The tune opens with a thumping groove between the bass and drums that drops into an intoxicatingly catchy chorus. The verses bounce along as lyrics intertwine with Hammond organ before synth chords. The song climaxes with a fiery guitar solo that twists, turns and ascends upwards. The listener is brought back down to earth with a return to the chorus and the final lyrics, “It’s easier to give in then to refrain – I’ve got a funk bad habit.”

    The video features Seth Schiesel, Terry Brennan (Cousin Earth) and Angelic Aguilera, with videography by Brandon McClasky and editing by Bryan Walters.

    The Phryg most recently played an after party at Garcia’s for a sold out Vida Blue show at The Capitol Theatre, and 2018’s Shakori Hills Festival alongside NY artists like Lettuce and Consider the Source. They’ve shared the stage with Bob Lanzetti of Snarky Puppy, Organ Freeman, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, The Fritz, Cycles and many more. The Phryg released their self-titled full length album in July 2016 as a follow up to their debut EP Midnight Snack.

    The Phryg Fall Tour dates

    Nov. 2 – Official Umphrey’s McGee pre-party at Goose Island – Philadelphia, PA

    Nov. 8 – Casa del Sol – Nyack, NY

    Nov. 22 – Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery – Rockland, ME

    Nov. 23 – Maine Craft Distilling – Portland, ME

    Dec. 28 – Phish after party at Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY

  • Premiere: Glass Pony’s”Stardust” Delivers Depth and Complexity with a Groove

    Indie-jam band Glass Pony has been performing throughout the Capital District over the last year, with a wave of fans in tow for each performance. On November 2, they’ll release their self-titled debut album with a release show at Parish Public House that night.

    Glass Pony Stardust

    “Stardust” features dense sonic elements from dreamy background vocals meshed with guitar effects and funky bass grooves. The lyrical depth offers just enough ambiguity for listeners to develop their own meaning against a backdrop of the other musical elements. When performed live, “Stardust” serves as a vehicle for standout jams with the solo section navigating to new territory before being led back into the composition by guitarist Greg Pittz.

    Lyrically, “Stardust” is meant to be open for personal interpretation with the underlying theme being the search for our place in the big picture of life – the questions, insecurities and realizations that are present in every stage of growth and development, with the goal of finding and settling into our place. Guitarist Eddie Hotaling says of “Stardust,” “Everyone is ultimately the king or queen of their cosmic experience, but the discovery of that concept manifests differently for everybody. That message can be found in the lyrics, “It takes a moment / let the stardust settle down / and all your thoughts could be delivered / everybody wears a crown.”

    Glass Pony’s debut album Stardust was recorded and mixed by Eddie Hotaling at The Stables in Albany, NY and was mastered by Scott Apicelli at Blue Sky Recording in Delmar, NY. Glass Pony is Chanda Dewey (drums, vocals), Eddie Hotaling (vocals, rhythm guitar) Jeff Picarazzi (bass, vocals) and Greg Pittz (lead guitar). Featured on “Stardust” and multiple tracks on the album is Matt Richards (keys, Formula 5, Annie in the Water).

  • Premiere: Juniper Lays down their foundation with “Concrete Ocean”

    Boston’s Juniper today premiere their latest single “Concrete Ocean,” a song that tackles a theme of ‘aloneness,’ inspired by bassist Scott Johnson’s transfer to Boston University. The constant sensation of being surrounded by thousands of young adults his age, Johnson was still feeling isolated due to a lack of new friends and connections.

    Johnson wrote “Concrete Ocean,” with band members Cam Ayer (lead vocals), Ahren Shreeve (guitar), Alejandro Marin (drums, vocals) and Sebastian Themelis (keys, vocals) aiding in the process throughout, making the track a full team effort in various arrangement aspects. 

    “The line “Who the fuck talks to me anymore?” in the third verse highlights that even though I would engage in conversation, it wouldn’t be about how I was feeling, or of any profound nature—merely day to day topics.”

    “I look down on, the concrete ocean, with no notion, of where I’m going” refers to constantly looking out of my dorm window at the vast city and feeling overwhelmed as to whether I made the right decision to transfer, and further questioning what I was to do/what I want to do with my life now being in a completely new environment, and the calamity of both of those coming together. Feeling like I was drowning, “may it be in loneliness” identifies that this perpetual superficiality of my reality and the loneliness I felt was suffocating.

    The end of the track and how it repeats the first two lines was meant to allude to the cyclical nature of my experience in transferring, and how others deal with similar issues, and how it may not be my last time having to undergo a similar experience.

    A five piece band who began performing in the Spring of 2017, quickly garnered a small but strong fan base and that summer embarked on their first recording project. A 5 song EP was released in September of 2017, and the group have performed in Brooklyn, Burlington, and various venues around Boston MA in the past two years.

    Since formation, Juniper have crafted their sound, which takes on a unique and eclectic energy, while maintaining a strong fluidity and purpose. Juniper derives their influence from the notion that what they have to say matters, that what everybody has to say matters. One’s voice and identity and what they experience transcends time and space, and connecting with people on that level through the medium of music is what Juniper values most.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ISq9Y37Z8

  • Goose releases “Butter Rum” single, kick off Fall Tour in Albany on Friday

    Goose has let loose their third studio single of 2019, “Butter Rum,” ahead of the start of their Fall Tour which kicks off in Albany on Friday, October 18. The track is the band’s third consecutive song mastered by Grammy award winner Emily Lazar (Beck, Vampire Weekend).

    “Butter Rum” is a playful tale of holiday romance heartbreak. The song’s lively tropical momentum will carry you through butterflies, barbeques, and blue Hawaiians as a boy and a girl wander aimlessly hand-in-hand for days. The couple weave through sweat-soaked night clubs and piercing 6 AM sunshine until the vacation ends he’s left with “nothing but the rum.” Grab a drink and prepare to have your heart broken by the sweetheart you were never meant to have.

    As their fall tour kicks off, Goose has four sell out shows and surely more to follow given the buzz they’ve been gaining over the year. A stellar Peach Festival set is just one of the highlights of this Norwalk, CT based indie-groove outfit. At the tour opener in Albany at Parish Public House, Eggy will open the night, with music starting right at 9pm, followed by two sets of Goose.

    The rest of the 20+ date tour carries Goose to NYC on Halloween, Buffalo in mid November then out to with a year end show at Goosemas, the band’s annual holiday extravaganza, held at the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk.

    Goose Pelham May9 EmWalis goose butter rum

    Fall 2019 Tour Dates

    OCT 18 – Albany, NY, Parish Public House Sold Out

    OCT 19 – Cambridge, MA, Sonia Sold Out

    OCT 25 – Wilkes-Barre, PA, River Street Jazz Cafe

    OCT 31 – New York, NY, Mercury Lounge Sold Out

    NOV 02 – New Haven, CT, College Street

    NOV 07 – Harrisburg, PA, Club XL

    NOV 08 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club

    NOV 10 – Richmond, VA, The Camel

    NOV 14 – Pittsburgh, PA, Roxian Theatre

    NOV 15 – Columbus, OH, The Summit

    NOV 16 – Buffalo, NY, Nietzche’s Sold Out

    DEC 05 – Fort Collins, CO, Aggie Theatre

    DEC 06 – Denver, CO, Cervantes Other Side

    DEC 07 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub

    DEC 08 – Steamboat Springs, CO, Old Town Pub

    DEC 11 – St. Louis, MO, The Bootleg

    DEC 12 – Chicago, IL, Lincoln Hall

    DEC 13 – Cincinnati, OH, Top Cats

    DEC 14 – Indianapolis, IN, The Mousetrap

    DEC 21 – Goosemas VI – South Norwalk, CT, Wall Street Theatre

  • NYC indie diva Karolina Rose drops energetic single ‘Greytopia’

    On her latest single, “Greytopia,” Karolina Rose is a bright and rhythmic indie-pop track, full of energy and passion. Serving as step one to Karolina’s upcoming visual EP project, “Greytopia” is the start of a tale of love, loss and healing through four video experiences.

    Combining an upbeat pop rhythm with shimmering guitar strums, the Elliot Jacobson (VÉRITÉ, Allie X, Elle King) produced track imagines an idealistic world where its inhabitants can reach their highest self and live out their dreams, despite life not being perfect.

    karolina rose greytopia

    Speaking about “Greytopia,” Karolina explains: 

    “This song refers to taking in all the nuances of life on the spectrum of white to grey to black and accepting it, meanwhile enjoying life in your most productive, idealistic manner. It’s in another world where things aren’t jaded and morals and ethics are high. We have all the amenities of Earth but use them in a positive, productive way. Just do your best with what you have and create your own perfection within something that isn’t. You can lounge; you can work; feel happy; feel sad. It’s all okay. It’s a fairytale land. We’re in another world – another planet.”

    The new music comes after Karolina’s Polish primetime television debut and an exclusive deal with Universal Music Poland. A Polish-American singer based in Brooklyn, Karolina was born and raised in Philadelphia to Polish parents and graduated from the Wharton School. She worked on Wall Street, before making the decision to quit her career in the investment industry in order to commit to making music her full-time profession. Karolina released her first single “Move With Me” in February 2017 and her debut EP INVICTA on February 1, 2019.

  • Break Science shares new single “Oshun” ahead of Fall Tour

    In advance of their upcoming fall tour, which starts in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, October 2, Break Science has shared the downtempo and lyrically esoteric single, “Oshun.”

    “This song is a dedication to Oshun, the Goddess who governs love and freshwaters,” shared Break Science keyboardist and producer Borham Lee. “She is the protector of the poor, healer of the sick, the bringer of music and dance, prosperity and fertility. With this song, we hope to invoke the divine feminine essence of nature to instill a higher thought and create spiritual balance.” 

    With over a decade of creation under their belts, and arguably among the artistic pioneers of the mid-2000s electronic music explosion, the duo –comprised of keyboardist, producer and jazz pianist, Borahm Lee (Pretty Lights Live Band) and funk, hip-hop drummer extraordinaire, Adam Deitch (Lettuce) – adds a layer of intrigue and depth to their music with the incorporation of Deitch’s live drumming and Lee’s real-time performance behind the synthesizer and keyboard.

    Break Science Fall Tour Dates

    10/2 – Washington, DC – Gypsy Sally’s
    10/3 – Brooklyn , NY – The Brooklyn Bowl
    10/4 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
    10/5 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall
    10/10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
    10/11 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
    10/12 – Portland, OR – The Star Theater
    10/16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Varsity Theatre
    10/17 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache @ The Intersection
    10/18 – Chicago, IL – The Chop Shop
    10/19 – Indianapolis, IN – The Mouse Trap
    11/29 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
    11/30 – Philadelphia, PA – Ardmore Music Hall

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