The renowned American-Italian filmmaker, actor and director Martin Scorsese is returning to the documentary world, this time focusing on the 1970’s New York City music scene according to Variety. Scorsese is known for many great works such as directing “The Irishman” which was released on Netflix on Nov. 27, “Taxi Driver,” and many more lauded works.
This isn’t the first time Scorsese has dipped his toes into the cinematic universe regarding music. Scorsese worked with Mick Jagger on the HBO series “Vinyl,” which is a historical period drama focusing on the 1970’s music scene along with all of the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll involved. Scorses also directed the documentary of The Band’s farewell concert at Winterland, “The Last Waltz” as well as the 2005 Bob Dylan documentary “No Direction Home.” With this prior work documenting the New York 1970’s music scene, the anticipation for this documentary by Imagine Entertainment and Scorsese is extreme.
Imagine Entertainment has almost two-dozen non-scripted films and series coming but this is one of the more exciting ones, especially for any music buff out there. Keep an eye out for more information from Imagine Entertainment on this exciting new project.
A documentary capturing the final years of Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon is slated to be released in 2020, per Variety. Both Double E Pictures and Live Nation Productions were recently added as executive producers for the film, which was created using more than 200 hours of the late singer-songwriter’s home videos from Grammy-winning videographer and acclaimed photographer Danny Clinch. Hoon and Clinch were close friends, and Clinch co-directed the documentary alongside Taryn Gould and Colleen Hennessy. Find out more info here.
“We realized that we basically had all these videos of a guy who was videotaping himself obsessively for five years from before he was famous up until really the day of his death,” Clinch told Variety. “It was the dawn of technology where people started to film each other, and he was way ahead of the curve in a way. It’s kind of one of the earliest moments of someone who was self-archiving his own life.”
Hoon died from an overdose at age 28, following the monumental success of Blind Melon’s 1992 eponymous debut.
“He was really an endearing character,” Clinch told Rolling Stone in 2015. “He could just become your best friend right away. His energy was great. He was really creative and super friendly. He definitely liked to have a good time and he enjoyed the rock and roll lifestyle for sure.”
A Kickstarter was launched in 2015 for the documentary, which has been in the works since then, and has been screen at Tribeca Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.
New York City’s Fever Dolls, a pioneered quintet hinged on being “brash and over-the-top,” are hot off the release of their new music video for “The Distance.” Released this past Wednesday, November 27, the video evokes the limitless nature of modern music with a vintage film.
With an endless supply of irresistible hooks and lyrics about sex addicts, according to the band’s website, “The Distance” follows suit. The band’s leading duo, Evan Allis and Renn Mulloy, fuse musical queues that are equally as provocative as the video’s visuals. With each step, or foot traveled, the viewer picks up on a new detail once overlooked – meanwhile, the stereo proves to be growing in complexity.
“The Distance” is one of the first songs Renn and I sang when we started playing together. It has always been a favorite of ours to perform live and a favorite of our audiences to sing along with. It’s the kind of song that makes people lose their minds and jump for joy.
Evan Allis
While we’ve played “The Distance” in different bands and different forms for a few years now (even releasing a version in 2016 with our previous band Iron Eyes Cody) we never felt like we captured the live energy and spirit of the song in a recording until now. We feel like we caught something special with this cut of “The Distance,” and are excited for people to hear it.
Evan Allis
The Fever Dolls are no strangers to NYS Music after Sammy Steiner dubbed them as musical populists, transcending as visual storytellers for their release of “Mr. Carver.” They are on the rise with a constantly sharpened sword, ready to disrupt the music scene with a vengeance. Check out “The Distance” on all social media platforms, such as Spotify, where the band draws over 9,000 monthly in.
Fever Dolls are playing Mercury Lounge on January 12 with West End Blend and Travers Brothership. The show is 21+ with an 8 pm start time. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
In a collaboration that could’ve only been dreamed up in New Orleans, Emerald Quintet, featuring saxophonist Skerik (Garage a Trois), drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic), keyboardist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars/Mike Gordon), bassist Andy Hess (Government Mule, Black Crowes), and guitarist Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) took the stage last night as the Brooklyn Bowl channeled its inner Jazz Fest. The group garnered its name as a tribute to the 55th Emerald Anniversary of Jazz Fest earlier this year, where they were formed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Skerik and Moore’s first time playing the renowned festival together, and on the heels of Skerik’s 1998 debut solo album All Kooked Out. The supergroup treated Brooklyn to a rare and energetic performance on a very limited tour that included a stop in Anchorage, AK in September, and a pair of shows in Ardmore, PA and Denver, CO sandwiching last night’s Brooklyn offering.
And they came out swinging! Appropriately opening with “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” the quintet got right to the funk, passing solos like a baton. Each musician announced his presence in a collective far greater than the sum of its parts.
“Sprung Monkey” followed, a familiar song that already had the crowd deep into a groove that would never let up. Walter’s solos tickled the crowd while his fingers tickled the black and whites, held down all the while by the best rhythm section in recent memory with Hess’s bass lines and Moore’s funky driving beats. Then Metzger’s turn with the baton, straight ahead guitar solos, no pedals, no effects, purity at the nexus of rock and funk, a touch of his signature blues, taboot.
How do you follow that? By passing the baton to Skerik of course, a powerhouse saxophonist with not only the chops to pick up where Metzger left off, but probably a large part of the reason why each member of this band pushes each other’s boundaries in all the right ways.
While most of the two-plus hour set was just straight ahead ass-shaking funk, there were moments of delicacy and patience mingled throughout. These intensely brief intervals of darkness, always pulled back by a signature Stanton beat, only served to make the light that much brighter – a true testament to the familiarity and trust shared amongst these musicians. The band was intently listening and reacting to one another, improvising while simultaneously appearing extremely well practiced. Even Peter Shapiro, owner of the Brooklyn Bowl, was on hand, an eager fan like the rest of us, but with an aura of proud papa as he, too, wore a grin from ear to ear.
“Humdinger” was an early highlight from Metzger’s Wolf! Catalog. James Casey, saxophonist (Trey Anastasio Band) joined the stage for a duelling sax number with Skerik that visibly melted the crowd, wrapped up with a spontaneous long note competition that had Skerik checking his watch while he showed off his impressive lung capacity. “Don’t Chin the Dog” highlighted both Robert Walter’s songbook and Metzger’s unbelievable talent. A cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” gave the crowd it’s only chance for a singalong before the set closing “Funky Mule.” “Who Took the Happiness,” also played by Galactic in the New Orleans tradition, was the first of a two-song encore kept the crowd grooving past the two-hour mark.
For those smart enough to be there, this was a truly special night in Brooklyn. Top shelf musicians pushing and validating each other, listening and reacting, smiling and having fun, appreciating the rarity of the occasion and the delight of the crowd in equal measure, for what may very well be one of the year’s best sets.
Setlist (via Robert Walter): Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Sprung Monkey, Aquafresh, Humdinger, Chalk Giant, Calm Down Cologne, Ironic Twist, Don’t Chin the Dog, Ophelia, Funky Mule, Who Took the Happiness, Kickin Up Dust.
Philadelphia indie-rock trio, Moonroof, will officially release their new music video for “Trojans,” tomorrow – Friday, November 22. The band has set their sights on conquering the music scene, recently winning Radio 104.5‘s 12th Birthday Show, sharing the stage with The Lumineers, Death Cab For Cutie and Grouplove. The 2016 Bloomsburg University inception wrote “Trojans” this past spring and debuted the single in August.
Unlike the Greek folklore, Moonroof’s release is more synonymous to a lego-horse, or one dressed in vibrant-drag. “Trojans” music video flips the famous tale inside-out, as if the trio is mocking themselves, unconcerned with its reception; they’re focused on their target.
As lead vocalist Dave Kim walks his band into a movie theater, prior to “Trojans” taking the screen, there is a clear smirk and airiness of joy across his face. After prompting the audience, it is comical that the band does not care if their video is well-received.
Guitarist, Danny Walsh, and Drummer, Dan Rendine, carry the airy-spring groove the against a white-windowed, underwhelming backdrop. How long did it take you to figure out the trio is missing a bassist? The track release, onset of winter, is ironic but refreshing. As the movie-theatre crowd moves out one by one, the band continues to groove on the pop-electronic narrative, increasing with feeling.
According to the press release, “‘Trojans’ entails a story of betrayal and heartbreak through a personal experience…the anthem that gets you hyped to finally break off that toxic relationship that’s holding you down.” However, Moonroof is onto something bigger here; Make fun of yourself when nobody else will (deliberately) – have fun – be happy – live. And most importantly – follow your dreams.
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.
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).
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.
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.”
