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.
Speaking your truth through music is what it is all about and Ani DiFranco does it well, both in her songs and interactions with an audience. DiFranco sold out the Homer Center for the Arts on November 5, 2019. Before Executive Director Ty Marshal introduced Ani, he said that ‘he had the dream of booking her there since he started five years ago.’ It was the fastest a show has ever sold out at the theater.
Ani’s tour is simply a must see for not only her performance but also for opening act, Gracie and Rachel. Their mellow yet striking sound is unique because of their piano and violin mix. Gracie’s piano and Rachel’s violin compliment each other which felt like a musical conversation as they performed. They joked about their anxiety-driven lyrics, but in reality their music is quite calming and serene. It’s as if they let their listeners know that they aren’t alone in their troubles and let the music soothe them.
Once Ani DiFranco took the stage she dove right into “Not a Pretty Girl” and the crowd roared in excitement. Ani was all smiles and equally as excited to be playing the very intimate theater as much as the audience was excited to see her.
Ani’s ability to play guitar is nothing but awe inspiring. She has a fearless fire within her and it pours out with every note. Her unique style of playing goes hand-in-hand with how she holds her own on stage. Her power and inspiration truly touched everyone in the theater that night. Ani is such a strong woman to look up to because of how brave she is. To speak her truth not only in her songs, but in between her songs. And the audience listened with respect.
It was election day and she had to pause when she found out that a Democrat governor was elected in Kentucky. It was a win close to her heart which she got to share with Homer, NY.
Ani broke up her performance with a few covers “Why We Build the Wall” by Anaïs Mitchell and “Skinny Love,” by Bon Iver, whom she will be performing with after the end of this tour on November 21 in Eau Claire, WI.
Setlist: Not a Pretty Girl, Dilate, As Is, Fire Door, Anticipate, Allergic to Water, Genie, Why We Build the Wall (Anaïs Mitchell cover), Woe Be Gone, If He Tries Anything, Reckoning, Skinny Love (Bon Iver cover), Save Me Jesus, Alrighty, Play God, Alla This, E: Which Side Are You On?, Joyful Girl
Distractions, the debut album from the Brooklyn-based Acidhead coming out on November 15, is a moving opening statement. It’s an honest delivery of feelings and emotions that are often the very essence of being distracted.
The brainchild of multi instrumentalist Patrick McGee, Acidhead doesn’t say outright that it’s about a breakup but the cues from Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak combined with song titles like the opening narration “Everything Got So Distant” and the album’s single “Throw Away The Time” are obvious hints.
Distractions lead single “Throw Away The Time.”
Throughout the album, distorted auto-tuned vocals and 808 beats put McGee’s influence on full display. The second single, “Love Has Me Keep On Dying,” is chock full of the aforementioned effects while the lyrical content drives the emotion forward – “Everyone’s lonely, hearing her voice late in the morning.”
While each track has strength in their own right, showcasing instrumental fluency and pulling from a variety of styles, the entire track list is cohesive and, ironically, not distracted at all. Each song sits just where it should and even as they are different in their composition, they feel like they all belong together on this album. On the fourth track, “Marciac Doney,” there’s a steadily building and lighthearted instrumental that crescendos into a hard-hitting drum and synth pad jam. Then, track five, “Hanover Rains,” features a straight up piano ballad. It’s nicely even-keeled
Lending a hand throughout the album are Andrew Forman of Goodfight, Lou Rogai of Lewis & Clarke, and the Rat Trap Pack, McGee’s avant-garde horn ensemble. The closing track “Wrongright” brings the set to it’s conclusion with a manic, guitar-duo-solo but settles down as if to say, “That was a whirlwind. I’m tired, Time to relax”
Key tracks: Hanover Rains, Throw Away The Time
You can catch Acidhead on tour in New York and Pennsylvania through mid-December. Be sure to check out Distractions when it drops on November 15.
11/22/19 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Karl Hall – w/ Lou Rogai, Chukwu
11/27/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory w/ Jesse and Forever
11/30/19 – Easton, PA – Connexions Gallery w/Chukwu
12/7/19 – Beacon, NY – Quinn’s w Jesse and Forever
12/8/19 – Cambridge, MA -The Lilypad w/ Mario Fabrizio/Phillip Gollub, Wendy Eisenberg, Crylophone
12/14/19 – New York, NY – Con Artist Collective – w/Amani Fela
12/15/19 – Ruba Club – Philadelphia, PA w/ Flanafi, Cheeky
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).
Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bundick) has been going strong ever since he broke onto the scene at the start of the decade, and 2019 has proven to be no exception. Back in January, Chaz released the excellent album Outer Peace and has been touring on and off since. Now, just as the fall tour was wrapping up with two sold out nights at Brooklyn Steel, Chaz dropped a surprise LP, Soul Trash.
Support for the fall tour came from exciting newcomer Channel Tres. His infectious blend of hip-hop and deep house kept the packed Brooklyn Steel dance floor moving for the entire opening set. Flanked by two backup dancers and thunderous house beats, Channel Tres performed his entire 2019 release Black Moses, including the hit “Sexy Black Timberlake.” The set was rounded off with other singles like “Topdown” and “Jet Black.” The future is incredibly bright for Channel Tres, including much anticipation for a full length LP. He has several West Coast dates coming up, with a show at Elsewhere’s Zone One next May.
Toro y Moi has a very unique blend of styles. One of the few surviving bands from the chill-wave movement, Toro has maintained success by mixing elements of classic R&B and disco with more modern electronica and indie palettes. Each release takes a new approach to these sounds and keeps the ever growing Toro y Moi discography fresh and exciting.
With so much material to draw from, including the new LP Soul Trash released just two weeks before, the set provided by Toro y Moi was truly representative of his entire discography. The title track “Soul Trash” opened the show, while tracks from Outer Peace included “Ordinary Pleasure” and “Freelance” (which closed out the show). A personal favorite, “Rose Quartz” from the incredible 2013 LP Anything in Return, echoed effortlessly around the room. The band glided through a 21-song set without a single dull moment.
Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
Saturday night was the last show of the current tour, with a late night DJ set at Elsewhere just to top it all off. Chaz has some DJ sets scheduled out west in December, but for now, we just look forward to what he has in store for 2020.
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.
The audience was told to hug a neighbor at least five times. Lyrics such as “They say that miracles are never ceasing / And every single soul needs a little release” were heard. This positive vibe radiated from Michael Franti and Spearhead, a hip hop-reggae-funk fusion band from California, as they performed at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ last week. The band also brought awareness to social issues and sparked authentic human interactions in the Garden State.
Carl Young and Michael Franti
The band members include Michael Franti (guitar, vocals), Carl Young (bass), Manas Itiene (Drums), J. Bowman (guitar), Mike Blankenship (keyboards), and an unidentified female vocalist.
Gun violence statistics of every mass shooting in the USA scroll behind Michael Franti and Spearhead.
The positive message and awareness to social issues stood out in a meaningful way. Franti’s recent song “The Flower,” a tribute to victims of gun violence, featured a video with survivors and scrolling gun violence statistics. Songs like “Just Work Hard And Be Nice To People” and “Good To Be Alive Today” brought a positive message mixed with short jams.
Franti and an unidentified vocalist sing “Life Is Better With You”
Strong musical skills were displayed during a flawless switch from Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long” to “Life Is Better With You.” The band was joined by an unidentified guest vocalist for this sequence, which included the original video of “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie on an LED screen behind the band.
Franti was engaged with the entire audience, not just those in the front row. He sang two songs while on the floor, in the middle of the crowd. He also took a quick adventure to the balcony for a few verses. A myriad number of fans were brought on stage, including a couple who got engaged, and all the children on the floor during “Say Hey (I Love You).”
The band has a couple of tour dates left in 2019 and will be on tour with Kenny Chesney in 2020. Head over to their tour page for more details.
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.
