NYS Music 20​19

Category: News

  • Universal Hip Hop Museum Receives 3.7 Million from NY State, Set to Open in 2023

    New York state governor, Andrew Cuomo, has officially signed off on a grant to help sponsor the impending construction of the first-ever museum dedicated solely to rap music – The Universal Hip Hop Museum.

    The Universal Hip Hop Museum is slated to open its doors in the South Bronx (it’s birthplace) in 2023. It is seen as a profitable venture for the state, looking to bring in additional tax revenue, as well as plenty of tourists looking to learn about what is now the world’s most popular genre. As of right now, the museum currently operates as a pop-up exhibit in the Bronx Terminal Market until construction begins in 2020.

    Bronx Native Rocky Bucano serves as the executive director of the board of trustees with hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow – whose 1980 single “The Breaks,” is recognized as hip-hop’s first ever gold record – is among the board of founding members while Public Enemy’s Chuck D, serves as the chairman of the celebrity board. “The credibility he brings to our team is mammoth,” Kurtis Blow says of Chuck D. “He also understands the importance of the UHHM and vows to let the world know via a star-studded celebrity board in the near future. Flame on!”

    The likes of LL Cool J, Q Tip, Nas, Fab Five Freddie, and Rakim also serve as cultural ambassadors, according to the UHHM official website.

    “We knew it was important because the Bronx is where hip-hop started,” Bucano told CNN. “It’s crazy to think of how hip-hop — which has such an influence on pop culture, advertising, politics — doesn’t have a place to call home.”

  • Vevo and Fabolous Present Live Performance of “B.O.M.B.S.”

    Vevo announced rapper, Fabolous, as the next artist in their Ctrl series, with a performance of “B.O.M.B.S.”

    Vevo’s Ctrl series highlights the work of hard-hitting, cutting-edge musicians, both emerging and established, making an impact on today’s music scene. These artists demand attention and Vevo’s Ctrl shines a deserving spotlight. Shot in Vevo’s Brooklyn studio, Fabolous’ performance of  “B.O.M.B.S.” follows sessions from Rick Ross, Common, Rapsody, Jeezy, Jadakiss, A$AP Ferg and more, according to their official website.

    The record is the second track from his latest project, Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever. It is a sample of “Sirius,” the opening composition of British rock-band — The Alan Parsons Project, and their 1982 LP — Eye in the Sky. While it samples a rock-band, the song is undoubtedly an ode to Michael Jordan and the 1990’s Chicago Bulls (with the title serving as acronymic reference), who used “Sirius” as part of their entrance music, making it synonymous with Jordan and their 1990’s dynasty.

    Fabolous spends roughly three-minutes delivering one punchline after the other, with plenty of NBA and other pop culture references alike. Reminding the listener that his relevancy in hip-hop is everlasting. Similarly, to how the Chicago Bulls have been a mainstay of pop and sports culture, despite their run happening over two decades ago.

    A veteran of the hip-hop scene, The Grammy-nominated emcee has been a force since the early 2000’s. With his first big hit, “Can’t Deny It,” coming in 2001. His mix of lyricism, pop-friendly records, and implementation of nostalgic references has kept him in demand, nearly twenty-years after his debut.

    Despite taking a step-back from commercial releases he has managed to stay relevant, and in “B.O.M.B.,” he signals a return to his dominant status in the rap game, rapping “I feel like Michael in ’95, back on my bull sh*t this summer ya’ll.”

  • Grammy’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients Announced – Isaac Hayes, Public Enemy and Others to Be Honored

    The 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients have been announced by the Recording Academy and it features a heralded list of singers, songwriters, rappers and performers.

    The recipients include, rock band Chicago, who is known for bringing jazz band-style horns into rock music, as well as numerous number one albums, one of which – Chicago Transit Authority – has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

    lifetime achievement awardFourteen-time nominee, and four-time Grammy-winner, Roberta Flack, will also be a recipient. The songstress is known for number one records like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.”

    Soul singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes, already a member of the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will collect another nod to his legendary career.

    Influential rocker, Iggy Pop, also known as the “Godfather of Punk,” is best known for his illustrious solo career, while also serving as the lead singer of proto-punk band, The Stooges. He will be on the receiving end of his very first Grammy-award, as a 2020 Special Merit recipient.

    Folk singer/songwriter, John Prine, known for his humorous style of country music – will be collecting his third Grammy, the influential songwriter has also had his eponymous debut-album inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

    Hip-hop pioneers, Public Enemy,  known for their hard-hitting politically conscious lyrics and social commentary – will be awarded their very first Grammy win. The legendary group is best known for its classic LP It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in addition to the renowned protest anthem “Fight the Power,” which has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

    Sister Rosetta Tharpe, being awarded posthumously, was a gospel singer, with innate skills on the electric guitar. The singer-songwriter, somewhat under-appreciated, with only one Grammy nomination before her death in 1973, but not any less legendary, was also recognized as having the first gospel record to crossover on the R&B charts.

    The Special Merit Award – also known as the Lifetime Achievement Award – is decided on by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees, to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, according to the official Grammys website, with past recipients including the likes of – Dianna Ross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Miles Davis.

  • Eastbound Jesus Will Play Release Show at Cohoes Music Hall

    Greenwich, NY natives Eastbound Jesus is set to release a new studio album, Full Moon Over Salem, on February 1 in celebration of their new album, for a a one-night performance at The Cohoes Music Hall at 8 p.m.

    eastbound jesus cohoes

    Carl Anderson (drummer/vocals) said of the release, “Full Moon Over Salem will be our first album in close to five years. We spent four years writing and performing these tracks before spending the last year recording it. After releasing four albums in five years it was important for us to take our time with this one and continue to push ourselves musically. It’s always been a goal to elevate our songwriting while remaining true to our signature Eastbound Jesus sound. Over the past year we have picked away at the songs, playing around with pedals and amps to find new tones, and trying different recording styles to elevate the compositions. We gave ourselves the time to bring in a number of guest musicians, and to really work through each track sometimes changing and re-recording our parts to get them where we wanted them. Now it’s time to put the album out there and hopefully everyone will appreciate all the work that has gone into it.”

    Comprised of six friends the self-titled “Northern Rock” band has previously released four studio and one live album. Fans have seen them around the region at venues like The Palace Theatre and Alive at Five. For the past several years they have also partnered with Greg Bell of Guthrie/Bell Productions to host a two-day music and camping festival called Eastbound Throwdown on Irwin Farm in Salem, NY.

    Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

  • Skeeter Creek Draws Crowd for Madison Theater Reopening

    Many braved frigid temperatures Thursday night for the grand reopening of Madison Theater to see Skeeter Creek. Some were in attendance to support the neighborhood landmark, while others were excited to see the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. What was really the hot ticket for the night was the much anticipated performance of Capital Region’s favorite country band, Skeeter Creek.

    The four space heaters around the stage barely fought back the cold.

    Taking the stage at 5:30 PM, Skeeter Creek drew in a large crowd and rocked the house despite the freezing temperatures. Starting with a Brooks & Dunn classic “Brand New Man,” for the next hour and a half the popular cover band tackled songs from Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker and threw in a few classic rock songs including a crowd favorite “Jack and Diane” from 80s rocker John Mellencamp.

    Fans consumed hot dogs, burgers and drinks provided by Mike’s on a Roll food truck while huddled around the several large space heaters outside. Inside the theater one could grab variety of alcoholic beverages at the theater’s new bar.

    A ribbon cutting ceremony led by Honorable Owusu Anane – Councilman for the 10th Ward, had several including John Clarkson the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association President and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan reminiscing on their experiences at the Madison Theater.

    “The Madison Theater was a gathering place for the Pine Hills Neighborhood even back when it was a one screen theater. It is great to see everyone who has come together to revive the local landmark” said Sheehan.

    Albany native Kevin Parisi of Trinity Realty Group, the building’s new owners. and the theater’s general manager Kris Kiesling were presented with plaques from Sheehan and Albany County Legislature Representative Raymond Joyce (D), deeming December 19 Madison Theater Day not only for the city of Albany but also for the county.

    Kris Kiesling (L) and Kevin Parisi (R)

    Kris Kiesling told NYS Music of the changes slated for the theater. Movie goers will be able to order food, take their seats and the food will be delivered by waiting staff while they are watching a movie. There will also be a lounge area with a bar, along with a full-service restaurant called The Box Office, Keisling said.

    Future plans of the theater also include a space for comedy shows and a performance stage for bands slated to be able to accommodate up to 500 people. This is conjunction to the four screens that will also be playing the newest movies.

    Never before has the theater served as a performance venue and there is nothing like it that exists in the Capital Region.

    “Parisi, the entire team and I are excited to bring the Madison Theater back to not only it’s same but a better glory. We are all on the same page with the Neighborhood Association and are going to be establishing the Madison Theater as more than a venue to watch movies at. This is going to be a entertainment space. We want people to be able to come here and hang out, feel part of the neighborhood.”

    Kris Kiesling, Madison Theatre GM

    Kiesling also said that they will be taking over and re branding the Cosmic Theater in Hudson, NY as a Madison Theater.

    The Madison Theater has been open since the 1920s making it Albany’s oldest theater still in operation. It has experienced periods of darkness before. About 15 years ago the theater was shuttered for some time according to Anne Savage, City of Albany’s School Board President, “a few hundred people braved a blizzard then to meet in attempts to reopen the theater”.

    During it’s most recent two year closure the Madison Theater went through many hands including Cosmic Cinemas before they went out of business the Times Union reported last month.

  • Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, Coming Soon

    Brooklyn Bowl opens the doors to its new location in Nashville, Tennessee this spring. The grand opening on March, 14 features a performance by Bowlive with Soulive and George Porter Jr. More than 30 shows were announced for this spring, including acts like Twiddle, Toots and The Maytals, and Carseat Headrest. Tickets are on sale now.

    Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

    The 1,200 capacity live music venue will also be home to four bars and nineteen bowling alleys over it’s two stories. The owners maintain that it will retain the same aesthetic as the original Brooklyn Bowl.

  • Nick Piccininni Discusses Joining Yonder Mountain String Band as New Mandolinist

    Yonder Mountain String Band announced a lineup change this week. Mandolinist Jacob Jolliff will be leaving the band at the end of this year. His final show will be Yonder Mountain’s New Year’s Eve show at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. Nick Piccininni

    In a statement, the band wrote, “As of January 1, 2020, we will be saying farewell to our brother and fellow musician, Jacob Jolliff. This comes to you as a deeply considered decision. We are grateful for the music, the memories and friendship we forged with Jake and are in full support of his future endeavors with The Jacob Jolliff Band. We hope to join forces with them down the road.“

    Joining the fold is multi-instrumentalist Nick Piccininni, who will be joining the band as its new mandolinist. Piccininni, a Central New York native, has been a part of several projects, one of them is Floodwood, which includes mandolinist Jason Barady, who also performed with Piccininni in Woodenspoon, moe. drummer Vinnie Amico and guitarist Chris Eves. Al Schnier of moe. is a former member of Floodwood. Piccininni also performs as a duo with Barady and in a recent project, Follow the Muse.

    Piccininni sat in with Yonder Mountain at a few shows this past year, paving the way for his joining the veteran string band. When reached for comment, he told NYS Music that the foundation of this new opportunity has its roots in the Summer Camp Festival, an annual event jointly hosted by moe. and Umphrey’s McGee in Chillicothe, IL each May.

    We used to run into the fiddle player, Allie Kral, at Summer Camp in Illinois when we would go out there with Floodwood. She made the suggestion to try me for the few shows I filled in this summer. I guess it went well enough that they felt comfortable with asking me along with this change! I felt really comfortable with everyone in the band and crew. My first show is in Park City, UT on Jan. 6. I’ve never been to Utah so that’s cool.

    Nick Piccininni
    Photo courtesy Misse Thomas, AzureEyes Photography

    Piccininni has every intention of making this a permanent gig while still hoping to maintain time for his other projects.

    “I will say that on both sides, I think the idea is to get into this winter tour to make sure the fit is right. But they have expressed that their first choice would be to just move forward with me as their new mandolinist. Piccininni continues, “Barring any personality conflicts, which I don’t think any of us really see being an issue if this becomes my main gig it will be tough to maintain everything I already had going. But I do intend to do my best to keep up with it all. Yonder doesn’t play a super intense schedule, so that does leave room for other projects, which is awesome.”

    Piccininni’s next performance is with the Amico-Barady Quintet, moe. drummer Vinnie Amico’s annual jazz show at Tiny’s Grill in Utica on Dec. 29.

  • Grammy-Nominated Guitarist Julian Lage Announces Vanguard Stint; Winter Dates

    Acclaimed jazz guitarist – Julian Lage, has revealed a new set of performances to end the year and bring in the new decade, in celebration of his latest Grammy nomination. A five-time nominee of the prestigious award, Lage has been a universally renowned composer for almost two decades – having first performed at the 2000 Grammy awards, at only 12 years old.

    The tour, which has included performances alongside fellow guitar icon Bill Frisell, will see him and his bandmates – The Julian Lage Trio, featured in his 2019 album Love Hurts – perform throughout the East Coast. Beginning with a stop at Philadelphia’s Jonny Brenda’s, Lage will also make stops in Washington, DC and Old Saybrook, CT, before finishing off with a six-night set at the Village Vanguard in New York City.

    Julian Lage’s slate of performance can be found below, while tickets can be purchased here.

    Dec. 18 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA

    Dec. 19 – Union Stage – Washington, DC

    Dec. 20 – Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center – Old Saybrook, CT

    Jan. 14 – 19 (Tuesday through Sunday) – Village Vanguard – New York, NY

  • Greensky Bluegrass Announces Winter Tour

    American bluegrass/rock band Greensky Bluegrass has announced a new winter tour that will span the first two months of 2020. The band – known for bringing a rock-and-roll feel to bluegrass music – will be touring in support of their 2019 album All For Money.

    Comprised of dobro player Anders Beck, Michael Arlen Bont on the banjo, guitarist, Dave Bruzza, Mike Devol on the upright bass, and Paul Hoffman on the mandolin, Greensky Bluegrass has been touring for the last 18 years, taking pride in their unique sound.

    “We’re a rock-and-roll band that plays bluegrass instruments. Bluegrass is such a finite thing. Because you have a banjo and a mandolin, you’re supposed to do it a certain way. But we’ve always been ourselves,” said Beck.

    This latest expedition will begin on January 15 and will see them tour throughout the Midwest and the East and West Coasts before finishing off in the South, with a performance in Atlanta, GA, on February 7 and 8. The East Coast swing contains several stops in New York in January at venues like the State Theater in Ithaca, NYC’s Beacon Theatre, and Albany’s own The Egg.

    Greensky Bluegrass’ remaining tour dates can be found below. While tickets can be found here.

    Jan. 15 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO

    Jan. 16 – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall – Louisville, KY

    Jan. 17 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH

    Jan. 18 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA

    Jan. 19 – Roxian Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA

    Jan. 22 – State Theater of Ithaca – Ithaca, NY

    Jan. 23 – The State Theatre – Portland, ME

    Jan. 24 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY

    Jan. 25 – House of Blues – Boston, MA

    Jan. 28. – Flynn Center – Burlington, VT

    Jan. 29 – The Egg – Albany, NY

    Jan. 30 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe, PA

    Jan. 31 & Feb. 1 – The Anthem – Washington, D.C.

    Feb. 4 – Madison Theater – Covington, KY

    Feb. 5 – The Mill and Mine – Knoxville, TN

    Feb. 6 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC

    Feb. 7 & 8 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA

  • Billboard Has New Rules for Album-Merchandise Bundled Sales

    Billboard has announced that starting Jan. 3, 2020 artists can expect changes to how their sales are tallied into the album charts in terms of album-merch bundled sales. These new regulations have been a long time coming from Billboard who in recent months has faced some criticism for how they count merchandise/album bundles towards chart qualifiers.

    To keep things fair for all artists there will be strict guidelines going forward. For a sale to count the merchandise/album has to be available for the consumer to purchase both together and separately on the artist’s official website. No sales via third-party sites will be counted. Additionally, the merchandise item sold by itself must have a lower price point than the bundle. Bundles must be priced at least $3.49 more than the stand-alone merchandise, which is the price currently for an album sale to qualify for the charts. Approved merchandise will continue to include items that are directly related to the artist or album branding.

    These changes will affect any album released going forward from Jan. 3. In regards to already released albums, further sales will only count on the charts if the sale follows the new rules. No changes will be made to the policies regarding concert ticket/album bundles since those sales are only counted if the customer redeems the album.

    During recent years fans have turned to convenient and inexpensive streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify to obtain their music which has led to album sales dropping drastically. According to Billboard, 2018 saw the lowest number of albums sold in a year when sales dropped by 17.7%.  2019 numbers are projected to be lower, with sales already falling by 19% as of Nov. 21.

    DJ Khaled tried to increase his sales status with the release of his last album Father of Asahd over the summer with little success. According to the New York Times, Billboard disqualified most of the bundle sales for his energy drink/album bundle due to inappropriate marketing. The energy drink suppliers Shop.com and its corporate company, Market America, crossed lines according to Billboard when they posted a blog encouraging their members to buy in bulk to “push DJ Khaled and Market America to No. 1!”

    The music mogul is not the only one to use bundles to increase fan engagement. Many of today’s top artists including Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and many more of the chart-toppers use merchandise bundles to boost album sales. Despite it being a digital age where the number of followers on Instagram and Youtube often dictates an artist’s true success, the Billboard charts still remain, for many, the gold standard for chart success.