NYS Music 20​19

Category: Brooklyn

  • Griz Crashes into Albany and Brooklyn on Ride Waves Tour

    Future funk and electro-soul artist, Griz, continues to Ride Waves on tour, promoting his new album of the same name across the East Coast. The lineup includes electronic and urban pop producers, Yung Bae and Dwilly, for most of the May shows.

    Ride Waves was produced over a two year hiatus that Griz took from electronic music, in which he addresses socio-cultural issues like gun violence. The DJ, producer and saxophone player recruited talent from Bootsy Collins and Matusyahu to Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa for his 5th studio album that emanates with positivity. The album contains elements of funk, rap, reggae and soul, including moments of reflection from Griz’ life. The track “It Gets Better” is an uplifting collaboration with DRAM that showcases Griz’ saxophone skills, and sends a message of perseverance.

    Join Griz at the Palace Theatre in Albany and King’s Theater in Brooklyn, NY this week for the Ride Waves tour, as well as his signature electronic beats and organic saxophone-funk.

    Upcoming Shows:

    May 6th – Worcester, MA – The Palladium*
    May 8th – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre*
    May 9th – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Riverworks*
    May 10th – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre*
    May 11th – Philadelphia, PA – The Met*
    May 14th – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater*
    May 15th – Columbus, OH – Express Live!*
    May 16th – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant*
    May 17th – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory*
    May 17th-19th – Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Fest
    May 18th – Kansas City, MO – CrossroadsKC*
    May 27th – Detroit, MI – Movement
    June 9th – Chicago, IL – Spring Awakening
    June 14th – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
    June 21st – Heber City, UT – Bonanza Campout
    June 23rd – Dover, DE – Firefly Music Festival
    July 5th – Liempde, NL – We Are Electric
    July 10th-14th – Dour, BE – Dour Festival
    July 12th – Bristol, UK – Nass Festival
    August 2nd-4th – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Festival
    August 9th-11th – Salmo, BC – Shambhala Music Festival

    * = with Yung Bae & Dwilly

    griz ride waves

  • In Focus: Trey Anastasio Band Impress in Final Brooklyn Bowl Show

    Trey Anastasio Band closed out a long weekend run with the second of two sold out show at Brooklyn Bowl on Monday Night. Playing the beloved Brooklyn venue for only the third time, fans didn’t hesitate on packing this venue/bowling alley to capacity. This is one of the smaller venues TAB will play, but it seemed like Trey’s eight-piece solo outfit felt right at home in this tiny space.

    The show began with “Blaze On” a song TAB debuted three nights earlier at Anastasio’s Me and My Mind documentary premier. The band continued in top form offering up TAB favorites Including “Alive Again,” “Night Speaks to a Woman,” “Curlews Call,” and “Dark and Down” before bringing an amazing first set to an end with “First Tube,” the Phish fan favorite.

    After a short set break Trey and his amazing band returned with “Money Love and Change” where Anastasio shined with amazing guitar work. The rest of the set included speak to me, the first “The Land of Nod” since 2017, and a fun version of “Alaska” that the entire crowd sand every word to. The set came to a close with a smooth pairing of “Shine” into “Rise/Come Together.” The band returned for a two song encore offering up “Drifting” and “Ghost.”

    Trey Anastasio Band Continues with a four night run in the southeast at the end of May as they prepare for a full card of summer dates. See a full gallery from the show Monday below.

  • Celebrate 4/20 in NYC with an afternoon of free music and CBD Giveaways

    Sounds Good To Steve and Offside Tavern present a 4/20 celebration in New York City featuring O’Duo and guitarist Will Bart’s project, Johnny In The Basement. The afternoon event serves as an “unofficial” pre show for those going to see Lettuce at The Capitol Theatre, Twiddle at Brooklyn Steel or Dumpstaphunk at Brooklyn Bowl.

    The show is free and runs from 2:30-5:30pm, leaving plenty of time to get to Brooklyn, Port Chester or wherever the night takes you. There will be limited 4/20 inspired giveaways, and if you register with Eventbrite, you’ll get a buy back on your first drink. Offside Tavern is located at 137 West 14th Street in NYC.

  • Lotus Brings The Electro Dance Party to the Brooklyn Bowl

    Lotus unleashed high energy into the Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night, with two sets of their eclectic, instrumental, dance multi-genre sound. The band members include Mike Rempel (guitar), Jesse Miller (bass/sampler), Mike Greenfield (drums), Luke Miller (guitar/keyboards) and Chuck Morris (percussion). Originally from Goshen College in Indiana, the band is now based out of Philadelphia and Denver.

    Jaw Gems opened for Lotus, and successfully warmed up the crowd. They are an electronic band from Maine that is creating beat music in a more organic live setting. Friday’s lineup included bass, drums and synthesizer, and delivered dark grooves that flowed into one another.

    Lotus took the stage in front of the packed crowd, and picked up where they left off on Thursday night, which included a rare Talking Heads Deconstructed set with Gabe Otto at the Brooklyn Bowl. The flawless transitions combined with powerful electro-pop beats of “Intro into a Cell” > “E” > “Trip” > “Stranger Danger” had the floor dancing and excited almost instantly. Other notable songs include the hip-hop based “Golden Ghost” > “Intro” and the electronic groove “Anti-Gravity” > “B” > “Comptroller”. Throughout the set, Rempel delivered intense guitar riffs, and had excellent synergy with both Jesse and Luke Miller.

    Lotus emerged after the break with “Nematode,” a fan favorite from their Gemination album. The dark “Bellwether,” another classic Lotus tune from their Hammerstrike album, and the newer hip hop tune “Gunk,” from their recent Frames Per Second album, both showcased Greenfield’s drumming versatility and skills. The jam of the night was undoubtedly “Arupa” > “½” > “Bubonic” > “B” > “Flower Sermon” and included elements of Lotus old and new. “Arupa”’s organic feel was great contrast to the edgy “Flower Sermon.” The band closed out the night with the cohesive, funky dance tune “Sift.”

    Lotus brought their signature jamming to the sold out Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night, and sent their fans home exhilarated after a night of intense dancing.

    Jaw Gems Setlist: Parch, Graymalkin, Ohio, Sap Flow, Young Pulp, Sweet Egg, Liquid Purchase, (INTERLUDE//MPC SWITCH), Rvil, Sleep arena, Peace Pipe, Narrows, Party Slave

    Lotus Setlist:

    Set 1: Intro into a cell > E > Trip > Stranger Danger, Golden Ghost > Intro, Turquoise, Anti-Gravity > B > Comptroller, 72 Hours

    Set 2: Nematode, Invincibility, Bellwether, Gunk, Arupa > ½ > Bubonic > B >
    Flower Sermon

    Encore: Sift

  • In Focus: A Benefit for Creative Music Studio

    On Wednesday April 3 The Brooklyn Bowl played host to a Benefit for Creative Music Studio. An amazing lineup of musicians including Billy Martin, Oteil Burbridge, Joe Russo, Marshall Allen, Dave Harrington, Cyro Baptista, Jonathan Goldberg and many more paid tribute to an amazing cause with two hours of jamming – blending of many different styles of music in true fashion of the foundation. The culmination of the performance came when founder Karl Berger conducted this amazing group of musicians, just as he’s done since he began this foundation.

    Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Ornette Coleman founded the Creative Music Studio in 1971. Their Goal was to establish a nonprofit organization focused on improvisation and musical cross-pollination that complemented musician’s academic studies. It’s a place where music as a universal language can be explored and expanded. The organizations main program was a place where over 500 hundred performances were recorded. Hundreds of guiding artists lived, played, and shared musical wisdom with thousands of participants many who went on to become well know musicians.

    Support more of the amazing work being done at Creative Music Studio.

  • In Focus: Brooklyn Bowl Debut For The Allman Betts Band

    Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is. As the cold winter days wind down and the sun shines a little longer, new life is brought back into the dark places. There is no one who needs that more than the Allman Brothers family right now, after terrible loss almost halted everything. It looked like the end for many fans and this legendary music. That mantle of great live music tradition was left in limbo until The Allman Betts Band made their highly anticipated debut at Brooklyn Bowl.

    Devon Allman and Duane Betts have joined forces to create The Allman Betts Band, with Barry Oakley Jr. (Son of Original Allman Brothers Band Bassist), Johnny Stachela, percussionists R. Scott Bryan and John Lum, to feature new music, songs from their solo projects and classic Allman Brothers songs in honor of The Allman Brothers’ 50th anniversary.

    Wednesday night was the inaugural show for the band and fans of all ages came out in curiosity to see what this band was going to bring to the table. By the third song, when Duane played the opening notes to his father’s “Blue Sky,” it became very clear that this band would be a force to be reckoned with. Along with amazing renditions of “Dreams” and “In Memory OF Elzabeth Reed,” this band showed that it had more to offer for the Allman legacy. Original songs “All Night” and “Good Ol’ Days,” both are set to be on the bands debut album, that will be released early summer.

    Don’t miss this band. They are fantastic; Proof that their music is as thick, and rich, as blood.

    Setlist: All Night, Melodies are Memomries, Blue Sky, Left My Heart In Memphis, Taking Time, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, Multi Colored Lady, Seven Turns, Mahalo, Purple Rain, Dreams, Good Ol’ Days,

    Encore: Shake Down Street

  • Hearing Aide: Bad Luck ‘Drug Phase’

    Bad Luck’s new EP, Drug Phase, is the perfect vessel for launching a comeback. Bad Luck. continues to tick all the right boxes: fast tempos, aggressive guitar work, pop-influenced melodies and clever lyrics. The solo-project-turned-band cranked out a couple promising releases in 2014 and 2015, then went quiet until last year, when they announced signing with Take This To Heart Records. Fortune seems to be favoring Bad Luck. as they enter this new phase of their career. Bad Luck. leads with “Impressive Depressive,” in which they channel some serious My Chemical Romance vibes with their dark lyrics and edgy riffs. The mood lightens up in the next track, “Mean Dudes.” The uptempo bubblegum-pop serves as a perfect contrast to lyrics, oozing with sarcasm and disdain. The title track “Drug Phrase” has more bite to it. The gritty, grungy song is a brutally honest reflection on a dark time: Used to say I’m okay/ I could try a bit/ Just for the hell of it. The EP switches gears again with “Sheep Song.” Even though the lyrics are about herd mentality and blindly following along, it’s a challenge not to sing along to the “ba ba ba ba” chorus. This is followed by “Wish We Still Talked.” Abrasive vocals belt out raw emotional lyrics riddled with regret. The layered vocals are reminiscent of Taking Back Sunday. Drug Phase ends with a track called “P.S. Wiffle Ball.” The jangly tune on acoustic guitar is accompanied by whistling and a sing-song melody. The simplicity of this track evokes nostalgia for youthful ignorance and bliss.
    The collection creates a story arc that follows the rise, fall and rebirth of the jaded-yet-relatable protagonist. But unlike most concept-based albums, each of the songs can stand on their own and still make sense. There’s no filler or transitional tracks. The music is compactly arranged – tight, well-paced and cohesive. All music and lyrics were written by vocalist/guitarist Dominick Fox. His brother Joseph Fox plays bass. The band is rounded out with Charlie Caruso on lead guitar and Michael Sichel on drums. Drug Phase was engineered, produced and mixed by Jim Wirt at Crushtone Studios, and mastered by John Naclerio at Nada Studios. Drug Phase is out now on Take This To Heart Records. Purchase merch and music directly or buy/stream on your favorite major music platforms. Bad Luck. celebrates the release with a four-date Northeast tour that started in Boston last night, and hits Albany today, Brooklyn on March 30 and Philly on March 31. They’re also slated to play BLED FEST in May. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates. Key Tracks: Impressive Depressive, Sheep Song, Wish We Still Talked

  • In Focus: Antibalas Celebrates 20 Years at Brooklyn Bowl

    With lead singer Amayo preaching ‘deep unconditional love’ throughout the night, Antibalas performed to a sold out crowd on the second night of their 20th anniversary run at Brooklyn Bowl this past Saturday.

    The fusion of African and Cuban music that Antibalas has brought to audiences for two decades is one that is rich in history and message, bringing the influence and sounds of Fela Kuti to a new generation. For nearly two hours, the 12-piece band and special guests took to the stage, creating a rich, full sound that moved the captive and diverse audience. Here’s to at least two more decades of Antibalas!

  • Bad Luck release “Sheep Song” off upcoming EP ‘Drug Phase’

    Brooklyn’s Bad Luck has announced a brand new EP Drug Phase to be released on March 29 via Take This To Heart Records, and has released the infectious new single “Sheep Song.” Listen below and on all platforms here.

    Bad Luck. started out as a Long Island solo project before the band came together in Florida in 2014, when they released Cold Bones and Noise in Your Head the following year. These two compact yet abrasive pop-punk releases placed nostalgia and neuroses on the same plane. “Sheep Song” showcases the dynamics that made 2014 “Cold Bones” LP from Bad Luck an underground hit. The whole song is a chorus that will have you singing ba-ba-ba in under 3 minutes. 

    bad luck sheep song

    Anchored by brothers Dominick and Joe Fox and colored in by a rotating cast of touring friends, Bad Luck.’s second wind offers the same great pop hooks chased with hard-hitting backdrops that originally captured crowds’ hearts.  Having since returned to their home base and their homegrown mentality, Bad Luck. is looking to add to their short but sweet legacy and score a longer winning streak. They embark on a four-show tour later this month.

    bad luck sheep song


  • Antibalas 20th Anniversary Tour brings band back to Brooklyn

    Antibalas return to their Brooklyn roots this weekend for their 20th anniversary tour’s final U.S. shows. They’ll play two nights at Brooklyn Bowl, with Innov Gnawa joining them on Friday, March 15, and Poetic Thrust starting the night off on Saturday, March 16.

    The musical collective known as Antibalas (Spanish for bullet-proof or anti-bullets) was conceived of in Mexico City and formed in Brooklyn in the late ’90s. The early formation of the group was composed of the band’s founder Martín Perna and later included several other members (Gabriel Roth, Michael Wagner, Del Stribling aka Binky Griptite, Victor Axelrod, Fernando Bugaloo Velez, Anda Szilagyi) from the Soul Providers / Dap Kings band. performing their first show in May 1998 at St. Nick’s Pub in Harlem NY.

    The music of Fela Kuti is well represented in the Antibalas sound, and was part of the band’s early connection with percussionist Amayo, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria who was fluent in the music of Fela. Within months of his first show with the band at The Cooler, he began composing and performing lyrics and assuming the role of the group’s lead vocalist / frontman.

    Antibalas recently released their sixth studio album on Daptone, Where the Gods are in Peace.  Though recognized for their fluency in Afrobeat and funk music, the band is known to collaborate with diverse groups and artists, from Angélique Kidjo to Jovanotti to Medeski Martin & Wood to Public Enemy, and served as the house band at Carnegie Hall in 2014 (Music of Paul Simon), 2015 (Music of David Byrne & Talking Heads) and 2017’s Music of Aretha Franklin.

    Join Antibalas and guests Innov Gnawa and Poetic Thrust this weekend at Brooklyn Bowl and celebrate 20 year’s of Afro-Cuban funk and rhythm.

    antibalas anniversary

    Check out the rest of Antibalas’ 20th Anniversary Tour Dates.

    March 14 – The Warehouse at FTC – Fairfield, CT
    March 15 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
    March 16 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
    March 30 – The Shrine – Lagos, Nigeria
    April 3 – FuzzYon – La Roche Sur Yon, FR
    April 4 – La Sirene – La Rochelle, FR
    April 5 – Le Temps Machine – Joue Les Tour, FR
    April 6 – Festival Banlieues Bleues – Epinay, FR
    April 7 – La Nef – Angouleme, FR
    April 9 – Le Moloco – Audaincourt, FR
    April 10 – Cully Jazz Festival – Cully, CH
    April 12 – Moods – Zurich, CH
    April 13 – Le Plan – Ris Orangis, FR
    April 16 – Het Depot – Leuven, BE
    April 17 – Maison Folie – Lille, FR
    April 19 – Jazz Cafe – London, UK
    April 20 – The Sugar Club – Dublin, IE
    April 21 – The Sugar Club – Dublin, IE

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