NYS Music 20​19

Category: NYC Metro

  • CAAMP Shave Off the Peach Fuzz at Brooklyn Steel

    This past July, CAAMP put out their latest LP, By & By, on Mom + Pop Music and are still touring strong behind the record. This past week, the group made their way to Brooklyn for two sold out shows at Brooklyn Steel on December 10 and 11.

    caam
    Taylor Meier of CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Support for these shows came from Savannah Conley; presenting a stripped back solo performance of breezy folk music. She was joined on stage for one song by the violinist from CAAMP’s band.

    caamp
    Savannah Conley at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
    caamp
    Savannah Conley at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    After blasting John Lennon’s “Mind Games” over the PA, CAAMP walked out to a massive ovation from the audience. The band has quite the following here in NYC, that was on clear display over the two nights in Brooklyn. Frontman Taylor Meier confessed to the crowd after the first song that he was very sick, joking “Why did this happen when the tour got to NYC? Couldn’t I have gotten sick in Omaha?” Despite the illness, Taylor performed seemingly unaffected and got a lot of help from the entire room singing along to each song. (Update: Taylor actually came down with the flu and subsequently cancelled the upcoming Philly and DC shows).

    caamp
    CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band adorned matching denim jackets with their names embroidered on the chest, band logos on the back (Taylor was also sporting a Courtney Barnett pin). There was a full drum kit on stage, which was only used for a few of the songs. One band member primarily playing banjo had a separate kick drum which provided the beat for most songs.

    caamp
    CAAMP at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band continues their winter tour through December, concluding with three hometown shows (the last on New Year’s Eve) in Columbus, Ohio at Newport Music Hall. They hit the road again in the spring/summer for a lengthy tour with several festival stops along the way.

  • Emergency Appendectomy Scraps The Front Bottoms Shows

    New Jersey folk-punk duo The Front Bottoms have been forced to cancel a string of shows this week due to Brian Sella’s emergency appendectomy on Monday.

    According to a post on the band’s Twitter feed, the surgery went well but the band was unfortunately forced to cancel all dates scheduled for this week, including one in Amityville on Thursday and Albany on Saturday while Sella recovers.

    Refunds for the shows are available at point of purchase. The Front Bottoms are next scheduled to perform at their annual curated Champagne Jam at the Fillmore Complex in Philadelphia on Dec. 21. This year’s event is sold out.

  • Cousin Earth announce lineup for 9th Annual Wintercourse

    Brooklyn group Cousin Earth will hold their 9th annual Wintercourse on Saturday, January 4 at Knitting Factory. Joining the show will be The Breakfast, Of Clocks and Clouds and Medusa’s Disco. Check out last year’s Wintercourse event and NYS’ coverage here, and check out footage below.

    A one-night-only “music and comedy festival,” was created nine years ago by Corey J. Feldman of Cousin Earth. It has since evolved to focus mainly on the music, though comedy is always present. This year’s festivities will be hosted by stand-up comedian and SiriusXM radio personality, Brett Siddell; and feature performances by Medusa’s Disco, Of Clocks And Clouds, The Breakfast (featuring members of Kung Fu,) and of course, Brooklyn’s own Cousin Earth. 

    The evening of music kicks off on Saturday, January 4 at The Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.) Doors are at 7:30pm and the music kicks off at 8pm. The show is 21+ and ID will be required. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door and can be purchased online. 

     “I’m proud that we’ve kept this party going for nine years. It feels like a real tradition,” says Corey J.Feldman, ukulele bassist for Cousin Earth. “It keeps getting better and better every year. The band and I are really looking forward to this one.”

    Over the past nine years, Wintercourse has gravitated towards focusing more on music and has featured performances by acts such as Bella’s Bartok, Funky Dawgz Brass Band, The Reformed Whores, Space Bacon, Chromatropic, Teddy Midnight, The Matty Carl Project, Mercury Landing, Stevie and The Lion and many others.

  • Matisyahu’s Festival of Light Returns to Brooklyn December 29

    Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Matisyahu has announced his annual Festival of Lights show for 2019, scheduled for December 29 at Brooklyn Steel. The special evening falls on the last night of Chanukah and will feature performances from Matisyahu, Bedouin Soundclash and Your Old Droog, as well as other special guests to be announced.

    Founded in 2006, Matisyahu‘s Festival of Light is a concert celebration occurring during or throughout the Chanukah season. It presents a community of like-minded musicians to celebrate the season’s spirit of unity and to transcend barriers. The show kicks off at 6:30pm

    The Festival of Light show wraps a string of tour dates across North America, with Matisyahu playing the likes of Salt Lake City, Aspen, Tulsa, St. Louis, Montreal and Buffalo alongside reggae/rock band Bedouin Soundclash.

    Perhaps one of the most eclectic talents in popular music today, singer-songwriter Matisyahu has been captivating audiences since he burst onto the scene in late 2005. His infectious mix of reggae, hip hop and soul has attracted the praise of a multitude of fans and critics alike, with his performances showcasing a raw expression of his spirituality to thousands of people across the world.

    Matisyahu's Festival of Light

    Matisyahu Tour Dates

    Dec. 5 – Belly Up Aspen – Aspen, CO

    Dec. 6 – Center for the Arts – Crested Butte, CO

    Dec. 7 – Gothic Theatre – Englewood, CO

    Dec. 8 – Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, CO

    Dec. 11 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN

    Dec. 12 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK

    Dec. 13 – Delmar Hall – St. Louis, MO

    Dec. 20 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY

    Dec. 21 – Corona Theatre – Montreal, QC

    Dec. 22 – Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT

    Dec. 26 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT

    Dec. 27 – Greenwich Odeum – East Greenwich, RI

    Dec. 28 – Tupelo Music Hall – Derry, NJ

    Dec. 29 – Festival of Light – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY

  • Premiere: Intercity rocker Diamond Jones releases brilliant short film for his latest single ‘Ashes and Diamonds’

    For someone shuffling between cities like Brooklyn and Toronto, the term ‘intercity’ is best to define their mild case of vagabondary. For solo rock n roller Justin “Diamond” Jones, who has been on the inside of the scene for the past 18 years, it aptly describes his constant travel between London, Los Angeles, Toronto and Brooklyn.

    Ashes and Diamonds (Full) from Justin Jones on Vimeo.

    Having just released his debut single, “Ashes and Diamonds,” Jones also is releasing a short film based around the track, as well as a music video. Having played on stage with John “Twink” Alder from Santa Barbara Machine Head, in groups such as Tomorrow, The Pretty Things and The Pink Fairies, and recorded in The Clash’s studio, Jones is a rare remnant of artistic integrity with a story to be told.

    “Ashes and Diamonds” is Diamond Jones’ return to the rock n’ roll and film scene after a period of solitude and devise. Jones solely shines this feat himself: all instruments are played, recorded and produced on his own. Likewise, the film is written, directed, and stars Jones.

    Born in Toronto, Ontario, Justin “Diamond” Jones as a young adult was involved with a group of semi-professional skateboarders during a time that rock n’ roll was seeing a revival, stemming from the skateboarding community. At that time he stumbled upon Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home and shortly after disappeared off the grid to develop his craft as an artist.

    Years later, Jones found himself in London, and quickly began performing around the city on guitar and piano. Jones has spent the past three years in Canada, isolating himself to refine his skills and prepare for his prolific return to the music & film scene.

  • Celebrate the life of Jerry Garcia with all-star lineup at The Capitol Theatre, Dec. 13-14.

    The songbook of Jerry Garcia will once again fill the halls of The Capitol Theatre, with ‘Home for the Holidays,’ on December 13 and 14.

    The two nights will feature Melvin Seals, Oteil Burbridge, Tom Hamilton, Duane Trucks, Jacklyn LaBranch, and Lady Chi joining together on stage and bringing the community together as they celebrate what would have been Garcia’s 77th year. Spread a little holiday cheer with the Garcia Family at a special party in Garcia’s featuring DJ Jerrbrother of the Garcia’s Forest at LOCKN’. More info can be found here.

    celebrate jerry garcia

  • Maroon 5’s Announces Expansive 2020 Tour – Three NY Dates on Tap

    Maroon 5 has announced 2020 North American summer tour dates scheduled to start on May 30 in Chula Vista, California. The tour will include Meghan Trainor and Leon Bridges for selected shows and will make three different stops in New York before wrapping up on Sept. 17 in Tampa, Florida.

    They will be performing all across North America and performing at some of the largest venues in their career. Their three New York shows are in Flushing at Citi Field on June 25, Darien Center at Darien Lake Amphitheater on June 27, and Saratoga Springs at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Sept. 6. 

    Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Dec. 13 at 12:00 p.m.via Ticketmaster. For more information on the tour visit Maroon 5’s website.

    Find the full tour lineup below including previously scheduled shows:

    Feb. 23 —  Foro Sol – Mexico City, MX 

    Feb. 28 —  Estadio Bicentenario de la Florida – Santiago, CL 

    March 1 —  Allinaz Parque – Sao Paulo, BR 

    March 3 —  Estadio Mane Garrincha – Brasilia, BR

    March 5 — Classic Hall –  Recife, BR 

    March 7 —  Estacionamento da Jeunesse – Rio de Janeiro, BR 

    March 10 —  Estadio Centenario – Montevideo, UY 

    March 12 —  Campo Argentino de Polo – Buenos Aires, AR

    March 14 —  Parque Salitre Magico – Bogota, CO 

    May 30 —  North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, CA 

    May 31 —  Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ #

    June 3 —  Isleta Amphitheater – Alburquerque, NM #

    June 5 —  Pepsi Center – Denver, CO  #

    June 7 —  Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX #

    June 8 —  The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX #

    June 10 —  Dos Equis Pavilion – Dallas, TX #

    June 13 —  Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL # %

    June 14 —  Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Noblesville, IN #

    June 16 —  DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI #

    June 18 —  Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH #

    June 19 —  KeyBank Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA  #

    June 24 —  Fenway Park – Boston, MA # %

    June 25 —  Citi Field – Flushing, NY # %

    June 27 —  Darien Lake Amphitheater – Darien Center, NY  #

    June 28 —  Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON #

    Aug. 2 —  Simmons Bank Arena – North Little Rock, AR #

    Aug. 4 —  Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK  #

    Aug. 6 —  Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NE #

    Aug. 8 —  Fargodome – Fargo, ND #

    Aug. 9 —  Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN #

    Aug. 12 —  Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB #

    Aug. 14 —  Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC #

    Aug. 15 —  White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA  #

    Aug. 17 —  Moda Center – Portland, OR  #

    Aug. 19 —  Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA  #

    Aug. 21 —  Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA  # %

    Aug. 24 —  USANA Amphitheatre – Salt Lake City, UT #

    Aug. 27 —  Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO #

    Aug. 29 —  Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Maryland Heights, MO  #

    Aug. 30 —  American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Milwaukee, WI #

    Sept. 1 —  Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH #

    Sept. 3 —  BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ #

    Sept. 5 — Hersheypark Stadium –  Hershey, PA #

    Sept. 6 —  Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY  #

    Sept. 9 —  XFINITY Theatre – Hartford, CT  #

    Sept. 11 —  Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA  #

    Sept. 12 —  Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC  #

    Sept. 14 —  PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC  #

    Sept. 16 —  Coral Sky Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL #

    Sept. 17 —  MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre –  Tampa, FL #

    # = w/ Meghan Trainor

    % = w/ Leon Bridges

  • Natalie Merchant to be Honored at 39th Annual John Lennon Tribute

    In celebration of what would have been John’s Lennon’s 79th birthday, grassroots non-profit Theatre Within has announced artists for the 39th Annual John Lennon Tribute on Friday, December 6, including Natalie Merchant. The event will be held at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space on Broadway and 95th street.

    In addition to artist-activist Natalie Merchant, who will be honored as the sixth recipient of the “John Lennon Real Love Award,” the Tribute will feature performances by Joan Osborne, Rachael Yamagata, Sam Amidon, Willie Nile and Raye Zaragoza, backed by a band led by drummer Rich Pagano, one of the founding members of the Fab Faux.

    Merchant, who will be appearing in the long-running charity concert for first time, said in a statement:

     “John and Yoko’s activism had a profound impact upon me as a child. Through their ingenious war protests they challenged the entire world to reflect upon itself. In my estimation, ‘Imagine’ remains the most powerful three minutes and eight seconds of music ever recorded. It contains a vision of our highest aspirations in the most concise language and simple melody. John and Yoko realized that popular art and celebrity could be used to push society closer toward equity and compassion. I’ve tried to follow their example throughout my life, as an artist and citizen. It’s such an honor to be recognized for my work with the John Lennon Real Love award this year.”

     “With her beautiful songs, social activism, and support of charitable causes, Natalie Merchant has truly brightened our world and our hearts,” said Yoko Ono. “Natalie’s outspokenness on the environment, domestic violence, and special-needs children shines light on these vitally important issues. I am so happy that Theatre Within is honoring her with this year’s John Lennon Real Love Award.” 

    Theatre Within Artistic Director and longtime Tribute producer/host, Joe Raiola says of Merchant, “John Lennon combined music and social activism in a unique and remarkably positive way. Natalie Merchant is a great artist blazing a similar path with heart, caring and compassion, and she is very deserving of this honor.”

    Proceeds from the Tribute will support Theatre Within’s ongoing free workshops – in songwriting, art, meditation and more – at Gilda’s Club NYC for those whose lives have been impacted by cancer. Workshops include the John Lennon Real Love Project, a visionary songwriting program for children, which will be made available to public schools and libraries in the NY tri-state area starting in the spring of 2020.

    Tickets for Theatre Within’s 39th Annual John Lennon Tribute are currently sold out. However, additional seats may be released for sale. For seat availability, visit LennonTribute.org. A limited number of VIP packages with up-close center orchestra seats are available at LennonTribute.org/join-friends.

    Theatre Within’s Annual John Lennon Tribute is produced in association with Music Without Borders. It is the only ongoing John Lennon Tribute concert in the world sanctioned by Yoko Ono.

  • Frendsgiving with Twiddle: Two Nights of Love and Music

    Like a great sandwich of leftovers from Turkey Day, the Vermont-based band Twiddle served up two nights of their homegrown musical jam at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Dubbed “Frendsgiving” by the band, the weekend show is now becoming an annual event, this being the third time around.

    Frendsgiving
    Twiddle

    With the theme of “Frendsgiving,” a portion of each night’s door sales was donated to the non-profit organization White Light Foundation. The foundation, run completely by volunteers, assists various charitable organizations and community causes. WLF describes itself as “founded on the principles of community, love, generosity, and passion” and is inspired by the music of Twiddle.

    Frendsgiving
    Aqueous

    I caught the second night of this two-night run which had Aqueous, who played both nights, opening the show. They kicked out a blistering 45-minute set, including a cover of Vampire Weekends “Sunshine,” stoking the house’s appetite for the main course. Twiddle took the stage to cheers from the crowd, serving up two sets of nonstop music to the delight of all. The second set opened up with “Latin Tang” which had Mike Gantzer and David Loss of Aqueous joining the band and taking the show to the next level .

    Frendsgiving
    Mike Gantzer and David Loss of Aqueous w/Twiddle

    With this being the beginning of the holiday season, the band gifted the audience with two new songs: “Mistakes,” which closed out the first set, and “Just Gravy” which was featured in the latter part of the second. “Lost in the Cold,” from Plump, took it home as the encore for the night. To make the evening complete, before the band left the stage they had the entire house join them for one big “family” picture to cap off the holiday weekend.

    Aqueous Set List

    On The Edge, Kitty Chaser (Explosions), Come and Go, The Median, Sunflower, Skyway

    Twiddle Set List

    Set I Orlando’s, Jamflowman, Gatsby the Great, Hattigan Mcrat, Orlando’s, BeeHop, Carter Candlestick, Mistakes

    Set II Latin Tang, The Box, Zelda Theme, The Box, Syncopated Healing, Machine FRENDS Theme, Just Gravy, Gatsby the Great (Ending)

    Encore Lost in The Cold

  • Martin Scorsese’s Upcoming Project to Focus on New York City’s 1970’s Music Scene

    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.

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