Presented by NYS Music, MFDF Funk Night is only $5 for two sets of fun(k) starting at 9pm at Nietzsche’s. Hosts Fantini and Frauenhofer bring a rotating cast of local, regional, and national artists each month for a night of improvised heavy funk.
The final funk night of 2019 is set for Thursday, December 21. Save the date!
White Denim blew the proverbial roof off of the new White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, bringing their sweet Austin, Texas rock sound to the East Coast and fans throughout the tri-state area. The two-hour headlining set from the high powered rock outfit never skipped a beat and was virtually non-stop. Night after night, this band displays communal showmanship and a loud lesson for how to make rock and roll work very well in 2019. White Denim presented a two hour clinic is proof that a diversified rock sound played by very talented musicians still deserves a spot in the debate of today’s best contemporary music.
The Adirondacks are known for their mountains and beautiful scenic views, but soon they are going to be known for being from where singer-songwriter Ashley Sofia hails. Her new album Shades of Bluedropped on September 6 and is definitely something folk enthusiasts should look into. She not only holds the sole songwriting credit on every track, but also takes inspiration from her travels across America and her own family history to create this unique album in a time when uniqueness is becoming harder and harder to find. With 13 original tracks, the album builds off of Sofia’s Adirondack roots and Nashville sound where she is currently living, writing and recording music.
Album cover of Ashley Sofia’s new Album ‘Shades of Blue.’
The album starts with the track “Slowing Down” which has an eerie violin introduction which bleeds into a soft plucking guitar that builds into Sofia’s vocals stepping out from nowhere. It’s an unarguably folksy sound with Sofia’s ‘just so slight’ country twang that creates a beautiful, and slightly haunting, song that will stick with the listener as feeling familiar yet unknown at the same time just like its subject matter: love. It keeps with the folksy feel while also keeping a bare bones track with just vocals, guitar and violin occasionally dropping by that fits with the bittersweet lyrics.
The track that stuck out the most was “Tangerine and Blue” with the upbeat and full band accompanying the strikingly opposing colors in the song’s name and chorus. “Tangerine and Blue” mirrors the conflicted feelings about leaving that Sofia is singing about within it. There’s something about Sofia’s lyrics that keep her songs fresh even though they are revolving around cliche’ and typical topics. They don’t come off that way though because of her word choices that create vibrant visuals for the listener.
Some of Shades of Blue was hard to really connect with. She has a lot of songs with American tropes like freedom, and dreams, which paired with the country folk sound but wasn’t really my thing. But her song “Looking For America” redeems this aspect of her work for me. It’s not all “rah rah rah” America, it focuses on how America isn’t how it should be. This isn’t something I usually come across in country-influenced folk music. The song revolves around how the American dream isn’t something that’s realistic and how she’s looking for the America she wants to believe in which was refreshing to see within this genre.
Ashley Sofia wasn’t someone on my radar before but she definitely is now. Her take on folk country isn’t one that has been overplayed and has lyrical integrity and uniqueness with groovy tracks that build up perfectly which keeps the listener coming back to listen to Shades of Blue over and over again. For more information visit Ashley Sofia’s website.
Key Tracks: Tangerine and Blue, Looking for America
A slice of Nashville can be found in the Big Apple this fall with a pop-up vinyl store, Spin On: Nashville’s Vinyl Collection, having opened on October 1 at SHOWFIELDS in NoHo. Curated by Nashville’s world-renowned record store, Grimey’s, in celebration of its 20-year anniversary, Spin On will offer a curated selection of vinyl records by artists who live in Nashville or albums that were recorded in Nashville.
“The Music City brand is at the heart of Nashville’s tourism success and the city’s overall success,” says Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We think this is a creative way to showcase and reinforce the strength and diversity of the music that’s created, written and recorded in Nashville.”
Grimey’s is Nashville’s independent record store since 1999, specializing in new and preowned vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, books, magazines, turntables, and other tangible artifacts. The Nashville trademark regularly hosts live performances, record release parties, book signings and interviews.
SHOWFIELDS’ flagship store premiered in December 2018 at 11 Bond Street in New York and has since grown into a revolving array of art, food, drink and community programming bridging art and retail in the heart of NOHO.
Spin On will be open October 1-January 15 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and noon to 8 p.m. on Monday.
In addition to the incredible selection of vinyl, the unique pop-up at SHOWFIELDS will host intimate performances, signings and more.
Widespread Panic will return to New York City for the first time in seven years, with five nights planned in early 2020. The Athens, GA band will hold a five-night residency at the legendary Beacon Theatre, February 27, 28, 29th and March 1 & 2nd. Tickets are on sale Friday, October 11th at 11am ET. Click here for more info.
Inside the expansive back room in the northwest corner of the old Kenmore Hotel hangs a drab, grey curtain concealing the last piece of history tied to the space.
The curtain protects a mural called “The Court of Cleopatra,” painted on the wall above a modest stage on which Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington played. It’s a depiction of the Queen of Egypt, whose beauty was unparalleled and whose intelligence matched that of the powerful men she seduced, most notably Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. It’s placement high upon the wall implied that this was the room in which the masters of the universe was expected to frolic.
The space is now in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation project that’s breathing new life to the North Pearl eyesore. Modern day Dapper Dons in hardhats expose the promise of a bright future, and at the same time enhance the ghosts of the hotel’s storied past.
When William Kennedy wrote about the Rain-Bo Room in “O’Albany,” he was still able to observe a piano on that stage. He imagined someone playing “Happy Days and Lonely Nights,” a tune Ruth Etting made popular in 1928, and a reported favorite of the Kenmore’s most famous resident, Jack “Legs” Diamond.
Diamond’s name was never mentioned during the press conference called by Redburn Development to announce the Rain-Bo Room’s intended rebranding as the Kenmore Ballroom. Nor would it be expected. He was a New York City mobster, whose charges included burglary, kidnapping and bootlegging. Nonetheless, he was a celebrity.
Diamond’s vocation aside, his choice of haunts reveals that the Rain-Bo Room was Albany’s top nightclub during the Roaring Twenties. Stars of the Big Band area would flock up the Hudson River to play there, especially lured by the prospect of broadcasting their live performances on the radio.
“The Kenmore Ballroom is the heart of this building at the heart of this development,” said Jeffrey Buell, principal of Redburn Development. “We want to fill the space with life, life that spills out into the surrounding streets and supports all of the Downtown.”
Katie O’Malley Maloney and her husband Nate Maloney will manage The Kenmore Ballroom. O’Malley Maloney has her own long history with the City of Albany. She served as the 50th Anniversary Tulip Queen and worked for the City of Albany planning events and fundraising under former mayor.
Jerry Jennings. She also owns and runs Katie O’ Weddings and Events, an event planning firm celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year. Nate brings over 20 years of corporate and not-for-profit marketing, communications, and event experience to their first venture together. Katie will oversee the day-to-day operations along with Casey Benson, Vice President of Operations for the organization.
“We are thrilled to be back in Albany and to be a part of the revitalization of Downtown” said O’Malley Maloney. “The Rain-Bo Room was once a vibrant centerpiece of Albany culture and society. We are excited to return the vibrancy of this historic space as the Kenmore Ballroom.”
The Kenmore Ballroom will accommodate up to 300 people for a seated function. The ornate double staircase, demolished when the building was turned into offices, will be rebuilt as the centerpiece of the space. It will also have a separate bar lounge and rooftop deck. For Elizabeth Young Jojo, she focused on the opulence of the room’s past while choosing all of its fixtures and accents.
“We chose an Art Nouveau inspiration,” said Young Jojo, vice president at Redburn Developments. “That, mixed with some super, super modern elements, as well.” The Art Nouveau style was popular during the turn of the last century, a look characterised by curves and asymmetric shapes to provide the illusion of movement. The juxtaposition of elements, Young Jojo said, “I think will be very fresh, that there is no other space like that in the Capital Region.”
“Projects like the revitalization of The Kenmore and its ballroom are transforming downtown Albany,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Thank you to Redburn for their commitment to Downtown, and to Katie O’Malley Maloney and Nate Maloney for believing in Albany and investing in Albany’s newest neighborhood.”
The Kenmore Building rehab project is part of a nine-building, $82 million neighborhood revitalization that will bring 350 apartments and 11 commercial spaces to a three-block radius. The first phase of the multi-building project, The Knick at 16 Sheridan, will welcome new tenants this week. The Kenmore is expected to be open by October 2020.
This article was originally published by The Spot 518
Ty Segall & The Freedom Band are playing extended residencies in cities all around the world. They are playing his new album First Taste in full as well as many of the eccentric artist’s older albums. After a five-night stay at The Bowery Ballroom, the word is out on the amazing double drum, guitar-less new album that fans are boasting is his best yet.
The performance of First Taste really makes the most of the two-drummer setup, with Ty moving back and forth from a kit positioned at the front of the stage at least once every song. It is his great connection with The Freedom Band that blends so many different styles of music, leaving no trouble in making a crazed, heavy and loud as hell rock n’ roll experience.
Willem takes the modern languid sounds of Post Malone, Mac Miller and combines it with the mellow tones of WIlco and Neutral Milk Hotel. He hails from Albany but is currently a musical engineering student at Purchase College. His debut EP uses the elements of his previous collaborations with NRV and SIMONEAR (Tomorrow, Mrs. Rebound) and blends them into a moment leaving you wanting more.
“Hit the Floor” was released as a teaser for the EP in the spring: it’s joyful, flirtatious lyrics are combined with a soft but driving beat that ends with the listener yearning for summer. “November” reminds you of rainy, bittersweet days in bed with a partner and recognizing that winter is coming just like the end of a relationship.
The interlude between the tracks provides the emotional space for one to consider the next song title.
“We Could Be Friends” brings about the renewal and inner maturity needed to release the listener from grappling with the previous tracks themes. With “Lately,” Willem’s voice reaches a place unexplored earlier; he takes it down a step and explores a level a loneliness that resonates with the rest of the EP but holds the potential for more to come.
What more is there to say? It’s short but not in a way that punk, grindcore, or any other genre priding itself in brevity could hope to muster. Willem achieves something that many young artists want but rarely earn: writing a debut worth listening to on repeat and being able to do so if you have more than 10 mins to spare–it’s like Reign in Blood for the digital era, but without the physical sensation of flipping a cassette to hear the same good time again.
Pioneering drummer Ginger Baker, best known for his role in the late ’60s supergroup Cream died Sunday in England at the age of 80.
Baker’s Facebook account published this message Sunday morning.
Baker’s style influenced many heavy metal drummers much to his dismay. The notoriously cantankerous drummer, in a 2015 Forbes interview, when asked about his influence on the metal genre, had this to say:
I find it incredibly repulsive, always have. I’ve seen where Cream is sort of held responsible for the birth of heavy metal. Well, I would definitely go for aborting [laughs]. I loathe and detest heavy metal. I think it is an abortion. A lot of these guys come up and say, “Man, you were my influence, the way you thrashed the drums.” They don’t seem to understand I was thrashing in order to hear what I was playing. It was anger, not enjoyment – and painful. I suffered on stage because of that [high amplifier] volume crap. I didn’t like it then, and like it even less now.
Nevertheless, Baker’s heavy-handed, double-bass style of drumming influenced scores of drummers that came after him. Cream was formed from the ashes of Baker and Jack Bruce’s band, the Graham Bond Organization. Eric Clapton had left The Yardbirds in 1966 and suggested forming a power trio to Baker, including Bruce in the equation. The often volatile relationship between Baker and Bruce led to the demise of several of their early bands, including Cream, which lasted only two years.
In those two years, Cream released four albums that produced such influential singles as “White Room,” “Tales of Brave Ulysses, ” “Sunshine of Your Love,” and “Badge.”
Following the dissolution of Cream, Clapton and Baker recruited Steve Winwood and Ric Grech to form Blind Faith. The short-lived band produced one self-titled album before calling it quits. Clapton went on to perform with Delaney and Bonnie and Derek and the Dominoes, while Winwood and Grech returned to Traffic. Baker moved to Nigeria, performing with legendary Afrobeat composer Fela Kuti.
Blind Faith’s first live performance at London’s Hyde Park in 1969
Baker spent much of the later ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s performing with a number of bands to help pay the bills. One of these bands was Syracuse-based Masters of Reality, a King Crimson and Black Sabbath-inspired band. He joined the group for their Sunrise on the Sufferbus album in 1993. They charted with the single “She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On).”
Baker, who famously rejected being called a rock drummer, returned to his jazz roots in the mid-’90s, forming the Ginger Baker Trio with jazz legends, guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Charlie Haden.
In 2005 he reunited with his Cream bandmates for a series of concerts in London and New York, the former is chronicled on the album, Royal Albert Hall London May 2, 3, 5, 6, 2005.
Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Baker’s health had been deteriorating in recent years, falling victim to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, degenerative osteoarthritis and heart issues, eventually taking him off the road.
Artists worldwide from Flea to Paul McCartney have been paying tribute to the legendary drummer on social media.
Ginger Baker, great drummer, wild and lovely guy. We worked together on the 'Band on the Run' album in his ARC Studio, Lagos, Nigeria. Sad to hear that he died but the memories never will. X Paul pic.twitter.com/Rne4tn6A2i
The historic Cohoes Music Hall just north of Albany is hosting an incredible slate of music this fall. Built in 1874, the venue has been the hub for entertainment and culture in the Spindle City, with an ornate style, brilliant acoustics and intimate setting for shows of all genres, as well as musicals and more. All shows are all ages, with doors opening at 7pm and music starting at 8pm. Click here for more info on the shows.
Thursday, October 10 – Melvin Seals & JGB
Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up. John Kadlecik will be joining the band on lead guitar.
Saturday, October 12 – Marco Benevento with special guest Mikaela Davis
Touring in support of his new record ‘Let It Slide’. Dubbed “one of the most talented keys players of our time” by CBS Radio, Benevento’s released six critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade, performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. “It’s safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento’s genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation,” the LA Times raved, while NPR said he combines “the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam.”
Friday, November 8th – Marc Cohn
After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.
Saturday, November 16th – North Mississippi Allstars
Founded in 1996 by brothers Luther (guitar and vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, piano, synth bass, programming and vocals), the now venerable blues rock band are entering their third decade. “This is a very exciting time for North Mississippi Allstars,” Cody says. “There’s been this explosion of creativity lately and it’s encouraging that for a band who has been around for twenty years now, our music is as vital and fresh as ever. It’s like the opposite of burnout — I can’t explain why but it feels totally brand new again.”
Wednesday, November 20th – Tommy Castro & Tinsley Ellis
Tinsley Ellis wears his Southern roots proudly. Born in Atlanta in 1957, he grew up in southern Florida and first played guitar at age eight. Averaging over 150 live shows a year, Ellis has played in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia and South America. Whether he’s out with his own band or sharing stages with major artists like Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule or Widespread Panic, he always digs deep and plays, as Guitar Player says, “…as if his life depended on it.”
Whether Tommy Castro is squeezing out the deepest blues or playing the funkiest soul grooves, legendary blues and soul giant Tommy Castro knows how to ignite a crowd. Over the course of his still-unfolding career, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter has released 15 albums ranging from horn-fueled soul and R&B to piping hot blues to fiery rock ‘n’ roll.
Thursday, November 21st – Lotus with special guest Wax Future
Lotus has always been difficult to define musically; an instrumental jamband that has favored groove-based improvisation instead of gaudy solos and noodling. Influences of classic electronic dance music, funk, post-rock and dance-rock have all made their way into the Lotus sound. Approaching two decades together, Lotus has toured actively throughout the US working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world-class venues such as Red Rocks.
