NYS Music 202​0

Author: Marilyn Feerick

  • Maggie Miles Releases EP with New Single “Hillary Duff”

    Maggie Miles, an alternative pop artist based in Nashville, recently released her newest EP Swing Your Concerns featuring her latest single “Hillary Duff.”

    Swing Your Concerns features two new tracks along with three of her singles “Swim,” “WHATISTODAY?,” and “Deserve This.” “I believe that as humans we see the option of distracting ourselves from our current reality as a better route than to truly work on bettering who we are. Why feel and work through what’s wrong when you can be numb instead. With the combination of expectations and eyeballs tracking your every move, that’s what ‘Hilary Duff’ is about,” Maggie comments on “Hillary Duff.” This song, along with “Deserve This” and “Swim,” seem to come at a perfect time in this global pandemic when emotions are high.

    Maggie grew up surrounded by music as her father was in a Celtic rock band. She did not perform solo in front of an audience until she was 18, but has quickly gained popularity after being discovered by Bruce Gates at Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington, D.C. Since then, she has gained over 60K monthly listeners on Spotify, and her song “WHATISTODAY?” has been featured on several of the app’s playlists, such as Indie Pop and Fresh Finds. She has gained attention from Billboard, Variance, and American Songwriter.

    This new single and EP follow an endorsement deal with Yamaha Music along with the emerging artist program WAY Up. Maggie spoke at a panel at the Yamaha Ginza Hall in Tokyo along with several other acclaimed up and coming artists. They spoke about their experiences creating music and conveying their inner emotions through it.

    Photo by Jimmy Fisco

    Maggie Miles, much like other alt pop artists, shows authenticity in her music by showcasing her wit and personality. At only 21 years old, Maggie likes to use comic relief as a means to poke fun at the hilarity that is the coming-of-age time in life. She draws inspiration from 90s grunge artists but still produces a unique sound that’s personal to her. Maggie says: “I make music for the utter reason alone that I need to create something for myself that makes sense, when nothing else around me does.” She has notable vocal talent, but can also play the piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, bass, and keytar.

    Maggie’s first full-length album will be out later this Summer.

  • Jazz at Lincoln Center Streams Ellington’s “Black, Brown, and Beige”

    Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s music label, has released Black, Brown, and Beige, their first release dedicated entirely to famous jazz composer Duke Ellington.

    Photo from Wikimedia Commons Public Domain

    Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house recording label, Blue Engine records’ Black Brown and Beige is a recording of a live Rose Theater performance in 2018 by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Wynton Marsalis, the center’s managing and artistic director, says: “Black, Brown and Beige sits alone in the history of jazz. It covers a mosaic of not just Afro-American but of American styles of music.” 

    Born in 1899, Duke Ellington was a master jazz composer and musician for several decades and was an important figure during the Harlem Renaissance. He thought of his music not only as jazz but also “beyond category,” and he wrote pieces that influenced American music for the greater part of a century. He led the best-known orchestral jazz group of all time. Composer Percy Grainger even wrote that “The three greatest composers who ever lived are Bach, Delius and Duke Ellington.” 

    Black, Brown, and Beige, which includes nine tracks in total, originally debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1943 while Ellington was still alive. Elliot called it  “a parallel to the history of the Negro in America.” It is a notable work in both African-American history as well as that of all American orchestral compositions.

    Jazz at Lincoln Center is happy to release a present-day recording of the piece that does Elliot’s greatest work justice and makes it digitally available to countless people today. Blue Engine Records’ mission is to feature both past and present works that make up an entire canon of music to bring old and new fans of jazz together.

  • Broadway Shutdown Extended to January 3, 2021

    On June 29, The Broadway League announced that the Coronavirus shutdown would remain effective for Broadway theaters for the remainder of 2020. 

    Photo by Kate Glicksberg

    On March 12, The Broadway League closed NYC’s shows after Governor Cuomo placed restrictions on mass gatherings. The theaters were supposed to only stay closed for a month. However, due to the ever-present threat of COVID-19, the date was pushed back several times. Now, shows will not be opening until January 3, 2021. 

    Broadway has gone dark before. Shows have been closed many times for strikes in 1919, 1964, and 1975, and all shows were closed for several days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This hurt shows financially so much that several were not able to reopen after the shutdown ended. However, Broadway has never been closed this long before.

    Much like the 9/11 shutdown, Broadway shows are being deeply hurt by this inactivity today. Hangmen and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? will not be able to open in 2021. 31 productions were running in March, with 8 new shows in previews that were scheduled to officially open later this year. The Minutes, American Buffalo, and the long anticipated revival of The Music Man starring Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman announced that their opening dates would be postponed. The Lincoln Center Theater and the Roundabout Theatre Company have released new Spring dates for their upcoming works. 

    Via gaylesbroadwayrose.com

    “The Broadway experience can be deeply personal but it is also, crucially, communal,” says Chairman of the Board of The Broadway League Thomas Schumacher. “Every single member of our community is eager to get back to work sharing stories that inspire our audience through the transformative power of a shared live experience. The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it’s safe to do so. One thing is for sure, when we return we will be stronger and more needed than ever.”

    The theaters are expected to open with rolling dates starting on January 3, 2021. All tickets before this date are being refunded or exchanged. In the meantime, Broadway fans can watch the original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton on Disney+, which will be available for streaming on July 3.

  • Midnight North Releases Latest Single “Good Days”

    Midnight North, the San Francisco based rock-country band just released their latest single “Good Days” which will be featured on their fourth album.

    Midnight North Good Days
    Photo by Jeffrey Bowling.

    This upcoming album will be their latest since Under the Lights which was released in 2017. The new album was recorded before the COVID-19 quarantine began, and although the band did not intend on fast tracking any songs from the album, they decided that releasing one song ahead of the rest would be a ray of light in this time of negativity and unrest. All four members of the band, who are quarantined in different parts of the country, decided unanimously to release “Good Days.” 

    Elliot Peck, who along with Grahame Lesh and Nathan Graham wrote the music and lyrics, says that the song’s chorus was stuck in his head even before he wrote the full tune. Peck states that his vision for the song “was of a small rustic cabin, where two people were sharing their time, and were happy enough with just each other’s company that they needed nothing else.” The image of a rustic cabin is present to the listener, as the song has a country notable feel to it. The song itself is extremely warm despite the fact that its message is somewhat somber.

    “Good Days” is also about yearning. “We are a culture always in wanting,” explains Peck. Despite the fact that we always yearn for more in our present and future, “when we really think about our happiest times, it was the simplest ones, when the company of someone was all we needed.” The song is a nostalgic look on the singer’s past as they remember the “Good Days” when they were happiest.

    Midnight North Good Days

    The song’s release in our current time is coincidentally perfect as we remember the “Good Days” before everything in our world changed seemingly in the blink of an eye. Elliot says that “The tune was written and recorded before the pandemic changed everything about our current lives. It was written in a time of hugs and handshakes, communal joints and sipping van whiskey straight from the bottle, small rooms full of close friends and large festival grounds full of complete strangers, frequent flyers with rarely a home cooked meal.” The song is a perfect way to currently reminisce on the past while simultaneously looking forward to the future. Even when everything seems horrible, we can always celebrate the good days.

    “Good Days” features Elliot Peck (vocals and acoustic guitar), Grahame Lesh (vocals, acoustic guitar, and 12 string guitar), Connor O’Sullivan (bass and mandolin), Nathan Graham (vocals, drums, and banjo), and Jason Crosby (piano). Lesh describes that Midnight North’s music tells their story, and that with their songs they hope to “transport you into [their] world for an hour or two.”

    Midnight North is excited for the world to hear their “entire new album of fresh new music.” There is no confirmed release date for the new album, but Midnight North asks us to be patient as we wait for the album’s release ‘in the coming seasons.’

  • Annual Montréal Jazz Festival Will Be Broadcast Virtually

    The annual Festival International de Jazz de Montréal will take place virtually from June 27-30 due to the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 virus.

    Annual Montréal Jazz Festival
    Photo by Victor Diaz Lamich/Courtesy of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal

    Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an annual event and draws millions of visitors to the city of Québec each Summer. It holds the Guiness World Record for largest jazz festival. Unfortunately, the festival cannot be held in person this year; however, recordings of live performances will be available for free online. Thanks to support from TD Bank Group and Rio Tinto as well as public partnerships with the Government of Canada, the Government of Québec, and the City of Montréal, the Montréal Jazz Festival will reach more than ever before.

    In order to keep everything up to the Festival’s standards, all performances will be filmed with high-quality production value in a specially made studio in Montreal’s L’Astral catered specifically for these online performances. Director Maxime Théoret-Bissonnette will manage these recordings and ensure that they will be of the highest quality. These live recordings will be free to view for anyone anywhere, making the Festival more accessible than it has ever been. If you can’t catch the performances live, they will be available for free on demand afterwards as well.

    The Festival will kick off on Canadian Multicultural Day, June 27, with a lineup that will showcase Canada’s rich and diverse talent. The show will begin with the Apéros SAQ, a mix of live performances from some of the Festival’s favorite artists. Up next are the Sessions TD and Rhymes Rio Tinto, sessions that will be enjoyable for all fans. The Festival will also showcase recordings of performances from past Festivals. The opening night will finish with the Fin de Soirée Loto-Québec, a virtual party for everyone who wants to join.

    Annual Montréal Jazz Festival
    Photo courtesy of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal

    The Festival will continue for three more days and wraps up on June 30. Although the full schedule has yet to be announced, the lineup includes the top local luminaries and artists of the city. Some notable performers who will be featured are Charlotte Cardin, Jean-Michael Blais, The Barr Brothers, Dominique Fils-Aimée, Elisapie, Jordan Officer, and many more. 

    The Festival’s General Manager Jacques K. Primeau expresses that it is extremely important for the Festival’s team “to bring the jazz Festival to the people.” He also expressed that the Festival “is thrilled to be able to offer an innovative solution to get the music out to the fans” even with such difficult challenges. 

    The Festival is only taking place thanks to the leadership of Primeau and Laurent Saulnier, the Festival’s team, the artists, and the Festival’s generous sponsors. Primeau remarks that “#JazzTogether is truly a community and a family affair” even in the hardest of times.

  • Disney+ Releases Trailer for Hamilton

    Disney + has just released their trailer for Hamilton: An American Musical which will be available for streaming on July 3.

    hamilton trailer

    First produced Off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 2015, Hamilton then moved to the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway later that year. The show’s music, lyrics, and book were written by the musical’s star, Lin Manuel-Miranda based off of Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is most famous for presenting America as it was in the 1700s, but in today’s light. Every character save King George is played by a BIPOC to highlight the diversity of America today.

    Hamilton took Broadway by storm and the hype has not yet let down. Due to the show’s popularity, tickets continue to be expensive: at one point, a premium seat went for $1,150. However, the show is famous for their memorable lottery, the #Ham4Ham, when lucky winners are given front row tickets for only $10, or one Hamilton. Fans have been anticipating the release of this recording for years, as Lin Manuel-Miranda confirmed that the show would be recorded in a tweet in 2016. The release of this high-quality recording makes Broadway more accessible to people who cannot experience it live for themselves.

    Hamilton was nominated for a record-breaking 16 Tony awards, and won 11 in total, including best musical, best book, and best score, as well as Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) winning best actor, Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson) awarded best featured actor, and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler) receiving the Tony for best featured actress. Many other members of the cast were nominated for Tonys, and they can all be seen in the original Broadway cast recording on July 3. 

    This is Lin Manuel-Miranda’s second Broadway show. In The Heights, a story about a predominately Hispanic neighborhood community living in Washington Heights, had its Broadway debut in 2008 also at the Richard Rogers Theater and was nominated for 13 Tonys and won 4, including best musical. In the Heights has just been adapted into a feature film as well, with Anthony Ramos (who plays John Laurens/Philip Hamilton in Hamilton), playing the lead role of Usnavi. In the Height, previously scheduled for release June 2020, will now be released on June 18, 2021.

    Hamilton will be available to stream on Disney+ on July 3.

  • Woodstock 50 Takes Previous Investor to Court Again

    In August of 2019, a huge festival celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock was supposed to be held. The event’s lineup included artists such as Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and more. Although it was extremely hyped, the festival was cancelled less than a month before its scheduled date due to multiple issues which were prompted after Dentsu, one of the festival’s investors, pulled out of the event. Now, Woodstock is taking Dentsu back to court and demanding that they be refunded for the company’s fraudulent actions.

    Woodstock 50 court
    Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (10160758ad) Woodstock co-producer and co-founder, Michael Lang, participates in the Woodstock 50 lineup announcement at Electric Lady Studios, in New York Woodstock 50 Lineup Announcement, New York, USA – 19 Mar 2019

    On April 29 2019, Dentsu announced that the event was cancelled altogether, claiming that the reason was due to doubts regarding the festival’s ability to host a safe event for artists and customers alike, as an administrator of New York’s Schuyler County reported that the tickets could not be sold because Woodstock had failed to get a mass gathering permit from the Department of Health. Despite this, the New York State Department of Health announced that the “cancellation announcement [was] not a result of the permit application pending with the Department,” admitting that “The Department was surprised to learn of [the] decision to cancel the event.”

    Woodstock still assured fans that the festival would go according to plan without Dentsu, and on May 6, co-creator of Woodstock Michael Lang claims that Dentsu “illegally swept approximately $17 million from the festival bank account” and tried to persuade artists into dropping out of the festival. Woodstock asked for a court order shortly after demanding that Dentsu refund the festival the $17.8 million. Dentsu disputed their claims, and the Supreme Court of New York’s order on May 15 said that although Dentsu could not cancel Woodstock 50, they owed the festival nothing.

    Now, over a year later, the Woodstock 50 organizers have officially filed a lawsuit against Dentsu for “sabotage” despite the previous court decision. The suit claims that Dentsu’s decision to pull out of the event had “nothing to do with any alleged breaches by Woodstock 50, but rather to avoid the potential that the Festival would not make money or not be as successful as they hoped” even though Dentsu claimed that the decision to leave the festival was because of the lack of a proper permit. The plaintiff states that Woodstock 50 is entitled to “tens of millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages” as a result of Dentsu’s fraudulent behavior. The suit alleges that it was Dentsu’s intention from the start to “kill the festival.”

  • Annual Make Music Day to Be Held Virtually on June 21

    Even amidst this pandemic, the annual Make Music Day will still be held in hopes of spreading happiness and music to anyone across the globe. 

    Annual Make Music Day
    Photo by Thomas Retzer

    Originally started in France in 1983 as Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day is the only music festival of its kind: its mission is to bring free music to anyone and inspire them to create music themselves regardless of their age or experience level. 

    The festival made its North American debut in New York City several years ago, and now has chapters all over the US, including Rochester, Ithaca, and Ossining-Briarcliff. Now every year on the Summer Solstice, over 1,000 cities across the globe take part in this great celebration of music. This year, Philadelphia will dedicate their events to the Black Lives Matter movement.

    This year, although events cannot be held in person, the creators of the festival have still managed to invent creative ways to get many involved with music. A global day-long live stream will be held featuring several New York artists, there will be 12-hour long online music lessons for 25 different kinds of instruments for all experience levels, and composers from around the world will be challenged to perform another’s song. A contest for young people from ages 13-21 motivates them to submit their own work. Make Music Day even will even join Bash the Trash Environmental Arts by encouraging all to create instruments out of trash or household items. Performances of Elliot Cole’s Flowerpot Music, in which he makes music using flowerpots as percussion, will be live streamed for eight hours.

    Annual Make Music Day
    NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 21: Marching bands perform during Make Music Day at the Brooklyn Museum on June 21, 2014 In the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Make Music Day)

    Make Music New York even has their own unique lineup of events for the day. An ever-growing list of musicians and singers will perform Mozart’s Requiem at noon, and it is still possible to sign up and get involved in the performance, and the Third Street Music School will livestream Beethoven Sonatas from 1-5pm. Paul Stein, the activist accordion player, will be entertaining countless via livstream at 4. Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre will host a virtual block party that will feature NYC immigrant and international performers.

    Make Music Day has even organized ways to safely bring music in person to some. One June 21, musicians will serenade the elderly from outside nursing home windows in order to maintain a healthy distance. Nursing homes are still looking for musicians! If you are interested, contact your local FirstLight Home Care to be matched with a participating nursing home. One-person marching bands will parade around cities across the US; look out for Matthew Cain, who will be playing the tuba in Park Slope on 9th street in Brooklyn. CenterPoint Arts is hosting live concerts from cars outside of Brooklyn Crepe & Juice (274 Flatbush Ave) at 4:15. Porch Stomp! will host pop-up socially-distant singalongs all around Brooklyn from 6-7:10.

    There are even more events which will take place throughout the day on June 21, and there are still many chances to get involved in this global celebration of music.

  • CMJ Music Marathon Returns Under Amazing Radio

    The CMJ Virtual Music Marathon will return virtually this year, now under the ownership of Amazing Radio. Amazing Radio also has begun their new show One Night Stand, a weekly live performance which will feature up and coming artists broadcast on AmazingRadio.tv.

    CMJ Music Marathon

    One Night Stand was kicked off June 15 with a special introductory show featuring The 1975, Alvvays, alt-J, Daughter, and Wolf Alice and included informational interviews with Amazing Radio founder Paul Campbell and CEO DJ Andy Zicklin. One Night Stand will showcase two new artists each week through music and interviews. Starting June 19, the show will begin broadcasting regularly every Friday night from 8-8:30PM EST. 

    On June 19, fans can watch or listen to interviews and performances by Huw Edwards of KOYO (Leeds, UK) and Grace Gillespie (London, UK), and additional performances by Needshes (Moscow, Russia), Daring Greatly (San Diego, CA), Firstimers (Denver, CO), and James Alexander Bright (Hampshire, UK). The audience will be able to tip the artists directly. 

    Launched in England in 2007, Amazing Radio’s mission is to “[help] new and emerging artists get discovered and make money, without getting screwed.” Its North-American branch kicked off in 2018. Amazing Radio helps undiscovered artists gain media attention in an ethical way. Several iconic artists have been discovered by Amazing Radio, such as Alt J, Haim, London Grammar, Bastille, Chvrches, The 1975, Royal Blood, Sam Fender and Dua Lipa. Billboard called the station “a powerful promotional machine.”

    CMJ Music Marathon

    Amazing Radio now also owns CMJ, the College Music Journal. CMJ was founded in 1977 and began hosting an annual music festival showcasing new, undiscovered talent in New York City in 1980. The festival helped artists like Lady Gaga, Mumford & Sons, and Arcade Fire gain notoriety. Unfortunately, the CMJ Music Marathon has not taken place since 2015. However, CMJ and Amazing Radio are happy to announce that the festival will be returning virtually this Summer. Although the festival cannot be in person, it will still maintain “its spirit of new music discovery,” and will now span “New York and beyond.” 

    All emerging artists can submit their music for the CMJ Virtual Music Marathon by becoming Amazing Artists on Amazingradio.us. Doing so offers the artists several benefits, including the chance to be considered for One Night Stand. Additionally, new artists who sell their music on AmazingRadio will keep 100% of their profits and donations.

    Be sure to watch or listen to One Night Stand on AmazingRadio.tv or AmazingRadio.us respectively every Friday night from 8-8:30PM EST and submit your original work for the CMJ Virtual Music Marathon.

  • Thin Lear Releases New Single “A Simple Phrase”

    Thin Lear, an indie folk-rock singer-songwriter from Queens, just released his new single “A Simple Phrase” from his debut album Wooden Cave, which will be released on July 24, 2020.

    thin lear
    Photo by Shervin Lainez.

    This dream-like ballad premiered on GoldFlakePoint, who called it “delicate and hypnotic.” The song is deeply emotional and moving, and the instrumentals deliver this same intensity as well as the lyrics do. The song has a somber tone while still maintaining a beautiful arrangement. This is Thin Lear’s fourth single of this year, and will be featured on his upcoming album Wooden Cave.

    The track’s ethereal feel may come from Thin Lear’s inspiration: a dream. “I woke up with the whole thing one day, ideas for arrangement and all,” says Thin Lear, also known as Matt Longo. He expresses that “before [he] slept, [he] was thinking a lot about how insecurity operates,” and when he woke the “chorus was just ringing in [his] ears.” Although the song is about something so upsetting, the instrumentals are hauntingly beautiful, disconnecting the listener from the song’s negativity.

    thin lear

    Longo’s inspiration for Wooden Cave came from the story of Netta Fornario, a woman who left all she knew to pursue magic and healing on a small island in Scotland, where she died inexplicably. Longo wanted his album to be “a set of songs existing on a sonic and lyrical island of their own” that would be for outcasts like Netta. He recorded the tracks at different studios around the city with various artists, making each song even more of its own personal island. The album took him two years to complete and has been a complete “labor of love.”

    Wooden Cave is set to release on July 24 by EggHunt Records. Preorder the album on Bandcamp here, and follow Thin Lear on Instagram.

    https://soundcloud.com/egghuntrecords/a-simple-phrase