Broadway actress Jen Sánchez will debut her new music video for “Heartbeat” live in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The music video for the pandemic-inspired song of resilience features real New Yorkers whose lives have been affected by the coronavirus and shutdowns.
The song was selected as a finalist and the Audience Choice Award winner in the Times Square Alliance’s Songs for Our City songwriting competition in June.
“Heartbeat” is a tribute to those working to keep their lives and cities afloat, as well as those who have been lost to COVID-19, while sharing an empowering and uplifting message of strength and solidarity.
The music video depicts scenes from Times Square and features real New Yorkers who are working each day to keep New York City running amid the pandemic, including Jason Clark, Co-Owner of Hold Fast Kitchen and Spirits; Ruth Levy, a Nurse Practitioner at Mount Sinai Hospital who worked in one of the hospital’s COVID wards; and Rob White, a Times Square Alliance Sanitation Maintenance Worker. The video was directed and choreographed by Broadway veteran Yani Marin and features performances by Broadway dancers Angelica Beliard, Natalie Caruncho, Albert Guerzon, Yani Marin, NaTonia Monét, Fredric Odgaard, and Brett Sturgis.
Viewers are encouraged to donate to NYCNext, an organization working to help the city we love recover and rebuild, and to energize and inspire others to act.
“Heartbeat” is written and performed by Jen Sánchez, directed and choreographed by Yani Marin, edited and filmed by Gregg Monteith, and produced by Jen Sánchez and Sophie Aung, for Times Square Alliance.
The Book Museum of the City of New York will host a conversation with David Byrne and Maira Kalman and their book American Utopia on January 13. The conversation includes author, illustrator and artist Maira Kalman as well as Talking Heads frontman Byrne, who have worked together on a book version of Byrne’s American Utopia musical. The audience Q&A will be hosted by WNYC’s Alison Stewart.
Byrne and Kalman’s book, also titled American Utopia, was released on October 27 and contains some words from the musical, but it is mostly centered around illustrations. According to NPR’s review of American Utopia, “[the book] contains little of the play’s language; in fact, it contains little language, full stop. Some pages offer only a few words, or a notable place name — Truth or Consequences, New Mexico makes an appearance, as do Bullfrog, Utah and Goofy Ridge, Illinois—or, in one case, the chorus of the Talking Heads hit ‘Road to Nowhere.’ The resulting effect is much more like reading a book-length poem than reading a play, though few poems or poetry collections come filled with charming illustrations of trees, dancers, and party-hatted dogs.”
Just before the book was released, a concert-film version of American Utopia was released on HBO, directed by Spike Lee. Learn more here.
The conversation will be hosted on Zoom and will begin at 7 p.m. ET. While the event is free to register, there is a suggested donation component. Click here to register.
Roger Berlind, a producer or co-producer of more than 100 plays and musicals on Broadway, including hits The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, City of Angels and the revivals of Guys and Dolls and Kiss Me, Kate, died on December 18 at his home in Manhattan.
The cause of death was reported by his family as cardiopulmonary arrest. He was 90 years old
In a four-decade career in the theater, Berlind backed a great deal of original work on Broadway, amassing 25 Tony awards.
photo by Picture Perfect/REX
According to the New York Times, Berlind helped bring buoyant musicals to the stage, like the smash 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls with Nathan Lane, as well as sophisticated literate dramas, like the original 1984 production of The Real Thing, Tom Stoppard’s dazzling exploration of the nature of love and honesty. The Real Thing swept the Tonys, winning for best play and best director (Mike Nichols) and garnering top acting awards for Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Christine Baranski.
Berlind was able to play the piano by ear and felt he was destined to be a songwriter, but that dream faded and he worked on Wall Street for a while. Tragedy struck while he was a partner at a brokerage firm, when his wife and three of his four children were killed in an airliner crash at Kennedy International Airport. Days later, he resigned from his firm.
Berlind told the New York Times in 1988, “The whole idea of building a business and making money didn’t make sense anymore. There was no more economic motivation.”
Born Roger Stuart Berlind on June 27, 1930 in Brooklyn, his parents were Peter Berlind, a hospital administrator, and Mae (Miller) Berlind, an amateur painter who also gave painting lessons while raising her four sons. When Roger was three, the family moved to Woodmere, Long Island, where he attended Woodmere Academy. He would later go on to Princeton University, majoring in English.
There, his life revolved around the theater and he joined the Triangle Club, which performs student-written comedies, and Theatre Intime, a student-run theatrical organization. In 1998, Berlind would donate $3.5 million to build the 350-seat Roger S. Berlind Theater as part of an expansion of Princeton’s McCarter Theater.
“He loved the big-band music of the ’40s, he could play almost any song from the American songbook and he had a great memory for lyrics,” his son William said in a phone interview with the New York Times. His own tunes ran to the simple and nostalgic, as reflected by their titles, “Lemon Drop Girlfriend” and “Isn’t It a Rainbow Day?” among them. But Tin Pan Alley was uninterested, and, needing a job, Mr. Berlind was pointed by friends to Wall Street.
Second wife Brooke Berlind said in an interview “The significant thing about Roger is that he made an incredible turnaround.”
While his first musical, Rex, was a flop, he had his first hit with the original 1980 production of Amadeus. The play, written by Peter Shaffer, directed by Peter Hall and starring Ian McKellen and Tim Curry, took home several Tonys, including best play.
Following that, early works included Sophisticated Ladies, Nine and 8½. Later successes included Proof, Doubt, The History Boys, Kiss me, Kate, the 2012 revival of Death of a Salesman and the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! He would work with actors including Glenn Close, Bette Midler, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeremy Irons, among many others.
Survivors include his wife and son, two granddaughters and a brother.
Live music fans can now take an online adventure in music with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing’s new free virtual event series, “Forevergreen: A Vermont Adventure In Music.” The newly established virtual concert series presents music fans with Vermont’s endless capacity for adventure and a roster of artists who have an affinity for the Green Mountain State.
Produced by Higher Ground Presents, Forevergreen’s five-part virtual concert series will feature local Vermont musicians as well as regional and national acts live from quintessentially “Vermont” stages like South Burlington’s Higher Ground as well as a some of the state’s most iconic ski resorts. The event series will see performances from Taj Mahal, Twiddle, Lucius, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Grace Potter, Chris Thile and Aoife O’Donovan, and more. For the full event schedule, head here.
All episodes of Forevergreen will stream live for free on the Vermont Tourism YouTube and Facebook channels at 7 p.m. ET. Watch the official teaser trailer of the event series below. More info can be found here.
December 26 – Taj Mahal, Twiddle, Kat Wright
December 30 – Lucius, Ryan Miller, Will Keeper
January 2 – Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Grace Potter, Dwight and Nicole
January 9 – Chris Thile and Aoife O’Donovan, Neko Case, Mikahely
January 16 – The Avett Brothers, Noah Kahan, The High Breaks
After weeks of anticipation, Phish has announced plans for the NYE edition of their ‘Dinner and a Movie’ stream series. They’ll revisit their famed 12/31/95 performance at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve starting at 8:30pm, with a twist – they’ll be bringing back the Band v Audience chess match for the stream.
Taking place over two tours in the mid-90s, Band v Audience chess matches are a testament to the high level of nerdiness both shared. The band would start the show with a chess move, and fans would then have the duration of the first set to contemplate their move, meeting at the Greenpeace table (prior to The Waterwheel Foundation‘s founding), debate the move at setbreak and make their move collectively. A fan (usually a local) would be invited to go on stage before Set 2 began to make the move on the chess board.
Phish’s New Year’s Eve performances are legendary to say the least, and for the first time since 2008, the band will not perform live due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether they’ve created an aquarium on stage, flown in on a hot dog, created their own time factory, put on Broadway scale productions, turned MSG into an ocean or moved the stage to the other end of the venue, Phish’s New Year’s performances continue to raise the bar. This year, phans will be celebrating from home but still have a way to engage with their favorite band.
From the Fall 95 Doniac Schvice
On 12/31/95, the audience tied the band, and fans have always speculated if the matches would return. The band has teamed up with Chess.com to host the Band vs. Audience online chess game which will start right at the top of the show and move ‘at a decent clip.’ Fans will have 5 minutes to move their piece (the band will have no more than that as well), and at the end of 5 minutes, whichever move has the most votes is the ‘audience’ move.
During set breaks, the band will join fans from their various homes, playing a few moves and providing scintillating commentary on the game. To join the audience in voting for moves against the band, register for free at Chess.com. After verifying your account, join the official club for the . Phish will post and send out the actual game link on December 31.
The dinner part of Dinner and a Movie will feature two chess cheese board recipes for extended grazing. Marissa Mullen has put together two options for fans – “Olive Cheese Dreams” and “Billy Bries” – with an easy ‘cheese by numbers’ guide. And for dessert, chessboard cookies! Recipes are available here.
While the streams for Dinner and a Movie have been free all year, charities have been the focus with each edition. The beneficiary for the Phish NYE stream will the band’s charitable wing, The WaterWheel Foundation. Since 1997, the band and their fans have collaborated on a nationwide charitable endeavor by raising funds and donating the proceeds across the country. This year alone, collectively we have raised and donated nearly $750,000 to 27 different nonprofits during the Dinner And A Movie series. Join the band in continuing to support those in need. Donate at phish.com/waterwheel.
Christmas came early for Phish fans on December 24, with a 2pm premiere of December, an album from guitarist Trey Anastasio and Chairman of the Boards™, Page McConnell.
The sessions from the band’s recording studio, The Barn, in Vermont, were recorded over the summer, of which two songs were shared during The Beacon Jams series this fall.
The album features six tracks, all arranged for Page and Trey, offering a more melodic treatment of a few Phish ballads. The album leads off with Hoist track “If I Could” followed by “Mountains in the Mist,” and “Wingsuit,” “Joy” and “Miss You.” A 16-minute version of “The Squirming Coil” rounds out December, making it one of the longest versions of the song to date.
December was produced and mixed by Bryce Goggin, engineered by Ben Collette and mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering, Nashville, TN.
Talking Heads will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards show on January 31, 2021. The award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.
Forming in NYC in 1975, Talking Heads had an immense career, spanning 16 years and influencing countless bands in the rock and jam scenes, extending their reach well beyond their lifetime, among them Phish, Widespread Panic, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem and many more.
The accolade from the Recording Academy is particularly noteworthy, given that Talking Heads never received a Grammy Award. They were nominated twice – once in 1984 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for “Burning Down the House,” and again in 1988 for Best Concept Music Video, “Storytelling Giants.”
Those looking for Talking Heads to perform, pandemic aside, can recall the last official Talking Heads performance, which took place at the band’s 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. It is unlikely this award will spark a reunion, one that Byrne has not been in favor of for many years (a lifetime even).
In addition to the 2021 Lifetime Achievement, Special Merit gramophones honorees include Tejano music legend Selena and female rap group Salt-N-Pepa, as well as Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, opera singer Marilyn Horne, and late jazz great Lionel Hampton.
The 2021 Grammy Awards are set to take place Sunday, January 31, 2021 with Trevor Noah of The Daily Show as host.
Revisit Talking Heads performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 5, 1983.
The group included founding members David Byrne (vocals, guitar), Chris Franz (Drums), Tina Weymouth (Bass), and Jerry Harrison (Keyboards) in addition to a number of added musicians who come and go when needed to supplement the bands theatrical performance. One of these musicians just happens to be magic keyboard man Bernie Worrell of ‘P-Funk’ fame. For those fans who love the 1984 concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’, this live recording makes a fitting addendum to that document, which also chronicles the 83 tour in support of the LP Speaking In Tongues.
Guitarist Leslie West, heavy metal pioneer and Mountain frontman, has died at age 75. With hits including “Mississippi Queen” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western,” West established an indelible voice and guitar tone that remains legendary to this day. A press release reports the cause of death to be cardiac arrest.
West was born Leslie Weinstein in Queens, and attended Forest Hills High School, which was also attended by The Ramones, Burt Bacharach and Paul Simon. West first emerged on the scene as a member of The Vagrant, and a few years later he and Felix Pappalardi formed Mountain. The iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller leaves a legacy that is celebrated by peers and fans across the world.
Mountain was one of the performers at the original Woodstock in August, 1969, and later formed West, Bruce and Laing with Mountain drummer Corky Laing and Cream’s Jack Bruce. In, 1971 West contributed to The Who’s Who’s Next sessions in NYC, performances that can be heard on the album’s 1995 and 2003 reissues.
Alongside his significant contribution to pop culture as the face of Mountain, West appeared in films Family Honor (1973) and The Money Pit (1986). He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show, and over the course of decades remained a periodic visitor alongside enjoying a decades-long friendship with the talk show host.
photo by Rob Teller
West was inducted in to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and appeared on dozens of other recordings from a vast universe of artists. Samples of his performances lived a secondary life on the masters of a who’s who of hip-hop and rap stars.
The guitarist is renowned for helping popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. model with P-90 pick-ups to create a tone that is undisputedly his own. More recently, he enjoyed a long relationship with Dean Guitars, releasing several signature models.
Leslie West is survived by his wife Jenni, whom he married on stage after Mountain’s performance at the Woodstock 40th Anniversary concert in Bethel, NY on August 15, 2009. He is also survived by his brother Larry and nephew Max.
From 1964 through today, few artists have left a more significant mark on music as we know it. Guitarists across the globe together will unite in sadness as the world says goodbye to a true original.
Oscar winning filmmaker Peter Jackson has collaborated with The Beatles for the upcoming documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, due out in August, 2021.
Get Back looks at the Fab Four in 1969 and 1970, when John Lennon, Paul McCartney,George Harrison and Ringo Starr were preparing for their first live show in two years, showcasing the camaraderie and spirit between them, as they wrote and rehearsed 14 new songs.
The film draws from 56 hours of previously unseen footage of the band, shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1969, and includes more than 150 hours of audio. Also included in the documentary is the band’s final live performance as a group in London, England.
Paul McCartney said in a tweet:
Peter Jackson has released an exclusive sneak peek of his upcoming documentary “@TheBeatles: Get Back” for fans everywhere to enjoy.
In a video message, Jackson introduced an extended preview, noting that the film was due to be finished by now, but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “Hopefully it will put a smile on your face in these rather bleak times that we’re in at the moment.”
Jackson’s native New Zealand has COVID-19 under control, leading him to be able to resume work on the film. He stresses that the video shared is not a trailer, but a montage of scenes so far collected for the film, set to a rehearsal recording of the movie’s title track.
The Beatles: Get Back will be released with a new book of the same name, the first official book credited to the band since 2000’s The Beatles Anthology. The new book will be out on August 31, 2021, and features an introduction by Hanif Kureishi.
The Beatles: Get Back will open in theaters on August 27, 2021.
New York Rock n’ Roots has teamed up with High Peaks Event Production and WEQX 102.7 to produce a special four-part fundraiser, Hope For the Holidays. The livestream benefit series of concerts will broadcast on YouTube and Facebook, which started on December 5, featuring Capital District artists Jocelyn & Chris, Rich Ortiz, The Wheel, Charlie Smith Blues Band, Wild Adriatic and Let’s Be Leonard.
Hope For The Holidays will benefit SaveOurStages (via NIVA) and WeAreBrewnited. The mission of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is to preserve the ecosystem of independent live event venues and promoters throughout the United States by lobbying for government assistance. Brewnited is a brewery initiated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to help tipped hospitality employees whose work has been disrupted by COVID-19 through direct payments.
Both NIVA and Brewnited are very dear to NY Rock n’ Roots, High Peaks Event Production and WEQX. The venues, promoters and staff have been out of work since March 13, 2020, when all were forced to close doors to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Rock n’ Roots then produced the Quarantine Concert Series, featuring 25 live streams that averaged 8,000 views each. Now with generous assistance from our sponsors, NY Rock N Roots is continuing to bring new live entertainment this holiday season.
All the donations collected during Hope for the Holidays livestreams will go directly to these NIVA and Brewnited. As an incentive to donate, eight amazing local restaurants and one local Inn have provided gift cards for each donation of $25 or more during the entire weekend of a concert release, not just during the stream. Donors will also be entered to win one of two restaurant gift cards designated that weekend.
If you donate $50 or more during the Hope For The Holidays series, you will automatically win an NY Rock n’ Roots t-shirt, plus a chance to win one of two overnight accommodations to the Inn At Saratoga with an accompanying gift card to dine in their exquisite restaurant.
Donations can be made via Paypal or Venmo to NYROCKROOTS.
Once a concert is released, it will remain up on the High Peaks Event Production, NY Rock n’ Roots and WEQX Facebook pages, as well as the High Peaks Event Production’s YouTube Channel. In addition to these formats, the Collaborative Studio of Proctors will also have all the concerts available on their multiple platforms via, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV apps.
Hope for the Holidays Concert Series Dates:
December 12 – Jocelyn and Chris with opening act Rich Ortiz
December 19 – The Wheel
December 26 – The Charlie Smith Blues Band
January 2 – Wild Adriatic with opening act Let’s Be Leonard
