For the eighth year in a row, The Sounding Joy will present a holiday variety show to benefit The Washbourne House in Kingston, NY. Airing at 8pm ET on Monday, December 21, the stream will air from Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock.
The Sounding Joy will feature music from Amy Helm, Kate Pierson, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Allison Russell, Mikaela Davis, Natalie Merchant, Gail Ann Dorsey, Mikaela Davis, Catherine Russell, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Mike & Ruthy, Simi Stone, Jay Collins, Marco Benevento, Byron Isaacs, Connor Kennedy, Storey Littleton, Sloan Wainwright, Zach Djanikian, The Restless Age, and more.
With holiday cooking with Anna Lee Amsden and Opal Merenda, fireside Christmas comedy, and amazing archival footage from past years, all to benefit our local women’s shelter.
The evening benefits The Washbourne House, a women’s shelter servicing Ulster County, providing safe shelter and comprehensive trauma informed services to survivors of domestic violence and their children.
Levon Helm Studios is the home of Levon’s legendary Midnight Rambles set on 18 acres in historic Woodstock.
The show kicks off at 8pm, with a VIP Zoom with the artists starting at 7:30pm. Webcast tickets are only $10, with VIP tickets $25. Get tickets for the stream here.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Being Both, Girl Blue and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
When EQXposure kicks off on Sunday evening, host Pearson will feature an hour of two in a row from a select group pf local artists. These two songs in a row will give a glimpse into an artist or band that reveals who they are and what they are all about, no matter how different or similar the songs are.
Next, Pearson, features the new project from Christopher Brown of Troy’s Super Dark Collective, called Being Both. The debut track “Picturing Picturing,” from the album Her Words, My Mouth, is a beautiful tune of longing, with a subtle mellotron background set next to an arpeggiated electric piano.
Also featured is a brand new song from Girl Blue, “Just a Dream”
Saratoga Springs’ Sly Fox and the Hustlers are currently in the studio completing a new album to be released in Spring 2021. Ahead of time, Fox has shared a Christmas tune, a cover of Ray Charles’ “That Spirit of Christmas,” designed to spread some love this holiday season.
Released on December 17, along with the snowfall, the song channels the Ray Charles holiday classic with Fox’s blues roots through his vocals and guitar. The single will be available for purchase on all streaming sites and all proceeds will be donated to Toys for Tots in the Capital Region during the month of December.
Sly Fox shares some thoughts on the song:
I’m one of those people that loves Christmas music, especially the classics but this one is my favorite! I’m a huge Ray Charles fan and it’s a cover of his song, “That Spirit of Christmas.” What makes it stand out to me (among all the great Christmas songs) is the soulful message of the song with an emphasis on spirituality, love, family and trying to sustain those good vibes throughout the year!
Fans of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation will recall the song from the scene where Clark (Chevy Chase) is in the attic. The artwork for the song is Fox and his sister on Christmas morning at 5yrs old with his first guitar. For more music from Sky Fox and the Hustlers, follow them on Facebook.
After nearly 20 years, Syracuse’s Dexter Grove have decided it is time to be heard again. Premiering at 5pm ET Friday, December 18 on YouTube, original band members Charley Orlando and Steve Drizos had kept in touch after the breakup of the band, and talked more than once about reuniting, even if only for a recording session. The result of that session is the new single, “Life.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity arose, and according to Orlando, what was most important to work on floated to the top, and that was Dexter Grove.
It felt amazing after so long to put on headphones and hear the two of us playing together again. It was somewhat magical. I layed down the basic tracks and emailed them to Steve and he would record his parts and send them back to me, and then I’d record more parts and send it back to him. It was very organic and super fun to collaborate as Dexter Grove again.
We pulled in Jenny Conlee (of The Decemberists) to play piano, organ and Moog parts to fill it out. The result is a new DG song that will have old and new fans alike smiling over the outcome.
Charley Orlando
Dexter Grove’s sound is a mix of Americana and roots rock with a healthy dose of improvisation thrown in. The two musicians have stayed busy as musicians in the meantime, with the ever busy Orlando who normally performing across New York and the Northeast, as well as locally with Pearly Baker’s Best, releasing his new album Note to Self, and Drizos has a debut album slated for 2021.
Listen to a Dexter Grove show from April 14, 2004, at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio, and if you’re looking for any of Dexter Grove’s earlier albums, order or download them here.
The String Cheese Incident has announced a ‘New Years Cheese’ stream for their final “Friday Night Cheese” broadcast of the year for New Year’s Eve. Airing on Thursday, December 31 starting at 8pm ET, the Colorado jamgrass band will stream a special 20-year anniversary airing of their Evolution Concert Film which filmed around the 2000-2001 Portland NYE Incidents, featuring performances and behind-the-scenes interviews.
Following Evolution, at approximately 10pm ET, String Cheese Incident will air their three set New Years Eve performance from December 31, 2016 at at 1STBANK in Broomfield, Colorado. Home to six of the last seven New Year’s runs, 1STBANK has been SCI’s hometown venue for the better part of the 2010’s.
The band said in a statement:
We love seeing friends and family gather with us in CO to ring in the New Year, and even though we can’t be there with you in person this year, we are REALLY looking forward to saying goodbye to 2020 and welcoming 2021, when we can hopefully get back to playing live Incidents again!
The broadcast has been timed perfectly so that the Midnight Balloon Drop will line up with 12am MT. Master of Ceremonies Jason Hann will be the host for the evening and promises surprises in store. Get the stream here.
This past Friday, December 11, Connecticut-based rock quintet Goose performed from a rooftop in Rockefeller Center for their annual Goosemas show. The livestream from Rockefeller Center was the band’s seventh annual holiday concert, and was streamed exclusively on The Relix Channel on Twitch, drawing nearly 60,000 worldwide viewers while raising an astounding $45,000 for Save our Stages and Conscious Alliance.
Donning matching red ski suits atop a roof adjacent to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, Goose took to the stage just after 7 PM ET and kicked off an energetic, two-set performance highlighted by fan-favorite original tracks “Arcadia,” “All I Need,” and “Hot Tea.” Known for their uncanny ability to recreate cover songs in their signature style, while upholding the compositional integrity of the original piece, the band also incorporated covers of Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy,” Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield,” and Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher” into the setlist.
The livestream benefitted two NIVA’s Save our Stages, a national charity providing support to independent live event venues and promoters throughout the United States in these trying times; and Conscious Alliance, a nonprofit that connects a network of creatives to collect large-scale donations in order to combat hunger in historically underserved communities.
Donations made from Goosemas will help keep Conscious Alliance on the road this winter delivering 200,000 meals to kids and families in need. Every $1 donation = 2 meals to someone going without food this holiday season. Donations can be made at Goosemas.com through December 20th at 8pm ET.
In a year when music and its empowering spirit has been stifled for so many, Goose’s performance was magic! And what better place to do this than from Rockefeller Center, where culture and community come together to surprise and delight. A huge thank you to Goose and their amazing team, Peter Shapiro, and the Rockefeller Center team for making such a special evening possible.
Gus Field, Tishman Speyer / Rockefeller Center
Viewers were treated to pro-shot video and clever, dazzling holiday-themed stage design by Goedde Sound and Light, with multiple moving cameras capturing each band member in front of a breathtaking New York City backdrop.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch a free rebroadcast of the performance this Saturday, December 19th at 8pm ET on the band’s Facebook and YouTube pages as well as on FANS.LIVE. Goose plans to continue connecting donations to Save Our Stages and Conscious Alliance through December, 20th at 8pm ET at www.goosemas.com.
We are so happy to have had the opportunity to host Goosemas, especially with all of the uncertainty this year, we’re so grateful so many people tuned in and donated to two organizations doing incredible work.”
Ben Atkind (Drums)
Setlist: Goose at Rockefeller Center, NY, NY – 12/11/20
Set 1: Arcadia, Linus & Lucy, Madhuvan, Turned Clouds, Earthling Or Alien? Love is a Battlefield, Slow Ready, Elmeg the Wise
Set 2: Seekers on the Ridge (Part 1), Seekers on the Ridge (Part 2), All I Need, The Empress of Organos, Hot Tea -> You and Whose Army? -> Hot Tea, (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
Since 2001, Yo La Tengo have spent most nights of Hanukkah performing eight nights of sold out benefits during the Festival of Lights. This year, they’re scaling back the eight nights to a single one night, which will livestream on Friday, December 18 at 8pm ET, from The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR.
Since their inception at Maxwell’s in their former hometown of Hoboken, NJ, before moving to The Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan, the shows featured surprise guests including John Oliver, Ray Davies, David Byrne, Syl Johnson, Sarah Silverman, Lucinda Williams, and Graham Nash.
This edition of the stripped-down Hanukkah concert will stream live from The Greene Space’s Lower Manhattan studio, and in doing so, keeps two decades of Yo La Tengo tradition alive. The three-hour performance features the classic format of an opening act, a comedian, and then a set by Yo La Tengo.
The Grateful Dead’s 2021 Dave’s Picks have been announced, and includes a show from September 1973 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, which features the first ever version of “Let it Grow.”
This show has been a long time coming in the Dead’s archival release series, as September 8, and the night before, were the first run of live shows the Dead played following the previous month recording Wake of the Flood at the Plant Studio in Sausalito, CA. Once the band was finished mixing the next record, they hit the road for the first leg of Fall Tour 1973 with a pair of sold out shows at the home of the New York Islanders.
David Lemieux said of the release:
I first started working for the Grateful Dead in 1999, and was fortunate to work alongside Dick Latvala, who became my friend and mentor, I was turned on to 9/8/73 by Dick. He spoke so eloquently of this terrific show, certain that it would be released on CD some day as part of the Dick’s Picks series. In Dick’s own words, during a rundown of his thoughts on 1973 Grateful Dead, he said “That takes us up to the September run. Well right away 9/8/73 sticks out begging for attention. Even the night before (9/7/73) had fairly thrilling versions of “TLEO,””Jack Straw,””PITB,” “WRS->Let it Grow.”
There is not a weak moment from “Truckin’” through the ending tune “Sugar Magnolia.” Even as good as this night must sound, the following night things really explode. I really can’t put my finger on it because from the songlist, there is nothing apparently compelling. Well, you guys will soon find out what I mean, since I intend to release this one whenever the time is right.”
This show is a fantastic example of the Dead being fully firing on all cylinders. The September 7 show also features exceptional music, and almost two hours of that show are included in the Dave’s Picks Vol. 38, including “Bird Song” and “Playing In The Band.”
Dave’s Picks volumes sell out quickly and are only on sale four times a year. Last year’s shows included 10/29/77, 6/23/74, 4/20/84, and 3/26&/87. Order your 2021 Dave’s Picks here.
The 2020 iteration of Everett Bradley’s holiday funktacular comes to fans in the form of Holidelic: Home With Papadelic, hosted by Bradley himself in the comfort of his own home. Bradley plays the role of Papadelic, Funk’s Father Christmas, a mashup of George Clinton and Santa Claus, who goes to the videotape deck for an engaging strut down Santa Claus Lane.
On Thursday, December 17, Bradley will pour over performances from the past that are heavy on the funk, featuring holiday-themed songs written by Bradley and brought to life by an array of top shelf noise makers.
I wanted to create something that would celebrate the idea of being at home, but also the excitement that the holiday season brings. To be transparent, this special was actually somewhat inspired by the pandemic, but I didn’t want to give it any credit. We’re just trying to keep it all positive.
Everett Bradley, Papadelic
Holidelic was originally slated for a newly established five-week holiday run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Manhattan’s West Village, as part of a new 2020 partnership. This year, The Lucille Lortel Theatre will present a virtual Holidelic experience that will be redirected straight into our homes in the interest of public safety, but not at the expense of some real Yuletide fun.
Newly directed by acclaimed writer and director, Michael Heitzman, the COVID-19 revision of the much-loved funk revue now has an opportunity to do good at a time when it’s needed most. The show will be free for all to watch and all donations will go to the SAY Organization (Stuttering Association for the Young), a favorite charity of both Bradley’s and The West Village’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Tune in live on Thursday, December 17 at 8pm ET on Papadelic’s Facebook and YouTube channels
Americana quartet We Banjo 3 are back at it again with a festive holiday livestream on Friday, December 18. Dubbed “A Winter Wonderful,” the evening will feature a special WB3 performance, plus musical sets by Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Skerryvore, The Whileaways, BackWest & Ajeet and more.
Debuting in the U.S. in 2012, Ireland’s We Banjo 3 have since fine tuned their knack for seamlessly converging shared and varied traditions of Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music. With a pop-sensible song-craft to create a truly unique and gratifying signature sound.
The Galway and Nashville-based quartet, comprised of two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley, continually push musical boundaries while maintaining an un-wavering devotion to the essential audience experience.
In lieu of a regular touring schedule this year, WB3 has found alternatives to physically taking the stage during the shutdown. Connecting with fans through various online performances, fan Q&A’s, live interviews, poetry and book excerpt readings, general banter about topics of interest, and more, WB3 has taken a personalized approach to creating fan experiences.
The one night only livestream from We Banjo 3 is $20, with limited edition merch bundles available. Click here to purchase tickets and for additional info.
