Two more festivals moved their events to 2021, as mass gatherings look unlikely for the rest of the summer. Much loved festivals Peach Fest and Camp Bisco (which called Mariaville home for a number of years) will postpone and move their 2020 dates to 2021. Tickets for 2020 are still valid for the 2021 editions of the festivals. Announcements from the two festivals can be seen below.
With the uncertainty of when we will be able to enjoy a play on Broadway, Disney Studios is giving us another option. Announced through their twitter account today, Disney Studios will be releasing the original Broadway production of ‘Hamilton’ on July 3 to stream via Disney Plus.
The release comes 15 months early, with the original release date set for Oct. 15, 2021. Due to the continuous cancellation of live performances and social distancing protocols, the expedited release was the only course to take.
“In this very difficult time, this story of leadership, tenacity, hope, love & the power of people to unite against adversity is both relevant and inspiring,” Disney executive chairman Robert Iger said on Twitter.
Featuring the original Broadway cast, the film is based on the live performance shot at the Richard Rodgers Theater June 2016. Like the stage production, the film is directed by Thomas Kail and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also starred as the title character in that cast.
‘Hamilton’ has risen to blockbuster status since it first graced the Broadway stages in 2015. Since then it has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 11 Tony Awards and grossed over $650 million on Broadway. Before the shuttering of mass gatherings started to occur, the play was also touring in London and around North America. Stream Hamilton on Disney Plus today.
11E1even Group and Live From Out There have announced the initial schedule for their new “Virtual Summer Tour Series.” Fans of groups including Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Goose, Twiddle, Kitchen Dwellers, Aqueous, Sunsquabi (with more to be announced) can look forward to original live music content with various aspects of the concert experience through digital platforms.
Over the summer, the multi-night virtual events will take place with fans having the chance and interact with bands like never before. Each artist has curated their own unique tour concept, merchandise and virtual VIP experience – which includes having a drink with the band, a post-show “green room” meet-and-greet or a private dinner with the band. The “Virtual Summer Tour Series” is designed to go beyond live performances and aims to replicate the intrinsic sense of community that concert-goers experience when attending shows in-person.
“With all of the uncertainty surrounding public gatherings, we look forward to providing artists with a new model for connecting with their fans in a digital space,” says Dave DiCianni of 11E1even Group. “Despite not being able to physically be in the same room, there’s a huge opportunity for artists to engage their fanbase in a truly unique and more intimate fashion than ever before, and we are excited to work with band’s in curating those experiences. Additionally, the series will provide acts and their respective crews with much needed revenue while the music industry works to determine new ways to safely host live events. “
Each artist will curate their own tour, with the first three series announced:
Twiddle’s Roots Tour, a celebration of the band’s fifteen years as a touring act, will pay homage to several establishments that were instrumental in the band’s ascendance to the national stage. The nine original concerts from July 9 to 26, will be filmed at various venues throughout the state of Vermont, including a return to Castleton University, where the band formed in 2005.
Following the postponement of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s annual festival Domefest, the band will bring their fans together for “Homefest,” a uniquely curated 3-night event starting June 11 and included 5 sets from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, with other acts to be announced.
Goose will host “Summer 2020 Bingo Tour” from June 19 to June 28 live at The Goose Community Rec Center. Fans will receive digital bingo boards filled with the band’s songs and cover material. The band’s performances will be dictated by bingo balls drawn on stage as fans at home can play along for a chance to win virtual VIP opportunities and merchandise.
More information on each band’s event and tickets can be found here, and the details for future series, including those from Aqueous, Kitchen Dwellers and Sunsquabi will be announced in the coming weeks.
The National Native American Music Association (NAMA) has launched a new podcast hosted by Ed Koban (EdKo), a recording artist, multi-instrumentalist and NAMA’s House band Director. The NAMA Podcast will be featured on Anchor.FM and Spotify.
The monthly 90 minute podcast features live and personal interviews with Award winners along with the latest information on the organization and it’s twenty year history. Listen and hear about upcoming NAMA news like submission dates and updates for the Native American Music Awards Show, new releases and news from Native artists, and intimate interviews with everyone from NAMA Hall of Famers to rising artists and more.
Host EdKo states, “The official podcast of the Native American Music Ed KobanAssociation will bring you everything NAMA! We hope you will join us!”
The debut episode features an interview with Ellen Bello, the founder and president of the Native American Music Awards and Association and multi-award winner, Gabriel Ayala.
Gabriel Ayala of the Yaqui has devoted his life to the mastery and performance of the classical guitar. Ayala is one of the few Native American artists identifying himself solely as a classical performer. He has been awarded Best Instrumental Recording, Best World Music Recording and Artist of the Year.
The monthly podcast will reach a global audience through Anchor.FM and Spotify as well as is posted on the Native American Music Awards website and is available to its 20,000 registered international members.
The debut episode of the podcast is airing now. Fans of the podcast can contact NAMA’s EdKo at namapodcast@gmail.com to provide feedback and ideas for the podcast, or to become a guest on the show.
The Native American Music Association is “devoted to bringing Indigenous music to the world’s consciousness” as noted in the New York Times. The Native American Music Awards & Association, NAMA, is an ultimate celebration of music and entertainment. Founded in 1998, NAMA is the world’s first and largest national professional membership-based organization for the advancement & recognition of contemporary and traditional music initiatives by artists with Native American heritage.
Nearly two years after the release of their last studio effort, Teddy Midnight has announced an all-new EP with Airdnb, due out May 29. The first single, “My Eyes,” was released this past week and is group’s first collection to be produced, recorded, and mixed entirely in their new Brooklyn studio.
The forthcoming EP is a departure from the disco/house sound of their last release, French Press from 2018, and explores producers Sean Silva and Adam Magnan’s influence from the rhythms of drum n bass, jungle, and hip-hop. The trio spent the past year and a half writing and recording using vintage synths and live instrumentation as the basis for the record. Over the course of the EP’s 5 tracks, the group navigates new sonic territory to bring break-neck tempos and fresh atmosphere to their already diverse repertoire. Guest vocalists Lars Viola and David Schnurman are featured on two separate tracks with instrumentals filling the three remaining spots.
Additionally, the band has debuted a music video for “My Eyes,” in which each member performs via a digital video conference call. The video was recorded during the eighth week of COVID-19 quarantine in New York City.
The single “My Eyes” features New York City rapper Lars Viola in his first collaboration with the group. As the name Airdnb would suggest, the hip-hop track showcases the Teddy Midnight take on drum n bass grooves while leaving plenty of space for MC Lars to paint a picture of a stressful world in need of sweet release from everyday anxieties. His thoughtful discourse is driven by live drums and capped off with impassioned synth work by keyboard player Danny Caridi.
Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Teddy Midnight is working to reschedule their postponed spring tour dates with more fresh music to come. After successful winter dates with jamtronica leaders The New Deal and others, newly scheduled shows will highlight material from Airdnb and continue to feature their ever expanding live-production sound.
This year Twiddle will celebrate 15 years as a band. The much loved jamband that started at Castleton State College in Vermont in 2005 have grown into a touring powerhouse, with fans from coast to coast and their own festival held annualy in July in Burlington, Tumbledown.
A summer tour that included shows with Vampire Weekend looks like it will likely be shuttered as the music industry continues to be affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, but Twiddle has something up their sleeve, as seen from a retrospective and still mysterious video posted to Facebook and Instagram late on Friday night.
The trip down memory lane is worth repeated views for faithful Twiddle fans, but no details are given beyond the dates July 9-26 which are found at the bottom of the tour graphic.
How will the Roots 2020 Virtual Tour unfold? How will it be brought to the faithful Twiddle fans found across the country? We’ll have to stay tuned to find out. Visit Roots 2020 to subscribe for updates in the meantime.
Across the country, hundreds in a union of musicians have signed on to a letter with demands for the next COVID-19 relief package. Included in these demands are an extension of CARES Act unemployment benefits through the remainder of 2020, in addition to rent cancellation, the extension of benefits to all people regardless of immigration status, Medicare for all, and more.
Artist including Sammus, Downtown Boys, Algiers, Damon & Naomi, Eve 6, Potty Mouth, DJ Haram, Riobamba, Guy Picciotto, Speedy Ortiz, Alice Bag, and many others have signed the letter, which can be viewed here.
While the first CARES Act extended unemployment to some musicians and other self-employed workers, the payment of those benefits has been an inconsistent state-by-state process, and many workers stand to lose their benefits before this crisis is over. Music workers rightfully are demanding immediate access to the full benefits of the first CARES package, and making it clear they must be available until at least the end of 2020. Concerts and festivals will likely be one of the last things to reopen, and so music workers are facing a long period of zero or limited income. The letter’s demands are in line with other entertainment organization policies, including IATSE, and the AFL-CIO Department of Professional Employees.
“Musicians and all gig workers are struggling hard right now.” said statement co-organizer Joey La Neve DeFrancesco. “Rent is due, bills are due, debt is piling up, and many of us still haven’t gotten any financial support. We need more immediately if we’re going to survive.”
Buffalo’s Donny Frauenhofer (Intrepid Travelers, DF3, THE TRUTH) said of the petition and newly formed Union of Musician and Allied Workers:
I think it’s a great idea and there’s no better time than now. Times of extreme hardship can actually yield some of the best community accomplishments because people are forced to band together to survive, and musicians are going to have to do that.
Something I’ve always thought needed to be addressed was how often you get these individuals working in the music industry that project these politically progressive and altruistic attitudes, and then turn around and behind the curtain manipulate artists into playing for less than they’re worth, or even for free. I don’t know how a musician or a music fan could oppose this – Musicians rights are worker rights, and its long overdue that we hold people in our industry accountable to that.
The organization behind the letter is the new labor group Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW). The group was formed by a committee of dozens of musicians in response to the dire circumstances facing musicians amid the COVID crisis. Beyond COVID related demands, the organization seeks to address issues facing musicians such as streaming payments, mechanical royalties, relationships between musicians and venues and record labels, and more. The group’s mission statement says it also seeks to “use our strength as music workers to join in the broader struggles of our fellow workers across the globe.” UMAW asks musicians to join the group and to share their labor concerns in the music industry.
“By aligning our demands with the stability, health, and upliftment of all workers, working musicians strengthen broader workers’ struggles,” explained co-organizer Josephine Shetty, who performs as Kohinoorgasm.
While other musician labor groups exist, UMAW says it seeks to broadly include all music workers, including musicians, DJs, producers, crew members, etc., and to fight for justice in the music industry, as well as to join workers across the country in fighting for a better society.
UMAW’s letter also demands that benefits be made available to all workers, including undocumented people. Portugal, for instance, has initiated such a system of benefits that treats certain migrants as full residents. The statement also urges a rent cancelation, to save both workers and music venues and arts organizations, and the funding of the Post Office, which is essential for artists shipping merchandise.
The letter is a follow up to a statement from music workers in March, which now has over 1000 signatures.
Born out of a local 518 basement, Taco Night is all about good time rock and roll. For the past four years or so, on Friday night, this group of friends has practiced what they love while being inspired and nourished by the tacos they’ve prepared for the evening’s festivities. And boy, do the Taco Night guys know tacos – they even have a few recipes for your Cinco de Mayo dining pleasure!
Taco Night combines blues, classic rock, funk, and soul with their own spicy blend of improvisation. “Cinco,” which debuted three years ago at their first Cinco de Mayo show has a message of fun, positivity and friendship, something we could all use right now. The catchy chorus will have you asking, “Why can’t everyday be Cinco de Mayo?”
Taco Night hopes this video helps everyone have a happy Cinco de Mayo. They’ll be diving into their vast archive of tunes and will be releasing more music as we all wait to see what happens to the local live music scene in the Capital District and beyond. Please support your local establishments however you can and hopefully we can all safely see shows again someday soon.
If you need some taco inspiration or are looking to try something new at home, here are some of Taco Night’s favorites for days like today.
Easy Carnitas, Double Decker Tacos, and as seen below, Bacon Fat Tortillas!
In a statement on Facebook, organizers of the two-day event held within the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, have announced that the 2020 Tumbledown edition is cancelled, due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
It comes with great sadness that as a result of COVID-19, Tumble Down 2020 is cancelled. This was our Sweet Number 5 and we were so excited to drop an amazing lineup this year. We promise that we are working on something very special that we will be announcing very soon. There isn’t much that hurts us more than canceling our favorite event of the year, in our home town with all of you, but unfortunately we have no choice.
Refunds will be issued automatically to everyone at point of purchase. However there may be some delays, so please be patient. Please contact box@highergroundmusic.com if you have questions or concerns.
We love you, stay safe and healthy and we will get through this together –
.
Tumbledown 2020 has been a staple of Burlington summers since 2016, with Vermont’s own Twiddle headlining both days of the festival. The event grew into the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in 2017 with shows bookending Tumbledown for a four-day event that drew thousands to the Lake Champlain waterfront from around the Northeast. Check out our coverage from 2019 here.
Following an early report from The Sun on Tuesday, BBC Radio 2 is reporting this morning that Genesis will perform together again for the first time in 13 years but without Peter Gabriel. The trio of Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford confirmed the reunion on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show. The trio will be joined by Collins’ 18-year-old son Nicholas, who will fill in for his father on drums, who had suffered nerve damage during Genesis’s 2007 tour and, like it or not, casted his future of drumming into limbo.
“We all felt, ‘Why not?’” Collins told BBC News. “It sounds a bit of a lame reason – but we enjoy each other’s company, we enjoy playing together.”
Instead of throwing it all away, Nicholas’ presence as drummer at Collins’ solo shows helped inspire the reunion, according to Banks. “He can sound like Phil and it gave us a whole idea of how we could do it, because we knew Phil couldn’t be the drummer on the road again,” said the keyboard player.
Before this, it seemed as if there was never a time that the trio would reform to bring hits like “Invisible Touch,” “I Can’t Dance,” and “Land of Confusion” back around, but they’ll kick off their ‘Last Domino?’ tour in Dublin, Ireland on November 16. They’ll also play two nights at London’s O2 Arena, as well as dates in Liverpool and Glasgow.
“I’m looking forward to doing it,” said Rutherford. “I worked it out and we’ve only done two shows in the UK in the last 28 years, so we haven’t overworked it.”
Founding member Peter Gabriel, who left the group in 1975, will not be taking part, and guitarist Steve Hackett will also miss the shows.
“Peter left the band 45 years ago and he’s been trying to live it down ever since,” said Banks. “When they put his birthday in The Times, they always say, ‘Peter Gabriel – Genesis singer.’ And I think, ‘What’s the guy been doing since then, for God’s sake?’” Banks said it wouldn’t make sense to bring Gabriel back because “most of the songs people know” came after his departure, but added,”We love Peter.”
The band, founded at Charterhouse School in Surrey in 1967, has gone on to have international success recording 15 studio albums and six live ones and selling at least 100 million worldwide. They have had 21 Top 40 hits and six number one albums. But they have not performed together since 2007, when they marked their 40th anniversary with the Turn It On Again Tour. Tickets will go on general sale at 9am on Friday, March 6.
November 16, Dublin 3 Arena – buy here
November 19, Belfast SSE Arena – buy here
November 23, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena – buy here
November 26, Newcastle Utilita Arena – buy here
November 29, London The O2 – buy here
November 30, London The O2 – buy here
December 2, Leeds First Direct Arena – buy here
December 5, Birmingham Birmingham Arena – buy here
December 8, Manchester Manchester Arena – buy here
December 11, Glasgow SSE Arena- buy here