David Byrne’s American Utopia will return to Broadway for a second engagement, beginning September 18, 2020 and lasting for a 17-week run, ending in January 2021. The most recent run, which was held at Hudson Theatre in Manhattan, saw the curtain close on Sunday, February 16.
Based on Byrne’s 2018 album,American Utopia opened in October 2019, with Byrne joined by an 11-piece ensemble playing songs fromthe album, his solo material and Talking Heads works alike.
“It’s become obvious to us in the band, the crew and the producer team that audiences want, dare I say need, to see this show,” said Byrne. “They’re not ready to have it disappear just yet. We feel the same way, we love doing this show. So, it’s thrilling to us that we can announce that we’ll be back in September.”
The producers of the show shared Byrne’s sentiments. “It has been a joy to bring American Utopia to Broadway. David Byrne is one of our greatest living artists and it’s cause for celebration that he has made his Broadway debut with this brilliant production. We have been blown away by the range of audiences of all ages and backgrounds who have come to see American Utopia.”
For those unable to make the shows later this year, Spike Lee has announced that he will direct a filmed version of American Utopia. And later this month, Byrne is set to appear as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on February 29, alongside host John Mulaney.
Frontman of Strangefolk and Assembly of Dust Reid Genauer will have some ‘Folks’ join him for a trio of shows this weekend in the Northeast. Bringing together a blend of musical genetics, crazy fingers and interpersonal chemistry, featured Folks include Jason Crosby (Assembly of Dust, Phil Lesh and Friends), Scott Law (Phil Lesh and Friends), Elliott Peck (Midnight North), Dave Diamond (Assembly of Dust), John Leccese (Assembly of Dust).
Genauer is excited for the potential of these shows, saying of the lineup, “Elliott Peck and I have had some glittery moments singing together in the past, mainly because she’s fantastic and can pluck a harmony out of the ether. So in addition to face-melting fungus rock, I’m looking forward to doing a few songs broken down with Elliott singing, Jason playing Violin and Scott Law playing mandolin. Any way you cut it expect to have fun because that’s what we are expecting.”
Also coming this week is Extended Release, a live album of selected performances from Reid Genauer & Folks 2019 tour dates features a series of line-ups and venues. Included in the release are tracks recorded at Brooklyn Bowl, The Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA) and Jerry Jam Festival (NH). Extended Release will be available on all major music platforms February 21, 2020.
A key member of the jam scene and beyond for more than 2 decades, Genauer’s songwriting follows in the tradition of influences including Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia, Willie Nelson and Paul Simon. The New York Times has described him as “a path between Woodstock and Nashville, with detours to Burlington and Bonnaroo.”
Umphrey’s McGee has announced the long awaited return of their football game-themed live concert experience, UMBowl, taking place on May 1 and 2, 2020 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, the event now takes place over two days, instead of the traditional single day show.
UMBowl began in 2010 in Chicago and continued to be an immensely popular and immersive fan event, running each year through 2016. Each show consisted of a single four-set show, with each set representing a ‘quarter’ of a football game. Each set had a unique theme, with various ways for fans to interact with the band, including voting in real time on what song they should play next. Past themes to sets have included ‘Choose Your Own Adventure,’ with fans voting in real time, ‘Raw Stewage’ where fans cast ballots on their favorite moments of improv over the years, which the band then turns into “real” songs, and ‘Stew Art’ sets where the band improves based on audience suggestions in real time.
This year, with the show held over two nights, the band will continue to have an interactive side of the event, playing three-set shows each night, with two sets of interactive ‘quarters’ and a third set of simply Umphrey’s McGee.
For more information on UMBowl and Umphrey’s upcoming tour dates, visit umphreys.com or thecapitoltheatre.com. Read our coverage of UMBowl V and watch “All Things Ninja” below.
Thursday, February 6 will see the release of Kamasi Washington Live at the Apollo Theater, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Michael Garber, the film was recorded in February 2019 at Washington’s performance at the historic Harlem venue. Joining Washington in the film is his band, The Next Step, with special guests DJ Battlecat and vocalist Dwight Trible.
“Playing at the Apollo Theater is one of the greatest honors that a musician can have,” said Washington. “When I walked down 125th Street from my hotel in Harlem and saw my name on the marquee I almost couldn’t believe it. To be a part of that prestigious group of brilliant musical minds was truly humbling for me. To say that night was one of the most amazingly special nights of my life is a grave understatement. I’m so happy and thankful to be able to share this moment with people all over the world. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!”
The film includes one previously unreleased track, “The Bombshell’s Waltz,” initially recorded for Washington’s 2007 album, The Proclamation, which can be streamed below. Watch Kamasi Washington Live At The Apollo Theater beginning February 6 via Amazon Music.
The New-York Historical Society presents the rock & roll world of Bill Graham (1931–1991),with an upcoming exhibit Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution, on view February 14 – August 23, 2020. Located at the Central Park West museum and library, the exhibit focuses on the legacy of one of the most influential concert promoters of all time.
Graham’s life and work as a legendary music impresario are on display alongside the biggest names in rock music whom he worked with, including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Graham launched the careers of countless music luminaries at his famed Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and the Fillmore East in New York City.
Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, which debuted the exhibition in Los Angeles, this comprehensive retrospective of Graham’s life and career explores some of the 20th century’s momentous cultural transformations through the lens of rock & roll. Showcasing more than 300 objects—including rock memorabilia, photographs, and concert posters—the New-York Historical presentation, coordinated by Associate Curator of Exhibitions Cristian Petru Panaite, highlights Graham’s personal connections to New York.
American guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix performs at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, February 1968.
Admission to the exhibition will be via timed-entry tickets and begins with a site-specific installation of “The Joshua Light Show,” the trailblazing liquid light show conceived in 1967 by multimedia artist Joshua White that served as a psychedelic backdrop to Graham’s concert productions in New York.
Unique to New-York Historical is a special, immersive audio experience, providing a musical tour through the exhibition with songs by rock & roll superstars the Allman Brothers, Chuck Berry, Blondie, David Bowie, Cream, the Doors, Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Tom Petty, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Carlos Santana, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols, and Neil Young, among others. Included in the four-hour soundtrack available to visitors are also mambo hits by Tito Puente that Graham loved in his early years in New York. The audio experience is generously sponsored by luxury audio brand Master & Dynamic. A playlist of featured songs is available on Spotify.
“Even though Bill Graham and the Fillmore East transformed the city’s music scene in the late 1960s, few know about Graham’s immigrant background and New York roots,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “We are proud to collaborate with our colleagues at the Skirball Cultural Center to present this exhibition in New York—Graham’s first American hometown—and to highlight his local experience. His rock & roll life was a pop-culture version of the American dream come true.”
“Master & Dynamic is proud to sponsor Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution in our hometown of New York City,” said Nathaniel Teichman, head of strategy & business development at Master & Dynamic. “We are committed to supporting the New York-Historical Society and to helping bring to life the story of Bill Graham, who transcended incredible odds after escaping the Nazis to become one of the most influential figures in rock history.”
Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution begins with family snapshots of Graham’s experience as a Jewish emigrant from Nazi Germany and his journey to America. Born in Berlin as Wolfgang Grajonca, he arrived in New York at the age of 11 as part of a Red Cross effort to help Jewish children fleeing the Nazis. He lived with a foster family in the Bronx and spent his teenage years in New York City before being drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Korean War. Graham relocated to San Francisco in the early 1960s as the hippie movement was growing and took over the lease on the Fillmore Auditorium, where he produced groundbreaking shows throughout the decade, including sold-out concerts by the Grateful Dead, Cream, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Doors, among many others.
American blues musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist B.B King smokes a cigarette, San Francisco, CA, 1967.
In 1968, Graham opened the Fillmore East on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, historically the heart of New York’s Jewish immigrant community, just as it was becoming a countercultural hub. During its three-year run, rock fans filled the 2,700-seat venue to hear the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and others. A highlight of the Fillmore East experience was “The Joshua Light Show,” a mesmerizing liquid light show, conceived by multimedia artist Joshua White, that played as the backdrop as bands performed; in this installation, specially created for the exhibition, a colorful explosion of choreographed artistic projections set to music greet visitors at the entrance of the exhibition.
Timed-entry tickets for Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution went on sale on December 20. Visit nyhistory.org.
A special family guide is available for young visitors to explore the exhibition, featuring activities like scavenger hunts, sketching prompts, and quizzes. During February School Vacation Week, kids create rock & roll-inspired crafts, and Sunday Story Time in the spring features music-themed books.
