DIE the Monk is a music alias that explores the macro imperfections of the worlds porous skin. In his latest release, The Beauty Complex, the post-rap artist turns a musical effort emotive. Thus, dissecting brash human composition in real time.
London born, Sebastien Carnot, deems the stage as his battleground, “where the enemy of the past meets the savior of self-preservation.” Likewise storytelling through dramatized musical ideas and industrial sounds are the essential elements to his craft. The Beauty Complex surely isn’t everyones spot of tea, but the inter-workings of the album shed light on modern warfare in the likes of self-destruction and social [media] evolution.
The Beauty Complex album art. Released Nov. 19, 2020.
Carnot pursued the DIE the Monk persona in 2018 when he felt the urge to express energy outwards and publicize his secrets. The realization becomes apparent through The Beauty Complex: that we are all Monks, stewing on our own thoughts for better or for worse.
I was aiming to create a dancy album full of industrial noises. Messages in this album surround feelings of concern for: self-preservation, mindlessness, over-thinking, and listening to your gut.
The 9-track DIY opens with “The Void,” a ghoulish opera that crosses the threshold of your inner black hole. With no hope of return, the monk’s musical tinure holds true to the genres dystopian harmony. Immense reverb, choir like voices and a seemingly subconscious conversation drives the listener indefinitely inward.
“Driver,” may have suited as a better opener, as it sucks you into a heavy trance. Envision London’s late night, underground dance tunnel thriving through all hours, until the explodes into a fountaining half-time.
Point blank song titles provoke emotion in its purest form. “Timid” takes on a mystical intro. Opening with heavenly exploration, the music weaves into a darker reality of ones insecurities. Off-the cuff raps leave hints of social media and Instagram complexes, but in monk’s reply “I’m not a pretty picture.” None of us are.
Influenced by artists like Shabazz Palaces, JPEGMAFIA, Xiu Xiu, and Macula Dog, DIE the Monk has carved an underground vibe that transcends pop-up backyard and basement shows. In 2018 DIE the Monk released his debut album, Privacy, filled with drama and dark underlying tones. In the last year a follow up album, Deep End, captured a love disaster, where on his third effort DIE the Monk states “The Beauty Complex is just the beginning.”
The Beauty Complex is surely an acquired taste, yet worth the exploration in its musical and social exploration. The driving and infinite electronic colours will keep the listener entwined. No “Pressure.”
On November 30, 2016, Billy Joel extended his MSG residency continued with his 35th consecutive show at the World’s Most Famous Arena. His first monthly show at the Garden was on January 27, 2014. Joel committed to playing one show a month at the Garden as long as there was a demand for tickets.
Billy broke his own 2006 record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at his thirteenth performance on January 9, 2015. On July 1, 2015, he played his 65th show breaking the record for the most shows at the Garden by a single artist.
Elton John and the Grateful Dead held the record previously. His 74th consecutive MSG monthly show was scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. The show was initially moved to September, but has now been moved back another year till 2021.
According to a statement on Joel’s website, “Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.”
Setlist: Billy Joel at MSG, November 30, 2016
Miami 2017, Pressure, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Vienna, Downeaster Alexa (with Julian Rachlin), Zanzibar, Leningrad, Allentown, New York State of Mind, Root Beer Bag, The Longest Time, My Life, Don’t Ask Me Why, Sometimes a Fantasy, She’s Always a Woman, The River of Dreams, Take it Easy (Eagles Cover), Nessun Dorma, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man
Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl, It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Big Shot, Only the Good Die Young, You May be Right
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 artists featured on Upstate Mixtape Vol.1 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.
For the next two weeks, EQXposure will feature bands and the music selected for Upstate Mixtape Vol 1, a compilations of artists from the 518 area, committed to amplifying Black voices and suppressing racism. 100 percent of sales of the release, which will be distributed to black artists.
Upstate Mixtape Vol 1. is part of antiracist grassroots fundraising efforts, spearheaded by Jammella Anderson, working with musicians that identify with antiracism values and commit to amplify Black voices. Among songs contributed to Vol 1. include demos, B-sides, album loose ends and more from a group that showcases the multifaceted nature of musicians in the 518.
Featured artists that you’ll hear on EQXposure from Upstate Mixtape Vol. 1 include Blue Ranger, “Everybody Lies,” Greens, “Go Somewhere,” Carl Daniels “Morning Pages,” and Front Biz “I Want You.” More tracks from Upstate Mixtape Vol. 1 will be featured next week, as this is a collection of tunes that deserves two weeks.
Also featured on EQXposure are two cuts from Liam Singer’s forthcoming release, The Ocean, due out on January 15, which features a mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces, in the vein of new-composition and experimental music. “Cannon Beach” features guest vocals by Arone Dyer (Buke & Gase, Mistresses, Drone Choir), and “Heavy Water / I’d Rather be Sleeping” is a cover of a song by the artist Grouper, from her 2008 album Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill.
Profound Storyteller, Matt Butler, releases a cinematic and heart-stabbing single “Counting The Days” today, Friday, November 27. A stripped down acoustic demo also companies the release.
The Manhattan singer-songwriter gets your heart pounding immediately, boasting you up as Mr.Tough Guy, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. If you’re a Matt Butler fan, you’re sentenced for life. After an interview with Matt at the last instalment of Vans Warped Tour, it was clear he is the real deal. Remarkably his synergy of music, storytelling and humbleness are all backed by a hunger to improve. That will never let the fire die in Matt’s eyes. He makes things real. He makes it personal.
“Counting The Days” is overwhelmingly vivid, released Nov. 27, 2020.
So many palatable emotions rush through your body throughout “Counting The Days” that it’s hard to react. The track opens with an ominous yet eloquent acoustic strumming. Sixteenth-note bass drum kicks make the listener’s heart anxious, ready to unleash a lifetime of pain.
Music is a provocative tool. Opening lyrics immediately cue a 35-mm story reel in the listeners head. Some close their eyes in hopes music will spark their mind’s subconscious and craft inspiration, “Counting The Days” takes out all of the guess work.“Sound of the flies buzzing like a drill / Blood pooling on the table with the beer he spilled / I was frozen still.“
Butler goes on. “Too hot outside to dig a hole in the sand. And too tired to hide the gun in my hand. There was never a plan.” The strings carry momentum, as the tape reel plays, and the image sways on your mind with the heavy 2 & 4 backbeat that Butler carries.
Now, let’s get back to Mr. Tough Guy. Butler hits home here with the stereotypical male complex, that builds you up as each chorus replays. It is easy to feel like that kid, or cowardly man Butler depicts, as the alter ego makes him stand up. As you anchor your feet into the floor, Butler sucks you right into the shoes of the protagonist. It’s unclear who Butler is singing about: You? Me? Himself?
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight? Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight? God be praised, now I’m locked in here I’m just counting the days It was always gonna be this way
Photo Courtesy of Matt Butler.
Butler’s songs are rooted deep in hardship. For those who don’t know Matt, he travels to prisons across the country; singing, sharing and engaging a locked-up community. These stories are so vivid that they bring a tear to your eye. Matt is compassionate and helps these people overcome through song. That effect is compounded on the average listener.
Moreover, when we last interviewed Butler he was on the brink of music school. Now that dream has come to fruition. “I actually produced most of this new track myself, been learning Logic and Ableton during quarantine,” said Butler.
” [I] did a day of tracking vocals and overdubs in the studio and Rocky, the engineer, really helped get the sound. It’s my first real genuine attempt at self producing.”
Read More About Matt Butler on NYS Music
Matt Butler shows have an organic and mysterious quality. There are tears, but there is also laughter. Whether he’s performing at a theater, a state prison or delivering a keynote for a mental health conference, Butler delivers an experience that engages and transforms his audience. Everyone ends up feeling a little more whole, more human, and more connected – often with a changed view of the world around them. Blending rock and folk styles with a few lingering hints of his punk roots, Butler’s music shines a light into some of the darkest corners of our world. He paints vivid pictures of pain and truth while exposing the glimmers of hope that only exist in those raw moments where redemption is born.
“I was drawn to music for as long as I can remember, but music seemed very difficult and inaccessible… You have to risk being rejected and judged. That’s part of the plan, that it’s so scary. I think that whatever you’re scared of doing most, that’s probably what it is that you’re supposed to be doing – on an evolutionary level.”
Manhattan’s own, Matt Butler took an early set on the Monster Energy Stage. The folky, singer-songwriter gave a refreshing outsider’s perspective that pushed Warped fans outside of their comfort zone. Butler has gathered the sounds and stories of the road, shaped in ‘Warped’ roots; he grew up playing in punk and rock bands at CBGB’s and Arleen’s on the lower East Side. “My Favorite bands in high school were Nirvana and Fugazi… my favorite album was Ten by Pearl Jam,” said Butler. “I got more into folk and songwriting because of a band called The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen [laughing]. That’s always the bridge – as we say that in Boardwalk Hall, very appropriate.”
Butler’s set featured numerous tracks recorded this past March, but not yet released including soon-to-be single, “Tell Lucy That I Love Her.” Butler wrote the tune inspired by a tour of state prisons, and at this point he has played around 200 jails in the past 16 months. The idea quickly boomed from a fan-funded endeavour to Butler securing his 501(c)(3) non-profit, to officially bring curated arts programs to jails and underserved institutions – a heart-wrenching inspiration and driver for his music. At certain times it can be as little as four people in a room where they collectively share stories, experiences and music. “It’s a way to see the country, I’ll tell you that. This new song (Lucy) comes from the perspective of someone incarcerated.”
https://youtu.be/Iqto9tBus0M
“Counting The Days” Lyrics
Sound of the flies buzzing like a drill
Blood pooling on the table with the beer he spilled
I was frozen still
Too hot outside to dig a hole in the sand
And too tired to hide the gun in my hand
There was never a plan
But when I saw him sitting there watching TV
I knew he wasn’t planning on letting me be
One of us was always gonna end up dead
But he never saw it coming when he got up and said
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
All summer long he was always around
Had a job painting houses in another town
But couldn’t hold it down
So I’d go out at night and I’d come home late
He’d have the lights turned off but he was wide awake
He was happy to wait
But I didn’t mind the hits I took
If it got my little sister off the hook
I can still hear the sound of her screams
And I can hear him shouting every night in my dreams
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
I’ll tell you right now I always knew I was gonna end up in these prison blues
And if I had a choice, I’d do it again
When I hear that voice I say Amen
Alright, did you come around here looking for a fight?
Okay, cause boy you look like you got something to say
Well I just might, are you ready old man to say goodnight?
God be praised, now I’m locked in here
I’m just counting the days
It was always gonna be this way
We set up in the lobby of one of our favorite venues, the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY, during rehearsals for our Fall Drive-in Tour and recorded the whole thing. Along with our playthrough of Not Normal, we recorded a full 2 set show that will premiere on December 11.
With venues across New York State being severely impacted by closures related to COVID-19, the need for assistance for these businesses to continue to remain open is greater than ever.
Join moe. on Friday, December 11 at 8:30PM for a special performance to benefit the Palace Theatre. Pick up Broadcast tickets and poster bundles here – a portion of every ticket and ticket bundle sold will be donated to the Palace Theatre.
photo by Frankie Cavone
The Palace has been Albany’s iconic downtown landmark for more than 80 years, bringing the biggest names in entertainment to the Capital Region. The history and programming of the Palace is a unique and often untold story with roots dating back to the period of the Great Depression.
The Palace Theatre was built in 1931 and originally presented vaudeville acts, feature films and later became a civic auditorium before closing its doors in 1969. The theatre maintains its original beauty and design and is a historical landmark in the City of Albany.
The Palace Performing Arts Center was established in 1984 and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1989, created to operate the Palace Theatre. The Palace brings world-class arts and entertainment to New York’s Capital Region, greatly enhancing the area’s cultural and economic development.
Read more of NYS Music’s past coverage of shows at The Palace Theatre, and tune in for moe. on December 11.
Inner City Bedlam have a stated mission to break the boundaries holding back the inner cities of every city in the nation, to destroy racist ideology while providing the soundtrack to the inner city, and seek to change the face of American culture by providing outlets to educate the world about black culture through music.
David Jonathan and the Inner City Bedlam create an expansive and kaleidoscopic sound, formulated around their love of jazz-inspired melodies and warmly sophisticated rhythms. In teaming up with Chuckie Campbell, they release a stunning remix version of “No Collusion,” which stands out for its modern, organic sound that is polished but not overproduced.
In addition to the edgy performance value, quality production and a balanced mix makes for a lively and stark sonic approach. Many subtle nuances are found in “No Collusion,” which adds to the richness of the track when taken together.
Collaborating on “No Collusion” is Chuckie Campbell, an American recording artist, poet, fiction writer, editor, publisher, and educator who has been named Best Hip Hop Artist by All WNY Music Awards and ArtVoice Awards. Campbell performs with The Black Den, a six-piece live approach to hip hop filled with fluid instrumentation, lush musical arrangements, and heartfelt poetic lyrics.
We’re moving through NYS Music in Motion’s inaugural season with rocker Frank Palangi, and we’ve got three big episodes to go. Coming up on Friday, November 27, Frank welcomes Fulton County native, The Voice’s Sawyer Fredericks.
Music in Motion brings together seasoned musicians from across New York State, who hail from or have made New York their home, with host Frank Palangi, a guitarist and singer from Warren County. On December 11 Palangi welcomes Wavy Cunningham and on December 18 he’ll sit-down with Dopapod’s Rob Compa to close out Season 1.
Sawyer Fredericks won Season 8 of The Voice and has amassed a sizeable fanbase. He released “Born” on April 1 via American Songwriter. Sawyer has 12 songs on his latest new album, covering his journey growing up as a working musician. His “free range folk” merges blues, roots rock and jazz with real-time live instrumental arrangements throughout.
Set a reminder below for Friday’s episode of NYS Music in Motion with Sawyer Fredericks.
Subscribe to the NYS Music YouTube channel and get the scoop on Season 2 plus videos from across the state and beyond.
Catch up With NYS Music in Motion
Added Color performs “Something Better,” a bonus track to their NYS Music in Motion sit-down with Rocker Frank Palangi. “Something Better” is off Added Color’s latest “EP If You Had It All.”
Phish’s now monthly installment of Dinner and a Movie will revisit a classic Fall ’97 show from Hampton Coliseum. On Saturday, November 28 at 8:30 pm, Phish will offer a free stream of November 22, 1997.
Part of the Phish Destroys America tour, the show ranks as the 11th highest rated show according to Phish.net, and for good reason. The show begins with a 17-minute “Mike’s Song,” and 18-minute “Harry Hood” and closes with Hendrix’s “Izabella” – and that’s just the first set. Set two opens with 26 minutes of “Halley’s Comet” and blasts off from there.
Released as part of the Hampton/Winston-Salem ’97 box set, just before Set 2 started, the audience made a group effort to sing “Destiny Unbound,” a song that had been shelved for six years at that time, in an effort to have the band bring the song back into rotation. The banter from Trey in response is hilarious and well worth hearing, and now seeing, on this week’s Dinner and a Movie.
For the dinner portion of the evening, lighter fare is offered, courtesy of Nashville-based chef Ryan Poli, formerly of the famed Catbird Seat restaurant. Butternut squash soup with chipotle chiles and popcorn, a brussel sprouts salad, and a sticky toffee pudding with a spiced caramel sauce are on the menu. Recipes can be found here, and fans are encouraged to tag photos of their creations with #phishdinnerandamovie.
The beneficiary for this weekend’s Dinner and a Movie is The Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.), a non-profit organization that seeks to create a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. F.E.P encourages healthy food choices that reflect a more compassionate society by spotlighting the abuse of animals on farms, the depletion of natural resources, unfair working conditions for produce workers, and the unavailability of healthy foods in low-income areas. Donate at phish.com/waterwheel.
Setlist via Phish.net
Set 1: Mike’s Song -> I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood > Train Song, Billy Breathes, Frankenstein > Izabella Set 2: Halley’s Comet > Tweezer > Black-Eyed Katy > Piper > Run Like an Antelope[1] Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Tweezer Reprise [1] Lyric changed to “Michael Esquandolas.”
Ignition on, as we drive off into the horizon with Brooklyn based White Cliffs. The two-sided single, “Six Cylinder Run,” was bred from an impromptu cross-country trip, released Friday, Nov. 13. The single marks a kick off too future releases as we move later into the year.
Rafe Cohan, aka. White Cliffs is a virtuoso of all things music with a slew of singles and EP’s being released since 2018. A musical chef, if you will, blends his talents as a guitarist, pianist, percussionist, singer and songwriter. Moreover, his producing talents fuse these ingredients to create a numbing effect, synonymous with wide open roads and endless travel.
The title track, “Six Cylinder Run,” instigates the hype of a road trip. Suspended echoing-synth leads layer as Cohan sets off with his newfound friend. Tight drum beats prove calming as we move steadily down the highway at 75.
Artists, and travellers alike, can relate to the bottomless feeling White Cliffs emulates across both tracks. He is nor here nor there, constantly in motion. Thus, the void is created. It is a void where musical expression blooms. We stew on its endless exploration. We harness creativity, but we never interrupt the drive.
Last summer I met this new friend. I didn’t know him very well but we became very tight when he was moving to LA… He was supposed to drive across the country so I went with him and we made an EP starting with me in the passenger seat of a car with no real instruments, just on a laptop.
White Cliffs
Watch “Six Cylinder Run” music video here, released November 18.
“On My Mind” gives you a second wind with a phat dub-bass ostinato. Written to back-half the trip, your neck begins to sway with the landscape. It’s getting late, but you seemingly rejuvenate, despite hours to go. The only gripe with these releases is the short sub-three-minute track length, aiding to an industry shift in a shorter attention span.
‘On My Mind’ is 2AM and you have hours ‘til you get to the hotel, pulling this U-Haul trailer and this is like hell. We worked on the songs in the hotel, we brought a bunch of gear with us, little synths, monitors, working on it in Albuquerque and in LA.
Dubbed as a purist, and lost in the art of producing, White Cliffs opens our minds to the days on the road. Listeners relate, especially with touring or traveling experience that encompasses the music industry. Cohan has experimented and crafted, leading him to debut under the moniker White Cliffs in 2017. He has toured with Big Wild, Elderbrook, STS9, in addition to performing at New York City’s Panorama Festival.
With this cook in the kitchen, passengers are left feeling incomplete in its length. The singles don’t transcend the journey, leaving us audio-less quickly. In hopes of accumulating a larger album, White Cliffs will certainly lure his future listeners into the carpool lane for one last late night drive. For now, toss both singles onto your road-trip mixtape.
Take a deeper look into “Six Cylinder Run” and producing craftwork.
MyGood has teamed up with a roster of roots creators and contemporary jazz artists to produce “Say Their Names.” Set to release online December 11, the four-movement composition urgently calls for social justice.
Featured on the track is Rastafarian vocalist Cedric Myton (singer of Jamaica’s legendary roots reggae band The Congos), jazz scat vocal improvisations from Maiya Sykes, pianist Ruslan Sirota, saxophonist Katisse Buckingham, bassist Benjamin Shepherd, and Latin GRAMMY-winning percussionist Diego Álvarez Muñoz. Los Angeles producer Ethan Sultry composed and arranged “Say Their Names.”
Cover artwork for “Say Their Names” is a concept by Toons One Colored by Allen Passalaqua of DC comics.
The track is an open protest against the senseless police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other black men and women. Sounds emulating the Black Lives Matter marches in Los Angeles make the bones of the song. The moving chant “Something’s not right I fear, people gone who should be here, I don’t feel okay today, so I’ll march and say their names,” echos the feelings of anger and despair that have been felt by too many.
I knew the composition needed a spiritual guide who held ancient truths, one who has experienced real artistic rebellion. While visiting Papa Michigan at Mixing Lab Studio in Jamaica, I heard the unforgettable falsetto of Cedric Myton. He blew me away. During the LA protests, I marched downtown. Macy Gray and I had previously begun to talk about collaborating on something and so immediately I reached out to her. I was hoping she’d sing the song, but our schedules didn’t align so we ultimately connected to raise awareness for her new non-profit MyGood. Subsequently, Cedric came to mind, and he recorded his takes out of Tuff Gong Studio. ‘Say Their Names’ really took off from there.
Ethan Sultry, Los Angeles Producer
Macy Gray found MyGood in July 2020. The non-profit’s mission is to bring relief to those that lost loved ones due to police violence. Recognizing the traumatic effects the event has on the families left behind MyGood offers financial, mental health and advocacy support regardless of circumstances behind the incidents.
“Say Their Names” can be downloaded on all major online music retailers and will be available for free on sirsultrymusic.com. Donations can be made to mygood.org.
Macy Gray speaks on “making the world a better place.”
