Category: Features

Hearing Aide: Body Language “Travel Guide”

Body Language, a Brooklyn-based indie-electronic quartet, will be putting out their fourth LP entitled “Travel Guide” via OM Records on October 9th. The band is comprised of Angelica Bess, Grant Wheeler, Matt Young and Ian Chang.

The band was formed in 2008 and since then they have released three LPs – Social Studies, Grammar, and Mythos. Their hit single “Well Absolutely” off the sophomore album was featured on a Lord & Taylor advertising campaign. Previous releases have been described as a transportive experience.

“One thing is for certain, the album will be transportive (as with their previous releases) whether that’s moving people to dance at home on their own or travel to sunnier days in their imagination.” -Cool Hunting

Ahead of the official release of the their forthcoming 2020 LP, they have released three singles – ‘Perfection’, ‘Boomerang’, and ‘Wherever I Think if You’. ” “Perfection,” is a soulful and bubbly single . The tracks relaxed melodies along with the silky instrumental go along harmoniously with vocalist, Angelica Bess’s easy going voice. The band described the track saying, “we love how alluring Perfection is on the surface…because all the while, we’re portraying the impending ruin approaching…and just like the, the track unravels.”

Body Language’s fresh electronic sound with infusion of R&B, disco, and house have already garnered a great anticipation for Travel Guide, which chronicles an itinerary in route through ten tracks and is their most collaborative effort yet. The album premiered on Glide, who pr commended the group for their ability to meld genres and, “create their own musical mood swings over a virtuous mix of loops, beats and spot-on-vocals”. Perfection by Body Language is a great escape album to look out for.
<a href="https://bodylanguage.bandcamp.com/album/travel-guide">Travel Guide by Body Language</a>

October 19, 2020
Flashback: Chris Cornell Captivates Beacon Crowd on this day in 2015
On October 18 and 19, 2015, Chris Cornell played two sold out acoustic shows at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City. The shows were in support of what was to become his last solo album, Higher Truth. Playing for over two hours, the set incorporated songs by Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.

There were also some songs from his solo career as well as some covers including Mad Season “River of Deceit” and U2’s “One” The biggest highlight of the night was when Chris brought out a very special guest, his eleven year old daughter Toni, for a cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers “Redemption Song.”

During the show Chris noted “I think this is my new favorite place to perform.” He sounded absolutely amazing as his voice resonated throughout the 2,900 seat theatre. It was a very intimate show interlaced with insightful anecdotes about his life and career.

Unfortunately, Chris Cornell struggled with depression most of his life. He was found dead in his Detroit hotel room on May 18, 2017. Within an hour of completing a performance at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell was found unresponsive in his room at the MGM Grand Hotel after a concerned call to a friend from his wife, Vicky. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.

Setlist: Misery Chain, Before We Disappear, Can’t Change Me, Cleaning My Gun, Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart, Fell On Black Days, Redemption Song, Say Hello To Heaven, River of Deceit, Wide Awake, Doesn’t Remind Me, Sweet Euphoria, Blow Up The Outside World, Let Your Eyes Wonder, One, Seasons, The Day I Tried To Live, When I’m Down, Worried Moon, Rusty Cage, Black Hole Sun, Like A Stone, Hunger Strike, A Day In The Life

Encore: Like Suicide, Higher Truth
October 19, 2020
Watch Justin Bieber perform on SNL with Chance the Rapper and benny blanco

Saturday Night Live’s third episode, hosted by Insecure‘s Issa Rae featured musical guest Justin Bieber, his fourth time performing on the show.

Bieber brought out Chance the Rapper as a surprise special guest for the night’s first song “Holy.” With a church-in-the-woods stage design, the more mature Bieber gives a nod to his relationship with wife Hailey Baldwin, and making references to their shared Christian beliefs. The lyrics stand out as a departure from Bieber’s past songs.

That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me.
Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy.
On God, runnin’ to the altar like a track star.
Can’t wait another second.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQY-MBWHik

For the second performance of the night, Bieber was joined by benny blanco on piano for “Lonely,” a song referencing his early rise to fame in the past decade. This performance began from Bieber’s SNL dressing room, singing in the mirror, then walking towards the stage through the halls of Studio 8-H. This intro is similar to the music video for “Lonely” that was released this past week, starring Jacob Tremblay as a young Bieber.

Maybe when I’m older it’ll all calm down, but it’s killing me now.
What if you had it all but nobody to call, maybe then you’d know me.
Cause I’ve had everything, but no one’s listening, and that’s just oh so lonely.
Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass.
Maybe that’s the price you pay for the money and fame at an early age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rml0FwAL8H0

Bieber does not hold back on “Lonely,” with a single spotlight on him for the song on a barren stage, save for Blanco. The two songs present Bieber in a different spotlight than the tabloid view of recent years. Justin Bieber appears focused and stepping into a new phase of his career with “Holy” and “Lonely.”

Watch last week’s musical performance from Jack White, where he paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and Megan Thee Stallion from the season premiere.

October 18, 2020
Week 2 of Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams features String Quartet and “Divided Sky” Duet

The second week of Trey Anastasio’s The Beacon Jams served to be even more jam packed with surprises than the first week, including a string quartet joining in, and one of the most beautiful versions of “Divided Sky” you’ll ever hear.

Trey Anastasio at the Beacon Theatre, Week 2. Photo by Jake Silco

Once again, the live streamed performance from New York City’s Beacon Theatre we available free via Twitch, with donations encouraged to The Divided Sky Fund, which focuses on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those battling addiction, through Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation. On this night, the goal of $100,000 was surpassed roughly 100 minutes into the performance (9:41PM ET), with Anastasio sharing his experience on the road to sobriety, and the plans to open an addiction treatment center in Vermont.

Photo by Jake Silco

The night began as it did last week with familiar faces from Trey Anastasio Band – Tony Markellis on bass, Russ Lawton on drums, Ray Paczkowski on keys and Cyro Baptista on percussion. Cyro dove into his cache of percussion to create bird call noises preceding the show opening “Gotta Jibboo.”

Official poster for The Beacon Jams by Jim Pollock

After “Undermind,” which Trey said held the secret of the universe, was the world premiere (and a college try) of “Evolve,” one of Trey’s quarantunes, which quickly showed huge potential for both Trey Anastasio Band and Phish versions in the future. Trey was then joined only by Jeff Tanski for “Divided Sky,” which stands as one of the all-time great versions. The pair together performed the entire composition flawlessly, with Tanski getting a round of applause from the band after, and likely from many at home.

The first ever live performance of “Sigma Oasis” since the release of Sigma Oasis followed, a rousing number despite containing the now errant ‘take off your mask’ lyric. “Back on the Train” was nicely accented by Cyro’s train crossing sounds and shakers, and led into an enthusiastic “Ocelot.”

Photo by Jake Silco

Prompted by a fan comment in the stream, Trey took a few moments to opine on what we are experiencing during this time, remarking that this was “Just another chapter, a big wave crashing in the ocean … and we’re gonna surf with it a little bit.” While he was talking, a string quartet took the stage, later dubbed “The Rescue Squad Strings,” Trey clearly having memories of being stuck 40 feet above the stage this past New Years Eve. String members tonight included Anja Wood on cello, Maxim Moston and Katie Kresek on violin, and Rachel Golub on viola.

Photo by Jake Silco

Over the second hour of this week’s Beacon Jams, the quartet added depth and beauty to “Strange Design,” “Water in the Sky,” the quarantine track “Greater Good,” “Greyhound Rising,” and the first ever “Wolfman’s Brother” with string accompaniment plus Lawton and Baptista adding in subtle percussion, and Trey introducing the four classical musicians over the ending of “Wolfman’s.”

“No Man in No Man’s Land” was arranged well for this TAB configuration, and had Trey remarking afterwards that Tony was an absolute beast on the Phish jam-vehicle, but jam of the night honors go to excellent “Plasma.” To close the set, Cyro added in some creepy ‘Poltergiest’ sounds at Trey’s request, which fit perfectly as they segued into “Ghost.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGbBXvljwFb/

Next week Anastasio returns to The Beacon Theatre with more surprises surely in store.

Photo by Jake Silco

Setlist via Phish.net

Setlist: Gotta Jibboo, Undermind, Evolve [1], Steam, Divided Sky [2], Sigma Oasis > Back on the Train, Ocelot, Strange Design [3], Water in the Sky[3], The Greater Good [4], Greyhound Rising [5], Wolfman’s Brother [6], No Men In No Man’s Land, Miss You, I Never Needed You Like This Before [7], Plasma > Waste, Ghost [8]

[1] Debut.
[2] Only Trey with Jeff Tanski on piano.
[3] Only Trey acoustic with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[4] Debut; only Trey on vocals (no guitar) with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[5] With The Rescue Squad Strings.
[6] Trey acoustic with The Rescue Squad Strings.
[7] TAB debut.
[8] With Trey quoting a line from Poltergeist in the intro.

October 17, 2020
El Modernist, ERIE and More Featured On This Week’s EQXposure

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 music from El Modernist, E.R.I.E.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.

El Modernist – “Evolution”

El Modernist delivers a new take on the world of indie rock. With pulsating hooks and lush melodic waves of psychedelia, the band combines upbeat, catchy garage-rock with a modern alternative hip-hop sound.

“Evolution” is an anthem for queer artists who have been contributing and pushing the boundaries of art since the beginning of time, while more often than not having to hide their true selves while doing so. Artists like Freddie Mercury and Elton John were often thought of as eccentric rather than LGTBQ+ (occasionally thought of as womanizers), but laid the groundwork for today’s LGBTQ+ artists and pioneers. “Evolution” is a fight song. A fight for equality. A fight against hatred. The future is gay as hell.

When asked by WEQX’s Pearson on what they are currently working on and how they are coping during this time, they shared:

What we’re working on/how we’re coping… Well, now that the bustle of the record release and the release party is over, we suspect performance opportunities will unfortunately be few and far between as the weather gets colder. We have a nice collection of songs just waiting to be properly demoed for what will eventually be LP2. So, the plan will be to hunker down and focus on that, which will be the first time the four of us write together. We’re definitely looking forward to letting some pent up creativity bounce off the walls, albeit mostly from separate houses/studios. The pandemic has certainly taken a toll on us all, personally speaking. The opportunities we get to play together in a room have been incredibly therapeutic, and we’re certainly grateful we can still do that responsibly. But ahead of the pandemic, we were all gearing up to play out a lot – it’s something all four of us really needed in our lives for a variety of reasons – so the fact that it all came screeching to a halt is tough to cope with, especially with no real end in sight. Like everyone else, I think we’re just pivoting the best we can and diving into the next record maybe a little sooner than we otherwise would have. I write a lot of songs, so I’m always ready and willing to jump behind the board and make some magic happen.

All BandCamp proceeds for the track will be donated to The Trevor Project.

E.R.I.E. – “Fire Away”

Hailing from New York’s vibrant Capital Region, rock outfit E.R.I.E. debuted on Mint 400 Records with Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die in September. Combining addictive progressions with alternative undertones, the record boasts an anthemic pop-rock aesthetic, with the integrity of an early 2000’s basement or VFW hall.

E.R.I.E. has brought me back to my roots, in a way. Growing up, I played in scrappy punk bands and as I got through college and beyond, my interests and writing style began broadening. I started taking myself more seriously, arguably to a fault. While creating this record, my main goal was to have a positive and fun studio experience. I paid a lot more attention to content rather than mechanics. Ultimately, creating Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die was a natural process, without most of the stresses recording can bring.
TJ Foster, E.R.I.E.

Upon listening, it’s not hard to hear that sense of lightness and clarity songwriter TJ Foster was striving for. The record exudes a sense of urgency that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Frank Turner and The Gaslight Anthem, while also embodying an intimacy one would expect from Death Cab For Cutie or Frightened Rabbit.

October 17, 2020
Flashback: Billy Joel Plays his first Long Island Show in 11 Years at the Paramount
Just before Billy Joel started his Madison Square Garden residency in 2014, he played a “warm up” show at The Paramount in Huntington, Long Island on October 16, 2013, and I was one of the lucky 1500 people fortunate enough to be there. The concert benefitted Long Island Cares, a charity founded by singer/songwriter Harry Chapin.

This was Joel’s first Long Island concert since he played Nassau Coliseum with Elton John in 2002. Tickets to the show sold out in seconds and were listed on resale sites for ten times the face value. Many fans were frustrated to say the least as everyone wanted to be a part of this special occasion.

Fans began lining up hours before the show in hopes of getting as close as possible to the Piano Man. Walking up to the venue, all you can hear was Billy Joel songs being sang and blasted out of every bar and restaurant on New York Ave. Billy’s presence was certainly felt throughout the town that night. The excitement kept growing as it got closer to showtime at the Paramount. Finally the doors opened and the crowd rushed in.

When Billy Joel took the stage, the crowd roared just as load as it does for him at The Garden which is about ten times larger than The Paramount. After Joel opened the show with “Everybody Loves You Now” and “Movin Out”, he said “We’re not going to play all hits tonight, I’m tired of that”. He did sneak in a few deeper cuts like “A Room of Our Own”, “Great Wall of China” and even played “Blonde Over Blue”live for the first time ever, but there was also plenty of hits to go around. There is no way he is doing a show without playing his classics like “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “New York State of Mind” and “Piano Man which the crowd sang along with to every word.

Joel and the rest of the band sounded phenomenal that night. Billy is my favorite artist and I was very lucky to be a part of that night. He then went on to start his residency at The Garden on January 27, 2014. Since then he has broken many records including most consecutive sold out shows and the record for the most shows at The Garden by a single performer, a record once held by Elton John and The Grateful Dead. His 74th consecutive monthly (120th all time) MSG show that was scheduled for March of 2020 had to be postponed due to Covid 19.

Setlist: Everybody Loves You Now, Movin Out, Vienna, The Entertainer, A Room of Our Own, She’s Right On Time, Allentown, The Great Wall of China, Miami 2017, New York State of Mind, This is the Time, Don’t Ask Me Why, Stop In Nevada, Downeaster Alexa, Blonde Over Blue, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, The River of Dreams, Piano Man

Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me, You May Be Right, Only the Good Die Young
October 16, 2020
Matthew Caws Encourages Working for the Common Good with “When History Comes”

Nada Surf‘s Matthew Caws has released a new political song, “When History Comes,” via Barsuk Records. Recorded and produced by Caws himself at his home studio, the song was created for the Rough Trade Publishing compilation Talk – Action = Zero, Vol. 2, which enlisted artists to write songs relevant to the current state of the world, with profits from the single benefitting the ACLU.

Formed in New York City in 1992 by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca, the Nada Surf gutiarist and bassist met at the Lycée Français de New York, with both having spent some of their childhoods in France and Belgium. A chance run in with Ric Ocasek would lead to The Cars frontman producing the band’s first album, High/Low. The band would be best known for their hugely successful 1996 single, “Popular,” although the groups catalog goes far deeper, now well into their third decade together.

Regarding the song, Matthew Caws wrote the following statement about the lyrics and timing of the release:

I was asked to contribute a song to a compilation organized by Rough Trade Publishing called Talk – Action = Zero Vol. 2, benefitting Spread The Vote, an organization helping people register and get their votes in. The prompt given was to write a song “relevant to the state of the world right now.” I chose to write about the election because I think it’s such a crucial moment in our lives.

I want to make a quick disclaimer (and pre-emptive apology) that I know that all of what i’m about to say will seem obvious to a lot of people, but I think it needs to be repeated. We’re always in danger of becoming numb. There’s such a circus of chaos coming from the top right now that it’s easy to get distracted from how far (and how quickly) the country is sliding in a dangerous direction..

The title of the song comes from a line in the chorus, “When history comes and sticks out its thumb / asking you for a ride / I hope that you see how fast it can be / it goes by in the blink of an eye.” In this analogy, by voting, you’re giving history a ride, helping it get where it wants to go.

Despite its difficult history and present, the United States is a precious and miraculous entity, an ambitious experiment in equality that has been functioning for 244 years, and we need to cherish and preserve it, and keep our essential norms from eroding. We need to understand how fragile our democracy is, faced with someone who is ready to call an election illegitimate before it takes place and won’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power.

In writing a song about an election your main choices are to try to energize and rally the potential voters on your side or try to speak to and influence the minds of people who are on the other side or undecided. I tried as much as I could to do both. I’ve been told that there is no point trying to change the mind of a Trump voter, that all our energy should go towards energizing the democratic base. That is probably true, but I can’t help believing that there’s a crack in that wall.

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself debating a few Trump supporters on social media, and invariably the conversations start a little hot. I’ve found that by keeping a measured tone and by looking for and respecting the cause of someone’s opinion, if not the opinion itself, it was always possible to bring down the temperature a little. One misconception that kept coming up was that all Democrats wanted Trump to fail. In the song I say “I didn’t want him to fail / I wanted him to do great / he didn’t / but I wanted him to.”

One of the great privileges of being a touring musician is getting to see people night after night being somewhere they chose to be,happy, open, ready to experience something. While it’s certain that among all the faces I’ve looked at from the stage there have been people with opposing political views, and probably some with wildly different views about equalities of all kinds, I always felt a human connection. I think almost all people have more in common than not.

I think it’s important to refrain when possible from calling out or dismissing any whole group. Even though at this point, I don’t understand how one could support this very problematic administration, I wanted to say “I don’t hate republicans” because… I don’t. Despite my commitment to humanism and constructive positivity feeling totally innate, I’m conscious of the fact that if I’d been born into a different environment and community and hadn’t been exposed to certain ideas, I might be a Trump supporter too.

My wife often points out that the world would be a much better place if every government decision taken took into account how it would affect the poorest and most vulnerable parts of the population. I agree. This calls for a lot of empathy, a quality in us that needs to be cultivated, checked in on and renewed. We drift in our comfort, we drift in our bubbles. It is always a good time to look around, try to see, try to understand, and re-evaluate our priorities. The common good should always be the ultimate goal. That is the basis for a great country, and despite our growing pains, that has always been the basis for ours.

October 16, 2020
Disco Biscuits 10-Day Drive In Run Broadcast on Couchtour.tv Launch

The new Couchtour.TV livestream service will offer a taste of what’s to come with Disco Biscuits Drive-In Broadcasts, starting tonight from Yarmouth, MA.

Disco Biscuits founding member and lead guitarist, Jon Barber, now has a new title – Founder of Couchtour.tv. Thus, it makes perfect sense his band will test the startup platform. Tonight they will take to intergalactic heights – literally zapping a live feed into space then crashing down to your living room as you sip Dogfish Head on your couch.

The whole aim here is for you to enjoy the show responsibly – going on the most epic concert trip, without moving an inch. However, Couchtour.tv won’t stop there. For the adventure seekers, delve into their chat feature and engage with everyone. Get stoked on Couchtour.tv as it is far from it perfected final form.

The beta launched October. 3, featuring live performances from Chicago house trio Orchard lounge and electronic breakbeat exploration, DrFameus. Get it while it’s hot. Couchtour.tv isn’t holding back that they’re the new kids on the block. As they work through the ‘bells and whistles,’ now is the best time to experience a raw, upcoming stream service.

The project boasts their contributions to HeadCount, helping register voters and promote non-partisan democracy through the power of music. In addition, the multi-faucet idea will take on role of a promoter. It’s an all in one.

Go to Couchtour.tv and sign up to access pricing and see your purchase options.

Couchtour.tv wasn’t a new idea, but time that would have otherwise been spent on the road opened up the space to finally bring Couchtour.tv to fruition. We’ve got a great team working on this, but it’s still gonna’ be a few months before we can roll this out in its complete form – bells, whistles and all – then it’ll be available wherever fans go to get their apps.
Jon Barber – Disco Biscuits

Couchtour.tv can be summed into two words. High Def. They guarantee above the rest with the highest quality stream, real-time customer service and the ability to host events literally anywhere. Their state-of-the-art satellite tech can zap converts from anywhere with a plugin. Maybe the Biscuits will be on a boat or teetering on the edge of a mountain, according tho the official press release on Wednesday. There are no limits.

Flashback to ‘Summer 2020’: Disco Biscuits Play Ball at Citizens Bank Park

October 16, 2020
Hudson Valley Votes Announces Get-Out-The-Vote Virtual Concert

Hudson Valley Votes (HVV) announces their third annual Get-Out-The-Vote virtual concert encouraging voter turnout. The virtual concert will take place on HVV’s YouTube and social media channels on Saturday, October 17, 2020. The lineup includes big names like Natalie Merchant, Norah Jones, Emily King, Antonio Delgado, Michelle Hinchey and more.

The event will include musicians, candidates, actors, students, and activists from the Hudson Valley area and beyond. The event encourages people to come together, celebrate, and defend their right to vote in what they call, “the most important election our country has ever faced.” The concert will take place online and will be free to the public. Donations via ActBlue are encouraged, with net proceeds to benefit Common Cause New York. As in years past, all of the performers and artists have donated their time to get out the vote and promote election integrity.

Performers on the docket include: Justin Vivian Bond, Nels Cline, Brian Collazo, Abena Koomson-Davis, Jack DeJohnette, Gail Ann Dorsey, Energy Dance Co, Cheme Gastelum, Corey Glover, Amy Helm, Dave Holland, Norah Jones, Steve Jordan, Emily King, Joakim Lartey, Sean Lennon, Dan Littleton, Storey Littleton, John Medeski, Natalie Merchant, Jeremy Most, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ben Perowsky, Kate Pierson, Casey Ramos, Jackson Speller, Simi Stone, and Rock Academy.

Special Guests include: Fred Armisen, Moraya Seeger DeGeare, Reggie Earls, Juan Figueroa, Brita Filter, Tim Guinee, Cally Mansfield, Rebecca Martin, Mary Stuart Masterson, Melissa Auf der Maur, Maitreya Motel, Thomas Sadoski, Amanda Seyfried, Bobby Tisdale, and Uma Thurman.

Candidates making an appearance include Antonio Delgado, Michelle Hinchey, Jen Metzger, and Karen Smythe. The event was originally going to take place at the landmark Opus 40, but inclement fall weather shifted plans and Hutton Brickyards generously donated its space in which to film the socially distanced concert reel, which will be shown virtually, interspersed with satellite performances and speakers. Earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original Hudson Valley Votes canceled it’s plans for its live event, which had been originally scheduled for October 17 th at Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston, donating remaining funds to FAMILY of Woodstock.

The event will be airing on Saturday, October 17 th at 8PM, via HVV’s YouTube channel and social media, as well as via Radio Kingston, Radio Woodstock and others. This is the third annual concert-rally that features incredible local and international talent.

For more information on the event visit Hudson Valley Votes’ website.

October 15, 2020
Autumn Nicholas Strives to Make a Difference Through Music

Autumn Nicholas, a soul-pop singer-songwriter from Raleigh, NC, is a talented young musician that makes her listeners only want more. Growing up with a father who played drums and a brother who played guitar, music was always prevalent in her family; however, Nicholas never thought she would make a career out of it.

Autumn Nicholas Promo

To say Nicholas is passionate about her music is an understatement. Not only is she passionate about her music, but she is passionate about making a difference in our society. She strives to make her music unique and relevant, singing about love and loss as well as hope and pain—which has been very pertinent in today’s civilization.

Recently inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter and LBGTQ marches, her new single “Side by Side” shows both the positive and negative sides of these movements in hopes to try and get people to stand up and take action. She says the single “is focused on how we are all uniquely beautiful, beyond our gender, circumstance, and skin, no one more than the other.” Autumn Nicholas is proud to be and sing about her sexuality. The gay, biracial artist stands out among other young artists because she sings about her own life in a way that can relate to anyone. She also sings to the masses where she offers inspiring messages through her lyrics and gives her listeners something to think about.

I can’t understand why we all just keep taking sides

Why can’t we sympathize?

If we really care about each other’s lives

Then let’s go and make it right

Standing side by side for equal rights
Autumn Nicholas – ‘Side by Side’ Single

Both the song’s lyrics and production capture her goal of coming together as people to stand up for what is right. “I want it to focus less on me and more on the words and the art and the community,” said Nicholas. She even said the official music video of ‘Side by Side’ was rushed because they had to make it before the artwork was taken down, and that there will be a second version of the song that shows even more street art as well as other artists of different races from around the world.

When performing her song live, she starts by talking about #BlackLivesMatter and how it relates to her song. “It grabs the attention and captures the importance of those words,” She explains, “it is deeper than that – it’s about equal rights and LGBT, but it ties in as a whole to unity, something during these times we do not have a lot of, especially since we are feeling like we’re trapped in our homes, like we are divided, whether it’s by sickness or by color. I hope this song can bring some unity to our time period.” In times like these, Nicholas wants to bring hope to our world, something in which our world needs right now.

Autumn Nicholas is also in the process of developing a clothing line titled Unbrand.d where their motto is “No Genre. No Gender. No Rules.” She wishes to create a style that can be worn by anyone no matter the gender. Her first item from the brand is a T-Shirt in which the proceeds will go to a food bank.

Not only will Nicholas continue to show the world her vibrant personality and talents, but she will continue sending the messages of unity and equality in her second EP Shades of Beige coming out this November.

October 15, 2020