The day-long festival, (De)Tour, will include several all-stars playing in association with Recording Academy’s charity MusiCares. MusiCares’ mission is to raise money to assist with tour and concert cancellations due to COVID-19. The festival is free, but donations to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund are critical for the concert’s success. The charity aims to lessen the stress felt by the entire music industry as all in it face complete uncertainty.
In a festival like no other, (De)Tour offers fans unlimited online access for the entire day. Everyone will be able to enjoy the many talented artists from the comfort of their own homes. (De)Tour will showcase talent like Ringo Starr, Slash, Gavin Rossdale, Macy Gray, Taylor Momsen, Cheap Trick, and tons more.
From Aug. 14 to Aug. 16, fans of the station can virtually experience a series of live concerts performed over the years.
Radio Woodstock asked listeners to submit some of their favorite concerts to the station that they will feature throughout the weekend.
The town of Woodstock gained its notoriety in the summer of 1969, when they held “three days of peace and music.” The festival showcased a mesh of famous artists like Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane.
Original poster for Woodstock Festival 1969.
Greg Gattine, Radio Woodstock’s Director of Programming, said that they wanted to provide the “Greatest Festival Ever,” in 2020.
“As we celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2020 we decided to put together the Greatest Festival Ever. A one of a kind virtual live experience from our vast archive. Although we won’t be able to celebrate together we can remember the times we stood shoulder to shoulder at some of the greatest concerts of all time and relive that experience for a few days in the middle of August in upstate New York.”
Greg Gattine
Members of the music-radio industry calls Radio Woodstock “the coolest radio station on the planet”. They are on of the most unique and eclectic radio stations in the world today, according to supporters.
The Greatest Festival of All Time goes live on 100.1 or their website at 5 p.m. Aug. 14.
“This is the kind of innovative programming that makes Radio Woodstock the greatest rock station in the world today. We will continue to be the torchbearer for independent radio,” said President of Radio Woodstock Greg Chetkof.
We’re moving quickly through the ‘Summer of Home‘ and while live music is slowly making a comeback, we’re a ways off from having it back to what we remember as normal.
NYS Music looked back at the past decade and came up with a Spotify playlist of ‘Songs of Summer’ from bands across the Empire State. Looking for funk, jam, soul, rock, reggae or Americana? We’ve got an incredible sampling below. Give a spin and listen to born and bred New York artists.
The message that Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis’ is sending in their new single doesn’t mince words. “Everybody Wear They Mask” was composed by Marsalis and recorded at orchestra members’ homes in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, and Iowa during quarantine.
The song is the band’s call for everyone to do their civic duty and use face coverings in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And for those who don’t want to wear a mask, the song has a slightly more pointed message: “Why you gotta be like that?”
Some of jazz legend Mynton Marsalis’ best work of the last four decades has been influenced by socio-cultural and political issues. In 1985, his Black Codes (From the Underground) won a Grammy, in 1996, Blood on the Fields became the first jazz piece ever to win a Pultzier Prize, All Rise was performed by Symphonic Orchestras all across the world in 2002, and in 2007, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary was said to “[reveal] some important truth about this country with a lot of anger and heart.” It seems only fitting that now, during this historical time of national protest, Wynton Marsalis release a new work that reflects on these human rights issues.
“The Ever Fonky Lowdown” directly addresses the racism, deception, and greed that clouds the country’s chances of human rights for all and pushes us further away from democracy. It was written in 2018 to combat human suffering and exploitation on the universal scale, but is now, in 2020, more topical than ever. The album’s narrator, “Mr. Game,” says it himself: “We are here tonight, but this is an international hustle. It has played out many times across time and space and is not specific to any language or race. It takes on different flavors according to people’s taste, but always ends up in the same old place.” These issues have been happening to countless all throughout history, and it is time to strip away the distractions to attack the injustice’s sources directly.
NYC-based dance-pop artist Michael Tapper has released the video for his debut single “Sleep In My Clothes” from his new project Practice. The song and video were both made pre-2020 madness, and yet the themes of isolation and self-quarantine root it (maybe too much) into current reality.
As an accomplished drummer and indie rock lifer (Tapper was previously the drummer of We Are Scientists, BishopAllen, Fool’s Gold and Yellow Ostrich), Tapper’s point of self-discovery that led to the creation of his album Not a Game took place in 2013, when he headed out on a 28-day sailing trip from Mexico to Hawaii with his brother-in-law. The album Not a Game represents an exciting new chapter in his career as well as the beginning of something else entirely — a fresh start, sonically and perspective-wise.
The moniker of Practice itself was borne out of this constant, self-exploratory toil, along with a connection to the practice of meditation itself. NBA legend Allen Iverson’s infamous “practice” speech was another inspiration for the project’s name, and the speech itself is showcased over the rippling synths and hissing snares of album centerpiece “Practice.”
Speaking about “Sleep In My Clothes” Tapper explains the song’s message on the struggles he’s encountered during this global pandemic:
Like everyone, coronavirus has upended my life and consumed probably the majority of my waking energy for the past month or so. My wife is a doctor in Manhattan, so we started quarantining before most people (when she’s not at work), concerned that she might bring it home from the hospital and not wanting to spread it to our friends or neighborhood. Our fears were founded because we did get it early, but thankfully our symptoms were mild. During this quarantine time, I was able to finish up preparing this music video for release. As I showed it to a few people, one friend mentioned that it embodies things we’re feeling during this isolation period. As one friend put it: “the vibe of the “Sleep In My Clothes” video is how I feel on a bad day during this quarantine — crying my mascara off (if I even had the will to put any on).”
The video starts very literally with me waking up in all of my clothes and walking out the door, which is the first verse of the song, but then takes it a step further by diving into a pool fully clothed. Later, the character experiences a sort of baptismal rebirth transformation, ending up completely naked, which is a literal reference to the lyrics but also a metaphor for honesty and vulnerability, which is what’s happening lyrically at the same time.
Cardi B broke the internet on Friday, August 7 with her new song and video “WAP.” Featuring Megan Thee Stallion, the song serves as a comeback for both of them.
“WAP” has ignited controversy for many reasons, but its lyrical content is the most conspicuous of the bunch. While sexual subject matter is nothing new for either rapper, they abandon past metaphors and double entendres in favor of a literal approach. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory, but the song coasts solely on shock value. It worked, though: a Republican congressional candidate’s Twitter rant gave them free publicity, and the video is trending on YouTube:
Although Cardi and Megan’s prior hits were full of catchy hooks and Instagram caption-ready lyrics, both are largely absent here. The straightforward verses are a missed opportunity for them to show off their wordplay, which they’ve weaved with their sexuality in the past. The Frank Ski sample gets old quickly, and Megan outshines Cardi on her own song.
However, while Cardi often faces accusations of ghostwriting, it’s completely believable that she wrote her own verses here. One line goes, “I want you to touch that li’l dangly thing that swings in the back of my throat,” which is the trademark brazenness that only Cardi B could pull off. Also, as we’ve come to expect from the Bronx rapper, the video’s visuals are stunning. It’s rare that a music video feels like an event anymore, but her surrealist Dr. Seuss take on the Playboy Mansion is truly something to behold. Carole Baskin of Tiger King infamy decried Cardi’s use of big cats in the video, despite their addition in post-production with a green screen. This seemingly random feud most likely began when Cardi defended Baskin’s archenemy Joe Exotic earlier this year.
Mostly featuring up-and-coming artists such as Normani, Rosalía, and Mulatto, the “WAP” video’s main attraction is Kylie Jenner. Her cameo spawned memes as well as backlash, including a petition to remove her from the video. Besides looking out of place, signees cited her cultural appropriation and alleged mocking of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting injuries as reasons.
I wanna say thank you to every woman that was apart of my video! The fact that you made time in your schedules means alot to me! It was so important to me to include different women,that are different races and come from different backgrounds but are so powerful and influential.
Contrary to many “WAP” critics’ complaints, the problem doesn’t necessarily lie in the song’s raunchiness, Kylie Jenner inclusion, or use of exotic animals, but how one-dimensional it is. Cardi and Megan have always been outspoken about their sexuality in their music, but they supplemented it with other aspects of their personality and artistry. Compared to “I Like It”’s trap-salsa genius and “Savage”’s boasts of complexity, “WAP” feels lifeless, uninspired, and derivative of their peers.
Cardi B’s second studio album is set for release later this year.
In June and July, we looked at the state of music venues across New York State. Now in August, with hope for passage of relief bills in Congress to help small independent music venues across the country, venues remain closed for live music, in quiet anticipation of the day crowds can return.
Working with a dozen photographers to document more than 50 venues in 12 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the third edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in Manhattan and Brooklyn with Joseph Buscarello, covering a wide swath of the Big Apple. Here’s to getting back to live music sooner, rather than later, and safely.
On August 14, Brooklyn-based band Gawn will release their debut album, Thee Essence Ov Everything. The band’s newest single, “Pushed Aside,” is available to stream now.
Photo from @g_a_w_n on Instagram
Thee Essence Ov Everything is the perfect mix of soft, indie, and electric rock. Each song is individually interesting but maintains in harmony with the rest of the record. I had the opportunity to talk to Zach Koeing about Gawn, the band’s soul, about the new track and album.
Marilyn Feerick: How did you first get into music?
Zach Koeing: I started playing music probably when I was 10 years old. I grew up in a house with musicians. My dad was a guitar player and songwriter and he taught me to play guitar.
MF: What does “Pushed Aside” mean to you?
ZK: The meaning of the song and the lyrics is kinda just moving on from old friendships that have faded away, maybe because they’re toxic or people change.
MF: I read that it was hard to get one solid group to consistently do shows, so you play with different people almost every night.
ZK: When the project first started, it was more of just a recording project. It was different friends coming to the studio, handing out, laying down some tracks, writing some songs together, and when it kinda came down to shows, it seemed like a lot of people’s schedules were clashing with each other and stuff like that. So, it just seemed to be a lot less stress ad a lot easier to get a group of guys together on the flay than try to rely on just one group of people.
MF: Is having a rotating band more confusing, or does it help you keep everything more fresh?
ZK: I think it sounds like it would be more confusing, but it does feel like it is fresh because every single time that I sit down with a new group of people, it feels like I’m able to come up with something new and something original. With the same group of guys, it would seem like it would be harder to come up with new stuff. There’s definitely different feels. People play differently, and ideas some of the guys will bring to the table will just be kind of on a whim and it’s just like ‘that was it, let’s keep it,’ and if that guy wasn’t there that night, it wouldn’t have happened.
MF: How has COVID-19 and the quarantine affected you creatively? Are you writing anything new?
ZK: Before COVID, we were talking to our publicist about doing PR and all the promotions and everything for [the album], and out of nowhere, the country was shut down and we were kinda just like ‘oh no what are we gonna do? Are we gonna tour, should the record come out, should we go with it?’ And especially during the black lives matter protests, we didn’t want to be shining any light on us when there’s something more important going on. So we decided to basically just put it on the back burner until we started to find out what was going on in the world. During that time I had a little four track recorder at my house that I sat next to, like, every morning and every night just writing new ideas, because we weren’t working or anything so we were just kinda adjusting…to being home all the time. And I had my own little recording setup. So, I recorded about 30 new ideas on a four track during quarantine.
MF: And lastly, do you have any plans for projects once quarantine is over?
ZK: Me and the guys recorded two new songs probably like a month ago, so we plan on releasing probably a seven inch after we do the record and then hopefully next year we’ll be able to tour.
Stream “Pushed Aside” and other singles by Gawn in the meantime before Thee Essence Ov Everything comes out on August 14.
BOMBZR, one of New York City’s many exciting up and coming musical acts, is here to share some groovy tunes. Born out of the City’s underground funk and jazz scene, BOMBZR are the perfect accompaniment to any Friday night club scene.
“Butterscotch Baby” is one of the groups highlights featuring a slick, infectious hook and a indisputable groove. This track showcases the wide range of talent BOMBZR bring together as a group.
Rich Bomzer, leader of the group says “For me, Butterscotch Baby is a soul driven love song with a little bit of everything that makes up a good R&B song- with horns, strong vocals, talkbox and a great hook.”
“Butterscotch Baby” features Ramon Jackson on vocals, a friend of Bomzer. The two met working with Valerie Simpson at the Sugar Bar in NYC.
Comprised of musicians with working alongside artists such as Elton John, Kanye West, Valerie Simpson and Roy Ayers, BOMBZR have their own original music that mixes retro throwback soul with the new music of today.
To find out more about the band and keep up with what they have going on, follow them on ReverbNation.
