Brooklyn-based duo Drug Couple return with two new tracks, “No Outside” and “Alone 2gether,” a pairing of B-Sides released via Papercup Music. The prescient tracks were written and named before the pandemic, and offer a meditation on bunkering down with someone special while the world outside burns
The two tracks find Miles singing and playing guitar, keyboard, and chimes, with Becca on bass and vocals. Their music attempts to showcase a dialogue between genders, as opposed to the one-sided soliloquies that define so much of popular music. The two singles precede the release of their sophomore EP Choose Your Own Apocalypse, due out August 2020 on PaperCup Music.
Choose Your Own Apocalypse stands to be a collection of songs about finding someone special to share the end-times alongside. The music is not fresh from the effects of the pandemic, but find their roots in the summer of 2016. As events lead up to the election of Donald Trump, it already seemed certain that, one way or the other, Armageddon was right around the corner. Drug Couple decided to make a record based around the concept of falling in love mid-apocalypse without fully realizing that’s exactly what they were doing.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music to discover from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from Belle-Skinner, The Abyssmals, Paradisa and many more!
Belle-Skinner – “Red“
Belle-Skinner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer based out of Troy and Brooklyn. She describes this song as a blood moon western apocalyptic west world tune inspired by Exudos and The Grapes of Wrath and strangely enough, it was written and recorded before COVID-19 became a big thing. Check out her new album Violets which you can buy at her belle-skinner.com.
The Abyssmals – “Let’s Forget“
This Schenectady bands unique psych-garage sound is influenced by everything from Nuggets-era classics, surf guitars, 70’s punk, Motown/Stax records, Britpop and Shoegazers of the 90’s, and Beyoncé. They’ve had music featured on various network and streaming series such as The Punisher, Nancy Drew, and Shameless. They say this song is for fans of Jesus and Mary Chain, Pulp, Ramones, karaoke, intimacy, and Nick-at-Nite.
Paradisa – “Can’t Get Enough“
Straddling the line between hooky alternative rock and the musical freedom of the neo-progressive movement of the mid-2000s, Upstate New York’s paradisa is an amalgamation of influences, experiences, and viewpoints. Four longtime friends who found each other in various corners of the burgeoning punk & alternative scenes of Northern NY, the newly anointed band have found themselves searching for truth in a world of fallacies.
Ryan Sutherland names his new album simply, Sutherland. It’s a perfect title, as that is just what you get: a man, a guitar and a simple drum kit. Sutherland uses tempo changes to unbalance the listener, while throwing in bluesy and forlorn lyrics that tie the songs right back together. This can be seen on the first track “Gideon’s Bible.” It’s a great opening track and sets the mood for what this self titles record is. Bluesy garage rock and a simple take that brings you and the artist together.
The second track, “Sludge,” has that same heavy blues like a young Elvis Presley took over lead vocals for the White Stripes, singing “Can’t Put My Finger On The Pain/It’s there to remind me of the rain/No lullaby, no fleeting glimpse/No blood on your fingertips…”
“(Dead) Don’t Die” also contains many tempo changes and seems like a stream of consciousness song. Almost like how Bob Dylan recorded Another Side of Bob Dylan. It works as a slick, quick witted track with the changes and catchy repetitive lines as well.
A lovely instrumental, “It Ain’t Too Far,” has an introduction that fades into beautiful slide work, reminiscent of the Allman Brothers; one could even imagine Greg and Duane sitting out back writing the beginning parts of a hit. It provides a nice interlude, placed perfectly on the record.
“Keep Burning Down,” comes in hot with great harmonica work, growing slowly distant as the song takes on a driving blues. It’s almost like listening to early Black Keys records and the train rumbling through a gritty city. Another Dylan-esque interlude as the tempos rise, fade and then rise again and Sutherland weaves emotional lyrics in.
“Black Cats On The Moon” has a little bit more of a folksy feel as it slowly rocks, almost a lullaby to bring the record to a close. In all this seems like a very intimate, yet also experimental album. If you close your eyes and listen it could take you from a smoky bar in West Texas, to an Upstate New York BBQ on the lake, to a back room underground poker game. Sutherland sets a mood, he sticks to it and tears down the standard timing of a blues song, while inserting a presence that you can feel in the room with you as you listen. This reviewer can’t wait to see what he puts out next.
Key Tracks: Keep Burning Down, It Ain’t Too Far, Sludge
Todd Alsup premieres his new music video “Manhattan” is an ode to his beloved city as it braves the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dedicated to the essential workers and everyday heroes of New York City, the video features its diverse population coming together as a community while remaining six feet apart. Essential workers such as firemen and first responders are given special focus, as well as the artists and musicians who continue to brighten up the city in dark and confusing times.
Raised in Detroit, Alsup first became enamored with New York City on a high school trip. He fell further in love while attending New York University, where he earned a bachelor of music degree studying voice, theory, and songwriting. The singer, songwriter, and keyboardist says:
“‘Manhattan’ is a love song I wrote for the city I’ve called home for over 20 years. New York was, of course, hit very hard at the onset of COVID-19 and is now a center of protest in the fight against systemic racism and police brutality. I’ve seen my city rise up in the face of daunting challenges many times before and I’ve chosen to create a video that celebrates the spirit of strength and perseverance of New Yorkers.”
Todd Alsup criticizes many aspects of the city throughout the track, such as its noise, cold temperature, and “lunatics everywhere,” but ultimately couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “One million reasons to leave and a million more to stay / Oh Manhattan, I wouldn’t have you any other way,” he concedes. In addition to “Manhattan,” Alsup has also released a lyric video for his cover of The Spinners’ 1973 hit “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” adding a retro hip hop flair to the Motown classic.
Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage announces the launch of its digital series SummerStage Anywhere. The series will highlight genres that were born in or deeply represent New York including hip hop, salsa, jazz, global, indie, and contemporary dance. SummerStage Anywhere will start on June 6 at 7PM EST and will feature performances each weekend for the rest of June.
Angélique Kidjo photo provided by City Parks Foundations website.
The series will debut on June 6 with an original performance by New Yorker pop phenom MAX. MAX performing a love letter to New York of sorts. Max has been called a “Young Pop God” by GQ in the past and has been called the “top popstar to watch” by Billboard and was nominated for “Best New Pop Artist” at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
On June 13 LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference) will be taking the stage and highlighting key voices in the Latino LGBTQ community. Some of the performers include pop singer Kany Garcia, hip hop artist Mabiland, indie electro pop musician Javiera Mena and rock band Circo. The event will be hosted by Los Angeles’ KCRW radio DJ Raul Campos and the Latin Grammy winning artist Cheo, formerly of Los Amigos Invisibles.
On June 19 SummerStage Anywhere will be hosting a celebration for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth. Juneteenth for those unaware is the nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The event will be featuring Jamel Gaines’ Creative Outlet Dance Theatre and poet Carl Hancock Rux, and a panel discussion led by Executive Artistic Director of The Billie Holiday Theatre, Dr. Indira Etwaroo.
On June 26 the series will wrap up with an exclusive performance from Angélique Kidjo. Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award-winning Beninese singer-songwriter, actress and activist. She will also be doing a live Q&A session after her performance.
The series will be available on SummerStage Anywhere’s website and streamed exclusively on the SummerStage’s YouTube channel. SummerStage is an independent, non-profit organization, and relies on donations to make it’s free performing arts festivals possible. Anyone interested in supporting the SummerStage series can donate.
For a full schedule of upcoming programming and more information please visit SummerStage Anywhere’s website.
Ella Joy Mier, under the moniker Iris Lune, delivers her debut album ‘Lovelosslovee,’ a poetic and sonic masterpiece that examines the seamless relationship between love and loss.
The Brooklyn native is a songwriter who came inter her own, via the folk music of her heritage, Israel. Bringing a contemporary take on the sounds she is familiar with, Mier showcases her ability to tie rich, sonic passages along with beautiful poetry and wordplay. She exhibits a palpable mystique focus but diverse mood board throughout.
After loosing her mother from a six year battle with cancer, Mier has been desperately trying to piece her life back together, trying to survive in a world without her mother’s physical presence. These songs take the audience through that emotional journey.
The project starts with a well thought-out drum intro, followed by a rumbling, synthesized bass line. Intertwined vocal melodies, textured guitar and well organized percussion hits are a constant throughout the albums track list. With a central theme of love and loss, the tracks on this album mend together creating an emotive and captive tapestry of sound. With a clear knowledge of radio friendly pop structures as well as dreampop-like instrumentation, Mier falls inter her own on this album, creating a space that she is clearly confident in.
The production lets her vocals shine and remain the focal point from song to song. The album being co-written and produced by Asher Kutz, is full of highs and lows along with dynamic songwriting. Lovelosslove fulfils Miers’ want to let us in briefly to the journey of the endless relationship between love and loss.
Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Lorelei Rose Taylor released a gift to the world on May 22. Stepping into the studio for the first time to record her music gave light to her debut EP, Versailles, which lyrically navigates her own stream of emotion, intertwined with dreamy baroque-pop sounds. As Taylor explained to NYS Music, she treads on the strong influence of The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan, evident in her flawless singing, which also subtly nods to Florence Welch and Lana Del Rey.
Taylor grew up between Texas and Upstate NY and began exploring music on her own at a young age. But it wasn’t until 2017 when her interests returned to music following her college studies. With the help of the friendship of Robbie Grabowski, she began writing her own music and was given the courage to step into the studio in 2019.
Versailles EP
Taylor recently spoke with NYS Music about her experience bringing her music to the world for the first time and some of the inspirations into her songwriting.
Steve Malinski: The Versaille EP is your debut audio portrait to the public. How would you introduce yourself as a musician/songwriter?
Lorelei Rose Taylor: I would introduce myself as someone that’s very consistent in my message and my sound. I think I’m overall pretty melancholy, as much as I try to fight it that’s kind of just what happens.
SM: One thing I noticed about your sound is that it’s very clean and refined – particularly on one the songs, “If You Love Another,” almost right away I can hear the influence Dolores O’Riordan has on your singing. How has she been an influence on you and your songwriting?
LRT: She’s huge. I mean The Cranberries in general…when I think of my past and you know, out of my experiences in childhood that really shaped my direction, she stands out tenfold and it really comes back to growing up. I felt like it wasn’t a glamorous childhood by any means. So I’m in my room and I had this white boombox and I would like to sneak out to the living room. Remember those rotating CD things with the velvet interior that held the CDs? So I’d go in there and grab all the CDs I could find and shove them in the back of my room.
I would just like sit there for hours listening to all the weird stuff, and everything like that. I was kind of obsessive in that way. That was my outlet. No Need To Argue was that album that stayed with me and never left the rotation and I feel that way because I think Dolores sings like there’s a pain in her voice – that’s definitely her style – but she’s also really strong like you’re safe under her wing, in a way. I just I felt very understood by her.
And then “If You Love Another” was actually inspired by W.B. Yeats who is an Irish poet legend. I love the Irish. But yeah, I feel like it’s twofold, like there were a lot of strengths that I was trying to channel which I found in Dolores.
SM: Now that Versailles been released, what does that milestone – reaching that accomplishment mean to you?
LRT: I feel like I’ve always…this sounds so cliche, but like… dreamed of this moment. And now that it’s here, it feels a little bit like that false beginning, you know, when you’re like watching a show and they tease the beginning, and then they start the bullshit of the intro and the music. And I think it’s like the real show, the real beginning. That’s kind of what it feels like for me. Because I think… I don’t think like I’m doing the Lord’s work here. Like, I love the EP, and I’m so proud of it but I think that there’s so much growth to come and like so much exploratory work that I’d love to do from here. So it’s the beginning, but I don’t think it’s like the big moment for me, but I’m excited to see what happens.
SM: You’ve been exploring music since a young age…so what drew you into eventually writing your own songs?
LRT: So growing up, I spent a lot of it solitary and I feel like when you don’t have an outlet you kind of build your own and I feel like the writing and music that I turn to when I’m alone or whatever I was going through experiencing and it just always stuck with me. I recorded the Robbie Grabowski (from I Can See Mountains, Super American) and he like, kind of pulled the rest out of me.
SM: So the motivation to actually bring your material into the studio was that driven by Robbie?
LRT: Oh, yeah. Before that, I was just fucking around, like I wasn’t really… I mean, I dreamed of recording but I didn’t have that motivation or confidence to do anything with it and then he was like, “put your shoes on, we’re going to the studio today!”
SM: So this being your first recording project, how was the recording experience?
LRT: Oh my god. terrifying. I think it was last August [2019] – was the first time I’ve ever sat down in the studio. I was just right in front of a mic, that’s not my comfort zone. I don’t pretend to be a performer. So it was traumatizing. And I’m really grateful that I recorded with Robbie and Stephen Kellner and Jesse Cannon and Roderick, kind of like this very tight-knit circle which I’m grateful for. So Robbie just became a mentor and he was just like “pick up from the beginning, relax, chill out, it’s gonna be fine,” because I was terrified and it’s really difficult.
And you know, I learned a lot because when you’re singing a cover, for instance, “When You’re Gone,” that came super easy because I was just spinning the musical machine, you know, you have to channel the emotion, the performance, are you on TV?, the lyrics…there’s so much in one moment that you have to articulate and get right and I was just learning a lot the first time. I think “Casanova,” the first track on the EP, was the first song that Robbie and I wrote together, the first one we took to the studio and it took me probably eight months, nearly a year to like come around with that song and say “okay, we can just push it to the public,” because I just hear fear and I hear trauma because I was so scared in the studio. I guess it adds to the vulnerability a little bit.
SM: So now that you’ve learned a lot from that experience, do you think that might influence how you write your songs going forward? Or do you think you’ll still have the same approach?
LRT: Yeah, I’ve learned so much. And I think like, it really comes down to going back to being alone and just alone with my thoughts and not having to worry about any other element. It’s just me and the music and I feel like, especially during quarantine, recording by myself, there’s a different… It sounds very different when I’m writing alone and recording alone. There’s a different confidence. There’s a different way. I’m excited to share what I’ve done now alone in my own little studio to bring that to studio that’s going to be very different.
SM: You’re very introspective with respect to writing your songs and the emotions flow from what you’re feeling in that moment. So, when you go and you listen back to the songs especially in these current times, do they have a different meaning to you?
LRT: Yeah, I definitely think so. I mean, from like a personal standpoint…My favorite piece of was that our job is not to like our own music. It’s just to like keep making it. And I feel like the biggest thing in quarantine and creating (or trying to), removes that element to it. Hearing back the EP there’s so many moments where I’m like, “oh, I wish I did that differently” or “I wish this was scratched completely” but I think that removing that and just living in the moment more… I mean with COVID there’s just so much that we took for granted and I feel like just so lucky to be in a position to keep making music and I’m eager to get back to it. I feel like I’m more grateful for the music that I’ve made and more proud of it. I hope to make… all I have right now is that fucking record, so I hope to make happier ones because everything is very sad right now.
SM: You’ve also had a full length album in the works too?
LRT: Yeah, that was in the works. I mean, I’ve been writing for so long, but with everything that happened I didn’t have time to go back to the studios. I was like, well, I could either release an EP now or just have radio silence for the next… who knows how long. But yeah there’s a full album which will likely be called After Party. And it’s nearly done. It’s just like, you know, the finishing touches. But to your point now that everything has happened, I suppose there’s gonna be a lot of changes that I want to make to it with so much time to think.
SM: Have you been able to create any new content in this quarantine?
LRT: I’ve written one song from beginning to end. I was sad one day about two months ago and I was like, I’m clocked out, I’ve got nothing. So much of what I write is thriving off other people’s energy and people that I meet and see and right now I’ve only seen one human being for a few months now. It’s just very hard to find that inspiration. But I did write one song, a demo I recorded which was really an interesting experience because I wrote the whole track. I bought a MIDI controller and I produced the whole thing which I…that’s not my element… so I sent it to Robbie and he was just like “okay keep going.” It was kind of like a little pat on the back like, “okay this probably sounds like shit but like, I’m not gonna tell you that.” But yeah, great to bounce ideas off of him. Hopefully I have at least one more on the way in this infinite era.
SM: Once this whole thing blows over and you’re finally able to get the album recorded, what do you think you’re gonna be up to as far as live shows? Do you want to go out and perform these or just share them?
LRT: Yeah, definitely performing is on my roster. Especially around New York. New York has been home to me for eight years so there’s like a bond I have here. I’ll probably get back up to Syracuse. I spent a lot of my time there and all my friends are there, having like that space to have the energy to go off of which is very nice to perform to. Looking forward to that, looking forward to the album. My first music video for Versailles will be out soon, waiting for the final cut and my album will be out sooner than later.
You can stream Lorelei Rose Taylor’s EP Versailles below.
Guitarist Mick Fury thought we could all use a little pick me up, so he reached out to independent musicians across the country and assembled them into a small orchestra. The resulting song, “Front Porch of America,” encoruages empathy as we push through COVID-19, and features a number of Upstate New York musicians.
I was thinking if there was ever a time folks could use a pick me up, this situation we’re all going through is one of those. Music has a way to cut through the noise and I thought a song like “Front Porch of America” could offer some hope and empathy to those that are struggling. I reached out to all my independent musician friends from around the country and asked if they’d be willing to film themselves from their house or front porch singing/playing the part of this song that spoke to them the loudest.
NYC-based indie folk artist Hayfitz releases debut album Capsules, which debunks the value of time and nurtures brief yet defining experiences into lush songs.
The foundation of Capsules was recorded over eighteen days in a Seattle home surrounded by idyllic views of the Puget Sound and the region’s mountains and evergreens. The setting brought Hayfitz the emotional space to deliver the record with resolve, bringing intentional details to each song and distilling the franticness of a Brooklyn lifestyle.
Capsules took on its current shape in a secluded winter cabin in Parker, Pennsylvania where friend turned collaborator, Patrick Gregg, hosted Hayfitz for two separate week-long periods. Each inspired by contemporaries like Andy Shauf and Chad Vangaalen, Gregg and Hayfitz collaborated to bring a range of woodwinds to the recording process, with Gregg playing everything from bass clarinet to saxophone. Gregg’s added aptitude in both modular and analog synthesis formed the underlying soundscapes that created a cohesive record, running Hayfitz’s demo midi sequences through various vintage synthesizers.
The album opens up with the song “Pinpoint,” an illustration of Hayfitz’s complicated and perplexing emotions towards a girl. Throughout the album are songs like “Daylight,” that display Hayfitz’s fear and susceptibility and “Hold On,” which demonstrate Hayfitz’s perseverance to have strength and hope in his darkest moments. The song “Kitchen,” relates to today’s current situation, making it the perfect quarantine reflection:
“Kitchen” is about being left alone with someone you’ve just met and quickly becoming enamored with them. We hardly ever have control over the circumstances of these first moments we share with a stranger and it’s utterly terrifying to think about what’s going through their head. It’s oddly coincidental that my song about being unexpectedly trapped in a kitchen is coming out during a time where we now all find ourselves in isolation, without having planned for it. We’re finding expedited and deeper connections with those who we’re sharing our small spaces with and being forced to adapt immediately to this new way of life.
People have experienced feelings of fear and uncertainty due COVID-19, but Hayfitz’s album communicates that all we have to do is just “Hold On.”
Hamilton Movie Theater has announced that they will continue Hamilton Unity Concerts starting Sunday, May 31 and running through the end of June.
Concerts will be live streamed at 7PM on their Facebook page. Hamilton Unity Concerts Part II will support a variety of non-profit organizations. A link will be provided on their Facebook page for people to donate to the organizations and offer tips to the artists.
The concerts will kick off with Vermont-based indie-rock band Jesse Taylor on May 31. Other artists who will perform include: Liz Fiddle, Jeffrey Monty, Sam Herbert, and Blaine Holcolmb. Check out more details below.
