Zachery Allan Starkey has released “XXX,” the dark and melodic second single and video off of his forthcoming album FEARCITY. Composed, performed, and produced by Starkey, “XXX ” is a symphonic techno odyssey that brings the listener deep into the pure hedonistic ecstasy of New York City nightlife.
Using analogue synthesizers and intricate arrangements, Starkey creates a throbbing, pulsing arpeggiated Techno bass line, then adds soaring lead melodies and pounding drums and percussion (inspired by the sound of the New York subway system), creating a dynamic club track that brings to mind the best work of electronic pioneers Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley, whilst pushing the track firmly into the future.
Starkey says of the latest track: “‘XXX’ is my musical synthesis of a journey I have made literally hundreds of times, finding escape and release from the struggles of daily life on the dance floor. It’s a song for both my journey and the journey I’ve seen many others make in the safety offered by nightlife spaces. ‘XXX’ is about celebrating sex, pleasure, and freedom. Musically, ‘XXX’ is my attempt to marry my love of both techno and symphonic music.”
The first FEAR CITY single, the acclaimed “No Security,” discusses the political and economic chaos and fear that is consuming the world in 2020. With “XXX,” Starkey shows marginalized, disadvantaged, depressed, overworked, and economically struggling people escaping the present dystopian nightmare to find freedom, expression, and pleasure on the dance floor. The “XXX” of the title is not only a reference to sex and recreational drugs, it is also signifying the excitement of the unknown.
As a whole, FEAR CITY takes the 1970’s nickname for New York City, with a focus on the decadent nightlife, drugs, sex, darkness, class inequality and the opiate epidemic found across the 5 boroughs. It uses hedonism to escape the current, widespread political/economic fears, uncertainties and anxiety caused by the rise of right wing politics around the world. While culling influences from New York’s deep well of dance music history, FEAR CITY is a product of the current times.
“XXX” is accompanied by a music video created by director directed by William Murray and Zachery Allan Starkey, filmed in the seedy sex districts of Manhattan and late night Brooklyn, and features a cameo by revered Brooklyn House and Techno producer Lauren Flax, as well as Starkey’s live musicians, Laura Holden and Ruby Wang.
Nearly a decade ago, the members of Moon Hooch were busking in the NYC subways, filling the tunnels with their raw and energetic saxophones and percussions. But try not to think of a few musicians, off to the side, with crowds of people just buzzing past minding their own business. Instead, Mike Wilbur, Wenzl McGowen and James Muschler would turn entire subway platforms into tribal dance floors with their beat-infused jazz music. It was not long before the MTA banned them from smaller subway stations and they were bringing their “cave music” above ground to TV shows and sold out music venues.
The trio of Moon Hooch made their way to Bowery Ballroom this past Thursday, for the second stop on their lengthy world tour. The line to get in extended around the corner before doors opened and the Brooklyn-based band was treated to a warm reception from a room packed with fans and close friends. They hit the stage earlier than the posted set time and kicked into high gear right from the start. At times, more than half the dance floor was turned into a dancing mosh pit; if it wasn’t for the cables plugging their instruments in, I’m sure Mike and Wenzl would have dove right in.
Even though the group has graduated from the subways to the stage, their sound and live setup remains true to their origins. A modest drum kit sat center stage with an army of saxophones standing at attention off to the side. A makeshift DJ set-up, several props and smaller wind instruments that would appear later in the show all sat on a table.
Mike Wilbur of Moon Hooch at Bowery Ballroom – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
A large open area was left to allow for the immensely energetic performance. The music did not skip a beat while the two saxophonists bounced and danced from one side of the stage to the other. Constant swapping of instruments and the use of horn props all led to a very dense and eclectic sound. At one point, a traffic cone was attached to Wenzl’s tenor sax, turning it into a deep-bass horn extending over the heads of the fans in the front row.
Wenzl McGowen of Moon Hooch at Bowery Ballroom – Photo: Joseph Buscarello
It does not seem likely that a subway busking performance would have a well planned setlist, and that was also the case for this show. All of the songs were performed as live basement jams, but with a “telepathic” connection between the trio. For almost two hours, the band played nearly non-stop, constantly mixing and improvising the songs that make up their catalog. The madhouse that ensued would not let up until security was forcing people to the exits.
The band just self-released their 4th LP, Life On Other Planets, earlier this month right before kicking off the tour. Unlike their last three records, the band decided to forgo obsessively producing and mastering tracks and instead attempted to reproduce the raw and unpredictable sound of their live shows. Almost all of the tracks were single-take recordings featuring extensive build ups, driving percussions and ear-ringing, funky sax riffs. The result is a largely successful and unique record. After seeing the show for myself, one could assume the new LP is a live album taken from one of their shows.
Moon Hooch have dates all across the US through February, then they hit Europe for March and April. Support for these shows comes from Sungazer, The Tangled Roots, The Main Squeeze and Paris Monster. Check out the full list of dates here.
The NYC Winter Jazz Fest rolled on with the Jazz Fest Marathon, which included 6 venues in Brooklyn with a myriad of jazz verticals. One ticket was accepted at any location, allowing fans to customize their music experience. This review will focus on coverage from the legendary Brooklyn Bowl, located on the waterfront in Williamsburg.
Kendra Morris
Singer-songwriter Kendra Morris and her four-piece band kicked off the festivities with their “soul meets indie” jazz sound. Most of their material was originals written by Morris, and soul-fully executed by her adept band. Her beautiful voice electrified the crowd when she belted out the classic Pink Floyd tune “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”
Felix Pastorius and Hipster Assassins
Felix Pastorius, son of jazz legend Jaco Pastorius, and Hipster Assassins, his experimental bass-driven jazz band, was up next. Their eclectic mix of a guitar, bass, drums and saxophone raised the bar of modern jazz. Their free flowing sound yielded a creative and fresh take on the classic jazz tune, “Butter Biscuit.”
Kung Fu
Following Pastorius was Kung Fu, the Connecticut-based jazz group led by guitarist Tim Palmieri, who delivered non-stop funk for the people. Their intense set included a nice groove and contagious stage energy between the band members. Palmieri’s performance was nothing short of legendary, diving on his knees and playing off the energy of the crowd. The band hit a high note during the cover of the jazz classic “Birdland.”
DJ Logic
The evening wrapped up with a late night performance by DJ Logic and friends, supported by Billy Martin and Shanir Blumenkranz. This set was filled with beats and scratching, care of DJ Logic. The organic percussion of Martin and the various string instruments played by Blumenkranz created a perfect harmony with the digital elements.
Tim Palmieri of Kung Fu
Overall, the NYC Winter Jazz Fest Marathon was a delightful way to enjoy a number of bands under one or more roofs, depending on the tastes of the listener. Head on over to their website for more information about future Jazz Fests.
The silly and surreal met the seriously groovy at the 9th Annual Wintercourse. The single-night, multi-artist musical event was presented by Brooklyn electro-funk band Cousin Earth.
The historic, hole-in-the-wall Knitting factory hosted the event for the fourth time in a row. This year’s Wintercourse went off with aplomb, delivering the musical goods four times over. Pennsylvania psychedelic punk band Medusa’s Disco opened things up. Additionally, Of Clocks and Clouds performed next, while the legendary jam band The Breakfast headlined the evening. Cousin Earth themselves also performed a complete set in addition to hosting the event.
Cousin Earth performs at their festival: The 9th Annual Wintercourse
The Performance
Medusa’s Disco revved up the beginning of the night with an immediate smattering of fearlessly intense music. Donned in devil horns and Willy Wonka spectacles, the members whipped across head-spinning riffs and cool, classic rock-style melodies. Medusa’s Disco presented a kind of feel-so-bad-it-feels-good rock and roll. A song like “Painters Painting Paintings,” a new song from the band, gives a great example of their essence: punk rock updated sonically for the modern age, without losing the raw spirit of the genre.
Of Clocks And Clouds performed at a hometown venue in Knitting Factory. Their set received fantastic enthusiasm from the crowd. The psychedelic metal quartet tapped into some vibrant improvisation for their performance. They played a few songs that were outright inspirational in their climactic peaks. One in particular was “Who I Am,” which managed to mutate its catchy chorus and composition into a terrifically bright and uplifting jam.
Medusa’s Disco gets down at the 9th Annual Wintercourse
Collaboration Efforts
Many anticipated a collaboration somewhere on this stacked lineup for Wintercourse 9. Cousin Earth’s ukulele lead Joey Calfa made that happen here in the Clocks set. He joined the band on a great version of “Hey Joe,” for which he shared in a sweet guitar shredding session with OCAC’s Tom Salgo. Calfa, for anybody who for some reason is unaware, is a Jedi on his instrument, at danger of ripping holes in time and space when he really gets going on a ukulele solo. But OCAC’s Tom and his brother Joe Salgo are confidently apt guitar players themselves, and they both delivered their own righteous lead solos back and forth.
Perhaps Cousin Earth followed the lead of Of Clocks and Clouds (who wrapped things up with Pink Floyd’s “Time”), for they opened their own performance with a take on “Great Gig In The Sky,” a rare and pretty cool choice for a set opener. Then they dove into their own music and things got groovy real fast. “Burnin’ Up For You” was a great blues-funk number that showcased the insatiable voice of the band’s lead vocalist Melissa Raye. By the time the band led the room through a meticulously played, futuristic-sounding disco rock groove, Knitting Factory took the spirit of Wintercourse 9 and ran away with it.
Prodded on by the ultimate ringmaster/troublemaker, Medusa’s Disco guitarist Wynton Huddle, the show which was musically splendid now became physically and visually joyful.
A wild unicorn appears at the 9th Annual Wintercourse
The Snowball Fight, Aliens, and More
Huddle snuck on stage in the middle of Cousin Earth’s jam and unleashed dozens of styrofoam “snowballs” into the crowd. A snowball fight occurred between crowd goers and members of Cousin Earth. The spontaneous snowball fight lasted for the entirety of their song. A unicorn making its way onto stage and men in alien and dinosaur costumes dancing in the audience threw the careless whimsy of Wintercourse over the cliff. As the craziness wound down, Cousin Earth’s members sang sweetly into the mic repeating: “Mr. Alien, please don’t kill us. Please don’t kill us, Mr. Alien.” This segment takes its name from the band’s most recent studio album, Please Don’t Kill Us, released in April of 2019.
“Okay, here’s a fish song.” For their finish, the Brooklyn ukelele-led rockers threw down an incredibly unique and formidable version of Heart’s “Barracuda”. The night pointed straight towards a high-reigning set from The Breakfast. The band consists of four unmatchable players: guitarist Tim Palmeri, drummer Adrian Tromontano, bassist Chris DeAngelis, as well as keyboard player Jordan Giangreco, who gets invited regularly to play with far too many notable bands to count. “I’d say these guys are my guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty about it at all. They’re just my pleasure,” introduced Cousin Earth bassist Corey J. Feldman, who was acting as MC for the evening.
Jordan Giangreco of The Breakfast at The 9th Annual Wintercourse
The Closing Act – Final Thoughts
Furthermore, the short set from The Breakfast was a ballistic sprint from start to finish. Those aware of the northeast jam scene know that fast and furious is the only way how to do it. No matter the time, place, or conditions, it will always be a masterclass in how to shred.
Nevertheless, the band played versions of their classic hits in this closing set, including a version of “Over Exposure”. The musically focused song, worked through varying sections of tempo and melody with the maximum tightness. The song hit at the same level of supersonic barbarity as all the other jams produced throughout the night. Lastly, fans cheered on The Breakfast’s following cover of “Teenage Wasteland” as they screamed along to the lyrics.
Inductees for the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have officially been announced. The committee in charge of inductees – made up of more than 1,000 historians, members of the music industry and every living Rock Hall inductee – have included two prominent names in music culture, whose body of work was not based in the genre. In an effort to diversify the Rock Hall of Fame, soul songstress Whitney Houston and iconic hip-hop emcee The Notorious B.I.G., will make their entrance into the hallowed halls of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They will be posthumously induced, at the 35th annual Rock Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.
The duo headlines an illustrious class, which features influential rock band The Doobie Brothers, Grammy-winning rock act, Nine Inch Nails, English rockers, T. Rex, who were prominent in the development of the rock scene during the early 1970s, as well as Depeche Mode, a dominant force within the electronic music scene.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Jon Landau, the longtime manager of Bruce Springsteen, and entertainment executive Irving Azoff will also be recognized at the ceremony. They will be presented with the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists, and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock & roll.
The ceremony will be broadcast live for the first time on HBO on May 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Performances and special guests and Induction Week programs will be announced later.
Tickets go on sale to Rock Hall members on February 25 and to the public on February 27 at 10 a.m. ET, at ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
The 2020 Bonnaroo lineup was revealed Tuesday morning. The June 11-14 festival returns to Manchester, TN for its 19th year with headliners Tool, Lizzo and Tame Impala.
Other acts slated to appear this year include the newly reformed Oysterhead (featuring Trey Anastasio of Phish, Stewart Copeland of the Police and Les Claypool of Primus — which will also be performing), Lana Del Ray, Vampire Weekend, Miley Cyrus, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Tenacious D.
Brooklyn’s Turkuaz, which released its latest EP Kuadochrome in November of last year, is performing with former Talking Heads members Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew as part of a 40th-anniversary tribute to the Heads’ Remain in Light album. Also Nelly will be performing a 20th-anniversary tribute to his Country Grammar album.
Tickets for Bonnaroo 2020 go on sale Thursday, Jan. 9 at Noon ET at several different price levels. Details can be found here.
