Not too long after parts of the nation started reopening, did many individuals start to ignore the CDC’s recommendations to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
A picture of the secret rave held under Kosciuszko Bridge.
Footage of a secret rave at Kosciuszko Bridge in Brooklyn showed people gathered without participating in social distancing. Regardless of the global pandemic, hundreds of guests attended and many didn’t wear masks.
“Huge parties whether on land or boat are: Illegal, Disrespectful, violate constant decency, rude,” Cuomo tweeted.
Huge parties whether on land or boat are:
Illegal Disrespectful Violate common decency Rude
Aren’t those enough reasons not to be stupid?
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 3, 2020
Renegade, the rave organizers, told Gothamist that there’s no stopping people from gathering. One organizer said, “people need a release,” referring to quarantine.
This was not the first time Renegade held a group gathering during the pandemic. On July 4, they organized a rave supposedly for the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Among artists asked to play was DJ and producer Mike Simonetti. According to Guest of a Guest, Simonetti declined. He felt the event was disrespectful after his father died alone from COVID-19.
Although many attended the rave, some guests felt uncomfortable once they arrived.
Footage taken from attendees shows no social distancing among the rave.
An attendee told Gothamist that him and his friends stayed on the outside and stating, “I would not do that again….It was too soon for too many people in one spot.”
Renegade continues to defend the cause of the rave, but said it got out of hand.
“I don’t want people to go back to putting their heads in the sand. We need to stay on top of this and keep marching and keep protesting,” said one organizer.
You’ve likely read the comment, “This album is ahead of its time,” but what does that even mean?
Just before the Talking Heads created their most critically acclaimed album, Remain in Light, the group was getting sick of talking to each other. David Byrne was considered “too controlling” by the other 75% of the band and like all rising rock stars, hinted at leaving the group in early 1980 to pursue his solo career. Lucky for music enthusiasts, art prevailed over war. The ‘70s are proof that tension in the recording studio has a track record of birthing masterful albums. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Beatles’ Let It Be, stand the test of time in terms of compositional and lyrical genius, but nothing foreshadowed our current social and economic COVID-19 pandemic like the Talking Heads fourth studio release.
Remain In Light transformed a new-wave, post-punk quartet into a 10-piece worldbeat-funk band in just eight African-inspired tracks. And where there’s polyrhythmic improvisation, there is prophetic intellect. Evidence of Talking Heads time travel can be found in the album made public on October 8, 1980. Nearly 40 years later, the 40-minutes body of work speaks to our society more than ever.
BORN UNDER PUNCHES (THE HEAT GOES ON)
David Byrne greets the listener with, “Take a look at these hands,” an ode to obsessive hand washing during a time of paranoia, uncertainty, and cleanliness.
All I want is to breathe. I’m too thin. Won’t you breathe with me? Find a little space, so we move in-between. In-between it. And keep one step ahead, of yourself.
Look up symptoms of COVID-19, and find “shortness of breath or difficulty breathing” at the very top of the list. How can we prevent the spread? By creating a safe space (six-feet to be exact) between us.
Don’t you miss it, don’t you miss it.
Some ‘a you people just about missed it! Last time to make plans!
Well I’m a tumbler… I’m a Government Man.
The government men across the globe have canceled social gatherings to prohibit the spread. Before everyone had a chance to say their last goodbyes to each other, bars, restaurants, college campuses, sporting arenas, public parks, coffee shops, and libraries were closed down until further notice.
Never seen anything like that before.
The nation is under attack as we fight an overwhelming and unprecedented battle. Quarantined citizens are emotionally drained, sick patients are physically deteriorating, workers are financially crippled and hospital works are most of the above.
All I want is to breathe. Won’t you breathe with me. Hands of a Government Man. Find a little space so we move in-between. And keep one step ahead of yourself. Don’t you miss it! Don’t you miss it!
As compassionate people come together to praise essential works, conservative Americans are unable to face themselves at home as they fight to reopen and build a wall around logic. “Born Under Punches” describes a government turning a blind eye to human suffering, a lack of air, social distancing and unprecedented events. And that’s just the first track.
CROSSYEYED AND PAINLESS
David Byrne now plays a man gone mad from media.
Lost my shape
Trying to act casual
Can’t stop, I might end up in the hospital
Some die and some are asymptomatic, but all are impacted by COVID-19. Emotionally, physically, or socially. For the majority of Americans, a privileged, everyday life came to a screeching halt as cases began to skyrocket.
They’re back, to explain their experience.
In the age of social media, many stories are told, most are fake news. This disease was considered to be extremely deadly in some circles, yet many citizens have recovered, and even more may have had it without knowing.
I’m ready to leave I push the fact in front of me Facts lost Facts are never what they seem to be Nothing there! No information left of any kind Lifting my head Looking for danger signs
No right answer. Scientists and reporters are doing their best to report facts, but the paranoid public isn’t confident they are moving in the right direction.
The island of doubt It’s like the taste of medicine Working by hindsight Got the message from the oxygen Making a list Find the cost of opportunity Doing it right Facts are useless in emergencies
The White House ridiculed New York’s Governor Cuomo for asking about respirators. The cost of respirators was said to be too high as the governor tried preparing for the rising curve. Regardless of the emergency, egos and economics got in the way, deeming the facts useless.
Friends. Live Music. Incomes. Lives. Society as we know it. We are all “still waiting” to understand the next moves. “Get the message from the oxygen.” Speaking of curves, let’s move to the next track.
THE GREAT CURVE
Sometimes the world has a load of questions
Seems like the world knows nothing at all
The world is near but it’s out of reach
Some people touch it, but they can’t hold on
Who do we believe are the experts as the disease is studied more every day? Exiting our front door can be deadly. Our neighbors live next door, but it is against the rules to interact with them. Some ignore the rules and socially gather only to contract the disease and lose everything.
She is moving to describe the world Night must fall now-darker, darker She has messages for everyone Night must fall now-darker, darker
Byrne draws a connection between a woman and Mother Earth. Across the world, we see positivity and optimism from an environmental perspective. As we focus on the COVID-19 curve as a human race, there is a much bigger picture we are not concentrating on. The woman in this song is part human and part Earth and we need to protect her. She is shifting as some of the most densely packed cities in the world react to COVID-19.
A world of light, she’s gonna open our eyes up
For the first time in decades, densely populated cities like Punjab, India are experiencing the positive impact of global lockdown as the human-influenced smog lifts. They now open their eyes to the Himalayan Mountain peaks for the first time this millennium.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
One of the Talking Heads most popular tracks might also be one of their most 2020 quarantine-relevant.
And you may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?
Remember in 2019 when people were not forced to remain inside and reflect? It was okay to be on autopilot and walk the streets or fields or cities in between and just be without being. In quarantine, we are tasked with the most impossible job of all—learning to cope with ourselves with little outside influence.
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again after the money’s gone Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
We stand over the sink, hands under the water, repeating the birthday song in hopes of resolving and removing the one-in-a-lifetime virus from each finger. We would love to return to a same as it ever was time, but it will likely be a new normal. Will we remain in our houses forever or return to the world we once knew? Or will it be a hybrid?
HOUSE IN MOTION
The second half of the album must disprove the notion of a sonic COVID-19 quarantine conspiracy, right? If you are currently pacing in your home, reading, thinking, moving, and wondering more than usual, then this one is for you.
I’m walking a line
I’m thinking about empty motion
I’m walking a line
Just barely enough to be living
Get outta the way (no time to begin)
This isn’t the time (so nothing was done)
Not talking about (not many at all)
I’m turning around (no trouble at all)
You notice there’s nothing around you, ’round you
I’m walking a line
Divide and dissolve
Good news, you get to leave your home and walk around the grocery store in a paranoid state. The aisles are blocked off, forcing you to treat your neighbors like Neanderthals. Saying hello isn’t the same without a mask and we can barely say goodbye without wondering what level of COVID-19 they left on us. The same beautiful house that was written about in “Once in a Lifetime” is the same place you escape to wash the outside-world filth from your potentially pandemic-covered hands.
I’m walking a line I hate to be dreaming in motion I’m walking a line Just barely enough to be living Get outta the way (no time to begin) This isn’t the time (so nothing was done) Not talking about (not many at all) I’m turning around (no trouble at all) I’m keeping my fingers behind me, ‘hind me I’m walking a line Divide and dissolve
Does this scare you? We are social creatures. We are supposed to be fully living and interacting with peers according to our elementary schooling. The narrator is crushing the idea of social contact and, instead, inviting the paranoia of his peers. Full-blown, introverted paranoia.
SEEN AND NOT SEEN
He would see faces in movies, on T.V., in magazines, and in books…
He thought that some of these faces might be right for him…
And through the years, by keeping an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind…
Or somewhere in the back of his mind…
Are we spending too much time streaming music, watching Netflix or staring in a mirror? The focus of this spoken-word-by-Byrne reflective track is post-pandemic physical appreciation. Who cares about what happened in 2019 if it’s possible to reinvent in 2020? We finally escape out of quarantine, but what is stopping us from impulsively mistaking our own identity? Should we redefine our social, physical and emotional selves, or is this a good spot to restart?
They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish
Whim, or momentary impulse…
Some may have gotten half-way
There, and then changed their minds.
He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.
Is the narrator saving face for the previously mentioned government man or is he just trying to act casual?
LISTENING WIND
What happens to people in countries that lack access to 5G or vaccines or respiration or clean water? Is Mother Nature watching out for her children or is it the lack of tourism that prevents their people from the global disease?
Mojique buys equipment in the marketplace Mojique plants devices in the free trade zone He feels the wind is lifting up his people He calls the wind to guide him on his mission He knows his friend the wind is always standing…by. Mojique smells the wind that comes from far away Mojique waits for news in a quiet place He feels the presence of the wind around him He feels the power of the past behind him He has the knowledge of the wind to guide him…on.
A return to nature. The wild is calling. What were the redefined terms of survival of the fittest in 1980 (or 2020)?
THE OVERLOAD
A dark, eerie, Brian Eno-driven piece closes the album with an apocalyptic exclamation point.
A terrible signal Too weak to even recognize
A gentle collapsing The removal of the insides I’m touched by your pleas I value these moments We’re older than we realize In someone’s eyes
Free healthcare was the topic of debate less than two months before 2020 changed America. Who is this “someone” Byrne speaks about? What is the underlying ignorance that haunts us throughout an album recorded in 1980?
A change in the weather A view to remember The center is missing They question how the future lies In someone’s eyes
We are reminded that Mother Earth is slowly healing during human dormancy, yet the pessimistic power of the composition reminds us that there is a serious problem. Midtown Manhattan’s Times Square is one of the most photographed locations in the world. A central hub of a global city. Currently, it’s empty and missing.
The gentle collapsing Of every surface We travel on the quiet road …the overload
The closing lyrics of the album are about as poignant as the opening. As local and state governments look for ways to reopen a social society, they call for extra hands to sanitize surfaces, and open up roads for people, not cars. Has Mother Nature finally forced us to abide by her rules or is our society too ignorant and self-centered to protect one another? Either way, the answer is overwhelming.
A favorite album will transport you to a time when you needed the music most. But an iconic album encapsulates the present, whether you like it or not. Remain in Light was written during the political, economic, and social injustices of the late ‘70s, yet it connects the same unprecedented, introspective, unusual feelings we have during a global pandemic – mask off and same as it ever was.
The Palace Theatre along with the City of Albany and Mirth Films have announced that Saratoga Springs natives Wild Adriatic will be featured on the next edition of “The Palace Sessions”. Taking place on August 19 at 7p.m. in a undisclosed unique location within the historic theatre, the performance will stream live on the Palace Theatre’s Youtube page.
Executive Director of the Palace Billy Piskutz notes:
“We are thrilled to be able to welcome live music back to the hallowed halls of the Palace Theatre. This historic building exists to entertain and create memories and after a nearly four-month absence due to COVID-19, it is a thrill to know that it will again. We hope that our patrons will enjoy these performances as much as we do!”
The series kicked off on July 15 with a special performance by Albany locals Wurliday. Additional shows are slated for September 16 and October 21. Those performers have yet to be announced at this time.
Wurliday Performing at Palace Theatre
“Summer in Albany is synonymous with music and entertainment and it is wonderful to have the Palace Theater hosting local musicians albeit in a different way this year. I applaud the ingenuity of the Palace Theater, the Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mirth Films in bringing entertainment to people during COVID-19. I continue to be impressed with how our community has risen to the challenge of keeping the arts alive during this time and look forward to tuning in to the Palace Sessions.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan
During the performances donations are being accepted which will assist the Palace Theatre in continuing its mission to bring world-class arts and entertainment to New York’s Capital Region. Donations can be made HERE or directly through the Palace Theatre’s Text To Give program, by texting Palace2020 to 44321.
Hawkins has released their debut single, “Lights Off,” having arrived on the local music scene in New Haven, CT in May 2019. Hawkins is known for balancing energetic rock ‘n’ roll mixed with infectious hooky pop sophistication. The band consists of Hawkins French (vocals), Joseph Frank (guitar), Richard Frank (bass), and Joshua Frank (drums).
Their debut single is a pop rock anthem that blends soaring guitars, thunderous drums, and melodic bass lines along with the catchy hooks that you’ll hear in contemporary pop music. The subject matter of this track discusses the current superficial state of relationships and wanting more than just a one-night stand. This song intertwines their ability to create memorable pop hooks, lyrics that compel you to sing along, all balanced under a monumental sound that instantly demands the listener’s attention.
The band has performed on countless major stages across the East Coast. Notable performances include Mohegan Sun Casino, The Bitter End, Foxwoods Casino, and the Pleasantville New York Music Festival. In Pleasantville, the band shared the stage with illustrious acts such as Blues Traveler, Suzanne Vega, and Living Colour. In November they are still planning to headline at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre.
Speaking on “Lights Off” the band explains:
“This track evokes the feeling of when relationships don’t have a clear direction and are solely based upon superficiality. This is our commentary on the common tug of war that can occur in tumultuous relationships that people in their youth experience.”
Incarcerated rapper Bobby Shmurda celebrates his 26th birthday today, with hopes of it being his last behind bars. On the heels of the anniversary of his breakout record, the Brooklyn-born drill rapper may have even more good news to look forward to, as a parole hearing — set for August 17— will determine his immediate future.
Why they wanna pin a felly on me?
After a countdown from a website seemingly belonging to the embattled rapper set a date for August 4, many began to speculate about the meaning, with some assuming it was related to his release. Speaking to TMZ in late July, The rapper’s mother — Leslie Pollard — confirmed that the rapper was indeed scheduled for a parole hearing in August. While also divulging his plans for a documentary about his life, as well as new music as soon as he gets out — as the rapper is still contractually tied to Epic Records. For his birthday, GS9 cohort Rowdy Rebel’s official Instagram, shared its own social media ode to his label-mate, hash-tagging “3months left.” It is unclear whether it is referring to his own release or that of Bobby Shmurda.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeM1vQnXIF/
Nonetheless, rumors of a release as early as August 5, set social media ablaze, with most eliciting thoughts of joy.
When Bobby Shmurda is released from prison his hat finna come back to him like Thor’s hammer https://t.co/InTD5RI1AW
When COVID-19 hit New York City in March, the music, as Jim Morrison crooned, was over. But one place it never stopped was at Soapbox Gallery, one of Brooklyn’s most unique and eclectic performance venues.
Soapbox Gallery is not the brainchild of a veteran promoter, profit-seeking barkeep or musician, but a music-loving sculptor with a true D.I.Y. spirit, Jimmy Greenfield.
A native of Poughkeepsie, Greenfield moved to NYC’s SoHo in the mid-1970s to pursue a career in art. While there, he drank in and was inspired by the loft jazz scene percolating at homey little venues like Sam Rivers’ Studio Rivbea. Like many visual artists, Greenfield became friendly and collaborated with the adventurous musos on that scene. And like many a SoHo artist, he was eventually priced out of the tony neighborhood and helped pioneer a new scene with a move to Brooklyn in the early 1980s.
Greenfield came to the street-level space at 636 Dean Street that would become Soapbox in 1996. He utilized it for years as his sculpture studio, with the street frontage being dedicated to installations by visual artists he loved.
“The gallery was inspired by the idea of a soapbox, the humble stage that one stands upon to deliver a message, a narrative story, that can start a movement that can perhaps change the world,” says Greenfield. “It functioned that way for our art shows and, since 2014, with our escalating program of musical events.”
Music became a part of Soapbox Gallery in 2014, when Greenfield made his venue the home to periodic shows by critically acclaimed Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective of world class musicians dedicated to furthering the understanding of Indian classical and Raga forms. Within a couple of years, Greenfield decided to move his sculpture studio to another location and, over time, convert Soapbox into a full-time performance space.
“The idea was to create an intimate space, a sanctuary that was almost like a mini-concert hall,” adds Greenfield. “I wanted the best sound and atmosphere, so we completely renovated the space, with soundproofing, a dropped ceiling with acoustic tile, high-end sound mitigation and amplification. We wanted the room to be a draw, the perfect acoustic environment that would attract the very best musicians.”
It was serendipitous that Greenfield tapped his neighbor, filmmaker Dave Power, and his brother, the sound-painting saxophonist Hayes Greenfield, for advice on cameras and sound, and to execute all the physical labor.
“Our intention was to create not only a world-class performance space of intimate size, but a top-of-the-line production center as well,” adds Greenfield. “We designed where the camera drops would be, where the computers and controls would be, even a system to move the sound around the space and the stereo spectrum, all anticipating the era of streaming. So we were ready for what has, unfortunately, become the performance model of today.”
Another thing Jimmy did to attract a top-flight coterie of performers was purchase the world-class piano, the lightly used Yamaha C7 that is the physical centerpiece of the space.
“My friend Ludwig found that for us, a 1998 Yamaha Grand that was barely used,” continues Greenfield. “It was another stroke of good luck in the collective, all D.I.Y. effort to build this space and scene.”
The scene started to gain critical mass in 2019 with Soapbox Gallery’s weekly Piano Hangs, organized with David Berkman, noted pianist, author and director of the Jazz Department at Queens College.
“Every Saturday, we would invite four to five pianists to perform and discuss their work,” adds Greenfield. “The series attracted high-caliber talent from the worlds of jazz, classical and beyond, like Fred Hersh, Chano Dominguez and Bruce Barth.”
Into 2020, Soapbox Gallery continued to expand its palate of performances. Greenfield added small groups like jazz trios, classical quartets, a virtual fest with the New England Conservatory Jazz Lab, and solo performances by notables like electro-jazzer Adam Neely, looping violinist and vocalist Natie, singer/songwriter Tracey Yarad and many more.
One mainstay of the space has been Jimmy’s renowned musician-brother Hayes Greenfield and his Immersive Surround Sound Experience. Here, Hayes employs his saxophone, flute, kalimba, harmonica, voice and a plethora of delays, synths, effects pedals and loopers to create meditative sound environments reminiscent of Brian Eno’s ambient works. With the assistance of Hayes’ sponsor, Eventide, Soapbox Gallery has been outfitted with a system that produces true 3D sound that can be moved around the space and within the heads of stream listeners.
When COVID-19 closed down NYC’s live performance venues in mid-March, Jimmy and Hayes were quick to provide a sonic salve for the quarantined masses, in New York and wherever there was a broadband connection.
For weeks after the shutdown, Hayes performed his Sound Meditations nearly every day at 3 pm from the Soapbox Gallery, more than 30 total events and counting. As soon as WNYC’s Greene Space began streaming in early April, Soapbox Gallery began programming more events, from its space and the homes of some of its coterie of musicians.
Since May, Soapbox Gallery has been presenting live-stream performances six days a week from Greenfield’s former sculpture studio. Its state-of-the-art, three-camera system provides a great view of the action, and video overlays are increasingly a part of the performance equation, providing a unique multimedia experience.
One notable upcoming event that will make the most of the technology is Soapbox’s three-day Sonic-Vision Looping Festival, August 26– 28. The event will include adventurous performances by noted percussionist Will Calhoun (Living Colour, Pharoah Saunders), Hayes Greenfield and the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, who will perform their hypnotic improvisations to fractal videos.
Also not to missed are the latest installments of its on-going “Couples in Harmony” series, curated and hosted by Tracey Yarad, which presents real-life couples in performance, often for their first artistic collaborations. On Sunday, August 16, Soapbox Gallery will feature jazz vocalist and bassist Teri Roiger and John Menegon; on August 23, singers/songwriters Lisa St. Lou and Tor Hyams.
On August 4, 2015, Billy Joel played the final show at the original Nassau Coliseum. Billy played for over 3 hours at the 43 year old arena with a setlist that touched on every decade of his career. The thing that made this show special was the way he built the show specifically for a Long Island Crowd. He had many Long Island anecdotes including his first gig at Holy Family Church in Hicksville, and fights he had in a Northport restaurant.
The place went crazy when Billy said “I’d like to bring out a fellow Long Islander and one of the great songwriters of our time” and out walked Paul Simon. It got even louder when he played the first few notes to “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” They also did a duet of “Homeward Bound” and then a horn section came to the stage and they played “Late in the Evening” for the last song with Simon. Later on, another Long Island native, Kevin James came out and did the intro to “Miami 2017” before Joel took over the song.
It was Joel’s 32nd concert at the Coliseum and the last before the $130 million renovation and featured Michael DelGuidice to open the show. It was a sad event for fans like myself who grew up going to Islander games and concerts at the Coliseum our entire lives. They couldn’t have picked a better person to end that chapter of the Coliseum’s history. That’s probably why Billy also reopened the arena on April 5, 2017.
Setlist: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Zanzibar, Summer, Highland Falls, Everybody Loves You Now, No Man’s Land (first since 1995), Just the Way You Are, The Entertainer, The Longest Time (with Doo wop tribute intro), The Downeaster Alexa, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard*, Homeward Bound*, Late in the Evening*, The Ballad of Billy the Kid, New York State of Mind, Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)^, Until the Night, Allentown, Goodnight Saigon@, Keeping the Faith, She’s Always a Woman, My Life, Captain Jack, I’ve Loved These Days, The River of Dreams, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
Philadelphia band Goalkeeper have come through with “Happy,” an upbeat pop punk banger of a track just in time for the dog days of summer.
Full of crunchy power chords, and catchy melodies, “Happy” is the bands first release off of their upcoming EP Life in Slow Motion which will be released this upcoming September 25th on the Lost Music Collective independent label. “Happy” encapsulates everything Goalkeeper have been about thus far; writing nostalgic-flavored pop punk songs from the early 2000s coupled with roaring vocals and hefty breakdowns.
Goalkeeper have proven themselves to be a group who is constantly seeking out new sounds in an effort to push the genre they operate in to the next level. Opening for bands such as State Champs and Real Friends, Goalkeeper are determined to leave their mark on the east coast pop punk scene.
Well, moe. was supposed to perform at Vernon Downs this past weekend, but the powers that be pulled the plug just two days prior to the shows. Making lemonade out of lemons, moe. instead streamed both nights of shows from Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, where they had been rehearsing for the shows. The band sent the following video message to fans prior to the show.
Over the two nights, fans were treated to a tracks off the new album, This is Not, We Are, a few classic moe. jam vehicles and a couple of choice covers that left the fans buzzing on the couch and online.
Highlights from the two shows included a “St. Stephen” jam in the new song “Crushing,” “Timmy Tucker” and “Brent Black” both providing ample room for improvisation, and a cover of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” sandwiched in between “Bear Song” to end the first set of the weekend.
On August 1, the band paid tribute to Jerry Garcia on his birthday with a “West L.A. Fadeaway” that was anything but your typical cover of a Dead tune. Rob starts this out with heavy funk in his bass as Al’s gutiar takes a spacey journey to the lyrics. Full of just the right amount of notes, the band put a most unique twist on the song, one you’ll want to check out below.
With a rousing “New York City” to end the two nights, moe. tipped their hat to the Big Apple with their ode to the heart of the Empire State and epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in America.
If you missed the shows, order here from Tour Gigs.
Setlist – July 31, 2020
Set 1: Johnny Lineup, Akimbo, Along for the Ride, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Dangerous Game > Bearsong > Walk On The Wild Side > Bearsong
Set 2: Brent Black > Mar-Dema > Who You Calling Scared, Four, ATL, Can’t Seem To Find, Billy Goat > Brent Black
Encore: Plane Crash, Jazz Cigarette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uKkKXyMpKA
Setlist – August 1, 2020
Set 1: Buster, Downward Facing Dog > Deep This Time, Undertone > Letter Home, Tailspin, Skitchin’ Buffalo > Skitchin Buffalo Reprise > Wind it up
Set 2: George, Blue Jeans Pizza > Crushing > LL3 > Bullet, Don’t Wanna Be > Timmy Tucker
A trio of brothers came together to form the band, Council. Now, they have a powerful new EP under their belt, Haunts Me.
Cover art for Council’s new EP Haunts Me.
From Farm Life to Musical Talent
Pat, Doug and Andy Reeves hail from Baldwinsville, just outside of Syracuse, where they worked the fields on their family farm. While they worked during the day, they had time to practice at night.
The three musically educated themselves by listening to their father’s record collection. They say they were athletes growing up, so they never performed as kids. They decided to perform together nine years ago at a local library.
“We were so nervous we asked them to not record us, as we were expecting the worst,” says the band.
Council band members Pat, Doug and Andy Reeves.
Family Knows Best
The idea of working and playing music with family might mean fun all the time, but that’s not what the guys say. In their experience it could be very difficult at times.
“We have 3 different opinions about everything and have no issue with arguing over everything. We often times find two of us huddled together creating secret pacts against the third so an idea gets passed or someone catches more of the blame than the others,” They say.
That doesn’t mean a family band is bad, though. The trust between the three of them is strong and they all grew up with the same musical past. They say if anyone tries to join the trio, it never ends up well.
The First Council Release was a Success
The Reeves brothers continued to work on their musical career over the years, with their first release of, “Rust to Gold,” that both American Idol and the Winter Olympics featured.
Haunts Me Empowers Internal Battles
While “Rust to Gold,” symbolized an introduction to their band, they say Haunts Me is “internally based”. One of the tracks, “Born Ready,” came out of their personal struggles they were dealing with at the time. It embodies the idea of being able to handle whatever life throws at you because you are born ready.
The current state of the world made many feel a bit detached from society. Haunts Me guides not only the listener, but also the mind to a more powerful outlook on how life has become.
Council expanded their live streaming from their website to BOSE, Twitch and Sessionslive. Because of the global pandemic they are currently on tour, so live streaming will be their outlet to perform and connect with fans. Haunts Me is set to release on Aug. 4.
