Protest-folk music icon of the sixties, Arlo Guthrie, collaborated with Solo Pianist, Jim Wilson, to release, “Hard Times Come Again No More.”
Arlo Guthrie, Jim Wilson and Vanessa Bryan create a stunning, folk rendition of, “Hard Times No More.”
The single is a rendition of the Stephen Collins Foster Song, which originated in 1854. The original was Foster’s, “empathetic look at the increasingly dire, pre-Civil War world around him,” according to Rolling Stone.
Guthrie has been a staple for the political movement in music since the 1960s. His idea came from the current state of the world. The global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter Movement inspired him to create this rendition. He wanted to remind everyone to pay attention and to help everyone to be equal as one.
“I grew up in a family that cared about the hardships of others. My father was well known for writing and performing songs to offer hope. ‘Hard Times Come Again No More’ resonates with me, and I know it did as well with Woody. Though it was first released around 1900, the message endures with the calamities of today being utterly unjustifiable. We must come together not only as a country, but all across the globe in this dire moment.”
Arlo Guthrie
Guthrie and Wilson collaborated remotely due to COVID-19. They have never met. but this didn’t stop them from creating a beautiful tune.
Along with Guthrie and Wilson, many musicians, like Vanessa Bryan and Stanley Clarke came together for this rendition.
Together, the musicians composed a touching outlook on why everyone needs to unite in hard times, such as these.
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 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.
These two songs make up the first new release since 2016 from this Saratoga Springs band. On Prodgnerd Dryer brings back the lo-fi sound of some of the bands that influence them like The Breeders, Pavement, and Guided By Voices. So if you’re into them and other cool 90’s alt rock stuff like Superchunk, Green Day, Weezer, or Varuca Salt, take 8 minutes out of your day and please listen to these new songs. Don’t you have 8 minutes? Actually it won’t even take you that long. And if you have more minutes, you can hear a decade’s worth of goodies by checking out Strut and Fret: A Collection of Songs from 1993-2003 You Missed the First Time Around. But if you only have 8 minutes at least listen to this.
This Voorheesville native has been playing piano since she was 6 years old and cites The Beatles and The Rolling Stones as early influences. Annie wrote her first song in second grade and taught herself guitar by the age of 12 when she began writing more seriously and even playing gigs. Fast forward to 2018 and Annie was rewarded with a trip to L.A. after being honored with the Producer’s Choice Award for the ‘Celebration of Music’ PBS special in Troy, NY. In L.A. she was taped performing this song and that recording will air internationally sometime this year.
Next Station formed in Niskayuna in 2009 and split up for a while due to different career paths. And though distance has kept them apart physically (one went to NYC and another to Dallas, TX) they managed to record their first new song in 4 years and are set to release their first new album since 2012. The songs were workshopped via e-mail and conference call after singer/songwriter Will Pedicone began writing new material in an effort to revive the band. And revive it he has! There is even talk of a tour when the world opens back up.
These two Southern Vermont multi-instrumentalists specialize in, well, instrumentals. Take the rich drone of the electric guitar and add some warm open-back banjo and you get a sound that is both intriguing and soothing. But that’s not all they are capable of. Their new album Soon Comes the Night has much more to offer. It’s both melancholy and high-spirited as it weaves tender music and upbeat fiddle tunes together throughout. Hear more of their work and check out some videos of the duo on their website.
The show would serve as The Who’s only performance at SPAC, with a then-record attendance of 33,652 (reported as 27,800 by The Who), which shattered the previous record of 22,647 set by Chicago in 1970. Christian rock star and future Gospel Music Hall of Fame singer Mylon served as support for the show.
The crowd was everywhere, in the seats, on the lawn, on the stage, in the aisles and even on the steel girders on the side of the theater. The latter, fortunately, was only temporary until the police ordered the dozen young people down.
They were a noisy, restless audience to say the least, but seemed to lap up everything the four-man group offered. The Who gave them their money’s worth for an hour and a half, and do they work. As to the quality of their music, It was loud. I’ll leave further critique to those who favor this type of rock music. But the fact that they brought nearly 28,000 paying customers to SPAC is not to be denied.
They seemed to sing all the songs the crowd came for, as well as anumber of new ones, and had a difficult time convincing the crowd to go home.
Opening the show for the first have was Mylon, a long haired, grating singer-guitarist backed by five musicians and three girl singers. They did everything from rock to country-western, spirituals and even a standard, “Sixteen Ton.”
The Post-Star review goes on to detail the sound at the show as well as fans camping on the lawn:
The sound throughout the program was loud for those in the theater, and everywhere backstage theater walls and floor were actually vibrating. Out on the lawn, the sound was more moderated. Thanks to the closed circuit TV system used again last night, those on the lawn had a perfect viewing spot. Watching the TV cameramen in the aisles and one on stage on a ladder trying to cover the show for those on the lawn was almost a show initself.
There were the usual several minor cuts and abrasions, as well as several fainting incidents requiring backstage first aid, with some also going to the hospital.
Reportedly several on the lawn camped there from late Sunday night in order to be sure of a good place, so that should give some indication of the popularity of The Who. For anyone so inclined, a close examination of the group’s tons of sound equipment would be a short course in the electronic world of amplification at its fullest.
The intermission was especially long, as management pleaded for the young people to clear the aisles to comply with state fire laws. They never did get the aisles clear, but finally did get most of the kids to sit down so those in seats could see the stage.
A unique feature to evenings at SPAC – a program was distributed to attendees, as seen below.
Program coverProgram back
Among the small print, the program says of The Who:
Unlike so many groups in the fickle world of pop music, The Who have remained together as a band since their start in 1964. The creative sparkplug of the group is Pete Townsend, guitarist, songwriter and composer of Tommy. Bass player John Entwhistle is another fine songwriter. The two other members of the group are drummer Keith Moon and the explosive microphone-twirling singer Roger Daltry.
(Ed. Note: Townshend, Entwistle and Daltrey’s names were misspelled in the program)
Aside from the rock opera concept, The Who have been pioneers in many other areas of pop music. They were the first to refine guitar feedback to a high art, the first to use the previously sacred Union Jack as clothing and the first to wind up their performances by smashing their instruments.
The program goes on to note that The Who had just played two sold out shows at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. They wrapped up their tour shortly after their Saratoga performance, with final tour stops at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT, Cobo Hall in Detroit and Chicago Auditorium.
Setlist: Love Ain’t For Keeping, Pure And Easy, My Wife, I Can’t Explain, Substitute, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again, I Don’t Know Myself, Baby Don’t You Do It (Marvin Gaye), Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, Water
On Tuesday, July 28, Lake Placid native Lana Del Rey released the audiobook for her upcoming poetry collection. Titled Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, it contains 14 of the more than 30 poems to be included in the hardcover version, out September 29.
Del Rey’s lyrics have long drawn comparisons to Sylvia Plath, so her foray into poetry is no surprise. Besides Plath, she’s cited Allen Ginsburg, Walt Whitman, and Jack Keruoac as literary inspirations. The audiobook version of the collection, also a spoken word album, includes accompanying music from Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. Antonoff co-wrote and produced 11 of Norman Fucking Rockwell’s 14 tracks, and recently worked on The Chicks’ comeback album Gaslighter. Lana Del Rey isn’t the first alternative songstress to release a poetry book: Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine published Useless Magic in 2018.
Originally from Lake Placid, Del Rey started her music career while attending Fordham University. She made her mainstream debut with the song “Video Games” in 2011, and followed it up with the album Born To Die in 2012. While garnering mixed reviews at first, she quickly acquired a loyal cult following and achieved better reception with subsequent records. Her upcoming album, peculiarly titled Chemtrails Over the Country Club, is scheduled for release on Saturday, September 5.
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is now available on Audible, as well as in CD and vinyl formats on October 2. Proceeds will benefit the Navajo Water Project, an organization that provides clean running water for Navajo families. The first poem, “LA Who Am I To Love You,” is now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music:
Evan Alexander Moore dropped his debut album The Perennial Millennial is a defining snapshot of our time on May 22, 2020. A quirky social commentary on the American millennial experience in 2020, it’s a concept album through and through. In its sprawling length of 70 minutes, the NYC singer-songwriter tackles capitalism, the ruling class, and most entertainingly, “millennials are destroying x industry” clickbait.
Despite his varied influences from Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar to Joni Mitchell, Evan Alexander Moore sounds fully original. While it’s easy to spot the aforementioned artists’ impact, he retains his own unique style. One of the album’s strengths is that the sound mixing is crackly and distorted like an old record from the 60s or 70s—a comforting contrast to its intense topical lyrics. It’s also quotable from start to finish: the opener, “Millennial,” has the line “I feel like Atlas with all this school debt on my shoulders.”
Standout tracks on The Perennial Millennial include “Our Time,” “Grand Little Symphony,” and “The Price of Cereal.” And while not full songs, its two interludes offer some of the album’s most genius moments. On “Brian’s Interlude,” Moore remarks that “pitting generations against each other is just fucking clickbait shit.” He also pays homage to Bob Dylan on “Hey, Mr. Zimmerman!” The album admittedly feels long at times—the title track “Perennial” is over 14 minutes—but it’s certainly ambitious for a debut effort.
After pondering what legacy millennials will leave, Evan Alexander Moore ultimately concludes that “our generation will grow out of the cement that has been paved over us.” For younger generations, The Perennial Millennial is an inspiring, reassuring, and guilt-free experience.
Stream The Perennial Millennial here:
For more information visit Evan Alexander Moore’s website.
Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo team up to create “Look Around,” a meaningful single to focus the public’s attention towards BIPOC being oppressed and murdered throughout the world.
Danille Ponder, an artist and activist from Rochester, started out this year by laying down a track for “Look Around,” a song that responds to the literal fires eating away at the continent of Australia. When she returned home to the US, she was, unfortunately, given even more dark events to add to those described in the song. The killing of George Floyd and countless other African Americans has ignited a call to action in many, Danielle Ponder included. On July 24, Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo released the updated and finished version of “Look Around” as a way to remind everyone in the world of the deadly issues currently happening in America and across the globe.
Danielle Ponder spoke about the inspiration she had for “Look Around,” saying, “fires were raging through Australia and smoke covered the sky. It felt like all of our human sins had gotten the best of us and we were paying a price. I didn’t know that when I arrived back home in the U.S, the world would only get darker. I feel like my past self wrote this song for my future self knowing what was to come.” Danielle Ponder’s powerful soul vocals and visible writing talent make her voice memorable. This song was made in solidarity for all BIPOC.
Danielle Ponder Photo by Hannah Betts
Although they come from different continents, it was no problem for Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo to make a connection. Their chemistry is clear in the music, as it flows naturally like they have been collaborating for years. The vocals and instrumentals together pack a powerful punch that effectively delivers the song’s message of unity for global justice.
Although Black Lives Matter is a US-based movement, it has a presence in Australia where Indigenous people undergo similarly harsh treatment. In July and August, sales of “Look Around” will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative in the USA and Warriors Of The Aboriginal Resistance in Australia. Stream or buy “Look Around” now to support those in need.
For more information visit Danielle Ponder’s website.
If you’re in the Saratoga Springs region this August and September and need a safe activity for the whole family, where everyone can feel like a kid again, you’re in luck. Saratoga Springs’ Universal Preservation Hall has the perfect afternoon activity for you.
“Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball” is one of the most fun and unique experiences you’ll have this summer in Saratoga Springs. Designed for music lovers of all ages, you’ll find 16 different pinball machines, all inspired by Rock ‘n’ Roll bands including The Rolling Stones, KISS, AC/DC, The Beatles and Alice Cooper, among others.
There is of course one of the greatest pinball machines of all time, the detailed “Tommy” celebrating The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” himself. Alongside each machine, you’ll find artist memorabilia and information on each pinball machine, as curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, who brought the exhibit to UPH.
UPH is also taking all precautions during the exhibit. There is a limit of 20 patrons per 90 minute block, during which time a facemask and gloves are required. Upon entry they’ll check your temperature and guide you in a socially distanced way to the exhibit.
Following each block, all machines and surfaces are sanitized and cleaned over 30 minutes, before the next group comes in. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, giving access to all pinball machines, with no need to dig into your pockets for quarters.
The Saratoga region is fortunate to have such an exhibit open to the public during a time when group activities seem a relic of the past. Given the UPH staff’s propensity for professionalism and creating an environment that is welcoming to all, you’ll find this exhibit welcoming and return for future performances and exhibits. Playing pinball for 90 minutes is a great way to get lost in the music and feel like a kid again, if only for a short time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDPST-FJtAH/
“Part of the Machine: Rock and Pinball,” is now open and runs through September 26. Tickets are available for admission during the following time frames: Sunday â Wednesday: 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Thursday â Saturday: 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. For more about the exhibit, visit UPH’s website.
The guitar Pete Townshend used to write “Pinball Wizard” is an added bonus to the Rock and Pinball exhibit at Universal Preservation Hall.
Phish frontman Trey Anastasio today releases his new album, Lonely Trip, comprised of songs written and recorded during lockdown at his home in New York City.
Initially, Lonely Trip songs were released through Anastasio’s Instagram over the past five months, and have been remixed by longtime studio collaborate Bryce Goggin. The album releases on Anastasio’s own label, Rubber Jungle Records.
Anastasio shared this on the making of Lonely Trip:
Lonely Trip was conceived and recorded in isolation at my home studio (aka Rubber Jungle) during the peak of New York City’s COVID-19 crisis, March — July, 2020. When the lockdown began, I had by chance just completed a weekend songwriting session with my friends and longtime collaborators Tom Marshall and Scott Herman. That session took place March 13th and 14th just as the crisis was beginning in New York, so the themes of fear and isolation were already finding their way into those first songs. By the time I arrived home, the situation in NYC had gotten much worse.
Knowing I wasn’t going to be leaving my apartment for a while, I started working. It felt therapeutic to write. I wanted to connect with our community in some way. The unplanned nature of the recording meant I didn’t have a lot of gear during this process. I had an electric and an acoustic guitar, a small amp, two microphones, some percussion, and two keyboards, including an old Kurzweil with very realistic drum sounds on it. Everything was recorded through a Spire 8-track. Lonely Trip is truly a raw, low-fi recording.
The process of writing songs became a reflective and healing experience. Being able to share these songs instantly with our community via Instagram felt equally profound. It harkened back to my youth, before there was a Phish, when I would write songs and home-record them specifically with the intention of sharing them with my circle of friends via cassette four-track recordings.
As the weeks went by, I worked on improving my recording techniques. I called recording engineers including Ben Collette and Vance Powell to get tips on microphone placement, and I purchased a bass guitar online. I also started tapping into a Dropbox folder with about 30 four-minute drum sequences that I had recorded with Jon Fishman over the last year.
For the previous few Phish albums (including Kasvot Växt and Sigma Oasis), I had been experimenting with writing songs, starting with drum beats that I had sung into my phone. Fish and I would go into the studio and record the beats exactly as I had sung them, with Fish launching off in his unique way after a minute or two. I used these beats as building blocks to many of the songs on Lonely Trip, and it explains how I could do a whole album in Rubber Jungle with such good sounding drums. Thank you Fish!
The album was ultimately mixed by my friend Bryce Goggin, and as always, Bryce’s mixes sound incredible. Thank you Bryce!
Lonely Trip was my message in a bottle during this time, and I wish I knew how to properly thank all of you in our community for listening and responding. It meant so much to me. Thank you. Wishing all of you much love and safety during this turbulent time.
This album is dedicated to the heroism of our healthcare and essential workers.
— Trey
From Anastasio’s experience to your ears. Doing what few performers have done during this great pause, Anastasio releases an album that conveys the emotions of doubt, fear, joy, loneliness, love and many more in a seamless album. As songs appeared on Instagram, Phish fans jumped at the opportunity to revel in the unique and fresh tracks that were inspired by the same lockdown conditions they were experiencing. The result of Lonely Trip is a journey through the past five months and will serve as an uplifting musical bookmark on this era.
Malik B., a founding member of legendary Philadelphia outfit The Roots has passed away. Born Malik Abdul Basit, he was a recognized member of the iconic hip hop band — which includes Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter — for their first four albums, with his last appearance as a member of the group on 1999’s Grammy-winning Things Fall Apart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROfXQML7NY
Malik went on to release a solo album in 2005 titled, Street Assault, and a subsequent album in 2015 titled Unpredictable, with record producer Mr. Green. After several years apart, Malik B. was featured on two additional Roots album, including three tracks on 2006’s Game Theory, as well as two tracks from their 2008 album Rising Down.
The Roots, who currently serve as the house band for Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show,” shared Malik B’s passing through a social media post that reads:
“We regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and longtime Roots member Malik Abdul Basit,” the group said on Twitter. “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam and innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family in our time of mourning.”
We regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Basit. May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam and innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family in our time of mourning pic.twitter.com/NVHtb2CFWP
On the heels of his 38th birthday, Buffalo rapper Westside Gunn — along with the rest of his Griselda Records cohorts — have been on quite the roll. And fresh off of his critically-acclaimed EP Pray for Paris and the much recently released mixtape Flygod Is an Awesome God 2, the Shady Records rapper looks to keep the momentum on his side with his third project of the year. On Wednesday evening, the one known as the “FLYGOD,” made a lengthy Instagram post describing what exactly this latest project means to him, as well as the journey and the conviction he had in his artistry that led him to this point. Accompanied by what can be assumed as the album cover, the caption read:
“Everything I’ve done thus far has led up to this moment, when I said FLYGOD was a classic ppl didn’t see it at that moment, then I dropped Supreme Blientele and made ppl to start believing, then I dropped PRAY FOR PARIS and I knew I had my formula together and I was ready for my first major release album and now it’s officially here “WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE” every project has been painted diff and with purpose, I know soon I’ll be done rapping but I have to give u WSG on a diff level this project I swear is my best work to date and I know it’s great bc it took me a week to make and not 2 days lol… but this is what HIP HOP is ALL about I feel young on this Album and I can’t wait until I give u this offering, I promise u You never heard ANYTHING like this on @shadyrecords this is ALL BUFFALO BEAUTIFUL ART PIECE by WS POOTIE thank u so much Baby Daddy Loves YOU “ WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE” 8/28 on WESTSIDEGUNN DAY #CLASSIC#MASTERPIECE#CULTURE#ART#FLYGOD#GXFR#ICON this cant be compared to anything I’ve done beforE it’s IF “FLYGOD” and “SUPREME BLIENTELE” has a baby @shadyrecords@griseldarecords@interscope”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCNDANVHqT8/
With his latest release only a few weeks old (July 3), and Pray for Paris the ripe age of 3 months old, his classification of this impending project as his “first major release album,” has caused some confusion. While signed to their own Griselda Records label, the trio of Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine, have also inked paperwork with Eminem’s Shady Records, a subsidiary of the West coast based Interscope records. The trio have combined to release WWCD, under Shady but no individual albums.
