NYS Music 202​0

Category: Genres

  • Alan Braufman Releases New Single “Sunrise” from ‘The Fire Still Burns’

    After tirelessly recording live at Long Pond (The National’s Studio) and elsewhere, Alan Braufman is releasing the second album under his name, The Fire Still Burns, will debut Aug. 28, 2020 (Via Valley of Search). Accompanying Alan Braufman (alto sax, flute) is Cooper-Moore (piano), James Brandon Lewis (Tenor Sax), Andrew Drury (Drums), and Ken Filiano (bass).

    Image may contain: 1 person, playing a musical instrument and indoor

    In preparation for the album’s release, Alan shares the lead single off The Fire Still Burns titled, “Sunrise.” This dreamy track rises and falls amidst the dance of Alan’s saxophone, and Cooper-Moore’s Piano, producing another heightened evolution of the “Loft Jazz” Alan is so well known for.

    Born in Brooklyn, Alan moved into a vacant building at 510 Canal Street in Manhattan with several other musicians, after studying at Berklee College of Music. Considering the fact that rent at the time for a whole floor was $140 a month, the space quickly became an area for rehearsals and a venue for shows. It was in this gritty atmosphere that the tradition of a “do-it-yourself” attitude was forged for the creatives of the city as well as Alan’s cult classic ,Valley of Search, released with the label India Navigation in 1975 and rereleased by Alan in 2018 amid popular demand.

    You can find Alan’s work on his Bandcamp and follow along with updates on the new album on his Facebook.

    The Fire Still Burns

    1. Sunrise

    2. Morning Bazaar

    3. No Floor No Ceiling

    4. Home

    5. Creation

    6. Alone Again

    7. The Fire Still Burns

    8. City Nights

  • Sunday Jazz: listen to a 2009 performance of The Earregulars at Manhattan’s The Ear Inn

    Manhattan’s historic The Ear Inn has played a pivotal role in the music scene and beyond. It’s the oldest bar in New York City that has continuously served alcohol since 1817. Check out this recording of The Earregulars, from November 2009 via JAZZ LIVES.

    The Ear Inn has a very unique history after being open for two centuries. It dates back to a time where there was African aide to George Washington and The Ear served as residence for John Adams and Aaron Burr, among others. The Ear Inn was nicknamed by patrons as an untitled bar (“The Green Door”) for obvious reasons. As a result, the bar is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Buildings.

    the ear inn

    Go ahead and enjoy these video selections of The Earregulars performing at The Ear Inn on November 8, 2009. The videos feature a plethora of musicians: Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet), Matt Munisteri (guitar), Harry Allen (tenor saxophone), and Neal Miner (string bass). They also include Victor Herbert’s “Indian Summer” and Louis Armstrong’s swinging anthem of reproach, “Someday You’ll be Sorry.”

  • Discover Local Music With EQXposure Featured Artists Of The Week

    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.

    Warden & Company – I Know You Know

    Warden & Company is a three piece band from Saratoga made up of Seth Warden, Doug Moody, and Brian Melick. They have been playing together since 2011, having started off as the backing band for local Irish music legend Kevin McKrell. The trio have also performed together as Seth and the Moody Melix, playing children’s songs written by Warden who is also a teacher. Warden & Company showcases the trio’s more ‘adult’ sound.

    Jay Birdface – Grow Again

    Jay was born and raised in Vermont and currently lives in Burlington. He says he’s been a fan of EQX since he was a teenager. “Grow Again” is his latest single, find him on Facebook and listen to more of his songs on Soundcloud.This is his latest.

  • Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Announce Plans for Virtual Benefit Festival

    Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival announced plans to put on a Virtual Festival. The “Spirit of Grey Fox” will take place on July 16-19. There will be never-seen-before footage of original 2020 artists for the festival. The festival will be a benefit fundraiser for COVID-19 relief for artists.

    Grey Fox virtual

    The festival will include archived performances from past years on top of the performances from the original lineup. Some of the highlighted 2020 lineup includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Jerry Douglas, and Delle Mae. Some of the highlighted archived lineup includes the Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, and Hot Rize.

    The festival will benefit the IBMA Trust Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund to help artists crushed by the pandemic. This Fund is specifically trying to help the bluegrass community. The Board of Trustees set aside up to $150,000 for COVID-19 crisis assistance and has established an account specifically for COVID-19 Relief. Musicians can be awarded up to $500 of relief pay. People will be able to donate by going to IBMA Trust Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund’s website.

    The festival will stream for free on nugs.tv and Grey Fox’s YouTube and Facebook Page. For more information the “Spirit of Grey Fox please visit Grey Fox’s website.

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!

  • Watch Bobby & The Midnites coast to coast video for “(I Want to Live in) America”

    It’s the Fourth of July and if you’re looking for some patriotic music from the 80s, well you are in luck. We’ve got Bobby and the Midnites “(I Want to live in) America” music video from 1984, a video celebrating diversity and the global oneness of all people, united through our daily struggles and love for America.

    But if you’re looking for a sound similar to that of the Grateful Dead, look at virtually any other Dead side-project and it will be closer than Bobby and the Midnites. The poppy/yacht rock sound of “(I Want to Live in) America” seems better suited for pre-Sports Huey Lewis and the News than Bob Weir’s short lived pop effort.

    Filmed in Brooklyn with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center behind the band, as well as in California with cars bouncing up and down the streets, the coast to coast vision for the video feels like a generic 80s video. Written by Weir, John Perry Barlow, Bobby Cochran and Gerrit Graham, “America” feels like an overarching effort to get radio play in an era where the Dead went seven years between studio releases.

    Joining Weir on this album were fusion drummer Billy Cobham, who recorded with Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra, bassist for Little Feat Kenny Gradney, and future Rockabilly Hall of Famer Bobby Cochran. You’d think that all this talent would translate to something big, but instead we get an oozing song and accompanying video full of early 80s cheese.

    Still, the lyrics are uplifting and positive, referencing dreams, surviving, and refugees living on a level playing field in America. Watch the video and live version below and share your thoughts on Bobby and the Midnites in the comments.

    All this hometown history is slippin’ away
    Shattered by a miracle age
    I’m gonna roar through the night on a fantasy flight
    As soon as I come of age
    When the dream ignites, there’s a flame so bright
    Burnin’ in a young man’s heart
    Get your hands on the wheel of some Detroit steel
    You can hear the music start

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Have you ever been down south of Chinatown
    Seen the face of a refugee
    The kids are alive, they’ve learned to survive
    They’re just like you and me
    All their friends back home wonder what it’s like alone
    Living in the land of the free
    It’s another way of life, rev it up and take a ride
    Realize your dreams

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Where the electric guitars ring out loud
    It’s the heartbeat of the steet
    Where the engines scream and the music’s mean
    I just gotta feel the heat

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Where the electric guitars ring out loud
    It’s the heartbeat of the steet
    Where the engines scream and the music’s mean
    I just gotta feel the heat

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America
    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

  • “Congratulations” to Post Malone on his birthday

    Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is celebrating his birthday today, July 4th. Born outside of Syracuse in 1995 and known for his combination of pop-trap and rock balladry, Malone has been one of the quickest rising stars of the past five years since his 2015 single “White Iversion” went viral after gaining recognition on SoundCloud.

    Voted “most likely to succeed” by his high school graduating class, Post got an early start in music learning guitar at the age of nine. Before making his first beats in the audio workstation FL Studios, Malone spent time in various heavy metal and screamo scene bands- a background that has helped fortify and define his style.

    Known for combining the music he grew up on, such as grunge and indie rock with trap-beat instrumentals and pop-rock song structures, Post Malone has earned numerous spots on the Billboard 100 and several Grammy Nominations. The cloud rap anthem, “Congratulations” featuring Quavo, off Posty’s 2016 Stoney album led the pop singer to nab his first Grammy nomination at the 61st edition of the Awards. Although passed up for the win, “Congratulations,” has garnered the Upstate native worldwide recognition.

    In Septemberr of 2019, Post Malone released his most recent album Hollywood’s Bleeding which included hit songs such as “Circles” and “Sunflower” featuring Swae Lee which was also part of the soundtrack for the recent Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse Marvel animated movie soundtrack.

    Most recently, Post Malone has been performing livestream performances including his full band nirvana cover set which featured Travis Barker of Blink 182 on drums.

    Have a great birthday Post Malone!

  • Truckin’ off to Buffalo: The Grateful Dead open for Bob Dylan and Tom Petty at Rich Stadium on July 4, 1986

    It’s not too often you see the Grateful Dead opening for another band, especially not in the 1980s. But on July 4, 1986, the Grateful Dead linked up with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for one of only four shows together that summer, performing at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, home of the Buffalo Bills.

    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette characterized the show on the 4th of July perfect for “The Dead’s vagabond odes and Dylan’s outspoken songs of freedom.” Sweltering heat during the day led to a first set that was cut short, but rain during “Cold Rain and Snow” to start the second set provided respite for the crowd. Perhaps out of exhaustion, fans were reported to have left after the Dead encored with “U.S Blues.”

    While the Dead opened, a trio of songs were featured in a satellite broadcast live to Farm Aid 3. Prior to “The Wheel,” Bob Weir said to the crowd “America is an example of an agrarian nation, let’s keep it turning.”

    Six days and two shows later, Jerry Garcia slipped into a diabetic coma and was unconscious for a week, but would recover and be back on stage later that year. This show at Rich Stadium would be one of the last times the Dead would perform in New York for nearly a year, before returning to Rochester on July 2, 1987.

    Setlist, Grateful Dead, July 4, 1986, Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

    Set 1: Jack Straw, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, CC Rider, Tennessee Jed, My Brother Esau, Touch Of Gray

    Set 2: Cold Rain & Snow-> Fire On The Mountain-> Samson & Delilah*-> The Wheel*-> I Need A Miracle*-> Uncle John’s Band-> Drums-> Gimme Some Lovin’-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> Turn On Your Love Light

    Encore: U.S. Blues

    *broadcast as part of Farm Aid 3

    Dylan and fellow Traveling Wilbury Petty joined up for a tour featuring the Heartbreakers backing Dylan. Dylan played a few solo acoustic songs, while the Heartbreakers played their hits that are still classics today, and all joined together for “Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35.”

    Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, July 4, 1986, Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

    Set: So Long, Good Luck And Goodbye, Positively 4th Street, Clean Cut Kid, Emotionally Yours, Trust Yourself, We Had It All, Masters Of War, Straight Into Darkness (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Think About Me (Petty & The Heartbreakers), The Waiting (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Breakdown (Petty & The Heartbreakers), To Ramona (Solo acoustic), One Too Many Mornings, (Solo acoustic), A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Solo acoustic), I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know, Band Of The Hand, When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky, Lonesome Town, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Bye Bye Johnny (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Make It Better (Forget About Me) (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Spike (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Refugee (Petty & The Heartbreakers), Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35, Seeing The Real You At Last, Across The Borderline

  • Paul Loren Releases New Single “We’ll Be Together Again”

    New York singer-songwriter Paul Loren has released his new single “We’ll Be Together Again.” Loren was raised on the rich legacy of soul, classic pop, and the Great American Songbook and in those musical idioms he feels most at home. 

    Loren has been keeping himself busy writing new music and entertaining fans via his weekly live stream, “The Leisure Lounge featuring Paul Loren” which can be found on his Facebook and Instagram pages. He is thrilled to share one of his ‘quarantunes’ written with his dearest family, friends and fans in mind. “We’ll Be Together Again” offers hope and solace in the difficult times that we are now living in.

    The Huffington Post described him as: “The dashing and retro-chic crooner whose songs bring a modern edge to lounge-era pop.” 

    The song was written during the first week of the New York City COVID-19 lockdown, unsure of when I’d get to see my loved ones again. I love those old WWII-era songs like “We’ll Meet Again” and “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and thought the referential nod to another difficult time in our history felt right. It’s a mission statement of sorts. We WILL be together again, even though circumstances are unpredictable—it’s about creating something sure in a very unstable climate. Amid times of uncertainty and separation, it is a song of hope and optimism.

    Paul Loren

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!

  • Holly Bowling to release new album of Grateful Dead covers “Seeking All That’s Still Unsung” this fall

    Holly Bowling will releasing a new Grateful Dead album full of solo piano renditions this fall. The new album, Seeking All That’s Still Unsung, is made of music recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA. 

    Holly Bowling Photo Provided by Press Release.

    Holly Bowling is a classical pianist who is based in San Francisco. Bowling uses the influence of jam band music to create an unique style. Her sound is emotionally rich and highly technical. She has already created albums focusing on Phish in the 2013’s Distillation Of A Dream album and the Grateful Dead focused Better Left Unsung (released December 9, 2016 through The Royal Potato Family). She known for her new band Ghost Light with Tom Hamilton, Raina Mullen and Scotty Zwang.

    In this new album Bowling is attempting to create a record that feels similar to her live performances. Bowling is also using this album to create unique sounds that can only be done in a studio. The album will have the feel of a live album while accomplishing things that are impossible from a musical standpoint to create live on the road. 

    How Holly Bowling is Making the Album Possible

    The album has been in the works for the last year and a half and has been recorded and mastered. But Bowling has a Kickstarter to get the album out to fans. The freedom that’s given her using a Kickstarter makes it so she can be an independent artist. The contributions to it will help to cover mechanical license fees, vinyl creation, and expenses associated with the release of the album. Some of these expenses include distribution, marketing, publicity. The mechanical licensing allows her to release covers of Grateful Dead songs and makes sure the original creators are fairly compensated

    For more information on Seeking All That’s Still Unsung and Holly Bowling visit her website and her Kickstarter.

  • Acoustic punk duo Rust Belt Brigade share “Roll Call” and “Love Is A House” off upcoming album

    The Rust Belt Brigade began as an acoustic punk duo from Buffalo that has since become a 4 piece Alt-Country/Americana outfit carving out their own niche in and around the Buffalo area. Coming Sept. 18th, the album, Howdy Hallelujah, Here’s the Thing, is a timestamp from the last two years as a 4-piece band composed of songwriters Victor Castilo, Jeremiah Franco, and Brandon Mueckle with Trevor Jennings on cajon/percussion. The album also differs from the normative live experience through full band-electric recordings composing roughly half the record and guest Sally Schaefer on Violin for the more traditional high energy bluegrass tracks. 

    The first single off of Howdy Hallelujah, Here’s the Thing, “Roll Call” is a fast-paced piece that instills a feeling of paranoia and urgency. From the get-go, the instrumental portion builds into an attention-grabbing and heart-pounding pace. The story told within “Roll Call” is one that encourages you to try anyway, even if you’ve hit rock bottom. This lesson is communicated after the ballad describes a life of someone who is truly desperate, with the final few lyrics informing the listener to “Roll the dice man, see if your lucks ran, lucks ran dry.”

    “Love Is A House” slows the pace down from “Roll Call” and describes love through a series of touching metaphors. The lyrics “tell me what’s wrong, so I can fix it, fore winter comes, won’t let the cold get the best of us” exemplifies the importance of communication in relationships and serves as just one of the wholesome lessons that can be drawn from the track.

    These two tracks serve as just a taste of Howdy Hallelujah, Here’s the Thing. Two more tracks from the album will be released on The Rust Belt Brigade’s Bandcamp titled “Kentucky Rain Dance” and “Buried in the Ground.” on July 24 with the full album releasing Sept. 18.

    Unfortunately, this will be the last album produced by the band with songwriter Victor Castillo for the foreseeable future, as the band revealed through a Facebook post that Victor would be pursuing his career in Colorado without the group.

    While the group will be decreasing their level of actively greatly the brigade isn’t disbanding, stating that “We still plan to release new music down the road and play shows in Buffalo when we can all get together but this is indeed an end to era.”