NYS Music 202​0

Category: Pop

  • Hawkins Release Debut Pop Rock Anthem “Lights Off”

    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). 

    hawkins

    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.” 

  • Flashback: Billy Joel closes Nassau Coliseum on this day in 2015

    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

    Encore: Piano Man

    * with Paul Simon

    ^ with Kevin James on piano

    @ with veterans on stage

  • Karolina Rose Releases Music Video for Power Anthem “Runaway Angels”

    NYC-based alt-pop artist Karolina Rose has released the music video to her new single “Runaway Angels,” a deeply personal place of experience from the nomadic artist, split between NYC, Los Angeles, and Europe.   

    Karolina Rose

    Rose’s previous singles include the glittery upbeat rhythms of “Greytopia” and the dusky grooves in “Objection.” “Runaway Angels” is the latest installment of Karolina’s versatile brand of ‘noir rose pop’ and step three in her visual EP project.

    Speaking about “Runaway Angles,” Karolina explains: 

    Runaway Angels is more ballet-inspired with a graceful, haunting feeling. It balances between this place of healing and a place of hell—running from a dark, painful abyss of memories that mostly only come up while you’re dreaming. I started releasing the EP last year and these last two songs were quite personal to me. I took some months off on a sort of spiritual journey to look within and do some healing; Runaway Angels helped me process a part of my life that was really difficult for me. It’s euphoric to exercise this part of me out and share it. The chorus was written in my apartment and the rest of it was finished on a vacation during the thick of the #metoo movement. I wrote parts in the middle of the night and tweaked it on the beach with a mini Taylor I had with me and my laptop.      

    Karolina Rose’s compelling track inspires listeners in an empowering way while on their own journeys of finding love and healing.

    https://soundcloud.com/karolinarose/

  • Interview: Natalie Claro’s Inspiration for “Discomposure”

    After seeing Paramore in concert, the then-14 year old Natalie Claro was inspired to take on a music career. Claro writes and produces her own music, integrating genres of pop, rock, folk, R&B, and country into her songs. 

    Natalie Claro

    Claro grew up in Tampa, Florida starting her career as a local musician when she was 15. By the time she was 17, Claro released her own music and started performing shows in New York. She explains what she loves the most about the music industry:

    The aspect of being able to have an outlet where you can just say whatever, speak your mind, and have a platform to be able to do positive things not only for your community but just as many people you can reach in general. I’ve always loved that part of it.

    In her album, Disconnect Claro describes it as her “analysis of the world.” Her EP Selfish Topics “is an analysis about myself,” Claro says. Her songs discuss issues such as depression, insecurities, and uncertainty. She uses her music to speak out about the positive and negative aspects of life.

    Claro is currently working on new music and has released the music video to “Discomposure.” “The song is about anxiety and stress,” she says. The music video for “Discomposure” illustrates Claro expressing fear and worry, yet finding solace in music. She communicates through her songs that we can find positivity and strength through some of our darkest moments. Claro shares what she wants her music to represent:

    I always use my music as a message towards anyone that is listening to it. I try to be a positive influence to my listeners.

  • Hearing Aide: Upstate ‘Live at ArtsRiot’

    Upstate’s new live EP, Live at ArtsRiot is the quarantine album we all need right now. This group, formerly known as Upstate Rubdown, has soared through the Hudson Valley region since their debut release in 2015, and in an effort to cure our isolation blues, they have released this live EP to bring us back to the comforting clamor of live shows.

    This new release is familiar territory, featuring four songs from their 2019 studio album Healing. The new EP promises the same tight vocal harmonies, intricate lyrics, tight rhythmic strumming, and swirling energy from the first release of these songs. What you may not expect from Live at ArtsRiot is its production value – besides the excellent mixing and mastering, this live performance has eight performers, each with an interesting color to weave in and out of this picture. One of the best examples can be heard in “Who Knows”. The album version tends to rely on the folk-timbred acoustic guitar and standup bass, but the live version is daring in its switch to electric. In one song, a group that was once under the folk umbrella becomes a southern blues band. In the final song of the Live EP “Healing”, the band ditches the honky tonk-style piano solo and tosses in a keyboard for the solo section, marrying folk with almost a jam band timbre to support the blazing sax solo and keep the energy trailing right until the end of the performance.

    More than its musical intricacies, this live EP is a reminder of the comradery needed to put on a great show. In addition to having top notch songs, this band has a responsive following, which you can hear cheering throughout the entire EP. The vocalists have audible excitement in their voices, and with so many musicians on stage, you’re able to hear the push and pull of instruments to provide a strong and creative backdrop for the tight vocal harmonies that push centerfold.  This is a sound you can only get from a live show, and with performances few and far between these days, we can’t help but thank Upstate for reminding us of the live show vibes we miss so much.

    p.s., Upstate is headed to Rochester on October 16, and will hopefully visit ArtsRiot again this year, but check their website and Facebook to be sure.

    Key Tracks: Who Knows, Healing

  • Interview: Singer Songwriter duo Kelly and Kat talk new single and getting started in the Music Industry

    Sisters Kelly and Kat were in high school when they found a Facebook post that encouraged them to participate in the Disney and Kohl’s National Sing Your Frozen Heart Out Contest. To their success, the sisters won the contest and made an appearance during the American Music Awards. Life took them on a different direction, deciding from that day forward they would pursue a musical career as a singer songwriter duo. 

    kelly and kat

    The singer-songwriter duo perform at local bars in Long Island and continue to write songs on a daily basis. Their music comprises elements of rock, pop, and jazz accompanied with their soft vocals and smooth harmonies.

    Kelly and Kat’s new single “We Were” is a piano ballad that shows the discomfort in remembering the good times of a past relationship. Their previous singles like “One Day” describes the confidence in moving forward from a relationship while “Nobody Knows” explains the significance of learning to accept yourself. 

    Music has allowed the sisters to form a strong bond. Kelly and Kat share their thoughts on the impact it has had on their lives:

    I’m happy with our path and the way that everything turned out. We both knew we wanted to do music and we really love what we do. I love waking up every day and seeing this as a part of my life.

    -Kelly

    I’ve always wanted to make music that can be a support system for others. There is nothing more intimate than helping someone through music. 

    -Kat

    Check out NYSMusic’s coverage of Kelly and Kat’s release of their debut single “One Day” from 2019. 

  • Roan Yellowthorn Covers Chris Cornell’s “Can’t Change Me”

    Indie pop rock duo Roan Yellowthorn have released a cover of Chris Cornell’s “Can’t Change Me” to benefit the Chris and Vicky Cornell foundation. 

    Roan Yellowthorn Chris Cornell
    Photo courtesy of roanyellowthorn.com

    This single is the second in the Blue Élan’s ‘We Are The Highway’ project series, which features Chris Cornell covers to benefit children across the globe who struggle with issues like homelessness, neglect, abuse, and poverty. The project seeks to uphold Chris Cornell’s legacy and show that music can create positive change. Blue Élan stresses that now it is more important than ever to help children in need, and co-founder of Blue Élan and friend of Cornell Kirk Pasich states that “We cannot think of a better musical way to do that than sharing the music of Chris Cornell, in his memory, and to help children.”

    Roan Yellowthorn is made up of Shawn Strack and Jackie McLean, daughter of Don McLean. Jackie McLean comments on covering “Cant Change Me,” saying: “When I hear [Cornell’s] words, I am struck by his depth of feeling. I am struck by the intensity of his emotion. I am struck by the strength of his presence.” 

    Much like Chris Cornell, Jackie McLean is an artist who is also known for putting deep feeling in her music. Their latest album Indigo “is an extremely sincere album” and was written as a way for McLean to process her feelings. All of Roan Yellowthorn’s music comes from the heart. 

    Roan Yellowthorn

    There are more songs to come in Blue Élan’s We Are The Highway project. The songs inspire people in difficult situations to survive and persevere despite their struggles, embodying the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation’s mission to help children who cannot help themselves. You can follow the official “We Are The Highway” playlist here.

  • 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!

  • The Linda ‘Opens For Take Out’ Reviving the Capital Region Music Scene

    Albany’s revolutionary The Linda: WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio is once more changing the game. In an announcement today, The Linda has announced the launching of brand new virtual programming being dubbed ‘The Linda: Open for Take-Out Virtual Concert Series.’ Produced in collaboration with Troy’s video production company Chromoscope Pictures, the virtual concerts will take place Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The Linda’s Youtube channel and will be ticketed just like their regular shows.

    “We realize that the impacts of COVID-19 have been dire for working musicians and the music industry as a whole. The goal of this series is to restart the local music economy by bringing a wide array of eclectic and diverse, local and regional musicians back to the stage in a safe environment and to provide fans with a professionally produced concert delivered directly to the safety and comfort of their homes”

    First up in the series will be indie band Motorbike from Saratoga Springs on July 13 at 8 p.m. Their debut LP Victory Lap was released January 2019 delivering to fans and heartfelt hooks from the alternative rockers. Scheduled for July 20 is Girl Blue, a indie pop songstress from Long Island whose debut single “Fire Under Water” racked up over 2 million streaming plays. Canadian neosoul artist The Age will round out the initial lineup with a show on July 27.

    Upon purchasing a stream, you will be sent a private YouTube link for each performance. For more information and updates regarding the series visit The Linda’s website or their social media pages.

    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!