NYS Music 202​0

Category: Festival News

  • Lake George Music Festival Announces Drive-In Concert Series

    The Lake George Music Festival has partnered with Dave Ehmann’s “Improv Records” to announce a two-part 2020 music festival. This comes after a decision by festival organizers to post-pone the “10-year Anniversary Celebration” season until 2021 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions still in place.

    lake george music festival

    Along with a week long virtual series, the Lake George Music Festival also offers a weekend drive-in concert series. From September 13-18 music lovers can enjoy free online performances and digital events. The drive-in portion occurs September 19-20, at the newly developed Lake George Festival Commons.

    Original Festival Announcement

    Dave and his crew have been instrumental in the development of Lake George’s new Festival Space. We will have a tremendous advantage in producing what very well might be the ONLY event in Lake George this summer when working with Dave…We’re both committed to the Lake George community; especially the music scene. Two like minded peers working together, along with some fantastic musicians and beautiful September weather in Lake George will surely be a winning event.

    Alexander Lombard, Founder and CEO of the Lake George Music Festival

    Voted in 2015 as “Best Annual Event” by LG.com, the festival usually spans two weeks at various venues around the village. Drawing over 300 artists since its inception in 2011, past festivals performers include members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music and other distinguished musicians from 27 countries. All coming together to bring classical music into the 21st-century.

    Festival co-contributor Dave Ehmann is known for bringing big names suck as Twiddle and Marshall Tucker Band to the Lake George region. Ehmann also produces the sold out Adirondack Independence Music Festival.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CEFADVFnIbf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    Free Pass Announcement

    Tickets for the drive-in portion are available for purchase here. Furthermore, free passes will be available for all front line workers.

  • LOCKN’ Festival Postponed to 2021

    LOCKN’ Festival is officially being postponed to October 1-3, 2021 due to COVID-19. The festival had originally planned to take place in June 19-21 of 2020, was delayed to October 2-4 of 2020 in hopes the virus would subside, but was officially postponed until 2021 on August 29, 2020.

    The 8th annual LOCKN’ Festival will take place at Infinity Downs & Oak Ridge Farm on LOCKN’s 387-acre property located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Arrington, VA. The LOCKN’ 2021 festival will mark an all-star celebration of Phil Lesh’s upcoming 81st birthday, with the legendary musician performing alongside an array of famous friends and special guests over the three-day event. There will also be a special “Steal Your Thursday” which will kick off the festival weekend on Thursday, September 30, 2021. 

    A complete artist lineup and additional ticket information will be announced soon. Individuals who already purchased LOCKN’ 2020 tickets can obtain a full refund for tickets and camping accommodations or choose to have their ticket rollover to LOCKN’ 2021. LOCKN’ 2020 purchasers transferring their order to LOCKN’ 2021 will receive one free access voucher for all three crowdless performances from the LOCKN’ site by Joe Russo’s Almost Dead on October 2-4, 2020. There will be a lot of additional benefits applied per ticket type, with VIP Ticket Holders and Super VIP Ticket Holders will receive an invitation to a private celebration at LOCKN’ 2021 with complimentary food and beverages, along with some surprise guests. Super VIP Ticket Holders will also get a very special ride on the Main Stage turntable. GA ticket holders who rollover will also be entered to win a VIP ticket and camping upgrades for LOCKN’ 2021.

    For people who are looking for a refund on their  LOCKN’ 2020 tickets instead of a rollover  can request a full refund of the total purchase price, including all fees. Requests must be made by September 27, 2020 by 11:59 PM EST.  Refunds will be processed in as little as 30 days following the deadline; refunds will be issued to the ticket holder’s original method of payment. If no selection is made by September 27, 2020 orders will automatically roll over to 2021.

    There is also the option for LOCKN’ 2020 ticket holders to donate their current ticket to LOCKN’ if they are unable to attend in 2021 to help to ensure another year of music and family on the farm. A portion of the face value of all donated ticket sales will be given to HeadCount to support its mission of promoting participation in democracy by registering voters at live and virtual events. For complete details on how to rollover tickets, request a refund, or donate LOCKN’ 2020 tickets, visit here.

    For more information on LOCKN’ Festival 2021 visit their website.

  • Elements Fest Announces Fall Edition “In My Elements”

    In My Elements, created by Elements Festival, has announced their fall edition and will attempt to recreate the concept of the Elements Festival in a smaller, more intimate environment. This fall installment will take place on September 25 – 28 on Lake Como in Pennsylvania.

    In My Elements festivities will focus on the safety of attendees by being a tested and contained retreat. The festival, in addition to onsite cleaning and safety protocols, will require all guests, staff and vendors to participate in an advance 2-part COVID-19 test prior to entry and will limit attendance to 250 people following PA outdoor gathering limits.

    In My Elements

    The festivities will include music for techno and house devotees as well as intimate stages where guests will be able to experience the sounds from their Air and Water stages. There will also be special programming with daily yoga and meditation sessions and wellness activities held in open-air environments, to help calm the mind and cleanse the spirit. Exciting art installations and wild shows. The festival will be located in forests and lakefront settings giving guests a peaceful place to explore.

    In My Elements full lineup includes: Wax Motif, Eli (Soul Clap), Sacha Robotti, Desert Hearts: Lee Reynolds + Porky, Gene Farris, J.Phlip, Golf Clap, Westend, The Golden Pony, Alexander:Louis, Cakewalk, Dastan, Kate Stein, Koop, Late London, Nacho Isa, Papyon, Ria Bird, Ryssa, TMBER, with more regional DJs to be announced. 

    The TCR 2-Part Testing Model required by attendees will work by first In the week leading up to the retreat, people will take a test at one of their certified testing locations in multiple cities. Results will be reported before the retreat. Although testing kits may vary depending on location, the preferred test is the Mako Medical TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Assay with 100% PPA and 100% NPA. At home mail-in tests are available as an add-on to tickets for an additional fee. The second part of the two part testing is that when guests arrive on site, their cars will be guided into distanced parking spaces where they will take an active COVID-19 rapid test. Results will be received in about 30 minutes and guests will be directed into the event grounds. This test will be a Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA with 96.7% PPA and 100% NPA sensitivity, manufactured by Quidel.

    General admission passes are now on sale and can be purchased here. This time around the In My Element guests have the option of camping or cabin packages, including a deluxe cabin apartment option. Camping passes are currently sold out and cabins are following close behind. If there’s another lockdown, or the gathering is cancelled for any reason, they will issue full, automatic refunds of all tickets and credit card fees, no questions asked.

    For more information visit In My Elements website.

  • JazzFest White Plains Announced Virtual Festival Dates

    JazzFest White Plains announced virtual festival dates. The virtual festival will take place September 8-11 and will host a variety of artists. The 9th annual JazzFest White Plains will be streamed on Zoom and on Facebook. 

     The four days of Jazz will include not only performances but conversations as well. It will feature a mixture of artists at the forefront of jazz and rising stars. From Westchester jazz talent to jazz masters the festival will be something spectacular for Jazz enthusiasts. JazzFest White Plains are teaming up with the spirit of Arts Westchester’s annual ArtsBash. 

    The festivities will start at 4:30 – 5:30PM on September 8 with the  “ArtsBash Virtual Mixology” event making Jägermeister cocktails and live jazz music by The Rico Jones Trio. Then at 6PM there will be a “presenting Jazz in the time of COVID-19” conversation. At 8PM the night will wrap up with “Westchester Jazz: Then and Now” featuring Art Bennett on sax, Kathryn Farmer on piano and vocals, Kenny Lee on trumpet, and Rocky Middleton on bass.

    The second day will start at noon on September 9 with a performance form “Isabella Mendes & Flavio Lira Duo.” At 6PM there will be “Jazz Education in Westchester” conversation. Wrapping up at 8PM the “Jazz, From One Generation to the Next” event will happen featuring conversations and performances by Alexis Cole and Lucy Wijnands, Bobby Sanabria and Gabrielle Garo, and Ulysses Owens Jr. and Aaron Jennings.

    On the third day September 10 the fun will start bright and early at 8AM with “Jazz at the Intersections” performances featuring Amir ElSaffar with an Arabic music and jazz combination, Jomion & the Uklos with a West African/Carribean music and jazz combination, and Pablo Mayor with a Columbian music and jazz combination. 

    On the last day September 11 the festival will wrap up at 8PM with “Jazz’s Rising Stars” featuring performances of Connie Han on piano, Matthew Whitaker on piano, Veronica Swift on vocals, and Alicia Olatuja on vocals. There will also be a moderated discussion about what it’s like to be a young rising star in jazz today which will be moderated by Keanna Faircloth, WBGO.

    The festival is free to the public but is accepting donations online here. People wanting to register for certain events to get the zoom link can do so on JazzFest White Plains’ website. The events will also all be live streamed on Arts Westchester’s Facebook Page. 

    For more information visit JazzFest White Plains’ website.

  • 2020 Woodstock Film Festival Embraces Hybrid Format

    Updated: 9/27/2020

    The Woodstock Film Festival 2020 has released the lineup for feature length premieres being showcased at this year’s festival. LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, WOODSTOCK TUVAN STYLE, ZAPPA, and BEHIND THE STRINGS are four music-related films that will be premiering at the festival. Click on the movie titles below to view a synopses and diretor’s bio for each film.

    LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS (Drive-In) – World Premiere with live musical performance!
    THE HUMAN FACTOR (Drive-In) – East Coast PremiereWOODSTOCK TUVAN STYLE (Drive-In) – World Premiere
    JACINTA (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    LORELEI (Drive-In) – US Premiere
    A CALL TO SPY (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    DEAR MR. BRODY (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    THE DRUMMER (Drive-In) – World Premiere
    ZAPPA (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    KENNY SHCARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (Drive-In) – East Coast Premiere
    WHAT BREAKS THE ICE (Drive-In) – World Premiere
    WILDFLOWER (Drive-In) – World Premiere
    FREELAND (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    THE SIT IN (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
    ASKING FOR IT (Drive-In) – East Coast Premiere
    HORSE LATITUDES (Online) – North American Premiere
    MODEL (Online) – New York Premiere
    PAPER SPIDERS (Online) – New York Premiere
    COMING CLEAN (Online) – New York Premiere
    BEHIND THE STRINGS (Online) – World Premiere
    BARBARA LEE SPEAKS FOR ME (Online) – East Coast Premiere
    SURGE (Online) – East Coast Premiere
    THE PUSHBACK (Online) – East Coast Premiere

    Organizers of the 21st Woodstock Film Festival announced that this year’s festival will be brought to fans through a combination of drive in showings and online viewings. Starting September 30 at 9 a.m. est., the festival will run until October 4 at 11 p.m. est.

    A full lineup of films will be featured at the Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema in Greenville along with the Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie. Other area drive-ins are also slated to participate in this year’s film festival along with special events planned for Woodstock itself.

    Woodstock Film Festival

    The premier independent film festival will be inclusive of those that would prefer to stay at home by offering films for online viewing complete with Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. According to the press release, attendees can also expect a conversation series with members of the film industry. Filmmakers will still be able to attend a modified Maverick Awards ceremony and networking opportunities online.

    “We are all going through challenging times, and challenging times call for innovative approaches. I am thankful that recent advances in contemporary technology, along with the reinvigorated nostalgia for the classic American drive-in have made it possible for us to continue supporting outstanding independent cinema, while offering new and returning audiences alike the opportunity to experience excellent films in safety and comfort.”    

    Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein

    Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, changing direction became the only course of action in order to keep everyone involved safe. The Woodstock Film Festival offices have been closed since mid-March and all in person events were cancelled.

    The Woodstock Film Festival has continued to provide stellar content, shifting programming to online platforms. Provided to the public free of charge, the spring calendar included; live conversations with industry luminaries, notable directors and actors, as well as a curated selection of films with introductions from their filmmakers.

    Individual tickets for films and events at the drive-ins and online will be made available beginning of September, while passes for either the full online film portion of the festival, the full online panel series, or both, are available for purchase now HERE.

  • Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival Announces 2020 Lineup

    Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival announced it’s 2020 Lineup for it’s 4th annual festival. The festival will take place on August 30 from 10AM-8PM and will be held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

    Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival takes place at City of Buffalo and celebrates all genres of music, arts and culture. The festival strides to be unique and trendsetting while  bridging the gap between generations, communities and cultures. This year’s festivities will be a mixture of live, pre-recorded, and interactive content featuring some of Wester New York’s favorite artists, musicians, curators, and community stakeholders. Annual Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Festival  might be on the virtual screen this year but it will continue it’s traditions of an all day celebration exhibiting a “Mind, Body & Soul” Concept utilizing our platforms to speak to the state of our community, society and self.

    The festival will start at 10AM with an interactive art gallery called the “La Maison Des Arts.”  Throughout the virtual art gallery attendees can literally walk through and purchase art from Western New York’s finest artist. Gallery will feature paintings by artists and visual content. At 12PM there will be a yoga session called the “Yoga Fleuve.”. Attendees will be led by certified yoga instructor Taminka Jones as she guides you through a mental elevation to be liberated and conscious. Rounding in at 2PM the “Buffalo Then & Now” discussion will take place. These discussions will be amongst Buffalo & Western New York Community Stakeholders on the current state of our society, Buffalo past & present, arts community and more. At 4PM there will be the Black Art’ appreciation section titled “Black Art.” The festival is bringing Buffalo and Western New York’s black community to the table to talk about the appreciation for black art & artists, its influence, disparities, and more. At 6PM there will be a performance/ visual art exhibit by Edreys Wajed aka Billy Drease Williams called “Check out my melody?” Wrapping up the festival at 8PM there will be a performance by Curtis Lovell featuring Naila Ansari called the “Night with Beau Fleuve.” 

    Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival can be attended via their social media platforms on Instagram and on Facebook.

    For more info visit Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival’s website.

  • Inclusion Festival Announces First Sensory-Friendly Music Festival

    Inclusion Festival announced its plan to be the nation’s first and only sensory-friendly music and wellness festival. The three day festival will broadcast virtually on the Inclusion Festival’s website and will run from August 21-23, 2020. 

    The festival will be designed to accommodate and include people of all abilities. Believing the concepts of inclusion are fundamental to all experiences and communities. The festival’s fundamentals have grown to spread inclusion as a state of mind past just the festival experience. The festival will have year-round events, experiences, consultation and training, as well as an online magazine.

    The festival will host many incredible musicians on top of featuring people of all abilities. In the spirit of inclusion, Matt Butler will conduct Everyone Orchestra with participants Al Schnier (moe.), Aron Magner (The Disco Biscuits), James Casey and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Bridget Law, Kai Eckhardt (Garaj Mahal) and Weedie Braimah. There will also be a very special performance from Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass) with collaborators Holly Bowling, Lindsay Lou, and Jay Cobb Anderson (Fruition). New sets will be aired from Hayley Jane, Zach Gill (ALO), TIKYRA (Southern Avenue), Peck and Penn (Midnight North), Karina Rykman, Tash Neal (London Souls), and many more.

    The festival aims to showcase best practices in online accessibility including continuous closed captioning, American Sign Language Interpretation, and accessibility tools embedded on the streaming site. Inclusion Festival ONLINE will also offer a wide variety of workshops, diverse conversations including an interview with award-winning author and autism advocate Dr. Temple Grandin, and live nightly dance parties. Viewers can log into Zoom rooms to participate and connect from home.

    The Festival can be viewed on theInclusion Festival’s website. The event will also be streaming on CashOrTrade Streams. All donations received from the live-stream event will directly benefit the non-profit organization Accessible Festivals, dedicated to ensuring that music and recreation are accessible to all people, in addition to supporting the participating musicians and presenters.


    For more information visit the Inclusion Festival’s website.

  • (De)Tour Festival Streams with Ringo Starr, Macy Gray, Slash and more

    At 1PM EST on August 15, the Morrison Hotel Gallery and Rolling Live Studios will present a live streamed festival for charity in these unprecedented times. 

    (De)tour Festival

    The day-long festival, (De)Tour, will include several all-stars playing in association with Recording Academy’s charity MusiCares. MusiCares’ mission is to raise money to assist with tour and concert cancellations due to COVID-19. The festival is free, but donations to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund are critical for the concert’s success. The charity aims to lessen the stress felt by the entire music industry as all in it face complete uncertainty. 

    In a festival like no other, (De)Tour offers fans unlimited online access for the entire day. Everyone will be able to enjoy the many talented artists from the comfort of their own homes. (De)Tour will showcase talent like Ringo Starr, Slash, Gavin Rossdale, Macy Gray, Taylor Momsen, Cheap Trick, and tons more.

    Don’t miss out on (De)Tour today at 1PM EST, and donate to MusiCares if you can.

  • Radio Woodstock Presents Virtual Tribute Festival to the Summer of 1969

    Radio Woodstock is celebrating its 40-year anniversary of broadcasting by commemorating “The Greatest Festival of All Time.”

    Radio Woodstock

    From Aug. 14 to Aug. 16, fans of the station can virtually experience a series of live concerts performed over the years.

    Radio Woodstock asked listeners to submit some of their favorite concerts to the station that they will feature throughout the weekend.

    The town of Woodstock gained its notoriety in the summer of 1969, when they held “three days of peace and music.” The festival showcased a mesh of famous artists like Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane.

    woodstock
    Original poster for Woodstock Festival 1969.

    Greg Gattine, Radio Woodstock’s Director of Programming, said that they wanted to provide the “Greatest Festival Ever,” in 2020.

    “As we celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2020 we decided to put together the Greatest Festival Ever.  A one of a kind virtual live experience from our vast archive. Although we won’t be able to celebrate together we can remember the times we stood shoulder to shoulder at some of the greatest concerts of all time and relive that experience for a few days in the middle of August in upstate New York.”

    Greg Gattine

    Members of the music-radio industry calls Radio Woodstock “the coolest radio station on the planet”. They are on of the most unique and eclectic radio stations in the world today, according to supporters.

    The Greatest Festival of All Time goes live on 100.1 or their website at 5 p.m. Aug. 14.

    “This is the kind of innovative programming that makes Radio Woodstock the greatest rock station in the world today.  We will continue to be the torchbearer for independent radio,” said President of Radio Woodstock Greg Chetkof.

    https://youtu.be/OzHBr0ndKus
    Jefferson Airplane live, Woodstock 1969.

  • Follow The Light Virtual Music Festival Announced in Celebration of Irish Traditions

    Follow The Light virtual music festival was announced by We Banjo 3 in celebration of Irish traditions. The festival will take place on August 29, 2020 at 5PM EST. Festival Tickets, Artist Meet & Greets and Exclusive Festival Merchandise are on Sale Now at We Banjo 3’s website.

    Follow The Light  virtual music festival will work as an ode to the We Banjo 3’s Irish heritage. The festival will feature an evening of musical performances by Gaelic Storm, Sharon Shannon, Nathan Carter and The East Pointers, on top of We Banjo 3. The festival will also host non-music features throughout the evening.

    We Banjo 3 debuted in the U.S. in 2012 and are Billboard Bluegrass chart-toppers. We Banjo 3 create a fusion of shared and varied traditions of Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music with pop-sensible songcraft to create a unique signature sound. The quartet is made up of Ireland and Nashville sounds and is composed of two sets of brothers Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley. 

    We Banjo 3 has deep-dived into exploring alternatives to physically taking the stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They find connecting with fans through various online performances, fan Q&A’s, live interviews, poetry and book excerpt readings, general banter about topics of interest, and more, gives them a personalized approach to creating fan experiences. Their hope with Follow The Light is to create this immersive experience to a wider audience while shedding the light to the rich Irish culture that they were founded upon. 

    https://youtu.be/qc9GvnGR3wc

    General Admission Tickets, Artist Meet & Greets Upgrades, and Festival Ticket/Exclusive Merchandise bundles are available now on We Banjo 3’s website. The ticket purchase will give the buyer access to the stream for the festival. The stream will be supported on Chromecast,  Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick. 

    https://youtu.be/YzdNABunUvk

    For more information on the Follow The Light Virtual Music Festival visit We Banjo 3’s website.