NYS Music 202​0

Category: News

  • Maggie Miles Releases EP with New Single “Hillary Duff”

    Maggie Miles, an alternative pop artist based in Nashville, recently released her newest EP Swing Your Concerns featuring her latest single “Hillary Duff.”

    Swing Your Concerns features two new tracks along with three of her singles “Swim,” “WHATISTODAY?,” and “Deserve This.” “I believe that as humans we see the option of distracting ourselves from our current reality as a better route than to truly work on bettering who we are. Why feel and work through what’s wrong when you can be numb instead. With the combination of expectations and eyeballs tracking your every move, that’s what ‘Hilary Duff’ is about,” Maggie comments on “Hillary Duff.” This song, along with “Deserve This” and “Swim,” seem to come at a perfect time in this global pandemic when emotions are high.

    Maggie grew up surrounded by music as her father was in a Celtic rock band. She did not perform solo in front of an audience until she was 18, but has quickly gained popularity after being discovered by Bruce Gates at Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington, D.C. Since then, she has gained over 60K monthly listeners on Spotify, and her song “WHATISTODAY?” has been featured on several of the app’s playlists, such as Indie Pop and Fresh Finds. She has gained attention from Billboard, Variance, and American Songwriter.

    This new single and EP follow an endorsement deal with Yamaha Music along with the emerging artist program WAY Up. Maggie spoke at a panel at the Yamaha Ginza Hall in Tokyo along with several other acclaimed up and coming artists. They spoke about their experiences creating music and conveying their inner emotions through it.

    Photo by Jimmy Fisco

    Maggie Miles, much like other alt pop artists, shows authenticity in her music by showcasing her wit and personality. At only 21 years old, Maggie likes to use comic relief as a means to poke fun at the hilarity that is the coming-of-age time in life. She draws inspiration from 90s grunge artists but still produces a unique sound that’s personal to her. Maggie says: “I make music for the utter reason alone that I need to create something for myself that makes sense, when nothing else around me does.” She has notable vocal talent, but can also play the piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, bass, and keytar.

    Maggie’s first full-length album will be out later this Summer.

  • Kitchen Dwellers announce release of ‘Reheated Vol.2’ featuring Pink Floyd covers

    Kitchen Dwellers have released Reheated Vol. 2, their take on Pink Floyd with three covers – “Welcome to the Machine.” “Hey You,” and “Pigs (Three Different Ones).” This release marks the second installment of their Reheated series featuring covers interpreted by Kitchen Dwellers through their eclectic and expansive approach to Bluegrass music.  Kitchen Dwellers launched their Reheated series in 2018 with Vol. 1, a four-song EP that reimagined songs from The Band.  

    Reheated started out as a way to play the music of some of our favorite bands while putting our own twist on it. We draw influences from all kinds of styles and types of genres, so diving into somebody else’s work is fun for us. It creates its own set of challenges and we tend to incorporate some of the things we learn along the way into our own songs and playing. For the first volume, we released songs from The Band. We love their approach to songwriting and singing so we really had a lot of fun with that one.  

    After many rounds of debate, we ultimately chose to do Pink Floyd for the second volume. Throughout their long career, they have been so inventive and experimental. As a kid, I used to think the band members of Pink Floyd wore lab coats and twisted nobs to make their music. Their songs also pose big questions about life and have the ability to make you think from different perspectives. We chose one song from three of their most influential albums; Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. All songs were recorded and mixed with Colin Bricker at Mighty Fine Productions in Denver, CO. We tried to recreate some of the iconic sounds that Pink Floyd managed to produce in the studio, this time, with acoustic instruments. Every single instrument track was recorded on one of our four instruments except for one, so we really had to work on getting it right. This release has been highly anticipated for us and It’s with great excitement that we can put this out into the world. 

    Max Davies (guitar/vocals)

    The Montana-based bluegrass band has performed for thousands at Red Rocks, shared bills with the likes of Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters and Twiddle, graced festival stages from Northwest String Summit to WinterWonderGrass, and transcended traditional genre boundaries. 

  • The Canadian National Anthem gets a Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra makeover in new video

    The Daniel Hersog O Canada Jazz Orchestra has released their first digital music video, featuring the Canadian National Anthem “O Canada.” The video’s release comes just in time for Canada‘s July 1 Independence Day.

    Daniel Hersog‘s 17-piece ensemble formed in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The group is comprised of Juno Award winners, Canadian jazz stars and a recipient of the Order of Canada. All 10 Canadian Providences are represented among these musicians that have come together to support each other during trying times.

    Daniel Hersog, hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, has quickly become a vital Jazz player as a trumpeter, composer and arranger. Hersog is currently receiving significant airplay, and international media attention for his newly released album Night Devoid of Stars released through Cellar Music Label.

  • 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj’s “TROLLZ” plummets down the Billboard Hot 100

    After debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week with new song “TROLLZ,” New York rappers 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj have broken the all-time record for biggest fall from number one. Dropping to #34, the duo doubles the previous record-holder, The Weeknd’s “Heartless,” which fell to #17.

    “TROLLZ”  marked 6ix9ine’s first number-one single, and Minaj’s second. Earlier this year, she hopped onto a remix of Doja Cat’s viral hit “Say So” for her first. The success of “TROLLZ” has been historic in many ways: after spending the late 2010s mired in controversy and overshadowed by new talent, Nicki became the first female rapper to debut at #1 since Lauryn Hill’s 1998 “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and 6ix9ine beat the odds despite being blacklisted from radio as well as playlists curated by Spotify and Apple Music.

    The accompanying music video, filmed at 6ix9ine’s home while under house arrest for racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses, has almost 160 million YouTube views and counting, and the single has sold 116,000 downloads, the highest figure since Taylor Swift’s “ME!” Both rappers took to Twitter to gloat about the successful debut:

    Without industry support, “TROLLZ”’s number-one debut was almost entirely a fan-driven operation. This is admittedly impressive, but on second thought it bodes bleak for the future of chart-toppers. While never an indication of a song’s quality or cultural impact, going number-one once meant having the most popular song in the nation for a week or more.

    Now, a devoted fanbase could theoretically get their idol’s song to the top of the chart without anyone else beyond their ranks actually listening to it, only to nosedive into oblivion the next week without having made its mark on popular culture and the general public. While claiming the coveted crest of the Hot 100 has historically been a prestigious accomplishment, this arguably causes the feat to lose its luster.

    Discounts, merchandise bundles, and multiple versions are increasingly popular methods of boosting sales, and fan practices such as employing bots and VPNs to manipulate a song’s performance have potentially made the Hot 100 less representative of the masses’ tastes than ever before. While the latter has only been rumored in this instance, 6ix9ine and Minaj employed all of the former tactics: “TROLLZ” was discounted to 69 cents, sold alongside CDs, vinyls, and hoodies, and released with explicit, alternate, and clean versions.

    Although 2020 is only halfway through, the year has already seen five Hot 100 number-one debuts, some of which proved to be similarly frontloaded: Travis Scott and Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts” fell to #12 the following week, and Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U” plunged to #13. Since Billboard is constantly amending its rules amid the ever-evolving musical landscape, none of these artists or fanbases are technically ‘cheating’ by pulling out all the stops to ensure a number-one.

    They still obtained the necessary sales, streams, and radio play (provided they aren’t blacklisted) required to top the chart. Unlike payola, the practice of record companies paying radio stations to play a song without disclosing the agreement, it’s perfectly legal for artists to go to 6ix9ine and Minaj’s lengths to top the Hot 100. But will those songs be remembered a year from now? Next week, even?

  • Broadway Shutdown Extended to January 3, 2021

    On June 29, The Broadway League announced that the Coronavirus shutdown would remain effective for Broadway theaters for the remainder of 2020. 

    Photo by Kate Glicksberg

    On March 12, The Broadway League closed NYC’s shows after Governor Cuomo placed restrictions on mass gatherings. The theaters were supposed to only stay closed for a month. However, due to the ever-present threat of COVID-19, the date was pushed back several times. Now, shows will not be opening until January 3, 2021. 

    Broadway has gone dark before. Shows have been closed many times for strikes in 1919, 1964, and 1975, and all shows were closed for several days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This hurt shows financially so much that several were not able to reopen after the shutdown ended. However, Broadway has never been closed this long before.

    Much like the 9/11 shutdown, Broadway shows are being deeply hurt by this inactivity today. Hangmen and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? will not be able to open in 2021. 31 productions were running in March, with 8 new shows in previews that were scheduled to officially open later this year. The Minutes, American Buffalo, and the long anticipated revival of The Music Man starring Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman announced that their opening dates would be postponed. The Lincoln Center Theater and the Roundabout Theatre Company have released new Spring dates for their upcoming works. 

    Via gaylesbroadwayrose.com

    “The Broadway experience can be deeply personal but it is also, crucially, communal,” says Chairman of the Board of The Broadway League Thomas Schumacher. “Every single member of our community is eager to get back to work sharing stories that inspire our audience through the transformative power of a shared live experience. The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it’s safe to do so. One thing is for sure, when we return we will be stronger and more needed than ever.”

    The theaters are expected to open with rolling dates starting on January 3, 2021. All tickets before this date are being refunded or exchanged. In the meantime, Broadway fans can watch the original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton on Disney+, which will be available for streaming on July 3.

  • Live Nation is Under Scrutiny From Religious Leaders Over Hindu-Buddhist-Jain Statues

    Religious leaders from Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Jain denominations are urging Live Nation to remove Hindu-Buddhist-Jain statues that are located in various night clubs and requested a public apology.  The statues are located in eight major US cities in the Foundation Room night-clubs in House of Blues and the religious leaders find them highly inappropriate.

    Lord Parshvanatha in Foundation Room Chicago with masquerade ball mask in his lap.
    Photo from from Foundation Room Facebook page.

    Foundation Room night clubs are a part of the “House of Blues” network of Live Nation Entertainment and are located in Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. Live Nation Entertainment’s network also includes Ticketmaster, bringing 40,000 shows and more than 100 festivals to life, selling 500 million tickets per year.

    With Live Nation being such a large corporation and having a great deal of influence on the music world, and claiming to be the “world’s leading live entertainment company,” statues of Hindu-Buddhist-Jain icons adorning these music venues is out of line.

    Leaders released a joint statement on June 26 saying that, “placing highly revered Hindu-Buddhist-Jain icons to adorn night-clubs was very disrespectful, out-of-line, prone to desecration by patrons, and could be disturbing to the adherents of these [Christian-Hindu-Buddhist-Jewish-Jain] faiths.” The group of religious leaders include: Greek Orthodox Priest Stephen R. Karcher, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, prominent Buddhist Priest Matthew T. Fisher, well-known Jewish Rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer, and renowned Jain leader Sulekh C. Jain. 

    President of Universal Society of Hinduism Rajan Zed highlighted that Hindu deities Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Lord Rama, (among others) were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be thrown around loosely in a night-club for dramatic effects or a mercantile agenda. Devotees of these religions would see such denigration of sacred deities as hurtful.

    Lord Ganesha at Foundation Room Houston with wine-glass in front of him. Photo from from Foundation Room Facebook page.

    Sulekh C. Jain explained that the statues of Lord Mahavira and Lord Parshvanatha don’t belong in night-clubs and that they belonged in temples for veneration. He then suggested that Live Nation Entertainment could donate these to Jain temples in the USA and the Jain community would gladly pay for their transportation.

  • 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!

  • NYC Council Members form Caucus to support Independent Music Venues

    Former hardcore musician and NYC Council Member Justin Brannan of Brooklyn and NYC Council Member Keith Powers of Manhattan have formed the “CBGB Caucus” to help support independent music venues during the pandemic. The councilmen hope to protect and help small venues from being forced to close during these trying times. 

    NYC Music Venues

    Brannan was a member of hardcore bands Indecision and Most Precious Blood before getting into politics. This close connection to being a musician and the need to keep venues afloat is one of the reasons behind the formation of “CBGB Caucus.” CBGB is an historic a New York City music club that opened in 1973 and closed its doors in 2006.

    According to Brooklyn Vegan, the councilman, “shared a letter to members of the NYC Congressional Delegation offering their support to efforts by the National Independent Venue Association.” Currently, 90% of venues will be forced to shut down without much needed aid the councilmen are pushing for. 

    To help support and save independent music venues, visit SaveOurStages.com where you can quickly fill out a form to contact your legislators about the need for aid for venues. You can also help support individual NYC music venues survive the pandemic by donating to them directly. A list of venues you can donate too can be found here.

    The full letter can be read below:

    Members of the New York City Congressional Delegation,

    We are writing to express our support of the National Independent Venue Association’s efforts to expand the Federal Paycheck Protection Program to offer more help for businesses like theirs that are completely shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are in need of support during this unprecedented time. We need to allow independent music venues to recover in order to preserve some of New York City’s — and our country’s — most important cultural institutions.

    With nearly 2,000 venues in all 50 states, the National Independent Venue Association represents an industry that has served as a cultural hub for New Yorkers of all different communities. These businesses have been particularly impacted by the pandemic due to their inability to reopen under profitable conditions for the foreseeable future. This has also affected all of the staff that work at these venues including production staff, managers, promoters, producers, stagehands, drivers, and a myriad of others whose livelihoods cannot resume until the pandemic has passed.

    We stand by the proposal to create a benefit which, along with emergency unemployment insurance, would be available to those who cannot work due to a canceled live event or performance during the continuation of the shutdown. This simple change could allow families across New York to continue to pay rent, while preserving our music venues. Flexibility in these programs, especially for the performance industry, is needed now more than ever.

    We look forward to working together in order to ensure that this valuable community in our city can get help. We at the Council are happy to lend our support.

    Thank you for your consideration, and with any questions, reach out to our offices.

  • Watch the new Blind Melon Documentary “All I Can Say” featuring footage by Shannon Hoon

    “All I Can Say,” a documentary on the late Shannon Hoon, the late lead singer of Blind Melon, was released on June 26. The film will not be released in theaters as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will be available to rent on Relix. 

    The film is made up of many clips Hoon filmed of himself between 1990 and 1995. Hoon was known for religiously filming himself and his day to day life and left over 200 hours of raw footage right up until his death at the age of 28. The footage starts from before Hoon joined Blind Melon and through the band’s experiences in L.A, filming right up until a few hours before his death. The film was co-directed by Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould, and Colleen Hennessey. 

    The film was funded by a Kickstarter that hoped to raise $100,000 but ended up raising $115,524 with almost 2,000 backers to the campaign. The Kickstarter explained their hopes for the film saying, “This film documents the band’s rise to fame, Hoon’s family life, his creative process, his tumultuous struggle with addiction, as well as the politics, technology and culture of the 90’s. It is being made in a way that honors the footage Hoon shot while maintaining a genuine and authentic story.”

    Oscilloscope Laboratories made the film available to the public via a rental program. Viewers can purchase a 3-day rental period of the film. Relix is partnered with Oscilloscope to share the film.

    https://youtu.be/3xph8pPJMB8

    For more information or to rent the film visit Relix Presents website.

  • OFC Creations announces ROC Summer Theatre Experience

    OFC Creations have announced the 2020 line up for ROC Summer Theatre Experience will continue this summer with added precautions and safety measures for July and August.

    From July 6 through August 22, 2020, campers ages 4 to 18 will participate in a variation of 15 musical theater productions  across three venues  with 25 directors. Most camps run two weeks from 9 AM to 3 PM with options for before-care and after-care hours. Each camp concludes with performances open to family, friends, and the public. Camps will take place at various locations throughout Rochester including the Kodak Center, the Lyric Theatre, Seton School, and OFC’s brand-new theatre, The OFC Creations Theatre Center in Winton Place Plaza.

    Summer 2020 camps include the following productions:

    Ages 4-7

    Chicken Little, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella

    Ages 7-11

    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Aladdin Jr, Matilda Jr, Willy Wonka Jr, Peter Pan Jr, The Sound of Music, Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit

    Ages 11-17

    Footloose the Musical, Sweeney Todd: School Edition, Chicago: School Edition, Rock of Ages: School Edition

    New safety precautions will be added to all summer camps including spaced drop off and pick up times, keeping campers in groups of no more than 10, wearing masks especially while singing, as well as hand sanitizing stations and frequent hand washing. OFC’s health advisor, Erika Kozlowski, will be on hand at camp with a focus on health and safety and answering any parent questions. A full breakdown of safety precautions are now on OFC’s website.

    OFC Creations Executive Director, Eric Vaughn Johnson, is no stranger to summer camp programming. From 2013 to 2018, Johnson had designed and spearheaded the Summer Stock program at RAPA, leading an upwards of 400 campers throughout the summer. Johnson also served as the artistic director of SNAP Musical Theater for four summers with casts of 80 kids performing shows including Hairspray and The Little Mermaid. 

    Johnson says why he wanted to continue the ROC Summer Theatre Experience:

    We wanted to bring a one-of-a-kind theater opportunity for youth in Rochester during the summer months. Kids have been stuck inside without any social interactions for months, they need this summer now more than ever.

    Here are some of the teaching artists and staff members at OFC Creations:

    Emily Beseau is a frequent teaching artist for OFC Creations. Beseau graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College. Currently, Beseau is teaching OFC’s Experiencing Broadway class.

    ROC Summer Theatre Experience

    Hunter Ekberg,  originally from Minneapolis Minnesota, Ekberg frequents the Rochester stage as a performer in children’s theater productions. Ekberg is currently vocal directing OFC’s Frozen Jr and Mamma Mia productions.

    Rebecca Kemp is the general music teacher for Park Road Elementary School and will be vocal directing several of the youth shows for summer. Kemp recently vocal directed Barker Road Middle School’s production of Spamalot.

    ROC Summer Theatre Experience

    Jason Rugg, Irondequoit NY, is a theater teacher for Irondequoit High School and will be directing several summer camps. Rugg serves on the board of Pittsford Musicals, performs in community productions, and directed The Frog Prince at the Kodak Center in summer 2018.

    ROC Summer Theatre Experience

    Additional directors and staff members include:Lizzi Adams (Monroe Community College), Tammi Colombo (Rochester, NY) Andrea Gregoire (Rochester, NY) Mandi Gurell (Penfield, NY), Kendra Hacker (University of Kansas School of the Arts), Jane Huffer (University of Rochester), Misty Irwin (Spencerport, NY), Gregory Maddock (Rochester, NY), Jillian Oddo (Rochester, NY), Brianna Ross (SUNY Fredonia), Eric Schutt (Greece, NY), Courtney Weather (Brighton, NY), and Jamie Wisset (Brighton, NY).

    ROC Summer Theatre Experience

    Registration is now open for 2020 summer programs. Discounts are available for campers signing up for more than one camp. Registration information and details are available at www.ROCSummerTheatre.com and at www.OFCCreations.com.