Griselda emcees refuse to rest on their laurels. A week after the label’s visionary/founder Westside Gunn released what he announced would be his final album, his cousin — and arguably the label’s best rapper — announced his latest project and it is more star-studded than ever. Burden of Proof, the upcoming studio album from rapper Benny The Butcher will bookend what has been an increasingly productive year for the Buffalo-bred rap crew.
While the album’s existence was no surprise (Benny the Butcher had been teasing a project for weeks on his various social media outlets), the Shady records signee revealed a list of features as well as a release date. October 16th will see the release of the much-anticipated project, which is two weeks after Westside Gunn’s WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE and a month after Conway the Machine’s From King To A GOD.
With Griselda’s ever-growing popularity, we are starting to see more diverse features and song choices in each respective album. Known for their grungy street-tales, chorus and catchy melodies aren’t a part of the Griselda package, yet this list of features gives a hint that this latest project will see BTB try his hand at different song arrangements. Produced entirely by famed producer Hit-Boy (who also handled the entirety of the production on Nas’ latest album), Burden Of Proof will feature the likes of Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Rick Ross, Freddie Gibbs, West Coat emcee Dom Kennedy, popular up-and-coming R&B songstress Queen Najia, as well as his cousins and frequent collaborators, Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn. This is an important album in what seems to be a concentrated effort to solidify the Buffalo trio as the prominent emcees in not just their city, but the whole state of New York as a whole, a tittle that has never been held by anyone not from the five boroughs.
On March 12, all Broadway theaters went dark due to the coronavirus pandemic. Theaters hoped on opening this January, but the shutdown has been extended through at least May 30, 2021.
A poster on Times Square advertises West Side Story at the Broadway Theater on February 7, 2020 in New York City. – Westside Story is returning to Broadway for the first time in more than a decade, directed by Belgian Ivo Van Hove. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
On October 9, The Broadway League announced that Broadway will remain dark until next Summer. This shutdown is the longest ever in Broadway’s history. If theaters open as planned next May, shows will have been closed for 444 days, keeping thousands out of work for more than a year.
“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so. We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again.”
Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League
Before the shutdown, 31 productions were running on Broadway, including 8 new shows in previews. 8 additional shows were in rehearsals with plans to open last spring. Hangmen, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Disney’s Frozen struggled greatly and closed permanently. Shows like Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster’s revival of The Music Man, American Buffalo, and The Minutes postponed their opening dates. The Music Man announced plans to open on February 10, 2022.
Photo by Kate Glicksberg
Needless to say, the Broadway community’s fans and workers are heartbroken. The Broadway League announced that although the current opening date is May 30, individual production’s reopening dates may differ. The League suggests that “theatregoers holding tickets for dates through May 30, 2021 should contact their point of purchase for details about exchanges and refunds.”
Amid this crisis, fans can still look forward to the 2020 Tony Awards. The show will be presented virtually, and the nominees for each category will be announced October 15.
“The Afterparty” was announced as a weekly streaming concert series to follow Trey Anastasio’s “The Beacon Jams” concert series. It will take place on James Casey’s live-stream platform, Aux Chord, and will run every Friday between October 9 and November 27 after Trey’s show.
James Casey is the founder of Aux Chord, and a longtime member of the Trey Anastasio Band. Aux Chord is a live virtual music venue created by artists in support of bringing together the music community at large. 100% of the profits directly benefit the artists performing on each show. Because of this, 100% of the proceeds from “The Afterparty” concert series will benefit the performers from that night’s concert. Trey Anastasio Band Member & Aux Chord Founder James Casey are hosting the concert series and plan for it to take place across multiple stages. “The Afterparty” series will feature 2 hours of staggered live performances with a host DJ and multiple virtual stages that viewers can pop into throughout the night.
The first episode of “The Afterparty” will kick off on Friday, October 9 shortly after 10PM EST after the weekly “The Beacon Jams” airs at 8PM EST via Twitch. The first night will host DJ Raydar Starts Spinning at 10:15, James Casey at 10:30, and Louis Cato at 10:45. Tickets are on sale now here and tickets are only $10 for the first show.
There will also be an added feature on Aux Chord that will give the audience weekly interactive experience featuring “Fancam,” which allows viewers to watch alongside one another, dance together and truly interact with the performance.
For more information on the “The Afterparty” concert series and on the lineups for the future performances, visit Aux Chord’s website.
Wynn Resorts CEO, Matt Maddox, announced a COVID-19 testing lab in Las Vegas is in the works to bring back concerts and large events.
Medical workers at Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas test employees.
For months, we have been working with University Medical Center (UMC), Georgetown University and leading labs in California and New York to study technology that can rapidly and rigorously test thousands of people in a matter of hours.
Matt Maddox
Maddox says the reason tourism in Vegas still hasn’t made a come back since the pandemic is the fear of contracting the infectious disease. He believes the only solution to make get the city back and booming again is not relying on the idea that there will be an eventual vaccine.
Hoping our government alone will solve getting Las Vegas back on track is not viable. Hope, as the saying goes, is not a strategy. Instead, community leaders must present science-based options that advance our broader goals to reignite our city.
Matt Maddox
What can go wrong with this plan?
In theory, a lab that anyone could get tested at can provide a safe way to gather without the possibility of getting COVID, but there are factors to consider.
Although the person being tested would get their results within hours, this also means that they have to wait hours to go to the event they were planning. This, in turn, means for those who plan to drive out to a show, their whole day would be spent waiting for a positive or negative result and maybe not even being able to go to the event. The idea is to bring back the bustling music and theater scene, but not everyone is going to want to make a day of this.
Another off-set is getting people to step out of their comfort zone, which may need more than mandated testing. The pandemic, along with the quarantine, left the state of the world feeling fearful after the disease took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Getting people out of fear-mode might just take time.
Extensive research clearly indicates that what is keeping people away from Las Vegas is not so much the physical environment, which we work diligently to keep sterilized, but rather a fear of other people. We must alleviate that fear.
Matt Maddox
Maddox and the medical professionals he is working with says the whole process should reduce the chance of exposure to 0.1%.
Nothing in life is 100% safe but establishing these safe zones by testing thousands of people per day with the PCR test, dramatically mitigates the danger of community spread and, with empirical evidence and careful execution, will work. The probability of a contagious COVID carrier entering a “safe zone” is less than one-tenth of 1%.
Matt Maddox
Who is Matt Maddox
Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox
According to Casino.org, Maddox took over as CEO in 2018, after Steve Wynn was accused of sexual misconduct and had to step down. Maddox previously served as Wynn’s president and Chief Financial Officer since 2013.
What is Wynn Las Vegas?
Wynn and Encore Las Vegas feature two luxury hotel towers with a total of 4,748 spacious hotel rooms, suites and villas, approximately 194,000 square feet of casino space, 22 dining experiences featuring signature chefs and 11 bars, two award-winning spas, approximately 560,000 rentable square feet of meeting and convention space, approximately 160,000 square feet of retail space as well as two showrooms, two nightclubs, a beach club and recreation and leisure facilities.
Live at the Drive-In announced performances by Dirty Heads, Almost Queen, and the Disco Biscuits at the Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds. The shows will take place throughout October with Dirty Heads on the 24 and Disco Biscuits on the 29, 30, and 31. The shows will follow social distancing guidelines made by the State of NY while providing some much needed live music.
The Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds usually hosts the LaFayette Apple Festival but due to COVID-19 the festival unforchinitly had to be cancelled this year. They are making room for five nights of musical fun. Doors open at 5PM for all the shows and they actually start at 7PM. Tickets are on sale already for the Dirty heads and Disco Biscuit shows and can be purchased here.
The Dirty Heads are a mix of hip-hop, reggae, and rock. They are a California bred and raised group with a similar sound to Sublime. They formed back in 2003 and their members throughout the years include Jared Watson, Dustin Bushnell, Matt Ochoa, David Foral, Jon Olazabal, Shawn Hagood, and Josh Freese. They have seven studio albums and have hit the Billboard Top 200 multiple times.
The Disco Biscuits are a well known and loved jam band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is made up of band members Allen Aucoin, Marc “Brownie” Brownstein, Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig, and Aron Magner and formed in 1995. The band is known for incorporating elements from a bunch of different musical genres. Their sound has a base of electronic and rock and has been described as trance fusion in the past.
For more information of the Live at the Drive-In performances visit Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds website and Creative Concerts.
The ‘Heroes Act’ passes in the House of Representatives on October 1, 2020 including the Save Our Stages revisions which were added on September 28, 2020. The $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus aid package will include $10 Billion set aside for independent music and live-entertainment venues.
The relief bill passed in the largely Democratically – controlled House of Representatives with votes 214 to 207. The votes were split largely along party lines. Unfortunately the bill still needs to be passed in the Senate which is notoriously slow in passing bills and is largely controlled by Republicans.
The State Theater of Ithaca lit up in red during the “Red Alert” demonstration in support of Save Our Stages.
The addition to the ‘Heroes Act‘ including Save Our Stages revisions will make a huge impact on the live entertainment industry that’s suffering horribly due to the coronavirus Pandemic. According to the Variety article, “A poll taken by the 2,600-member National Independent Venues Association, some 90% of its members said they will be forced to close permanently without federal assistance.”
According to section 619 of the ‘Heroes Act,’ “Grants for Independent Live Venue Operators (H.R. 7806, Save our Stages Act or the SOS Act) 37 1. Authorizes $10 Billion for the SBA to make grants to eligible live venue operators, producers, promoters, or talent representatives to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain live venues. 2. The SBA may make an initial grant of up to $12 million dollars to an eligible operator, promoter, producer, or talent representative; and a supplemental grant that is equal to 50% of the initial grant. 3. Such grants shall be used for specified expenses such as payroll costs, rent, utilities, and personal protective equipment.” Basically this is saying that independent venues, producers, promoters and talent representatives can use the funds to cover things like rent, mortgages, utilities, insurance and other expenses that these businesses are in during the ongoing pandemic.
One factor that may hold up the passage of the ‘Heroes Act’ relates to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 among Senators and the President. Three Senators – Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) – all tested positive and are quarantining. Thus, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has postponed all floor activity until October 19, thus prolonging the time it will take to debate and vote on the ‘Heroes Act’ by two weeks.
For more information on the ‘Heroes Act’ read the one page summary here.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Frank Sedita has ruled unconstitutional the State Liquor Authority to ban on advertising live music at venues and bars, and from promoting live ticketed events, after a Buffalo business challenged the new guidelines.
Sportsmens Tavern live music venue, pre-COVID.
Sportsmens Tavern, a music venue and bar in Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood, filed the lawsuit after Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with the SLA, announced that advertising any live show is to be prohibited.
“I was surprised when the judge announced the ban as unconstitutional because we filed the lawsuit five weeks ago,” said Jason Hall, the owners of Sportsmens’ son.
According to Hall, the SLA informed them it was okay to continue advertising and promoting even though the new guidelines said the exact opposite.
In this case, they filed an ’emergency hearing,’ because the ban immediately affected their business. Attorney Paul Cambria, a well-known western New York attorney, advised them to stay off of social media and continue their business as usual while they awaited the ruling.
This does not mean every venue in New York State should be relieved. While it was a NYS Supreme Court judge that decided to throw away the rules, his district in in Erie County, meaning the SLA can make an appeal at any time. They indicated that they are considering it.
“Only incidental music is permissible at this time. This means that advertised and/or ticketed shows are not permissible. Music should be incidental to the dining experience and not the draw itself. All other forms of live entertainment, such as exotic dancing, comedy shows, karaoke etc., are not permissible currently regardless of phase.”
SLA website previously stated.
In the meantime, live music at Sportsmens Tavern is thriving with a whole lineup featuring local artists this month.
The Buffalo News reports that the lawyer for Sportsmens Tavern asked the court, “What’s the difference on how you fill your place, whether a blue plate special or that the Nerds Gone Wild are going to play there? You still have to follow the safety regulations.
Justice Frank Sedita III agreed, saying the regulations seemed “not only excessive but also irrational” given the Covid-19 safety precautions that Sportsmen’s Tavern and other establishments must follow.
“Whether a Sportsmen’s patron is principally motivated by listening to ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ or eating a cheeseburger in Black Rock is a distinction without a difference if the (establishment) is enforcing occupancy limits, cleaning, disinfecting, mask wearing and social distancing,” Sedita said at Wednesday’s court hearing.
Joel Terragnoli, counsel for the State Liquor Authority, contended Sportsmen’s Tavern could advertise that it remains open to serve its customers food and beverages, and even that it generally offers live or recorded music as entertainment for its patrons.
But since Sportsmen’s Tavern “is not free to hold special musical events, it should not be free to advertise and sell tickets to do the same, and operate a live show/entertainment venue under the guise of running a bar and restaurant, particularly when all other such show and entertainment venues across the state remain closed for public health reasons,” Terragnoli said.
And even if able to offer live music at its establishment while enforcing social distancing measures, he said, Sportsmen’s Tavern “cannot make an end run around the current prohibition on the operation of show and other entertainment venues by operating its bar and restaurant as a concert hall.”
“This case is not so much about ensuring public safety as it is about the permissible limits of state power to regulate the speech and the conduct of its citizens,” Sedita said.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead announced new dates for live streams which will benefit Headcount to encourage voter registration among music fans. The live stream multi-day event will take place from October 1-3 on multiple platforms.
The live stream was originally supposed to take place from October 2-4 on the pay-per-view system. Now, the event is being presented by LOCKN’, Relix, Twitch, and FANS and will be free for viewers on the Twitch channel at 8:00PM EST, October 1 – 2. It will also premiere for LOCKN’ 2021 admission ticket purchasers exclusively on October 3. .
Ticket holders will receive an access code to watch an exclusive set of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead which will be hosted on FANS at 8:00PM EST. All purchasers of the previously announced pay-per-view live streams will receive a full refund according to the press release.
The live streams will accept donations to help support voter registration and turnout in the upcoming election. They are doing this in teaming up with HeadCount, the non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. People viewing the live streams on each day will have the opportunity to make in-stream donations to HeadCount and be able to verify their voter registration status.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will be performing at an indoor location for the streams and then the broadcast will feature visual integration of LOCKN’ landscapes, giving fans at home a unique and immersive experience. The show is being presented by LOCKN’ as well as Dayglo Presents and Dogfish Head Brewery.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is made up of Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. They are a well known and loved Grateful Dead cover band that formed back in 2013.
For more information on the live streams and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead visit their website.
Manhattan based Irish Arts Centerannounced in a press release that it will be launching a full slate of virtual programming for fall 2020. Part of the fall season will be a new series of commissions by a selection of 26 extraordinary writers, musicians, and dance, visual, and theatre artists whose only guideline was the theme “finding grace in uncertainty.
Included in the lineup is Kevin Barry, Jan Carson, Eoin Coifer & Liam Bates, Oona Doherty, Marie Howe, Junk Ensemble, Bill Irwin, Kaia Kater, Deirdre Kinahan, Tamar Korn, Loah, Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna, Joanie Madden, Eimear McBride, Billy McComiskey, Mick Moloney, Aoife O’Donovan, Arturo O’Farrill, Melatu Uche Okorie, Tobi Omoteso, Dirk Powell, Liz Roche, and Enda Walsh.
IAC’s online programming also feature two free returning programs. “At Home with Irish Arts Center” is a series of new commissioned work from the local and international Irish community. “From Irish Arts Center” is a catalog of archival performances staged at the organization’s intimate 51st Street Theatre. Rounding out the fall season is a full program of 42 online courses—featuring instruction in music, step dance, Irish language, playwriting, and storytelling.
IAC Executive Director Aidan Connolly said in the press release:
What we’re learning is that this moment—for all its heartbreak and anxiety—has redemptive possibility. We are challenged to find a new comfort level with uncertainty, even to see it as an opportunity, an invitation to discover what hitherto unseen grace and strength may be within us. We’re so grateful to the inspiring and eclectic assembly of artists—who will consider these ideas across a spectrum of disciplines, styles, and perspectives—for accepting our invitation to share their stories.
Since the pandemic shutdown in March, IAC’s ever-growing online programs have received over 100,000 views from patrons around the globe.
The Irish Arts Center has occupied Hell’s Kitchen in New York City since 1972, 46 years later it is still home to national and international artists and fans alike who share a love for the arts and culture of Ireland. Keeping grassroots traditions alive are important at the center with space for evolving the community in which it resides regardless of background. Check out the Irish Arts Center’s website for more information on other upcoming programs and educational courses being offered.
Music Festivals have started to use the “Event Bubble” strategy to create a safe environment during the pandemic era. A music festival doesn’t sound like the most safe activity during COVID-19, but with festivals like the Utopia Music Festival using the “Event Bubble” strategy attending a music festival is relatively safe activity for individuals to partake in while the pandemic rages on.
Tumbledown 2018 pictured by Dave DeCrescente.
How the “Event Bubble” strategy works is that all attendees are screened with a COVID-19 test a few days before the festival takes place and are then tested again at the entrance with a wrapped test. This double test works to help create this bubble of safety at the event because everyone in attendance should be COVID-19 free.
At Utopia Music Festival, which took place over the Labor Day weekend, there were open-air gatherings using these strategies allowed an attendance of 250 people.
The current hope is these strategies could make large music festivals in the midst of a global pandemic a possibility. The problem right now is the fact the COVID-19 test isn’t 100% accurate. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “The reported rate of false negatives is as low as 2% and as high as 37%” for Molecular tests.
This means that in some areas there is a 37% chance that if someone is tested and it comes back negative they could actually be positive for COVID-19. The chances of getting a false positive are exponentially lower and are close to zero. Generally it’s a lab error if someone does get a false positive result.
Levitate 2019 photo by Zingari photography.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Requiring COVID-19 testing is a significant financial undertaking that might not make sense for DIY events with tight budgets, or for large festivals such as Coachella, whose guests don’t stay on site” a possibility. The “Event Bubble” approach can create a virus-free bubble where screened staff and attendees can enjoy the festivities while being removed from the danger of outside contact with the rest of the world for the duration of the event. This would however definitely be difficult to enforce and control in larger scale events let alone the free of false negatives being present at the event.
If the “Event Bubble” takes off more and more festivals in the real world could be a possibility sooner than one might think but most likely they will be small scale festivities for the time being.
