Category: News Desk

The Palace Sessions to Feature Wild Adriatic

The Palace Theatre, the City of Albany and Mirth Films have announced that rock band Wild Adriatic will be featured on the next episode of “The Palace Sessions”. Wild Adriatic’s performance will stream for free on October 28 at 7 p.m. on The Palace Theatre’s Youtube channel.

The Palace Sessions began over the summer due to COVID restrictions in place that prohibited the Palace Theater from continuing their scheduled performances. The monthly sessions feature live music performances from some of the favorite regional acts. The series kicked off on July 15th wih a performance by Wurliday. Other previous performers include Eastbound Jesus (August Session) and The Amico-Barady Quartet (September Session).

During the performances donations are being accepted which will assist the Palace Theatre in continuing its mission to bring world-class arts and entertainment to New York’s Capital Region. During The Palace Sessions featuring Wild Adriatic, donations can be made directly through the Palace Theatre’s Text To Give program, by texting Palace2020 to 44321.

Wild Adriatic is a six member rock band who formed in Saratoga Springs in 2011. Rooted in the rowdy spirit of rock & roll, Wild Adriatic has built an international audience on a combination of groove, grit, and guitar-heavy swagger. In April 2019, the band won Rock/Pop Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the inaugural Eddies awards.

Built in 1931, The Palace has remained Albany’s iconic downtown landmark over the past eight decades, bringing the biggest names in entertainment to the Capital Region. Offering top notch performances along with culture enhancing programs to residents the Palace has a significant imprint on the region. Economically it brings in $3.5 million in ticket sales and 180,000 patrons each year.

October 26, 2020
Cher, John Legend and More Set to Perform in the Biden-Harris Campaign Virtual Concert ‘I Will Vote’

Virtual campaign concerts have been a rising trend with Presidential Nominee Joe Biden. His campaign team put together, yet another, concert series with a prominent lineup including Cher, John Legend and The Black Eyed Peas, scheduled for Oct. 25.

July 31, 2019 – Detroit, Michigan, U.S. – JOE BIDEN and KAMALA HARRIS pose for the photo spray during a commercial break at the second of two Democratic Debates in Detroit hosted by CNN and sanctioned by the DNC.(Credit Image: © Brian Cahn/ZUMA Wire)

The ‘I Will Vote Concert‘ is an attempt to raise money for Biden’s campaign in the last waning days before the election. Tickets for the Biden campaign concert start at $25 and increase to $1000.

Just last month, ‘Team Joe Sings‘ popped off with artists like Kesha, Ben Gibbard and Misterwives. Every Thursday up until the election, a group of musicians perform songs virtually to raise money for his campaign. The series has produced over 15 videos, each of a different artist featuring their music.

Musical entertainment has always been used as a way to promote, whether it be for an ad or a movie. In this case, Biden is not only raising money for his shot in the White House, but also may increase his chances of getting more votes with well-known artists showing their support.

The lineup: A$AP Ferg, Sara Bareilles, Aloe Blacc, Black Eyed Peas and Jennifer Hudson, Jon Bon Jovi, Ciara, Darren Criss, Jermaine Dupri, NE-YO, Johnta Austin and Friends, Foo Fighters, Macy Gray, Dave Matthews, P!nk, Ben Platt, Cher, John Legend and The Black Eyed Peas.

Also Scheduled: La La Anthony, Margaret Cho, Jaime Camil, Dave Grohl, Armie Hammer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Helen Mirren, Maren Morris, Billy Porter, Amy Schumer, will.i.am, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness.

Make sure to tune in 8:00 p.m. EDT/ 5:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday. Tickets are on sale now.

October 26, 2020
Turkuaz Releases Exclusive Studio Footage of “Nightswimming”

In celebration of five years of their 2015 LP Digitonium, the nine-piece Brooklyn funk group Turkuaz has released never-before-seen in-studio footage of their fan-favorite song “Nightswimming.” Fans can pre-order a special anniversary vinyl of Digitonium, in both black and a limited-edition blue only available on their website. “Nightswimming” received high praise from Relix Magazine for its “saturated synth line and bubbling bass” as well as JamBase praising Digitonium as a “major progression” for Turkuaz.

Photo By Dani Brandwein

“Nightswimming” was recorded at More Sound Recording Studios in Syracuse, NY. The track was produced by Dave Brandwein, mixed by Jason “Jocko” Randall, and mastered by Chris Athens. According to Brandwein, he created the lyrics and melody for Nightswimming before Turkuaz recorded it.”

After the first take, I’ll never forget when Jocko chimed in through my headphones saying, ‘Alright, there’s definitely a vibe going on in there. It’s no surprise that this is one of the fan favorites from Digitonium. It’s one of our favorites too!” Brandwein said. Shane Grace Allen (Danke) joins Turkuaz members on vocals with Nate Werth on percussion.

“Nightswimming” was born out of two demos that Taylor and I each made individually They were in the same key with the same tempo and feel. We started to wonder if we could combine them and as it turns out, we could! So what you hear is my original riff (the synth line that begins the song), with Taylor’s bass riff coming in over it. They weave and bob around each other in a very cool way that I think gives the song it’s unique feel.
Dave Brandwein

In the meantime, Turkuaz has taken part in several virtual performances, including a performance of “Electric Habitat” for the virtual music festival Democracy Comes Alive. The festival partnered with Headcount support voter participation.

Turkuaz also created a web series called “Keep Your Mind In Tune” which presents conversations between musicians and experts about various topics as well as musical performances. Fans can watch the episodes on the Turkuaz YouTube channel or the Keep Your Mind in Tune YouTube Channel.

October 25, 2020
Independent Venue Week Launches Weeklong Fundraiser for NIVA Emergency Relief Fund

The Independent Venue Week announces their weeklong fundraiser benefiting the The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Emergency Relief Fund. The auction will be taking place between October 24 – 30, 2020. It will host memorabilia for auction to the general public and the revenue will help assist independent venues and promoters.

The NIVA Emergency Relief Fund is raising money for the most vulnerable venues to try to keep them afloat while waiting on Congress to pass Save Our Stages. The fund will be administered to these affected venues by The Giving Back Fund; a separate non-profit that will collect the money and oversee the application process for venues to receive grants from the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. People can directly donate to the fund here.

People will have the chance to bid on one of 70+ pieces of music history throughout the week in an effort to #SaveOurStages for the years of history to come. Items up for auction include everything from two original paintings from Independent Venue Week Artist Ambassador, Alison Mosshart (The Kills/The Dead Weather), a pair of seats from the original Merriweather Pavilion, Al Bouchard’s (Blue Oyster Cult) very own Fender Jaguar Bass, signed by the rock legend himself, a limited edition vinyl box set from Blue Note Records, curated by the legendary jazz label’s president, Don Was, a stunning Epiphone “White Lightning” Explorer signed by Tommy “Spaceman” Thayer (KISS), courtesy from the Gibson Foundation, and much more.

Merriweather Post Pavilion Original Seats. Photo provided by press release.

The auctioned items and programming will be held and by some of the country’s most treasured live venues. There are over 140 participating venues. Independent Venue Week is partnering Eventbrite, Big Room, Ascend Insurance Brokerage, and School of Rock to bring the auction to life.

Brand new Epiphone “White Lightning” Explorer signed by Tommy “Spaceman” Thayer from KISS. Photo provided by press release.

The Independent Venue Week is also introducing a series of discussion panels featuring professionals from all aspects of the live music industry to discuss their experiences, expertise, and the future of live events. The topics will include what venues can do to help build and diversify their audience, how live events are adapting to a virtual world, and the importance these stages have to the economy and community. October 29 will involve an entire day for students to “Get Schooled” and will feature programming that is aimed towards students getting their start in the live music and events industry.

The full list of items and week’s programming can be found at Independent Venue Week’s website .

October 24, 2020
OmniZen Studios’ Shane Morris Releases COVID-19 Album

The Capital Region’s OmniZen Studios has announced a brand new album from founder Shane Morris. Dubbed Memories of Life, an album release party is set to occur at the historic remodeled Madison Theatre in Albany. The show is free with the purchase of food on October 24 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Joining Morris will be Capital Region songwriter Corry Loveday.

Memories of Life is Morris’s first album in nine years. Previously he had released Waves of Inspiration in 2011 while a student at the College of Saint Rose in Albany. Since graduation numerous musical ventures have taken place for Morris including the formation of OmniZen Studios in 2017. NYS Music spoke with Shane Morris on how life has changed for OmniZen particularly during the pandemic.

Jessica Sherman: What pulled on you to create music?

Shane Morris: The thing that really got me into music was the guitar. A childhood friend and I would listen to his mother play the guitar. So one day I told my mom that I really wanted a guitar for my birthday. They got me guitar lessons from a music shop in Walden, NY and off we went.

In two years I went through two guitar teachers with the latter turning into a future jam buddy. Then I started singing in choir during middle and high school. Through conversations with my choir director I realized that having a career as a musician was plausible.

Now I own OmniZen Studios with a Latin Grammy nomination under the name, thanks to work completed with Alex Torres y Su Orchestra in 2018.

JS: What drove you to record the album?

SM:The inspiration for this album actually came from the feelings and experiences I had during COVID-19. Specifically, during this time I actually fostered a new friendship. Six of the songs on this album are based on this friendhsip. I also chose to re-release a few of my older songs from my previous album, ‘Waves of Inspiration’. This album came out after my graduation from The College of Saint Rose in 2011.

JS: How do you think the pandemic has affected the music industry specifically?

SM: I think COVID has impacted the music industry in, honestly, one of the worst ways imaginable. My business has taken an approximate revenue loss of about 50% during this time period when compared to last year. It put me in a few really uncomfortable positions, and I’ve had to make some tough choices along the way. Usually during the summer months I’m out doing live sound reinforcement for festivals and shows while my other employees produce music back at the studio. With COVID, that side of my business basically doesn’t exist.

For example, it took OmniZen Studios three venue changes just to put on a fundraiser for my friends whose house burned down in June. The two venues I was considering in Albany for the fundraiser eventually just ran into too much red tape to host my event, and I came to the decision that the best place for it would be Stable Gate Farm and Winery in Schodack, NY.

JS: Any dream collaborations in the future?

SM: I’m always very open on who I collaborate with! It’s actually part of my musical philosophy that music is part of the human spirit, and it helps us all to connect to each other. I love to host jam sessions in my space and make music with whoever is really interested in what we’re doing. One of the main focuses of OmniZen from its inception was to bring an open forum and space to the musical community where lower income artists can come together and help raise up and promote the entire Capital Region music scene.

Some of my favorite collaborations include a roots/reggae album produced for Joseph Fleuriot, also known as Papa Joe, and most recently, my re-recorded version of “I’ll Be There Soon”, featuring the super talented Stephanie Gettys on backup vocals, which is also included on ‘Memories of Life’. In the future, I really hope to collaborate with some of the up and coming hip hop artists such as area native Freedom Stratton, who recently released his album titled The Future.

OmniZen Studios Jam Session

JS: What does the future hold for OmniZen and Shane Morris?

SM: That is really an open ended question at this point. COVID has brought me to a point where I’m currently re-organizing the way my business operates to make sure it’s still profitable in the future, which involves taking on more remote and voice over type work.

Also, I’m currently enrolled in a certificate program with the NYU Clive Davis Center for Recorded Music. After that is complete, I’m planning on applying to masters degree programs. I might even end up on the west coast in the next year or so. Of course, OmniZen will still exist in some capacity.

October 23, 2020
U.S. Senate Introduces New Bill to Give Music Venues Economic Relief

On Oct. 20, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley co-sponsored a brand new inclusive package that, if approved by the House and Senate, will provide more that $370 billion to small businesses and music venues in Oregon and nationwide that were most affected by the pandemic.

Live concert pre-pandemic

The Heros Small Business Lifeline Act is an off shoot of the Paycheck Protection Plan, which gave small businesses loan forgiveness and grants at the start of the pandemic. Heros 2.0 essentially would extend those programs and give more help to those businesses in need.

This legislation would provide an urgently needed lifeline for thousands of small businesses struggling to keep their doors open and to employ Oregonians who want very much to earn a paycheck.
Senator Ron Wyden

For the National Independent Venue Association, this bill needs to be passed so that venues can get the relief they need since they were of the businesses that were hit the hardest.

Last month, the House passed the Save Our Stages Act. This was a huge accomplishment for NIVA in that the SOS authorizes the Small Business Administration to makes grants eligible to live venue operations and other music industry workers. They now need to go a few steps further in the Senate in order for music venues to keep their doors open.

This is urgent. Our members cannot wait any longer for emergency relief. Once independent venues go under, they do not come back. We respectfully implore our elected officials to come together and Save Our Stages.
NIVA

As of today, 95% of music industry workers have been furloughed and are still not operating. NIVA urges Congress to move forward with HEROS 2.0.

October 23, 2020
Phish Serves up a Trio of Halloween Sets for Dinner and a Movie

Just in time for Halloween, Phish’s Dinner And A Movie series returns, and with a vengeance. Instead of a full vintage Phish show, phans will get three sets, choice selections from their infamous Halloween performances of 1996, 2014 and 2018 on October 31, the anniversary of each of the sets.

The first installment from 2014 will feature the Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House set from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The band utilized a Disney sound effects album to create 10 songs, among them “Martian Monster” and “Your Pet Cat,” debuted that night and found their way into the Phish rotation quickly.

Poster by Miguel Carvallo

The second set on Halloween features the second set of Halloween 1996 at The Omni in Atlanta, when Phish covered the entire Talking Heads epic, Remain in Light.

The third and final set of this Halloween Dinner and a Movie takes us back to 2018 in Las Vegas, when Phish performed under the alter ego Kasvot Växt, performing the debut of í rokk.

With a three-part ‘movie,’ you’ll need dinner. Phish has teamed up with Burlington chef and Phish fan Justin Wright has set up a corresponding three-course fall meal: Delicata Squash Tempura, Primal Soup, and some spooky Ghost Brownies. Justin recently returned to Burlington this summer to open casual French eatery C’est Ca. Recipes can be found here.

The beneficiary for the weekend is the Fair Elections Center, and donations can be made through phish.com/waterwheel. Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization which works to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies.

The Center works to improve election administration through legislative, legal and administrative reform, to protect access to the ballot through litigation, and to provide election law expertise, voter information and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. Learn more about them at https://www.fairelectionscenter.org.

Join Phish on Saturday, October 31 at 8:30 pm ET at webcast.livephish.com.

October 23, 2020
“Rock The Border, Stop The Wall” looks to break more barriers

A 2,000 mile border wide concert is being planned amid the upcoming 2020 election. The event “Rock The Border, Stop The Wall.” Over 30 musicians, activists, and artists, will perform in a CO-VID-safe online concert. The concert will take place on Friday, October 23rd at 5PM CST/6PM ET in the bordering states of California, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

Tension at the southern U.S. border has peaked in the past few years, due to U.S. immigration policy. To downplay and unite in spite of all the controversy, musicians gathered togther in high spirits to perform and play music. “Fandango At The Wall” was a film centered on gathering musicians on both sides of the Tijuana-San Diego border. Musicians played big band jazz arrangements and enjoyed the harmonious music on both sides of the border. Another border-related concert is coming soon, although it’s not exactly a film.

The event aims to motivate young latinos for the upcoming election and aid efforts in stopping the controversial border wall project. The event is a 2,000 mile border-wide concert and it will be hosted by the “#No Border Wall Coalition” in Laredo. Formed in February 2019, The #No Border Wall Coalition is a network of community members, artists and activists who oppose the border wall. With this upcoming election, the youth latino vote may be crucial to the final results.

The number of Gen Z latinos likely voting for the first time may surpass numbers from the 2016 election. Adrian Quesada of the “Black Pumas” says “The time is now to make our voices heard against injustice, oppression, division and hatred. Joining together to stop the border wall is the first step, and voting is more important than ever to head in the right direction.”

The concert has garnered plenty of support from artists. “The border wall is the physical manifestation of everything we have to mobilize against in this election: hate, fear, xenophobia and division,” guitarman Beto Martinez says. “This concert is a show of solidarity and a statement of hope against all those things that would divide us.” In addition to being a performer, Martinez is also the creative organizer of the event.

The concert will be at 5PM CST/6PM EST. The full line up of the event includes the Black Pumas, Aloe Blacc & Maya Jupiter, Ozomatli, La Santa Cecilia, Grupo Fantasma, Gina Chavez, Making Movies, Trans-Border Orchestra (Orkestra Mendoza + Mexican Institute of Sound), Anais Mitchel & the Cast of Hadestown, Las Cafeteras, Superfónicos, XIXA, B Side Players, Amalia Mondragon, Tiarra Girls, Bidi Bidi Banda, Radio La Chusma, Nosotros, Nohe y Sus Santos, Native Creed, Esther Martinez, Papaya Con Chile, Baracutanga and Rizu X.

For more information on “Rock The Border Stop The Wall” the organization has a website along with a Facebook and Instagram page. Navigate through the details of the organization, their mission statement, and relevant news.

October 22, 2020
Planet Afropunk Announces Lineup for Global Virtual Show

Planet Afropunk announces their lineup for their global virtual show. The free virtual show is taking place on October 23-25, 2020 and will include big names like Common, Mayra Andrade, Dua Saleh, Larissa Luz + Carlinhos Brown, Asiatica, Black Haus, Mc Yallah, T. Nava, Tciyf, Yves Tumor and many more. Planet Afropunk hopes to be a safe space for people to celebrate and inspire, cry and shout, and to heal and motivate one another during these trying times.

Planet Afropunk plans to create new ways for people to experience the next generation of Black creativity, music and culture. They plan to do this by bringing together the largest virtual gathering of the worldwide Black creative community into one curated online space in 15 years. One of the reasons Planet Afropunk is able to be such a big global celebration is because of it’s partners. These partners will help power Afropunk’s iconic digital destinations and make it a one of a kind show this year. Some of the big names they are partnering with include VERIZON, BOSE, TEQUILA DON JULIO, Ideaville, powered by Target. VERIZON is helping to bring the artist lineup for AFROPUNK’S festival on the World Stage. BOSE is supporting the audience’s musical discovery journey through a special set from Masego, Serpentwithfeet and Jonah Mutono also on the World stage. TEQUILA DON JULIO 1942 who is powering sets by DJ Poison Ivy and DJ Ruckus. Ideaville, powered by Target, will spotlight Black voices and stories. They hope to succeed at doing this by creating a safe space for all of AFROPUNK’s communities. Part of their charge in doing this is by partnering with Penguin Random House to uplift Black voices by featuring a selection of NY-Times best-selling authors in our Rock N’ Read Bookstore and powering author readings and conversations.

The full line up of musicians participating in the Planet Afropunk global virtual show include: Afrobapho, Afrocidade feat. Majur and Mahal Pita, Ari Lennox, Arka’n Asrafokor, ASIATICA, ÀTTØØXXÁ feat. Hiran, Balimaya Project, Blac Rabbit, BLACK HAÜS, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Bootsy Collins, Common, DJ Poison Ivy, DJ Ruckus, Dua Saleh, Duckwrth, DUMA, Duo B.A.V.I., Durand Bernarr, Ecko Bazz, Elaine, Jahmed, Johnny Cradle, Jonah Mutono, KIRBY, Larissa Luz + Carlinhos Brown, Loshh, Lous and the Yakuza, Masego, Mayra Andrade, MC Yallah, Mereba, Meshell N’Dege Ocello, Moonchild Sanelly, Moonga K., Moses Sumney, Muneyi, Muzi, Nêssa, Rebelmatic, Sampa The Great, Serpentwithfeet, Smino, Solo Ntsizwa Ka Mthimkhulu, Songhoy Blues, T. Nava, Tawiah, TCIYF, The Veldt, Theon Cross, Tiana Major9, Tiwa Savage, Tobe Nwigwe, Tomi Agape, TrapFunk & Alívio, Ukhoikhoi, Virus, Yan Cloud, Yves Tumor.

There will also be some speakers at the event which will include Amanda Seales, Ashlee Marie Preston, Blerdcon, Bridget Todd, Dawn Richard, Dulcé Sloan, Ivie Anie, Jesse Williams, Maimouna Youssef AKA Mumu Fresh, Robert Glasper, Tamika D. Mallory, Terrace Martin.

People interested in attending and getting more information can visit Afropunk’s website. People who don’t want to miss any exclusives and updates on the event can RSVP here.

October 22, 2020
HeadCount Announces Hitting One Million Voter Registrations and its Upcoming Partnership with Grubhub

HeadCount announces it’s one million voter registration since its formation on October 20, 2020 which is a huge milestone for the nonprofit. HeadCount is also announced its partnership with Grubhub to bring it’s “Deliver Your Voice” event to life where the two companies will encourage further voter registration before the upcoming election. The event will take place on October 29 and 30 and will feature 24KGoldn and Dominic Fike.

In this election alone HeadCount has registered over 423,000 voters, more than twice their original goal. They’ve managed to do this with a variety of techniques but one of the biggest ones is by influencers promoting voter registration. They have partnered with names like Ariana Grande, David Dobrik, and Dead & Company and companies like Spotify to bring these huge numbers of new registered voters to reality.

The “Deliver Your Voice” event consists of HeadCount hosting Grubhub’s next edition of their Sound Bites concert series, Soundbites – Election Edition which is presented by First Tube Media. The event will feature 24KGoldn on Thursday, October 29and Dominic Fike on Friday, October 30 who will take the virtual stage each for a 45-minute set. Each set will start at 7PM EST followed by a live Q&A, further encouraging fans to participate in this year’s election. Grubhub will donate $10 for every comment during the lives tream, up to $100,000, to HeadCount in support of the on-going initiative to promote civic engagement. Fans will also be able to order in with exclusive Perks to avoid missing a second of the concert through Grubhub.

HeadCount is introducing a new way for people to reach out to friends and family to check in on voter registration. HeadCount is providing an easy way to contact friends and help them vote through an app called OutVote. HeadCount is doing a brief 20 minute introduction session to the OutVote platform via Zoom next week on the below dates and times. October 23rd – 7pm ET/4pm PT, October 25th – 3pm ET/12pm PT, and October 27th – 6pm ET/3pm PT. People interested can sign up for any of the above sessions here. Once confirmed for a training, people will be sent an email with a zoom link for the session 24-48 hours before your session.

For more information on HeadCount or to register to vote visit their website.

October 22, 2020