Endicott Performing Arts Center will share a live production of the iconic Broadway musical and film, The Music Man, July 24th – 26th. Family entertainment at its best, The Music Man centers on River City, where a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian.
Through EPAC digital, a new online platform, the Southern Tier venue will continue its mission of bringing high quality performing arts to a broad community at an affordable price. With EPAC digital, productions from EPAC Repertory Theater Company, both old and new, will be available for purchase, including Tempest 3000 and Songs for a New World.
This virtual concert version of “The Music Man” will be available on EPAC Digital Friday, July 24th at 8pm, Saturday, July 25th at 8pm, and Sunday July 26th at 3pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
Originally written for Broadway by Meredith Willson, the EPAC production of the six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy The Music Man is directed by Connor Gates, with musical direction by Paula Bacorn and choreography by Kate Fabrizio. The local cast of performers features Matt Gaska as Professor Harold Hill and Jana Kucera as Marian the Librarian.
Brooklyn based Moon Hooch will team up with “brasshouse” Too Many Zooz on Saturday, July 25 for two live streamed shows dubbed ‘Moon Zooz’. The virtual concerts are three hours long and will start at 3 PM ET, running back to back.
This is not the first time that these former subway players have joined ranks to bring their unique sound of jazz, edm and rock to the masses. During the spring of 2019 the two trios successfully co headlined a tour across New England.
Both bands got their start busking in the New York City subway platforms where they gained notoriety for the dance parties that would form. Too Many Zooz consists of saxophonist Leo Pellegrino, trumpeter Matt Muirhead and drummer David Parks. Moon Hooch is saxophonists Wenzl McGowen and Mike Wilbur and drummer James Muschler.
From viral videos in the subway to the studio, both have gone on to deliver new sound that is meant to make you move. Too Many Zooz released their debut album Subway Gawdz in 2016 and most recently released a music video for the track “Car Alarm” that received more thank 2.5 million views. Moon Hooch has respectively dropped a total of four studio albums including this year’s self-released Life on Other Planets, along with numerous EPs.
To RSVP to either the early or late showing click here.
NYC’s Hudson River Park is bringing the fun into our homes. Ideal for the bored quarantiner, their Virtual Summer of Fun program offers weekly concerts, fitness classes, STEM lectures, and children’s events. Streaming for free on Facebook Live, there’s something of interest for every age and music taste.
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park’s concert series, Sunset on the Hudson, streams every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. It launched on July 9 with The Big Takeover, a seven-piece reggae band from the Hudson Valley, and is continuing weekly until September 3. On August 27, twin DJs Coco & Breezy are taking the stage. Also known for designing luxury eyewear, their pieces have been worn by the likes of Prince and Lady Gaga. All Sunset on the Hudson performers are local, and the full list reflects a variety of genres and backgrounds.
“While the world has changed, Hudson River Park remains committed to bringing the joy and excitement of summer to old and new friends from New York City and beyond” said Madelyn Wils, CEO and President of Hudson River Park Trust. “Summer of Fun programs offer more than just education and enjoyment – they provide our community with a way to connect with the Park, their favorite local talent, and each other.”
Besides the main concert series, the Summer of Fun is also hosting Sunset Salsa on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. Led by Talia Castro-Pozo, who appeared on The Today Show, each event begins with instruction and leads into an hour featuring world class dancers and DJs. And for the jazz-inclined, Annette A. Aguilar is performing with her band StringBeans on Thursday, September 10. Aguilar has previously played percussion for Stevie Wonder and The Grateful Dead.
The Park’s Hudson RiverKids program runs until the end of August. At 4:00 p.m. every Mondays, a new weekly guest leads a singalong, magic show, or story hour.
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!
Roll on In will present their live entertainment series Drive-In and Tune In beginning on Friday July 24. The events will deliver the premier destination for a night out of live music and will feature local BBQ and food legends while staying true to the roots of Western Massachusetts.
Roll On In stresses the idea of safe live entertainment and has gone through extensive planning over the past months with the help and partnership of industry pro Joel MacKenzie. The weekly, Friday and Saturday evening events will go above and beyond the health guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Summer Sonic Festival announced their 2020 festivities will take to the virtual stage. The festival will live-stream archived performances from big names like Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Rihanna, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips and many more. The free live-stream starts on July 22 and runs through to July 23 via the Summer Sonic YouTube channel at 7AM EST.
Summer Sonic Festival is usually held in Osaka and Chiba, Japan at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day and then go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The festival was founded in 2000 and typically features rock music. This year’s festivities were stopped due to the pandemic but the festival will go on in spirit on the virtual stage.
The festival won’t be hosting live performances but will show highlights from the past 20 years. The archive performances include Boom Boom Satellites from 200, B’z from 2009, Coldplay from 2008, The Flaming Lips from 2009, Oasis from 2005, Sigur Ros from 2012 and Sonic Youth from 2009 on the July 22. The archive includes Green Day from 2012, Nine Inch Nails from 2009, Rihanna from 2012, The Prodigy from 2008, and X JAPAN from 2011 on July 23. The Summer Sonic archived performances will become available for streaming beginning at 8:00PM Japan time (4:00AM in Los Angeles, 7:00AM in New York) on July 23. The live-stream will free and available everywhere via Summer Sonic Festival’s YouTube channel.
For more information and to see the full lineup please visit Summer Sonic Festival’s website.
Update – July 30, 2:50pm – All three Twiddle shows in Lake George have been canceled. Twiddle posted this statement on Wednesday evening, saying,
We are very sorry to report that our Lake George shows are cancelled this weekend. Our team spent the last 48 hours working through every possible scenario to not only make sure that the experience would be as great as possible given the current guidelines , but to make sure the event was safe in every way. We are just as upset and sad as you are and wanted nothing more than to play live again for all of you. We are extremely sorry, but safety has to be first and foremost. Tickets are available for refunds at point of purchase and we are working on something special for all those that had a ticket.
The event promoter shared a more detailed and impassioned response on Thursday afternoon:
Here’s my comment to the local papers: I could go on for hours about how unfair the entire entertainment industry has been treated in all this mess. First industry to get cut and who knows when it will be back. Oh wait that’s right, as long as you are sitting at tables spaced 6ft apart and eating dinner, a band can play. I forgot about that. I could also say that it’s easy to mandate people have to stay in cars at a drive-in concert in 85 degree heat if you don’t know anything about concerts or heatstroke or carbon monoxide poisoning for that matter.
I could ask the questions of why it’s ok to have a stranger so close to you in line at a chain store that you can feel them breathing on your neck but it’s not ok to sit in front of your car with your group while socially distanced from the next group. I won’t though because apparently nobody can answer them. Wait, can you get out of your car at the drive -in movies? Probably. And probably because there’s no entertainment.
We all agree that safety for everyone-everywhere is priority #1. We also agree that adaptation and change are part of life. Life must go forward in whatever way it can (safely ) – gotta fit the gaslight in there-and the rules should be reflective of situations not industry. Like that band I mentioned playing to all those tables of people eating dinner- now I’m going to “Bob Ross” you. Let’s turn those tables into distanced cars yes cars. Bam -now add a band and food and we are a restaurant. Do drive-ins have concession stands that you can go into and stand in line 6 ft apart to order some cracker jacks. I say cracker jacks because it’s fitting. Yes is that answer.
Now let’s “Bob Ross” you again. Let’s make that Cracker Jack concession stand a chain store and bam- no more 6ft, more like hot breath. Now we are going to have a drive- in movie with a band and food and chain store merchandise and you guessed it- bam – you cant have food or beverage or merchandise at a drive-in concert unless you order thru an app or text and have it delivered to your car with touchless methods. What does that even mean? Bueller? My point is we all want to be safe and responsible but go home NYS – you’re drunk. What kind of Cracker Jack logic is this?
Two really great shows on opposite ends of NY being put on by responsible and respected promoters were both canceled this weekend because apparently if you have a band involved it’s better to get heatstroke or carbon monoxide poisoning than risk you might give someone in your already socially distanced group the Covid. Bueller?
Tickets to Twiddle shows have been refunded starting today.
Original post follows below
We’re not out of the woods yet, but live music is starting to slowly come back throughout much of Upstate and Western New York. Aqueous, moe. and now Twiddle are utilizing their local Drive-In to provide socially-distanced options for live music during the era of COVID-19.
Twiddle has announced that they’ll play three shows at Lake George’s ‘Drive In Jam Out’ event, held on July 31 and August 1-2 at Charles R. Wood Commons, a stone’s throw from the lake, and on August 14-16 in Essex Junction, VT at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Higher Ground has been producing live stream Drive-In events for a month now in Essex Junction, a short drive from Burlington.
For the Lake George shows, gates open at 5:30pm each night and close at 7:30pm. Tickets are available per car, with a limit of five people per vehicle or seven for SUVs. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable and are on sale NOW for Lake George and Essex Junction on the , and 16th.
Safety measures will be enforced at both venues, including wearing a mask when not at your designated spot on the ground, but also staying 6 feet apart from other patrons. A two-strikes policy will be enforced – if you are asked twice to put on a mask and decline, you’ll be asked to leave without a refund.
Alondra Galopa dropped their cover of “Sound of Silence” originally by Simon and Garfunkel. The cover comes from a place of unrest and gives the song a new meaning in 2020.
Alondra Galopa is an alternative indie band that originates from Granada, Spain. The band has worked with Linier Discos and The Borderline Music record labels producing one of a kind sounds. Some of their biggest songs include, “no hay marcha atrás,” “héroe,” and “a ninguna parte.” The band is made up of Juan A Salinas, Monica Navarro, Antonio “Lopez” y Manuel Marín.
Before the worldwide pandemic, Alondra Galopa, was in full production work for their next record release. The album production process had to stop due to the group’s inability to reunite. Band members Mónica Navarro and Juan A. Salinas have adapted “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel to Spanish during their unexpected downtime. They have turned the sound into a dark pop terrain, with the essence of post rock and dark noise that characterizes some of their productions. Between Monica Navarro’s vocals and the eerie sound it’s an original version of “Sound of Silence.” The cover is really something special that takes a classic song and changes to the sound while still keeping the essence of the song intact which isn’t an easy thing to do.
The song is definitely worth giving a listen to if you are a Alondra Galopa or Simon and Garfunkel fan. The song is out now and available on most streaming services.
For more information on Alondra Galopa visit their Facebook Page.
CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival announced it’s plans to postpone it’s 19th annual festival till 2021. The festival came to this conclusion in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was not safe to be held this year. The jazz fest will take place on June 18 – 26, 2021.
Photo provided by CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s press release.
The festival was originally rescheduled from June 19 – June 27 of 2020 to October 2 – 10, 2020 in hopes the pandemic would subside. Marc Iacona and John Nugent are producers of the festival ended up making the decision like many festivals to ultimately postpone until 2021. “This is the decision we didn’t want to make,” said Iacona and Nugent. They explained their decision to cancel saying, “We held out hope for as long as possible even as most major festivals and concert events around the world were postponing. But as we have now arrived at a critical junction, needing to finalize artists and logistic arrangements, reality has prevailed.”
With more than 208,000 people attending the nine-day festival annually, coming from more than half of the United States and 20 countries around the world to see 325-plus shows, and 1750-plus artists performing there was no way to make the festival a safe environment in the light of the pandemic. They wouldn’t be able to adhere to the distancing guidelines set. The guidelines would severely reduce venue capacities, likely capped at 25%, if venues were even available. Access would be severely limited, making it impossible to accommodate all patrons.The festival also includes lots of free shows, comprising almost a third of the festival’s shows. These shows in particular would be extremely difficult if not impossible to manage for screening, distancing, and oversight.
The Good news is that the festival has been able to reschedule the headliner shows, originally scheduled for this year. Both Puss N Boots and Spyro Gyra from their postponed 19th Edition will be featured in the 2021 edition. Puss N Boots will perform on Friday, June 18, 2021. Spyro Gyra will play Tuesday, June 22, 2021. For those who hold tickets for those shows, tickets and selected seats are saved and are automatically valid for these rescheduled shows. Ticket holders do not need to do anything further. For those who wish to purchase tickets for those two shows, they are on sale now on their website.
For more information please visit CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s website.
Soulive’s Alan Evans and his label, Vintage League Music, have released “As Far As We Know,” an uplifting soul ballad by Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers. Featuring an illustrious group of collaborators—including the BT ALC Big Band, Brother GoodLove and more – this project of Evans’ will showcase the multi-instrumentalist’s guitar skills.
At a time where the world might seem bleak and divided, Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers are here with a gentle track that carries a unifying message of peace, singing,
As far as we know / We ain’t too different / You and I could spend all our time / Make this world a better ride / Imagine the difference if we try.
Evans says of the collaborative project:
“I originally wrote the music for ‘As Far As We Know’ back in May 2019 with another VLM project in mind. I knew that I wanted to have Stephane (Brother GoodLove) singing on this song from the beginning. I didn’t realize that Stephane would turn that working title into such beautiful and powerful lyrics—I was really blown away when he sent me the first demo of the vocal and couldn’t wait to get it into full production but for whatever reason, it wasn’t the right time. But once I had the idea for the new Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers album, ‘As Far As You Know’ being included was a no brainer. So during quarantine, Stephane cut the vocals and I called on my Vintage League Music family of musicians to fill out the song and the rest is history. Without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.”
Alan Evans
Stephane Detchou, who performs under the moniker Brother GoodLove, was born in Montreal to Cameroonian parents and has been surrounded by music his entire life. Genres like folk, jazz, soul, rock and reggae were central in his upbringing and would come to influence the music he would later produce. It is within soul where he explores his identity and sense of self, reflects on the world and contributes to a future he believes in—and “As Far As We Know” is no exception, a song in which he penned the lyrics for.
In addition to Brother GoodLove, “As Far As We Know” also features Darby Wolf on piano, Alex Lee-Clark and Brian Thomas of BT ALC Big Band on the horns, Ryan Hommel on acoustic baritone guitar, and Cynthia Tolson on the strings.
The official music video for “As Far As We Know,” directed by Samuel Hall, sees Brother GoodLove travel around Washington, D.C. while pondering the profound message of his lyrics, including footage captured during the current Black Lives Matters protests in the area.
A partner in the Proctors Collaborative, UPH has made advance tickets available at universalpreservationhall.org, rates are currently $20 for adults and $10 for students, with day of tickets being $25 for adults and $15 for students. Your purchased ticket will buy you a 90-minute block of time in the exhibit, with blocks starting at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. each day. Hours will be extended to include two additional blocks at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The capacity for each time block will initially be set to 20 guests and the event will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 26.
“It wasn’t clear when COVID-19 came along that we could hold the event but now that museums are reopening in the state we are proceeding with our plans,” said Teddy Foster, director at UPH.
In compliance with CDC and New York State guidelines each visitor, staff person, and volunteer will be required to bring and wear a face mask as well as wear provided gloves while playing the pinball machines. All individuals will also be required to maintain proper social distancing. UPH staff will also take and record each individual’s temperature and procure proper tracing information. Before and after each time block all surfaces including handrails, light switches, elevators, exhibit pieces, restrooms, and common surfaces will be sanitized.
“Rock and roll and pinball have a lot in common. Loud, colorful and rebellious, it was inevitable that the two would combine to celebrate rock’s icons,” said Karen Herman, Vice President of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “A number of artists and bands have been immortalized in pinball games. It gives fans another way to experience the energy and power of rock and uniquely connect with their favorite artists.”
Making its debut as part of the exhibit is Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper’s newest pinball machine – Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle. The classic horror adventure game is narrated by Cooper himself and features a number of songs spanning Cooper’s career and a working guillotine set piece.
Fans can also view pioneering pinball machines of their favorite musicians such as Captain Fantastic (1976), based on the album by Elton John and his character in Tommy, and Beat Time (1967), one of the oldest rock and roll tables, which capitalizes on Beatlemania, featuring several mop-topped musicians and a drumhead emblazoned with “The Bootles.”
Other rare and sought-after playable machines in the exhibit pay tribute to the Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Guns N’ Roses, Elvis, Metallica, KISS, and AC/DC. From Peter Criss of KISS’ drum set to Dolly Parton’s dress that inspired the backglass for the DollyParton pinball machine, fans will find other artifacts on display as they learn more about the popular pinball and rock subculture.
