NYS Music 202​0

Category: News Desk

  • Freaks Action Network announces “FAN Musicians Relief Fund” to benefit NYC-based professional musicians

    The Freaks Action Network (FAN) has announced the launch of the FAN Musicians Relief Fund, which will administer one-time grants to New York City-based professional working musicians whose livelihoods have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the fund’s initial 25 recipients, $10,000 has been earmarked by FAN for one-time grants of $400 each. 

    To celebrate the launch of this endeavor and help support fundraising efforts, Karina Rykman will kick things off with a special “Freaks Night In” online performance on Thursday, July 16, 2020. FAN is dedicating it’s efforts for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic to raising additional funds to assist as many musicians as possible during these difficult times. 

    freaks action network

    “FAN is all about turning the positive energy of live music into positive change in the world,” said FAN president Aaron Stein. “The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down and now it’s the live music world that needs help and that’s why we created this fund.” 

    FAN was formed just over three years ago as a way for New York City-metro music-lovers to give back to the community that has given them so much joy and happiness. When the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic ground the formerly thriving NYC live music scene to a screeching halt, the FAN Board of Directors immediately came together to try to figure out how they could help area-based musicians. Out of these discussions, the FAN Musicians Relief Fund was born. 

    Interested musicians who are residents of NYC and derive at least 50% of their income by performing live music in 2019 should visit the FAN website to apply for the one-time grant and learn about the full application process. Applications for the first phase are being accepted starting July 17. If you have questions about the fund, including potential partners and sponsors, reach out to musicrelief@freaksactionnetwork.org.

    Freaks Action Network finds their roots in a group of like-minded New York City live music aficionados, NYC Freaks, who share their love of live music with a growing community. At first, the NYC Freaks would rally around annual anniversary concerts featuring their favorite bands. As they swelled to a group that is now 850 members strong, they discovered a desire to give back to the community that had provided it with so much joy. Through FAN, NYC Freaks have raised tens of thousands of dollars through concerts, auctions, and its sister organization, the #LiveMusicChallenge.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to Be Televised

    Because of the threat of the COVID-19, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is replacing its 35th annual Induction Ceremony with an HBO special honoring the inductees. The special will air on November 7, 2020 at 8PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.

    rock hall of fame
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

    This year, the 35th Induction Ceremony was supposed to take place on May 2 in Cleveland and make history by being the first Induction broadcast live. To ensure the safety of their fans and inductees, however, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will instead create a special program to give the Inductees their earned respect. The show will tell “the stories of their incredible contributions to music and impact on a generation of artists that followed them,” says Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes. It will include archived content, acceptance speeches, interviews, and more. Next year, the 36th Induction Ceremony will be moved to the fall and return to Cleveland. After that, the Ceremony will take place every other year in Cleveland. 

    Even though they can’t have a proper Ceremony, the Rock & Roll Hall of fame is still giving fans ways to honor the Inductees. Their museum is back open and safely following all recommended guidelines from Ohio Governor DeWine, the CDC, public health officials, and infectious disease experts. Advance tickets must be purchased online and the museum requires temperature checks, masks, social distancing, limited capacity, and other safety precautions to ensure the health of their visitors. Early hours are available for at-risk guests, some essential workers, and Rock Hall members. The museum will open a 2020 Inductee Exhibit on August 14. If you can’t make it in person, you can still listen to the Inductees’ curated playlists on Spotify. 

    The exclusive Induction Ceremony will air on HBO and HBO Max on Saturday, November 7 at 8.

  • Joe Louis Walker is set to Perform Live Drive-In Concert in Plattsburgh

    There’s good news for blues and jazz fans who have been urging to get to a live show. Grammy nominated artist, Joe Louis Walker, will be performing a live drive-in concert in Plattsburgh on July 25 at 7:30 p.m.

    Joe Louis Walker Plattsburgh

    The show is part of the series, “Curbside at Harborside,” which is an effort to provide pandemic-friendly live concerts, while still being able to have a good time. To maintain social distancing, guests can bring lawn chairs to sit outside their cars or they can listen through FM radio.

    Walker is a well-known blues artist and Blues Hall of Fame inductee. He is also the winner of the Blues Music Awards four times.

    The blues artist has performed alongside famous icons like, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Muddy Waters. He has over 20 albums under his belt, his latest one being, “Blues Comin’ On,” that came out this year.

    Joe Louis Walker is “a legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues,” said NPR.

    Parking for Joe Louis Walker in Plattsburgh opens at 6:30 p.m., with it being 20 dollars per car in cash. Takeout meals will be provided from The Naked Turtle for tailgating.

  • Aqueous and Buffalo Iron Works announce two nights at Silver Lake Twin Drive-In

    On the heels of a successful Live at the Drive in Lockport this past June, Aqueous and Buffalo Iron Works have announced two evenings of live performances at Silver Lake Twin Drive In in Perry, NY. The shows on August 7 & 8 will feature a socially distanced set up for cars, providing respite for live music fans in Western New York.

    aqueous drive in

    Gates will open at 3:30 each day and Aqueous will be live, on stage, in front of screen one at 4:30. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, July 16th at 10am. Ticketing details are as follows: 

    General Admission Car Passes: 2 Car Pass: $80, 3 Car Pass: $120, 4 Car Pass: $160, 5 Car Pass: $200, 6 Car Pass: $240.

    VIP Admission Car Passes – Included Ticket to Show and Limited Edition Poster: 2 Car Pass: $160, 3 Car Pass: $240, 4 Car Pass: $320, 5 Car Pass: $400, 6 Car Pass: $480. 

    aqueous drive in
    From the successful Live at the Drive held in Lockport this past June

    Each “Car Pass” ticket is priced for a vehicle with the stated number occupants. All ticket purchases will be internet pre-sale only until the day of the event. If your vehicle has extra seats available, you are allowed to bring additional people to fill the vehicle and they can pay for their individual ticket at the gate on the day of the show. Extra people cannot exceed the car’s capacity and security will be ensuring this at the door. Please be respectful for the benefit of all parties. 

    All parking is designated by Drive-In Security. VIP parking will be in the first 2 rows of the Drive-In theatre. General Admission vehicle parking will be on a first-come-first-park basis behind the first 2 rows. To help with the obstruction of guests’ view, vans, trucks, and SUVs will be asked to park on one side of the snack bar or in the last three rows of the theater.

    To comply with social distancing guidelines, all vehicles must park at least 6 feet away from neighboring vehicles. Once parked, do not move your vehicle. If you choose to leave in your vehicle, you will not be permitted to re-enter the theatre. Management has final authority over where you may park. 

    Patrons are asked to remain in or near their vehicles except for trips to the bathroom, snack bar (limited to 10 people a time), Charcoal Corral restaurant, dog walks and smoking in designated areas. All guests must wear face masks whenever they are in a public area within 6 feet of other guests until further notice. 

    Perry, NY is located about 1 hour ESE of Buffalo and 1 hour SW of Rochester. Silver Lake Twin Drive-In is located at 7037 Chapman Ave in Perry, and produces weekend film features on two outdoor screens with a casual restaurant, mini-golf & more on-site. 

    Aqueous recently released a stream of Live at the Drive in its entirety on their Facebook page. Watch below for a taste of socially distanced live concerts at its best.

  • GrassRoots Festival Hosts “Your Roots at Home” Live-Stream

    Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance announces their “Your Roots at Home” free streaming event. The streaming event will host curated footage from former years of the festival and will run July 16-19, 2020 everyday roughly from 10AM-3AM. 

    The event will be following the same structure the GrassRoots Festival has followed for many years. The streaming event will host four days with four separate streams for each stage of the festival. The curated footage comes from all the way from 1992 up to 2019 with footage from last year. The footage will show each band performing at either the Infield, Dance Tent, Grandstand, or Cabaret stages. 

    The stream will host GrassRoots favorites like Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Big Mean Sound Machine, Donna the Buffalo, Old Crow Medicine Show, Preston Frank & His Zydeco Family Band, The Horse Flies, Driftwood, GrassRoots Festival Orchestra, Uma Galera, Lake Street Dive, John Brown’s Body, Jimkata, Ithaca Bottom Boys, Bubba George Stringband and many many many more. The full lineup can be seen here.

    The event will host the Band Contest and Instrument Contest still which will make it an interactive event. People interested in performing during the contests can perform their song specifically for the audience at the “Your Roots At Home” event. People interested can record videos of themselves and upload their media here.

    The streaming events can be viewed stage by stage on Twitch. The Infield stage can be viewed here. The Dance Tent stage can be viewed here. The grandstand Stage can be viewed here. The Cabaret stage can be viewed here. The viewer doesn’t need a Twitch account to listen but an account will give you access to the chat feature and other services.

    For more information visit “Your Roots at Home” website and Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance website. 

  • Jazz on Jay Kicks off Their Summer Series in Downtown Schenectady

    Jazz on Jay is once again underway in the Electric City with the return of the free lunchtime concert series, hosted on the corners of historic Jay and State Streets in Downtown Schenectady, performances occur Thursdays until September 17 from noon to 1:30 p.m. est.

    Jazz enthusiasts will get to enjoy singers and instrumentalists from across the region. Kicking things off with a mesmerizing performance last week was Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards nominee Keith Pray Ortet. This week’s performers, the piano trio Trifecta Jazz, are set to dazzle with originals and cover arrangements.

    Despite seeing an increasing number of events in the area cancelled this summer – such as Music Haven’s events in Central Park, Summer Night and the Freedom Park Concert Series in Scotia – event organizers knew there was a way to Jazz to the streets of Schenectady once again. Salvatore Prizio, Concert and Events Manager for Proctors Collaborative, gave this statement:

    “Safety is always the top priority when considering any sort of performance, especially a public one. Our team has had several meetings to discuss the safest and most practical ways of presenting a public performance to the community. Additionally, we wanted to be able to once again provide performance opportunities to local musicians again.”

    Along with following the mandatory six feet social distancing rules organizers stated that chairs will not be provided, masks are mandatory and attendees are encouraged to stay home if they, or anyone in their home, feel sick.

    Jazz on Jay 2020 Lineup

    July 16 – Trifecta

    July 23 – Jeanine Ouderkirk Quartet

    July 30 – The Ragtime Windjammers

    Aug. 6 – Art D’echo Trio

    Aug. 13 – Tyler Giroux Trio

    Aug. 20 – Brad Monkell Quintet

    Aug. 27 – Colleen Pratt & Friends

    Sept. 3 – Bob Gluck 3 plays Pat Metheny

    Sept. 10 – Tim Olsen Quintet

    Sept. 17 – Tarik Shah Trio

  • Adirondack Independence Music Festival Hosts “Drive-In Jam Out” Event

    Adirondack Independence Music Festival has announced the “Drive-In Jam Out” event to take place in Lake George at Charles R. Woods Commons on July 31 and August 1 and 2, 2020.

    Adirondack Independence Music Festival

    The “Drive-In Jam Out” event will follow like many or the drive-in festivals before them. People will be confined to and around their cars during the festival to keep social distancing a priority. The hope is to give that festival feeling to their audience while keeping everyone as safe as possible during the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of the cool features of this drive-in festival though is that it is a multiple day festival. Although the festival won’t be having their own campground they encourage participants to “make your room or camping reservations now!” via their Facebook Page announcement. They recommend “Holiday Inn Resort Lake George for the finest and closest accommodations” for people looking to reserve somewheres to stay for over the weekend. 

    Performers haven’t been announced yet but they plan to drop a major bomb on details of the festival on July 20. Hopefully it will include a lineup and ticket prices. The announcement is the first of many according to Adirondack Independence Music Festival’s Facebook Page. Some information that was already released was the location of the drive-in event. It will be taking place at Charles R. Wood Commons in Lake George, NY. 

    Adirondack Independence Music Festival is still currently scheduled to take place on September 5-6, 2020. On the announcement on their Facebook Page the festival replied to comments asking if the Labor day weekend festival was going to happen and said, “We will be doing these[Drive-In Jam Out events]  labor day weekend as well.” So it’s safe to guess the format of this event will most likely be followed in September. 

    For more information on the Adirondack Independence Music Festival and their “Drive-In Jam Out” Event visit their Facebook Page and Website.

  • Better Noise Music Festival to Stream Worldwide

    Better Noise Music, the independent music label, announces the Better Noise Music Festival on July 16. The festival will benefit Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation which provides support services for people in early recovery from substance use disorders. The festival will feature live performances, unseen footage and more. 

    The Better Noise Music Festival has an impressive line-up of new and classic performances, artist messages and sneak peeks at two Better Noise Films projects slated for the fall. The films are Sno Babies and The Retaliators. The line-up includes big names like Motley Crue, Five Finger Death Punch, and the Dirty Heads.

    The full line-up includes: Motley Crue, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Awolnation, Cory Marks, Dirty Heads, The Hu, Bad Wolves, Escape The Fate, From Ashes To New, Fire From The Gods, Bleeker, Tuk Smith, Islander, All Good Things, Hyro The Hero, Eva Under Fire, Nevrlands. Little Stranger, Tempt, The Bottom Line, and Thousand Thoughts.

    The festival will air worldwide on July 16 at the following times: 3PM PST, 5PM CST, 6PM EST, 11PM BST, and 12AM CET. The festival will air at 8AM ACT on July 17. The event is in partnership with LiveXLive. All live streamed performances will be simulcast by LiveXLive on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter. Proceeds will benefit the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) to provide support services for those in early recovery from a substance use disorder.

    For more information on the festival please visit Better Noise Music’s website and LiveXLive’s website. 

    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!

  • Summer Camp Music Festival Postponed to 2021

    After the recent spike in Coronavirus cases, the Summer Camp Music Festival has decided to postpone their 20th anniversary concert to Memorial Day weekend 2021. 

    For the past 19 years, the Summer Camp Music Festival in Illinois has been held on Memorial Day weekend to kick off summer with a bang. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, this year’s festival was postponed. Although organizers and staff hoped that it could take place later this summer, the festival has been pushed back to Memorial Day weekend 2021 as Illinois will not be in Phase 5 of the reopening process this August and therefore cannot safely hold the concert. Ian Goldbreg, founder of the Summer Camp music festival, states that the staff holds “the health and safety of you, our fans, and our dedicated staff as our number one concern.”

    Despite this setback, plans for next year’s festival are already in the works. While some artists are “still working out details,” the majority of this summer’s lineup has confirmed that they will perform at the 20th anniversary festival in 2021. Additionally, all tickets for this year’s festival will roll over and be good for 2021. If you cannot make it next year, refunds will be available starting on July 13 and ending on July 30, 2020. 

    summer camp fest

    Although it has been a very difficult decision, Goldberg comments: “I felt I was acting in the best interest of the many people who dedicate their lives to this event every year, knowing all along I would never put those lives in jeopardy if the situation did not prove to allow for a safe event.” The festival is great for all music fans, with crowd favorites moe. and Umphrey’s McGee headlining. The 2020 lineup was supposed to include other artists like Ween, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Billy Strings, Rezz, STS9, Tipper, and more. 

    Fans of the festival wait for it to come back “even bigger and better” on May 28-30, 2021. Until then, check out NYSMusic’s coverage of the festival’s recent years: 2019, 2018, and 2017.

  • Jazz At Chandlerville Series Announces Summer Line-up

    Jazz at Chandlerville Series announced their July and August line-up. The series will take place at the Thin Man Brewery and Tappo Pizza in Buffalo, NY. The event will take place in the outdoor seating and happen every Thursday this summer from 6PM to 8:30PM.

    The outside seating at Thin Man Brewery and Tappo Pizza. Photo provided by Jazz At Chandlerville Series announcement.

    One of the main concerns for people with an event like this is how social distancing can happen while the coronavirus pandemic rages on? During the series’s opening performance they had tables spread out six feet apart with a good amount of seating available. There was a location for the band across the street – more than the twelve feet requirement. People must also wear a mask when not seated. With these measures implemented the hope is to keep a safe environment for everyone involved. 

    The opening performance was by the Ed Croft Trio featuring Ed Croft on bass, Nelson Rivera on saxophone, and Joe Goretti on drums. This season of performers include DeeAnn Dimeo, Alex McArthur, Paradigm Shift from Rochester, Phil DiRe and Speedy Parker, Will Holton, The TRUTH, and Carina and the Six String Preacher. DeeAnn Dimeo, will start off on July 16 and Carina and the Six String Preacher will wrap up the series on August 27.

    The series is being hosted by JazzBuffalo and is sponsored by Thin Man Brewery and Tappo Pizza. The event is located at 166 Chandler Street Buffalo, NY. The performances are free but JazzBuffalo is accepting donations for their Keep Local Jazz Alive Fund. The fund will help cover the costs of the free summer outdoor live jazz presented during the COVID-19 pandemic. JazzBuffalo asks that people please donate a suggested amount of $3-$5 per person, if they can, to help us make local live jazz possible. Donations can be made via  PayPal: paypal.me/jazzbuffalo or Venmo: @Jazz249.

    Form more information on the Jazz At Chandlerville Series and more information on their performers visit their website.

    Full Line-up listed bellow: 

    July 16 – DeeAnn Dimeo

    July 23 – Alex McArthur

    July 30 – Paradigm Shift from Rochester

    August 6 – Phil DiRe and Speedy Parker

    August 13 – Will Holton

    August 20 – The TRUTH

    August 27 – Carina and the Six String Preacher