NYS Music 202​0

Category: News Desk

  • ESYO Announces “Sounding Together” Digital Festival

    ESYO (The Empire State Youth Orchestra) announced their “Sounding Together” digital festival in celebration of the orchestra’s 40th birthday season.  The festival will last three days Thursday, June 11 through Saturday, June 13 and will stream across Facebook Watch and YouTube nightly at 7PM.

    “Sounding Together” festival will include thirteen ensembles and over 400 young musicians from around the region. The festival will feature student-produced videos as well as virtual performances of all 13 ESYO ensembles. There will also be a virtual premiere of an original composition by Carlos Ágreda who is the Music Director of ESYO. 

    Some of the highlights will include compositions of “Amazing Grace” by Jay Dawson and  “What a Wonderful World” by Concertino String. The festival will also include Senior Spotlights in honor of the ESYO Class of 2020. Students will reflect on playing through the pause caused by COVID-19. There will also be dedications to front line healthcare heroes, first responders, and Capital Region teachers.

    The “Sounding Together” digital festival was made possible by donations from University at Albany Foundation and the Metlife Charitable Foundation. ESYO is known regionally and nationally for challenging and inspiring young people to engage in a pursuit of musical excellence.

    For more information on ESYO and their “Sounding Together” festival please visit their website.

  • “Talk – Action = Zero”: a New Album to Combat Injustice

    On Friday, June 5, Bank Robber Music and Rough Trade Publishing released Talk – Action = Zero, a collaborative album which hopes to create awareness and fight against the injustices that the Black community face as a result of police brutality.

    Talk Action Zero


    The album was created after the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Their stories mirror those of countless other African Americans. This collaboration album is a reaction to these injustices and will hopefully make more Americans aware of the wrongful treatment of BIPOC all over the country. The album has been the group project of Jay Watts, Bartees Strange, Rogue Wave, Crashing Hotels, Nick Andre, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Superchunk, Damon & Naomi, as well Lonemoon, a trans woman of color.

    Several New York-based artists have also made contributions to the album; Phantogram (Saratoga Springs) and New York City artists Jesse Malin, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Worriers, as well as Sulene, lead guitarist of Fun., all make contributions to the album.

    All of the proceeds of the album will go towards Black Visions Collective, an organization founded in 2017 which aims to bring about justice for all Black people and work to create “a world in which ALL Black Lives Matter”. The organization is based in Minnesota, where George Floyd was wrongfully murdered by police on May 25. The officers are currently being brought to justice, but the fight for equality is far from over.

    Talk – Action = Zero is now available on Bandcamp and donate to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s families if possible.

  • Door to Door Concert Platform “Curbside Concerts” Brings Live Music to Your Front Yard

    You have already heard of restaurants offering curbside pickup but, this platform plans on bringing that same ease and COVID-19 socially distant, idea to music fans across the country. Curbside Concerts, a platform with the goal of bringing back concerts during the pandemic age, is following in the footsteps of businesses who have found safe and socially distant ways of going about business as normal.

    This platform is set up Uber Eats style, users can use their phones to find a list of artists in the area who will come perform a live set at your address. Artists and users then agree on a socially distant location, whether it be your front yard or your driveway, the whole concert experience will be free of any pandemic worries. The list of artists participating across the country include local musicians as well as national acts such as Umphrey’s McGee, Dopapod, and more.

    We find ourselves at a point in quarantine where we wish for two things: a change in pace from our day to day, stuck inside routine, and for us music fans, the urge to see live music. Curbside Concerts offers us with a solution to both. Talk of outdoor concerts reminiscent to drive in movie theaters has been buzzing around on the internet however, the scarcity of such concerts leave options like Curbside Concerts seeming tangible.

    For more information and to book a concert for your own front lawn visit the Curbside Concerts website.

    https://youtu.be/4s0ds-JDeBA

  • Launch Global announces 12 hour virtual Protest Festival in support of Black Lives Matter movement

    Launch Global has announced that their 12 hour virtual festival is set to premiere on Saturday, June 13 at 4PM. Launch is a virtual concert platform and artist co-op that supports and celebrates independent artists. Artists can collaborate with other artists, acquire the success for live-streaming and help artists develop their careers. 

    The virtual festival is a donation-based protest in full solidarity and support of the anti-racist and pro-equality movement, fueled by powerful Black voices, and by diverse artists who all stand against racial injustice, the racist prison system, deeply ingrained racial bias, and who celebrate the Black community’s contribution to music at large. The event will be streamed live at LaunchGlobal.TV and donations will go directly to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, to support the development of all the progressive legislation coming from this current watershed moment. 

    Launch Global

    The festival which was originally scheduled for June 6 is postponed to June 13 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and media blackout. Launch Global’s roster of artists includes Jessie Wagner (Nile Rodgers & Chic), Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Kaydonna, Bonita Jalane, Girl God, Qing Screw Face, TrewCulture, Kendra Black, Rogue Wave, Karaleigh, Abracadabra Field Trip, Mars Motel, Cello Joe, Raphael25 and many more.

    A statement from Launch Global can be seen below.

    Out of respect for the current sociopolitical climate, and to do our part to help make space for voices that need to be heard, Launch Global felt compelled to postpone our streaming festival scheduled for this past weekend. We’ve decided to move the event this coming weekend, and transform it in to an exercise in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Launch Global is, at its core, a music coop, and as such we all owe an immeasurable debt to Black culture. We find ourselves in one of many pivotal moments through our nation’s history where everybody needs to band together to protect the right and safety of Black people, and Launch Global intends to do our part in whatever way we can.

  • A Step Towards Reform for Broadway

    With the recent murders of African-American men and women like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, several BIPOC Broadway workers–actors and crew members alike–have begun to speak out against the racism which plagues Broadway and other theatre communities all across the country. Many, like writer and actor Griffin Matthews, have expressed that they are tired of the relentless racism which exists on Broadway, and reform is on the way.

    broadway reform

    Even in the time of this global halt, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition will hold a three-part forum for the African-American members of the Broadway community. The forum will be held over three days: June 10, 11, and 12. 

    Day one is dedicated to healing, where all will be welcome to share any experience in which they have been forced to deal with racism in the theatre industry. Day one is intended to be a safe space of only African-American people. Day two is for listening; African-American industry professionals will tell their experiences and look towards breaking the bias held in white allies and encouraging those allies to look inward and examine this bias. Day three, which is an extension of day two, is centered around accountability. Broadway’s inherently racist building blocks will be examined, and the group will discuss building a better Broadway which is truly more inclusive. 

    This forum is not only to be a means of support for countless African-American Broadway workers, but will hopefully force Broadway to begin to recognize its roots in racism and rebuild the system in a more honest way. Registration for each online event is available now.

  • Bill and Ted are back to face the music in new trailer

    It’s been 25 years since we last heard from Bill and Ted, who performed “God Gave Rock and Roll To You” in front of the world, thus leading to world peace. Now they’re middle-aged dads and are on a mission once again to be excellent to each other, and to party on. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return this summer in Bill and Ted 3: Face the Music with the new trailer debuting today.

    bill and ted trailer

    The plot of the film focuses on Bill and Ted, who are back in San Dimas, CA, yet still have to fulfill their destiny by writing a hit song.

    It looks like time-travel is once again on tap, as well as a visit to hell to meet Death, played by William Sadler, reprising his most excellent role from 1991’s Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. The release date is not yet set due to COVID-19 but we can most likely look for a late summer/early fall release.

  • “Singing OUT” in Celebration of Pride at Caffe Lena

    Caffe Lena is presenting a  live-stream performance out of Saratoga Springs featuring Heather Mae and Crys Matthews with their “Singing OUT” Pride Tour. The performance will take place on June 12 from 8:30 PM – 11:30 PM.

    Heather Mae who has been called “the queer Adele” while Crys Matthews has been called “the Woody Guthrie of our generation” and the two of them together make a unique and beautiful sound. They hope with this sound to make celebrating Pride during this difficult time of social distancing and fun and interactive environment. They create this interactive aspect of their show by having people come dressed in Pride gear and hosting sing alongs, games, and giveaways.

    Their motto is that Pride must go on. They hope that this celebration will mirror that with giving  LGBTQ+ people and their allies a way to gather to lift one another up despite COVID-19 and that people will be able to and bask in the power and beauty of their resilient community. 

    https://youtu.be/XFzgolN8nHE

    Tickets are $15 and are available on their side door website. For more information please visit their Facebook Event Page.

  • NYC Erupts in Music Led by Jon Batiste in Support of Black Lives Matter

    Jon Batiste, bandleader of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” led a musical march through NYC in support of the Black Lives Matter protests. The musical march took place on June 6 at 1PM in Union Square. The protest was peaceful and musical in nature. 

    Batiste is a notable jazz musician on top of being the bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Batiste has his band Stay Human and also serves as the Music Director of The Atlantic and the Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He was nominated for “Saint James Infirmary Blues” in the Best American Roots Performance category in 2018 in the Grammy Awards.

    Jon Batiste advertised the event on his Twitter saying, “This is our response to the deep rooted systemic injustice we have yet to fix, a fact made abundantly clear by the public execution of another black person. This is a movement that exists because I believe the power of art & music is divine.”

    The musical march started at Union Square and went all the way to Washington Square Park. Batiste explained to CNN’s Bill Weir that this protest was bringing people together over a common outrage and that there are things people need to start doing. He said, “Look at what we are doing. We’re using music to bring people together of all races, of all genders, for Black lives. We have to get to protests and we have to get to voting. 100 million people did not vote in the last election. We’re battling three candidates Donald Trump, Joe Biden and apathy.”

    Watch the CNN videoclip bellow.

  • Movement to make The Apollo Theater an official Broadway House gains momentum

    There are 41 theaters on Broadway and they each have one thing in common: none are owned by African-Americans. The Apollo Theater, located on 125th street in Harlem, opened its doors to the public in 1914 and has been a vibrant piece of New York’s history and culture ever since. Many jazz, R&B, and soul legends began their paths to fame at the Apollo theater’s famous amateur nights. The theater has been both a state and city landmark since 1983 and still remains an important part of New York theater to this day. Despite this, it is not considered a Broadway theater.

    apollo theater broadway
    photo by Jamie Huenefeld

    The only thing which distinguishes Broadway from Off-Broadway is the number of a theater’s seats. All Broadway theaters must have 500 seats or more; theaters with 99-499 seats are deemed Off-Broadway. The Apollo Theater has 1,506 seats.

    A petition to make the Apollo Theater a Broadway theater has been attracting attention in the past few days. If it were a Broadway theater, yhe Apollo would be eligible for Tony Awards and become involved in Tony nominations. As the Apollo Theater works to represent the cultural diversity of New York City, many believe that more BIPOC actors and team members would be nominated for Tony awards were the theater given leeway in the nominations.

    The Apollo Theater is currently closed with no events scheduled through June 30.

  • The Relix Roadie Lounge Announces a New Digital Hub for the Music Industry Community

    The Relix Roadie Lounge has announced a new digital hub that will help support people in the music industry during these trying times. The hub was created in partnership with LD Systems, Robe Lighting, Backline, and Fender.  The Relix Roadie Lounge was first implemented at Newport Folk Festival, Austin City Limits, SXSW and LOCKN’ Festival in 2019.

    The digital hub will supply news, special offers, resources in a broader terms, and mental health resources for artists, crew members, and other industry professionals. The Relix Roadie Lounge is hoping that this digital hub will be able to give these hard-working people opportunities to win premier gear and exclusive product opportunities on top of connecting people with reliable outlets.

    Josh Rowe who is the director of Relix’s Roadie Lounge program explained the reasons behind this hub creation saying, “With the current status of the music industry, we realize things are tough. We’ve banded together with our partners to bring the Roadie Lounge to you. We’ve put together a collection of useful information, resources, product specials, and contests for your time off the road.”  

    There’s a lot of news about musicians being out of work but there hasn’t been a lot of resources put out there that’s focusing on the behind the scenes workers. This hub tries to recognize how crew members and artists are the foundation of the live music industry. Festivals, concerts, and live music wouldn’t be possible without the endless work done behind the scenes.

    For more information please visit The Relix Roadie Lounge’s website.