NYS Music 202​0

Category: News Desk

  • Cousin Earth To Release New Single “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese”

    On June 1, Cousin Earth will release their new single worldwide for their newest song, “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese.”  The track, which was recorded last summer and mixed and mastered in quarantine will be available on all streaming platforms and accompanied by an absurdist video featuring the individual band members in quarantine. The video debuts three days early at Noon on Friday, May 29 via Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and NYSMusic.com, along with an audio pre-release on Cousin Earth’s Bandcamp.

    That night, band will also stream an online Zoom meeting dubbed “Bacon, Cat Food & Chill” at 8pm on Monday, June 1, with special guests expected, and hosted by Wendy LaManque of The Whistles.

    The song, clocking in at nearly 8 minutes, showcases all the things fans have come to love about Cousin Earth: layered vocal harmonies, extended improvisation, and humorous lyrics.  “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese” recently entered the band’s repertoire, juxtaposing a down tempo funk song with an upbeat dance-jam vehicle.  It was also featured in several shows as a quirky but party-hard late set jammer.

    The lyrical concept started as an inside joke, that became a meme, that became a ridiculous song about the internal strife of eating a sandwich that could definitely be better.  At a time when so much is uncertain in the world, Cousin Earth took a silly moment from tour and turned it into a metaphor about life that seems all-too-fitting right now.  Without gigs to support them, this Zappa-esque project shows no remorse in pointing out the absurdity in our current isolation as a society.

    “Bacon Cat Food & Cheese” was written by Cousin Earth and recorded at Call Hollow Studios in Pomona, NY.  in the summer of 2019 with engineering by Matthew Einsidler and Ryan Liatsis.

  • Electronic Artist i_o Drops New Song “Annihilation” Featuring Alt-Pop Artist Lights

    Electronic Artist i_o released his new song “Annihilation,” part of his third installment titled AM 444 of his 444 album series. This song features Canadian alt-pop artist Lights and has reached #2 on iTunes electronic chart. The AM 444 installment is based on what the world feels like around 4am when the lines between night and day become foggy, and night turns into day, the world just before dawn.

     i_o’s 444 album series was named for an obscure New York City underground venue. The 444 album is part of a three-part series of four tracks each as a nod to the number this series nodding to the number four. i_o uses each installment of 444 album series to project his own feelings about the different areas of dance music that he feels defines him as an artist. The first two installments were ACID 444 and NRG 444. ACID 444 was released back in late 2019 and was all about his warehouse roots meanwhile NRG was released in early 2020 and was more of an upbeat, peak of the night, collection of songs.

    On AM 444 i_o is joined by Lights on all tracks and highlights his production skills on the more melodic and progressive side. Although “Annihilation” is the only track dropped so far from the AM 444 installment you can already see it making nods to his production value and melodic rhythms. The song’s repetitive and trancelike beats in combination with the ebb and flow of vocals between i_o and Lights really reflects the feeling of 4AM when you are still out dancing just letting the music flow through you which the entire section will be focusing on.   

    The rest of the AM 444 installment is due to drop on May 29th on mau5trap. For more information on i_o and his 444 album visit mau5trap’s website. For more information on Lights visit her website.

  • 518 Day Celebrates Local Music across Eastern New York

    May 18th may be just any other day of the year for most of the world, but for the extended Capital Region in New York, it is a day of celebration. 518 Day highlights the variety of local music that has been a defining part of this expansive region of New York State. 

    The 518 region stretches all the way from the Canadian border to the Mid-Hudson region, borders with Vermont, and covers more than 12,000 square miles across 17 counties of New York. Area code 518 was established on January 1st, 1947 and has a population of more than 1.3 million residents, with major cities that include Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake, and Troy among others.

    The 518 has become it’s own cultural hub and is known particularly for it’s great local music scenes. A great deal of artists come from the 518 region and call it home, including Blotto, Madison Vandenburg, Wild Adriatic, Blind Owl Band, Sawyer Fredericks, Eastbound Jesus, Ominous Seapods, moe., Glass Pony and many, many more.

    518 music is being celebrated by Radio Radio X who are running an all day show from 5AM to midnight tonight featuring local music from the 518 area. There will be a pause for Big Ed’s Little Rock and Roll show at 7PM and a new CD by Off The Record Trio which will be played from start to finish. You can listen live online here.

    Check out some videos of local 518 talent over the years

  • Tanglewood cancels 2020 season; announce Online Festival

    The Berkshires will be a little quieter this summer, as the Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced they will not hold live performances and educational programs at Tanglewood this summer. The 2020 Tanglewood season was set to kick off on June 19 and run through August 27.

    In an effort to keep the spirit of the storied music season alive, Tanglewood will be offering a wide range of newly created and retrospective content with the Tanglewood 2020 Online Festival.

    The festival will include both free-of-charge archival offerings as well as newly created content available for purchase. Video and audio streams begin on Tanglewood.org July 1, with the ability to purchase starting on June 15. The groundbreaking digital series of audio and video streams includes newly created content to be recorded at Tanglewood’s Linde Center in June and July.

    Ticket holders to Tanglewood performances this summer who donate more than $100 worth of tickets to the BSO will receive complimentary access to the complete selection of paid and archival Tanglewood digital content and a tax receipt for the total ticket value contributed. Donations made by August 31 will also be matched by a group of generous donors who have joined together to help support musical artists and programs in these unprecedented times, amplifying your impact.

    Tickets for this year’s performances will be honored for the postponed date next year. Reschedule dates include:

    • Ringo Star (6/19/20), rescheduled for Saturday, June 19, 2021
    • Trey Anastasio with the Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart (6/20/20), rescheduled for Friday, June 18, 2021
    • Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie (6/21/20), rescheduled for Sunday, June 20, 2021
    • Brandi Carlile (6/26/20), 2021 date TBA
    • Patti Labelle and Darlene Love (6/27/20), 2021 date TBA
    • The Mavericks with Los Lobos (6/28/20), 2021 date TBA
    • James Taylor (7/4/20), rescheduled for his annual July 4th performance during the 2021 season
    • Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! with Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis (8/27/20), rescheduled for Thursday, August 26, 2021
    • John Legend with special guests The War and Treaty (8/28/20), 2021 date TBA

    An overview of Tanglewood’s 2020 Online Festival programming can be found here.

    tanglewood 2020

  • Suwannee at Home: Spirit Raiser 2020

    From Live Oak, Florida the Suwannee at Home: Spirit Raiser 2020 will take place May 15th through 17th. This will be a virtual online festival streaming across multiple platforms. The festival’s intention is to raise the spirits of the music community and to raise some funds for festival support staff.

    The festival is being presented by Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and Relix Magazine and will be hosted by Suwanee Rising Event Co-Producers: Beth Judy (Suwannee Spring Reunion, Suwannee  Roots Revival) and Paul Levine (Hulaween, Purple Hatters Ball). The festival will take place Friday, May 15th from 4PM-9PM, Saturday, May 16th from 4PM-9PM, and Sunday, May 17th from 2PM-8PM.

    Suwannee at Home: Spirit Raiser will Featuring Members of: Big Gigantic, Donna The Buffalo, Doom Flamingo, Dopapod, Dumpstaphunk, Eric Krasno, George Porter Jr., Grass Is Dead, Greensky Bluegrass, Jennifer Hartswick & Chris Chew, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Craven, Jon Stickley Trio, Keller Williams, Larry & Jenny Keel, Leftover Salmon, Lettuce, Luther Dickinson, Mike Dillon, moe., Nikki Talley, Railroad Earth, Rev Jeff Mosier, Roosevelt, Collier, Sierra Hull, Snarky Puppy, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Duhks, The Motet, The New, Mastersounds, The Nth Power, The Travelin’ McCourys, Toubab Krewe, Umphrey’s McGee, Van Ghost, Verlon Thompson, Weedie Braimah, Will Kimbrough, Zach Deputy, with more to be announced.

    Artists are both performing live and sending in pre-recorded content from their respective areas of self quarantine. These artists are volunteering their time with performances to brief cameos to 30 minute slots to Q and A sections.

    Suwannee at Home: Spirit Raiser will be able to be viewed online everywhere on Zoom via Facebook and Website. Live Oak Music and Art Foundation Inc, a 501c3 organization will collect and distribute any collected funds and will be the sole recipient of any merchandise sold.

    For more information please visit Suwannee at Home: Spirit Raiser’ website.

  • Watch Freekbass and more entries into #NewYorkTough PSA contest

    #NewYorkTough, a campaign to encourage New Yorkers to wear masks whenever out in public, is soon to have a Public Service Announcement campaign of its own. Governor Cuomo called for submissions and with the entries closing on Friday, May 15, we have some of the early entries to consider before voting begins on a finalist in the weeks ahead.

    Freekbass and the Bump Assembly put together a PSA video despite being spread out around the Northeast. As your friendly neighborhood Freekbass describes it, bandmate Sammi Garett (Turkuaz) reached out to him to work on a track for the contest.

    Sammi gave me a call and said she heard about this PSA contest that Governor Cuomo was having about encouraging New Yorkers to wear a mask. Sky (our keyboardist) and I had a track we worked on in the studio that seemed like a good fit. I sent the track to Sammi and she laid down her vocals and sent it back to me so I could mix it. Then we all filmed the video at each of our own places and Angie Wilson directed and put the video together along with the song. 

    This is a very strange time we are all living in, and as musicians not being able to tour is tough. So being creative in new and positive ways is always a shining light through these crazy days we are going through. We all feel very strongly as a band that being safe in anyway possible is so important, so the message of the song and video came naturally. We hope everyone enjoys the song and video.

    With the contest closing on Friday, May 15, here are a selection of other musically inclined PSAs from across the state. Stay tuned for the five finalists and vote for your favorite!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzG-rk5kcU
    https://twitter.com/samfriedman17/status/1260699312469803010

  • Live From Out There Announces Virtual Festival

    11E1even Group, in partnership with LivexLive, have announced their The Live From Out There festival for four weekends of music. The festival will be accessible by subscription and pay-per-view and will run from May 15th through June 7th. 

    11E1even Group has been putting on their Live From Out There performances which have been providing a wide variety of content streaming for people to view from their homes while raising money for the greater music community through Sweet Relief’s COVID-19 Fund for the last two months. The festival will run as a four-week pay-per-view and subscription series for viewing the festival.

    The lineup includes Big Gigantic, Dispatch, Zeds Dead, moe., Nahko, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9, Turquaz, Hiss Golden Messenger, Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Goose, James Petralli & Michael Hunter of White Denim, Zach Williams of The Lone Bellow, Motet and many more.

    The Live From Out There festival will be partnering with Summer Camp Music Festival for its second weekend May 22nd through the 24th for the “Summer Camp Virtual Festival: A 20 Year Retrospective.” This weekend will focus on featuring live music, throwback performances, interviews, workshops, panel discussions, giveaways and more. The Summer Camp team will also take the opportunity to connect Summer Campers with each other through these virtual programs. 

    The subscription series will run from May 15th to June 7th and subscribers will have access to four weekends of live and archival sets, with the majority available on-demand after the live broadcast. Tickets for pay-per-view and subscriptions are on sale today, May 13th and details can be found on the Live From Out There website.The content will be available on all LivexLive platforms either by their website or by accessing their app.

    This Thursday, May 14th at 8PM EST, Live From Out There will host a free performance on the LiveXLive platform to introduce fans to the new platform and prepare them for the upcoming festival. People can watch on LiveXLive.com and apps, social media channels and its OTT channels on Amazon, Apple TV, Roku and Samsung TVs, desktop and mobile/tablet. The performance will feature Rick Mitarotonda and Peter Anspach of Goose performing a very special acoustic set from their home in Connecticut.

    The Live From Out There series has generated over $400K so far. All the proceeds from each subscription benefit Sweet Relief’s COVID-19 Fund. This organization is using donor-directed funding to provide immediate assistance, lodging, clothing, food and more to the musicians and crew involved in the series as well as music industry workers and artists who have suffered a loss of income due to the recent outbreak and resulting restrictions placed on live events and gatherings.

    For more information visit the Live From Out There’s Website.

  • The Jazz Foundation of America Partners With Relix for Online Benefit Concert

    The Jazz Foundation of America has partnered with music publication Relix to produce an online concert on May 14 at 8 PM ET, dubbed #TheNewGig. Hosted by actor/producer Keegan-Michael Key, the lineup will include; Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Jon Batiste, Ivan Neville, Angelique Kidjo, Robert Cray, Stanley Jordan and more. Performances are expected to be new and will be pre-produced prior to air time. Drummer Steve Jordan will serve as the concert’s musical director.

    Relix publisher Peter Shapiro said in the press release: “We are honored to be collaborating with the Jazz Foundation of America to host #TheNewGig on Relix’s YouTube platform. Jazz and blues lie at the foundation of everything, really, and it is at the core of the music that we feature everyday on our websites, in our magazine, and on our social platforms. As part of giving back, it’s a privilege to host this very special event.

    In addition, the stream will feature performances by Herbie Hancock, Patti Smith, Brittany Howard and more who performed at the organization’s annual fundraiser ‘A Great Night in Harlem’. Many celebrities including Danny Glover, Bruce Willis and Mark Ruffin are set to make appearances during the music fundraiser. 

    Monies raised from the online concert will benefit the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund. Established in March of this year, the emergency fund is geared towards helping musicians and their families affected by the pandemic by offering funding to cover basic living expenses. 

    “An entire community of artists who survive month-to-month have gone from standstill to freefall, financially speaking, but their music has continued to give us solace and comfort in quarantine,” said Joe Petrucelli, Executive Director of the JFA in the press release. “Support for #TheNewGig and the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund offers them direct assistance and creates a sense of solidarity and hope in a time of despair and uncertainty.”

    To tune into the #TheNewGig, head to the Relix YouTube Channel on May 14 at 8 PM ET, with a 10 PM ET rebroadcast. For more information, visit Jazzfoundation.org.

    the jazz foundation of america

  • Beanstalk Festival Will Go on at the Drive-In

    The 8th Annual 2020 Beanstalk Music Festival will be moving forward in spite of COVID-19 with a little thinking outside of the box. The festival will go on for a two nights at Holiday Twin Drive-In Theater in Fort Collins, CO. 

    The festival will take place during the weekend of June 26th and 27th. The festival will feature two nights of music from Beanstalk festival founders and annual hosts Magic Beans. There will also be performances from Kitchen Dwellers and Cycles, as well as Colorado artists The Great Salmon Famine and Envy Alo. 

    The Beanstalk Festival will be observing all state & county social distancing protocols while providing the music and a brand new way of experiencing a festival. There will be a limited capacity in order to work with the drive-in theater’s layout.  Beanstalk Festival producers have also decided that attendees will be parked with an empty spot between each vehicle to help ensure social distancing is properly being followed. This decision by the producers will cut down on capacity, and profits for the event but have decided it is the safest and best way to keep everyone safe. Attendees will be permitted to set up a “hang out area” directly adjacent to their vehicle that is safely distanced from other guests. In adherence with typical drive-in admission policies, there will be no entry after 8:30pm.

    Existing ticket holders will be granted admission for themselves, a guest and their vehicle. Tickets for Beanstalk At the Drive-In are now on sale at www.beanstalkfestival.com and on Eventbrite.

    For more information on the Beanstalk Festival visit their website or on their social media pages.

  • Broadway shows will not return until Labor Day at the earliest

    When New York hit PAUSE, that included all live performances on Broadway. Initially planned to shut down until April 12, then until June 7, the goalposts have shifted to Labor Day, September 6 as the earliest Broadway doors will reopen. However, an official return date has not yet been announced.

    “While all Broadway shows would love to resume performances as soon as possible, we need to ensure the health and well-being of everyone who comes to the theatre—behind the curtain and in front of it—before shows can return,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. “Throughout this challenging time, we have been in close communication with Governor Cuomo’s office and are grateful for his support and leadership as we work together to bring back this vital part of New York City’s economy—and spirit.”

    Last year, Broadway attracted a record 15 million people. Producers and labor unions are discussing ways theaters can reopen safely.

    Actors’ Equity Association, which represents 51,000 actors and stage managers, called the postponment “difficult but necessary.”

    “Before our members can safely return to work, we will need new protocols that protect audiences and workers alike,” said Mary McColl, executive director of the association.

    broadway labor day

    Hours after the latest postponement came word that producers of the upcoming revival of Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite” have pushed the production to next year. Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will now star in the revival starting in March 2021.

    Other shows scheduled to open this spring have abandoned their plans, including “Hangmen” and a revival of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

    Additionally, the postponed Tony Awards, initially planned for June 7, have not yet been rescheduled.