NYS Music 202​0

Category: News Desk

  • Wave Farm to Host Ragas Live Festival on November 21-22

    Ragas Live Festival will broadcast on November 21-22, hosted by the Brooklyn nonprofit organization Wave Farm. The virtual festival will run for 24 hours straight – from 7 p.m. on Saturday until 7 p.m. Sunday. The 24-hour broadcast will feature over 60 musicians’ global performances.

    Ragas Live Festival

    The Indian classical music tradition known as “raga” was the inspiration for the festival. A “raga” is a musical mode with its own emotions, associated with a specific time of day. The music from the raga harmonizes with changes in light and the emotions associated with a sunset, high noon, or midnight. The musical tradition helped to cultivate the concept for the festival to beam out 24 hours of “raga” to reflect the innovations within the music industry. Ragas Live Festival is in its consecutive ninth year since its start back in 2012. With the music industry having to readjust around COVID-19, Ragas Live Festival was able to transition into a first-ever broadcast for this year’s celebration.

    The Ragas Live Festival will feature performances from all around the world and fellow New York artists including; Andy Statman (Manhattan), Krishna Mohan Bhatt (Brooklyn), Arun Ramamurthy (Manhattan), Roopa Mahadevan (Brooklyn), Ask Hafiz (Manhattan), Samarth Nagarkar (Brooklyn), and more.

    International performers include Terry Riley (Himitsu, Japan), Betsayda Machado y Parranda El Clavo (El Clavo, Venezuela), Derek Gripper (Capetown, South Africa), and more. Pioneer Works, Brooklyn Raga Massive, NYC Radio Live, and the Rubin Museum of Art are all partners in presenting the event.

    Wave Farm will continue to provide support to artists with their Wave Farm Artist Residency Program coming up in February. Artists have the chance to gain valuable radio experience by applying with a specific radio art project. The deadline for the Residency applications is February 1.

    Click here to register for The Ragas Live Festival event.

  • Ticketmaster Proposes Option For Venues to Check Attendees’ COVID-19 Status

    Ticketmaster has proposed a plan that would give venues and event organizers the ability to ask fans for COVID-19 vaccine status or test results before attending live events in 2021 on November 11, 2020. The Ticketmaster COVID-19 testing verification process would include three separate components making it a finicky hypothetical process. 

    Like all other safety/entry protocols, this potential screening process would be up to the discretion of the event organizer to determine if they would like to ask attendees to provide a test result or vaccine status. It will not be Ticketmaster’s requirement but the event organizer or venue’s requirement. This screening process for COVID-19 safety measures will be up to each event organizer. They will decide the future requirements, based on their preferences and local health guidelines. The proposed three part verification process would use the Ticketmaster digital ticket app, a third party health information companies like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM’s Digital Health Pass, and testing and vaccine distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.

    The first part of this verification process all starts with a fast acting accurate testing and eventually vaccination against the virus. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced results on a new COVID-19 vaccine showed a 90% efficacy rate on an initial clinical trial on November 9, 2020. The hope is with these accurate and timely tests the live entertainment industry could mount a return in 2021. Once a vaccination becomes available, and after purchasing a ticket for an event, the attendee would need to verify that, “they have already been vaccinated (which would provide approximately one year of COVID-19 protection) or test negative for coronavirus approximately 24 to 72 hours prior to the show. The length of coverage a test would provide would be governed by regional health authorities — if attendees of a Friday night concert had to be tested 48 hours in advance, most could start the testing process the day before the event. If it was a 24-hour window,  most people would likely be tested the same day of the event at a lab or a health clinic,” according to Billboard’s article on the hypothetical testing process. 

    The next step in this verification process would be the attendee delivering their test to a secure and approved lab like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM’s Digital Health Pass. Once they were found to have no traces of the virus or have an up to date vaccination the lab would have to get those test results to Ticketmaster and that’s where things get a little tricky. Generally people’s medical finals are confidential and aren’t sent out to a giant mega corporation, so that’s when the last part of this verification process would come in. 

    A third party would be needed to act as the in between with the attendees and Ticketmaster to ensure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are being properly followed. Companies like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic already exist for this exact purpose. These companies main role is to collect data from testing of all kinds and information from medical providers and deliver status updates to partner companies like Ticketmaster in this instance. Having these companies act as the in between creates a secure and encrypted way to deliver medical information in a way that complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

    The idea of a safe way to attend live events is very enticing but this proposed way of doing it leaves a lot of questions.

    • How and when will attendees be made aware if the show they are interested in is requiring testing?
    • Who will be in charge of paying for the testing?
    • What happens if there is a breach in the system, people’s medical information gets leaked?
    • What if someone’s religious practices prevent them from being vaccinated or tested?
    • What if the lab makes a mistake or doesn’t get the results back in time. Will the ticket be refunded?
    • How will this work with minors wanting to attend events?
    For more information on the the Ticketmaster COVID-19 testing verification process read the full Billboard article here.

    Updated with current Ticketmaster information on the potential COVID-19 testing verification process on November 16, 2020.

  • Pete Rock Releases ‘Rejoice’ from Forthcoming PeteStrumentals 3 Album

    Pioneering hip hop producer, Pete Rock, is set to release the third installment of his PeteStrumentals series of beat albums. The Bronx native released the inaugural project in 2001, beginning a trend of beat albums for producers looking to share their un-versed work. 

    The second edition was released in 2015, with the latest version set to feature his live ensemble, The Soul Brothers. 

    With the album set to arrive on December 11 through his Tru Souls imprint, the legendary producer released the album’s first single and video “Say it Again” last week. Now he has decided to share the project’s second single, “Rejoice.” Amidst a strong Jazz and Funk influence, the record features looping guitar and drum set, with a strong 70’s feel. Running just over two-minutes, it resembles something of an Isaac Hayes composition, standing as the perfect cross between laid-back and up-tempo, action packed music. 

    In an interview with OkayPlayer, the fabled producer went into more depth on the song’s creation. “I created ‘Rejoice’ in my basement as just a simple idea of a beat I made in my head. I listened to some jazz that day and heard something interesting and remembered it and just gave the band a direction reference; and they took it from there.” 

    Pete Rock

    Known for some of the most iconic production in rap history, the Grammy-winner has taken a different approach to this upcoming album, this time assembling a full-on band. The outfit includes, two-time Grammy-winning drummer Daru Jones, later on recruiting guitarist Marcus Machado, bassists Mono Neon and Christopher McBride, keyboardist BigYuki (A Tribe Called Quest), and vocalist Jermaine Holmes (D’Angelo). “I want the best; I’m like James Brown and Kool & The Gang; I want precision,” Pete Rock alerts. 

  • Rochmon Record Club to Host “Pet Sounds” Listening Party

    On Tuesday, November 17, the Rochmon Record Club will return to Saratoga’s Caffe Lena for a virtual listening party of The Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. EST on Zoom.

    Hosted by Chuck Vosganian, Rochmon Record Club began meeting at Caffe Lena in 2017. Previous listening parties have included Janis Joplin’s Pearl, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run. Comprised of stories, photos, biographical and technical information on the albums, they’re some of the venue’s most popular events. “The show I love to do was developed at Caffe Lena. The family atmosphere and sense of history in that wonderful room feels like going home,” says Vosganian.

    Pet Sounds

    The Beach Boys’ 11th album, Pet Sounds was a departure from their early California sound. Frontman, Brian Wilson, produced the entire album by himself, and even refers to it as his true solo debut. While Pet Sounds was immediately acclaimed in the UK, it took longer for US music critics to warm up. In retrospect, critics and fans have come to appreciate it as the group’s best work. Rolling Stone christened it second-best album of all time on their 2003 list of 500 greatest albums, and it retained the number two spot in both 2012 and 2020 updates.

    The most recognizable song on Pet Sounds is its opening track, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Its socially conservative lyrics about a high school romance were a stark contrast to the more suggestive themes of rock and roll. While not on Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys released their signature song “Good Vibrations” as a standalone single the same year.

    Registration is required to attend the listening party, and while free, Caffe Lena will have a virtual tip jar. Throughout the pandemic, Caffe Lena has continued to stream concerts, listening parties, music classes, and community conversations.

  • CNY Music Now is the Latest Music Series to Showcase Regional Artists

    American Vintage Productions has announced a new partnership with X101 Always Classic and the Cortland Main Street Music Series to a new music series at Rose Hall in Cortland. Together, the partnership will host an hour-long radio show called CNY Music Now each week that features local and regional musicians. American Vintage Live will broadcast the videos and upload the webcasts of CNY Music Now through their Facebook page live each week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.

    CNY Music Now
    Austin MacRae will perform twice on the CNY Music Now show

    CNY Music Now will also be available to listen to live on the X101 Always Classic 101.5FM WXHC. Charles Walton will host the show with artist/musician Molly Reagan Andrejko for 10 consecutive weeks following the debut show on November 8. Each week, the show will feature two musical guests every Sunday evening and combine live performances, interviews, and album cuts to provide fans with an inside look at the artist and their music.

    Here is a look at the November lineup of CNY Music Now shows:

    Mike and X101 have long been advocates for the local and regional music scene and we’re excited to partner with them. Without a way to present the Cortland Main Street Music Series this year, it was a natural progression for all our organizations to collectively work together to present this new series. We believe that this is one more step in all our efforts to expand the audience for regional musicians.

    AVP Founder Chris Merkley

    CNY Music Now follows the premiere of AVP’s first season of their weekly series called American Vintage Line. American Vintage Line provided livestreams of local and regional to substitute for the shut-down of live music events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. AVP’s mission is to present live music and livestream events to the greater CNY region that bring people together through music. The series is presented by CFCU Community Credit Union with support from Dan and Rose McNeil Foundation.

  • Opera Saratoga to Collab with Caffe Lena for AMERICA SINGS

    Opera Saratoga has announced the first performance events as the start to the company’s 60th Anniversary Season. On Thursday, November 19, in partner with Caffe Lena, Opera Saratoga will launch AMERICA SINGS, a monthly concert series featuring diverse, internationally acclaimed artists.

    AMERICA SINGS

    The series looks to amplify the voices of artists from racial groups historically underrepresented on the concert stage and features a wide array of classical, jazz, and popular music. “Our focus on BIPOC artists in this series is one of our first steps in a multi-pronged plan to address diversity and equity not only in our programming at Opera Saratoga, but in the organization as a whole,” explained Lawrence Edelson, Opera Saratoga’s Artist and General Director.

    All AMERICA SINGS concerts in this series will be live streamed to the public for free, but viewers are encouraged to contributee through a virtual tip jar. All tips received will be split equally between Opera Saratoga and the artists, providing much-needed support to the artists impacted by the shutdown.

    Mezzo soprano Deborah Nansteel, who was featured in Opera Saratoga’s 2018 production of The Consul, will open the series on Thursday, November 19th at 7pm with pianist Giovanni Reggioli. This first concert will feature music by George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Rogers, Erroll Garner, Richard Wagner, and William Bolcom, along with a selection of traditional spirituals. 

    AMERICA SINGS
    Deborah Nansteel

    The December concert will take place on Wednesday, December 30th at 7pm, and will feature soprano Brandie Sutton with pianist and composer Damien Sneed, both debuting with the company at the turn of the new year. The series will continue through the 2021, with additional concerts to be announced early next year

    The events will be live streamed from Caffe Lena’s Youtube Channel as well as the Facebook pages of both Opera Saratoga and Caffe Lena.

    “The onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the racial awakening that has been taking place across the country, and the polarizing political climate leading up to the election has energized artists. While many singers have not been able to perform for live audiences due to the pandemic, they are engaged and craving the opportunity to share the transformative power of song and the intersection between music and what is happening in our country with audiences. I have not programmed this series, other than to invite an incredible group of artists to join us in Saratoga Springs. Rather, I have asked each artist to curate their own concert – to share music with us that speaks to how they are feeling about America today. I cannot wait to hear what each artist brings to us as they share their personal experience and perspective through the power of their incredible voices.”

  • Upstate Home of Aaron Copland to Host NPR Tiny Desk Concert

    National Public Radio has announced a very special program featuring instrumental works by Oscar-winning composer Aaron Copland. Streaming from inside Aaron Copland’s home studio in Upstate New York on November 13 at 5 a.m, like all Tiny Desk Concerts, the performance will be available to stream on the NPR Tiny Desk page indefinitely.

    In fact, the concert takes place a day before what would have been Aaron Copland’s 120th birthday.

    Aaron Copland
    Top: Composer Aaron Copland
    Bottom Left to Right: Carol Wincenc (flutist), Curtis Macomber (violinist), Michael Boriskin (Copland House Artistic and Executive Director)

    Artists from the internationally-acclaimed Music from Copland House (MCH) ensemble will perform a variety of selections from Copland’s library. Duo for Flute and Piano, composed in that very room; Sonata for Violin and Piano and Three Moods for Piano are all part of the set list.

    Born in Brooklyn, his peers and critics referred to Copland as “the Dean of American Composers.” Making a home in New York’s lower Hudson Valley for 30 years, Copland passed in 1990. After the composer’s death, the estate was marked a National Historic Landmark. Revered as a first-of-its kind creative center for American music, the estate is the composer’s only U.S. home. Devoted to championing America’s rich musical heritage through a broad range of public, educational, and informational programs, its activities uniquely embrace the entire artistic process, from creation and development to study, presentation, and preservation. The Music from Copland House ensemble is the entity’s touring residence which journeys across 150 years of the American musical landscape in concerts, recordings, and other programs.

    Tiny Desk Concerts are a video series of live concerts hosted at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. Currently, the acclaimed series is hosted in the home of artists across the globe due to COVID-19. In October, NYC’s pop duo Gracie and Rachel joined the growing list of at home Tiny Desk Concerts.

  • Gov. Cuomo Imposes New Curfew and Capacity Regulations Statewide

    Governor Andrew Cuomo announced, Wednesday, new statewide curfew and capacity regulations. They will take effect on Nov. 13, to combat the recent surge in Covid-19 cases across New York State.

    Cuomo Regulations
    (Credit: Deadline) NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo conducts press briefing and makes a presentation at the 3rd Avenue office in New York on July 23, 2020. Governor announced that President Trump will not send federal agents into New York City. He again pleaded to young people to be responsible, keep social distances and wear masks. (Photo by Lev Radin/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

    On Friday, establishments licensed by the State Liquor Authority will have to close their doors at 10 p.m. This includes, restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and gyms. After curfew, restaurants can do curbside food-only pickup.

    According to Cuomo, house parties and small social gatherings are the third “great spreader” identified by the contact tracer. All at-home gatherings will be limited to ten people.

    In the last week, new reported cases have doubled in New York and New Jersey. The biggest goal for the new regulations is to ensure the state does not go through another shutdown if they don’t have to.

    “If these measures aren’t sufficient to slow the spread, we will turn the valve more and part of that would be reducing the number of people in indoor dining,” Cuomo said, “If that doesn’t work, if numbers keep going crazy, there are some scientists who believe we should close down. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

    Over the course of the pandemic, many regulations have been set in place by the governor and reinforced by the SLA. This is the first time in months that they’ve had to crack down once again. Unfortunately, this doesn’t just pertain to New York but also neighboring states.

    Cuomo Regulations
    NY state Covid map, updated November 2020

    “If you look at the places in our state where we’re having issues, they’re very often near the neighboring states,” Cuomo said. “If the national numbers are going up and the states around you are going up, be prepared.”

    With music venues around the country struggling to keep their doors open, this is yet another step backward for the industry. So that businesses can open and run normally, everyone is encouraged to follow the new rules and ensure everyone’s safety.

  • Virtual PhanArt Show features more than 50 Artists, Vendors and Small Businesses

    On Nov. 14, PhanArt launched the Virtual PhanArt show, an experience that will feature its largest gathering of artists yet from Phish and jam communities.

    PhanArt
    Lineup for The Virtual PhanArt Show.

    The show is set to run through mid-January so that fans could connect with artists, while browsing and shopping at small businesses, just in time for the holidays.

    The show starts at Noon ET on Saturday, starting off with a live-stream kickoff party via Launchglobal.tv that will go until 5 p.m. Sweeping Views and DJ Raphael25 will perform live, plus interviews with PhanArt Pete and the Launch Global Team. Where there’s “Phans,” there’s trivia. The show will hold a Phish trivia game that includes a VIP package of prizes and more.

    The Virtual PhanArt Show is sponsored by Helping Friendly Hemp Company, with a wide array of CBD products and salves available in their store. Thank you to media partners Relix Magazine, Cash or Trade, JEMP Radio, NYS Music, and Groovesafe for their support of this event.

    At a normal in-person PhanArt show, Phish enthusiasts could acquire one-on-one personal interactions with vendors and artists. Each vendor showcases their one of a kind items, while music plays through the venue. Virtually, that doesn’t change. Instead of entering the show room, fans will enter the ‘event space’ on the PhanArt website. Everyone will have the same perks as a regular show and even receive exclusive items through drops handled by artists and vendors directly.

    With over 30 artists, the virtual show possesses an array of activities that will be sure to host your inner Phish obsession.

    PhanArt Show 2019

    The Virtual PhanArt Show Lineup features Maria D. Designs, Wookles & Co., The Art of Ryan Kerrigan, Girl Tour, MYFE. Designs, The Goddess Revival, GratefuLegos, Tripp, BB Denim Co., Super Rad Cape Company, Hang Loose Creations, Shop Cadillac Rainbows, Party Time Design, The Overhead View, New Springfield Boogie, Lizzy Layne Art & Design, Fred Sutter, California Ave Artworks, Jamie Lee Meyer, Rude Judy Designs, Fat Karr Studios, Groovesafe, Jeremiah Merrill, Appalachian Alchemy, Wook Chic, La Placa Pottery, Mittyart, Josean Rivera, Babacool LLC, AZN Media, Phan Gear, Phrames, All in this Together, Trixy Starr and many more to come

  • Celebrated Cuban Percussionist Cándido Camero Dies at 99

    Cuban percussionist Cándido Camero passed away on Nov. 7, 2020. Camero was 99 years old and was a well known, and loved, pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz genre. He was an innovator in conga drumming. 

    Cándido Camero died peacefully at his home in New York on Saturday morning according to Camero’s grandson, Julian, told NPR member station WBGO of the sad news. Despite his age Cándido Camero played music up until the very end. 

    Cándido Camero
    Cándido Camero performs with Paquito D’Rivera at Flushing Town Hall (November 2019)

    He was born in San Antonio de los Baños, near Havana, in Cuba on April, 22 1921. His parents were Caridad Guerra and Cándido Camero. He moved to New York in 1946 and was “already a well-known musician in Havana as a percussionist and also for playing the Cuban tres, a folkloric guitar. He spent eight years playing at the famed Tropicana nightclub, backing the biggest Cuban stars of the day and counted the young Mongo Santamaría among his bandmates” according to NPR’s article. 

    Throughout the years Cándido Camero became a well known and extraordinary pioneer of the Latin Jazz genre and played with the best of the best throughout the years. Some of the big names he performed with include Charlie Parker, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Machito. He is known for being one of the first percussionists to play multiple congas at the same time, with each conga tuned to a different pitch, enabling him to play not only rhythm but melodies. 

    His biggest mainstream track came in 1979 with his disco recordings for Salsoul. He recorded several albums for the audiophile label Chesky Records. One of these records included Inolvidable, with Graciela, which earned him a nomination at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. He was still playing and performing live up until the end. Back in Sept. of 2019 he joined Flushing Town Hall to celebrate their season’s launch with a performance from Canadian Afro-Cuban artists Jane Bunnett & Maqueque. He then returned in November to perform with the Gathering of the Masters alongside fellow greats Paquito D’Rivera, Joanne Brackeen, Jimmy Owens, Jimmy Cobb, and Reggie Workman. 

    Cándido Camero will be greatly missed from the music community. We mourn his loss and send our condolences to his family and friends.