NYS Music 202​0

Category: News Desk

  • Lift Every Vote Campaign Asks Musicians to Join Together in Encouraging Voter Turnout

    Lift Every Vote Campaign encourages musicians to join together for one last push in voter turn out before election day on November 3, 2020. Musicians that have already joined include Lizzo, Tank and the Bangas, Robert Glasper, and many more.

    The Lift Every Vote’s mission is to expand the electorate and work to ensure that every U.S. citizen has both the right and ability to vote.  They try to accomplish this in three  different ways.  Firstly, they support local, 501(c)3 voting organizations with labor, consulting, and donations.  Secondly, they use non-partisan framing teaching voters, legislators, and activists how voting is currently regulated and administered in the U.S.  Thirdly, they find high-quality, accurate, peer-reviewed voting studies and research. Overall they hope to propose solutions-based, non-partisan activities to move our country towards our goal of universal suffrage.

    Lift Every Vote’s 2020 campaign was inspired by the summer-long grassroots efforts led by The Blacksmiths and the Wide Awakes, which organized peaceful rallies infused with music and art around New York City fighting for social justice after the murder of George Floyd. Jazz musician and double bassist Russell Hall led a ‘second line’ marching band at marches, rallies, and peaceful protests with the direct intention to bring joy and music to the movement.

    As the campaign reaches an end with the election rapidly approaching the Lift Every Vote Campaign is making a final call to all creators and performers—musicians, dancers, poets, visual artists, and others—to harness their talents, organize, and present pop-up performances that inspire the country’s greatest ever voter turnout. 

    In the course of just over 3 weeks, the campaign has seen over 3 million impressions on Instagram and over 1,000 submissions, with the momentum continuing to ramp up exponentially as the election countdown reaches its conclusion. The Lift Every Vote Campaign encourages people to participants by streaming and sharing their performances and events on social media using the hashtag #lifteveryvote and to nominate peers to take part in the challenge. 

    For more information on the Campaign visit Lift Every Vote’ website.

  • Skyloft in Crossgates Mall Falls Victim to Music Industry Shutdown

    Skyloft, which opened in early 2019 in at Crossgates Mall near Albany, has closed permanently. Announcements were made via the establishment’s social media.

    Skyloft

    With rising “concerns and restrictions brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic” it left the operators no choice but to close according to the post.

    The statement from operators on Facebook said:

    “Although endings are bittersweet, we are forever grateful for the support we have enjoyed since opening our doors. Our mission was to reignite musical tastes across the vast genre spectrum, and provide a full scale home for the area’s live music community. We were welcomed with open arms, and for that we thank each and every one of you. Without our patrons, our artists, and our staff, we would not have been able to accomplish our goals, and we wish to acknowledge our deepest appreciation for all three.

    What comes next, we do not know. Rest assured the beat will play on and in some capacity or another and we will meet again on a dance floor somewhere soon. Until then, be excellent to each other, to yourselves, be safe, and party on.”

    Since March the pandemic has forced the closures of venues nationwide in attempts to control the spread of the virus. The sudden end to business threatened a number of the region’s entertainment businesses, which were forced to furlough or lay off an unknown number of employees.  

    Skyloft opened in April 2019, offering a menu that featured barbecue food and a space for concerts with a capacity of 600-800 people.It was the second venue of its type to open at Crossgates Mall. Lucky Strike Social, the large bowling alley, concert venue and bar and grill that opened in 2016, closed just months after Skyloft opened.

    skyloft

  • Small Music Venues Get Relief from Nonprofit Live Music Society

    After months of being shut down and struggling to make ends meet, small business music venues will, finally, get the help they’ve been asking for. Live Music Society, a new nonprofit organization, announced their launch of relief efforts for the industry.

    Live Music Society
    Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY.

    The Society’s first phase is getting monetary grants to 20 small venues around the country. For the first two years of their operation, they promise to give $2 million in grant money to the live music industry.

    The Society’s relief program has a broader approach to ensure small venues will get their aid. The Live Music Society Grants will supply philanthropic aid to music venues that have been in operation for three years or more with a sellable capacity of 250 occupants or less, with maximum one-year individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

    Across 14 states, the Society’s first grant recipients are known for their community engagement. Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs is a quaint venue, with a mere 110 seats. This compact concert hall hosted an array of artists throughout the years, most notably, Bob Dylan. Other venues in New York State receiving grants are The Bowery Electric in Manhattan and Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock.

    Music is magic. It has tremendous power to connect people and create energy. There are small venues around the country that create soul-filling experiences for their audiences, staff, and for the local and touring musicians that play there. These clubs are a precious and important part of our nation’s music ecosystem, and our goal is to help them continue to be excellent at what they do.

    Founder and Board Chairman of Live Music Society Pete Muller

    Muller is a singer-songwriter and a champion of music education. He helped in the saving of New York’s Power House Studios along with Berkley College of Music in Boston and the NYC Mayor’s Office of media and entertainment.

    As the pandemic soared around the world, live music was put to an abrupt halt, leaving thousands of industry workers jobless.

    The National Independent Venue Association pushed hard for economic relief. They were able to get Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act, which allowed the Small Business Association to give grants and loans to venues, but it only extends to December of this year and there are limitations.

    During such trying times, the society’s hope is to keep struggling venues from closing their doors.

    Our original goal was to support a small network of like-minded clubs around the country that could share best practices and learn from each other. But then the pandemic hit, and now we are simply trying to help these clubs stay afloat until they can open their doors again.

    Executive Director Joyce Lim

    Live Music Society will open the next round of applications for the 2021 cycle starting in early January. The criteria for application include:

    • Venues with sellable capacity of 250 seats or less
    • Venues that have been in operation for 3 years or more
    • Venues that are committed to live music as its primary activity

    Here are the recipients for the first phase:

    LIVE MUSIC SOCIETY GRANT RECIPIENTS

    (OCTOBER 2020)

    The Hotel Café (Los Angeles, Calif.)

    Dazzle Denver (Denver, Colo.)

    Hi-Dive (Denver, Colo.)

    SPACE (Evanston, Ill.)

    The Jazz Showcase (Chicago, Ill.)

    Club Passim (Cambridge, Mass.)

    Jonathan’s Ogunquit (Ogunquit, Maine)

    Seven Steps Up (Spring Lake, Mich.)

    The Word Barn (Exeter, N.H.)

    The Bowery Electric (New York, N.Y.)

    Caffé Lena (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.)

    Levon Helm Studios, Inc. (Woodstock, N.Y.)

    BOP STOP @ The Music Settlement (Cleveland, Ohio)

    Mercury Lounge (Tulsa, Okla.)

    The Kennett Flash (Kennett Square, Pa.)

    Club Café (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    McGonigel’s Mucky Duck (Houston, Texas)

    Jammin Java (Vienna, Va.)

    Barboza (Seattle, Wash.)

    The Royal Room (Seattle, Wash.)

  • Watch the trailer for the Frank Zappa documentary “Zappa”

    The first ever documentary on the legendary Frank Zappa will be released in North America on all video-on-demand platforms on Friday, November 27. The crowd-funded project is a deep dive into Zappa’s life and music. Watch the highly anticipated trailer, below.

    The film synopsis, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, notes that there has not yet been a film about the life and times of maverick musician Frank Zappa. Director Alex Winter (Bill from the Bill and Ted trilogy) and his team have crafted the film. The documentary includes over 1,000 hours of mostly unseen material from Frank Zappa’s personal vault. Zappa is an expansive and intimate portrait of the extraordinary artist. Fully engaged with the turbulent politics of his day, Zappa is poignant to the current political climate.

    Early reviews are quite positive, with Peter Keough of The Boston Globe saying “Zappa will immerse you in the mind of a genius, and you may never be the same again,” and David Fricke calling Zappa “Vital, compelling, and rip-roaring entertainment!”

    zappa documentary

    Winter is a talented filmmaker, which includes: Downloaded, Deep Web, The Panama Papers and Showbiz Kids. This definitive documentary is the first to have approval and cooperation of the Zappa estate. Fans will get an exclusive look. The life of an innovative artist and musician is viewed through unfettered access into the Zappa family trust.

    An impressive score combines Frank’s well known songs and his later classical compositions. Zappa’s life is comprehensively chronicled. The film also looks at areas where Zappa left a lasting mark, including his political involvement as an advocate against music censorship that led him to Congress.

    Watch Frank Zappa in Congress

    Zappa includes appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa, and a number of musicians who collaborated with Frank throughout his career. Among them are Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and many more. The film premiered this year at the Camden and Montclair Film Festivals.

  • Pop Smoke honored at BET Hip Hop Awards

    Fallen Brooklyn drill rapper-turned-superstar Pop Smoke had a career that was as short as it was promising. The slain rapper’s posthumous debut album — Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon— not only debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 (being certified platinum only one month after its release), but also accomplished the rare feat of having all 19 of its tracks simultaneously chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Spawning four RIAA certified platinum singles in “Mood Swings,” “For The Night,” “The Woo” and “Dior.” 

    Pop Smoke

    The Canarsie, Brooklyn bred artist — whose death at only 20-years-old on February, 19 resulting from a botched robbery— was justly honored at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards. Migos stalwart, Quavo, led the tributes with a two-song performance of collaborations he shared with the late rapper. Beginning with “Shake the Room” off of Pop Smoke’s first project of 2020, Meet the Woo 2 and following up with “Aim for the Moon,” from his latest LP. 

    With adjustments made for COVID-19, the Atlanta emcee performed his portion of the records in a music video style setting, being placed in a white, futuristic, space-themed room, while images of the perished neophyte and his lyrics appeared in the background. 

    Despite no longer being among us, Pop Smoke’s presence in popular culture is unwavering, with the “Welcome to the Party” rapper also being awarded best new Hip Hop artist in his lone nomination of the night. 

    The success of his latest project has also proven to be a legacy booster as Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, recently reclaimed the top spot on the Billboard 200, three-months after its original release. And with a new music video for “Aim for the Moon” recently shared, it’s clear that new content for Pop Smoke is still in the works. 

  • The Eddies Music Awards go Virtual on December 6

    On December 6 at 7 p.m., KeyBank is presenting the second annual Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards. The show was originally scheduled for April 14 at Proctors in Schenectady, but was cancelled due to COVID-19. The new event will be broadcast live from Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs through Collaborative Studios’ Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV apps.

    NYS Music is honored to be nominated for Art Publication of The Year, along with the numerous other creatives from the local music community, including two photographers who started out with NYS Music, Dave DeCrescente and Frankie Cavone.

    Eddies Music Awards

    The broadcast will be shot on a closed set with about 45 cast and crew members, but will also feature four performances. Additionally, four panels that will discuss the year in local music and how music making has shifted during the pandemic. The winners in 34 categories will be announced in between panel segments.

    The Capital Region Thomas Edison Hall of Fame Awards– an offshoot of The Eddies Music Awards – was held just days before civic authorities severely restricted public gatherings in March. The Accents, Blotto, The Fidelities, Hal Ketchum, Lena Spencer and John Sykes were inducted during a sold-out ceremony.

    Eddies Music Awards

    Nominations were announced in February in 34 categories. Roughly 100 representatives of the local music industry participated in judging. “We had a pretty intensive process last winter where we discussed artists, 2019 music and music video releases, as well as venues and other organizations involved in music creation and performance,” Jim Murphy, Eddies co-founder said. “Hundreds of individuals , groups, venues and companies were considered, as many as 35 or more in some categories.”

    “We’ll take considerable safety precautions,” said Sal Prizio, Eddies co-founder. “This will be a bit of a three-ring circus. Five cameras. Twenty-four panelists rotating in groups of six. And four musical performances on the stage. We’re packing a lot into a 100-minute, commercial free broadcast.”

    “We’re doing everything possible to make this broadcast a special evening,” Murphy said. “We encourage everyone to view this live, to celebrate in their living rooms, studios or wherever they prefer to gather safely. May we all get together in 2021!”

    Musical acts and other participants in the 2020 Eddies Music Awards Show will be announced closer to the broadcast.

  • NYIVA Releases Data on the Dire State of Independent Live Venues in New York

    NYIVA, also known as the New York Independent Venue Association, released data on the dire state of independent live venues throughout New York due to COVID-19. The information was released on October 25, 2020 and includes how many respondents, the amount of months before business will be forced to close permanently, the monthly relief needed, and the amount of debt accrued by them already. 

    The information is based on responses from NYIVA’s members comprising a majority of the music and comedy venues within the state. Currently, independent venues across New York State have accrued and estimated $105 million in debt at a rate of $15 million per month. Of the 68 respondents (representing approximately 1/3 of the industry), more than half have stated they will close for good within the next 90 days, even with the state’s eviction moratorium in place due to the pandemic. 

    Three of the 68 respondents say they will be forced to close in less than a month. One says they will be forced to close in a month. 18 say they will be forced to close within two months. 15 will be forced to close within three months. Six will be forced to close within four months. The respondents would need $5,155,015 monthly to stay afloat. They are currently in $20,073,835 of debt due to the pandemic. 

    NYIVA’s co-chair Jen Lyon explains the difficulties businesses will having trying to come back with the amount of debt they have accrued saying, “Paying this back, even without interest, will eat into most if not all of our members’ businesses profits for the next five years — and that’s if they aren’t forced by the weight of their debt to fold before that. New York stands on the precipice of losing the critical cultural and economic institutions that make up our vibrant live performance communities as well as significant tourism revenue for the state. This is not sustainable. We need help now.”

     New York state has received $5 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) from March 30 till now. Currently New York independent venues are looking for a mere 1.5% ($75 million) of the state CRF allocation to save New York’s music and comedy clubs in order to stay afloat until a national aid package is passed. Independent venues haven’t received nearly as much aid as they need to stay afloat. Hopefully the CARES act with the addition of Save Our Stages will be passed soon and help protect independent venues from shutting down.

    For more information on the survey details visit NYIVA’s website.

  • The Syracuse Area Music Awards Announces Dates and Criteria for 2021

    The Syracuse Area Music Awards announces dates and criteria for their 2021 award show. The Syracuse Area Music Awards  or more commonly known as the Sammys will be taking place on March 5th and will stream free on their website here. The awards show ceremony will stream live from SubCat Studios and will include musical performances by area artists and bands.

    The Sammys was first held back at the Landmark Theater in 1993. The Sammys award show has become the number one local music award event in the Central New York Area over the years. SubCat Studios was founded back in 2001 as a DIY project studio in Skaneateles, NY. It now resides in Armory Square in Syracuse, NY and is owned by Ron Keck who has been working with digital recording since 1989. Today the studio is known for it’s high-quality studio recording, remote recording, audio mixing and mastering.

    There will be a number of awards that will  be presented this year. There will be 12 recording categories, there will be 4 People’s Choice awards categories, the Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist, the Jack O. Bocchino Spirit of the Sammys Award, and the Community Spirit Award. 

    Submission rules will be a little different this year starting with all artist recorded submissions be accepted online only. Recorded submissions will begin December 1, 2020. Furthermore each artist must select one category they wish to be judged in and their recorded work can only consist of commercially released albums or EPs, released between January 1 – December 31, 2020 by artists in the Syracuse area are eligible. All entries must be available on Apple Music, Spotify or Tidal. No physical recordings will be accepted. Categories subject to change at the discretion of the judges. Entry form will be available here and must be submitted by January 6, 2021.

    There are a lot of supporting sponsors of the awards show for 2021. The sponsored include: The Rebel Rocks, Bridge Street, SubCat Music Studios, CNY Alive!, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, KMASE Productions, Joshua Johnson Design, Skinner & Associates Realty, American Vintage Productions, NYS Music, News Channel 9, 95X, 93Q, and 92.1 The WOLF,  and 315 Music.

    For more information visit the Syracuse Area Music Awards website.

  • Arlo Guthrie has Gone Fishing: New Beginnings for the Folk Singer in Touring Void

    By now the word has gotten out. Arlo Guthrie, renowned folk singer and music industry icon has hung up a “Gone Fishing” sign. A lengthy and heartfelt Facebook post marks a change so abrupt on the hearts and ears of fans across the nation. But don’t make wake, we’re off to the Inlet to cast a line.

    It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible. I’ve cancelled the upcoming shows, and am not accepting offers for new ones. That’s the short version. For the longer version continue reading…

    Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Gone Fishing’ Facebook Farewell
    Arlo Guthrie

    See The Original Facebook Farewell Here

    Guthrie’s message was missed by other major sources. While this marks the end of touring and live performances, it is also dawns a new beginning. His life will continue to influence the industry, while he basks in his accomplishments.

    The road weighs on the toughest acts, constantly touring and performing. Especially for Guthrie, as he battled mini strokes and checked out to make a gig the next day.

    “Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2019 (of all freaking days) it happened again. This time I was on my way to The Church / The Guthrie Center to help out with our annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we hold every year. I had pulled over to fuel up and realized I couldn’t continue to drive safely, as everything was spinning around, sort of like the old days, but without the help of illegal substance… [the next day he] had an important gig at Carnegie Hall in New York – The end of an annual series I’d been doing for decades and it was Sold Out. I had to be there. It was imperative.”

    Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Gone Fishing’

    The Cooney Island-born singer had big shoes to fill in the likes of his father, and he did. Now it is time to kick them off using the six-plus months a year he would be on the road to enjoy the sand and sun. Likewise, Guthrie is a hallmark, being an original Woodstock performer and tipping his hat at recreations in 2015 and the 50th anniversary.

    Guthrie recounts memories of his original Woodstock performance at 22.

    Read More Arlo Guthrie on NYS Music

    Just months ago, Arlo Guthrie released a heartfelt rendition of Stephen Collins Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More” with pianist Jim Wilson.

    A heartfelt voice among a world pandemic, released July 31, 2020.

    Hats off and best wishes to Guthrie as music, culture and storytelling are in his blood. Despite no longer touring, this will not be the last of Guthrie’s legacy. For now, Arlo Guthrie has just gone fishing.

  • Analog Players Society Set to Release “Chase” Music Video on October 30

    The Analog Players Society (APS) will release their single “Chase” and the accompanying music video on October 30. “Chase” is an instrumental cinematic record sampled from the original recording session that created TILTED, the precursor to Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film.

    Analog Players Society

    “Chase” will be the first single from the complete Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film, a sample-heavy production of Hip-Hop’s Golden Age, which will release on November 13 and will be available on Bandcamp on November 6. APS describes Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film as an “intense, beat-driven, dystopian soundtrack for those moments when you need to escape deep into your earbuds.”

    The Analog Players Society is a collective effort founded by producer and engineer, Amon Drum, that features a rotating ensemble of the top musicians in New York City. The various projects created by the APS include jazz, dub, funk, afrobeat, and Soul variety within them. APS has already posted a top 15 position on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart with their 2012 debut album Hurricane Season In Brooklyn. The “Chase” music video showcases the concept revolving around New York City and the resilience and drive of its people, even when running from the many things one can fear. Jude Goergen edited the video with Mona Kayhan and Amon Drum producing the video.

    That’s NYC. We can keep running forever. It might be ridiculous, scary, and we might get tired, but don’t even try to outrun us.

    Amon Drum, Producer and Engineer of Analog Players Society

    Producers Amon Drum and Ben Rubin (aka Benny Cha Cha) collaborated with jazz luminaries including tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin (David Bowie’s last bandleader on Blackstar), pianist Orrin Evans (the Bad Plus), bassist Dezron Douglas (Ravi Coltrane), and drummer Eric McPherson (Fred Hersch Trio) to recreate the songs reflected by the producers to make Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film. Since its August release, TILTED was included in Bandcamp’s “best jazz releases” and received strong support from Jazziz, Medium, Postgenre.org, NY Music Daily, and The Vinyl District.