Jim Brickman, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and pianist, will perform his “Comfort & Joy at Home 2020” Virtual Tour on December 13, at 8:00 p.m. Although the pandemic has affected in-person performances, Jim Brickman is continuing his tradition of providing a front-row experience to a holiday celebration. The virtual performance will include the opportunity for fans to sing, clap and laugh along with Jim Brickman while supporting local theatres, like Proctors Theatre, at the same time. The virtual tour will start on November 29 and end on December 23, while supporting musical venues all over the country.
Ticket prices will start at $40 with some packages including an interactive Zoom Room, virtual meet and greets, and Christmas gifts delivered to your door. A portion of each ticket purchased for the “Comfort & Joy at Home 2020” Virtual Tour will benefit Proctors Theatre, which is located in Schenectady, NY who has partnered to provide the virtual experience. Proctors Theatre was one of many New York music venues that have faced financial hardships due to the cancellation of live performances because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jim Brickman has already amassed quite a bit of success throughout his career. He has two Grammy nominations to go along with earning 22 “Number #1 Albums” and 33 “Top Radio Singles” in the “Billboard Magazine.” He also has collaborated with musicians such as Michael Bolton, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Lady Antebellum, and more. In addition to music, Brickman has written three best-selling books and is in the 22nd season of hosting his syndicated radio show “The Jim Brickman Show.” His latest creative avenue in 2020 is the “Brickman Bedtime Story” podcast that can be heard on Pandora, Apple, Spotify, and iHeartRadio Podcasts. Fans can prepare for the holiday season by pre-ordering Brickman’s new album “Soothe Christmas” on his website.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scotia Freedom Park’s Quarantunes Series kicked off on Friday, June 20 with a performance from American Idol finalist Madison VanDenburg. The summer concert series, normally held in person, is now streaming online for free from the Freedom Park Quarantune Studio. Through the end of August, new concerts will go up on YouTube and Facebook at 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday and Saturday. Concerts will also be aired live on Spectrum channel 1302 and Fios channel 37.
The Quarantune Series is dedicated to the Class of 2020. The series’ headliner, Madison VanDenburg, is a recent Shaker High School graduate who progressed to the top 3 of American Idol’s season 17 last year. Some of her notable performances on the show include covers of Dan + Shay’s “Speechless,” Adele’s “All I Ask,” and Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. VanDenburg’s new song “Reason” was released to Spotify and Apple Music on June 19, a day before her Quarantune concert.
Other Quarantune Series performers include Celtic quartet Screaming Orphans, local rock duo Sirsy, bluegrass band Skeeter Creek, the Capital District Youth Pipe Band, and more. This season’s lineup is especially diverse, encompassing artists of all ages and genres.
This season’s sponsors include Berkshire Farm Center, GoToScotia.com, Scotia-Glenville Dental Center, Marshall & Sterling Insurance, and the park’s neighboring Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In. Each individual concert is also sponsored by a different local business, such as Stewart’s Shops and Scotia Cinema. While the concerts are completely free, Freedom Park is still accepting donations online via Venmo and Paypal.
Quarantune Series T-shirts are also available on their website in unisex sizes from S to XL, featuring the season’s lineup with the slogan “The Season That Almost Wasn’t.”
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!
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.
The 26th annual Schenectady Kids Arts Festival will take place on the weekend of June 6 and 7. The festival is usually held in downtown Schenectady, but due to COVID-19, this staple of the community will be broadcasted on cable television, the Internet and social media and will be viewable from your home this year.
Photo from Schenectady Kids Arts Festival’s website.
The festival will be made up of 28 segments. These segments were created by the participating individuals and organizations who are local artists and entertainers. These segments make up four episodes each lasting approximately one hour. Some of these segments were pre-recorded at Open Stage Media on the MainStage at Proctors in Schenectady. Mike Purcell of A-1 Entertainment of Clifton Park also included submissions of Capital District residents dancing to pre-recorded tracks in each episode.
The festival will feature: Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra, Puppet People (a professional touring puppet company based in Schenectady,) students of the Dance Me School of Dance and Character Development, the Oneida Middle School Jazz Band, and many more.
The festival can be viewed on Spectrum on channel 1302 in Albany and Schenectady. It will also be broadcasting on Verizon Fios on channel 37 in Albany. The first and second episode will be broadcast live at 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, June 6. The third and fourth episodes will be broadcast live at noon and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 7. The festival will also be broadcasted live on the Schenectady Kids Arts Festival’s Facebook page. After the live broadcast, the episodes will remain available on the Schenectady Kids Arts Festival’s Facebook page and will become available for streaming free at Open Stage Media’s
Photo from Schenectady Kids Arts Festival’s website.
For more information and a full schedule of events can be found on Schenectady Kids Arts Festival’s website.
Throughout the many closings due to COVID-19, one that has particularly affected students interested in the arts is the cancellation of school musicals. The Proctors School of the Performing Arts, a celebration of regional scholastic productions, has decided to do something about it during their fourth annual High School Musical Theatre Awards. They plan to broadcast the awards over TV at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 16th.
Unfortunately many of the original participating schools were unable to stage their performances before schools closed due to state COVID-19 executive orders, making it impossible to complete adjudication and award student actors, technicians and ensembles. However there will be 27 schools participating in the 2020 HSMTA, represented by 1,400 students participating in musicals.
The televised broadcast features videos submitted by the schools showcasing rehearsals, solos, dance numbers and backstage activity. This televised event will end with a performance of “Finale B (No Day but Today)” from the musical Rent that will include at least one artist from each participating school. There is also a red-carpet-component on social media where students are also encouraged to participate from home in a virtual red carpet. Students can post a photo beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16 using the tag #HSMTAatProctors on Instagram to “walk” the red carpet on Proctors Instagram page.
The High School Musical Theatre Awards can be viewed live at 7 p.m. Saturday on May 16 several ways. Spectrum subscribers can view it on Channel 1302 in Albany and Schenectady. It will be rebroadcast at later dates. Verizon Fios subscribers in the Albany area can view it on Channel 37. And a livestream will be available at openstagemedia.org/channels/live-stream. There is a suggested donation of $10 per household for the event, and viewers can text HSMTA to 41444 to donate.
The hosts of the show are Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative, and Rex Smith, editor at large of the Times Union, HSMTA’s presenting sponsor. The event is produced by the School of Performing Arts at Proctors and Collaborative Studios, an affiliate of Proctors Collaborative.
For more information please visit Proctor School’s Website.
The former Sherman’s Amusement Park in Caroga Lake, NY will be donated to the non-profit Caroga Arts Council, with intentions to develop the site into a music venue.
Located 10 miles northwest of Gloversville, the Fulton County attraction opened in 1921 and closed in 1980, due in part to attractions such as The Great Escape and Storytown opening in Lake George, off the well-traveled Northway.
Kyle Price, founder of the Caroga Arts Collective had kept the region alive by bringing talented musicians to the area for a five-week festival in the summer. Where the bumper car ride used to be is now the main stage for Caroga Arts Music Festival, offering a series of free performances and community outreach programs. Thousands attend the events with the festival dedicated to increasing accessibility to chamber music, cultivating creative and interactive experiences and showcasing some of the world’s top professional artists from the U.S. and abroad.
George Abdella, who donated the land to the town of Caroga Lake in 2014, was always hoping for preservation of the grounds. But since the town didn’t make the effort to hold up the preservation of the venue, Abdella brought the town to court, reclaimed ownership, all so he could donate the land to Caroga Arts. “I’m hoping that someday people will come here to hear these musicians; they’re going to have all kinds of music,” he said.
Caroga Arts wants to transform Sherman’s Amusement Park into a world class arts venue while keeping the historical landmark intact.
As the best kept secret in Upstate NY, artists performing at Caroga Lake Arts Music Festival come from across the world, including those from premiere music conservatories including the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, and Eastman School of Music, among many others.
When musicians collaborate, you can expect a few things – a merging of styles, unique covers, and the strengths of each to shine even brighter. With Hayley Jane joining up with Annie in the Water to kick off a 10 show Hayley in the Water February tour, there is a stellar degree of mutualism already on display throughout their first three shows in Saranac Lake, Schenectady and Utica over February 5-8.
An acoustic set from Hayley Jane, with Annie in the Water joining for a few songs, kicked off each night, setting the tone for a thorough night of music and a taste of what these artists are capable individually, as well as when they join together. The second set, a full performance of Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 album Rumours, was simply magical. Not only is the album chock full of classic rock gems, to the point where you are taken back by how many great songs are on one album, but Hayley Jane’s vocals and the well rehearsed sound of Annie in the Water truly brought the album to life. Hit after hit, including the underrated opening track “Second Hand News,” found all musicians in lockstep with each other, adding genuine, organic energy to classics including “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain” and “I Don’t Want to Know.” Hayley Jane shone bright on “Gold Dust Woman” and “Songbird,” channeling Stevie Nicks in a way few can. Listen to their performance of “Dreams” from Saranac Lake’s Waterhole.
Annie in the Water continued the night with a set of originals, including the fan favorite “Hey I’m on my Way,” plus “Sativa,” “In the Sand” and “Crispy” (with a dose of 4 Non Blondes “What’s Going On?”), the latter of which brought Hayley Jane back to the stage. Add in Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” and Talking Heads “Burnin’ Down the House” (after a fire alarm went off briefly in Utica) and you’ve got an impressive range from a band that not only has the audience enjoying ever minute of it, but the band is clearly having a blast too.
This is a phenomenal series of shows and one with great potential, surely a ‘catch it while you can’ tour. Don’t sleep on Hayley Jane and Annie in the Water performing Rumours – two incredible forces in the Northeast music scene rarely join together to create a memorable performance such as this.
Feb. 12 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY
Feb. 13 – Flour City Station – Rochester, NY
Feb. 15 – Stowe Cider – Stowe, VT
Feb. 19 – Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT
Feb. 20 – Arch Street Tavern – Hartford, CT
Feb. 21 – Electric Haze – Worcester, MA
Feb. 22 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
Annie in the Water Setlists:
Feb. 7 – Frog Alley Brewing – Schenectady, NY
Hey I’m on My Way, Pleasure in Sin, In the Sand/Freestyle, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Sativa (w/Hayley Jane), Time to Play—>Bulls on Parade
Feb. 8 – Jewish Community Center – Utica, NY
Change My Mind, Carry the Music, Burning Down the House, River, Crispy (w/Hayley Jane), Fire on the Mountain (w/Bill Foose), Sativa
Chris Meier, Hayley Jane and Bradley Hester
Hayley Jane, Bradley Hester & Michael Lashomb
Ryan Trumbull & Brock Kuca of Annie in the Water
Trampoline Jetstream
Anthony “Zee” Donaldson of The Disruption NetworkR
Annie in the Water has just completed the most successful year in their career and is now embarking on the most ambitious tour of their career beginning this week. This tour has the band teaming up with Hayley Jane to perform Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album in its entirety and will visit venues across the Northeast throughout the month of February.
Annie in the Water’s second album Time to Play was released last summer. It’s an album comprised of songs the band has been playing live for years but hasn’t received the studio treatment until now. It’s an album that gives a snapshot of a band on the rise and a band ready to take on the live music scene with a vengeance.
While they call the North Country home, Annie in the Water has roots all over the map. Their origin story stems from a chance meeting between singer/guitarists Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester at Hobart College in Geneva in 2007. The two hit it off immediately and began jamming together. They would reconvene during summers off from college, jamming together and coaching at lacrosse camps. They recorded their first album Destination in 2011 while Hester was a graduate assistant coach at Jacksonville University.
Since forming, the band has undergone several lineup changes, with Hester and Lashomb the only constant over the years. The band is now a six-piece with the addition of former Formula 5 keyboardist Matt Richards last July. Brock Kuca (drums/percussion), Ryan Trumbull (drums) and Chris Meier (bass) complete the unit.
Annie in the Water and Hayley Jane have been rehearsing for this tour for the past several months and are set to kick it all off this Wednesday in Saranac Lake.
NYS Music recently sat down with the band to discuss their history, their influences and the upcoming Spread Rumours Tour with Hayley Jane.
NYS Music: First, I’d like to start by finding out more about each of you individually. Where is each of you from? What path brought you to where you are today?
Bradley Hester: I grew up all over the place, born in Colorado. I also lived in Ohio, Japan, Virginia, and I came to Upstate New York by way of Hobart College. Since college, I’ve been in Upstate doing the Annie in the Water thing but also coaching lacrosse. I will probably always coach lacrosse because it’s one of the ways I am bringing my value to life and I have learned so many things from the game that continue to impact the way I live my life.
Brad Hester (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Michael Lashomb: I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. My parents were originally from Ogdensburg, New York. We would go visit Upstate and work on my grandfather’s land whenever we had time off from school, so I was able to become familiar with the North Country landscape and inner-city life throughout my childhood.
While I was in Cleveland, I was exposed to a lot of diverse styles of music. There was always new music coming through mainstream radio when I was a kid, also a lot of hip-hop and funk influence in the city. In the North Country, I was exposed to more roots style and country. So I had a good blend that influenced me. When I was about 11 years old, I heard blink-182’s song “Dammit” on the radio and I immediately thought of ways to learn the song. That motivated me and I just started diving into all sorts of musical styles. I specifically started basing my early style of play on John Frusciante’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) fretboard work.
Throughout my late teens and early 20’s, I was always picking up different jobs to try to make it work. I moved down to Florida at one point and was recruited to be a lacrosse coach and teacher at a prep school in Jacksonville. After that, I went out to L.A. for a short time and worked on the TV show The Amazing Race. In my late 20’s, I decided to go full-time music. No Plan B for me. I couldn’t imagine not pursuing music as my life path.
Michael Lashomb (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Brock Kuca: I was born and raised in a little town called Morristown on the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands). I started playing music at the age of 10, the saxophone. That didn’t really work out so well. I discovered the guitar at age 12. That’s when the sparks flew and music became the main priority in my life. Before joining Annie in the Water full-time, I cooked fancy food in a local restaurant. I was also a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and worked production at music festivals. Although I have a deep passion for cooking, it’s hard to really imagine my life without some kind of musical influence in it.
I met Mike and Brad some eight or nine years ago. Wow, that’s hard to believe. They would invite me out to play gigs in Potsdam, Alexandria Bay, Clayton and Watertown. I’ve shared the stage with various, very credible and outstanding musicians since then but the present combination of the six of us is a special thing. We are all writers/composers and are just starting to explore that realm with one another.
Brock Kuca
Chris Meier: I’m originally from Chatham, New York. My path to where I currently am heavily involved my time spent at SUNY Oneonta, where I met my bandmates from my first group, Space Carnival. We were lucky enough to have a great scene that eventually led to where I am now.
Chris Meier
Ryan Trumbull: Well, I grew up in the Adirondacks. I was born in Saranac Lake. All of my family members had some sort of musical talent, especially my uncle who had played drums for a long time.
Ryan Trumbull (Photo: Brian Cornish)
Matt Richards: I was born in Albany and reside just outside of the city in Delmar, NY. My life’s musical journey through multiple bands — my high school and SUNY New Paltz band, The Assortment of Crayons, followed by my three-plus years with Formula 5 immediately after college — is what brought me to Annie in the Water. If I weren’t making music, I’d likely be studying how birds make music.
Matt Richards, Brock Kuca and Michael Lashomb
NYSM: The group has evolved over the years, adding new members as recently as this past summer. Have the six of you started to gel as a unit yet?
BH: I feel we gelled the first time we played with each other in a rehearsal. The first show we played together felt like the right thing. The music and the feelings that go with it all get tighter as we continue to push ourselves into unknown territory. As long as we allow ourselves the freedom to explore at shows, we can uncover parts of our potential that would never have happened if we limited ourselves.
ML: The band finally became a full unit when Matt Richards joined in July of 2019. The first rehearsal we had, I personally felt that he was the glue of the entire unit and the gelling started then. Chris and Rippy (drummer Ryan Trumbull) had already been in the mix for six months and they were really sinking in with the backbeat and Brock has made considerable strides as a percussion player.
Everyone in the band is open to trying new things. They are constructive and they are professional. I am extremely lucky to have such great people in this band. I believe all of our collective experiences and knowledge have come together well. All of our individual skills have made the growth quick.
MR: We certainly have. I find our unity became most evident in what is now known as “The Church Set.” We were supposed to perform outside in Potsdam on Sept. 7 last year but due to poor weather conditions, we performed inside the local Methodist Church. We were effortlessly one cohesive unit this set, and have remained so since.
RT: I think we are just starting to mold our sound.
CM: Most definitely. We’ve really taken off as a unit and it feels like the sky’s the limit.
NYSM: How does the songwriting process work for you guys? Is there one person doing all the writing or is everyone given free rein to submit material?
BH: Songwriting works in a variety of ways. The album Time to Play is a collection of some of the songs Mike and I have been playing and performing for years, but I really enjoy opening up the floor for all ideas while we are creating. I feel like the best ideas can come into something with an open canvas, so even if one of us writes a song, everyone else can add ideas to it and add great elements. Everyone in the group is a creator, so I like to keep open the possibility of anyone bringing a song to the group and for the group to help develop.
ML: AITW music is a collective of material. Everyone in the band writes, which is terrific. Now that we have had some time to develop, we are more focused on writing as a unit. Sometimes a song can be written collectively but also one person may have a vision for a song, and as a group, it’s important for us to all do our best to help facilitate that creation. Songwriting will always be an evolutionary process for this band.
MR: We all have so many songs from our past that we want to work in this group. Perhaps everyone in this band is a terrific songwriter. There is a strong desire to work as one to create music in the future. Additionally, Bradley and I have performed a number of duo shos and write at least one song each time, live, in front of an audience. That is a process that is new to me but I love very much. Songwriting can be improvisation slowed down and improvisation can be songwriting sped up.
CM: This has been the most open format for writing I’ve ever been a part of. Everything is on the table.
Hayley in the Water Rehearsal at The Bank, Frankfort
NYSM: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
BH: When I was young, I grew up on Top 40 hits and was influenced by country music through my parents. Garth Brooks was a go-to of mine when I was in elementary school and, strangely enough, because of my older sister, the Backstreet Boys had an impact on me before I became a teenager. Throughout middle and high school I got into bands like Styx, 311, 30 Seconds to Mars, Finch, Our Lady Peace, blink-182. From the hip hop angle, Eminem is someone I paid a lot of attention to in terms of diction and delivery of language, Kid Cudi for breaking out of norms, B.O.B., Andre 3000, Sammy Adams for their unique approaches. Bob Marley is a huge influence on me as well. Mike introduced me to Phish back in 2008 and I had such an uplifting experience that I knew I was going to achieve similar things with our band with time and patience.
I’m always influenced a little by the other bands in our scene, especially the bands we have the pleasure of playing with. Michael Franti and Spearhead, Andy Frasco, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Swamp Kids, Wild Adriatic, John Brown’s Body, Goose, Turkuaz, Big Something, moe., Twiddle, Nina’s Brew, among others. There are too many to name but I am slightly influenced by everyone I am lucky enough to experience!
ML: When I was eight years old, I was obsessed with the Grateful Dead. Not so much their music, but their artwork. I had t-shirts and patches on my backpack and everything. What is interesting is how their music has been woven into my style almost naturally. But besides them as an overall musical influence, I grew up on folk music — Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I’m also a big fan of The Band. I love Pink Floyd, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and Sigur Ros. Those are my ethereal outlets. I also loved punk in high school: Ten Foot Pole, MxPx, Pennywise, blink-182, Less Than Jake, 311, NoFX, but also heavy stuff like GWAR, Korn and Rammstein.
I got into jamband/bluegrass style stuff in high school. Stuff like String Cheese, Bela Fleck, Dispatch, moe., Umphrey’s McGee. Phish was a discovery that changed the whole game. But recently I have been getting more into traditional Celtic music like The Dubliners and different modern composition styles like Bon Iver and Hans Zimmer. Very grateful for all the music I have been exposed to.
MR: Steely Dan, Animal Collective, Ween, Yes, MGMT, Circa Survive, Phish, Vince Guaraldi, McCoy Tyner, The New Deal, RAQ, nature (like actual nature, not a band), Wilco, Dave Brubeck, Talking Heads. Okay, I gotta stop myself somewhere but I know I am missing at least 50 artists and will kick myself for not including them.
RT: Stewart Copeland, Brain (Primus), Anika Nilles, Benny Greb.
CM: Sly Stone, Beck, Motown, Steely Dan.
NYSM: When did you first develop a relationship with Hayley Jane? This tour sounds like it will be a fun collaboration. What was the genesis of the idea to do a Rumours tour together?
Hayley Jane
BH: I first developed a relationship with Hayley Jane back in 2016 when I posted myself doing a vocal exercise for the first time in eight months. She contacted me and was curious about what happened to me because she wanted to offer her experience going through vocal issues. We’ve been friends ever since, sitting in and co-creating whenever possible.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember how fragile our vocal cords can be if they do not get proper attention and strength training, but they are also very resilient and can come back from injury stronger than ever, which is how I feel now. I was able to dissolve the cyst that formed on my right vocal cord by taking many months of pure rest and also learning how to properly warm-up. Staying away from alcohol and drugs and remembering to stay healthy and hydrated is key to my intention to make my vocal cords last as long as I can stay alive.
ML: Brad and I first met Hayley Jane about four years ago in Vermont and that’s when a relationship started. The Vermont music scene has a tendency to bring like-minded people together. The project idea started when we were all at Grassroots in Shakori Hills, NC. Our band had been on a pretty solid Fleetwood Mac kick for a while so when we were in North Carolina, Chris was talking with Hayley about playing a Fleetwood Mac song. I’m not exactly sure how the conversation went because I wasn’t there, but now there’s a tour put together and I’m playing in it.
CM: I’ve been aware of Hayley for a number of years but we formally met last fall at Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival. The idea was developed there over the conversations we had in our RV on tour.
MR: I first met Hayley through Formula 5. She would perform with us in Burlington at Nectar’s when we would get up there. I think since we all love Rumours it just felt natural we reach out to Hayley and see if she would be interested in doing this with us. It all fell into place seemingly well.
NYSM: Thanks to all the members of Annie in the Water for your participation. Best of luck with this most ambitious tour.
The upcoming tour will have Hayley Jane opening each show with a set of original material, followed by a complete run-through of Fleetwood Mac’s storied Rumours album featuring Hayley Jane alongside Annie in the Water and concluding with a full Annie in the Water set.
Tickets are available now for all shows on the Spread Rumours Tour. For more information on the tour and where to purchase tickets check out the Annie in the Water website here. Check out the band’s latest album Time to Play below.
