NYS Music 202​0

Category: Ithaca

  • GrassRoots Festival Launches Save Your Roots Campaign and Live-Stream

    The GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance launches its Save Your Roots campaign and live-stream benefit at the State Theater in Ithaca, NY on December 19, at 7 PM EST. The campaign hopes to raise $100,000 to prepare for the 2021 festival season. 

    Like almost all festivals around the world this year the GrassRoots Festivals were forced to cancel their annual festivals due to COVID-19. The GrassRoots Festival started back in 1991 and sought to inspire positive change in communities through the communal celebration of world music, art and dance. It all started as a sold out, one night, benefit to raise money for the fight against AIDS at the historic State Theatre in Ithaca, NY. It has since evolved into three, separate annual four-day -vents in Trumansburg, NY, Shakori Hills, NC and Miami, FL. 

    The GrassRoots Festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. They, unlike some larger festivals, don’t have large pools of corporate sponsors. One of the reasons GrassRoots strays away from large corporate sponsors, is they want to keep their festival an authentic experience for participants and free from the boundaries of corporate influence. Though, the festival’s livelihood is in danger due to the lack of income in the 2020 year due to COVID-19. Their solution to trying to help the festival survive and thrive is by launching the Save Our Roots campaign. 

    The campaign has a goal of raising $100,000 that will culminate with a special live streamed event from the State Theatre in Ithaca, NY on December 19, 2020 at 7 PM EST.

    Each donation or ticket purchased through the campaign will help ensure that the GrassRoots Festival Organization stays afloat. Currently the campaign is 61% funded with $61,421 and 17 days remaining to donate. So far, 375 people have donated to the cause.

    People who donate $50 will receive a custom GrassRoots Festival T-shirt. One hundred dollar donations will receive their name on a GrassRoots Festival commemorative tree. Those who donate $1,000 will receive ten, four-day passes to any grassroots festival of their choice. People who donate $2,000 will receive  ten,  four-day passes to any grassroots festival of their choice plus two all access dream team lanyards. People can also donate a custom amount. Donations can be made here.

    The live-stream benefit is being hosted by Yes Darling (Ryan Montbleau & Hayley Jane) and features live performances by the GrassRoots All-Stars, Jeb & Tara of Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Richie & Rosie and appearances from Jim Lauderdale, Preston & Keith Frank, Keith Secola, Dirk Powell, Cortadito, Fabi World Music & more. The live-stream has a suggested donation of $10. Tickets can be bought here.

    For more information of on the GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance and its Save Your Roots campaign and live-stream benefit visit their website.

  • The State Theatre of Ithaca Wraps up their ‘Save Your Seat’ Campaign

    The State Theatre of Ithaca announced it’s ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign as a way for the community to help keep the Ithaca staple afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign was announced on November 10, 2020 and will continue to run until all 16,000 seats are sold which happened on January 5, 2021. 

    The State Theatre of Ithaca was built back in 1915 and has been an entertainment staple of Ithaca, NY since 1928 and has served as one of the most significant venues for performing arts in the Finger Lakes region. Their  mission is to enhance the cultural life of Ithaca and the Finger Lakes by preserving, operating and promoting the historic State Theatre as an active venue for national, international and community performances and programming according to their website. 

    How the ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign worked is that people donated $100 per seat and will get a personalized plaque affixed to a seat in their honor. This campaign will offer a visible way to commemorate their support of this vital arts venue.  

    Executive Director Doug Levine of the State Theatre explains that, “Without show revenue to help sustain this facility, we are looking at a deficit close to $160,000 for this fiscal year. The State Theatre of Ithaca seats 1,600 people. If 1,600 of our amazing supporters and patrons bought at least 1 seat for $100 each, that would help us close the gap that the pandemic has created.  Our goal is to sell out the Theatre, just like we have so many times in the past.”   

    All proceeds raised from the ‘Save Your Seat fundraising campaign and benefit concert will help sustain the not-for-profit State Theatre of Ithaca. The aide will help the theatre remain at the center of Central New York’s performing arts scene while their doors remain closed. For more information visit the the State Theater’s website here.

    Updates made on 1/7/2021: The State Theatre of Ithaca announced on 1/5/2021 that all 1,600 seats within the Theatre have been “saved,” as part of their “Save Your Seat” campaign. The campaign has helped close the budget gap the Coronavirus shutdown has created for the Ithaca staple.

  • Noon Fifteen gets “Easy” in new interactive 360′ video

    Despite anxiety and unease in the air all around the globe, Ithaca’s soul/rock/pop/prog ensemble Noon Fifteen returns to Finish What You Started, their series of thematic releases with a focus of confronting your fears. Three new songs from the collection — “Dinosaurs,” “Easy,” and “Scared To” — will be released via the band’s podcast and YouTube channel between Halloween and Thanksgiving, coinciding with the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and the waning of this frightening year.

    The first release of the three, “Easy,” tackles internal and external conflicts that keep us standing still, pairing with the soon to be released “Scared To.” Watch the video from vocalist/guitarist Mandy Goldman.

    Additionally, keyboardist Samuel B. Lupowitz’s composition “Dinosaurs” examines the danger and violence wrought by outmoded political philosophies.

    Though the COVID-19 pandemic has kept Noon Fifteen apart for most of 2020, the band members have remained productive. Goldman, Lupowitz, Harry Nichols (bass/vocals), Joe Massa (guitar), and Phil Shay (drums/vocals have released two standalone singles this year, “Thaw” in March and the found-sounds creation “Outside” in August. Pre-quarantine, on Halloween 2019, the band released their 22-minute rock opera, At the Festival.

    The initial installments in the Finish What You Started song cycle, “The Cell,” “The Tick,” and the title track, were released in the summer of 2019 during Noon Fifteen’s “Julyfecta” run of shows. While those tracks were recorded in a tiny studio at Cornell University, the new releases continue the band’s collaboration with Chris Ploss at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY, with mid-pandemic finishing touches recorded at Lupowitz and Goldman’s new home studio in Ithaca.

    Noon Fifteen Easy

    Each of the Finish What You Started track is accompanied by an interactive 360* video, allowing the viewer to observe the band’s performance from the center of the recording studio. A behind-the-scenes podcast, hosted by Dan Cole, founder and longtime host of WVBR-FM’s “Tuesdays with the Band,” will reveal details about the writing and recording of the songs, as well as the band’s influences, inspirations, and offbeat sense of humor.

    Since their 2017 debut, Volume 1, Noon Fifteen has leveraged a why-not, can-do attitude and a proudly DIY aesthetic to present their music to the world. As we said of their debut, Noon Fifteen is “a small town band with a big imagination,” with five friends aiming to deliver fun, forward-thinking songs bathed in layered vocals and old school instrumentation. 

    The final installments of Finish What You Started will be released in 2021.

  • Sarah Noell Releases EP About ‘Love and Solitude’

    Ithaca-based and indie-folk musician Sarah Noell released her first solo EP Retreat To Space on Friday, October 16 on all streaming platforms.

    Album cover art for Retreat To Space

    Noell was originally in the band Wildflwr, along with her mates Nick Scollard and Mary Cain, but the pandemic forced her to experiment with her music independently.

    I wasn’t sure I could do this by myself, a year and a half ago Nick was still setting up all of my gear and Marty was booking all of our shows. This EP has shown me that, when forced to be alone, I can still learn and grow without the hand-holding of others, which I really needed before. 

    Sarah Noell

    Growing up in rural Connecticut, Noell began her musical career at age 13, but didn’t take it seriously until after graduating from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. She stayed in the trendy city, where her music grew and flourished. Since then, has Wildflwr come out with multiple folky EPs, but when the pandemic put the band to a halt, she began writing her own songs.

    Sarah Noell
    Sarah Noell

    According to Noell, this EP is about love, relationships and life over the years.

    The EP is a collection of songs that reflect on my experiences in love, friendship, and solitude in the last five years or so. The title track ‘Retreat to Space’ reflects on a soured relationship but also deals with living mostly in my head, blurring reality, which is a recurring theme on the EP. I’m sure many people can relate, as we’ve all in a way retreated inwards during the pandemic.

    Sarah Noell

    The young musician hopes because live shows are on a break, that internet, social media and live streaming will pass her new music along.

    If you’re in the mood to listen to some dreamy tunes and ponder about life, go one of the streaming platforms and enjoy the ride.

    Retreat to Space is available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music and more.

  • kurt.riley+praxis Dive Into a Dystopian ‘Chrome Empire’ With Latest Single “Free”

    kurt.riley+praxis are best known for shaping the alternative music scene in Central and Upstate New York. Riley has loved and played music from a young age; his influences include glam rock, Moroccan ritual music, new wave, 1930s pop standards, and Eighties post-punk. After a pause of a few years for a college degree, Riley started developing concept albums featuring other-wordly characters – Kismet in 2016, and Tabula Rasa in 2017.

    kurt.riley+praxis

    “Free,” releasing today, October 9, is the fourth track from Riley’s current ongoing project, Chrome Empire. The album is built around its main character – an android living in a dark future – and uses science fiction themes to address real-world events. 

    In “Free,” the android (portrayed by Riley in the video) has gained self-awareness, and is captured by a monolithic megacorporation seeking to prevent the rise of intelligent machines. An employee of the corporation has been put in place to get him to talk.

    kurt.riley+praxis

    Previous singles released from the Chrome Empire project are “Future Shock,” “Say You Love Me,” and “Evergreen.” The story arc starts with “Future Shock” that sets the dark, futuristic scene. The android, having a mind that came from a human a long time ago, remembers his love and tries to find her (“Say You Love Me”). In “Evergreen,” he is trying to escape the control of the megacorporation and finds footage of an evergreen Earth of the past. 

    In each single, Riley has chosen to include non-human characters which was “Much more fun – and more palatable – than talking about our current reality in a plain manner. Plus, I get to dress up!” he said. 

    kurt.riley+praxis

    There will be at least a dozen releases in total, scheduled through the rest of 2020 and 2021. After “Free,” the next one coming up (scheduled for early November) is called “Get Connected.”

    “Free” is scheduled to air at 5:00 PM EST on Friday, October 9, 2020 on the kurt.riley+praxis YouTube Channel.

    Lyrics to “Free” by kurt.riley+praxis

    When I was young, I didn’t understand
    My grandfather was a preacher man
    Told me to read the bible
    Crucial for my survival
    Grandmother joined him, now they sleep 
    Keeping to the vow, so dark and deep
    While I maintain location
    Staring at revelation
    But I’ll never be free
    Oh lord, no, I’ll never be free
    Not me
    Leaders are debating over déjeuner 
    Waters start to rise at the chestnut tree
    Only the weak are humble
    So they shall let it crumble
    On the horizon, the horsemen ride
    Stocked up my rations and I’m locked inside
    Stun my profane synapses
    All while the world collapses 
    And I’ll never be free
    Oh Christ, no, I’ll never be free
    Not me

  • Riley and Julians combine as The Beforetimes to present “Time Machine”

    Kurt Riley and Orange Julians come together as the The Beforetimes as they released their debut single, “Time Machine” on September 18. The track was written and produced in equal by both Kurt Riley and Orange Julians. Having met as children, both artists grew up to write rock operas, and now have reunited for this joint project. The Beforetimes have also uploaded a music video for their new single.

    Kurt Riley has released records produced by Beyoncé/FKA Twigs/Run the Jewels collaborator BOOTS and Grammy Award-winning engineer Will Russell. Riley has also appeared at the CFCU Summer Concert Series, Music Is Art Buffalo, and at the Ithaca Festival. Under the moniker Orange Julians, Julian DeLice had worked on plenty of solo material and has written, produced and directed a stage play called “The Renegade Opera” (benefitting the Elton John AIDS Foundation). Julian DeLice’s music was named “Vermont’s freshest synth-pop” by 7 Days Newspaper, and DeFelice is now recording his fourth LP.

    The Beforetimes

    The song was remotely produced across over 2,000 miles and the first release as the “The Beforetimes” begin a side project that will be featured alongside their solo work. For more information on “The Beforethetimes”, their new single, and their respective individual profiles, visit the Apple Music, Spotify, links and both of Kurt and Julien’s websites.

  • Jimkata Announce first new Album in four years, “Bonfires”

    Jimkata announces new album titled Bonfires which is anticipated to be released in Spring of 2021. The new album announcement comes on the coattails of the band dropping multiple singles this summer after their indefinite hiatus back in 2017. Bonfires is Jimkata’s first studio album since 2016’s In Motion.

    Jimkata Bonfires
    Jimkata. Photo provided by press release.

    The new album will include 10 tracks according to their press release. The album will be released as a series of singles every month with an accompanying visuals and merch line for each song.  Jimkaka hopes the album Bonfires highlight themes of uncertainty, being in limbo, and looking for an anchor of hope in these trying times. 

    Three singles have been released so far off the anticipated album. The three singles, “Wanna Go,” “Wait for You,” and the title-track “Bonfires” already nod to the themes Jimkata is trying to capture within the album. “Wanna Go” focuses on perception versus reality particularly in the times of social media. “Wait for You” touches on the feelings of being dejected and the unknown of what the future holds. “Bonfires” is all about the vulnerability people feel when they are facing uncertain times and the reflexive tendency to seek out the comfort of nostalgia that happens as a result. 

    Jimkata is a three-piece anthemic, synth-washed, electro-rock band based out of both Ithaca and Los Angeles. They had grown a large grassroots following before taking a two and a half year hiatus. They have released six studio albums all with their signature swirling synths, infectious pop hooks and candid lyrics. 

    For more information on Bonfires and Jimkata, and to pre-order limited edition vinyl of the new album and other merchandise, visit Jimkata’s website and stay tuned for updates. Enjoy Jimkata from their final perfomance in Albany in May of 2016 below.

  • Harry Nichols’ First Release Since 2014 Doesn’t Disappoint

    Alternative Ithaca musician Harry Nichols released a new solo EP, A Spoonful of Sugar, on September 4. Nichols has been influenced by various styles–beachy, punk-pop, folk, indie, and rock, to name a few–but this EP has its roots in electro-pop.

    Harry Nichols

    Harry Nichols started writing music at fourteen. He has been releasing music as an independent artist since 2010, and has several albums and EPs out on Bandcamp, which draw inspiration from Blink 182, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan. He has made a name for himself in Ithaca’s concert scene, and has been playing live for years. Many of his concert videos are on the Finger Lakes Music Press YouTube channel. 

    Since his last nerd-life inspired record This Isn’t the Album you’re Looking For…, Nichols focused on contributing to his bands Noon Fifteen and Julia Felice and the Whiskey Crisis. He released a few demos and solo EPs since, but this September, Nichols finally releases his latest solo EP. Nichols considers this easy listening track, A Spoonful of Sugar, his first major release in six years.

    Harry Nichols

    ASoS was written and recorded entirely during the COVID-19 quarantine. The track is much poppier than Nichols’ other work, and the razor sharp melodies match the emotions behind the lyrics. Nichols takes pop punk and soul and blends them into synth and digital drums, as those were the tools he could work with by himself during quarantine.

    Although the lyrics are a reflection on the loneliness of social distancing, the music is upbeat and energetic. Nichols lets the listener momentarily escape from the current sadness and stress and live in this poppy world he makes with A Spoonful of Sugar. ASoS is available for purchase on Bandcamp now.

  • Jimkata Debuts New Single Reflecting on Sensation of Hanging in Limbo

    Jimkata, to the excitement of their fans, debuted their new single “Wait For You” on August 13, 2020. The band recently came out of the woodworks last month dropping their single “Wanna Go” after the band went on an indefinite hiatus back in 2017. 

    The new single focuses on the feeling of being in limbo. It narrates the feeling of sitting around waiting and feeling restless while navigating uncertainty which is a feeling many can relate to during the pandemic era. The music video accompanying the song was created by animator Ben Clarkson. His animation brings further depth and dimension to the notion of waiting and being in limbo. “Wait For You” isn’t just a heartbreak inspired pop song, it is also a commentary on helplessly waiting and hoping for the world to get itself together.

    Frontman of Jimkata Evan Friedell shared some of his insights behind the new single saying, “I didn’t realize at the time I wrote it how prescient and universal that feeling would become as we experience a global pandemic and a world in chaos.”   

    The band Jimkata is a three-piece anthemic, synth-washed, electro-rock band that is based out of Ithaca, NY and Los Angeles, CA. Jimkata is known for their swirling analog synths, infectious pop hooks and candid lyrics. The band has built a distinct sound which has been resonating with listeners across the country. The band has a strong and loyal grassroots fanbase created by their relentless performing across the country before their Hiatus. 

    For more information on Jimkata and to check out “Wait For You” visit their website.

  • GrassRoots Festival Hosts “Your Roots at Home” Live-Stream

    Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance announces their “Your Roots at Home” free streaming event. The streaming event will host curated footage from former years of the festival and will run July 16-19, 2020 everyday roughly from 10AM-3AM. 

    The event will be following the same structure the GrassRoots Festival has followed for many years. The streaming event will host four days with four separate streams for each stage of the festival. The curated footage comes from all the way from 1992 up to 2019 with footage from last year. The footage will show each band performing at either the Infield, Dance Tent, Grandstand, or Cabaret stages. 

    The stream will host GrassRoots favorites like Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Big Mean Sound Machine, Donna the Buffalo, Old Crow Medicine Show, Preston Frank & His Zydeco Family Band, The Horse Flies, Driftwood, GrassRoots Festival Orchestra, Uma Galera, Lake Street Dive, John Brown’s Body, Jimkata, Ithaca Bottom Boys, Bubba George Stringband and many many many more. The full lineup can be seen here.

    The event will host the Band Contest and Instrument Contest still which will make it an interactive event. People interested in performing during the contests can perform their song specifically for the audience at the “Your Roots At Home” event. People interested can record videos of themselves and upload their media here.

    The streaming events can be viewed stage by stage on Twitch. The Infield stage can be viewed here. The Dance Tent stage can be viewed here. The grandstand Stage can be viewed here. The Cabaret stage can be viewed here. The viewer doesn’t need a Twitch account to listen but an account will give you access to the chat feature and other services.

    For more information visit “Your Roots at Home” website and Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance website.