NYS Music 202​0

Category: Brooklyn

  • Microphone Check: Interview With Shira Elias of Turkuaz

    NYS Music and Music Minds have teamed up to check in with musicians around the scene and see how they are holding up and how they are feeling about their craft.  For the first installment, we talked to Shira Elias, vocalist of Turkuaz.

    Vocalist Shira Elias finds her voice in the space where soul, pop, and R&B collide. This spring, Shira welcomed her debut solo endeavor, GOODS the EP, under her latest project, Shira Elias’ Goods & Services. With funk band, Turkuaz, Shira has recorded six records and played shows across the globe at legendary venues and festivals. Elias is collaborating with producer and musical partner MEGA to offer up a series of songs that are deeply personal, decidedly honest, and undeniably unique.

    Adam Chase: In what ways has this time period put live music into perspective?

    Shira Elias: I mean, you don’t know what you got til it’s gone, right? In so many ways, over the past 4 months we have seen how art brings people together and HEALS us. Especially now, live music is necessary in that way.

    Shira Elias

    AC: In what ways has music helped get you through tough times?

    SE: Music is therapy for me, both by experiencing it from an outside source and in creating it myself. It transports me to a spiritual place where I can really look within myself for answers and for comfort. For me, it’s the most potent anxiety reliever out there.

    AC: What makes being a singer different from other musicians?

    SE: Your instrument is your body. It is all within you. Instrumentalists have a separate entity that they channel their expression through. Vocalists have a more literally visceral connection to their instrument, which is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I believe the sound of a human voice can resonate and express emotion in a more profound way than any instrument can by virtue of it being produced by a living being. And a curse, because there is no escaping it. You cannot put your instrument away in its case after the gig, which is why vocal health is a lifelong challenge for singers.

    AC: What words of encouragement would you have for someone learning how to sing?

    SE: I would tell them to sing as much as they can, as often as they can because your voice is a muscle that you need to train and work out just like any muscle in your body. You gotta get those reps in. And I would also encourage them to find their own true, authentic voice, rather than try to sound like someone else. No one else in the world can sound like you, so be the best you that you can possibly be.

  • This day in hip-hop: Bobby Shmurda becomes the ‘Hot-test’ of them all

    Six years ago today, Bobby Shmurda and his effervescent first single “Hot N-gga” was made digitally available for consumption by Epic Records. The music video – which has garnered nearly 650 million YouTube views – was released in May of 2014 and quickly became an internet sensation. While the record was re-packaged, the music video was not subjected to such changes, most likely because it had already reached “viral” status, but also because it represented the ingenuity of Brooklyn inner-cities. It spawned the “Shmoney Dance” craze where, in a moment of inventiveness, the rapper throws his hat in the air and begins to pop his hips left and right. Unplanned, the “Shmoney Dance” helped cement the record as the song of 2014. Peaking at Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, it helped usher in a new era. This was the first song that this current incarnation of social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) made prominent, something we’ve since seen replicated several times over. 

    The hottest song of 2014

    A subsequent EP – Shmurda She Wrote– followed along with other Billboard hits like “Bobby B!tch” and the cult classic “Computers.” Unfortunately, the success was short-lived. In December 2014, Bobby Shmurda, along with his associates, his brother and GS9 label-mate Rowdy Rebel, were arrested on charges of drug and gun possession, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit murder. 

    bobby shmurda hot
    Ah Ah Ah

    Less public members of the organization received the harshest of sentences, while Bobby Shmurda and Rowdy Rebel have been behind bars for the past six years, with an impending release set for the tail-end of 2020. Their impact on the New York culture has not been forgotten (as they successfully implemented the Chicago drill sound to help popularize the sub-genre of New York drill) and in return, fans have showered them with support and promises of a hero’s return. Hot

  • Hallie Spoor Releases Inspirational New Music Video for “City Angels”

    Brooklyn based folk/rock singer-songwriter, Hallie Spoor releases her newest music video which inspires joy, youthfulness and unity despite the global shutdown.

    Cover art for Spoor’s newest album, “New Ground.”

    Spoor’s song “City Angels,” promotes a feel good attitude, during a time that many of us are struggling emotionally because of the pandemic.

    “The idea I had was that during this time of isolation and separation, I thought we could use more joy,” Spoor said.

    Growing up in Denver, the young musician is now based out of Brooklyn. She has played at several famous music venues like, Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook and Rockwood Music Hall.

    Spoor completed her first national tour last fall through playing small performances in unique locations with the well known music events start-up, Sofar Sounds.

    Spoor’s website describes her as an “old soul,” who possesses similar sounds to Joni Mitchell. That part of her personality comes out in the music video where she created a collage of pictures and video clips sent to her by friends and family. The collage promotes memories and a cheerful outlook on life in the city.

    According to her Youtube page, Spoor wrote “City Angels,” after experiencing a lonely day in NYC. Her mood changed after running into a few, “New York characters.”

    “All these very human moments made me feel like I might belong after all. So, this video is dedicated to them- the city angels that make us feel like we’re home in this exciting, scary, beautiful place called New York,” Spoor wrote.

    Hallie Spoor asked her friends and family to send her nostalgic pictures and video clips.

  • Miserable Chillers Release Newest Single “Saga’s Sword” from ‘Audience of Summer’

    Alternative rock band Miserable Chillers debuted their third single, “Saga’s Sword,” off their upcoming album, Audience of Summer, out Friday, August 7.

    “The song really captures the feel of a curious young child exploring and actively pursuing new experiences, as Gallego even adds some ribbiting frogs and glimmering forest sounds to complement the track’s shiny guitar riffs and marimba-sounding percussion.”

    Look At My Records

    Bandleader Miguel Gallego grew up in suburban New Jersey, where he found his passion for music. He now lives in Brooklyn. He recorded and produced his latest tracks with Baby Blue Records, in New York.

    Album art for Miserable Chillers’ Audience of Summer.

    Miguel’s creativity and intuition came from the world wide pandemic caused by COVID-19. “I think of myself as a late bloomer, a lot of things have only recently started to appear obvious to me,” said Gallego.

    As a result, Fifty percent of the proceeds from digital purchases on Bandcamp will be donated to Bed-Stuy Strong. This is a group of over 3,000 people helping in the aid of their community during the COVID-19 crisis.

    I believe that in times of economic and public health crisis, and amidst the violent failures of state policy to address the needs of vulnerable communities, the necessity of local, communal responses to communal needs is especially acute. I would like to support a local mutual aid group. Bed-Stuy Strong centers on solidarity, care, and an imaginative approach addressing the needs of the community and neighborhood that I live in.

    Miguel Gallego – Bandleader

    Along with Gallego, artists from other bands contributed to the making of this album. Megan Braaten from Your Sister and Kabir Kumar of Sun Kin both sang backing vocals. While others like Sarah Goldfarb (Red Widow and Ovaeasy) played the cello. Together, they created the baroque pop sounds of the new record, exactly how is described as.

    Audience of Summer is out Friday, August 7.

    Miserable Chiller’s newest single “Saga’s Sword”.

    Mutual aid provides an alternative model for addressing need; and we badly need to embrace and imagine alternatives to our preexisting methods—be it the police, punitive and carceral responses to harm, or how we as a society provide for the healthcare of our neighbors.

    Miguel Gallego – Bandleader

  • Brooklyn Bowl Celebrates 11th Anniversary

    Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg is celebrating their 11th Anniversary on FANS, this Friday, July 10. The livestream, fueled by Lagunitas, is set to feature 11+ hours of music with artists who’ve become Brooklyn Bowl family over the years: Tank and the Bangas, Big Freedia, Fantastic Negrito, Lotus, Soulive, Phil Lesh, and The Terrapin Family Band, The Soul Rebels, a tribute to Melvin Sparks ft. The New Mastersounds, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Anders Osborne ft. Scott Metzger, and more.

    Don’t miss special appearances by The Robyn Party, Tash Neal, Karina Rykman, Simon Allen, Andy Falco, Brandon “Taz” Neiderauer, Scott Metzger, Doom Flamingo, and Nicki Bluhm.

    Donations will go directly towards the Jazz Foundation of America to support the music of our future while you watch. Party Brooklyn Bowl-style via Fans.com.

    “We started Broolyn Bowl to bring people together to enjoy the magic of live music. We has a great run, open every night of the week, with people coming from every direction, and e loved hosting every type of musician and fan that you can imagine. Then we had to stop. Even though our stage is dark, we are still turning 11 years old. Having a birthday during this difficult time makes us want to get back to doing what we do more than ever. We will be back.”

    – Peter Shapiro, founder Brooklyn Bowl

    “We have had a lot of fun in our first 11 years! Because we’re closed temporarily, we now exist as a glowing sense memory of warm vibes, soft light, great sights, and sounds. A place that became a refuge from the ordinary crap in modern life. A place where we rediscovered the simple magic of coming together to celebrate life. This anniversary comes at a moment of enormous pain, stress, and loss for so many of us. But it’s also an opportunity — a giant reset button. All of us can practice greater kindness, mindfulness, and generosity of spirit. We all need to love each other and pull together. We will be back!”

    – Charley Ryan, founder Brooklyn Bowl

  • Turkuaz Launches Variety Show, “HEY YOU, STAY TUNED”

    Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz recently launched their latest creative endeavor this past with “HEY YOU, STAY TUNED,” their hour-long recurring variety show available exclusively through the band’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

    hey you stay tuned

    The pilot episode sees the eccentric nine-piece ensemble partake in a Hollywood Squares parody, aptly entitled “Turkuaz Squares.” Comedian Brett Siddell, who also recently launched his own comedy special via Vimeo, acts as announcer, while Sirius XM’s Ari Fink hosts the show. Additionally, special guests Andy Frasco and Eric “Benny” Bloom appear as contestants on the game show.

    Gameshow antics are accompanied by a pop up video replay of Turkuaz’s official music video for 2017 single “On the Run,” which stars Chris Roberti from HBO’s High Maintenance and Comedy Central’s Broad City. Fans are also treated to never-before-released content from the band’s recent None’s A Ton concert film, with “Nightswimming” and “Coast to Coast” footage from the film spliced in. 

  • Indie-Rockers Gooseberry release catchy summer anthem “The Protagonist”

    Brooklyn-based indie rock band Gooseberry has released their new single “The Protagonist.” The four-piece band met through mutual friends in the Brooklyn music and comedy scenes. After months of intermittent jam sessions in a makeshift apartment studio the Gooseberry Band became official in Fall 2019. The band consists of Asa Daniels (guitar/vocals), Colin Ashen (drums), Sam Rappaport (keys, vocals), and Will Hammond (bass). 

    Their mix of indie rock, blues, and R&B captures each member’s interests. Sam Rappaport brings the R&B flavor, inspired by the greats like Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and D’Angelo. Will Hammond leans more towards the indie scene, rock and folk. Asa Daniels bridges the gap in-between, having grown up playing jazz and blues and learning licks from heroes like Thelonious Monk, Eric Krasno, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has been pursuing music for nearly a decade, having had some early success with his band, Baked Goods. 

    Their first single “Berkshires” (listen below) goes back to major influences like D’Angelo, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder, while their newest “The Protagonist” showcases a more alternative/indie sound in the styles of the Foo Fighters, Courtney Barnett, Arctic Monkeys, and Spoon. Before the pandemic, Gooseberry had a biweekly residency at Harefield Road in Brooklyn, where they were steadily growing a devoted audience around their live shows. They had been gigging fairly regularly in and around New York City, running the full gamut of venues from The Cobra Club to DROM to house shows across the boroughs. 

    Asa Daniels shares his story on how he came up with “The Protagonist”:

    This song started out as a little earworm that I couldn’t quite shake. I’d sit in my apartment in my little makeshift studio and play for hours and end up back on this tiny melody, and each time it would grow. A little more power here, a little distortion there. Before I knew it, there was this thing, this song, and the lyrics just fell into place. The Protagonist is a little about how we are all the lead actors of our own movies, and a lot about smiling as you lose control. The song’s title is tongue-in-cheek, but I’ve always been fascinated by points of view, the idea that we really are all the centers of our own universes, and so on. There’s a joke that those close to me know I always make. It usually comes after an impassioned speech from a friend, a major cultural event, or just a story told by someone else. It’s most effective after there’s a lull of awkward silence. I’ll usually think pensively for a moment, then look at someone and say, ‘Right, but how does this affect me, the protagonist?’ While I’m generally looking for laughs when I say that, underneath the statement is a question that I think a lot of folks are grappling with right now as the country is rife with pandemic, civil unrest, and political rancor. We may each be our own protagonist, but the story is empty if it involves no other characters. It’s important to care for one another, speak out for one another, help one another. Especially as things spiral, often beyond our control.

  • The Next Great American Novelist Release New Single “Drag”

    The Next Great American Novelist, an indie rock band from Brooklyn, released the new single “Drag” from their upcoming album Careless Moon. 

    “Drag” was written before the countless changes of the past few months. The song explores the pre-pandemic ‘normal,’ but doesn’t paint it as being perfect. It looks into the monotony of life.

    “I love New York City, though, some days it feels like a dysfunctional landscape of ill-routine. Living here, you realize you’re functionally necessary but of small significance or importance within the larger enterprise. I’m immersed in a series of habits: standing in line, getting on a train, heading to work, buying coffee, buying booze… Are these choices I want to make or am I just keeping the machine going?” 

    Sean Cahill, Songwriter.

    This will be the band’s second album after I’ll See You in the Art You Love, released three years ago. The Next Great American Novelist, or NGAN for short, wanted their music to be something that could be enjoyed best live, by all sorts of people. Art You Love delves into depression with an emo-folk sound. Careless Moon includes songs that will “make sense live.” Atwood Magazine, who debuted the album’s first song “Blackberry,” notes that that the band’s new songs have “a heavy alternative sound that simply wasn’t present in NGAN’s previous repertoire — and yet, this growth feels natural and exciting.” 

    The upcoming album comes from a place of joy rather than sadness and is marked by their new sound. Despite the band’s evolution, fans will still be able to recognize NGAN in Careless Moon from their three-part harmonies and meaningful, storytelling lyrics. It explores the relationship between romance and indifference. The two can coexist at the same time within one symbol.

    Watch The Music Video for “Drag” Below:

    Cahill has gone through ups and downs with his relationship with music. Yet he realized that it is his calling. “For a while I felt guilty about playing music, playing shows, as if it was a shameful or self-serving pursuit,” he tells Atwood. “After some reflection, I’m realizing that music is the best way I can spend my time, as it brings more light into the darkness and opens up an avenue for sharing joy.” Cahill eventually met Helm and Cummings through a “chance encounter,” and the three then formed NGAN through a shared music taste and interest in becoming creative collaborators. 

    Atwood reports that Careless Moon is “bigger, edgier, and more alternative; an unabashed outpouring of raw dynamism. The Next Great American Novelist are ready to be your Next Favorite American Band.” “Drag,” along with “Kubler,” “Baby Duck Song,” and “Blackberry,” are available for streaming now.

  • Watch Bobby & The Midnites coast to coast video for “(I Want to Live in) America”

    It’s the Fourth of July and if you’re looking for some patriotic music from the 80s, well you are in luck. We’ve got Bobby and the Midnites “(I Want to live in) America” music video from 1984, a video celebrating diversity and the global oneness of all people, united through our daily struggles and love for America.

    But if you’re looking for a sound similar to that of the Grateful Dead, look at virtually any other Dead side-project and it will be closer than Bobby and the Midnites. The poppy/yacht rock sound of “(I Want to Live in) America” seems better suited for pre-Sports Huey Lewis and the News than Bob Weir’s short lived pop effort.

    Filmed in Brooklyn with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center behind the band, as well as in California with cars bouncing up and down the streets, the coast to coast vision for the video feels like a generic 80s video. Written by Weir, John Perry Barlow, Bobby Cochran and Gerrit Graham, “America” feels like an overarching effort to get radio play in an era where the Dead went seven years between studio releases.

    Joining Weir on this album were fusion drummer Billy Cobham, who recorded with Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra, bassist for Little Feat Kenny Gradney, and future Rockabilly Hall of Famer Bobby Cochran. You’d think that all this talent would translate to something big, but instead we get an oozing song and accompanying video full of early 80s cheese.

    Still, the lyrics are uplifting and positive, referencing dreams, surviving, and refugees living on a level playing field in America. Watch the video and live version below and share your thoughts on Bobby and the Midnites in the comments.

    All this hometown history is slippin’ away
    Shattered by a miracle age
    I’m gonna roar through the night on a fantasy flight
    As soon as I come of age
    When the dream ignites, there’s a flame so bright
    Burnin’ in a young man’s heart
    Get your hands on the wheel of some Detroit steel
    You can hear the music start

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Have you ever been down south of Chinatown
    Seen the face of a refugee
    The kids are alive, they’ve learned to survive
    They’re just like you and me
    All their friends back home wonder what it’s like alone
    Living in the land of the free
    It’s another way of life, rev it up and take a ride
    Realize your dreams

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Where the electric guitars ring out loud
    It’s the heartbeat of the steet
    Where the engines scream and the music’s mean
    I just gotta feel the heat

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

    Where the electric guitars ring out loud
    It’s the heartbeat of the steet
    Where the engines scream and the music’s mean
    I just gotta feel the heat

    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America
    I’m telling you I want to live in America
    I want to live in America

  • This Darkness has got to give: Music Venues in July across New York State

    It is now July 2020, the fifth month with minimal, if any, live music performances throughout New York State, let alone the country. Our venues are not yet open, but as the threat of COVID-19 decreases, parts of New York will enter Phase 4 and beyond, with the hope that live music will return, even if gradually.

    While we may be stream weary, the prospect of live music is a motivator for many, and staying safe is the key given that New York and much of the Northeast are faring better than other areas of the country.

    Photo by Buscar Photo

    From viewing these photos taken during mid-late June, we can see the presence of the Black Lives Matter protests that spanned all 50 states. In all corners of New York there were protests, particularly in New York, protests that continue to push for defunding of the NYPD.

    Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the second edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.

    Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in the Capital District, with a drone montage from Zach Culver, covering the venues we long to return to, sooner, rather than later.

    Manhattan and Brooklyn – photos by Joseph Buscarello

    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

    Hudson Valley – photos by Mickey Deneher

    Saranac Lake – photos by Pete Mason

    Long Island – photos by Andrew Camera

    Rochester – photos by Brian Ferguson

    Plattsburgh – photos by Jerry Cadieux

    Manhattan – photos by Jamie Huenefeld

    Utica – photos courtesy of The Stanley Theatre

    Port Chester – photos by Chad Anderson

    Ithaca – photo by Casey Martin

    Lake Placid – photos by Pete Mason

    • Paul White Memorial Band Shell
    • Palace Theatre

    Long Island – photos by Rob Tellerman

    Tarrytown and Peekskill – photos by Steve Malinski

    Buffalo – photos by Zachary Todtenhagen