NYS Music 202​0

Category: Brooklyn

  • Cousin Earth To Release New Single “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese”

    On June 1, Cousin Earth will release their new single worldwide for their newest song, “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese.”  The track, which was recorded last summer and mixed and mastered in quarantine will be available on all streaming platforms and accompanied by an absurdist video featuring the individual band members in quarantine. The video debuts three days early at Noon on Friday, May 29 via Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and NYSMusic.com, along with an audio pre-release on Cousin Earth’s Bandcamp.

    That night, band will also stream an online Zoom meeting dubbed “Bacon, Cat Food & Chill” at 8pm on Monday, June 1, with special guests expected, and hosted by Wendy LaManque of The Whistles.

    The song, clocking in at nearly 8 minutes, showcases all the things fans have come to love about Cousin Earth: layered vocal harmonies, extended improvisation, and humorous lyrics.  “Bacon, Cat Food & Cheese” recently entered the band’s repertoire, juxtaposing a down tempo funk song with an upbeat dance-jam vehicle.  It was also featured in several shows as a quirky but party-hard late set jammer.

    The lyrical concept started as an inside joke, that became a meme, that became a ridiculous song about the internal strife of eating a sandwich that could definitely be better.  At a time when so much is uncertain in the world, Cousin Earth took a silly moment from tour and turned it into a metaphor about life that seems all-too-fitting right now.  Without gigs to support them, this Zappa-esque project shows no remorse in pointing out the absurdity in our current isolation as a society.

    “Bacon Cat Food & Cheese” was written by Cousin Earth and recorded at Call Hollow Studios in Pomona, NY.  in the summer of 2019 with engineering by Matthew Einsidler and Ryan Liatsis.

  • PEAK releases a unique psych-funk fusion sound with “Hot Clips Volume 1”

    Based out of Brooklyn, indie-funk artist PEAK is eroding the border between techno and funk with their new album Hot Clips Volume 1.  The collection is PEAK’s latest release that explores a wide array of emotion, and doubles as something techno-funk and indie enthusiasts look to for a unique fusion of both worlds.  Imagine as if you’re riding in a ship through a space galaxy, and you entered into a psychedelic time travel where influences of authentic 60’s bands and modern funk-rock combine seamlessly; PEAK would be the pilot of this ship and the realm is Hot Clips Volume 1.

    The album takes off with “What It Is About Her,” a track that’s experimental right off the bat with a techno beat growing into a full acoustic drum sound.  The vocals join the steady instrumental flow, and provide as a comforting blanket through exploring emotion about a girl.  Throughout the track, the band proves their unique dynamic changes with the blend of rock and bright electro-synth solos.  PEAK is able to take you on a comfortable roller coaster, with the peak (no pun intended) being the psychedelic journey track “Baromtric Pressure,” followed by the funky feel-good track “Win Some, Lose Some” that brings you back down to earth.  Once you start the adventure of listening to Hot Clips Volume 1, it’s hard to snap out of the attractive trance brought on by the upbeat dance beats and wild keyboard solos.

    Hot Clips Volume 1 is the launch of a live series from PEAK featuring Jeremy Hilliard on guitar on vocals (Turbine), Kito Bovenschulte on Drums (Particle), Josh T. Carter on Bass (Hayley Jane and the Primates) and Johnny Young on keys and vocals (Mick Taylor, Artimus Pyle). PEAK released their debut studio album Electric Bouquet (produced by Dave Brandwein of Turkuaz) in 2018, and have since since been steadily touring to perform at prominent venues, and releasing music for everyone to enjoy.  

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DhBH9p4yz/

    Written over a period of time from Fall 2019 to Winter 2020 during tour, this collection of songs were some of the band’s favorite jams until they were solidified with the help of keyboardist and mixing engineer Johnny Young.  With all of these great influences brought to one table, the band was able to bring these jams to life and capture their emotion while maintaining a fun techo vibe.

    Key Tracks: What It Is About Her, Baromtric Pressure, Wild Ride, Can’t Love Somebody

  • Teddy Midnight release “My Eyes” off upcoming EP “Airdnb’

    Nearly two years after the release of their last studio effort, Teddy Midnight has announced an all-new EP with Airdnb, due out May 29. The first single, “My Eyes,” was released this past week and is group’s first collection to be produced, recorded, and mixed entirely in their new Brooklyn studio. 

    The forthcoming EP is a departure from the disco/house sound of their last release, French Press from 2018, and explores producers Sean Silva and Adam Magnan’s influence from the rhythms of drum n bass, jungle, and hip-hop. The trio spent the past year and a half writing and recording using vintage synths and live instrumentation as the basis for the record. Over the course of the EP’s 5 tracks, the group navigates new sonic territory to bring break-neck tempos and fresh atmosphere to their already diverse repertoire. Guest vocalists Lars Viola and David Schnurman are featured on two separate tracks with instrumentals filling the three remaining spots. 

    Additionally, the band has debuted a music video for “My Eyes,” in which each member performs via a digital video conference call. The video was recorded during the eighth week of COVID-19 quarantine in New York City.

    The single “My Eyes” features New York City rapper Lars Viola in his first collaboration with the group. As the name Airdnb would suggest, the hip-hop track showcases the Teddy Midnight take on drum n bass grooves while leaving plenty of space for MC Lars to paint a picture of a stressful world in need of sweet release from everyday anxieties. His thoughtful discourse is driven by live drums and capped off with impassioned synth work by keyboard player Danny Caridi.

    Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Teddy Midnight is working to reschedule their postponed spring tour dates with more fresh music to come. After successful winter dates with jamtronica leaders The New Deal and others, newly scheduled shows will highlight material from Airdnb and continue to feature their ever expanding live-production sound. 

  • Lorelle Meets the Obsolete at Rough Trade NYC

    Lorelle Meets the Obsolete hail from Guadalajara, Mexico and have been releasing psychedelic post-punk since their debut, On Welfare, back in 2011. The band consists of primary members Lorena Quintanilla and Alberto González who come together to create walls of dystopian noise they dub “pattern music.”

    Lorelle Meets The Obsolete at Rough Trade NYC – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band came through Rough Trade NYC this past Monday for the first show of a tour supporting Berlin goth-rockers The Underground Youth. The tour was supposed to be centered around various appearances at the now cancelled SXSW festival in Austin, but will continue into April with stops all across North America.

    Lorelle Meets The Obsolete at Rough Trade NYC – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The show started with the opening track “Ana” from LMTO’s fantastic 2019 release De Facto. The song starts from nothing and slowly builds into haunting vocal mantras and waves of heavily distorted guitars. It’s a dark, brooding track the set an ominous mood for the rest of the show. The band would play about half of the new record and also included other tracks such as “Waves Over Shadows” and “Eco Echo” from 2016s Balance. The band delivered a dense 9-track set filled with extended psych jams and lengthy outros that the showed the group feeding off each other’s energy.

    Lorelle Meets The Obsolete at Rough Trade NYC – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Last October, LMTO released a remix of the De Facto track “Unificado” by Pye Corner Audio – check that out HERE. Catch them on tour throughout March and early April and be on the lookout for more remix singles.

  • Papadosio to Launch Microdosio Tour at Brooklyn Bowl on Wednesday

    North Carolina jam act Papadosio will be touring with their new Microdosio project this spring. The first night of tour is to be held at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY this Wednesday, March 11. They’ll head down the coast and then up through the Midwest, ending with doubleheaders in Grand Rapids, MI in April and Pittsburgh, PA in May.

    “Microdosio is a brand new show with a small stage plot and a huge sound. We are exploring new sonic territory by shrinking our gear to focus on synths, samplers, drum machines, and loopers, all played along with the live instruments you know and love. Expect new material and old favorites as we take this tiny universe on the road this spring! Thanks for letting us experiment.”

    – Papadosio

    The band tested the new material at a couple shows, and created a preview video which can be viewed HERE.  For more videos and tour news, connect with Papadosio on Facebook. Tickets are on sale now.

    microdosio

    Paradosio – The Microdosio Tour 2020

    March 11th, 2020 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY

    March  13th, 2020 – XL Live – Harrisburg, PA 

    March 14th, 2020 – Ballhooter Festival

    March 15th, 2020 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA 

    March 20th, 2020 – Pour House – Charleston, SC 

    March 21st, 2020 – Pour House – Charleston, SC 

    April 3rd, 2020 – Union Stage – Washington, DC

    April 4th, 2020 – Union Stage – Washington, DC 

    April 10th, 2020 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

    April 11th, 2020 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL 

    April 17th, 2020 – Elevation Room – Grand Rapids, MI

    April 18th, 2020 – Elevation Room – Grand Rapids, MI

    May 1st, 2020 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA

    May 2nd, 2020 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA

  • In Focus: Terrapin Family Band Shines at Brooklyn Bowl

    There’s something amazing about the music of the Grateful Dead; it is a catalog of songs that has spoken to music fans for generations. It’s a collection of music that, since the 2015 Fare Thee Well shows in Chicago, has exploded, ushering in a new generation of musicians that are carrying the torch of the Grateful Dead Family. These songs are the only collection of music in the world that has a whole scene based around it. One that is growing around the next generation of musicians covering, experimenting and paying tribute to this amazing catalog. Since its formation, The Terrapin Family Band is one of the top bands doing this and has brought a new and fun sound to this music that has new and old Deadheads alike excited for whats new and what’s next.

    Thursday night this remarkably talented group of musicians brought their take on The Dead catalog to the intimate Brooklyn Bowl. The band, led by Grahame Lesh, also includes Ross James, Alex Koford, Jason Crosby, Elliot Peck, and Nathan Grahame, treated Deadheads to two sets of classics like “Bertha,” “New Minglewood Blues,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “The Other One.” But It was the addition of the TAB horns of James Casey and Natalie Cressman on songs like “Dancing in the Street” and “Brokedown Palace” that show why this music is thriving again – it’s moments like this when the next generation of musicians are taking these classic songs and throwing their vision and musical style into the mix. It’s moments like this that show the magic of the Grateful Dead and why the Terrapin Family Band is so much more than a cover band, they are the leaders in this movement that’s reminding all music fans that family is what the Grateful Dead community is all about.

    Keep an eye out for more upcoming dates, and hopefully some festival appearances from the band this summer. And don’t be surprised if most of this band will be at The Capitol Theatre next weekend joining in the celebration at Phil Lesh’s 80th Birthday Party.

  • Spiritual Rez Summer Tour brings Reggae Funk group to NY in June

    Boston’s Spiritual Rez has announced nine summer tour dates for 2020. The band will embark on a run of shows that will take them from the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, with three stops in New York, including the North Country River Jam in Champlain, The Colony in Woodstock and Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. They’ll also make stops in their hometown of Boston, and kick things off on June 4 at Mountain Music Festival in Minden, WV.

    Tour dates and more information can be found at spiritualrez.com

    Spiritual Rez 2020 Summer Tour

    June 04 Minden WV – Mountain Music Festival

    June 05 Harrisburg, PA – The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Co.

    June 06 Champlain, NY – North Country River Jam

    June 07 Woodstock, NY – The Colony

    June 10 Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room

    June 11 Brattleboro, NH – The Stone Church

    June 12 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair

    June 13 Wakefield, RI – Ocean Mist

    June 14 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory


  • Brooklyn’s Nicole Mercedes shares Dream-Pop single “Stoop”

    Nicole Mercedes, the Brooklyn-based dream-pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, has shared the debut single “Stoop” from her sophomore album Look Out Where You’re Going, due in April 2020.

    Mercedes tells Atwood Magazine about the meaning of the track, saying, “This is a song about embracing the feeling of loneliness, about those summer nights where all you’re looking for is a distraction, and a rotating door of friends and strangers to drink with, talk with, make out with. The stoop is my favorite place to do that because things are constantly happening around you and you can kind of just sit there drinking some wine in your slippers, passively being a part of the landscape.”

    The forthcoming album is a collaboration with producer Joe Rogers (Laura Stevenson, Rubblebucket) and Deer Tick’s Andy T. Mercedes performs all compositions and arrangements on the LP, and with Rogers has created a sound that is both equally pop and haunting all at once. Mercedes’ previous projects include Debbie Downer and Flocke, but her solo endeavor sets forth a whole new era of lush, cinematic, sex-positive, feminist, self-aware songs.

    Mercedes performs next at The Sultan Room on March 19 in Brooklyn. Get tickets here.

  • Man Forever aka Kid Millions presents ‘The Accident’ at Roulette on February 28

    On February 28, 2018, at 4:00 am, drummer John Colpitts was nearly killed. Colpitts, a founding member of Oneida and a prolific Brooklyn percussionist also known as Kid Millions and Man Forever, was in Los Angeles traveling to the airport when he was involved in an accident. His car was struck at high speed and the accident was so serious that it took him out of commission for five months before he eventually picked up his drumsticks and returned to his instrumental passion.

    Two years later to the day, Roulette will present the US premiere of a narrative performance by Colpitts that explores pain, recovery, transcendence and a return to life and art. Known for his intense playing style and fervent live performances, Colpitts will perform solo with drums, adopting the modes of Laurie Anderson and Spalding Gray to evoke the question: How does one truly recover from an accident when your body is changed forever?

    kid millions the accident

    With drums and narration from John Colpitts and directed by Mark Armstrong, the performance at Roulette starts at 8pm on Friday, February 28, 2020. Marking the US premiere of this narrative performance, Colpitts explores the car accident that nearly ended his life and its aftermath. Tickets are available .

    A composer, drummer, writer, and educator based in Brooklyn, John Colpitts performs under the moniker Man Forever and Kid Millions. Named one of the 100 Greatest Drummers in Alternative Music by Spin Magazine in 2001, he founded and plays drums in Oneida, People of the North, and Man Forever. 

    Founded in 1978 at the height of the NYC downtown experimental arts revolution, Roulette Intermedium is now a state-of-the-art performing arts venue, presenter, and producer of new and experimental music, dance, and intermedia. In 2011, Roulette moved into its current 400-seat, renovated 1927 art deco theater in Downtown Brooklyn. In 2019-20, Roulette will present 120 performances and special events and will also host 125 organizations through our Community Services Program, featuring partnerships with over 70 diverse Brooklyn institutions.    

  • Kamasi Washington Delivers Jazz Master Class at Kings Theatre

    Kamasi Washington and his band came through Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre this week as part of his latest round of winter tour dates. Although there has not been new music since 2018s critically acclaimed double LP, Heaven and Earth, Kamasi just released a film, Kamasi Washington Live at the Apollo Theater, on Amazon Prime Video. The live film was recorded at Kamasi’s show at the Harlem theater on February 23, 2019.

    Watch the excerpt for “Street Fighter Mas” HERE.
    Kamasi Washington Kings Theatre
    Kamasi Washington at Kings Theatre – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The show opened with a short R&B and Soul DJ set from Natasha Diggs. Natasha paid homage to many late artists with her set; music filled the room as fans filed into their seats. The setting was a perfect fit for Kamasi’s music, and the first thing he said when the band took the stage was in admiration the beautiful theater.

    Kamasi Washington Kings Theatre
    Kamasi Washington at Kings Theatre – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Flanked by two drum sets, Kamasi stood center stage and dove straight into “Street Fighter Mas” from Heaven and Earth. When the band plays live, they tend to only play five or six songs, but extend them with solos and improvs to fill a nearly two-hour set. Both drummers took their turn during the show, delivering very different drum solos, accompanied by two separate solos on upright bass.

    After the first song, Kamasi introduced his father, Rickey Washington, on stage who continued to play flute and soprano saxophone for the rest of the night. The father and son stood side by side. The chemistry between them could be felt across the theater.

    Kamasi Washington Kings Theatre
    Kamasi Washington at Kings Theatre – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The main set ended with a lengthy rendition of “Fists of Fury,” which featured soaring vocals from singer Patrice Quinn. There were several movements during the performance of this track, but the final solo of the night was reserved for Kamasi on tenor. The man is a master on the saxophone and his solo ended with a standing ovation from the audience, followed by a reprise of the epic conclusion. It was the most powerful moment, ending the show with a thunderous finish.

    Kamasi Washington Kings Theatre
    Kamasi Washington at Kings Theatre – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    In addition to the live film, Kamasi released the stand alone track “The Bombshell’s Waltz,” earlier this month also on Amazon Music. The band is just beginning this stretch of live dates, which continue across North America until a final show on March 12 in San Antonio – see the full itinerary HERE.