Category: NYC Metro

  • Daryl Hall & John Oates Announce 2020 Tour

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Daryl Hall and John Oates have just announced that they will be on the road once again this spring and summer for a North American Tour. British rockers Squeeze and Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall along for the ride.

    A series of random warm-up dates in will span February, March and May before the proper tour begins. Those stops will include a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 28.

    The official tour for the best selling duo begins on May 29 and will make 32 stops along the way. Three stops in New York will include St.Joseph’s Amphitheater in Syracuse on July 30, Northwell Health at Jones Beach on Aug. 25 and finally SPAC on Aug. 31.

    Fans will be delighted to know that Hall & Oates will focus the set on their huge pop hits like “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl,” “Maneater,” and “You Make My Dreams.” Hall & Oates expressed how excited they were to revisit their timeless hits in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

    “I feel a professional responsibility to play the songs that people want to hear,” Oates says. “They are the songs that have made us who we are. We have a lot of them. The only problem is we have too many of them, but that’s a problem that many artists would love to have.”

    “A few years back we had a big show where we didn’t play ‘Private Eyes’ for some reason,” says Hall. People got pissed off. They got angry at us. You can’t do that. You have to play these songs.”

    Tickets go on sale Friday for all tour dates and can be purchased by clicking here.

    Hall & Oates 2020 Tour Dates

    *  w/ Squeeze
    ^ w/ KT Tunstall

    Feb. 26– Giant Center – Hershey, PA *
    Feb. 28 – Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY *^
    Mar. 21 – Fantasy Springs Resort – Indio, CA
    Mar. 27 – Neal S. Blaisdell Center – Honolulu, HI
    Mar. 29 – Maui Arts & Cultural Center – Kahului, HI
    May 15 – Foxwoods – Mashantucket, CT
    May 16 – Foxwoods – Mashantucket, CT
    May 23 – HoagieNation – Philadelphia, PA * (Presale starts Wednesday 1/22)
    May 29 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA *^
    May 31 – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, CA *^
    June 3 – Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center – Portland, OR *^
    June 5 – White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA *^
    June 7 – Toyota Amphitheatre – Wheatland, CA *^
    June 10 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA *^
    June 12 – Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ *^
    June 14 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO *^
    June 17 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX *^
    June 19 – Germania Insurance Amphitheatre – Austin, TX *^
    June 21 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX *^
    July 10 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON *^
    July 12 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH *^
    July 14 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH *^
    July 16 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN *^
    July 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – Chicago, IL *^
    July 20 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI *^
    July 22 – Ruoff Music Center – Noblesville, IN *^
    July 24 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – St. Louis, MO *^
    July 26 – American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Milwaukee, WI *^
    July 28 – S&T Bank Music Park – Pittsburgh, PA *^
    July 30 – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview – Syracuse, NY *^
    Aug.13 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA *^
    Aug.15 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL *^
    Aug.18 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC *^
    Aug. 20 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA *^
    Aug. 22 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD *^
    Aug. 25 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY *^
    Aug. 27 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ *^
    Aug. 29 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA *^
    Aug. 31 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY *^
    Sept. 2 – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion – Gilford, NH *^

  • NYC Winter Jazz Marathon Takes Over Brooklyn and the Bowl

    The NYC Winter Jazz Fest rolled on with the Jazz Fest Marathon, which included 6 venues in Brooklyn with a myriad of jazz verticals. One ticket was accepted at any location, allowing fans to customize their music experience. This review will focus on coverage from the legendary Brooklyn Bowl, located on the waterfront in Williamsburg.

    Kendra Morris

    Singer-songwriter Kendra Morris and her four-piece band kicked off the festivities with their “soul meets indie” jazz sound. Most of their material was originals written by Morris, and soul-fully executed by her adept band. Her beautiful voice electrified the crowd when she belted out the classic Pink Floyd tune “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

    Felix Pastorius and Hipster Assassins

    Felix Pastorius, son of jazz legend Jaco Pastorius, and Hipster Assassins, his experimental bass-driven jazz band, was up next. Their eclectic mix of a guitar, bass, drums and saxophone raised the bar of modern jazz. Their free flowing sound yielded a creative and fresh take on the classic jazz tune, “Butter Biscuit.”

    Kung Fu

    Following Pastorius was Kung Fu, the Connecticut-based jazz group led by guitarist Tim Palmieri, who delivered non-stop funk for the people. Their intense set included a nice groove and contagious stage energy between the band members. Palmieri’s performance was nothing short of legendary, diving on his knees and playing off the energy of the crowd. The band hit a high note during the cover of the jazz classic “Birdland.”

    DJ Logic

    The evening wrapped up with a late night performance by DJ Logic and friends, supported by Billy Martin and Shanir Blumenkranz. This set was filled with beats and scratching, care of DJ Logic. The organic percussion of Martin and the various string instruments played by Blumenkranz created a perfect harmony with the digital elements.

    Tim Palmieri of Kung Fu

    Overall, the NYC Winter Jazz Fest Marathon was a delightful way to enjoy a number of bands under one or more roofs, depending on the tastes of the listener. Head on over to their website for more information about future Jazz Fests.

  • NYC Concert to Commemorate 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

    The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center, the UJA-Federation of New York, and The New York Board of Rabbis will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz with a concert  celebrating the resilience of Jewish music and culture on Monday, January 27, 2020.

    Liberation of Auschwitz

    The concert, organized by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, will feature renowned violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman; The Klezmer Conservatory Band; klezmer icons Hankus Netsky, Andy Statman, Frank London, and Lorin Sklamberg; Tovah Feldshuh; Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot; Director Joel Grey and the cast and orchestra of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, with musical director Zalmen Mlotek; and HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, with musical director Matthew Lazar. Additionally, the concert will feature a keynote address by Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of The New York Board of Rabbis.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZoGz0EWPY0

    On January 27, 1945, Allied troops entered the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, liberating the more than 7,000 prisoners. More than 1.1 million people had already died in Auschwitz – nearly one million of whom were Jews.

    The concert will commemorate that anniversary – which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day – and underscore the commitment of the Jewish community to never forget and to continue the struggle against antisemitism and all forms of racial and ethnic hatred.

    “The liberation of Auschwitz on January 27 represents the end of one the darkest chapters in our world’s history and a reckoning for humanity,” said Bruce Ratner, Chairman of the Board at the Museum of Jewish Heritage –A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “On this day we commemorate the Holocaust—a genocide in which 6 million Jews were murdered and millions of other victims of Nazism. Their memories must never be forgotten. This event will celebrate spiritual resistance and heroism in the face of evil, and serve as a unifying moment to insist, ‘never again.’ As we reflect on the past, we must do everything within our power to ensure a future in which we resist all forms of antisemitism, hostility, and bigotry to prevent a recurrence of the horrors of the Holocaust. We must not allow history to repeat itself.”

    The concert will take place at 7:00 PM at Temple Emanu-El, 1 East 65th Street (entrance on Fifth Avenue between East 65th and 66th Streets) in New York CIty. General admission tickets are $54, and reserved seating is $180. Due to limited seating, tickets will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Tickets and additional information can be found here..

    Produced by Moishe Rosenfeld, founder of Golden Land Concerts, the concert features Bonnie Stein of GOH Productions as production manager, and Zalmen Mlotek as artistic director.

  • Umphrey’s Mcgee Kick Off 2020 With an Electric Show at The Beacon Theatre

    It was cold in the Beacon and the lights were low. Spirits were high, as masses of Umphrey’s McGee fans piled into the Beacon Theatre, shaking off those winter blues with some good ol’ fashioned rock n roll.

    umphrey's mcgee Beacon Theatre
    Photo by Zach Culver

    Umphrey’s started off their tour, playing their first show of 2020 in NYC at The Beacon Theatre. They returned Friday night, then played Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl. Friday night featured an afterparty with Doom Flamingo at Sony Hall. Saturday’s after Party was also held at Sony Hall and featured Supernatural Beings with Jake as a special guest.

    They wasted no time and played a first first set starting with Unsung Hero > Jajunk > Ocean Billy. The first set escalated quickly and stayed at an eclectic high with a triumphant finish with special guest Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo sitting in on vocals on Anthem by Rush!

    umphrey's mcgee Beacon Theatre
    Photo by Zach Culver

    Second set opened up with an intro by Stasik of a champion of Jam On fantasy football quickly followed by Suxity> Jajunk, Breaker, Wappy Sprayberry (featuring a Jumping Jack Flash jam)! The second set was of to a hell of a start and seemed to escalate through the end, ending the second set with It Doesn’t Matter.

    The encore proved to be well worth the wait, The Weight Around actually followed by The Silent Type which featured a Crazy Train jam.
    What a way to start the year for Umphrey’s Mcgee.

    umphrey's mcgee Beacon Theatre
    Photo by Zach Culver

    Set 1: Unsung Hero >  JaJunk >  Ocean Billy,  Speak Up, Wizard Burial Ground>  Deeper >  Den >  Wizard Burial Ground,  Anthem.

    Set 2: Suxity >  JaJunk,  Breaker,  Wappy Sprayberry> Mulche’s Odyssey,  Half Delayed >  It Doesn’t Matter.

    Encore: The Weight Around >  The Silent Type.


    Photos by Zach Culver of Zatchmo Lives Media

  • Governors Ball Announces 10th Year Lineup

    Governors Ball Music Festival has released its 2020 lineup, returning for the 10th year to Randall’s Island Park in New York City, the festival will take place Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.

    To celebrate the milestone, over 65 acts are slated to take the stage including: Tame Impala, Flume, Vampire Weekend, Stevie Nicks, Solange and Miley Cyrus. Joining the all-star lineup is Missy Elliott in her first NYC headlining performance in over ten years. There will also be surprise pop-up performances from local subway and street performers, as in years past.

    governors ball 10th year
    Governors Ball 10th year lineup

    Tickets are on sale now, including a festival pass to the entire event. The three day GA and VIP tickets, including payment plan options, HERE.

    Check out Missy Elliott’s newest single “Why I Still Love You”.

  • Life of Ravi Shankar To Be Celebrated in Centennial Series

    The life of classical music composer and sitar virtuoso, Ravi Shankar, will be commemorated throughout the month of May, in celebration of 100 years since his birth on April 7, 1920. Shankar – who passed away in 2012 – is widely recognized as a pioneer in Indian and Hindustani classical music who popularized the use of Indian music in pop culture.

    A five-time Grammy-winner, Shankar is also known for his humanitarian work, being awarded with India’s highest civilian honor – the Bharat Ratna – in 1999. His daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, are both accomplished musicians in their own right, with the former being a nine-time Grammy-winning Jazz composer, and the latter, a respected sitar player.

    The Ravi Shankar Centennial Concerts will feature guest-stars, Philip Glass, Dhani Harrison (son of Beatles lead-guitarist George Harrison), an orchestra composed of Shankar’s disciples, as well as his daughters. United States concert tour dates and ticket information can be found below. A centenary concert is also scheduled in New Delhi, India, for November.


    May 16 – San Diego Civic Center – San Diego, CA (fundraiser for Shanktar Foundation)

    May 19 – Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA (w/ Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar)

    May 22 – Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Chicago, IL

    May 29 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY. (w/ Philip Glass)


    For detailed information regarding Ravi Shankar Centennial Concerts, CLICK HERE.

  • Wale Proves Everything is Fine at Brooklyn Steel

    Ever since Washington D.C. based rapper Wale released his debut album Attention Deficit in 2009, he’s had a steady output of biennial records. In October of 2019, Wale out put his latest release, Wow… That’s Crazy, on Warner Records and has been touring behind it ever since. The ‘Wow… That’s Crazy‘ tour made its way to Brooklyn Steel on January 15, with support from Yowda and DJ Money.

    Wale opened the show with one of his biggest hits – “Lotus Flower Bomb,” off his sophomore release Ambition. Miguel’s opening verse on the track served as Wale’s introduction on stage, and the capacity crowd burst out with energy. They were in full-throat the entire show, singing along to every track without missing a single beat. The fans that showed up Wednesday night spared no moment to express their admiration for Wale and his music.

    Wale was in firm command of the stage and kept the energy at a high level the entire show. Emphatically bouncing back and forth across the stage, he frequently allowed the fans to sing over his beats, creating a very engaging and intimate performance. Wale’s music attracts people of all ages and backgrounds and that was confirmed just by looking around. In the security pit alone there were young teens, boomer-aged adults and even a group of uniformed NYPD who came inside to catch a bit of the show themselves.

    Wale at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The show concluded with the track “On Chill” off Wow… That’s Crazy, allowing Wale to display his rap talents one more time before saying good night. This is the second leg of the tour behind the new record and shows continue through the end of February with the last stop at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, MI.

  • Brooklyn Podcast Festival invades NYC Next Week Jan. 22-26.

    The third ever Brooklyn Podcast Festival, produced by City Farm Presents, will be held next week, January 22-26, 2020 in Brooklyn. Featuring more than 15 podcasts over five days, the festival will be hosted between three venues – The Bell House, Union Hall, and BRIC House.

    Brooklyn Podcast Festival

    The 2020 Brooklyn Podcast Festival features established, as well as up-and-coming shows, including: An Evening With Osiris, Featuring Goose with hosts Phish songwriter, Tom Marshall and RJ Bee; The Bowery Boys hosted by Thomas Meyers and Gregory Young; The Bechdel Cast with Jamie Loftus & Caitlin Durante; Secret Keepers Club hosted by Girl Code’s Carly Aquilino and Netflix’s Emma Willmann; as well as NPR’s Ask Me Another with hosts Ophira Eisenberg and “in-house musician” Jonathan Coulton with their special guest, HBO’s Ben Sinclair

    Visit City Farm Presents for tickets and more info.

  • The Allman Brothers’ 50th Anniversary Tribute Show Unite at MSG in March.

    The Brothers, also known as the surviving members of The Allman Brothers Band, are set to perform a tribute at Madison Square Garden(MSG) for the bands 50th anniversary, to take place on March 10.

    The Brothers are made up of Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones, with Duane Trucks, Reese Wynans, and Chuck Leavell. Although there are no Allman’s attached to the end of any names, this tribute is about honoring the band, Duane, Gregg, Berry and Butch, and the great music they created. 

    Jaimoe Johanson is the drummer, Warren Haynesis and Derek Trucks are on guitarist, Oteil Burbridge backs the  bass, and Marc Quinones on percussion. All support the last Allman lineup and are the surviving members of the band, minus Betts who “had prior commitments that prevented him from attending,” said his manager, David Spero, according to Rolling Stone’s article.

    Duane Trucks, Derek’s brother and the nephew of late Allman founding drummer Butch, will be filling in on drums. Reese Wynans will be playing organ, known for being in the pre-Allman band, Second Coming. Chuck Leavell will be joining as a pianist, a former member of the band back in the Seventies.

    It’s undecided who will handle Allman’s vocals yet, but it is sure to be one hell of an anniversary show. The show will take place at 7:30pm and tickets are available directly from Madison Square Garden, or via Ticketmaster.

    For more information on The Brothers and their anniversary show for The Allman Brothers Band visit their website.

  • Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus! at Winter Jazz Fest; The Bogie Band Debuts

    Winter Jazz Fest continued at Brooklyn Bowl last night with the worldwide debut of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo. Opening for Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, this “no strings attached” powerhouse of wind instruments and drums featured Stuart Bogie on tenor sax fronting a nine-piece band: one flute (sometimes three), two saxophones (tenor and baritone), two trombones, two trumpets, one tuba, one percussion, and one octo-Russo on drums. One minute into the opening set, it became clearly evident that crossing the Verrazzano on a Sunday night after a long and exhausting weekend would be supremely worth it. Stuart Bogie has such an easy way about him, and he was perfectly comfortable on a stage he’s graced many times before, as this collection of Brooklyn’s finest musicians took the stage in front of an eager audience, both respectful and rabid in equal measure.

    Just as I was starting to recognize this local all-star troupe of musicians from Antibalas (Jordan McLean), Rubblebucket (Adam Dotson), and Reverend Vince Anderson’s Love Choir (Smoota, real name Dave Smith), the band toyed with a seemingly appropriate take on the All in the Family theme song. Bogie jumped back and forth between tenor sax and flute, while also playing band director on more than one occasion, both with the crowd and his eponymous band. At one point, he addressed the crowd, “You got one part. It’s to say hey. We’re going to cultivate and nurture a collective force. It could prove useful for more than just this song,” as he coaxed the crowd to join in a deep and guttural heyyy in time with the song’s climax. During a few softer moments, Russo moved from his signature savagery on the drum kit to a xylophone of sorts, stainless steel rectangles on an egg crate, highlighting the beauty of the quieter and more delicate jams. 

    While this debut set was highly anticipated, I perhaps underestimated how hard the music would coax me to dance and sweat. Stuart Bogie is a musician who creates and takes risks, and this one paid off hand over fist. As the 45-minute set came to its unfortunate end, the musicians left the stage single file, in a slow march to Russo’s waning bell play. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo, and feeling very grateful to have had the chance to write these words and cover this spectacular debut performance.

    Check out Headrush, Pt. 1, a recently released single on spotify, with a full album coming soon.

    Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus!, exploring the works of Jerry Garcia, Howard Wales and others, was the featured set of this Winter Jazz Fest installment. Another all-star cast of musicians featuring Stuart Bogie (tenor sax), Erik Deutsch (keys), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Dave Harrington (bass), Kevin Kendrick (vibraphone), Jordan McLean (trumpet), and Joe Russo (drums) recreated Jerry Garcia’s 1971 Hooteroll? album. As Russo would later explain after one of the + Plus! selections, “We’re going to play the whole Hooteroll? record plus. This last song was the Pherboney Love Theme, the first track off my new record. We wanted to intersperse the record with songs that make sense.” Um, good choice, Joe! 

    Last night’s set, and the album upon which it was based, was a master class in guitar-shreddy acid jazz, cut with blues and highly danceable rock ‘n roll, all set to the tempo of Russo and Harrington’s world class rhythm section. Erik Deustch played the role of Howard Wales, Garcia’s partner and mentor of sorts on this storied album, as he graced the crowd with the gorgeous sounds of his vintage Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3. Goldberger melted faces, as he is wont to do, with a variety of stunning solo work on both the electric and acoustic guitars. Kevin Kendrick’s contributions on the vibraphone gave the music an ethereal feel, soft and beautiful. If music satisfied the sense of touch, then Kendrick’s contribution was swathed in velvet. Bogie and McLean’s horn play was the bacon on this jam sandwich, making everything better as it occasionally stole the spotlight. Speaking of spotlights, there were none. Everyone shone. Focus may have drifted from one musician to the next as subtle flourishes highlighted this or that musician, only to realize that the full band was firing on all cylinders at all times. 

    Dave Harrington. Just… WOW. I mean, he’s a guitar player, and a bass is technically a guitar, but he rarely, if ever, plays bass. Maybe it’s like his secret talent. In fact, I don’t know of the last time (which doesn’t mean it didn’t happen) since April of 2017, when this same ensemble recreated Hooteroll? in Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre. Wait, …, what?!?! Dave Harrington may have stolen the show if this wasn’t such a collective project. Tucked behind Russo, he seemed to be soloing all night, never playing the same riff, as his fingers ran up and down the bass with unthinkable speed and dexterity. My hips could barely keep up as my jaw hung open. What he did last night was something special; when this guy picks up a bass again, miss it at your own peril!

    In addition to the awesome musicianship and shared love for Jerry Garcia and this incredible record, the level of trust in the room was a tangible phenomenon that was perhaps the defining factor that put last night’s show into the record books. Let’s remember that Russo, Kendrick, Deutsch and Goldberger all share history with Fat Mama. Harrington and Russo are regulars on the improvisational NYC circuit. Bogie and McLean both play in Antibalas. Bogie plays with JRAD from time to time. Everyone plays with everyone all over the local scene. The comfort and joy that these musicians shared was a joy to behold and manifested itself in every peak and, even more so, quiet valley. From the listener’s perspective, the crowd, too, displayed perfect trust, as we were patient, present, and secure in the knowledge that wherever the music took us is where we were supposed to be. And the band clearly enjoyed the crowd enjoying them, as the room’s energy was in a constant state of reciprocal motion.

    A hundred minutes later, at the culmination of yet another monster jam, Russo just shrugged and gave The Bogie Band mates an “I think we’re done here look,” returning to thunderous applause for a fifteen-minute encore that would bring the show to the two-hour mark, capping off this all-too-rare project for the ages.