In preparation for the release of his album The Atlas Underground, Tom Morello played 2 sold out shows at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge on October, 2, 2018.
For the first part of the show, Tom Morello was interviewed for almost an hour where he told stories about playing with Bruce Springsteen, meeting Chris Cornell for the first time, and shooting the music video for Rage Against the Machine’s “Sleep Now in the Fire,” where filmmaker and director Michael Moore was arrested. During the interview he also played his guitar solo from Audioslave’s “Like A Stone,” a song he wrote for Chris Cornell called “The Garden of Gethsemane,” and jammed along with Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley.”
Morello recently spoke to Rolling Stone about what it was like to play with Springsteen, in celebration of The Boss’ 71st birthday.
For the next part of the show, Tom let the audience hear The Atlas Underground in its entirety and gave a quick synopsis before every song about the featured guest and how the songs came to be.
The show concluded with Tom playing “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and inviting audience members on stage for a cover of “This Land is Your Land,” and concluded the show by playing “Killing in the Name” while the audience sang vocals.
Setlist: The Garden of Gethsemane Like a Stone Guitar Solo (Audioslave song) Mr. Crowley Jam (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
The Atlas Underground: Battle Sirens, Rabbit’s Revenge, Every Step I Take, We Don’t Need You, Find Another Way, How Long, Lucky One, One Nation, Vigilante Nocturno, Where It’s At Ain’t What It Is, Roadrunner, Lead Poisoning, The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen cover), This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie cover) (Fans brought on stage), Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine song)
Westside Gunn isn’t new to the music industry, with his first EP dating back to 2005. In that time, he has individually and collaboratively released over 20 projects. Yet, his latest LP — Who Made the Sunshine — (his first under Shady Records, a subsidiary of Interscope records) and what he claims will be his last ever, feels different and Westside Gunn is treating it differently.
From celebrating his Entertainment Weekly feature, to posting nostalgic pictures and videos of his journey, Westside Gunn displays a mixture of hubris and humility that comes with a certain level of ascendency.
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Over the past few years, we’ve seen the extravagant emcee and his Griselda cohorts slowly rise to mainstream stardom and it feels like the one they call “Fly God” is finally taking time out to revel in the fruits of his labor.
Only 3 more months left and I’m still at peace with my decision but this will be a dope 3 months I promise u that 🤲🏽🤲🏽 #FLYGOD
In the streaming era, lengthy waits between projects are no more, as this is his third project of the year. The first was the critically-acclaimed, Pray for Paris, which gained album of the year considerations. The second, was the more unassuming — but solid — Flygod Is an Awesome God 2. The last, an 11-track, 40-minute album that contains elements that are unique only to Westside Gunn.
The wrestling-themed song titles, unique and eye-catching covers, as well as the customary features. There are the usual suspects on Who Made the Sunshine, including Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine (who have a long-standing family history of appearing on each other’s projects), Detroit emcee and Griselda signee Boldy James and the self-titled “first lady” of Griselda, Armani Caesar.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CF2MejdFLF0/
Aside from his Griselda associates, Westside Gunn features hip hop legends the likes of: Black Thought, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and most surprising of all, Slick Rick. Recognized for his unique presentation, nothing is off the table for the Griselda head honcho and it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks to his retirement as a rapper once this much-anticipated album has been digested.
“Southern Winds” the new standalone single from NYC indie rocker Arsun, showcases a mature songwriting approach with nostalgic vintage aesthetics and an original style. Glide Magazine praised “Southern Winds” for effectively incorporating the sound of previous decades. Indie88 acknowledged the catchy instrumental that highlights Arsun’s gritty vocals.
Photo Cred: Tasmin Meyer Erashin
Arsun’s musical influence for “Southern Winds” comes from a combination of Phil Spector, Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice” and The Beach Boys. Arsun also used inspiration from Homer’s epic “The Odyssey” and popular music from the 1950s and 1960s. The influences help to highlight Arsun’s mature approach to songwriting at 21. Click here to listen to Southern Winds.
The main melody kind of just came out of the blue when I was messing around with some chords one day. I really liked them and thought they had kind of a special surreal sound. I made the lyrics try to kind of reflect that vibe.
Set + Voi, an Asian Electro-Pop Supergroup, debuts their first single “TMRW” on October 2, 2020. Set + Voi hopes that the song will help people to view Asian Americans in a different light than they are portrayed by in the media.
The supergroup is made up of Tony Nguyen of Wind Meets West, Mason Wong of VYZTA, and Ashley Chong of saenabi. The three piece band hails from Brooklyn and has worked completely remotely from each other, creating this song without having ever met each other in person. The supergroup formed during COVID- 19 through the Asian Creative Network, a community to connect and empower Asian creatives. Nguyen initiated the group’s formation by inviting Chong and Wong for a writing session.
The song “TMRW” became their first single after writing sections together where it was formed. Nguyen uses their producing and songwriting skills, Chong uses their lyrics and songwriting, led by poetry and personal narrative, and Wong’s expertise in EDM production make for music that combines emotional honesty and high-toned theatrical flair. Their different musical upbringings create a compelling mix that makes their music unique.
Nguyen spoke on the creation of “TMRW” saying, “I wrote this song about how immigrant parents sometimes can’t conceive a life outside ‘stability=happiness’, that a 9-5 is the only way to find your place in life. This song is for everyone on a nonstandard path in life, those who want to break out and live a different way than they were taught growing up.”
The name Set + Voi, means “set whale,” voi being Vietnamese for ‘whale.’ This name came into being after an inside joke between the band members referring to the whale-like sound that reverberates through their first single ‘TMRW.’
For more information on Set + Voi, visit their Instagram here and stay tuned for more from this supergroup.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Frank Sedita has ruled unconstitutional the State Liquor Authority to ban on advertising live music at venues and bars, and from promoting live ticketed events, after a Buffalo business challenged the new guidelines.
Sportsmens Tavern live music venue, pre-COVID.
Sportsmens Tavern, a music venue and bar in Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood, filed the lawsuit after Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with the SLA, announced that advertising any live show is to be prohibited.
“I was surprised when the judge announced the ban as unconstitutional because we filed the lawsuit five weeks ago,” said Jason Hall, the owners of Sportsmens’ son.
According to Hall, the SLA informed them it was okay to continue advertising and promoting even though the new guidelines said the exact opposite.
In this case, they filed an ’emergency hearing,’ because the ban immediately affected their business. Attorney Paul Cambria, a well-known western New York attorney, advised them to stay off of social media and continue their business as usual while they awaited the ruling.
This does not mean every venue in New York State should be relieved. While it was a NYS Supreme Court judge that decided to throw away the rules, his district in in Erie County, meaning the SLA can make an appeal at any time. They indicated that they are considering it.
“Only incidental music is permissible at this time. This means that advertised and/or ticketed shows are not permissible. Music should be incidental to the dining experience and not the draw itself. All other forms of live entertainment, such as exotic dancing, comedy shows, karaoke etc., are not permissible currently regardless of phase.”
SLA website previously stated.
In the meantime, live music at Sportsmens Tavern is thriving with a whole lineup featuring local artists this month.
The Buffalo News reports that the lawyer for Sportsmens Tavern asked the court, “What’s the difference on how you fill your place, whether a blue plate special or that the Nerds Gone Wild are going to play there? You still have to follow the safety regulations.
Justice Frank Sedita III agreed, saying the regulations seemed “not only excessive but also irrational” given the Covid-19 safety precautions that Sportsmen’s Tavern and other establishments must follow.
“Whether a Sportsmen’s patron is principally motivated by listening to ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ or eating a cheeseburger in Black Rock is a distinction without a difference if the (establishment) is enforcing occupancy limits, cleaning, disinfecting, mask wearing and social distancing,” Sedita said at Wednesday’s court hearing.
Joel Terragnoli, counsel for the State Liquor Authority, contended Sportsmen’s Tavern could advertise that it remains open to serve its customers food and beverages, and even that it generally offers live or recorded music as entertainment for its patrons.
But since Sportsmen’s Tavern “is not free to hold special musical events, it should not be free to advertise and sell tickets to do the same, and operate a live show/entertainment venue under the guise of running a bar and restaurant, particularly when all other such show and entertainment venues across the state remain closed for public health reasons,” Terragnoli said.
And even if able to offer live music at its establishment while enforcing social distancing measures, he said, Sportsmen’s Tavern “cannot make an end run around the current prohibition on the operation of show and other entertainment venues by operating its bar and restaurant as a concert hall.”
“This case is not so much about ensuring public safety as it is about the permissible limits of state power to regulate the speech and the conduct of its citizens,” Sedita said.
Trey Anastasio will hold a series of free live concerts from the Beacon Theatre, in partnership with MSG Entertainment. The Friday night series, dubbed The Beacon Jams, will kick off on October 9 at 8pm and run through November 27, featuring both acoustic and electric performances, as well as home audience interaction, with surprises in store. The series of performances will stream exclusively on Twitch, in partnership with Relix Magazine.
While each performance of The Beacon Jams is free, fans are encouraged to donate to the WaterWheel Foundation, and its new Divided Sky Fund (DSF). The proceeds will be used to deliver help to those affected by addiction and help further plans to open a treatment center in Vermont.
When we thought about playing the Beacon, I was reminded of the meaning of the word. A beacon is a beam of light, often from a lighthouse, which sends it out to sailors who are lost at sea and all alone. They look for the beacon and it guides them home. Sometimes gifts come wrapped in strange packages. A lot of this is thanks to Twitch and our friends and family at MSG Entertainment. When the idea to do these benefits was born, everybody at MSG Entertainment jumped in and partnered with us and the Divided Sky Fund, which is very kind of them. This is an opportunity for forward motion.
Trey Anastasio, on The Beacon Jams
The WaterWheel Foundation, created by Phish in 1997 to oversee the band’s charitable endeavors, partners with local non-profits while Phish is on tour, and partnering with national organizations during times of need, donating millions of dollars over the past 20+ years.
The Divided Sky Fund will focus on delivering quality care and compassionate treatment for those suffering from addiction. Fans will be encouraged to donate throughout the eight-week event; net proceeds from merchandise sales during The Beacon Jams will go directly to the DSF.
I’ve been sober for 13 years. It’s a great blessing in my life. We started talking about the idea of a treatment center about a year ago. I was worried that the project would get derailed because of the pandemic but it didn’t – it actually picked up steam; things are really rolling along now. The Beacon Jams emerged as a way to raise money for it while also allowing me to play for the fans again.
Trey Anastasio, on the Divided Sky Fund
Executive Vice President of MSG Entertainment, Darren Pfeffer spoke highly of the new series.
We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Trey on this very special and first-ever virtual residency at the Beacon Theatre to benefit two immensely important causes – the Divided Sky Fund and the WaterWheel Foundation. As we navigate the live music scene through this socially distant world, we couldn’t think of a more natural way to bring live music to so many fans for such a great cause. Trey’s connection not only with the Beacon Theatre, but with all our venues over the years, including Madison Square Garden, The Chicago Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall, have made this unique concept a perfect partnership.
Darren Pfeffer, Executive VP of MSG Entertainment
Twitch, a platform finding immense popularity in the last year due to the increase in streaming of online performances, also celebrated the partnership.
We could not be more excited to be part of this amazing partnership with Trey Anastasio and MSG Entertainment to help raise donations for such worthy causes. Twitch offers the same intimate experience that artists and their audiences have come to expect from live shows. Over the course of this virtual residency, fans of Trey and Phish will be able to attend performances from anywhere in the world, while feeling like they are right in the front row of the Beacon.
Will Farrell-Green, Head of Music Content at Twitch
Trey Anastasio has been busy since March, releasing numerous songs on his Instagram account, culminating with releasing an album featuring many of these songs, Lonely Trip. Anastasio was also the first in-studio musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in late August, performing alongside the Roots.
Experimental funk/jam legends Lettuce have issued an eye-catching official video for the instrumental “Silence Is Golden” off latest album, Resonate.
The colorful, animated storybook visual was created by the Los Angeles-based team at Black Balloon Media. The video is directed by Brad Strickman, produced by Shane Strickman and illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio.
Images from the video will be transformed into coloring book pages for fans to enjoy, with the first available to download here.
With this video, we want to take you on a visually stunning, colorful journey into a fantastic storybook-like world that invokes peace and inspires creativity. We want to make the connection resonate between ourselves, nature, and the spirit that binds us all together. Lett us present, ‘Silence is Golden.’
Lettuce Guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff.
Black Balloon Media previously worked on a video for Neil Young’s “Powderfinger,” which is what attracted Lettuce to work with the company, seeing a similar style and approach for “Silence is Golden”
Smirnoff connected with the Black Balloon Media team and advised them on the song’s themes of music and nature intertwining and connecting all of us. This also led to discussing having the band members animated in the video and playing their instruments within nature, creating a wide variety of scenes – not just one setting, but instead, in all of nature.
From there, as we do with all projects, we put together some boards and a treatment. There was a little back and forth on the style, colors, and look of the band members. We brought on Carolyn Arcabascio to do a lot of the illustrations. We love her watercolor, painterly style and it fit the direction very well. We had worked with her previously on an animated video for Palisades “Erase the Pain.”
Brad Strickman, Creative Director
With the team together and boards and treatment approved, the team started building shots and assembling an edit. Since “Silence is Golden” appropriately has no lyrics, the video was approached a little differently.
We didn’t have to worry about sync as much as you would with a song with wall to wall singing. We still wanted them to be playing correctly and in time, but we had some leeway. In fact, we built a lot of the scenes without them playing at first, and then as the edit got finalized, we animated them to be more in sync with the locked timing. This gave us more flexibility. As it came together we would send them updated versions. They were loving it, so minor adjustments along the way, handling any notes they had and polished it as we went.
Brad Strickman, Creative Director
“Working on the art, it was amazing to me how Lettuce’s music already felt so visual,” adds the video’s illustrator Carolyn Arcabascio. “You can just imagine the colors as the song goes from dreamy and trance-like to energetic and explosive. A total dream project for an illustrator.”
Brad Strickman, director, also shares, “We really enjoyed bringing this video to life for Lettuce and their management team. The song has such a great vibe and, right from the beginning, we loved their concept of nature and music connecting us all.”
The connection of nature to music is essential to understand. The sound of the leaves swaying in the soft breeze along with the crickets and birds singing, can be very inspiring. This song represents a quiet place that resides in all of our minds that can bring peace to our souls. Lettuce meditate to the golden silence.
Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch
Black Balloon Media, in addition to Lettuce and Neil Young, has worked with Linkin Park, Disturbed, Bebe Rexha, Prince, Neffex, Palisades, Bad Bunny and Stone Temple Pilots, among many others.
Resonate, Lettuce’s seventh studio album, is a sonic continuation of the acclaimed sextet’s 2019 GRAMMY Award-nominated album Elevate, which earned Lettuce their first collective nomination in the category of Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
On Resonate, Lettuce continue to be celebrated boundary-pushing innovators nearly three decades into their lauded career, blurring the lines and smashing it up with jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, hip-hop elements and a joyful, uplifting improvisational sound all their own. They also found inspiration from many of their idols, such as James Brown and Earth, Wind & Fire, for the new music. Resonate was helmed by esteemed producer and engineer Russ Elevado [D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu] and written and recorded during the same Colorado Sound Studio sessions for Elevate.
The Mid-Hudson Civic Center is not a particularly huge arena by normal standards, but the fact that it was less than half-full on this night made it seem that much bigger. This was a solid triple-bill of 1987 real metal – dubbed the ‘Hell on Wheels’ tour – featuring Helloween and Armored Saint, but headliners from the U.K., heavies Grim Reaper, had one hit single to their credit (“See You In Hell”), and that single success had not translated to arena-filling status for the Brits.
So the hall was not packed (a fact not helped by the fact that the much bigger British hard rockers Def Leppard was playing a gig a few hours north at the Glens Falls Civic Center that night), and frankly the audience that was there seemed to be present more for German newcomers/openers Helloween, there on their first US tour, and L.A. metal gods Armored Saint, who played the middle slot. This was a show that could have – and perhaps should have – been booked into The Chance around the corner.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
Helloween had a big buzz at the time with their ‘Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. I’ album, were already pulling big crowds in the UK and Europe, and years later are considered to be trailblazers for the epic, Power Metal sound which still packs halls in Europe. This night they were a new young metal band with something to prove, and hit the stage fast and heavy, and got the less-than-capacity crowd going immediately, despite the fact that the house lights didn’t go down until halfway through the second song.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
The band played a set full of songs from the then-current Keeper album, including “Future World” and the 13-minute epic “Helloween”, and were given a third-on-the-bill encore by the enthusiastic crowd, and played older song “How Many Tears” to wrap things up. The band seemed primed for much bigger things in 1987, and returned a year or two later to play packed halls with Anthrax in ’89, but mass success did not ensue, in the U.S. anyway.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
As tight and entertaining as Helloween were, this writer was there for band #2, west coast heavies Armored Saint. “March of the Saint” kicked their set off, and from there the Saint (singer John Bush, bassist Joey Vera, drummer Gonzo Sandoval and the late, great guitarist Dave Prichard) attacked the stage with enough energy to melt icebergs.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
At the time AS were promoting their third Chrysalis Records LP, ‘Raising Fear’, and played several tracks from that release, like “Human Vulture”, “Book of Blood”, and the killer “Chemical Euphoria”, but didn’t ignore older songs like “Long Before I Die” and “Can U Deliver”, all served up with sweaty, infectious energy.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
The set finished with the then-new record’s high-velocity, headbanging title track, “Raising Fear”, before the band were summoned for an encore, the even faster, heavier “Madhouse” from their debut record.
photo by Marc Kurtzner
Headliners Grim Reaper finished the night, and seemed to get less front-of-the-stage energy from the crowd than the first two bands had. GR were solid metal, singer Steve Grimmett had (and has) a mighty howl, and guitarist Nick Bowcott is no slouch, but the band seemed superlative after the more exciting first two bands, and they played an hour of shrieking metal, culminating in the inevitable “See You In Hell” before a dwindling crowd. That said, a fine night of pure metal, perhaps in a hall bigger than was warranted by the headline act.
LiveXLive, based out of New York City, is hosting the Vote Ready Festival livestream event on Oct. 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. The partnership of Atlantic Records’ ATL Votes Initiative, Elektra Music Group, and the voter outreach organization HeadCount will host the three-hour virtual event. The festival will be available to watch for free on LiveXLive’s site and apps.
The Vote Ready Festival will include special appearances from Jack Harlow, Jojo, and Why Don’t We, along with the featured performers listed above. LiveXLive’s has already seen abundant success with its “Music Lives On” festival series that launched back in May of this year. The series has included performances from 90 artists reaching over 165 million fans. In addition to livestream events, LiveXLive’s global platform elevates artists and celebrity voices to cover topics including music, comedy, and pop culture through videos and podcasts.
Music is a uniting force that we’ve watched bring the global village together during this pandemic and every other major movement in history. Joining forces with Atlantic Records on the ATL Votes initiative in association with Headcount to encourage Americans to vote is an important partnership as we head toward Election Day.
LiveXLive’s President Dermot McCormack
The goal of The Vote Ready Festival is to increase support for Headcount’s mission of encouraging fans to register and get out to vote with the help of artists. HeadCount is a non-profit organization that promotes participation in democracy through music, culture, and digital media. Headcount has already registered over 200,000 voters for the 2020 election.
ATL Votes, created by Atlantic Records, encourages voter registration by utilizing the labels’ roster of artists. ATL Votes has incorporated Headcount’s voter registration tools into Atlantic artist websites, email lists, and livestreams. Elektra Music Group, a sister label group of the Atlantic records subsidiaries, will also work closely with ATL Votes and Headcount to encourage fan participation in democracy.
Democracy–and in turn, our country–doesn’t function properly without full participation from its citizens. We are very fortunate to have incredible artists, managers, and partners like Elektra Music Group, Warner Records, HeadCount, and LiveXLive to work alongside us in executing a truly special event we are all proud to be a part of.”
Nick Harvey, Atlantic Records’ Director of Digital Marketing
Brooklyn’s electronic music duo Bottler released “Soft Winds,” their first single off their newest EP Grow, set to release on October 9. The collaboration with Samurai Velvet captures the mesmerizing beauty of the tropics’ ambiance with lyrics about reclaiming power in relationships.
Photo by Rick Perez
After working on different projects for years, lifelong friends Pat Butler and Phil Shore founded Bottler in 2017. Their strong emotional bond has allowed them to make musical discoveries together and explore their creative chemistry. The two break the boundaries of conventional music and represent true creative freedom. They don’t limit themselves to a single genre or form, and experiment with indie, dance, and electropop with acoustic, digital, and analog instrumentation. Their unique style is inspired by the vibrant Brooklyn music scene. Bottler’s artistic inspiration combines the past, present, and future of music.
This blending of style is truly present in “Soft Winds,” which captures the feeling and sounds of nature’s beauty. Bottler says that “the song materialized in a day” on a trip to the tropics. “The goal was to capture the feeling of being in awe at the beauty of nature around us.” “Soft Winds” transports you to a place of tranquility with its blend of the electronic and the natural.
The track shows all the wonder of Bottler’s personality blended together with vocals from Samurai Velvet’s Saige Smith. As good friends with Bottler, Samurai Velvet “were moved and eager to collaborate” after hearing the track. Smith’s voice and lyrics stand out in the track, as she sings about reclaiming personal power after infidelity. The message of inner strength matches perfectly with the everyday quality of Bottler’s instrumentals. Surrounded by nothing but nature’s beauty, Smith sings, “I have the power to make myself free.”
Grow follows Bottler’s previous EP, Clementine, and describes Bottler’s personal and creative growth. Bottler recorded the EP in their home studio with their analog synths, guitars, pianos, samples, and drum machines. The homemade quality contributes to the individual message of the album for Butler and Shore. Grow is Bottler’s debut with French electronic label InFiné, who quickly discovered them after the release of Clementine.
“Soft Winds” is available to stream now. Stay tuned for Grow‘s release on October 9.
