Category: Regions

Montreal’s Le Couleur take Influence from the Skies on “Concorde”

Le Couleur, an alternative pop group from Montreal comprised of vocalist, Laurence Giroux-Do, bassist Patrick Gosselin, and drummer Steeven Choudinard, has released their latest album Concorde. Despite COVID-19 cancelling numerous live performance schedules and release dates, that has not stopped Le Couleur from expressing fine work; Concorde is a well-tuned, melodic, and soothing album.

When performing live, Philippe Beaudin joins on percussion and Francis Do Monte plays guitar and keyboards. For their new show, they recently changed and showcased their new formation, consisting of six musicians in total. The French-Canadian group had put out EPs in 2013 and 2015, before finally releasing their critically acclaimed debut album P.O.P. in 2016. Le Couleur’s synth-pop sound is filled with intricate melodies, tight basslines, and the album is a very enjoyable listen for indie pop listeners and recent live performances at home are just as nice to listen to. Amid the pandemic, they have recorded home performances in place of in-person events. Interested readers can find these in-home performances on YouTube.

Concorde is named after an outdated airliner model that had a notable incident in 2000 when a fuel tank explosion on an Air France flight killed all onboard. The airliner would go out of service in 2003. Prior to the disastrous effect of the Concorde flight, it was positively perceived for its sleek design, and allowed faster flights in comparison to other airline models. The group was inspired by the ups and downs of the Concorde timeline along with the airliner’s symbolism. The Concorde’s sleek design represents that sexy, idealistic image of the carrier. The crash and its eventual retirement mark the “macabre” side that Le Couleur.

Key Tracks: Concorde, Comme une fin du Monde, Train de Minuit,

Concorde is out now on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Deezer, and many other platforms.

September 29, 2020
Nicolas McCoppin Provides A Jepsen-esque Adrenaline Rush on “Loverboy”

On Friday, September 25, NYC pop artist Nicolas McCoppin released his debut studio EP Loverboy. The eight-track EP includes four new tracks, as well as previous singles “Stuck,” “Ur Love,” “Remember That Night,” and “For Years.” New dance-pop song “Heaven” was released shortly before the EP:

Continuing the lovestruck nature of its singles, Loverboy is positively infatuated. Besides the whimsical and even naive lyrics, McCoppin channels a disco-fied Cupid on the album cover. But in addition to his proclamations of romantic love, the album is equally a love letter to his city.

New York City played a really huge role in the project. It’s where I wrote and recorded all the tracks. In my eyes, the project is not only about falling in love with a boy, but it also doubles as a love note to New York […] I touch on growing up in a small town in Upstate New York and then escaping to the city to find love.
Nicolas McCoppin

In addition to “Heaven” and “Remember That Night” shouting out Brooklyn and the Bronx, there are two whole tracks just about New York: “Subway Sunsets” and “City of Love.” The brief electric guitar bridge in “Subway Sunsets” is one of the album’s most creative moments, and “City of Love” feels like an East Coast “Teenage Dream.” Loverboy’s sound and lyrical content also borrow heavily from Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion and Dedicated albums, specifically her song “Now That I Found You,” but the added city homages help McCoppin make the 80s-inspired dance-pop sound his own.

While this type of pure pop is rarely found on the Billboard Hot 100 these days, it still has a steady cult fanbase kept afloat by Jepsen, Kim Petras, and Charli XCX (at least when the latter leans into a more accessible sound). McCoppin fits right in with those artists on Loverboy, and their fans will definitely gravitate towards him.

Stream Loverboy on Spotify:

September 29, 2020
Sessions and the Joy Ruckus Club Set to Host a Virtual Livestream on Oct. 17-18

Sessions and the Joy Ruckus Club will partner to provide the largest Asian American virtual music festival on Oct. 17-18. The virtual two-day festival will feature over 70 artists with $2.99 early bird ticket prices and a VIP option available. Both organizations are located in San Francisco, California.

The Joy Ruckus Club is a humanitarian-oriented online concert series created by artists of Asian descent with over 700,000 music fans. Kublai Kwon is the CEO of Joy Ruckus Club and has been promoting Asian artists in the U.S. for over 20 years. Sessions is a platform dedicated to marketing and production to help artists become a success in cultivating a fan base and earning incoming. Tim Westergren, the former founder of Pandora, and Gordon Su, a video game developer and entrepreneur created Sessions.

Sessions and Joy Ruckus club’s partnership is committed to promoting Asian artists in America and expanding their reach to over 185 countries. Their livestream event will include performances from around the world including Asia, Australia, New Zealand, London, and more.

Headliners for the event include Eric Nam, Kid Trunks, Luna, Kevin Woo, DJ Cam Girl, James Lee, KAACHI, Ethan Kim and DJ Sura. Fans can purchase tickets for the livestream here.

Sessions is dedicated to being the first global digital platform that truly serves and supports all artists and events. By launching the initiative with Joy Ruckus Festival, the largest Asian American virtual festival in the world, we are setting the bar high. Our goal is to support the overall music community, and bridge the gap between real live events and the virtual streaming world. We are investing in promoters by putting marketing money behind their events and using the full capability of our platform to generate revenue and make this a success for everyone.
Tim Westergren, Co Founder of Sessions and Former CEO of Pandora

September 29, 2020
Jericho Drive-In Theater to Host Drive-In Concerts

High Peaks Event Production has announced a series of double feature drive-in concerts. Set to take place at the Jericho Drive-In Theater in Glenmont, NY, the live performances will begin at 7 p.m. A special movie screening to follow at 9:15 p.m.

Jerry Garcia fans will rejoiced as The Garcia Project live performance on October 2nd at 7 p.m. Watch as the only nationally touring Jerry Garcia tribute celebrates the past 10 years of success. A special showing of the documentary film Festival Express follows. The 2003 film gave an undoubtedly insightful look at the 1970 train tour that featured rock musicians such as Grateful Dead.

Jericho Drive-In Flyer

On October 3, Zac Brown Tribute Band will perform prior to a showing of Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. And on October 9, Classic Rock Legends of the Vietnam War will perform ahead of Oliver Stone’s The Doors. For the latter, all proceeds from this event will go to benefit Capital Region’s “Blue Star Mothers of America.”

The latest double feature announcements come after a successful turnout on September 18. A few hundred music fans turned out for the Pink Talking Fish and Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.

While music fans have the chance to jam out, social distancing guidelines are to be enforced nonetheless. Attendees are required to stay within their group and face mask must be worn at all times outside the vehicle.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.jerichodrive-in.com.

Despite strict social distancing restrictions still in place drive – in concerts have become just another way many have been getting their concert fix. High Peaks Event Productions and the Jericho have adopted this new normal as well.

Over the summer High Peaks Event Production introduced NY Rock N Roots. Every Sunday artists from the local Saratoga Springs area performed live Rock N Roots Facebook. The 60 year old drive-in hosted a handful of special concerts this summer as well.

Concert Schedule:

Oct. 2 – The Garcia Project / Bob Smeaton’s Festival Express

Oct. 3 – Zac Brown Tribute Band / Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous

Oct. 9 – Classic Rock Legends of the Vietnam War / Oliver Stone’s The Doors *all proceeds from this event will go to benefit Capital Regions “Blue Star Mothers of America”.

September 29, 2020
Irish Arts Center Announces Virtual Fall 2020 Season

Manhattan based Irish Arts Center announced in a press release that it will be launching a full slate of virtual programming for fall 2020. Part of the fall season will be a new series of commissions by a selection of 26 extraordinary writers, musicians, and dance, visual, and theatre artists whose only guideline was the theme “finding grace in uncertainty.

Included in the lineup is Kevin Barry, Jan Carson, Eoin Coifer & Liam Bates, Oona Doherty, Marie Howe, Junk Ensemble, Bill Irwin, Kaia Kater, Deirdre Kinahan, Tamar Korn, Loah, Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna, Joanie Madden, Eimear McBride, Billy McComiskey, Mick Moloney, Aoife O’Donovan, Arturo O’Farrill, Melatu Uche Okorie, Tobi Omoteso, Dirk Powell, Liz Roche, and Enda Walsh.

IAC’s online programming also feature two free returning programs. “At Home with Irish Arts Center” is a series of new commissioned work from the local and international Irish community. “From Irish Arts Center” is a catalog of archival performances staged at the organization’s intimate 51st Street Theatre. Rounding out the fall season is a full program of 42 online courses—featuring instruction in music, step dance, Irish language, playwriting, and storytelling.

IAC Executive Director Aidan Connolly said in the press release:

What we’re learning is that this moment—for all its heartbreak and anxiety—has redemptive possibility. We are challenged to find a new comfort level with uncertainty, even to see it as an opportunity, an invitation to discover what hitherto unseen grace and strength may be within us. We’re so grateful to the inspiring and eclectic assembly of artists—who will consider these ideas across a spectrum of disciplines, styles, and perspectives—for accepting our invitation to share their stories.

Since the pandemic shutdown in March, IAC’s ever-growing online programs have received over 100,000 views from patrons around the globe.

The Irish Arts Center has occupied Hell’s Kitchen in New York City since 1972, 46 years later it is still home to national and international artists and fans alike who share a love for the arts and culture of Ireland. Keeping grassroots traditions alive are important at the center with space for evolving the community in which it resides regardless of background. Check out the Irish Arts Center’s website for more information on other upcoming programs and educational courses being offered.

September 29, 2020
In Focus: Jimmy Herring and the 5 of 7 at Brooklyn Bowl
On Saturday, September 28, 2019, Jimmy Herring played Brooklyn Bowl NYC with his new band The 5 of 7. The band consists of bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Darren Stanley, guitarist and singer Rick Lollar, and Matt Slocum on keyboards.

Herring is best known for being the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic. He is also the founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz is Dead. Jimmy is a guitar legend and has played with other legendary bands like The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead.

The two hour set started with a Miles Davis cover of “Black Satin” and continued with songs from Jimmy Herring during his solo career like “The Big Galoot,” “Matt’s Funk” and “1911.” The show was also streamed live on The Relix Channel, seen below. The show was amazing and an absolute must for fans of jazz infused rock and roll with heavy guitar solos.

Setlist: Black Satin, The Big Galoot, Matt’s Funk, Sketch Ballad, Soulful Hang, Miss Maybelle, One Strut, 1911, Check the Hand, Former Lives, Buddy, Kaleidoscope Carousel, Two Good People (Zone 28 Grams, Baby Gas & King Cydal cover), Scapegoat Blues
September 29, 2020
Music Festivals Start Using an “Event Bubble” Strategy to Exist During the Pandemic Era

Music Festivals have started to use the “Event Bubble” strategy to create a safe environment during the pandemic era. A music festival doesn’t sound like the most safe activity during COVID-19, but with festivals like the Utopia Music Festival using the “Event Bubble” strategy attending a music festival is relatively safe activity for individuals to partake in while the pandemic rages on.

Tumbledown 2018 pictured by Dave DeCrescente.

How the “Event Bubble” strategy works is that all attendees are screened with a COVID-19 test a few days before the festival takes place and are then tested again at the entrance with a wrapped test. This double test works to help create this bubble of safety at the event because everyone in attendance should be COVID-19 free.

At Utopia Music Festival, which took place over the Labor Day weekend, there were open-air gatherings using these strategies allowed an attendance of 250 people.

The current hope is these strategies could make large music festivals in the midst of a global pandemic a possibility. The problem right now is the fact the COVID-19 test isn’t 100% accurate. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “The reported rate of false negatives is as low as 2% and as high as 37%” for Molecular tests.

This means that in some areas there is a 37% chance that if someone is tested and it comes back negative they could actually be positive for COVID-19. The chances of getting a false positive are exponentially lower and are close to zero. Generally it’s a lab error if someone does get a false positive result.

Levitate 2019 photo by Zingari photography.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Requiring COVID-19 testing is a significant financial undertaking that might not make sense for DIY events with tight budgets, or for large festivals such as Coachella, whose guests don’t stay on site” a possibility. The “Event Bubble” approach can create a virus-free bubble where screened staff and attendees can enjoy the festivities while being removed from the danger of outside contact with the rest of the world for the duration of the event. This would however definitely be difficult to enforce and control in larger scale events let alone the free of false negatives being present at the event.

If the “Event Bubble” takes off more and more festivals in the real world could be a possibility sooner than one might think but most likely they will be small scale festivities for the time being.

September 28, 2020
Presenting NYS Music in Motion, an Interview series with Rocker Frank Palangi

We’re heading into the fall and NYS Music is gearing up for our first ever season of NYS Music in Motion, hosted by rocker Frank Palangi and sponsored by Helping Friendly Salve.

The series will bring together seasoned musicians from across New York State, who hail from the Empire State or have made New York their home, and Palangi, a native of Warren County.

Palangi is a homegrown indie rock recording artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Palangi fuels his positive ambition naturally by serving up a feeding frenzy of edge heavy guitars, with a side of deep, gritty vocals. With a no-quit mentality, Palangi draws on influences from 80s & 90s rock, including post-grunge and heavy metal.

His latest EP, Bring On the Fear, found him working with Lester Estelle (Kelly Clarkson), Brian Craddock and Brandon Maclin (Daughtry), which allowed Palangi to step up and think about the recording process as a whole. The results can be seen and heard in the video for “Gone Mad,” released this past summer.

Palangi opened up for major bands including: 3 Doors Down, Red Sun Rising, Buckcherry, Candlebox, Aaron Lewis (Staind), Starset, Kip Winger, Jack Russell’s Great White, Lacey Sturm (Flyleaf), FUEL / Marcy Playground, TRAPT with Smile Empty Soul / Candlelight Red / Veer Union, and Powerman 5000 with HEDPE, to name just a few.

Tune in starting on Friday, October 2 and every other Friday for each installment of Music in Motion on the NYS Music YouTube, IGTV and Facebook page.

Palangi will have a sit down conversation with each artist, with a first season lineup that includes the following musicians from across New York.

October 2 – Mick Fury
October 16 – Belén Cusi
October 30 – Charley Orlando
November 13 – Added Color
November 27 – Sawyer Fredericks
December 11 – Wavy Cunningham

Frank has interviewed a great deal of musicians on his IGTV, including American Idol alumni Charles Grigsby, Jess Meuse, Riley Bria, Vanessa Olivarez and Madison VanDenburg, plus The Voice’s Moriah Formica, Daughtry guitarist Brian Craddock, Hole/Candlebox drummer Robin Diaz, Jack Russell from Great White and guitarist Robby Lochner.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEIJRNpAi49/

September 28, 2020
Phish to celebrate Trey Anastasio’s birthday with Dinner and a Movie from Polaris 1999

As Phish moves their Dinner and a Movie series from weekly to monthly, the newest installment has been announced, featuring the band’s performance on July 23, 1999 from Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, OH. The never before seen full show archival video will air on Wednesday, September 30 at 8:30PM ET at LivePhish.com, which also happens to be Trey Anastasio‘s birthday (more on that below).

For the Dinner part of the evening, Phish HQ’s Betty Frost has put together a spread that includes enchiladas, a jicama/orange/cucumber/mint salad and apple fritters. You can find recipes for all these here.

Released on Live Phish in November 2019, the show in the Columbus suburbs was the 17th show on a 20-date summer tour. A humid evening, the show started with a 12-minute “Ya Mar,” and features Anastasio on keys briefly on the “Punch You in the Eye” intro.

On July 23, 1999 Phish returned to Polaris Amphitheatre for their second show at this 20,000-seat outdoor shed in the Columbus suburbs. It was the 17th show on a 20-date U.S. summer tour.It was still light out on a sticky Ohio evening when the band took the stage with a rollicking Ya Mar opener, followed by NICU, followed by Back At The Chicken Shack > Punch You In The Eye with an extended synthesizer-infused intro.

Set 2 turned up the heat with a first even pairing of “Ghost” > “Free,” with a lightening storm growing as intense as the jams between these two. A 25-minute “Birds of a Feather,” then still a new song in their catalog, allowed the band to play on and off with the storm as it raged overhead. During the late-set “Meatstick,” Anastasio announced that the band’s New Years Eve performance would be held at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in southern Florida.

Sticker sold on Summer ’99 tour – courtesy of PhanArt

Dinner and a Movie is presented free to all, with a charity selected each week where donations are asked to be directed. This installment’s beneficiary is the ACLU. Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, multi-issue, public interest organization devoted to protecting the civil liberties of all people in the United States. Recognized as the nation’s premier public interest law firm, the ACLU works daily in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Over $850,000 has been raised by Phish fans since late March for the Waterwheel Foundation and other charities highlighted in the Dinner and a Movie series.

Sticker sold on Summer ’99 tour – courtesy of PhanArt

Additionally, a group of Phish fans have put together a fundraiser idea for Dinner and a Movie, celebrating Trey Anastasio’s birthday. The goal is to raise $20,454 for the Waterwheel Foundation, which is the number of days Trey will have been alive on his birthday. See below for details and support Waterwheel Foundation!

Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Ya Mar, NICU, Back at the Chicken Shack > Punch You in the Eye[1], Fast Enough for You, Back on the Train, David Bowie, Strange Design, Possum

Set 2: Ghost -> Free > Birds of a Feather > Meatstick > Fire

Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Rocky Top

[1] Trey played keys for part of PYITE.

Trey played keys for part of PYITE. During Meatstick, Trey talked about the band’s desire to teach fans the Meatstick Dance and break the world record. He then informed the crowd that the New Year’s Eve concert would be played in Florida. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

September 28, 2020
Long Live Rock the Casbah: The Who, The Clash Rock Rich Stadium

London punks, both young and old, invaded Orchard Park, NY on September 26, 1982. The Who and The Clash, as well as New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, performed before a sold out crowd at Rich Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.

photo by Michael Mack

This concert is seen as an historical moment, where one older punk band, The Who, passed the torch to a new, younger one, The Clash.

An expectadly rowdy crowd of more than 80,000 packed The Rich. David Johansen warmed up the crowd with a half-hour set, including “Stranded in the Jungle” and a medley of the Animals “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “It’s My Life.”

The Clash were just coming off the release of Combat Rock, recorded at Electric Lady Studios on West 8th Street in New York City. Hits including “Rock The Casbah,” which reached the Top 10 in America, and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” gave The Clash a worldwide smash hit in 1982. Less than a year after this performance in Buffalo, guitarist Mick Jones would leave the band. Watch a slideshow of photos by Michael Mack of The Clash from the performance below.

For The Who, this was the first of many farewell tours, having lost drummer Keith Moon just 4 years prior. Kenney Jones (Small Faces, Faces) took over behind the kit, with Tim Gorman on keys, Roger Daltrey on harmonica, guitar, and vocals, John Entwistle on bass and Pete Townshend on guitar and vocals.

Given the packed stadium – with entrances only on the floor at the time – the temperature inside the stadium was warm to say the least, with fans drenched in sweat, and some passing even out. As if Keith were looking down from heaven, the skies that were overcast all day opened up during the emotionally charged “Love Reign O’er Me,” the only time of the evening it would rain. As the song ended, Daltrey remarked “How’d you like that one?,” with Townshend saying “Even the Rolling Bones couldn’t have done that one.”

via Matthew Heimberg

While no video or audio exists from this show of The Who, you can view a slideshow of photos by Michael Mack here, and watch below for The Who from December 17, 1982, closing our their North American tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Clash setlist: London Calling, Career Opportunities, The Guns of Brixton, Police On My Back, Rock the Casbah, Magnificent 7, Train in Vain, Brand New Cadillac, Armagideon Time, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Encore: Clampdown, I Fought the Law

The Who setlist: Substitute, I Can’t Explain, Dangerous, Sister Disco, The Quiet One, It’s Hard, Eminence Front, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O’Riley, I’m One, The Punk And The Godfather, Drowned, A Man Is A Man, Cry If You Want, Who Are You, Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, 5.15, Love Reign O’er Me, Long Live Rock, Won’t Get Fooled Again

Encore: Naked Eye, Summertime Blues, Twist And Shout

photos by Marc Starcke

September 27, 2020