Category: Regions

Interview: Brooklyn’s Francis Aud Releases FONKY Single

Brooklyn electro-pop funk artist Francis Aud recently released his newest single “Take Me Home,” blending bittersweet lyrics with an upbeat and unique electric funk.

Francis Aud started out as a retro-soul artist and released his debut EP Tender Things in July 2017. Since then, his music has evolved into what he calls ‘FONK,’ his own original blend of electro-pop and funk. This refreshing mix gives his music personality and makes his sound memorable. Francis tells NYS Music:

My biggest inspirations are Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Sam Cooke. From listening to those guys, I then found Jackie Wilson, James Brown, and then followed the thread of musicians they influenced all the way up to contemporary pop artists like Bruno Mars and Parcels.
Francis Aud

What he listened to as a child has been “carried in his psyche,” and he says that listening to “super romantic Spanish crooner music or The Commodores” all the time as a kid still influences his own writing style today. “I almost exclusively write about love, relationships, and desire and I still try to phrase the lines I sing like how a crooner would…old habits die hard I guess!” He’s been releasing several FONKY singles since 2018 in preparation for a bigger release in the future.

“Take Me Home” looks back on a past relationship with bittersweet nostalgia. “When it comes to lyric-writing,” Francis says, “I’m always trying my best not to write lyrics that aren’t devoid of meaning (if that makes sense.) I think lots of the time when people hear the words ‘pop music’ their mind immediately jumps to this idea of extremely surface level and superficial lyrics that come from lazily relying on overused tropes and clichés. I think good pop music doesn’t have to be devoid of a deeper meaning and there’s lots of proof around me of that.”

Photo courtesy of Amanda Blide

Despite its somewhat sad message, the single is in no way a downer. It’s upbeat and dancey. “That comes from my shameless love of 80’s music,” the artist admits. “I seriously, positively, TRULY, love music from the 80’s, especially the movie soundtracks where the arrangements were super over the top and used cheesy keyboard sounds on everything. Because that music makes me happy, I think it’d be worth exploring the juxtaposition between that music and the lyrics and I’m just lucky to call it a success!” The 80’s vibes in “Take Me Home” are clear, but with an original and modern spin that is lacking in some other “cheesy” pop.

Francis Aud’s music and website both shine with his positivity and humor. “I don’t think I can ever remember a time where I wasn’t blatantly making terrible dad jokes and puns,” he says about his ever-present humor. “In terms of positivity,” he notes, “I think it comes from both my parents and also comes with the territory of being a musician. With my parents being immigrants and coming to this NYC during the really rough 80s’-90’s, they had to work their asses off to make things happen and they had to have an optimism that things would work out. I think I naturally picked up on that. ALSO, when it comes to being an artist, you almost have to force train yourself to become more positive on a daily basis because there really is no guarantee that your art will be heard or even enjoyed.”

Despite the global halt brought by the Coronavirus, Francis has been keeping busy working on music: “I’ve been spending most of the quarantine teaching myself more about music production and trying my best to ‘level up’ my home recording set-up,” and “I’ve been working with more getting more comfortable using synthesizers and more of the electronic aspects of music production,” he says, as he can’t record in a full studio with a band right now due to the quarantine. “Aside from that, I’m always trying to hone my writing and working to finding that distinct balance between saying something meaningful and being catchy.”

Stream or buy “Take Me Home,” and check out Francis Aud’s other music on his website, Soundcloud, or Spotify. Francis also has a side project where he releases original indie-folk music under the name “stella.”

August 24, 2020
Bronx Music Heritage Center Presents The Bronx Blast

Bronx Music Heritage Center is bringing viewers the Bronx Blast on their Facebook page. The Bronx Blast are mini-performances that will be presented in front of the Bronx Music Hall. The theater is currently under construction and will be a future home to the Bronx Music Heritage Center.

In July, Martha Zarate and Pilar Maez of Mazarte Dance Company danced to “El gavilancito,” a song from the son jarocho tradition from Veracruz, Mexico. “Jarocho” describes the people and culture of the southern coastal plain of Veracruz. The song, dance and costumes represent the Indigenous, Spanish and African influences on the cultural tradition. Watch the video on Facebook.

For episode two, the Bronx Music Heritage Center brought in Carmelo Soto, Jorge Vazquez, Bobby Sanabria, and Carlos Espada to demonstrate Plena. Plena is one of the traditional forms of music from Puerto Rico, often referred to as the “periódico cantado” or “sung newspaper” as many times the lyrics relate incidents from daily life or commentary on local events. The lyrics to plena was written by Carlos Espada and can be seen below.

Que bien yo me siento, en esta occasión
la gran apertura el Bronx Music Hall.
Oyeee, finalmente, les presento yo,
este gran proyecto aquí en el Bronx
Y muchos no saben, fue la visión,
de Elena Y Bobby, que se construyó
Que viva, que viva, la diversidad,
de toda la gente, nuestra hispanidad.

English Translation:
How good I feel on this occasion
of the grand opening of the Bronx Music Hall.
Finally I present to you
this great project here in the Bronx
And many don’t know, it was through
Elena and Bobby’s vision that it was built.
Long live the diversity
of everyone, our Latino community.

In their latest episode, Nélida Tirado returns home to the neighborhood where she grew up to perform some rumba flamenca in front of the future Bronx Music Hall. Watch the performance here.

Check out NYS Music’s coverage of The Bronx Music Heritage Center’s concert series that occured this past June.

August 24, 2020
Watch Live Jazz from NYC’s Cafe Bohemia

Located in Manhattan’s West Village on Barrow Street, Cafe Bohemia originally opened in 1955 and is an historic landmark and jazz club. Frequented by music legends the likes of Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Canonball Adderley and many others, the venue closed in 1960, and was revived at its original location in October 2019.

One notable story about Cafe Bohemia comes from June 19, 1955, when Julian and Nat Adderley arrived in New York on a trip as Julian was to work on his Master’s Degree at New York University. That first night in the city the brothers went to the Café Bohemia to hear the Oscar Pettiford band, the house band at the time. The night would prove to be a turning point in Nat’s career.

Jerome Richardson, the group’s regular saxophonist was unavailable that evening due to a recording session. Pettiford asked Charlie Rouse – who was in the audience – if he would sit in, but Rouse did not have his saxophone with him. Pettiford then noticed another audience member, Adderley, who had a saxophone case with him and told Rouse to ask this unknown man if he could borrow his horn.

Instead, Rouse asked “Cannonball” Adderley if he would like to sit in with the group. Reluctantly, the leader complied and allowed Adderley to play. Overnight Adderley rose to prominence on the New York jazz scene, and on June 21 he played his first official show at Cafe Bohemia. By October 1957, he was a member of the Miles Davis Sextet.

More recently, the late Eddy Davis (banjo), Conal Fowkes (bass, vocals), Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet) and Evan Arntzen (tenor saxophone) performed “My Monday Date?,” by Earl Hines, on December 26, 2019. Video performances below are available thanks to Michael Steinman for his blog JAZZ LIVES.

Watch Eddy Davis and friends – Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet), Evan Arntzen (clarinet) and Conal Fowkes (string bass) – pay tribute to the great Jelly Roll Morton with “Good Old New York.”

“The Intimacy of the Blues,” is a haunting piece composed by Billy Strayhorn and an album of the same name for Duke Ellington. Performing at Cafe Bohemia on November 14, 2019, JAZZ LIVES shares video of this pre-Thanksgiving performance in Greenwich Village by Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet), Evan Arntzen (clarinet), Neal Miner (string bass,) and Chris Flory (guitar).

On February 6, 2020, Mara Kaye was joined by friends and musical family Tim McNalley (guitar), Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet) and Brian Nalepka (string bass).

Mara Kaye is joined this time for “Me and MY Chauffeur” by Tim McNalley, (guitar), Albanie Falletta (resonator guitar), Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet) and Brian Nalepka (string bass).

From January 16, 2020, “A Shanty in Old Shanty Town” features Tal Ronen (string bass), Matt Munisteri (guitar), John Allred (trombone), and Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet). “In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town,” written by Ira Schuster and Jack Little with lyrics by Joe Young, was published in 1932. Ted Lewis and His Band performed it in the film The Crooner in 1932. His version was later released as a single and it went to #1, where it remained for 10 weeks.

August 23, 2020
A Bronx Tale: The Grateful Dead at Gaelic Park

Although the Grateful Dead‘s track record with New York State is vast and varied, there’s one borough in particular that doesn’t get much love. And that’s The Bronx. Mainly because there’s only one show that was truly ever played there – Gaelic Park on August, 26 1971.

stub courtesy of Wayne Eichen

The performance is billed as a two-set show that really plays as three. A noticeably extended first set showcases some of the band’s newer original songs at time blended with a flurry of classic cover selections. Included in all this is a song the Dead would only play twice ever. And as for historical significance, this would be the last show featuring only the five founding members of the band. Seemingly aware of this, they collectively deliver a show for the ages that more than aptly serves as a figurative “passing of the torch” from one era to another.

This show opens with a crisp yet standard version of “Bertha,” a Dead original still in its nascent stages at the time. The early wave of originals would continue with a “Playin’ In The Band” that had just made its debut earlier this year at The Captiol Theatre in nearby Port Chester. Even though this would be a regular selection at Grateful Dead shows for years to come, seeing it so early in the first set like this is a verifiable treat.

Pigpen gets his first chance to shine on vocals with a first set “Mr. Charlie,” another new song that debuted just last month. Even though he was beginning to take on a lesser role in the band by this point in time, Pig’s vocals are effusive and strong throughout this recording. This would be the last show before Keith Godchaux joined the band and assumed keyboard duties. So, fittingly, they give Pigpen plenty of the spotlight at this show and he takes it and runs with it.

The run on cover songs then begins with “El Paso,” a country-western ballad by Marty Robbins, sung smoothly by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir. “Big Boss Man” follows, a longtime Dead cover that was originally recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1960 and later popularized by Elvis in 1967. This gives Pigpen the chance to lead again and his blues-infused vocals ring loud and true throughout this one.

This first set also features a typically stirring “Hard to Handle,” the Otis Redding tune that was one of staples of the Pigpen songbook and, perhaps, his signature song. Aside from a mild snafu with the recording, this version is terrific and sees the band fully locked in during an escalating funk-like jam before Pigpen’s wailing vocals reenter. Sung with all of the soul and swagger he would always bring to this song, sadly, this would be the last one ever played with him on stage.

The set could have ended right there and few would take issue, but instead the band continues to motor on with “Beat It On Down The Line,” yet another cover. Jerry Garcia then takes the reigns courtesy of “Loser” and his customary hauntingly beautiful guitar solo that goes with it.

Courtesy of Bronx Music Heritage Center

Soon after is one of the true gems of this show – the second and final performance ever of “Empty Pages,” a song written and sang by Ronald “Pigpen” McKernan himself. It pairs his traditional crooning style with a slow blues jam that’s nicely peppered with fiery guitar licks from Garcia. It’s a true rarity and a shame that the band wouldn’t be able to further develop this one.

The other first set highlight immediately follows with a smoking cover of The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’.” Pigpen remains strong on lead vocals as both he and the band get into some heavy improvisation on this one. Only the Dead can take a three-minute pop song like this and stretch it out to an almost ten-minute psychedelic journey.

They had such a fun time playing the first set that the second one begins with a rare “Me and My Uncle” placement, as if to keep the opening vibes going strong. Immediately afterwards, reality sets in with a joyous “China Cat Sunflower” that soon effortlessly blends into to its traditional running partner, “I Know You Rider.” Bassist Phil Lesh, turned up particularly high in this mix, gets his turn to show off as he steers the band through the seamless transition.

There would be no extended “Drums” section this evening. Instead, the band collectively rips into the opening of “The Other One,” fueled predominately by drummer Bill Kreutzmann. After a rip-roaring opening sequence, the jam composition quickly devolves into a meeting of the minds between Garcia and the rhythm section. Seemingly out of the blue, Weir interjects with his vocals right on point and the song is off and running.

For a quality listen to the transition into the opening of “The Other One,” alongside some backstage photos, check out this great video courtesy of Sam Cutler, one of the band’s early tour managers:

The powerhouse second set continues with a tidy version of “Uncle John’s Band” and one of the last performances of “Saint Stephen” before it would be shelved for nearly five years and rearranged. The jam progresses into something that almost resembles “The Eleven” before immediately settling back down into the ending of “Saint Stephen.”

And then, right on cue, the rhythm section is back in action with the opening drumbeat of “Not Fade Away,” a Buddy Holly cover that the band had completely appropriated at this point in time. The Dead take one last swing and develop a passionate collective effort that once again flows right into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling’ Bad” without batting an eye.

This closing sequence serves as the cap to a phenomenal show that’s rich in both quality and legacy significance. It can be argued that the end of the Pigpen Era happened here. Amazingly, the only time the Grateful Dead would ever grace the “Boogie Down” Bronx. But talk about making the most of a single opportunity.

Set 1: Bertha, Playing In The Band, Mr. Charlie, Sugaree, El Paso, Big Boss Man, Big Railroad Blues, Hard To Handle, Beat It On Down The Line, Loser, Sugar Magnolia, Empty Pages, Good Lovin’, Casey Jones

Set 2: Me And My Uncle, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider, Deal, Cumberland Blues, Truckin’ -> Drums -> The Other One, Next Time You See Me, Me And Bobby McGee, Uncle John’s Band, Saint Stephen -> Not Fade Away -> Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad -> Not Fade Away

Encore: Johnny B. Goode

August 23, 2020
Flashback: August 23, 1983 – Iron Maiden, Fastway and Coney Hatch perform at Glens Falls Civic Center

For headliners Iron Maiden, this was the ‘World Piece’ tour, supporting fourth album Piece of Mind. Posters for this gig at Glens Falls Civic Center on August 23, 1983, labeled the show as “The British Metal Onslaught,” which made more sense in weeks preceding the show, when the bill had been Brits Iron Maiden and Saxon, with Fastway opening. By the time of this show, Saxon had left the tour, and while Iron Maiden are the quintessential British metal band, Fastway were half-British, half-Irish, and Coney Hatch were from Canada.

Opening band Coney Hatch were cool – they got a good reaction from the crowd, but outside of their native Canada they were not well-known, and this may have been their only visit to New York State.

Fastway were great – the song “Say What You Will” was all over the radio at this time. Their then-current first album rocked and of course the band featured guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke from Motorhead, drummer Jerry Shirley from Humble Pie, bassist Charlie McKracken from Rory Gallagher’s Irish trio TASTE, and then-teenaged Irish singer Dave King, who would go on years later (and still currently does) front Irish punk powerhouse Flogging Molly.

Fastway were excellent but Maiden were the kings that night. How can you argue with “Where Eagles Dare,” “Sanctuary” and “Wrathchild” as the first 3 songs? They were at their peak, playing like heroes and were greeted as such by the sold-out Glens Falls crowd.

Highlights included when a giant lobotomized version of Maiden mascot Eddie invaded the stage during “Iron Maiden,” and when Bruce Dickinson made a long speech dissing author Frank Herbert before “To Tame A Land.” The band had asked permission to title the song “Dune,” after Herbert’s sci-fi novel, but the author had said no, and Bruce, as reward, got the entire crowd to chant “Fuck Frank Herbert.” The band played a many Piece of Mind songs – an album which has aged pretty well, lo these almost 40 years since. The encore was then-hit “Run To The Hills,” and this was the last tour they played ‘Killers’-era classic “Drifter” (and the “eyo, eyo, eyo” sing-along), which ended the show.

Setlist: Intro/Where Eagles Dare, Sanctuary, Wrathchild, The Trooper, Revelations, Flight of Icarus, Die With Your Boots On, 22 Acacia Avenue, The Number of the Beast, To Tame a Land/solos, Phantom of the Opera, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden

Encore: Run to the Hills, Drifter

August 23, 2020
SummerStage Jubilee Benefit Announced by the City Parks Foundations

SummerStage Jubilee was announced by City Parks Foundations to benefit free programming in the park. The benefit will take place on September 17, 2020 at 8PM across different virtual platforms. The benefit will include performances from big names like Sting, Norah Jones, and Trey Anastasio and an appearance from Billie Jean King.

The 2020 SummerStage Jubilee Benefit Concert will help support the free parks programs and ensure they can continue. The City Parks Foundation is the largest presenter of free arts and cultural programs in New York City parks. They serve 300,000 New Yorkers each year through arts, education, sports and community building initiatives. The fundraising being done through the SummerStage Jubilee event will help fund free tennis and golf instruction, experiential, science-based lessons, buying tools and bulbs for volunteers to beautify local parks, providing training, microgrants, and coaching to facilitate their local advocacy. Donations will also help ensure SummerStage, New York City’s largest free music festival, and SummerStage Anywhere, its virtual festival, will remain free and available to all New Yorkers. At a time when public programs have been upended, destroyed, and cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s parks have remained open as some of the only public assets available to all still in these trying times.

David Barse, City Parks Foundation Board Chairman spoke about the SummerStage Jubilee Benefit Concert saying, “This benefit concert will help support the important work that the City Parks Foundation does in every community, park and green space we serve in New York City. Although the concert is free, as is our usual SummerStage festival, we hope that viewers will feel motivated to support our work and make donations to keep that work going during these challenging times.”

The benefit will last an hour and will highlight the various City Parks Foundation programs. SummerStage Jubilee will feature musical performances by Sting, Norah Jones, Trey Anastasio, Rufus Wainwright, Leslie Odom Jr., Rosanne Cash, Emily King, PJ Morton and others to be announced on top of notable advocates for CPF’s work including tennis icon BillieJean King.

https://youtu.be/BQE9IqKPMAA

The benefit festival can be viewed across all SummerStage social platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitch) via live stream on Thursday, September 17 at 8PM EST. Donations can be made on the SummerStage website.

For more information on the event visit the City Park Foundations website.

August 22, 2020
2020 Woodstock Film Festival Embraces Hybrid Format

Updated: 9/27/2020

The Woodstock Film Festival 2020 has released the lineup for feature length premieres being showcased at this year’s festival. LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, WOODSTOCK TUVAN STYLE, ZAPPA, and BEHIND THE STRINGS are four music-related films that will be premiering at the festival. Click on the movie titles below to view a synopses and diretor’s bio for each film.

LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS (Drive-In) – World Premiere with live musical performance!
THE HUMAN FACTOR (Drive-In) – East Coast PremiereWOODSTOCK TUVAN STYLE (Drive-In) – World Premiere
JACINTA (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
LORELEI (Drive-In) – US Premiere
A CALL TO SPY (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
DEAR MR. BRODY (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
THE DRUMMER (Drive-In) – World Premiere
ZAPPA (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
KENNY SHCARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (Drive-In) – East Coast Premiere
WHAT BREAKS THE ICE (Drive-In) – World Premiere
WILDFLOWER (Drive-In) – World Premiere
FREELAND (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
THE SIT IN (Drive-In) – New York Premiere
ASKING FOR IT (Drive-In) – East Coast Premiere
HORSE LATITUDES (Online) – North American Premiere
MODEL (Online) – New York Premiere
PAPER SPIDERS (Online) – New York Premiere
COMING CLEAN (Online) – New York Premiere
BEHIND THE STRINGS (Online) – World Premiere
BARBARA LEE SPEAKS FOR ME (Online) – East Coast Premiere
SURGE (Online) – East Coast Premiere
THE PUSHBACK (Online) – East Coast Premiere

Organizers of the 21st Woodstock Film Festival announced that this year’s festival will be brought to fans through a combination of drive in showings and online viewings. Starting September 30 at 9 a.m. est., the festival will run until October 4 at 11 p.m. est.

A full lineup of films will be featured at the Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema in Greenville along with the Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie. Other area drive-ins are also slated to participate in this year’s film festival along with special events planned for Woodstock itself.

The premier independent film festival will be inclusive of those that would prefer to stay at home by offering films for online viewing complete with Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. According to the press release, attendees can also expect a conversation series with members of the film industry. Filmmakers will still be able to attend a modified Maverick Awards ceremony and networking opportunities online.

“We are all going through challenging times, and challenging times call for innovative approaches. I am thankful that recent advances in contemporary technology, along with the reinvigorated nostalgia for the classic American drive-in have made it possible for us to continue supporting outstanding independent cinema, while offering new and returning audiences alike the opportunity to experience excellent films in safety and comfort.”
Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, changing direction became the only course of action in order to keep everyone involved safe. The Woodstock Film Festival offices have been closed since mid-March and all in person events were cancelled.

The Woodstock Film Festival has continued to provide stellar content, shifting programming to online platforms. Provided to the public free of charge, the spring calendar included; live conversations with industry luminaries, notable directors and actors, as well as a curated selection of films with introductions from their filmmakers.

Individual tickets for films and events at the drive-ins and online will be made available beginning of September, while passes for either the full online film portion of the festival, the full online panel series, or both, are available for purchase now HERE.

August 22, 2020
Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival Announces 2020 Lineup

Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival announced it’s 2020 Lineup for it’s 4th annual festival. The festival will take place on August 30 from 10AM-8PM and will be held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival takes place at City of Buffalo and celebrates all genres of music, arts and culture. The festival strides to be unique and trendsetting while bridging the gap between generations, communities and cultures. This year’s festivities will be a mixture of live, pre-recorded, and interactive content featuring some of Wester New York’s favorite artists, musicians, curators, and community stakeholders. Annual Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Festival might be on the virtual screen this year but it will continue it’s traditions of an all day celebration exhibiting a “Mind, Body & Soul” Concept utilizing our platforms to speak to the state of our community, society and self.

The festival will start at 10AM with an interactive art gallery called the “La Maison Des Arts.” Throughout the virtual art gallery attendees can literally walk through and purchase art from Western New York’s finest artist. Gallery will feature paintings by artists and visual content. At 12PM there will be a yoga session called the “Yoga Fleuve.”. Attendees will be led by certified yoga instructor Taminka Jones as she guides you through a mental elevation to be liberated and conscious. Rounding in at 2PM the “Buffalo Then & Now” discussion will take place. These discussions will be amongst Buffalo & Western New York Community Stakeholders on the current state of our society, Buffalo past & present, arts community and more. At 4PM there will be the Black Art’ appreciation section titled “Black Art.” The festival is bringing Buffalo and Western New York’s black community to the table to talk about the appreciation for black art & artists, its influence, disparities, and more. At 6PM there will be a performance/ visual art exhibit by Edreys Wajed aka Billy Drease Williams called “Check out my melody?” Wrapping up the festival at 8PM there will be a performance by Curtis Lovell featuring Naila Ansari called the “Night with Beau Fleuve.”

Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival can be attended via their social media platforms on Instagram and on Facebook.

For more info visit Beau Fleuve Music & Art Festival’s website.

August 22, 2020
Drug Couple Releases Psychedelic EP ‘Choose Your Own Apocalypse’

Brooklyn-based musical duo Drug Couple has released their sophomore EP Choose Your Own Apocalypse via Papercup. The EP draws inspiration from classic rock greats, like the Rolling Stones, Liz Phair, and REM, exploring finding that someone special to spend the end of times with.

A real life couple, as well as creative duo, Drug Couple’s music showcases the ongoing dialogue they’re engaged in, and the spirit of deep collaboration that colors their songwriting as well as their lives at home together. The pair released their debut EP Little Hits in November of 2019, establishing their unique brand of “off-kilter indie” (The Deli).

Their sophomore EP, Choose Your Own Apocalypse, is a collection of songs about finding someone special to share the end-times with. They started writing and recording the EP back in the summer of 2016, as events were leading up to the election of Donald Trump. Drug Couple decided to make an album based around the concept of falling in love mid-apocalypse without fully realizing that’s exactly what they were doing.

A meditation on the idea of holding on tight to love during the worst of times, the album (as well as their recently released single “Protest Song”) proved to be oddly prescient, written long before 2020 turned out to be one of the scariest and most trying years in recent memory. Drug Couple hopes that their clairvoyance wasn’t causal, though they’d be lying if they said they didn’t feel partially responsible for the disintegration of the very fabric of our society.

August 21, 2020
Hearing Aide: “Nueva Guitarra” by Harvey Valdes and Álvaro Domene

And now for something completely different. Two New York-based guitarists, Harvey Valdes and Álvaro Domene, come together for an ear-opening album of nine deliciously deviant duets. It’s an ever-evolving, sonic tornado that is part free jazz, ambient somatic, mournful acousticity, industrial noise and the most searing, dark brand of heavy metal thunder – Nueva Guitarra.

Madrid-born, Kingston-based Álvaro Domene is not only a most formidable and original guitarist; he’s a tireless advocate for the creative music scene in the Hudson Valley and beyond. His Singularity Concert Series has brought many renowned musicians like guitarists Ben Monder and Elliot Sharp for intimate performances at his Kingston loft. Since 2013, his co-owned Iluso Records has released over two dozen discs featuring some of the most fearlessly composed and improvised music you’d even want to spin. As with this album, Domene continues his habit of keeping some heavy company, recording and performing regularly with the likes of Joe McPhee, Karl Berger, Henry Kaiser, Ches Smith, Michael Bisio, Billy Martin and many more.

Like Domene, Brooklyn-based Harvey Valdes is another guitarist (and oud master too!) for whom genre boundaries have little meaning. His three solo albums have encompassed the radical reshaping of jazz standards (“Roundabout”), Mahavishnu-esque jazz fusion fury meets math rock (“PointCounterPoint”) and the 18 concise solo guitar compositions of his latest, “Solitude Intones Its Echo,” mixed and mastered by sonic guitar innovator David Torn (David Bowie).

“Nueva Guitarra” is not designed for the faint of heart and that’s a very good thing.

The duo make their uncompromising and delightfully madcap intentions known in the album opener, “A Crooked Odyssey.” It’s a sonic assault of tapping, looping, glissandos, drones, whammy dives and frizzled corrupted guitar signalry, a mad ride to the mountain top that only let’s up with a soothing ambient cloud appearing in the last 45 seconds of the six-minute outing.

The best place to start your listening might be with the two solo pieces, which showcase the players’ varied approaches and signature sounds.

Valdes’ “Zealous Reflections” is a chord and melody exploration, with close voiced dissonances alternating with pleasant resolutions that he lets ring out. “Biomimicry” is Álvaro Domene swinging for the fences. It’s all quicksilver, speeded up melodies over noisy pads, loops and thumps, over under upside down signals, otherworldly whammy bar and harmonizer torture. A noise jazz industrial racket of the highest order, from the bastard son of Buckethead and Albert Ayler.

My personal favorites, and maybe the easiest for the noise jazz newbie to dip into, are “Lady Dog Night Terror” and the album closer, “The Sophist Pundit.”

“Lady Dog Night Terror” emerges quietly from the darkness. Its deep warm volume swells from Domene’s rise to surround and complement Valdes’ clean chording and single note lines. Slowly, the dissonance in the melody and backdrop increases. It gets symphonic and fuzz laden, then slowly slips away just after the four minute mark.

https://youtu.be/p0idBsB0z6Q

With “The Sophist Pundit,” the duo saved the best for last. This is a summary statement of all the ideas set before, spread over nearly nine and a half minutes of guitar hellacious.

The track begins with stutter stop phrases looped to create a variable pulse, over which the duo improvise jagged lines. It just gets more intense as it goes on, with the duo creating a wall of feedback looped upon feedback, punctured by siren calls and squeals designed to melt your preconceived notions of what guitars can do.

All musicians have been hit by COVID-19, but not many have as hard as Domene. He battled the ailment all through the spring, but still managed to ready this and other collections for release.

If you want to do a good deed for music kind, and vastly widen your own appreciation of music and the creative possibilities still left in the guitar, download this uncompromising disc.

Key Tracks: Lady Dog Night Terror, The Sophist Pundit, Biomimicry

August 21, 2020