Summer Sonic Festival announced their 2020 festivities will take to the virtual stage. The festival will live-stream archived performances from big names like Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Rihanna, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips and many more. The free live-stream starts on July 22 and runs through to July 23 via the Summer Sonic YouTube channel at 7AM EST.
Summer Sonic Festival is usually held in Osaka and Chiba, Japan at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day and then go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The festival was founded in 2000 and typically features rock music. This year’s festivities were stopped due to the pandemic but the festival will go on in spirit on the virtual stage.
The festival won’t be hosting live performances but will show highlights from the past 20 years. The archive performances include Boom Boom Satellites from 200, B’z from 2009, Coldplay from 2008, The Flaming Lips from 2009, Oasis from 2005, Sigur Ros from 2012 and Sonic Youth from 2009 on the July 22. The archive includes Green Day from 2012, Nine Inch Nails from 2009, Rihanna from 2012, The Prodigy from 2008, and X JAPAN from 2011 on July 23. The Summer Sonic archived performances will become available for streaming beginning at 8:00PM Japan time (4:00AM in Los Angeles, 7:00AM in New York) on July 23. The live-stream will free and available everywhere via Summer Sonic Festival’s YouTube channel.
For more information and to see the full lineup please visit Summer Sonic Festival’s website.
Since its start in 2018, Broadway Buskers has brought Broadway actors and composers’ original work to NYC by hosting live performances in Times Square times so that audience members and Broadway workers could watch before heading to a show. While in-person concerts are out, theatre fans can still watch these weekly concerts to experience the talent the Broadway community has to offer.
Tons of familiar faces will be featured over the coming weeks: Rachel Potter (The Addams Family, Evita, Wicked) and Heath Saunders (The Great Comet, Alice By Heart, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert) on July 21, Melissa Li & Kit Yan (Interstate, MISS STEP, Cancelled) and Ben Wexler (Washington Square, 2019 Jonathan Larson Grant Winner) on July 28, Lauren Elder (Mary and Max, Hair, Side Show) and James Harkness (Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, Chicago) on August 4, Joey Contreras (Love Me, Love Me Not, Break from the Line, Joyride) and Tamika Lawrence (Caroline, or Change, If/Then, Come From Away) on August 11, and additional performers to be announced. The concerts will be streamed every Tuesday at 7PM until October 27.
Tune in on August 4th at 7pm ET for Lauren Elder (Mary and Max, Hair, Side Show) James Harkness (Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, Chicago) and Nathan Salstone (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child OBC)
and on August 11th at 7pm ET for Joey Contreras (Love Me, Love Me Not, Break from the Line, Joyride), and Tamika Lawrence (Caroline, or Change, If/Then, Come From Away).
The August 18th performance will feature a Next to Normal mini-reunion with performances from both Alice Ripley and J. Robert Spencer.
Looking ahead to September, Adam Pascal, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist‘s Alice Lee, and more, will take the virtual stage in September.
Broadway Buskers continues Tuesday evenings at 7pm ET through October 27 at Additional performers will be announced at a later date.
After seeing Paramore in concert, the then-14 year old Natalie Claro was inspired to take on a music career. Claro writes and produces her own music, integrating genres of pop, rock, folk, R&B, and country into her songs.
Claro grew up in Tampa, Florida starting her career as a local musician when she was 15. By the time she was 17, Claro released her own music and started performing shows in New York. She explains what she loves the most about the music industry:
The aspect of being able to have an outlet where you can just say whatever, speak your mind, and have a platform to be able to do positive things not only for your community but just as many people you can reach in general. I’ve always loved that part of it.
In her album, Disconnect Claro describes it as her “analysis of the world.” Her EP SelfishTopics “is an analysis about myself,” Claro says. Her songs discuss issues such as depression, insecurities, and uncertainty. She uses her music to speak out about the positive and negative aspects of life.
Claro is currently working on new music and has released the music video to “Discomposure.” “The song is about anxiety and stress,” she says. The music video for “Discomposure” illustrates Claro expressing fear and worry, yet finding solace in music. She communicates through her songs that we can find positivity and strength through some of our darkest moments. Claro shares what she wants her music to represent:
I always use my music as a message towards anyone that is listening to it. I try to be a positive influence to my listeners.
Update – July 30, 2:50pm – All three Twiddle shows in Lake George have been canceled. Twiddle posted this statement on Wednesday evening, saying,
We are very sorry to report that our Lake George shows are cancelled this weekend. Our team spent the last 48 hours working through every possible scenario to not only make sure that the experience would be as great as possible given the current guidelines , but to make sure the event was safe in every way. We are just as upset and sad as you are and wanted nothing more than to play live again for all of you. We are extremely sorry, but safety has to be first and foremost. Tickets are available for refunds at point of purchase and we are working on something special for all those that had a ticket.
The event promoter shared a more detailed and impassioned response on Thursday afternoon:
Here’s my comment to the local papers: I could go on for hours about how unfair the entire entertainment industry has been treated in all this mess. First industry to get cut and who knows when it will be back. Oh wait that’s right, as long as you are sitting at tables spaced 6ft apart and eating dinner, a band can play. I forgot about that. I could also say that it’s easy to mandate people have to stay in cars at a drive-in concert in 85 degree heat if you don’t know anything about concerts or heatstroke or carbon monoxide poisoning for that matter.
I could ask the questions of why it’s ok to have a stranger so close to you in line at a chain store that you can feel them breathing on your neck but it’s not ok to sit in front of your car with your group while socially distanced from the next group. I won’t though because apparently nobody can answer them. Wait, can you get out of your car at the drive -in movies? Probably. And probably because there’s no entertainment.
We all agree that safety for everyone-everywhere is priority #1. We also agree that adaptation and change are part of life. Life must go forward in whatever way it can (safely ) – gotta fit the gaslight in there-and the rules should be reflective of situations not industry. Like that band I mentioned playing to all those tables of people eating dinner- now I’m going to “Bob Ross” you. Let’s turn those tables into distanced cars yes cars. Bam -now add a band and food and we are a restaurant. Do drive-ins have concession stands that you can go into and stand in line 6 ft apart to order some cracker jacks. I say cracker jacks because it’s fitting. Yes is that answer.
Now let’s “Bob Ross” you again. Let’s make that Cracker Jack concession stand a chain store and bam- no more 6ft, more like hot breath. Now we are going to have a drive- in movie with a band and food and chain store merchandise and you guessed it- bam – you cant have food or beverage or merchandise at a drive-in concert unless you order thru an app or text and have it delivered to your car with touchless methods. What does that even mean? Bueller? My point is we all want to be safe and responsible but go home NYS – you’re drunk. What kind of Cracker Jack logic is this?
Two really great shows on opposite ends of NY being put on by responsible and respected promoters were both canceled this weekend because apparently if you have a band involved it’s better to get heatstroke or carbon monoxide poisoning than risk you might give someone in your already socially distanced group the Covid. Bueller?
Tickets to Twiddle shows have been refunded starting today.
Original post follows below
We’re not out of the woods yet, but live music is starting to slowly come back throughout much of Upstate and Western New York. Aqueous, moe. and now Twiddle are utilizing their local Drive-In to provide socially-distanced options for live music during the era of COVID-19.
Twiddle has announced that they’ll play three shows at Lake George’s ‘Drive In Jam Out’ event, held on July 31 and August 1-2 at Charles R. Wood Commons, a stone’s throw from the lake, and on August 14-16 in Essex Junction, VT at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Higher Ground has been producing live stream Drive-In events for a month now in Essex Junction, a short drive from Burlington.
For the Lake George shows, gates open at 5:30pm each night and close at 7:30pm. Tickets are available per car, with a limit of five people per vehicle or seven for SUVs. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable and are on sale NOW for Lake George and Essex Junction on the , and 16th.
Safety measures will be enforced at both venues, including wearing a mask when not at your designated spot on the ground, but also staying 6 feet apart from other patrons. A two-strikes policy will be enforced – if you are asked twice to put on a mask and decline, you’ll be asked to leave without a refund.
Alondra Galopa dropped their cover of “Sound of Silence” originally by Simon and Garfunkel. The cover comes from a place of unrest and gives the song a new meaning in 2020.
Alondra Galopa is an alternative indie band that originates from Granada, Spain. The band has worked with Linier Discos and The Borderline Music record labels producing one of a kind sounds. Some of their biggest songs include, “no hay marcha atrás,” “héroe,” and “a ninguna parte.” The band is made up of Juan A Salinas, Monica Navarro, Antonio “Lopez” y Manuel Marín.
Before the worldwide pandemic, Alondra Galopa, was in full production work for their next record release. The album production process had to stop due to the group’s inability to reunite. Band members Mónica Navarro and Juan A. Salinas have adapted “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel to Spanish during their unexpected downtime. They have turned the sound into a dark pop terrain, with the essence of post rock and dark noise that characterizes some of their productions. Between Monica Navarro’s vocals and the eerie sound it’s an original version of “Sound of Silence.” The cover is really something special that takes a classic song and changes to the sound while still keeping the essence of the song intact which isn’t an easy thing to do.
The song is definitely worth giving a listen to if you are a Alondra Galopa or Simon and Garfunkel fan. The song is out now and available on most streaming services.
For more information on Alondra Galopa visit their Facebook Page.
Our look back at the Grateful Dead’s tour history in New York makes a stop in the heart of Central New York, with a trip back to September 28, 1976 and a show so good it deserved placement on a Dick’s Pick release. The latter half of Volume 20 of this particular series of live shows showcases the band at the top of its game as it rolled into Syracuse in late September, after a show at Rochester’s War Memorial the night before.
New York has always served as fertile ground for memorable Grateful Dead shows and this particular one at the Onondaga County War Memorial falls right in line, with the band continuing to break new ground as they explode through this transformative mid ’70s era.
The proceedings start with an upbeat and inspirational “Cold Rain and Snow” that seems to warm the collective hearts assembled in Central New York this evening and gives the band a chance to warm up their harmonies early.
A “Cassidy” that later follows takes the set’s early momentum and runs with it, courtesy of its typically brief yet intense ending progression section. The band then stretches their collective legs a little with a version of “Tennessee Jed” that has a delightful, rambling jam attached to it and a stout version of “Candyman” soon follows. But the real highlight of the opening stanza is an an enthusiastic “Let It Grow” that fosters a jam which meanders effortlessly through the highs and lows provided by a rhythm section in lock step with the vocals of Bob Weir and Donna Jean Godcheaux before it dissolves into psychedelic bliss. This more than helps provide the kindling for a set closing “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” that easily catches fire, ending the first set in a pristine blaze of glory.
A direct and authoritative “Playing In the Band” opens the second set with Jerry Garcia on lead guitar laying down ferocious melodies atop a bed of intense rhythms fueled drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart and bassist Phil Lesh. The near 11-minute opening salvo is the band at their finest as they collectively finesse through a psychedelic jaunt that eventually makes way for “The Wheel.”
A joyous “Samson and Delilah” follows, which wastes no time after its completion before seguing into another blissful, guitar-driven improvisational jam with Garcia still leading and the rest of the band in hot pursuit.
Much like the first set, the bulk of this show’s punch comes towards the end, in the form of a tidy “Drums” section that gives way to an absolutely blistering “Eyes of the World” that sees the full band in complete cohesion and harmony, in a somewhat speedy version that was not atypical for this era of Dead.
This rapid rendition of “Eyes” then gives way to a loose, ragged collective jam that’s since been dubbed the “Orange Tango Jam,” the only one of its kind and seemingly a nod to the local Syracuse confines. This off-the-cuff jam has flashes of inspiration but eventually peters out and gives way to a rousing “Dancing In The Streets” before the set concludes with a bookending “Playing In The Band.”
Make no mistake. Even through this show might be the second half of Volume 20 of the esteemed Dick’s Picks archival releases, it takes a back seat to very few others from this era. It shows the band playing relaxed and cohesive as a whole, with the ability to shift into unstructured territory at a moment’s notice – a sign of things to come with the band soon entering perhaps the most explosive year of its existence.
Grateful Dead – Onondaga War Memorial Aud., Syracuse, NY – September 28, 1976
Set 1: Cold Rain and Snow, Big River, Bertha, Cassidy, Tennessee Jed, New Minglewood Blues, Candyman, It’s All Over Now, Friend of the Devil, Let it Grow, Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
Set 2: Playin’ in the Band > The Wheel >Samson and Delilah > Comes a Time > Drums > Eyes of the World > Dancin’ in the Streets, Playin’ in the Band
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band, Underwater Cartographers, New Saviors, Grape Juice!, Ida Mae Specker and many more! Get a preview of these artists below.
These guys rock, plain and simple. Hailing from Glens Falls and have most recently released Fear In The Valley: Live From The Den, a collection of live acoustic songs recorded during quarantine. Joe Mansman says of the recording process which took place in an old boat garage:
There was at least some comfort sitting in that moldy and dusty room with people you love, because it felt more normal than what was going on outside of it. We took our acoustic guitars, and just hit the record button most nights, letting it take us wherever. That felt normal. To me, this record will forever serve as a time capsule that’ll remind me of how we found a little bit of comfort in a strange and uncertain moment in the world’s history.
Joe Mansman
Underwater Cartographers – “Wave Goodbye and Watch it Go”
Albany’s Joe Pasinella is staying busy as always. Look up Underwater Cartographers on Bandcamp to see what I mean. It’s crazy how many songs this dude cranks out. He sends me new music constantly and it’s always interesting both lyrically and musically, all done for fun recording on Garage Band. Just like you, or maybe not depending on your situation, he works a standard job. I have no idea what that job is but he makes music like it’s his job. This is from the new Album Benign Fascinations.
New Saviors – “Pieces”
Ryan, host of EQXposure, shares insight on the newest from New Saviors.
Zack King’s latest project New Saviors are based out of Southern Vermont and Upstate New York. Zack plays guitar and takes on many other roles within the group. I’ve known him for well over a decade and have always known him to be in a band of some kind, even experimenting with rap as King Daddy Deucey (KDD) for a period of time. He’s a hustler for sure. When KDD merch was for sale you could see the t-shirts all over Bennington before Zack had even released any music under the name. I myself had at least three shirts, a hoodie, and a hat. That’s the thing about Zack. He’s just got the drive, talent, and personality to move any project forward.
Grape Juice! – “Strawberry Pie“
From Saratoga Springs, Grape Juice! is Hunter Fish (lead vocals, guitar, ukulele), Jesse Zuccaro (bass), and Michael Smith (drums, vocals). The three met in a creative writing class at SUNY Adirondack in 2017 and started the band at the beginning of 2018. “Strawberry Pie” was one of the first original songs they ever played and wrote together, and has been a favorite of their’s ever since. They recorded and mixed it all by themselves in their bass player’s basement, and if you listen closely, you can hear that it features his mom walking around upstairs toward the end of the song. They released our debut EPOuter Spvce EP on July 10, and are constantly writing, recording, and practicing. It shouldn’t be long before they have more music and start building their audience in the region.
Ida Mae Specker – Billy In The Heartland
Ida Mae Specker lives in Dorset, Vermont, having growing up in Andover, Vermont, where she began playing fiddle and singing in her family band, The Speckers. In addition to singing and fiddling, she’s also played drums and guitar in folk and indie rock bands. Her new EP Billy in the Heartland was recorded last year at Owl Sounds Recording and was the first time she recorded her original songs. The EP was to be followed up with some shows with the bands Upstate and Saints and Liars but the shows were unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19. Her web designer, photographer, and agent are all local VT women and you can see their work at on her website.
It’s a tale as old as time: the rich, famous, and privileged get a slap on the wrist for offenses that would ruin anyone else’s life. Previously observed by Truman Capote and Martin Luther King Jr. in the mid 1960s, the assertion that there are “two kinds of laws” still holds true today. NYC rocker Mickey Leigh employs the phrase again in Mutated Music’s new single, just as current affairs reiterate the divide. Nationwide protests have highlighted the police’s double standard in dealing with Black and white Americans, and President Trump has commuted his friend and former campaign advisor Roger Stone’s prison sentence.
About “Two Kinds of Law,” Mickey Leigh told SPIN,
“Music is magical in so many ways. Rock and roll is one form of it that, magically, can be purely fun, but, at the same time can be a way to spread a message. And, aside from having a lot of fun with it, me and my fellow Mutated musicians think both are equally important – as long as it’s an important message […] The importance of “equality” and “justice for all” has come to the forefront of our lives like never before. and, it’s a message that needs to be repeated…repeatedly. There aren’t many ways to repeat a message repeatedly without boring people to tears, aside from immersing it in a catchy chorus and irresistible rhythm.”
Mickey Leigh
This immersion is definitely successful. While its lyrics and melody are simple, “Two Kinds of Law” still packs a punch as a socially conscious earworm. The video opens with Leigh playing guitar on his couch, but quickly shifts to footage of a police shooting. The spreading of such videos can potentially be reckless and traumatic, but here it’s blurry, brief, and non-graphic. Next, Leigh sings “Hush now children, don’t you cry; daddy won’t be home and I’m telling you why” as a Black mother mouths the line to her children. The video concludes with a cameo from a certain disgraced athlete from the 90s, perhaps the quintessential example of the two kinds of law.
Mickey Leigh is partially known as the brother of Joey Ramone, but he’s had his own prolific career as well. He’s been a longtime fixture to the NYC music scene, and was previously in the bands Birdland and The Rattlers. He also published a book in 2009 called I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir.
Things have been interesting the past few months, between online streaming and socially distanced live shows being the only methods to get your live music fix. We’re hopeful that things will continue to improve in New York State and surrounding areas so we can get back to having the best live music offerings in the country.
To get an idea of where things are at in the Capital Region, catch up with a Who’s Who of the Albany music scene thanks to Albany EventsVideo Podcast series. You’ll find interviews and insight from Frankie Cavone at Mirth Films, Luke Malamood from Hartley’s Encore, Art Fredette of RadioRadioX, the team at The Spot 518, and staff from the Albany Events team. Between the 16 (and counting) episodes, you’ll get an idea of what the past few months have been like for musicians, videographers, publishers, photographers, event planners and more!
CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival announced it’s plans to postpone it’s 19th annual festival till 2021. The festival came to this conclusion in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was not safe to be held this year. The jazz fest will take place on June 18 – 26, 2021.
Photo provided by CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s press release.
The festival was originally rescheduled from June 19 – June 27 of 2020 to October 2 – 10, 2020 in hopes the pandemic would subside. Marc Iacona and John Nugent are producers of the festival ended up making the decision like many festivals to ultimately postpone until 2021. “This is the decision we didn’t want to make,” said Iacona and Nugent. They explained their decision to cancel saying, “We held out hope for as long as possible even as most major festivals and concert events around the world were postponing. But as we have now arrived at a critical junction, needing to finalize artists and logistic arrangements, reality has prevailed.”
With more than 208,000 people attending the nine-day festival annually, coming from more than half of the United States and 20 countries around the world to see 325-plus shows, and 1750-plus artists performing there was no way to make the festival a safe environment in the light of the pandemic. They wouldn’t be able to adhere to the distancing guidelines set. The guidelines would severely reduce venue capacities, likely capped at 25%, if venues were even available. Access would be severely limited, making it impossible to accommodate all patrons.The festival also includes lots of free shows, comprising almost a third of the festival’s shows. These shows in particular would be extremely difficult if not impossible to manage for screening, distancing, and oversight.
The Good news is that the festival has been able to reschedule the headliner shows, originally scheduled for this year. Both Puss N Boots and Spyro Gyra from their postponed 19th Edition will be featured in the 2021 edition. Puss N Boots will perform on Friday, June 18, 2021. Spyro Gyra will play Tuesday, June 22, 2021. For those who hold tickets for those shows, tickets and selected seats are saved and are automatically valid for these rescheduled shows. Ticket holders do not need to do anything further. For those who wish to purchase tickets for those two shows, they are on sale now on their website.
For more information please visit CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s website.
