Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and self-taught musician Ian Holubiak, who goes by the name Great Ian Alexander, has released the music video to his new protest anthem, written in response to the death of George Floyd and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The Ballad of Michael Brown,” was originally supposed to be a battlecry for the late Michael Brown, a victim of police brutality. As the years have passed, the song has maintained its relevance, serving as yet another voice in defiance of the systemic racism inherent in America’s police forces. Great Ian Alexander presents a song to aid in the revolution, to form a new police system and oust the racism that has been perpetuated and brutalized through the 13th Amendment.
Written by Ian Alexander Holubiak, Larz Principato & Denis Lipari, the song is a part of Holubiak’s solo project, Great Ian Alexander.Holubiak, a self-taught musician from the age of nine has toured with the Atlantic Records band, Oh Honey, as both a member and co-songwriter. Among the other groups he has toured with include Beach Weather and singer-songwriter acts inducing Grammy award nominated Elle King.
Photo by Victor Diaz Lamich/Courtesy of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an annual event and draws millions of visitors to the city of Québec each Summer. It holds the Guiness World Record for largest jazz festival. Unfortunately, the festival cannot be held in person this year; however, recordings of live performances will be available for free online. Thanks to support from TD Bank Group and Rio Tinto as well as public partnerships with the Government of Canada, the Government of Québec, and the City of Montréal, the Montréal Jazz Festival will reach more than ever before.
In order to keep everything up to the Festival’s standards, all performances will be filmed with high-quality production value in a specially made studio in Montreal’s L’Astral catered specifically for these online performances. Director Maxime Théoret-Bissonnette will manage these recordings and ensure that they will be of the highest quality. These live recordings will be free to view for anyone anywhere, making the Festival more accessible than it has ever been. If you can’t catch the performances live, they will be available for free on demand afterwards as well.
The Festival will kick off on Canadian Multicultural Day, June 27, with a lineup that will showcase Canada’s rich and diverse talent. The show will begin with the Apéros SAQ, a mix of live performances from some of the Festival’s favorite artists. Up next are the Sessions TD and Rhymes Rio Tinto, sessions that will be enjoyable for all fans. The Festival will also showcase recordings of performances from past Festivals. The opening night will finish with the Fin de Soirée Loto-Québec, a virtual party for everyone who wants to join.
Photo courtesy of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
The Festival will continue for three more days and wraps up on June 30. Although the full schedule has yet to be announced, the lineup includes the top local luminaries and artists of the city. Some notable performers who will be featured are Charlotte Cardin, Jean-Michael Blais, The Barr Brothers, Dominique Fils-Aimée, Elisapie, Jordan Officer, and many more.
The Festival’s General Manager Jacques K. Primeau expresses that it is extremely important for the Festival’s team “to bring the jazz Festival to the people.” He also expressed that the Festival “is thrilled to be able to offer an innovative solution to get the music out to the fans” even with such difficult challenges.
The Festival is only taking place thanks to the leadership of Primeau and Laurent Saulnier, the Festival’s team, the artists, and the Festival’s generous sponsors. Primeau remarks that “#JazzTogether is truly a community and a family affair” even in the hardest of times.
Danish punk band Twin Dive have released a new track in remembrance of George Floyd, a recent victim of police brutality whos death has sparked protest and outrage worldwide. The energy and pure anger that shine through on this track perfectly captivate the strong emotions behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Say His Name” is riddled with lyrics that target the systematic racism and oppression perpetuated by the American upper class. Much like the protests themselves, this song is a screaming demand for justice. In further support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Twin Dives will be donating 100% of the proceeds and royalties made from this release to the cause.
Twin Dive is a duo from Denmark who, although formed only in 2018, have been grabbing attention in their respective music scenes. Blending the braggadocious nature of front men from the 70s punk scene with all the contained noise and distortion of the low-fi grunge era, Twin Dive are no stranger to taking political stances in their music.
To find out more on the band make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to keep updated with their shenanigans.
What lengths are you willing to go to keep your life’s work alive; will these adaptations muddle the concert experience forever.
Devastation throughout the music industry has crippled artists and their mediums – Venues. Amid a global pandemic we are seemingly waiting – for venues to open, shows to begin and the concert experience to shapeshift into a safe, sustainable event. Nobody is sure what the final product will be, yet passion radiates. Through blooming efforts like the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) right here in New York, we have band together to save our industry and the concert experience as we knew it.
The Past:
Being elbow-to-rib is just part of the experience. Hours spent waiting in line that sparked anxious anticipation, or getting sucked into the stage by the crowd when the lights go dim, before the main act, cannot be replaced by live streams. Maybe you’re the one up front hanging over the barrier, screaming every lyric verbatim; maybe you’re setback, studying your favorite instrument or player; you’re moving around, dancing or moshing (respectfully of course); or you’re the type that hangs at the bar with friends, reminiscing how you’ve seen this particular band hundreds of times. All of these moving parts create energy.
When you walk into a venue it sets the mood, the crowd and band feeds off one another. From local dive bars and smaller venues, to theatres and arenas, stepping in pre-soundcheck has a therapeutic energy for performers, as does the commotion when the doors open. Artists paint backstages, leaving totems or memorabilia that builds a venue’s character. When those spaces are cut to half capacity, or less, that energy is depleted.
Everyone’s safety and economic sustainability is paramount, but nobody is talking about sustaining these colorful parts of the canvas. Adapting is necessary. Yet, promoters, artists and venues are stuck in limbo. Letting go of the experience as we knew it remains untold.
Music Canada sites 40% of concertgoers won’t return until six months after restrictions lifted.
The Present:
NIVA was created by Independent Venue Week, top venues and promoters across the nation, “to fight for the survival of independent venues, their employees, artists, fans and their communities,” (nivassoc.org). Sucking in 450 members across 43 states in the first three days, they are now pushing 2,000 members nationwide (50 States) for an endless-scrolling roster on their website. Founded by the industry’s best, NIVA states that 90 percent of independent venues will collapse if they don’t open this year. With rumours saying this lockdown can lead well into 2021, will we be able to recover.
Capacity restrictions will limit venues’ revenue, and minimum thresholds vary. A Chicago study deemed a 12:1 ratio of economic impact among small venues (nivassoc.org). Twelve dollars of economic stimulus to hotels, restaurants and shops flooded in for every dollar spent inside the venue. Extrapolate that on a $50 ticket, or a night out for a group of excited fans. The impact is everything.
According to a USA Today article, Johns Hopkins Director of the Master of Bioethics degree program and Research Scholar, Travis Rieder, said there’s serious doubt about live music returning before 2021 and “a shortage of test and lack of vaccine simply make things too risky.” Unfortunately, he continues that “the risk of those events as we would have done them in the past outweighs the benefit of doing them.” Masks, temperature checks and spacing restrictions may not be enough. Is your favorite band or venue worth the risk.
With the music industry on the rise prior to COVID-19, Pollstar predicts a daunting $8.9 billion hit, should quarantine continue and venues remain dark. They go on to state “industry losses could total about $5.2 billion in just missed ticket sales alone,” and not to mention residual impacts on the economy and all of those employed in the box offices, concession stands, parking valet, and so on.
The answer is NOTHING. Nothing will stop us from preserving our life’s work, the concert experience, our art, and all the pieces that work together to keep it alive.
On Thursday, June 18, NIVA made an official statement urging for federal help:
We, the undersigned artists, respectfully submit this letter in support of NIVA’s request for federal assistance for independent music venues and promoters across the United States.
This is no petty petition. Industry giants, artists and celebrities wave an official SOS including: Joel, Eilish, Seinfeld, Gaga, Letterman, Goldberg, Iver, Lauper, Plant, Nelson, Aoki, Mayer, Leno, Weir, Watts…
The irony in their signatures – it merits no value when we are all on lockdown. Something super-fan would unassumingly die for is now a cry for help, for congress to help kickstart the industry back to the creative and thriving outlet it once was, pre COVID-19.
We will continue to fight, support and be the voice for all artists, venues and industry mediums that are struggling. Stay tuned for ‘The Vault,” featuring venue and artist specific coverage on this topic. Please contact NYS Musicso your voice can be heard.
In August of 2019, a huge festival celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock was supposed to be held. The event’s lineup included artists such as Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and more. Although it was extremely hyped, the festival was cancelled less than a month before its scheduled date due to multiple issues which were prompted after Dentsu, one of the festival’s investors, pulled out of the event. Now, Woodstock is taking Dentsu back to court and demanding that they be refunded for the company’s fraudulent actions.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (10160758ad)
Woodstock co-producer and co-founder, Michael Lang, participates in the Woodstock 50 lineup announcement at Electric Lady Studios, in New York
Woodstock 50 Lineup Announcement, New York, USA – 19 Mar 2019
On April 29 2019, Dentsu announced that the event was cancelled altogether, claiming that the reason was due to doubts regarding the festival’s ability to host a safe event for artists and customers alike, as an administrator of New York’s Schuyler County reported that the tickets could not be sold because Woodstock had failed to get a mass gathering permit from the Department of Health. Despite this, the New York State Department of Health announced that the “cancellation announcement [was] not a result of the permit application pending with the Department,” admitting that “The Department was surprised to learn of [the] decision to cancel the event.”
Woodstock still assured fans that the festival would go according to plan without Dentsu, and on May 6, co-creator of Woodstock Michael Lang claims that Dentsu “illegally swept approximately $17 million from the festival bank account” and tried to persuade artists into dropping out of the festival. Woodstock asked for a court order shortly after demanding that Dentsu refund the festival the $17.8 million. Dentsu disputed their claims, and the Supreme Court of New York’s order on May 15 said that although Dentsu could not cancel Woodstock 50, they owed the festival nothing.
Now, over a year later, the Woodstock 50 organizers have officially filed a lawsuit against Dentsu for “sabotage” despite the previous court decision. The suit claims that Dentsu’s decision to pull out of the event had “nothing to do with any alleged breaches by Woodstock 50, but rather to avoid the potential that the Festival would not make money or not be as successful as they hoped” even though Dentsu claimed that the decision to leave the festival was because of the lack of a proper permit. The plaintiff states that Woodstock 50 is entitled to “tens of millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages” as a result of Dentsu’s fraudulent behavior. The suit alleges that it was Dentsu’s intention from the start to “kill the festival.”
The writing was on the wall, and if 1994 didn’t confirm it, 1995 certainly did. And on June 21-22, the Grateful Dead performed their final shows in the state of New York at the Knickerbocker Arena (The Knick) in Albany.
The Dead had performed over 300 shows in New York State alone since their first in 1967, but the last two in Albany would serve as a curtain call for a band that treated the state as a second home, musically speaking. After all the shows and runs at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Fillmore East, Paradise Garden, Capitol Theatre, Nassau Coliseum, Rich Stadium, the Carrier Dome and more, and these would be the finale, even if it was not announced as such.
via JerryGarcia.com
The June 21st show would offer up the final “Row Jimmy,” “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” “Supplication Jam” and “Morning Dew,” and what a “Morning Dew” this was. Fans were in tears as the ballad played, one fan saying “all difficulties disappeared for a few precious moments and we were all treated to a beautiful, final rendtion from the boys.” Listen or watch the full show below and judge for yourself.
Grateful Dead – The Knick, Albany, NY – June 21, 1995
Set 1: Hell In A Bucket, Loser, Take Me To The River, Row Jimmy, Broken Arrow, Promised Land
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain, Women Are Smarter, It’s All Too Much, Playin’ In The Band-> Drums-> Space-> Easy Answers-> Morning Dew
Encore: U.S. Blues
The next night would be the final show in Albany, at The Knick, and in New York State for that matter. The tour would head to Washington, D.C., Auburn Hills, MI, a few more stops in the Midwest before the final show at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
via JerryGarcia.com
This show features an incredible “Franklin’s Tower,” clocking in at 18 minutes, a near-record for its final version ever. The final “Help on the Way” and “Slipknot” preceded the set closing jam, as did an emotional “It Must Have Been the Roses.” Early in the second set, “Estimated Prophet” -> “Terrapin Station” combine for 30 minutes followed by 25 minutes of “Drums” and a “Silent Way” jam ahead in “Space.” Final versions of “All Along the Watchtower,” “Black Peter” show up later in the set, with an encore of “I Fought the Law” to close the run.
The Grateful Dead made their mark on the Empire State through nearly 30 years of performances, one that lasts in every corner of the state to this day. Revisit those final shows, 25 years later.
via gratefuldeadoftheday.com
Setlist June 22, 1995
Set 1: Touch Of Gray, Walkin’ Blues, It Must Have Been The Roses, When I Paint My Masterpiece, So Many Roads, The Music Never Stopped Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower
Set 2: Samba In The Rain, Estimated Prophet-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> Silent Way Jam-> Space-> All Along The Watchtower-> Black Peter-> Around & Around
The next two moe.ron Mondays on Nugs TV will feature a pair of shows from the State Theatre in Portland, Maine, which will also conclude the weekly streaming series.
These two shows did not allow taping and served as record release shows for The Conch, one of moe.’s best-received albums, receiving 4/5 stars in Rolling Stone. The shows, seen for the first time, will offer a glimpse at a band 15 years into their career. Tune in at Nugs.TV
moe. Summer 2005 tour poster by Emek
Setlist, June 10, 2005 Timmy Tucker, It, Lost Along the Way, Happy Hour Hero, McBain -> George, Tailspin, The Pit, Recreational Chemistry, She, The Road, Brent Black Encore: Wind It Up, Blue Jeans Pizza, Crab Eyes
Poster by Marq Spusta
Setlist, June 11, 2005 Captain America, She, Wind It Up, The Road, The Pit, Kyle’s Song, 32 Things, Wake Up, St. Augustine, Head, George, Rebubula Encore: Plane Crash
Watch and enjoy “MacIntyre Range,” featured on The Conch and inspired by the Adirondack Mountain range of the same name.
At some point in our lives, we have all heard the classic hip hop refrain from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “Don’t push me ‘cause I’m close to the edge.” However, despite the funky bass line and infectious hook, “The Message” was written to give insight on the life of a young Grandmaster Melle Mel, who grew up in the Bronx during the ’60s and ‘70s, following the wake of the Civil Rights movement, an incredibly trying time for the impoverished black community. “The Message” has a place in history that is more than a reminder of the true roots of hip-hop, but rather a landmark of socially conscious rap. “The Message” was one of the first commercially successful rap songs providing heavy social commentary. At the time of its release, it stood out among other party tracks that were the hip-hop market at the time.
The intro delivered by Duke Bootee sets the scene, “It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.” Comparing life in the inner city Bronx to life in a literal jungle reiterates the hardships faced by the black community, struggling for survival and contemplating the will and self-determination that urge for survival takes. Then, on the verse is Melle Mel depicting the struggles of a poor black man who is on his last ounce of hope after repeating a cycle of despair desperate to escape.
Mel continues on the hook, “Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head,” which encompasses the song’s central message: life in the inner city is hard and the stresses constantly build up. The hook almost sings as a warning to people unaware of the realities of street life, pleading people to not “push” you off the edge in a means to preserve your own mental sanity. Melle Mel’s verses continue to cover topics of poverty and homelessness due to mental illness with bars creating images of a “Crazy lady, livin’ in a bag eatin’ outta garbage pails” makes clear that Melle Mel was on the front lines of poverty in the 1970s. Mel also comments on the broken education system saying he “Got a bum education” and is under financial stress due to “double-digit inflation” which all feed into the power of the refrain.
Despite its release nearly 40 years ago, the song remains highly relevant in 2020’s social and political climate. The struggles detailed by Melle Mel are still issues faced by thousands who are stuck in the cycle of poverty perpetuated by systematic racism, un-equitable access, and crime. Many of the topics Mel rhymes about throughout “The Message” are the same themes present day artists such as Kendrick Lamar (AKA Cornrow Kenny) are bringing back to the focal point in the conscious hip hop movement.
There is an almost predictable reemergence of these themes of depression and poverty expressed by the black community brought to light by artists generationally. The consistency of lyrical themes present in the late 1970s mirroring those of present day billboard topping singles reiterates the notion that not much has changed. Black America is still trying to survive in the metaphorical jungle Bootee sang about.
Over the past ten years, we have seen artists such as Kendrick Lamar, as mentioned earlier, releasing songs in a similar vein to “The Message.” Most notably, his 2012 critically acclaimed, Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, concept album which followed the life of a young Kendrick throughout his upbringing in Compton, CA. Throughout the album’s track list, Kendrick raps about several similar themes such as his struggles with poverty, crime, and depression. Whether cited as an influence or not, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” certainly paved the way for projects making social commentary accessible for the hip hop audience of today.
The next time you find yourself nodding your head to the beat of “The Message,” or saying “Don’t push me,” keep in mind the original focus of Grandmaster Flash and consider the blessing that music has the power to carry these messages through sound from generation to generation.
Setting sail five decades ago by the folk icon Pete Seeger, The Hudson River sloop Clearwater was recently doubting its state of continuing after the pandemic forced a stop to its educational and activism activities. With donations from supporters worldwide, the ‘nation’s oldest music-rooted activist organization’ has stopped this ship from sinking. The annual music festival will once again go on this year, but virtually to keep in accordance with the current social distancing guidelines, dubbed ‘The Virtual Great Hudson River Revival: An Epic Stream to Save the River.’
Airing June 20 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. est. Viewers can enjoy the 3 hour festival on Clearwater’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page for free with donations being accepted that will go to continue the educational, environmental and activism programming. Artists will get to perform one at a time, giving them a chance to watch their fellow performers, something that has never occurred in the history of the activism festival.
Grammy winning singer/songwriter Tom Chapin, a returning headliner and one of the organizers for this year’s virtual concert said, “Happiness, for me, is performing at the Clearwater Revival and, for the first time, being able to actually watch all the other great artists play.”
Other musicians who have stepped up to the plate for 2020 include Judy Collins, David Amram, John McCutcheon, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason many more.
Conceived in 1966, the Clearwater sloop has played an important role in the history of environmentalism and grass-roots activism along the Hudson River. From a history of female captains, to flying of the rainbow flag in support of its trips dedicated to empowering LGBTQ young people and its role in the long running cleanup of the Hudson River. The organization called for an end to systemic racism in a post on their Facebook page and recalled when Seeger and civil rights activist Paul Robeson were attacked 70 years ago after performing in Peekskill, NY according to a Billboard article. Also the sloop has hosted several generations of the region’s youth have learned about the Hudson River from field trips aboard the Clearwater.
“Despite the distance, we’ve been excited to be able to bring people to the river through virtual sails and interactive online programs, and the response so far has been terrific,” says Erik Fyfe, Clearwater’s education director.
Even amidst this pandemic, the annual Make Music Day will still be held in hopes of spreading happiness and music to anyone across the globe.
Photo by Thomas Retzer
Originally started in France in 1983 as Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day is the only music festival of its kind: its mission is to bring free music to anyone and inspire them to create music themselves regardless of their age or experience level.
The festival made its North American debut in New York City several years ago, and now has chapters all over the US, including Rochester, Ithaca, and Ossining-Briarcliff. Now every year on the Summer Solstice, over 1,000 cities across the globe take part in this great celebration of music. This year, Philadelphia will dedicate their events to the Black Lives Matter movement.
This year, although events cannot be held in person, the creators of the festival have still managed to invent creative ways to get many involved with music. A global day-long live stream will be held featuring several New York artists, there will be 12-hour long online music lessons for 25 different kinds of instruments for all experience levels, and composers from around the world will be challenged to perform another’s song. A contest for young people from ages 13-21 motivates them to submit their own work. Make Music Day even will even join Bash the Trash Environmental Arts by encouraging all to create instruments out of trash or household items. Performances of Elliot Cole’sFlowerpot Music, in which he makes music using flowerpots as percussion, will be live streamed for eight hours.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 21: Marching bands perform during Make Music Day at the Brooklyn Museum on June 21, 2014 In the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Make Music Day)
Make Music New York even has their own unique lineup of events for the day. An ever-growing list of musicians and singers will perform Mozart’s Requiem at noon, and it is still possible to sign up and get involved in the performance, and the Third Street Music School will livestream Beethoven Sonatas from 1-5pm. Paul Stein, the activist accordion player, will be entertaining countless via livstream at 4. Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre will host a virtual block party that will feature NYC immigrant and international performers.
Make Music Day has even organized ways to safely bring music in person to some. One June 21, musicians will serenade the elderly from outside nursing home windows in order to maintain a healthy distance. Nursing homes are still looking for musicians! If you are interested, contact your local FirstLight Home Care to be matched with a participating nursing home. One-person marching bands will parade around cities across the US; look out for Matthew Cain, who will be playing the tuba in Park Slope on 9th street in Brooklyn. CenterPoint Arts is hosting live concerts from cars outside of Brooklyn Crepe & Juice (274 Flatbush Ave) at 4:15. Porch Stomp! will host pop-up socially-distant singalongs all around Brooklyn from 6-7:10.
There are even more events which will take place throughout the day on June 21, and there are still many chances to get involved in this global celebration of music.
