The progressive quartet Mipso has released dates for a 2020 spring tour shortly after ending a very successful Living Room Tour this past January. Canadian folk artist Taylor Ashton is set to join the group on select dates to support his debut album The Romantic that was released just last week.
Out of the 14 stops across North America, Mipso is set to perform three nights in New York. First, with back to back shows at the Rockwood in New York City on April 13 and 14 where they will be joined both nights by special guests Taylor Ashton, Steph Coleman and Alec Spiegleman. Then they will continue the journey northwest to Ithaca were they are slated to play at The Haunt on April 18.
Hailing from North Carolina, Mipso is said to be the new rising force in Americana music, combining historic roots with a new music edge. In addition to touring, Mipso announced they will be releasing a remixed follow up album to their 2018 release Edges Run. The album had put the group at the top of the bluegrass charts when released with the single “People Change,” receiving over 45 million streams on Spotify. Currently in the works is a new full length LP which will be released later in 2020 under Rounder Records.
Tickets for all shows are now on sale and can be purchased here. Below is a list shows with additional spring/summer dates still to be announced.
Mipso 2020 Tour
Apr. 10 – Roy’s Hall – Blairstown, NJ*
Apr. 11 – Arden Gild Hall – Arden, DE*
Apr. 13&14 – Rockwood – New York, NY +
Apr. 15 – The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center – Old Saybrook, CT
Apr. 16 – Shea Theatre Arts Center – Turner Falls, MA
Apr. 17 – UVM – Burlington, VT
Apr. 18 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY
Apr. 19 – Hopewell Theatre – Hopewell, NJ
*with Taylor Ashton
+ with Taylor Ashton and guest Steph Coleman and Alec Spiegleman
When A Boogie With Da Hoodie announced that he was set to release his third studio album, his fans were jubilant. It had been just over a year since we last heard from the Bronx native and in the age of microwaveable music, there was a yearning to hear what new melodies the “Just Like Me” rapper had cooked up. While leaked records delayed the album towards its Valentine’s Day release, they also built anticipation for what was to come.
At face value, Artist 2.0– the sequel to his 2016 breakout mixtape, Artist – gave his fans exactly what they asked for. The man known for his melodic chants and passionate crooning about his love life reverted back to what he knows best and then some. Although recognized as a rapper, that takes a backseat in this latest effort. A boogie never goes more than a few bars in any of the records before his singing takes precedence, exemplified in the emotional ballad “Good Girls Gone Bad,” where he wails about a woman who’s changed as a result of his inconsistencies.
What it lacks for in actual rapping, the album more than makes up for in its infectious choruses. “Right Back,” “Mood Swings,” “Me and My Guitar,” and “DTB 4 Life” are all records that have the propensity to become a mainstay in any playlist. While he doesn’t rap as much as some might have wanted on the album, his guest-features all brought their “A” game. Verses from Dababy, Young Thug, Gunna and Roddy Rich do a good job of balancing out the croon-heavy album, with A Boogie and Roddy Rich’s chemistry being one of the project’s highlights.
Coming into the rap game, A Boogie presented himself as a rapper who would occasionally try his hand at singing. On Artist 2.0, he doubles down on the latter, pushing his own personal boundaries and blurring the lines on what his official title should really be. While the album is enjoyable, it doesn’t always feel like it’s A Boogie at his best and it seems like, to A Boogie, “artist” means less rapping, which inherently is not the case.
Laid Back Festival will be making its return this summer after a two-year hiatus, highlighted by an all-star slate of performers. Named after Greg Allman’s 1973 solo debut album, it was first held in 2015 in Wantagh, NY’s Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. The event continued in 2016 — expanding to five cities — and in 2017 saw the likes of Steve Winwood and Sheryl Crow headline. The festivities will return to Wantagh this year on Saturday, August 8 at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater and will be continuing the next day in Holmdel, NJ at the PNC Bank Arts Center.
Presented in partnership by Gregg Allman’s longtime manager Michael Lehman and Live Nation, Laid Back will be headlined by Steve Miller Band and will feature the likes of Brian Wilson (with Al Jardine and Blonde Chaplin), Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Taj Mahal Quartet, Gary Mule Deer, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe.
A celebration of American music and food, the Laid Back Festival serves as a showcase for all of the great cuisine and music upstate New York has to offer. It will feature regional restaurants, food tricks, breweries and wineries.
Live Nation presales begin Thursday, February 20 at 10 am ET; all remaining tickets go on sale Friday, February 21 at 10 a.m. eastern time. For complete information and details please visit, www.laidbackfestival.com.
Saratoga Springs’s new venue, Universal Preservation Hall, will have its first full month of shows in March, ranging from jazz to comedy to an evening with the celebrity housewives. The venue is a former 1871 Methodist church which has been renovated into a state-of-the-art performance facility.
Universal Preservation Hall Press Photo.
The March lineup will start on the 4th with Sounds of the Hall which will be an evening of jazz music from Chuck Lamb and Friends and the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra. The schedule will wrap up on the 27th with Joey Alexander who is the youngest musician to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award® in a jazz category. There will be performances from a family circus, the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame Ceremony, an award winning Broadway actress, and many more acts.
Universal Preservation Hall Press Photo.
For more information or tickets visit the Universal Preservation Hall’s website. Tickets are also available by phone at 518- 881- 4500 or at the Box Office at 25 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs.
Full venue lineup bellow:
Sounds of the Hall
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4. The Great Hall at UPH, $20.
Sounds of the Hall opens the month with an evening of jazz music from Chuck Lamb and Friends and the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra.
Louie Anderson Live!
8 p.m. Thursday, March 5. The Great Hall at UPH, $29.50 – $69.50.
Stand-up comedian and star of the show Baskets, Louie Anderson, will bring many laughs to The Great Hall at UPH.
An Evening with Chris Botti
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 6. The Great Hall at UPH, $79.50 – $179.50.
Grammy Award® winner for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Chris Botti will enchant UPH patrons with his trumpet playing.
An Evening with the Celebrity Housewives
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7. The Great Hall at UPH, $30 – $109.50.
Don’t miss Brandy Glanville, Carole Manzo and Caroline Radziwill as they discuss their sensational personal lives, cherished families, amazing businesses and how fame changed their lives forever.
The Marvelous Marquise Family Circus
2 p.m. Sunday, March 8. The Great Hall at UPH, $10.
Think you know circus? Think Again! The Contemporary Circus & Immersive Arts Center presents a unique family unlike you’ve met before.
Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame Ceremony
6 p.m. Monday, March 9. The Great Hall at UPH, $50.
A member of the Grand Ole Opry, a woman who founded an iconic American coffeehouse and two local connections to MTV are among the six 2020 inductees.
Megan Hilty
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13. The Great Hall at UPH, $32.50 – $109.50.
Known for her role as Ivy Lynn on NBC’s Smash, Megan Hilty brings her Tony-Award® nominated talent to the Saratoga.
Howard Jones Acoustic Trio presented by Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14. The Great Hall at UPH, $29.50 – $69.50.
This show will provide the opportunity for the audience to hear first-hand about the inspiration behind Howard Jones’ beloved material as well as stories from his touring career.
Irish Hooley with the Screaming Orphans
7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15. The Great Hall at UPH, $25.
These four sisters from County Donegal, Ireland are bringing the party to Saratoga on St. Patrick’s Weekend with a good old-fashioned Irish Hooley.
Rochmon Record Club presents: Paul Simon’s “Graceland”
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17. The Great Hall at UPH, $25.
The Rochmon Record Club will converge to listen and learn about Paul Simon’s 7th solo album “Graceland” which feature some of Simon’s most beloved songs.
One Night in Memphis
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 20. The Great Hall at UPH, $30 – $65.
This rocking concert tribute pays homage to legendary Sun Records recording artists Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
Journeyman
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21. The Great Hall at UPH, $19.50 – $39.50.
Fronted by Shaun Hague, Journeyman is the only nationally touring tribute to Eric Clapton.
Joey Alexander
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 27. The Great Hall at UPH, $39.50 – $89.50.
Don’t miss the youngest musician to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award® in a jazz category.
2019 was some year for the Allman Betts Band. In March, the band performed its inaugural show 50 years after the first time the Allman Brothers ever played together. June saw their debut album, Down to the River, hit #1 on the iTunes Rock charts the week it was released. The summer brought the band to a host of festivals and sold out headlining shows as well as a European tour. Throw in a medical emergency and a wedding too, and it was some year.
Berry Oakley, Devon Allman, Duane Betts, Johnny Stachela – Allman Betts Band
So what do you do in 2020? You go on a worldwide tour, of course. With a second album in the works (recorded at Muscle Shoals) and having taken some down time to recharge, the Allman Betts Band (Devon Allman– guitar, vocals; Duane Betts– guitar, vocals; Berry Duane Oakley– bass, vocals; Johnny Stachela– guitar, vocals; John Ginty– keyboards; R Scott Bryan– percussion, vocals; John Lum– drums) is going global. We caught ABB at the Tarrytown Music Hall stop of their global odyssey. It was coincidental that this weekend we happened to be celebrating two of our founding fathers while listening to the sons of two men who may not have started the blues, but certainly influenced many a contemporary blues or rock musician.
Jackson Stokes
Opening the night was a St. Louis, MO guitarist and singer/songwriter named Jackson Stokes. Stokes is the first person signed to Devon Allman’s new label Create Records. Supported by a solid three-piece band, Jackson offered an unfiltered, raw performance, worthy of his signing to Allman’s new label. Stokes and his band have been playing multiple dates with ABB on this tour.
JD Simo
In the middle slot was JD Simo, a Nashvillian by way of Chicago. JD’s blistering guitar work most certainly pulls from those influences . This night he took the audience with him on his therapeutic musical journey as he performed, maneuvering seamlessly through the styles with no questions asked. A regular on last year’s ABB tour, JD and his band prove to be more than a warm up act, but one that stokes the fire in preparation for a big night.
Allman Betts Band
After two kickin’ acts, the house was set. The sold-out show (which is becoming the norm) had a mix of old and young in attendance. People were sharing stories of seeing Devon or Duane separately and looking forward to experiencing the coalescing of their talents. The band opened up with “Airboats & Cocaine” from the yet to be named upcoming 2nd album. “Shinin’” from their debut Down to the River followed and the groove for the night was in full swing. With almost a year together, the band has jelled into a musical monster to which you are willing to sacrifice yourself. The set list this tour has been in flux, so no one is sure exactly what each night will bring. Sprinkled through the night, a few covers found themselves being pulled out. Berry Oakley took lead vocals on The Dead’s “Shakedown Street” which had everyone up and dancing, while Devon had the crowd waving their cell phone flashlights, a la lighters in the air, to “Purple Rain” adding a special glow to the house. The encore had the band sharing another new tune, “Magnolia Road,” and took it home in reverent fashion with The Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky.”
Allman Betts Band at Tarrytown Music Hall
So what is 2020 to the Allman Betts Band? A new album, lots of travel stickers on their guitar cases and a band to see if their trek takes them to your town.
Devon Allman, Duane Betts – Allman Betts Band
Allman Betts Band set list: Airboats and Cocaine, Shinin’, Left My Heart in Memphis, Autumn Breeze, Ain’t Wastin’ Time, All Night, Good Ol’ Days, Jessica, Shakedown Street, Taking Time, Mahalo, Purple Rain, Long Gone
Pink Talking Fish will continue their busy 2020 and bring their unique fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish from coast to coast between April and June, after a winter tour that has brought Pink Talking Fish through the Midwest and heads into the Northeast in early March, with a tribute to Cornell ’77 on tap.
Spring tour includes sets at early music festivals, including Skull & Roses in California, Wanee Block Party in Florida, Some Kind Of Jam 15 in Pennsylvania and a return to Strange Creek Campout in Massachusetts. The performance at Wanee will include a ‘PTF is Allmans’ concept where the band will add The Allman Brothers catalog into the mix. Skull & Roses will see the band adding the Grateful Dead as a ‘4th Band’ for a ‘PTF Are Dead’ concept.
In May, Pink Talking Fish will celebrate one of the most famous shows in Grateful Dead history – ‘Cornell ’77,’ aka the famous Barton Hall show from May 8, 1977. This year, the State Theatre in Ithaca will host a very special ‘PTF Are Dead’ concept by blending 5/8/77-inspired Grateful Dead material into the mix of the night.
Joining PTF along the way are The Dire Wolves opening the show in Boulder, CO; Space Bacon (Friday) and Neighbor (Saturday) opening the Brooklyn Bowl shows in April, the latter of which features PTF keyboardist Richard James, and very special guests Strange Machines supporting PTF’s hometown celebration in Boston. The spring tour finale also features a co-headlining bill with Star Kitchen at Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore PA.
Pink Talking Fish Winter Tour 2020
3/05: Indianapolis IN at The Vogue Theatre
3/06: Chicago IL at Park West
3/07: Columbus OH at Woodlands Tavern
3/13: Plymouth NH at The Flying Monkey
3/14: Saratoga Springs NY at Putnam Place w/s/g Eggy
3/15: Norfolk CT at Infinity Hall
Pink Talking Fish Spring Tour 2020
4/03: Ventura CA at Skull & Roses – Pink Talking Fish Are Dead
4/04: Boulder CO at The Fox Theatre w/s/g Dire Wolves
4/09: Asbury Park NJ at The Stone Pony – Jams In The Sand Release Party
4/10: Brooklyn NY at Brooklyn Bowl w/s/g Space Bacon
4/11: Brooklyn NY at Brooklyn Bowl w/s/g Neighbor
4/24: Fort Lauderdale FL at Wanee Block Party – Pink Talking Fish Are Allmans
4/25: Schuylkill Haven PA at Some Kind Of Jam 15
5/08: Ithaca NY at The State Theatre – 5/8/77 Anniversary Party featuring Pink Talking Fish Are Dead inspired by “Cornell ‘77”
5/09: Fairfield CT at FTC Warehouse
5/15: Boston MA at Paradise Rock Club w/v/s/g Strange Machines
5/22: Greenfield MA at Strange Creek Campout
5/28: Roanoke VA at 5 Points Music Sanctuary
5/29: Richmond VA at The National
5/30: Norfolk VA at The NorVa
6/05-06: Ardmore PA at Ardmore Music Hall – 2 Night Double-Bill with Star Kitchen
NYC’s Peak are off to a hot start in 2020 and in full gear during their winter tour. Following the release of full set video from their Brooklyn Bowl show in October, they recently released Hot Clips Volume 2, the second installment in our live series with selected tracks from fall and early winter tours, featuring new songs and some of their hand-picked favorite jams from the road.
Back for its second year, Beach Road Weekend has announced the initial lineup for 2020. Taking place July 24 to July 26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven, the festival will have three full days of music spread across two stages instead of one. Headlining this year will be Norah Jones, Lake Street Dive and Beck.
Included in the eclectic lineup will be New Orleans rock band The Revivalists, indie folk band The Head and The Heart, Boston band Guster and many more. A series of local acts are also set to perform on the main stage for the first time, all of which will be announced at later dates.
“As we searched for artists for Beach Road Weekend 2020 we were so happy to find many musicians had a special connection with, or memory of Martha’s Vineyard. This is truly a place that artists want to play, and we are excited to bring them to the fans,” said Adam Epstein, CEO of Innovation Arts & Entertainment. “This year is all about building off the success we had in 2019 with more music and a better experience for all fans.”
– Adam Epstein, CEO of Innovation Arts & Entertainment and inspiration behind Beach Road Weekend
Single day tickets for Beach Road Weekend will be available at a later date. Three-day VIP, GA and GA+ ticket packages are on sale now at Beachroadweekend.com.
Boston’s Spiritual Rez has announced nine summer tour dates for 2020. The band will embark on a run of shows that will take them from the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, with three stops in New York, including the North Country River Jam in Champlain, The Colony in Woodstock and Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. They’ll also make stops in their hometown of Boston, and kick things off on June 4 at Mountain Music Festival in Minden, WV.
Tour dates and more information can be found at spiritualrez.com
Spiritual Rez 2020 Summer Tour
June 04 Minden WV – Mountain Music Festival
June 05 Harrisburg, PA – The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Co.
Nicole Mercedes, the Brooklyn-based dream-pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, has shared the debut single “Stoop” from her sophomore album Look Out Where You’re Going, due in April 2020.
Mercedes tells Atwood Magazine about the meaning of the track, saying, “This is a song about embracing the feeling of loneliness, about those summer nights where all you’re looking for is a distraction, and a rotating door of friends and strangers to drink with, talk with, make out with. The stoop is my favorite place to do that because things are constantly happening around you and you can kind of just sit there drinking some wine in your slippers, passively being a part of the landscape.”
The forthcoming album is a collaboration with producer Joe Rogers (Laura Stevenson, Rubblebucket) and Deer Tick’s Andy T. Mercedes performs all compositions and arrangements on the LP, and with Rogers has created a sound that is both equally pop and haunting all at once. Mercedes’ previous projects include Debbie Downer and Flocke, but her solo endeavor sets forth a whole new era of lush, cinematic, sex-positive, feminist, self-aware songs.
Mercedes performs next at The Sultan Room on March 19 in Brooklyn. Get tickets here.
