Brooklyn-based Ok Cowgirl shared their second track of the fall, “Don’t Go.” This is the project of the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Leah Lavigne. It serves as an explosively dreamy testament to shedding insecurities and carving your own path in a world that craves conformity.
Photo Credit: Nina Jang
Driven to pursue a louder, equally introspective sound, Lavinge stepped away from the piano and taught herself electric guitar. In the summer of 2018, she joined long-time collaborator and percussionist Matt Birkenholz, bassist Jase Hottenroth, and lead guitarist Jake Sabinsky. They were Leah and the Lowkeys, but later changed their name to Ok Cowgirl.
The dreamy, synth-laden track was inspired by being in the moment, those days when life feels electric. “It’s a wispy optimistic take on watching time drip by through rose colored glasses,” says Lavigne. “Don’t Go” interweaves still-overdriven Fenders with dulcet vintage keyboards. It maintains the core sounds of the group’s arsenal while arguing the opposite attitude of “Get Gone.”
“Don’t Go” looks to good days to treasure the moments of emotional reprieve, seeking inspiration in the energy around us. On the other hand, “Get Gone” serves as a reaction against superficiality and the desire to abandon it.
The “Get Gone” / “Don’t Go” double single release is now out everywhere.
Jazz Standard announced on December 2 that it would be permanently closing its New York City venue. In their Instagram announcement, the venue shared a heartfelt message thanking their team members, guests, and New York City for embracing and supporting the jazz venue throughout its tenure.
Jazz Standard is one of many independent and local music venues that faced immense economic hardship from a lack of revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the first major jazz club in New York City to permanently shut down.
According to an NPR article about the recent news of their closing, Jazz Standard first opened its doors in 1997 and then reopened in 2002, with the basement club along with the new edition of a barbecue restaurant upstairs called Blue Smoke Flatiron. Danny Meyer owns the club and restaurant.
The venue is well known for the variety of musical talent at their venue, including artists’ recordings that eventually tuned into albums from Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, trumpeter Dave Douglas, drummer Dafnis Prieto, and pianist Fred Hersch. In addition to professional performances, Jazz Standard also hosted different programs to promote growth in the jazz community among all generations of jazz musicians, young and old including “Mingus Mondays,” “Jazz For Kids,” and “Jazz Standard Discovery Program.”
Their farewell post stated,
While our physical doors may be shut, our passion to serve and entertain lives on and we are optimistic about the future and writing the next chapter of Jazz Standard. In the meantime, the club is hosting exclusive artist conversations and performances virtually.
Five “Virtual Talk Series” from the venue are all available to watch on their YouTube page, with the latest video “Wayne’s World: A Discussion on Wayne Shorter with Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade,” uploaded this past week.
Saturday Night Live returned on December fifth after a few well deserved weeks off. The 46th season began with six consecutive shows, an SNL first, with the return episode featuring host Jason Bateman and musical guest Morgan Wallen.
Morgan Wallen, Jason Bateman and Heidi Gardner
Wallen had originally planned to be the musical guest for the October 10th episide, but after he was seen partying with fans in Tuscaloosa, AL the week before, and as a result his performance was canceled. The country singer thus missed out on his SNL debut out of an abundance of caution in COVID-19 pandemic.
Replacing Wallen was Jack White, who paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen that night.
Before taking the Studio 8H stage, Wallen appeared in a sketch poking fun at his going out to bars and hanging with fans. Future versions of himself – each from one month farther into the future – appeared to warn him of the consequences of that night.
The first song of the night from Wallen was “7 Summers,” a ballad written with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally from Wallen’s upcoming album Dangerous: The Double Album, due out January 8, 2021. Wallen’s band featured Luke “Cowboy” Rice, Mark “Taco” Annino, Dominic Frost and Tyler Tomlinson who performed under broad lighting in the shape of an M,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLhRaSP-DJs
With the M display now resembling Christmas trees, Wallen returned later in the night with “Still Goin’ Down,” also off the upcoming Dangerous: The Double Album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCbT8AGveI&
One sketch spoofed Eminem’s “Stan” and even got the rap icon to appear in a cameo. Staten Island’s Pete Davidson appeared as the Stan character, Stu, writing letter after letter to Santa, asking for a PlayStation 5. The Christmas-spin on “Stan” follows Stu down an obsessive path in search of a response from Santa. At the end, Eminem opens Stu’s gift, saying “That’s crazy, a PS5? I didn’t even ask for this. I guess Shady must’ve been a good boy this year. Sorry, Stu. You fucked up.”
Saturday Night Live returns on December 12 with host Timothée Chalamet and musical guest Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
The final two solo recordings from the late Neal Casal – “Everything Is Moving” and “Green Moon” – have been released across all digital music platforms. The accompanying video for “Everything Is Moving,” directed by Ray Foley, features footage of Casal from throughout his career, has also been released.
The songs were initially written as early as 2013, but Casal, never completed them prior to his passing in August 2019. Over the course of 2020, Casal’s close friends and longtime musical collaborators Jeff Hill, Jon Graboff, John Ginty, George Sluppick, Jena Kraus, JP Hesser and Jim Scott came together to add additional parts and complete mixing on the tracks.
Working on these songs has been truly cathartic for me as I continue to process the loss of my dear friend. Neal writes in ‘Everything Is Moving,’ ‘I am just a shadow on the wall, you won’t even think of me at all.’ As much as Neal’s lyrics can be eerily prophetic of the tragedy to come, he was wrong. So many of us will be thinking of Neal for decades to come
Jeff Hill
The two songs are also featured on a limited edition 7-inch vinyl that will be released on February 26, 2020, by the Neal Casal Music Foundation (NCMF) in collaboration with Royal Potato Family, who released Casal’s final solo album, ‘Sweeten the Distance,’ in 2012. Pre-order for the vinyl edition is available now.
All proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit the non-profit formed in Casal’s name, which will provide instruments and lessons to students in New Jersey and New York state schools, where Neal was born and raised, and will also make donations to much needed mental health organizations that support musicians in need.
NCMF is being spearheaded by Casal’s longtime manager Gary Waldman and a team of the late musician’s friends. A first round of funding for the foundation was raised through a Kickstarter campaign earlier this summer comprised by two primary packages: a coffee table photography book, ‘Tomorrow’s Sky: Photographs by Neal Casal’ produced by Jay Blakesberg and edited by his daughter Ricki Blakesberg, along with a 30-plus song tribute album, ‘Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal,’ tentatively planned for release in Spring 2021.
Casal began recording “Everything Is Moving,” which in hindsight hints at some of the struggles he was facing, at The Stable at Studio G in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, around February 2013. The band on these initial sessions featured Casal on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jon Graboff on acoustic guitar, Jeff Hill on bass and Joe Russo on drums. Additional parts were cut in July 2020 w/ Graboff returning to play pedal steel and electric guitar, John Ginty adding piano and Hammond B-3 organ and harmony vocals contributed by Hill and Jena Kraus.
With Casal beginning to envision a new album of solo songs, he started work on “Green Moon” at Castaway 7 Studios near his home in Ventura, CA in the summer of 2016, laying down lead and background vocals, acoustic and electric guitars and piano. Jeff Hill and George Sluppick would add bass and drum tracks respectively to the original recording in October 2020 to complete the song.
Neal Casal was a songwriter, singer, guitarist, record producer, photographer, surfer and friend. Over the course of a 30-plus year career, he appeared on multiple recordings as a member of bands like Circles Around the Sun, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Beachwood Sparks, The Skiffle Players and Hard Working Americans.
With the formation of the Neal Casal Music Foundation, the body of work he left behind, including an extensive archive of unreleased material, will be reimagined to further shine a light on his artistry, while providing resources to raise money for positive change. Neal Casal brought joy to so many and, in his absence, the foundation created in his name will further that purpose. It also hopes to reflect back to Casal the beauty he brought to this world in pursuit of a life dedicated to music and art.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Elder Orange, Fine Grain and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Vermont’s Elder Orange has released a new recording titled, “Brick’s in the Bathwater.” This release is a fascinating sonic journey, evocative and head bobbing, full of emotional voices, brilliant guitar playing, melody weaving, and genre bending. The album is a series of connected tunes that all work as one piece of music, one that is very inventive and unique in a world of singles that occupy the popular music format. This bold step of creativity is worthy of far more attention. Available for streaming on Bandcamp.
Kicking off the show will be two new songs from Fine Grain. The first is a world premiere release of “Calculate,” available on Thursday, December 10, followed up by “Strings Attached.” Fine Grain is a weird punk/post-punk outfit out of the Capital District that doesn’t quite stick to genres. Their live shows feature antics, copious beer consumption and a lot of hair with a lot energy put into the music that even on record, they sound as though they’re playing in your living room.
EQXposure will also be featuring more music from Upstate Mixtape, Vol 1., a compilations of 518 artists, committed to amplifying Black voices and suppressing racism. One hundred percent of the sales of the release, will be distributed to black artists. Pick up a copy here.
Upstate Mixtape Vol 1. is part of antiracist grassroots fundraising efforts, spearheaded by Jammella Anderson. Among songs contributed to Vol 1. include demos, B-sides, album loose ends and more from a group that showcases the multifaceted nature of musicians in the 518. This week you’ll hear JB and Victory Soul Orchestra‘s “God Self Icon,” NXNS “Motherbrain,” The Age “Take a Dive,” and Wurliday “Clyde.”
The Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) musicians will perform in the virtual Tutti! Festival over two weekends in December. It will feature twelve ensembles in eight live recorded concerts. All concerts will be streamed online to virtual audiences through ESYO’s Virtual Concert Hall.
The festival begins on December 3 with Beethoven’s First Symphony performed by the ESYO Symphony Classical Orchestra. The advanced Symphony Orchestra will perform works by Mozart including the Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. ESYO Symphony Orchestra will also rediscover Dance in the Old Style by Hollywood composer Erich Korngold, The Serenade for Strings by Irish-American composer, Victor Herbert and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ homage to Mozart Sinfonietta No. 1. On Saturday, December 12, members of the ESYO Jazz Orchestra will take the stage with Milestones by jazz legend Miles Davis and a jazzy take on the holiday favorite “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
A full list of concerts and repertoire is available online on their website.
The organization is excited to be able to provide incredible musical opportunities to ESYO students who are from throughout the Capital Region and beyond. This past fall, leaders at the organization developed creative and innovative ways the student musicians could come together, in person, to practice music, all while adhering to strict COVID-19 safe regulations. They have been practicing in small groups throughout the season.
“The pandemic forced us to use many tools that we didn’t realize we had and forced us to think out of the box in the way we design our programs, orchestras, rehearsals and concerts. For example, the chance to break up our big orchestra into chamber orchestras allows for a lot of repertoire opportunities that we would not have before. The fact that we are challenged by the schedule having to rehearse half of the orchestra in one room and the other half in another room forced us to engage with assistant conductors and instrument coaches that tremendously increased the personalized educational attention that our musicians would not receive otherwise,” said ESYO Music Director, Carlos Ágreda.
Georgia Burtt, a violinist in Symphony Orchestra who is homeschooled in Berne, also believes ESYO has shined during this time. “I think that the music instruction is great. When we were first quarantined back in March, ESYO continued online. We had some speakers talk to us about college, performance, and what life is like working as a professional musician. I thought that those were incredible. Now, with the in-person rehearsals, we can directly work with our conductors and sectional coaches. We are also live-streaming the rehearsals so those who are quarantined are able to still learn and participate in the rehearsals. Overall, I think ESYO has done an incredible job modifying in accordance with these new restrictions while still giving us students opportunities to learn and improve.”
ESYO has also kept its free, afterschool program called CHIME going strong, in the virtual world. CHIME musicians are engaging in a private lesson, a group practice and a music appreciation class each week. The cuts in NY State arts education funding have presented a significant challenge, but ESYO remains committed to providing enriched musical experiences for its youth. They are so grateful to all who have made generous contributions this fall, and are hoping that the community will continue to step up to help ensure that the CHIME students are able to keep making music through the winter.
Virtual Concert Schedule:
December 3 at 7:00pm: Symphony Classical
December 4 at 7:00pm: Repertory Romantic and String Orchestra
December 5 at 7:00pm: Repertory Strings and Youth Percussion
December 6 at 3:00pm: ESYO Wind Orchestra & Concertino Strings
December 10 at 7:00pm: ESYO Repertory Classical and String Orchestra
Darlene Love is set to live stream a holiday concert on Saturday, December 5. The Christmas icon’s holiday set starts at 8 p.m. ET, including her hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Tickets are available for $35, and once purchased the performance is available to access until Christmas Day. A portion of the proceeds supports the Empire State Plaza Perfoming Arts Center.
Love is a Grammy Award Winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, recognized as “one of the greatest singers of all-time” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Through the years, Darlene has continued to captivate audiences worldwide with her warm, gracious stage presence and sensational performances. Dozens of hits including “He’s a Rebel,” “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” “Marshmallow World” and her signature song, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” are featured (along with many others) in this one-night-only holiday performance.
From 1986 to 2014, Love performed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on almost every single pre-Christmas episode of David Letterman’s talk shows, Late Night and eventually The Late Show. The sole exception was in 2007, due to the writer’s strike.
After Letterman’s 2015 retirement from late night, Love moved her annual performance to The View and has continued the tradition there. On The View she’s often sung the song as a duet: partners have included Patti Labelle, Fantasia, Bryan Adams and Jason Derulo. Other artists to cover the song are U2, Joey Ramone, Cher, and fellow Christmas royalty Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey.
Love’s discography also extends beyond Christmas. With her 1960s girl group The Blossoms, she sang The Crystals’ “He’s a Rebel.” The group was touring and unable to make it to the studio, so producer Phil Spector had The Blossoms perform it under The Crystals’ name. Love’s other high-charting songs include “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” also credited to The Crystals, and “Wait ‘Til My Bobby Gets Home.” In 2013, Love appeared in 20 Feet From Stardom, an Oscar-winning documentary about the lives and careers of backup singers. Along with her co-stars and crew, Love took home the 2015 Grammy for Best Music Film.
In 2011, Love was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She performed “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” with Bruce Springsteen, and Bette Midler, who also appeared in 20 Feet From Stardom, honored her with a speech. Love has also acted, playing the wife of Danny Glover’s character in all four Lethal Weapon films.
For more information on Darlene Love and her live stream of “Love for the Holidays,” see The Egg’s website.
The State Theatre of Ithaca announced it’s ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign as a way for the community to help keep the Ithaca staple afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign was announced on November 10, 2020 and will continue to run until all 16,000 seats are sold which happened on January 5, 2021.
The State Theatre of Ithaca was built back in 1915 and has been an entertainment staple of Ithaca, NY since 1928 and has served as one of the most significant venues for performing arts in the Finger Lakes region. Their mission is to enhance the cultural life of Ithaca and the Finger Lakes by preserving, operating and promoting the historic State Theatre as an active venue for national, international and community performances and programming according to their website.
How the ‘Save Your Seat’ campaign worked is that people donated $100 per seat and will get a personalized plaque affixed to a seat in their honor. This campaign will offer a visible way to commemorate their support of this vital arts venue.
Executive Director Doug Levine of the State Theatre explains that, “Without show revenue to help sustain this facility, we are looking at a deficit close to $160,000 for this fiscal year. The State Theatre of Ithaca seats 1,600 people. If 1,600 of our amazing supporters and patrons bought at least 1 seat for $100 each, that would help us close the gap that the pandemic has created. Our goal is to sell out the Theatre, just like we have so many times in the past.”
All proceeds raised from the ‘Save Your Seat fundraising campaign and benefit concert will help sustain the not-for-profit State Theatre of Ithaca. The aide will help the theatre remain at the center of Central New York’s performing arts scene while their doors remain closed. For more information visit the the State Theater’s website here.
Updates made on 1/7/2021: The State Theatre of Ithaca announced on 1/5/2021 that all 1,600 seats within the Theatre have been “saved,” as part of their “Save Your Seat” campaign. The campaign has helped close the budget gap the Coronavirus shutdown has created for the Ithaca staple.
Grammy Award-winning Doug Beavers is of the stature of NYC’s top jazz aficionados who fearlessly push the boundaries of the genre itself. Beavers was an ace trombonist for Eddie Palmieri’s “La Perfecta” band and the current lead trombonist for the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. On his forthcoming new full-length studio album, Sol, Beavers steps into the spotlight like never before.
Sol showcases a dozen original compositions featuring special guests Joe Locke (Kenny Barron, Eddie Henderson) on vibraphone, vocalist Ada Dyer (Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack), Latin jazz vocal sensation Jeremy Bosch (Spanish Harlem Orchestra), and Robby Ameen (Ruben Blades, Dizzy Gillespie) on drums.
Recorded in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic, Doug Beavers sought to produce an empowering album to help rekindle connections and return to values centered around kindness and compassion. At the heart of Sol, he revisits the sounds of the 1970s when addictive bass riffs, sophisticated horn arrangements, and African rhythms dominated the charts. It wouldn’t be a Beavers recording though if it didn’t have a powerful punch of Latin jazz and the best salsa players/singers NYC has to offer performing on the tracks. Hence, Sol dives deep into an organic alchemy of salsa, jazz, and R&B.
“It was the vibe of the sun telling me everything is going to be OK. I just took my score paper and the music immediately started pouring out,” Doug Beavers recalls. “You know, we’ve all been through a lot in 2020, and I wanted to record a New York album that uplifts people and puts smiles on their faces. I know that sunshine has that natural effect on me, thus I named the album, Sol.”
Sol is set for international release on Friday, December 4, on Circle 9, a brand new subscriber-supported independent record label, recently launched by Doug Beavers.
When talking about the significant birthdays in hip hop, few mean more to the genre than Jay-Z’s. The Brooklyn-bred mogul has turned modest beginnings into a billion-dollar empire while doubling as one of the world’s most popular and influential entertainers. A product of Brooklyn’s Marcy projects, Hov has found success by being a forward thinker and staying ahead of the curve, something he has no problem reminding peers and fans alike. After all, who else could serve as Hip Hop’s “Big Brother?” So, as we wish him a happy 51st birthday, here are the top Jay-Z songs where he lets you know that he sets the trends, we just follow.
Imaginary Players
The fourth track off of his sophomore album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, “Imaginary Players” has stood the test of time as one of the premier “sh** talking” records in Hip Hop history. Hov spends nearly four-minutes reminding rappers that their records don’t sell as well as his, they’re not as fly as him and their money simply doesn’t stack up. As part of his earlier discography, it’s always fun to hear Jay – Z brag about cars, money and jewelry before his ascension to mogul status. The intro alone sets the tone for the whole record.
I gotta be like the pioneer to this sh**, you know I was popping that Cristal When all y’all n***** thought it was beer and sh**, you know Wearing that platinum sh** When all y’all chicks thought it was silver and sh** I gotta really be the pioneer of this sh** Bottom line
30 Something
This is an interesting part of Jay – Z’s career. Hip Hop has always been driven by the youth, yet on this record, a 35-year-old Jay tried to convince the world that all the youthful materialism (rims, jewelry, gunplay) that had been a part of the rap culture for decades was now irrelevant.
I’m young enough to know the right car to buy Yet grown enough not to put rims on it I got that six-deuce with curtains so you can’t see me And I didn’t even have to put tints on it I don’t got the bright watch, I got the right watch I don’t buy out the bar, I bought the night spot I got the right stock I got stockbrokers that’s movin’ it like white tops
It was certainly gaudy of him to believe that he could single handedly shift hip hop’s culture to fit where he was at in his own life. But, the fact that he was able to turn this train of thought into an entire album — Kingdom Come — and not get ridiculed is impressive in itself.
On to the Next One
https://youtu.be/AQY7hivw67Q
One of the lead singles off of 2009’s The Blueprint 3 album, this record continues the trend of Jay – Z letting rappers know that they simply do not have the connections that he does, so the moves he make will always be of a higher plateau. The Swizz Beats assisted record sees Hov double down on his new way of thought, letting listeners know that he’s only moving forward and since he’s used to setting trends, this would just be another one that the masses would eventually follow.
I had Oprah chillin’ in the projects, Had her out in Bed Stuy chillin’ on the steps, Drinking quarter waters I gotta be the best, M-J at Summerjam, Obama on the text, Y’all should be afraid of what I’m gonna do next.
He also continues his hilarious vendetta against throwback jerseys, which have been and always will be a staple of Hip Hop culture.
Used to rock a throwback, balling on the corner Now I rock a teller suit, looking like a owner
U Don’t Know
One of the very best records from one of the best album’s in Jay – Z’s discography, “U Don’t Know” is the 6th track off of the original Blueprint album. The record serves as a reminder that Jay – Z’s business acumen was crafted from his time on the street. Backed by thumping drums and horns, Hov reminds everyone that if he’s nothing else, he’ll always be a hustler. From selling crack cocaine, to records, to clothing, he’ll always find a way to remain on top.
I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well
His ambition alone should serve as motivation.
Could make 40 off a brick but one rhyme could beat that And if somebody would of told ’em that Hov’ would sell clothing Heh, not in this lifetime, wasn’t in my right mind That’s another difference that’s between me and them Heh, I’m smarten up, open the market up
Otis
I invented swag
One of the very best songs of 2011, “Otis” is titled after legendary soul singer Otis Redding because of the heavy sampling of his voice throughout. But make no mistake, this song is 2:58 of unabashed braggadocio. The opening line sets the tone and from there on Hov and ‘Ye take turns letting us know that they’re the hottest sh** out and the biggest trendsetters in the game (and who would argue?).
I made “Jesus Walks” I’m never going to Hell Couture level flow, it’s never going on sale Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive I get it custom, you a customer You ain’t customed to going through customs You ain’t been nowhere, huh?
After years of turning up his nose at those who would brag about women, cars and jewelry, Jay – Z sounded rejuvenated on this record.
Poppin’ bottles, puttin’ supermodels in the cab, proof I guess I got my swagger back, truth New watch alert, Hublot’s Or the big face Rollie I got two of those Arm out the window through the city I maneuver slow Cock back, snap back See my cut through the holes
We don’t know if Jay – Z will release anymore music, but his historic longevity has allowed us to see the maturation of the most influential figure out of New York City and for that, we can be grateful. While a few of these attempts at leading the charge have been hilariously head scratching, the impact, innovation and hustler’s mentality is something to be revered. Happy Birthday Hova!
