NYS Music 202​0

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  • Watch Branford Marsalis join the Grateful Dead for “Eyes of the World”

    It was March 29, 1990 when saxophonist Branford Marsalis joined the Grateful Dead at Nassau Coliseum for much of the show. Notably, the version of “Eyes of the World” stands out, as it was released on Without a Net in September 1990, and later rereleased on Spring 1990 (The Other One) box set in 2014.

    Branford Marsalis had not planned to sit in with the Grateful Dead for more than “Bird Song” that night, as he recalled in talking to Rolling Stone in 2014.

    “I came up for “Bird Song,” and after the set was over, I said, ‘Thanks for letting me play, guys.’ And they’re like, ‘No, no, stay! Play the second half of the show. We’ll do “Dark Star”.’ That had no significance to me. I’m like, ‘ “Dark Star”? Okay. What is it?’ ‘Oh, you’re gonna love it. It’s free, it’s out.’ ‘Great, I can play out.’ They start playing that lick, and the audience goes bananas. Later, I started getting these phone calls on my private number: ‘Man, you were great last night. Thanks for getting them to play “Dark Star”. They haven’t played it in six months.’ I’m like, ‘Who are these people?’… There was almost nothing [the Grateful Dead] couldn’t play—and make it sound authentic. When they played a song by The Band or Bob Dylan, they played it with the same spirit as The Band or Dylan. They didn’t feel the need to write their own arrangement of it. They were all listeners. There is a point where musicians who establish themselves stop listening to music and start listening to their own rhetoric. The Dead didn’t do that. It was obvious in the way they approached a song.” – Branford Marsalis, to Rolling Stone magazine

    Discover Grateful Dead shows from over the years across New York State with our interactive map below

    Anyone who experienced the Spring 1990 shows, or has listened to Without a Net can attest to the benefit Marsalis brings to this version of “Eyes of the World.” The extra element of saxophone layered within the Dead classic gives it a proper place on a pedastal as one of the best versions of the song.

    branford marsalis grateful dead

    Fred Thomas of AllMusic said of the evening,

    “After they whip through a bright first set featuring mostly live staples like ‘Bertha’ and ‘Ramble on Rose’, Marsalis joins in at the start of the second set for stellar, extended takes on the more exploratory side of the Dead catalog. His airy improvisations on classics like ‘Eyes of the World’ and ‘Dark Star’ sound brilliantly natural here, and what’s most palpable is the sense of exhilaration and mutual respect between these two forces of sonic trailblazing.”

    Fred Thomas, AllMusic.com

  • Young Singer/Songwriter Shawn Wodraska Uses His Voice to Call for Peace

    One of the greatest blessings we have in life is the ability to use our voice; Shawn Wodraska, a 21-year-old singer/songwriter from the small town of Wingdale, NY recently used his to represent his passion for the Black Lives Matter Movement and overall peace between those with different backgrounds and beliefs.

    Shawn Wodraska

    Shawn took to Facebook to portray a message of hope with a beautiful cover of “If I Can Dream” by Elvis Presley. “As I was scrolling through social media, I noticed that news coverage and posts were almost exclusively negative,” he said, “I decided that I had to do something; we all have to play our role to make a change, so I chose to sing, the only thing I know how to do.”

    Click here to view the original post.

    His video generated an exceptional amount of positive feedback with more than one thousand views. Prior to posting, Shawn said, “I was worried about negativity or that people would think I was using the Black Lives Matter Movement to further my career.” He continued, “I knew I had to do something to play my role in restoring peace, likes and views were the last thing on my mind.”

    Philosopher Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his belief that “the line between good and evil passes through every human heart” was one of the driving forces in Shawn’s decision to post on social media. “I want to do what I can to help bring peace to all corners of life by inspiring people to find the humanity in who they perceive to be their enemies,” he continued, “I am one voice of the many needed to bring about unity, but it’s important to remember that we are all human and we have to work together.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jntQW9XOxQ

    The passion inside of Shawn is evident in his original music as well. Although he doesn’t mind if he never makes it big, he said, “I want to use the platform I build to promote positivity. We can always do better. I want to highlight that in my music.”

    Typically accompanied by the piano, his content ranges from story-telling folk tunes that draw inspiration from Marty Robins to easy-listening ballads without lyrics. While some of his songs have a theme, many of them are left open to interpretation. “Mediums like music tend to reach people on a spiritual level – there’s a reason why they call it soul – the music we write should be inspirational and bring people together,” he continued, “We can all unite and enjoy a good song, regardless of the differences that polarize us.”

    To check out Shawn’s original music, visit his Youtube page.

  • Take a ‘Ride’ with Lenny Kravitz

    Breezy, summery, and carefree: the latest new music video for “Ride” by Lenny Kravitz is exactly what the world needs right now. Sharing a chord progression and key with his groovy 90s hit “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “Ride” hearkens back to simpler times and offers some welcome respite from chaotic current events. Kravitz and his love interest frolic through Parisian museums, cafes, and fields of yellow daisies as he croons in the background, allowing us to vicariously live through the kind of summer road trip or vacation we may have recently canceled.

    In addition to Kravitz’s earlier work, “Ride” is reminiscent of 1970s records such as Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. Although more understated, it retains their funky synths and strong basslines and makes the ideal soundtrack for floating in the pool on a lazy summer Saturday. Despite Lenny Kravitz singing “Through the storm, my love, we will ride,” it sounds like the storm has already passed and now there’s only peace. 

    Much like “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” the lyrics of “Ride” deal with standing by a lover’s side through thick and thin, this time nearly 30 years later. “Ride” first appeared as the penultimate track on Kravitz’s 2018 album Raise Vibration. He told Rolling Stone, “We shot this video months ago in France before we could have imagined what life would be like today. After listening to the song […], we had a vision of expressing the song through portraying the characters of the writer and the spirit.” One might wonder why now after the nearly two-year wait for “Ride”’s music video, but there couldn’t be a better time to escape into a utopian summer where peace, love, and travel all prevail.

  • Venues Open up Doors for Racial Justice Protesters

    Recently, music venues in New York City have been opening their doors, the first time for most, since the pandemic swept in. However, the doors are not opened up to ticket holders; instead, venues are opening their doors for racial justice protesters in need of break from their marches.

    Since the death of George Floyd, the music and arts communities have been brainstorming different ways to show solidarity. This past Tuesday, June 2, the music industry orchestrated a #BlackOutTuesday which led many to post black squares on their social medias as a way to show support to the black community.

    racial justice

    A resource platform taking a timely reaction to the venues in New York City, Open Your Lobby, has been gaining steam on social media. With posts urging theaters and venues to open their lobbies as a safe haven for protesters. The organization also shares information and the locations of venues who will be open on days of marches. With #OpenYourLobby challenging theaters to open their doors, many venues are taking action in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Venues so far who have taken part include Off Broadway venues such as The Public Theater and Playwrights Horizons.

    racial justice

    To find out more be sure to follow @openyourlobby on Twitter or search the hashtag #OpenYourLobby to find out more information.

  • Hearing Aide: Blacktop Mojo “Static”

    Artists strive to develop, grow, evolve. Blacktop Mojo’s latest release, Static, is certainly a product of that ethic.  A 4 song EP that it is a get in your car, roll down the windows, crank it up, and drive recording. With their first three albums laying the groundwork, Static represents a defining moment in this East Texas based band’s career.

    Blacktop Mojo

    Issued as an EP, it equates more to a perfect album side. The bond between the songs begs for it to be played in its entirety. No singling out a song or two, you need to play them all. On first listen, I was so hooked that I played the EP through a second and third time before taking a breath. Simply put, this is a rocker. Raw, hard and an unfiltered.

    Statoc = Blacktop Mojo

    Twist the antenna around

    Is there something wrong

    There’s nothing but white noise now

    The signal’s gone

    “Signals Gone” – Blacktop Mojo

    Blacktop Mojo has set a high watermark for future projects. If you are new to the band, what a place to start. For those those who have been in the know, Static will live at the top of the collection.

  • Joe Bonamassa Releases Epic Rock Ballad, “When One Door Opens” Recorded at Historic Abby Road Studios

    Joe Bonamassa shares perhaps his most monumental rock opus to date, “When One Door Opens,” recorded in the famous Abbey Road recording studio in London, England.

    When One Door Opens

    Released in tandem with a music video and co-Written by longtime collaborators, Kevin Shirley and songwriter Pete Brown, this brand new track harkens back to the glory days of Rock & Roll. Harkening back to the 60s/ 70s, ” When One Door Opens” celebrates Abbey Roads iconic history justly. This single marks the second of so far two surprise releases from Bonamassas Abbey Road studio session. Last month, he shared “A Conversation With Alice,” which was a follows in pursuit of Bonomassa instrumental side project, The Sleep Eazys.

    Bonomassa is telling fans to keep their eyes peeled, hinting towards future releases. In the meantime, the Non-for-profit, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation continues to gain support for the recently announced, Fueling Musicians program which has been raising profits for musicians who are feeling the effects of COVID-19s constraints around the music industry.

    Visit the Fueling Musicians website to find out more.

  • SummerStage Anywhere Digital Series Launches

    Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage announces the launch of its digital series SummerStage Anywhere. The series will highlight  genres that were born in or deeply represent New York including hip hop, salsa, jazz, global, indie, and contemporary dance. SummerStage Anywhere will start on June 6 at 7PM EST and will feature performances each weekend for the rest of June. 

    Angélique Kidjo photo provided by City Parks Foundations website.

    The series will debut on June 6 with an original performance by New Yorker pop phenom MAX. MAX performing a love letter to New York of sorts. Max has been called a “Young Pop God” by GQ in the past and has been called the “top popstar to watch” by Billboard and was nominated for “Best New Pop Artist” at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. 

    On June 13 LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference) will be taking the stage and highlighting  key voices in the Latino LGBTQ community. Some of the performers include pop singer Kany Garcia, hip hop artist Mabiland, indie electro pop musician Javiera Mena and rock band Circo. The event will be hosted by Los Angeles’ KCRW radio DJ Raul Campos and the Latin Grammy winning artist Cheo, formerly of Los Amigos Invisibles. 

    On June 19 SummerStage Anywhere will be hosting a celebration for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth. Juneteenth for those unaware is the nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The event will be featuring Jamel Gaines’ Creative Outlet Dance Theatre and poet Carl Hancock Rux, and a panel discussion led by Executive Artistic Director of The Billie Holiday Theatre, Dr. Indira Etwaroo.

    On June 26 the series will wrap up with an exclusive performance from Angélique Kidjo. Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award-winning Beninese singer-songwriter, actress and activist. She will also be doing a live Q&A session after her performance. 

    The series will be available on SummerStage Anywhere’s website and streamed exclusively on the SummerStage’s YouTube channel. SummerStage is an independent, non-profit organization, and relies on donations to make it’s free performing arts festivals possible. Anyone interested in supporting the SummerStage series can donate.

     For a full schedule of upcoming programming and more information please visit SummerStage Anywhere’s website.

  • The Residents Release New Single “DIE! DIE! DIE!” from Upcoming Album ‘METAL, MEAT & BONE’

    Legendary art-rock group The Residents has released their latest single “DIE! DIE! DIE!” featuring Black Francis of the Pixies. Their upcoming album, METAL, MEAT & BONE is based on newly discovered recordings of Alvin Snow (a.k.a. Dyin’ Dog) and includes 10 Dyin’ Dog Demos, 10 interpretations of the demos by The Residents, and six new works inspired by Dyin’ Dog. 

    The Residents have been regarded as icons in the world of experimental music for almost fifty years. In addition to their groundbreaking work in the areas of trance, world fusion, electronica, punk, industrial and lounge music, the group has also been credited with being among the originators of performance art and music video, with their videos included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. 

    To know the story of Alvin Snow a.k.a. Dyin’ Dog, one must enter the world of an outsider turned bluesman. Born on Friday, January 13, 1939, Alvin Snow was abandoned on the steps of an orphanage. Snow created his own reality from the fragments of life drifting through his consciousness. He endured thoughts that were lined with the feeling life’s out to get him. This explains Snow’s unspoken rage and overpowering air of entitlement that allowed him to evade lawyers, angry victims, and the police. Lurking in the dark creases of his mind was a beast that haunted his every being. 

    The penetrating sounds of a jukebox pouring out of a small Mississippi town’s bar suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks one day. “Who’s Been Talking” sung by Howlin’ Wolf left Snow mesmerized and an overwhelming epiphany came over him. He began to devour every song recorded by Howlin’ Wolf and became interested in The Blues ever since. 

    Alvin Snow needed to come up with a stage name and everyone agreed Alvin Snow just wasn’t it. It took some thinking on his part to match the perfect name to his ruffled voice, and even more blemished character. A hospital bed fell on and crushed his dog which give him the inspiration to come up with the name Dyin’ Dog. Before the debut performance of his 10-recorded demos on January 13, 1976, Snow vanished and was never to be heard from again. In September 2019, the Dyin’ Dog Demos were extraordinarily released as a Box Set. The Residents bring these long-lost songs to fans worldwide with the release of METAL, MEAT & BONE on July 10, 2020. 

  • moe. announces new album ‘This Is Not, We Are,’ share “Along for the Ride”

    Need some fresh moe.? Well you’re in luck. For This is Not, We Are, moe.’s first studio album in six years, the band will release individual tracks over the next few weeks, leading up to a June 26 release date. Released so far are “Crushing,” “LL3,” “Jazz Cigarette,” “Who You Calling Scared?,” “Dangerous Game,” “Skitchin Buffalo” and the latest track, “Along for the Ride,” have been released and can be found below.

    moe not normal this is not we are
    photo by Frankie Cavone

    This is Not, We Are, which is available for preorder as a digital (only) album, will be released on June 26.

    “We kind of went back to our roots a bit,” Derhak says. “We just wanted to do something that made us feel inspired like we had felt when the band first started. But it also has everything that we’ve picked up along the way, all the good baggage – and maybe some of the bad – that we’ve dragged along for the past 30 years.”

    Rob Derhak

    Additionally, moe. has shared video via Relix of the live debut of “LL3” from February 2, 2018 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Read our review of the band’s return from hiatus following Rob Derhak’s successful battle with cancer.

    Just released on June 9 is the video for “Jazz Cigarette,” a xylophone-heavy jazz odyssey that was filmed from studio sessions.

    Released on June 11, “Who You Calling Scared” is a Derhak-penned tune, with Garvey singing lead. Derhak explained to Relix:

    “The song is also a tribute to some of the funk and fusion guys that I discovered when I was younger, like Rocco Prestia from Tower of Power. When I sat down and tried to sing and play the basslines, I realized, ‘This is never going to happen. I can’t sing and play those bass lines at the same time.’ So I recruited Chuck to sing the song for me. He was a little reluctant at first but then he jumped on board.”

    The latest track, “Dangerous Game,” written by Al Schnier, gives us two takes – one from the studio spliced with a live version from the song’s debut at the State Theatre in Portland, ME on February 16, 2019. Schnier explains about the song:

    “This song came from me watching and reading a little bit too much news these days. I don’t want to say that this song is political in nature; it’s more about the personalities of the people in power and maybe the cult of personality and those things we all contend with. I don’t want it to come across as some leftist, liberal rant against the current people in power. It’s more a song about my personal concerns about anyone who would be in a position of power.”

    The latest track, “Skitchin’ Buffalo,” looks back at moe.’s early days in the Queen City. The performance from Observatory North Park in San Diego on March 7, 2020 can be seen below, along with insight on “Skitchin’ Buffalo” from Derhak as shared to Relix:

    The song looks back on the group’s early days. Rob Derhak was prompted to write it following a conversation with Mike Norris, the singer for Monkey Wrench, one of the band’s early contemporaries. Derhak recalls, “The first time I had ever heard of ‘skitching’ was when I was hanging out with him and it was icy and snowy in Buffalo on some winter night. We were on our way home and he grabbed onto the bumper of the back of a car that had stopped at a stop sign and then just got in a squatting position and the car took off. He hung on and it’s basically like water skiing off the back, except you’re holding onto the bumper. He called it ‘skitching’ and we called it ‘bumper sliding’ where I grew up, and he thought it was funny. He held on and kept getting dragged. His belt buckle was completely scratched up and it looked like he was completely shiny and we were laughing about that incident. And then later, I was like, ‘This is what the song can be, about the memories of Buffalo.’ Basically, I took a bunch of memories of fun stuff we did when we were in college and playing in the band and I put it into one incident. One thing after another.”

    The last track to be shared prior to release, “Along for the Ride,” gives fans a mix of studio and live takes, the latter pulling from their February 28, 2020 performance at Revolution Hall in Portland, OR.

    Vinnie Amico spoke to Relix about the Derhak-penned song:

    “Part of it changed before we got into the studio. The whole slow part that gets kind of spacey, coming out of Chuck’s solo, changed over time. That wasn’t there and we morphed it into that, which ended up making the song a little more interesting because all of a sudden we go into this different part, different tempo, different soundscape. Production-wise, it’s one of the coolest parts of the whole album.”

    moe. 2021 Summer Tour

    June 24 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing

    June 26 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns

    June 27 – Black Mountain, NC – Pisgah Brewing

    June 29 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre

    June 30 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre

    July 1 — Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center

    July 1-4 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival

    July 9 – Portland, ME – State Theatre

    July 9-11 – Marshfield, MA – Levitate Music & Arts Festival

  • Flyday Music Festival postpone until September

    The 4th Annual Flyday Music Festival will postpone until September, and once again return to the Blackthorne Resort in the Northern Catskill Mountains. Taking place over the course of three days from September 10 – 13, this year festival attendees can expect music from all different types of genres including rock, jam bands, soul, R&B and so much more. 

    With over twenty acts already scheduled to perform headliners include Lespecial, returning favorites The Magnetic Pull, Hartley’s Encore, plus first-timers Consider The Source, Schleigho, Now vs Now led by Jason Lindner (keyboardist on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar as well as a member of Meshell Ndegeocello’s touring band), Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Expansion Project, Space Junk Is Forever, Muscle Tough, Cats Under Stars featuring Adam Czolowski, Acoustic Trauma, bassist Nigel Felony (of Floodwood), The Mark Basil Band, Level:Memory and K-Weef.

    Sun Colored Chair is set to host the first annual Flyday Open MicNight on Thursday in the Phoenix  Pub at Blackthorne Resort, in addition to being part of the festival lineup. Other acts are set to be added to the lineup via the website at later dates.

    Originally scheduled in May, the spring festival was moved to September in response to the COVID-19. As of now tickets sales are set at 250 this time to allow for 6 feet of social distancing. Additional ticket sales will happen at the door if  there is a lift in the gathering bans. Tickets are available for purchase here.