NYS Music 202​0

Blog

  • The Material World Foundation Launches ‘The Inner Light Challenge’ to Support COVID-19 Non-Profits

    The Material World Foundation, founded by George Harrison, has created The Inner Light Challenge to help organizations such as MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, Save the Children, and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) who provide care to those affected by the pandemic.

    The Material World Foundation

    The Inner Light Challenge has asked people to share a verse, chorus, or line from The Beatles song ‘The Inner Light’ and post it to social media using the hashtag #innerlight2020. The Material World Foundation will give another $1 (up to $100,000) to help those affected by the virus for every person that posts using the hashtag #innerlight2020.

    MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund has helped musicians who are unemployed due to COVID-19. As of now, the organization has raised close to $14 million dollars for musicians. Save the Children has offered toolkits for children who are being homeschooled and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) has helped over 70 countries combat COVID-19 by providing health services. 

  • Revisit the Grateful Dead at the Carrier Dome – October 20, 1984

    The third and final time the Grateful Dead performed at the Carrier Dome was on October 20, 1984 and featured one of the most blistering “Jack Straw” versions ever.

    Grateful Dead Carrier Dome

    The October 20 show was smack dab in the middle of their 1984 fall tour, and the final show on the East Coast before heading to San Francisco for the remainder of the year.

    A first set opening with “Bertha” -> “Greatest Story Ever Told” found a great groove in “Ramble on Rose,” which was followed by the first of a few requests from Bob Weir for the audience to ‘take a step back,’ heard quite often during this era of the Dead. The “Bird Song” clocks in at just over 11 minutes, and is followed by the aforementioned powerful “Jack Straw.”

    The energetic show features resounding versions of “Shakedown Street” to open Set 2, which led to non-stop dancin’ in the rafters. During “Turn on Your Lovelight,” fencing on stage right fell, leading to fans spilling down onto the Carrier Dome field.

    Grateful Dead Carrier Dome

    Leaving the show on the mantra of “Revolution” (‘You know its gonna be, alright’) set the crowd out on a high note, for it would be the last Dead on the East Coast until March, 1985 in Hampton, VA. Of course, leaving the Carrier Dome (up until recent renovation began) meant the wind would push on the backs of fans as they egressed, which can be either cathartic or unsettling, depending on your mindset at the time.

    Check out photos of the Grateful Dead at the Carrier Dome pre and post-show from James R Anderson here and check out an extended breakdown of the show from Visions of Dylan.

    Set 1: Bertha-> Greatest Story Ever Told, West L.A. Fadeaway, CC Rider, Ramble On Rose, My Brother Esau, Bird Song, Jack Straw

    Set 2: Shakedown Street-> Samson & Delilah, He’s Gone-> Smokestack Lightning-> Drums-> The Wheel-> The Other One-> Black Peter-> Turn On Your Love Light

    Encore: Revolution

  • Memorial Day installment of moe.ron Monday features moe.down 16

    With their new series moe.ron Monday, Nugs TV continues the series on Memorial Day with the premiere of moe.’s Sunday performance on July 2, 2017 at moe.down 16 in Turin, NY. The free stream starts at 8:30 PM ET and can be found here. Read our recap of the festival weekend here.

    Fans are asked to consider donating to the moe. organization via 2nu.gs/moeTouring and MusiCares Relief Fund via 2nu.gs/moeMusicCares.

    Setlist via Phantasytour

    Sunday, July 2, 2017 • Snow Ridge Ski Area • Turin, NY

    Set 1: Puebla> Meat*> Awesome Gary, Crab Eyes, New York City, Johnny Lineup> Mexico^
    Set 2: McBain> Skrunk> Yodelittle> McBain%, Prestige Worldwide, Brent Black
    Encore: Not Coming Down> Wormwood> Okayalright3, America Fuck Yeah
    *First 75% of song. Completes Friday night’s meat which was ending only.
    ^With Mihali Savoulidis (guitar) & Ryan Dempsey (keys) of Twiddle.
    %With Mike Dillon.

    moe.down 16

  • Listen to Velocihamster’s heavy metal version of Phish’s “First Tube”

    Lap steel guitarist Sean Williamson recently released his tribute to Phish with a heavy metal version of their rock anthem “First Tube” under the moniker Velocihamster. Williamson’s take on “First Tube” incorporates jam rock elements into the guitarist’s pioneering hard-rock lap steel work.

    velocihamster first tube

    Nominated for a Grammy in 2001 for “Best Rock Instrumental,” “First Tube” is a staple at Phish shows, typically closing out a high energy set or appearing as an encore.

    Lap steel is featured exclusively on upcoming full-length Velocihamster album Balls to the Wall, which features Williamson modeling his approach after the acrobatic electric guitar leads typically heard in progressive metal and “Djent” genres. The debut Velocihamster album Wheel of Steel released in 2018 garnered the attention in Guitar World & Guitar Player magazines, earning the project recognition as “the world’s first lap steel metal band.”

    Williamson says of the challenges he embraced on the new album:

    “Lap steel guitar has no boundaries, so neither should this project. Trey (Anastasio) is on my Mt. Rushmore of musical influences and it’s exciting to explore an alternative approach to his trademark style and share it with a new audience.”

  • Premiere: Restless World’s soul-filled “Precipice”

    Washington, D.C. based Restless World today premiere the lyric video for their latest single “Precipice.” A globe-spanning journey follows the inspiring lyrics, which blends an R&B/Trap vibe in the verses with a classic pop ballad chorus.

    The ‘trap ballad’ celebrates all creators and those who stay the course towards achieving their dreams, even when the road ahead is uncertain. Lyrics include “I’ve got nothing in my hands, just my dreams struggling to stand” will resonate with anyone fighting to turn their dreams into reality. The song’s inspirational message is supported by powerful vocals from Cadence XYZ, and acoustic piano from Berklee grad Suwon Yim.

    Restless World‘s “Precipice” was named one of the Top 5 songs received by SongwriterUniverse in April and has been announced as a finalist in their May 2020 “Best Song Of The Month” contest.

    CEO of SongwriterUniverse Dale Kawashima says of “Precipice”:

    “I enjoyed listening to this song; I think it’s one of the best songs you’ve submitted for song evaluation. Your demo production is very good; it has a modern pop/soul quality with excellent musicianship. The female vocalist is very good, and she does a good job of conveying the emotion of the song and lyrics. I also like the female vocal harmonies in this demo; it adds to the hook and to the fullness of the arrangement. The melody is well crafted in each section, especially the chorus which has the good harmonies. So the whole song flows pretty nicely…this is good song that has feeling and emotion, and has a demo that is well sung and produced.”- Dale Kawashima (Founder and CEO of SongwriterUniverse, former President of ATV Music and of the publishing division of Giant Records)

  • Chenango Blues Association Reschedules 2020 Festival to 2021

    The Chenango Blues Association announced on their website that their 2020 summer festival will be cancelled. The festival which was originally scheduled for Friday August 21 through Saturday August 22  is postponed to next year. Statements from the association can be seen below.

    chenango blues association

    We agonized over this, and we held out as long as we could , but we have arrived at the conclusion that there is no responsible way to move forward with any of our planned events for 2020. We are all as disappointed as we know you are, and it was difficult to contact all our artists and break the news. At this point in events no one was very surprised, and everyone shared the belief that it was the safe and reasonable thing to do. Our artists, our volunteers and of course all our fellow music lovers mean the world to us and the thought of an event that would put anyone’s well being at risk was reason enough to take pause. An event next year where we will all be present to enjoy it means a lot more than rushing in to something we don’t understand well enough to prepare for. We like all of you too much to do that!
    It came as quite a blow to have to do this but I have to tell you-we were uplifted by the many kind words of vendors, volunteers and artists about how much the event means to them and how excited they were to participate next year. In fact, most of our artists have already agreed to perform at the 2021 Fest, and we are all thrilled to death because we thought it might be our best lineup yet!
    Hope to see you all next year-it will be bigger and better than ever. Until then-wash your hands, cover your face and stay safe!

    While the Chenango Blues Fest is off for 2020, check out NYS Music’s coverage of past Blues Fests from 2019. 

  • Watch moe., Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle and more at Summer Camp Virtual Festival

    It’s Memorial Day weekend and typically, you might find yourself at a music festival to kick off summer. With COVID-19, the collective experiences are on hold for the year, but festivals are doing their best to provide fans with a bridge to the experience they look forward to all year. Summer Camp Music Festival, founded by moe. in 2001 is holding a Virtual Festival all weekend, with live performances, throwback highlights, new songs, interviews, panels, and much more to bring Scamp vibes to the Scamp family across the country.

    summer camp virtual festival

    Each day kicks off with OM On The River hosting Yoga. Then Scamp will dive into various panel discussions, artist retrospectives, and close it out with bangin’ late night sets from some of the your favorite performers over the years, including hosts moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Keller Williams, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle, Gov’t Mule and more. As a bonus, Zac Brown Band, Trey Anastasio Band, Jane’s Addiction, Willie Nelson, Tedeschi Trucks Band and The Roots will be making appearances in Headliners: A Look Back segment, on Sunday, May 24.

    summer camp virtual festival

    Get a 3-Day Summer Camp Virtual Festival Pass and you’ll have the ability to rewatch the entire stream through June 17! Each 3-Day Virtual Pass is just $24.99 with a portion of proceeds going towards nonprofits including Headcount, Conscious Alliance, and Backline,  plus participating artists and their crew. Get your pass here, and check out the schedule below!

  • Escaper releases new single, “Open Sky”; announces upcoming studio album ‘Apotheosis’

    With their new single “Open Sky,” Brooklyn’s Escaper give a taste of their upcoming studio release, Apotheosis, their first official studio album in nearly two nears. Due out on June 19, “Open Sky” fits the mood of the country right now – comtemplative, melodic and a needed reminder to take time to celebrate the simple beauty of human existence while the world is on pause.

    Guitarist Will Hanza says of the album,

    “[Apotheosis] represents change and growth for us as a band, as well as individually… On “Open Sky”, the first single from the album, we feel a freedom of being.” “Open Sky” represents the sheer Escaper way of breaking free of confinement and allowing our most true selves through. The idea… reflects the climb to self actualization.”  

    The single was recorded and mixed by John Davis at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, and colorfully exhibits the refined sound of Escaper’s dedicated core of musicians. “Open Sky” is the combination of each band member’s individual expertise combined with their musical sensibilities, keeping your feet moving and brain grooving as you listen.  

    An airy sequence starts off “Open Sky,” with light percussion and keys being introduced before a velvet smooth bass line frames the song as Hanza and company work into the structure of the song. The song has a full-bodied quality to it, with no one member standing out more than the others. “Open Sky” finds Escaper firing on all cylinders in a groove that is reminiscent of their live performances.

    Escaper continues to bring fans both new and old their weekly Escaper at Home video series, and listeners can expect a great deal of fresh content ahead of Apotheosis‘ release on June 19 on Ropeadope Records.

  • Jay-Jasmin releases new interstellar single “Bitch I’m From Venus”

    “New” and “single” refuse to encapsulate the anthology of neo-futurisms encased in the declaration from Jay-Jasmine in “Bitch I’m From Venus.” Ten-thousand lens shatters post-modern divides between interstellar imagery laced to ancient industrial breakbeat trance-pop, all to be reconfigured in Jay-Jasmine’s mythical resonance.

    Jay-Jasmine’s non-conforming, non-binary and cosmic celestial opus unifies contrasting mediums into parallel summits tracking a visceral explosion of sensory. “Bitch I’m From Venus,” doesn’t long for a lost downtown meets uptown outburst of vogue vibrancy, it details a blueprint where concrete runways adjoin synthetic neon lights stripping lineal wisdom into self-defined bodies. The canvasses Jay-Jasmine’s melodic articulation jar offers no delusion of the intended revolution it embodies.  

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYDXCbp8LZ/

    The track is inspired by ancient Divine Feminine energies of the goddess Venus who has 10,000 names. “Earth is experiencing a return in these energies and I wanted to make music showing that in the form of an alien invasion in NYC”. JAY-JASMIN is very inspired by fantasy and sci-fi and uses a blend of styles to create a work that has not been seen before and illustrates a new dimension. The main message of the song is to overthrow the patriarchy and raise the vibration of the planet through a revolution of love and freedom. 

  • Watch: Onyx Collective Shares Official Video for ‘Where or When’

    New York Jazz ensemble Onyx Collective have shared the official music video for their single “Where or When” off of their debut album Manhattan Special: Onyx Collective Plays Rodgers & Hart / Rodgers & Hammerstein. The song itself first appeared as part of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s 1934 musical comedy, Babes in Arms. So, while it may be viewed as a cover, Onyx Collective have added their own twist, with a feature from singer and cellist, Kelsey Lu. 

    Directed by No School & 22 and edited by 22 Note, the video was shot in Paris, France and served as a love letter to the city. Filmed right before the global shutdown as a result of COVID-19, the video sees Lu take to the town in black-and-white video, as the city’s landmarks, transportation services and civilian life are presented to the audience. Yet, it doesn’t feel much like a tour but rather an attempt of capturing the city’s infamous beauty, with Lu’s eerie vocals serving as our guide. 

    Onyx Collective is a nebulous jazz ensemble, hailing from Manhattan, NY. The group is composed of saxophonist, Isaiah Barr, Austin Williamson (on drums) and are regularly joined by Joshua Benitez on keyboard, Jack Guliemetti on guitar, Felix Pastorius and Spencer Murphy on electric bass, and Dean Torrey and Walter Stinson on upright bass, along with a collection of musicians whom like the official band members all attended New York’s musical conservatory. More recently Onyx Collective toured as A$AP Rocky’s live band.