NYS Music 202​0

Tag: Hudson Valley

  • New England Musicians Relief Fund Hopes to Distribute $300,000 to Musicians in Need

    New England Musicians Relief Fund (NEMRF) announced its hopes to distribute $300,000 to musicians in need via a new fundraising drive. The funding would apply to any musician in New England and New York’s Upper Hudson Valley, facing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    New England Musicians Relief

    The New England Musicians Relief Fund’s mission statement explains that the organization aims to foster long-term security for professional musicians throughout the New England area by providing financial assistance and critical resources as a safety net for musicians experiencing unexpected or catastrophic income loss. The partnership between New England Musicians Relief, Sweet Relief, and NEMRF was able to raise emergency relief funds for musicians in a campaign that ran from July 1, 2020-August 29, 2020 and raised over $20,000. 

    The COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely hard on the live entertainment industry. The New England Musicians Relief Fund hopes to help lessen this financial strain musicians are experiencing, especially with money from the CARES Act, which has run out. Additional government support doesn’t seem likely, anytime soon. 

    “Without assistance, some musicians will leave the industry, which could devastate our once-vibrant New England arts scene. Helping musicians today is an investment in the quality of life we all hope to return to,” said Hazel Dean Davis, a horn player and one of the founders of NEMRF. “We created NEMRF to help musicians weather the COVID-19 shutdown, but even as we devote all our resources to this current crisis, we realize the need for a safety net will extend beyond the virus. Whether it is long term side effects from COVID, a car accident, a lost instrument, or another nationwide shutdown, the New England Musicians Relief Fund will be here to support musicians in crisis for years to come.”

    While New England Musicians Relief’s Fund 501(c)(3) status is pending, all donations will be processed by the NEMRF, and will be tax deductible retroactively after the federal approval of their tax exempt status. If people would prefer their donation be deductible immediately, please donate through our fiscal sponsor, Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston.  Money donated to A&BC with the button below will be earmarked for NEMRF. People interested in donating can do so here. Musicians interested in applying for a grant can apply here.

    For more information visit New England Musicians Relief Fund’s website. 

  • Hudson Valley Votes Announces Get-Out-The-Vote Virtual Concert

    Hudson Valley Votes (HVV) announces their third annual Get-Out-The-Vote virtual concert encouraging voter turnout. The virtual concert will take place on HVV’s YouTube and social media channels on Saturday, October 17, 2020. The lineup includes big names like Natalie Merchant, Norah Jones, Emily King, Antonio Delgado, Michelle Hinchey and more. 

    The event will include musicians, candidates, actors, students, and activists from the Hudson Valley area and beyond. The event encourages people to come together, celebrate, and defend their right to vote in what they call, “the most important election our country has ever faced.” The concert will take place online and will be free to the public. Donations via ActBlue are encouraged, with net proceeds to benefit Common Cause New York. As in years past, all of the performers and artists have donated their time to get out the vote and promote election integrity.

    Performers on the docket include: Justin Vivian Bond, Nels Cline, Brian Collazo, Abena Koomson-Davis, Jack DeJohnette, Gail Ann Dorsey, Energy Dance Co, Cheme Gastelum, Corey Glover, Amy Helm, Dave Holland, Norah Jones, Steve Jordan, Emily King, Joakim Lartey, Sean Lennon, Dan Littleton, Storey Littleton, John Medeski, Natalie Merchant, Jeremy Most, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ben Perowsky, Kate Pierson, Casey Ramos, Jackson Speller, Simi Stone, and Rock Academy.

    Special Guests include: Fred Armisen, Moraya Seeger DeGeare, Reggie Earls, Juan Figueroa, Brita Filter, Tim Guinee, Cally Mansfield, Rebecca Martin, Mary Stuart Masterson, Melissa Auf der Maur, Maitreya Motel, Thomas Sadoski, Amanda Seyfried, Bobby Tisdale, and Uma Thurman. 

    Candidates making an appearance include Antonio Delgado, Michelle Hinchey, Jen Metzger, and Karen Smythe. The event was originally going to take place at the landmark Opus 40, but inclement fall weather shifted plans and Hutton Brickyards generously donated its space in which to film the socially distanced concert reel, which will be shown virtually, interspersed with satellite performances and speakers. Earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original Hudson Valley Votes canceled it’s plans for its live event, which had been originally scheduled for October 17 th at Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston, donating remaining funds to FAMILY of Woodstock. 

    The event will be airing on Saturday, October 17 th at 8PM, via HVV’s YouTube channel and social media, as well as via Radio Kingston, Radio Woodstock and others. This is the third annual concert-rally that features incredible local and international talent.

    For more information on the event visit Hudson Valley Votes’ website.

  • Grace Potter Brings Live Music Back to Hudson Valley

    On Thursday, August 13, live music will be returning to Hudson Valley with a drive-in Grace Potter concert presented by Radio Woodstock.

    Grace Potter

    Since the COVID-19 shutdown, music events have turned to virtual platforms for fans to enjoy, but after months of waiting, in-person concerts finally make a comeback in the Hudson Valley. At the Hi-Way Drive-in Theater in Coxsackie, NY, Grace Potter will perform live for fans to safely watch from their cars. The show will be broadcast on the drive-in’s big screen, and the sound will be sent through the cars’ FM radio signal so that all can hear and see well. The music starts at 9PM, but the gates will open for socially-distanced tailgating at 6:30PM. Although live music’s comeback is exciting, it is most important for the Hi-Way Drive-in that all guests follow proper COVID-19 safety measures. 

    Tickets per vehicle will be $180. Front and second row VIP tickets will be $280. The tickets are per vehicle, with up to four people in one car. Presale tickets for Woodstock Supporters begins July 29 at 10AM, and tickets will be available to the general public at 10AM on July 31. To order presale tickets, sign up to become a Woodstock Supporter. If you want to wait, sign up for a reminder so you don’t miss when general tickets go on sale. 

    An Evening with Grace Potter will be presented on August 13 at 9PM at the Hi-Way Drive-In Theater on 10699 State Route 9W (Coxsakie, NY).

  • Hudson Valley Philharmonic to Stream Virtual Concert

    On Saturday, July 18, Bardavon Presents will stream the first Hudson Valley Philharmonic Virtual Concert Hall for free. The performance is curated by HVP Maestro Randall Craig Fleischer and will showcase favorite pieces performed by the talented HVP musicians. 

    hudson valley philharmonic

    As Bardavon is not sure when audiences will be able to gather together once again due to the Coronavirus pandemic, they are streaming virtual performances on YouTube for fans to enjoy from home. The HVP Virtual Concert Hall #1 will stream on July 18 at 8PM and will feature the following pieces along with commentary from Fleischer:

    Reinhold Glière, 8 Pieces, Op.39, Scherzo, Performed by Madeline Fayette, Cello, and Abi Fayette, Violin

    Reinhold Glière, 8 Pieces, Op.39, Berceuse, Performed by Madeline Fayette, Cello, and Abi Fayette, Violin

    Gioachino Rossini, The Barber of Seville Overture, arr. for two flutes, Performed by Marcia Gates, Flute, and Jill Sokol, Flute

    J.S. Bach, French Suite No. 2, Allemande, Performed by Elizabeth Handman, Viola

    J.S. Bach, French Suite No. 2, Courande, Performed by Elizabeth Handman, Viola

    Jay Ungar, Ashokan Farewell, Performed by Frances Duffy, Harp

    Bela Bartok, Romanian Folk Dances, Allegro Moderato, Performed by Rachel Handman, Violin

    Donna Doyle, “Cave of the Heart”, Performed by Gregory K. Williams, Viola

    Gioachino Rossini, William Tell Overture, English Horn solo, Performed by Joel Evans, English Horn

    Hatikva (trad.), Performed by Harvey Feldman, Bassoon

    Subscribe to Bardavon Presents on YouTube so you don’t miss this or their upcoming shows planned for July through November. Bardavon is still selling tickets online for future events and updates their ticket holders on the status of the scheduled events.

  • Hearing Aide: Guitars A Go Go Debut LP ‘Travel Advisory’

    Guitars A Go Go, the improvisational duo of two acclaimed Hudson Valley-based guitarists, Rick Warren and Sal Cataldi (Spaghetti Eastern Music), have released their debut album, Travel Advisory. The duo have been performing at leading concert venues and art galleries since early 2019 and, on occasion, in a quartet abetted by bassist/composer Mark Steven Brooks and percussionist Pete Tenerowicz.

    NYC and Saugerties-based guitarist Sal Cataldi may be best known these days for his style-jumping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music. Time Out New York describes Cataldi’s music as “largely instrumental, Eastern-influenced jams are infused with some delicate guitar work and hauntingly moody atmosphere.”

    Guitars A Go Go

    Originally from Kingston, Hudson-based guitarist Rick Warren has been deeply involved in the improvisational and experimental music scene. He was encouraged by renowned vibraphonist Karl Berger at his Creative Music Studio in Woodstock. It was Berger’s visit to a Rick’s high school music theory class that led him to become a regular participant in twice-yearly workshops held at CMS, an international hot bed of improvisational music performance and education founded in 1971 by Berger, Ingrid Sertso and Ornette Coleman. Rick is best known for using his guitar and a variety of electronic sound sources, each one a new and different on-the-spot creation. 

    Their debut album is a quartet of live-in-studio duets recorded just as the COVID-19 quarantine took hold. Travel Advisory features contemplative, peaceful songs as well as songs with textured noise and dissonance. These songs communicate the wide array of emotions we are feeling in response to the global pandemic. Five more songs were later produced in remote collaboration, with Cataldi adding guitars, synths, and effects at his studio in West Saugerties to solo pieces performed by Warren at his studio in Hudson.

    Travel Advisory opens up with “A Jig for Europa,” comprised of blues performed by Warren on heavily processed acoustic 12-string, electronic blurbs, and backwards guitars by Cataldi. Throughout the album are songs such as “The Volcano Lovers,” 13 minutes of serene music with back-and-forth relay of melodic improvisations by each guitarist and “DeKooning Was a Crooner” the final and longest live-in-studio improvisation. The song consists of jazz chordal voicings from Cataldi lead into the inside-out improvisations from Warren. 

    Key tracks: A Jig for Europa, The Volcano Lovers, DeKooning Was a Crooner

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