NYS Music 202​0

Tag: turkuaz

  • Turkuaz Releases Exclusive Studio Footage of “Nightswimming”

    In celebration of five years of their 2015 LP Digitonium, the nine-piece Brooklyn funk group Turkuaz has released never-before-seen in-studio footage of their fan-favorite song “Nightswimming.” Fans can pre-order a special anniversary vinyl of Digitonium, in both black and a limited-edition blue only available on their website. “Nightswimming” received high praise from Relix Magazine for its “saturated synth line and bubbling bass” as well as JamBase praising Digitonium as a “major progression” for Turkuaz.

    Turkuaz Nightswimming
    Photo By Dani Brandwein

    “Nightswimming” was recorded at More Sound Recording Studios in Syracuse, NY. The track was produced by Dave Brandwein, mixed by Jason “Jocko” Randall, and mastered by Chris Athens. According to Brandwein, he created the lyrics and melody for Nightswimming before Turkuaz recorded it.”

    After the first take, I’ll never forget when Jocko chimed in through my headphones saying, ‘Alright, there’s definitely a vibe going on in there. It’s no surprise that this is one of the fan favorites from Digitonium. It’s one of our favorites too!” Brandwein said. Shane Grace Allen (Danke) joins Turkuaz members on vocals with Nate Werth on percussion.

    “Nightswimming” was born out of two demos that Taylor and I each made individually They were in the same key with the same tempo and feel. We started to wonder if we could combine them and as it turns out, we could! So what you hear is my original riff (the synth line that begins the song), with Taylor’s bass riff coming in over it. They weave and bob around each other in a very cool way that I think gives the song it’s unique feel.

    Dave Brandwein

    In the meantime, Turkuaz has taken part in several virtual performances, including a performance of “Electric Habitat” for the virtual music festival Democracy Comes Alive. The festival partnered with Headcount support voter participation.

    Turkuaz also created a web series called “Keep Your Mind In Tune” which presents conversations between musicians and experts about various topics as well as musical performances. Fans can watch the episodes on the Turkuaz YouTube channel or the Keep Your Mind in Tune YouTube Channel.

  • Turkuaz “Ophidiophobia” melds Brooklyn funk and Talking Heads

    Brooklyn nine-piece funk lords Turkuaz explore the space between beauty and poison with their new single “Ophidiophobia,” featuring Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew of the Talking Heads. They’ll debut the tune live this weekend during VIRTUAL ROO-ALITY, Bonnaroo’s Virtual music event.

    Within this age of social distancing, Harrison and Belew added in their parts remotely, and the collaboration between Turkuaz, Harrison and Belew will appear on VIRTUAL ROO-ALITY as Remain in Light, an ensemble that was slated to tour the festival circuit throughout the 2020 summer.

    We had always planned on doing a little bit of Turkuaz material in the upcoming ‘Remain in Light’ tour with Adrian Belew and Jerry Harrison. Once the pandemic hit and the tour was postponed, I started to think this would be a really nice track to have those guys on.

    Dave Brandwein

    Pronounced oh•fid•e•oh•fo•bia, what began as an instrumental groove originally titled “Dr. Jones” with a sinister, dark tinge turned into an Indiana Jones-inspired track, as recalled by Turkuaz bari-saxophonist and vocalist, Josh Schwartz. Another working title that Dave added was “Akar Saga,” but upon looking up the phrase and discovering it was a beautiful, tropical vine, Schwartz knew he was onto something special.

    “A poisonous but beautiful tropical vine with red and black features reminded me of snakes, of which Indiana Jones is famously afraid, so I realized I could combine imagery and words from both placeholder titles to write a song involving snakes. When I found out that the fear of snakes is a word as beautiful and strange as ophidiophobia, I knew this song had to be written.

    ophidiophobia

    This was yet another great collaboration experience with Josh building on a groove/bassline that Taylor [Shell] brought in to some writing sessions we had here at my studio. I think most of us took a small amount of these mushroom capsules I had. Turns out they weren’t so ‘micro’ and some of us had a bit more of an experience than we’d planned for. But we carried on and tried to let the grooves take over! Once Taylor started on this bassline I think we may have just jammed on it for about 40 minutes straight.

    Dave Brandwein

    Tune into Virtual ROO-ALITY this weekend to catch “Ophidophobia” performed live.

  • Turkuaz share videos of Beatles “Rain,” “Here Comes the Sun” and more

    Brooklyn band Turkuaz refuse to not give fans new content during the COVID pandemic. On August 4 they returned with the second episode of the new series from Turkuaz, “Hey You, Stay Tuned.” The recurring variety show included an arrangement of segments and a slew of special guests.

    Opening with a “pop-up-video” of the band’s official 2015 music video for ‘Doktor Jazz,’ viewers were also treated to another round of the Hollywood Squares parody that the band has appropriately dubbed “Turkuaz Squares.” This round of “Turkuaz Squares” featured special guest contestants including Ivan Neville and Robert Randolph. Eddie Roberts and Alan Evans were also on the scene, revisiting performances from Turkuaz’s 2016-2017 co-headlining tour with The New Mastersounds.

    Episode two also featured a comically unconventional makeup tutorial, a never before comedy scene from the vault and much more. Brett Siddell returned as the announcer and Ari Fink from Sirius XM remained the host.

    Turkuaz has also released a performance of Beatles songs “Rain” and “Here Comes the Sun,” paying homage to a major influence for the nine-piece ensemble. “Rain” is part of a larger unreleased Beatles cover set that the band originally performed at Live From Out There. Turkuaz plans on releasing other covers from this set in the future.


    According to the band’s press release “Rain” seemed appropriate to start of with during the confusing and unknown times we currently live in. Turkuaz adds, “But don’t worry, the sun will be coming out soon.”

    Don’t miss additional Beatles covers from Turkuaz, and their variety special, “Hey You, Stay Tuned” by following them on Facebook and YouTube.

    The third video from Turkuaz’ selection of Beatles’ covers featured “You Never Give Me Your Money” and shows the lasting influence of the second side of 1969’s Abbey Road. A favorite of both Dave Brandwein and Taylor Shell, and what Brandwein calls part of The Beatles’ “last burst of magic as a band,” the track is honest as it discusses the struggles and ultimate demise of the legendary English rock band. 

    “This song being third might represent the inevitable complications that arise in life, even after a sunny period. There’s always more. Things are always changing and evolving and this represents some of that.” 

    DAve Brandwein, Turkuaz

    Staying true to the original arrangement of the song allowed bassist Shell to gain a deeper understanding of what makes The Beatles so incomparable. Through this rendition, his goal was to capture some of what he refers to as the greatest bass-playing of all time.

    “This song really does it all. It unfolds with elegant mystery, it’s super catchy and the rhythm section parts are amazing. It’s really just a bold statement at the end of their amazing run.”

    Taylor Shell, Turkuaz

    Turkuaz will release their full Beatles set, as performed on Live From Out There, in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more information.

  • Microphone Check: Interview With Shira Elias of Turkuaz

    NYS Music and Music Minds have teamed up to check in with musicians around the scene and see how they are holding up and how they are feeling about their craft.  For the first installment, we talked to Shira Elias, vocalist of Turkuaz.

    Vocalist Shira Elias finds her voice in the space where soul, pop, and R&B collide. This spring, Shira welcomed her debut solo endeavor, GOODS the EP, under her latest project, Shira Elias’ Goods & Services. With funk band, Turkuaz, Shira has recorded six records and played shows across the globe at legendary venues and festivals. Elias is collaborating with producer and musical partner MEGA to offer up a series of songs that are deeply personal, decidedly honest, and undeniably unique.

    Adam Chase: In what ways has this time period put live music into perspective?

    Shira Elias: I mean, you don’t know what you got til it’s gone, right? In so many ways, over the past 4 months we have seen how art brings people together and HEALS us. Especially now, live music is necessary in that way.

    Shira Elias

    AC: In what ways has music helped get you through tough times?

    SE: Music is therapy for me, both by experiencing it from an outside source and in creating it myself. It transports me to a spiritual place where I can really look within myself for answers and for comfort. For me, it’s the most potent anxiety reliever out there.

    AC: What makes being a singer different from other musicians?

    SE: Your instrument is your body. It is all within you. Instrumentalists have a separate entity that they channel their expression through. Vocalists have a more literally visceral connection to their instrument, which is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I believe the sound of a human voice can resonate and express emotion in a more profound way than any instrument can by virtue of it being produced by a living being. And a curse, because there is no escaping it. You cannot put your instrument away in its case after the gig, which is why vocal health is a lifelong challenge for singers.

    AC: What words of encouragement would you have for someone learning how to sing?

    SE: I would tell them to sing as much as they can, as often as they can because your voice is a muscle that you need to train and work out just like any muscle in your body. You gotta get those reps in. And I would also encourage them to find their own true, authentic voice, rather than try to sound like someone else. No one else in the world can sound like you, so be the best you that you can possibly be.

  • Turkuaz Launches Variety Show, “HEY YOU, STAY TUNED”

    Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz recently launched their latest creative endeavor this past with “HEY YOU, STAY TUNED,” their hour-long recurring variety show available exclusively through the band’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

    hey you stay tuned

    The pilot episode sees the eccentric nine-piece ensemble partake in a Hollywood Squares parody, aptly entitled “Turkuaz Squares.” Comedian Brett Siddell, who also recently launched his own comedy special via Vimeo, acts as announcer, while Sirius XM’s Ari Fink hosts the show. Additionally, special guests Andy Frasco and Eric “Benny” Bloom appear as contestants on the game show.

    Gameshow antics are accompanied by a pop up video replay of Turkuaz’s official music video for 2017 single “On the Run,” which stars Chris Roberti from HBO’s High Maintenance and Comedy Central’s Broad City. Fans are also treated to never-before-released content from the band’s recent None’s A Ton concert film, with “Nightswimming” and “Coast to Coast” footage from the film spliced in. 

  • Brooklyn Comes Alive Announces March Festival and Lineup

    Brooklyn Comes Alive announced it will be back for the fifth time on Saturday, March 21, 2020.

    The festival will take place at Avant Gardner, a multistage complex located at 140 Stewart Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237. The location is an 80,000 square foot facility that takes up an entire city block in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. The location includes two indoor stages, Great Hall and Kings Hall.

    The festival will include many acts including Oteil & Friends, Turkuaz, Birds of a Feather (feat. Members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong & Goose), The Motet, Dr. Klaw, Robert Randolph & Friends, Anomalie / Deitch / MonoNeon, Here Come The Mummies, SPAGA Plays The Dead and Karina Rykman. Brooklyn Comes Alive will also include late-night sets by electronic music producer Jade Cicada, and a rare Beats Antique DJ set featuring founding members and longtime collaborators David Satori and “Sidecar” Tommy Cappel at the Great Hall Starting at midnight and running until 4am. 

    Tickets are on sale now including a festival pass to the entire event. There is also late-night only passes available which grants attendees access to The Great Hall only from 12:00 am – 4:00 am. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

    For more information and full line up visit Brooklyn Comes Alive.