NYS Music 202​1

Author: Andie Chapman

  • Long Island’s Card Reader Takes First Place at Interstate Music Awards

    Long Island pop-punk band Card Reader won first place at the Interstate Music Awards, an underground artist competition created by the CEO of Interstate Music, Jeff Peterson.

    card reader
    Long Island Pop-Punk Band Card Reader

    Card Reader, won the Interstate Music Awards out of hundreds of submissions. Their first place prized earned them $5000 in gift cards, as well as the opportunity to perform live on the Interstate Music stage in Wisconsin later this year. 

    In a year of uncertainty and lockdown, Card Reader continued to put out music, their bright sound illuminating days spent inside. This spring they will be releasing an acoustic EP set to release on Friday, March 26th. It will contain new versions of previously released tracks, stripped down and engineered by their very own Matt Sullivan. They will also be recording their sophomore EP this April with veteran producer, Nik Bruzzese, at Gradwell House in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. 

    Guitarist and vocalist, Tom Petito, spoke about Card Reader’s big win and the road ahead. “We’re fired up right now. Starting 2021 off on the right foot is crucial for any band. I think we did just that. We received a big wave of support in this competition and winning it all has been an unreal experience. Our family, friends, & fans had our back in a big way.

    We’ll use this momentum to help fuel the fire as we prepare to record our new EP in the spring. Nik reached out to us after the contest win and expressed his desire to take our sound to the next level. We couldn’t agree more. It’s our move now and our opportunity to show the music world that Card Reader is for real.

    Stream their music on Spotify, Apple Music, or Bandcamp and find Card Reader on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

    Watch their studio documentary for their 2020 EP Mental Scars here.

  • Celebrate Valentine’s Day Weekend with Albany Symphony and Composer Tyson Davis

    Composer Tyson Davis’ commissioned orchestral work, Distances, will be Performed by the Albany Symphony on its Valentine’s Weekend “Romantic Brahms” Concert on February 13, 7:30 pm EST.

    Tyson Davis
    20-year-old Composer, Tyson Davis.

    The Albany Symphony will be performing the orchestral work titled Distances by Tyson Davis. This 20-year-old composer has been writing music since age eight and currently attends the Juilliard School of Music. Tyson Davis has composed many pieces for small ensembles and solo instruments. As a child, Davis created works as he learned the piano. The instrument awoke the creativity within him, and he knew that music would be his one and only passionate path. His love for he process of seeing things grow propelled him into the world of composition. 

    In addition to Distances, music by composers Sir William Walton and Johannes Brahms will be performed by the Albany Symphony. The event will be streamed live from Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7:00 pm and a post-concert question and answer session with the artists for season subscribers.

    “I am so excited to share this program with our community, featuring three extraordinary composers just starting out on their glorious careers. We are very proud to introduce Tyson Davis and his wonderful new work. He is an immensely gifted composer. In addition, we are thrilled to present a virtually unknown major early work by Johannes Brahms, the original version of his First Serenade, in a version that simply may never have been played or heard before!  And Walton’s wildly charming, witty, surreal narrated work, “Facade,” is one of my very favorite works from the early 20th Century,“ said Music Director David Alan Miller. 

    Tyson Davis
    Composer Tyson Davis

    The Albany Symphony was founded in 1930 and is now highly acclaimed with many ASCAP and Grammy awards. David Miller, the director for 27 seasons, fostered a community of diverse musical compositions. With numerous education programs, the Albany Symphony empowers youth to tackle issues of diversity and self-expression through songwriting, improvisation, and teamwork.

    The 2020-2021 season continues through the American Music Festival in June. Concerts will be live and virtual, with the ability to purchase access online or by calling the Albany Symphony Box Office at 518-694-3300. Subscribers are also invited to attend a pre-concert chat and a post-concert, real-time “talk-back” session with guest composers, soloists, and Maestro Miller.

  • Happy Birthday to Blue Oyster Cult Guitarist Richie Castellano!

    Staten Island-born musician, multi-instrumentalist and member of Blue Oyster Cult, Richie Castellano, celebrates his 41st birthday today.

    richie castellano

    Growing up in Staten Island, New York, Castellano is a fifth-generation musician who developed his musical talents at a young age. He is also an audio engineer. 

    Castellano earned his degree in Music Production at the State University of New York at Purchase. In 2001, he produced and engineered Regina Spektor’s debut album, 11:11. During his undergraduate career, he won three awards for his talents, including first place in the Songwriter Hall of Fame’s songwriting competition, 1998. 

    richie castellano

    His versatile musical talents led him to Blue Oyster Cult. Beginning in 2000, Richie Castellano was one of their engineers. However, in early 2004, he received a call that would change his life: Eric Bloom of the band asked him to play bass. A few years later, in 2007, Castellano switched from bass and became the full-time guitarist. 

    His cover of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, in which he played every instrument and sung each harmony, went viral.

    Today, Castellano continues to be a creative force in music. He sometimes works at his family’s music store in Staten Island, while also running a podcast called Band Geek, and continues to engineer and produce music.

  • Girl Blue Releases Shimmering New Single “Just a Dream”

    Girl Blue released the first single, “Just a Dream,” off of her upcoming Fall debut, full-length album. Apt for a walk in the woodlands, her shiny piano tones and synths are reminiscent of breaking sunlight through trees.

    Her voice soars above the instrumental melodies weaving with the punchy percussion. She sings “You and me / we should be driving faster / music should be blasting / cast out.” She chronicles a journey to freedom, driving, and remaining her true self even through difficult periods.

    girl blue just a dream

    The album art beautifully juxtaposes the sonic landscape; a car floating in the sky, pink clouds, and her profile facing out to the path. Compared to her intricate, stripped-down Instagram videos, Girl Blue is venturing into a more vast sonic land with glittering synths and LIGHTS-esque vocals. 

    Her pensive lyrics focus on overcoming hardship and empowering oneself, especially in a period of isolation and global strangeness. Girl Blue’s voice sounds fresh against a warm piano and electronic drum beat. The sound is full and lush, painting a picture for Girl Blue’s sound to come.

    “Just a Dream” was written and produced by Girl Blue, released in mid-december 2020. Her debut full-length album is set for release in Fall 2021. The song was also engineered and produced by Scoops Dardaris, and mastered by Steve Fallone (Taylor Swift, Tame Impala, Kacey Musgraves). Recorded at White Lake Studios, another capital region favorite, the band Dark Honey also performed on the track. “Just a Dream” features Jimi Woodul on guitar, Dan Dekalb on piano, Ben Woodul on bass, and Josh Morris on acoustic drums. 

    Find her newest single and other projects here.

  • Upcoming Indie Band Yo Kinky Release new single “Resistance,” video for “Wire”

    Alternative duo Yo Kinky is in its nascent stage, with members Tom Unish and Laura Wight meeting in early 2020. The duo immediately felt a musical bond, and started crafting songs together.

    Yo Kinky
    Laura Wight and Tom Unish of Yo Kinky

    Queens-based band Yo Kinky follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” with the second single, “Resistance.” The song is delicately created, yet exudes a confidence created by Tom Unish’s spaced-out guitar licks. The sonic landscape undulates with hypnotic layers of sound; the song yearns for the intimacy long lost by social isolation.

    Laura Wight sings “Love is all we breathe,” and “Swing me off my feet,” transporting the listener to a beautiful place where love is all-surrounding. “Resistance” is an ode to the sanity one has during this time by finding delight in the small things in life. 

    “Resistance” follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which, albeit its darker vocal passages, is playful, seductive and clever. It has received heavy play on WFMU’s radio station, as well as named as one of the best tracks of 2020 by Three Chord Monte. The band is beaming in their own path as they create and release more infectious music.

    Over 2020, Yo Kinky self-produced and are releasing their first, self-titled EP. This collection of songs addresses trust, communication, love, loneliness, freedom, identity, and expectation. The group combines drum machines and bright, buzzing synths and guitars that shimmer with reverb and delay.

    Yo Kinky’s music is reminiscent of Blondie, X, Mitksi, and Soccer Mommy, as they blend the pop and rock elements of indie into an incandescent artwork. When shows are possible again, Yo Kinky looks forward to playing locally, nationwide, and beyond.

    Yo Kinky’s debut EP is due out on February 26, 2021.

  • Let Love Reign with Flushing Town Hall’s Valentines Jazz Jam

    Jazz musicians from around the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day with Flushing Town Hall’s band leader Carol Sudhalter for a Virtual Jazz Jam.

    jazz jam

    Even though doors are closed to auditoriums everywhere, Flushing Town Hall will still perform this year with its popular Virtual Jazz Jam: Celebrating the Legacy of Louis Armstrong. Their dynamic online entertainment program FTH At Home! will have Let Love Reign on February 10th 2021 at 7:00PM (EST). Jazz musicians from New York City and around the world will play love songs and funny valentines that embrace the theme. 

    Flushing Town Hall at Home has been a resilient force in an environment in which live music cannot exist. Each month, musicians come together to play songs reflecting each month’s theme, showing the power of art and music even in this time. The February Jazz Jam will include 15 love songs, and participants are invited to jam or simply watch with their significant other, perhaps share champagne or heart-shaped chocolates as they watch from the comfort of their homes. 

    Since April 2020, Flushing Town Hall’s monthly Jazz Jam has brought thousands of people together, not only from new york but places such as Germany, Italy, and Australia where viewers watch the beautiful performances in the early hours. The number of viewers has surpassed the capacity of the in-person venue! 

    Flushing Town Hall’s monthly Jazz Jam is supported by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and has been led by Astoria resident Carol Sudhalter. House band members include incredibly talented musicians such as Joe Vincent Tranchina, Scott Neumann, Joe Vincent Tranchina, and Eric Lemon, who pay tribute to the great Louis Armstrong, performing songs associated with the legendary trumpeter/vocalist each month of the year.

    Anyone who wishes to experience the monthly Jazz Jam is welcome to, free of cost, on February 10th, 2021 at 7:00PM EST. The links are here for Zoom and Facebook.

    To participate, email education@flushingtownhall.org and identify the three- to four-minute tune you intend to play. Only 15 musicians will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Flushing Town Hall’s Jazz Jams are every second Wednesday of each month, and details can be found on the Flushing Town Hall website.

  • Singer-Songwriter Mackenzie Shivers Shares “Martha’s Vineyard” from Upcoming Album

    Indie-folk singer Mackenzie Shivers releases her first single “Martha’s Vineyard” for her upcoming 2021 full-length release, Rejection Letters

    Singer, songwriter and pianist, Mackenzie Shivers, premiered her new dreamy video for her song “Martha’s Vineyard.” Her song radiates the intimate, eerie qualities of indie-folk, akin to Phoebe Bridgers. At the end of the song, a spoken-word verse adds mystery and edge to Shivers’ unique sound. The music video features a vignette of Shivers alone on a beach save her acoustic guitar, immersed the world of her music. 

    Mackenzie Shivers

    I’m not sure I ever learned healthy ways to express anger. But I’m learning now. I’m much more comfortable with sadness than I am with anger. I think that’s because female anger is so often met with shame and dismissal. That’s certainly been my experience, and it really started to hit home as I wrote this song.

    Mackenzie Shivers – “Martha’s Vineyard.”

    Shivers’ third full length album was borne out of the strange circumstances which we have all endured in 2020. She sought refuge in Cape Cod from her home in New York City. With an old family guitar gifted by her father, Shivers experimented with alternate tunings, thanks to Instagram live tutorials from folk artist Laura Marling. Since touring was an adventure left in another world, Shivers inadvertently wrote a collection of songs that became Rejection Letter. 

    Her newfound time for introspection led to topics she seldom discussed on past records. Female anger – questioning the contemporary world, trying to have a child and struggling to conceive color. This record is in a poignantly personal way. She hopes that her lyrics help those with grand uncertainties can listen to someone that feels the same. Shivers revels in her rebellion, embracing her fiery nature. 

    “I’m proud that I found a way to make this record during a very scary, chaotic, uncertain time. I wanted to make something that would give my listeners permission to get angry, to commiserate. My goal is always and ultimately to remind people they’re not alone,” says Shivers.

    I feel like this is me at my best and most complex to date. You get to see new sides of me through this music – a darker, moodier, sometimes angrier side. But it’s still whimsical. It still balances that dark with the light. 

    Mackenzie Shivers

    Prior to her upcoming third release, Mackenzie Shivers has released two full-length albums: 2014’s Neverland and 2019’s The Unkindness and three EPs titled Living in My Head (2016), Ravens (2017), and Midwinter (2019). She currently lives in New York City with her husband. 

    For more info visit Mackenzie Shivers’ website.

  • Angélique Kidjo Records Song for Imprisoned Human Rights Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh

    Singer and activist Angélique Kidjo has contributed a song to the documentary NASRIN, titled “How Can I Tell You?” The documentary is directed and produced by Jeff Kaufman and serves as a portrait of human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, currently imprisoned in Iran.

    Nasrin Sotoudeh
    Singer and activist Angélique Kidjo with a photo of human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh.

    When music and activism intersect, true poetry and force arise. Four-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo has often advocated for human rights as she has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2002. Her music is imbued with compassion, and throughout the years she has contributed songs for important causes, such as her contribution song “Leila” for the Enough Project which raised awareness for women’s rights in Raise Hope for Congo. 

    In 2020, Angélique recorded the song “How Can I Tell You?” by composers Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty who wrote “Ragtime,” “Once on This Island,” “Anastasia,” and many more notable works. This song was included in a documentary directed and produced by Jeff Kaufman titled Nasrin. Often referred to as the “Nelson Mandela of Iran,” Nasrin Sotoudeh fought for human rights in Iran, eventually leading to her arrest in June 2018 for defending women who publicly protested Iran’s mandatory hijab law. The government sentenced her to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. Nasrin now has COVID-19 and a heart condition, but even from the confines of prison she has continued to challenge the authorities. 

    Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens in the recording studio

    By recording “How Can I Tell You?,” Kidjo is bringing awareness and protection to Nasrin in a powerful way, as well as other at-risk human rights activists. As of January 19th, Nasrin’s medical leave was canceled which leads to her return to Qarchak Prison, known as the most dangerous and unsanitary place for women in Iran. 

    Nasrin Sotoudeh
    Poster for NASRIN documentary.

    The music video for Angélique Kidjo’s song includes imagery of life in Iran, beautiful architecture and women in hijab, Angélique’s honeyed, compassionate voice, and Nasrin’s office sign which reads “Attorney at Law.” We follow Nasrin as she travels into her office, juxtaposed with older footage of her activism in courtrooms. The imagery is evocative, bringing the viewer close into women’s lives in Iran and the continued challenges they face together. Crowds with protest signs, rain, and peace signs overlay the lyrics “I could tell you to forget me / but the words would not be true / and I love you always even if you do.” From the point of Nasrin, she is a selfless, ever-present force of activism, and she knows her message is crucial to be spread for the women of Iran. 

    Listen and watch Angélique Kinjo’s tribute to Nasrin’s cause here. 

    The film NASRIN will be released on January 26th, 2021 with more details available at NASRINfilm.com.

  • X Ambassadors Announce Hyper-Creative New Multi-Part Project (Eg)

    X Ambassadors have announced a collaborative project with emerging artists, creating an eclectic atmosphere for their genreless songs to swim in. The multi-platinum band shared the first single from (Eg), titled “ultraviolet.tragedies” with emerging artist Terrell Hines, a fiery track that captures the band’s multidimensional production. The song and electrifying music video are available now at all digital retailers through KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records.

    X Ambassadors
    Album Art for X Ambassadors’ Upcoming Release (Eg)

    Several other fresh artists feature on (Eg), such as Jensen McRae and Earl St. Clair. Both highly collaborative and prolific, X Ambassadors crafted a project as a free-flowing, experimental venture. Sam Harris revealed that the impulse to create arose from new discoveries in production and songwriting work with others. “We wanted to give voice to these incredible artists that people may not have heard yet, and really let their imagination be at the forefront of everything,” he says. “They’re all very much artists with their own unique style that’s so specific to them; they truly don’t care about fitting into any sort of mold, or curating their sound to anything other than what they envision.” 

    Harris says that their collaboration endeavors have encouraged the band to dive into their creativity fully, to make what they love and not overthink the process. (Eg) has a natural sensibility of the pure joy and freedom that come with the art of collaboration. On “ultraviolet.tragedies,” X Ambassadors join with artist Terrel Hines. His sound amalgamates eerie soul, alt-pop, hip-hop, post-punk, and southern funk, building a colorful world for his songs to live in. Georgia-born and Los Angeles-based, Hines critiques society, ponders the limitlessness of technology in his songs that captivate the listener with the true magic of inventive music.

    “ultraviolet.tragedies” was borne from a jam session between X Ambassadors and Hines that shines in the music video. More cinematic, including pauses for conversation, this song sings eerily to a futuristic visual. Created with Microsoft Azure Kinect Body Tracking SDK, the artists are captured in 3D in real time so that they can be superimposed into any world of their choice. The technology opens a world for X Ambassadors’ insatiable creativity in their music. 

    Hailing from Ithaca, New York, X Ambassadors is comprised of three hyper-creative men. Lead vocalist Sam Harris and keyboardist Casey Harris are brothers, with drummer Adam Levin whom they met when Sam attended the New School in New York City. Their full-length 2015 debut VHS launched the band on a three-year touring escapade. With radio hits such as “Renegades” and “Unsteady,” their release is now certified platinum. The lyrical content draws from the Harris brothers’ youth. ORION, their sophomore release,followed in 2019. After years of world touring, X Ambassadors have crafted more innovative, bemusing songs for release on (Eg) this year. 

  • The Yiddish Book Center Celebrates 40 Years of Yiddish Revival with the Klemzer Conservatory Band

    Two beacons of Yiddish cultural revival illuminate the 40th anniversary with a joyous virtual event, filled with music and conversation from members of the Klemzer Conservatory Band. 

    Forty Years in Yiddishland: The Yiddish Book Center Celebrates the Klezmer Conservatory Band
    Photo by Randy H. Goodman

    On January 24th, 2021, at 2 p.m. EST, the Yiddish Book Center will commemorate the international Yiddish cultural revival with a 40th anniversary video special. This event will be free and open to the public, accessible via Zoom, as well as stream live on the Yiddish Book Center’s Facebook page. Since there will be an interview section, it is required to register a virtual seat and submit questions. 

    In 1980, a revival of Yiddish culture bloomed in New England, led by two 24-year-olds, Hankus Netsy and Aaron Lanksy. Hankus Netsy began jam sessions in a genre of Eastern European folk music that was fairly unknown at the time. That year, the Klemzer Conservatory Band was formed at Boston New England Conservatory. Aaron Lanksy concurrently set out on a campaign to salvage Yiddish literature. With 70,000 books to be saved, Lanksy created the Yiddish Book Center, hitting their goal within six months. 

    40 Years in Yiddishland will include videos of acclaimed performances, ranging from “The Fool in the Flying Ship” with Robin Williams (1991) and “In the Fiddler’s House” with Itzhak Perlman (1997). Joining Netsy and Lanksy in conversation will also include well-known collaborators with the Klemzer Conservatory Band such as Itzhak Perlman and Joel Grey. 

    The two organizations have celebrated their shared history in the international revival of Yiddish culture, and this anniversary special truly encapsulates their forty years of activism. This event special is sponsored by several Jewish organizations, including Yiddish New York, Golden Land Concerts & Connections, Center for Traditional Music and Dance, and the American Society for Jewish Music, among several more. The event was also generously supported by Peter D. Mark, in loving memory of Eugene L. Mark.