The Moogseum, created by New York City’s own Bob Moog, is set to participate in Google Arts and Culture’s Music, Makers, https://nysmusic.com/site/2016/06/26/bernie-worrell-passes-away-at-72/and Machines in an interactive online resource highlighting the crucial role electronic music plays within wider culture, both past and present, which launched March 10th.
In order to preserve the legacy and message of Bob Moog, the Moogseum is sharing exhibits that explore Bob Moog’s life and career. Exhibits explore topics such as the evolutions in synthesis over a 100-year period; the history of Moog synthesizers; the use of Moog synthesizers in pop, rock, funk, jazz, and early pioneering works; the fundamentals of synthesis as explored through Moog circuitry; the early history of the Minimoog, and more.
The Moogseum is extremely proud to participate in Google Arts & Culture’s Music, Makers, and Machines exhibition and to join other world-class institutions and organizations in bringing the world of electronic music to a vast audience through innovative technology
Michele Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation
Bob Moog was a legendary electronic musician as well as an engineering physicist. Moog’s greatest contribution to music was his invention of the first commercial synthesizer. This synthesizer, the Moog synthesizer, was released in 1964 and was followed by his most famous synthesizer, the Minimoog, in 1970. In his later years, Moog taught at the University of North Carolina in Asheville – where the Moogseum is located today.
Music, Makers, and Machines can be found here, while the Moogseum’s exhibits can be found here:
New York indie rocker Arsun has released a new music video for his song “Southern Winds,” premiering on i-D, alongside an exclusive interview.
The music of Arsun is influenced by the art-rock of the late 60’s and 70’s, with heavy influence from Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. The music video for “Southern Winds” is directed by Arsun’s girlfriend, Tasmin Meyer Erahin, makes special use of black and white, intentional video artifacting, and a four way split camera perspective. Shot on a vintage Super 8, the video was not initially meant for a music video – just the couple causally videoing their tropical getaway. Nature is a key fixture of the video, strolling through idyllic beach vistas and gorgeous ocean’s to match the serene mood of the music.
The new track comes packed with a catchy, retro instrumental line, as Arsun’s gritty vocals take the lead
Indie88
Arsun released “Southern Winds” with Dover Street Market as part of their Art Book Fair programming. Dover Street Market is multi-brand relator that collaborates with several of its closest associates to release a series of virtual events. Arsun’s collaboration with Dover Street Market also includes a new t-shirt designed in conjunction with visual artist Tom Sachs.
The Bardavon is excited to announce that they are holding the 48th Annual Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition virtually on March 14, 2021 at 3pm. The event will be lived streamed on the Bardavon Youtube channel.
The Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition is often credited for launching the careers of world-renowned orchestral and solo string musicians. Many previous winners have gone on to illustrious classical music careers. Previous notables include: violist Marcus Thompson ’67, Boston Chamber Players; violinist Ani Kavafian ’73, Lincoln Center Chamber Players soloist; violinist Adela Pena ’85, Eroica Trio; and violinist Judith Ingolfsson ’96, 1998 Indianapolis International Violin Competition winner.
The judges for this years competition are: Daniel Phillips, a violinist and resident at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Lucie Roberts, a violinist and a professor at the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music; and Susan Seligman, a cellist and a professor at SUNY New Paltz. The 2021 first-prize winner will receive $4000, a solo performance with the HVP during its 2021-22 Season, and a solo performance at the “Musical Landscapes of Italy” festival in August.
The Bardavon is the oldest continually operating theatre is the state of New York, dating all the way back to 1986. The Bardavon offers affordable, world-class arts education programs, music, dance, theater, Live in HD broadcasts, and classic films for the diverse audiences of the Hudson Valley. The company also partners with others local venues such as the Mid-Hudson Civic Center and Kingston’s Ulster Performing Arts Center.
More information can be found on the Bardavon website.
Brooklyn-based psychedelic rock bank, Acid Dad, are excited to announce their sophomore album – Take It From The Dead. The album is due out June 11, 2021 via Greenway Records / The Reverberation Appreciation Society.
In preparation for the new album, the band has released visuals for the albums first single – “RC Driver.” The video debuted on FLOOD Magazine. Singer-guitarist Vaughn Hunt comments on his inspiration behind the song:
RC Driver is about how I wish I raced cars for a living. All I wanna do is go fast and do stunts. I grew up near a lake, so jet skis are the next closest thing. Ain’t nothing like rippin’ a supercharged Sea-Doo going 90mph on pure glass, baby.
Vaughn Hunt, Singer-guitarist
Acid Dad consists of Trevor Mustoe on drums, Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey on vocals and guitar. The band was started in Hunt’s basement in Bushwick, NY – releasing their first single “Brain Body” and EP Let’s Plan a Robbery. Acid Dad quickly rose up through the ranks in the New York rock scene, releasing their debut album to widespread acclaim.
The band spent much of 2020 creating a new studio space in Queens, while building their own guitars and continuing to independently produce their new music. With a new space and vision, the band produced their second LP, Take It From The Dead, set to be co-released in June 2021 by Brooklyn’s Greenway Records and psych powerhouse LEVITATION’s label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society.
Take It From The Dead’s influences range from the likes of 90’s neo-psych, modern post-punk and 70’s rock-n-roll. Acid Dad’s album is innovation, but still shows love for its roots. In contrast to their earlier work, they make use of slower tempos and expand their sound to include songs that are both more intricate and more hypnotic. To accompany the new record, the band spent the last year collaborating with video artist Webb Hunt, producing psych and glitch art videos that form a visual counterpart to the dreamy distortions of their sound.
As part of NYS Music’s continuing series looking at the Centennial years of the Harlem Renaissance, we turn to activist Marcus Garvey, leader of the Pan-African movement, the first American Black nationalist movement.
Marcus Moziah Garvey was born in St Ann’s Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887. His father, Marcus Garvey Senior, was a stonemason and his mother, Sarah Jane Richards was a household servant. Garvey had 11 siblings but was the only one to survive to adulthood. Attending a local church school until the age of 14, Garvey then moved to Kingston where he worked in a print shop as an apprentice. Garvey quickly rose through the ranks and became the first Afro-Jamaican foreman. Thus began Garvey’s fabled career in activism, becoming a trade unionist and partially leading the November 1908 print workers’ strike.
After being fired from his print shop job, Garvey’s hatred for the societal structures creating inequality began to form. Garvey joined the National Club, one of Jamaica’s first nationalist organizations, publishing several pamphlets and magazines campaigning for the removal of the British Governor of Jamaica. Economic hardship took hold of Jamaica, leading to a mass exodus that included Garvey. After Garvey spent several years traveling, including living with family in Costa Rica and attending University of London’s Birkbeck College, Garvey returned to Jamaica.
Getty Images
Birth of the UNIA
Upon returning to Jamaica, Garvey formed the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association). An organization whose goal was to “Establish a brotherhood among the black race, to promote a spirit of race pride, to reclaim the fallen and to assist in civilizing the backward tribes of Africa.”
With this organization, Garvey wanted to establish a country that would unite black people all over the world. After coming on to contact with fellow famed civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, Garvey moved to Harlem to establish the UNIA in the United States.
As the UNIA began to grow, Garvey launched his own weekly newspaper Negro Weekly. The newspaper reached worldwide audiences, nearing 10,000 copies circulated by the end of its first year. In 1919, Garvey launched his shipping company Black Star Line. The company’s goal was to establish trade and commerce between Africans all over the world. By this point, the UNIA had grown to over 4 Million members. The Black Star Line bought the S.S. Yarmouth, which they renamed it as the S.S. Frederick Douglass, in preparation for the group’s ambitious program which sought to establish a country for former slaves in Liberia.
Underwood Archives via Getty Images
Enemies
Garvey was infamous for his impassioned and controversial speeches which caused him many enemies from the likes of fellow activist, W.E.B. Du Bois, to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Dubois was vehemently against Garvey’s separatist philopshy, going so far as to call him “The most dangerous enemy of the Negro race in America.”
Garvey was under surveillance from Hoover for several years. Hoover looked for any dirt he could dig up on Garvey, going so far as to hire the first black FBI agent to infiltrate the ranks. Hoover would use the same method against several civil rights leaders throughout the 20th century including Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Eventually, Hoover was able to try Garvey and others within the Black Star Line with Mail Fraud. Garvey was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.
Imprisonment and Deportation
Before the trial, Garvey controversially had agreed to meet with the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, believing they had common ground when it came to Segregation. Garvey blamed the Jewish judges and jurors for his convention, claiming they held bias against him for agreeing to meet with the Ku Klux Klan leader. This began a trend of Garvey siding with segregationists. While in jail, Garvey wrote his famous letter “First Message to the Negroes of the World from Atlanta Prison.”
Garvey was released in 1927 after serving just three years of his sentence after President Calvin Coolidge received a petition with 70,000 signature demanding for his release. Upon release, Garvey was immediately deported back to Jamaica. Continuing his political activism in his home country, Garvey created the country’s first political party, the People’s Political Party (PPP). The party ran on the platforms of establishing a minimum wage and the ability to impeach and imprison corrupt judges. The party quietly faded away after Garvey lost the election and was imprisoned again for seditious libel.
Never forget that intelligence rules the world and ignorance carries the burden. Therefore, remove yourself as far as possible from ignorance and seek as far as possible to be intelligent.
Marcus Garvey
Later Life and Death
Never again was Garvey able to convey the same amount of influence that he once did. Garvey continued his political activism in Jamaica until 1935 when he moved to London. Garvey would go on to back other segregationist legislation such as The Greater Liberia Act of 1939, championed by infamous white supremacist Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo; this act sought to deport 12 million African Americans to Liberia under the justification that it would reduce unemployment. The bill never passed.
In January 1940, Garvey suffered a stroke that had left him paralyzed almost entirely. Word spread that Garvey had died, leading it to be reported in several papers. Garvey had a second stroke brought on from the reading of these headlines, leading to his actual death on June 10th, 1940 at the age of 52. Garvey was buried in London due to WWII travel restrictions but his remains were moved to Kingston, Jamaica in 1964.
Legacy
Marcus Garvey has a complicated legacy like no other civil rights figure. Garvey’s key message was one of African Pride, to love your self and heritage no matter what. Phrases coined by Garvey such as “Black is Beautiful” are still commonplace motivational statements today. On the other hand, Garvey was one of the most outspoken segregationists. Garvey sided with white supremacists on several occasions, even backing key legislature. While his aspirations of a unified African American nation might have been pure, the ways he went about achieving those goals were destructive. Marcus Garvey the man may be controversial, but his word would go on to influence generations of activists and spur change all over the globe.
Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs will celebrate the life of Matt McCabe, owner of Saratoga Guitar and former Commissioner of Finance. The memorial will be livestreamed on Saturday. February 20th at 7pm.
Photo from Caffe Lena’s website
The event will be hosted by McCabe’s friend and fellow musician Rick Bolton. The online tribute will feature stories and musical performances by some of the community members who found McCabe’s shop to be a place of support and inspiration. The performances have been prerecorded and include: Leigh Gibson of the Gibson Brothers, Kate Taylor, Dan Berggren, Mark Tolstrup, Chuck Lamb, John Kribs, Michael Eck, Brian Melick, Ria Curley, Angelina Valente, Pete Pashoukas and many more.
Matt McCabe was an example of how a small business can have a huge impact. His goal was to raise the quality of life for everyone. That is why we’re celebrating him. He gave away instruments for fundraising raffles, he gave steep discounts to those in need, and he donated performances to make life a little brighter.
Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena Executive Director
Caffe Lena is a historic music venue located on downtown Saratoga Springs, opening up back in 1960. The café has seen a number of legendary act take it’s stage, from the likes of Bob Dylan in 1961 to recently Sawyer Fredricks in 2014. The Library of Congress has recognized Caffe Lena as “An American Treasure”; as well as being recognized by The Grammy Foundation for important contributions to the development of American music.
The Matt McCabe memorial will be streamed for free on all Caffe Lena social media channels. More information can be found at www.caffelena.org
John Roberts teams up with legendary Blondie frontwoman, Debbie Harry, to release his newest single “Lights Out” produced by Junior Sanchez. The single is accompanied by a trippy animated video directed by Kris Baldwin.
Roberts, a long time Blondie fan, was thrilled when his friend Debbie Harry accepted his invitation to be featured on his new song. “Lights Out” follows “Freaks” which came out last fall, an innovative and quirky dance-pop song that was also produced by Junior Sanchez. Both “Lights Out” and “Freaks” are the follow-up to Roberts’ 2019 self-titled EP. Produced by Big Black Delta, it featured his UK club hit “Looking.” Both singles are to appear on Roberts’ debut album which is set to drop sometime in 2021.
Born in Edison, New Jersey, Roberts has always had a deep-rooted love for music. At the onset of the 90’s he fell in love with the New York City rave scene and frequented the storied warehouse parties mythologized in movies like “Go“. Robert found himself as the frontman of the band Opti-Grab where he toured relentlessly and released an studio album. In 2019 Robert release his club banger “Looking,” which would go on to land at #19 on the UK Club Charts.
Working with someone as professional and legendary as Debbie Harry is something I will never forget. She came in and nailed it and this song is a dream come true.
John Roberts, Musician
Roberts has gone viral from YouTube clips like “The Christmas Tree.” Robert has made appearances on “The Tonight Show,” “Archer” and more in addition to multiple tours alongside Margaret Cho. He currently stars as apart of the EMMY Award-winning “Bob’s Burgers” as lovable & loud matriarch Linda Belcher which landed him first EMMY nod in the category of “Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance” in 2015. The show is now in its 10th season with a feature film to be released in spring 2021.
New York City-based Finnish singer, Petra Jasmiina, releases new love song, “YCHM”, just in time for Valentines Day. The new single follows her debut EP Cyget which released in 2019.
Born in Helsinki, Finland; Jasmiina moved to New York City at the age of 25 after years of travelling to pursue a music career. Jasmiina comments on her risky move to New York City saying:
Now that I think of it, it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done. I had no job, no apartment and knew no-one in the city.
Petra Jasmiina, Musician
Jasmiina has always had a deep love for music, consistently writing songs since the age of nine. After making her way around the local New York City scene and gaining recognition, including a stint at the Writer’s Room Songwriter Series, Jasmiina released her acclaimed debut EP, Cygnet.
Jasmiina’s is well known for her fresh, unique indie pop sound and witty lyricism. Much of Jasmiina’s music follow in the steps her indie pop idols such as Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, and Halsey. Through the success of her debut EP, Jasmiina has since blossomed into a bright new artist in the New York indie scene, and has opened doors to legendary music venues such as Pete’s Candy Store and Pianos.
Floating over synth heavy production with ease, Jasmiina delivers her beautiful upper register combined with uniquely catchy vocal melodies. The track is a collaboration with Vietnamese-American electropop producer Wind Meets West and tells the story of rising above a bad break-up and learning to love being on your own. The fun, sassy energy of the track warrants it own dance party. The song embodies a message of self love as well as a celebration of being single.
Capital Region based quintet Quintocracy has begun their new residency at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Their first project with the Hall is a series of four concerts featuring women composers. All performances will be broadcast live from the Music Hall stage.
Coming together in 2019, Quintocracy was created with the goal of showing the beauty of chamber music to the masses. The group prides themselves on there unique live shows in which they instill a sense of community through their funny audience interactions. Members of Quintocracy have preformed at a wide array of New York based concert halls from the likes of Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center. Quintocracy consists of Melanie Chirignan (Flute), Kelly Lockwood (Oboe), Michael Dee (Clarinet), Kathryn Svatek (Horn), and William Safford (Basoon).
The Troy Saving Bank Music Hall is a historic classic music hall located in the heart of Downtown Troy. The Hall of built out of what used to be a banking office, hence The Hall’s name, and has since been host to hundreds of music acts from around the world. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic The Hall has pivoted to offering several online concert performances, postposing all live shows until further notice.
The New York Youth Symphony is excited to announce Tom Kitt as the lead for a new Virtual Masterclass, taking place on February 23rd from 6 to 8:30 pm. Tom is a professional composer, arranger and orchestrater for Broadway plays such as Next to Normal and Then/If. The masterclass will feature songs written and composed by the NYYS Musical Theater Songwriting students, as performed by students from Harlem School of the Arts and the New York Film Academy
Led by Director Anna K. Jacobs, the NYYS MTS program invites musical theater lovers to tune in live on Zoom or YouTube Live, to see Mr. Kitt share constructive feedback with students, as well as insights into his own creative and professional journey.
Tom Kitt has had a remarkable career in musical theater. His numerous accolades include Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010, as well as two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal. Tom’s most recent projects include The Visitor at the Public Theater and Flying Over Sunset at Lincoln Center Theater. Currently, Tom is a recording artist at Sony Masterworks and has begun recording his debut album, since Summer 2020.
Tom Kitt has carved out an astonishing, singular career as a theater artist. He is deeply admired by the aspiring young composer-lyricists in our MTS program, which is why we are so thrilled to have him leading a masterclass this season.
Anna K. Jacobs, Director
The New York Youth Symphony is the most awarded youth program of its kind in the nation, recognized for its innovative educational programs for talented young musicians. Founded in 1963 as an orchestra to showcase the metropolitan area’s most gifted musicians ages 12-22, its activities have since grown to encompass programs in jazz, chamber music, conducting, composition, and musical theater songwriting, with performances at world class venues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Public Theater. Through its commissioning program, First Music, the NYYS has commissioned over 165 works from young composers since 1984.
