NYS Music 202​1

Author: Nora Hones

  • Bearsville Theater Enlists New Talent Buyer Following Renovations

    Bearsville Theater enlisted a new talent buyer after it’s recent renovations which will help make Bearsville a key hotspot for music in the Catskills and north of NYC.  

    Bearsville Theater

    Edward Maier has been appointed the new talent buyer for Bearsville Center including the historic Bearsville Theater and the Utopia Sound Studios by the owner of the Bearsville Center,  Lizzie Vann. Maier is known for his work with ElmThree Productions. The hope is he will be able to bring his extensive contacts and experience to help create Bearsville Theater into the hotspot it can be. 

    Bearsville Theater and The Bearsville Center are located in Woodstock NY. The center  was created during the musical revolution during the ‘60s. Albert Grossman who was the founder of the center and was known as one of the most important managers of artists at that time, envisioned a 15-acre complex to provide an imaginative rustic oasis, where artists could create, rehearse, perform, record and promote their music. He built housing, a recording  and video studios, a formidable record label and 3 restaurants. His final project was the acoustically planned 8,000 sq. ft 400-seater Bearsville Theater. The Mission of Bearsville under the current ownership is to nurture and Inspire future generations. Today, the theater acts as a stimulus for creativity and enjoyment. The theater embarked on extensive renovation over the last two years and have finally come to the time where they can focus their energy on up-and-coming new bands.

    Maier started his career in the music business back in the late ‘90’s with booking local acts in Burlington Vermont. Over the years he moved onto working for touring bands and site co-coordinating national tours with Jay- Z/Beyoncé and Eminem/Rihanna. In 2007 he moved into talent buying, and since then has purchased and produced over 1000 shows. Elm Three Productions is Talent Buyer for: Madison Marquette, Paramount Theatre, the Convention Hall, The Wonder Bar and Stone Pony along with the popular series – Jams On The Sand and AC Jams and the Daydream Farm Concert Series. 

    Between Maier’s years of experience and the legacy of Bearsville Theater and it’s new renovations it will definitely be a venue to keep an eye on. 

  • Umphrey’s McGee 2022 Winter tour Starts with 5 Dates Across NYS

    Umphrey’s McGee 2022 winter tour will start with 5 tour dates across New York State. The world tour will have 26 stops and will start on January 14, 2022 in New York City.

    Umphrey’s McGee winter tour

    Umphrey’s McGee is an American Jam band that is originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band started back in 1997 and are known for their experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, folk and more. Some of their most well known songs include “Ocean Billy,” “Puppet String,” and “Nothing too Fancy.” 

    The band’s winter tour will start on January 14, 2022 at Terminal 5 in NYC and will Wrap up on May 27, 2022 at the Rockjavik in Reykjavik, Iceland. The band’s second stop will also be at Terminal 5 in NYC on January 15, 2022. The third stop will be at Town Ballroom in Buffalo on January 20, 2022. The fourth stop will be at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse on January 21, 2022. The last stop in New York will be at Palace Theatre in Albany on January 22, 2022. 

    People can snag presale tickets for all shows and umVIP packages for select dates starting on Wednesday, November 3rd at 12PM EST. General on sale will begin Friday, November 5th at 12PM EST. 

    For more information on Umphrey’s McGee 2022 Winter tour visit their website.

  • MasterVoices Announces its 2021-22 Season

    MasterVoices has announced its 2021-22 season celebrating the chorus’ 80th season. The 2021-22 season opens on December 6, 2021 and will wrap up in June of 2022. 

    The First event will take place on December 6, 2021 at Carnegie Hall with A Joyful Noise, a return to performing before an audience after a two-year absence, featuring music to mark the holiday season as well as the perseverance of the human spirit after a long hiatus. Featured works include Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Thomas A. Dorsey’s If We Ever Needed the Lord Before (We Sure Do Need Him Now), traditional songs, and music by Adam Guettel, John Rutter and Randall Thompson. Joining MasterVoices are soprano Mikaela Bennett, the Northwell Health Nurse Choir and Take 6. MasterVoices will also provide some free tickets to a few hundred essential and frontline workers to this concert to thank them for their personal sacrifices during the Covid-19 pandemic during this event. 

    The second concert of the season will take place on March 10, 2022 at Carnegie Hall. The performance will be a semi-staged production of the cult-favorite musical, Stephen Sondheim’s and Arthur Laurents’ Anyone Can Whistle, starring Vanessa Williams. Written in 1964, the ahead-of-its-time satire shows early signs of Sondheim’s rebel genius as it skewers many targets, revealing what can happen when a community puts its faith in an unreliable leader. It has not been seen in New York since 2010, when it was presented by the Encores! series at City Center. 

    The season will wrap up in June with an outdoor concert, Songs for a Summer Night. The exact date and venue of the event haven’t been determined yet.  All of the pieces chosen for this program evoke the sounds, smells and emotions of summer, in their own fashion. It will feature several new arrangements conceived for the program. The concert includes the world premiere of a newly commissioned piece by Tariq Al-Sabir, inspired by the sounds of a New York City summer, as well as music by Barber, Berlioz, Gordon, Mendelssohn, Schwartz and Sondheim, among others. Joining MasterVoices are guests Shereen Pimentel, Tariq Al-Sabir, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. 

    The central project of MasterVoices’ 2020-2021 season was the virtual rollout of award-winning composer Adam Guettel’s 1998 theatrical song cycle, Myths and Hymns, in an online staging conceived by Ted Sperling. The concert will be reprised this fall in a full-length broadcast version distributed by ALL ARTS, which will premiere nationwide on November 10 at 8 PM EST on the free ALL ARTS app and allarts.org, and in the New York metro area on the ALL ARTS TV channel. The ALL ARTS special will include an introduction by Ted Sperling.

    For more information on the upcoming season on MasterVoices’s website.

  • The Waterhole Announces Annual Halloween Bash Featuring The Outcrops and Organ Fairchild

    Waterhole announced their annual Halloween Bash featuring performers The Outcrops and Organ FairChild. The Halloween bash will take place on October 31, 2021 at 7:30 PM in Saranac Lake, NY.

    The Waterhole is an upstairs venue located in Saranac Lake in New York. The venue is a 21+ establishment with a full bar and is open 7 days a week. The Waterhole Halloween Bash and costume party is an annual affair and has become a Halloween night staple. 

    The Outcrops is the headlining band and they are from Northern New Jersey. They are a blues-infused rock n’ roll & soul style. The band is fronted by Cassidy Rain’s, Bryan Schroeder is the guitarist, Jason Casanovas is on bass, Dave Moore is on drums. 

    Special guests to the bash is Organ FairChild who are from Buffalo, NY . They will be acting as the openers. The band is made up of a trio of friends who have been playing music together since the early 1980’s. They took their stab at writing original music together a few short years ago. They are an old-school organ trio, with dance-heavy grooves. 

    Tickets for the show can be purchased online here or at the door for $10. Doors open at 7:30PM, music starts at 8:30PM. As always, all Waterhole events are for those 21+ as well. 

    For more information on the Waterhole Halloween Bash visit the Waterhole’s website.

  • Critically Acclaimed Tom Petty Documentary To Premiere on YouTube

    Critically acclaimed Tom Petty documentary will premiere on YouTube on November 11, 2021 on Tom Petty’s channel. The feature-length documentary is titled Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers.

    Tom Petty Documentary

    The documentary will offer a unique look into the creative mastery and turbulent personal life of the legendary rock star. The film will be capturing the period between 1993-1995 when Tom Petty worked with legendary producer Rick Rubin.  The film will feature never-before-seen footage drawn from a newly discovered archive of 16mm film, in addition to new interviews with album co-producer and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, and many more.

    The film runs for 89-minutes and was directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Wharton who is known for her work on Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, Sam Cooke: Legend, Elvis Lives!, The Beatles Revolution.  It first debuted in March as an Official SXSW 2021 Selection, winning the festival’s Audience Award. The film went on to win Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim throughout the film festival season. The picture digs deeper into 2020’s critically acclaimed certified gold reissue, Wildflowers & All The Rest collection (Warner Records) which revealed the long anticipated second half of Tom’s autobiographical masterpiece. Ahead of its November 11 worldwide release on YouTube, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers will see its theatrical release on October 20, 2021, which is Tom Petty’s birthday, for a one-night global celebration via Trafalgar Releasing, with encore screenings in select cinemas on October 21, 2021.

    Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers was Produced by Peter Afterman with executive producers Dan Braun, Mary Wharton and Adria Petty and presented by Inaudible Films, Warner Music Entertainment (Warner Music Group’s TV and Film division) and Warner Records.

    For more information on the feature-length documentary, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, visit Tom Petty’s YouTube Channel.

  • Flushing Town Hall Announces 15 Years of NEA Jazz Masters Concerts Celebration

    Flushing Town Hall announced 15 Years of NEA Jazz Masters concerts celebration on November 12, 2021 at 8 PM, in-person and virtual audiences. The celebration is being called NEA Jazz Masters: The Music of Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver.

    Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director at Flushing Town Hall spoke on the upcoming celebration saying, “We are elated to present this historic concert with such an incredible lineup of America’s most honored jazz musicians. It is sure to be a one-of-a-kind night to remember.” 

    The celebration of 15 Years of NEA Jazz Masters Concerts will host five distinguished NEA Jazz Masters: Jimmy Owens, Kenny Barron, Sheila Jordan, Billy Hart, and Donald Harrison. They will be joined by American bassist Kenny Davis and a special, surprise guest artist to perform live, all together on one stage for the first time.

    The very first NEA Jazz Masters concert took place at Flushing Town Hall back on November 17, 2006. The performance featured three NEA Jazz Masters, Jimmy Heath (saxophone), Clark Terry (trumpet), and Dr. Billy Taylor (piano)—as well as the talented jazz veterans Earl May, Benny Powell, and Albert “Tootie” Heath, who was later awarded the NEA Jazz Masters title in 2021. Sadly, all but one—Albert “Tootie” Heath—have since passed on.

    This year’s NEA Jazz Masters concert is taking place on November 12, 2021 at 8 PM, in-person and virtual audiences at Flushing Town Hall. In-person tickets are $45/$35 Members/$20 Students. Those unable to attend in person can still join the livestream and tune in virtually. Virtual tickets are $15/$10 Members. Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling (718) 463-7700 x222.


    For more information on NEA Jazz Masters concert or on Flushing Town Hall in general visit their website.

  • Cassandra Kubinski Announces Show at Caffe Lena in Celebration of #1MillionHearts EP

    Cassandra Kubinski announced show at Caffe Lena in celebration of her recently dropped #1MillionHearts EP. The celebration will take place on October 31, 2021 at 7PM at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. 

    Cassandra Kubinski is an up and coming singer/songwriter who has hit the billboards multiple times. She has had music on TV, from Lifetime to ESPN to ABC and  has collaborated with big names like the Goo Goo Dolls (including their collaborative release of her Autism anthem Not So Different), Chris Botti, 10,000 Maniacs, DJ Taz Rashid, and even her personal music hero, Billy Joel. You may have heard her songs that have supported  important causes, such as “Not So Different” for Autism and “You Get Me” for pet rescue. She was also  the composer and bandleader of Emmy-winning new media TV Show “The Never Settle Show” hosted by Mario Armstrong, and she serves as the Global Co-Chair of Membership for international non-profit Women in Music.

    Her #1MillionHearts EP was officially  released to all digital platforms on October 1, 2021. The Caffe Lena show follows up Kubinski’s NYC Release Show at The Cutting Room which took place on October 3, 2021 and the global virtual launch concert featuring multi platinum artists Ryan Cabrera, Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees), and Brad Fischetti (LFO) which took place on October 1, 2021. 

    Saratoga Springs holds a special place in Kubinski’s heart though which is why she’s going back there for a show at Caffe Lena. Kubinski’s previous Capital Region appearances includes multiple shows at Caffe Lena before she  became a full time Saratoga Springs resident in 2020, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Virtual Holiday Homes Tour, airplay on WEXT and WEQS, and both artist workshops and performances at Wildwood School in Schenectady.

    “I’m excited to bring my band back to Saratoga. #1MillionHearts is all about connection, community, and finding freedom after a time of darkness or constriction,” Said Kubinski. “I think many of us can relate to that in society and in ourselves at this time. We’re excited to give the audience an incredible, elevating show, and to support arts education and the upstate community as well.”

    Tickets for both in-person seats and online viewing options are available here.

    For more information on Cassandra Kubinski and her upcoming shows visit her website.

  • Soul Train Announce Plans to Host Awards Show At The Apollo Theater

    Soul Train has announced plans to host their annual Awards Show at The Apollo Theater in Harlem. The awards show will take place on November 28 at 8 PM EST on BET and BET Her.

    This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Soul Train from when it aired in 1971 and the 33rd year of the Soul Train Awards so this year’s awards show will be in commemoration of both of these milestones. The show aired for 35 years and was created by Don Cornelius. It brought African American culture to a nationwide audience. 

    The award show showcases Soul Train’s impact on the genre of music and dance. The Soul Train Awards will feature performances from some of the most talented musicians in the industry. The awards show has aired on BET since 2009 being taped in Las Vegas in recent years.The annual awards ceremony is being held for the first time at the Apollo Theater in New York City. The awards show will honor the 2021’s best in soul, hip-hop and R&B.  

    “The Apollo is thrilled to partner with BET to host the ‘Soul Train Awards,’ bringing together three iconic brands that represent Black culture and excellence under one roof,” Kamilah Forbes, Apollo executive producer, said in a press release. 

    Catch the awards on November 28 at 8 PM EST on BET and BET Her for more information visit the ABC News article on the event.

  • The 2021 Eddies Music Awards Announces Nominees and Ceremony

    The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards or more commonly known as the Eddies Music Awards announced their 2021 nominees and ceremony date. The awards ceremony will be held at 7PM on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.

    This is the second installment of the Eddies Music Awards in 2021. This group of nominees represents works done by musicians in 2020. The first installment represented works done by musicians done in 2019 and were recognized during a live broadcast from UPH this May after two postponements due to the pandemic made them unable to host the awards ceremony in 2020 as planned.  

    This year’s categories will be a little different than in previous years. Sal Prizio, Eddies co-founder and co-producer explained this saying, “About half of the categories we presented in previous years were scuttled when looking at 2020. We took a poll of judges and there was near unanimous agreement that the genre categories such as best folk artist and best hard rock artist didn’t make sense, as so much of the assessment in those categories was based on live performance.” 

    The categories this year are: Arts Publication of the Year, Arts Journalist of the Year, Radio DJ of the Year, Radio Station of the Year, Music Recording Studio of the Year, Label of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows, and Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers.  

    Tickets for the Eddies Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 27, 2021 and the Eddies Music Awards on November 14, 2021  are now on sale here. 

    For more information the 2021 Eddies Music Awards visit their website. 

    Full list of nominations listed bellow: 

    Arts Publication of the Year 

    NYS Music 

    Preview /Times Union 

    Spot 518 

    The Xperience Monthly 

    Ticket/Daily Gazette 

    Arts Journalist of the Year 

    Steve Barnes  

    Jim Gilbert  

    Michael Hallisey  

    Indiana Nash 

    Jim Shahen Jr. 

    Liam Sweeney 

    Radio DJ of the Year 

    Wanda Fisher 

    Art Fredette 

    Andy Gregory 

    Bill McCann 

    Jeff Morad 

    Sonny Speed 

    Chris Wienk 

    Radio Station of the Year 

    RadioRadioX 

    WCDB 90.9 

    WEQX 102.7 

    WEXT 97.7, 106.1 

    WSPN 91.1 

    WVCR 88.3 

    Music Recording Studio of the Year 

    Albany Audio Associates (AAA Recording Studio C) 

    Blue Sky Recording/Mixing Studio 

    Millstone Recording Studio 

    NRS Studios Catskill 

    The Recording Company 

    Starling Studios 

    Label of the Year 

    Albany Records 

    Cacophone Records 

    Equal Vision Records 

    Flipped Out Records 

    Magnetic Eye Records 

    Upstate Records 

    Music Video of the Year 

    “Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown 

    “Moon” – Novus Cantus 

    “Skin Disease” – Craig Hamilton 

    “Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive 

    “Modernist” – El Modernist 

    “Sellout” – Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band 

    “415” – Sydney Worthley 

    “Alone” – Zan & The Winter Folk 

    Record of the Year 

    “Hold Me” – Julia Alsarraf 

    “Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown 

    “Moz Disco” – Coupons   

    “Better off Alone” – Moriah Formica 

    “Quentin” – Gordon St. 

    “Roll Over You” – Sean Rowe 

    “Andy Warhol” – Annie Scherer 

    “A Thousand Years” – The Sea The Sea 

     “415” – Sydney Worthley 

    Album of the Year 

    “Somethin’ Comes Along” – Bright Dog Red 

    “Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive 

    “Back Pocket” – Dominick Campana 

    “Going Places” – Dylan Canterbury 

    “Rougher Stuff” – Dark Honey 

    “Flowers for You” – Sawyer Fredericks 

    “What Happens After” – Laveda 

    “Northeast” – Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter 

    “Stumbling Home” – The Sea The Sea 

    Songwriter of the Year 

    Julia Alsarraf 

    Dan Berggren 

    Buggy Jive 

    Jim Gaudet 

    Girl Blue 

    Michael Jerling 

    Kate McDonnell 

    Kim Cirillio Wickham 

    Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows 

    Caffe Lena – “Stay Home Sessions” 

    Frank Cavone / Mirth Films 

    Freedom Park Quarantune Series 

    Mark Gamsjager / The Lustre Kings weekly Saturday night virtual shows  

    High Peaks Event Productions 

    The Linda: Open for Take-Out Virtual Concert Series 

    Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers 

    Rick Bedrosian 

    Mark Gamsjager 

    DJ Trumastr 

  • Béla Fleck Announces My Bluegrass Heart Album Celebration show at Carnegie Hall

    Béla Fleck has announced the My Bluegrass Heart album celebration show at Carnegie Hall in NYC. The show will take place on January 9, 2022 and will feature big names in Chris Thile and Billy Strings, Jerry Douglas, and many more. 

    Béla Fleck Carnegie Hall

    My Bluegrass Heart is the third album in Béla Fleck’s trilogy that began with 1988’s Drive and continued in 1999 with The Bluegrass Sessions.  Produced and written by Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart continues the tradition of sharing music between generations. The album debuted at number one on the Bluegrass Album Chart and number three on the American / Folk Album Chart. 

    Béla Fleck who was born and raised in New York City spoke on the upcoming concert saying, “Calling something the ‘concert of a lifetime’ sure sounds like hype, and in many cases it would be. But not this time!  At least for my world and my music, this is an unprecedented opportunity to bring some of the brightest instrumental lights in bluegrass—or any other music for that matter—to the incredible Carnegie Hall stage.”

    The show will feature artists like Chris Thile and Billy Strings, the legendary Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan, as well as members of the next wave of virtuoso players, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle and Michael Cleveland.  

    The show is part of the Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart Tour. Tickets are on sale now for the show and can be purchased here. 

    For more information on Béla Fleck and his new album My Bluegrass Heart celebration show at Carnegie Hall, visit his website.

    Full Béla Fleck:  My Bluegrass Heart Tour Lineup bellow: 

    11.27   Grand Rapids,  MI  //  DeVos Performance Hall 

    11.28   Fort Wayne, IN //  Clyde Theatre 

    11.29   Milwaukee, WI //  Riverside Theater 

    12.01   St. Louis, MO // The Sheldon Concert Hall 

    12.02   Des Moines, IA //  Hoyt Sherman Place 

    12.03   Salina, KS // The Stiefel Theatre 

    12.04   Denver, CO //  Paramount Theatre*

    12.05   Jackson, WY // Center For The Arts 

    12.07   Portland, OR // Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 

    12.08   Seattle, WA // Paramount Theatre* 

    12.09   Eugene, OR //  Jaqua Concert Hall – 2 shows!

    12.10   Redding, CA  //  The Cascade Theatre*

    12.11  Reno, NV //   Silver Legacy Resort Casino 

    12.12   Berkeley, CA  // The UC Theatre

    12.13   Carmel, CA  // Sunset Cultural Center 

    12.14   Costa Mesa, CA  //  Segerstrom Center for the Arts

    12.16   San Diego,  CA  //  Balboa Theatre  

    12.17   Los Angeles, CA //  Theater at the ACE Hotel

    12.18 Tempe, AZ // Tempe Center for the Arts  

    12.19   Tucson, AZ //  Fox Tucson Theatre

    1.7.22   Ryman Auditorium  //  Nashville, TN – SOLD OUT

    1.9.22  Carnegie Hall, NYC

    Featuring Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, & Bryan Sutton

    * = Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton