Bard College alumnus Chevy Chase will appear at a series of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in Utica, Albany and Binghamton in December. The events will include Chevy Chase performing live on stage plus an audience Q&A following the screenings.
Chevy Chase is an original member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live and over the years became a household name for his blockbuster movies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, Fletch, Three Amigos, and many more.
The screenings are taking place in different cities across the United States with three stops in New York currently. More screenings in New York could be announced in time though. The tour announces dates as they go, being precautious of COVID-19 spikes across the country.
The three stops in New York start in Utica on December 13, 2021 at the Stanley Performing Arts Center at 7:30PM. The second stop in New York will be on December 15, 2021 at the Palace Theatre in Albany at 7:30PM. And the last stop in New York currently will be on December 19, 2021 at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton at 7:30PM.
Tickets to all three Chevy Chase National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in New York and to the other stops on the tour can be purchased here.
For more information on Chevy Chase and his upcoming tour visit his website.
The latest single from Hudson Valley singer-songwriter Ryan Martin, “At Dusk”, features Rochester’s Mikaela Davis.Perhaps your breakup with your COVID-bae was hard or maybe you’re just not over your breakup from 3 years ago (who isn’t?). Ryan and Mikaela know how to pull at just the right heart strings bringing a signature kind of love song that is honest, emotional lyrics wrapped in gorgeous, bittersweet melodies and irresistible melodic hooks.
Now, you might have heard this song before because it originally appeared on Wandercease, released in November 2020. However, in the height of COVID-19 havoc Martin’s exceptional songwriting was praised by the press for its vibrant, modern take on Americana and Martin’s exceptional songwriting, yet buried underneath reality’s chaos. The COVID pandemic taught us all a little something but Martin took it upon himself to re-asses his priorities.
The songs on Wandercease are mini-epics of personal storytelling, and Mikaela Davis keeps returning with perfect harmony vocals and the thrilling sound of her harp
Paste
Back during lackluster live streams alone in his apartment for a virtual audience his struggle to sustain his sobriety became apparent. Putting music aside, he decided to enroll in school to pursue a career in substance-abuse counseling. A new perspective led him to truly process the reason for writing music: to identify the source of someone’s pain, conveniently also the goal as a substance-abuse counselor. He admits that he aims to connect with people around the struggles that bind them together.
Perfection us damn near impossible to come by and it almost never happens, Yet somehow, someway, Ryan Martin hit that rare pocket in time and captured perfection
American Songwriter
With the help of veteran producer/engineer Paul Kolderie (Pixies, Radiohead) remixing the song, “At Dusk” now has new flavor to it with more highlights of the sublime harmonies between Martin and guest singer/harpist Mikaela Davis,with an additional rock and roll energy in the anthemic choruses. Martin recently showcased at the Mondo.NYC conference with a live performance filmed at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY featuring musicians Jared Samuel (Kevin Morby), Nick Kinsey (Waxahatchee), David Lizmi (Fun), and Connor Grant (Sean Lennon).
Ed Sheeran performed as musical guest and Succession’sKieran Culkin returned to Saturday Night Live on Saturday, November 6. The hosting duties for Culkin occured almost 30 years to the day since his brother Macaulay hosted in November 1991.
This past week, Kieran shared a memory on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from his time hanging around Studio 8H while his brother held hosting duties:
I remember during rehearsal day, being on the stage and I was with my mom, and Kevin Nealon walks by, and she grabs him and she goes, ‘Oh hey, you’re great. By the way, you’re my son’s favorite.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, thank you very much, that’s nice to hear.’ And I went, ‘Mom’ — cuz I’m 9, kids don’t have a filter — ‘I told you, he’s my second favorite, Dana Carvey’s my favorite.’
Kieran Culkin, November 1991
Kieran appeared in three sketches that night – “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” “Medieval Scalders” and as Froggy, in a flashback during the “Richmeister” sketch, seen below.
Sheeran made his first appearance of the night as a guest on the Dionne Warwick Talk Show, with the talented Ego Nwodim playing the legendary pop singer who recently discovered Twitter. As a surprise, the Warwick appeared, just as Nwodim’s Warwick suggested she interview a true icon. After sharing “I’m not perfect, I’m just very good,” the two sang a duet of Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now.”
Sheeran was announced as musical guest for this episode back on October 23, and the next day shared a diagnosis of COVID-19 for he and his daughter, despite he being vaccinated. Sheeran was able to finish his isolation period and was cleared to perform, although he did not appear in the traditional SNL promos with Culkin.
For the first song of the night, Sheeran played “Shivers,” the second single off his new album = (pronounced “equals”), which was released just last week. There were no signs he had just been under the weather, as Sheeran didn’t miss a beat on this dance pop number.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ItgpYfAT14
Sheeran returned later in the show to sing the folksy “Overpass Graffiti,” fist-bumping members of his band at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGiVv_iFaGI
During the goodbyes, fulfilling his monologue wish, Culkin was hoisted by cast members Chris Redd and Keenan Thompson, flexing as he did nearly 30 years ago.
Prog rockers are not a group known for their sense of humor. But there is one towering prog godhead who is top of the heap as an instrumental virtuoso and teller of ridiculously entertaining tales, ones featured in his surprisingly stupendous memoir, Grumpy Old Rock Star. It’s Rick Wakeman, the keyboard wizard whose riffs can be heard on some of the most memorable works of Yes, The Strawbs, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, T. Rex, Al Stewart and a boatload of his symphonic solo albums.
Wakeman brought his massive chops and incredibly funny tales to Woodstock’s beautifully outfitted Bearsville Theater on November 1. It was the last stop on the first swing of his “Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour.” The evening was equal parts baroque instrumental brilliance and Borsch Belt humor. And it was all the more enjoyable for it.
Dressed in a knee-length black morning jacket, Wakeman manned a duo of Korg Nautilus synths and a Yamaha grand piano to take the audience on a 14-song retrospective of his career as session man, bandmate and solo artist. There was a similar cache of stories, as well as a Q&A session, where the keyboardist reeled off hilarious anecdotes with punchlines as well-oiled as his arpeggios.
After the gorgeous symphonic double synth-driven opener “Seahorses,” Wakeman moved over to the piano. Here he told the story of one of his most memorable dates as a session man on Cat Stevens’ classic “Morning Has Broken.” According to the piano man, it wasn’t really all that much of a song, just 40 seconds or so, when they first ran through it. Stevens’ producer Paul Samuel-Smith asked his to lengthen it with a piano intro, a gorgeous one that is as memorable as Matthew Fisher’s Bachesque organ on “Whiter Shade of Pale.” The producer and Cat liked it so much that they asked him to return to it several times, in the middle of the tune and for a coda, to bring the tune to single length. Wakeman also recalls Stevens sitting in a corner chain smoking, all to muster the proper grit to commit his vocal to tape. He also remembers not getting paid, until 37 years later, the 12 British Pound session fee (about $120 is today’s dollars)!
Wakeman then set up a medley of two tunes from his classic The Six Wives of Henry the VIII album by observing that “the King’s life was prophetic of my own.” Like Henry, Rick had multiple marriages, one reason being “that I really liked cake.” But where Henry “chopped off his wives’ heads,” Wakeman observes he “gave my wives houses.” After the laughs died down, Wakeman gave sharp, articulated performances of “Catherine of Aragon” and “Catherine Howard.”
Rick Wakeman – photo by Neil Segal
Before heading into a medley of Yes, a mashup of “The Meeting,” “And You and I” and “Wonderous Stories,” Rick told an anecdote about a clever putdown he launched at a know-nothing TV interviewer in Los Angeles. When asked where his bandmate Trevor Rabin was when he wrote Yes’ biggest hit “Owner of A Lonely Heart,” Wakeman said he was “did it on the toilet.” And that it “was the first time someone wrote a #1 while doing a #2!” Naturally, the interview ended right there.
In the Q&A that followed, Rick answered 25 fan queries. He shared a host of trivia about his career, his love for his fellow prog keyboard titan, the late Keith Emerson, and that, yes, his long blonde hair was all his. He then returned to the synths for “The Dance of a Thousand Lights” from his 1999 disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth.
The creative and emotional high point of the evening came with Wakeman’s memories and medley of David Bowie, a giant whose last residence was a stone’s throw from Bearsville.
Rick Wakeman – photo by Neil Segal
Rick was the pianist featured on two of Bowie’s greatest works, his career-making “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars.” Before launching into the tunes, Rick recalled their days of neighbors in the U.K and various chance meetings while on tour. He also credited Bowie and his producer Tony Visconti as sources of knowledge in the area of record production that proved so vital in his career.
Rick Wakeman then told another humorous tale about Emerson and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, before dedicating the next medley to them, wildly original covers of The Beatles “Help!” and “Eleanor Rigby.” Repeating an exercise he learned during his days at the Royal College of Music, he covered these in the styles of classical composers. The standout was his reinvention of “Eleanor Rigby” in the hyper style of Sergei Prokofiev. It was blur of rapid arpeggios and pianistic filagree which could’ve been complemented by a horde of dancing Cossacks… if Rick could still afford the overkill of his infamous stage productions of the 1970s.
After a standing ovation and thunderous applause from the near sell-out crowd, Wakeman returned for a crowd-pleasing encore of story and sound. First came another scatological tale about a “dodgy vindaloo” and being asked to autograph an album while on the toilet! This was followed by yet another instrumental dazzler, the super syncopated “Merlin the Magician” from 1975 album, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Wakeman’s concert is a model for what classic-era artists can bring to their audiences. It had musicianship that showed he hadn’t lost a step to time and his formerly wild rocker lifestyle. It also had all the tall tales and trivia that die-hard fans have an inexhaustible hunger for.
On Thursday, October 28th, Montage Music Hall in Rochester was host to a pretty wild show. If you like most pits, thrashing around, and some heavy metal, this was a show to see. This lineup was stacked all the way from the bottom with the locals and the headliners, Bodysnatcher.
The lineup started with two Rochester locals, Deadbeat, and White Tides, followed by Left to Suffer from Atlanta, Georgia, Mouth Of War from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Boundaries from Hartford, Connecticut, and the main act, Bodysnatcher from Melbourne, Florida. The montage is known for bringing some great shows with many different types of acts, this lineup was for the metalheads and Rochester turned up.
Bodysnatcher is no stranger to this venue as they had played back in 2019 and had a great turn out then as well. One band that really brought the energy was the front man Mouth Of War, it was hard to keep an eye on him as he moved about jumping and thrashing as if he was in the pit himself. It would not be a metal show without mosh pits and throughout there was plenty which unfortunately lead to someone getting hit but it was minor and they carried on. Though this show is done and gone, there are plenty more lined up for the Montage and I would recommend checking out what they have in store!
Parquet Courts touched down in Burlington, VT on Wednesday night, bringing their latest album and older favorites to a grateful Higher Ground.
The Brooklyn indie rockers released their seventh studio album, Sympathy for Life, on October 22. The stunning effort leans into their expansive sound while feeling more crowd-worthy than ever. With thought-provoking lyrics and mind-bending instrumentals, the band makes a statement on their identity for the dancing masses.
Samantha York of Public Practice. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
New York City band Public Practice opened for Parquet Courts. Their dreamy, punky disco-rock moves as smoothly as lead singer Samantha York sashaying across the stage. The sparkling frontwoman of the band celebrated her birthday that night; Austin Brown of Parquet Courts brought her a celebratory cupcake onstage. As the crowd sang “Happy Birthday,” he knelt to the ground so she could blow out a birthday candle.
Urging the crowd to dance along, York emphasized: “how good it feels to be together and listen to music and move our f*cking bodies.” Her lilting vocals, perfectly complemented by bassist Drew Citron’s high harmonies, begged to be danced to.
Parquet Courts took the stage in the Ballroom after roughly 45 minutes. The crowd remained patient and was rewarded with an “Application/Apparatus,” an opening jam of wild synths, and a breakneck guitar riff exemplifying Parquet Courts’ unique brand.
Sean Yeaton and A. Savage of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Sympathy for Life’s mesmerizing and unexpected melodies draw you in immediately. Performing live, Parquet Courts take their best tracks to the next level with unique riffs and intuitive breakdowns. The jumpy “Almost Had To Start A Fight/In and Out of Patience” felt stadium-sized as Sean Yeaton and A. Savage screamed into their mics. And on “Plant Life,” A. Savage’s masterful melodica was the cherry atop a woozy breakdown that felt wonderfully endless. As swirling green lights took over the stage, in the shape of leaves, the venue seemed transformed.
A. Savage of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
The band had a hold on the Vermont crowd, heavy on college kids. Parquet Courts shouted out notorious Burlington spot Pure Pop Records, “for all the vinyl heads out there.” They knew their crowd, and cheers erupted from the pit.
Austin Brown of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
After 11 years of “pure unadulterated hits,” as Brown joked, their catalog is far too lush to fit in one set. But the selection Parquet Courts presented showed them at their finest. Their strange, raw music and emotionally charged lyrics can speak on many different levels, to many different emotions. One of their shows is nothing short of a rollercoaster.
Sean Yeaton of Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Yet all night, the crowd stayed right there with them. Moments after one chosen individual crowd-surfed to loser’s anthem “Stoned & Starving,” the entire crowd swayed slowly together to mournful, reflective “Pulcinella.” Though the band did not resurface to calls for an encore, the ballad was the perfect conclusion. My personal favorite song on Sympathy for Life (and it’s closer), the stunning outro evokes a cinematic emotion of nostalgia and change. Savage’s soft hum could be a lullaby; he sounds unrecognizable, yet completely himself. Before I knew it, I was swaying in time with the rest of the crowd.
Parquet Courts. Photo by Hattie Lindert.
Parquet Courts will continue their North American tour into 2022, with two New York dates scheduled for next year. See the full list of shows and venues below:
November 6— Stone Pony *– Asbury Park, NJ
November 17 — White Oak Music Hall- Houston, TX
November 19—Stubbs BBQ- Austin, T.X.
November 21 — Corona Capital 2021 – Mexico, Mexico
February 27, 2022—The Orange Peel- Asheville, N.C.
February 28, 2022— Georgia Theatre– Athens, GA
March 02, 2022– Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
March 03, 2022— Saturn- Birmingham, AL
March 04, 2022— Cannery Ballroom- Nashville, TN
March 05, 2022— The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
March 07, 2022— Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS
March 10, 2022— First Avenue, –Minneapolis, MN
March 11, 2022 — Turner Hall Ballroom- Milwaukee, WI
March 12, 2022—Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 13, 2022— Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit – Detroit, MI
On Friday, November 5, John Hall of 1970s pop band Orleans (“Stay With Me,” “Still the One”) will kick off NYS Music in Motion Season 3, as he sits down with our host, rocker Frank Palangi.
Sponsored by Helping Friendly Hemp Company, the series brings together seasoned musicians who hail from the Empire State or have made New York their home, alongside Palangi, a Warren County native.
Guests for Season 3 of NYS Music in Motion include Hudson Valley guitarist Kristen Capolino, Lake George multi-instrumentalist Rich Ortiz, PEAK guitarist and front man Jeremy Hilliard, Glass Pony drummer Chanda Dewey, and Ithaca-based promoter Dan Smalls.
Tune in starting on Friday, November 5 for each installment of Music in Motion on the NYS Music YouTube and Facebook page.
Palangi will have a sit down conversation with each artist, with a lineup of musicians from across New York State. A homegrown indie rock recording artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Palangi fuels his positive ambition naturally by serving up a feeding frenzy of edge heavy guitars, with a side of deep, gritty vocals. With a no-quit mentality, Palangi draws on influences from 80s & 90s rock, including post-grunge and heavy metal.
NYS Music in Motion Season 3 Schedule
November 5 – John Hall November 12 – Kristen Capolino November 19 – Rich Ortiz December 1 – Jeremy Hilliard December 8 – Chanda Dewey December 15 – Dan Smalls
Live from the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, critically acclaimed Brooklyn band The Antlers recently emerged from hibernation for their first show in over two years. Playing their latest studio album, Green to Gold, in its entirety followed by a second set of career spanning material, the enthralling, emotional, and dream-like performance on October 22, 2021 was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The road to get there, however, was a long time coming.
Rising to prominence in 2009 with their breakthrough masterpiece Hospice, a semi-autobiographical concept album that tells the story of a hospice worker falling in love with a terminal cancer patient, The Antlers had not released any new music since 2014’s Familiars. It was later revealed in 2017 that primary songwriter and bandleader Peter Silberman had quietly stepped away from the band after being diagnosed with permanent, career threatening tinnitus and vocal lesions. The Antlers would remain silent until October 2020 when seemingly out of the blue, they released a single for “Wheels Roll Home” and officially announced their first album in seven years, Green to Gold would be released in March of 2021 via Anti Records/Transgressive.
While no touring plans were made in support of the album, the band confirmed a special one-time only performance of Green to Gold would soon take place at the most storied barn in the Catskill Mountains. For diehard fans, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect setting than Levon Helm Studios.
For those who didn’t already know, some free advice: arriving late to a show at Levon’s is like being late to church on communion Sunday; there’s simply no way to enter without being disruptive. The ‘last minute Larry’s’ on this particular night found that out the hard way when classically trained jazz minimalist David Moore of Bing & Ruth kicked off the evening with a beautifully subdued piano recital. The acoustics in the room so clear, every footstep and whisper of the late arrivals was heard. Unphased by any of it, Moore’s focused, cinematic set was but a precursor to the splendor yet to come.
After a brief intermission, it was finally time for a performance that was years in the making: The return of The Antlers. A must-see bucket list band for some, one person I spoke with at set break confessed they traveled all the way from Minnesota to Woodstock for this one-time-only, once in a lifetime show. Spoiler: the band did not disappoint.
Bathed in lavender light and taking the stage to a chorus of cheers and smiling faces, the mood gradually turned dead serious as a chorus of cicadas and crickets soon engulfed the room. Just like on the studio album, The Antlers opened with the first track off Green to Gold, a dreamy, ethereal, post-rock styled instrumental called “Strawflower.” Each of the four members adding a new layer of sound and texture while joining in one by one, it wasn’t until “Wheels Roll Home” that we would hear the instrument most vital to The Antlers signature sound, Peter Silberman’s remarkable voice.
Showcasing his impressive vocal range through half-sung/half-whispered melodies that often guide the listener to an astonishing falsetto peak, when you hear Silberman sing in person, you know you are witnessing a special talent. A vulnerable, rare kind of performer who can effortlessly send shivers up your spine or tears down your face on any given song; an artist willing risk it all for the sake of his craft, defying doctors’ orders after being told he may never perform again. Sounding magnificent on this cool autumn night at the barn, hearing Silberman pour his heart out to a live audience felt like nothing short of a blessing.
Describing “Wheels Roll Home” as “a simple song about the hopeful promise of reunion after a long time gone, the experience of waiting out tumultuous times and longing for stability,” Silberman touches on a theme most can relate to, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic. Never a band to shy away from difficult, dark and emotional subject matter, their bread and butter since the beginning, just two songs into the set and you could feel a sense of renewed optimism from The Antlers, something rarely heard on their previous albums.
Up next came a beautiful song called “Solstice”, co-written with long time Antlers drummer Michael Lerner (who opted to play on Levon’s vintage red kit instead of his own), the band describes the tune as a “flashback to the infinite days of peak childhood summer, innocent barefoot hikes, staying outside all afternoon and late into the evening, well past it being too dark to see. But it’s remembered from the vantage of a present day that feels unbearably long rather than joyously endless. It’s an invocation of those simpler times, an attempt to conjure the lightness of youth, before life got so damn complicated.”
Building on the soul-searching mood, the introspective journey continued with “Stubborn Man” before fading out into a sea of ethereal ambience that left the mesmerized crowd in stunned silence. As the emotional weight and integrity of the band’s performance grew with each successive song, up next came one of the biggest standouts of the evening “Just One Sec,” a song that noticeably left several people in tears.
“I’ll free you from the person I was sure I knew I’ll free you from a reputation you outgrew I’ll free you from behavior I’d expect to see And my interpretation of history ‘Cause I boxed you in unconsciously And I saw you and I thought you ought to be But by loving you imperfectly For just one sec, I’ll free you from me”
“Just One Sec”
Segueing perfectly into another song about hindsight came “It Is What It Is.” Also written by Silberman and Lerner, the richly textured song tackles the topic of learning from your mistakes, asking the listener to ponder “what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now.” The Antlers then seamlessly worked their way into “Volunteer” before transitioning to the hypnotic title track of their latest album, “Green to Gold,” a song that contemplates the inevitability of life and it’s ever-changing seasons. The gentle soul-searching sway of “Porchlight” lead us to the album closer, bookending the set with another languid, post-rock influenced instrumental called “Equinox.” The relaxing, layered groove would simply dither out and conclude the Green to Gold portion of the show the same way it began, in chorus of crickets and cicadas.
After a short brake, the emotionally elated audience welcomed The Antlers back for round two. There was no mystery during the opening set, but now it was anyone’s guess. Opting to go with the opening track from 2014’s Familiars was the beautifully brilliant song “Palace.” From there we were treated to back-to-back songs from the bands critically acclaimed album Hospice, first was “Atrophy,” then perhaps the most well-known song of the evening, just down the road from Bearville, came “Bear.”
“We’ll play charades up in the Chelsea Drink champagne although you shouldn’t be We’ll be blind and dumb until we fall asleep None of our friends will come They dodge our calls And they have for quite a while now It’s not a shock You don’t seem to mind and I just can’t see how”
“Bear”
After the stellar rendition of “Bear” was the bittersweet anthem “Parade.” Taking a moment between songs to clear his throat with a large drink of water, you just knew whatever was next, Silberman was going to give it everything he had left. As the richly textured, dream-like melody of “Corsicana” began, a tangible “hairs-on-the-back of your neck, get your cell phone out and record this” feeling swept over the audience. The only song to be played from 2011’s Burst Apart, it was then that Silberman uncorked one of the most unbelievable, heartfelt falsetto croons these ears have ever heard; one that still gives me shivers just thinking about it. Following an extended well-deserved applause, we were treated to one final thought-provoking number, a little-known song written by Silberman, but never released by The Antlers called “Ahimsa.”
“Time is all we have, I hope I have enough
Enough to show you love before my time is up
Before you wake the dead, take a pause
Instead of deafening nonsense, share silence
No violence today
No violence, no violence, no violence today”
“Ahimsa”
With an extraordinary end to an extraordinary evening, the band members then took center stage and hugged it out with each other first before bowing to the standing ovation. Not just a special night for fans who thought they’d never live to see an Antlers performance, but a special night for the band themselves. Coming full circle and finding perspective by letting nature run its course, time has been good to The Antlers. From writing somber songs in a Brooklyn bedroom, to playing Green to Gold in a legendary barn surrounded by friends, family, and some of their biggest fans, those who were lucky enough to be at Levon Helm Studios on this night will never forget it.
As the season for “best of the year” lists rapidly approaches, be skeptical of any that does not include The Antlers and 2021’s Green to Gold. Seven years in the making, this is an album that will stand the test of time.
The Antlers – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY – 10/22/2021
Set 1: Strawflower, Wheels Roll Home, Solstice, Stubborn Man, Just One Sec, It Is What It Is, Volunteer, Green to Gold, Porchlight, Equinox
Set 2: Palace, Atrophy, Bear, Parade, Corsicana, Ahimsa
Over his career, Chris Jehnert has taken many routes, such that you may know for his acting chops or even frontman status in the internationally recognized boy band Larger Than Life. Chris since then has developed a more mature sound, solidifying himself in the alternative rock scene with his debut EP Chapter One: The Hollow.
After his “Welcome To The Hollow” single in 2019, which has garnered over 100,000 streams, Chapter One: The Hollow delves further and expands on the intricacies of of love, loss, isolation, and obsession. With song titles like “Raise The Dead,” “Ghost,” and “Love You to Death,” this EP uses dark and haunting metaphors to delve into personal issues.
One of Jenhert’s song off the EP is “Ghost” which recounts a time when Jehnert was accused of ghosting after ending a fling. “I Love You To Death” is dedicated to his fans, specifically those that are willing to give their life away for Jehnert despite their lack of personal relationship. “Raising the Dead” is actually about rekindling a flame with an ex lover although the relationship was toxic, the title describes the resurrection of all the emotions and traumas from hooking up
The EP itself is all based off of journal-style lyrics, where I take the things I’m dealing with internally and create metaphors for them. I then write the songs as if those metaphors were literal. Equating The Hollow to being a place cold and empty that people are drawn to and trapped in, but it’s a metaphor for my personal relationships
Chris Jehnert
Chris has been trained as a triple threat from early on with singing, dancing, and acting. Complete with a vocal performance degree from CCBC Essex, Jehnert worked alongside world class singers Jennifer Hudson and Kristin Chenoweth in eight productions at Disney World. Touring with the Concert Anniversary Tour of “Hairspray” led him to settle in New York City.
Chris is a member of “Larger Than Life: The Ultimate Boy Band Tribute” and has traveled around the world performing in their concerts alongside Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Jeff Timmons, Aaron Carter and many more. Having taken a lead role in the Streamy-nominated series “Disposable Teens,” Chris now has pursued releasing his own music as always intended.
In support of her seventh studio album Faster (Rounder Records, 2021), Samantha Fish returned to The Stephen Talkhouse on the eastern end of Long Island for her first performance at the iconic venue in more than two years. Having released her first album in 2009, Samantha Fish is a blues and rock singer-songwriter and guitarist originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and current resident of New Orleans, Louisiana.
After briefly chatting with some fans of Ms. Fish who had arrived early and were waiting in line on this chilly autumn evening, the doors to the former boarding house built in 1834 opened and we were warmly greeted by the bar’s staff. Once inside, the prominent backdrop to the stage could not be missed. It was a large black and white tapestry of Stephen Taukus (“Talkhouse”) Pharaoh, a native American who was known for his daily, marathon-distance walks delivering mail from The Hamptons to New York City during the late-1800s. Featuring local artists and internationally-renowned performers since 1987, The Stephen Talkhouse was decorated in the spirit of Halloween, complete with a spooky playlist that eerily emanated from the “house” speakers, who according to one of the bartenders, was curated by Ms. Fish herself.
As 7:00 pm approached, several patrons eager for a great night of live music had already filtered inside, assuming coveted positions along the length of the bar, or at reserved table seating intimately arranged in front of the stage. A frequent touring partner and collaborator of Samantha Fish, Jonathan Long was the first to take the stage. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Long is a virtuoso blues artist whose career launched in 1997, when he was named Guitar Center’s “King of the Blues.” Accompanied only by his Martin guitar, Long featured songs from his newest album, Parables of a Southern Man, released on Samantha Fish’s very ownWild Heart Records label in 2021. His electric set of blues compositions concluded with a “roof raising” rendition of Chris Thomas King’s “John Law Burned Down The Liquor Sto.’
After a short intermission, and while the theme music from the 1978 horror movie classic “Halloween” could be heard over the PA system (courtesy of Ms. Fish once again), Sarah Tomek (drums), Matt Wade (keyboardist) and Ron Johnson (bassist) took the stage. Within a few brief moments, Samantha Fish also appeared, clad in her signature look of “fire engine red” skintight pants, a black lace top and stiletto boots.
Samantha Fish’s 16-song set included 11 songs taken from 2021’s Faster, including the show opener “Loud,” which was followed by the guitar-driven “All Ice No Whiskey.” A song about empowerment, and the first single released from her new album, “Twisted Ambition” was up next. When she was not playing her white Gibson SG or another one of her axes from her impressive arsenal, Fish opted for her famed cigar box guitar, which she has been incorporating into her live sets since 2012.After performing “Hypnotic,” featuring Fish’s alluring vocals, the final quintet of songs included a generous mix of offerings from past albums, including those from Black Wind Howlin’ (2013), Wild Heart (2015) and Kill Or Be Kind (2019). Before exiting the stage for her encore, Fish and her band ripped through “Bulletproof,” the fan favorite with an infectious guitar riff, which left everyone in attendance wanting more.
If you have not yet been able to see Samantha Fish perform live, you still have the chance! She will be continuing her North American tour over the next couple of months, until it commences at the Macon City Auditorium in Georgia on New Year’s Eve. After that, Ms. Fish will be heading off to the United Kingdom in early-2022. You can get your tickets here.
Setlist: Loud > All Ice No Whiskey > Twisted Ambition > Chills & Fever > Forever Together > Don’t Say You Love Me > Crowd Control > Better Be Lonely > Kill Or Be Kind > Watch It Die > Hypnotic > Black Wind Howlin’ > Dream Girl > Bulletproof
Encore: I Put A Spell On You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) > Bitch On The Run
