Promising Young Woman actress Carey Mulligan hosted this week’s Saturday Night Live, with rapper Kid Cudi joining her as musical guest. Cudi released his most recent album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen in December of 2020, concluding the trilogy he began in 2009.
Mulligan’s husband Marcus Mumford appeared during her opening monologue, offering to be the night’s musical guest. After Mulligan informed Mumford that Kid Cudi was performing already, he pulled an acoustic guitar out of thin air and accompanied her closing remarks. Of course, Mumford is the front-man of folk rock band Mumford & Sons, who previously played SNL in 2012, 2015 and 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BfpGLs0Cs
Before his performances, Kid Cudi first appeared in a sketch with Pete Davidson and Chris Redd, “Weird Little Flute.” It parodied flute rap, a burgeoning subgenre including songs like Future’s “Mask Off.” Previous SNL host Timothee Chalamet made an unexpected cameo, endorsing the weird little flute as a musical asset.
Kid Cudi chose “Tequila Shots” as his first song of the night, with lyrics about alcohol-induced anxiety and depression: “It seems I’ll never learn / I won’t stop ‘til I crash and burn / Tell my mom I’m sorry.” He wore a t-shirt depicting late SNL cast member Chris Farley, who famously struggled with addiction.
Cudi closed out the episode with “Sad People,” a toast to contemplative night owls. Following in the footsteps of Kurt Cobain, he wore a floral dress. Cobain died by suicide this week in 1994, and Cudi has been open about his own experiences with suicidal ideation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsagiYnmN_4
As for Kid Cudi’s 2021 plans, an album is likely on the horizon for his supergroup, The Scotts. Made up of Cudi (whose first name is Scott) and Travis Scott, The Scotts formed in 2020 and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 with single “The Scotts.”
The episode ended with an in memoriam tribute to rapper DMX, who played SNL in 2000.
Brooklyn Lo-fi indie R&B duo Fake Dad strike back with their silky smooth new EP Old Baby. The duo consist of Andrea de Varona as the lead vocalist and Josh Ford doing most of the albums production. The EP releases today on all streaming services.
Old Baby is a masterclass example of creating a vibe. Personality oozes out of every corner of this EP and that is largely thank to the project’s supreme production along with de Varona’s incredibly serene vocals. Verona’s voice glides effortlessly over the production on nearly every song on this EP. Several songs such as “Listen” see Verona’s vocals distorted and mixed in some incredibly inventive ways. The signature nasally deliver of Verona makes every song incredibly comforting and welcoming. Ford comes through on the song “Breakfast In New York” adding a refreshing bass filed contrast to Verona’s high pitched R&B inflection.
Verona’s vocals is only one half of the equation as the production is a feat of its own. The glossy production is reminiscent of contemporary indie band with a classic R&B flare added by de Varona’s vocals. The groovy bass leads and chilled out synth keyboards are a highlight in songs like “Breakfast in New York”.
A unique assortment of instruments are present on the EP, with every song having its own uniquely identifiable musical motif. Motifs such as the trumpet present on the song “Knit Sweater” acts as a lowkey corner stone to the songs peaceful energy.
Fake Dad take listeners on a trip down memory lane — but it feels closer to a cautionary tale than a fond retelling.
The Wild Honey Pie
Old Baby offers the perfect soundtrack to any relaxing experience, weather that be studying or chilling at the beach. The universality embodied by this album makes it recommendable to nearly everyone. The smooth vocal will satisfy any R&B fan and the mix between hip hop and indie pop will be loved by any fans of each respective genre. The EP is available for purchase here.
Key Tracks: Pretty/Ugly, Breakfast in New York, Knit Sweater
Queens artist Greywolf debut album Operation Wolf has been hotly anticipated. In preparation for the album, Greywolf has released a new single – “Temple.”
Greywolf is a one man project masterminded by Jason Grey – lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. “Operation Wolf” see’s Grey dive into a lot of heavy themes with his unique blend of electronic, punk and indie. Operation Wolf is a culmination of a lifetime of fighting, dreaming and loving. The lyrics are fusion of poetry, journal entries and incantations — and at times a lucid journey into my own psyche.
Lead singles for the album include “Exit Key” and the newest release – “Temple,” which features Aya Nori. Grey is also the co-founder and bassist for the band Escaper. Escaper has had a solid career so far, sharing the stage with the likes of Aqueous and Karl Denson.
“Temple” touches on released, cutting of chains of everything that has weighted you down. Whether it be shame, adversity, betrayal – making a conscious choice to live your best life and project love even in times of peril.
Live For Live Music
Other songs on the album include “Arcade” and “End of Days.” “Arcade” is based on the notion that life can feel like a video game. People are constantly trying to get to the next level — at times not realizing there is a lesson to be learned. Survival is a key theme here and being able to grab the joystick and be your own hero. “End Of Days” touches on not only the idea of global apocalypse but of the personal apocalypse one may face in their own lives.
Due to the ongoing pandemic leaving endless musicians and venues in the dark, Tedeschi Trucks Band has postponed their 2021 Wheels of Soul Tour to the summer of 2022.
Led by the husband and wife team of guitarist Derek Trucks and vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, the twelve-member strong Tedeschi Trucks Band is acclaimed by fans and critics alike, and devoted to their presence on stage. The annual summer tour is meticulously crafted, with past guests including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Los Lobos, and Drive By-Truckers.
The legendary Los Lobos, longtime TTB friends and collaborators, and veterans of 2016’s Wheels of Soul will replace St. Paul and the Broken Bones and join the multi-band bill for the 2022 amphitheater run.
“We are extremely disappointed at having to postpone Wheels of Soul again,” says Derek Trucks. “We’re all missing the energy of live music – and there’s nothing like playing these large, outdoor shows alongside bands we admire. We were really hoping to get back on stage and dive into some fun big-band collaborations with St. Paul, but unfortunately, with all the uncertainty, it just couldn’t work this year.”
As the world is slowly receiving vaccinations, the band is organizing some socially-distanced, limited capacity concerts for the summer of 2021. However, in 2022, Tedeschi Trucks’ Wheels of Soul Tour will be coming to several New York cities such as Canandaigua, Patchogue, and Lewiston. Current Wheels of Soul tickets will be honored for rescheduled 2022 shows. Fans who are unable to attend rescheduled shows should contact point of purchase for refund options.
WHEELS OF SOUL – 2021 DATESNEW 2022 DATES 6/26 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place Rschd: 6/24/22 6/27 Mobile, AL Mobile Civic Center Rschd: 6/25/22 6/30 Canandaigua, NY CMAC Rschd: 7/1/22 7/2 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC Rschd: 7/3/22 7/3 Gilford, NH BNH Pavilion Rschd: 7/2/22 7/4 Essex Junction, VT Midway Lawn Rschd: 7/9/22 7/6 Philadelphia, PA Mann Rschd: 7/8/22 7/9 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Rschd: 7/21/22 7/10 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pav Rschd: 7/23/22 7/11 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend TBA 7/13 Lewiston, NY Artpark Rschd: 7/12/22 7/14 Indianapolis, IN White River Rschd: 6/28/22 7/15 Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park Rschd: 7/26/22 7/17 New Haven, CT Westville Music Bowl Rschd: 7/6/22 7/18 Patchogue, NY Great South Bay Rschd 7/10/22 7/20-21 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Rschd: 7/19/22 7/23-24 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre Rschd: 7/15-7/16 7/25 Huber Heights, OH Rose Music Center Rschd: 7/24/22 7/27 Harrington, DE Delaware State Fair Cancelled 7/30-31 Morrison, CO Red Rocks TBA
When you talk about the colorful landscape of all the distinct soulful musical genres, it’s safe to say Steve Gadd has explored all of them behind his drum kit. The comfortable corridor of his Upstate New York roots groove comes from growing up in Monroe County in the town of Irondequoit.
Gadd, who celebrates his 76th birthday on April 9, has been playing drums since he was 11. At this age was his first out of State gig on The Mickey Mouse Club in California after winning a National Talent Round Up Course by Walt Disney.
Steve Gadd by Artist Maria Friske
His music education continued in New York State as a member of the Rochester Crusaders local drum corps in High School. In 1968 he graduated from Eastman School of Music in Rochester. He was then drafted into the United States Army and played the next three years in the Army Band. In 2005 he received an honorary Doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music. In 2017, Eastman School of Music awarded him and Chick Corea with honorary Doctorates as well. In 2019 Steve Gadd Band self titled album won him a Grammy award for best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
A journey like this for Gadd is one that is always evolving however, this month he just released a live recording of his band from The Blue Note Tokyo. After a stay in England this past March and returning to LA he took time to talk with NYS Music about the ride. Sir Paul McCartney once said about Dr. Gadd, “Stevie’s a great drummer, no point having him unless I use his style, this great distinctive style”
Steve Gadd and Paul McCartney
Matthew Romano: Thank you for taking the time to speak with NYS Music today about Past, Present, and Future Music experiences in the State.
Steve Gadd: Absolutely. My Pleasure. Thank You.
MR: Tell me about growing up in Rochester going to see live music in Monroe County at the Ridgecrest Inn that started to put the groove in you.
SG: Everybody they brought in was great. Art Blakey, Oscar Peterson, Ray Bryant and his brother Tommy Bryant with Papa Joe Jones, Slam Stewart. I used to take my drums and sit in and play with those guys when i was a kid. Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, Gene Krupa, they brought all the big names in. It was fantastic and it was a small room. They had matinees on Sunday afternoons where they would let me and Chuck Mangione sit in with them. We had a lot of fun. A lot of great memories.
MR: Do you remember a piano player from Syracuse at that time by the name of Vinny Falcone?
SG: Sure I know Vinny, he ended up working with Sinatra. He was a great keyboard player man.
MR: Speaking of great keyboard players, At a Montreal Jazz fest you mentioned that Chick Corea helped show you some ideas on drums you were working out for yourself in the Sixties while developing a sound.
SG: Yea he did, I had got a new set of drums. I went from a 22 inch bass drum to an 18 inch bass drum and when I switched them out Chick wanted to come to the Club when I did it. He was a Tony Williams and Elvin Jones kind of freak. He loved their playing, He went up and just sort of played and I had been trying to figure out what guys like Tony and Elvin were doing for a long time. I did it by slowing the record down to speed 16 to understand. They were doing a lot of new things that haven’t been done. Seeing the way Chick approached the drums and how free he was helped make sense of a lot of the questions I had. Ya know he just had a great approach to everything and a great touch. The freeness.
Chick Corea and Steve Gadd
MR: Is there anything that sticks out from all the studio and live sessions playing with him over the years?
SG: All of my memories of playing with him were great. His level of consistency and level of playing music just kept on growing. So all of the projects were memorable. One that sticks out because it was a live thing with strings and horns and two different bass players was Leprechaun. The thing that’s different about that than the other albums is that everybody was live and the arrangements were pretty amazing. I’ll never forget that.
MR: Chick had a great quote about Return to Forever on playing music that has already been written, “Playing something old? You don’t create in the past or the future, you do it now, is it old? Is it new? I say its just all creation.”
SG: Right. He was a true artist, there’s no doubt about it.
MR: How did you start your years with Eric Clapton, in the studio or on the road?
SG: We started together live in the 90’s on a blues tour he was doing and then he kept on using me for different things after that.
MR: How about the most raw blues project you did with him on the “Sessions for Robert Johnson” with Billy Preston, Nathan East, Doyle Bramhall II, and Chris Stainton. As an interpretation of the infamous and mysterious acoustic record from the Delta Crossroads?
SG: Eric brings the songs in and takes the lead on that stuff. For the most part he’s got it mapped out in his head. Sometimes an idea might make it flow better and he’s open to that. The players that he hired are hand picked guys that he liked how they played but most importantly loved where their hearts were musically. Ya know what I mean? It was like these are people that are his soulmates. It was fun and great to play with Billy Preston too.
MR: Any stand out moments over the years playing with Eric? Or the same concept as memories of playing with Chick where all the nights are unforgettable?
SG: Yes. They are all on a bigger level. Some because of the sound, the energy of the audience. Along the way some are more magical than others. But for the most part the bar is high, that’s the way we feel. We go up there and leave it all on the bandstand.
MR: Your last live release with Eric Clapton is from The Budokan in Tokyo. He mentions it’s the best place he has played in 40 years. Your band’s new album is from Japan as well and playing off what you said about the audience. Does a disciplined fervor for live music make for a better performance?
SG: I mean you always go off the audience. When you get it musically to a level where everyone on the bandstand is having fun and can hear each other and you can trust the audience is hearing it the way you are it gets to a spiritual level. In Japan or wherever you are. That’s the goal.
SG: You don’t get a lot of those opportunities, those were ridiculous size audiences. That’s not an everyday occurrence for me, it was great. Gerry Niewood who I grew up with in Rochester played at that show as well on Saxophone. The stage was a few stories up to get it high enough for everyone to see and hear. It was pretty spectacular.
MR: Like all major musical gatherings in New York State history I don’t think anyone knew the performance would be so big.
SG: It was fantastic. I don’t know what they were anticipating but I know they were happy at the end.
MR: Going across The Great Lawn to the Upper West Side’s Beacon Theatre in March 2020 you were on drums as part of the house band for the Love Rocks NYC Benefit. That was the your last live performance in New York and also coincidentally the first socially distant concert to be streamed as the pandemic touched down that day. It limited us in the sold out theater to only 300 people. The house band alone had almost 20 people on stage. Highlights of the night was your cover of Derek and the Dominos “Why Does Love got to be so Sad?” with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks . You also locked in a groove with percussionist Pedro Martinez for Dave Matthews set as well.
SG: Will Lee puts a good house band together for that event. I have played with Derek Trucks at one of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festivals but that was my first time playing with Dave Matthews which was great.
MR: Your former percussion player with Paul Simon, Cyro Baptista, helped carry the beat at The Beacon Theatre at the end of last year for an eight week residency with Trey Anastasio. It served as the only other major groove to come out of The Upper West Side most recently.
SG: Trey Anastasio of Phish? Yea, Cyro and I played with Paul Simon for The Rhythm of the Saints. I’ll have to check it out.
MR: Speaking of being part of Paul Simon’s rhythm section over the years, did any of your time in the Army help inspire the almost military like precision on your iconic “50 Ways to Leave your Lover” groove?
SG: No the Army band was like a Buddy Rich kind of thing. What your talking about was from Drum Corps. When I was in Rochester Crusaders and Empire Statesmen. A lot of the rudimentary stuff I used came from there
Steve Gadd as a member of the Rochester Crusaders
MR: Spring just started. What’s on the horizon for 2021?
SG: We just released the new live album and waiting on some tours that keep getting rescheduled. I did a book on drum exercises that’s going to be released. I think Ill continue to write them. I enjoy it. A lot of new ideas came to mind. Different stickings and using the rudiments in various ways. It’s like a snare drum exercise book. I’m mainly just trying to stay in shape and stay creative so I’m ready for when things open up.
MR: Staying true to your always changing chameleon man like musical background behind the drums of all different types of soul music. Can we keep expecting new tempos out of you in 2021 as well?
SG: I hope so. It keeps evolving. Ya do the best you can every new day. Thank god you have another one to live and ya give it your best shot. Ya know what I mean?
Bandits on the Run, hailing from New York City, premiere their brand new music video today for their song “Hurricane” on NYS Music.
A powerhouse trio, Bandits on the Run was formed in New York City. Adrian Blake Enscoe serves as both guitarist and percussion section, using a suitcase drum and foot tambourine. Sydney Shepherd is the cellist and writes string arrangements. Regina Strayhorn is the accordionist, melodica player, glockenspieler, and plays a mean shakey banana.
They have appeared at the ASCAP Cafe Stage at Sundance, shared the bill with artists like Aaron Lee Tasjan, Rain Phoenix, and Matt Berninger of The National. They’d been selected for SXSW 2020 and built a tour that included an appearance at The Kennedy Center and an opening slot for Larkin Poe at NYC’s famed Webster Hall, before the pandemic struck down the best-laid plans of every mouse and man ‘round the globe.
“Hurricane” is one of the singles off of their upcoming EP Now Is The Time which is dropping on May 21, 2021. This video has a much more conceptual approach than their other videos which is something the band was attempting to do. The video not only highlights the group’s musical ability but their artistic vision. Between the overlaid colors, fluid dance moves, harmonies, and the swoopy white dress, the video definitely gives off some early Florence + the Machine vibes.
For the video the band enlistment of choreographer and director Lane Halperin who helped create a clear and powerful and compelling story that resonates with the song’s message and meaning. The video also used images from filmmaker and visual artist Ian McClerin that were projected on the wall, their faces, and on the big white dress. They used these images in tandem with the dance and movement to enhance the dreamlike and subconscious atmosphere of the story.
The music video was produced by Bandits on the Run who also served as the production company. It was filmed, colored, and edited by Bart Cortright. It featured Lane Halperin and Landes Dixon as dancers. Grace Pendelton was the camera assistant and Chris Weihert the First Assistant director. The band also gives special thanks to Luke Slattery, Sophia Schrank, Rebecca Handler & Ruby Bird Studios for their help with the video.
For more information on Bandits on the Run visit their website.
A year ago today, the Syracuse music scene lost a legend, the likes of which will not be seen again. Eli Harris, Jr., a fixture throughout Syracuse, especially University Hill and Downtown, was a street musician of renown well beyond the 315. You could find Harris performing across town, outside the Landmark and Westcott Theatres, bringing his positive spirit and wide range of musical stylings to crowds and passersby for decades.
Whether he was performing on Marshall Street – also known as Eli’s Alleyway – near Hendricks Chapel or Crouse College before Syracuse Football and Basketball games, downtown in Armory Square, showing up for late night fraternity pranks and performances, Eli Harris was always a welcome sight to see, always with a song and a smile ready for you. While you may not have known Eli, his music or his presence in Syracuse, he made his mark and leaves a legacy behind.
Eli Harris died as a result of a pair of hit and run accidents on April 8, 2020. He was 62 years old.
Eli Harris, Jr.
Eli was one of a kind. He had a wife and kids he loved and would talk about them the rare times he put his guitar down. From late nights at Chuck’s or Faegan’s when Eli would pop in for a nightcap, to summer evenings at NBT Bank Stadium or downtown in Armory Square, Eli had a significant place in the Salt City. Eli was a legend, a staple, a key ingredient to the city, and one of the most positive people you’d ever meet, always keeping his spirits lifted high so he could lift others even higher.
Elijah Harris, Jr. was born in Syracuse on August 19, 1957. A Marine veteran, serving proudly from 1974-1977 while stationed in South Carolina, Eli was father to 9 children and 35 grandchildren. No matter what life threw at him, Eli was resilient and turned struggles in life into music. In that regard, one could call him a blues musician, but Eli was much more than that. In a 2010 interview with the Post-Standard, Harris told the Post-Standard, “I do the ‘60s thing right up to hip-hop.”
Considered by folk/hip-hop/singer-songwriter Joe Driscoll to be ‘The Godfather of Syracuse music,” a title few would contest, Driscoll first saw Eli when he was 11 or 12 years old.
We would ride our bikes down to Marshall Street, and watch Eli play for hours. I used to watch his hands to cop new chords, and learn the covers he was doing.
My first memories were of him doing medleys, blending five or six songs into one groove. Blew my mind. I vividly remember ‘Sitting on The Dock of The Bay’ by Otis Redding and ‘Easy’ by the Commodores as some of the first I fell in love with. His original “Eli’s Alleyway” as well, where he would skat and chat about all the happening on M Street (Eli’s Alleyway).
Joe Driscoll
Syracuse musician Joe Altier also first met Eli early in life, seeing him at SU events at the Carrier Dome.
No matter the weather, he was there, you couldn’t help being drawn to this musician. He was soulful, upbeat, and had a positive vibe always. This guy is about as real as it gets.
Joe Altier
When Joe started playing Bull & Bear downtown around 2000, Eli would stop in and they’d play together. Whenever they saw each other, Joe got a huge shout out from Eli and always supported him, whether he was playing music or selling shirts downtown.
It was really nice to get to know him on that level. Sometimes we just sat and had beers together at Blue Tusk and shot the shit.
He had already lived a rough life, he went through a lot of shit – personal, family, professional – but he woke up every day to sing, to hustle and to bring joy to the world. To see him pass, it was a gut punch for the town. It was unfortunate how we went out, totally preventable.
Joe Altier
Eli also served as inspiration for the song “Moon,” written by Jamie Notarthomas. Jeff Tripoli, who played drums on the track, recalled the inception and recording of the song, with Eli being such a presence in the scene in the mid-90s.
Eli was the soul of Syracuse nightlife and culture. I can remember many winter nights below freezing when these city streets were warm with the sound of Eli’s contagious vibe. He could always keep a crowd with his off the cuff lyric improvisations about “that guys goofy hat” or maybe a humorous lyric about some attractive ladies swiftly strolling by his sidewalk performances. And thats what I loved most about Eli, how present and passionate he was as a human in our society. More than just a seriously talented street musician, Eli was capable of spreading joy to every face that saw him. A lot more of these stories are detailed in a song written by Jamie Notarthomas we recorded together long ago called “Moon.”
Jeff Tripoli
In 2012, Eli completed a inpatient rehab program at the Veterans Administration in Bath. In addition to battling drug and alcohol use, Harris fought hepatitis C and depression, after the death of his wife and son. He might share his struggles privately, but through his music, he let love and positivity reign.
More than a Street Musician
Eli’s presence around town served as an influence on the next generation of Syracuse musicians, Driscoll among them.
Eli was definitely my biggest influence. Before Eli, I thought about James Taylor, Peter, Paul and Mary when I thought of acoustic guitar.
Eli was ripping James Brown, Sugar Hill Gang, and Parliament Funkadelic on a 6 string. He revolutionized my view on music. My first sets were me doing Eli covers: James Brown, Otis Redding etc…
You can still feel loads of Eli in all I do. The funk chords, the mixing and medleying of funk, soul and hip-hop. The freestyle/chat with the audience, all of that evolved from my love of watching him everyday, studying his hands, and learning his craft of showmanship and engagement.
Joe Driscoll
In 2006, SU Recordings was founded, and brought the music of Eli to a wider audience, and now, posterity. A group founded specifically for music industry majors and minors, SU Recordings gave hands-on experience in running a label, including scouting artists, working with disc manufactures, developing artwork and organizing promotional events.
Eli was one of the first three musicians asked to be a part of the label. The first album released by SU Recordings was a biographical album from Eli and the album release party was held on April 18, 2006 at Chuck’s.
A second album, Eli’s Christmas Mission, featured three classic holiday songs – “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” – as well as three originals – “Christmas Love,” “Angel” and “Glory.” The album was aptly released by Marshall Street Records.
Eli, man. Just that he was the nicest guy and I remember how excited he was when he gave me his album and I played it in Faegans.
Scott Isaacs, ’99
Eli performed the National Anthem at Syracuse Mets games, and would stick around to perform outside the stadium when fans headed for the exits. When Eli passed, the Syracuse Mets minor league team shared the following:
We’ve had the privilege of having Eli sing the national anthem for us occasionally over the years. If you didn’t hear him then, there’s a chance you’ve heard Eli playing while leaving the stadium. It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of a Syracuse legend, Elijah Harris Jr. brought smiles to many and was a radiant soul that we will certainly miss.
Syracuse Mets
Legacy
Along with the praise of musicians and Syracuse locals, Eli was given even greater accolades as the years passed. At the 2019 SAMMY Awards, Eli was the recipient of the first ever Founders Award, a testament to his years of performing in Syracuse.
Eli Harris presented by with the Founders Awards by SAMMYs Founder Frank Malfitano
A scholarship in Eli’s name was announced by Syracuse University in September 2020 and will begin supporting part-time music students this fall. Harris would regularly work the line “You stay in school, get some college knowledge” into his performances, and his family worked with SU to honor him with the Eli Harris Scholarship. Harris’ daughter, Lakisha, said to The Daily Orange last year,
He gave what he had inside of him, so he could teach everyone else how to love through music. He used music to communicate that. They embraced my dad with open arms from day one.
Lakisha Harris
A mural of Eli, via art collective 315Alive!, will bring his legacy to life, close to the corner of Marshall Street and University Ave, near Marshall Street Mall. Jacob Alan Roberts of 315Alive! announced the project in July 2020, saying, “We’re gonna use sort of an artistic approach to something that will be unmistakably Eli, using, say he always wore SU gear, so a baseball cap or, course, him playing his guitar.” See a sketch of Roberts’ mural here.
With Eli’s death at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, his funeral was private and tributes were limited to social media and online performances. One such tribute to Eli on Disruption Network brought Driscoll, Anthony “Zee” Donaldson, Jack Brown, former SU professor and Bandier program founder David Rezak and more together to honor him. Watch the tribute here.
In March 2021, the driver who hit Eli was brought to justice. During sentencing, Judge Stephen Dougherty said that while he “Can’t compare one victim to another victim, we all knew Mr. Harris, knew him for the performer he was. He was a beloved member of the community.” A GoFundMe continues to benefit Lakisha and Harris’ family that continues to cope with the loss.
He was a legendary part of this town. Everyone knew him. You walked by and whether you stopped or not or tipped him, you knew him. There will never be another Eli. He did leave his mark, not just on me but so many others.
Capital Repertory Theatre has completed renovations after a recent move to Albany. Founded in 1981 and first operating at 111 N. Pearl St., a former Grand Cash Market, theRep’s prior location housed performances for 39 years, ending the era on March 13, 2020 with a performance of “The Irish and How They Got That Way.”
With Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill as Producing Artistic Director since 1995, the theatre became fully affiliated with Proctors in 2013. theRep was a member of the League of Resident Theatres, under its contracts and regulations.
The new and renovated relocation now sits in the traditional lands of the Mohawk and Mohican people, taking over what formally was a St. Joseph’s Church. The new location has a capacity of 302 occupants, rather than a limit of 286 at the former location. Only half a mile from the old venue, the new building serves as a step-up for the theatre, expanding on everything to be desired at the old location.
The $14 million project couldn’t have been done without the donations and support garnered through loving fans of the venue, and with increased seating and other new luxuries, the venue will surely repay the favor.
You can view even more of the Capital Repertory Theatre renovations with a sneak peek and stay updated on upcoming shows at their website. If you’ve ever visited the previous venue or are looking for shows in Albany, we recommend staying in the know by signing up to the Proctors Collaborative newsletter.
Langston Hughes, full name James Mercer Langston Hughes, was born around February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He was raised by his mother and grandmother, and grew up in a series of towns across the United States midwest, showing a proficiency in writing from a young age.
His tumultuous childhood may have given him the experiences that made him such a profound writer down the line. By the age of 12, Hughes had already lived in 6 different American cities.
Furthermore, by the time he released his first book, Hughes had already been to Mexico, West Africa, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Holland, and worked as a doorman at a nightclub in Paris.
By the time of his high school graduation, Hughes had already written his first acclaimed poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”
This poem would be published in The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP and the world’s oldest black publication.
After graduating, Hughes moved to New York City and attended Columbia University for one year before dropping out. During his time in the city, he explored Harlem and found the place where he’d establish his career.
It would be in this neighborhood that Hughes would play a central role in one of the most important cultural events of the 20th century. This event, the Harlem Renaissance, would be the flowering of African-American culture in the United States.
During this time, black artists, writers, and intellectuals would reconceptualize the African-American image separate from the stereotypes that they had been defined through by white society for centuries.
We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too.
Hughes writing, and many of his contemporaries writing, focused on the “low-life,” that is, the real lives of African-American’s who found themselves in the lower part of the social-economic system.
He was the first African-American man to make a living off of his writing and giving public lectures, and by doing proved wrong many white Americans who disregarded blacks simply because of their race. For one of the first times, whites considered a black writer to be on par with white contemporaries.
Hughes was also a pioneer of jazz-poetry, a form of literary art that is characterized by jazz-like rhythm and the feel of improvisation. The development and growth in popularity of jazz music was one of the ways the arts, specifically art created by African-American’s, flourished during the renaissance.
One of Hughes acclaimed poetry books, The Weary Blues, is a prime example of his unique style of phrasing that is influenced by jazz music. Here is a short excerpt from the book that exemplifies this style of poetry:
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues. With his ebony hands on each ivory key He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues!
The Weary Blues, a poetry book released by Hughes in 1926.
An Incredible Legacy
Langston Hughes had an everlasting impact on writing, as well as future generations of African-American artists. His approach to the portrayal of African-American life in writing at the time was new to many, and proved to be revolutionary.
His career was also unique and second to none. It took him all across the globe, and allowed him to develop into the visionary writer he came to be.
Besides being regarded for his poetry, Hughes also wrote plays, essays, short stories, and novels. He would also frequently travel across the United States, and to the Soviet Union, Japan, and Haiti to give lectures. He even served as a war correspondent for American newspapers during the Spanish Civil War.
As the years passed, new generations of African-American intellectuals and activists began to take issue with some of his viewpoints, perturbed by the fact that Hughes never really identified himself politically.
Although his popularity wavered at points throughout the years for these reasons, especially in the exceedingly racially turbulent second half of the 20th century, Hughes reputation as a trailblazer for the freedom of African-American art and culture is everlasting.
Langston Hughes died of complications of prostate cancer on May 22, 1967, but his legacy and profound impact on African-American culture and the world of literature lives on.
His home in Harlem, on East 127th street, received landmark status in the city of New York and was added to the National Register of Places in 1982.
Langston Hughes home in Harlem.
In most of his work, Hughes continued to discuss important issues regarding African-American’s in American society, and their experience in the face of centuries of discrimination and prosecution.
His work exemplified the attitude of the Harlem Renaissance, and he is remembered as a central figure of the era in which African-American culture blossomed and defied the prejudiced and discriminatory attitude that was cast upon it by American society.
On April 1, Rochester native, drummer and producer Dr. Steve Gadd released Steve Gadd Band at Blue Note Tokyo, from a tour of Japan in December 2019. That same year The Steve Gadd Band’s self-titled album won a GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. The group also played the Rochester International Jazz Festival that summer, leading up to this year end performance in Japan.
The line up features former Beatles collaborator David Spinozza on guitar in lieu of Micheal Landau, Jimmy Johnson on bass, Kevin Hays on keyboards, Walt Fowler on trumpet and Dr. Gadd on drums.
Blue Note Tokyo is a jazz venue in the Aoyama district of Tokyo, Japan that seats about 300 people and makes for an intimate performance. The band played to the disciplined fervor the crowd has for live music. Frank Zappa alumni Walt Fowler helped write the musical intro to the show, an arrangement from the film Cape Fear. The same theme is also found in the new series Ratched, which serves as a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. The whole band feeds the chilling composition, segueing to an iconic Gadd pocket groove for the tune “Where’s Earth?” World-renowned musicians like this might need some help finding it when their sounds stretch outside of our planet.
Gadd switches to a Latin beat on the drums securing his role as the consummate chameleon man of different musical genres for “Timpanogos.” Fowler and Spinozza then spread out nicely intertwining spicy solos before Hays helps cool things down with his Fender Rhodes. For those looking for a signature Gadd drum solo during the performance, there is only one to remind you why the man behind the kit is headlining the venue. “One Point Five” trails off Jimmy Johnson on bass to a full drum crescendo to end the song.
When asked about the tune “Way Back Home,” and if it has any significance to the comfortable corridor of his Upstate New York roots, Gadd said,
I like the song, I’ve played it with a lot of different bands, I did a live album in Rochester and titled it after that. I like the groove we get on it no matter how we do it, we get a good feel, it grooves, that one for me it keeps building, it gets pretty intense at the end and it takes a while to get there but it feels great the whole way to me, I love that track.
Steve Gadd
Only two tracks have vocals on the ten song performance. During a take on Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow,” Hays channels appropriate lyrics for today: “That this ol’ world, will keep rolling on you know, so I’m gonna sit right on this bank of sand and watch the river flow.”
The bonus track on the Blue Note Tokyo album “Foameopathy” is one of five tracks (including “One Point Five”) played live from the GRAMMY Award winning album that year.
We worked hard mixing it too, my son Giancarlo and I, and then Rich Breen mastered it and sprinkled some magic over the whole thing and I like the way it sounds.
Steve Gadd
Keep an eye out for a full interview with Dr. Steve Gadd about his musical origins in Monroe County to his performances around the world. Download the album here.
Key Tracks: Wheres Earth?, Timpanogos, Way Back Home
