It has been one year since the 2020 SAMMY Awards took place in Syracuse, at the Palace Theater in Eastwood. So much has changed since that night, with this annual event taking place just two weeks before the music industry, and seemingly the world, shut down.
2020 was certainly a challenging year, especially in the music industry with virtually no concerts taking place and the beginning of live streaming shows as a form of entertainment.
MBK Music Group
A year later, we are starting to see signs of life, with festivals popping up down south and venues getting the green light to let in limited capacity crowds.
The 2020 SAMMY Awards set records for the number of artists submitted, as well as the votes for the winners. The full list of nominees/winners can be seen here. In preparation for the new virtual SAMMY Awards for 2021, check out NYS Music’s photo gallery and revisit the good memories of that night, one that showcases why the Syracuse music scene is one of the best in the state.
In February of 2014, Paul Simon and Sting began their ‘On Stage Together’ Tour in Houston, TX. The tour traveled across North America, Oceania, and Europe before concluding in Amsterdam in 2015. I was lucky enough to catch one of the shows on my birthday, March 4, 2014, at Madison Square Garden. That made this night even more special than it was already set out to be. The accompanying band was comprised of members of both Simon and Sting’s bands respectively.
“Welcome to our little experiment” Simon said to the crowd early on. After performing the first few songs together, the duo took turns alternating throughout the night, but still sprinkled in a few more songs together before they both took the stage once again for the encore. After the opening duets, Simon left the stage and Sting began his Police heavy solo block with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, Englishman In New York”, “I Hung My Head and “Driven To Tears”. He ended his first set with “Walking on the Moon” which transitioned nicely into Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion”. After that, Sting left the stage and Simon began his first solo set with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. The rest of his set were all hits from his solo career like “Graceland”, “Still Crazy After All These Years” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.”
Before Paul left the stage again, they both did a magnificent cover of Sting’s “Fragile” from his Nothing Like the Sun album. Sting started his next set with a stripped down cover of Simon’s “America”. “Paul has been my mentor and teacher for many, many years” Sting told the audience. He then explained that the song reminded him of when he first came to America. Him, Stewart and Andy rented a station wagon in New York and drove across the country playing in dives and staying in shitty hotels. He said “Even though this song was written a decade before, it still reminds me of that time”. He then continued his set with some more Police classics like “Message in a Bottle” and “Roxanne” along with more solo hits like “They Dance Alone” and “Desert Rose.”
Another highlight of the night is when Simon appeared back on stage and helped end Sting’s set with another duet cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. The two sounded amazing as they harmonized on the song that was recorded over 40 years earlier.
For his next set, Paul dusted off the title track to his 1983 album Hearts and Bones as well as his 1991’s percussion driven “The Obvious Child”. I love this song but for some reason it is not a crowd favorite. But, needless to say he quickly reengaged the sold out crowd at The Garden with what is probably his most popular solo song “You Can Call Me Al” to end his final solo set.
The encore began with “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with Sting nailing the high notes on the first verse. Paul sang the second verse before transitioning right into “Every Breath You Take” as well as a vibrant version of “Late in the Evening”.
At this time the band walked off the stage and it appeared the show was about to end, but Simon and Sting then both picked up acoustic guitars and harmonized once again on the Everly Brothers “When Will I Be Loved” that they dedicated to the late Phil Everly.
The show was over three hours long and it was so good that I could have watched the entire performance again. This was one of the best collaborations I have ever seen between two iconic performers coming from different backgrounds and styles.
Paul Simon and Sting, Madison Square Garden, NYC – March 4, 2014
Setlist: Brand New Day@, The Boy in the Bubble@, Fields of Gold@, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic#, Englishman in New York#, I Hung My Head#, Driven to Tears#, Walking on the Moon#, Mother and Child Reunion@, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover*, Dazzling Blue*, Graceland*, Still Crazy After All These Years*, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard*, Fragile@, America#, Message in a Bottle#, The Hounds of Winter#, They Dance Alone#, Roxanne#, Desert Rose#, The Boxer@, That Was Your Mother*, Hearts and Bones*, Mystery Train*, Wheels*, The Obvious Child*, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes*, You Can Call Me Al*
Encore: Bridge Over Troubled Water@, Every Breath You Take@, Late in the Evening@, When Will I Be Loved?@
On February 26th, singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist Marc Ribler released “Shattered,” a single from his upcoming solo album The Whole World Awaits You, set to release in June of this year.
Ribler’s unique ability to balance emotion and logic enables him to infuse his music with raw passion laced with a clear-headed understanding of the complexities of life.
“Shattered,” channels the heartbreak rock sound of Tom Petty, but has its own unique twist. Ribler’s guitar playing is outstanding on this track, as well as his vocals. The lyrics are catchy and will have you singing along by the end of the song.
Ribler, music director for Stevie Van Zandt, has written and produced over 40 songs for major label recording artists throughout the world and his songs have charted in Billboard’s Hot 100, with Top 10 hits in Canada and abroad.
He has played with many of the great over the years, including Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, Paul McCartney, Darlene Love, and Elvis Costello to name just a few.
Additionally, he’s written popular jingles for brands like Trojan Condoms, Office Dept, V8 Juices, Bell South, Activia Yogurt and Green Mountain Coffee.
Reflecting on the beginning of his love of music, Ribler recalls, “One of my first memories was at age 5 waking up to the radio alarm clock with WABC pouring out tunes like Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow,” Tommy James’ “Crimson and Clover,” The Beatles’ haunting “She’s Leaving Home” and The Byrds’ rendition of “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
“Those pop ditties melded deep into the fabric of my very being, with great hooks that the artists seemed to be singing straight to my soul.”
“Shattered” and The Whole World Awaits You is co-produced and arranged by Marc Ribler and Stevie Van Zandt and mixed by Ribler.
NYC-based trio Consider the Source released the video for their in-studio performance covering “Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead.
Consider the Source “Exit Music (For A Film) performance
Consider the Source is an instrumental band that formed in 2004. Over time the band members changed but the current members are the guitarist Gabriel Marin, the bassist John Ferrera and drummer Jeff Mann. Over the course of their career, they’ve released several studio albums. Their music style ranges as they receive inspiration from various bands and have studied genres from all over the world.
The band covered Radiohead for the first time years ago. They took on the challenge of performing instrumental arrangements of their songs on sets of shows and festivals, and even a tour with Papadosio. Consider The Source first did a studio performance of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” and received a positive reaction. With the mixture of the feedback and feeling like the song matched their sound, the trio decided to go further into covering the notorious rock band.
On March 2 they released their video covering the song “Exit Music (For a Film)” that was originally made for the 1996 rendition of Romeo and Juliet and also appeared on the album OK Computer. They all used their instrumental skills to resemble the compositions within the single. Marin was on the double-neck guitar to imitate the vocals, Ferrera played the bass and the organ and Mann was on the drums and acoustic guitar.
This isn’t the only project the trio has in store for this week. Consider the Source announced that they’re having a free live-streamed concert on March 6. They are performing music from their own catalog on Saturday from the Ardmore Music Hall and giving away a Nate Mclennen poster. The performance consists of two sets and airs at 8 p.m. from Ardmore Music Hall’s website.
It has been four years since the members of Melt came together as a band. Co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) both NYC natives, started playing music together in High School. They and some of their friends entered a local battle of the bands competition and won. They took the prize money from that competition and used it to produce the band’s first song“Sour Candy” which was released as a single in 2017.
Melt is a septet, which is comprised of an additional five members: Marlo Shankweiler (Guitar), Josh Greenzeig (Drums), Coulou (Trumpet), Lucas Saur (Bass), and Nick Sare (Saxophone). Melt’s successful debut single propelled the band into the limelight with the strategic utilization of social media and substantial exposure on various internet streaming services. “Sour Candy” holds the distinction of having over 5 million streams on Spotify since it’s initial release. Between this heavy exposure and the band’s high energy live performances, Melt has been successful in establishing themselves securely in the rough and tumble NYC music scene.
Melt has a reached another important milestone with the February release of their Debut EP West Side Highway, which includes six tracks of previously unreleased music. Recorded at the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, West Side Highway reflects a new level of maturity that Melt has been successful in developing as a band. “Coming into the studio with the goal of creating a longer work, we thought more intently on how each track worked with one another and used the opportunity to weave together the wide set of influences helping to shape a seven-person band,” said Josh Greenzeig (Drums).
“We used the EP format to create a snapshot of what that moment in time was for us, cementing elements of our sound that we love and finding new ones worth exploring.”
West Side Highway starts out with opening track “Don’t Want Me,” a moody number that details a love affair that has gone bad and is still painfully lingering in it’s final death throes. The masterful guitar instrumentation by Shankweiler and the melancholic vocal by Stewart-Frommer both work in concert to create a setting of sad desperation with a longing to be released. It was a great way to start the record and one that was interesting in it’s selection. It set the meditative tone of the EP which is soothing, comforting, and introspective in it’s entirety. This on going theme is again illustrated with third track, the EP’s title track, “West Side Highway,” which can be considered a love letter to pandemic ravaged NYC. This thought evoking number features a wonderfully muted trumpet solo by Coulou that is enhanced with Gabriel’s creative keyboard playing. his type of musical craftmanship results in another gem of a track on the record.
We were able to get some time with Melt co-founders Veronica Stewart-Frommer (Vocals) and Eric Gabriel (Vocals, Keys) in order to discuss the band and it’s debute EP – West Side Highway.
Tim Bopp: How did the band Melt form and what were the circumstances that caused the genesis of the band.
Eric Gabriel: Veronica and I went to High School together and towards the end of high school we had some more time to kind of start playing with people around the city and that was really the first iteration.
Veronica Stewart-Frommer: The first call we made was Marlo who is our guitar player.
TB: How did you come up with the band name Melt?
VS-F: The funny thing about that is that we actually had the song even before we had the name for the band. Suddenly we were sitting with this single and we were like, “Alright and we kind of want to put this out there but we don’t have a name.” So we went down this very long list of random names. The night before we were going to release “Sour Candy” we actually made a Facebook page called Big Deli Chain. We were like, “That is it! That is the name! We are going to be Big Deli Chain (laughing).” At some point between 2AM and 4AM that night I was just like this band can’t be named Big Deli Chain and we changed it to Melt. It was so random.
TB: How has the Pandemic Affected the band and the new EP West Side Highway?
VS-F: The EP really is a product of the Pandemic. In a lot of ways, it feels like an entirely new Melt. This was such a unique time for us. Something that is interesting about us is that during the year we are all either doing our day jobs or even in school. A lot of us are still in college. So we do this kind of funky long distance band thing where we unite for these crazy weekend shows and then go our separate ways. In a lot of ways due to the Pandemic, if we wanted to work, we had to live together for multiple weeks in order to justify moving anywhere. It was kind of the first time since four years ago when the band started that we were able to settle down and really be together for weeks on end and write and hang out. We are such a live band that our songs are usually tested over months and years at live shows and they are based on what the audience reacts to and how we are feeling at the show but there was none of that this time.
EG: We have mostly been thought of as a live band. On most of our singles we typically try to document that energy that we all love about playing together at a live show. This EP we kind of wanted to go into a different direction. I think it is much more chilled out and doesn’t really have as much of that live band sound. The individual tracks we kind of wanted to take a different approach in the crafting of the songs.
TB: What are some of your musical influences?
VS-F: Part of what makes up the Melt sound is that we are seven people and some of us went to school for Jazz music and some of us studied political science and were raised on the Beatles and Bob Dylan. A lot of us have been into the Jam scene. That is actually how I met Marlo, through Phish and the Grateful Dead. I think we are kind of all over the map on that. Obviously as a singer I really adore a lot of artists like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Otis Redding. That is where I fell in love with that genre and that type of singing. We are really all over the place. Right now a lot of us are into Phoebe Bridgers and the more Indie scene. I think that comes through on this EP.
EG: I grew up with a ton of Bruce Springsteen. More recently I listen to more folk music like Adrianne Lenker and also bands like the National. That kind of music.
TB: So, are you two the predominant the songwriters for Melt?
VS-F: Typically, that is how it has been. In the past, Eric and I usually write the lyrics to the songs that we sing, but we edit with each other and with other members of the band. Usually, it will either be one of the two of us will start a song and then bring it to the band. It evolves into a completely different direction from there. For this EP, since we were all together and couldn’t perform live, we wound up focusing a lot more on the production side of things as a band. Our bass player Lucas is really skilled at recording and in engineering production. He played a huge role in creating the foundation for the songs on the EP. We experimented a lot on this record this time around.
EG: This time around we started with Josh the drummer literally laying down songs, sometime just on his own. Then we would add the bass track and then that leads us into the guitar and usually vocals at the end. We really just build it up.
VS-F: We don’t know which way we like better. Maybe in the future we will go back in and play everything as if we are playing live. I think part of the beauty of Melt is that we are so young, so we don’t feel tied to any of our ways and we like to try out new things and see how it goes.
TB: How long did it take a band like Melt to complete the West Side Highway EP?
VS-F: Start to finish it was like two months. We were really lucky to be able to record the EP at the Bunker Studios in Brooklyn. We had a really wonderful producer and engineer named Aaron Nevezie who mixed some of the tracks as well.
EG: Some songs were written earlier, like Hours I wrote about a year ago.
TB: What does the future have in store for Melt?
Eric: We cannot wait to start playing shows again. We are really looking forward to playing out. The last real show Melt played was at the Sinclair in Cambridge last February. It felt like that at that show we all came together and we were fully on it. Our trumpet player Aaron even stage dived at the end of the “Sour Candy” solo that night.
VS-F: That show was awesome. It wasn’t the biggest room we have played, but just the layout of the place was great. It went straight back so you could see everyone and there was great energy that night. I also think the Knitting Factory show we played in Brooklyn. That was the first time we played “Waves.” Before a show we are always saying to the band don’t go too fast let’s keep the energy contained. Once we get out there it is just like an explosion and we are always playing at 100%. We don’t have many moments during a set where we just drop back and take a moment to breathe. In the bridge in “Waves” there is a moment where everyone drops out and it is just me and Eric. That was really a special moment. I always think about that moment when I picture live music coming back. It was the first time that we had ever played the song and I think the audience was psyched to hear a new song and it was kind of a sentimental little moment. It was really cool.
Key Tracks: Don’t Want Me, West Side Highway, Waves
Lonnie Jordan is a singer-songwriter and a founding member of the American funk band WAR. The band is best known for hits such as “Spill the Wine,” “The World Is a Ghetto,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends” and “Lowrider.”
Over the years Lonnie had a number of roles in the band. Not only was he a vocalist, but also played guitar, piano, synthesizer and percussion. Jordan was one of the first three people to form the group even when they were known at the time as the Creators and Nightshift. Currently he is the only remaining original member.
On July 21 2019, NYS Music had an opportunity to ask the rock legend a few questions about his life and his 50-plus year career in the music industry at The Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, Long Island. Lonnie Jordan was 70 years old at the time and looked great; he couldn’t have been nicer or more humble. With only minutes to spare for an interview, I dove right in.
Rob Tellerman: What drew you to the music industry?
Lonnie Jordan: Being young and watching other artists perform and saying “Aw man! That looks like fun! That’s what I want to do when I grow up!”
RT: Who were some of your influences?
LJ: You have to understand, I’m almost 71 years old so back in my time it was Ray Charles, Jimmy Smith, The Everly Brothers, of course Elvis, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and the list goes on. A lot of gospel, a lot of Latin. Later on, in my life Fania All-Stars came in with the soulful boogaloo and Latin boogaloo.
RT: Before it was WAR, it was The Creators? Am I correct?
LJ: Yes. We were called The Creators and then we changed it to Nightshift. Then when we were Nightshift, playing with Deacon Jones for a minute, I believe he was #49 on The Rams, Eric Burdon and Lee Oskar, by now producer, manager and engineer, came down to hear us play and the rest was history.
RT: Are you still friendly with Eric Burdon?
LJ: Yes of course. He’s busy and at his age and he has to stay busy otherwise he will get tired or as some people say “retired” (Laughs).
RT: Is it true Jimi Hendrix joined WAR on stage in London 1970 for what was to become his last performance?
LJ: Yea Jimmy and Eric (Burdon) were very good friends. A lot of people don’t know that Eric’s old band The Animals’ bass player Chas Chandler was the one who introduced Jimmy to his first album deal. He produced his first album so he introduced Jimmy to the music industry. Being that Eric, Jimmy and Chas were good friends, Eric got this weird band together, which happened to be us. But Jimmy was supporting Eric’s new journey.
RT: Was he ok at the show?
LJ: Well he came down Tuesday night and he was fine, but he didn’t bring his guitar. We said “Man you gotta bring your guitar tomorrow”. So, he brought his guitar and we were backstage talking. I believe the band Osibisa was playing downstairs, but all the smoke was coming up. So, he (Jimmy) jumped on stage. We gave him an amplifier. There were no gimmicks. We all played like we did back in the early days when we were playing holes’ in the wall. Ironically, we played “Mother Earth” by Memphis Slim and he wound up going back to “Mother Earth” the next morning.
RT: Is touring as fun now as it was in the 60’s and 70’s?
LJ: Well I wasn’t drinking coffee back then. It’s more fun because I have more knowledge now of my surroundings. I’m a vegan and my wife is a raw vegan chef so that helps me stay active at my old age. Also, my Rock and Roll Hall of Fans supports me and makes it more fun. My mind and heart are open and I’m not being swallowed by a cloud of smoke.
RT: Have you ever had performance anxiety?
LJ: Not yet.
RT: If you had 1 message to give your fans what would it be?
LJ: Come here us play! Every chance you get because our stage is always smokin’!
RT: Do you think it’s ridiculous that WAR is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
LJ: We’ve been nominated but you have to understand, there is no category for us. That’s why we haven’t won anything. I would say that may be a bad thing for people who think materialistically, but for me, my Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is my Rock and Roll Hall of Fans! I’m so honored that the people still have us here working. Our music has so many different genres. I never thought our music was even going to be played on the radio so I’m honored and blessed the people still support us.
Spaghetti Eastern Music returns with the maxi-single, “Blues for a Lost Cosmonaut.” The solo project of NYC and Hudson Valley-based musician Sal Cataldi, Spaghetti Eastern’s latest releases have ventured into ambient music. The sprawling new track occupies almost ten minutes of time and space, taking the listener on a peaceful star trek through the galaxy.
Despite lacking lyrics and hooks, “Blues for a Lost Cosmonaut” still makes room for a narrative and recurring themes. While an overall peaceful auditory experience, suspense and uncertainty creep up on the listener between stretches of serenity. In its most tense moments, “Blues” evokes the eerie prog-pop bookends of Gary Wright’s 1975 “Dream Weaver,” but this time the dissonance is in the middle. If Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain had a secret chill detour, this would be the soundtrack.
The inspiration came from watching some old videos of the early Soviet space program, especially the first space walk by Alexei Leonov. It was about recreating the contrasting moods and feelings that the film of this moment imparts. There’s peace, wonder and weightlessness combined with the realization that this could spin out of control at any moment, as it did for some early Soviet space explorers.
Sal Cataldi
Another clear inspiration is Fripp & Eno, an ambient side project consisting of Brian Eno and Robert Fripp. “Blues” is the third offering in a trilogy of similar pieces: in 2020, Cataldi released “Her Lemon Peel Raincoat” and “Peace Within.”
It’s just a fun exercise in soundscapes, in impulsive sound painting recorded in the wee small hours during the lonely moments of the COVID quarantine.
Sal Cataldi
Cataldi released his first album under Spaghetti Eastern Music in 2015, titled Sketches of Spam. He recorded “Blues for a Lost Cosmonaut” on his houseboat in Port Washington, Long Island, Houseboat Garlic Knot Studios, as well as at Sonic Garden in West Saugerties, New York. “Blues for a Lost Cosmonaut” is available for download and streaming on Bandcamp, CD Baby, iTunes, Spotify and elsewhere.
A little March madness may complement and contribute to sanity and help keep society on an even keel
Henry V. Porter, 1939
Since 2015, New York State Music has crafted a March Madness bracket delving into the musical harbors of our great state. As fans and musicians ourselves, we spotlight the great talent across New York in friendly competition and discovery.
Porter coined the term that went dark for four decades. March Madness, as you know it today, is commonplace in sport and bracketing. NYS Music is here to put a musical namesake on March Madness 2021. Its furry never looses sight of the underdog, a headliner’s humble beginnings, new musical discovery and rolling with the punches in our ever-changing industry.
These are 64 bands you might not know about, but should. Artists big and small, but all homegrown in New York. With the aide of our sponsors, NYS Music March Madness is a medium for these artists to be heard, grow and discovered. Go Listen. Go Vote. And let the Madness begin.
For any band starting out, there are things that need to be addressed. Among them, what venue you’ll play, who the promoter is, who handles the sound and lights, how you’ll market yourself, where you get merch from, and more recently, how you’ll stream your show. Fortunately, NYS Music has partnered with businesses across New York State to help bands meet these needs.
Central New York promoters Creative Concertsbring together fans at venues, stretching from Albany to Rochester and Syracuse to Ithaca. Lark Hall is the soon to open mid-sized venue in Albany that will host bands of all sizes, events and more. If you need to market your show, event, band or brand, Rochester’s Balbert Marketing has you covered. Need merchandise? Homegrown Eastern New York’s 518 Prints makes quality goods for local, regional and national bands or tours. High Peaks Event Production is a team with years of experience, aiding in all your stage, lighting and sound demands.JamCast proves high quality streams for bands, podcasts and much more. Between these companies, bands will find a great deal of what they need, and support businesses from across New York and the Northeast.
Vote now for your favorites and discover some of the great up and coming music that New York State has to offer!
NOTE: Make sure you vote in ALL matchups for each region.
Polls are now closed. Stay tuned for Round 2 voting, beginning Saturday, March 6 at 8am!
JamCast is a streaming platform that provides a unique experience using live, pre-recorded, archived audio & video performances, podcasting, vlogs, blogs, and more. It’s an online resource and database for all music industry professionals.
We’re also proud to present a bracket designed by the good folks at Wook+ Media, who have been keeping brackets going strong throughout the year, with unique topics and incredibly artistic designs. Check out the Round 1 graphic below:
Saturday Night Live welcomed Nick Jonas for 15th episode of Season46. Tonight’s cold open featured cast members feigning medical conditions in order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Kate McKinnon continued her portrayal of Dr. Anthony Fauci, with Aidy Bryant as Senator Ted Cruz and Pete Davidson as Governor Andrew Cuomo. Despite criticisms of SNL having a liberal bias, both politicians were teased equally, with more than a nursing home joke thrown in Cuomo’s direction.
Gearing up for his first solo album since the success of the Jonas Brothers’ 2019 comeback, Nick Jonas had double duty as host and musical guest. In addition to new songs “Spaceman” and “This Is Heaven” he appeared in several skits throughout the night, playing Prince Charming and a Mirror fitness coach.
Besides promoting his new music, Nick is also set to return for his sophomore season as a coach on The Voice. In a Dionne Warwick Talk Show skit opposite Ego Nwodim, she told him, “I’ve heard you’re the most boring coach, even though one of the other coaches is John Legend.”
In his opening monologue, Nick paid homage to Broadway theatre, still shuttered nearly a year later, by singing “Drink With Me” from Les Misérables. Back in 2010, Nick played Marius in the London production of Les Mis at the O2 Arena. He also gave a shout-out to older brother and bandmate Kevin, who was in the audience, as well as his home state of New Jersey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCy5Gb9NYN0
Nick’s first song was his new single, “Spaceman.” With themes of isolation and disillusionment, the song references mask-wearing and the rising pandemic death toll, tying them up with an outer space metaphor. “And the numbers are high but we keep going down / ‘Cause we ain’t supposed to live with nobody around,” the chorus says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12akdhW8OEs
He closed out the night by debuting “This Is Heaven,” which sounds suspiciously like his 2014 hit “Jealous.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p9TzfI6WGM
SNLreturns on March 27, with former cast member Maya Rudolph hosting and Jack Harlow as the musical guest.
Ryan Dugré is a New York-based multi-instrumentalist and composer. originally from Holyoke, MA. On February 19, the artist released his nostalgic LP Three Rivers.
Photo Credit: Annette Wong
Beginning in 2019, Dugré wrote the album’s instrumental pieces. Dugré’s work established shadowy undertones and an introspective melody. His utilization of guitar at the forefront of his work built the calmness of Three Rivers. He also supported this sound with piano, synth, strings, and sparse percussion.
The song-writing process behind Three Rivers was relatively fast-paced. Dugré developed an exercise where he created a new piece of music each day. He did this in order to build a routine of writing and creativity. The work he had to compose daily consisted of an improvisation, loose sketch, or a fully orchestrated piece.
Three Rivers Album Artwork
Dugré’s techniques allowed him to be vulnerable with his many colleagues who performed on the album alongside him. Three Rivers was re-recorded in October 2019 in Brooklyn with engineer Adam Sachs. This LP featured string arrangements from Ian Mcllelan Davis and contributions from Brett Lanier, Sean Mullins, Adam Dotson, and Will Graefe. Also, Leo Abrahams mixed the album.
The artist initially forced himself to commit to ideas without leaving time for second-guessing. He strived for an honest depiction of his original thoughts. Despite Dugré’s fast-paced process, he was able to develop intimate pieces throughout his work. Each track encapsulates the musician’s cinematic guitar-led instrumentals. He builds a simplistic mastery that is especially evident on his solo guitar track “Glace Bay.”
Over the past year, I have spent time looking through what records I could find about my ancestors. It has always intrigued me to try to picture what their lives were like. Hearing about their struggles and the relative poverty they endured puts things into perspective for me. Glace Bay is where my great-grandfather Edward Macmillan was born. It’s a coal mining town on the eastern tip of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. His father died in the mines in 1897 when he was three, leaving him as the eventual provider of the family. This piece is named in his memory.
Previously, Dugré has shared his elegant music at Le Festival d’été de Québec, Bonnaroo, and Haldern Pop Fest. He even has performed at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series and on BBC 6 Radio. Dugré is on the rise, and his new LP is nothing short of this. Make sure to check out Three Rivers available now on major platforms.
