Inspiring Capital Region musician Athena Burke has recently released her new album, God is Here, on November 19. Produced by Devon Seegers, the album features eleven songs that address healing amid heartbreak and loss, and finding faith in something greater than what your eyes can see.
With a message celebrating the humble joys in life each day, Athena’s tender yet powerful vocals pair with deeply honest lyrics on an earthy and vulnerable electropop soundscape. Burke is honest about the human experience, saying:
No matter what you’ve done or what you believe, you are held in a love that is eternal, universal, and inclusive. God loves the oddballs and God wants to unite us, not divide us. A new era is dawning and although it is chaotic now, there’s a groundswell of unity pulsing in our world.
Athena Burke
Growing up, Athena was abused as a child, and found the piano as a bastion of harmony as a toddler. This led to her studies at Berklee College of Music, followed by street performing and concerts across the country. Inspired to heal her trauma, Athena trained in meditation, breathwork, and personal growth practices, and in wanting to give back, Athena has given thousands of spiritual guidance and healing sessions and performances worldwide.
Athena Burke sings honestly about the human experience of a devotional person. God is Here is not specifically Christian or derived from any specific religion, but rather about finding the divinity and love in everything, everywhere, in everyone, and every situation.
Athena has been featured on the PBS/WMHT AHA! A House of Arts TV show, as well as receiving extensive airplay on WEXT AND WEQX. She is a frequent performer at her local listening room in Cambridge, NY, The Depot.
Brooklyn-based folk-pop duo, Late Night Thoughts’ new EP Bridges & Tunnels, including their hit single “Sacrifice,” released earlier last month. The duo like to describe their unique sound as “home-grown pop” evolving from just two classmates in a songwriting course in college, to blessing us with their third EP.
Embodying a singer-songwriter feel, each song is undeniably earnest, opening an intimate dialogue between both artists and their audience. Warm, thick vocal harmonies consistently present themselves across the record, mixed with groovy acoustic guitar strumming and sincere messages. This time we hear a more polished, mature sound from the two artists, now with the utmost potential after amassing over 3 million streams for their first two EPs.
Every facet of our being has taken a giant leap forward, from the clothes we wear to the videos we make and the music itself. This EP will take you on a journey through what life has been like for us as young adults trying to live out our dreams while struggling with our fears and holding on to love
Late Night Thoughts
An all new sound has debuted on Bridges & Tunnels especially listening to “Faith” where Late Nights Thoughts’ transition to a ballad format execute their message in a more fitting form. The sheer rawness of their lyrics with minimal instrumentation somehow tugs on our heart strings just a little harder. Brian Rauch’s ability to encapsulate the struggles of a long distance relationship makes us think that he may have just read our mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frjCfaNFvlw
The piano power ballad “analyzes the struggle of a long distance relationship,” according to the band. “It was influenced by a time in one of our relationships when long distance seemed like it was an impossible hurdle to climb, despite the love being so strong.” Rauch’s silky voice over Harlow’s piano makes you feel like it’s just you and the artists.
Mifflin Street Music produced the confidence boosting “Get Back Up” encouraging us to preserve through dark times through a catchy hook releasing a powerhouse chorus of “Push me down I’ll get back up, I always do/My motivation is strengthened by every bruise.” You can find the perfect blend of upbeat classic foot-tapping classics to more somber tracks with serious notes, the EP as a whole is meant to encapsulate a journey.
Brian Rauch serenades us enunciating the countless uphill battles that a relationship may take you on like “Love Ain’t Cheap”. Michael Harlow gives us his signature syncopated groove on guitar and we can’t help be be engrossed in dance. A type of song that will make you uncontrollably break out with some embarrassing dance moves hoping nobody will watch you.
Late Night Thoughts true secret sauce lies in their vulnerable songwriting. Yes, their songs will make you burst out in dance and sing your heart out, but when taking a closer listen one might be amazed in what and how LNT is able to describe the many journeys we take in life. “Inches” is a good representation of their ability to illustrate crucial memories through lyric and song: “It’s giving and taking/ I’ll make it my mission for more than an instant/ For minute by minute/ We take it by inches.“
These 5 tracks present LNT as comfortable with their audience and happy to share their introspective ideas. Listeners may take an enduring walk through the EP to discover something new about themselves, but should not be afraid because you can always confide with Late Night Thoughts.
Like many of us, Kate Gratson used the pandemic to channel her inner-self. Consequently, her latest album, The Girl You Knew, does most of her speaking for her. Gratson’s process of self-reflection is something that her fans are all too familiar with and on this latest project, she found a way to perfectly encapture all the intimate feelings we’re afraid to share out loud. A veteran of writing on self-actualization and acceptance, it’s apparent that the she has developed an even deeper understanding of herself and lets it all out in her music.
While growing as a person and artist, Gratson has gotten a hold creatively as well, revealing a new sense of control.
Musically and lyrically, “Watch and Wonder,” is all about tension and release, and my main goal was to highlight this when creating the music video. “Watch and Wonder” is my second music video with Isaac Rosenthal on cinematography, and Grant Sorth on editing, but it is the first time I had a distinct, artistic vision in mind
Kate Granson
When listening to Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, producer and cellist, it isn’t always apparent that she has a firm foundation in both jazz and classical techniques. Her knowledge of both genres almost silently seeps into her music layered with R&B, folk/indie and electronic elements. Combining both contemporary and aged sounds, she often find herself almost painting a picture of timelessness. Her various identities, paired with the layering of samples, mixed with velvety vocals, gritty drums and melodic synths are surely to catapult her career.
Following her formal music education, Gratson would go on to receive a BM in music composition and vocal performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia. It was during this time that her sound and voice as an artist began to take shape. She then returned to New York City to focus on refining her distinctly eclectic feel, attempting to harness the layers that made up her voice. Later returning to her initial mentors, as she began to write and hone her craft, while steadily releasing singles.
At last, she released her debut album, The Girl You Knew. With a growing fanbase and unique sound, it might not be long before Kate Gratson once again becomes the girl we once knew.
The latest release from Sean Rowe, The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights, is not just a thrilling listen. From first glance, the project begins its journey with listeners through its arresting album cover. The thought-provoking artwork depicts a smokey, neon, opaque cloud appearing in a mountain crevasse above two travelers. The cloud feels an apt metaphor for the album; The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights envelops you, taking you to places that are both painfully familiar and entirely enlightening.
Rowe recorded the album alongside producer, friend, and longtime collaborator, Troy Pohl. Working from Bon Iver engineer Brian Joseph’s studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the pair aimed to tell Rowe’s stories. An “artist and nomad,” Rowe grew up in Troy, and first began playing locally in 2003. His long career has left him with a vast collection of tales from all corners of his heart. He shares them with heartbreaking clarity on Darkness.
Sean Rowe. Photo by Joe Navas
Rowe’s deep and husky voice brings to mind the classics of country and Americana, while simultaneously evoking the vulnerable tenor of Matt Berninger, frontman of The National. His spare and purposeful instrumentals absolutely grip you, letting his singular voice stand out. On the opening track “What Are We Now,” Rowe laments a disintegrating relationship. As the first song he recorded for the album, Rowe said he was dealing with a cold while in the studio for the track. He appreciated “ all the little imperfections. I knew my voice would never quite sound like that again…”
The track ends in a symphonic and strange collection of beeping noises and electric guitar whining. Over roughly 45 seconds, Rowe builds an ambient outro ending in a sound reminiscent of a Tibetan singing bowl, used for meditation.
His experimental use of ambient noises remains a theme throughout the album. But unlike some forays into ambient folk or electro-country, Rowe’s delicate production only amp up the emotional gut-punch of his songwriting. A dedicated naturalist and self-described forager, Rowe has often spoken of his deep connection to the forest and living close to the land. His dedication to the world around him is clear in the intuitive touches he adds to his music. Truly creating a world within a song, Rowe brings storytelling to a whole new level.
For its unique timbre, Rowe’s voice has incredible versatility. On “Gabriel,” where Jeremy Boetcher’s deep, reverberating upright bass makes the perfect partner, Rowe is an old-time blues poet. Meanwhile, “Little Death,” would easily get a summer Jones Beach crowd going, you can almost feel the ambient summer nights and the sloshing of Bud Light. Despite his versatility, Rowe seems most at home on his lowest notes, yet his higher ranges can be just as stunning. The mere cracks and vibrato in his voice singing “I know you feel me/When words don’t reveal me” on the outro record “Toast” is enough to bring tears to eyes.
The pattering beat of album centerpiece “Honey in the Morning” begs to be recounted around a campfire, hand-claps and all. Rowe said he was trying to capture something cinematic in the track, “a quality like a Kubrick or David Lynch film.” The ballad evokes the directors’ experimentation with the unknown perfectly. The chorus, “I know you’re a runner but I was hoping that I wasn’t right/ Honey in the morning turn to poison by tomorrow night” evokes a torrid love story while maintaining an air of mystery. The hypnotic instrumental, anchored by drummer Shane Leonard’s impossibly machine-like drumming, only adds to the uncanny quality. Eventually, an instrumental breakdown so good it’s not fair to spoil is the cherry on top.
Photo by Joe Navas
For its complex atmospheres and shifting genres, at the heart of Rowe’s beautiful album is emotionally raw songwriting. His words feel deeply relatable and completely personal. In “What Are We Now,” he sings of a lover that just won’t let him go.
When the apple of your eye/ is an oxidizing core/ You’ll be sighing at the moon/ While you’re pumping in the gas/ And you’re hoping that tomorrow’s gonna save your tired ass.
The scene, so familiar yet specific, is paired perfectly with the pained understanding that you love something that may be harming you. Rowe said a recurring theme in his songwriting is “the duality that I feel is in all of us. All the hidden parts, and all the guts that spill out when we’re faced with tragedy, adversity, or a broken heart.”
Darkness captures this duality with stunning clarity, vulnerability, and catharsis. Rowe’s lived-in stories speak of wreckage, recovery, and redemption. Elevated by the skilled instrumental and production work of friends and admired collaborators, each one is truly a gift.
Key Tracks: What Are We Now, Honey In The Morning, Toast
Buffalo-area native Anthony Casuccio has returned with his first solo effort in over 20 years, Emotional Lockdown. Created last year during COVID-19 lockdown, Casuccio said he used music as an outlet to deal with isolation, composing over a dozen songs that became the six-track album. He plans to include some of the additional tracks in live DJ sets.
Casuccio, a guitarist and veteran Grammy-winning producer, has gained accolades for remastering albums for icons like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Tony Bennett. But he took a new turn with his latest project, opting for EDM-infused pop with flourishes of 80s rock. The music merges classic pop vocals with experimental synths, feeling from many eras at once.
Photo via Anthony Casuccio
Casuccio combines an acoustic sound with diverse and genre-spanning dance beats. Something about the tone gives the music the feel of coming from your childhood. In fact, this could be widely applicable, as the music feels simultaneously from many different eras at the same time. Opening track “Love is the Answer” could easily soundtrack a Hands Across America ad. “My Destiny” with vocalist Laura Aiisha transports you to a 70s rave, practically conjuring the glitter and silk chiffon. And the penultimate track “I’m Free” brings to mind the Y2K energy of early Daft Punk and Darude’s “Sandstorm.”
Though he experiments with his favorite elements of many different genres, sometimes Casuccio relies too heavily on the constraints of radio pop. Beats-machine lines weaken the sound, and the vocal production often feels disjointed from Casuccio’s instrumentals. Casuccio has not yet mastered the immersive and feral nature of today’s electronic music. Yet his take still feels unique and new, if rough around the edges.
Casuccio’s taste for combining unusual elements from across pop eras can pay off. When his music leans into a more experimental and heady approach, exciting things happen. Electronic yet retro influences on songs like “Not Alone” bring to mind indie-pop auteur Alex Cameron. The songs’ standout guitar solo, which leads into the beat falling to pieces before disappearing, was a favorite moment on the album. “Not Alone”’s lyrics repeatedly question: “I’m on my own/ I hope I’ve grown.” Over the devolving beat, the track feels the most personal, and also the most arresting, of the entire project.
Though the focus is Casuccio’s production, he recorded his own vocals and recruited others to contribute. For “Love is the Answer,” Casuccio recruited veteran vocalist Cynthia Moore, who toured and recorded for 16 years with James Brown. Two songs also feature Buffalo-based singer Laura Aiisha, whose dreamy vocals on “My Destiny” elevate the pulsating disco track.
Final track “I Am Drowning” is the most modern pop hit on the project. The track features singer Maddie Radwan, a former student of Casuccio’s. Her raw vocals match pop’s current moment, dominated by artists like Billie Eilish and Willow Smith. The charming collaboration flows nicely and comes in at a chart-appropriate 3 minutes 34 seconds. But some of Casuccio’s production still feels unexpected and experimental, and the influences of a younger student are clear.
For all the ways in which COVID-19 crippled the music world, a bright spot was the wave of exploration and creativity that came from isolation. Artists across genres, cooped up, released experimental, raw work that will stand out for a long time. Cassuccio’s choice to experiment with a new sound and explore the bounds of his musicality shines through. Though the EP can falter, Casuccio’s taste for combining unique elements of dance music across time leaves the ear curious. One can only hope he will continue to use his skill with production to continue to explore what pop and EDM have to offer.
The highly creative collaboration from Paul McArdle and Zack Brinn has welcomed a refreshing form of new alternative rock music to New York State. The duo operate as Exit Atlas just releasing their new record The Unknown. The writing, production, and instrumentation for the album were composed in the state and sent to Nashville for finishing touches. The two Canandaigua natives have been collaborating for twenty years. This project came to life in the past two years.
Paul McArdle has spent this time as a guitarist on the Nectars stage circuit scene of the Northeast and Austin, Texas. When Dopapod guitarist Rob Compa formed his solo project, he told NYS Music “Without exaggeration, Paul is one of my favorite guitar players ever, and a huge influence for me, so I’ve always wanted to put something together with him” Paul sat in with Dopapod for a killing cover of the Derek Trucks tune “Kickin Bach” at a special leap year show dated 2/29/20 at the sold out Anthology venue in Rochester, NY. Monroe County’s Steve Gadd told NYS Music the secret of any great gig: “If 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.”
Dopapod, Paul McArdle, 2/29/20
Paul’s signature tone can be heard on acoustic and electric guitar for every track as part of Exit Atlas. It’s no wonder that Zack Brinn who wrote all the lyrics and handles vocals for The Unknown wanted to weave them with McArdle’s musical style. Zack also takes care of the bass lines, drums, keyboards, programming and synthesizers. Brinn sprinkled some Brian Eno-like ambient sound trails on certain numbers as well.
Zack’s vocal tones are reminiscent of Peter Gabriel from inside the studio. His lyrics on “Annual” also set a familiar vibe, “The autumn sun it falls behind hills and we can watch it go down from here, we are safe, we are home.”
The production on this album reflects the same quality credits as a Peter Gabriel record. Listen for the various textures placed inside “Rain Chant.” The ticking clock intro on “Your Job” immediately addresses the time sacrificing your real dreams for the often required conformity to the machine. The song’s music video has an animation concept that Roger Waters would appreciate.
The seize the day feeling is grasped by the duo from an “Old Park Bench”… “I don’t believe in luck we’re given a choice each new day… sitting here on this old park bench I sing it out like millions are with me. We’re gonna make it.“
The walk from the bench into the great wide open is captured on “Make Some Memories”. Zack’s words resonate, “Time to throw caution to the wind, we’re going on an adventure for the ages, don’t you have a worry about a thing, look around at all your friends waiting.” And very fitting for Halloween, “Did you think I couldn’t tell? Put that costume on the shelf.“
The title track to the The Unknown album starts the record full circle for you, “When the past is knocking on the door, the present comes collecting tolls. A bright future seems to come and go. It’s the only place to stake our hope.” Brinn’s vocals bounce off McArdle’s chilling riff like Chris Cornell on Soundgarden’s 1994 Superunknownalbum.
Paul McArdle and Zack Brinn told NYS Music the origin of the duo’s name came from the expression “To carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders.” This comes from the Greek myth of Atlas as his sculpture represents. Exit Atlas new album is a way to help relieve the beast of burden for the unknown scenes that lie ahead for us all.
It’s clear during this record it’s a coming of season combination of the duo’s life and music from the past two decades. In similar style Peter Gabriel officially put out his Woodstock 94’ live set last year with Rochester’s Tony Levin on bass. He is releasing his first studio record since 2002 next year. Twenty years seems to be a good time frame to let great art come to its musical fruition.
Key Tracks: Your Job, The Unknown, Make Some Memories
Opposites come together for a harmonious result on the first collab album between classical music composer, Michael Vincent Waller (MVW) and multi-platinum hip-hop producer, Lex Luger. Together, the duo combine to release a one-of-a-kind project. The 8-song LP sees them explore a sub-genre that has yet to be saturated and could possibly be the foundation for a brand-new wave of innovation.
The combination of course is the fusion between elements of classical and trap music where the former, which is considered formal, traditional and tedious, meets the laid-back, seemingly careless and braggadocious sub-genre of trap music.
I want to take the same attention to detail associated with classical and chamber music and apply it to one of the most viable, listenable, and casual genres, i.e. trap. It’s got freshness and energy, but there are a whole bunch of nuances and details you don’t typically hear in modern rap. I’m trying to take the best of both worlds.
MVW
Hailing from Staten Island, MVW has always been a hip-hop enthusiast and he developed a passion for classic hip-hop such as Wu Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G. and A Tribe Called Quest. As a classical composer, his music filled venues such as Carnegie Hall, ISSUE Project Room, Rouleee and Palais de Tokyo Museum. At the same time, he often listened to Biggie and Wu Tang for inspiration while composing.
When he began making his foray into the world of hip hop, he recruited Lex Luger to play his counterpart. Although the “Round Of Applause” producer is diversified in his own right, his production still contains trap elements (such as his distinctive snare drum and ihats) that make his presence on CLASSIC$ invaluable.
Working on this project was definitely a little challenging. Being in a comfortable zone is cool, but nothing ever grows there. That being said, working on this project helped me try new things and ultimately, I feel like it just made me a better producer.
Lex Lugor
The album is curated with artists that not only correspond with the suis generis blend of styles but thrive on it. Jamaican artist, Shanique Marie, brings much-needed energy. Southern Songstress, Jaydonclover — whom MVW discovered from a WIRE Magazine review — is featured on three of the tracks and since the classical instrumentation already perpetuates a solemn feel, her soulful croons become one with the music. Trap connoisseurs Duke Deuce and Lil Gotit also make appearances, while Good Music artist, Valee — who is featured throughout the album — is the missing link that connects everything, effortlessly riding each beat as he maintains the California cool of a long beach surfer with each luxurious idiom he drops.
I’ve been composing for 15 years, but I’ve been listening to hip-hop for 20 years. Somehow, they inform each other in my head. This project was a long-time brewing. I’m coming full circle
We Are Scientists have just released their seventh studio LP, Huffy, via Masterswan Records. Their first effort in three years shows the NYC based band continuing to hone their distinct brand of catchy, guitar driven indie rock. Soaked with anthemic hooks and dance floor guitar grooves, the album is an extraordinary consistent addition to the band’s catalog that will instantly win over the hearts of their long held fanbase.
Huffy Cover Art Variations
Listening through the album is meant to evoke feelings of pure fun. Much needed in our lives these days, an approach to an album like this is a welcomed change of pace. While some of the songs detail crazy scenarios (and gory endings), the delivery and presentation is all about joy and individuality. Fans who ordered physical copies of the album receive a bare cover complete with sheets of stickers featuring We Are Scientists and Huffy, plus an assortment of characters and shapes to arrange on the cover however they please. Not to mention, the vinyl edition comes in your choice of 10 colors including “earth scoop,” “seafoam spritz,” or “dog tongue.”
“You’ve Lost Your Shit” by We Are Scientists, via YouTube
The fourth (and last) single previewed from the record is lead track “You’ve Lost Your Shit.” Accompanying the song is a music video showing lead singer Keith Murray waking up in a bathtub after having some organs stolen from his body. The song opens with a driving punk guitar riff surrounded by Keith’s soaring hooks and punchy vocal style. Much of the album continues in the same fashion, including personal highlight “Fault Lines,” which consists of an infectious guitar track and easily the catchiest hook on the record. “Bought Myself a Grave” features a somewhat country vibe both in guitar style and storytelling. The records closes with another indie sing along “Behavior Unbecoming,” solidifying the record’s prominent place in the catalog.
We Are Scientists at Elsewhere, 8/10/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
We Are Scientists ended a tour back in December of 2019, right before the world would abruptly change due to the pandemic. It turns out, that the songs for Huffy were already largely written and the guys would use the time in quarantine to focus on all the other aspects of producing a final product.
All of the songs for our new album, Huffy, had been written and production for the record had begun just before COVID brought the world to a quarantined standstill. Fortunately for us, that little head start meant that the record largely avoided manifesting any of the sense of gloom or claustrophobia that might have infused the music, had it been fully written and recorded under lockdown. If anything, the fact that there was nothing else we could possibly be doing beside watching full seasons of old TV shows meant that we were able to pour even more attention into the making of the record. It became a refuge, for the first few months of lockdown — escaping to our little studio sanctuary became a relief, rather than a chore. We tend to hate the tedium of the recording process — messing with microphone placement, testing out every possible snare drum tuning, etc. — but that kind of thing became somewhat more appealing in quarantine. I think it made us a little more playful in our production approach, and the result, to me, is perhaps our liveliest, most exuberant record, to date.
We Are Scientists
Once concerts started to make a comeback in New York City, We Are Scientists announced a warmup show on Elsewhere’s rooftop. Unfortunately, the show never took place as a severe thunderstorm right as doors were opening forced the show to be postponed to September. However, fans that night were treated to an excellent surprise; never allowed on the roof to begin with, the people who showed up early were told to shuffle into the empty main hall and await an appearance from the guys. A bartender came in to open the bar, and shortly after We Are Scientists came out onto an empty stage armed with an acoustic guitar, a snare drum, and three voices.
We Are Scientists at Elsewhere, 8/10/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
Neither the audience, or We Are Scientists for that matter, knew what to expect from this moment, but the guys performed acoustic versions (with a chorus of backup vocalists from the half-filled room) of several of their hits as well as a couple tracks of the yet to be released Huffy. For a last-minute, impromptu performance, the fans who were there that night witnessed a truly memorable show from one of their favorite artists. The rooftop concert would eventually be made up in September, with a full blown performance, but the 20 minute show inside the empty Elsewhere Hall will stick in those fan’s minds for a long time.
We Are Scientists at Elsewhere, 8/10/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
We Are Scientists is about to kick off a lengthy European tour, beginning this Saturday in the UK. The first leg runs through early December with a second leg throughout April 2022. Check out all the tour dates HERE, along with links to order the highly customizable record as well as a slew of colorful merch. More photos from the impromptu acoustic show in the gallery below.
Key Tracks: “Fault Lines,” “Contact High,” “You’ve Lost Your Shit”
The Nth Power today release their album Reverence, their second release since 2015’s Abundance. The power trio formed at one of the legendary late night jazz fest jams in New Orleans with bassist Nate Edgar and guitarist Nick Cassarino. Nikki Glaspie was part of the legendary Berklee College Music scene in 2001. Her classmates at the time went on to form Soulive and Lettuce.
While at a show in Nantucket with Sam Kininger Band Nikki got the call to audition for Beyoncé’s first all female band. “I had 50 bucks in my pocket and said to myself, “What am I gonna do?” Which led me to staying in New York for the audition which opened the door to be Beyoncé’s drummer on a world tour.” She then dabbled with the heavy New Orleans sound as the drummer with Tony Hall with Dumpstaphunk on their tour. Just this month Nikki released “Guardian Angels” with guitarist Tim Reynolds.
Nikki formed a power trio project “the Nth Power” at a late night New Orleans Jazzfest gig in 2012 with bassist Nate Edgar and guitarist Nick Cassarino. The album is dedicated to Tedeschi Trucks Band member and Oteil’s brother Kofi Burbridge. Kofi plays keyboards and flute on all but one song on Reverence. It was his final studio work before his passing in February 2019. Cassarino said of Burbridge’s presence on the album, “It means everything that Kofi was playing with us before his transition. He brought the same energy to the studio that he brought to the stage, that he brought to rehearsal, that he brought to dinner — greatness.”
Cassarino covers vocals as well for The Nth Power. The group certainly channels Kofi on the song “Spirits” accompanied by his brilliant keyboard work. The track “A New Day” really speaks to those living in the moment every calendar year. The album also sails some heavier seas with the song “Take My Soul” before “they” do.
The Nth Power’s vibe is simple on Reverence It pulls from all different soulful musical genres to help ensure the healing power of love is spread through the world. It is also a tribute to the final musical project of the legendary ride Kofi Burbridge had, and the album title “Reverence” is a word chosen to represent respect in his honor.
Key Tracks: Spirits, A New Day, Take My Soul
The Nth Power Tour Dates: Fall Back In Love Tour Sept. 23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mint Sept. 24 – San Francisco, CA – Boom Boom Room Sept. 25 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall Sept. 26 – Nevada City, CA – Crazy Horse Saloon Sept. 27 – Mammoth Lakes, CA – Liberty Bar Sept. 28 – Reno, NV – Virginia Street Brew House Sept. 29 – Sacramento, CA – Torch Club Sept. 30 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Oct. 1 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios Oct. 2 – Seattle, WA – Barboza Oct. 13 – New Orleans, LA – Howlin’ Wolf Oct. 22 – Placerville, CA – Hangtown Music Festival Oct. 30 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Hulaween
John Sebastian, an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Lovin’ Spoonful co-founder has linked up with guitar legend Arlen Roth to reinterpret some of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s timeless songs on John Sebastian and Arlen Roth Explore the Spoonful Songbook,released on September 24.
A group who had their first seven singles reach the top-ten at the height of Beatlemania, including “Summer in the City” and “Do You Believe in Magic,” Lovin’ Spoonful left a mark on the ’60s, capped off by Sebastian’s impromptu performance at Woodstock in August 1969. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts notes of the moment:
After Santana’s magnificent set, there was a bit of a lull before the next act could begin, so lighting coordinator and de facto emcee Chip Monck asked his friend John Sebastian, who was attending Woodstock purely as a spectator, to see if he would go on stage and play a few songs. Sebastian tried to refuse, but Chip insisted, so he borrowed a guitar from Tim Hardin and walked into the breach to create another memorable Woodstock moment.
The genesis of the project for John Sebastian and Arlen Roth was all Arlen’s idea, per Sebastian, the Lovin’ Spoonful’s primary songwriter. Roth, the guitar maestro best known for his studio and touring work with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel and John Prine, and a big fan of the group, reached out to Sebastian in 2019. The album was crafted in the tradition of Roth’s acclaimed reimagining of the songs of Simon & Garfunkel (Subway Walls &Tenement Halls) and the Rolling Stones (Paint It Black: Acoustic Stones). The pair entered producer Chris Andersen’s Nevessa Studios in Woodstock and worked quietly for the next two years.
Sebastian had never considered doing re-recordings of his Spoonful classics until Roth approached him, but Roth’s deep artistry and exceptional knowledge and love of the guitar style of Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky changed his mind. Sebastian added his spin on the songs and brought in special guests: the MonaLisa Twins, Lexie Roth, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Eric Parker, Ira Coleman and Benson Sebastian. And in May 2021 they emerged with this highly anticipated record.
Working out the guitar parts, with Sebastian playing his original licks in each song, gave Roth the opportunity to complement the Spoonful’s sound with his own. “He was doing double and triple flips off the diving board, while I was doing cannonballs,” Sebastian recalls. “It all comes naturally to me and John,” according to Roth. “Collectively, he and I must have about 120 years of experience doing this kind of thing down through the ages. We just look at each other and play off each other. Also many of Zally’s Spoonful parts helped inspire me too.”
I was a kid of 12 when I was first blown away by the Spoonful’s songs, their performances on TV, and their guitar sounds. Zally was such a huge influence off the bat. I was taken by his uniquely ‘country’ approach to lead guitar and that was such a great sound in a rock & roll band! It was right up there with the Beatles and the Byrds! I love the Spoonful songs so much, and they occupied a big part of me, inside.
Arlen Roth
Revisiting those songs in the studio with Sebastian, drummer Eric Parker (Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt) and upright bassist Ira Coleman (Sting, Family Man Barrett) was “a joy, more than a challenge,” says Roth. “Since John was involved, it was a collaboration more than a tribute.”
Other Sebastian collaborators were also enlisted: Joining them in the studio were his “favorite exes” Maria Muldaur (with John on the lovely “Stories We Could Tell”) and Geoff Muldaur (with John on “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind” and a raucous “Jug Band Music”). Sebastian’s newfound discovery the MonaLisa Twins – Austrian twins Mona and Lisa Wagner, who reside in Liverpool – added their “blood harmonies” to Sebastian’s vocals all the way from the U.K., thanks to their producer/engineer father Rudolf Wagner, who digitally delivered the files. Sebastian is a big fan of the sisters’ albums and musical concepts, which showcase their remarkable vocal blending as evidenced here on tracks like “Lovin’ You,” “Four Eyes,” and “Darling Companion.”
Sebastian takes a solo vocal turn on the gorgeous “Darling Be Home Soon,” which he wrote in 1967 for a Francis Ford Coppola film soundtrack. And rounding out the “family” of musicians: Sebastian’s son Benson supplied percussion, and Roth’s daughter Lexie cut lead vocals on “Didn’t Want to Have to Do It,” originally intended as an instrumental. “She loved the song so much, she just had to try it,” attests Roth, “and she nailed it – one take!”
Following initial sessions at producer Chris Andersen’s Nevessa studio, just down the road from Sebastian’s Woodstock home, COVID-19 struck. “We had to separate to do the other thing that Arlen and I are really good at,” says Sebastian, “which is be a multi-instrumentalist – serve the song but not overdo it.” Sebastian added autoharp, harmonica, and his distinctive whistling to several tracks, while Roth contributed his awe-inspiring slide guitar, as well as acoustic lead. “This was constructive in its own way,” says Sebastian. “We were reacting to each other’s parts, even though we weren’t in the studio together.”
On Friday, December 3rd at Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, John Sebastian and friends will celebrate jug band music from Greenwich Village in the ‘60s, honoring the songs of Fred Neil and Tim Hardin with a sprinkle of the Lovin’ Spoonful.
The show begins at 7:30pm and features Steve Boone (Lovin’ Spoonful), Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, Cindy Cashdollar, Jimmy Vivino, Wormworth and special guests. Catherine Sebastian’s photo documentation of the era’s life and times will be on display at the theater and Lizzie Vann will officially inaugurate the John Sebastian & Fred Neil Porch at the Bearsville Theater at a 6:30pm VIP cocktail party. For tickets visit bearsvilletheater.com.
Joining John Sebastian and friends will be celebrated photographer Catherine Sebastian, who will exhibit her images of some of music’s most important artists in conjunction with the show. Catherine Sebastian’s photo documentation of the era’s artists and their life and times will be on display at the theater with a limited number of prints available for purchase. This exhibit marks the first time Catherine Sebastian’s images of this era have been presented as one collection. Some of the subjects include Fred Neil, Tim Hardin and John Sebastian.
Woodstock-based photographer Catherine Sebastian is among the entertainment industry’s elite set of American photographers of the past half century. The Los Angeles native began work while still in her teens, and quickly became a charter member of the Soho Gallery West group of photographers. Sebastian studied darkroom, printing, and chemical manipulation under legendary teacher, Kirk Kirkpatrick. “What I learned from Kirk and those classes still informs how I capture what I see. Light is the medium. Light is the brush and the heart of my emotional communication,” declares the artist.
Catherine Sebastian’s work has been exhibited nationally and her celebrated images have graced album covers, book covers, magazine covers and special projects for some of music’s most important artists including: Pete Seeger, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Hardin, Fred Neil, Linda Ronstadt, Taj Mahal, Mick Jagger, Leo Sayer, Kathy Valentine (of The Go-Go’s), Lady Gaga, Jimmy Cliff, Debbie Harry, Maria Muldaur, Pinetop Perkins, Dr. John, Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & the M.G.’s), Paul Butterfield, Edina Menzel, Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars, John Sebastian, The Plimsouls, The Textones, Jack Lee and Johnnie Johnson (pianist and producer for Chuck Berry).
Catherine Sebastian is married to John Sebastian, founding member of The Lovin’ Spoonful. The Sebastians moved to Woodstock, New York in the mid -‘70s where she established her studio while balancing professional and family life with their two sons.
