NYS Music 202​1

Category: New York Singles

  • NYC Ballet Dancer Joshua Thew Releases Delicate and Jazzy “Lose Myself”

    Joshua Thew, a London-born, Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and former member of the New York City Ballet, has released a new single, “Lose Myself,” accompanied by a cinematic music video directed by Jake Kolton.

    joshua thew

    Thew’s soulful vocals are front and center on “Lose Myself,” demonstrating his first passion (music was the reason he became a dancer in the first place.) In 2017, after nearly a decade in the Company, Thew left the professional dancing space behind to pursue another dream.

    Thew grew up in Hertfordshire, England, just north of London, and moved to New York City in 2005 to study at The School of American Ballet, which led to a spot in New York City Ballet.

    As I got into my mid to late 20s, I started to feel like I wanted to be in the real world. You live and breathe [ballet], and it’s such a small niche world. I just wanted to get out and make original music.

    Joshua Thew

    Working with producer and multi-instrumentalist Cale Hawkins at Greylock Studios in Brooklyn, Thew began composing songs in earnest, drawing on classic influences like Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, and Lee Hazlewood as sources of inspiration. Thew added a contemporary spin, invoking modern icons such as Amy Winehouse and Frank Ocean.

    As a singer, Thew creates highly stylized yet unpretentious ballads about love, loss, and starting over. The lush, aching “Lose Myself” chronicles a two-year relationship that ultimately had to end but gave Thew renewed hope around romance itself. 

    Ultimately, Thew is eager to ingratiate himself with listeners, who will no doubt feel an instant connection to his gentle, meditative ballads. Though he’d been considering a career change for some time, watching fellow dancer and Tony-winner, choreographer Justin Peck doggedly pursue his goals nudged Thew to take a crucial leap.

    I just remember always watching him; we were in class together. Dancing was a thing for him, but choreography was always his thing. I remember watching him and part of me would be like, ‘he’s really doing what he really wants to do.’ And that’s how I felt about singing.

    Joshua Thew

    “Lose Myself” will be featured on Thew’s upcoming second EP, which follows 2019’s Quiet Words.

  • Brookyln Post-Punk Band Catcher Share “Comparing Saviors and Friends” from Upcoming Debut Album

    NYC post-punk outfit Catcher have shared a comeback single entitled “Comparing Saviors and Friends,” off their upcoming debut album, due out in 2022. The single is regarded as one of the first tracks they’d written with the genesis of the band, and comes alongside a DIY music video.

    catcher
    Photo by Kevin Allen

    Catcher is a Brooklyn-based post-punk band with a reputation for visceral and powerful live performances. Drawing comparisons to Iceage and Protomartyr, Catcher deliver music with a driving and inundating low-end, provided by childhood friends Cameron McRae and Wilson Chestney, on bass and drums respectively. Guitarists Jack Young and Christian Reech, each having been recruited earlier this year via a Craigslist ad and connection via the band’s shared Tinder, interweave melodies and noise to create an environment that manages to be at once both bleak and moving, desolate but hopeful, violent but tender.

    Vocalist Austin Eichler commands listeners with a domineering and chaotic presence. From drawling croons to powerful screams, Austin’s narrative lyrics invoke a wide spectrum of emotion while creating a world of their own. Through endless hours of practice and work, the band has crafted a gripping and tight live performance and a growing international fanbase. 

    catcher

    With a sludgy bass and frenetic guitar chords, “Comparing Saviors and Friends” charges forward like an angry bull out the gate, with a deep-seated drawl from vocalist Austin Eichler. The new single comes on the heels of the band’s first four singles: “Yesterday’s Favorite,” “The Skin,” “Only Advice,” and “Fallen Stones,” amid playing countless sold-out shows across New York City, as well as their first headlining tour across the U.S. with fellow NYC rockers Been Stellar. 

    Catch Catcher at Mercury Lounge on January 2, 2022 with Hello Mary. More information and tickets are available here.

  • Troy Pop-Punk Band Playoffs Release “Lickety Splitz” off Forthcoming Debut Album

    Hailing from the Collar City of Troy, pop-punk band Playoffs have released “Lickety Splitz,” the first single off their upcoming debut album, due out on December 20, 2021.   

    Playoffs Lickety Splitz

    Formed out of a cover band that ran face first into the year 2020, Playoffs band members Cody Sargood (guitar/vocals), Alex Foster (vocals), Daniel Livermore (drummer) Bill Milhizer (keys/guitar) and Neal Makela (bass) found themselves like many of us, stuck inside and only able to create their sound from virtual messaging.

    With all their powers combined, Playoffs was able to come to the table to record their first self titled album with producer Neil Schneider. While navigating the worst year and strangest times, Playoffs became more than just an idea, they became a goal. Schneider also served as producer, engineer, mix/masterer, and collaborator on the album, drawing on a relationship he has had with Cody since grade school.

    Like many songs on the upcoming Playoffs LP, “Lickety Splitz,” released on November 22, draws from from the inner perspective of someone’s mental health. The song tells of relationship troubles by addressing self-struggle and the outward projection of those struggles. Mental health issues can suffocate and ravage an individual’s mind, like a troubled relationship that cannot get out of its own way. “Lickety Splitz” became a typical relationship song, but to deal with and address mental health issues that plague so many individuals today. Playoffs hope that people can connect with the song and realize that no mental health issue is too big or small to ask for help, and that there are people in your life that love you and will help you.

    I think each one of us — whether a father, expecting father, newlywed, or just human — had an eye-to-eye mindframe. We were all able to see how awful things were for everyone. This project allowed Cody and myself to write what we were feeling while embracing the style of music we already liked playing. Everyone kind of got it. It worked, and everything came together. Whether it was writing the lyrics one-on-one at someone’s house, or going through the recording process, we maintained communication with one another and having that outlet for ourselves is truly beneficial and hopefully transfers to the people who listen to it. 

    Alex Foster

    Prior to forming Playoffs, the band members were involved in a pop punk/hip hop/90s musical jukebox cover band performing at bars under the name kidbilly. Playoffs started just before the world shut down from COVID, but with the uncomfortable and disconnected feeling that grew from having to sit home and see no one and do nothing, the group recorded the album in pieces and parts, some even from across the country with the help of Makela.

    Playoffs Lickety Splitz

    Being able to meet online, play music virtually, embrace the hardship that literally the entire world was facing, and turn it into a reflective piece of art was an amazing experience for the group, especially as they are able to highlight mental health amid the frightening state of affairs of 2020 and having to watch the world slow to a crawl.  

  • Thom Powers Steps out with His ‘Roller Coaster Show’

    Singer and songwriter Thom Powers, from Greenwich, NY where he’s been living and playing locally for about nine years now, has released his first single called “Roller Coaster Show.” It’s a rock and roll tune with clear Beatles influences. Powers recruited top musicians in the area to join him on this track including: Darryl Kniffen (drums, producer, mixer), Andy Mollica (lead guitar and bass) from jazz trio Tanager, and Tony Califano (keys) from Rusticator. 

    Powers grew up in rural Sherrill, NY, listening to his father strum and sing throughout his childhood. He continued to have a love for music and guitar throughout his early 20’s but didn’t explore the playing out scene until 2012. He started playing at Argyle Brewing Company at Greenwich and quickly branched out to other local venues, collaborating with exceptional musicians in the area – all of whom studied music and are multi-instrumentalists.

    Thom Powers

    “Roller Coaster Show” will be the first song on Powers’ forthcoming album. It’s a catchy tune with a solid drum track that keeps you grooving in combination with the wonderful addition of Tony Califano’s Wurlitzer and Organ and Andy Mollica’s well-timed guitar licks throughout. 

    Thom Powers

    There are no set gigs as a 5-piece at the moment, but Argyle Brewing Company and Unihog will be on the schedule in 2022. The trio will have a few more gigs and Thom Powers will continue to play solo at The Inn at Saratoga, Bound by Fate Brewing on New Year’s Eve and Cloud 9 Coffee Lounge on New Year’s Day, amongst others. You can even catch him at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market on January 15.

    Thom Powers

    You can check out the brand new single below and on Bandcamp.

  • New Release From Andrew Thomases Pulls His Fans To Look Within Themselves

    Andrew Thomases extracts music from his down to earth personality, whether it is his vulnerability or call to action, Thomases has a job for us all to do. “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone” addresses the topic of climate change from the perspective of the environment filled with eccentric bass rhythms, funky guitar, and booming percussion.

    Andrew Thomases

    Thomases is always looking to challenge the listener’s mind by stirring curiosity in their hearts. Through his retro rock rhythms, complimented by captivating melodies inspired by the the greats of the ‘80s and ‘90s, it’s almost easy to bypass his lyrics. Defining his genre as “conscious rock” Thomases is dedicated to singing about current events, life experiences, or loss taking his fans on an emotional journey with each listen. His personality always shines through making each emotional journey lighthearted, cracking jokes through his serious messages.

    “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone” is a warning and a call to action, as we must act quickly to preserve what we have for future generations. Otherwise, they may not even know what they are missing.

    Andrew Thomases

    The New York native grew up just north of New York City as a son of a musician himself. Andrew’s father pursued his passion for bass guitar pushing him to pick up his own at the age of 12. As a typical band-type highschooler, he spent his years organizing and playing in cover bands around his hometown. His tendency to lean on unusual chord progressions threatened the status quo and earned him the role as a DJ for his school’s radio station, and he continued to explore music through college. His recent move to San Francisco has given Andrew more experiences to write upon, bringing more material to captivate his fans. 

    The powerful call to action will inspire you to pay your respects to mother earth while keeping you grooving on the dance floor. 

  • Debbie Gibson is Back To Spread Holiday Cheer with “Christmas Star”

    With Christmas being only a few weeks away, we’ve been starting to hear more Christmas jingles wherever we go. Brooklyn-native Debbie Gibson has released a video to her infectious, sleigh bell-filled original Christmas song “Christmas Star,” a fresh holiday jingle that will keep us singing through the 25th.

    Debbie Gibson

    “Christmas Star” teaches us to let go of the past while being the change you wish to see in the world this holiday season and beyond. Debbie alongside her guest stars, her three dachshunds named Joey, Trouper, and Levi. Watch “The Christmas Star” below.

    Now, I know what you’re thinking, THE Debbie Gibson? Yes, we are talking about THE Debbie Gibson, one of the biggest teen pop stars on Earth since the late 80s. You remember sobbing in bed, screaming along to each innocent adolescent heartbreak like “Lost in Your Eye” and “Foolish Beat.” Debbie earned a Guinness World Record for being the youngest artist ever to have written, produced, and performed a Billboard number one single at 16 years old, a title she still holds to this day.

    Debbie Gibson’s 1992 Les Misérables Broadway debut, via Facebook

    Conquering the Broadway stage starring as Eponine in Les Misérables, Sandy in Grease, or Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Gibson is a timeless pop-star who reaches for her quintessential songwriting expertise to shed some holiday spirit this coming Christmas. She’s hard to missa, and she’s back for more, without losing any of her stardom.

    I think that celebrities should never underestimate their power. I mean just to draw attention, because then people get involved on a personal level.

    Debbie Gibson

    The Brooklyn born, Long Island-raised popstar has the big city to thank for shaping her into the into a pop-star. We all have to thank her mom too, bringing young Debbie to venues across the five boroughs that influenced her rise to fame at just 15 years old. With time, her songwriting has evolved with each hit released and television or Broadway appearance. Earning the ASCAP award for songwriting alongside Bruce Springsteen in 1989, Gibson continues to shine through each hit she writes.

    After all this time, Gibson released her 10th studio pop album, The Body Remembers, waiting 20 years to find the perfect moment, creating a milestone for her and her own label, Stargirl Records. Paying homage to her earlier music, we hear her authentic sound of modern pop hooks and upbeat club bangers.

    This time she puts a new refreshing spin on her newest album. The Body Remembers represents all things Debbie: empowerment, living your best life, and staying eternally electric. Listen to the full album below.

  • Premiere: sautereau gets Nostalgic with Emotional “Conversation Hearts”

    Today, New York-based singer-songwriter sautereau, previously known under the name Cee, releases the music video for her single, “Conversation Hearts.” With a glass-half-full perspective even after global struggles this past year, “Conversation Hearts” offers a lighthearted undertone of emotions reminiscent of 90s singers Lisa Loeb and Jewel.

    sautereau

    Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Chloé Sautereau picked up her first guitar at the age of 8 and quickly began writing songs. Starting her career under the name Cee, she released her debut EP As I Keep on Dreaming in 2019 at age 18. Swiss radio featured this early project focusing on human relationships and the small perplexities of life.

    Now based in New York, the singer-songwriter now goes by her surname “sautereau,” creating a truer world for herself. With a bare-face pop sound that blurs the line between reality and what goes on in our heads, she writes intimate songs about her experiences with an authentic sound, showcasing her storytelling forte. With influences such as Finneas, Julia Michaels, and Jessie Reyez, sautereau’s unapologetically honest voice is accompanied by production that is modern and crisp.

    “Conversation Hearts” brings up nostalgic feelings experienced while isolated during the pandemic. The elegant and emotional video shows vignettes of sautereau playing guitar and trying to focus on everyday tasks while falling into the repetition of her daily routine.

    This song is about the bittersweet realization of how fast time slipped by, while also feeling like it suddenly stopped, It’s about the frustration of not being able to do what we should have been able to do, but hopefully still acknowledge the good memories made with the few special people we were lucky to have around.

    sautereau

    Listeners will connect with sautereau’s longing for interaction and wanting to spend time with the world, while dealing with the loneliness we have all experienced this past year. While time seems to blend together, sautereau reminds us that there’s beauty in the little everyday tasks, and spending time with yourself while listening to what your heart wants can be therapeutic. Written by sautereau, the song has elements of bass, synth, and drums, all performed by Toby May, while she plays the guitar.

    I always had a passion for writing from poems to prose. Storytelling was always there, and I think that’s around the time I put those together and fell in love with it.

    sautereau


    The nostalgia and honest emotion conveyed through her songwriting allows sautereau to stand out as an artist. Follow sautereau on Instagram to keep up with her exciting journey ahead.

  • Nicotine Dolls Share “Upset The Neighbors” Single and 2022 NYC Dates

    NYC-based Nicotine Dolls shared their new single “Upset the Neighbors,” the latest from the group that formed in 2017 after lead vocalist Sam Cieri and lead guitarist John Hays decided to form a band after meeting on tour. Bassist John Merritt and drummer Abel Tabares joined quickly after.

    nicotine dolls

    The band has spent the past 4 years recording and releasing music (produced by Eric Sanderson) as well as producing their own videos. DIY touring and hometown NYC shows are always left shaking from the bands emotional raw and energetic performances. Balancing genre fluidity between alt-rock, pop, and some bits between, the band’s music is always rooted in honesty and the simple complexities of being a person.

    This song is two people keeping veering away and distracting themselves from the issues inherent between them. I brought this one to the band feeling like it was right up our alley, big exhilarating sounds tied onto the inevitable weight of the topic. We went in wanting to chase the distraction part of the story, the fun and the show. So, we take that grounding and then thought, what if “I believe in a thing called love” by The Darkness was covered by a 2007 pop punk band? It’s always a good sign if these are the questions you are asking.

    Sam Cieri

    Nicotine Dolls have three shows planned at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, with more information available here.

    Nicotine Dolls Tour Dates

    Jan 13 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall
    Feb 17 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall
    Mar 17 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall

    On December 10, the band released the music video for “Upset the Neighbors” which can be seen below.

    Our videos are the other half of what we do and we have a lot of fun making them ourselves. The goal for this was to double down on the fun and make something that didn’t take itself too seriously (like those great Foo Fighters videos). We spent two days creating and filming chaos in our friends apartments and it will go down as the most fun we have had making a video so far. This video is meant to make you smile and laugh and feel good because after the year and a half we have all had that’s what we all (including this band) need.

    Sam Cieri, Nicotine Dolls

  • Fordham Student Anton Karabushin Releases Nu Jazz Single “Central Park Archive”

    Anton Karabushin, a 19 year-old singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer, has released his latest Nu Jazz single, “Central Park Archives.” Currently a student at Fordham University and originally from Denver, CO, Karabushin began his composing career in May 2020, now having released five singles featuring genres from classical piano to Drum & Bass and incorporating multiple languages in the process. 

     Anton Karabushin

    Anton is a first-generation American who makes music he loves, and does not limit himself to one single genres. “Summer Days” fell in the range of synthpop, while “Look in the Closet” took on a more metal feel, while featuring his native Russian language intermittently.

    A self described Renaissance Man, arrived at Fordham at Lincoln Center to pursue music, theater, and a higher education all at the same time. Trained in classical piano from age 5 to 16, Anton sang in many school and city choirs from a young age, these two musical foundations made him “nitpicky” about harmonies and vocal tone

    “Central Park Archive” was the result of a spontaneous decision to carry my Alesis MIDI Keyboard to Sheep Meadow at around 11am on a Thursday. The cool yet sunny atmosphere of the park and the people there really sparked my creativity, and as 4pm rolled around, the song was nearly complete. The title arrived from my feeling that the sounds encapsulated what it is to walk through Central Park. It is an “archive” because this song embodies that sensation in any time, past, future or present. 

    Anton Karabushin

    Anton cites Aphex Twin, Mid-Air Thief and the Strawberry Guy, as well as newew influences including artists Nujabes and The Avalanches. Utilizing a MIDI to recreate sampling sounds, he notes Nujabes’ song “Horizon” having a direct influence on “Central Park Archive,” and synthpop band Homeshake helping to form his synth x vocals vibe. 

     Anton Karabushin

    Karabushin released “Central Park Archive” on November 19, using his newly developed electronic music production skills. A true self-taught artist in music production and vocal/instrument recording, Anton’s plan is to finish his bachelor’s degree at Fordham University at Lincoln Center and simultaneously create music he truly loves.

  • Ruby Greenberg Pays Homage To Colorado With “Runaway”

    NYC singer-songwriter Ruby Greenberg has released her new single, “Run Away.” Simple yet charming, the soothing piano ballad is a love letter to her home state of Colorado.

    Ruby Greenberg

    Greenberg wrote “Run Away” during a bout of homesickness. While her time in New York began as an exciting barrage of new people and experiences, she would occasionally long for the familiar faces of the Rocky Mountains.

    I wrote “Run Away” when I was feeling particularly nostalgic. One day I was sitting in a tiny rehearsal room with only an old piano and a small window that faced another wall. I started playing a melody on the piano, thinking of home and the way that the mountains out west created my sense of direction.

    Ruby Greenberg

    “Run Away” never outright disses Greenberg’s new home in the city, but the first verse tackles how jarring its busy atmosphere could be for a new transplant: “Madness is what we live in this city of lies.” The lyrics also comment on the kindness (or lack thereof) of New Yorkers, who “don’t have the time to look each other in the eye.” Greenberg spends the remainder of the song retreating to Colorado in spirit, with a jazzy organ joining the proceedings. 

    The vocals, songwriting and piano are reminiscent of Sara Bareilles, along with Greenberg’s main influences, Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile. It sounds like a sweater-clad hike on a fall day, which isn’t an accident. Greenberg is a lover of the great outdoors, and passionate about wildlife conservation and environmentalism alike. She’s performed at a benefit concert for parkland preservation efforts at Ivywild School, a community center in Colorado Springs.

    Greenberg has plans to release more singles in the near future, dedicated to her loved ones. “Run Away” is now available on all streaming platforms.