Lo-fi artist Jxst J , releases a new single “Alone” with a hilarious and entertaining music video. Teasing his debut album “How to Pronounce Jxst J.” After spending his formative years in. LA playing in bands and making music videos, the multi-talented artist is now. Brooklyn-based, where he continues his synesthetic approach to music.
Jxst J
The song “Alone” will have you closing your eyes and bopping your head back and forth as his soothing. voice goes perfectly over his low-fi beats. Drawing from genres like dream pop, indie, and trip-hop, he seamlessly blends acoustic and. electronic elements for a sound that is as eclectic as it is catchy. He achieves a polychromatic sound that shows off his mix of stretched samples, acoustic instruments, analog synths, and his silky vocals.
As for the music video somehow just goes perfectly with the song easily putting a smile on your face. Although a simple music video, Jxst J is able to make the most out of it making it seem to go flawless with the song. It is most definitely a video that will have you want to watch it every time you listen to the single “Alone.” Jxst J (aka James Pratley Watson.) is a visual artist just as much as he is a musician. Before Jxst J he was recognized for his lo-fi visuals with his band Pratley. Now he is bringing his visual literacy to Jxst J with a trippy, arthouse aesthetic shot primarily on super 8 film
He plans to release a music video with each. song over the summer until the album “How to Pronounce Jxst J” full release this fall.
After a hiatus last year due to the COVID pandemic, The American Music Festival has announced a comeback with four days of events at Albany’s Palace Theatre.
The Albany Symphony Orchestra photo courtesy of Albany Symphony
Presented by the two-time Grammy award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra and their music director David Alan Miller, the annual festival celebrates cutting-edge composers and musicians. This year, the festival will be held from June 10-13 and consist of a Composer Workshop Masterclass, outdoor neighborhood performances, and family activities.
Other events include a First Draughts reading session, which gives the public a glimpse into the weeklong Composer Workshop, as well as performances from members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and the orchestra’s own Dogs of Desire.
A recent addition to the events include a collaboration between the Albany Symphony and NYSID (New York State Industries for the Disabled). They will be hosting a panel discussing how disabilities can actually provide more positive abilities than negative. The band Flame, made up of talented musicians with disabilities, will also be performing.
The festival will also feature works from composers Nina Shekhar, Clarice Assad, Molly Joyce, Christopher Theofanidis, Alexis Lamb, Kerwin Young, Bobby Ge, Jack Frerer, Carolyn Yarnell, and Tom Morrison, alongside other musicians. Many of the works will be premiered at the fest.
One of the composers, Nina Shekhar, writes in reaction to how classical music has lacked in responding to current social issues. Her piece, Above the Fray, pokes fun at this phenomenon by distorting Bach’s famous Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1.
“Unlike Western art tradition, which believes that classical music is a one-size-fits-all solution, this piece challenges that and asserts that we each have infinitely unique identities that morph under different circumstances. Art itself is not static, but rather something dynamic that we can allow to breathe, reshape, decompose, and reincarnate into new life forms over time,”
Nina Shekhar, Featured Composer at the American Music Festival
In accordance with New York reopening guidelines, the concerts will have limited in-person attendance for paid subscribers only. Livestream access will be available for free.
Concert livestreams can be accessed on the Albany Symphony Orchestra website. Check out the complete schedule below.
Composers Molly Joyce and Nina Shekar sit down for an honest talk about creativity, resilience, and embracing differences with Maureen O’Brien, President & CEO at New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID) and Greg Sorrentino, President & CEO at Center for Disability Services.
The FMs have released two new singles highlighting the stigmas and ignorance in society’s gender experience. The double feature of “Song X” and “Bad Girl” dropped on April 30, 2021.
The FMs are an up and coming duo hailing originally from Brooklyn and are now Ithaca based. The duo is made up of Matte Namer (they/them) and Frankie Rex (they/them, he/him) and started officially making music together back in 2017. The two have been friends since high school and their music tackles topics such as sexuality, gender, and politics.
The FMs are not making music just for entertainment’s sake, but to call on society to change its historical ignorance. Music can be used as a foghorn for their unwavering support of anyone who remains steadfast in their truth and identity. They embrace androgyny and amplify the voices of “the other” through their music and their very existence is a statement and they are not backing down.
The single “Song X” dropped with an accompanying video that featured both Namer and Rex. The song speaks to the confines of gender in society between it’s lyrics and visuals the release pulls the stereotypes and expectations of gender apart. The song stresses that gender should not be a box, but an act of self-expression.
“Bad Girl” was also released at the same time as “Song X” as a double-feature project. The track is funk-inspired with a sample beat from “It’s Raining Men” accompanied by the FMS signature brand of rock flare and covers similar topics about gender and gender expression that “Song X” does.
The duo also released merchandise that is available in conjunction with the release with all profits being donated to the Black Trans Travel Fund. For more information on The FMs visit their website.
Some Kind of Jam 15 went down in Schuylkill Haven, PA from April 29th until May 2nd, 2021. While patrons started showing up Thursday, the main festivities began on Friday and despite unrelenting winds the festival went off in a well oiled fashion. Headlining Friday was Lespecial, eager to play tracks from their latest album, Ancient Homies, in front of a dance happy crowd. Saturday culminated with Colorado jam stalwarts the Magic Beans taking the main stage also with plenty of new material to play with their latest album, Slice of Life, dropping the day prior.
In between mainstage acts, the indoor stage kept revelers entertained and out of the wind. Lee Ross might have been the busiest man on site with no less than five sets throughout the weekend. Other sets of note were the psychedelic stylings of the Iceman Special and a latenight set by up and coming Neighbor that balanced catchy songs and deep jams to the delight of those in attendance.
While many aspects of the live music and festival landscape are still up in the air for 2021, the smiles and revelry of those in attendance at Some Kind of Jam 15 showed that a return to something close to normal is possible in these uncertain times.
The Great New York State Fair will return in 2021 for an end of summer celebration, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. The New York State Fair will take place at the fairgrounds in Syracuse from August 20 to September 6, 2021 and will include musical performances, Midway rides, agriculture education, plus food and drinks.
The New York State Fair had been a staple in Upstate New York for entertainment and fun since it first started all the way back in 1841. Due to COVID-19, the fair was cancelled last year. This reimagined version of the State Fair will look quite similar to the event that is loved and known by people. The Great New York State Fair will take place in four outdoor areas across the fairgrounds, one representing each of the major elements that make the fair great.
The fair will feature an exceptional array of food and beverage including some of the Fair’s most iconic culinary experiences, such as the Pizze Fritte, sausage sandwiches and wine slushies. It will also host daily concerts from national touring performers in the scenic, spacious New York Experience festival grounds. Have thrilling amusement rides, games and attractions for all ages on the Midway. It also will feature farm animals on display to introduce the young and young-at-heart to New York’s agriculture. Admission to the fair will only be $3 per person, with children under 12 being admitted free of charge.
Although a full list of acts hasn’t been announced yet, it has been revealed that there will be performances from REO Speedwagon, Dropkick Murphys, Sheena Easton, Great White and Vixen and the Oak Ridge Boys at least.
Governor Cuomo spoke of the resurrection of the fair saying,
The New York State Fair is one of our biggest and most exciting tourist attractions that celebrates the spirit of New York and generates economic growth for the region and the entire state. I’ve said time and again that no one wants to open the Fair this year more than I do – and we are finally making it happen in a safe, responsible way with the 2021 Reimagined New York State Fair. This celebration is a unique reward for New Yorkers who have made so many sacrifices during this pandemic and will allow visitors from across the state and the country to enjoy some of the best attractions the Fair has to offer with all necessary safety guidelines in place. This is an important step towards the full return of New York’s largest events as we continue to reopen and reimagine our state’s economy.
The preparation for the fair will be in accordance with the Department of Health’s COVID-19 health and safety guidance. As public health conditions and the guidance changes, the fair will adapt and adhere to all applicable health protocols, such as capacity restrictions, social distancing, face coverings, and health screening where necessary.
The Wallflowers – Great NY State Fair Grandstands
Daily admission is planned to be limited to approximately 50 percent of capacity for the areas available for attendees to allow for social distancing. Capacity limits will be reexamined and adjusted if necessary to comply with health and safety guidelines. The fairground’s buildings will not be open to the public, except for bathrooms. Attendees will be required to observe social distancing and wear masks, except when eating or drinking. People buying food and drinks will be asked to sit while they eat and drink, and ample tables and dining spaces will be made available. Midway rides, games and attractions, as well as all surfaces of frequent customer contact will be rigorously and frequently cleaned and sanitized.
Joan Jett and The Black Hearts – Great New York State Fair Chevy Court
Further details on fair ticket sales and on specific rules for guests will be announced later and will be subject to change with the State’s health and safety guidance change and adapt over time. Visit the New York State Fair website for more information.
Multi-GRAMMY Award and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning producer/artist Kabir Sehgal collaborates with leading BIPOC and women artists on his latest EP, Threshold, set for release on Tiger Turn on Friday, August 27, 2021.
Sehgal is an Indian American producer with more than 70 album credits to his name, Kabir Sehgal has released four singles leading up to “Threshold” with each showcasing the complexities of finding love and discovering one’s individual identity.
One of the singles, “Somewhere Between 5th and Madison”, has a uniquely New York centric approach to song writing – the song also features pop sensation Sonna Rele. Emotive vocals meet multi-synth arrangements for a DJ-ready track for NYC’s bars and clubs.
Alyssa Raghu – a Top 8 contestant on American Idol – teams up with U.S. immigrant and DACA recipient Caliph on Wasted Pages. Sehgal remixes Emilio Solla’s Llegara, Llegara, Llegara from the Latin GRAMMY-winning album “Puertos” with special guest vocalists Manu Manzo and Danay Suarez. “Threshold” closes with a Pop/EDM track What’s Your Name? highlighting GRAMMY Award-nominated singer Thana Alexa.
Sehgal remixed a beautiful, soulful jazz classic with pop sounds, without ripping it of its essence. I’m very grateful he thought of me to sing on this amazing song that brought me back to my jazz roots
Emilio Solla, Artist
As one of today’s leading producers, Sehgal’s award-winning recording catalog reflects a career spotlighting political and social issues voiced through the mediums of big band jazz and working with soul/R&B stars such as Jon Batiste (featured on Sehgal’s 2020 production, Swing States: Harmony in the Battleground). He has also made four albums as an artist with meditation pioneer Deepak Chopra, including Spiritual Warrior.
Brooklyn-based rock group Toshio Band has released their new single “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear,” leading their second EP Lock Your Doors.
Photo Credit: Sivan Miller
Consisting of frontman Tim Lavigne on the vocals and bass, Daniel Imana on drums, Nick Valle on guitar, Ben Deixler on keyboards and Brandon Garcia on percussion, all members of Toshio Band contribute vocally with a style reminiscent of alt-rock from the 90s and early 2000s. Their central themes come from ominous and dream-like films and literature. The band is influenced by legendary rock artists David Bowie, Tom Waits, Charles Mingus and Roy Orbison.
The new track “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear” is the lead single from their second and forthcoming EP, Lock Your Doors. The EP has a neo-noir concept exploring a hero’s journey through hysteria and gloom in an unforgiving world. It presents themes of an anti-hero, prevalent in cinematic works from Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch and William Blake and with musical influences coming from The Pixies and Tom Waits. Lock Your Doors was mostly written and recorded during the pandemic and is a continuation of their debut EP A Splash of Blood that was released in 2019.
Toshio Band dives into temptation and dwells in devilish places in “The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear.” The song starts with distorted guitar sounds, immediately creating a feeling of chaos and getting into trouble. The line “The devil is chatting in my ear” is anaphoric and straight-forward, every time you hear it, you can imagine reaching a point of giving into doing something you shouldn’t. The guitars settle and the beat becomes whimsical as Lavigne sings the line “What hath the night to do with sleep?” from the poem Comusby John Milton, which he added in to get a quote from the devil himself and to keep consistent the theme of mixing literature into the music. Then returning to chaos, the track leads you further into disturbance until it ironically ends back on the whimsical sound.
“The Devil Is Chatting In My Ear” will be self-released by the band on Friday, April 30. This is the first of many forthcoming releases for the band this year. Their second single “Cassandra” releases on June 4 by the label Spirit Charity. Lock Your Doors will be another self-release, coming out on June 25.
Central Park is not only the continent’s first public park, but arguably the most iconic. Artists have traveled from across the globe inspired to paint, play and write about the 843 acres of beauty.
The sacred space is surrounded by world-renowned music venues, museums, and galleries. Harlem’s home for R&B and soul, the Apollo Theater, sits just 15 blocks north of the park while Carnegie Hall attracts world-class orchestral talent just two blocks south of it (slightly northeast of Radio City Music Hall). Rock aficionados frequent the Beacon Theatre on West 72nd street to the west of the park while sophisticated symphony-enthusiasts admire the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Hugging Central Park on the east, art-lovers marvel at the rotating and static exhibits on Museum Mile and photographers snap photos of New York’s impressive architecture.
It would be hard to imagine one of the world’s most culturally blended cities without a gathering place for people to connect with nature and community. And some of the most memorable gatherings in the early to mid-twentieth century occurred at Sheep Meadow between West 66th and 69th streets. To bookmark the tumultuous 1970’s in the drug-infused, crime-filled, disco and punk era, James Taylor played the last big concert at Sheep Meadow in front of a quarter-million people. After Sheep Meadow closed its grass to tarps, blankets and bare feet, large concerts were given a new space on the Great Lawn located mid-park between 79th and 85th street.
They don’t call it the Great Lawn for nothing. Some of the largest crowds in recorded history packed the 55-acre plot of land to “be a part of it” as Frank Sinatra would say. Maybe it’s the park’s natural setting that makes it so appealing for concert goers or it could be the central hub, but many performances in the ‘80s created a sense of hope and peace during some of the roughest years. While the NY Times called 1980, “the worst year of crime in the city’s history,” music provided a momentary lapse of chaos. In June 1980, an estimated 200,000 spectators on the Great Lawn welcomed Pavarotti and then two months later, Elton John entertained 400,000 fans.
The following September, Simon & Garfunkel reunited for their first live performance in 11 years as a duo. The free benefit concert supporting the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy was expecting around 300,000 guests, but an estimated half a million people showed up for the legendary reunion. After opening with “Mrs. Robinson” and “Homeward Bound,” Simon commented, “Well, it’s great to do a neighborhood concert,” and thanked the police, the fire department, the park administration. The subsequent live album recorded that night went on to peak at number six on the Billboard 200 chart in 1982 and was positively received by music critics and worldwide fans of NYC-based folk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OegZZNPsKA
While the magic created that night in Central Park between the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers sparked a world tour the following spring, the relationship between the two musicians was creatively impossible to maintain, so they decided to call it quits before ever releasing a reunion album. On the positive side, their benefit concert to support the park’s restoration and maintenance plans was reimagined by other artists on the Great Lawn for decades to come.
Another major Great Lawn milestone took place in June of 1982 as part of the “No Nukes” movement. Central Park’s Rally for Nuclear Disarmament was held on June 12, 1982, and invited chart-topping musical guests including Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Jackson Browne to play in front of an estimated crowd of 750,000. Four years later, in July 1986, a record-breaking 800,000 people were reported at the New York Philharmonic and U.S. Marine Band joint concert to celebrate the restoration and reopening of the Statue of Liberty.
In April 1990, another massive crowd of three-quarters of a million packed Central Park for Earth Day. The musical guests were the B-52’s, Hall & Oates and Eddie Brickell. That same year, the Central Park Conservancy’s SummerStage concert series was moved to Rumsey Playfield, located just off the East 69th and 5th Avenue entrance to Central Park. While not as big as the massive Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow gatherings, the SummerStage has brought world-class acts to the area for over three decades, promoting everything from Central Park preservation, Greenpeace, voter awareness and social justice.
Paul Simon returned in 1991 to a giant crowd on the lawn, but every attendance record for a single artist was destroyed by Garth Brooks in 1997 for a show better known as “Garthstock” due to the giant turnout in a city not known for country music. Dave Matthews Band would bring the free benefit show back to the Great Lawn in 2003 to support music and art education in the NYC public school system, drawing an estimated 85,000. Matthews greeted the crowd saying, “So nice to run into you in the park here, the greatest park in the world, and the greatest city in the world.”
The Black Eye Peas filled the Great Lawn in 2011 for yet another benefit concert raising over $4 million for the Robin Hood Foundation. In 2019, nearly $1 billion was raised during the Global Citizens Festival supported by headliners: Queen + Adam Lambert, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, OneRepublic, H.E.R., and Carole King. The city’s incredible fundraising ability is only as powerful as the people that support the events — artists, promoters, attendees. Concerts on the Great Lawn are not only legendary due to the phenomenal performances in the epic “green lung” of the country’s largest city, but many of the concerts have transcended music and focused on the greater impact of people helping people.
What’s so special about Central Park is that you don’t have to be one of the hundreds of thousands to enjoy a memorable live music experience in Central Park. The grounds are full of talented performers from all over the world, and the magic of New York’s most iconic park is that you never know who you’ll run into playing in the paths and park entrances.
If you happened to be in the park during 2013’s installment of Jazz and Colors (a Peter Shapiro sponsored event), you might have run into an impromptu jazzy set with a touch of psychedelia. Bassist Phil Lesh, guitarist Eric Krasno, and drummer Joe Russo dropped their equipment on a random path and started playing to a crowd of zero, then a few dozen, then a few hundred. It’s moments like these that accentuate the excitement of being in the park on a fall afternoon.
Just this past September, as the leaves began to turn during a global pandemic, you might have run into Phish’s Trey Anastasio playing solo acoustic in support of the Parks Foundation’s SummerStage Jubilee. When asked the energy of a quarantined city, Anastasio remarked, “Yes, it’s weird walking through Times Square right now, but Times Square was tourists. But if you go into residential neighborhoods, I mean listen, it’s the greatest city in the world…always has been.”
Multi-disciplinary artist and musician Serge Bulat recently released his new single with Japanese artist Dai Sekiguchi. The new song “Possible Plausible Reversible” is off of his upcoming LP, released on April 30.
In 2009, Bulat immigrated to the USA from a town under the Soviet Union. He was determined to pursue his musical career and expand on numerous frameworks within media. Bulat’s work varies from audiovisual installations to sound design to experimental video and more.
“Possible Plausible Reversible” is the artist’s most recent release off of his full-length album Similarities Between Fish And A Chair. Bulat experiments in this work to fuse genres, cultures, and media. He seeks to challenge traditional formats to develop this non-conforming project.
The new album is a direct continuation of his 2020 release Wurmenai which also delivered an immersive video game. The project features notable collaborators from ten different countries. Some of these artists include Katie Buckley, OYME, and Pavel Vit.
The new work deals with identity, normality, and personality; it questions reality and perception as well as imagines future.
Serge Bulat
Similarities Between Fish And A Chair will release alongside an audiovisual installation, “Inkblot,” as well as an experiential video game “Isolomus.” Bulat’s take on the standard psychological test, “Inkblot,” seeks to expand on the senses and connect his albums.
Five years in the making, Similarities Between Fish And A Chair, will finally be released later this month. Make sure to pre-order/pre-save the album here and stream “Possible Plausible Reversible” on major platforms until then.
With inspiration from the Grateful Dead, Hiouchi Jewels, in partnership with Warner Music Artist Services, has debuted the officially licensed, hand-made Rose and Bolt jewelry collection, giving life to Sarah Lewis’ dedication to her craft.
A native New Yorker from Schenectady, Lewis attended Furthur Festival at SPAC in 1997, which led her to catch Ratdog, Phil Lesh and Friends, and later on, Dead and Company, among the rest of the side projects. When Gathering of the Vibes was held in Mariaville, NY, you could find Sarah among the 1000’s of attendees.
The Grateful Dead is so much more than music, it’s home. It’s always been a part of my life. My friends and the music have gotten me through some really tough time.
Sarah Lewis, Hiouchi Jewels
In the summer of 2015, Lewis moved from Philly to California, making a stop in Chicago for the three night of Fare Thee Well at Soldier Field. Now based in Evergreen, Colorado, Lewis is the heart & soul of Hiouchi Jewels. She’s been making jewelry all her life, and earned her BFA in Metals & Jewelry at the Savannah College of Art & Design.
Sarah’s career began designing for boho-chic brand Free People, before she launched her own brand, in 2009. Today, the collection is designed and curated by Sarah in her Colorado studio, and handcrafted by her, and by fair trade artisan partners.
The Rose & Bolt collection features handmade rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, all featuring roses and the classic 13-point lightning bolt. Elegant, delicate styles come in sterling silver, rose gold, and 16k yellow gold. Bolder, statement styles feature turquoise stones and quartz crystals.
Although Rose & Bolt carries similarities to Sarah’s classic Hiouchi Jewels Collection, many aspects are new. This marks her first time using rose gold, appropriate for the rose motifs in the collection. Sarah has typically made jewelry for women, and is excited to debut her first unisex/gender neutral collection.
The Grateful Dead’s music has been an important part of my life and an inspiration for all of my creative work, so this collaboration is a dream project for me. I’ve carried my modern bohemian aesthetic from Hiouchi Jewels into this collection, adding the iconic Grateful Dead Roses & Bolts to each piece. The Grateful Dead is so much more than music- it’s a lifestyle, a community, a vibrant, unique culture. It’s truly an honor to have my jewelry join the rich lineage of licensed Grateful Dead artwork and merchandise.
Sarah Lewis, designer
Hiouchi (pronounced Hi-You-Chi) is the name of a wilderness area in Northern California, where Sarah lived and created for 3 years. She re-named her business to Hiouchi in 2018, to honor the time that she spent in this special place in nature, and to carry the magic of the Redwoods with her.
Both an artisan maker, and fashion jewelry lifestyle brand, Lewis sells her wares at HiouchiJewels.com, and through over 400 boutiques & companies internationally.
It took years of persistent outreach to bring a Grateful Dead jewelry line together. Lewis’ drive and perseverence, and especially her passion, drove her to bring this to fruition. “You gotta send a bunch of emails sometimes and magic can happen.” This puts Sarah in good company – she is one of only two officially licensed Grateful Dead jewelry makers.
For Rose and Bolt, Lewis uses rose gold. The reason for this she explained was that rose gold is trendy and new, and the same process in working with yellow gold. Rose gold is an alloy that has a little more copper. Thus, Rose and Bolt is made with rose and gold.
Rose & Bolt Jewelry is sure to attract fans of all ages. Each piece comes in beautiful, collectors boxes and microsuede drawstring pouches. Classic styles can go from day to night, office to dance floor, from formal events to Zoom parties. Rose & Bolt jewelry will prove to be coveted pieces in any Deadhead’s collection.
Watch a video of Sarah showing a few pieces from the collection, the packaging and free gifts that come with each order, as well as a tour of her studio in Evergreen, Colorado. She is currently running a promotion of 20% off at Hiouchi Jewels with code ‘spring.’
