Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took to the stage at Studio 8H for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live. This marked Bad Bunny’s first time as SNL’s musical guest, although he did appear in a sketch last season when the show was shooting remotely. Hosting this evening was Regé-Jean Page, from Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Bad Bunny is nominated for multiple Grammy Awards this year, including Best Latin Pop Album for YHLQMDLG, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Un Dia (One Day)” with J Balvin, Dua Lipa, and Tainy. At the 2020 Latin Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny took home the award for Best Reggaeton performance and in 2019 won for Best Urban Music Album.
For the first performance of the night, Bad Bunny sang “La Noche de Anoche,” joined by nuevo flamenco singer Rosalía. The music video for the song off 2020’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo dropped last week, an album which made history for Bad Bunny as the first all-Spanish-language album to hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 200.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yb4HX5gwqI
Bad Bunny also made an appearance in the musical sketch “Loco,” serving as a hallucination for stir crazy cast member Ego Nwodim as she revisits how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her life.
Bad Bunny’s second song of the night was “Te Deseo lo Mejor,” also off 2020’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo. Translated as “I Wish You the Best,” Bad Bunny performed the track on The Late Show with James Cordon this past December.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPEwYnAQQOg
Saturday Night Live returns on February 27 with host and musical guest, Nick Jonas.
February of 2018 happened to be the warmest February on record in New York State, and part of the reason was probably due to the Tedeschi Trucks Band two sold out shows at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on the 20th and 21st. I was at the first show and, as usual, the band was on fire during their impressive set just shy of 20 songs, opening with a tight version of “Do I Look Worried” from the 2013 album Made Up Mind.
Much like Derek’s former band The Allman Brothers, TTB gets right down to business with very little talk directed to the audience, if any. Susan is an absolute powerhouse. She proved this once again during the epic “Until You Remember” from the 2011 album Revelator. The first set had a few covers such as Neil Young’s “Alabama” and Charles Segar’s “Key to the Highway.”
The set closed with an amazing “Idle Wind” jam from the group’s second album Made Up Mind. The second set started with “Statesboro Blues” which is actually a Blind Willie McTell song that was made famous by The Allman Brothers Band. The rest of the second set was very blues heavy and included some great covers like “Goin Down Slow” by St. Louis Jimmy Oden and “How Blue Can You Get” by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers in which Susan played lead guitar and thanked their late friend B.B. King at the conclusion. The second set ended with a gospel song written by Bill Taylor called “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.”
The encore started with a fantastic cover of “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty who had passed away suddenly just 3 months earlier. The show ended with a extraordinary version of “Laugh About It.” During the chorus, Susan said, “Put your hands up for those kids,” referring to the tragedy at Parkland High School in Florida.
TTB was scheduled to tour in 2020, but due to Covid19, The Wheels of Soul Tour has been rescheduled to start in the summer of 2021. Starting on February 18th, the band is presenting a six-episode series of home performances called Fireside Sessions available on nugs.net. For more info visit the band’s website.
Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Capitol Theatre, February 20, 2018
Set 1: Do I Look Worried, Just as Strange, Until You Remember, Key To The Highway (Charles Segar cover), Don’t Miss Me (The Derek Trucks Band cover), Alabama (Neil Young cover), Talking About, Idle Wind
Set 2: Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell cover), Part of Me, It’s So Heavy, Let Me Get By, Right On Time, Goin Down Slow (St. Louis Jimmy Oden cover), Made Up Mind, How Blue Can You Get (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover), I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (Bill Taylor cover)
Encore: You Don’t Know How It Feels (Tom Petty cover), Laugh About It
Mark Morales, known as Prince Markie Dee and a founding member of hip-hop/ rap group The Fat Boys, passed away at 52 years old, just one day before his birthday, on February 18, 2021. AllHipHop reported Prince Markie Dee had died from congestive heart failure after suffering “distressing” health issues.
Mark Anthony Morales also hosted “The Prince Markie Dee Show” on LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells channel on SiriusXM radio.Credit…Robin Marchant/Getty Images
Mark Morales was born on February 19, 1968 in Brooklyn. He formed the band called ‘Disco 3′ with Darren Robinson and Damon Wimbley in the early 1980s. After they won a talent contest at Radio City Music Hall in 1983 the group signed a contract with the show’s promoter. They eventually ended up rename themselves the Fat Boys in reference to their weight under their promoter at the time’s recommendation.
The Fat Boys went on to release seven albums, three of which were gold certified and one reaching platinum status. They had hit songs like “Jail House Rap,” “Can You Feel It,” and “The Fat Boys Are Back” and brought beatboxing into the spotlight. The trio even appeared in a few films including “Disorderlies” “Krush Groove” and “Knights of the City.” They ended up breaking up in the early 1990s. Band member Darren Robinson died in 1995 at age 28 after falling off of a chair while rapping for friends and lost consciousness.
Morales started work as a songwriter and producer for Uptown Records, collaborating with Father MC and Mary J. Blige after the group disbanded. According to The New York Timesarticle “He helped write and produce Ms. Blige’s 1992 breakout hit “Real Love” and worked on her debut album, What’s the 411? He also worked on songs and remixes for Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey and others.” Later in his life, Morales became a radio personality based in Florida. He started back in 2008 to 2010, serving as the afternoon drive radio host/DJ at 103.5 The Beat WMIB radio in Miami, Florida. He also ended up working at WEDR 99.1 FM and the Rock the Bells station of Sirius XM which he hosted his show The Prince Markie Dee Show.
https://youtu.be/cvqxIDmEw_c
Prince Markie Dee aka Mark Morales will be missed by the music community. We mourn his loss and send our condolences to his family and friends.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Ferriday, Eion Noonan and many more.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
This week’s featured band is Albany’s Ferriday, where Pearson will be playing four in a row off of Everywhere You Go. Ferriday’s tunes are straight forward pure rock and roll indulgence with unique lyrical stories. They stand alone as individual singles yet also work cohesively flowing from one tune and vibe to the next. The playing from all the members is excellent, with note choices, song treatments, guitar tones, down to bass drum use, are very well put together for a well honed sound.
Also featured is Irish-born Vermont resident, Eoin Noonan, and his beautiful tune, “Lovin’.” Eoin continues to create original and inspiring music that alternates between indie rock, country and folk music.
Noonan has excellent song crafting and performance, with a great mood set forth in this piece of music. The march tempo and catchy lyrics, make “Lovin’” a creative single that inspires a desire to hear more from this Irish transplant now finding an artistic home in Vermont.
Phish revisits their February 22, 2019 show from Barceló Maya Beach, Riviera Maya, Mexico for the February installment of Dinner and a Movie stream series. Tune in on Tuesday, February 22, 2021, at webcast.livephish.com at 8:30pm ET.
The all-inclusive event was a must-attend for die-hard fans, especially those looking to combine a tropical getaway with six sets of the Vermont quartet. Mexico also serves special distinction as the location of the most recent Phish shows, held over February 20-23, 2020, just prior to the music industry shutdown.
On the dinner menu this evening are Classic Chile and Cheese Tamales and Black Bean Soup. Full recipes can be found here. Don’t forget to tag your dinner photos #phishdinnerandamovie.
Established in 1979, the NILC is the leading national legal advocacy org in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of the most vulnerable immigrants and their loved ones. Believing that everyone living in the U.S. should have equal access to justice, resources, and economic opportunities that allow them to achieve their full human potential, NILC advances its mission through a racial, economic, and gender justice and equity lens, and works to challenge laws and policies that contribute to systemic inequities.
Tune in Tuesday, February 22 at 8:30PM ET at webcast.livephish.com for the latest Dinner and a Movie with fingers crossed for Phish returning to Mexico in 2022.
Setlist via Phish.net
Phish, February 22, 2019, Barceló Maya Beach, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Set 1: You Enjoy Myself, Turtle in the Clouds, 46 Days, No Men In No Man’s Land > Emotional Rescue, Tube > Shade, Saw It Again
Set 2: Set Your Soul Free > Mercury > Slave to the Traffic Light > Possum > Sanity > Walk Away
Encore: More
Emotional Rescue was played for the first time since August 31, 2012 (233 shows). Page teased I’m a Man (Spencer Davis Group) in Set Your Soul Free and She Said She Said in Mercury.
It was March 15, 2012 – my future wife and I flew to Arizona and are standing on the floor at Jobing.com Arena (now Gila River Arena). The lights go off and Radiohead walk on stage for the last show of The King of Limbs tour, their first proper tour in four years. After a fervent reception from the crowd, Thom Yorke starts playing the swirling guitar arpeggios of “Bloom,” the opening track on The King of Limbs. While walking around the Grand Canyon the following afternoon we just could not shake off the chills still ringing through us from the night before.
Radiohead, Jobing.com Arena – 3/15/2012 (Photo by Buscar Photo)
Radiohead’s eighth LP, The King of Limbs (TKOL) turns 10 years old this week and as with any Radiohead album, it represents a unique (yet polarizing) place in the band’s history. The record followed up 2007’s In Rainbows, arguably one of the most important records in modern music history, and a massive double commercial success. Fans worldwide whole-heartedly embraced the pay-what-you-want model right off the band’s website. The record debuted at #1 on multiple charts months later when the retail version of the record was released. The release model for that record changed the music industry forever and foreshadowed the “creative economy” we are currently seeing explode. Four years removed from that ground-breaking release, fans were rabid for more.
The King of Limbs was slated to be released on the Radiohead website on February 18th, 2011 but fans were surprised one day prior when the band announced that the “website was ready early” and the album was available for download. I skipped class for the rest of the day at Fordham, raced home to Long Island and pressed play as soon as I could.
The album kicks off with “Bloom,” a cascading mix of guitar arpeggios, repetitive drum sequences, and a metaphor of the ocean breathing a “universal sigh.” What would become a mainstay in Radiohead setlists, “Bloom” reaches an epic climax before winding down to a single ringing bass note. “Morning Mr. Magpie,” a feverish guitar rock track with a glitched out drum beat precedes “Little by Little,” where the new addition of second drummer Clive Deamer (of Portishead fame) really shines. The two play competing drum rhythms superimposed on one another but are still able to mix it in a way that comes off like a cohesive beat played by a single drummer.
Radiohead, Jobing.com Arena – 3/15/2012 (Photo by Buscar Photo)
Things take a sudden turn with “Feral,” certainly the black sheep of the record, even by Radiohead standards. The listener is bombarded with frenetic drums and ghostly, heavily distorted vocals (enormous “Pulk/Pull…” vibes here). We then hit “Lotus Flower,” the lead single released a couple days before the album via a music video featuring Yorke comically (seriously?) and erratically dancing in a bowler hat. The record then goes into a lull for “Codex” and “Give Up the Ghost,” which are stripped back minimal efforts that stops the albums momentum coming back to back in the second half. Closer “Separator” features soaring vocals over syncopated drum beats.
Regardless of how we feel about the record today, there is no question that fans, myself included, felt disappointed that day. With only 8 tracks, a brief 37-minute runtime and a very lopsided track flow, I sat on my basement floor thinking to myself, “that was it?” After all, Thom Yorke seemed to be overtly teasing us with the vocals on “Separator” by singing “If you think this is over then you’re wrong…” A mantra fans used to convince themselves a “part 2” was coming. Everything about TKOL felt unfinished. The production was rather muted, the recordings felt like demo takes, and it was really hard to picture any of the songs slapping in an arena.
That last notion was proven completely false once these songs got the live treatment. For me personally, hearing them performed live (7 TKOL era tracks that night in Arizona) made it all come together. Listeners still turn to the live studio version released in December 2011 – The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement as the definitive version of the record. The expansive reworked versions and three additional tracks (“The Daily Mail,” “Staircase,” and “Supercollider”) gave the album a whole new persona. Between the release in February 2011 and the start of the tour in February 2012, the band only played three shows (Glastonbury, and two nights in NYC at Roseland Ballroom) but it was already clear that the songs on TKOL are in their full glory live. This is true for so many bands and songs, but here it is especially the case.
Radiohead embarked on a drastic stylistic shift on The King of Limbs. Ambient and melancholic electronica have always been an omnipresent backdrop since the OK Computer era. This time around, Radiohead dove deeper into their IDM and dub-techno influences and adopted a more dadaist approach to the structure and recording of the songs. This was taken to the n-th degree (in typical Radiohead fashion) by Jonny Greenwood who built and programmed a custom hardware/software package to sample the band’s live playing. The essence of TKOL was always meant to be a live rock-band adaptation of 2000s era minimalist techno and down-tempo, a subset of electronica seemingly brought about to capture the moments leading up to sunrise after a long night at the club; an evanescent “blue hour” moment. Artists such as Burial, Bonobo and Four Tet come to mind.
The band even physically encapsulated that very same fleeting, transient vibe of the music in the physical vinyl release. Dubbed the “Newspaper Edition,” the album was first teased with a newspaper handed out on the streets of NYC and the UK titled The Universal Sigh, that featured collages of poetry, short stories, and visual art. The vinyl itself came with another newspaper style art book, a 625-tab sheet of blotter paper, and two clear vinyls. Newspaper was chosen because of how it predictably yellows and fades over time; coming back to the whole notion of capturing an elusive futuristic sound before it fades into memory.
Artwork from The King of Limbs “Newspaper” Edition
The exploration of this new style continued in the year following the release of TKOL with a continuous series of electronic remixes that culminated in the TKOL RMX 1234567 release. Artists such as Four Tet, Caribou, Mark Pritchard, Shed, Jamie XX, Modeselektor, SBTKRT, and many more did their thing with the album tracks. While disjointed and filled with some bizarre sounding remixes that many dismissed out of hand, the collection contains some of the most unique sounding electronica you can find. This style would ultimately evolve and become a jumping off point for Thom Yorke’s future eras of solo/collaborative projects (i.e. collaborations with Modeselektor, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes and more).
That brings us back to today – 10 years later. While still polarizing and a point of heated debate amongst the Radiohead faithful, The King of Limbs owns its distinct place within the band’s discography; I would even argue it is one of their best records. Considering that another record has been released since, fans have allowed TKOL to exist as it was meant to be, rather than forcing it to be another In Rainbows or OK Computer. The record explores a very brief period in electronica from the perspective of an arena rock band in a way that has yet to be done by any other artist. The Universal Sigh publications will eventually disintegrate with time but The King of Limbs is not going anywhere and continues to perplex and wonder listeners a decade on.
On Saturday, May 8, indie rock band Mt. Joy is coming to Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry, NY. Presented by Twenty6 Productions, the show begins at 4:00 p.m. EST with special guests to be announced.
Tickets are available in seven tiers, ranging from front-of-stage VIP pods ($275) to car seating (starting at $125). Each ticket purchase includes admission for five people, with VIP ticket holders receiving show posters. Individual tickets are also available for concertgoers in cars occupying more than five. The snack bar and restrooms are open at limited capacity, and guests must wear a face mask to use them.
Mt. Joy formed in 2016, when former high school classmates Matt Quinn (vocals, guitar) and Sam Cooper (guitar) met again on the opposite side of the country in Los Angeles. They linked up with bassist Michael Byrnes through a Craigslist ad, and named the band after Mount Joy, a mountain in Valley Forge National Historical Park near their hometown of Philadelphia, PA. The band’s first song, “Astrovan” was an instant success, receiving over two million Spotify streams in its first month of release and over 36 million to date. Other hits soon followed, such as “Sheep” and “Silver Lining.” Mt. Joy is rounded out by drummer Sotiris Eliopoulos and keyboardist Jackie Miclau.
Mt. Joy’s second album, Rearrange Us, was released on June 5, 2020, coinciding with the murder of George Floyd. The band was unable to delay the album, so they instead donated 100% of profits to the police reform nonprofit Campaign Zero. Rearrange Us marked the band’s debut on the Billboard 200, with the single “Strangers” also reaching #5 on the Adult Alternative chart. While their dates were cut short due to the pandemic, Mt. Joy toured with the Lumineers throughout early 2020. Most recently, they released “New President” in October, ahead of Joe Biden’s victory:
For more information on Mt. Joy’s Silver Lake Drive-In show, view the event details here.
Netflix is gearing up for the premiere of their newly announced documentary, Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, which will be released on March 1, 2021. The documentary will take a deep dive into the personal life and career of The Notorious B.I.G. with commentary from fellow rappers and close friends. The streaming platform teased the series’ first trailer Tuesday, February 16.
The documentary will provide in-depth content on the deceased mega-star, Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. Produced by Volleta Wallace, The rapper’s mother, the series will feature interviews from friend and collaborator, Diddy.
“Biggie blew up overnight, You have no origins from what rap planet this guy came from,” you can hear Diddy say over the series trailer which features archived snapshots detailing The Notorious B.I.G.’s quick rise to fame.
Snippets of the series also shared in the teaser include Biggie’s mother talking about his Brooklyn childhood, reflecting on memories of a young Christopher Wallace writing and reciting songs at a young age.
“This will be the first documentary to focus on the experiences of my son’s life rather than the circumstances of his death. It is a celebration of who he was and where he came from. This is how he would have wanted to be remembered,” says Volleta, explaining the need for a different narrative surrounding the rapper, who died March 9, 1997 at the age of 24.
The Notorious B.I.G. remains to be just that, even 20 years after his death, he remains prevalent in in rap culture. His contributions to the genre along with never before seen blend of wordplay, delivery and songwriting ability have contributed to keeping his legacy alive.
Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs will celebrate the life of Matt McCabe, owner of Saratoga Guitar and former Commissioner of Finance. The memorial will be livestreamed on Saturday. February 20th at 7pm.
Photo from Caffe Lena’s website
The event will be hosted by McCabe’s friend and fellow musician Rick Bolton. The online tribute will feature stories and musical performances by some of the community members who found McCabe’s shop to be a place of support and inspiration. The performances have been prerecorded and include: Leigh Gibson of the Gibson Brothers, Kate Taylor, Dan Berggren, Mark Tolstrup, Chuck Lamb, John Kribs, Michael Eck, Brian Melick, Ria Curley, Angelina Valente, Pete Pashoukas and many more.
Matt McCabe was an example of how a small business can have a huge impact. His goal was to raise the quality of life for everyone. That is why we’re celebrating him. He gave away instruments for fundraising raffles, he gave steep discounts to those in need, and he donated performances to make life a little brighter.
Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena Executive Director
Caffe Lena is a historic music venue located on downtown Saratoga Springs, opening up back in 1960. The café has seen a number of legendary act take it’s stage, from the likes of Bob Dylan in 1961 to recently Sawyer Fredricks in 2014. The Library of Congress has recognized Caffe Lena as “An American Treasure”; as well as being recognized by The Grammy Foundation for important contributions to the development of American music.
The Matt McCabe memorial will be streamed for free on all Caffe Lena social media channels. More information can be found at www.caffelena.org
The impacts of COVID-19 have been felt throughout the entire world, with many having to deal with unfortunate tragedies as a result of the virus. Furthermore, the worldwide quarantine was a strain on many people’s mental health. Humans are social beings after all and forced isolation is bound to have a negative effect, despite its necessity. It was during this time that recording artist, Summer Williams, began to brew ideas for the matching/music creation app, Lyricster.io.
Williams’ innovation was preceded by strenuous efforts to record, collaborate and discover new music during quarantine. There had to be a more efficient way to go about this without having to search countless databases for music album credits. Having used dating apps in the past, William, 30, saw this as an opportunity to add a new spin to musical fraternalization.
“Isolation and quarantine was a blessing and a curse. Being forced to stay indoors allowed me the time to slow down and focus on my needs as a music creator personally and what was lacking in the professional networking space,“ said Williams.
In doing so, she has entrenched herself as a member of the music industry as both a creator and executive. A graduate of Manhattanville college with a degree in music management, Williams is an R&B songstress in her own right, going by the moniker, SLSTRSS, with Lyricster.io serving as her passion project.
The official beta for Lyricster.io launched on January 21, 2021 and was presented at their Songwriters Super Conference, where potential consumers tuned in for a day of expert panelists in the music publishing, sync licensing, audio production, songwriting, social media and entrepreneurship industries, representing industry giants like; Twitter, Songtradr, Songtrust, Berklee College of Music and more.
While collaboration is one of the app’s main selling points, it is more than just about pairing musical acts together. Lyricster.io works to empower the individual through various initiatives. Each Thursday at 9 p.m., Lyricster.io hosts a free members-only virtual session with expert guest songwriters and producers from all genres of music, breaking down their creative processes.
The app has also introduced an online education platform titled “Lyricster University.” The learning tool uploads weekly ‘‘fast classes,” with animated lessons explaining complexities like; royalty collection and copyright protection for musicians, a major point of contention for established artists when speaking to hopefuls. Other features include the ability to filter by genre, location, vocal style, creator type and much more, with the option to match and message your way to musical relationships.
The idea of dating apps are amazing in terms of easily searching through an endless database of users so we kept that similar. What we added are key features fit for musicians, like video profiles instead of picture profiles, links to all music streaming, file sharing and ‘sounds like” filters to experience a user’s full audio resume before being swiped.
Lyricster founder Summer Williams
As a beta launch, all services are completely free. After March 15th, swiping in your city will always be free, but access to the upgraded filters and location search will be $14.99/month.
Imagine the beautiful new sounds of music when we can all just collaborate, both in song and in this country. This year has been incredibly traumatic as a dark-skinned woman in America and it’s time we change the sound ourselves, because we’ve played nice long enough.”
