On June 24 at 5 pm at the beautiful sculpture park and museum Opus 40, a wind sextet showcasing acclaimed musicians from the American Symphony Orchestra will offer Winds Among the Trees, a program of rarely-heard classical music that will immerse the audience in a sprawling landscape. The concert will include works by Carl Maria von Weber and Matyas Seiber and explore the evolution of the wind sextet in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The wind sexted from American Symphony Orchestra
The musicians will be Shari Hoffmanon and Lino Gomez on clarinet, Lawrence DiBello and David Smith on French horn, and then Marc Goldberg and Gilbert Dejean on bassoon. Most of the players also belong to the American Ballet Theater Orchestra. Dejean however also is a member of the Saratoga Opera and along with Gomez has performed in the orchestra for the Broadway productions of West Side Story.
Opus 40 is a large environmental sculpture park in Saugerties, New York, created by sculptor and quarryman Harvey Fite. It includes a central in-earth bluestone sculpture with dry-stone ramps, pedestals, bridges and platforms. The property also houses the Quarryman’s Museum and hosts a range of artistic events.
The program will include:
Matyas Seiber – Serenade for 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, and 2 Horns
F.H.J. Castil-Blaze – Sextet No. 1 in Eb
Harald Genzmer – Sextet
Carl Maria von Weber – Adagio and Rondo
Tickets for American Symphony Orchestra at Opus 40 are $20 and can be purchased here.
R&B genius and four-time Grammy winner Robert Glasper celebrates the epic return of live music by performing at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC. The celebrity-packed grand reopening ran until 2:30am on Friday, June 18th. You can watch a recap of the night here.
Glasper was joined onstage by comedic icons Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. Musicians included Questlove, Common, Keyon Harrold, and Talib Kweli. You can watch the performance of these artists here. Many celebrities were spotted in the audience, such as Zoe Kravitz, Jon Hamm, Susan Sarandon, Lupita Nyong’o, Don Cheadle, Maurice Brown and poet Amir Sulaiman.
The Blue Note Jazz Club opened in 1981 and has been one of the most premier jazz clubs in the world ever since. It is a gathering place for listeners to enjoy some of America’s best music. The club fosters innovation and progression while preserving the history and traditions of jazz. Clubs like Blue Note have been an integral part of NYC entertainment for years, and the coronavirus pandemic led them to shut down for months. The recent reopening of the clubs has been incredibly exciting for both performers and jazz fans across the state.
Blue Note is celebrating the grand reopening of NYC jazz clubs by presenting the Blue Note Jazz Festival that will run throughout the summer. Many up-and-coming jazz, soul, hip-hop, R&B, and funk artists will be featured. The energy between the walls of Blue Note this summer will remind attendees of the gaping hole that was left this year when jazz clubs were forced to close. The electric performances will be something you surely don’t want to miss.
Wine aficionado and music impresario Michael Dorf, has taken a defunct 207-year-old textile mill in Montgomery NY and transformed its 22 acres into a winery, restaurant, and event space: City Winery Hudson Valley. Add to that, tucked away amongst the sprawling grounds, an amphitheater; sculpted by nature and cradled by the Wallkill River. Seizing on the expanse, CWHV has started “Concerts in the Vineyard,” a summer series offering live music in a bucolic setting.
Rhett Miller
NYS Music took in the ambiance afforded by this new series at an afternoon performance by Rhett Miller & The All Stars. Miller, of the Old 97s, was joined by John N. Burdick on lead guitar, Jason Sarubbi on bass and Angela Iahn on drums. The foursome came together during the pandemic, playing in Rhett’s garage during the days of no live shows. Miller disclosed to the crowd that this setup granted him the opportunity to play cover songs after years of feeling he had to do originals constantly.
From the moment each player picked up their instrument, they were smiling from ear to ear. Relishing in the fact that they were playing in front of people! The band’s time together shown brightly as they maneuvered through the set like a long-lived act. Miller and company glided through Old 97s songs (“Designs on You,” “Turn on the TV,” and “19”), solo numbers (“Come Around,” “Total Disaster”), and a few covers (Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” REM’s “Driver Eight”) for good measure.
Rhett Miller & The All Stars
With City Winery Hudson Valley presenting vintage quality acts at Concerts in the Vineyard like Rhett Miller in a pastoral surrounding, the only thing left to say is the hills are alive with the sound of music. Where’s Julie Andrews when you need her?
The last time Phish would ever play the venue known as the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center took place 27 years ago today. This performance is also the birthplace of one of the more revered pieces of music in the band’s history. A super extended “Tweezer,” affectionately nicknamed as “Fleezer” due to the locale, highlights a three-song second set and still gets rave reviews to this day. The venue now goes by the name of CMAC Performing Arts Center. But the music Phish played their last time at Finger Lakes will, thankfully, last forever.
A raucous Finger Lakes crowd greets the band and only gets louder when the show starts with “Sample In A Jar” as the opener. Trey Anastasio’s guitar solo in its customary spot ramps up the early show energy even further. Phish sticks with material from Hoist, at this point still their most recent studio album, and follows up “Sample” with “Scent Of A Mule.” Anastasio and Page McConnell engage each other on guitar and piano, respectively, almost right away, leading to a quick but aggressive “Mule Duel” section.
Phish then breaks out the new “Ha Ha Ha,” a short number whose only lyrics also serve as the title which had been debuted barely a month ago. The “Divided Sky” that immediately follows is anything but a laughing matter, however. A rapt Canandaigua crowd soaks in every note of this classic song that’s played to perfection and serves as the first set highlight.
Anastasio and McConnell lock up again in another instrumental duet of sorts in a “Guelah Papyrus” that the entire band seems to toy around with at one point or another before “It’s Ice” gets deployed. Bassist Mike Gordon shines on this one, delivering a myriad of various rhythms and fills throughout. It also features a particularly loose and surprisingly extra spacey section in what’s a sign of things to come.
After slowing things down with the ballad “Strange Design,” Phish ends the opening set at Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center on a high note, beginning with an absolutely frenetic, high intensity “Maze.” And instead of ending the set with “Cavern,” an a capella rendition of “Sweet Adeline” is also thrown in for good measure.
All in all, it’s a fine first set, but kept pretty “close to the vest” in terms of free-form improvisation. Aside from snippets of “Mule” and “It’s Ice,” no song veered too far away from its regular structure. That would all change in a big way in the second set, courtesy of a jam for the ages.
The set starts out innocently enough with the new “Theme From The Bottom,” only the eighth one ever played and the first time it opened a second set. It’s a polished version that sees the full band in synch, creating a powerful sequence of music accentuated by another screaming Anastasio guitar solo. Instead of bringing it to a full stop at its conclusion, a feedback-heavy jam begins to develop.
This goes on for several minutes, with even more loops and audio madness being thrown into the proverbial soup. Drummer Jon Fishman gets prominently involved, varying tempos and styles throughout. All of this results in an early second set Grateful Dead-like “Space” section that sounds like it’s on speed. A familiar guitar riff slowly but steadily emerges as the jam pick up steam and, before long, the opening lyrics to “Tweezer” are ringing loud and true.
For the next 40-plus minutes, Phish treats the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Crowd to a version of this classic song that some still regard as one of the best of all time, hence the “Fleezer” label. Before the jam even ensues, Gordon and Fishman rev up the crowd by hamming up some of the lyrics. The band removes the shackles of any standard-sounding “Tweezer” early on and is soon knee deep in Type II improvisation. The jam goes on to visit a variety of styles and tempos, again thanks to the interplay of Fishman and Gordon. It’s got the band singing “My Generation” lyrics over an infectious, rockabilly portion of the jam (foreshadowing their upcoming Halloween cover of The Who’s Quadrophenia), pure ambience that devolves into more harrowing feedback-fueled chaos, Fishman on the vacuum, and “Rift” teases from Gordon. It’s a monumental piece of music that’s certainly worthy of a catchy nickname and a place in Phish lore.
It’s a “Tweezer” so epic that the only natural follow-up would be a “Reprise” of itself. That’s exactly what Phish does this evening, creating a set for the ages for the Finger Lakes crowd that’s short on song titles but long on jaw dropping rock and improv.
For an encore, the band went acoustic, with each member playing an acoustic guitar for “Acoustic Army,” an event strictly related to 1995 Phish. An electric, both literal and figurative, cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” then closes out the festivities for the evening, with another chapter of the band’s growing legacy now written.
Kentö, NY-based multilingual singer, songwriter and producer,has released his new single “Silhouette.” Kentö has been creating his own music for the past 8 years, developing songs that tell stories about his own life experiences.
Born in Northern Maine to a half Japanese/half French Dad and a Brazilian/French Canadian Mom, Kentö’s upbringing and travel have shaped him into the artist he is today. While living between Maine, Brazil and Canada, Kentö predominantly spent his childhood and teenage years in Japan, where he learned about music from all over the world at a young age.
After working on a punk/pop project for four years in Japan, Kentö realized he wanted to branch out and discover a more timeless sound that felt more authentic to him, rather than what managers and labels decided on his behalf. In 2012 Kentö decided to take a chance, move to LA, call his own shots and start diving into a more diverse range of music. While doing so, he met artist/producer Frankmusik, and recorded/released his debut EP Complicated. From thereKentö was born, and his electro-edged pop music started grabbing the attention of media.
I am LGBTQI+ and I’m on the autism spectrum, and I think these are all my superpowers. I think pop music tends to have trends that all sound like one thing, and then someone comes along and shakes things up with a timeless sound. That’s the kind of music I want to make. I have overcome a lot in my life, my parents passed when I was young, I’ve battled Cancer, and navigating the world not only as an LGBTQI+ person, but also one on the spectrum has really given me a lot of perspective on the world, life, and music. The amount of joy I feel being able to even be writing this right now that I have is immense. I’m so proud of myself, and I want to just share my music and positivity to the world.
-Kentö
In 2019 Kentö was selected to join Them[Condé Nast], as one of the first of 30 LGBTQI+ ambassadors for the launch of their new publication and initiative. Being a strong voice for others to receive inspiration from has always been a shining light throughout any project he takes on.
Today, talented singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT+ activist, and pioneer in music Cynthia (Cyndi) Ann Stephanie Lauper celebrates her 69th birthday. From her residence in New York’s Upper West Side to childhood in Ozone Park, Cyndi Lauper is a true New Yorker through and through.
The perpetually campy orange haired princess of pop like her image in “Girls Just Want to Have Fun“, Lauper is underrated as a master across genres. With one of the greatest rock voices of her generation, she described her struggle even to emerge as the pop artist she was labeled as.
Cyndi Lauper in Girls Just Wanna Have Fun/ credit: MEDIAPUNCH
Despite misogynistic barriers that initially barred her from entry into the industry, Lauper’s album She’s So Unusual was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Top 100s, earning her a Best New Artist Grammy award in 1985.
Iconoclast who revolutionized the role of women in rock and roll
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Lauper’s discography spans across genres, movie soundtracks like The Goonies, and even Broadway numbers like Kinky Boots, earning her Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards. She’s one of the few singers to have earned 3 out of the 4 EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Throughout her entire career, Lauper has consistently taken on serious topics including racism, homophobia, spousal abuse and AIDS. Her sincere advocacy for gay and transgender rights even earned her an invitation as a special guest to attend President Barack Obama’s second-term inauguration. As the co-founder of True Colorshttp://Nysmusic.com/tag/LGBTQ United, Lauper sought to eliminate youth homelessness among LGBTQ+ young people and even uses her iconic song True Colors to raise awareness for issues among the gay community. A true humanitarian, she was even presented the High Note Global Prize in 2019 by United Nations Human Rights.
As we all wish Cyndi Lauper a happy birthday, let us not forget all her contributions to the music industry and human rights alike!
The long-awaited autobiography from heavy metal music icon Ronnie James Dio, the powerhouse voice of Elf, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his long-time bespoke band DIO, will be published on July 27. Co-written with British music journalist Mick Wall and Dio’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio, Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography is officially available for pre-order.
Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio had begun writing the manuscript several years before being diagnosed with cancer. Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and raised in an Italian-American family in the upstate New York town of Cortland, his journey to international fame was hardly pre-ordained. He first began playing trumpet and then guitar and bass in local bands at parties, bars, and clubs while still in high school. It also tells the tales of him surviving life-changing setbacks. Among them the loss of his bandmate and best friend in a car accident that put his own life in jeopardy. These events only made him more focused and determined to succeed. He documents how he evolved from sideman into singer and frontman to not one, but three, internationally-renowned multi-platinum-selling bands.
The autobiography is illustrated throughout with photographs, largely never-before-seen, derived from family photo albums and personal archives, plus an eight-page color insert devoted to additional rare photographs from Ronnie’s life and career.
To celebrate the publication of the book, Wendy Dio will participate in an hour-long LiveSigning.com event on Wednesday, July 28 beginning at 3:00 PM (Eastern time). Those who have pre-ordered the book will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance for Wendy to answer during the event, which will stream live via the Ronnie James Dio Facebook page.
Foo Fighters performed the first show back at Madison Square Garden (MSG) and made New York and music history as they welcomed vaccinated fans back to the iconic venue on June 20 for the first 100% capacity concert in a New York arena since March 2020.
The three hour long, sold out show with no opening act marked Madison Square Garden’s first concert in more than 460 days in yet another resounding endorsement of the return of live music. The last full capacity show at MSG was The Brothers, which celebrated the Allman Brothers Band music on March 10, 2020. Since then, limited capacity events like Knicks games have taken place at the arena.
Despite anti-vax protests, MSG required a vaccination check for entry at the show, mainly the Excelsior Pass, the NYC-only digital “passport” that provides proof of vaccination. The venue allowed attendees to mask up at their own discretion. For children under 16, a negative COVID-19 test paired with an ID could, and can, suffice in place of a vaccine passport.
“We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year,” said Dave Grohl. “And Madison Square Garden is going to feel that HARD. New York, get ready for a long ass night of screaming our heads off together to 26 years of Foos.”
AMAZING. First concert in almost two years, and it's the FOO FIGHTERS. Threw my voice out singing almost every song. Possibly one of the BEST concerts I've ever been to. Feels great to be back at concerts again. Also, Dave Chappelle is GREAT. #FooFighters#MSG#GetVaccinatedpic.twitter.com/zqlXTngkbt
Dave Chapelle joined the band to sing a cover of “Creep” by Radiohead. Other covers of the night include “Somebody to Love” by Queen and as a sneak peek for the new Foo Fighters Record Store Day album, they offered a cover of “You Should Be Dancing” off Hail Satin, due on July 17, a satirical take on The Bee Gees.
The 12 time Grammy Award-winning band, sold tens of millions of records and created anthems, their globally anticipated 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, was released February 5, preceded by the chart-topping groove of “Shame Shame,” the brain-rattling “No Son of Mine,” and the epic swell of “Waiting on a War.” Since 1995, the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee have held the title of the last great American arena/stadium rock band.
Foo Fighters first headlined a sold-out Garden in February 2008 on their “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” tour, returning to rock the venue for another sell-out show in November 2011 on the “Wasting Light” tour. Most recently, the band sold-out two nights at The World’s Most Famous Arena in July 2018, on their “Concrete and Gold” tour. The announcement of the June 20 MSG show follows the news of Foo Fighters’ first six U.S. dates on their “25th 26th Anniversary” tour taking place later this summer.
The June 20 Foo Fighters show, along with other recently announced shows across MSG Entertainment’s venues, are part of the company’s efforts to restart New York, which also include two sold-out events this month – the closing night of Tribeca Festival featuring “Untitled: Dave Chappelle Documentary” at Radio City Music Hall on June 19 and “Two Evenings With Trey Anastasio” at the Beacon Theatre on June 22-23.
Foo Fighters – Madison Square Garden (MSG) – June 20, 2021
Setlist: Times Like These, The Pretender, Learn to Fly, No Son of Mine, The Sky Is a Neighborhood, Shame Shame, Rope, Run, My Hero, These Days, Medicine at Midnight, Walk, Somebody to Love (Queen cover with Taylor Hawkins on lead), Monkey Wrench, Arlandria, Breakout, Creep (Radiohead cover with Dave Chappelle), All My Life, Aurora, This Is A Call, Best of You
Encore: Making a Fire, You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees cover), Everlong
A sea of joyful color and child-like wonder pulsed through the Goose crowd on June 15 and 16 at Silver Lake Twin Drive-in in Perry, NY. Many families emerged for their first time since shutdown and were welcomed by a space glowing with familial care. Permission was given to be fully present for the music. Hospitality at this venue made all the difference for so many in the last year and a half.
What’s better then 1 Goedde Light Show? 2.
Twenty6 Productions staff were able to touch hands at the end of their huddle. Staff reminisced together about all they had been through with jokes beginning with “back in my day.” Grace Vesneske and Josh Holtzman made their intention clear that they were here to support our whole night.
“We are so stoked to celebrate NYS ban being lifted! To kick it off with a power house like Goose make it even more epic. Thank you Twenty6 productions for making dreams come true.” – Josh Eppinger
Attendees painted the lot with their beautifully unique Blue Sky Tie Dye shirts made by “the guy that makes stuff happen” and local sweetheart Phil Vasile.
Jugglers, hula hoops and dragon kites twirled and swirled. The Haus of Peculiar entertainers snapped their fans with unparalleled sass. The character and the characters blended unexpectedly in order to create an upbeat, family vibe.
Goose fans seasoned and fresh here for the ferocity.
The best anecdote to communicate the mood of the night would be when two and a half year old fan Jonah fell on the ground just as the band came on for the second night. He lifted his head as the crowd began cheering and expression shifted to pure joy because he believed they were cheering for his Tumble.
Deep Goose
Experiencing Technicolor with Goedde Sound & Light
What made the night more special was that despite lifting restrictions, many attendees were doing so virtually and with the highest quality viewing experience. Goedde Sound and Light replicated the mood of “Dark Horse” with lights that behaved as if they were a rain stick or gong.
Crescent moon showing up just in time for the start of “Dark Horse” and its complementary lights.
Sam Bardini’s superb mixing allowed for fan Phil Paquet to experience “some deep Goose” from home and have conversation with those that were in attendance as if he and Mr. McGoose were right up there with Crepes.
Strategically placed plant creating a Peter Gabriel jungle vibe.
Danny McDonald traversed the stage with ease, carefully dodging open thermoses of Hot Tea on the cozy stage in order to share the best angles of Peter Anspach slapping his clavinet.
Trevor casually fire bending.
Marta Goedde knowing how to orchestrate angles and vantages to tell a song’s story in layers that have never been set before.
Adam Berta finding E.T.
Adam Berta, perched on the roof of the bathrooms, looked like a character out of a Spielberg movie where aliens are real and anything is possible. He knew exactly where to be and displayed a great balance between passive ninja and gentle direction in order to get some truly unique moments.
Goedde’s lights inviting all to lay back and enjoy
Deep Stashes And ‘Staches
The crowd shared two nights of pure reflective elation. The band went far into the jams and deep into the archives for a crowd that was not afraid to express how much it meant to them. Goose at Perry felt like an extra-terrestrial dream. Well orchestrated on all fronts, we moved on feeling like the war might actually be all over now, Baby Blue.
Phil Vasile (Right) with children both biological and metaphysical
June 15 Setlist: Turned Clouds, Doc Brown, I’m Alright (Kenny Loggins), Make The Move (Kenny Loggins), Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins), A Western Sun, Echo Of A Rose, Into The Myst, Travelers, Its All Over Now Baby Blue (Bob Dylan), Dark Horse, Empress of Organos
June 16 Setlist: Tumble, Doobie Song, Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo (The Grateful Dead), Wysteria, Innocent Son (Fleet Foxes), Labyrinth, Hot Tea, Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant), Creatures, This Old Sea, Jive II, Jive Lee
Setlists via “The Playbook” via “Coach” Jon Lombardi Facebook page
For more, show a family member the livestream for “Goosemas 2021” that helped comfort us all and introduce so many to what the Goose team has to offer.
Purely Technique Dance will be having its 8th annual dance concert and fundraiser. The theme they have selected for this year, “Heroes in Humanism,” will explore all of the avenues related to ‘real-life heroes’ who dedicate their lives and time to the betterment of humankind. The performance will take place on Thursday, June 24th at 7:00 pm at the Robert Eckert Theater at EPAC in Endicott, NY.
The evening will be celebrating movement, human emotion, and healing. Purely Technique Dance OUR Company is under the artistic direction of Erin Saddlemire. Saddlemire utilizes the thoughts, feelings, and actions of her dancers through improvisational structures and storytelling. Their ideas are an integral part of OUR Company’s creative process.
The performances will showcase the art of dance in a theatrical venue. OUR Company will use dance to celebrate love and will explore concepts, ideas, and feelings that cause us to contemplate and perhaps evolve.
“Heroes in Humanism” also features the hard work of Purely Technique dance classes and solo students who all have a tremendous passion for the art of dance. The show will also have guest performances by Dynamic Dance Movement.
For the past 8 years, it has been a tradition to hold the annual dance concert as a fundraiser. Each year an art club or organization within the Greater Binghamton community is chosen as a beneficiary group. This year Endicott Performing Arts Center was chosen as the recipient and as the host for this year’s performance.
Reserved Seating Tickets are now on sale. Tickets will also be available at the door and are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and children 5 and under are admitted for free. For ticket purchase contact Erin Saddlemire at purelytechniquedance@gmail.com or call 607.245.6366. Erin Saddlemire can also be contacted through Purely Technique’s website at purelytechniquedance.org
