NYC-based Colombian producer, singer-songwriter, and sound engineer Otto Botté unleashed his vibrant new single, “Dancing Company,” featuring Emma Claye. The song is accompanied by a Pablo Morelo-directed lyric video and news that the rising artist will release his debut EP, Dancing Company Vol. I, on July 16.
On the title offering of his forthcoming debut EP, Botté delivers a genre-defying track about passionate nights on the dancefloor while highlighting Claye’s dreamy vocals with an array of live instrumentation and house-leaning synths.
With “Dancing Company,” the self-taught, multi-faceted sound engineer and artist demonstrates his ability to infuse traditional Colombian roots music and Latin pop with elements of house music. The dance influences he’s absorbed from a decade of immersing himself in NYC’s nightlife and music scene by working with a spectrum of rising and prominent musicians shine on this single.
The lyric video, which premiered via Bands Do Brooklyn, starred Botte himself and Emma Claye and displays both the Spanish and English translations of the song. The colorful background interposed with the black and white filtered shots highlights how well the video was color-graded. The high-energy cuts and continuous dancing replicate the clubbable vibe of the track.
This song has freed me to express my unfiltered version through flirtiness and sensuality looking to portray the beauty in human connection, whether it’s instant and led by sounds or when it’s intimate and sensed through smells. I see God reflected in our ability to connect in community. There’s a line in the song that says, ‘I feel you watching me like if I got no clothes on’ and this takes place on the dance floor when I’m doing my thing, feeling watched by somebody else, desired, and vulnerable, yet comfortable in my skin.
“This thought immediately made me draw a parallel in my relationship with God and how comfortable I can be when I feel naked or mess-up, when I dance or sing, just being my true self before God, knowing that he looks over and meets me no matter how lonely or fulfilled I may feel. It’s refreshing to feel his presence in my daily life, in and outside of music, on and off the dance floor,” he added.
“Dancing Company” the third single released off of Botté’s debut EP after “Humbara,” which recently surpassed 100K global streams, received its first radio spin Wednesday on Los Angeles’s 88.5FM LatinAlt HD3. So far, this time around Botté has received support from Indie Criollo and EDM Nations. Previous support has come from NPR Music’s World Cafe, Acid Stag, Medium, Urban Latino, The Fox Magazine, and Kick Kick Snare, just to name a few.
Tracklist for Otto’s debut EP, including unreleased remixes by Jacuzzi Jefferson:
Since arriving in NYC as a teenager from Bogotá, Botté has acquired a Best Remixed Recording – Non-Classical Grammy nomination in 2015 for his co-mastering of “Waves” by Mr. Probz, a remix of Robin Schulz. Credits on multi-platinum projects of Enrique Iglesias, Joey Bada$$, Trey Songz, Fedez, and more. Botté is also a member of the NYC-based electronic trio Pool Cosby, which most recently released its Day Breaks album in 2020 and has been featured on Billboard, Earmilk, GRUNGECAKE, and more.
This week the Disco Biscuits announced that their annual festival, Camp Bisco, which has been held almost-annually since 1999, will take a year off. In its place, City Bisco will return to its original home, The Pavilion at The Mann Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia for 2 nights over July 9 & 10.
Camp Bisco deserves the absolute best, and we didn’t want to compromise on that.
So, we are canceling the festival this year and refunding all ticket buyers in full. These refunds will begin to process immediately, and will be completed over the next 7-10 days.
— The Disco Biscuits 🌲👽🌲 (@disco_biscuits) June 1, 2021
City Bisco features both The Disco Biscuits and Lotus for two nights, with interlocking DJ sets from Orchard Lounge on Friday and Luke the Knife Saturday.
We’ve been lucky enough to have had a few opportunities over the last year to play shows to our hometown here in Philly – at Citizens Bank Park, the Fillmore and elsewhere – but none of them have had an in person audience. This is the first time we’ve been able to perform at home for a large audience in over a year.
It’s exciting, and there’s something very classic about Lotus and Orchard Lounge being there with us. Our fans are constantly asking us to team up with them – it’s an old school lineup. It’s going to be a special weekend.
The Disco Biscuits’ Jon Barber.
The return to The Mann will mark the fourth official City Bisco, after residing in both Philadelphia and New York City throughout the years since its inception in 2012. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 4 at 12 noon ET at Ticketmaster.com.
While Camp Bisco takes a year off, the festival has a great history, spanning over 4 decades. Read our history of Camp Bisco IV, held in Van Etten, NY in August 2005.
If you’re looking for your Biscuits fix this weekend, tune into Couchtour.tv and Fans.Live for a weekend simulcast of the the Disco Biscuits two-night run from the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT.
Couchtour.tv has been the virtual host for The Disco Biscuits’ fall and spring tours, presenting each broadcast in hi-definition audio and video in real-time and then making them available via video on-demand.
Fans can purchase the livestreams through both platforms, which air Fri. June 4th and Sat. June 5th at 6:30pm ET/ 3:30pm PT.
New York City-based indie alternative act D’Arcy shared her newest single “Bad Habit” on May 28 in preparation for the release of her debut EP album and tour.
D’Arcy’s debut single, “Crush,” was released in October 2020. “Crush” was followed by her single “Bad Girls” in December 2020 with a remix by producer Morgothbeatz, who has previously worked on tracks with rappers Lil Xan and Juice WRLD.
“Bad Habit” stands in contrast to D’Arcy’s other tracks, which focus on upbeat young love, lust and wild nights. “Bad Habit,” with its buzzing bassline and low-spirited lyrics seems to reflect the aftermath of the “cocaine, head spin, pills and gin,” that D’Arcy sings about in “Bad Girls.”
D’Arcy’s alternative style shines in “Bad Habit,” using original electronic tracks that add to the mysterious and grungy feel of the lyrics. The genre-bending singer sticks out in a similar way that Nine Inch Nails does, shifting from electronic, to art-pop, to more angsty alt-rock in each single. D’Arcy is one of those artists that simply can’t be kept within a genre label.
Bad Habit centers on a struggle with addiction and the road to recovery, the song involves self-awareness about the reality of addiction.
D’Arcy
“Bad Habit” also evokes a similar vibe to popular singer Lorde’s alternative style, both discussing themes like addiction, nightlife, and settling into adulthood. D’Arcy’s developing style through her first three singles is a promising introduction for her upcoming album.
D’Arcy’s “Hard to Kill” Summer Tour headlined by country singer Lee Dewyze will kick off on August 14 and make four stops in New York State in September. D’Arcy’s debut EP will be released in mid-August.
Some songs are written with such great embodiment of the human spirit that they become far bigger than a simple, melodic hook you whistle in the shower. They are the songs that represent a period in time for a group of oppressed people and epitomize the challenges they faced on a daily basis. Unlike other songs that come and go as life drifts on, these anthems leave such an impact that they are still read about in history books years later. For the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the protest song “We Shall Overcome” was sang far and wide in tribute to peaceful protest. While the song was influential to many groups in the 1960s, its significance in the LGBT movement came after the Stonewall riots of New York in 1969.
Most people know that Pride Month is in June, however, many don’t realize that’s because on June 28, 1969, the catalyst for the LGBT movement occurred in riot form at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Inn was a well-known, mafia-run gay night club which hosted an array of illegal activities from an absent liquor license and prostitution to dealing drugs. While the bar owners were normally tipped off about police raids, on the night of the 1969 riot, they weren’t told anything would be happening. The police barricaded the 200+ patrons and employees in the bar and began to arrest all the transvestites they could find.
As the cops were arresting patrons, to their surprise, bystanders began to push back against the heavy police presence in the form of verbal taunts and thrown bottles. At that point, raids on gay bars were becoming routine and, for the LGBT community, the raid on the Stonewall Inn was the last straw. As police were dragging people into their paddy wagon, the crowd began to boil and violence soon erupted. Bricks and bottles were being thrown at the cops as more people from around the neighborhood began to join in on the protest, forcing the police into a rare retreat. While some of the crowd turned violent, many others committed to nonviolence in the form of jokes, kick-lines and songs.
As an unstable riot occurred all around, the protest hymn “We Shall Overcome” echoed through the streets long into the night. For days following the Stonewall riot, more protests, mostly nonviolent, began to pop up all around the city. A gay community began to form and within six months two gay activist organizations were established in New York. The movement was given legs, and by June 28 of the following year, the first gay pride marches took place in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco to commemorate the anniversary of the riots. “We Shall Overcome” was a vital tool used to demonstrate nonviolence throughout each protest.
Originally written as a hymn titled “I’ll Overcome Someday” by Charles Albert Tindley in 1900, the song was warped multiple times throughout history before it became the protest anthem we know today. It was sang by tobacco workers, vagabond travelers, and eventually political activists. It became associated with the Civil Rights Movement in 1959 when Guy Carawan sang his and Pete Seeger’s version of the song at a nonviolent civil rights protest. From there, other artists began using it as a protest tool, playing it at rallies, folk festivals and other demonstrations to make it clear to the world that oppression will not be tolerated.
‘We Shall Overcome’ Lyrics:
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
CHORUS:
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome some day
We’ll walk hand in hand
We’ll walk hand in hand
We’ll walk hand in hand some day
CHORUS
We shall all be free
We shall all be free
We shall all be free some day
CHORUS
We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid some day
CHORUS
We are not alone
We are not alone
We are not alone some day
CHORUS
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around some day
CHORUS
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
CHORUS
This summer, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) performs monthly at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT. With shows from Memorial Day weekend through September 4, there are ample opportunities to see the fantastic reimaging of the extended Grateful Dead catalog, along with a heavy dose of improvisation.
Revisit the shows below with photos by Vince Brazen, video from the band, and the detailed setlists for each night.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – September 4, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Don’t Ease Me In*> Cats Down Under the Stars w/ Norwegian Wood and Throwing Stones teases> Tell Me, Momma w/ Jessica tease> Mama Tried, Candyman, Jam w/ The Other One tease> Truckin’ w/ The Other One teases and New Speedway teases
Set 2: Feel Like A Stranger> Help on the Way> Throwing Stones w/ Shakedown teases> Shakedown Street W/ throwing Stones teases> Throwing Stones reprise w/ Land Down Under and Shakedown teases, Comfortably Numb> Morning Dew**
Joe thanks the crowd, tells them we all need live music! Dave Niedbalski from Westville Music Bowl/Lovely Day Presents thanks everyone, said it was the best 9 nights of the summer! Then they unveiled a banner from the upper deck commemorating the 9 show residency.
Encore: One More Saturday Night***>Sugar Magnolia
*First since 3/3/19, 5th time played by JRAD **First time played since 9/13/19 ***First time played since 9/14/19
JRAD continued their no repeat streak in their Westville Bowl residency from July 30-August 1. Amid perfect weather all weekend, a nice change of pace from their two previous runs this summer. The partial capacity crowd (~3,000) at Westville had more seating on the floor this weekend, making it feel a little more crowded, but still short of 50% capacity at the tennis stadium.
Saturday’s show had a jam of Pink Floyd’s “Pigs” during “Birdsong,” bassist Dave Dreiwitz singing “Broken Arrow”, and a monster “Terrapin Station” suite to end the second set. The venue erupted during “Sugar Magnolia,” marking 16 sets of no repeat Grateful Dead covers.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – July 31, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Stagger Lee > Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again* > West L.A. Fadeaway^ > Unbroken Chain jam > West L.A. Fadeaway > I Need A Miracle@ > Birdsong > Pink Floyd Pigs (Three Different Ones) jam > Birdsong Set 2: Broken Arrow > Throwing Stones$ > Ship of Fools > Dark Star > Terrapin Station (full suite) Encore: Sugar Magnolia
*w/ Big Boss Man and Eleanor Rigby teases ^ w/ Uncle John’s Band, Let It Grow and “Your Party” (Ween) teases @ w/ vocal jam and Dark Star teases $ w/ 2001 teases and Phishy Duo jam
On Friday, “Jack Straw” > “Wharf Rat” > “King Solomon’s Marbles” closed a strong first set, and they returned with no let up for set two, with a stellar stretch of “Althea” > “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance,” and an acoustic “China Doll” as well, featuring Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats taking lead.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – July 30, 2021 Setlist
Set One: Jam -> Friend Of The Devil -> Jack A Roe, Jam -> Black Throated Wind @ -> Jack Straw > Wharf Rat # -> King Solomon’s Marbles Set Two: MB Solo -> Yazoo St Scandal $ -> Jam % -> Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion, Althea > Lost Sailor ^ > Saint Of Circumstance &, China Doll *+, Box Of Rain * Encore: Never Been To Spain *, When You Love Somebody * @@
@ – With a Jack Straw Jam – With Dark Star Teases (TH) $ – With Tennessee Jed Teases (Band) % – With “Maze” (Phish) Teases (Band) ^ – With Let It Grow & Playing In the Band Teases (JR) & – With Terrapin Station Teases (MB & TH) and a “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” (Four Tops/Holland-Dozier-Holland) Tease (DD) With Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats) on Acoustic Guitar and Vocals Not Played by Almost Dead since 2017-10-13, Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 101 shows @@ – Fruit Bats Cover, Not Played by Almost Dead since 2019-08-16, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, a gap of 25 shows
Six shows into their run at Westville Music Bowl and JRAD has still not repeated a song. More than 70 songs have been performed since their Memorial Day weekend run, meaning that perhaps, when JRAD returns to Westville July 30-31, they may still continue this streak. To start the night, a 5-piece brass band walked through the crowd towards the stage. Many of them sat in throughout the course of the show, which had four The Band covers, with violinist Katie Jacoby sat in on “Rag Mama Rag.”
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – June 20, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Iko Iko, China Cat Sunflower, Ophelia, Operator, Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?, Hard to Handle, Casey Jones
Set 2: Alabama Getaway, Feel Like a Stranger, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Good Lovin’, Let it Rock, Road Runner, Rag Mama Rag, Cats Under the Stars, C.C. Rider
Encore: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Highlights from June 19 include JRAD playing the Bob Weir solo tune “Gonesville” as well as working in a few Allman Brothers tunes. “Whipping Post” was teased during “Cumberland Blues” and in Set 2, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” got the full band treatment.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – June 19, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Jam ->They Love Each Other ->Gonesville ->Cumberland Blues @, Row Jimmy, Mr. Charlie # ->Viola Lee Blues ->Brown-Eyed Women Set 2: Jam ->Here Comes Sunshine >Uncle Johns Band, Alligator >Man Smart, Woman Smarter $, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed %, Peggy-O Encore: Brother Esau @ – With “Whipping Post” (The Allman Brothers Band) Teases (Band) # – Unfinished $ – With a “Reveille” (Traditional) Tease (SM) % – With Dark Star Teases (TH) & a JR Solo
On June 18, JRAD returned to Westville Music Bowl for their second run of the summer. With five bustouts and covers including “All Along The Watchtower” and “Atlantic City,” a sold out crowd was treated to a rare cover of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” to close the night.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – June 18, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Jam @ ->New Speedway Boogie # ->Let It Grow, Black Muddy River >All Along The Watchtower$ > Greatest Story Ever Told % -> Dear Prudence Jam -> Greatest Story Ever Told Reprise ^ Set 2: Atlantic City & ->Tell Me Mama * ->Big River, Tennessee Jed +, Cryptical Envelopment @@ ->Crazy Fingers -> The Other One > Stella Blue Encore: Werewolves Of London ##
@ – With “Spoonful” (Willie Dixon ) Teases & Truckin’ Teases (TH) # – With a Playing In The Band Jam & Let It Grow Teases (Band) $ – Scott Vox, Not Played by Almost Dead since 2014-12-29, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, a gap of 212 shows % – With a “Dracula” (MMW) Tease (MB) ^ – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2018-03-17 State Theatre, Portland, ME, a gap of 74 shows & – With “China>Rider Transition” Teases (Band) * – With a “Chuckles” (Wolf) Tease (SM) + – With a Hell In A Bucket Tease (Band) and a bit of a “Becky” (Benevento Russo Duo) reference (MB & JR) @@ – Part One, With a Dark Star Jam, Not Played by Almost Dead since 2019-03-16 Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, OH, a gap of 34 shows ## – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2019-03-01 Palace Theater, Albany, NY, a gap of 40 shows
Over three rainy nights at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) brought music back to life and satiated sold-out crowds with their improvisational takes on the music of the Grateful Dead.
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – May 28, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Not Fade Away@ -> Ruben & Cherise -> New Minglewood Blues, Sugaree#, The Wheel$ ->Touch Of Grey% Set 2: When I Paint My Masterpiece^, Foolish Heart& -> Help On The Way -> Slipknot!* -> Hey Bulldog Jam+ -> Slipknot! Reprise, Hell In A Bucket, Dancing in the Street@@, Ripple## Encore: Fuckin’ Up $$ @ – With a “Serpentine Fire” (Earth Wind & Fire) tease (SM) # – Not played by Almost Dead since 2018-01-13 $ – With a “Cold Rain & Snow” Jam (Band) % – With “Ruben & Cherise” Teases in the intro (TH) ^ – Bob Dylan Cover, second time played. Not played by Almost Dead since 2016-11-12 & – With Slipknot! Teases (TH) * – With a “Tom’s Diner” (Suzanne Vega) Tease (SM & JR) + – With some lyrics. Not played by Almost Dead since 2016-11-12 @@ – Proceeded by a Dark Star Tease, with a Loose Lucy Tease (SM), a DD Solo, an MB Solo, hints of “The Wizard” (Black Sabbath), and a JR Solo ## – Not played by Almost Dead since 2019-01-18 $$ – Neil Young Cover, with Chris Harford on Vocals and Guitar
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – May 29, 2021 Setlist
Set 1: Silvio ->Bertha, Me & My Uncle ->Shakedown Street@, Black Peter# >Music Never Stopped Set 2: Such A Night, Cream Puff War >Truckin$ -> New Speedway Jam% -> Truckin Reprise^ ->St. Stephen& >Tough Mama > I Know You Rider Encore: On The Road Again * @ – With Let It Grow Teases (Band) # – Not played by Almost Dead since 2018-07-19 $ – With a Cryptical Tease (TH) % – Not played by Almost Dead since 2017-08-31 ^ – Not played by Almost Dead since 2018-07-19 & – With Not Fade Away and Good Times Bad Times Teases (JR) and a Caution-esque Jam * – Not played by Almost Dead since 2016-12-29
JRAD at Westville Music Bowl – May 30, 2021 Setist
Set 1: Eyes of the World> Estimated Prophet, Cassidy > Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad > Candyman, The Eleven, Franklin’s Tower Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Beat It on Down the Line, He’s Gone >Playing in the Band, Samson and Delilah Encore: Born to Run
Stuart Bogie sat in on saxophone and flute throughout the night
The Empire State Youth Orchestra which consists of a group of high school-aged musicians and artists from the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) Young Leader Program have announced that they will be hosting a Soundwalk at Washington Park in Albany. This Soundwalk, which will premiere on May 30, 2021-Memorial Day Weekend, will be available all summer.
A Soundwalk is an immersive audio experience curated to accompany a walker as they stroll along various nature trails. As a walker passes through each section, the music changes to match the particular sections of the trail. Young composers from ESYO and guest artists composed pieces of music for specific parts of the trail, highlighting its features. In addition to the focus on nature, some pieces will center on the significance of Albany’s heritage, both Dutch and Native American.
Pieces are composed by Brett Wery, Aaron Houston, Jason Handron, Mike Blostein, Monica Roach, Clare Criscione, Max Caplan, and youth composers William Lauricella and Matthew Kenyon. Each piece is performed by ESYO musicians and special guest artists from the Musicians of Ma’alwyck, including ESYO Young Leader mentor Ann Marie Schwartz.
This Soundwalk is an important project for so many reasons. I joined ESYO and the Young Leader program because I wanted to make music with other dedicated young musicians like myself, and now, I want to give that opportunity back to the community. A park is a place that brings people together, and I am reaffirming that statement through this music. I hope that the Soundwalk will continue to grow, fueled by the community surrounding it.
Emma Edgar, Founder and Artistic Director of the Soundwalk project and a 12th grader at Bethlehem Central High School
“Founder and Artistic Director Emma Edgar and Recording Producer Sean Jones oversee the recording session for “Thrumming” composed by Michael Blostein, a musician, educator, and composer in the Capital Region.
The Albany Soundwalk will be a creative musical event that will bring the community together through the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information about how you can experience the ESYO Soundwalk event, visit esyo.org/soundwalk. To donate and support the artists in the project, click here: esyo.org/soundwalk
Soule Monde went to Mad River Road at Sugarhouse Soundworks in Waitsfield, VT to musically start their sound for 2021, having just cut their new recordMimi Digs Iton site. The duo treated fans to a live performance of the material this past Saturday May 29 to kick off the Laughing Eagle Summer concert series on location.
Some Hollow and Mark Legrand kicked the sunny Saturday afternoon off. Legrand threw a nice cover of the Wood Brothers “I Got Loaded” to close their set. Lawson’s finest liquids sip of sunshine IPAs was the exclusive tent for drinks to celebrate the evening.
Sometime after sunset Soule Monde took the outside sugar shack stage. It being just a few yards away from where they recorded their new album. The band was playing off the energy of a live audience to receive these new sounds. Everyone in attendance was grooving into the starry, chilly Vermont night. The duo covered material from their first gig ever all the way through their most recent collaboration.
As Afro beat funk jams dominated the sound all evening the duo took time to dedicate a song to Tony Markellis. Ray Paczkowski’s mic cut out and ran to the front of the stage acapella to regale everyone with an important story of his band mate.
My friend Tony Markellis told me this story once. He met this guy from New Orleans in New York City. So Tony loved to know where to get good food. But he’s talking to none other than Dr. John. Tony asked him where do I get the best New Orleans food in New York? Dr. John said you to go to the Balkan Dog. So Tony looked for it and weeks went by and he thought oh it must be closed. He ran into Dr John later and said hey I looked for that place Balkan Dog and it’s nowhere. Dr John’s reply…A Balkan Dog? It’s a BarKing dog…Woof!!!! Soule Monde then launched in to their newly recorded tune from Sugarhouse titled “Theys a Balkan Dog”.
Soule Monde started an outdoor groove the right way with Mimi Digs It, for the much anticipated return of live music across the land. Check out their upcoming 2021 dates to catch them funk out yourself
Celebrate Juneteenth in words, praise, and music at The Falcon in the Hudson Valley. The scenically-located historic venue in Marlboro has planned an evening hosted by and featuring internationally renown gospel singer Bernard Clinton. Also featured on the bill are Newburgh’s Josiah Borden and Albany’s Ryan Graham, with special guests The Fabulous Rainbow Singers.
The evening will also feature Professor Ciesta Little-Quinn of the Department Black Studies at SUNY New Paltz and the Arts Mid-Hudson Folk Arts Program, who has spoken extensively on the history of Gospel Music, its luminaries, and their impact on the Gospel world in the Hudson Valley.
The performances at this free outdoor even start at 7pm on June 19th. However space is limited and guests will need to reserve a table in advance to attend. Seating for dinner begins at 5pm. The Falcon’s menu features items that incorporate foods from local farms that practice sustainable agriculture. To reserve a table at The Falcon for Juneteenth, head to their reservations page. While there is no cover charge for the event, donations are encouraged.
To keep guests and staff safe, precautions are still in place, and will be strictly enforced. Patrons must reserve a table. There is no “standing room.” Social distancing parameters will be enforced. Guests are required to wear masks unless seated at their tables.
The anticipated posthumous album — Exodus — from recently deceased rap legend, DMX, has arrived. Executive produced by longtime collaborator and friend — Swizz Beats — the 13-track project features a myriad of prominent entertainers past and present.
The likes of Jay – Z, Alicia Keys, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Usher, the Lox and Swizz Beats himself all grace the album, giving it a nostalgic feel as DMX’s former contemporaries share the stage with him one last time. And while the rumored Pop Smoke record didn’t make the final cut, there is still fresh energy from the likes of Memphis-bred, Moneybagg Yo and Griselda trio, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher.
While DMX confirmed an upcoming album several months before his death, the record’s prominence grew after the rapper’s untimely passing at age 50, after suffering from a heart attack on April 2. With his death not being confirmed until a week later, it gave fans a chance to appreciate DMX’s unique contributions to the genre of hip hop. From his raw and grizzly delivery, to his brutally honest dissertations on his battles with addiction and his troubled upbringing.
Alas, his fans can rejoice in the fact that DMX gave his all on his final effort.
It’s not an album that was pieced together after he passed, revealed Swizz Beats. We had plans to do a two-month cleansing and workout [program] before we came with the album. He was going to rebrand himself with new photos of him looking the best that he could look … But unfortunately we didn’t get to that part.
Exodus may also serve as closure for supporters of the oft-embattled rap legend. DMX lived a troubled life, and after superstardom, he began to make headlines for his legal troubles and his addictions as often as he did for his music.
I can at least listen to a song now without breaking down. I’m making it look strong, but I’m crushed, I’m destroyed, I’m hurt. But I had to pull this through for him and his family and for his legacy, shared Swizz Beats.
With a near decade-long hiatus in between albums, ‘X took time to get clean and refocused and after his Verzuz battle with Snoop Dogg, he was humbled and excited to know that he still held a place in the fans heart. On Exodus, we hear — for maybe the last time — what a focused and motivated DMX sounds like.
Brooklyn-based Wild Yaks have announced Live at Rippers, their fifth LP and first live album, due July 16, 2021. Alongside its digital release, Live At Rippers will be available in a run of 500 LPs with jackets hand-screened in Rockaway Beach, NY. Wild Yaks are proud to be the first band back at the venue in 2021, setting a performance there for July 17.
For Wild Yaks, music is the ability to take the horrible parts of life, and elevate them into a sacred, firey riot.
I think my chief interest is to transform despair into moments for celebration. What I’m trying to do is rejoice in what’s fragile, and rejoice in what’s already broken. The only thing that I will accept is being fully abandoned. It’s about moving and singing with no concern for the consequences.
Wild Yaks’ frontman and songwriter Rob Bryn.
Live at Rippers presents this vision and the band’s “sense-clobbering” performance better than any album to date. It was recorded at the Rockaway Beach punk-rock-beach-burger-joint Rippers in October of 2019. Bryn again:
Almost all of the songs grew out of moments that happened in Rockaway. And to perform them at Rippers on the altar of blood from which so many of these things sprang is strange and amazing.
Wild Yaks play an ecstatic fusion of punk rock and big-city folk reinforced with passionate vocals (often delivered in unison by the full membership). The band was formed in the fall of 2007 in Brooklyn, New York by singer/guitarist Rob Bryn and drummer/vocalist Martin Cartagena.
While many players have made their way through the Yaks’ over the years, today’s lineup is Jose Aybar (bass), Patsy Carroll (guitar), Giovanni Kincade (Farfisa), Matt Walsh (guitar), plus Cartagena and Bryn. The Yaks’ discography also includes the EP 10 Ships (Don’t die yet, 2009), and full-length albums Million Years(2012), Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks (2015), and Great Admirer (2019). The band’s music has been featured in numerous television shows and films, most notably their live performance in an episode of Law and Order SVU.
