Kicking off on September 9th in Minneapolis, MN, Machine Gun Kelly will embark on a tour of the country. MGK will feature his latest hit album Tickets To My Downfall at venues for the first time since release, including fan favorites such as “Bloody Valentine” and “My Ex’s Best Friend.”
Starting Tuesday, April 27, tickets are available for pre-sale, then going on sale to the public by Friday, April 30. Everything regarding ticket sales can be found through MGK’s website, as well as the national tour dates and locations.
On September 13, Machine Gun Kelly will perform live at Central Park SummerStage, the only show of the tour to take place in New York.
The tour across the United States will come to a close on December 18, in the artist’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Machine Gun Kelly’s “Tickets to My Downfall” 2021 Tour will include performances from special guests such as carolesdaughter, jxdn, and KennyHoopla.
On April 13, 2021, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announced the winners of the 2021 ASCAP Pop Music Awards, celebrating well-known stars of the genre.
Some familiar faces who received awards are The Weeknd, celebrated as 2021 songwriter of the year with “Heartless,” and Post Malone, celebrating “Circles” as the song of the year.
The celebration kicked off with an Instagram Live interview with Lewis Capaldi and a performance of “Before You Go.”
For the complete list of winners, visit the ASCAP website. The American Society of Songwriters, Composers, and music Publishers is an official organization dedicated to license and promote their affiliates, ranging across every genre.
New York City synthpop trio January Jane excitedly stake their musical claims with their with their debut EP Your Drug. The band consists of lead vocalist Pat Via, guitarist Mitch C. Mitchell, and keyboard player Peter Scialla. The EP is planned to be released on June 18 via Whiskey Vinyl/BGM.
Your Drug borrows from a diverse array of influences ranging from modern day pop to 80’s pop rock in the style of songs like “Your Love” by The Outfield. The EP can be broadly categorized as pop but the band takes inspiration from several different decades and styles of pop. The soaring upbeat choruses that many of the songs offer can be directly tied to the styles of millennial pop of acts like Walk The Moon and Imagine Dragons. The band differs from many of its contemporaries by adding a 80’s rock edge to its songs. Via’s voice has a much more distinct gruffness to it which pairs nicely with the moody synth and guitar tones of the verses.
Songs like “Addicted to The Night” offers a deceptively simple but extremely sticky hooks that that refuses to leave your head hours after you’ve listened to it. Paired with a verses that build the tension of the song with its dueling electric guitar creating a song that would go off well at any party. The edge added by Via’s voice sets many of the songs of the songs off from their contemporaries. The versatility in Via’s vocal inflections allows him to pull of the clear shimmery pop hooks as well as the more 80’s-eque moody verses.
The infectious grooves on these tracks display their influences and love for ’80s rock and pop while sounding undeniably modern and perfect for the ’20s.
Matt Pinfield, DJ
The consistent infectious energy is certainly the strong suit of Your Drug. The band doesn’t miss a beat with any song, offering an EP that has a signature sound throughout but still switch up the style between each track. The 80’s throwback sound dose not come off as a gimmick, rather a new completely new direction for modern electro pop.
The EP is also an extremely easy listen, toping out at just under 17 minutes. The exciting mixture of sounds act as perfect soundtrack for the dancefloor and exciting midnight drive. Overall, Your Drug is extremely likeable and is suitable for just about any kind of pop fan – no matter the age.
Key Tracks: Addicted to The Night, Versions of You, NYC
The band Moon Kissed prides itself on joyful, high energy performances, and they certainly didn’t miss the mark when it came to their newest single. “Clubbing in Your Bedroom” embodies self-expression and creating your own fun in the midst of a pandemic, rather than the wallowing and unengaged attitude many express during this time.
Photo Credit: Sara Laufer
“’Clubbing In Your Bedroom,” is an invitation to get dressed up for no one and nothing and to move your body in order to heal. The song was written in an attempt for salvation and levity amidst pandemic despair. We miss playing live, we miss our friends, we miss touch. But, “Clubbing In Your Bedroom” celebrates the fact that we still have the power and ability to let it all go, even for just one song, and we can and should dance in our bedrooms and be free for a brief moment in time.”
Khaya, on the new single
Written and produced by Khaya Cohen and Emily Sgouros, “Clubbing in Your Bedroom” followed a dynamic late-night clubbing session in Emily’s bedroom. Mixed and mastered by Justin Dan Ver Volgen, the song encourages honest self-expression, encouraging “weirdness.”
Moon Kissed met each other at a party on New Year’s, 2019, and quickly connected, making their debut with I Met My Band at a New Year’s Eve Party. A catchy, synth-pop style was developed, taking influence from artists such as Charli XCX, Chairlift, and Grimes. Making a name for themselves through energetic, often sweat-inducing live performances, the group sets out to capture the moment between themselves and the audience, emphasizing the magic of being in the moment.
On April 7th, multi-talented visual and musical artist Valley Latini released her latest single “Tu y Yo,” a lustrous heartbeating alt-pop track.
In the single released on Side Hustle Records, Latini takes listeners on the dark adventure of a late night rendezvous.
The song is inspired by an encounter that only happens in a place like a strip club or a dance club. It’s about having a connection with someone but not talking to them the whole night. Just a very primal connection through dancing, and spirit vibration.
Valley Latini
For the visual, the Brooklyn DIY Queen crafted a stop-motion music video, which she produced, shot, directed, and created all of the art for (she’s also a visual artist in addition to her music).
The video takes viewers on another journey through the underbelly of hell on earth where men in power attempt to control womxn. There are themes of shaming and corruption as a sleazy priest exiles women to a hell, known as the “haux house.”
Not to fear, Valley, herself as the triumphant protagonist, dangles a literal carrot in front of the priest and wreaks havoc on his deserving soul. Ultimately, as it turns out, the “haux house” leads to a beach utopia where the womxn can enjoy the finer things in paradise anyway.
Valley expands on the concept, “the video is a metaphor for a modern day ‘witch hunt’ caused by men in power that fear female sexuality and censor the female body and sex workers.”
Latini writes about her personal philosophies on delusion, joy, and romance. Her performances are based on expression of individual freedoms, and finding power in the human essence.
Originally born in Bogota, Colombia, she’s now been living in the US for most of her life and currently has a studio in Brooklyn where she writes and records all her music.
In addition to her career as a singer-songwriter, Valley is also an artist and a stripper. She uses her artwork as a way to escape from technology and defines it as transgressive divinity, mixing sensuality with alternate realities. To view her artwork, visit valleylatiniart.com.
As a stripper, she advocates for both female autonomy and the dignity of those who choose sex work. When J Lo released the critically-acclaimed award-winning “Hustlers” film, Valley was invited to partake in the premiere events as a member of New York’s sex-worker advocate group to share their experiences and the validity of the movies’ themes.
She spoke to IndieWire and others about the “whorephobia” that exists within her industry to help raise awareness and break down the misleading, misinformed labels often forced upon her occupation.
Her single “Pay My Rent” has been a sex worker’s right’s anthem ever since releasing it in 2018. Her subsequent singles “Serpiente,” “Ask Me Why,” “Blue Moon,” and the latest addition “Tu y Yo,” are set to be part of a bigger collection called Attention Lover due out by the end of 2021.
The Colombian pop artist wrote, recorded, and produced “Tu y Yo” in Austin, TX with her songwriting collaborator “Ben Cina.”
For music updates and more, stay connected with Valley Latini on Instagram, and be sure to follow her on Spotify and Apple Music.
On March 28, the music world, and the Hudson Valley’s close knit community of music makers, lost another great one, Malcolm Cecil. The much-traveled musician, producer and Grammy-winning engineer passed away after a long illness in Malden-on-Hudson, where he had lived and continued his work for the past two decades.
Though Cecil was a man of many hats he is perhaps best known as the co-creator of TONTO, the world’s largest analog synthesizer. This room-sized amalgamation of a variety of synths and sound processors would become the musical bedrock for the dozens of albums he helped produce. Most notable are Stevie Wonder’s revered quartet of classics from the 70s, Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.
credit: Sebastian Buzzalino/National Music Centre
Born 84 years ago in London, Cecil seemed predestined for a career in music. According to a 2007 profile by Peter Aaron in Chronogram, Cecil’s American grandfather was a movie organist in Times Square theaters, while his mother played violin, piano and accordion in a gypsy band that his father managed. After an aborted attempt at piano, Cecil switched over to bass and ultimately became a much in-demand player.
Cecil would go on to stints in the BBC Orchestra and the house band at Ronnie Scott’s, London’s leading jazz club, where he performed behind luminaries like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann. Cecil also co-founded Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner, the ensemble where the young Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and other rock stars-to-be got their first taste of stage experience.
A ham radio enthusiast in his youth, Malcolm’s acumen in electronics grew when he served as a radio technician in the Royal Airforce. While stationed in Newcastle, he got together with The Animals and Hendrix’s manager-to-be, Michael Jeffries, and opened a jazz club called The Downbeat, which he wisely outfitted with recording gear. Seeking to get a contract for The Animals, Jeffries asked Cecil if he could demo a rehearsal by the rockers in the club’s off-hours, which he did on his trusty Revox according to TapeOp. This demo contained the proto-version of “House of the Rising Sun” which earned them their record deal, a #1 hit and global fame.
After a detour to South Africa, Cecil ended up in the U.S. in the late 60s. The bassist toured with several jazz artists before taking a job maintaining equipment at Mediasound, a busy Manhattan recording studio where he would meet his partner in technology and music production, Bob Margouleff.
Margouleff had bought one of the early Moog series IIIc synthesizers and teamed up with the more technically adept Cecil to expand upon it, combining a variety synths from Moog and ARP with an array of custom modules, processors and controllers from a Russian composer and Jimi Hendrix’s guitar tech.
In the end, it was a six-foot tall, 300-square foot sound-making monster, one which the duo used to conjure a galaxy of spacey and downright funky sonics. They cheekily dubbed it TONTO, for The Original New Timbral Orchestra. And after a chance meeting with his old acquaintance Herbie Mann, Cecil scored a record deal with the flautist’s Embryo label. In 1971, they released their hugely influential debut album, Zero Time, as the equally cheekily named Tonto’s Expanding Headband.
Zero Time was a revelation to music makers, and none more so than Stevie Wonder. One day Wonder turned up at Mediasound (in a pistachio colored jumpsuit) with a copy of the album under his arm seeking a demonstration. After a quick tour of TONTO, he immediately booked a session with the duo. Over the course of a single weekend, they produced a remarkable 17 songs. Wonder then had TONTO moved to Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios and the trio would collaborate there over the next four years on soulful innovations that would remake the sound of popular music. Together, they co-produced the classic quartet of Wonder’s best loved albums, containing songs like “Superstition,” “Higher Ground,” “Living for the City,” “You and I” and many more. Cecil not only helped Wonder dial up the sounds heard in his imagination, but often performed them on the discs.
In 1975, Malcolm Cecil and Margouleff would split, with Cecil purchasing TONTO outright and continuing its expansion, as both an instrument and a sonic spice dusted onto rock, R&B, jazz and experimental idioms.
Cecil would go on to produce and provide his engineering expertise to a stunning number of acts in the following three decades. These included The Isley Brothers, Steven Stills, Weather Report, Minnie Riperton, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Jeff Beck, The Jackson Five, Little Feat, Steve Hillage, Dave Mason, The Doobie Brothers, Mandrill, Quincy Jones, Bobby Womack, Joan Baez and more.
One of Cecil’s longest lasting collaborations was with soul poet/proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron. Cecil produced several of Scott-Heron’s acclaimed albums beginning with 1980 in its title year, which featured Gil and his musical partner Brian Jackson in the studio with TONTO on its front and back covers, through to 1994’s Spirits.
TONTO came with Cecil when he moved to the Hudson Valley, with a couple of notable detours. These included a stay at Devo founder Mark Mothersbaugh’s Mutato Studios, where he used TONTO to create the music for the Rugrats animated series in the mid-1990s. Aaron’s article includes an interesting description of TONTO’s humble home in Cecil’s backyard shed in quiet Malden. In order to preserve this one of a kind piece of musical history, Cecil sold TONTO to The National Music Centre in Calgary, Canada in 2013. The museum completed a full restoration in 2018 and today offers it for music production services.
With his move to the Hudson Valley, Cecil continued his recording work with TONTO, creating the lush New Age-y sounds on his album Radiance, and in other partnerships, including one with Russian violinist Valeri Glava as Superstrings. Cecil also returned to his first musical love, acoustic bass, playing regular jazz gigs at cozy Hudson Valley clubs like the Colony Woodstock.
I first met Malcolm Cecil at such a gig. This was in October 2019, when we were both playing our respective sets on the sidewalk as a part of the outdoor ShoutOut Saugerties Music Day. The woman who organized this community attraction was Cecil’s neighbor, Isabel Soffer. She is an internationally known curator and live event producer, co-founder and director of globalFEST, the pre-eminent annual showcase for World Music in the U.S. She had been working for the past two years with Malcolm on various projects.
As is all too often the case in the music business, Cecil did not acquire or continue to receive great wealth from his tireless creative efforts. According to several sources, Cecil was not a participant in royalties from some of his best known works.
In mid-November 2020, Soffer called me to see if I might volunteer my day job skills, as a publicist, to help her and Malcolm get some new projects off the ground. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to meet and talk with a musician I had revered since I was 13 years of age, when I first heard Zero Time on WNEW-FM in NYC.
As with TONTO, part of his desire was to preserve and have others benefit from his legacy. Malcolm Cecil maintained a huge archive of recordings, correspondence, photographs, videos, recording equipment, session notes and other artifacts from his six decades in music, ones that are important artifacts from some of the most vital chapters of 20th Century music. As he got on in years, he was hoping to find a proper home for this massive archive.
Also on his mind was a possible 50th Anniversary release of a Zero Time/Tonto’s Expanding Headband boxed set, with unreleased tracks and other goodies. There was also discussion of tribute album featuring notable musicians and helmed by a star producer.
Malcolm was also taking steps to prepare a biography, a unique one to be told in the voice of TONTO. It would be machine telling of his adventures in sound and in-studio with many of the most talented names in music. Another neighbor, a Vanity Fair writer, was urging Malcolm to tell his tales in the form of a podcast they would co-produce.
Cecil was also well on the way to finalizing a series of projects around two giants, Muhammed Ali and Gil Scott-Heron, ones that might still come to fruition with the proper support. He was planning to combine the music from his Radiance album with spoken word from a lecture by Ali for an album to be released in June 3, 2021, the 15th Anniversary of the champion’s death. With Gil, there were three discreet projects in the works, a re-release of The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron, a piece he wrote on the day John Lennon died called “Third Person,” and a music/poetry project with Scott-Heron’s daughter Gia.
As 2022 would be the 50th Anniversary of the release of the first of his Stevie Wonder collaboration, Music of My Mind, Malcolm Cecil was looking forward to celebrating the landmark with his own new music inspired by the event.
Two short weeks after I spent a few hours with Malcolm hearing his plans and remarkable stories, I heard he was hospitalized. Our work stopped for the moment, in hopes that Malcolm might rally and continue his work.
But even with his passing, Soffer is encouraged. She is hoping the many who loved and admired Malcolm Cecil and his work will come together to bring some of these final projects to life.
On March 26th, Voorheesville-local Annie Scherer dropped her debut indie-pop album, an introspective collection of songs titled Garden Bed.
Photo credit: Sherry Kocienski
In the album, Scherer dives deep into her emotions, with each song tackling a different point in Annie’s life where she had to overcome hardship and ultimately grow as a person.
On each track, Annie takes the listener on an emotional journey, inviting them along on sonically exhilarating ride that expands as the album progresses.
We spoke with Annie and asked her a few questions about Garden Bed:
Aaron Ginsburg: The themes of your album have a lot to do with being introspective. Has COVID-19 given you time to be more introspective, and in what ways has it affected your creative process?
Annie Scherer: I’ve had a lot of time with my thoughts, which was mostly a good thing. I was finally able to relax and take a step back, which I never allow myself to do. At the beginning of quarantine, I had a hard time finding inspiration and seeking out creativity. But I also used the time I was given to find my sound and record my album. AG: What artists have had the biggest influence on you, and can we hear any of their influence in your album Garden Bed?
AS: Artists who use a lot of visuals in their songs are always among my favorites, as are those who write tangible lyrics and catchy melodies. I really enjoy alternative artists, such as Lana Del Rey and Lorde, whose influence can be heard in my instrumentation. I also love the memorable melodies of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
AG: As a musician during the pandemic, it must be difficult to get the same quality of outside feedback on your work due to the fact that you can’t play live and can’t gather in large groups. Has that been a problem for you?
AS: The pandemic has forced us to rely on social media, which is not a great way to get feedback. I never know if people are sick of seeing my promotional posts, but I don’t really have a choice nor do I let that stop me. Live music is nice because you’re surrounded by people who support you. It becomes a symbiotic experience.
AG: What do you want your listeners to feel when listening to your album Garden Bed?
AS: I want listeners to feel a mix of emotions when they hear my music. “Skyline” should arouse feelings of sentimentality, while I hope they feel inspired when they hear “Phases Grow.” All my songs were written to create an emotional response.
AG: What do you have in store for us next? Do you have a musical direction you are aiming to go to?
AS: I already have a vision for my next album. Garden Bed mostly consists of a brighter tonality, and lots of it is acoustic and light. The next one is likely to have darker and more minor elements. The contrast and change in theme will enrich the musical experience for my listeners.
“Andy Warhol,” a single from Garden Bed.
The tracks on Garden Bed were primarily written and produced by Annie in collaboration with David Finch, Aidan Sloppy, Kyle Robinson, Ryan Davis, Maggie Roberts, Ben Grant, Tom Evans, Brenden Beaver, Ali Genevich, Rosemary Michaud and Elizabeth Miller.
Over a period of three months, Annie recorded her vocals and digital instruments in her mother’s home. She hopes the music will resonate with listeners and inspire them to persevere through their own hardships.
You can listen to Garden Bed, as well as other work by Annie Scherer, on all streaming platforms and on her website.
John Oates, one half of the iconic New York based duo Hall & Oates, has teamed up with viral sax player Saxsquatch to reimagine the chart-topping hit “Maneater” as an electro-jazz fusion.
The song was accompanied by a video released on Monstercat which see’s both artist revisit their hometowns of Nashville, Tennessee and deep with in a rainforest. The video then quickly pivots to an animated psychedelic experience, interlacing live action footage and animation throughout. “Maneater” was released in preparation for Oates Song Fest 7908, a charity livestream benefitting Feeding America hosted by John Oates and Saxsquatch.
I like music that gets people’s big feet tapping along. It’s been a tough year for everyone. We could all use music and stories that help us dance and feel less alone. I know a lot about feeling alone
Saxsquatch, Musican
John Oates is not only just a part of Hall & Oates, but a well accomplished artist on his own. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The American Songwriters Hall of Fame, recipient of the prestigious BMI Icon Award as well as numerous American Music, MTV awards, and multiple Grammy nominations. Since forming his legendary pop duo with Daryl Hall in the early 1970s, they have gone on to record 21 albums, which have sold over 80 million units, making them the most successful duo in rock history.
Saxsquatch is one of the biggest live streaming musicians in the US, with 300k weekly views, and Facebook’s #1 recurring music show, ‘Live From the Woods’. His usual blend of saxophone, electronic music, and Bigfoot folklore has catapulted him to viral fame, earning 1.5M followers and recognition from instrumentalists around the world.
Brooklyn based musician, Dräger, released his new single “Light Years” on March 11 and announced his debut album Goths à la Discothèque comes out May 7.
Dräger Credit: Andrew Segreti
Spencer Draeger founded Dräger as the essence of his modern dystopian era. “Light Years” is an upbeat song with a message about choosing the road less traveled and following the unknown. According to Under the Radar this is the perfect example of his “synthedelic pop” sound. Synthedelic pop is a mixture of modern pop, ‘80s new wave and the underground dance scene. The single explores the excitement of chasing thrills on the journey to the future.
Goths à la Discothèque delves into the many universal themes of modern times including technology, love and society, and makes it his own. His album was inspired by 2020 and the effect it had on the world as it switched to a digital reality and caused people to forge new ideas. He portrays the present-day issues and fuses it with a party sound.
The album consists of 11 songs which were all produced, written, recorded and mixed by Dräger in his home studio. “Light Years” is now available for streaming and the lyric video is on Youtube. The album Goths à la Discothèque drops in May under Trash Casual.
New York City-based singer-songwriter Amsi releases the second single of 2021 today, “Cry” being an outlet for listeners to be vulnerable and express their grief on matters pandemic and beyond. The artist prides herself on her culturally diverse background and unique sound, whilst also addressing experiences that are all too universal and relatable.
There were many instances where I was told I was too sensitive or too emotional, but now especially in this past year, I realized that crying doesn’t mean I am weak, it means that I am processing & growing. I hope people find comfort in knowing that it’s okay to cry too.
Amsi, on “Cry”
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine on the mental health of today’s society is one that cannot possibly be looked over, with the yearning for things to return to normal and the fears that someone you love could possibly be affected. These fears became a reality for Amsi, who was quarantined with her father, sick with COVID-19, ten days after her last live performance.
You can stream her newest single here, as well as check out the rest of her works on her Spotify.
