NYS Music 202​1

Category: News

  • PEAK Announces Parts 3 and 4 of their ‘Live From The Studio’ Series

    PEAK announces parts 3 and 4 of their ‘Live From The Studio’ series. The series features full sets from the band and will be free and open to the public. 

    PEAK part 3 and 4

    PEAK is a Brooklyn based band that formed in 2016 with frontman and guitarist, Jeremy Hilliard, who originally went under the name before members Kito Bovenschulte (Particle) on drums, Josh T. Carter (Hayley Jane and The Primates) on bass, and newcomer-extraordinaire Johnny Young on keys joined in 2019. PEAK released their critically acclaimed debut album Electric Bouquet, produced by Dave Brandwein (Turkuaz) in 2018. The band has spent a decent amount of 2020  writing, rehearsing and recording an album in their Brooklyn studio, with hints of their sophomore album being in the works. 

    The first of PEAK’s ‘Live From The Studio Series’ started back on November 14, 2020. The second session took place on December 5, 2020. Both sessions were available on their YouTube Channel and on Jamcast. Each of the performances was a little over an hour in length and featured lots of original music from fan favorites to some straight jams. 

    The third session will take place on February 27, at 8 pm. The fourth session will take place on March 20, at 8 pm. The sets will be streamed live and for free on PEAK’s YouTube Channel and their Facebook.

    They will be accepting donations though to their virtual tip jar through Venmo @jeremy-hilliard1. People can also support the band and their efforts by visiting their Bandcamp page and checking out their audio releases. Head to their online store and pick out some PEAK merch, including new pins and T-shirts designed by the formidable Dave Vertino. 

    The shows are being supported by MKDevo, Michelle Young, and Matt Calabrese who are going to be bringing the audience a pro-shot video, multitrack audio, and light shows. 

    For more information on PEAK and their upcoming parts 3 and 4 of their ‘Live From The Studio’ series visit their website.

  • Tom Kitt to Lead Virtual Masterclass at New York Youth Symphony

    The New York Youth Symphony is excited to announce Tom Kitt as the lead for a new Virtual Masterclass, taking place on February 23rd from 6 to 8:30 pm. Tom is a professional composer, arranger and orchestrater for Broadway plays such as Next to Normal and Then/If. The masterclass will feature songs written and composed by the NYYS Musical Theater Songwriting students, as performed by students from Harlem School of the Arts and the New York Film Academy

    Led by Director Anna K. Jacobs, the NYYS MTS program invites musical theater lovers to tune in live on Zoom or YouTube Live, to see Mr. Kitt share constructive feedback with students, as well as insights into his own creative and professional journey.

    Tom Kitt

    Tom Kitt has had a remarkable career in musical theater. His numerous accolades include Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010, as well as two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal. Tom’s most recent projects include The Visitor at the Public Theater and Flying Over Sunset at Lincoln Center Theater. Currently, Tom is a recording artist at Sony Masterworks and has begun recording his debut album, since Summer 2020.

    Tom Kitt has carved out an astonishing, singular career as a theater artist. He is deeply admired by the aspiring young composer-lyricists in our MTS program, which is why we are so thrilled to have him leading a masterclass this season.

    Anna K. Jacobs, Director

    The New York Youth Symphony is the most awarded youth program of its kind in the nation, recognized for its innovative educational programs for talented young musicians.  Founded in 1963 as an orchestra to showcase the metropolitan area’s most gifted musicians ages 12-22, its activities have since grown to encompass programs in jazz, chamber music, conducting, composition, and musical theater songwriting, with performances at world class venues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Public Theater. Through its commissioning program, First Music, the NYYS has commissioned over 165 works from young composers since 1984.

    Registration for the Zoom webinar will open February 16.

  • Woodstock 50 Wins Damages from Main Investor who Pulled Funding After Safety Concerns in Lawsuit

    Woodstock 50 organizers won damages in a settlement from their main investor who pulled funding for the festival due to safety concerns in a lawsuit. The festival was officially cancelled back in July of 2019 after months of turmoil in its feasibility, especially after the main investor withdrew. 

    Woodstock 50

    Dentsu, a Japanese-owned advertising firm, was the main investor in the festival. They breached their contract in April of 2019 when they pulled their investment. Dentsu ended up settling their lawsuit with the Woodstock 50 organizers according to court documents obtained by Billboard on January 31, 2021. The documents showed the damages that were awarded to Woodstock 50 in October were “significantly less than what [Woodstock 50] purported to spend on attorneys’ fees.” It’s unclear exactly how much was won in the settlement. The lawsuit also accused Dentsu of tortious interference, defamation, business disparagement and conspiracy on top of breaching the contract they signed when pulling out of the investment. 

    The original dates for the festival were scheduled for August 16-18, 2019 in Watkins Glen, New York. The organizers of the festival had originally hoped for 150,000 people to attend but Watkins Glen’s capacity was reduced to 75,000 people. Dentsu withdrew $18 million of the $49 million they had already agreed to pay and pulled out over concerns with Woodstock 50’s issues behind the scenes, health/safety concerns and disputes about the capacity of the festivities. The headliners included big names like Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Santana, The Lumineers, Dead & Company, John Fogerty, Chance the Rapper, The Raconteurs, Janelle Monae, Halsey and Imagine Dragons. All of the performers were paid in advance a sum of $30 million according to Syracuse.com.

    Woodstock 50 festival ended up entirely losing it’s site at Watkins Glen after they missed their final payment of $150,000. They then attempted a pile of different things to save the festival. They tried to move the festival to Vernon Downs, but the Town of Vernon denied the festival’s requests multiple times due to safety concerns and incomplete permit applications. The organizers then tried one last attempt to have the festival in Maryland but that also ended up falling through.

    One of the main concerns with Woodstock 50 across the board seemed to be with it’s lack of realistic safety guidelines and plans. Co-founder of Woodstock 50 Michael Lang accused Dentsu of sabotaging the Woodstock anniversary event and spreading misinformation to prevent them from holding it at a different site. It’s unclear how much of the events’ misfortunate cancellation was due to Dentsu sabotaging it and how much might be due to poor organizational skills from it’s organizers. Hopefully it will serve as a warning to future event organizers to vet their investors and to address safety concerns early on in the process of putting together a festival. 

  • Rufus Wainwright adds Zach Galifianakis and James Corden to Live Show Audience

    Grammy Award winning pop artist, Rufus Wainwright, announced Zach Galifianakis and James Corden as audience members to his acclaimed virtual live stream tour through all nine of his albums, Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective!

    Rufus Wainwright

    Galifianakis will be the guest for the two performances Out of The Game livestreaming on February 5 and 12 with Corden joining for Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets and a special Rufus at the Movies show. Past guests have included Jamie Lee Curtis and husband Christopher Guest, Joel McHale, Darren Criss, Marius de Vries, Rain Phoenix, and Scott Dunn. More guests will be announced for the remaining shows. The live streams proceeds go to help raise money for charities with the virtual audience donating to a cause chosen by the at-home guest during the shows.

    I am so excited to be playing some of my songs for Zach and James, both of whom I have known and admired for a very long time. Normally when doing a show I have to do all the talking in between songs so it is nice to actually have a chat with someone you like and probably will make you crack up quite a bit.

    Rufus Wainwright, Musician

    Rufus Wainwright was on the forefront of live-streaming with his IGTV Quarantunes Robe Recital series where each day he performed a song a day while playing in his bathrobe at his home. Now with Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective he takes a step further playing 45-minute concerts highlighting albums from his illustrious catalogue. Guitarist Brian Green and keyboardist/pianist Jacob Mann will accompany Wainwright in these concerts and fans will be treated to songs he has not played in many years with exciting new arrangements. On top of the songs from the albums, Wainwright will sprinkle in cover songs that fans can vote from over 100 that he has performed in the past, or has wanted to perform in concert.  

    Tickets for individual shows are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 day of show, and 4 show bundles are also available. Bundles come with the opportunity for fans to participate in intimate Q&A’s with Wainwright and other surprises. Go here to purchase tickets.

  • SAMMYS Announces Nominees for 2021 Season

    Syracuse Area Music Awards, or more commonly known as the SAMMYS, announce their nominated Syracuse area musicians are for the 2021 season during their virtual press conference. The press conference took place on February 3, 2021 at 10AM on the SAMMYS Facebook page

    SAMMYS

    The Syracuse Area Music Awards show celebrities local music to the Syracuse area in particular. Over time it has become a beloved staple to Syracuse and the surrounding areas.

    The people’s Choice Awards is moving into its fourth round after the virtual press release. People vote on their favorite artist or band, live-stream event or series, academic or musical organization, and venue in the people’s choice award categories. It all comes down to who has the best fans who are the most passionate. The press conference announced the nominees who advanced to the top 16 in every category of the people’s choice awards. To check out the nominees and to vote in each of the categories click here.

    On top of the people’s choice awards categories there is also many other categories where local musicians were nominated in. The other categories include Best Alternative Recording, Best Americana Recording, Best Blues Recording, Best Country Recording, Best Electric Recording, Best Hard Rock Recording, Best Rap/ Hip Hop Recording, Best Jam Band Recording, Best Jazz Recording, Best Other Style Recording, Best Pop Recording, Best R&B Recording, Best Rock Recording, and Best Singer-Songwriter Recording.

    The actual 2021 SAMMYS will take place on March 5, 2021 and will be streamed live for free and live from SubCat Studios. The awards show will include musical performances by area artists/bands. Awards will be presented in 12 recording categories, in addition to the People’s Choice awards in four categories, Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist, Jack O Bocchino Spirit of the SAMMYS Award, and our Community Spirit Award.

    The “SAMMY Spotlight Series”at Bridge Street on Newschannel 9 kicked off on January 28, 2021 with a performance from Nancy Kelly who is a multi-time winner of the SAMMYS and was inducted into the SAMMYs Hall-of-Fame in 2006. The upcoming spotlighted shows on Newschannel 9 include Chris Merkley on February 4, Sydney Irving on February 11, Bob Holz on February 18, Ghost Town Ramblers on February 25, Doyle/Whiting on March 4. All the performances will take place at 10AM and will build excitement for the upcoming SAMMYS. 

    For more information on the SAMMYS visit their website.

    Full List on SAMMYS 2021 Nominees:

    BEST ALTERNATIVE RECORDING

    Chuck Schiele with Love Letters

    Major Player with Upset City

    Mattydale Music Collective with No Thief, However Skillful

    The Exploding Flowers with Strangers

    Zach Blaszak with Homebrew

    BEST AMERICANA RECORDING

    Chocolate BonBon with Book of Names

    Harmonic Dirt with Live At The Ridge

    J. Schnitt with A Compass of Stars (the
    Quarantine Singles)

    Kid Roscoe with …And The Horse You Rode In On

    The Dart Brothers with Strangest Wavelength

    BEST BLUES RECORDING

    JunioR with This’ll Hurt

    Tas Cru with DRIVE ON

    BEST COUNTRY RECORDING

    Brandon Scott with North Country

    Tink Bennett & Tailor with Made Hate The Game

    Whiskey Hollow Rush with Life, Love, Whiskey

    BEST ELECTRONIC RECORDING

    Asael with We Believed

    Empires in Orbit with Rave of the Damned

    Mazedude with MazeQuest 3 Original Soundtrack

    Shitnuts with Final Frontier

    The Stranger with Soundtrack for a Movie Not Yet Written

    BEST HARD ROCK RECORDING

    Brand New Sin with Live At The Lost

    Caustic Method with No Retribution

    Cleansed In Embers with Misery

    Junexa with Lifeless

    MOTORLORD with Motorlord

    BEST HIP-HOP/RAP RECORDING

    Big Nate MG with The Story of MG

    Christenelle Diroc with Christenelle Diroc

    Def One with 04/20 Vision

    MBK Richy with Throwaways

    Young Dellz with Riana’s Father

    BEST JAM BAND RECORDING

    Ben Blujus with Believe In Music

    Chiggin with THXGVNG

    The Z-Bones with Sweet Misery

    Vaporeyes with Cantrips

    BEST JAZZ RECORDING

    London McDaniel with Anatural Aphrodisiaca

    Stan Colella Orchestra with Just For Fun

    BEST OTHER STYLE RECORDING

    Amanda Rogers with Winter Butterfly

    DiCosimo/Pagán with Con Moto

    Letizia with YOU ARE NOT ALONE

    Lonnie Park and The Earth Band with My Earth Songs

    Redeemer Church Worship with Be Enthroned

    BEST POP RECORDING

    Coughlin with Unlatch Diary

    DESTYNEE with Love&Art

    Jess Novak Band with Standing Now

    Nick + Noah with Fall

    Pat Tato with Good Grief

    BEST R&B RECORDING

    Chels with After Midnight

    Jaquiel with Summer Nights in the Southward

    Liam Alone with Liam Alone Live

    Sean McLeod with Freedom (Sean McLeod’s “A
    Soundtrack for Harriet Tubman”)

    Wavy Vibez with Only One (The Ep)

    BEST ROCK RECORDING

    Atkins Riot with Couch Potato

    Krix Wiechmann and the Pallbearers with 3 Hits From Hell

    Otherworldly Entity with Cataclysm

    Posted with Fantastic Invasion

    The Kiwis with Still Life – EP

    BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER RECORDING

    Amanda Rogers with The Hallow

    Colleen Kattau with Besos Kisses

    Just Joe with Breakdown

    Sydney Irving with Relax With Fiends

  • Tony Bennett Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Doesn’t Stop His Love for Music

    Tony Bennett, iconic artist and Queens native, has recently revealed to AARP the Magazine that he has Alzheimer’s.

    Tony Bennett
    Picture of Tony Bennett from AARP taken By Kelsey Bennett

    Bennett and his family kept his diagnosis a secret for about four years. He was diagnosed in 2016 by a neurologist named Gayatri Devi at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that results in memory loss and interferes with other cognitive abilities. It is the most common cause of dementia.

    While Bennett has not had the severe symptoms of the disease, he faces short term memory loss. His wife Susan says he doesn’t understand Alzheimer’s and feels fine physically but only because he wasn’t aware of what changed. He still recognizes loved ones but he isn’t sure about his surroundings or what’s happening. 

    Susan and son Danny decided to disclose the status of his health because he can no longer entertain public interviews. His son has taken place as his manager for decades and Susan is now his primary caretaker. Since Bennett does not understand the gravity of Alzheimer’s, they decided it was best to make this decision without him. 

    Before his diagnosis years ago, Bennett was a New York City native who dropped out of school to support his family after his father’s death. He also served in the Army during WWII when he was 18 and returned to New York at 20. His big break in the industry when he sang with Pearl Bailey at the Village Inn. He started with the stage name Joe Bari changed it to Tony Bennett under Joe Hope’s suggestion that the former name didn’t suit him.

    In 1950 Bennett signed to Columbia Records and made several hits. Throughout his career, he faced ups and downs, married three times, and had four children. After his career hit rock bottom in the 70s, his son Danny became his manager and is responsible for his revival in the industry. Bennett met Sandra in 1985 and they resided in New York where she started her own career and he continued to sing and paint. 

    In 2015, Bennett realized there was something wrong when he didn’t remember the names of musicians he recently worked with and wanted to go to the doctor. Currently, he is functioning well despite his condition due to medication, exercise, a Mediterranean diet, and his true love, singing. His latest work is an LP with his protege Lady Gaga that was recorded between 2018 and 2020.

    Although his life has changed significantly under this disease, one thing he remembers is his passion for music. He continues to sing and his doctor encourages singing sessions twice a week because it stimulates his brain. After years of his health being under discretion, Bennett’s story is giving inspiration.

  • “Albums Revisited” Streaming Series Announces All Female Tribute to Carole King

    “Albums Revisited” streaming series hosted by Bardavon Presents has announced their upcoming tribute to Carole King, featuring her album Tapestry on February 10, 2021 at 8PM EST. The headliners of the performance are Annie Lennox and Carly Simon with an all-female lineup joining them. 

    Albums Revisited carole king

    Bardavon is a venue in Poughkeepsie, NY and was founded in 1869. It’s owned by the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Inc. (the Bardavon) which was incorporated in 1976. It’s a New York State nonprofit corporation that owns and operates a 944-seat historic theater in Poughkeepsie and the region’s premiere orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic (the HVP). The Bardavon presents arts education programs, music, dance, theater, Live in HD broadcasts, classic films, and as of late, live stream performances. “Albums Revisited” streaming series is being curated by Bardavon Production Manager Stephen LaMarca with commentary by Bardavon Executive Director Chris Silva and others. These live stream shows are free and are being presented on Bardavon Presents YouTube channel. 

    Carole King is an american singer songwriter who has been an active member of the music community since the 1950’s. She is famous not only as a performer but as a writer having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her most well known songs include “It’s Too Late” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “I Feel the Earth Move” all of which are off of her album Tapestry which was released in 1971.  

    https://youtu.be/sIMJBDj_JkE

    Annie Lennox was named as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine. She is known for her work in the Eurythmics and The Tourists. In the early 90’s she went on to establish an acclaimed solo career and is known for songs like “I Put a Spell on You” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Walking on Broken Glass.” 

    Carly Simon rose to fame back in the 1970’s with back-to-back hit records. She started a band with her sister initially called The Simon Sisters’ but went solo in 1971 with her self-titled album ‘Carly Simon.’ She had 13 Top 40 U.S. hits. Her most well known songs include “You’re So Vain” “Coming Around Again” and “Nobody Does it Better.” 

    Although the live- stream performance is free, any donations made will have a portion of them benefit People’s Place in Kingston & Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie. For more information visit Bardavon’s website. 

    Bardavon Presents these original performances of Carole King classics created especially for the Bardavon set list and performers are listed below:

    I Feel the Earth Move – Kat Quinn

    So Far Away – Dar Williams

    It’s Too Late – Jonatha Brooke

    Home Again – Jill Sobule

    Beautiful – Patti Rothberg

    Way Over Yonder – The Texas Guitar Women:

    Marcia Ball performing on piano & vocals 

    Sarah Brown performing on bass

    Cindy Cashdollar performing on lap steel

    Shelley King performing on guitar & vocals

    Lisa Pankratz performing on drums

    Carolyn Wonderland performing on guitar & vocals

    You’ve Got a Friend – Carly Simon

    Where You Lead – Katie Kadan

    Will You Love Me Tomorrow – Laura Stevenson

    Smackwater Jack – Lara Hope

    Tapestry – Annie Lennox

    Natural Woman – Kate Pierson

  • Live Event Industry Offer Aid with COVID-19 Vaccination Effort

    On January 26, various groups of the live event industry offered their venues, staff, and expertise to the COVID-19 vaccination effort.

    Groups involved in composing the letter to President Biden include AEG, Bandit Lites, Broadway League, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), Live Nation, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO), the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Oak View Group (OVG), and We Make Events.

    Live Event Industry

    Due to the pandemic the live event industry has shut down operations. The venues have remained empty while the crowd-management staff have been eager to get back to work. As a matter of fact, this emptiness and wide range of venues make them an ideal location for vaccination sites.

    Live Nation has venues across the country that are capable of managing critical onsite elements of the vaccine rollout and we are eager to pitch in and be part of the solution.

    Michael Rapino – President & CEO of Live Nation Entertainment

    Venues are specifically designed for crowd control. They’re also located in most urban, suburban, and rural communities. Often times these areas are near transit lines or have an easy access to parking. The interiors are wide and empty, with bright lighting and empty refrigeration systems. Not to mention that the use of ticketing systems for advanced notification, timed entry, and crowd management in live events lends itself to manage this type of process.

    We are here to help. In fact, many venues are already working on the State and Local level to implement vaccine programs. Our industry owns, leases and/or has access to thousands of venues throughout America, most that are under mandated closures and sitting empty. Event venues make ideal community vaccination sites.

    Wayne Forte – NITO Executive Committee Member and President of Entourage Talent Associates.

    Dayna Frank, owner & CEO of First Avenue Productions and Board President of NIVA stressed the benefits of utilizing music industry staff. “These vaccines are our best chance at putting COVID-19 behind us, and our experiences organizing events and managing crowds now put us in the unique position of being the best prepared and most qualified industry to support the vaccination effort and get this country on the road to recovery.”

    Live Event Industry Letter to President Biden:

    As you set about achieving the ambitious goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in 100 days, we wish to offer the full support and resources of the live event industry. We share your vision of expedient, equitable, and widespread vaccine distribution. It is our duty, as businesses rooted in communities across the nation, to do our part to set America on a positive path during this time of crisis. We stand ready to work with Federal and State governments to save lives and get America back to work and school.

  • Artists Pay Tribute to Allen Ginsberg and “The Fall of America”

    Musicians Mickey Hart, Yo La Tengo and Bill Frisell are uniting to celebrate The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965-1971, by beat poet Allen Ginsberg, musically interpreting all the poems from the book.

    allen ginsberg
    Cover art to Allen Ginsberg’s The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965-1971.

    In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the U.S. was involved in what’s often referred to as one of the worst, most pointless wars in history. The Vietnam War sparked hatred across the country, but inspired works of artistic and musical genius. The Fall of America is a collection of Allen Ginsberg poems from 1965 to 1971.

    In 1965, Ginsberg began planning an ambitious project, a book of thematically connected poems, a collection that ‘discovered’ America in poetry similar to the way Kerouac’s On the Road had explored the country in prose. The Vietnam War would be a constant presence overhanging Ginsberg’s travel writings like a darkening shadow affecting daily life in the country. It would be a study of contrasts: natural beauty slammed up against an ugliness that rose out of the tensions of violence. The public’s polarized dialogue over Vietnam and, earlier in the decade, the civil rights movement, convinced Ginsberg that America was teetering on the precipice of a fall.

    Michael Schumacher, The Fall of America Journals 1965-1971.

    The fall of America is a phrase that can be used today because of the treachery our country has been put through in recent times. The racism, the riots, the pandemic and our political divide are all symptoms of a nation falling apart. The Fall of America – A 50th Anniversary Musical Tribute is not only a representation of our nation today, but also all of the proceeds from album sales go to HeadCount, an organization set to spread the importance of democracy and voter registration.

    “While most people tend to reflect the brightness of the era, Ginsberg didn’t shy away from the darkness. He writes the scene in all its complexity, the busts of excitements and Dionysian excesses as well as darker images, such as the sculpture of the hanged man. He forces us to recognize the children sleeping in the bed and the police cars parked outside, red lights revolving in the trees,” said Hart.

    The Allen Ginsberg tribute album is set to release digitally on Feb. 5 and on CD and LP on June 5.

    Digital Track Listing:

    1)    Scanner – Elegy for Neal Cassidy
    2)    Handsome Family – Hiway Poesy Painted Desert into Albuquerque
    3)    Shintaro Sakamoto – Manhattan Thirties Flash
    4)    Thurston Moore & Lee Ranaldo – Hum Bom
    5)    Aliah Rosenthal – War Profit Litany
    6)    Ed Sanders (The Fugs) – Memory Gardens
    7)    Mickey Hart – Drones Du Jour (First Party at Ken Kesey’s with Hell’s Angels
    8)    ethereal_interface – An Open Window on Chicago
    9)    Howie B with Gavin Friday – Death on All Fronts (America is Falling)
    10) Disco Pusher – A Prophecy
    11) Kaya Project – Wales Visitation
    12) Angelique Kidjo – Uluru Song
    13) Bill Frisell – Over Laramie
    14) Andrew Bird – Easter Sunday
    15) Devendra Banhart – Milarepa Taste
    16) Yo La Tengo – Bayonne into NYC
    17) The Good Ones (Rwanda) – Falling Asleep in America
    18) Steven Taylor – Continuation of a Long Poem in These States
    19) Lang Lee – Pain on All Fronts
    20)  Social Animals – Falling Asleep In America (Roses Smell Sweet)

    Vinyl Track Listing:

    Side A:

    1)    Scanner – Elegy for Neal Cassidy
    2)    Shintaro Sakamoto – Manhattan Thirties Flash
    3)    Thurston Moore & Lee Ranaldo – Hum Bom
    4)    Ed Sanders (The Fugs) – Memory Gardens
    5)    Mickey Hart – Drones Du Jour (First Party at Ken Kesey’s)
    6)    Howie B with Gavin Friday – Death on All Fronts (America is Falling)
    7)    Disco Pusher – A Prophecy
    Side B:
    1)    Angelique Kidjo – Uluru Song
    2)    Bill Frisell – Over Laramie
    3)    Andrew Bird – Easter Sunday
    4)    Devendra Banhart – Milarepa Taste
    5)    Yo La Tengo – Bayonne into NYC
    6)    Lang Lee – Pain on All Fronts
    Bonus download: Youth – Iron Horse (An Epic 32 Minute Auditory Journey)

  • Dust Bowl Faeries join The Linda’s ‘Open for Take-Out’ Virtual Concert Series

    The Dust Bowl Faeries will be performing at The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio in their ‘Open for Take-Out’ virtual concert series. Originally scheduled for February 1, 2021 at 8PM EST, the performance will now air on February 22, due to the early-February snowstorm. 

    Dust Bowl Faeries
    Album cover from The Plague Garden.

    The Dust Bowl Faeries are a dark carnival-inspired indie-rock band that draws inspiration from circus, post-punk and Eastern European folk music. They are based in New York and formed back in 2015 and their original line up was an all women trio of but now is a five piece multi-gendered power house. They released their newest album, The Plague Garden on November 20, 2020. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Michael Schoonmaker and was partially written during the pandemic. The band’s current line up is Ryder Cooley (Faerie Queen) on accordion, singing saw, ukulele, and lead vocals, Jon B. Woodin (Rocket Faerie) on guitar, castanets, and vocals, Rubi LaRue (Feisty Faerie) on lap steel and vocals, Liz LoGiudice (River Faerie) on bass and vocals, and Andrew Stein (Time Faerie) on percussion.

    Band leader Ryder Cooley spoke on the inspiration behind the band teaming up with The Linda which is based in Albany, saying that she had actually reached out to The Linda at the very beginning of March 2020 before the world knew the pandemic would crush the live entertainment industry. As time passed she had forgotten that she had reached out to them in the midst of pandemic life until one day in December when they invited the group to play a virtual concert. 

    This will be the first time the Dust Bowl Faeries first live-stream show and will be the first time they have all played together in almost a year.  Ryder Cooley shares that although they are feeling a little bit rusty they will be “pouring our[their] hearts out at this concert since it is our[their] first show all together in such a long time.” 

    There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the Dust Bowl Faeries performance at The Linda. They will be playing several songs off their new album including “Pandemic Tango” which was written during the pandemic, and will also be performing fan favorites like “Candy Store.” The video of which was shot during the pandemic by Lisa M. Thomas of Thin Edge Films and released it in November 2020 in advance of their album. They will also be performing a brand new song titled “Cuckoo,” which is a polka-jazz song about feeling cooped-up and a little bit ‘cuckoo.’

    Tickets for the performance on February 1 at 8PM EST at The Linda are $10 and can be purchased here and will be streamed live on YouTube. The concert will also air on the ‘Live at the Linda’ radio show but people are encouraged to buy tickets because in the visual ensemble people will get a much fuller experience of the band watching the show rather than just listening. 

    The Dust Bowl Faeries are also in the midst of the Winter Series of their virtual vaudeville show Wish You Were Hear. They have upcoming performances on February 13 with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and on March 20 with Lorkin O’Reilly.

    For more information visit the Dust Bowl Faeries website, Facebook or Instagram.