Gianluca Tramontana, music journalist and host of the Radio Free Brooklyn showSitting with Gianluca, spent 2017–2019 in the mountains around Guantánamo City, Cuba, immersed in—and recording— joyous, all-inclusive and mostly improvised, riff-based acoustic roots music of the island. The music was born in the sugar and coffee plantations in the mountains around the city, less than thirty miles from Guantanamo Bay, and serves as the soundtrack for joyous three-day parties called Changuisis.
This incredible collection of recordings, which includes over 50 brand new remote recordings and 100 intimate photographs of the culture and its people, was released this past July 30 by Petaluma Records as a three-disc deluxe box set with a hardbound full-color book and extensive liner notes titled Changüí – The Sound of Guantánamo. This release, the most extensive exploration of the Changüí style to date, has garnered four- and five-star reviews (MOJO, Songlines, No Depression, and Afropop) and been featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition, BBC6, PRI’S The World, and the CBC.
On November 17, Radio Free Brooklyn is partnering with the Pine Box Rock Shop for a free event that will be part belated record release party, part panel discussion and slideshow dedicated to this vibrant brand of Cuban music. Hosted by Tramontana, the event will include a conversation with four-time Grammy-winning producer Steve Rosenthal (co-producer) and Ned Sublette, Cuban music expert and author of the definitive tome Cuba and its Music. This will also serve as a “better late than never” album release party where a copy of the box (and some other special gifts) will be raffled off to a lucky audience member.
The Pine Box Rock Shop is located at 12 Grattan Street, Brooklyn. The 90-minute event kickoff at 8 pm. RSVP here.
Radio Free Brooklyn is a non-commercial freeform Internet radio station, streaming original content by the artists and residents of Brooklyn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Listen live here.
Ed Sheeran performed as musical guest and Succession’sKieran Culkin returned to Saturday Night Live on Saturday, November 6. The hosting duties for Culkin occured almost 30 years to the day since his brother Macaulay hosted in November 1991.
This past week, Kieran shared a memory on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from his time hanging around Studio 8H while his brother held hosting duties:
I remember during rehearsal day, being on the stage and I was with my mom, and Kevin Nealon walks by, and she grabs him and she goes, ‘Oh hey, you’re great. By the way, you’re my son’s favorite.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, thank you very much, that’s nice to hear.’ And I went, ‘Mom’ — cuz I’m 9, kids don’t have a filter — ‘I told you, he’s my second favorite, Dana Carvey’s my favorite.’
Kieran Culkin, November 1991
Kieran appeared in three sketches that night – “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” “Medieval Scalders” and as Froggy, in a flashback during the “Richmeister” sketch, seen below.
Sheeran made his first appearance of the night as a guest on the Dionne Warwick Talk Show, with the talented Ego Nwodim playing the legendary pop singer who recently discovered Twitter. As a surprise, the Warwick appeared, just as Nwodim’s Warwick suggested she interview a true icon. After sharing “I’m not perfect, I’m just very good,” the two sang a duet of Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now.”
Sheeran was announced as musical guest for this episode back on October 23, and the next day shared a diagnosis of COVID-19 for he and his daughter, despite he being vaccinated. Sheeran was able to finish his isolation period and was cleared to perform, although he did not appear in the traditional SNL promos with Culkin.
For the first song of the night, Sheeran played “Shivers,” the second single off his new album = (pronounced “equals”), which was released just last week. There were no signs he had just been under the weather, as Sheeran didn’t miss a beat on this dance pop number.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ItgpYfAT14
Sheeran returned later in the show to sing the folksy “Overpass Graffiti,” fist-bumping members of his band at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGiVv_iFaGI
During the goodbyes, fulfilling his monologue wish, Culkin was hoisted by cast members Chris Redd and Keenan Thompson, flexing as he did nearly 30 years ago.
moe.’s Midnight Sun 2022 event will take place in Iceland. The event was announced across moe’s social media and will take place August 5-7, 2022 in Reykjavik, Iceland supported by Dopapod and Aqueous.
Midnight Sun will consist of moe. playing six sets over three nights at Reykjavik’s Eldborg Hall in the Harpa Center. Dopapod and Aqueous will be there as supporting acts. with additional late night performances set to take place at venues near Harpa, with more details and specifics will be announced in the near future. Part of the draw of Iceland for the moe.’s Midnight Sun festivities is the fact it will be taking place in summer which will provide daylight that stretches long into the evening.
moe. recently celebrated 30 years together as a band, having formed in 1989 at University of Buffalo. A true New York band, guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey hail from Oneida County, while drummer Vinnie Amico calls Saratoga County home.
Dopapod formed at Berklee College Of Music back in 2007, with Eli Winderman, Rob Compa, Chuck Jones, and Neal “Fro” Evans filling out the original and current lineups. Aqueous is an indie-jam rock group that formed in Buffalo back in 2007, composed of Mike Gantzer, David Loss and Evan McPhaden and Rob Houk.
VIP tickets will go on sale on November 8, 2021 at 12 PM EST and the general on-sale goes on sale on November 11, 2021 at 10 AM EST. The VIP packages will include prime seating, access to an acoustic brunch set and more to be announced. Tickets can be purchased here once they are available.
For more information on Moe’s Midnight Sun 2022 visit their website.
Amayo, lead singer of influential Brooklyn Afrobeat group Antibalas, has announced he will depart the group after 23 years. His departure was shared in a message to fans on Friday morning.
Amayo infused their music of Antibalas with charisma, energy, and flair. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, he found a penchant for Afrobeat sneaking into The Shrine, where Fela Kuti once played.
Amayo with Antibalas at Industry City in 2019. Photo by Jamie Huenefeld.
Amayo joined Antibalas in 1999, after founding members Martin Perna and Gabriel Roth encountered him on the south side of Williamsburg. After inviting him to see a show, they eventually asked him to fill in for their percussionist. Soon enough, Amayo began composing lyrics, eventually falling into the role of lead vocalist. Amayo would stay at the helm of Antibalas through a Grammy nomination, three generations of musicians, and countless sold-out festival crowds.
“After the success of theFu Chronicles album, the down time with COVID, the birth of my son, and a move across the country, circumstances have provided me with the opportunity to leave Antibalas on a high creative and artistic note,” Amayo wrote, with deep unconditional love for you, our fans, and all of the musicians who have played with me over the years.
Antibalas performs at the Brooklyn Bowl in 2019. Photo by Mickey Deneher.
Amayo played his last show with Antibalas, fittingly, in New York, at Central Park Summerstage on September 18. Amayo thanked the crowd at the show for making his last night so memorable.
As the vocalist looks ahead, there remains music in the future.
“It’s time for me to embark on a solo career,” he wrote, “one dedicated to my rich Nigerian Afrobeat roots.”
Antibalas at the Brooklyn Bowl in 2019. Photo by Mickey Deneher.
In their own footnote message, Antibalas wished Amayo the best in his future endeavors. The band also encouraged fans to look ahead with positivity, not doubt. Antibalas released their last album, Fu Chronicles, to positive reviews in February 2020.
“We are excited for both of our futures,” the band shared, “and bringing new music to you all in 2022!”
Antibalas will continue on scheduled tour dates, playing two upcoming shows at the Brooklyn Bowl on November 12 and 13.
Bearsville Theater enlisted a new talent buyer after it’s recent renovations which will help make Bearsville a key hotspot for music in the Catskills and north of NYC.
Edward Maier has been appointed the new talent buyer for Bearsville Center including the historic Bearsville Theater and the Utopia Sound Studios by the owner of the Bearsville Center, Lizzie Vann. Maier is known for his work with ElmThree Productions. The hope is he will be able to bring his extensive contacts and experience to help create Bearsville Theater into the hotspot it can be.
Bearsville Theater and The Bearsville Center are located in Woodstock NY. The center was created during the musical revolution during the ‘60s. Albert Grossman who was the founder of the center and was known as one of the most important managers of artists at that time, envisioned a 15-acre complex to provide an imaginative rustic oasis, where artists could create, rehearse, perform, record and promote their music. He built housing, a recording and video studios, a formidable record label and 3 restaurants. His final project was the acoustically planned 8,000 sq. ft 400-seater Bearsville Theater. The Mission of Bearsville under the current ownership is to nurture and Inspire future generations. Today, the theater acts as a stimulus for creativity and enjoyment. The theater embarked on extensive renovation over the last two years and have finally come to the time where they can focus their energy on up-and-coming new bands.
Maier started his career in the music business back in the late ‘90’s with booking local acts in Burlington Vermont. Over the years he moved onto working for touring bands and site co-coordinating national tours with Jay- Z/Beyoncé and Eminem/Rihanna. In 2007 he moved into talent buying, and since then has purchased and produced over 1000 shows. Elm Three Productions is Talent Buyer for: Madison Marquette, Paramount Theatre, the Convention Hall, The Wonder Bar and Stone Pony along with the popular series – Jams On The Sand and AC Jams and the Daydream Farm Concert Series.
Between Maier’s years of experience and the legacy of Bearsville Theater and it’s new renovations it will definitely be a venue to keep an eye on.
On Friday, November 5, John Hall of 1970s pop band Orleans (“Stay With Me,” “Still the One”) will kick off NYS Music in Motion Season 3, as he sits down with our host, rocker Frank Palangi.
Sponsored by Helping Friendly Hemp Company, the series brings together seasoned musicians who hail from the Empire State or have made New York their home, alongside Palangi, a Warren County native.
Guests for Season 3 of NYS Music in Motion include Hudson Valley guitarist Kristen Capolino, Lake George multi-instrumentalist Rich Ortiz, PEAK guitarist and front man Jeremy Hilliard, Glass Pony drummer Chanda Dewey, and Ithaca-based promoter Dan Smalls.
Tune in starting on Friday, November 5 for each installment of Music in Motion on the NYS Music YouTube and Facebook page.
Palangi will have a sit down conversation with each artist, with a lineup of musicians from across New York State. A homegrown indie rock recording artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Palangi fuels his positive ambition naturally by serving up a feeding frenzy of edge heavy guitars, with a side of deep, gritty vocals. With a no-quit mentality, Palangi draws on influences from 80s & 90s rock, including post-grunge and heavy metal.
NYS Music in Motion Season 3 Schedule
November 5 – John Hall November 12 – Kristen Capolino November 19 – Rich Ortiz December 1 – Jeremy Hilliard December 8 – Chanda Dewey December 15 – Dan Smalls
The Del Lago Casino venue “The Vine” is bringing an infamous night from San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom back to life. The famed concert of “The Last Waltz” will be recreating music by “The Band” at the Del Lago Casino on Saturday November 13th. The evening’s playbill includes over 40 performers as part of “The Salt City Waltz.” The 2021 edition promises to feature new faces and music added to the show. The production inside The Vine offers a glimpse into the 1970’s Winterland Ballroom. It will transport the concert goers to the same movie lens Martin Scorsese shot the original in.
Rick Danko of the Band
The classic house band will feature Los Blancos from Syracuse featuring Mark Tiffault on drums, Colin Aberdeen on Guitar, and Steve Winston on Bass. The addition to their core of Scott Ebner on Piano, Mark Westers on Guitar, and Bill Barry on Organ will help shape the Vine stage nicely.
To make the performance sound full circle at the Vine please welcome the Levon Helm Studio Horns. Featuring Jay Collins on Tenor Saxophone, Erik Lawrence on Baritone/ Alto sax, Steve Bernstein on Trumpet. Special guest on trombone and tuba, from Bruce Springsteen E Street Band Clark Gayton will join the Waltz this year. As Levon Helm once said, “I love horns and the bigger the band, the better it sounds in my ear.”
Producer Stacey Waterman has curated all four editions of the Salt City Waltz; creating an atmosphere very much like that Thanksgiving night in 1976, right down to a chandelier. The idea behind this show is to celebrate the music of The Band and The Last Waltz. The musicians who assemble for this each year are the cream of the crop and leave the audience feeling thankful. You can purchase tickets to the event here.
Levon Helm’s infamous studio barn in the Hudson Valley is still hosting their own live music. The music never stopped through his daughter Amy Helm and the list of other great acts to still turn the same wheel. Music also lives on at Bob Dylan’s Big Pink House that The Band famously recorded at in Woodstock as well.
The Power of Music just kinda kills all those ills. It cures everything and you’ve got more energy because of the music. And I’ve Never Seen it Fail. Its good for ya…real good for ya
We’ll be hearing more from the four-time GRAMMY winner Sarah Jarosz, as she has announced a series of live performances of the Blue Heron Suite this December. After becoming the recipient of the FreshGrass Composition Commission and premiered the song at the FreshGrass Festival in 2017, she knew that we need to hear more.
Her signature ember-smoky warble made an appearance in the latest recording of Blue Heron Suite was released May of this year featuring accompaniment by Jefferson Hamer and Jeff Picker. Performed on Mother’s Day for a special livestreamed concert event, the trio plans to reunite for the live shows along with other hits from her longtime award winning career.
Blue Heron Suite captures the feelings of transience that lurk around the edges of our lives and that come into the light in times when we face possible loss, but in these songs Jarosz demonstrates that we can be transported, momentarily at least, above our bodies and this earth on wings
Henry Carrigan of Folk Alley
Proclaimed as some of her best work yet from Atwood and receiving compliments of the most mature work of hers evoking rumination and deliberation, it would be an understatement to say that she has received glowing reviews. There may be something to learn for everyone; “it finds hope in spite of happenstance and wisdom in reflection”.
For a bit of a warm up Jarosz wrapped up a mini-tour of the east coast with shows in Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC. In early November, she will do a short run of dates with Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn. She is planning an extensive tour of the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom in 2022 that will focus on 2020’s GRAMMY-winning album World on the Ground as well as Blue Heron Suite.
An Evening with Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, and Sarah Jarosz, Together in Concert
Nov 4th – State Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
Nov 5th – Hoyt Sherman Place – Des Moines, IA
Nov 9th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Sarah Jarosz – Blue Heron Suite Tour
Dec 1st – Academy of Music – Northampton, MA
Dec 2nd – Stone Mountain Arts Center – Brownfield, ME
Dec 3rd – The Egg – Albany, NY
Dec 4th – Caramoor – Katonah, NY
Dec 5th – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY
Dec 7th – Center For The Arts – Homer, NY
Dec 8th – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
Dec 9th – Narrows Center for the Arts – Fall River, MA
Early birds at this year’s tenth-annual Governors Ball Music Festival were treated to a high-energy performance to kick off the festival’s second day. That band, Brooklyn trio Nation of Language, deliver a fresh take on the synth-pop sounds that emerged in the late 1970s/early 1980s that is fun to listen to at home and even more of an experience to dance and groove to in a live show.
Tonight, November 4, Nation of Language are returning to their hometown for a show to celebrate the release of their second full-length album A Way Forward due out November 5. The show is taking place at Market Hotel starting at 8pm with special guest Cutouts. (Tickets and more information are here).
While NYS Music was at Governors Ball, we had an opportunity to talk to Ian Devaney (vocals), Aidan Noel (synths), and Michael Sui-Poi (guitar) of Nation of Language about their experience at GovBall and creating new music during the pandemic.
Steve Malinski: Starting off, how did you guys come together as a band and start making music in your current form?
Ian Devaney: I started kind of as like a, just like a personal writing experiment. I’ve been like making guitar music for a number of years and had this sort of like an epiphany moment when the song “Electricity” by OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark] came on. And I was like, it’s so simple, like, it’s synth music, but it’s so simple, and it’s direct and feels like urgent. And it was just like, very exciting. So I was like, let me switch and like, see how I could make synthesizer music. And then, Mike came on and, like, helps me record the first sort of demos that we put together. And then we got some friends together and started playing around, and then the lineup changed a couple of times. And when all of our synth players suddenly moved to Los Angeles, Aiden stepped up. And she learned to play since she never, she never played music before. So she heroically saved us from my doom and gloom.
Ian Devaney
MichaelSue-Poi: Yeah, Ian and I used to be in a band together. So it was a familiar experience to do demos together. Yeah.
SM: I want to talk a bit about your newer music and some new music you have coming out. So what was that like – releasing an album at the start of the pandemic?
Ian: We were initially quite pessimistic about it. Traditionally, it felt like the live show was really how we kind of, you know, like, really would get ourselves in front of people and kind of bring people on board with what we were trying to do. And so we were three days into a tour when everything closed down. And we were like, that’s it… see all these years of hard work and like, no one’s ever gonna hear it because we can’t play shows.
Aidan Noel: But thankfully that’s not how it turned out at all. We had people at blogs that were writing about it, and at radio stations that were playing the singles. And we ended up making so many new fans over the pandemic, people that were just stuck at home listening to music. And it meant a lot to learn of fans who found that was their soundtrack throughout those difficult times, and for us to know that it wasn’t all or nothing, and that it wasn’t the end of the road. Also in fact, you know, here we are, at GovBall, playing those songs. And even newer singles turned out ok!
Aidan Noell
SM: Was today at GovBall your first chance to play a lot of those songs out live?
AN: No, we’ve actually had a couple of shows leading up to [GovBall] locally. And we played a show in Boston and Philly. So this is our fifth show back in action.
ID: Yeah. Two New York shows and then this…
AN: …getting back into the groove of live shows, it’s been really fun.
ID: It’s also kind of crazy, because we’re getting back into kind of a different groove. Since so many of our fans basically found us during the pandemic, we haven’t met any of them, which is like a strange phenomenon. So going from kind of playing smaller rooms and not selling them out to playing like a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom I was like, isn’t there supposed to be something in between these two things? Just like with our set here at GovBall it’s like, it’s very bizarre.
SM: So how does it feel to play one of these big festivals in New York City’s backyard, your hometown?
MSP: I mean, it’s amazing to finally be playing at GovBall.
Mike Sue-Poi
AN: I’ve only come to GovBall once before and it was two years ago (as a fan) and got rained out. It was like a torrential storm. They had to evacuate the grounds… it was wild. So it’s cool to be here as an audience member and as a band playing this time. I would not have predicted that at that rainy show two years ago.
IN: Yeah. And like, it’s beautiful. And like yeah, we came yesterday to see Future Islands and Billie Eilish and there’s like a whole bunch of people that we’re really excited to see today. So, yeah, it’s crazy being on, like on that stage, knowing who else is gonna come on to it. And it’s like, super humbling, really awesome.
SM: Awesome. So your new album coming out this fall – did you write that in the middle of the pandemic? Or was it intended to be released earlier?
IN: Yeah, it’s kind of a mix. There are a few songs that have been around for a little longer. And then some songs were like, start to finish written in the pandemic. And other ones were, you know, finding old fragments of things and piecing them together. So it was a fun, kind of a fun way of bringing together ideas from right now and trying to curate them together.
NYC’s Japan Society has announced SHEEP #1, a unique new live performance from New-York based artist Sachiyo Takahashi. The four-show run will be live at Japan Society from November 4 through November 7.
SHEEP #1 follows the story of a lone sheep seeking out the meaning of life. Takahashi’s minimalist, unique performance employs a self-designed style she coined “Microscopic Live Cinema-Theatre.” Manipulating minuscule figurines in real-time, Takahashi magnifies their live movements onscreen alongside a live musical accompaniment. She has received multiple grants from The Jim Henson Foundation, including one this year, for her innovations in puppeteering.
The experimental performance combines live music, object theater, and storytelling inspired by the writings of Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince). The performance’s text is a mixture of original words by Takahashi and quotes from Saint-Exupery himself.
Takashi’s has shown her inventive work at festivals and venues around the world. She founded her artistic collective, Nekaa Lab, in 2006, described as an “eternal playground for the curious mind.” The video, which highlights the figurines and puppets that make up the “lab members” of Nekaa Lab, is a prime example of the odd, haunting minimalism of Microscopic Live Cinema-Theatre.
In addition to puppetry, Takahashi also has master accreditation in Okamoto School Shinnai-bushi, a traditional form of song-storytelling from Japan. Her merging of unique and traditional styles creates a new form of avant-garde cinematic experience. In fact, she previously collaborated with Korean instrumentalist gamin to conceptualize a new music theatre, The Emotions, incorporated into the HERE Artist Residency Program in 2020.
In a note, Japan Society Artistic Director Yoko Shioya explained what called her to the piece. Shioya felt moved by Takahashi’s treatment of her figurines as members of her artistic company.
“Having the utmost reverence to a particular thing,” Shioya said, “is a meaningful gift that artists possess to create art.”
SHEEP #1’s run will incorporate two distinct programs. PROGRAM A, featuring Emile Blondel on piano, will be performed Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 P.M. and Sunday, November 7 at 2:30 P.M. PROGRAM B, featuring Kato Hideki on bass guitar, will be performed Friday, November 5 at 7:30 P.M. and Saturday, November 6 at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets to the event can be purchased online at japansociety.org, or by phone through the Box Office at (212)-715-1258.
