NYS Music 202​1

Category: News Desk

  • #IggyStrong Fundraiser Auction Features Items from Phish, Goose, The Disco Biscuits and More


    For the second time this year, the jam industry is rallying around Chris Friday, a Burlington-based music industry figure. Earlier this year, Friday received the devastating news that his 11-year-old son, Iggy, contracted Acute Lymphoid Leukemia. This week, several notable bands and artists once again donated a multitude of unique merchandise for auction. The #IggyStrong auction runs from July 7th – 11th 5 PM ET. 

    #IggyStrong

    Highlights include: 

    – The Bernie Donut Dress from Jon Fishman PLUS an Original Jon Fishman Dress, worn from 1998-2011

    – Kaoss Pad Used By Trey During the Baker’s Dozen 

    – (4) GA weekend passes for Suwannee Hulaween

    – (2) VIP passes to Hogs for the Cause + a 2 night stay at the Troubador in New Orleans

    – (5) pairs of tickets to any show at White Oak Music Hall

    – Personalized and signed poster from Saving Abel + tickets to any show + a phone call with lead singer, Jared

    – Private performance by Soule Monde (Ray and Russ of TAB)

    – A Colorado package from STS9 – including 2 tix to each show (7/23-25) plus merch bundle

    Iggy is an eleven year old battling Leukemia in Burlington, Vermont. His father, Chris Friday, is very well known in the music community. He was the tour manager for Mike Gordon, warehouse manager for Phish, former production manager at Higher Ground, and the singer for Touchpants. The auction in support of Iggy is being organized by Cate Esser (Booking Agent, Promoter) and Danny Bennett (Higher Ground. Production and Stage Mgt. – Gov’t Mule, Mike Gordon, GPN). The benefit auction  will include donations from over 20 nationwide touring artists, venues, and photographers. 

    Artists, Companies, and Donors involved in the Iggy Strong auction include Phish, Lake Street Dive, Lettuce, The Revivalists, Tank and the Bangas, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Spafford, Goose, Umphrey’s McGee, Moe., Lettuce, Higher Ground, Perpetual Groove, Gov’t Mule, Jen Hartswick, Hollaback Cards, Ryan Montbleau, Mule Bar, Purrple Alien, Burlington Bobcats, Morgan Eve Swain, Amanda Rose, and Liz Daino Photography.

    For more information on the Iggy Strong Auction visit the website. Those who wish to directly support the cause can donate using this link. 

  • “Isolation: Concerts For No One” to feature Kitchen Dwellers, Andy Frasco, and Mihali

    Distrokid, a digital music distribution company, announces digital concert series, “Isolation: Concert for No One”. The series focuses on several artist traveling to idyllic natural destinations throughout the Untied States playing concerts to an empty crowd.

    isolation concerts

    The bands began their roundtrip around the Southeastern Untied States in the fall of 2020 with the goal of trip to document their experiences and perform empty concerts in scenic wilderness area. The featuring artists include Andy Frasco, Shawn Eckles, Kitchen Dwellers and Mihali from Twiddle. The groups all traveled together, not only growing closer but honing their music chops on the way. The goal of these concerts is to emphasize the importance of isolation and being out and nature, ideas brought to light because of the current global pandemic.

    We’re doing this to show people that isolation is needed. Sometimes we need to go outside of our comfort zones and go outside of what we know; we are trying to experience something together that we haven’t experienced in four months because we’ve been sitting in our houses.

    Andy Frasco, Musician

    Distrokid, in collaboration with Fans.Live, is hosting “Isolation: Concerts for No One” as a four episode concert series which filmed across the week-long caravan featuring sets from each act, never-before-seen collaborations, and behind-the-scenes footage. New episodes will air every Tuesday night beginning March 30 at 9 PM ET. Fans can purchase each episode for $10, or the full season for $30. Episodes will remain on demand through Sunday, May 25.

    STREAMING SCHEDULE:

    Episode 1: Lake Powell, AZ (March 30 @ 9PM ET)

    Episode 2: Monument Valley, UT (April 6 @ 9PM ET)

    Episode 3: Moab, UT (April 13 @ 9PM ET) 

    Episode 4: Boulder, CO (April 20 @ 9PM ET)    

  • Phish Island Tour show featured on next Dinner and a Movie

    island tour
    Poster by Louis Arzonico

    March – it comes in like a lion and out like it’s been trampled by lambs and pecked by the dove. For Phish’s next installment of Dinner and a Movie, they’ll feature a show from the band’s famed April 1998 “Island Tour,” specifically April 4, 1998.

    The show at Providence Civic Center is a perfect sample of how the cow funk from Fall 1997 continued four months later in a fan favorite run of shows. Reportedly the hardest ticket of the run, this show features must hear versions of “2001,” “Brother,” and “Ghost,” not to mention the “Tweezer” show opener.

    For the dinner portion of the evening, Chef Sara Bradley, the chef and proprietor at Louisville, KY’s The Freight House, has prepared a menu for the evening. She has recently received runner-up honors on Season 16 of Top Chef, and is also a Phish fan. Sara offers up recipes for Melty Grilled Cheese with Piquillo Pepper and Tomato Soup, and Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Find full recipes here.

    While the webcast is free, fans are encouraged to make donations through Phish’s The Waterwheel Foundation. The evening’s beneficiary will be Northeast Organic Farming Association, with donations being split between the New York and Rhode Island chapters. The Northeast Organic Farming Association an organization of farmers, consumers, gardeners and environmentalists working together to promote organic farming and organic land care practices resulting in a sustainable regional food system that’s ecologically sound, economically viable and socially just. For more information visit NOFA.org.

    Dinner and a Movie will air on Tuesday, March 30 at 8:30pm ET at webcast.livephish.com.

    island tour

    Island Tour Setlist courtesy of Phish.net

    April 4, 1998, Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI

    Soundcheck: Jam, Shafty, Roggae

    Set 1: Tweezer > Taste, Bouncing Around the Room, Funky Bitch, Ginseng Sullivan, Limb By Limb, Lawn Boy, Character Zero

    Set 2: Birds of a Feather > Also Sprach Zarathustra[1] > Brother[2], Ghost -> The Lizards, David Bowie

    Encore: Harry Hood

    [1] Unfinished.
    [2] With short instrumental reprise.

    2001 contained a Long Train Runnin’ tease from Trey and was unfinished. Brother included a brief Dave’s Energy Guide tease and was followed by a short instrumental reprise, which was announced as the “radio-friendly version.” Trey contrasted this with the normal version, which was deemed un-radio-friendly due to its length. Ghost, which Trey jokingly remarked was also not radio-friendly because it is long and slow, included an I Can’t Turn You Loose tease. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.


  • White Cliffs Releases Brooklyn/Queens filmed Video for “Kick the Can”

    White Cliffs, a psych-electronic band based out of Brooklyn and masterminded by multi-instrumentalist Rafe Cohan, released a new music video for their song “Kick the Can” off their recently released debut EP Stockholm.

    White Cliffs video

    The White Cliffs music video debuted on VENTS Magazine website on March 23rd. The songs central focus is on growing old but a addressed in a playful manner which highlights Cohan’s musical and directorial talents.

    Cohan edited and directed the video, recording all over Rockaway Beach, Queens and Highland Park in New York City. It was shot on a vintage Super 8 film and developed by Mono No Aware in Downtown Brooklyn. Makeup artist Kate Browse help Cohan to achieve an old man look to go hand and hand with the song’s themes of ageing and the old school directorial methods.

    I shot this little video to give a visual element to the meaning of ‘Kick the Can.’ The song is about an old man who is realizing the beauty of mortality and aging. We will all be old one day, so I just wanted to poke fun at what I might be doing when I’m 80 or so.

    Rafe Cohan, Musician

    White Cliffs formed in Cohan’s home town of Brooklyn in 2017 after years of experimentation and attempting to find a sound that really spoke to Cohan. The result of this is the duality seen throughout much of White Cliffs work, the balance between the purist and the unconventional creator. Cohan’s first big break was securing a cross-country tour with Big Wild, among other acts like Elderbrook, STS9, in addition to a set at the Panorama Festival in New York City and debuting a four-person band at CRSSD Festival in San Diego.

    Stockholm EP featuring “Kick the Can ” is available on all streaming platforms.

  • Disco Biscuits Orlando shows to Stream on CouchTour.TV

    The Disco Biscuits’ upcoming Orlando performances from Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival will be livestreamed on Couchtour.tv on Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26, starting at 7:30pm ET.

    disco biscuits orlando

    Couchtour.tv is a new concert streaming platform that gives artists the ability to create the highest quality concert livestreams available on the internet; filmed and delivered in 6k video and high def audio from anywhere on Earth – and all without the artist having to know a thing about livestreaming.

    The Couchtour.tv team brings insight from many different facets of both the entertainment and tech industries. The senior team comes from leadership roles at companies The Disco Biscuits, JamBase, Splice, Gracenote, Full Circle Music Productions, Oracle and IBM. Still in it’s infant stages, fans and artists can expect to see advanced features and new artists, shows and festivals announced in the coming months.

    Disco Biscuits founding member and lead guitarist, Jon Barber, is the founder of Couchtour.tv. Thus, it made perfect sense for his band to perform on the startup platform when it launched in October, 2020.

    Couchtour.tv wasn’t a new idea, but time that would have otherwise been spent on the road opened up the space to finally bring Couchtour.tv to fruition. We’ve got a great team working on this, but it’s still gonna’ be a few months before we can roll this out in its complete form – bells, whistles and all – then it’ll be available wherever fans go to get their apps.

    Jon Barber, Disco Biscuits guitarist and founder of CouchTour.Tv

    Tickets for the Disco Biscuits Orlando streams are on sale now and available at Couchtour.tv.

  • The Albany Symphony Unveils its Celebratory 2021-2022 Season

    GRAMMY-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra music director David Allan Miller announces its 2021-2022 season, featuring Timeless Masterpieces from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky and several other exciting composers of current time.

    The Albany Symphony

    The season will honor Music Director David Alan Miller’s 30th anniversary, as well as virtuosic soloists: Richard O’Neill, Shai Wosner, Eric Berlin, Peter Kolkay, Maya Buchanan, Gloria Cheng and Timothy McAllister. Other composers include John Corigliano, Jessie Montgomery, Viet Cuong, John Williams, Tania León, and more.

    “We are thrilled to be able to share some of the greatest works of all times with our subscribers and patrons, especially after an enormously challenging, difficult year,” said Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller. “We will perform many of our very favorite classics, from Scheherazade to Mozart’s Jupiter and Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphonies. And, we will also celebrate many of the most exciting composers of our time, including Jessie Montgomery, Viet Cuong, and my dear friend Tania León. I’m looking forward to several exciting commissions and world premieres and feel so fortunate to be joined in my anniversary season by so many creative artists and great performers who mean so much to me.” 

    The season opens in October 2021 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 Eroica, one of the most transformational works in music history. The musical catalogue glides from classics to modern composers, showcasing many talents through a variety of musicians.

    The 2021-2022 season runs from October through the American Music Festival in June. Subscriptions offer patrons the opportunity to purchase their favorite seat before tickets go on sale to the general public. The Compose Your Own season subscriptions offers flexibility and convenience. Through the Nielsen Associates’ Student Access Program, students can purchase discount subscriptions and enjoy the full benefits of being a subscriber for as little as $45. To purchase a subscription online, visit http://www.albanysymphony.com or call the Albany Symphony Box Office at 518-694-3300. 

  • Talib Kweli Gives Update on Sophomore Black Star album

    Fans of legendary hip hop duo, Black Star, received a major boost when Talib Kweli shared promising news regarding the duo’s long-awaited album. Announced in 2018 by Yasiin Bey during a Madlib DJ set, the much-anticipated project has gone from its infancy stages, to being recorded, mixed and possibly completed in the matter of a couple of years. 

    black star

    Yet, in that same time frame, Kweli — who holds more of a social media presence — has shared periodic updates on the album’s progress. In fact, just this past summer, Kweli announced that he had “washed his hands” of the whole thing, in social media posts in which he shared frustrations on the project’s delay.  

    Fortunes seem to have turned around as Kweli’s latest Instagram post suggests the duo are in the latter stages of the album’s completion and eventual release. In a picture with group-mate Yasiin Bey, the caption reads “#sampleclearance #blackstarforever.”

    While fans have been made to wait, the album’s existence has been confirmed as comedian Dave Chapelle, a personal friend of the duo shared his thoughts on the project, claiming that “it’s fire.”

    While Kweli and Bey have solidified themselves as legends in the hip hop realm and beyond, they have only released one album as a duo, 1998’s Most Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star.” With the speculation of an impending release, fans of the duo are surely tantalized by the thought of a new Black Star project. 

  • Goose Announce “Shenanigans Nite Club” Album, Summer Tour Dates

    Goose has announced the release of their eagerly awaited new album, Shenanigans Nite Club, slated for a Friday, June 4 release. They’ll embark on a summer tour, of which the first dates are already sold out. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, March 24 at Noon via pre-sale, with code ‘SHENANIGANS,’ with general on-sale following on Friday, March 26 at 10AM local time.

    goose shenanigans

    The Norwalk, CT-based band’s second studio LP and first full-length collection in more than five years, Shenanigans Nite Club, which follows the recent release of their cover of Vampire Weekend’s “2021 (January 5th, to be exact).” The track was personally commissioned by Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig – a longtime Goose fan – with the only directive to make it twenty minutes and twenty-one seconds long.

    Shenanigans Nite Club is led by a the mesmerizing new single, “Spirit of the Dark Horse,” which is generally recognized as the first Goose song ever written. The boldly ambitious track – which originated after a “twelve-minute meditation” between co-founders Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar) and Trevor Weekz (bass) – has long been a setlist rarity, featured in only a handful of live performances during the band’s early years. 

    The album serves as an ode to oft-forgotten vestiges of Goose’s musical journey, both personal and collective. Shenanigans Nite Club marks the apex of the rich history between friends of differing ages and experiences from the same small town in Connecticut, drawn together through a deep love of music and storytelling. Songs like the tectonic “Labyrinth” and the ruminative deep-dive, “SOS,” fluidly traverse genres with head-spinning hooks, technical fireworks, and the kind of rare chemistry only possible among truly close collaborators.

    While we’ve been touring, the record has been happening in the background. It’s been quite the process. At times, it was difficult. The record is a companion to those growing pains.

    Our dream is to inspire people to step off the beaten path. There are a lot of voices that tell you to play it safe. I think the coolest thing in the world is when someone breaks free and goes for whatever weird shit they dream of doing.

    Rick Mitarotonda, Goose

    Pre-order Shenanigans Nite Club and get tickets to goosetheband.com/tour.

    goose shenanigans

    Goose Summer Tour 2021

    May 3-4 – Frederick, MD – Showtime At The Drive-In – SOLD OUT
    May 6 – North Charleston, SC – Riverfront Park – SOLD OUT
    May 8-9 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns Above Ground Amphitheater – SOLD OUT
    June 11 – Swanzey, NH – Northlands
    June 12-13 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl 
    June 15-16 – Perry, NY – Silver Lake Drive In 
    June 18-19 – Thornville, OH – Legend Valley 
    July 2-3 – Eau Claire, WI – The Pines Music Park 

  • Tanglewood Announces the Return of Live Music for the Summer 2021 Season

    Tanglewood has announced the return of live music at its premises for Summer 2021. The famed Berkshires venue will host shows between July 9, 2021 through August 16, 2021 for six weeks of shows and entertainment. 

    tanglewood summer 2021

    Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra which owns and operates the venue. The venue is located in the Berkshires, more specifically, Lenox, Massachusetts.  The Tanglewood Concert series started under a different name all the way back in 1934 and has since grown into the staple of the Berkshires it is today. The first show hosted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra was a three-concert series and was performed under a large tent for an audience of nearly 15,000, and now brings in an annual draw of over 350,000 visitors. According to its website, “Each season offers not only a vast quantity of music, but also a vast range of musical forms and styles, all of it presented with a regard for artistic excellence that makes the festival unique.”

    Although there isn’t a lot of information released yet on the Tanglewood Summer 2021 Season return, it is known that the season will take place between July 9, 2021 and August 16, 2021.

    Details about the 2021 Tanglewood season’s programming was announced on April 8, 2021. Tickets will go on sale to the public on May 17, 2021.

    The 2021 season will feature conductors including Andris Nelsons, Thomas Adès, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, and Anna Rakitina, along with many special guest artists such as Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Herbert Blomstedt, Yefim Bronfman, Karina Canellakis, Alan Gilbert, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony Marwood, Wynton Marsalis, Baiba Skride, Byron Stripling, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Daniil Trifonov.

    Performances will feature works by Beethoven, Brahms, Copland, Dvořák, Gershwin, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Ravel, Schumann, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky, along with works by Thomas Adès, Iman Habibi, Vijay Iyer, Hannah Kendall, Elena Langer, Missy Mazzoli, Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Mary Lou Williams.

    ‘Friends of Tanglewood’ will have access to advance ticketing before the public. To become a ‘Friends of Tanglewood’ all someone has to do is make a donation of $100 which can be done here.

    The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood will follow local and state guidelines to protect all participants as much as possible during the  COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the the Tanglewood Summer 2021 season visit their website.

  • Westville Music Bowl Announces JRAD, Gov’t Mule, Disco Biscuits and more

    Socially distanced shows are returning to the Northeast, and Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT has a growing lineup well worth traveling for.

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) has become the latest group to announce shows at the venue. They’ll perform on May 28, 29 and 30 as part of the venue’s “Twilight Concerts Under The Stars” series. JRAD follows The Disco Biscuits, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule and more who have announced shows at the venue, just a 1 hour drive from the NY border on I-95.

    westville music bowl

    Additional artists slated for Westville Music Bowl include Gov’t Mule (April 30, May 1), Twiddle (May 15), The Disco Biscuits (June 4-5), Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (June 26) and Tedeschi Trucks Band (July 17). More concerts are expected to be announced.

    Tickets to shows are sold in sets of 2 and 4, with a minimum of 6 feet social distance from other seats, and floor seats will be sold exclusively in sets of 4, according to the venue website.

    Tickets to the JRAD New Haven shows go on sale Friday, March 26 at 12 p.m. ET. For all other tickets, as well as additional information including all health and safety protocols visit westvillemusicbowl.com.