NYS Music 202​1

Category: Beyond NYS

  • Premiere: The dt’s ‘Need You (forever)’ In Newly Released Single

    The Central Jersey rock duo known as the dt’s have officially released their third single called “Need You (Forever).” This multi-instrumental two-piece (Dave Cacciatore, Tom Losito) officially formed last year after years of playing together after first meeting at a local bar’s open mic night.

    They each play an array of instruments that include guitar, bass, ukelele, drums, and piano and seamlessly shift from rock to blues to power pop while incorporating soaring harmonies.

    https://soundcloud.com/daveandtommusic/need-you-forever/s-0jCdsErpsqC?si=fc0f5d22b5c24e978e4b6b3b15687e83

    Dave Cacciatore wrote “Need You (Forever)” while in college by first coming up with the riff, which infuses elements of Oasis and The Beatles, and then adding lyrics afterwards. The song is a concoction of different life experiences, events, and feelings that he was going through at the time. Everything from school, work, and relationships were infused in the lyrics.

    dt's

    The song was recorded at the dt’s home studio while quarantining last year, starting first with just two acoustic guitars before adding layers of electric ones through vintage Fender, Peavey and and Vox amps. A Gibson Les Paul Custom SG and Tom’s dad’s 74’ Fender Strat were also heavily utilized in addition to experimenting with a plethora of vocal harmonies. Frank Letteri of The Paper Jets and Dust Of Days was brought on to record the drums and Joe Pomarico did the mixing and mastering over at Telegraph Hill Records.

    The dt’s said one of the things they’re most proud of about their most recent single “are the peaks and valleys throughout the song, eventually crescendoing to a massive peak at the end.” It’s a song rich with vocals, guitars, drums and catchy melodies. Check out the band’s website for more of their music.

  • Premiere: sautereau gets Nostalgic with Emotional “Conversation Hearts”

    Today, New York-based singer-songwriter sautereau, previously known under the name Cee, releases the music video for her single, “Conversation Hearts.” With a glass-half-full perspective even after global struggles this past year, “Conversation Hearts” offers a lighthearted undertone of emotions reminiscent of 90s singers Lisa Loeb and Jewel.

    sautereau

    Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Chloé Sautereau picked up her first guitar at the age of 8 and quickly began writing songs. Starting her career under the name Cee, she released her debut EP As I Keep on Dreaming in 2019 at age 18. Swiss radio featured this early project focusing on human relationships and the small perplexities of life.

    Now based in New York, the singer-songwriter now goes by her surname “sautereau,” creating a truer world for herself. With a bare-face pop sound that blurs the line between reality and what goes on in our heads, she writes intimate songs about her experiences with an authentic sound, showcasing her storytelling forte. With influences such as Finneas, Julia Michaels, and Jessie Reyez, sautereau’s unapologetically honest voice is accompanied by production that is modern and crisp.

    “Conversation Hearts” brings up nostalgic feelings experienced while isolated during the pandemic. The elegant and emotional video shows vignettes of sautereau playing guitar and trying to focus on everyday tasks while falling into the repetition of her daily routine.

    This song is about the bittersweet realization of how fast time slipped by, while also feeling like it suddenly stopped, It’s about the frustration of not being able to do what we should have been able to do, but hopefully still acknowledge the good memories made with the few special people we were lucky to have around.

    sautereau

    Listeners will connect with sautereau’s longing for interaction and wanting to spend time with the world, while dealing with the loneliness we have all experienced this past year. While time seems to blend together, sautereau reminds us that there’s beauty in the little everyday tasks, and spending time with yourself while listening to what your heart wants can be therapeutic. Written by sautereau, the song has elements of bass, synth, and drums, all performed by Toby May, while she plays the guitar.

    I always had a passion for writing from poems to prose. Storytelling was always there, and I think that’s around the time I put those together and fell in love with it.

    sautereau


    The nostalgia and honest emotion conveyed through her songwriting allows sautereau to stand out as an artist. Follow sautereau on Instagram to keep up with her exciting journey ahead.

  • Twenty One Pilots “The Icy Tour 2022” Coming to New York Next August

    Grammy Award winning duo Twenty One Pilots have announced “The Icy Tour 2022,” which will find the band headlining arenas across North America next summer, including a stop at Madison Square Garden on August 23 and the new UBS Arena in Belmont Park on August 24.

    The coast-to-coast 23-city outing will kick off on August 18th in St. Paul, MN and make stops in New York City, Toronto, Nashville, Anaheim, and more before wrapping up with a performance at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on September 24th.

    Twenty One Pilots quietly emerged as one of the most successful bands of the 21st century and redefined the sound of a generation. After billions of streams and dozens of multi-Platinum certifications around the world, the history-making Columbus, OH duo—Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun—ascended to a creative and critical high watermark on their new full-length album, Scaled And Icy. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top “Rock Albums” and “Alternative Albums” charts, while landing at No. 3 on the “Billboard 200,” marking the biggest opening week for a rock album in 2021.

    In celebration of the upcoming tour, Twenty One Pilots have also surprise released a digital deluxe version of their acclaimed new album, Scaled And Icy. Scaled And Icy (Livestream Version) includes never before released performances of fan favorite tracks from the group’s pioneering global streaming event, “Twenty One Pilots – Livestream Experience”.

    Written and largely produced by Tyler Joseph in isolation over the course of the past year at his home studio, with Dun engineering the album’s drums from across the country, Scaled And Icy is the product of long-distance virtual sessions and finds the duo processing their upended routines along with the prevailing emotions of 2020 – anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and doubt. The duo had to forgo their normal studio sessions but reached a new of level of introspection in the process, adopting a more imaginative and bold approach to their songwriting. The result is a collection of songs that push forward through setbacks and focus on the possibilities worth remembering. Scaled And Icy is Twenty One Pilots’ first studio album in three years and follows their RIAA Platinum certified LP, Trench.

    Twenty One Pilots “The Icy Tour 2022”

    Aug 18 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

    Aug 20 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

    Aug 21 – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center

    Aug 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

    Aug 24 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena

    Aug 26 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

    Aug 27 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

    Aug 30 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

    Aug 31 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena

    Sep 02 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

    Sep 03 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

    Sep 04 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

    Sep 07 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

    Sep 09 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center

    Sep 10 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

    Sep 13 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

    Sep 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center

    Sep 17 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center

    Sep 18 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

    Sep 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Arena

    Sep 22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center

    Sep 24 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

    Tickets and more info available here.

  • Interview: Arlo Guthrie Carries on Thanksgiving Traditions and Fulfills Family Legacy

    Tucked away in the quaint Massachusetts town of Great Barrington stands an old church. The site would be unremarkable had it not been for the events that unfolded there beginning Thanksgiving 1965. At that time, the church belonged to Alice and Ray Brock, who invited some friends over for the holiday. Amongst the guests was their former student, Arlo Guthrie.

    What started as a benevolent offer to take out the trash led to an incredulous turn of events, which ultimately resulted in Guthrie being deemed ineligible for the Vietnam War draft. Guthrie captured the story in the 20-minute long satirical folk song “Alice’s Restaurant Masacree.” The saga struck a chord with the anti-war counterculture, propelling Guthrie into the spotlight and solidifying his path as a career musician.

    arlo guthrie
    Arlo Guthrie “Back By Popular Demand” Tour –  photo by Mickey Deneher

    Within two years, Guthrie had recorded the song as Side A of his debut album, closed out the Newport Folk Festival, and played Carnegie Hall.

    “My life went from being your average small club circuit performer to someone playing theaters and stadiums almost overnight,” Guthrie told NYS Music. “At least it seemed that way to me, although it probably took a couple of years.”

    The song also inspired a feature-length movie, back in a day when few musicians were afforded such an opportunity. “Alice’s Restaurant” starred Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Officer Obie, and the judge playing themselves, with Alice Brock in a cameo role. Even though the story was partially fictionalized, it was filmed in and around the places where the actual events took place.

    “Arthur Penn (who had just finished filming Bonnie & Clyde) heard the record when it came out in 1967,” recalled Guthrie. “He also happened to live in Stockbridge, where the events took place. He thought it would be a great idea to make it into a movie. And he did.”

    arlo guthrie
    photo by Mickey Deneher

    Fifty years later, the church still stands. Guthrie purchased the property in 1991 and turned it into a community center. There’s been plenty of work to do on the historic building, which has been standing nearly two hundred years.

    “Not only have we been steadily restoring it, but we actually re-consecrated it as a church (ours is an inter-faith church and an educational organization). So we continue to have services as one would expect.”

    In addition to spiritual services, visitors of the The Guthrie Center at Old Trinity Church can also partake in cultural events and contribute to humanitarian efforts.

    About these events, Guthrie said, “Some are seasonal, and others run all year long. Our Troubadour music series runs throughout the summer. There are a number of special yearly events – an annual walk-a-thon that helps people and families dealing with Huntington’s Disease, an annual Thanksgiving Dinner That Can’t Be Beat (we have free lunches once a week all year long, but Thanksgiving is special).”

    arlo guthrie
    photo by Mickey Deneher

    In addition to restoring and contributing to the operations at the church, Guthrie continues to perform. His father, Woody Guthrie, always dreamed of having a family band to take on tour. Arlo Guthrie was able to bring this dream to fruition. His children, Abe and Sarah Lee Guthrie, and several other family members have become professional musicians. The Guthrie family is halfway through their Re: Generation Tour. Guthrie and several members of the family will be sharing the stage at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, November 25 for the annual Thanksgiving concert. This year commemorates fifty years since Guthrie’s Carnegie debut.

    Another holiday tradition is for radio stations across the nation to play “Alice’s Restaurant” on Thanksgiving Day. Although Guthrie has stated in interviews that he doesn’t listen to the song on Thanksgiving, he does gather with friends and family to give thanks.

    “I am especially grateful for the friends I’ve walked this earth with,” said Guthrie. “Many are now gone, and some remain. I’m grateful to have met them all especially my wife, Jackie who left us in 2012. There’s new friends to make and places yet to visit. If I’m around long enough I’ll do that too.”

    The Guthrie Center at The Old Trinity Church in Great Barrington, Massachusetts is open to visitors during special events and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am-4pm. Spiritual services are held on Sundays at 11am.

  • In Focus: Billy Strings Brings Tour to Wilkes-Barre

    Billy Strings is filling arenas coast-to-coast in support of his latest album Renewal, and on Friday, November 19th saw Billy and his band come to Wilkes-Barre, PA to entertain the sold out Mohegan Sun Arena. Half way through the second set Billy brought out ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro.

    While the rest of the band took a short break the duo debuted Smokin’ Strings, the collaboration that appeared on Jake’s recent album, Jake and Friends. The rest of the band soon returned as Jake remained for the rest of the show including a take of John Hartford’s All Fall Down which included an extended jam much to the delight of the rapturous crowd. See below of the setlist and photos from the show.

    Billy Strings – Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, PA – November 19, 2021

    Set 1: Ole Slewfoot, This Old World, While I’m Waiting Here, Heartbeat of American, Katy Daly, Ice Bridges, In the Morning Light, Libby Phillips Rag, Unwanted Love, Leaders, Wargasm

    Set 2: Van Scoy Jingle, Thunder, Know it All > Ernest T. Grass > Little Maggie, Smokin’ Strings*, Nothing’s Working*, All Fall Down*, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town*, This Heart of Mnie*,

    *with Jake Shimabukuro on ukulele

    • billy strings wilkes-barre
    • billy strings wilkes-barre
    • billy strings wilkes-barre

  • Ruby Greenberg Pays Homage To Colorado With “Runaway”

    NYC singer-songwriter Ruby Greenberg has released her new single, “Run Away.” Simple yet charming, the soothing piano ballad is a love letter to her home state of Colorado.

    Ruby Greenberg

    Greenberg wrote “Run Away” during a bout of homesickness. While her time in New York began as an exciting barrage of new people and experiences, she would occasionally long for the familiar faces of the Rocky Mountains.

    I wrote “Run Away” when I was feeling particularly nostalgic. One day I was sitting in a tiny rehearsal room with only an old piano and a small window that faced another wall. I started playing a melody on the piano, thinking of home and the way that the mountains out west created my sense of direction.

    Ruby Greenberg

    “Run Away” never outright disses Greenberg’s new home in the city, but the first verse tackles how jarring its busy atmosphere could be for a new transplant: “Madness is what we live in this city of lies.” The lyrics also comment on the kindness (or lack thereof) of New Yorkers, who “don’t have the time to look each other in the eye.” Greenberg spends the remainder of the song retreating to Colorado in spirit, with a jazzy organ joining the proceedings. 

    The vocals, songwriting and piano are reminiscent of Sara Bareilles, along with Greenberg’s main influences, Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile. It sounds like a sweater-clad hike on a fall day, which isn’t an accident. Greenberg is a lover of the great outdoors, and passionate about wildlife conservation and environmentalism alike. She’s performed at a benefit concert for parkland preservation efforts at Ivywild School, a community center in Colorado Springs.

    Greenberg has plans to release more singles in the near future, dedicated to her loved ones. “Run Away” is now available on all streaming platforms.

  • Thundercat Keeps It Weird At Higher Ground

    Thundercat brought his grooves to Higher Ground last Wednesday night, performing a jam-heavy set interjected with thoughtful musings on his friends, his passions, and his career. 

    Known for his mind-bending bass riffs and soulful, high vocals, Thundercat brought an inventive, jam-heavy set elevated by his classic comedic flair. Playing to a mesmerized crowd, he encouraged the Ballroom to fall into the music the same way he does. 

    thundercat
    Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Compton producer Channel Tres opened for Thundercat, melding glitzy club beats with deep, emotive vocals. At first, Tres rose to fame crafting beats for hip-hop stars like Wale and Kehlani; now he’s forging a name for himself. Although initially the crowd seemed underappreciative of his set (he deserved a Brooklyn Steel crowd), by the end he had converted fans jumping at the barrier. By the time he closed with the pulsating “Topdown,” the crowd was screaming as he performed original choreography. At one point, he wiped his brow with a merch t-shirt, then tossed it into the crowd. 

    “Hey, I’ll sign it for you,” he called out the lucky winner. “I mean you never know, I might be famous one day.” 

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    Channel Tres. Photo by Hattie Lindert
    Channel Tres. Photo by Hattie Lindert

    Thundercat’s comical and outlandish style precedes him, and he did not disappoint when he took the stage in an oversize, sparkling Gucci barrette. Even more outsized than his style is his mythical skill on the bass guitar. Before he even stepped on stage, tour staff came out to carefully lay the instrument by his mic. 

    “There it is,” an audience member in the front row whispered in awe. “There it f*cking is.” 

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    Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert

    Throughout the show, Thundercat spoke continually about beloved friends and coworkers he’s lost. Thundercat has often spoken about the pain of losing close friend Mac Miller to an overdose in 2018. That loss had a deep effect on the artist himself, and the formulation of his critically acclaimed latest album, 2020’s It Is What It Is. Thundercat also shared stories of his childhood best friend, pianist Austin Peralta, who has since passed. As he dove into a racing rendition of “I Love Louis Cole,” Thundercat credited Peralta with introducing him to the artist’s music. 

    “Mac, MF Doom, DMX, Austin… they changed my life,” he said. “And I’m still here.” The following performance was nothing if not a celebration of life. Afterwards, he performed “A Message for Austin,” the track he wrote dedicated to Peralta, falling into an insane acid jazz jam session.  

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    Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert

    Thundercat’s personality is defined by his passions, and he mused on them all: fashion, anime, his cat, Tron. He assured the crowd he’s working on new music, though a wide berth of tracks from his extensive catalog, along with Flying Lotus and Knower covers. Mostly, he jammed, disappearing into the eyes of keyboardist Dennis Hamm and drummer Justin Brown. 

    Thundercat knows his audience, and how long they’ve waited to see him; he gave fans a treat closing with crowd-pleasers “Them Changes” and “Funny Thing.” Though he remained faithful to the hits, Thundercat still experimented. Tracks like “Nowhere,” a Knower cover, and “Existential Dread,” found him switching things up and sometimes even extending runs beyond the crowd’s content. After all, as he playfully called out, many of them were still underage. 

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    Thundercat. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Thundercat’s expressive, masterful skill on the bass translates well to storytelling, be it comedic or serious. His graceful hands, adorned with tattoos, fly as he describes a night out drunken of Jameson with friends or a scene from Death Note. Above all, he wanted to share pieces of himself with the crowd: music, stories and laughs.

    “I know you guys know the power of music,” he said to a cheer. That night, the power of live performance felt just as meaningful. 

  • Marco Benevento, TAUK, Karina Rykman, Aqueous and More Featured at North Beach Music Festival

    North Beach Music Festival announced dates and lineup including Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Spafford, and The Motet. The festivities will take place on December 10-11, 2021 in Miami, Florida. 

    North Beach Music Festival

    The festival is being presented by GMP Live which is a concert promoter, festival producer, and talent curator based in Miami. North Beach Music Festival will take place at Miami Beach’s historic open-air art deco amphitheater, the North Beach Bandshell. The North Beach Bandshell is an open-air amphitheater in the heart of Miami Beach’s North Beach neighborhood. It has been managed by the Rhythm Foundation – a Miami Beach-based nonprofit cultural organization – for the City of Miami Beach since 2015 and was built back in1961. The festival will feature some improvisational rock bands, jam bands and funk bands will descend upon the Bandshell, and the adjacent Bandshell Park, for performances over two stages. 

    The festival has three well known New York based artists coming to perform. Marco Benevento, Aqueous, TAUK, and Karina Rykman will all be performing sets at North Beach Music Festival. 

    The lineup for Friday, December 10, 2021 features a headlining performance from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, as well as performances from The Motet, TAUK, Karina Rykman, The Heavy Pets, Electric Kif and Tand.

    he lineup for Saturday, December 11, 2021 promises two headlining sets from Spafford—one entirely improvised and another titled “Spafford & Friends”—in addition to performances from Marco Benevento, Aqueous, Ghost-Note, Eric Krasno & The Assembly, Brandon “Taz” Niederaure, the special Brendan Bayliss & Jennifer Hartswick collaboration, as well as Holly Bowling and JUke

    Tickets are on sale now with single day GA tickets for $80 for Friday and $90 for Saturday. VIP tickets are $130 for Friday and $140 for Saturday. More information on ticketing and travel packages can be found here.

    For information on North Beach Music Festival visit their website here.

  • Cazwell Commemorates Transgender Day Of Remembrance with “Taser in my Telfar Bag”

    Transgender Day Of Remembrance, celebrated annually on November 20th, honors transgender individuals who have lost their lives to bigoted violence. Trans people face some of the highest levels of harassment, assault, and violence of any minority group. This year alone, the Human Rights Campaign reports 42 murdered trans people. As political rhetoric criminalizes trans people, legal discrimination traps them, and violence endangers them, too many face roadblocks to their best lives. Even walking down the street trans can be a risk. 

    In honor of the commemorative day, trans icons Trace Lysette and Chanel Jolé speak to all this and more in a new track with Boston rapper Cazwell, “Taser in my Telfar Bag.”  The single places the focus on trans people not as victims, but as empowered individuals society must do better to protect. The trio shared a new video for the track today. 

    Cazwell, who is queer, materialized the song after learning of a brutal attack on Trans women Eden the Doll, Jaslene White Rose, and Joclyn Flawless in 2020. Amidst a social media outcry of trans women sharing stories of harassment, Cazwell remembered one tweet about keeping a taser in a Telfar bag for protection. 

    “It just kind of clicked,” Cazwell shared. “That along with the need to protect Trans women while shouting out an ally like Telfar made the song feel current and relevant.”

    Trans Day Of Remembrance
    Chanel Jolé, Cazwell, and Trace Lysette.

    Cazwell brought on Lysette and Jolé to drop bars over the addictive beat, built off the zap of a taser. Trace and Chanel shared with Cazwell they feel most unsafe during the day, inspiring a daytime video shoot. The glitzy music video paints them having fun before placing tasers, “one for my purse and one for the Mercedes,” at an aggressor’s neck. 

    Dolled up in nails, lashes, and the eponymous Telfar bags, Lysette and Jole aren’t to be messed with. The video brings to life a comical skit where Cazwell sells the ladies their electric shocker of choice. Lysette and Jolé are clear about their intentions with the tasers. 

    “Just give me a taser and I’ll zap his dick quick/ Then use a flashlight to apply my lipstick,” they spit. Cazwell sells them pink tasers pointedly labeled “Police.” Trans women not only face violence on the street, but from law enforcement as well.

    “I’ve been the victim of many hate crimes so this is more than just a song for me,” Lysette shared.  “This is a statement to all those weirdos who not only hurt Trans women but all women.”

    Trans Day Of Remembrance
    Cover art for “Taser in my Telfar Bag.”

    Cazwell hopes the single released ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance will inspire listeners to donate to Trans Defense Fund LA. The mutual aid group is dedicated to creating remedies (like protective safety kits) to the disproportionate violence Trans women face. Listeners who share proof of donation will receive an exclusive remix of “Taser in my Telfar Bag.” To donate, visit here.

  • Sylvan Esso Shakes It Out At Higher Ground

    Electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso brought their “Shaking Out The Numb” tour to Burlington for two nights. They played two sold-out nights at Higher Ground on November 8th and 9th. 

    The brainchild of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, Sylvan Esso is “built on conversation.” The marriage between Meath’s charismatic, inflected vocals and Sanborn’s creative production is euphoric at its best. Crowd excitement was palpable as bodies pressed up eagerly against the barrier. 

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    Sylvan Esso. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Canadian-Colombian singer Lido Pimienta opened for Sylvan Esso. She won the Polaris Prize for her 2016 album “La Papessa,” and released her most recent project “Miss Colombia” in 2020, to widespread acclaim. 

    “Watching her every night is so inspiring,” Sanborn said of Pimienta to the crowd. 

    Lido Pimienta. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Bells were the first sounds heard in Pimienta’s set, ringing from percussionist Brandon Valdivia’s ankles as he walked onstage. The Nicaraguan-Canadian producer, and Pimienta’s partner, performs under the name Mas Aya. Her use of live percussion emphasized that rhythm is at the heart of Pimienta’s music and mission. 

    Pimienta dominated the stage with her mesmerizing blend of punk, electronic, and Colombian cumbia music. Chatting cheerily with the audience, often to the point of TMI, Pimienta’s warm stage presence stood out as much as her hypnotizing voice. Stomping, twerking, and prancing in a voluminous white cotton dress, Pimienta made herself impossible to look away from. A natural and candid storyteller, she discussed postpartum depression, lovers who fail you, and a woman’s choice– heavy topics she approaches with grace and humor. 

    Lido Pimienta
    Lido Pimienta. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    “That’s why I sing in Spanish,” she joked with the crowd. 

    Pimienta’s musical project hinges on combining indigenous tradition, political activism, and experimental music techniques from around the world. Pimienta frequently works with Canadian artist-activists Tanya Taqaq and the Halluci Nation. Employing Taqaq’s shocking throat-singing technique on Miss Colombia track “No Pude,” Pimienta sounded like a whole new artist. When she closed with the triumphant “Eso Que Tu Haces,” Pimienta’s stunning set felt all too short. 

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    Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Before taking the stage, Sylvan Esso got a healthy cloud of smoke going, enveloping the venue. Entering to song “Runaway,” Meath in a dramatic fringed purple jacket, the crowd went wild from the barrier to the bar. Higher Ground felt more crowded than it has in a while. 

    Sylvan Esso performed a crowd-pleasing selection from their last few albums, focusing on hits. An intense strobe setup elevated each song, colors changing and bulbs flashing as Meath made the stage her own. After old fan favorite “Dress,” Meath shouted out fans who attended both nights, and a very special crowd member: Meath’s mom. 

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    Sylvan Esso. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Sylvan Esso proved at the show that their music is about far more than just a melody. Their attention to movement, light work, and crowd engagement made their performance an immersive, fun experience all about dancing. After a long year of isolation, Meath and Sanborn consistently reminded Higher Ground how much fun they were having. Though Meath mainly ran the crowd work while Sanborn’s focus remains locked on his setup, the bounce of his long hair betrays his fun. On the whipping, popping synth breakdown to Esso’s most recent single “Numb,” Sanborn was all but jumping up and down. 

    Closing with the classic hit “Radio,” Sylvan Esso left Burlington with a sweet, sparkling taste in their mouths. Watching waving hands illuminated by Esso’s lights, and people of all ages moving their bodies, brought on a wave of gratitude. After all, Esso chose to be with us as well. The duo shared they had added the two Burlington dates in place of scheduled days off. At least for the crowd, “shaking out the numb” together felt like the perfect relaxation activity.

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    Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso. Photo by Hattie Lindert.

    Sylvan Esso will continue their East Coast tour this month, with upcoming dates at New York City’s Terminal 5 November 15th and 16th.