NYS Music 202​1

Category: Woodstock

  • Marco Benevento Releases Single “At The End Or The Beginning”

    “At The End Or The Beginning” was released by Marco Benevento October 27, 2021 just before playing a two night run at Levon Helm Studio in Woodstock. The track opens with a satisfying bass hook and at first listen felt anthemic, yet atmospheric; much like stepping into the sun after a week of rain.

    Single cover for Marco Benevento’s “At The End Or The Beginning”


    It was only natural to want to listen to the song again and again. Repeatability is where the magic happened somewhere between the end or the beginning. After a few listens, the depth of the song began to present itself. While it would have been easy to write about all of the pain and suffering human kind has endured together, Marco chose a path less travelled.

    Link to In Depth Interview below


    “At The End Or The Beginning” presented an optimistic mindset for how to approach the world we are in today without ever touching a level of toxicity. It could be asserted that listening to a song like this could have real benefits to the mindset for anyone struggling to see tomorrow. The catchy groove that does not bombard could easily be on for quite a few cycles without noticing. 


    Marco Benevento has continuously demonstrated what it means to be an artist, not just a musician. His music, though seemingly fun, and out there, has never consisted of one layer in meaning. Zen master? Could be…

    Does a photograph mark the end or the begining?


    For more on Marco Benevento’s creative process, studio tour and thoughts on the Hudson Valley, check out NYSMusic exclusive in-depth interview by clicking here!

    marco benevento

    Marco Benevento Upcoming Tour Dates

    November 11 – Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room (Sold Out)
    November 12 – Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room (Sold Out)
    November 13 – Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room (Sold Out)
    November 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
    December 11 – Miami, FL – North Beach Music Festival
    February 25 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
    February 26 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
    April 7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
    April 8 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
    April 9 – Fairfield, CT – Stage One

  • Todd Rundgren Returns to Woodstock For Rehearsals

    Todd Rundgren has quietly returned to Woodstock’s Utopia Studios Soundstage to begin rehearsals for his “The Individual, the Star” U.S. tour. The legendary multi-instrumentalist received a reported “quiet hero’s welcome” as he returned to the area ahead of his induction into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame at the end of October. 

    Rundgren’s Woodstock Roots

    todd rundgren
    Todd Rundgren with Bearsville Theater owner Lizzie Vann

    Rundgren, also known for his work with the band Utopia, created the soundstage at Bearsville Theater Complex himself. He commissioned the project for an “innovative video studio” back in 1979, and filmed the video for his single “Time Heals” there. The video would go on to be the second video ever broadcast on MTV. Over the years, the studio has served as a home for many music-related businesses, including Radio Woodstock. 

    Rundgren made sure to take breaks from rehearsal during his week-long visit. While in town, Rundgren also attended the Woodstock Film Festival for a screening of the documentary Fanny: The Right To Rock. Rundgren himself appears in the documentary, which was screened at the Bearsville Theater. 

    A Wizard, A True Star

    Rundgren’s current tour celebrates his monumental 1973 album, A Wizard, A True Star. Rundgren found inspiration for the project, and a changing point of view, in experimentation with psychedelic drugs in his mid-20s. “I became more aware,” Rundgren once said of making the album, “Of what music and sounds were like in my internal environment, and how different that was from the music I had been making.” Rundgren described the 19-track LP as a hallucinogenic “flight plan.” 

    Though at the time A Wizard, A True Star isolated much of Rundgren’s audience, it received widespread critical acclaim, and has been recognized in later years for its influence on lo-fi bedroom musicians. Even Frank Ocean sampled synths from the project on his own historic contribution to lo-fi, 2016s Blonde. 

    Rundgren kicked off his The Individual, The Star Tour on October 1st in Boston. He played three dates at the beginning of October in New York, all at the Gramercy Theater in NYC. The tour will continue through the beginning of November, heading West and closing out November 7th in San Francisco. 

    Todd Rundgren, The Individualist, a True Star 2021 Tour

    Oct. 01 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live

    Oct. 02 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live

    Oct. 04 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse

    Oct. 05 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse 

    Oct. 07 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre 

    Oct. 08 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre 

    Oct. 09 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre 

    Oct. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore 

    Oct. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore 

    Oct. 14 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount 

    Oct. 17 – Washington DC @ Capital Turnaround 

    Oct. 18 – Washington DC @ Capital Turnaround 

    Oct. 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle 

    Oct. 23 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore 

    Oct. 24 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre 

    Oct. 25 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre 

    Oct. 29 – Canton, OH @ Canton Palace 

    Oct. 30 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center 

    Nov. 01 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 

    Nov. 02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 

    Nov. 05 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live 

    Nov. 06 – Cleveland, OH @ MGM Northfield Park 

    Nov. 07 – Cleveland, OH @ MGM Northfield Park 

    Nov. 10 – Denver, CO @ Paramount 

    Nov. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco 

    Nov. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco 

    Nov. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco

    Nov. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 

    Nov. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

  • The Slip plan Northeast November Tour, with stops in Brooklyn and Woodstock

    Just as cargo shorts, hair dye and flannel are making a comeback in the ’20s, a classic jam band from the ’90s is also making a triumphant return. The Slip, having just reunited at LOCKN’ in August, will hit the road for six shows this November, with three shows in New York.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMRHbayESZQ

    The Slip – drummer Andrew Barr, guitarist Brad Barr and bassist Marc Friedman – had released eight albums over 10 years, starting in 1997, and while they have reunited here and there over the years, this run of shows marks their first tour in more than a decade.

    After starting the tour in Burlington at Higher Ground, they’ll make two more stops in New England at Fete Music Hall and The Sinclair before heading to Brooklyn Bowl for two nights, followed by an intimate performance at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. ET at each venue’s website below.

    The Slip Tour Dates

      Nov. 11 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
    Nov. 12 – Providence, RI – Fete Music Hall
    Nov. 13 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
    Nov. 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
    Nov. 19 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
    Nov. 20 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios

  • Live Music Society Announces Third Round of Grants for Small Venues Nationwide

    Live Music Society, a nonprofit philanthropic organization has announced a third round of grants to be awarded this fall to live music venues across the United States. These grants benefit small venues with a maximum sellable capacity of 300, and has supported venues including Bowery Electric, Caffe Lena and Levon Helm’s Barn, among others.

    live music society

    Founded in 2020, Live Music Society is committed to awarding $1,000,000 dollars per year in grants to venues that promote and preserve the live music experience in intimate settings. These small venues allow artists of all levels and all genres to get their start, connect with their audiences and maintain their careers as performers. Individual grants range from $10,000-$50,000, and over the two initial rounds of grants, Live Music Society has awarded thirty-six venues in twenty-nine cities grants totaling over $1.2 million.

    Small, live music venues throughout the U.S. are owned and operated by music-lovers who are tirelessly devoted to their community, their staff, and their artists. Without small music clubs, so many of our most promising artists wouldn’t have a place to share their work, hone their craft, and build their audiences. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these clubs have been fighting to keep their doors open. Live Music Society is focused on making sure these wonderful spaces stay solvent and independent. It is time to acknowledge and support the great efforts that these venues have made to keep our communities connected and vibrant through the gift of live music.

    Live Music Society founder Pete Muller

    Live Music Society encourages small venues with 50-300 sellable seats prior to COVID-19, established on or prior to July 1, 2017, to apply. Venues must be committed to live music as their primary activity to be eligible. Grant applications will be accepted from September 28 – October 20, 2021 via the organization’s website.

    Prior grantees include:

    Ivy Room (Albany, CA)

    Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center (Berkeley, CA)

    The Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA)

    The Mint (Los Angeles, CA)

    The Casbah (San Diego, CA)

    Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, CA)

    Dazzle (Denver, CO)

    Hi-Dive (Denver, CO)

    Cafe Nine (New Haven, CT)

    The Hideout (Chicago, IL)

    Subterranean (Chicago, IL)

    The Jazz Showcase (Chicago, IL)

    SPACE (Evanston, IL)

    Maple Leaf Bar (New Orleans, LA)

    Club Passim (Cambridge, MA)

    The Parlor Room (Northampton, MA)

    Jonathan’s Ogunquit (Ogunquit, ME)

    Seven Steps Up (Spring Lake, MI)

    Jazz St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

    The Word Barn (Exeter, NH)

    The Bowery Electric (New York, NY)

    Caffé Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY)

    Levon Helm Studios (Woodstock, NY)

    BOP STOP @ The Music Settlement (Cleveland, OH)

    Mercury Lounge (Tulsa, OK)

    The Kennett Flash (Kennett Square, PA)

    Club Café (Pittsburgh, PA)

    McGonigel’s Mucky Duck (Houston, TX)

    Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe (Galveston, TX)

    Jammin’ Java (Vienna, VA)

    Zenbarn (Waterbury Center, VT)

    Barboza (Seattle, WA)

    Fremont Abbey Arts Center (Seattle, WA)

    The Royal Room (Seattle, WA)

    The Sunset Tavern (Seattle, WA)

    Cactus Club (Milwaukee, WI)

  • The Soul Rebels Announce Epic Vibes Tour, stops in Woodstock, Brooklyn

    The Soul Rebels have announced Part 1 of their Epic Vibes Tour, spanning Fall 2021 through Winter 2022. Touring will include concerts all across the US and a robust schedule of performances in New Orleans. Notable NY stops include Woodstock and Brooklyn.

    the soul rebels

    Brass sensation The Soul Rebels are riding high in 2021 after receiving national attention following the release of their new album, Poetry In Motion. The eight-member collective appeared on Def Jam artist Dave East and Nas’ “Godfather 4” single, Big Freedia and Icona Pop’s “Pipe That”, and reached fans with original singles “Greatness” featured as ESPN’s official College Hoops theme anthem, and “Good Time” featured on Netflix’s #BlackAF and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!

    The Soul Rebels have impressed viewers with two recent appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk series with Wu Tang Clan frontman GZA, headlined the global TED Conference, and appeared on the official soundtrack for Universal Pictures’ hit comedy Girls Trip.

    The Epic Vibes Tour features select concerts with The Soul Rebels in live performance collaboration with star artists including Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball of Tank And The Bangas, famed jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and hip hop icon GZA of Wu Tang Clan. Along with the Part 1 tour The Soul Rebels are excited to release new music this Fall in support of the tour and announce Part 2 in Spring 2022. 

    The Soul Rebels’ recent collaboration and partnership with Sony 360 Reality Audio showcases their latest album “Poetry In Motion” in the 360 format. Providing listeners an entirely new and immersive way to experience the album. The 360 Reality Audio version of the album is available to stream on Amazon Music HD, Tidal HiFi, and Deezer HiFi. The Soul Rebels can also be viewed in Sony produced and released advertisements and digital commercials.

    **New Orleans Jazz Fest has been postponed until 2022.

    the soul rebels

    ​Tickets for the tour are available at TheSoulRebels.com. 

  • Spaghetti Eastern Music Collaborates with Charles Dennis Dance at Avant-Garde Arama in Woodstock

    Spaghetti Eastern Music, the musical alias of Saugerties-based multi-instrumentalist and NYS Music contributor Sal Cataldi, has been commissioned to provide a live solo guitar score to a performance of the dance piece “2 x 2 x 4” at Avant-Garde Arama Lands in Woodstock. 

    Avant-Garde Arama is a two-day festival of short works of dance, performance art, poetry and music that will take place at Mount View Studios in Woodstock, July 24 and 25 at 8 pm.

    Avant-Garde-Arama was originated in 1980 at the legendary East Village venue Performance Space 122 (P.S. 122) by performance artist/dancer Charles Dennis, who also co-founded this still vibrant cultural institution.  This is the first time the event will take place in Woodstock.

    Premiering in 1989 to raves in media like The Village Voice, Dennis’ movement piece “2 x 2 x 4” is a dramatic dance duet performed with fourteen wooden 2 x 4s, one whose mood will only be height by Cataldi’s atmospheric live loop & drone based guitar improvisations. 

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Cataldi’s debut album under Spaghetti Eastern Music moniker, Sketches of Spam, is a 16-track, 69-minute, genre-surfing journey through contrasting moods, with instrumentals inspired by 70’s Miles, Krautrock, Ennio Morricone, Fripp & Eno and ECM’s icy guitar great Terje Rypdal giving way to bare-bones acoustic vocal tunes reflective of the influence of John Martyn and Nick Drake.

    In 2020, Cataldi followed this with a trio of critically-acclaimed atmospheric singles that have been heard around the globe, “Her Lemon Peel Raincoat – Because It’s Raining,” “Peace Within” and “And This is Their New Hoax,” a COVID-19 musical editorial featuring samples of President Trump’s most noted denials to Cataldi’s soundpainting guitars and synths. His latest release, “Blues for A Lost Cosmonaut,” is a nine-minute plus maxi single again in the ambient mode, one that will inform the live tracks he will perform to Dennis’ dance piece.  His music has received high praise from our site and other outlets including The New York Times, Time Out New York, Jazz Times, Huffington Post and many others.

    For information and ticket information for Spaghetti Eastern Music at Avant-Garde Arama in Woodstock, please visit the Facebook event page or .

  • Radio Woodstock Showcases Women Artists

    Talk about some girl power. For the first time in station history, Radio Woodstock 100.1 WDST has announced that their top 10 slots in power rotation are all women artists.

    Radio Woodstock women

    The current Radio Woodstock top 10 rotation is comprised of female artists across several different genres: St. Vincent, Amy Helm, Allison Russell, Yola, Maia Sharp, Sofia Valdes, Shemekia Copeland, Joy Oladokun (with Maren Morris), Lake Street Dive, and Sean Della Croce. 

    Looks like it is a hot girl summer and a hot girl future.

    Aja Whitney (Music Director)

    Amy Helm, a Woodstock native herself, recently released her latest album “What the Flood Leaves Behind”. Other new releases from St. Vincent, Allison Russell and Yola have caught the attention of Radio Woodstock. The station stated, “Female artists have emerged as leading the sound on one of the most uniquely curated rock radio stations in the world today.”

    Amy Helm in Woodstock, photo by Peter Ross

    Radio Woodstock 100.1 WDST has emerged as one of the most influential radio stations in the Hudson Valley, winning regional and national awards for its eclectic programming. Their DJ staff focuses on discovering new and emerging artists while continuing to showcase musical legends and other established talent. Radio Woodstock also produces several concerts and festivals around the Hudson Valley, including the Mountain Jam Festival.

    Throughout the pandemic, Radio Woodstock posted “Sofa Session” performances to their YouTube channel, where some of the station’s favorite artists shared short and intimate sets.

    Visit the Radio Woodstock website to listen live and celebrate these powerful women in music!

  • Members of American Symphony Orchestra Perform at Opus 40

    On June 24, members of the American Symphony Orchestra played Opus 40 in Woodstock. Winds Among Trees, a wind instrument sextet brought a new layer to experiencing the sculpture park. Both shared a story of creative survival amidst destruction, which made it the perfect time and place for the convergence to occur.

    Opus 40
    The sextet blending in the shadows

    Senses Alive

    Bright light, contrasting stone and stunning landscapes made for the perfect atmosphere. Placing the band strategically on the artwork itself, allowed for an elevated way of experiencing both the art and the music.

    A welcomed visual obstruction

    Ornate hedges and seemingly innocuous smaller sculptures partially obstructed nearly every view the music and the monolith. Senses were heightened as participants were compelled to be more present, and listening with a more focused ear and eye. As the post-solstice afternoon progressed, the sun started to blare into the eyes of the audience, which made viewers feel like they were part of a progressive performance art piece.

    Opus 40
    Enjoying the experience

    Rare Music, Rare Location

    The contrasting stone with all of the afternoon’s light made all the of the artist’s intentions clear. The monolith’s sun dial- like beacon of love was built on an old bluestone quarry after the land had been destroyed by construction.

    Beautiful works like this achieved though years of manual labor.

    The music played by the sextet was extremely rare in that it is not often played or performed, but also in the idea of it being chosen by the musicians. During shutdown, when all sought-after cultural celebrations of art and music were closed, members of the American Symphony Orchestra were given an interesting assignment. Captains were chosen to enlist a team to learn a collection of rare music.

    Opus 40
    A beautiful venu

    This is not common and the idea to perform these collections in different interesting venues made this even more thoughtful. Being able to have creative control as well as the project and accountability hopefully helped some through the incredibly trying time.

    Opus 40
    Music stands excited they non longer have to socially distance

    Visitors to Opus 40 took away a feeling of gratitude. They felt music in a unique environment during a new beginning for our society.

    Setlist: Serenade for 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, and 2 Horns (Matyas Seiber),
    Sextet No. 1 in Eb (F.H.J. Castil-Blaze), Sextet (Harald Genzmer), Adagio and Rondo (Carl Maria von Weber)

    Setlist via americansymphony.org

    To see more of what the ASO has done over shutdown, visit their website.

  • The Lumineers Rehearsing New album “Brightside” at Bearsville Center

    The Lumineers recently completed rehearsals for their new project, titled Brightside, at the famed Utopia Studios Soundstage at Bearsville Center in Woodstock. The band sequestered at the soundstage, originally built by Bearsville founder, Albert Grossman for future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, Todd Rundgren. 

    The Lumineers

    Albert Grossman is best known for managing the early career of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Band, Todd Rundgren and Peter, Paul and Mary and founding Bearsville Records in Woodstock. In 2019, British entrepreneur Lizzie Vann stepped in to save the historic complex from the wrecking ball and painstakingly restore the landmark music facility into a fully functional, world-class performance and rehearsal space, with recording facilities for audio and video recording.

    Today the Bearsville Theater is the heartbeat of Woodstock’s new music scene with a full performance schedule including: NRBQ, Masters of the Telecasters, the Levin Bros., Lindsey Webster, Reelin’ in the Years, Nektar The Wailers and Belew, Mastellotto & Friends.

    Fans have been anticipating a new release from the Lumineers since the 2019 album III. With a 2022 European tour scheduled, they will surely be working away until it comes time to fly overseas. Like everyone else, the band is stretching their performing muscles to finally put on a great show after all this time.

    We were told that the Lumineers chose Bearsville because we could offer them a complete package: professional studio space, creative vibe, excellent technical facilities and support, extreme privacy, cool places to hang in the park by the Sawkill Creek and in the historic artist rooms of the Theater and studio. We worked to their timeframe, which was often urgent, but managed to always stay calm!  The Lumineers were wonderful guests and have a super-professional team, very polished and organized and it was truly an honor to host such an important band of artists right here where so many influential artists created some of their finest work. It was a great time and truly our pleasure.  

    Lizzie Vann, Bearsville owner and curator

    Brightside, produced by longtime collaborator Simone Felice and produced, mixed, and engineered by David Baron over two sessions in winter and spring 2021 at Baron’s Sun Mountain Studios in bucolic Boiceville, NY. The album marks marks The Lumineers’ first new music in more than two years as well as the band’s most joyous and spontaneous piece of work thus far. The nine-song collection sees The Lumineers’ co-founders/co-songwriters Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites performing virtually all of the eclectic, effervescent instrumentation, with Baron on a wide variety of keyboards and backing vocals and more by Simone Felice, touring members Byron Isaacs and Lauren Jacobson, famed backing singer Cindy Mizelle (Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band), The Felice Brothers’ James Felice, and acclaimed singer-songwriter Diana DeMuth.

    For more information on The Bearsville Theater visit their website.

  • American Symphony Orchestra Performing at Opus 40 on June 24

    On June 24 at 5 pm at the beautiful sculpture park and museum Opus 40, a wind sextet showcasing acclaimed musicians from the American Symphony Orchestra will offer Winds Among the Trees, a program of rarely-heard classical music that will immerse the audience in a sprawling landscape. The concert will include works by Carl Maria von Weber and Matyas Seiber and explore the evolution of the wind sextet in the 19th and 20th centuries.

    opus 40 symphony
    The wind sexted from American Symphony Orchestra

    The musicians will be Shari Hoffmanon and Lino Gomez on clarinet, Lawrence DiBello and David Smith on French horn, and then Marc Goldberg and Gilbert Dejean on bassoon. Most of the players also belong to the American Ballet Theater Orchestra. Dejean however also is a member of the Saratoga Opera and along with Gomez has performed in the orchestra for the Broadway productions of West Side Story.

    Opus 40 is a large environmental sculpture park in Saugerties, New York, created by sculptor and quarryman Harvey Fite. It includes a central in-earth bluestone sculpture with dry-stone ramps, pedestals, bridges and platforms. The property also houses the Quarryman’s Museum and hosts a range of artistic events.

    The program will include:

    • Matyas Seiber – Serenade for 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, and 2 Horns
    • F.H.J. Castil-Blaze – Sextet No. 1 in Eb
    • Harald Genzmer – Sextet
    • Carl Maria von Weber – Adagio and Rondo

    Tickets for American Symphony Orchestra at Opus 40 are $20 and can be purchased here.