Greensky Bluegrass continues their rigorous touring schedule this November on the West Coast, and have their sights set on the East Coast in January – they’ll make their way to the Northeast with The Infamous Stringdusters in January.
The Colorado group has just released their newest song, “Grow Together,” written by Paul Hoffman upon the arrival of his daughter. “I wrote this with my 5-week-old daughter at my feet. She laid there and listened, so content. I hoped this was the first of many experiences like this for her and I,” Hoffman told The Boot. “I reflected on the amazing gift her mother had given me and ‘Grow Together’ just fell out of my heart,” Hoffman continues. “It’s a testament to a new chapter in my life and a love song for the woman who made me a father.”
Accompanying the song is a documentary-style music video that offers intimate and behind the scenes content. A perfect visual companion for such a powerful song.
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.
When touring ceased in 2020 in the face of the global pandemic, the band hunkered down and compiled demos individually at first, sharing emails and voice notes. In July 2020, they got together for the first time in four months, dedicating rehearsals to the development of the new material. Once circumstances safely permitted, they recorded what would become Stress Dreams during a session in Guilford, VT and two sessions in Asheville, NC with frequent collaborator “and old friend” Dominic John Davis as producer and “wizard engineer” Glenn Brown mixing. They preserved the hallmarks of their sound while widening its expanse.
“Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world,” says Paul Hoffman. “We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.”
Nov 11 @ The Observatory | San Diego, CA Nov 12 @ The Fonda | Los Angeles, CA Nov 13 @ The Fox | Oakland, CA Nov 14 @ Crystal Bay | Stateline, NV Nov 17 @ Midtown Ballroom | Bend, OR Nov 18 @ Crystal Ballroom | Portland, OR Nov 19-20 @ The Showbox | Seattle, WA Nov 26-27 @ Kalamazoo State Theatre Dec 9 – 13 @ Strings & Sol | Puerto Morelos, Mexico Dec 30-31 @ The Factor | St. Louis, MO Jan 7-8 @ The Mission Ballroom | Denver, CO
Greensky Bluegrass featuring very Special Guests The Infamous Stringdusters
Jan 20 @ The Palace Theatre | Albany, NY Jan 21 @ The Met Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA Jan 22 @ The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY Jan 26 @ Flynn Theatre | Burlington, VT Jan 27 @ The State Theatre | Portland, ME Jan 28-29 @ House of Blues | Boston, MA Feb 2 @ Stage AE | Pittsburgh, PA Feb 3 @ Agora Theatre & Ballroom | Cleveland, OH Feb 4-5 @ The Anthem | Washington, DC Feb 17 @ The Pavilion at Pan AM | Indianapolis, IN Feb 18 @ Fillmore Detroit | Detroit, MI Feb 19 @ Riverside Theatre | Milwaukee, WI Feb 20 @ The Palace | St. Paul, MN Feb 23 @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall | Louisville, KY Feb 24 @ Iron City | Birmingham, AL Feb 25-26 @ The Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA
Hot on the heels of the new record announcement (Toward the Fray releasing Feb. 18) made last month by Grammy and IBMA award-winners The Infamous Stringdusters, Infamous Stringdusters have announced a January through April tour of the same name. Truly coast to coast, the band will kick off on Jan. 20 in Albany, NY with good friends Greensky Bluegrass, touring through most of the east coast and into parts of the midwest and southeast.
Dustbowl Revival will hop on towards the end of March to make several stops in California, wrapping the 4 month tour in Seattle, Washington on April 9th. Pre-sales are, as of today, on-sale for headlining dates. General on-sale starts Thursday, Nov. 4 at 10 am PT. Please visit thestringdusters.com/tour for more information and to purchase tickets.
Toward the Fray, the band’s first release of original music since 2019’s Rise Sun, will be released on February 18th, 2022 on Americana Vibes via Regime Music Group. Fans can now listen to the first single, “Toward The Fray” below.
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.
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.
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
Live from the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, critically acclaimed Brooklyn band The Antlers recently emerged from hibernation for their first show in over two years. Playing their latest studio album, Green to Gold, in its entirety followed by a second set of career spanning material, the enthralling, emotional, and dream-like performance on October 22, 2021 was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The road to get there, however, was a long time coming.
Rising to prominence in 2009 with their breakthrough masterpiece Hospice, a semi-autobiographical concept album that tells the story of a hospice worker falling in love with a terminal cancer patient, The Antlers had not released any new music since 2014’s Familiars. It was later revealed in 2017 that primary songwriter and bandleader Peter Silberman had quietly stepped away from the band after being diagnosed with permanent, career threatening tinnitus and vocal lesions. The Antlers would remain silent until October 2020 when seemingly out of the blue, they released a single for “Wheels Roll Home” and officially announced their first album in seven years, Green to Gold would be released in March of 2021 via Anti Records/Transgressive.
While no touring plans were made in support of the album, the band confirmed a special one-time only performance of Green to Gold would soon take place at the most storied barn in the Catskill Mountains. For diehard fans, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect setting than Levon Helm Studios.
For those who didn’t already know, some free advice: arriving late to a show at Levon’s is like being late to church on communion Sunday; there’s simply no way to enter without being disruptive. The ‘last minute Larry’s’ on this particular night found that out the hard way when classically trained jazz minimalist David Moore of Bing & Ruth kicked off the evening with a beautifully subdued piano recital. The acoustics in the room so clear, every footstep and whisper of the late arrivals was heard. Unphased by any of it, Moore’s focused, cinematic set was but a precursor to the splendor yet to come.
After a brief intermission, it was finally time for a performance that was years in the making: The return of The Antlers. A must-see bucket list band for some, one person I spoke with at set break confessed they traveled all the way from Minnesota to Woodstock for this one-time-only, once in a lifetime show. Spoiler: the band did not disappoint.
Bathed in lavender light and taking the stage to a chorus of cheers and smiling faces, the mood gradually turned dead serious as a chorus of cicadas and crickets soon engulfed the room. Just like on the studio album, The Antlers opened with the first track off Green to Gold, a dreamy, ethereal, post-rock styled instrumental called “Strawflower.” Each of the four members adding a new layer of sound and texture while joining in one by one, it wasn’t until “Wheels Roll Home” that we would hear the instrument most vital to The Antlers signature sound, Peter Silberman’s remarkable voice.
Showcasing his impressive vocal range through half-sung/half-whispered melodies that often guide the listener to an astonishing falsetto peak, when you hear Silberman sing in person, you know you are witnessing a special talent. A vulnerable, rare kind of performer who can effortlessly send shivers up your spine or tears down your face on any given song; an artist willing risk it all for the sake of his craft, defying doctors’ orders after being told he may never perform again. Sounding magnificent on this cool autumn night at the barn, hearing Silberman pour his heart out to a live audience felt like nothing short of a blessing.
Describing “Wheels Roll Home” as “a simple song about the hopeful promise of reunion after a long time gone, the experience of waiting out tumultuous times and longing for stability,” Silberman touches on a theme most can relate to, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic. Never a band to shy away from difficult, dark and emotional subject matter, their bread and butter since the beginning, just two songs into the set and you could feel a sense of renewed optimism from The Antlers, something rarely heard on their previous albums.
Up next came a beautiful song called “Solstice”, co-written with long time Antlers drummer Michael Lerner (who opted to play on Levon’s vintage red kit instead of his own), the band describes the tune as a “flashback to the infinite days of peak childhood summer, innocent barefoot hikes, staying outside all afternoon and late into the evening, well past it being too dark to see. But it’s remembered from the vantage of a present day that feels unbearably long rather than joyously endless. It’s an invocation of those simpler times, an attempt to conjure the lightness of youth, before life got so damn complicated.”
Building on the soul-searching mood, the introspective journey continued with “Stubborn Man” before fading out into a sea of ethereal ambience that left the mesmerized crowd in stunned silence. As the emotional weight and integrity of the band’s performance grew with each successive song, up next came one of the biggest standouts of the evening “Just One Sec,” a song that noticeably left several people in tears.
“I’ll free you from the person I was sure I knew I’ll free you from a reputation you outgrew I’ll free you from behavior I’d expect to see And my interpretation of history ‘Cause I boxed you in unconsciously And I saw you and I thought you ought to be But by loving you imperfectly For just one sec, I’ll free you from me”
“Just One Sec”
Segueing perfectly into another song about hindsight came “It Is What It Is.” Also written by Silberman and Lerner, the richly textured song tackles the topic of learning from your mistakes, asking the listener to ponder “what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now.” The Antlers then seamlessly worked their way into “Volunteer” before transitioning to the hypnotic title track of their latest album, “Green to Gold,” a song that contemplates the inevitability of life and it’s ever-changing seasons. The gentle soul-searching sway of “Porchlight” lead us to the album closer, bookending the set with another languid, post-rock influenced instrumental called “Equinox.” The relaxing, layered groove would simply dither out and conclude the Green to Gold portion of the show the same way it began, in chorus of crickets and cicadas.
After a short brake, the emotionally elated audience welcomed The Antlers back for round two. There was no mystery during the opening set, but now it was anyone’s guess. Opting to go with the opening track from 2014’s Familiars was the beautifully brilliant song “Palace.” From there we were treated to back-to-back songs from the bands critically acclaimed album Hospice, first was “Atrophy,” then perhaps the most well-known song of the evening, just down the road from Bearville, came “Bear.”
“We’ll play charades up in the Chelsea Drink champagne although you shouldn’t be We’ll be blind and dumb until we fall asleep None of our friends will come They dodge our calls And they have for quite a while now It’s not a shock You don’t seem to mind and I just can’t see how”
“Bear”
After the stellar rendition of “Bear” was the bittersweet anthem “Parade.” Taking a moment between songs to clear his throat with a large drink of water, you just knew whatever was next, Silberman was going to give it everything he had left. As the richly textured, dream-like melody of “Corsicana” began, a tangible “hairs-on-the-back of your neck, get your cell phone out and record this” feeling swept over the audience. The only song to be played from 2011’s Burst Apart, it was then that Silberman uncorked one of the most unbelievable, heartfelt falsetto croons these ears have ever heard; one that still gives me shivers just thinking about it. Following an extended well-deserved applause, we were treated to one final thought-provoking number, a little-known song written by Silberman, but never released by The Antlers called “Ahimsa.”
“Time is all we have, I hope I have enough
Enough to show you love before my time is up
Before you wake the dead, take a pause
Instead of deafening nonsense, share silence
No violence today
No violence, no violence, no violence today”
“Ahimsa”
With an extraordinary end to an extraordinary evening, the band members then took center stage and hugged it out with each other first before bowing to the standing ovation. Not just a special night for fans who thought they’d never live to see an Antlers performance, but a special night for the band themselves. Coming full circle and finding perspective by letting nature run its course, time has been good to The Antlers. From writing somber songs in a Brooklyn bedroom, to playing Green to Gold in a legendary barn surrounded by friends, family, and some of their biggest fans, those who were lucky enough to be at Levon Helm Studios on this night will never forget it.
As the season for “best of the year” lists rapidly approaches, be skeptical of any that does not include The Antlers and 2021’s Green to Gold. Seven years in the making, this is an album that will stand the test of time.
The Antlers – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY – 10/22/2021
Set 1: Strawflower, Wheels Roll Home, Solstice, Stubborn Man, Just One Sec, It Is What It Is, Volunteer, Green to Gold, Porchlight, Equinox
Set 2: Palace, Atrophy, Bear, Parade, Corsicana, Ahimsa
Over his career, Chris Jehnert has taken many routes, such that you may know for his acting chops or even frontman status in the internationally recognized boy band Larger Than Life. Chris since then has developed a more mature sound, solidifying himself in the alternative rock scene with his debut EP Chapter One: The Hollow.
After his “Welcome To The Hollow” single in 2019, which has garnered over 100,000 streams, Chapter One: The Hollow delves further and expands on the intricacies of of love, loss, isolation, and obsession. With song titles like “Raise The Dead,” “Ghost,” and “Love You to Death,” this EP uses dark and haunting metaphors to delve into personal issues.
One of Jenhert’s song off the EP is “Ghost” which recounts a time when Jehnert was accused of ghosting after ending a fling. “I Love You To Death” is dedicated to his fans, specifically those that are willing to give their life away for Jehnert despite their lack of personal relationship. “Raising the Dead” is actually about rekindling a flame with an ex lover although the relationship was toxic, the title describes the resurrection of all the emotions and traumas from hooking up
The EP itself is all based off of journal-style lyrics, where I take the things I’m dealing with internally and create metaphors for them. I then write the songs as if those metaphors were literal. Equating The Hollow to being a place cold and empty that people are drawn to and trapped in, but it’s a metaphor for my personal relationships
Chris Jehnert
Chris has been trained as a triple threat from early on with singing, dancing, and acting. Complete with a vocal performance degree from CCBC Essex, Jehnert worked alongside world class singers Jennifer Hudson and Kristin Chenoweth in eight productions at Disney World. Touring with the Concert Anniversary Tour of “Hairspray” led him to settle in New York City.
Chris is a member of “Larger Than Life: The Ultimate Boy Band Tribute” and has traveled around the world performing in their concerts alongside Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Jeff Timmons, Aaron Carter and many more. Having taken a lead role in the Streamy-nominated series “Disposable Teens,” Chris now has pursued releasing his own music as always intended.
In support of her seventh studio album Faster (Rounder Records, 2021), Samantha Fish returned to The Stephen Talkhouse on the eastern end of Long Island for her first performance at the iconic venue in more than two years. Having released her first album in 2009, Samantha Fish is a blues and rock singer-songwriter and guitarist originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and current resident of New Orleans, Louisiana.
After briefly chatting with some fans of Ms. Fish who had arrived early and were waiting in line on this chilly autumn evening, the doors to the former boarding house built in 1834 opened and we were warmly greeted by the bar’s staff. Once inside, the prominent backdrop to the stage could not be missed. It was a large black and white tapestry of Stephen Taukus (“Talkhouse”) Pharaoh, a native American who was known for his daily, marathon-distance walks delivering mail from The Hamptons to New York City during the late-1800s. Featuring local artists and internationally-renowned performers since 1987, The Stephen Talkhouse was decorated in the spirit of Halloween, complete with a spooky playlist that eerily emanated from the “house” speakers, who according to one of the bartenders, was curated by Ms. Fish herself.
As 7:00 pm approached, several patrons eager for a great night of live music had already filtered inside, assuming coveted positions along the length of the bar, or at reserved table seating intimately arranged in front of the stage. A frequent touring partner and collaborator of Samantha Fish, Jonathan Long was the first to take the stage. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Long is a virtuoso blues artist whose career launched in 1997, when he was named Guitar Center’s “King of the Blues.” Accompanied only by his Martin guitar, Long featured songs from his newest album, Parables of a Southern Man, released on Samantha Fish’s very ownWild Heart Records label in 2021. His electric set of blues compositions concluded with a “roof raising” rendition of Chris Thomas King’s “John Law Burned Down The Liquor Sto.’
After a short intermission, and while the theme music from the 1978 horror movie classic “Halloween” could be heard over the PA system (courtesy of Ms. Fish once again), Sarah Tomek (drums), Matt Wade (keyboardist) and Ron Johnson (bassist) took the stage. Within a few brief moments, Samantha Fish also appeared, clad in her signature look of “fire engine red” skintight pants, a black lace top and stiletto boots.
Samantha Fish’s 16-song set included 11 songs taken from 2021’s Faster, including the show opener “Loud,” which was followed by the guitar-driven “All Ice No Whiskey.” A song about empowerment, and the first single released from her new album, “Twisted Ambition” was up next. When she was not playing her white Gibson SG or another one of her axes from her impressive arsenal, Fish opted for her famed cigar box guitar, which she has been incorporating into her live sets since 2012.After performing “Hypnotic,” featuring Fish’s alluring vocals, the final quintet of songs included a generous mix of offerings from past albums, including those from Black Wind Howlin’ (2013), Wild Heart (2015) and Kill Or Be Kind (2019). Before exiting the stage for her encore, Fish and her band ripped through “Bulletproof,” the fan favorite with an infectious guitar riff, which left everyone in attendance wanting more.
If you have not yet been able to see Samantha Fish perform live, you still have the chance! She will be continuing her North American tour over the next couple of months, until it commences at the Macon City Auditorium in Georgia on New Year’s Eve. After that, Ms. Fish will be heading off to the United Kingdom in early-2022. You can get your tickets here.
Setlist: Loud > All Ice No Whiskey > Twisted Ambition > Chills & Fever > Forever Together > Don’t Say You Love Me > Crowd Control > Better Be Lonely > Kill Or Be Kind > Watch It Die > Hypnotic > Black Wind Howlin’ > Dream Girl > Bulletproof
Encore: I Put A Spell On You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) > Bitch On The Run
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.
