Karina Rykman has announced with great excitement that her band will be headlining Brooklyn Bowl on February 24, 2022. Part of a greater movement with other of powerhouse women in live music not only making their presence known, but respected. This New York City-based artist bends the genres and feeds the soul. Karina called this “a proper hometown show” which could be interpreted as her way of saying “not to be missed.”
Who Is Karina?
Karina Rykman has been the powerhouse thread weaving its way through seemingly opposing forms of musical expression. Chatter of Karina’s name, talent and on stage acrobatic feats of stunt work have been the topic of conversation at festivals, pre-show hangs, after parties and set breaks. Some know Karina as Marco Benevento’s bass player but her solo project has made itself known as a force to be reckoned with. Sparkly boots, deep grooves and occasional stunts make for an entrancing experience with no choice but to allocate all attention in the moment.
Photo: Em Walis
But What Kind of Music Is This?
The funkier side of jam with a heavy lead bass of songs like “Dirty South” blend smoothly into a lo-fi ambient moods with songs like “Plants” and “Arbitrary”. “Elevator” and “City Kids” live within a pleat synching indie with the grit only a New York City Riot Grrrl could harness. All of the masterful genre stitching and blending encompass the beauty in what music is becoming.
Magic camptured at Catskill Mountain Jubilee by Em Walis
Evidence Points To Magic
Where might have Karina gained her momentum and defined her style? Perhaps all the time society was forced to look at the same four walls heightened other sense and stronger recognitions for new and exciting sound profiles. Maybe Karina experienced some form training similar to Uma T’s Black Mamba character in the Kill Bill films. In this case it would have been bass, not katana. The training with Marco Benevento likely involved many more smiles, a few less stairs and absolutely a large collection of cheap keyboards. Crystal masters claim that when the “greatest sound guy of all time” is at the helm and the sunlight hits Karina’s bass at just the right angle, the golden light that exists in this musicians soul becomes visible for only a moment.
Stocks
Day or night, it would be in one’s best interest to see Karina now and catch glimpses of the golden light now, because it will be a lot more difficult as her career continues to grow. Karina’s shows are fun. Banter could include existential questions followed by a quick video game cheat code. Encouragement to bandmates might involve empowering words like “slay” and “queen” which are unfortunately not in the usual vocabulary of “dude bands at dude shows”. Karina’s shows are known to feel uplifting, creatively complimentary and spirit lifting.
Women supporting women in music by Em Walis
Slay Queen
Women like Karina, friends Marlo and Veronica from Melt, Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo, Laura Lee of Krunghabin and fellow New Yorker Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells are all making waves on tour and helping to create a safer space for future generations of women that are interested in music. These women convey a message that grant permission for women to present authentically, dress in what feels the best and behave in a way that stands by ethical codes unapologetically. The future looks bright thanks to Karina and the other magical warriors queens out there slaying.
Make Music Winter is back this holiday season, showcasing free music parades across NYC. The celebration will take place on December 21, 2021 starting at 9AM and running through 8PM.
This free, annual, outdoor music-making celebration Make Music Winter features participatory parades representing a variety of cultures and genres. These mobile outdoor events are both joyous and safe, a testament to the vitality and resolve of NYC’s music makers.
All the parades celebrating throughout the day will be also celebrating the winter solstice and longest night of the year, December 21st. The parades will showcase professionals, amateurs, and the curious and all are welcomed and encouraged to share their love of music and transform the cityscape by joining one or more of the programs listed below. The parades will feature an array of folk, world music, and pop gatherings, classical/new music events.The performances will include Bach to Beatles: Winter Solstice Waltz, Standing Still/Tilted Axes, Mutant Toy Parade, Bell by Bell, Pilgrimage, and The Mobile Hallelujah.
Here for your reference are some of this season’s highlights in chronological order bellow:
9 – 11 am – “Bach to Beatles: Winter Solstice Waltz” at The Oculus in the Financial District.
10:45 am – 11:15 am – “Standing Still” presented by Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars at Herald Square and the surrounding neighborhood. As the sun “stands still” above at precisely 10:59am EST, the music parade will mark the occasion by the ringing of a bell and a special performative minute to the surprise of all onlookers. Interested participants are requested to send an email to tiltedaxes@peppergreenmedia.com by December 15th to receive further information on how to register; you must register ahead of time to perform with this program.
4 – 7:30 pm – “Flatfoot Flatbush” along North Flatbush Avenue between Park Place and Dean Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
5 – 6 pm – “Bronx Samba” at Bronx Stadium Gardens, E 161 St. between Gerard & Walton in Concourse, Bronx. Presented with the 161st Street Business Improvement District.
5:15 – 5:45 pm – “Mutant Toy Parade” at Uptown Grand Central in East Harlem.
5:30 – 7:30 pm – “Harlem Solstice Jam” at Uptown Grand Central and all along E 125 Street shopfronts in East Harlem.
5:30 – 7:30 pm – HONK NYC’s fourth annual Winter Solstice procession is a collective release through music and dance after two years of COVID-19.
6 – 7 pm – “Bell by Bell” at Elizabeth Street Garden at Elizabeth St. between Prince St. & Spring St. in Soho.
6 – 7 pm – “Melrose Parranda” starting at the Bronx Music Hall, 428 E 163rd Street at the corner of Washington Avenue in Melrose, the Bronx.
6 – 8 pm – “The Mobile Hallelujah” at seven outdoor midtown Manhattan locations including the main branch of the New York Public Library, One Vanderbilt, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center.
6:30 – 8 pm – “Queens Solstice Soiree” at Travers Park in Jackson Heights, Queens. Presented in partnership with Queensboro Dance Festival.
6:30 – 7:30 pm – “Tambor Tuesday Street Jam” from Astor Place Plaza to club Drom in the East Village. Presented in partnership with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance.
For more information on Make Music Winter 2021 visit their website.
The Rockettes have cancelled the rest of their 2021 performances due to COVID-19 outbreaks across NYC and within the Rockettes team themselves. The announcement was made on December 17, 2021 with COVID cases stemming from the omicron variant reaching daily highs continuing on didn’t seem like the most responsible decision to the Rockettes team.
The “Christmas Spectacular” stars the well known Radio City Rockettes who are an American precision dance company. The show takes place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City which is owned by MSG Entertainment. Last year the show was cancelled in its entirety due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic raging throughout the world and the United States. Unfortunately it seems that COVID-19 is raising it’s head again and forcing the “Christmas Spectacular” show to shut down early. The Radio City staple says they just can’t continue their Christmas Spectacular due to “increasing challenges from the pandemic.” Those challenges include a COVID outbreak among the production team, plus musicians in the orchestra. Breakthrough cases are piling up in the Rockettes team.
With the omicron variant, which is more contagious and spreads faster than previous variants, becomes more widespread it seems the entertainment industry could start shutting down again. Things were seeming to be getting back to normal in the entertainment industry with events, games, and tours coming back across the globe but now events are getting scrapped left and right.
The Rockettes say refunds will be issued to anyone who bought tickets to their canceled 2021 shows. They are looking forward to hopefully hosting performances again in 2022. For more information visit their website.
The outbreak comes as a string of Broadway shows, among them Company, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Ain’t Too Proud, Mrs. Doubtfire, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical and Freestyle Love Supreme, each of which have temporarily shut down this past week due to COVID concerns.
The electronic rock band LCD Soundsystem, on the tail end of a 20-gig residency at Brooklyn Steel, have now also cancelled the remaining three shows due to the recent omicron outbreak. This decision came after the band initially left it up to potential attendees as to whether they wanted to attend or request refunds, even going so far as to advise, “Us playing the shows is in no way an indicator that it’s safe to attend.” But due to the fan response and the aforementioned circumstances, the remainder of the residency is now cancelled.
The band released an official announcement on their Instagram page earlier today:
You all have spoken. The last three shows are cancelled.You good people who want to return your tickets and try again another time have spoken, but so has the new info, the hospital capacity, and those of us in the band, crew, and venue...We tried. We really did. We were heartened to see so many more masks at the last show. We were incredibly thankful for everyone who wanted to make it work. But it will have to wait, again, until we find out what this new wave means to us all. Thank you for again listening, trying, etc. Please be safe.
LCD Soundsytem
The shows were scheduled to take place on December 19, 20 and 21. All tickets purchased via AXS will be automatically refunded – there is no action required if tickets were purchased via AXS online or by phone. The band also recently announced an upcoming holiday special which will air on December 22 at 9 PM Eastern via Amazon Music, Prime Video and Amazon’s Twitch Channel.
Updated on December 21, 2021: “Jagged Little Pill’ joins the many performances closing down on Broadway due to the omicron variant. The rock musical announced this on December 21, 2021. The musical was fueled by Alanis Morissette and focused a with a variety of topics including contemporary social issues. It has become the first big Broadway show to fall by the resurgent coronavirus pandemic.
City Winery also announced on December 19, 2021 that people attending shows at the venue will be required to have both proof of full vaccination as well as a negative Covid-19 test due to the surge of Covid-19 due to the omicron variant. They are one of the first venues to require both measures, due to fast transmission of the Omicron variant which has made it so that full vaccination isn’t enough of a defense against the highly contagious strain.
Flushing Town Fall jumped on the bandwagon for it’s Mini-Global Mashups announcing postponing them until a later date due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in New York City. It made this announcement on December 21, 2021 and will offer anyone who purchased tickets to these event a full refund or exchange. The first Mini-Global Mashups was suppose to take place on January 9, 2022.
Updated on December 23, 2021: More bands jump ship on live shows due to the omicron variant. On December 23, 2021 Phish announced postponing their MSG shows until April due to COVID-19 sweeping through NYC. Phish will honor all tickets for the December 29-January 1 shows at MSG on the rescheduled dates of April 20-23, marking the first time Phish has played New York City in April since 1994 at the Beacon Theatre.
On December 23, 2021 Pink Talking Phish announced postponing their New Years Eve show at Gramercy show to an undetermined date via their facebook page due to COVID-19 sweeping through NYC putting the health of their fans, friends, and family first.
Updated on December 26, 2021: Warren Haynes announced on December 24 that due to the omicron variant he will be postponing his new years run. For the health and safety of their fans, crew and all involved in making these shows happen is always their top priority. The following dates have been rescheduled: April 8 Beacon Theatre New York, NY (12/30/2021 Tickets Honored), April 9 Beacon Theatre New York, NY (12/31/2021 Tickets Honored), April 14 The Met Philadelphia, PA(12/29/2021 Tickets Honored).
Updated on December 28, 2021: On December 27, 2021 SoulShine: An Allman Brothers Experience announced that it will perform at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre on Dec. 31 in celebration of New Year’s Eve but only a with 50 percent capacity due to the COVID-19 cases soaring.
Soulive announced on December 27, 2021 they have rescheduled their run of shows set for New Year’s at the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn to July 7, 8 and 9 of 2022 and will celebrate Brooklyn Bowl’s thirteenth anniversary. All tickets for the New Year’s shows will be honored at the July dates.
Dark Star Orchestra announced on December 27, 2021 the postponement of their upcoming New Year’s Eve run of concerts in New York scheduled for The Paramount in Huntington on December 29 and 30 and the Palace Theatre in Albany on December 31 (New Year’s Eve) and January 1 (New Year’s Day). The decision comes after members of DSO’s touring party tested positive for COVID-19 and in the wake of rising COVID cases due to the omicron variant.
Transmission New Year’s Eve Dance Party also announced on December 27, 2021 they were cancelling due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases.
The Ed Sullivan Theater played host to Phish on this day in 2002. The Vermont group performed “All Of These Dreams,” the ninth track on Round Room, on the Late Show with David Letterman.
The appearance on Letterman was the band’s sixth overall, starting in on December 30, 1994 with “Chalkdust Torture,” “Julius” on July 13, 1995, “Character Zero” on March 5, 1997, “Birds of a Feather” on October 27, 1998, “Heavy Things” on May 15, 2000, a multi-song performance on the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee on June 21, 2004, and “The Line” on June 25, 2014.
“All of These Dreams” has only been played 13 times total, not including this initial performance at the Ed Sullivan Theater, according to Phish.net. The song, written by Trey Anastasio, Tom Marshall and Scott Herman officially debuted in concert on January 3, 2003 in Hampton, VA. A rarity, the song has not been played live since October 26, 2020 in Manchester, NH.
The Phish.net song history reveals that “All of These Dreams,” as well as another Round Room track, “Anything But Me” emerged from the wake of a screaming fight between Trey and Tom during a songwriting session in a Philadelphia hotel room. According to Trey, the two tunes “express something that I usually am a little too shy to express,” though precisely what that is he leaves unsaid.
There is a place on the mountain nearby Deep in a cave but it’s up rather high There in the darkness are safely concealed All of the dreams that you never revealed And if you go there, and after you do All of these dreams would be yours to pursue The rest of your lifetime devoid of a care If you keep your eyes open you may find yourself there
Such is the promise, such is the curse You could just live your life better or worse Knowing the cache of dreams up on that hill Beckons and sways but won’t bend to your will You might find a river under a mountain That feeds a remote subterranean fountain Drink from this, taste just a hint of a dream That somehow leaked into the underground stream
Saturday Night Live was back this week with host Paul Rudd for the NBC staple’s Christmas episode, but with a scaled back cast and crew, no musical guest and no studio audience, due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Recorded earlier in the evening, a departure from the typical live taping, SNL adjusted and made the most of the situation, with a blend of fresh and classic holiday sketches. The cast was limited to Kenan Thompson and Michael Che, and only two members of the Saturday Night Live Band on hand – Lenny Pickett (sax) and Tuffus Zimbabwe (piano).
The show began with an atypical intro, Tom Hanks walking out to introduce host Paul Rudd, and no cast montage to begin the episode. Rudd kept things light and soldiered on in his fifth appearance as a host, joining the Five Timers Club in the process, thanks to special guests and fellow club members Hanks and Fey.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, Saturday Night Live announced the changes for this week’s episode, which included Fey filling in for Colin Jost on Weekend Update. This brought Fey back to the Update desk, despite there being no actual desk due to a limited crew for this episode’s taping. Jost, along with Aristotle Athari, and Sarah Sherman had reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
The musical guest for the evening was slated to be Charli XCX, but shortly after the official word from SNL, Charli tweeted “Due to the limited crew at tonight’s taping of SNL my musical performance will no longer be able to go ahead. I am devastated and heartbroken. I am currently safe and healthy but of course very sad. Please look after yourselves out there,” along with a follow up clearing any confusion that she did not cancel or pull out of the show. Although Charli did not perform, she did take part in the digital short “Christmas Socks,” a take on “The Christmas Shoes,” as a bird named TJ Rocks.
Classic holiday sketches like “Dick in a Box” and “Christmastime for the Jews” (sung by the great Darlene Love) filled in where new material would normally be found. The brilliant “An Evening with Pete” looked at the career of Pete Davidson in the year 2054, a take on Raging Bull and Christmas movies of the past.
The fully decorated set found the five actors – Che, Fey, Hanks, Rudd and Thompson – on stage at the end of the episode for goodbyes, as well as socially distant hugging. Only Pickett and Zimbabwe stood on the stage playing the outro music as the credits rolled.
Tonight’s show marked the first time since October 11, 1986, when Sigourney Weaver hosted, without a musical guest in the show’s history. Madonna did appear that night to read a statement apologizing for the previous season, noting it was only a dream, ala Season 9 of Dallas. While not the musical guest, Buster Poindexter performed “Oh Me, Oh My,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (a duet with Weaver), and “Smack Dab in the Middle.”
From 1986 until 2014, David Letterman would close out his final show of the year with a Christmas episode that featured the one and only Darlene Love. Over the span of those 28 years, Love would perform her holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” one of Letterman’s favorites.
The appearance found its origins after Letterman saw Love perform the song at the Bottom Line, in a show called Leader of the Pack. He immediately had to have her on the show. Love told Variety in 2014:
He had David [were] down to see the show. [Letterman] said, “You know that song that girl sings? That Christmas song? That’s the greatest Christmas song I’ve ever heard. We need to get her on the show.” That was 1986, and so I’ve been doing it ever since.
The tradition spanned two networks over nearly three decades, appearing from 1986 until 1993 on Late Night with David Letterman, and later on the Late Show with David Letterman when Letterman joined CBS.
The song was originally recorded for the 1963 Phil Spector album A Christmas Gift for You, and while Love performed the song on Letterman’s shows, she told the New York Times in 2014 that she will not sing it for any other TV talk-show hosts moving forward.
For her final performance, the Late Show paid tribute to Darlene Love. Following her brief interview with Dave, the stage filled in with additional musician, including string and horn sections and several backup singers. These singers would not overshadow Love’s powerful voice, and sang her final last verse from the top of Paul Shaffer’s piano, with fake snow falling around her.
Recently, an animated version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” has been released through Legacy Recordings. The short video follows a young Black girl as she walks home through a snowy neighborhood, accompanied by a happy snowman. Along the way, she stops to admire a Christmas tree and runs into her dog, who is singing along with a pair of carolers. The girl and her dog arrive home, where they are lovingly greeted by her parents. As the video nears its end, the girl opens up one of her presents to find a snow globe with the smiling snowman inside.
At the end of the music video, Love posted a message paying tribute to her late sister, Edna Wright Perry, who sang backing vocals on the track.
Featured on the show prior to Love’s show-stopping performance, Letterman annually welcomed comedian Jay Thomas, to share, as Letterman put it, “the best story I’ve ever heard.” Thomas would then launch into his true story about an encounter with Clayton Moore, the actor famous for playing The Lone Ranger. For 17 years starting in 1992, Thomas would come on the show and deliver the joke, much to Letterman and the audience’s approval. Watch the story unfold over the years.
After Thomas delivered the punchline, he and Letterman would alternate throwing a football at the meatball on top of the Late Show Christmas tree. To wrap up the show, Darlene Love would come out for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and send the show into the night.
The Alien Opera House hosted a Sunday farmer’s market with live music throughout the day on Sunday, December 12. The holiday festive green Sunday on the north side featured performances by Lil Cease, Ryan Mackie, Ebb n Flow with Mozay Calloway, Joe Driscoll, and DJ R Hop. Sound beats by Scott Gagnon.
The Sunday matinee headliner was the Frank White Experience with special guest Lil’ Cease of the original Bad Boy Record label. The ensemble consisting of Deyquan Bowens, Thomas Carter, Danielle Mitchell, Jay Lock, Emanuel Washington and Skribe Da God laid down a live studio session vibe to the music of Notorious B.I.G. Skunk City’s Emmanuel Washington held down the neo-soul beats on drums for the holiday event. He even had Byron Cage carry the groove on the kit for the encore.
Lil Cease has been in the studio for countless legendary sessions with Brooklyn artist Notorious B.I.G. He took some time before his set at The Alien Opera House to speak with NYS Music about the surroundings:
Matthew Romano: There’s a lot of artists here today all inspired by having you in the building on this 12 21 Sunday. Do you remember a specific session that just came out of nowhere to form something significant?
Lil Cease: Yea that happened to me while working with producer Harry Fraud and French Montana. It was the first time I started recording records on the spot. I would write my rhymes right there and they’d have the music ready to go. We cut a track in two hours tops. You got to take advantage of the moment, ya know? If I went home and messed with it I’d try to refurbish it and wouldn’t be the same. I did my best records like that. Sometimes you gotta take the energy of something around you and run with it. BIG used to do that with songs all the time, he would listen to people and conversations around him and bring it to the booth. We’d be in the studio smoking and he would just go record on the spot… Plans to leave, throw the keys to Little Cease (uh-huh) Pull the truck up front, and roll up the next blunt. It’s like yo we just did that… (laughter)
Writing about your surroundings is really powerful.
Lil Cease
MR: What kind of funk music is an influence on you?
LC: I mean I listen to a bunch of stuff. Is Earth Wind and Fire considered funk? I mean it’s all just music. I listen to music. Once I started learning to DJ I realized how music works. You want to say every rapper is a jazz artist? I have sampled jazz music before. It’s just beats that play, they run, Like Rain Dance.. that’s Crush on You! I didn’t know we sampled other people’s music, I was fifteen years old just thinking the producer made the beat. After I heard the original I said damn we should have left the horns in it.
Lil Cease joined the experience on the spot for a live “Crush on You” at the Opera house in 12 21. The Frank White Experience also brought “Machine Gun Funk” and “Dead Wrong” among many other B.I.G record classics to the masses. Deep Cuts like “One More Chance” and “Sky is the Limit” really hit hard in the Sunday crowd. Whatever art you dabble in you can guarantee to have a meeting of the minds at this space on Syracuse’s north side. You never know what what will happen in the Alien opera house world. Stay Tuned.
We Love Ya”ll Syracuse. The Vibe here is great. RIP B.I.G. Life is short, lets try and bring some peace in this world. Love and appreciate Ya’ll
Grammy-winning Afrobeats artist, Burna Boy, is on the verge of making history with the announcement of his one-night only show at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Set for April 28, 2022, the performance will see the “African Giant” singer become the first Nigerian artist the headline the iconic venue.
One Night in Space Follows several sold-out performances by Burna Boy at some of the world’s most renowned arenas and music festivals. As part of his 2021 Space Drift tour, Burna Boy has performed in front sold-out crowds at LA’s The Hollywood Bowl, he delivered electrifying performances at the 2021 Global Citizen Festival and The Governor’s Ball, as well as sold out international shows at London’s O2 Arena, Paris’ Accor Arena, Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome and more venues around the globe.
Burna Boy is also on a musical high as his last two projects, 2019’s Grammy-nominated African Giant and 2020’s Grammy-winningTwice as Tall, have seen him go from a star within the afrobeats community to a legitimate mainstream headliner. While he hasn’t released a body of work in 2021 after releasing projects in consecutive years, he has kept his sound in circulation, collaborating with several diverse and well-known artists. 2021 saw him on the records “I Feel It” with Jon Bellion; “Want It All” featuring Polo G, “Question” ft Don Jazzy, and “Rotate” with Becky G, which featured in Pepsi’s global football campaign “Music Keeps Us Fizzing.” The African Giant also allied with Justin Bieber on the 8x Grammy-nominated album, Justice, and with 9-time Grammy-nominee Sia for “Hey Boy.”
Tickets for One Night in Space will go on sale to the general public at 12pm ET on Friday, December 17th at Ticketmaster.com.
G Love has been running the roads since his first American tour in 1994. He’s ready to return in 2022 with his band The Juice, starting in January, as part of a national tour. G Love & The Juice album been nominated for his first Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album as well. Throw in a live from home Christmas special to end this year to celebrate the holidays proper before heading back on tour.
G Love is also an active artist. At his December 2017 annual trip to Art Basel in Miami he came to be involved with the community’s first NFT. G love is releasing Juice Gang the first series of 10,000 unique pieces regenerative NFT. They are all based on the animations by artist Andre Solar. He did all the animated videos for the Grammy nominated album. I saw G Love perform at Blackbird Ordinary that year in Miami. In true holiday spirit, he took some time to talk about his past, present, and future music with NYS Music this December.
Matthew Romano: I was watching your Instagram live to get filled in on the announcements of the various projects you have coming up. I like how you did it while driving To the Beacon Theater for the Midnight RiderGregg Allman’s birthday show. It reminded me of Summer 2006 when you killed harp and a freestyle live with Dave Matthews Band in Pittsburgh for Smooth Rider
G Love: (laughter) Dave’s probably the sweetest, humblest, most welcoming guy. That be being said I always say stupid shit to him. The first thing was during the 1994 horde tour in the catering line in Orchard Beach, Maine. I was a little shy then. This guy came up to me and said, “Your G love, I love your record.” I said thanks. He said I’m Dave Matthews and I’m like cool. What’s your band? Dave has taken us on the road through Canada and the States over the years. The musicianship with those guys is just unreal. That’s always an immediate “Yes” when that call comes up.
MR: Like when Leo Kottke met Bob Dylan? How about when you were on a full Philadelphonic Sound Bill you shared with Hall and Oates at Constellation Brands Center in Canandaigua, New York in August 2019. That was all Philadelphia music in the Finger Lakes that evening.
GL: I was really blown away by Darryl’s voice still being so strong. Just so great hearing all those tunes I grew up on the radio ya know? All those hits & the cool banter in between songs. They put on a hell of a show and I was glad to be a part of it.
MR: Lets jump cut to your most recent remix release with B Real & Slightly Stoopid on Everyday People.
GL: I cut that in Long Beach with Miguel. Very intricate stuff with each verse. Kyle McDonald of Slightly Stoopid is a really special and unique musician to me and many people. The way he makes beats and delivers flows is to the point where I can’t figure out where the “1” is (laughter) I was real pleased with how my rhymes came out. For Jon Phillips to say we’re gonna put B Real on this track… I was like to the moon. He’s in my top 5 MC’s. The first time I heard Cypress Hill it scared the shit out of me. To come full circle and be on a track with an all time inspiration was a real blessing.
MR: Yea man, it has a Kokua Festival sound to it. From the cold winter shores of Boston to the sunny skies of the San Diegoand everywhere in between. Your setup in Cape Cod transcends coasts as well. That Kokua vibe. Your live feeds from home really showed a true homegrown set up. Looking forward to the Christmas special from the colder Orleans for the holidays.
MR: January 2022 has you back on Tour though with the Juice that stops in Buffalo and Brooklyn. How did you connect with Amy Bowles and Aaron Bellamy? I used to see them play with Sam Kininger in the same clubs the Special Sauce would hit in 2006.
GL: Yea they’re now in the super Juice. I love playing with those guys. The juice is kind of an eclectic collective. The unit on tour coming through your neck of the woods will have Chuck Trace on drums, Van Gordon Martin on guitar and Jimmy “Jazz” Prestcott on bass. That being said, the special sauce is well intact and will continue to do shows . The pandemic kind of created a pivot to open new doors to connect with great musicians from New England like the Bellamy’s. It feels like the right time to do a different show with a new sound. It’s gonna be rocking.
MR: Musicians in New York State helped find that same silver lining for new creations. What New York State gigs have you played that stick out over the years?
GL: What pops in to mind was Irving plaza one night where Chris Robinson sat in. He’s always been big bro status. We did our version of the Beatles “Help”. He sang the shit out of that. Actually the night we got signed is something worth talking about. We came down to New York City from Boston for these showcases back in the day in front of the labels and industry folks. We had two shows. One was at the CBGB gallery packed with Industry people; it was right next to the original CBGB club. Ya know we played it and did what we needed to.
But then after that show I felt very… “fuck this man, fuck this vibe”. The next show later that night was at the Bitter End on Bleecker street. So I’ll never forget Jimmy Jazz and I scored a piece of hash on the corner and twisted it up real quick on the street. I remember saying…” I don’t give a fuck about this bull shit.”
We went in to Bitter End that night and it only had one table filled in the back. I remember going in and playing a set that was really potent. You know just for us?
GL: The whole thing has been an amazing journey. Devon and I are very close. We had a band called jam town right before ABB did their thing. Devon wanted to take some time after his father passed before these tributes because he needed it. He wanted to let the dust settle out of respect for his father. He finally had the fruition of the dream going on the road recently. It’s so special to be part of the extended family. We toured with the Allman’s during the H.O.R.D.E. tour in ’95 where Warren would take me under his wing. There’s that legacy and comradery at the Beacon. It wasn’t planned for the show at the Beacon to be on Greggs Birthday. It just serendipitously was the available date they had for it. Devon loved that. I even got to do Cold Beverages with the cast . Then to get out front and share the mic with Devon for One Way Out surrounded by these other great musicians was an honor.
MR: I just saw Eric Gales for the first time a couple months ago who joined you at the Beacon on “One Way Out”
GL: He’s so cool man. I just saw him for the first time too and got to hang with him. Sweetest guy and his wife LaDonna. He’s the fucking man.
MR: We know the coldest beverages ever served live was to the thirsty Woodstock 99 crowd in Rome, New York. Speaking of Cold Beverages I remember years ago seeing you at a club in NYC for a Raconteurs show. Jack White said to you backstage “well if it isn’t Mr. Cold beverages” I think it was at Terminal Five.
GL: (laughter) That’s right it was at Terminal Five. I didn’t play with them but I came to the show. Another little side secret story from when we played Pontiac Michigan in 1994 during our first US tour. We played a cool show. There were a lot of Detroit artists at that gig like Kid Rock and Jack White. They told me years later that performance inspired them along their way. Pretty cool to hear that kind of thing.
MR: Keller Williams covered Back of the Bus at a recent gig of his I was at. Thank you for being an inspiration to New York musicians as well. John McConnell music and I cover 50 ways to leave your lover with our own split take on the original. I was able to get feedback from Steve Gadd on the grooves origins in March. Same concept though as putting your own style on it like you did in the studio with the Avett Brothers. It’s wide open for interpretation.
GL: Awesome. My manager said since you can’t make a hit why don’t you cover one? (Laughter) I said all right, let’s cut 50 ways. The beat is so iconic so I’m like OK let’s get away from that. When I play it live with Chuck we do the Steve Gadd beat but when I play it with house man we do it like the studio.
MR: As far as your illustrious career in song writing goes, I have to ask about songs like “Willow Tree’ and “When We Meet Again” where the sentiment sounds organic and from in the moment.
GL: Yea its about making things personable. You try to capture an emotion and a feeling of a certain thing around you. “When We Meet again” I remember specifically it being a spring day..you know the opener…Spring time is here the wind from the south blows strong and warm to clean up your house. Then I went back to the golden first year I had as a street musician where I met my band and the corner bar The Plough and Stars we played at in Boston which was important to us. Same with Willow Tree. I was living across from the Delaware River and the Penn Treaty park across had a lot of Willow Trees.
The park had a bunch of willow trees and I always loved them. I thought about the relationship between the river and the willow tree is so symbiotic. I also used that as a metaphor for a love song too ya know?
Don McLean is set to embark on his 2022 50th Anniversary Tour celebrating “American Pie,” with 20 additional cities throughout the United States and Canada. A Grammy award honoree, Songwriters Hall of Fame member, and BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, McLean will entertain fans across America throughout nearly 30 cities from Honolulu to Toronto and everything in between, including stops in Albany at The Egg, and Town Hall in Manhattan.
As tragic as the backstory behind the song “American Pie” is with the much too early death of the new rock’n’roll-hope Buddy Holly, the track is also magnificent and legendary. “American Pie” still goes to heart as soon as originator Don McLean plays this classic at his concerts. But the 76-year-old McLean has numerous other hits, including “Vincent (Starry Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air,” “And I Love You So,” and “Cryin’,” all of which will be heard and reveled in along with newer pieces on the upcoming tour.
After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when American Pie landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.
Don McLean
The eight-and-a-half-minute ballad “American Pie” has been making history since its release in 1971, leading to the song being voted “Song of the 20th Century,” alongside songs by Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Woody Guthrie, and Aretha Franklin. The handwritten lyrics to the song were auctioned off for more than $1.2 million in 2015, and the composition was added to the Library Of Congress National Recording Registry two years later.
Over the years, the song has been covered again and again by music icons like Madonna and Garth Brooks. Rapper Drake repeatedly sampled McLean tunes and hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur also cited him as an important influence.
In 2018, Don McLean released his 19th studio album, Botanical Gardens, which received rave reviews. Songs from it subsequently proved themselves in a live setting may find their way into the setlist next year, alongside “American Pie” and many others. Tickets for the upcoming tour are available now.
Don McLean 2022 North American Dates
Jan. 28-30 – Honolulu, HI @ Blue Note Hawaii Feb. 3 – Clear Lake, IA @ Surf Ballroom Feb. 5 – Grand Forks, ND @ Chester Fritz Auditorium Feb. 11 – The Villages, FL @ Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center Feb. 12 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Feb. 14-18 – Port Canaveral, FL @ Rock Legends Cruise Feb. 19 – Clearwater, FL @ Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Feb. 24 – Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theatre April 29 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater May 1 – Indianapolis, IN @ Clowes Memorial Hall May 7 – Toronto, Canada @ John W H Bassett Theatre May 12 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium May 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall May 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center May 20 – Springfield, MO @ Gillioz Theatre June 2 – Albany, NY @ The Egg June 3 – Boston, MA @ Shubert Theatre June 4 – New York, NY @ Town Hall June 11 – Baltimore, MD @ the Lyric June 12 – Tysons, VA @ Capital One Hall June 17 – Grand Rapids, MI @ DeVos Performance Hall June 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater June 24 – San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center for the Performing Arts June 25 – Houston, TX @ Cullen Performance Hall June 26 – Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre July 7 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre July 8 – Grand Junction, CO @ the Avalon Theatre July 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
Don McLean 2022 European Dates:
Sept. 11 – Cardiff, U.K. @ St. Davids Sept. 13 – Ipswich, U.K. @ Ipswich Regent Theatre Sept. 14 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Symphony Hall Sept. 16 – Bath, U.K. @ The Forum Sept. 17 – Torquay, U.K. @ Princess Theatre Sept. 18 – Bournemouth, U.K. @ Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre Sept. 20 – Brighton, U.K. @ Brighton Dome Concert Hall Sept. 21 – Southend-on-sea, U.K. @ Cliffs Pavilion Sept. 23 – Manchester, U.K. @ Bridgewater Hall Sept. 24 – Gateshead, U.K. @ Sage Gateshead Sept. 25 – Glasgow, U.K. @ The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Sept. 27 – Edinburgh, U.K. @ Usher Hall Sept. 28 – York, U.K. @ York Barbican Sept. 30 – Leicester, U.K. @ De Montfort Hall Oct. 1 – Sheffield, U.K. @ City Hall Oct. 2 – Liverpool, U.K. @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Oct. 4 – London, U.K. @ London Palladium Oct. 7 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena Oct. 9 – Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Concertgebouw de Vereeniging Oct. 10 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Koninklijk Theater Carré Oct. 14 – Bergen, Norway @ Peer Gynt Salen Oct. 15 – Stavanger, Norway @ Stavanger Kuppelhallen Oct. 16 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene Oct. 18 – Göteborg, Sweden @ Lorensbergsteatern Oct. 20 – Turku, Finland @ Logomo Oct. 21 – Helsinki, Finland @ Kulttuuritalo Oct. 23 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Göta Lejon Oct. 24 – Malmö, Sweden @ Palladium Oct. 25 – Greve, Denmark @ Portalen Oct. 27 – Hamburg, Germany @ Fabrik Oct. 28 – Neuruppin, Germany @ Kulturkirche Oct. 29 – Berlin, Germany @ Admiralspalast Nov. 1 – Antwerp, Belgium @ De Singel Nov. 11 – Munich, Germany @ Prinzregententheater Nov.13 – Linz, Austria @ Posthof
