NYS Music 202​1

Category: NYC Metro

  • Miss Madeline Reconciles With Pop Stardom In “Lullaby”

    Modern pop phenomenon Miss Madeline has a confession to make with her new single and music video, “Lullaby.”

    Miss Madeline

    Having spent much of last year providing escapist thrills for locked down fans around the world via a series of single releases and exciting collaborations, “Lullaby” and “Bad Girls” mark the launch of a daring new era for Miss Madeline, lit up with decadent sensuality, Y2K pop power, and ever-increasing artistry. Both singles herald Miss Madeline’s soon-to-be-announced debut EP, with growing anticipation after performing four consecutive sold-out shows in New York City and Los Angeles this summer.

    I’m coming to terms with being perceived as heartless, ruthless, and realizing it goes hand in hand with being the ‘life of the party’ and a ‘money machine’. It’s about getting caught up in the pop star lifestyle. I think I would call this my most vulnerable track thus far in terms of admitting to this concept of being blinded by the limelight

    Miss Madeline

    The Jersey Girl-turned-NYC It Girl has already earned attention from a range of outlets – spanning PAPER, Office mag, and even Grindr – with tracks like “Attention,” as well as its high-energy remix featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly. Recent tracks including “Platinum,” “Ready Set Go,” and Ayla D’Lyla x Miss Madeline’s “Life Could Be Sweet” have been ascending influential playlists around the globe; all are joined by official music videos streaming now via YouTube. With new music on the horizon, Miss Madeline is set to take over the world.

    Lullaby follows Miss Madeline’s summer single “Bad Girls” and its Leander Capuzzo-directed, megsuperstarprincess-styled companion visual, met with praise by MTV, PAPER, Office Mag among other outlets – the latter of which writing, “The video calls upon Bad Girls Club and Girls Gone Wild, as a set of the fiery musician’s sexy girlfriends play-fight on a trashed mattress, pour drinks on each other, and tackle the ‘resident bad boy,’ autographing his abs.”

  • Mild High Club Returns to NYC for the First Time Since 2019

    Cheers filled the room as the lights dimmed at Webster Hall on Friday, September 24th as Mild High Club sauntered onto the stage to greet their fans for the first time since late 2019.

    Formed in 2012, Mild High Club is the solo project of Alex Brettin. Influenced by jazz and AOR, Brettin tours with a talented supporting band to bring his music to life.

    mild high club

    With roughly half of the crowd covering their faces in masks, the room felt friendly but tense as everyone eased back into being shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. Once the band played a few tracks off of their first album in four years, Going Going Gone, the tension eased as the crowd sang along. 

    Brettin mixed in crowd favorites such as “Windowpane” and “Skiptracing” which got the crowd waving their hands in the air and dancing. The pure joy of being back at a concert was palpable as one front-row attendee gushed to his friend, “Dude, I am so happy we made it out to this show…it’s been so long since I’ve seen live music.”

    • Mild High Club
    • Supporting band member of Mild High Club
    • Alex Brettin of Mild High Club
    • Mild High Club supporting band members
    • Mild High Club
    • Mild High Club
    • Supporting band member for Mild High Club playing saxophone
    • Alex Brettin
    • Alex Brettin
    • Mild High Club

  • TAUK Reveal Cinematic New Album ‘Chaos Companion’

    TAUK have released their long-awaited, seventh full-length studio album Chaos Companion. The electro-prog quartet, based in Long Island, blur the lines between jam music and futuristic electro, creating an infectious blend that doesn’t let up. Their instrumental soundscapes are transportive, and you’re going to want to visit the rock Shangri-La to which they’re inviting you. 

    TAUK makes music that feels high-speed without forgoing the smoothness of a steady groove. This sublime combination gives the album an overtly cinematic quality; every song could be its own unique score. “Lonely Robot” sounds like the soundtrack to a dreamy video game car chase. Fittingly, the song received additional production from respected film composer Tyler Bates who worked on the soundtracks to John Wick and Guardians of the Galaxy. And “Dormammu,” which features The Shady Horns, could be the soundtrack to a dramatic final fight sequence fought with glowing swords. TAUK’s lack of lyrics allows their music to focus on building a soundscape, and unequivocally transporting the listener into their corner of space.  

    TAUK bassist Charlie Dolan, guitarist Matt Jalbert and keyboardist Alric “A.C.” Carter began playing together as middle schoolers. Isaac Teel eventually completed the quartet on the drums in 2012, forming the groups current iteration. TAUK recorded Chaos Companion at their newly completed studio on native Long Island. 

    “Everyones got a chaos companion, something that keeps you grounded amidst all of the madness,” Dolan said of the album title. “For us, it was the music.” 

    A chaos companion feels like a fitting image in the midst of post-quarantine confusion. TAUK, accustomed to a relentless touring schedule and festival slots at the likes of Bonnaroo and Electric Forest, were forced off the road in 2020 due to COVID-19. Unable to perform, the band explored their creative endeavors independently.  Carter and Jalbert began exploring the possibilities of production softwares like Logic, leading them to enter the studio with some of TAUK’s most fully-realized demos yet. Their preparedness, however, didn’t hinder the band from capturing the improvisational quality that infuses these tracks with excitement. In fact, much of what would become the final cut of Chaos Companion was recorded live in the studio. 

    “Being an instrumental band already comes with a lot of freedom,” Carter said. “Having all that time away from the road really allowed each of us to experiment and explore in our own ways. It opened up whole new palettes for us to paint with.” 

    The exploration Carter speaks of leads TAUK to some truly astounding genre mashups. This album sounds like a film score, but it’s often hard to put one’s finger on what film. In short, each song is it’s own vignette, existing in the same landscape but telling a different story. Album standout “The Let Out,” which incorporates a grimy guitar riff, feels like the music you’d hear in an elevator headed straight to hell. Starting off with the same dreamy synths and electric guitar TAUK specializes in, they end up offering something totally new.

    “Technodrome” opens with a distorted female voice stating, “This is not something you can just run from. Yesterday has evaporated.” The song provides TAUK’s trademark exultant mix of jam guitar and electro staples, but refuses traditional genre constraints. The opening statement feels fitting in that way; music is changing, TAUK is changing, and instead of hiding from that they may as well embrace the future. 

    TAUK are currently on tour supporting the album, with an upcoming Brooklyn show October 2. For full dates and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.taukband.com/shows/.

    Listen to the full Chaos Companion album below:

    Standout Tracks:

    Dormammu ft. The Shady Horns

    The Let Out

    Lonely Robot

  • Theophilus London brings Joy to Fans at Sony Hall

    After a long touring hiatus due to COVID-19, Theophilus London was able to return to his hometown of New York City for his “Bebey, It’s Never Too Late” tour on Wednesday, September 22nd at Time Square’s Sony Hall. In addition to playing many tracks off his third LP, Bebey (released in January 2020), he also played several songs from his previous albums and mixtapes.

    Theophilus London
    Theophilus London at Sony Hall, 09/22/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

    Bebey was released nearly two years ago, but if an observer only went by the enthusiastic crowd reactions, they would most likely think that it came out very recently. Theophilus was a great performer, constantly interacting with the very devoted crowd and seemed incredibly thankful and happy to be back performing in front of an audience.

    Theophilus London
    Theophilus London at Sony Hall, 09/22/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

    Having been active for over a decade an amassing a large collaboration list, including the likes of Kanye West, Tame Impala, & Jesse Boykins, Theophilus has a large amount of hard-hitting tracks to choose from. While Bebey has a more tropical sound, many of his previous albums have a constant mix between pop, R&B, and hip-hop. He’s able to seamlessly switch between singing and rapping at a dime, resulting in fairly riveting performances. His music has the energy that fits in live performance and the crowd was riveted by any song he played, whether it was two years old or ten years old.

    Theophilus London

    Enough cannot be said about how happy Theophilus was to be back performing. He invited audience members up on stage to dance with him, took song requests from the crowd, and even asked everyone to stick around after the show outside to meet and speak with every fan who was still there. Having personally stuck around, I can attest to the enthusiasm he had and the fact that Theophilus spoke with every fan he could. No picture request was turned down and he even spent a large amount of time with each person who was interested in speaking with him.

    The “Bebey, It’s Never Too Late” tour runs for the rest of September. You can see the rest of his tour dates here. Check out the full photo gallery from the show below.

  • Stevie Van Zandt Announces Release of New Memoir, Sit Down Interview with Bruce Springsteen

    Legendary E Street guitarist and actor Stevie Van Zandt is launching the release of his new book Unrequited Infatuations with a 1-on-1 sit down interview with none other than the leader of the E Street Band and rock icon Bruce Springsteen on September 28. A Premiere Unison Event, it will be a virtual interview available for purchase online, along with signed or unsigned copies of the book. Fans will also have the opportunity to submit questions.

    This one of a kind interview kicks off a week of publicity for Unrequited Infatuations, a memoir that promises to be an epic tale of self-discovery by a self-confessed disciple of rock and roll. Tickets can be purchased at the Unison Event website and the event will be available for on-demand viewing up to 90 days afterwards. Book copies are expected to ship within one week of purchase.

    Van Zandt

    It chronicles the twists and turns of Van Zandt’s always surprising life. It is more than just the testimony of a globe-trotting nomad, more than the story of a groundbreaking activist, more than the odyssey of a spiritual seeker, and more than a master class in rock and roll (not to mention a dozen other crafts). The story story begins in a bedroom in suburban New Jersey in the early ’60s, unfolds on some of the country’s largest stages, and then ranges across the globe.

    Van Zandt pulls material from a rich life marked by three distinct phases. While still a teenager, he met Bruce Springsteen, a like-minded outcast/true believer who became one of his most important friends and bandmates. As Miami Steve, Van Zandt anchored the E Street Band as they conquered New Jersey and, later, the world. And then, in the early ‘80s, he stepped away from E Street and refashioned himself as Little Steven, a political songwriter, and performer who fell in love with Maureen Santoro who greatly expanded his artistic palette, and visited the world’s hot spots as an artist/journalist to not just better understand them, but to help change them. And in the late ’90s, he was famously cast as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos – the unconditionally loyal consiglieri who sat at the right hand of Tony Soprano (a relationship that oddly mirrored his real-life relationship with Bruce Springsteen).

    STEVEN VAN ZANDT UPCOMING APPEARANCES:

    Tuesday, September 28, 8pm ET: Premiere Unison Event (Virtual) Stevie Van Zandt in conversation with Bruce Springsteen 

    Wednesday, September 29, 7:30pm ET: 92Y (New York, NY) In-person event – Stevie in conversation with Jay Cocks 

    Thursday, September 30, 8pm ET: Commonwealth Club (Virtual) Stevie in conversation with TBA

    Friday, October 1, Time 7pm PT: Book Soup at the Colburn Music School (Los Angeles, CA) In-person event – Stevie in conversation with Chris Columbus 

    Sunday, October 3, 5pm ET: Montclair Literary Festival (Montclair, NJ) In-person, event – Stevie in conversation with Budd Mishkin 

    Signed copies are available at every event

  • The 5 Browns Set To perform at the Naumburg Bandshell

    Steinway & Sons have announced a five-piano concert featuring the acclaimed piano ensemble The 5 Browns, at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park.It’s presented in collaboration with the Central Park Conservancy and the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concert series. The concert is produced by Steinway & Sons and sponsored by the Paulson Family Foundation.

    The 5 Browns

    “The 5 Browns – Live in Central Park” features five Steinway concert grand pianos and eight piano pieces—from Beethoven to Gershwin to Bernstein— performed by Steinway Artists Deondra, Desirae, Gregory, Melody, and Ryan Brown. The 5 Browns were the first family of five siblings to be ever admitted to The Juilliard School, and the quintet has delivered on its word to “wake up classical music” through international tours that have brought critical and popular acclaim since 2002.

    This family-friendly program is a natural outgrowth of their children’s advocacy work and commitment to delivering classical music to the widest possible audience. Included in their latest album, The Little Tin Box, are musical favorites from their childhood.

    The program includes:

    • Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67, Ludwig van Beethoven/Jeffrey Shumway I. Allegro con brio

    • Malaguena from Andalucia Suite, Ernesto Lecuona Gregory, and Ryan Brown

    • Scenes from West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein/Kendall Durelle Briggs

    • Flight of the Bumblebee, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov/Jeffrey Shumway

    • Star Wars: Suite for Five Pianos, John Williams/Greg Anderson

    • Rondo Alla Turca, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/Greg Anderson

    • Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque, Claude Debussy/Greg Anderson Melody, Desirae, and Deondra Brown

    • Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin/Jeffrey Shumway

    The concert begins at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 28. Admission is free and attendees are advised to enter Central Park via Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street, then proceed to the Naumburg Bandshell. It is set to be aired live on WQXR 105.9 FM, New York’s classical music station, hosted by Jeff Spurgeon. The event follows all state and local regulations concerning large-scale outdoor events. Seating is provided for vaccinated, masked audience members.

  • Griz Dazzles “In The Round” At the Brooklyn Mirage

    Electro-funk maestro Griz made his way to The Brooklyn Mirage on Wednesday night, September 22, for the first of two shows dubbed “in the round and phone free.” A small stage was set up in the middle of the Mirage’s courtyard, just barely big enough to house Griz’s performance platform and a host of guest singers and musicians throughout the show. The simplified staging gave the fans in attendance a much more intimate experience than is typical in the venue for most layouts.

    griz at the brooklyn mirage
    Griz at The Brooklyn Mirage, 9/22/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

    Upon arrival, all attendees were given a Yondr pouch – a magnetically sealed pouch that secures your phone while remaining in your possession. The idea behind them is to force people to disconnect from their phones and outside lives for a few hours while enjoying the show, while at the same time eliminating the view of dozens of video-taking cell phones typically seen above a concert crowd. The pouches are a great concept and they are really effective at promoting a positive concert environment. Aside from no longer having access to the current time, I did not miss access to my phone one bit.

    griz at the brooklyn mirage
    Griz “In The Round” at The Brooklyn Mirage, 9/22/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

    The Brooklyn Mirage is one of several venues within the vast Avant Gardner complex. The venue has become one of the premier performance spaces in the city over the last few years, hosting some of the biggest names in electronic music all year long. Shows at The Mirage can feel overwhelming at times; the GA floor is quite expansive and there is an entirely separate space that exists along the walls that surround the courtyard with bars and lounges hidden throughout.

    However, the cavernous feeling within the venue was vastly mitigated by the production for this show. A small rectangular area less than 20 feet in length was fenced off in the middle of the floor that housed Griz’s DJ tables and a small stage. Fans along the rail of the stage were no more than ten feet from Griz, and even if you were further away from the center, you still felt immersed in the action given the concentration right in the middle of the floor. This level of intimacy is rarely experienced in The Mirage.

    griz at the brooklyn mirage
    Griz at The Brooklyn Mirage, 9/22/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

    Griz blends hard hitting dubstep beats with a live, funky saxophone for a style of music uniquely his own. The electro-funk DJ added to his catalog this past June with the excellent new album Rainbow Brain. Night two of the Brooklyn Mirage shows is tonight, September 23, but due to the strong rain and wind expected, the “in the round” set-up was abandoned for a more protected set-up on the main stage of the venue. The show is still a phone free night, but it is a shame that the crowd for night two will miss out on the incredible intimacy of the night before. After tonight, Griz heads to Ohio for a set at the Lost Lands Music Festival before a b2b performance with Zed’s Dead in Arizona – catch the full run of shows HERE.

  • BRIC JazzFest 2021 Announces In Person Festival featuring Nick Hakim, Adi Meyerson, and Adam O’Farrill

    BRIC has announced its annual JazzFest for the Fall of 2021, one that will be in person this year. The festival lineup features big names like Nick Hakim, Adi Meyerson, And Adam O’Farrill and will take place October 21-23, 2021 at the BRIC House located in Brooklyn. 

    BRIC is an arts and media institution anchored in Brooklyn which focuses on contemporary visual and performing arts, media, and civic action. BRIC’s JazzFest is one of the institution’s premiere performing arts programs. The festivities last for three days and feature Jazz music which focuses on legendary figures, groundbreaking artists and newcomers from across the genre.

    sun ra arkestra
    photo by Joseph Buscarello

    BRIC JazzFest 2020 ended up being rescheduled for spring 2021 and was made an online, virtual-only event due to COVID-19. BRIC JazzFest 2021 though will be in person. The festival will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test within 72 hours in order to attend.

    BRIC JazzFest 2021

    The lineup includes Cecile McLorin Salvant, SuperBlue: Kurt Elling featuring Charlie Hunter, Yasser Tejeda, and Adam O’Farrill Stranger Day on Thursday, October 21. Sun Ra Arkestra, Thana Alexa & ONA, Roy Nathanson & Nick Hakim, and Adi Meyerson on Friday, October 22. Madison McFerrin, L’Rain, ç’est tois (branch/stewart/holmes), and Fred Wesley & The New JBs on Saturday, October 23. 

    BRIC JazzFest 2021

    “During these uncertain times, I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’re able to bring our communities safely together through the healing power of music,” said Lia Camille Crocket, Director of Performing Arts at BRIC. “In the spirit of Jazz music and improvisation, we’re going to have a few surprises for our BRIC family this year throughout the Festival weekend. We can’t wait to safely welcome you back to BRIC House — we’ve missed you!”

    For more information and to purchase tickets to BRIC JazzFest 2021 visit their website.

  • Patti Smith Greets a Harvest Moon for Hometown Show at SummerStage

    Author, poet, songwriter, and Queen of New York Patti Smith graced the stage at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park with her bandfor a free Sunday evening show this past weekend as part of the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concert series.

    Patti Smith SummerStage

    Nearly one month ago Smith was set to perform as part of the mega NYC Homecoming Concert in the Great Lawn, which was cut short by the watery remnants of Hurricane Henri before she had her turn on stage. Confirmed in an interview she did that evening with Anderson Cooper, she we would have performed a duet with Bruce Springsteen on the song they penned together, “Because the Night.” While there was no surprise Bruce appearance, Smith made a full-hearted fancy of the tune in dedication to her late husband Fred Smith.

    A NYC-cultivated setlist payed tribute and honor to Smith’s equals who’ve either passed or fortunate to still be contributing to the arts. Early in the show Smith dedicated the reggae-infused “Renando Beach” to the late Jamaican record producer Lee “Scratch” Perry and went on to pay tribute to Charlie Watts with “Beneath the Southern Cross.” In tribute to former Saturday Night Live star Norm Macdonald Smith introduced Stevie Wonder’s “Blame it on the Sun” with a quote from the late comedian. Her band paid homage to Hilly Kristal and his CBGB legacy with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “I’m Free” with an interlude of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Lastly, Smith tipped her hat to Bob Dylan with her take on his song “One Too Many Mornings.”

    As a poet Smith performed her spoken word poem “Perfect Moon” to welcome in the approaching Harvest Moon leading seamlessly into the lyrics and music of “Dancing Barefoot.”

    Patti Smith SummerStage

    After a short encore break, Smith’s show ended with a message of strength “People Have the Power.” With fists in the air, many sang along in solidarity with that message.

    The Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concert series continues into early October; for more information check out the schedule here.

    Setlist: Grateful, Redondo Beach, Free Money, Ghost Dance, Perfect Moon (poem), Dancing Barefoot, Ain’t It Strange, Beneath the Southern Cross, Blame It on the Sun, I’m Free -> Walk on the Wild Side -> I’m Free, Because the Night, Pissing in a River, One Too Many Mornings, Land / Gloria

    Encore: People Have the Power

  • Saturday Night Live Unveils Hosts, Musical Guests for Season 47

    Saturday Night Live has revealed the first four hosts and musical guests of its upcoming season 47. Returning on October 2 on NBC, the lineup includes Kacey Musgraves, Halsey, Young Thug and Brandi Carlile. The premiere is the first episode of SNL since last May, when Anya Taylor-Joy hosted as Lil Nas X took the stage. Cast members Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt are exiting the show, while three new featured players are set to join: Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman.

    Saturday Night Live Season 47

    Fans of the show can likely anticipate a tribute to late alum Norm Macdonald, who passed away in September.

    The season premiere kicks off on October 2, with Loki star Owen Wilson hosting and country-turned-pop singer Kacey Musgraves as the musical guest. Musgraves’ fourth studio album star-crossed was released on September 10, supported by a visual album that premiered on Paramount+. She previously performed on SNL in 2018:

    On October 9th, Kim Kardashian West hosts as Halsey performs. Her August album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power received the best reviews of her career to date, attracting new listeners thanks to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s production. Halsey has guested on SNL annually since 2018, doing double duty as a host and musical guest in 2019.

    Rami Malek hosts on October 16, a change of pace from portraying the most recent Bond villain in No Time to Die. Young Thug joins Malek as the musical guest, his first time as the main performer despite assisting Megan Thee Stallion last season.

    The furthest out host and musical guest announced for Season 47 of Saturday Night Live are Emmy-winning Ted Lasso star and former SNL alum Jason Sudeikis, and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, both for October 23.

    https://twitter.com/brandicarlile/status/1440763673887215619
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