Category: Queens

Catching Up With Irv Da God: Talks Come Up, Upcoming Project, Verzuz Battles & More

In our current social-economic climate, many gage an artist based on their mainstream success. Did they have a big hit record? Top-selling album? Never mind the fact that outside of the music industry’s true 1%, streaming is a non-factor.

Hence, despite our emotional attachment to art, the music industry is a business and should be handled as such. Take Queens native, Irv Da God (Born Derrick Duke Irvin), for instance. His foray into the music industry was not based on a pipe dream of having a chart-topping hit or selling a million units. Rather, steadily establishing himself through various ventures and building a following.

Fortunately, Irvin’s upbringing during the rugged 90’s era Queens prepared him for an equally — for different reasons — cutthroat world.

As we got older, we all dealt with the obstacles as everyone’s trying to survive, get money. You just had to be always on point [and] never be caught slipping.

As he sheds light on his days as an aspiring hooper running the streets of Queens, it becomes ever apparent that Irvin is a by-product of his environment.

His production company, Block Boy Media, LLC, has directed, filmed, and edited productions for the likes of Dave East, Cam’ron, Chubbie Baby, Coi Leray, Lil Durk, Avianne & Co. Jewelers, among others. Yet, it is a passion that can be traced back to his childhood.

I was really into films since a kid. We had the VHS tapes and I used to drag my mom to the Africans and make her buy all the bootlegs. Back then we didn’t have cellphones, so I would just watch a lot of VHS tapes, I had at least 100 movies.

After being inspired by the countless hours of film study and the budding acting career of his self-admitted “rap superhero” and fellow Queens MC, Sticky Fingaz, Irvin took his hustle to the next level. He saved and enrolled himself into a six-month course at New York Film Academy where soon after he was making money recording and editing music videos for artists, as well as his own productions.

While admittedly a basketball head for large portions of his upbrining, the influence of hip hop is never too far away from inner-city youth.

His label, Block Boy Mafia, Inc, was home to his first studio album, Thirty 3, in 2019 and in 2020, B.B.M. released their first studio collaborative album, Son Day.

Irvin speaks of his Block Boy Mafia family with great hubris, acknowledging their status as family rather than business associates, yet lamented the fact that he seemed to care more about the preparation and overall success of the collective than others. As he matures in the industry, he’s made the conscious decision to prioritize Irv Da God and lay the foundation which he hopes his crew will build upon.

I can keep the family together, but I can’t make the decisions for the family all the time. When everybody has opinions, I have to let everybody be who they want to be.

In Irvin’s eyes, it’s all for the greater good, as he embodies the Block Boy moniker. On the block one would typically hang out with family, close friends and acquaintances and that is how he envisions his long-term success.

I just want to do it with my friends, the people I looked up to, [spent time] around and people we came across in our lifetime.

As he continues to spotlight, Irv Da God, it’s clear that “the block” is never too far away. It was only earlier this year that Irvin teamed up with Onyx’s own, Sticky Fingaz, and Bizkit of B.N.B. to release “Fearless,” a collaborative track made for the Vitor Belfort vs Evander Holyfield boxing match on Triller Fight Club.

Tasked with leadership for long periods of time, Irvin’s relationship with Freddo Starr and Sticky Fingaz feels like a breath of fresh air for the Hollis, Queens native, as Sticky and Freddo are two of hip hop’s most successful rappers-turned-actors.

They’re such good people man and show a lot of brotherly love,” Irvin says of the duo. “I’m a rap artist now and they’re my first rap brothers in the game.

His latest endeavor, a red-carpet appearance at the TrillerVerz battle in Hollywood, CA between Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia to promote the “Fearless” record, reiterated why he has stood on his family-oriented principles. After a chippy contest, that even included a near-altercation between the two legendary hip hop groups, it was Three 6 Mafia’s camaraderie that won Irvin over, despite being a bigger fan of Bone-Thugs.

People are big into energy nowadays. You can tell which groups are organized and you can tell which ones don’t really deal with each other anymore. You grow together, you have to keep the synergy in alignment, I feel like Juicy J and Three 6 Mafia definitely had the energy, they had the crowd jumping. It was like they were back in time to when the records first hit the club.

As he enters the next phase of his development, Irv Da God is preparing to independently release his sophomore project, Irvin Jackson. A soundtrack album set serve as the score for an upcoming tv series aptly named, Block Boy: Behind The Lights, Irvin is looking to showcase some of the very best from Block Boy Mafia.

I’m just giving people different styles of me. I’m really just showing people the growth of my career and my music. When I first came out, I might have been a little hard and aggressive on my Thirty 3 album. The traction was great, but it doesn’t show my diverse side. I’m not giving people pain, but I’m giving people experience.

As he comes up in the game, Irvin doesn’t seem mystified by the thought of bright lights. Despite being a Las Vegas resident, he keeps his city close to heart and speaks of the relationships he’s made along the way with gratitude. Whether it be Boston Rob for connecting him to Sticky Fingaz, Bronx MC Haddy Racks, A$AP Ferg and Dave East as old friends whose success have inspired him.

One thing people got to understand is that we made it already, everything else is just understanding the business and getting with the right people. These videos and these movies are edited, real life ain’t.

December 9, 2021
Foo Fighters 2022 Tour will stop at SPAC, Citi Field

Newly inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Foo Fighters will be giving the people a lot more of what they want in 2022 with an 18 show tour of amphitheaters, stadiums and festivals across North America. The tour kicks off in May in Burgettstown, PA, with Empire State shows at Citi Field in Queens on July 17 and two nights later at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

The 2022 dates will mark Foo Fighters’ most extensive North American run since the February release of the band’s 10th album, Medicine at Midnight hailed as “brighter and more optimistic than anything they’ve ever done” (Rolling Stone)” and “one of Foo Fighters’ best albums of this century” (Wall Street Journal).

Foo Fighters 2022 North American Tour

5/14 – The Pavilion at Star Lake – Burgettstown, PA

5/20 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park – Raleigh, NC

5/24 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC

7/17– Citi Field – New York, NY

7/19 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY

7/22 – Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON

7/24 – Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA

7/27 – Maine Savings Amphitheater – Bangor, ME

7/29 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC

8/1 – Ruoff Music Center – Noblesville, IN

8/3 – Huntington Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN

8/6 – Empower Field at Mile High – Denver, CO

8/8 – USANA Amphitheater – Salt Lake City, UT

8/10 – Big Sky Events Arena – Big Sky, MT

8/13 – T-Mobile Park – Seattle, WA

8/18 – Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

8/20 – Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, November 30 at 12 p.m. ET until Thursday, December 2 at 10 p.m. local time through Citi Entertainment. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

For further information on Foo Fighters’ 27th anniversary tour, including special guests to be announced soon, keep an eye on foofighters.com.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, December 3rd at 10 a.m.

December 1, 2021
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Announce 2022 Tour with stops in Canandaigua, Saratoga Springs and Queens

On the heels of their newly released album Raise The Roof, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced a string of tour dates, their first shows together in over a decade.

The duo first released Raising Sand in 2007 and promptly won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They’ll kick their tour off in June with three stops in the Empire State, starting with Cananadaigua’s CMAC, then head to Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Forest Hills in Queens before heading to the Midwest. The pair will play 8 shows in Europe starting later that month to round out their return to the road. Tickets are available here.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Tour

June 1 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
June 3 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 4 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
June 6 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 7 – Chicago, IL – Jay Pritzker Pavilion
June 9 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
June 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 12 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion @ The Mann
June 14 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre
June 16 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
June 26 – London, UK – BST Hyde Park
July 1 – Hamar, NO – Tjuvholmen Arena
July 2 – Bergen, NO – Bergenhus Fortress
July 5 – Rättvik, SE – Dalhalla
July 14 – Lucca, IT – Lucca Summer Festival – Piazza Napoleone
July 16 – Stuttgart, DE – JazzOpen Stuttgart 2022
July 18 – Sopot, PL – Opera Lesna
July 20 – Berlin, DE – Zitadelle

November 23, 2021
GEMS Announces Open Gates Project With Three Concerts Featuring Women of Color

Gotham Early Music Scene also known as GEMS announced their Open Gates Project launching with three concerts featuring women of color. The concerts will take place November 12-14, 2021 across three boroughs of New York City.

Open Gates Project inaugural concert series is The Divine Feminine: Centering Women of Color in Early Music. This concert series is focusing on the 17th–century works celebrating the animating feminine spirit featuring an ensemble composed of women of color.

The 17th–century female composers it will be focusing on are Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Barbara Strozzi, and Francesca Caccini. The concerts will be performed by outstanding rising and established American and international artists, with careers encompassing early, chamber, and Classical music, opera, jazz, and musical theater. The program is bookended with works devoted to the Virgin Mary. It opens with Madre, de los primores by New World visionary Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz who is considered the first great Latin American poet and recognized for her influential perspectives on women and scholarship. Pergolesi’s glorious and sublime Stabat Mater closes the program.

The Open Gates Project and GEMS as a bigger entity is committed to helping make significant efforts to make early music performance opportunities more equitable for artists of color and more accessible to historically excluded communities of color. Over the coming year, the Project will offer a rich variety of music performed by distinguished artists for diverse audiences throughout New York City.

The three performances will take place starting on Friday, November 12, 2021 at 7 PM at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Then on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 7 PM at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Queens. And will wrap up on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 4 PM at the Pregones Theater in the Bronx. All audience members must have proof of vaccination and wear a mask. Check the GEMS website closer to the opening dates for full COVID-19 protocols and any updates.

The lineup includes Nicole Besa singing soprano, Aine Hakamatsuka singing soprano, Heather Hill singing soprano, Amaranta Viera singing soprano, Tanisha Anderson singing mezzo-soprano, Guadalupe Peraza singing mezzo-soprano, AnnMarie Sandy singing mezzo-soprano, Hai-Ting Chinn singing alto, Jessica Park on violin, Maria Romero Ramos on violin, Amelia Sie on violin, Patricia Ann Neely on viola da gamba, and Duangkamon “Wan” Wattanasak on harpsichord.

The program includes performances of: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Madre, de los primores, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani: O dulcis Jesu, Barbara Strozzi: I baci, Francesca Caccini: O vive rose, Alessandro Stradella: Sinfonia No. 22 in D minor, and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Stabat Mater.

Tickets are available for $15–$30 ($5 for students, ID required at venue) are all General Admission seating and are available online by calling 212-866-0468, or at the door depending on availability..

For more information on the GEMS Open Gates Project and its upcoming events visit their website.

November 9, 2021
Hearing Aide: “All Souls Day” by The Forms

Queens duo, The Forms, known for their experimental indie sound, have returned with another new single, the eerie-sounding, “All Souls Day,” an ode to the celebratory day of remembrance of the same name.

The band released their first two albums with legendary producer Steve Albini, who had previously worked with lighting rods like, Nirvana and PJ Harvey. “All Souls Day,” is the third release from The Forms this year after over a decade without any new music. Their last full-length, The Forms, was released in 2007.

“All Souls Day” centers on a hypnotizing riff played on a bass steel pan. The echoey and percussive instrument, as played masterfully by Matt Walsh, creates an ominous sound. It’s perfect for their psychedelic brand of indie rock, as the steel pan feels otherworldly like a synth yet as painfully human as a banjo. Vocalist, Alex Tweens’, high and whispery vocals balance the instrument with an alien quality. Tweens described the track as

a strange dark meditative soundscape of a quiet apocalypse.

The music video for the track, shot in a remote field in The Catskills, is eerie and sensory. Cattails brush up against the camera lens, and pollen disperses like gold flecks in the wind. When night falls and a thick mist settles over the set, you can almost feel the chill. The atmospheric video matches the track so perfectly the creeping plants even flutter in time with Tweens’ delicate tack piano.

As Tweens also pointed out, the track is a “wild mood swing” from their other recent releases. Their exultant comeback single, “Southern Ocean,” made apathy sound fun over a bouncy, summery beat. Their latest release “Head Underwater” leans hard into the coveted late 2000s indie-pop formula of classic 90s riffs plus synths. Tween described the track as

the most purely joyful song The Forms have ever done.

The fun, upbeat nature of both records is a far cry from the barren soundscape of “All Souls Day.” But, then again, summer is over and existentialism no longer feels like a beach game.

All Souls Day, celebrated annually on November 2nd, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed mainly by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations.

On the song, Tweens sings of spending the day floating in a river:

Now I’ve come here/ In a state of mind/ One I’ll never forget.

The meditative lyrics over the ever-echoing steel pan transport you right to that floating, questioning state. The effect is sonically beautiful and emotionally resonant, letting you know that this will be an All Souls Day you won’t forget anytime soon.

November 2, 2021
Artist spotlight: X.ILE from Queens

Eccentricity can be an unsettling space to operate in. But, like most frantic states , when harnessed it can bring about thought-provoking, abstract art. Such is the case with Queens-based rapper, DJ, and producer, X.ILE (born, Xavier Maymi).

Having shared the stage with artists such as The Chainsmokers, Meek Mill, French Montana and more, the jack-of-all-trades emcee has begun his ascension into the world of recording artists. His own solo work has garnered attention from established tastemakers. His records, “Buffalo” and “Carnota” were both featured on Eminem’s Sirius XM station Shade 45 and its flagship program Sway in The Morning, while “JAM” featured on SiriusXM HipHop Nation’s Discovery Channel.

Beginning his career at the age of 14, he has placed himself in a position to grow as an artist with many years invested into his craft. But, in an era where all it takes is a large social media following to get a record contract, he hasn’t stagnated, taking the old-school route of self-improvement and variation to achieving his goals. His resourcefulness when it comes to his music videos (which aren’t high budget but remain action packed), is a testament to his dedication to the craft of being an entertainer. Many artists drop a record and hope for the best, X.ILE is looking to tell a story through his music and visuals are a big part of that process.

Unafraid to foster an environment where all genres can coexist throughout his music, X.ILE does not rely on flashiness, nor tall tales of grand living. Much like his diversified sound, X.ILE’s appeal comes from the many ways he can impact a listener. Even if you’re not a fan of his rapping, you’re sure to enjoy his well-thought out, over-the-top visuals, which tend to look like controlled chaos. If not, then his production might get you.

His latest record, “BLEACH,” perfectly encapsulates his artistry. The record itself feels oxymoronic, beginning with a simple acoustic guitar before all hell breaking loose. Featuring different voice inflections, various flows, drum patterns and instrumentation. It can feel like a lot is going on, until realizing the anarchy throughout the production reflects the record itself, as he ties it all in with a music video equally full of pandemonium.

The serenity at the beginning of the record can be interpreted as the calm before the storm that is life. Filmed in the woods, X.ILE is seen in a serene environment holding just an acoustic guitar and a bottle of bleach. He then goes into a solemn spiel about how his need to be liked consumes him, more so than money, fame and even his rent. After taking a swig of the bleach, utter musical and visual chaos ensues, before returning to the same woods bloodied with his guitar broken. X.ILE takes another chug of the germicide, insinuating that after all the heartache and chaos, all we want is for our troubles to evaporate, which is what the bleach seems to represent. Now, bleach can’t get rid of anyone’s troubles, but as a fatal chemical, to some, it may be one-in-the-same.

October 19, 2021
The Grateful Dead Turn up the Heat at Colden Auditorium in Queens: October 10, 1970

For as many shows in New York that the Grateful Dead have played, it’s almost amazing that there are only three of them that took place in Queens. Today marks the anniversary of the third and final one. The Grateful Dead treated a ravenous crowd at Colden Auditorium on the campus of Queens College to a show featuring songs from, perhaps, two of their most iconic albums of all time. In just a few weeks, the band would release American Beauty, taking them to an entire new level of national popularity. And with Workingman’s Dead still fresh from earlier in the year, this shows falls in a time period where the band is simply rife with creativity as they continue to from their own unique version of country-folk blended with West Coast psychedelia.

Colden Auditorum

It begins with some extended tuning, during which guitarist Bob Weir tells the crowd that “Marmaduke stayed home,” a reference to their friend from New Riders of the Purple Sage – a band that often tagged along with the Dead for New York City shows. Weir chides that, “This is the economy package.” Elements of “Truckin’” and “Deep Elem Blues” can be heard in the pre show fine-tuning and that’s exactly how the show begins. Weir leads the band on vocals for the Dead’s brand new hit “Truckin’,” a song only months old at the time. Then, after some lighting and monitor directions, Jerry Garcia takes over for a modern take on a traditional blues tune, “Deep Elem Blues.” Weir throws in some well placed harmonies at song’s end before the Dead hand the proverbial baton off to Pigpen for a typically rousing cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” Pig’s bluesy vocal efforts bookend a winding, exploratory jam spearheaded by Garcia on guitar.

This opening sequence of Grateful Dead music has the Colden Auditorium crowd clamoring for more. The band responds in kind with “Sugar Magnolia,” another eventual classic still very much in its early stages. This is the ninth one ever performed. Garcia has the wah-effect in full gear for this one as the band rips into another brief, explosive jam after Weir deftly navigates the lyrics. The “Candyman” that follows may slow the tempo down a bit, but still serves as a first set highlight anyway with a sublime and harrowing Garcia guitar solo placed between more delicate vocal harmonies.

This clears the way for a dynamic closing sequence to the opening set, starting with “Cryptical Envelopment,” which gets an instant vote of approval from the crowd. At its conclusion, a “Drums” immediately emerges, shining the spotlight on drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart who take the rapt audience on a percussive ride, in the first set no less. This immediately segues into the explosive opening of “The Other One,” with all of Colden Auditorium now clapping along in time earnestly. It winds up producing perhaps the best jam of the evening, a searing, psychedelic journey that varies in intensity before rounding back into form. The opening set then closes with another rousing cover, this time Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” The jam briefly dips its toe into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” but no lyrics are actually sung before “Not Fade Away” resumes and caps off a whirlwind ending sequence that would later finds its place closing out second sets instead.

The Dead’s second set at Colden Auditorium, after a false start of sorts, resumes with “Casey Jones,” along with more full-fledged audience participation via clapping. They follow this with a familiar cover of “Cold Rain and Snow” that gets considerable support from Pigpen on organ and Phil Lesh on bass. Bob Weir then resumes vocal lead for the dark, country western-themed “Me And My Uncle.”

Unfortunately, there’s a significant gap in the recording due to a tape flip issue that cuts out the portion of the second set that follows. And it’s likely another one of the more memorable parts of the show as it features “Good Lovin’,” sung with natural flair from Pigpen as always, sandwiching yet another “Drums” sequence that surely went deeper than its first set predecessor.

The recording picks up at the tail end of the “Cumberland Blues” that follows all of this. One last pre-song tuning session finally gives way to “Uncle John’s Band,” the last song of the evening. It’s fitting selection to end with another cut from their iconic Workingman’s Dead album as they, and the world, prepare themselves for the American Beauty era.

View this show and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!

Grateful Dead – Colden Auditorium – Queens, NY 10/10/70

Set 1: Truckin’, Deep Elem Blues, Hard To Handle, Sugar Magnolia, Candyman, Cryptical Envelopment-> Drums-> The Other One-> Not Fade Away-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> Not Fade Away

Set 2: Casey Jones, Cold Rain & Snow, Me & My Uncle, Good Lovin’-> Drums-> Good Lovin’, Minglewood Blues, Cumberland Blues, Uncle John’s Band

October 10, 2021
Flushing Town Hall Monthly Jazz Jam Celebrates 10th Anniversary on October 13

The Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam at Flushing Town Hall will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on October 13, 2021. In celebration of the occasion Flushing Town Hall’s current house jazz band will be joined by members of Queens Jazz OverGround on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7 PM EST.

The monthly jam started back in October of 2011 as an educational program in collaboration with the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College. The program existed in order to provide a platform for young jazz musicians to play music together. Three years into the program’s formation the monthly jam transformed into a program for amateur and professional musicians and public audiences under the lead of Queens Jazz OverGround.

Flushing Town Hall’s Director of Education & Public Programs, Gabrielle M. Hamilton spoke on the creation of the monthly Jazz Jam saying, “Shortly after I joined Flushing Town Hall, we were able to launch our first Jazz Jam and Clinic in October 2011. Our partnership with Queens College provided graduate music students with an opportunity to jam together locally and educate young musicians in Jazz. A few years later, the jam expanded to reach more musicians under the leadership of Brian Woodruff and Queens Jazz OverGround (QJOG).”

Hamilton also announced that some of the QJOG original members will be joining the stage with Carol Sudhalter, Joe Vincent Tranchina, Eric Lemmon, and Scott Neumann — our current house band, to acknowledge ten years of great Jazz right here in Flushing for the 10th anniversary.

The band at the 10th anniversary celebration will feature Josh Deutsch on trumpet (founding member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Hashem Assadullahi on alto saxophone (current member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Amanda Monaco on guitar (founding member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Eugenia Choe on piano (current member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Richard Mikel on bass and Brian Woodruff on drums (founding and current member, Queens Jazz OverGround).

The celebration will take place in person at the historic building in Queens on Wednesday, October 13 at 7 PM EST. Admission is $10 or free to members. In adherence with Mayor De Blasio’s Covid policy for performance venues, Flushing Town Hall will require all visitors, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. A form of identification that matches the proof of vaccine is required, and masks must be worn at all times. For more details on Flushing Town Hall’s general Covid-safety measures and vaccine requirements, please visit here.

For more information on the Flushing Town Hall’s Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam 10th Anniversary event visit their website.

October 6, 2021
Governors Ball Music Festival Serves A Slice of New York for 10th Anniversary
It wouldn’t quite be a complete outdoor music season in New York City without an installment of The Governors Ball Music Festival. After some difficulties with weather cancellations in 2019, GovBall had been looking forward to celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2020, going as far as announcing their lineup in January 2020. Barred by the heat of the pandemic, that occasion had to be put on hold but GovBall made a triumphant return (this time to Citi Field) to celebrate its big anniversary with yet another sold-out crowd.

Three perfect sunny days of weather set the stage for the packed lineup consisting of several of the artists originally slated for 2020, some new additions, and plenty of New York heart and soul.

Early birds who made it to Citi Field for the festival’s noon-hour start were treated to some excellent up-and-coming acts, several with local connections. A few of the artists representing the five boroughs were Laundry Day, Drew Lucas + Livia O, King Princess, and Harlem-born A$AP Rocky. Nearby, New Jersey made its mark on GovBall with the band ARIZONA and an incredible R&B/country/soul styling from Breland.

Governors Ball made a move this year from its usual home on Randall’s Island in Manhattan to Citi Field in Queens, adopting a similar stage setup to Founders Entertainment’s The Meadows Music & Arts Festival which used to be held in the same location. Although maneuvering through the packed crowds as the evenings was a bit slow, the arrangement of the stages ensured that there was always an act to treat the ears while making the trek to the next stage.

Billie Eilish closed out the first night with several new tracks from her latest album release, Happier Than Ever, as well as several fan favorites from her catalogue. The crowd sang along with Billie through every song, which she reacted by saying that “GovBall is her favorite festival ever” and that she was so happy to be there again after her 2018 performance, this time as a headliner. The highlight of her performance was when she took to the sky on a moving platform, which lifted her up above and passed her several times over the crowd. Despite her huge set and 50,000 screaming fans, her performance felt intimate and personal.

The second night ended with a band as A$AP Rocky came onto the stage after crowd surfing on an inflatable car. His body men were running through the crowd dressed in head scarves to hide their faces. A$AP had been walking through the crowd before his set in disguise, and once his set began and he was on stage he revealed his face to a huge swell of cheers. Once on stage, he immediately told the crowd to open up the mosh pits, and the audience did so with enthusiasm. His set included some of his biggest tracks, and the crowd couldn’t get enough of his performance.

Post Malone played the final set of the festival, beginning from atop a massive catwalk rigged with lighting and pyrotechnics. Every time he took a sip from his big red party cup, the crowd egged him on to chug his drink. They did this at least four times, but rumor has it that there was only water in the cup. That didn’t stop him from making a moment out of it, and the crowd ate (or drank) it up. He opened with his hit song, Wow, and played most of the top singles from his catalog. He was joined briefly by Young Thug and the two shared the stage for one track.

Throughout the show the pyrotechnics were hot and huge, with Post even joking that it was “hot as f**k up here.” During his performance the crowd offered to help with his vocals by singing along, and he even joked, “Ya’ll know I’d sound like s**t without auto tune” which got a big laugh and huge applause. His set and the festival ended with a big splash of fireworks, with Post thanking the crowd for their energy.
October 2, 2021
Rockaway Beach duo The Forms release Upbeat electro-pop single “Head Underwater”

“Head Underwater,” the new single from Queens duo The Forms, is the second single released by the band in over a decade. Along with “Southern Ocean,” released earlier this year, the pair precedes the release of The Forms long awaited third album, slated for release in 2022, and recorded by the legendary Steve Albini.

The single, described by frontman Alex as “the most purely joyful song The Forms have ever done”, is an electronic dance-pop tune as envisioned by a couple of reformed math-rockers.

photo by Noah Kalina

The accompanying video directed by Bo Mirhosseni, whose previous work includes Disclosure’s “When a Fire Starts to Burn” and Kaytranda/Anderson Paak’s “Glowed Up“, documents the a day in the life of a shaman in a quasi-post-apocalyptic world. “Head Underwater” serves to ramp up the anticipation of The Forms’ long-awaited upcoming full length release.

These new releases from The Forms follow their Pitchfork lauded debut Icarus and their critically acclaimed, self-titled sophomore album. The last taste of new music from the group prior to ‘Southern Ocean’ and ‘Head Underwater’ was the Derealization EP, which featured The National’s Matt Berninger on vocals, as well as Shudder To Think’s Craig Wedren.

Over the course of these releases, The Forms were invited to share the stage with an incredible collection of artists including St. Vincent, Nick Cave, The National, Dizzee Rascal, The Hold Steady, Kurt Vile, Jose Gonzales, Deerhunter and Bat For Lashes.

September 16, 2021