Acid Dad have shared their new track “BBQ” off their sophomore album Take It From The Dead, due out on June 11, 2021
“BBQ” Single Artwork
The rock band hails from Bushwick and is composed of singer-guitarists Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey, and drummer Trevor Mustoe. Vaughn first started recording the band in his Bushwick apartment. Playing live in the New York City rock scene in 2016, Acid Dad quickly moved to a world stage with their self-titled debut album, released by Greenway Records in 2018.
Over 2020, Acid Dad rented studio time in Queens as well as built their own guitars. They also independently produce their music. This creativity and innovation led to their second LP Take It From The Dead. The record features a variety of influences ranging from 90’s neo-psych, modern post-punk, and 70’s rock. Their sound meanders the perfect musical boundary of brand-new and nostalgic.
The new album is accompanied by psychedelic and glitchy art videos in a collaboration with video artist Webb Hunt, adding an otherworldly visual counterpart to their dreamy music.
Artwork in collaboration with artist Webb Hunt
Listen to Acid Dad and their new track “BBQ” here. Watch the visualizer for the single here. Find out more information about Acid Dad at their website.
On Friday, February 7, 1964, Beatlemania arrived in the United States, as John, Paul, George and Ringo touched down on Pan Am Flight 101 at JFK Airport in Queens. More than 3,000 screaming fans greeted the mod suit wearing Beatles on the tarmac, leading to a few injuries among the crowd.
AP photo
In Anthology, Paul McCartney shared his thoughts as the plane approached New York.
There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody had expected. We heard about it in mid-air. There were journalists on the plane, and the pilot had rang ahead and said, ‘Tell the boys there’s a big crowd waiting for them.’ We thought, ‘Wow! God, we have really made it.’
At nearly 1:30 p.m., the plane taxied to the terminal and the aircraft door opened. Cheers and screams rang out from the crowd. The NY Daily News reported a 17-year-old June Clayton of Brooklyn saying “They’re so cute. And Ringo’s the cutest. Look at them comb their hair!”
In addition to the huge crowd carrying signs and placards, the press numbered 200, reporters, photographers and cameramen among them.
How did so many people arrive at JFK Airport on this Friday afternoon? It seems Seltaeb, who handled The Beatles’ merchandising in the States, offered a promotion that promised every one who showed up at the airport would receive a t-shirt and a dollar, or $8.40 in 2021 dollars. The idea was crafted by Nicky Byrne of Seltaeb, with direction from Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
Byrne made a deal with radio stations WMCA and 1010 WINS to promote the offer, but Capitol Records had a promotion of their own, arranging for posters and car stickers that read “The Beatles are Coming” being spread out across New York City. When fans called Capitol Records, receptionists would answer the phone, “Capitol Records, The Beatles are coming.” Between radio, print and offers of a free shirt and money, fans flocked to JFK to give the boys from Liverpool a proper welcome.
Murray the K, DJ at 1010 WINS, announced The Beatles’ flight number and time of arrival over the air, which was spread by larger stations WMCA and WABC, helping to build anticipation.
The band then held a press conference inside Kennedy Airport where they met Murray the K, and were asked by the press pool to say their names, as the were individually not well known to the press.
The playful press conference was nothing more than a slapstick routine for the foursome, mildly frustrating the straight-laced press. Just as the crowd was dissipating, Paul grabbed the microphone to say “We have a message.” As reporters got ready to take notes and photographers jockeyed for position, Paul would say, “Our message is: buy more Beatles records!”
The Fab Four would leave the airport in four separate limousines, with Cynthia Lennon accompanying John and the others riding solo. Epstein and others needed to hail a taxi to get into Manhattan. A play-by-play could be heard on the radio by McCartney, which culminated in a crowd of fans and reporters swarming the band at the Plaza Hotel, where the band was giving a 10-room suite on the 12th floor with a Central Park view.
In the days that followed, The Beatles would make music history in New York City and Washington, D.C. On Sunday, February 9 at 8pm, Ed Sullivan welcomed the band to his stage for five songs: “All My Loving,” Meredith Willson’s “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” 73 million tuned in to watch The Ed Sullivan Show that night, roughly two-fifths of the population in America at that time. This would be the largest television audience at the time, according to Nielsen.
On February 11 at the Washington Coliseum, The Beatles performed their first American concert, with 8,000 lucky fans in attendance. They returned to the Big Apple the next day for performances at Carnegie Hall on the 12th and 13th, each of which were attended by 2,000.
From New York, The Beatles flew to Miami, making a second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 16, broadcast from the Napoleon Ballroom at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, bringing in another huge audience of 70 million viewers. Returning to England via Heathrow Airport on February 22, the band was met by 10,000 fans, leaving the beginnings of Beatlemania in their wake back in America.
The Weeknd announced his After Hours World Tour, a 104-date global tour beginning at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on January 14th, 2022.
He will be playing in New York on February 11th and 12th in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, and will be back in early April on the 4th and 5th at Madison Square Garden. He will then be playing at the new UBS Arena in Belmont on April 7th.
The worldwide tour announcement comes just days ahead of the multi-platinum singer’s headlining Super Bowl performance, and also includes a handful of rescheduled dates shifting from 2021 to be a part of the After Hours World Tour in 2022.
With the addition of 39 new tour dates, The Weeknd will also release The Highlights on Friday, February 5th. The Highlights is a way to present some of The Weeknd’s most notable works in one place. While this isn’t a “Greatest Hits” album it does provide a new listener a rich foray into some of the iconic artist’s best and favorite work. Fans can pre-save and pre-order the album on theweeknd.co/thehighlights.
Tickets for the tour will be available following The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance starting Monday, February 8th at 10 A.M. local time on TheWeeknd.com/Tour.
AFTER HOURS WORLD TOUR 2022 DATES: * New Show Jan 14 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena Jan 15 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena Jan 17 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place Jan 19 – Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place Jan 21 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center Jan 23 – Chicago, IL – United Center Jan 24 – Chicago, IL – United Center* Jan 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum* Jan 27 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena Jan 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena Jan 30 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Feb 01 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Feb 02 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Feb 03 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell Feb 05 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center Feb 06 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Feb 08 – Boston, MA – TD Garden Feb 09 – Boston, MA – TD Garden* Feb 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center Feb 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center* Feb 13 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena Feb 15 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center Feb 16 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena Feb 19 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center* Feb 20 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center Feb 22 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center* Feb 24 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center Feb 25 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center Feb 27 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena Mar 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena Mar 03 – Portland, OR – Moda Center Mar 04 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena* Mar 06 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center Mar 08 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena Mar 09 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center Mar 11 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum* Mar 13 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena Mar 15 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center Mar 16 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center* Mar 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center Mar 22 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena Mar 25 – Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena Mar 28 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center Mar 29 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena Mar 30 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena Apr 01 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena Apr 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center* Apr 04 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Apr 05 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden* Apr 07 – Elmont, NY – UBS Arena* Apr 08 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center Apr 10 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena Apr 11 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena* Apr 14 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center Apr 16 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center Omaha Apr 18 – Austin, TX – Moody Center* Apr 19 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center Apr 23 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena* Apr 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Suns Arena* Apr 27 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center* Apr 30 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena* May 01 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome Sept 10 – Helsinki, Finland – Hartwall Arena* Sep 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – Ericsson Globe Sep 15 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena Sep 16 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena* Sep 18 – Oslo, Norway – Telenor Arena Sep 20 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclaycard Arena Sep 21 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena Sep 23 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle Sep 24 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena Sep 26 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle* Sep 28 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis Sep 29 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis* Oct 01 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena* Oct 03 – Amsterdam, Holland – Ziggo Dome Oct 04 – Amsterdam, Holland – Ziggo Dome* Oct 06 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 07 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 08 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 10 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena Oct 11 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Oct 13 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena* Oct 15 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena Oct 16 – London, UK – The O2 Oct 18 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 19 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 20 – Paris, France – Accor Arena Oct 22 – Bordeaux, France – Arkea Arena* Oct 24 – Madrid, Spain – Wizink Center* Oct 25 – Lisbon, Portugal – Altice Arena* Oct 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi* Oct 29 – Montpellier, France – Sud de France Arena* Nov 01 – Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum* Nov 02 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion* Nov 04 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena* Nov 05 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena Nov 07 – Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena* Nov 10 – Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena* Nov 12 – Lyon, France – Halle Tony Garnier* Nov 13 – Paris, France – Accor Arena* Nov 15 – Glasgow, Scotland – The SSE Hyrdro* Nov 16 – London, UK – The O2*
Alternative duo Yo Kinky is in its nascent stage, with members Tom Unish and Laura Wight meeting in early 2020. The duo immediately felt a musical bond, and started crafting songs together.
Laura Wight and Tom Unish of Yo Kinky
Queens-based band Yo Kinky follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” with the second single, “Resistance.” The song is delicately created, yet exudes a confidence created by Tom Unish’s spaced-out guitar licks. The sonic landscape undulates with hypnotic layers of sound; the song yearns for the intimacy long lost by social isolation.
Laura Wight sings “Love is all we breathe,” and “Swing me off my feet,” transporting the listener to a beautiful place where love is all-surrounding. “Resistance” is an ode to the sanity one has during this time by finding delight in the small things in life.
“Resistance” follows their first single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which, albeit its darker vocal passages, is playful, seductive and clever. It has received heavy play on WFMU’s radio station, as well as named as one of the best tracks of 2020 by Three Chord Monte. The band is beaming in their own path as they create and release more infectious music.
Over 2020, Yo Kinky self-produced and are releasing their first, self-titled EP. This collection of songs addresses trust, communication, love, loneliness, freedom, identity, and expectation. The group combines drum machines and bright, buzzing synths and guitars that shimmer with reverb and delay.
Yo Kinky’s music is reminiscent of Blondie, X, Mitksi, and Soccer Mommy, as they blend the pop and rock elements of indie into an incandescent artwork. When shows are possible again, Yo Kinky looks forward to playing locally, nationwide, and beyond.
Yo Kinky’s debut EP is due out on February 26, 2021.
Jazz musicians from around the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day with Flushing Town Hall’s band leader Carol Sudhalter for a Virtual Jazz Jam.
Even though doors are closed to auditoriums everywhere, Flushing Town Hall will still perform this year with its popular Virtual Jazz Jam: Celebrating the Legacy of Louis Armstrong. Their dynamic online entertainment program FTH At Home! will have Let Love Reignon February 10th 2021 at 7:00PM (EST). Jazz musicians from New York City and around the world will play love songs and funny valentines that embrace the theme.
Flushing Town Hall at Home has been a resilient force in an environment in which live music cannot exist. Each month, musicians come together to play songs reflecting each month’s theme, showing the power of art and music even in this time. The February Jazz Jam will include 15 love songs, and participants are invited to jam or simply watch with their significant other, perhaps share champagne or heart-shaped chocolates as they watch from the comfort of their homes.
Since April 2020, Flushing Town Hall’s monthly Jazz Jam has brought thousands of people together, not only from new york but places such as Germany, Italy, and Australia where viewers watch the beautiful performances in the early hours. The number of viewers has surpassed the capacity of the in-person venue!
Flushing Town Hall’s monthly Jazz Jam is supported by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and has been led by Astoria resident Carol Sudhalter. House band members include incredibly talented musicians such as Joe Vincent Tranchina, Scott Neumann, Joe Vincent Tranchina, and Eric Lemon, who pay tribute to the great Louis Armstrong, performing songs associated with the legendary trumpeter/vocalist each month of the year.
Anyone who wishes to experience the monthly Jazz Jam is welcome to, free of cost, on February 10th, 2021 at 7:00PM EST. The links are here for Zoom and Facebook.
To participate, email education@flushingtownhall.org and identify the three- to four-minute tune you intend to play. Only 15 musicians will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Flushing Town Hall’s Jazz Jams are every second Wednesday of each month, and details can be found on the Flushing Town Hall website.
WOLF, an indie-pop artist from Queens, NY (aka Julia Wolf), released her first single of the new year, “Villain,” on January 14. As an up and coming singer-songwriter, WOLF has begun to experience the harsh realities of becoming a musical figure in today’s climate. While being a non-confrontational person, WOLF responded in the only way she knows how: “coming back bigger and fresher.”
WOLF began her career buildup at the end of 2019 from her bedroom. She released freestyles and snippets of her music via her social media platforms. WOLF curated lots of attention, turning the heads of new fans and industry professionals. This recognition led to millions of streams and hundreds of thousands of followers on both Spotify and Instagram in less than a year. Additionally, the heavy buzz has even allowed the release of her very own clothing line, Girls in Purgatory.
“Villain,” produced by Jackson Foote, is a tribute to the shy kids and to the ones that always over-accommodate. WOLF uses her signature 808s and the addition of a vintage guitar to create a mesmerizing tone. Her voice effortlessly blends with the beats she builds off of which adds a sense of groove to her music. The single holds an empowering message when looking to overcome adversity. One must always stay true to themselves, and if people want to make someone out to be the villain, then so be it.
As the world is trying to recover from drawbacks of the Coronavirus, WOLF is an inspiration to look out for. Her music provides an outlet of hope during these times of turmoil, similarly to the optimism of Ok Cowgirl. New motivation to start off the new year!
NYS Music’s Best of 2020 series concludes with a look at the best Tours and Drive-In shows of a year we’d all like to forget. When the music industry shut down in mid-March, it was sudden and continues to last into 2021. Few bands got to go on a ‘real’ tour, given there were roughly 11 weeks in which to tour, and the coldest months of the year, at that. Still, a few bands went out on a Winter 2020 tour, making stops in New York State and surrounding areas. Be sure to check out the best Streams, Covers and Jams.
photo by JD Cohen
Goose announced shows in Williamsburg for late January, 2020, and immediately added a second, and smaller third show, due to demand. Their shows at The Music Hall of Williamsburg were two of the best of their tour.
One band, Twiddle, celebrated their 15th year as a band with a Roots Tour of their own, streaming the multi-week event that looked at the venues they got their start in across Vermont, wonderfully recalled by Ryan Dempsey. In addition to these shows, Twiddle performed at multiple Drive-In shows across the Northeast, including New Jersey and Essex Junction, VT.
All that after a cross-country tour running from January through early March. The band had an impressive 2020, performing shows in Colorado to start 2020 with “Somewhere on the Mountain” in Frisco, CO and connecting with platform LiveXLive for their July Roots Tour.
photo by Dave Decrescente
When it came to Drive-Ins, there were quite a few across the Northeast – Drive-in-Live in Swanzey, NH, Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont, NY, South Farms in Morris Farms, CT, Fingerlakes Drive-In in Auburn, NY, Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry, NY and Radial Park in Astoria, Queens.
Live at the Drive, featuring Buffalo’s Aqueous, was one of the first and the most successful series, with three weekends between Lockport’s Transit Drive-in and Perry Silver Lake Drive-In. Buffalo Iron Works produced the shows, with Josh Holtzman and Grace Vesneske’s new company Twenty6 Productions garnering credit for putting on shows that set a standard for socially distanced shows that were safe, well-run and comfortable for fans and staff alike.
photo by Paul Citone
Goose also hosted numerous Drive-Ins across the Northeast and even ventured safely to Ohio, North Carolina and Maryland, as well as Swanzey and South Farms. Located in Morris, CT, South Farms was centrally located to the Hudson Valley from Albany to NYC, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut itself. As such, Goose, moe., Warren Haynes, Grace Potter, Allman Betts Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Citizen Cope and even comedian Bill Burr. Due to a recent Zoning Board ruling, South Farms won’t have live music for the time being, but they made some memorable moment in the time they were able to, in a key location in the Northeast.
photo by Chad Anderson
moe. and Disco Biscuits each hit the new Drive-In circuit, streaming online and giving fans thirsty for live music the remedy they sought. Shows in Yarmouth, MA became regular stops, with both bands heading to Cape Cod in October. Lafayette Apple Festival Grounds, just south of Syracuse, brought in Dirty Heads and Disco Biscuits, the latter of which performed three nights, culminating their Drive-In shows with a Halloween show and an audience well-prepared for the cold and mud but still got down to dance.
What will come in 2021? Drive-In concerts will surely be a regular feature starting in the Spring, until the pandemic is under control, the population is inoculated with the vaccine, and venues are able to manage crowds of slowly increasing size. Will Drive-In concerts be here to stay? The collective effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 this year and into 2022 will determine the speed at which we can return to having live music back to where it was in early March of 2020.
Flushing Town Hall announced it’s jazz inspired “Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.” The performance will be a live virtual performance led by band leader Carol Sudhalter on January 13, 2021.
The performance will be part of their Jazz Jams series hosted by Flushing Town Hall. The series premieres monthly and features artists from across the globe. Jazz musicians come together to play their tunes reflecting each month’s theme. This month’s theme is Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. The performance will take place on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7PM EST and will feature jazz musicians from New York City and across the world will play tunes reflecting the pursuit of racial justice in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s deep appreciation of music as an “instrument of change” is one of the main inspirations for it being the muse of January’s Jazz Jams. As The International Musician once noted that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr considered jazz to be “triumphant music” and had once written that, “Jazz speaks for life. The blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.”
The interesting thing about the Jazz Jams programming is that Flushing Town Hall opens it up to the public for performance slots. Musicians interested in participating on January 13, 2021 should email education@flushingtownhall.org with their suggested three- to four-minute tune they intend to play. The performance can be live or a pre-recorded audio or video (but not a professional, edited recording such as a CD or YouTube video). Musicians who previously performed are now welcome to return. Each month, up to five returning musicians and up to 15 new musicians can participate. Selection is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The performance will be free to the public and available to watch live on Flushing Town Hall’s Facebook or Zoom.
