Burlington’s Quiltro has shared the new live video for “Antilla,” filmed at Autochrome, a community studio space in the south end of Burlington. The old industrial building is where some of the world’s first “autochrome” color photographs were produced in the early 1900s.
The band recently released their debut album, an emotional journey that will set you at ease, wake you up, drive you into a groove and leave you looking to replay the debut immediately after. Peaks and valleys are found throughout the nine-track album, fitting perfectly into the ups and downs of the real world.
Quiltro brings together a range of sounds, influences, and emotions through band members Mark Taylor (guitar, keyboard), Mike McKinley (bass) and JD Hoffmann (drums), creating a psychedelic wall of sound that brings to mind Neal Casal’s Circles Around the Sun. Quiltro is quite simply excellent modern psych rock.
While Autochrome was gobbled up by someone looking to lease the entire building, after many years of calling the space home, Quiltro got the boot over the summer. In normal times, they would have had a huge blowout and celebration — live music, collaborative art, and more, but due to COVID-19, they played with no audience and recorded the video.
Eric Segalstad (Sabi Sound, who engineered and co-produced the album) did the recording, Tony Berry (Psychedelic Soup) did the liquid light show, and Matt Bushlow produced the video. Watch “Antilla” below and visit Quiltro on Bandcamp.
Eight-piece funk-pop band Reliably Bad is set to release Space Girl, their first full length album, on February 26th.
Based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, Reliably Bad’s sound draws influences from funk, soul, and R&B greats like Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and many others. While Reliably Bad pays tribute to these influences, they bring their own unique, modern sound as well.
The album starts off with the title track, “Space Girl.” This first track channels that distinct 70’s funk sound that bands like CHIC made famous. A funky, wah-heavy guitar strumming propels Reliably Bad into the first energetic track of the album. Taking after the name of the track, the chorus exemplifies the spacey feel of the composition. But while it is spacey, the band is super tight rhythmically.
“Phone” is another catchy song that tells a story of miscommunication between two lovers. While all of the songs on the album exemplify lead singer Jessica Schnieder’s vocal capabilities, “Phone” is one track where she really shines. Her smooth vocals carry the laid-back, jazzy vibe of the track.
The album ends with “All The Time,” a track of epic proportions that features a host of additional musicians and is a perfect finale to the album. It is Stevie Wonder-esque, and culminates with a high-energy chorus that opens up, bringing in additional vocalists, horns, and strings.
Space Girl features production and mixing from recent Grammy Nominee Gabe Fox-Peck (Young Bull and Harriet), and was partially mixed by Caleb Parker (Vulfpeck, Scary Pockets, and Pomplamoose).
Losers Club are making their label-debut on Substream Records with a new single called “Fux W/ Ur Head,” set for release on March 5th, 2021.
The duet’s emo-rock sound is crafted by frontman Nate Blasdell, known for his role as lead guitar and background vocals in the melodic hardcore band I Set My Friends on Fire, and backed by Andy Champion on guitar. Losers Club’s sound is poppier than Blasdell’s previous work, akin to The All-American Rejects. Their music is anthemic and tightly packed with melody.
On their instagram account, Losers Club recounted the past year, saying “This year was a rollercoaster to say the least. What started as four, turned to three, then three became two, and now here we are, stronger than ever with 2020 in the rearview and so much to look forward to in 2021. New sound. New look. New album. New era.”
With their new sound and formation, Losers Club is ready to take on the music world with their label-debut single, Fux W/ Ur Head. You can pre-order it here.
The indie band of brothers, Council, has announced their upcoming EP It Runs In The Blood. On May 28, their third EP of will be released on all platforms.
Council consists of three brothers: Pat, Doug, and Andy Reeves. As the trio grew up just outside Syracuse in Baldwinsville, NY, they’ve committed to trading a life of farming for their true passion; music. From working in the fields during the day to perfecting their craft in their family barn at night.
The debut single off of the new EP, “Faded Purple White Trash Royal”, was recently released. The track is available on major platforms and provides listeners a sneak peek of the anthemic tone expected on It Runs In The Blood.
Listen to Council’s Debut Single Here
Council‘s new EP contains singles, “I See Sparks,” “Still We Rise,” “Faded Purple White Trash Royal,” and the title track, “It Runs In The Blood.” Apart from the title track, the entire EP was written and produced by Council. The track “It Runs In The Blood” was co-produced and co-written by Kevin Andreas. Andreas is known for engineering A$AP Rocky’s hit, “Peso.”
Cover Artwork for EP
Council has begun to build a name for themselves. They have worked with countless household names and appeared on popular programs. The brothers’ band has played shows at mainstays in NYC. Also, they have opened for bands such as The Strumbellas, The All American Rejects, and The Kooks. The musicians have even had their music played throughout the 2018 Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Premier League, to name a few.
As this band has begun to establish themselves in the music scene with their unique sound, they are definitely a group to watch out for. It Runs In The Blood will undoubtedly only add to Council’s growing success. Although this EP’s release isn’t for a few months, make sure to check out the band’s previous EP, Haunts Me.
L’FREAQ has returned after a two-year absence to share her newest single, “Make Me Move.” Described as having a “sexy, neo-goth, synth pop sound,” the track features an intimate look into the hardships of a long distance relationship in the midst of quarantine. The artist sets aside vulnerability to express an experience that most, if not all of us, can relate to, after a year since the quarantine began.
Photo Credit: Kelly Cappelli
More commonly known under the alias L’FREAQ, Brooklyn and LA-based singer/songwriter Lea Cappelli has caught the eye of many with her gothic and soulful presence, alongside an impressive vocal range and a talent for writing lyrics that strike a chord, attracting an inclusive and diverse audience.
I wrote this song before quarantine about deep yearning for my long-distance partner. It was my challenge to strip everything away to primal instincts. When quarantine hit, it forbid us from seeing each other and the relationship ended, causing a spiral into craving and a deep dive into intimate voicemails that have been sampled on the song.
L’FREAQ describing the single, “Make Me Move”
Photo Credit: Kelly Cappelli
Some highlights of her career include a private performance for Muhammad Ali, sharing the stage with Jakob Dylan, and performing alongside Grammy-awarded artist India.Arie. Recently voted “NYC’s Favorite Emerging Artist” in a poll sponsored by The Deli Magazine, she pays homage to her Brooklyn roots. She cites her love of music as being nourished by her artistic mother from a young age, growing up in a music studio in the midst of the punk scene of NYC.
You can find where to stream her newest single, “Make Me Move,” on various platforms here, and keep an eye out for any new quarantine-inspired releases on her website.
Capital One City Parks Foundation announces performance from Michael Mwenso as part of their SummerStage Anywhere series on February 25, 2021 at 7PM EST. The performance will be streamed virtually as part of a Black History Month celebration.
The performance is titled the Michael Mwenso: Hope, Resist & Heal, Performance and will also be hosting a conversation with Shannon Effinger. Michael Mwenso is not only a musician but an artist and social commentator. He will offer his unique and ancestral perspective on Black music and its power to heal. He is an African-born queer man who grew up in London and New York. The performance will consist of a live studio recorded performance with his group, Mwenso and the Shakes, a multicultural New York jazz group. After the performance the conversation with arts journalist Shannon Effinger focusing on the continuum and power of Black roots music will take place.
Michael Mwenso was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone but spent his teenage years at the legendary jazz club Ronnie Scott’s in London where he was exposed to musicians like Benny Carter, Elvin Jones, Ray Brown and Billy Higgins. Mwenso is known for his work as a trombonist, singer and performer playing in jump bands, reggae and Afrobeat horn sections and at hard-bop sessions.
Mwenso has worked with big names like Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jon Batiste, Aaron Diehl, Sullivan Fortner and Jamison Ross.Mwenso began his collaboration of Juilliard trained musicians known as The Shakes which come from all over the world including Sierra Leone, South Africa, Madagascar, London, France, Jamaica and Hawaii. Between all of them they create a unique jazz and blues sound through African and Afro-American music.
The performance will take place on February 25, 2021 at 7PM EST. The performance will be streamed virtually on SummerStageAnywhere.org and across SummerStage social media outlets Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch as part of a Black History Month celebration. For more information on the performance visit Capital One City Parks Foundation’s website.
Mid-Hudson Valley Native Fiona Glenn worked with award-winning composer David Baron on the upcoming single “Don’t Give Up.” On February 26, this motivational piano ballad will release.
At just 16 years old, Fiona Glenn has sung with various artists such as Pete Seeger, Natalie Merchant , and Simi Stone. She even appears throughout David Baron’s Whisperers album, including the title track where she sings the lead vocals.
Watch the “Whisperers” Music Video Here
As a composer, arranger, engineer, and producer, David Baron has worked with some of the most notable musicians. His influential Woodstock sound has merged with Lenny Kravitz, The Lumineers, Shania Twain, Vance Joy, and many more.
With previous experience collaborating, Fiona Glenn and David Baron delved into their new single head-on. “Don’t Give Up” blends Glenn’s rich voice with Baron’s piano performance. Also, the composer integrates a 40-piece orchestra and a throwback rhythm section throughout. The duo’s talent produces a retro-modern production with high fidelity and antique recording gear. As if the single didn’t already have enough expertise featured, the song was even mastered by Chris Athens, whose credits include Drake and The Beastie Boys.
“Don’t Give Up” was written for Baron’s wife, who stood by him during his health issue. Baron wrote these lyrics as a testament to an isolating and hopeless experience. These feelings are probably familiar to many in the circumstances of today. “Don’t Give Up” serves as a light in these times of darkness. Keep a lookout for the new single later this week.
The Eddies Awards show was founded in 2019 by marketing and corporate development director, Jim Murphy and program coordinator, Salvatore Prizio, at Proctors Collaborative. It was created to empower, recognize and celebrate musical professionals in the Capital Region. The show includes performances and award winners from 34 categories.
This is the second rescheduling for the Eddies. It was originally supposed to be held in spring 2020 in front of a live audience at the Proctors MainStage. The pandemic interfered with the first plan and then came the plan to broadcast it from the UPH inDecember. An increase in COVID-19 infections at the end of the year led to the current rescheduling. Prizio believes that the third time is the charm and anticipates the upcoming award show.
The lineup of performers and panelists is to be announced in the coming weeks. They hope that those who were set to be apart of the show in December will be able to commit again. According to Murphy, two Eddies ceremonies are likely to take place this year. There are already organizers about to begin judging for the third awards. The adjudication process is going to be different due to the pandemic and its effect on the local music scene.
The second Eddies Awards is going to filmed by Chromoscope Pictures based in Troy. Collaborative Studios’ will broadcast from their Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV apps, public access channels in Albany and Schenectady and Youtube and Facebook. The show airs on May 2 at 7 p.m. and can be found for free on-demand after.
Brooklyn-based psychedelic rock bank, Acid Dad, are excited to announce their sophomore album – Take It From The Dead. The album is due out June 11, 2021 via Greenway Records / The Reverberation Appreciation Society.
In preparation for the new album, the band has released visuals for the albums first single – “RC Driver.” The video debuted on FLOOD Magazine. Singer-guitarist Vaughn Hunt comments on his inspiration behind the song:
RC Driver is about how I wish I raced cars for a living. All I wanna do is go fast and do stunts. I grew up near a lake, so jet skis are the next closest thing. Ain’t nothing like rippin’ a supercharged Sea-Doo going 90mph on pure glass, baby.
Vaughn Hunt, Singer-guitarist
Acid Dad consists of Trevor Mustoe on drums, Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey on vocals and guitar. The band was started in Hunt’s basement in Bushwick, NY – releasing their first single “Brain Body” and EP Let’s Plan a Robbery. Acid Dad quickly rose up through the ranks in the New York rock scene, releasing their debut album to widespread acclaim.
The band spent much of 2020 creating a new studio space in Queens, while building their own guitars and continuing to independently produce their new music. With a new space and vision, the band produced their second LP, Take It From The Dead, set to be co-released in June 2021 by Brooklyn’s Greenway Records and psych powerhouse LEVITATION’s label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society.
Take It From The Dead’s influences range from the likes of 90’s neo-psych, modern post-punk and 70’s rock-n-roll. Acid Dad’s album is innovation, but still shows love for its roots. In contrast to their earlier work, they make use of slower tempos and expand their sound to include songs that are both more intricate and more hypnotic. To accompany the new record, the band spent the last year collaborating with video artist Webb Hunt, producing psych and glitch art videos that form a visual counterpart to the dreamy distortions of their sound.
CBGB wasn’t the only club/scene to birth a new musical genre in the low-rent, dirty and deliciously dangerous Downtown NYC of the mid- to late-1970s. Alongside the wannabe punks, there were a slew of fiercely talented young jazz immigrants from St. Louis, Chicago and beyond who worked to make free jazz even freer than Coleman and Coltrane. They plied their exploratory path not at traditional clubs but a series of short-lived, musician-led NYC loft scene like Coltrane drummer Rashid Ali’s Studio 77, Studio We, The Ladies’ Fort and, most notably, Studio RivBea, founded by saxman Sam Rivers and his wife Bea.
New York’s so-called Loft Jazz scene would launch the careers of many luminaries who would define jazz’s more creative edge in the post-Coltrane era. These included Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, David Murray, Arthur Blythe, Butch Morris, Lester Bowie, Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill to name but a few.
Their music was technically accomplished, exploratory, impulsive, spiritual and often politically-minded. It could flow from angry and dissonant to heavenly melodic, all in the space of a few bars. It had elements of jazz, modern classical, folk, world music and more. It also utilized instruments not often associated with jazz, like the oboe and cello. The intimacy of the scene led to much cross pollination among the players. This is something reflected in a bold new release from the archives of Michael Gregory Jackson, a versatile innovator and guitarists’ guitarist who first came to light in the scene.
One look at the list of progressive jazz guitar all-stars who have named Michael Gregory Jackson as an influence demonstrates the continued resonance and relevance of his four-decades of exceptionally creative music-making.
“Michael Gregory Jackson has long been one of my favorite musicians,” said Pat Metheny. “I always considered him one of the most significantly original guitars of our generation, with his own distinctive sound and point of view.”
Bill Frisell adds: “I first heard Michael Gregory Jackson in 1975 when I moved to Boston. He blew my mind and influenced me a lot. I believe he’s one of the unsung innovators.”
Frequency Equilibrium Koanis an authentic document of the without-a-net creativity and exhuberance of no-hold-barred this era. It is a performance of four lengthy compositions recorded by Jackson on his trusty Sony cassette machine in 1977 at The Ladies’ Fort. It finds the then 23-year-old guitarist leading a quartet featuring saxophonist Julius Hemphill, drummer Pheeroan akLaff and cellist Abdul Wadud.
Hemphill was one of the true giants of the era, perhaps best known for his work with the World Saxophone Quartet alongside Oliver Lake, who helped launch Jackson’s career in a quartet which also included akLaff.
A little like Hendrix before him, cellist Wadud literally reinvented his instrument for a new musical genre. With furious plucking, bowing and percussives, it became a tool of jazz that would skirt the territory between groove-keeping acoustic bass, a soaring solo instrument and drum. Wadud and Hemphill were frequent collaborators. One of their best performances together is on “Hard Blues,” from Hemphill’s 1975 album Coon Bid’ness.
Jackson’s new/old album kicks off with the nine-plus minute title track. After a fragmentary head, the piece moves into improvisation, with Hemphill coming to the fore with a long forceful tenor solo. At times, the improvisation becomes collective, a kind of outré New Orleans ragtime. Jackson’s bag of tricks is on full display here – volume swells, detuned swooshery, bleeps, slides and long tricky melodic lines, a blend of Cubist post-bebop and twelve-tone classical. Wadud plucks and bows away, creating both rhythmic pulse and solo lines that dance off his partners’ musical conversation.
The next track, “Heart and Center,” is a radical extension of what would become the title offering for Jackson’s wonderfully diversified 1979 album of the same name. This is as straight-ahead as this album gets, with Hemphill again out of the gate on a solo charge. Jackson leads the way with choppy irregular chording that provides a rich harmonic backdrop for Hemphill and his own soloing. Again, the flavor here is improvisation that is collective, with lots of call-and-response. As usual, akLaff keeps it all moving, with jungle like tom tom heavy percussion.
“Clarity 3” is the most challenging listening experience in the set. It begins with akLaff’s circular swirl of percussion, which leads to a solo spotlight for Wadud. With Hemphill and Jackson’s entry, the music comes to a fast boil then overflows. It’s jazz roller coaster, with the instruments almost seeming to merge into one howl at times. In the last minute, Jackson finds and rides a broad chord that sounds like a car horn, together with Wadud’s cello groans. The album ends on a mellow tone with “A Meditation.” Hemphill sits this one out and Jackson forsakes his trusty 1961 Gibson SG for a bamboo flute. It’s a wind down of chill temple bells and malleted cymbals, bowed cello and modal flute melody, an East Asian-flavored sunset brought to the dark and dirty Downtown NYC of the 1970s.
In the liner notes to the album, guitar master Bill Frisell observes:
These guys are all heroes of mine. I’ve learned so much and am still learning from all of them. To hear them all together like this is a real gift. What a combo! I can’t believe this happened more than 40 years ago. It sounds like the future. I’m so thankful the tape was running to document this extraordinary moment.
Like many good things in New York City, the loft jazz scene was killed by the rising rents that came with gentrification. For more detail on this vibrant scene, read Michael Heller’s Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970s. For a great sampling of the musicians and the scene, check out Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions. This five album/three CD set captures edge-pushing performances by many of loft jazz’s leading lights over nine days at Studio RivBea in May 1976. For more about Jackson, see our review of his jazz suite for Nelson Mandela, Change or purchase the album on Bandcamp
Key Tracks: Heart and Center, Frequency Equilibrium Koan
