Category: Regions

Joanne Shenandoah, Native American Musical Matriarch, NAMA and Grammy Award Winner, Dies at Age 63

Joanne Shenandoah, a native of the Oneida Indian Nation who became a world-renowned singer and peace activist, has died at age 63, as reported by the Native American Music Awards & Association (NAMA).

Shenandoah passed away late in the evening of Monday, November 22nd at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, following complications of abdominal bleeding and suffering a cardiac arrest. She was surrounded by her husband, Doug George-Kanentiio and daughter Leah.

A member of the Wolf Clan of the Oneida Nation, of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, Shenandoah was the most critically acclaimed and honored Native American singer since her debut recording in 1989. She went on to record a total of 15 albums with numerous more collaborations, won numerous awards, including 14 Native American Music Awards, the most ever awarded to a singular artist, and a GRAMMY for her contribution on Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth. Among her NAMA awards are Best Children’s Recording, Best Traditional Recording, Best Music Video, Best Producer, as well as multiple awards for Best Female Artist, New Age Recording, Best Compilation, Artist of the Year, and Best Compilation.

Shenandoah also earned two Grammy nominations for her albums, Covenant and Peacemaker’s Journey, an Emmy nomination for the PBS special “Native America,” was inducted into the Syracuse Area Hall of Fame, and received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Syracuse University in 2002. Shenandoah was also an original board member of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, which operates in partnership with Syracuse University.

Just this year, Joanne released her last full length recording entitled, Oh Shenandoah, a 12 track recording featuring a collection of country infused songs along with a poignant dedication to Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), “Missing You.” Joanne, with her daughter Leah and sister Diane, delivered an emotive and moving live performance with “Missing You” at her final appearance at the 19th Annual Native American Music Awards.

Over her five decade plus career, whether performing solo or with her musical trio featuring her daughter Leah and sister Diane, Joanne has graced the stages at The White House, Carnegie Hall, Presidential Inaugurations, Madison Square Garden, The Smithsonian, Woodstock ’94 and participated in the celebration of the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Roman Catholic Native American saint in Rome, Italy. As a humanitarian and peace advocate, Joanne met and performed for such noted leaders such as his Holiness the Dali Lama, and Nelson Mandela.

Joanne’s beautiful embellishing voice, strong Iroquois traditions, unequivocal elegance and courteous grace made her a prominent role model and highly respected musical Matriarch among Native American communities as well as the mainstream music community at large. She sang with deep roots from her ancestors and flawlessly incorporated her oral traditions into contemporary Folk, Country and Americana formats. She captured the hearts of audiences all over the world and always took time to encourage and inspire younger musicians in her travels. Joanne Shenandoah made an incredible impact on this earth and has paved paths for so many.

Joanne leaves behind her husband Doug, daughter Leah, grandson Kieren Ryder, sisters Diane and Vicky and numerous nieces and nephews.

November 24, 2021
In Focus: Cold Rocks The House At Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls
Cold played in the equally cold Niagara Falls on Monday November 22 at The Rapids Theater. Cold, comprised of Scooter WardÂ (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Sam McCandless (drums, percussion), Lindsay Manfredi (bass, backing vocals), Nick Coyle (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Jonny Nova (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), brought with them Waiting For Eternity and Otherworldly Entity as the opening bands.

Cold has been on their current tour since September. and are coming to the end of their current tour with only a few shows left. The band performed 12 songs tonight including their hits “End of the World” and “Just Got Wicked.”

Cold – The Rapids Theater, Niagara Falls, NY – Monday, November 22

Setlist: Back Home, Happens All the Time, No One, When Angels Fly Away, End of the World, Another Pill, Ocean, A Different Kind of Pain, Just Got Wicked, Suffocate, Remedy, Bleed
November 24, 2021
Judy Collins Celebrates Winter and Holiday Season With Concert At The Town Hall on December 17

Judy Collins will celebrate winter and the holiday season with a one-time-only performance at The Town Hall on December 17. This will be Collins’ first official show in New York City since late 2019 and she’ll be joined by Americana group Chatham County Line and special guest Toshi Reagon.

Collins and Chatham County Line will warmly salute the season with songs from their collaborative album Winter Stories and more. Collins will also debut original songs from a to-be-announced new album to be released in early 2022.

Winter Stories was released in November of 2019, a collection of songs that capture the sounds and feeling of the winter season with new originals and classics such as Joni Mitchell’s “The River.” The “not so Christmas-y seasonal album” (Variety) led to a definitive New York Times profile, was deemed “marvelous” by the Boston Globe and spent four weeks as the #1 album on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart.

Despite several months of not touring, Collins did perform at The Town Hall in February of this year, in an empty venue due to the pandemic. She livestreamed the concert and released the recording in August as Judy Collins: Live At The Town Hall. She revisited a very similar set list to the concert she played on that same stage in 1964. Her 1964 Town Hall engagement was her first official solo headline concert in New York City, and was also recorded and released as a beloved album in her catalog (The Judy Collins Concert), performing songs that captured the tumult of the era.

Collins remains ever-prolific at 82. She has released five albums in the past five years, and in July launched a podcast that only Collins could host called Since You’ve Asked, in which she has refreshingly upfront, honest and revealing conversations with guests ranging from Jeff Daniels and Clive Davis to Christiane Amanpour. New episodes will debut early next year.

November 24, 2021
In Focus: Billy Strings Brings Tour to Wilkes-Barre
Billy Strings is filling arenas coast-to-coast in support of his latest album Renewal, and on Friday, November 19th saw Billy and his band come to Wilkes-Barre, PA to entertain the sold out Mohegan Sun Arena. Half way through the second set Billy brought out ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro.

While the rest of the band took a short break the duo debuted Smokin’ Strings, the collaboration that appeared on Jake’s recent album, Jake and Friends. The rest of the band soon returned as Jake remained for the rest of the show including a take of John Hartford’s All Fall Down which included an extended jam much to the delight of the rapturous crowd. See below of the setlist and photos from the show.

Billy Strings – Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, PA – November 19, 2021

Set 1: Ole Slewfoot, This Old World, While I’m Waiting Here, Heartbeat of American, Katy Daly, Ice Bridges, In the Morning Light, Libby Phillips Rag, Unwanted Love, Leaders, Wargasm

Set 2: Van Scoy Jingle, Thunder, Know it All > Ernest T. Grass > Little Maggie, Smokin’ Strings*, Nothing’s Working*, All Fall Down*, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town*, This Heart of Mnie*,

*with Jake Shimabukuro on ukulele
November 23, 2021
Runaway Gin: a Tribute to Phish, release 2022 Winter Tour Dates

With a fiery new rhythm section in tow, Runaway Gin has reemerged to rave reviews and are headed out on tour in 2022. They’ll make a long-awaited return to Saratoga Springs at Putnam Place on March 4, then perform at Mercury Lounge on March 5, before closing out the tour in Bridgeport, CT at Park City Music Hall.

The southern Phish tribute band’s recent Fall Tour has featured some huge jams, including a record breaking two-song first set on Friday, November 19, and four sets with less than four songs in their last two shows. This past Friday Joel Cummings (Umphrey’s McGee) joined the band for a break-neck rendition of ‘Maze’ in Richmond, VA.

The Winter 2022 Tour schedule includes returns to Jacksonville, Atlanta, Nashville, Winston-Salem, Roanoke, Washington, DC, Chicago, New York City, Ardmore, PA, and Saratoga Springs. The band will also have debut performances in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Bridgeport, CT.

Added shows include a debut performance at legendary Richmond, VA venue the National on April, 2nd, long awaited returns to the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC, and the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC, as well as returns to Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC at the Radio Room and Asheville Music Hall.

Tickets will be available for a limited presale at NOON EST today through Friday via Atributetophish.com/tour.
Public onsale begins Friday at noon at Atributetophish.com/tour.

For tour dates, videos and live recordings visit Runaway Gin’s website here complete with videos, posters, photos, and setlists. Follow Runaway Gin on Facebook.

Runaway Gin 2022 Winter Tour

January 20th – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
January 21st – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
January 22nd – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
February 3rd – Winston-Salem, NC – the Ramkat
February 4th – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
February 5th – Washington, DC – Pearl St. Warehouse
February 6th – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Live
February 9th – Columbus, OH – the Summit Music Hall
February 10th – Chicago, IL – the Point
February 11th – Indianapolis, IN – the Mouse Trap
February 12th – Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live
March 3th – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
March 4th – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Place
March 5th – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
March 6th – Bridgeport, CT – Park City Music Hall
April 2nd – Richmond, VA – the National
April 8th – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
April 9th – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
April 15th – Greenville, SC – the Radio Room
May 13th – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall
May 31 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House*
*post-Phish show, ‘Just the Covers’

Runaway Gin also recently released their first three song set from Salvage Station in Asheville earlier this month. VIDEO LINK

November 23, 2021
Ireland’s We Banjo 3 Announce Spring Tour Dates, Holiday Album

Irish acoustic band We Banjo 3 have announced the upcoming release of their first ever holiday album, along with their first American tour dates in nearly two years. A Winter Wonderful, an album featuring holiday tunes from their native country as well as the United States, will be available on all digital music platforms beginning December 3.

In support of this, We Banjo 3 toured the US for the first time in nearly two years throughout the first two weeks of December, and has announced Spring 2022 tour dates, including shows at City Winery in Manhattan, and Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.

WB3 will host their 2nd annual “A Winter Wonderful” livestream performance on Saturday, December 18 at 8 pm ET. Tickets, including ticket/merch bundles with new seasonal/limited-run offerings, are available at www.webanjo3.com. Each ticket purchase includes on-demand streaming access until New Year’s Day.

The friendships and kinships we’ve experienced on the road all over the world were interwoven into an incredible celebration last year during the pandemic with our livestreamed concerts. The holiday edition, ‘A Winter Wonderful,’ was a particular highlight, so we want to make it an annual tradition. We are so thrilled to return to the U.S. after close to 21 months off the road for our Winter Wonderful tour, which will include very special livestream on December 18^th direct from the Rocky Mountains. Our fans can celebrate the holiday season with our banjo family in venues and in their living rooms.
WB3’s Martin Howley

Since 2012, We Banjo 3 has toured the U.S. several times a year, building a passionate and loyal following. The Galway, Ireland quartet––comprised of two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley––have fine-tuned their knack for seamlessly converging the shared and varied traditions of Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music with pop-sensible songcraft to create a truly unique signature sound.

With a brilliant command of their instruments––banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and percussion––combined with a pop sensibility and an undeniable energy, their seamless blend of Americana/bluegrass/Celtic music has made them fan favorites at a diverse range of festivals including BottleRock, Summer Camp, ROMP, Wintergrass, Merlefest, Milwaukee Irish Fest and more.

Their most recent full-length album releases––Haven (2018) and Roots To Rise Live (2019)––each reached the #1 position on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart. See below for the track listing to A Winter Wonderful as well as tour date information.

Track listing for A Winter Wonderful:

1. Christmas in Prison (John Prine)
2. Sunrise at Solstice (We Banjo 3)
3. Driving Home for Christmas (Chris Rea)
4. We Three Kings (John Hopkins)
5. Joy to the World (Handel)
6. Silver Bells (Jay Livingston & Ray Evans)
7. Little Drummer Boy (Katherine Kennicott Davis)
8. The Wexford Carol (Traditional)

We Banjo 3 Spring 2022 ”Awaking Tour”

Sat, Jan 15—Weinberg Center for The Arts, Frederick, MD
Sun, Jan 16—Musikfest Café, Bethlehem, PA
Tues, Jan 18—City Winery, New York, NY
Wed, Jan 19—Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY
Thurs, Jan 20—The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA
Fri, Jan 21—Colonial Theatre, Keene, NH
Sat, Jan 22—Barre Opera House, Barre, VT
Sun, Jan 23—Stone Mountain Center, Brownfield, ME
Wed, Jan 26—Firehouse Arst Center, Pleasanton, CA
Thurs, Jan 27—Crystal Bay Club and Casino Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
Fri, Jan 28—The Sofia, Sacramento, CA
Sun, Jan 30—Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA
Wed, Feb 2—Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, AZ
Thurs, Feb 3—Yavapai College Performing Arts, Prescott, AZ
Fri, Feb 4—Webb Center For the Performing Arts, Wickenburg, AZ
Sat, Feb 5—Chandler Center for The Arts, Chandler, AZ
Sun, Feb 6—Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
Thurs, Feb 24—Tin Pan Listening Room, Richmond, VA
Fri, Feb 25—The Hamilton, Washington D.C.
Sat, Feb 26—Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD
Sun, Feb 27—Mr. Small’s Theater, Millvale, PA
Tues, Mar 1– Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
Wed, Mar 2—Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
Thurs, Mar 3—Kent State University, New Philadelphia, OH
Fri, Mar 4—Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH
Sat, Mar 5 & Sun, Mar 6—The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
Tues, Mar 8—The Playhouse at White Lake, Whitehall, WI
Wed, Mar 9—Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL
Thurs, Mar 10—Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI
Fri, Mar 11—Historic Temple Theatre, Viroqua, WI
Sat, Mar 12—Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
Sun, Mar 13—The Cedar, Minneapolis, MN
Fri, Mar 18—Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Owensboro, KY

*Tickets on sale now at www.webanjo3/tour

November 23, 2021
Alexander 23 Sells Out Webster Hall
Alexander 23 played a sold-out show at Webster Hall in New York City on Friday, November 19. Signing to Interscope records in 2019, the artist has quickly garnered a massive audience with his soft pop masterpieces. His debut single, “dirtyaf1s” instantly went viral and catapulted the artist to the top of streaming charts.

His knack for delicately layering airy vocals with unexpected instrumentals has not gone unnoticed. The artist has written and produced for fellow musicians, such as Role Model and mxmtoon. He also co-produced one of 2021’s biggest pop songs, “good 4 u”, performed by Olivia Rodrigo.

Despite the “Oh No, Not A Tour!” tour being his first-ever North American headline run, Alexander 23 commanded the stage with ease. Opening the show with “Cry Over Boys” off of his latest EP, Oh No, Not Again!, he instantly energized his young audience. As the night progressed, he played hits such as “girl”, “IDK You Yet”, and “Come Here and Leave Me Alone”.

Towards the end of his setlist, the artist took a moment to stray away from his releases and played a cover of Katy Perry’s hit single, “Teenage Dream”. The audience roared with approval and sang along so loudly that it became hard to hear Alexander 23’s vocals.

In between songs, the artist profusely expressed his gratitude for being able to make music and tour for a living. The crowd danced and sang along to each and every song, filling the room with the hallmark of a good concert — a light scent of sweat.
November 23, 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
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Returns to Caffe Lena
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band played two shows for the Caffe Lena crowd in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, November 19, 2021.

Playing in support of their April release, Dance Songs for Hard Times, the show, and album, conveyed the hopes and fears of pandemic living, including the bleak financial challenges detailed on the songs “Ways and Means” and “Dirty Hustlin’.” Payton pines for in-person reunions with loved ones on “No Tellin’ When,” and he pleads for celestial relief on the album-closing “Come Down Angels.”

Far from a depressing listen, Dance Songs lives up to its name by delivering action-packed riffs and rhythms across 11 songs. The country blues trio that won over crowds on more than one Warped Tour knows how to make an audience move.

Reverend Payton found itself sidelined from a relentless touring schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. Peyton says he was surprised when his mind and soul unleashed a batch of new songs in March and April of 2020. This also allowed Big Damn Band supporters around the world check in monthly for pay-what-you-can livestream performances that originate at the Peytons’ log cabin.

Back on tour and playing to an always supportive audience at Caffe Lena, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band put aside the hardships of this moment in history, to focus on music created so that it may help people through it, as it seems to help Peyton through it as well.

Setlist: You Can’t Steal My Shine, Ways and Means, Give me Back My Wig, Plainfield Blues, Poor Until Payday, Dirty Hustlin’, No Telling When, Nell, My Old Man Boogie, Too Cool to Dance, Train Song
November 22, 2021
The Ritualists Announce Album Release Party for Baroque & Bleeding in NYC

The Ritualists announced their album release party for their sophomore album Baroque & Bleeding taking place in NYC. The release party will take place on December 3, 2021 at 6:30PM at the Berlin venue in NYC.

The Ritualist are a NYC based band that had their debut album drop back in 2019 titled, Painted People. The band is lead by Lead vocalist/songwriter Christian Dryden who is massively influenced by the scene of the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 80’s. The band has an alt-rock and post-punk sound that plays off of 19th Century Romance poetry and musical arrangements.

https://youtu.be/MJ5kH4BJy0E

The band’s sophomore album Baroque & Bleeding dropped it’s title track “Baroque & Bleeding” on July 10, 2021 and it takes the best elements of Acid Rock, Brit-Pop and Electronica and serves it with a dash of ‘90s cynicism. The album was produced by Ed Buller who is known for his work on Pulp, White Lies, Suede.

The album release show took place on Friday, December 3, 2021at Berlin located at 25 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. The show is a 21+ event and is being promoted as, “A night of rock-n-roll in the heart of the East Village.” The show is being supported by NY based Deep Sea Peach Tree and Chicago Based North by North. Ticket can be purchased for $11 here.

For more information on The Ritualists and their upcoming album Baroque & Bleeding visit their website.

November 22, 2021