It was a calm, quiet Wednesday night in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. With the streets hardly packed, some headed home to end their evenings early, others made their way to the Subway for their night shifts, while scattered groups searched for a potential brouhaha to jumpstart their night. New York City has a suis generis aura because not only is it one of the world’s marquee Metropolitis, but it is also the cultural hub of the world. And on any given night something amazing could be happening around the corner.
Such was the atmosphere inside the intimate setting of Blue Note Jazz Club. Founded in 1981, Blue Note’s motto is centered around preserving the history of jazz, according to their website. “The club is a place where progression and innovation – the foundations of jazz – are encouraged and practiced on a nightly basis…while regularly showcasing up-and-coming jazz, soul, hip-hop, R&B and funk artists” and has seen the likes of Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, and Quincy Jones grace their stage.
But on this night, Blue Note did not play host to any developing talent, but rather two established hip hop legends. For two consecutive nights on August 24 & 25, GZA of the Wu Tang Clan headlined the culturally historic club accompanied by Talib Kweli and of course live music as the Phunky Nomads shared the stage with the two hip hop greats.
Thus, on a cozy summer night the two Brooklynite’s performed a medley of records that reminded those in attendance of a simpler time in the world. Fans lightly serenaded the club, singing along to some of GZA and Wu Tang Clan’s more recognizable records and even some album cuts.
GZA is a master of his craft, so it came as no surprise that he had memorized not only his rhymes, but those of his groupmates as well, performing several verses from the deceased Ol’ Dirty Bastard and other Clan members. In one sequence in particular, the Liquid Swords emcee began performing the Clan’s hit record, “Triumph.” You know, the one where Inspectah Deck “lyrically performs armed robbery” before transitioning into “Shame on a N***a” and performing ODB’s verse.
The live music only added to the atmosphere as the Phunky Nomads took command of each record, seamlessly sequencing between jazz, classical, funk, hip hop and rock instrumentation. They made each record their own, evident when GZA began performing “C.R.E.A.M.” backed with classical sounding music (They even did a rendition of The O’Jays’ “For The Love of Money”). Their choice of musical direction often kept the audience on edge, wondering what new possible twist they would put to classic Clan records.
Up and coming artist, Nick Vivid, released his new single “Hush Money (Straight to the Bribe)” on August 18, 2021 off his upcoming album No More Secrets.
Nick Vivid hails from Buffalo, NY and creates music that is a blend of indie electronic funk that has blends of soul and blues throughout it. Between his father being a radio DJ and his mother loving glam rock Nick Vivid was always surrounded by music which shaped and formed his musical style and taste. He currently resides in New York City and works with Bill Aucoin who is the original manager of KISS and Billy Idol.
The single “Hush Money (Straight to the Bribe)” was released in anticipation of his upcoming album No More Secrets which will drop on November 12, 2021. He has two albums out Nicksploitation which was released in 2017 and Blissed Out which was released in 2019 but his new album is going to be a bit different than these previous albums. This album will revolve around themes of the loss of both of his parents in recent years and the life lessons he’s learned from what he calls “intensive meditative pandemic soul searching.”
Nick Vivid spoke on the newest single to his repertoire saying that the single is about what he’s learned from observing people making decisions based on self-serving fear and greed. He elaborated on this saying, “The ‘bribe’ in the song is the alluring ‘shortcut’ to the fake ‘easier’ solution. But for me, that doesn’t work. I’ve tried.”
The new single “Hush Money (Straight to the Bribe)” definitely plays into multi-instrumentalist Nick Vivid’s indie electronic funk sound. It almost sounds like a blast right out of the past. It features a simplistic yet captivating beat that goes around and around in your head and you will find yourself bobbing side to side without even meaning to it while listening.
For more information on Nick Vivid and his upcoming album No More Secrets and new single “Hush Money (Straight to the Bribe)” check out his website.
Lake Street Dive performed for a sold-out crowd Sunday night at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. The show marked their third date on a U.S. tour promoting their acclaimed new record Obviously.
Formed in 2004, Lake Street Dive first gained viral recognition after a series of sidewalk singing videos and a jazzy, lilting cover of “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, highlighting lead singer Rachael Pierce’s powerhouse voice.
The group has always incorporated aspects of jazz, pop, soul and R&B into their offbeat covers and originals, and on Obviously the blend has never sounded more seamless. With production from Grammy-winning hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo, each song delicately showcases each band members mind-blowing musical capability while keeping a brisk, light pace. Though the production quality is notable, the “magic in a bottle” the quartet captures live has energized their fan base for years. Sunday was far from the first time the band has drawn a crowd to Shelburne or Burlington.
Though Hurricane Henri’s clouds were especially menacing on the eve of the show, they didn’t stop attendees, lawn chairs in hand, from flocking to the outdoor venue. Canadian musician Allison Russell, who will open for LSD on a few tour dates, kicked the night off with songs from her latest album, Outside Child. Supported by Larissa Maestro on the cello and Mandy Fer, of the band Sway Wild on electric guitar, Russell’s mesmerizing voice anchored the opening set. A light rainfall at sunset got the crowd excited. Many shouldered on rain jackets and rushed to the stage to celebrate the imminent rainbow as Russell belted her soul out on “Nightflyer.”
As mentioned, Vermont is no stranger to a good LSD show. The excitement for their set was palpable as fans of all ages rushed the barrier, eagerly awaiting the group to step on stage. The bounce of Pierce’s red hair as she strutted onstage sent waves of cheers through the crowd, soon replaced by dancing as the band jumped onto the steppy, yacht-rock tempo of opener “Know That I Know.” Pierce’s unique and show stopping voice does front flips over the bands steady, physical grooves.
Leading into an older song, “Mistakes,” Pierce took the mic to speak about the band’s return to touring.
“We’re a little rusty, and we’re gonna have to make some mistakes,” she said. “But we have to play through the mistakes. You play through the mistakes because you don’t want to teach yourself to fear the mistakes.”
The statement felt deeply relatable and also ironic, as the group went on to play a harmonious, heart-pumping 19-song set. Lake Street Dive have been playing together for nearly two decades, and their musical bond and attunedeness to each other were apparent with every beat.
Though founding member Mike “McDuck” Olsen departed the band after 17 years this May, the music feels anything but lacking. Touring keyboardist Akie Bermiss, who officially joined the band in 2017, is the perfect foil to Pierce’s vocals, apparent on the soaring and playful duet “Same Old News.” As both a keyboardist and vocalist, Bermiss is as versatile as he is singular.
Performing “Alone Again,” a Bermiss release with Greg Mayo, his vivid scenes and casually bleak humor are an exciting contrast to an initially mourning piano riff. The line “I’m learning how to microbrew” struck a chord in craft-beer heavy VT. “He knows his audience,” a woman laughed to her friend as they swayed to the beat.
Bassist Bridget Kearney, a commanding force within the band from the start, inarguably showed her prowess, absolutely shredding an upright bass as nimbly as an electric guitar. On standout performance of “Neighbor Song,” a track from Lake Street Dive’s 2010 self-titled project, Kearney’s gentle performance was expressive and haunting, psychically in tune with Pierce’s lilting cabaret-style performance.
After the emotional “Nobody’s Stopping You Now,” the band came together at the center of the stage and performed three quieter numbers, “Stop Crying,” “Feels Like The Last Time,” and “Neighbor Song,” every one of them to lush harmonies. In moments like these, it’s clear how the band can combine and defy genres so smoothly; they have the skill to do so.
After closing their main set with the arena-worthy crowd favorite “Good Kisser,” the band happily came on for a 2-song encore. They performed Obviously’s stunning closer “Sarah,” the complex harmonies of which could comfortably fit over a full symphony. As the band closed with a cover of The Beatles’ classic “Don’t Let Me Down,” a full moon peeked out from behind the clouds.
Lake Street Dive’s Sunday show captured what makes them so great: their playfulness and skill, their eclectic interest in genre-bending rhythms and the pure joy they capture in so many of their songs. One could even say the band captured what’s so great about live music in general – a band and their audience, grooving together in heartbreak, happiness or healing over the same beat.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Senior Living, Fenton Hardy and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Senior Living
Senior Living is a punk and shoegaze band from Albany, NY. Like the best of both worlds, their music is meant to be listened to with the volume cranked all the way up (their Instagram bio makes note of this, simply stating “bring earplugs yo”). On Senior Living’s debut album, Anniversaries, they combine both genres with ease, offering a plausible answer to how Green Day might sound covering My Bloody Valentine, or vice versa. The best tracks to showcase this fusion are the album’s shortest and longest tracks: opener “Carousel,” and penultimate song “Sourir.”
Fenton Hardy
Fenton Hardy’s five-minute “Morose” is much sunnier than its title suggests. The opening track from his EP, The Ghost, it references those Mondays where we don’t feel like getting out of bed: “Friday, you taste like honey / Oh Monday, like tequila and regret.” Nevertheless, it encourages the listener to face the day ahead. The keyboard and bass have lots to do here, acting as the intro and outro respectively.
Sarah King
Vermont singer-songwriter Sarah King puts a feminist spin on folk ballads with her EP, The Hour. She describes “Poison” as “a soul-country anthem inspired by [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and her strength dealing with men belittling her.” The title stems from the lyric, “I gave you a taste of your own medicine, and you say I poisoned you.” Each of The Hour’s five songs approach feminism, empowerment and trauma from a different angle, including a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” The EP was produced by Simone Felice (The Lumineers, Jade Bird), who was impressed after King cold-emailed him.
Under the hazy light of 2021’s August Full Moon, it became apparent that attendees of Fred The Festival at LOCKN’ Farm were, in fact, getting involved. Fred, a festival hosted by Goose, included side projects of the band itself like Vasudo, Elephantproof, and the aGOOSEtic trio, as well as Peter Anspach’s debut acoustic solo performance. The festival provided a refreshing and wholesome interpretation of what a music festival could look like without ever compromising on the quality of production and music.
Stormy weather
Is It The Wind Upon My Neck?
Turned Clouds
Despite threatening skies that seem to always make for the most beautiful sunset, security guards seemed disinterested in the potential weather and said that the storms always passed behind the farm. They did.
Is It The Glowing Of The Moon?
On the weekend of August 20-22. the full moon illuminated the rolling fields at Lockn Farms in Arrington, VA.
It is said that if a seeker perceives their environment to be safe, then the light of a full moon can illuminate new intuitive understanding about how to navigate through darkness or uncertain times. New and excellent music can be medicinal in properties. ElephantProof gave the entire crowd a dose of the rare form of stoke that only comes from that ear-tingly reserved only for future favorite artists.
Sam Bardini and Andrew Goedde making Garcia’s Forest a safer, brighter, more musical place
The real magic of this moon, this gathering, and this grand reveal was that many found out just how loved they were by their chosen family. The plot twist theme seemed to be that the haze hills and dark pathways were much easier to navigate when in the company of others.
Oasis in the depth of the night illuminated by the Lover’s hoops and serenaded by the wise minstrel himself
It proved to be especially helpful when that company happened to be carrying an illuminated hula hoop at a silent disco half way back to camp. Doey Joey and Becky provided more than just a boogie-down pit stop. They offered their love and shared their creativity without hesitation. Those wise guiding lights and silent dances helped some of those that might have been lost to find their way.
The more time I spend with this (Goose) community the more I realize⦠the people you do things with become a part of you and who you will be. In your blood, family.
Doey Joey
Seekers On The Ridge
LOCKN’ Farm hosted Fred the Festival. At about a day’s drive for most participants, the rolling hills are located in the midst of the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains. The environment allowed for all seekers on the ridge to separate themselves completely from everyday responsibilities. To truly detach allowed for the examination and reevaluation of moonlit discoveries.
Get Involved
The rolling hills and open fields provided the perfect place for games. The “Get Involved Games” were held on the lawn adjacent to the main stage and in front of the much smaller Porch Stage. Color coded teams assembled every morning to play games like tug-of-war, noodle hockey and giant Jenga. Band and crew members captained the teams and provided support from afar due to Covid restrictions.
Participants were actively partying less because they did not want to let their team down during the games. One team member recalled meeting with the captain bright and early to discuss potential strategies for the games ahead. A festival that had games scheduled during an hour that required early bed times with dedicated participants begs the question of if Fred the Festival itself have been an illusion.
In Search Of An Honest Place To Call My Home
Elmeg in Love
One dedicated couple chose Fred to be the place for wedding vow renewals in celebration of their five-year wedding anniversary. After enduring years of tumultuous societal overtones, this couple learned what it truly meant to find meaning in the grounding comfort of the earth and all it has to offer. They live and love in harmony with the land and have honed the ability find joy in the most uncommon places (hint: turn over a rotting log and watch her lose her mind at all the fungi growing). Multi-tiered snow forts and multi colored livestreams filled their time together until restrictions were lifted enough to dawn their chef and spaghetti costumes for Halloween at South Farms in Connecticut way back in November. Goose helped them stay involved with each other.
Adorable Hour
One benefit to waking up early, regardless of game status, was seeing Goose Guitarist Keyboardist, Vocalist Peter Anspach deliver his first solo set on the extremely intimate Porch Stage setup. What could easily make a fabulous segment on a TV show, some fans had their heart strings pulled at the music so much that they lovingly came up with the segment intro that goes a little something like, “On this episode of The Adorable Hour with Peter Anspach: Things that make you say, “Aww.” Peter’s set truly showcased a side of vulnerability and artistic ability in himself that created a bond between the crowd and the man in only the way accepting someone when they try something new can. To lead by example in that difficult and personal way set a precedent for others to take into consideration what can be gained with honesty and vulnerability.
Danny taking a compliment
It is said that the moon represents illusion and that what might have been seen under the moonlight could have been skewed. Fred the Festival revealed the depth of misinterpretation held about what a music festival should look like. Many traveled far and wide to attend even just a day of FRED, but it was not simply a music festival to which they were so drawn. The seekers were drawn to an evolution from participants to chosen family that has occurred over the last year as a result of what Goose likes to call “getting involved.” A little over a year ago, many seekers met in chat boards during the virtual interactive Bingo Tour. As reopening began, many of the people that met and remained in contact through message boards and streaming chat rooms got to meet in person and form more personal connections.
Many felt the undying support and safety of this familial bond. Conditions like these made it possible for some to consider seeing their own inner beauty. Fred was a safe place to consider possibilities like being more athletic, or to smile genuinely in a photo.
So Ready
Disco gaggle
Fred the Festival was special because this time, it seemed like not only were most of the usual subjects present, but it was like some sort of family reunion. Those that were meeting for the first time appeared to connect through shared love for a mutual fan friend or their favorite show. The amount of streaming music Goose has put out over the last year has been a great unifier for fans.
Fearless leader and contributor to the “El Goose Times” Marc Komito, aka “Scarf Guy”
Attendees of Fred the Festival truly appeared to begin to reveal their true nature of filling familial gaps for those lonely or in need. Goose cane-wielding uncles were able to connect with grandparents of tie dye wearing sloth mayors.
Children attended and parents were rejuvenated by remembering what it was like to see live music for the first time and connect with others that shared the same values. Walking the pathways during the day or night seemed like endless reunion after reunion. Grand reunions, quick catchups and then boogying down to a song seemed to be the pattern repeating over and over.
Take Your Troubles
Brothers at boards
The complete synergy among the crew illuminated group flow with familial bonds stretching out further than the Goeddes. At front of house, the flow between Sam Bardini and Andrew Goedde was reminiscent of a synchronized wingsuit team. Sound and light existed as one and because Sam and Goedde can pivot and finesse knowing the other will by right there without having to speak. If they did take the time to talk about what adjustment they might make next, the moment would have been long gone.
Goedde flexing
This healthy, family relationship atmosphere reflects in both the product as well as the constant inspiration and motivation for everyone on crew to push their craft to the next level. This transcends the band, the crew and the attendees. Everyone seemed to be excited for another’s new venture as if they were a proud grandma.
Having a chance to be away from “real life” created a new space for gratitude as well as a space to accept new music. Fred removed any stress that might disallow the space to give new music a try. Some attendees recalled a time where listening to one song or one set helped sooth anxiety during shutdown. The signs of curiosity indicated for many that their mental space was improving as the country began some semblance of a reopening.
Cory finding optimal position for photosynthesis
Stand out performer Cory Wong captivated the audience with attention grabbing musical know-how, a charismatic band and his charming personality. There were no still feet to be found because everyone seemed to be up and dancing for Cory’s set. To win over an audience largely filled with fans that have only been out to see one act and one act only spoke volumes for those that took notice. One die hard “Gong Gang” member recalled giving Cory’s set a few minutes because the nautical shirt was reminiscent of Jeff’s sailor hat. That person ended up staying the whole set and could not wait to listen to more of Cory’s music on the way home.
The Don
Mayor Little Baby Crepes making his rounds
To travel far and wide to be with people that mean a lot and for one common connector, like Goose, had words like “family” and “vacation” being used a lot. It was rare to hear the words “music festival” because it felt like so much more than that.
Guess the song you think this face happened for!
Fred the Festival was the result of the entire Goose community working hard over the last year to cultivate an atmosphere that is conducive to those that might not normally consider a music festival an option. The Hot Tea Party on Facebook had a showing of fans in recovery and made sure to provide support for anyone that might have been struggling.
Metamorphasis
The festival allowed for participants to come together, play games, be themselves and have a safe space for contemplation. Led by a strong production and management team, the three-day music family vacation event felt extremely wholesome and like “pure happiness.”
Aptly named “Santa Todd” on instagram, one outlier story must not be overlooked. One couple found at one of the cornhole stations admitted to never having heard Goose before and shared that they were attending to see Dawes.
New fan Santa Todd
Santa Todd and Mrs. Santa (Michelle) ended up staying for both sets of Goose and quickly understood the draw.
Goose recently announced that their annual Goosemas show will be on December 12 at Mohegan Sun. Be sure to coordinate with Goose Family to get everyone covered for tickets. The presale lottery was reported to move slowly which is usually an indicator of a quick sell out.
Griselda head honcho, Westside Gunn, is back releasing music. After teasing retirement from rapping with 2020’s Who Made the Sunshine (his third release of the year), the FlyGod is back with his first release in 10 months (long breaks between projects is a rarity in Griselda land). This is the 8th edition of the popular mixtape series which played a big part in his and Griselda’s ascension.
The 13-track, 40-minute EP features usual Westside Gunn collaborators in Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Stove God Cooks, AA Rashid and 2020 Griselda records signee, Boldy James. The mixtape also sees appearances from Jadakiss, DJ Clue and Lil Wayne, who is making a habit of teaming up on tracks with the boys from Buffalo.
In Griselda fashion, Westside Gunn also managed to tease more music while promoting his incoming project. In an Instagram post disclosing the track-list, Westside Gunn captioned the image “Side A,” teasing a possible double album for fans to look forward to. He subtly disclosed his plans for a two-sided project in an Instagram post promoting his GXFR jean brand.
Late Night Work!!!!!! GXFR x @purple_brand jeans getting made and shipped, we’re down to the last 100 pair so if your waiting thank you for your patience it’s worth the wait these are all made by hand that’s why it was a preorder … but this Fri. I’m starting to do online drops again limited and ART sale, I’m going back to doing what I love the most Fashion, ART, and Curation, I just had to take some time off to make an AOTY contender and classic NO SKIPS on a double album BLIENTELE.com this FRI. #GXFR#ART#CULTURE#ICON#PURPLEBRAND
“Side B” of HWH8 will presumably release next week, while the unconventional rollout is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking that the FlyGod prides himself on.
The latest Griselda release can be streamed through all available services.
The Central Park “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” was cut short Saturday, August 21 due to approaching Hurricane Henri. The announcement was made over the PA system in the middle of singer Barry Manilow’s set. Those in attendance were urged to move to the nearest exits and “proceed to outside of the park.”The concert was originally scheduled from 5pm to 10pm, but was abruptly shut down just after 8pm.
Despite the rain, concert organizer and music mogul Clive Davis along with Mayor De Blasio desperately tried to get the show restarted. Unfortunately it was to no avail as the rain was at its heaviest during 9pm and 10pm (a record-setting rainfall for Central Park). The concert was supposed to be the grand finale after a week of other homecoming concerts throughout the city.
Although We Love NYC concert was cut short, the 60,000 fans in attendance still got to witness some pretty amazing performances. “CBS This Morning” host Gayle King kicked off the show by introducing the New York Philharmonic. They performed a bunch of New York themed instrumentals including Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” featuring Billy’s former saxophone player Richie Cannata, and “Theme From New York, New York” made famous by Frank Sinatra. Then italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who himself had a recent battle with covid, joined the Philharmonic for beautiful renditions of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “O Sole Mio”. Before leaving he told the crowd “After a storm comes always the sun.” It was an emotional moment.
Also joining the Philharmonic was Jennifer Hudson who stars as Aretha Franklin in the new biopic “Respect.” As a tribute to “The Queen of Sole” she performed “Nessun Dorma” which Franklin sang at the 1998 Grammy Awards as a last minute replacement for Luciano Pavarotti. Jennifer did not disappoint. It was a wonderful tribute that Aretha herself would have been proud of.
At this point the man of the hour himself, Clive Davis came out and greeted the crowd. He also introduced one of his good friends Carlos Santana who performed “Maria, Maria” with Wyclef Jean. He also performed the 1999 hit “Smooth” with Rob Thomas.
Singer Kane Brown also made a quick appearance. He performed his 2018 hit “Homesick” as well as his 2020 single “Be Like That.”
Senator Chuck Schumer was also on hand. He introduced Journey who also played Jones Beach Theater the same night at the Never Forget 9/11 concert. There performance was explosive as lead singer Arnel Pineda belted out “Any Way you Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” Yet another memorable moment.
Perhaps the best performance of the night goes to grammy award winner and hip hop legend L.L. Cool J. His set tuned into a hip hop lovers trip down memory lane. He was joined by fellow legend Rev Run as they performed the Run-DMC classic “It’s Tricky.” He also brought out Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s Scorpio and Melle Mel and performed one of the earliest hip hop songs ever recorded “The Message.” Other hip hop stars like Busta Ryhmes, Spliff Star, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, French Montana and A Boogie also contributed to Uncle L’s set.
Then, “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert came out and introduced Jon Batiste. He only performed one song, “Freedom”, but it was fantastic.
Perhaps the least favorite guest of the night was New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The 60,000 strong crowd greeted him with a round of boo’s, but he was able to get them back and he and his wife introduced the next performers Earth, Wind and Fire. They had recently released a new version of their hit song “You Want My Love” and performed it live for the first time with R&B start Babyface. They also sang their 1978 hit “September” with Babyface and Lucky Daye.
At this point of the show, we were starting to get warnings about the incoming weather as plastic tarps were brought out and put over the cameras and other equipment. Cnn anchor Don Lemon came out at this point and introduced Barry Manilow who was cut off in the middle of “Can’t Smile Without You.” It was just a few minutes later that the heavens opened up and New York City experienced the heaviest rain it has seen in years.
Still scheduled to perform was The Killers, Patti Smith with Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon who was waiting in his nearby apartment for word on weather the concert was going to resume. Unfortunately it did not resume but now Mayor De Blasio and Clive Davis are in talks to discuss a possible We Love NYC 2.0 Concert in the near future. NYSMusic.com will keep you up to date as soon as any new developments are made.
The Kitchen has reached the organization’s 50th year of vanguard programming, continuing its work in highlighting experimental artists and composers. The Kitchen was actually among one the very first American institutions to embrace fields of video and performance when it was founded in 1971.
The Kitchen continues to be one New York City’s oldest non-profit spaces that has shaped countless careers by being a powerful force to help define the American avant-garde. This season will feature residency-performances that go beyond the limitations of art-making and presentation. Both celebratory and introspective, these events push the audience to revisit The Kitchen’s pivotal work throughout history. As this season begins, Legacy Russellstarts her role as Executive Director & Chief Curator, while Tim Griffinleaves his position after a decade.
Nevertheless, The Kitchen houses two residencies this upcoming fall. First, a comedian, artist, and writer named Sophia Cleary will be performing her standup material, One & Only. This material will delve into the relationship between audience and performer. Next, we’ll hear from Alex Tatarsky’s residency. With overwhelming reviews, Rachel James in BOMB describes her as an “artist, poet, absurd ranter, and avid lover of trees, clowns, and dirt.”
In addition, The Kitchen will also feature the multifaceted musician, poet, and visual artist Moor Mother. She celebrates the release of her album Black Encyclopedia of the Air. Without a doubt, this evening will be filled with music from the synth duo Anteloper featuring their trumpet, drums, and synths (obviously). Also Undoing Language: Early Performance Works by Brian O’Doherty will celebrate the 93-year-old artist. During this performance you can also hear from vocalist and composer, Holland Andrews, not to mention Claire Chase who has finally released Density 2036 part viii after 26 years of commissioning. In the exhibition In Support, we’ll hear features from Fia Backström, Francisca Benítez,Papo Colo, and Clynton Lowry.
The Kitchen’s anticipated Annual Benefit Gala, will be held September 14, 2021. Of course, the event honors CindyShermanand Debbie Harry. These two artists are known for their impact on photography and music history. It’s easy to forget that both of these artists are actually The Kitchen veterans. After all, Sherman made her New York debut with Untitled Film Stills at The Kitchen in 1980, and Harry performed in Dubbed in Glamour the same year. Unfortunately these tributes were postponed from last year’s gala due to the pandemic. However, the event will also welcome artists like singer/songwriter and hip hop violinist Bri Blvckand L’Rain. Their work has been described as having “wearied landscapes of synth, air horn, strings, and saxophone [that] distill a suite of low moods … into resilience and hope” (Pitchfork).
The gala also provides an opportunity to introduce Legacy Russell and recognize Tim Griffin’s relentless work. Russell’s background with The Studio Museum in Harlem includes leading the organization’s renowned Artist-in-Residence program and organizing numerous exhibitions. Furthermore, her academic, curatorial work, and research have revolved around the intersection with Black and queer visual culture.
Virtual programming from last year has led to new Video Viewing Room presentations. This monthly series showcases recent and archival video alongside contextualizing media and writing. The first months of the season will feature a new video short by Jen Liu. This video poses as a response to archival materials surrounding Fred Ho’s opera Warrior Sisters: The New Adventures of African and Asian Womyn Warriors, which was conveniently staged at The Kitchen in 2000. Recent video work, text, images, and research references are from Ilana Harris-Babou.
Fall 2021 Schedule and Descriptions
The Kitchen Gala Benefit
Honoring Debbie Harry and Cindy Sherman
And Welcoming the Next Avant-Garde with Performances by Bri Blvck, L’Rain, and More
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
512 W. 19th St.
The Kitchen and a star-studded, wide-ranging benefit committee including JiaJia Fei, Doreen Garner, Tyler Mitchell, Antwaun Sargent, Chloë Sevigny, and Qualeasha Wood, to name a few, gather supporters to celebrate Debbie Harry and Cindy Sherman, The Kitchen’s vast, rich history, and the future of the avant-garde. The milestone event begins at 6pm with cocktails, followed at 7:30pm by dinner and a program featuring special performances from Bri Blvck, L’Rain; a welcome to Legacy Russell; and a tribute to Tim Griffin. April Hunt and Stretch Armstrong DJ the after party, from 9:30pm-12am.
Moor Mother
Sunday, September 19, 7pm. $15
512 W. 19th St.
Multifaceted musician, poet, and visual artist Moor Mother returns to The Kitchen with a new electronic set to celebrate the release of Black Encyclopedia of the Air (ANTI- Records), an album that speaks to “memory and imprinting and the future, all of them wafting through untouched space like the ghostly cinders of a world on fire, unbound and uncharted, vast and stretching across the universe.” Trumpet, drums, and synth duo Anteloper (Jaimie Branch and Jason Nazary) shares the evening. Organized by Lumi Tan, Senior Curator.
Sophia Cleary: One & Only
In residence September 20–October 2
512 W. 19th St.
Sophia Cleary is in residence to develop a stand-up comedy show for an audience of one person. Developed from the comedic material she has performed in recent years, Cleary uses the frame of the black box theater to explore the limits of connection between performer and audience using intimacy as her medium. One & Only is a performance series where each show is borne of the unique connection between Cleary and her audience. Each performance simultaneously celebrates and upsets 1:1 power dynamics, and asks: “How does the apparatus of theater support or disrupt a relationship?” Directed by Sara Lyons. Lighting Design by Madeline Best. Organized by Matthew Lyons, Curator.
Video Viewing Room: Jen Liu >< Fred Ho /// Electropore >< Warrior Sisters Available to view beginning the week of September 27, 2021
Online: The Kitchen OnScreen
Artist Jen Liu premieres a new video short, Electropore, as part of her ongoing project Pink Slime Caesar Shift (2017–present). Through this new piece, Liu responds to the work of composer, baritone saxophonist, and activist Fred Ho (1957– 2014), whose foundational concepts—political revolution through artistic form, Black and Asian American coalition building, matriarchal socialism, and capitalism as biotoxicity—continue to resonate today. Liu will present Electropore in tandem with archival materials related to the sci-fi opera from which it draws inspiration: Warrior Sisters: The New Adventures of African and Asian Womyn Warriors, by Ho and librettist Ann T. Greene, staged at The Kitchen in 2000. The Video Viewing Room will also feature working materials that draw out Liu’s conceptual affinities with Ho and her reframing of the original opera within an anonymous and electrified/digitized paradigm, as the extension of her own explorations of contemporary labor activism, grassroots genetic engineering, and femme filiation. Organized by Alison Burstein, Curator, Media and Engagement.
Undoing Language: Early Performance Works by Brian O’Doherty
Friday, October 8, 7pm. Tickets $15
512 W. 19th St.
This program brings together early performance works by artist, art critic, poet, and novelist Brian O’Doherty that engage with the breakdown of language into vowels that are isolated from meaning and enunciated as bodily sounds. It will include the first-ever performance of Vowel Chorus for Five Voices (1968) by the vocal ensemble Ekmeles; the movement and sound work Vowel Grid (1970) for two performers; and a new commission by vocalist and composer Holland Andrews, who will unpack the layers of the O’Doherty’s vowel performances and poems in a soundscape. At age 93, this program recognizes O’Doherty’s role as an artist who created a substantial body of performance works when he made works engaging with the performativity of language and how it interacts with the performance of the “self,” but also led the first national funding for performance and media art at the National Endowment for the Arts in 1970s, making an indelible mark on the New York performance art scene. Guest curated by Lucy Cotter.
Alex Tatarsky
In residence October 20–November 22
512 W. 19th St.
Performance artist Alex Tatarsky will create a laboratory for performance research, thinking through the opportunity of a residency as a home—a “residence”—to revisit latent ideas and cultivate unhinged processes within the framework of an institution, a context that can often inhibit individual values and experimentation. Taking inspiration from Palace of Depression, a mansion constructed of detritus in Depression-era New Jersey, Tatarsky imagines constructing an opulent home for one’s darkest feelings. Principles of assemblage shape improvisations guided by discarded objects and materials to probe our relationship to decay, and the things we push out of sight. Tatarsky will work with a group of collaborators who will provide performance prompts, or give insights into their process in order for Tatarsky to potentially inhabit their practices. Each week, the public will be invited in for studio visits and guided tours, which additionally serve as performative acts. Organized by Lumi Tan, Senior Curator.
Video Viewing Room: Ilana Harris-Babou
Available to view beginning the week of October 25, 2021
Online: The Kitchen OnScreen
Artist Ilana Harris-Babou presents recent video work, along with related materials such as text, images, and research references. In the artist’s words, her work “speaks the aspirational language of consumer culture, using humor as a means to digest painful realities. Her work confronts the contradictions of the American Dream: the ever unreliable notion that hard work will lead to upward mobility and economic freedom.” Organized by Alison Burstein, Curator, Media and Engagement.
In Support
Group exhibition featuring works by Fia Backström, Francisca Benítez, Papo Colo, and Clynton Lowry
Opening November 2021
512 W. 19th Street
The word support commonly appears in language describing the aims and activities of mission-driven, nonprofit institutions like The Kitchen. This exhibition invites four artists to reflect on what this term means in practice within institutional contexts, asking: How do institutions rely on cycles of providing and receiving support? In what ways do institutions position themselves in support of people, projects, or causes? Is support inherently good? Participating artists will create new works that animate the interlocking structural, fiscal, interpersonal, and ideological systems underpinning institutions. Highlighting interstitial spaces in which artists, staff, and audience members commonly enact or accept support in its manifold forms, these works will be installed in sites such as The Kitchen’s lobby, production workshop, administrative offices, and roof. While realizing In Support, the artists and the institution’s staff members will work collaboratively to negotiate the opportunities—and grapple with the limitations—of how support functions within and beyond The Kitchen. Organized by Alison Burstein, Curator, Media and Engagement.
Claire Chase: Density 2036, part viii
December 9–11
512 W. 19th St.
Celebrated flutist Claire Chase returns to The Kitchen to perform the world premieres of new compositions by composers Ann Cleare, Matana Roberts, Lu Wang, and Bora Yoon, commissioned by Chase as part of her 26-year Density 2036 project to find radical, new musical terrain for the flute and its community in the 21st century. Organized by Matthew Lyons, Curator.
As anyone who has seen the TV series Painting with John can attest, John Lurie is a storyteller of the highest order. In his new memoir, The History of Bones (Penguin Random House), Lurie weaves a gloriously gritty, informative and entertaining portrait of Downtown NYC in the 1980s. The universe below 14th Street was a creative cauldron where edgy musicians, filmmakers and fine artists – giants like Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, Madonna, Bowie, Eno and Jim Jarmusch to name a few – co-existed and often collaborated to create art that still casts a profound influence on today’s culture. As for Lurie, he ultimately emerged as a player in all these spheres. He was a uniquely stylish lout with the driest of wit, someone dubbed “The Coolest Man of Earth” by a host of style arbiters for a multitude of very good reasons.
John Lurie was a true “It Boy” of this mythic era when Downtown NYC was cheap, dangerous and full of creative action. He was co-founder, chief composer and the angular “face” of The Lounge Lizards – the sharp-suited, globe-trotting punk jazzbos who helped define the “No Wave” genre. As his musical light started to shine, Lurie added a high-profile acting career to his creative portfolio. This came via scene-stealing roles in Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise and Down by Law, Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and others. The relentlessly touring musician also somehow found time to score 20 films including 1995’s Get Shorty, which earned him an Oscar nomination. And before he devoted his creative energies almost entirely to visual art in the early 2000s, Lurie garnered more limelight via romances with boldfaced names like model Veronica Webb and Uma Thurman, by cat walking for European fashion designers and in a vast number of interviews – ones where he pulled no punches in his controversial assessments of his contemporaries and the entertainment business writ large.
Like Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Volume One, The History of Bones only tells part of this artist’s sprawling story. It concludes with a performance in Stuttgart on the New Year’s Eve 1989, as a new decade and artistic sensibility dawns in Downtown NYC. His subsequent years out of the spotlight due to chronic Lyme’s Disease, along with his development as a painter, his first TV series Fishing with John and musical ventures like his bluesman alter-ego, Marvin Pontiac, and his John Lurie National Orchestra, are only referenced in passing. But, oh what a story it is, even in part! And unlike the mumble-prone Dylan, I cannot wait to get my hands, err ears, on the audiobook version of Lurie’s memoir. It is sure to be told in a comic deadpan that brings to mind the Godfather of Alt.Comedy, Steven Wright.
Lurie’s book begins with his childhood, one spent mainly in Massachusetts. By 16, he had discovered the harmonica and jammed on stage with the likes of Canned Heat and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Lurie also graces readers with the oddball story of how he got his first sax. It came as a gift from a quasi-homeless man on a dark, empty street at 4 a.m., a man who claimed he was seeing statues turning into angels at the time. After his father’s death, teenage Lurie went a little off the rails. He became involved in petty theft and travelers’ check schemes before turning into a hardcore kundalini yogi and vegan. At this juncture, he would fast and practice sax for days on end, remain celibate (something that would quickly pass) and also ride his bike naked in the streets in the early morning. Lurie’s journey of lurid begins when he loses his virginity and gains a bout of gonorrhea from Crystal, a groupie who had reputedly slept with Jimi Hendrix the week before.
Much of Lurie’s story involves his long affair with and dozens of attempts to kick heroin. His first taste comes courtesy of another famous 1980s icon, Debbie Harry. It’s one that will lead to a seven-year long habit that puts him in the company of junky jazz greats like bassist Sirone and drummer Bobo Shaw. It also leads him to the doorstep of the legendary Dr. Gong, the Chinatown acupuncturist who reportedly helped Keith Richards kick his habit.
Even as his career as a critically-acclaimed musician takes flight, Lurie lives hand-to-mouth, due to the hunger of his habit and the petty wages paid to touring jazz musicians. His fortunes are buoyed by landing government support in the way of a monthly disability stipend and a $55 apartment on the Lower East Side, two things he wisely holds onto for years. Unfortunately, his nicely priced abode is on a block he calls “Third Street Hell.” It was right across from a notorious men’s shelter. This leads to a few robberies, muggings and many a night spent sleepless due to the screams and fights unfolding on the street below.
Lurie pulls no punches in his attempts to set a few records straight. Most notable is his beef with director Jim Jarmusch in whose debut film, Stranger Than Paradise, Lurie first gained acclaim for his acting.
According to Lurie, the original story idea for the film was his – that of a low-level gambler who has to take care of his visiting Hungarian cousin. When the movie comes out, Lurie’s expected story credit is nowhere to be seen, but he continues to work with the director anyway. After working with Italian actor Roberto Benigni in Jarmusch’s Down by Law, Lurie writes a script for the Italian to star in. It’s inspired by a true-life story Lurie is told about an Italian cowboy who challenges and beats the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody in a cowboy contest. Lurie’s script has Benigni traveling across a surreal Western landscape with a Native American. When he finishes the script, he sends it to Jarmusch for his input … and hears nothing. Later, when he is just starting to raise funds for his film, Lurie hears that Jarmusch is making a surreal Western with Johnny Depp and a Native American sidekick called Dead Man, a virtual copy of his premise. Jarmusch’s film goes ahead; Lurie’s never happens.
Lurie’s long and competitive relationship with his “best friend,” the late painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, weaves throughout the memoir. In its early days, Basquiat is homeless and crashing at Lurie’s pad for almost two years. They spend much of their time painting together, and the then-unknown Basquiat looks up to Lurie as his Lounge Lizards begin to take off. Even with notoriety, the musician Lurie is still living hand-to-mouth. Shortly thereafter, Basquiat’s career takes off like a rocket ship. With it, Basquiat flaunts his money, fame, belongings and even competes for women with Lurie. Lurie also expresses the deep hurt over Basquiat using his idea for a poster for group show of their own – of him and Basquiat facing off in boxing trunks – as the image Jean-Michel uses for his famous collaboration with Andy Warhol. In the end, he laments the loss of this close, competitive friendship that helped both excel.
Lurie has both praise and criticism for some of his musical collaborators, as well as many funny meetings with other Downtown NYC boldfaced names.
He calls quixotic guitarist Marc Ribot a genius for finding a place in his and many of the other obtuse musics he has collaborated on. His comments on later-day Lizards’ six-stringer Brandon Ross are less in-depth and kind, basically only saying that his dreadlocks smelled funny! He tells a funny story about twisting the arm of a man trying to intercept a joint being passed to him at a party by actor Willem Dafoe… only to discover it is that of David Bowie! He passes judgement on Knitting Factory impresario Michael Dorf by claiming that “dorfed” became a popular verb used by musicians of the era to express when they had felt ripped off. A truly funny story involves him going to Chinatown to buy a dead eel to photograph for the cover of the album Voice of Chunk. Strangled, bashed about, it’s an eel that refuses to die…until taking a four-floor drop off his windowsill and crawling a half-block in the gutter.
An overriding sentiment of Lurie’s is that the acting overshadowed, or at least got in the way of people fully appreciating, his music. Thought they toured extensively and most successfully in Europe and Asia, Lurie feels The Lounge Lizards never fully broke through or rose above the “fake jazz” label put on them in the early 1980s. Lurie took work scoring and acting in films to support his band and their original music. And at the end of his memoir, Lurie is using in excess of $100k of his own money to record the Lizards’ 1989 masterwork, Voice of Chunk, because no U.S. record company would sign them. In the end, it resulted in Lurie producing another memorable piece of art, a hilarious, 30-second, late-night TV spot to market the disc directly to consumers just like OxyClean, one that included four of his ex-girlfriends as models.
The above just scratches the surface on the many colorful anecdotes and salient observations in Lurie’s book. You can almost picture him spinning these yarns around a cracker barrel fire in a metal trash can or dumpster on Avenue C.
This is certainly one of the best and least scrubbed clean memoirs coming from a Downtown hipster of the era, a place-in-time that is now birthing a motherlode of such books. I, for one, can’t wait for him to get us another installment, one charting his less profiled journey from edge-cutting musician through illness and solitude to the painter-raconteur-philosopher that he is today.
SummerStage announced two free performances at the end of August of 2021. The performances will take place in Coney Island Amphitheater and will require full vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours for entry.
The first performance will feature Go Brooklyn! Stetsasonic & Friends – 40th Anniversary Show on Saturday, August 28 2021 at 7PM EST. Brooklyn’s Stetsasonic were one of the first-ever hip-hop bands that used beat-boxing, sampling, and live performance to elevate the musicality of the nascent genre in the 1980’s. Originally known as the “Stetson Brothers”, there were three members including Daddy-O, Delite and Wise the Human Mix Machine. Soon, the group evolved to “Stetsasonic”, adding the prolific energy of DBC (Devastating Beat Creator), Bobby Simmons, Prince Paul, and Fruitkwan. Though their last album was released in 1991, Stetsasonic has continued to tour and will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their formation at Summerstage in Coney Island with friends and special guests. The performance will live streamed for one night only on summerstage anywhere’s website.
The second performance will feature INVINCIBLE: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson / DJ KS 360 on Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 7PM EST. Drawing its name from Michael Jackson’s tenth and final studio album, Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson is a performance of the King of Pop’s greatest hits—indelible anthems such as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller” and more—as well as dance routines rehearsed for the HBO special One Night Only. With choreography by Jackson’s longtime choreographer and dancer, Lavelle Smith Jr., the show was created, produced and directed by the Bessie award winner Darrin Ross. The night will be led by professional impersonator, Jeffrey Perez. The performance will live streamed for one night only on summerstage anywhere’s website.
Due to increasing spread on COVID-19 due to the delta variant SummerStage has updated it’s vaccination and mask policy They will now require full vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours for entry. SummerStage at Coney Island Amphitheater will accept proof of final Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna or WHO-approved vaccination using the CLEAR app, the NYS Excelsior Pass, NYC Covid Safe app, a physical/photo of CDC vaccination card, or EU digital pass, accompanied by a government-issued photo identification. Guests must show that their final dose of vaccine was received at least 14 days prior to the show date or show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours. Please note all SummerStage events in Central Park follow a different entry policy and only accept full vaccination proof. For all SummerStage events, masks are required upon entry to any venue and strongly encouraged for all guests for the duration of the performance, as is physical distance. Learn more about acceptable documentation, mask guidelines, and other safety protocols here.
For more information the two shows happening in August of 2021 and upcoming event visit SummerStage’s website.
