Avant-Garde Arama is a two-day festival of short works of dance, performance art, poetry and music that will take place at Mount View Studios in Woodstock, July 24 and 25 at 8 pm.
Avant-Garde-Arama was originated in 1980 at the legendary East Village venue Performance Space 122 (P.S. 122) by performance artist/dancer Charles Dennis, who also co-founded this still vibrant cultural institution. This is the first time the event will take place in Woodstock.
Premiering in 1989 to raves in media like The Village Voice, Dennis’ movement piece “2 x 2 x 4” is a dramatic dance duet performed with fourteen wooden 2 x 4s, one whose mood will only be height by Cataldi’s atmospheric live loop & drone based guitar improvisations.
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Cataldi’s debut album under Spaghetti Eastern Music moniker, Sketches of Spam, is a 16-track, 69-minute, genre-surfing journey through contrasting moods, with instrumentals inspired by 70’s Miles, Krautrock, Ennio Morricone, Fripp & Eno and ECM’s icy guitar great Terje Rypdal giving way to bare-bones acoustic vocal tunes reflective of the influence of John Martyn and Nick Drake.
In 2020, Cataldi followed this with a trio of critically-acclaimed atmospheric singles that have been heard around the globe, “Her Lemon Peel Raincoat – Because It’s Raining,” “Peace Within” and “And This is Their New Hoax,” a COVID-19 musical editorial featuring samples of President Trump’s most noted denials to Cataldi’s soundpainting guitars and synths. His latest release, “Blues for A Lost Cosmonaut,” is a nine-minute plus maxi single again in the ambient mode, one that will inform the live tracks he will perform to Dennis’ dance piece. His music has received high praise from our site and other outlets including The New York Times, Time Out New York, Jazz Times, Huffington Post and many others.
For information and ticket information for Spaghetti Eastern Music at Avant-Garde Arama in Woodstock, please visit the Facebook event page or .
Buffalo’s Organ Fairchild has released their latest single “Cherry Tomatoes” this past week, and announced an upcoming performance at Sportsmens Tavern on August 28.
“Cherry Tomatoes” is the second single from the forthcoming full-length debut release (coming in September 2021) from Buffalo jam favorites Organ Fairchild. The eight-minute single, mastered by fellow Buffalonian Alan Evans of Soulive, follows “Seepin’” which landed the band on the Jambands.com Radio Charts Top 30 list in February, 2021.
Shortly after, Organ Fairchild won NYS Music’s March Madness of Bands competition and being invited to perform at the prestigious Borderland Festival of Music and Arts alongside Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Revivalists, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, The Infamous Stringdusters and many more.
You’ll be up and moving to “Cherry Tomatoes” in no time – this funky, organ-driven single looks to shine at live performances. Written by guitarist Dave Ruch, “Cherry Tomatoes” was arranged by the band (Joe Bellanti, Corey Kertzie, Dave Ruch) and recorded and mixed at Kertzie’s home studio. Stream the new single on all platforms here.
The band’s upcoming show at Sportsmens Tavern will take place on Saturday, August 28 at 8pm, with tickets $15 available here, Fetauring Organ Fairchild – Joe Bellanti (organ), Corey Kertzie (drums) and Dave Ruch (guitar). Thanks to the recording studio located next door to Sportsmens, Joe will be playing a Hammond B3 organ (with Leslie Speaker) during the show this evening.
Listen to the last time Organ Fairchild performed at Sportsmens Tavern, back in early 2020.
“Junkyard-Folk” artist Kate Vargas has released her newest project, Rumpumpo, the fourth studio album for the New York City-based New Mexico native.
Vargas was set to record just weeks before the pandemic struck. After periods of creative block resulting from isolation, she began seeking inspiration and fresh life perspectives through yoga, meditation and clean eating.
Gotta make the levee break, let the tonic take, double-stroking in a swim-or-syncopation/Well you won’t if you don’t get to doing, it’s Newtonian.
Vargas also drew upon a conversation with a friend in which they discussed Newton’s first law: “An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.” This law ended up being a motivating mantra as Vargas grew to move past feelings of stagnation. She sings about this Newtonian logic in Rumpumpo‘s title track.
Rumpumpo has received high critical praise, especially surrounding Vargas’s lyricism and poetic storytelling.
Vargas’ work is marked with deep intention, frequently emerging as some of the most “honest, authentic” in the Americana scene.
American Songwriter
Growing up in the artist and farming village of Corrales, New Mexico, storytelling was a natural part of Vargas’s childhood. The community was rich in folklore and oral histories, including tales of witches, devils and fights between good and evil. Rumpumpo features the previously released singles “Church of Misdirection,” and “Glorieta to the Holy Place” as an ode to her home and its rich traditions.
It was a strange and wonderful place that I’ve really come to appreciate as an adult. There was a culture of storytelling, and the stories were often dark—the way I write songs now is rooted in that tradition. The paranormal and the supernatural always seem to make their way in. It was a great place for an imagination to run wild. If I told my mother I was bored, she’d tell me, ‘Go outside and pretend something.’
Kate Vargas
After the success of her 2018 album For the Wolfish & Wandering, Vargas performed on NPR’s Mountain Stage, shared an official showcase at Nashville’s AmericanaFest, played the 30A Songwriters Festival, and had her songs appear on television shows Stumptown (ABC), Midnight, Texas (NBC) and Good Trouble (Freeform).
Rumpumpo is sure to make a splash in the folk scene and continue to cement Vargas as one of the great rising names in the genre. It is now available to stream (see below) and order on CD/vinyl. Connect with Kate Vargas on her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.
On Wednesday, July 14th, Albany’s Alive at 5 concert series featured two acts native to upstate New York, indie folk-pop duo, The Sea The Sea, and Folk-rock, multi instrumentalist Amy Helm.
For the third week in a row, the concert was held at the Rain location under the 787 overpass. Despite the uncooperative weather, attendance was near capacity. Check out the setlists and photo gallery below.
Alive at 5 returns this week, Wednesday, July 21, with Hartley’s Encore and YAM YAM.
Setlists from Alive at 5 with Amy Helm and The Sea The Sea
The Sea The Sea: I’ll be loving you, Rainstorm, A thousand years, Broken, In the altogether, Back to the wild, Not the same as goodbye, The meaning of love, This is the way, Love we are we love, Let our Kites Fly, Nothing Brighter, The Art of Feeling, I’m so Lonesome, Stumbling Home, Everybody, Fall before the climb
Amy Helm: This Too Shall Light, Heat Lightning, Breathing, Rescue Me, Roll The Stone, Carry It Alone, Calling Home, Cotton On The Cane, Running Out Of Love, Wait For The Rain, Terminal B, He Called Me Baby, Atlantic City, Didn’t It rain, Sweet Mama
City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has announced the schedule for the 2021 Oswego Summer Concert Series at Water Street Square downtown pocket park and “Rockin the River” at Veteran’s Stage in West Linear Park.
The free summer concerts are held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Veteran’s Stage and Friday night’s from 7:00-9:30 pm at Water Street Square on Water Street. “Rock The Docks” in Oswego is making a big return with some great bands lined up.
Oswego Concert Series Flyers
National recording Jazz artist Nancy Kelly will do a one-off Friday night concert on August 27th. Nancy was twice named “Best Female Jazz Vocalist” in the Downbeat Reader’s Poll. She has recorded 6 critically acclaimed CDs and is hailed as one of the premier jazz vocalists of our times.
It was also announced that concertgoers are allowed to bring chairs and coolers to Veteran’s Park. At Water Street Square, during concerts, the open container ordinance will be lifted to allow patrons from nearby businesses to attend the concerts. For additional information, contact the City of Oswego Economic Development Office at (315) 343-3795.
2021 Concerts Series at Water Street Square – 7:00-9:30 pm
Friday, July 2nd – Mike Shiel
Friday, July 9th – Mix Tapes Duo
Friday, July 16th – Cam Caruso
Friday, July 23rd – Double V
Friday, July 30th – One Night Stand
Friday, August 6th – Cool Kids
Friday, August 13th – The Hepcats
Friday, August 20th – Triple Threat
2021 Oswego Summer Concert Series Schedule at Veteran’s Stage – 6:00-9:00pm
We lost one of hip hop’s pioneering crossover stars on Friday, July 16. Hailed as the “Clown Prince of hip hop,” Biz Markie — born Marcel Theo Hall — was renowned for his witty story-telling, distinctive lisp, self-deprecating-ly humorous lyrics and for innovating many trends that are prevalent in hip hop today.
A New York native, Biz was born on April 8, 1964 in Harlem and raised on Long Island. Already known around the neighborhood as “Markie,” his stage name was inspired by the first hip hop tape he ever heard, as he says in a 2019 feature for the Washington Post.
My name, Biz, comes from the first hip-hop tape I heard. It was ’77, ’78, from the L Brothers. Grand Wizard Theodore was the DJ, and the rappers was Kevvy Kev, Master Rob and Busy Bee Starski. I loved Busy Bee. Busy Bee just stuck with me. My name used to be Bizzy B Markie, and after a while I put the Biz with the Markie. My nickname in my neighborhood was Markie.
Being able to witness hip hop’s primitive years quickly shaped a career path for the young Biz. An avid beatboxer and DJ, he honed his skills in Manhattan nightclubs. During the era where hip hop stars had to be all-around performers, his rhyming was the weakest part of his skillset.
That is until he began his apprenticeship under the renowned Queens hip hop collective, The Juice Crew.
When I felt that I was good enough, I went to Marley Marl’s house and sat on his stoop every day until he noticed me, and that’s how I got my start,
From there, he released an EP produced by Marley Marl of the juice crew and he began featuring on their records as well as performing at colleges in the Virginia-Philadelphia-D.C.-Maryland areas, where he began to make a name for himself.
The source of his everlasting relevance, though, comes from his 1989 smash Billboard hit “Just a Friend,” from his sophomore album The Biz Never Sleeps. It’s a love record where Biz tells the story of his relationship with a woman who denies being involved with anyone else, referring to the party in question as “just a friend.” That is until Biz indulges in his suspicions and visits her school, only to find her kissing another man.
The music video showcased Biz’s creativity, with his hilarious Mozart costume and impression the highlight. Biz remained true to himself despite the increasingly serious hip hop scene.
The record’s distinctive piano keys are interpolated from the 1968 song “(You) Got What I Need,” recorded by Freddie Scott and written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. But, what truly set the record ablaze was biz’s off-key and inspired bellows about failed love.
“Just a Friend” hit 9th on the Billboard charts, and was certified platinum less than a year after its release. It was later ranked 81st on VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2000, and number 100 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop in 2008.
Writing in The New York Times, the critic, Kelefa Sanneh, called Biz Markie “the father of modern bad singing” and wrote:
His bellowed plea — wildly out of tune, and totally unforgettable — sounded like something concocted after a day of romantic disappointments and a night of heavy drinking.
An unlikely hit-record, Biz’s crooning should be recognized as a landmark moment in hip hop. Rappers singing on records was unprecedented and it defied logic that such discordant wails would be sonically pleasing, yet one of hip hop’s landmark moments wasn’t supposed to happen that way.
A lot of people didn’t like the record at the beginning. They would say, “Biz is trying to sing? Aw, the record is wack.” But I wasn’t supposed to sing the [chorus]. I asked people to sing the part, and nobody showed up at the studio, so I did it myself.
Although he never reached the same commercial success, he kept making history. His 1991 album, I Need a Haircut made the rounds under more controversial circumstances. Biz and his label were sued by representatives of the Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan, who said eight bars of his 1972 hit “Alone Again (Naturally)” were sampled without permission on Biz Markie’s “Alone Again.”
A judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff and ordered for $250,000 in damages to be paid out and barring further distribution of the album. That ruling would help set a precedent in the music industry by requiring that even small chunks of sampled music — a cornerstone of hip-hop aesthetics and studio production — be approved in advance. A market for sampling clearance took hold, which remains a key part of the economics behind hip-hop.
It’s beautiful because it means all eyes ain’t on me, so when I pop up they appreciate everything they see. It’s like the McRib sandwich. It’s like the flowers outside that turn white on the bushes. It comes around when it’s getting ready to be springtime. You appreciate it, Biz said of his role as one of hip hop’s unsung heroes.
He returned in 1993 with, All Samples Cleared!, but it would be his last project on a major label. While some try to diminish his stature within history by labeling him as a one-hit-wonder, his sustained cultural relevance is a testament to his talent and innovation and the general appreciation that fans have for him by keeping his likeness alive.
The weirdest thing about my fame is that when I’m thinking that it’s almost over it just sparks back up. I made “Just a Friend” in ’89. Some people’s records die — it sprouts up. Now it’s 30 years later and it’s sprouted up again in commercials. They’re not letting me die. The public, the fans, they like me around.
Elektric Voodoo, the Afrobeat-inspired psych dance-rock ensemble, just released the music video for their title track “Telescope” and tour dates for their album. Scott Tournet, frontman for Elektric Voodoo, is also a founding member of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (2003-2014), Blues & Lasers, a solo artist, and producer. They will be making a stop on August 21st at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester.
The music video filmed by Michael Cacciabaudo perfectly captures the intimate recording session and vibe. “Telescope” is the second single from Elektric Voodoo’s upcoming album of the same name, due out August 20th. The band has also announced their first tour dates in support of the album kicking off August 7th. Full tour dates below.
Elektric Voodoo is comprised of an all-star ensemble with songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader Scott Tournet, Matt Bozzone (drums/percussion, vocals), Ty Kiernan (congas, timbales, percussion), Travis Klein (tenor sax, keyboards, guitar, percussion, vocals), Brad Nash (baritone sax, keyboards, percussion, vocals), and Luke Henning (bass, vocals, percussion). They first came together in 2016 around the time Tournet left the band he had built up for 12 years with Grace Potter and Nocturnals. Together they took a leap of faith to create something new.
Tour Dates
08/07 @ Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesaplooza – Mammoth Lakes, CA
08/13 @ Winston’s – San Diego, CA
08/15 @ Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT
08/18 @ The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge – Minneapolis, MN
08/19 @ Ignition Music Garage – Goshen, IN
08/20 @ Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
08/21 @ Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY
08/22 @ The Tupelo Music Hall – Derry, NH
08/27 @ Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest – Augusta, NJ
Nine musical performing artists and bands will be playing live in Elmira, New York at the Brand Park 2021 Summer Concert Series.
Come and join the Brand Park Beautification Committee in Brand Park from 3 to 5 PM every Sunday through the end of August. Don’t forget your lawn chair and enjoy the live music (the concert will be handicap accessible). The Dean Goble Band and Classic Too have already made their debut for the series earlier this month. However, seven more groups are set to perform: Loren V. & The Heart Beats, Blue Eyed Soul, Detour, Aunt Millie’s Biscuits, White River Band, Sgro Brothers, and Doc Cavallaro and the Doc Possum Band. View the announcement visual with exact dates and times at the end of this page.
Brand Park
For more information on the Elmira 2021 Summer Concert Series, future events and gatherings, or just the park itself, visit the Brand Park Beautification website and check out their Events Schedule. Also note, because of restrictions due to COVID-19, attendees are required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and follow all instructions from volunteers.
Also, be sure to visit the upcoming performers’ Facebook pages and websites below:
TheNY Guitar Festivalonline performance series Remembering Julian Breamis adding fresh perspective on the works and personal impact on a generation of players of the recently departed classical guitar great. The seven day festival, which launched July 14, will continue to premier new three video performances each day at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm EDT through July 20.
Seven composers are performing their own works dedicated to Bream: Laura Snowden (UK), Jiji (Korea), Leo Brouwer – performed by Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo. (Cuba), Jozef van Wissem (Holland), Derek Gripper (South Africa), and Gyan Riley (USA).
In addition to these world premieres, the series includes performances of the classical guitar and lute music that Bream became known for, dating from the 16th through the 20th century by composers including John Dowland, Anthony Holborne, Benjamin Britten, Heitor Villa-Lobos and more. For more on Bream’s career and his lasting impact, see the August 2020 obituary here on our site.
Some of the true highpoints of the festival are the performances by and the personal recollections of talented women in the classical guitar realm, all whom received inspiration and personal guidance from Bream. Here are some those highlights:
In her performance on July 14, Sharon Isbin remembered her meeting with Bream as a 14-year-old in her hometown of Minneapolis. After playing him the “Prelude to Bach’s Third Cello Concerto,” he had high praise for her style and passion, but noticed she wasn’t much using the ring finger of her right hand. Isbin quickly adjusted her technique and has since plied a career as one of the most successful women in the classical guitar field. She’s a multiple Grammy Award-winner featured on countless recordings, as a soloist in performances with over 200 orchestras and founder of the guitar department of the Juilliard School of Music to name a few. Here, she tells her tale then performs one of Bream’s favorites, “Capricho Arabe” by Francisco Tarrega.
In her July 16 performance as part of the Amadeus Guitar Duo, Dale Kavanaugh and her German partner Thomas Kirchhoff tackled another Bream favorite, an arrangement of Alexander Borodin’s “String Quartet No. 2 (Moderato)”. At the end of this compelling 10-minute performance, Kirchhoff relates a tale of Bream’s visit to his home and the master’s recollection of his own legendary partnership with Australian virtuoso John Williams.
On Monday, July 19 at 4 pm, the festival will feature the premiere of another original composition by Jiji. This dynamic 28-year Korean guitarist’s work spans the gap between acoustic and electric, the classics and free improvisation. “My piece is called “MOONOU” because when I think of Julian Bream, I think of an octopus (moonou in Korean),” says Jiji. “He just did everything; he was omnivorous. I wanted to capture his world’s colliding – the new music Julian Bream, the lutenist Julian Bream, the traditional player Julian Bream, with a hint of the world that I love. You’ll hear a bit of glitch, heavily-processed sounds, a bit of weirdness, maybe some Bach, a bit of everything. You’ll hear the way I see Julian Bream – the Octopus artist!”
Marija Temo and Alberta Khoury perform two more favorites of Bream’s, “Spanish Dance No. 5” by Enrique Granados and “Etude No. 11 and Prelude No. 3” Heitor Villa-Lobos, on July 17 at 5 pm and July 18 at 4 pm respectively.
The NY Guitar Festival tribute to Bream will close with an original piece composed and performed by one of the young guns of the classic guitar world, Britain’s Laura Snowden. The composition, called “Home,” is a salute to the bucolic life Bream lived in the countryside in Wiltshire, without internet or mobile phone. It was a beautiful place where she studied at the feet of the master, learning two of his original compositions that she premiered at Wigmore Hall. Snowden’s performance will debut on July 20 at 5 pm.
As a sucker for the lute, another not-to-miss is lengthy performance by lute master Paul O’Dette, which can be seen below.
Access to “Remembering Julian Bream” is free. The NYGF and performing artists are asking viewers to make donations to MusiCares. Learn more about charitable foundation of The Recording Academy’s MusicCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, and donate to help the music community affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, here.
To watch all the performances, tune into the NY Guitar Festival YouTube Channel. You can watch the full playlist for the series as it premieres here: NYGF YouTube Playlist, and listen to the full collection of audio recordings from WNYC Radio’s “New Sounds,” at 93.9FM or at www.newsounds.org.
Caveman has announced nine brand new tour dates in September. The tour will be kicking off in Buffalo at The 9th Ward at Babeville on Sept 9.
Caveman previously shared “River,” alongside a visualizer, the latest single off their upcoming LP, Smash, out Aug 13 via Fortune Tellers. On the track, Matt Iwanusa of Caveman says “’River’ is mostly about how you survive when you have suffered a big loss; how to look at yourself and your actions moving forward.
This song is about my cousin Ashley “smash” who we lost about 4 years ago. She was one of my best friends and sidekick in trouble-making all around NYC. She was one of the only people in the world who never judged me. Since she was my youngest cousin I felt like I had to protect her, but in the end, we protected each other. I miss her every day and this song coming out makes me think about the process it’s been to continue life without her and have the good memories continue to help me when I get down.
Matt Iwanusa, Caveman
Smashis the first new Caveman record since 2016’s “Otero War.” Much of it was composed just after the passing of Iwanusa’s cousin – her nickname Smash becoming the album title and much of the music inspired by her.
On a whim early last year, they connected with old friend Peter Matthew Bauer of the Walkmen and his label Fortune Tellers to quickly release “New Sides” a series of recordings they had freed up the rights to while waiting for what would become “Smash” to return to their control. Basically dropping the EP five days after it was mastered, it was an early step to just get out into the world again a little with the song “You Got A Feeling” getting picked up on several major playlists and radio stations. “It was just great for people to hear something from us,” said Iwanusa. “It feels like it’s been forever and now we’re sitting on so much new music that’s finally able to get out into the world.”
Since Caveman began in 2010, they’ve released 3 full length records, toured endlessly (sharing stages with The War on Drugs, Jeff Tweedy, and Weezer, and playing festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits), and received accolades from everyone from Pitchfork to the New York Times.
Nowadays, they’ve grown from young punk kids into statesmen of sorts for New York indie music. Jimmy’s Brooklyn shop The Guitar Shop NYC is a city institution as well as a clubhouse for the band. Practicing and working out of Williamsburg nightclub Baby’s Alright during its down hours, the band is just beginning to recreate the momentum of their early career after a period of false starts, legal issues, and frustrating delays that slowed the release of their new record for several years.
