The Pursuit of Color is an up and coming psychedelic indie rock artist from Dave Cooper, a guitarist, songwriter, and producer from Brooklyn.
“I just released my first brand new single this week, “Biodiversity”, a tribute to my mother. “Biodiversity” is about trusting the people you love to help you face your fears.” It was released on June 11th, 2021.
Dave Cooper first got into music when he was a young kid. Growing up, his brother would play KROK and Q104.3 in their room, listening to artists such as The Strokes, and Linkin Park. Once he began playing guitar at 9, music was completely interwoven into his daily life.
I got the chance to interview the “Pursuit of Color” artist, answering questions about his music inspirations along with his asperations.
Cooper’s musical influences include Vampire Weekend, GratefulDead, Tame Impala and Anderson.Paak. When asked on how he would describe his music, Cooper says he wants his music to, “Reflect on a collection of everything I’ve ever loved and wanted to make combined together.” Using a funky, pop “Indie jam,” sound, he wanted to make unique music that, “Tugs on the Heartstrings, but also makes you want to dance and smile.”
He describes “Biodiversity” as a “bright and shiny song about a kid’s love for his mother, which is how the world looks when you’re young.” The song has an incredibly catchy beat, able to intersect the lyrics of the song with the vibe it gives off.
Through his music, Cooper tells stories of love, loss, and most importantly – trying to find the color to fill in between the lines of life.
The Pursuit of Color artist would one day love to collaborate with Anderson.Paak. Their styles of music are similar, with transcending beats propelled by a singing voice that blends perfectly with the beat. Take a listen to his brand new single, “Biodiversity,” below or on Spotify.
Intrepid Travelers are all about creating fun and eclectic musical journeys for audiences to enjoy. In exciting news, the Buffalo based sextet has announced new summer shows, including the fifth annual edition of IT Fest.
(L-R): Jon Fohl, Brian Calisto, Zak Beutel, Ellen Pieroni, Adam Bronstein, Donny Frauenhofer
As in previous years, IT Fest V will be held at The “G” Lodge in Hannibal, NY, near Oswego. Last year’s IT Fest was luckily able to proceed with a very limited audience due to COVID-19 restrictions. This year, the two day festival runs on August 6 and 7 and is sure to be a great time, complete with overnight camping and plenty of food options. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Throughout the pandemic, IT have been live streaming performances on Facebook for the first three Tuesdays of each month in a series called “Funnel Down Stream”. These streams have been a great way for the band to share new music and connect with fans, something they undeniably hold dear.
Treating each live show as a journey with the audience rather than a performance, Intrepid Travelers pride themselves on a form of focused, collective expression that showcases a medium where cerebral musicianship meets heartfelt, soulful songwriting.
Intrepid Travelers Bio
IT’s latest releases were two new singles, “You Gotta Work” and “Up To You”, both of which pair jazzy instrumentation with a jam band feel. They also shared a submission to the NPR Tiny Desk Contest last month.
The rest of the summer will certainly be busy for IT as they make several stops around New York. A full list of the band’s summer shows is below, including links to their respective Facebook event pages.
New York, they’re comin home again. moe. will head out on their 2021 Fall Tour in October, making stops at four venues across their home state of New York.
After stopping Upstate at Apple Valley in early August, moe. heads out to Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL. They’ll headline ADK Independence Festival over Labor Day weekend, and the head to the rescheduled New Orleans Jazz Fest in early October.
Town Ballroom hosts moe. for three nights in the town where they started, followed by a three night run in Chicago. moe. performs on Long Island at The Paramount in Huntington in late October, with a Halloween-Eve show at The Fillmore in Philadelphia the next night.
In December, moe. will stop at Brooklyn Bowl for an intimate show, followed by two nights at The Capitol Theatre and four nights at The Sinclair in Boston.
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 16 at 10 AM ET – get tickets here.
moe. Fall Tour 2021
Oct. 8-9 – The Civic Theatre – New Orleans, LA
Oct. 14 -16 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY
Oct. 21-23 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Oct. 28 – College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT
Oct. 29 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
Oct. 30 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 9 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Dec. 10-11 – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, NY
Alt-folk singer/songwriter EVVAN is marking this year’s International Non-Binary Day (July 14) with a personal essay about her journey to come out, as well as a live video for a previously unreleased song, “Falling Into You.”
The Long Island native is known for her distinctive voice, textured melodies and layered harmonies. She is inspired by the works of Fleetwood Mac, Foy Vance, and Brandi Carlile. She evokes a nostalgic spirit through her use of delicate guitars and ethereal vocal lines.
Released today, “Falling Into You” is the first song of her series written about the phases of a relationship.
This song is about falling completely into the person you’re pursuing and all that goes with that, the good, the bad, and everything in between. For me, part of what I perceived as ‘bad’ was my inability to understand who I was at that point.
EVVAN on “Falling Into You”
The second part of the series is “Falling Over You,” featured on EVVAN’s April 2021 EP, Home, which explores the experiences of dealing with unrequited love and the inability to let go of the feelings expressed in “Falling Into You.”
EVVAN’s Home EP reflects a period of personal awakening during which she used to revamp her writing style and artistic identity. The lyrics discuss themes of sexuality and gender, self-discovery and acceptance, and relationships both beginning and ending.
When I look at myself, I see someone lighter, someone who can act how she wants and dress how she wants, and not care about whatever pushback comes along with it. I finally found myself and instead of wearing countless masks, as I have in the past, I can just be simply me.
EVVAN
The heartfelt and airy sounds of “Falling Into You” is sure to strike an emotional chord, beautifully expressing the frustrations of finding oneself and moving forward. Although growing from misfortune is difficult, EVVAN’s signature folky-voice reassures listeners that good comes from change.
My journey coming out as non-binary was a long one and it was full of worry that I’d never live a life without judgment, mainly judgment of myself. Over a year after writing this song and coming out, we filmed a live performance and just watching it fills me with courage.
EVVAN on coming out
Read more about EVVAN’s journey through her self-reflective essay “Taking the Mask Off” here. A live performance of “Falling Into You” is available to watch on YouTube.
EVVAN has also announced her return to live performances with a show at the Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3) on July 28. More information can be found here.
Brooklyn-based band Wild Yaks have shared a blistering live rendition of the fan-favorite track “Strawberry Wolf” from the upcoming Live At Rippers, their fifth LP and first live album, due July 16. Wild Yaks play an ecstatic fusion of punk rock and big-city folk reinforced with passionate vocals (often delivered in unison by the full membership).
Fittingly for a band that played the last show at Rippers before last year’s pandemic-related shutdown (at which this album was recorded), Wild Yaks are proud to be the first band back at the venue in 2021, setting a performance there for July 17th. In addition to this sure-to-be-wild night, the band has announced a record release party at Ridgewood, NY venue TV Eye on July 23rd.
The band was formed in the fall of 2007 in Brooklyn by singer/guitarist Rob Bryn and drummer/vocalist Martin Cartagena. While many players have made their way through the Yaks’ over the years, today’s lineup is Jose Aybar (bass), Patsy Carroll (guitar), Giovanni Kincade (Farfisa), Matt Walsh (guitar), plus Cartagena and Bryn.
The Yaks’ discography also includes the EP 10 Ships (Don’t die yet, 2009), and full-length albums Million Years (2012), Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks (2015), and Great Admirer (2019). The band’s music has been featured in numerous television shows and films, most notably their live performance in an episode of Law and Order SVU. They are hard at work writing new songs in Rockaway Beach and preparing for a summer of charged performances and communal magic.
After a successful return to the stage at Peach Music Festival, TAUK is set to hit the road and headline their own shows for the Chaos Companion Tour, as the world starts to open up again. Starting with the Resonance Fest, and BorderlandFest in September, fans can listen to the band’s new and old releases, including their newest single “Moon Dub,” out now.
With new music and new energy, the band can’t wait to return to live shows like never before. “We’ve been missing live music just like everybody else and are itching to get back on the road,” shares guitarist Matt Jalbert. “This whole experience gave us some time to step back and really gain a whole new perspective on just how lucky we are to do what we do and share it all with unreal fans.”
This first part of the country long tour kicks off with Resonance Music & Arts Festival in Masontown, WV over September 16th & 17th, followed by a performance at Borderland Music & Arts Festival in East Aurora on September 18th. TAUK will then hop along the east coast, hitting Pawtucket, RI, New Haven, CT, and Brooklyn, (the latter with Paris_Monster), before heading down south for plays in Asheville, NC, Atlanta, GA, Indianapolis, IN, Covington, KY and more. The band will then make their State Theatre debut on Halloween in Falls.
Don’t miss out on TAUK on tour. An all-instrumental combination of progressive rock, hip-hop and jazz offers a unique blend and sound to their listeners. Inspired by classic sci-fi like Blade Runner and Ex Machina, TAUK’s ability to combine melodic fusion with pop sounds is sonically adventurous, and emotional. A full list of dates can be found below. Keep up with the band on their official Facebook & Instagram, and listen now on Spotify & Apple Music.
Their most recent studio album ShapeshifterII:Outbreak, offered an interesting look at artificial intelligence and its potential to upend our world. Containing a sense of tension and cinematic mood, it proved to be an album that’s both thought provoking and soothing.
Longtime friends and TAUK members Charlie Dolan, Matt Jalbert, and A.C. Carter formed their first band in seventh grade. After playing together in various projects, the three added Issac Teel to the band, creating the final lineup. Since then, TAUK has appeared at festivals like Electric Forest and Bonnaroo, and earned acclaim from major outlets like the Washington Post, who praised TAUK for “creating a hard-charging, often melodic fusion that—thanks to a penchant for improv—offers limitless possibilities.”
TAUKChaos Companion Tour Dates
Aug. 13 – Atlantic City, NJ – Sound Waves @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, featuring special guest Robert Randolph for a Beatles vs Hendrix set with BoomBox Sept. 16 & Sept. 17 – Masontown, WV – Resonance Music & Arts Festival Sept. 18 – East Aurora, NY – Borderland Music & Arts Festival Sept. 30 – Pawtucket, RI – The Met Oct. 1 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place Oct. 2 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl (with Paris_Monster) Oct. 8 – Martinsville, VA – Rooster Walk Reunion Music Festival Oct. 9 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel Oct. 12 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric Oxford Oct. 13 – Little Rock, AR – Rev Room Oct. 19 – Jackson, MS – Duling Hall Oct. 20 – Huntsville, AL – Sidetracks Music Hall Oct. 21 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn Oct. 22 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Druid City Music Hall Oct. 23 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse Oct. 26 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Oct. 27 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater Oct. 28 – Memphis, TN – Railgarten Oct. 29 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East Oct. 30 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater Oct. 31 – Falls Church, VA – The State Theatre
Watertown anticipates a new amphitheater that will reside in Thompson Park. The amphitheater plans were announced at Watertown’s city council meeting on Tuesday July 6, 2021.
The entire proposed project is estimated to cost $7.7 million. The City council plans to use part of the Department of Defense grant to help cover the cost of the amphitheater. The grant won’t completely cover the costs for the amphitheater. The city will still have to cover an estimated $1 million on soft costs.
There is not a lot of information on the upcoming amphitheater but there is some. The Amphitheater will reside in Thompson Park on KiteHill in Watertown. It will include a stage and band shell, and the natural slope of the hill would be used for seating. It’s unsure if that seating will be built in or if people will have to bring their own.
Ryan Henry-Wilkinson, a council member spoke on the amphitheater saying, “It’s something that this council wants. It’s something the last council wanted, but it was always on a wish list, like, ‘It would be nice to do that if we could.”
Part of the allure of the amphitheater would be that it could help bring more people to visit Watertown and help create a better economy for the community. When people come to town for a concert they might buy food from a local restaurant, get a room at a hotel, and stop at other attractions in the town. The amphitheater could be used as a year-round facility, which would open it up to being able to hold events like Concerts in the Park, Snowtown USA, the Harvest Festival, and weddings all year round and generating income for the city all year round.
For more information visit the Watertown City Council’s website.
Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) is returning to the road for a fall 2021 tour, complete with a two-night stand at Radio City Music Hall. TAB is also introducing new bassist Dezron Douglas. Douglas joins the band in the wake of original member Tony Markellis’s recent passing.
The fall tour begins September 17 at Thompson’s Point in Portland, ME and will close out with the two shows at Radio City on October 2 and 3. The complete list of dates is below.
Presale begin Wednesday, July 14 at noon ET. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 16 starting at 10am ET. For complete details, please visit trey.com/tour.
Douglas’s addition to TAB is huge news for fans and for Anastasio himself, who released an official statement outlining his excitement.
I’m thrilled to welcome the incredible Dezron Douglas to TAB. A longtime friend and collaborator of virtually every member of the band, Dezron is a master of reggae, funk and jazz bass. Russ, Ray, Dezron and I had some deep jams in the city recently, and Dezron’s playing is pure flow, heart, spirit and soul. We all can’t wait to get out on the road together. Thank you Dezron, Welcome to the Band! See you all soon!
Trey Anastasio
Dezron Douglas
Last year saw Trey Anastasio Band release a new live album, BurnItDown, a three-dimensional sonic time capsule that captures the eight-piece band on their January 2020 tour. Produced and mixed by Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White), the 15-song collection shows TAB at the peak of its powers, combining their trademark tight musicianship with unbounded performances. Burn It Down is digitally streaming now and the vinyl will be available on August 20 (now available for preorder).
TREY ANASTASIO BAND FALL TOUR 2021 SEPTEMBER
17 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point
18 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
19 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
22 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion
24 – Wilmington, NC – Riverfront Park Amphitheater
25 – Charlotte, NC – Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
Slothrust, rising all-rock band, will join Manchester Orchestra for their upcoming tour, The Million Masks of God. Foxing will also come along for the journey. Slothrust will be performing their new album, Parallel Timeline, which will be released on September 10th.
Slothrust is absolutely stoked to make their return to live performing: “I have really missed the unique energetic exchange that happens when you perform in front of an audience,” shares front person Leah Wellbaum. “The lack of it has left a void in me and we couldn’t be more excited to hit the road again with our friends in Manchester Orchestra. In its own way, touring has always felt like home and we are stoked for this epic return.”
Parallel Timeline is a unique album that focuses on bandleader Leah Wellbaum’s experiences with feeling trapped inside of her own consciousness while also searching for meaningful connections to the universe. The band committed to risk-taking with their new album. They experimented with new production techniques, resulting in new sonic realms for each track. Wellbaum connected with her inner child when creating the album, which is illustrated by the album’s artwork and visuals. She feels that inverted colored rainbows and orbs became a gateway to exploring the illusory things we see and experience in everyday life.
Parallel Timeline, mixed and co-produced by industry legend Billy Bush and mastered by Heba Kadry is a masterclass in balancing tenderness with the fierce guitar work Wellbaum has become known for. With a distinct yet unified sound that blends progressive rock, acoustic and pop, Slothrust has never been more confident.
Tour Dates:
10/5 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill
10/6 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/8 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
10/9 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
10/10 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
10/12 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte10/13 – Richmond, VA @ The National
10/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
10/16 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live!
10/18 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
10/19 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
10/21 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11/16 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
11/17 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
11/18 – Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre
11/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Tickets for the tour can be found here! Get ready for an amazing night of unique rock and unimaginable fun!
Lettuce finished two nights in the Adirondacks as part of their “bring back the love” Summer 2021 and converted Charles R Wood Park to “Lake George Duke,” in honor of funk keyboardist George Duke. Lettuce founding member Sam Kininger special guested on Saturday night.
“Sam’s The Godfather of Lettuce, he believed in us before we did,” said Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch. The current Lettuce hybrid batch has guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff on guitar, Nigel Hall keyboards/vocals, Adam Deitch on drums, Erick “Jesus” Coomes On Bass, Ryan Zoidis on saxophone and trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom. The groups second to last New York show was at the Capitol Theater on 4/20 with special guest John Scofield.
Friday night included a two set performance and encore. The evenings highlight was an original off Lettuce 2008 album Rage! “By Any Shmeeans Necessary” mixed with a New York instrumental tribute to Notorious B.I.G. The band laid down the original funk track “Juicy Fruit” that the Brooklyn artist sampled.
Rolling off this great energy the band put on an epic Saturday night show with special guest Sam Kininger. Sam’s on stage presence was the ultimate “Break Out” for live sets this year. The second set culminated in another New York nod for “Madison Square.” It got everyone on the bandstand lifted with the grooving audience.
This was Uticat’s Kininger second live performance this year. He played his sons wedding at the Stanley Theatre in Utica where he last performed with Lettuce on November 20 2019. “The Sam Fam” were all in attendance for a funked up reunion on the newly crowned “Lake George Duke” Guitarist Micheal Wooten said of the performance “You can tell they are having fun again up there” The band encored with a kickin cover of the James Brown classic “Funky Drummer.”
Drummer Adam Deitch and Bass player Erick “Jesus” Coombs kept the Saturday night groove going at KRIS & Co featuring Ryan Dempsey after show party in town. The duo jammed on the spot to samples of the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine.”
Lettuce kept burning in the Empire State on Wednesday July 14 for their third New York date, this time at Lewiston’s Artpark. The historic park stage sits next to the running Niagara River across from Canada. The band and audience played off the great landscape for a three hour set and encore. The sunset over the border brought out a third stone from the sun tease by guitarist Adam Smirnoff. The crowd responded to Lettuce outbursts of groove by throwing heads of actual fresh produce lettuce in the air during the performance.
The band resonated by debuting a brand new song not on the setlist named “The Lock,” off an upcoming record. Lettuce is bringing back the love this summer and knocking out crowds along the way. Nigel Hall’s vocals over the grooves, “Think I’d better let it go, looks like another love T.K.O. (Oh, Oh)” during a Teddy Pendergrass Cover.
The band encored with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears to keep this ’80s-style New York summer resurgence of live music. Lettuce returns to New York at Brooklyn Steel on November 6 2021.
Lettuce 7/9/21 Lake George, NY: Blaze, MR Shminklehuffer, Kron Dutch, Shmink Dabby, By Any Shmeans Necessary( Don’t stop the music/Juicy Fruit) Ready to Live, Larimar, Trilogy->Trap->Makin my way->Checker Wrecker, Suppit, Do it like You do Encore: RVA Dance
Lettuce 7/10/21 Lake George,NY: Luck of Lucien->Krewe, Pocket Change, Gratitude, Mr Yancey, Sam Huffs Flying Machine->Squadlive Royal highness, Supit, Don’t Change, Breakout–>Relax, Nyack–>Madison Square Encore: Do it like you do (funky drummer)
Lettuce 7/14/21 Lewiston, NY: New Reel, Royal Highness, In the Middle -> Silence is Golden, SquadLive, Fly, Phyllis, Love TKO, RVA Dance Encore: Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Lettuce guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff and drummer Adam Dietch spoke with NYS music about past, present and future music experiences in the state.
Matthew Romano: Tell me about some music you have seen live in New York State that helped put the groove in you
Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff: I remember my Uncle bringing me to see Stanley Jordan at the Blue Note in NYC. That blew my mind as a kid. I have all these different ages of seeing things that changed me. One of my first concerts was Robert Cray “Forecast Calls for Pain Tour.” At 17 years old I saw Phish at Jones Beach for the first time and it helped me understand you could build a grass roots audience. You didn’t need to be on the radio. You could follow your own path. That’s how Lettuce has aimed itself.
AS: Does seeing the Grateful Dead In 1990 at the old Giants stadium count? Sting opened and Branford Marsalis sat in on “Eyes of the World.”
Seeing Prince at Madison Square Garden has to be the big one. He was such a genre breaking musician. He went up there and played what he felt and didn’t have to categorize everything. I feel like for New York that’s a big part of it. It’s the melting pot. We’re all different, a little bit of everything and try and make it a little bit like you too. It also represents modern humanity. That New York attitude. “Just got to pull up your britches, do the best you can do and be yourself.”
MR: Any current musicians that are on the scene that you have been digging?
AS: Well You have Taz, other younger cats like Justin Lee Schultz. DOmi and JD Beck that’s been playing with Thundercat. You got MONONEON. I just got to jam with Cory Henry, TaRon Lockett and Isiah Sharkey.
MR: What about the future of your own musical journey? What’s on the horizon?
AS: Well we have been lucky enough to play with some of our heroes. Our new recording that we just finished I feel we have made some beautiful music and history with Bootsy Collins. I can’t wait for y’all to hear this.
Adam Deitch: Our friend Alissa Bennevente whose an amazing bass player runs Bootsy’s Instagram. She sent us an uplifting video of him speaking during our time off that gave us hope. It’s Bootsy giving a positive message to everyone out there . At the end of the video he just kept saying (finger snaps) “Keep The Funk Alive” (finger snap). I immediately downloaded the sample of it and sent it to the guys
MR: Wow. So you just took the end of him speaking on the video and sampled it? That sounds like an organic way of creating a groove.
AD: Yea exactly. I added drums and quickly sent it to everyone in the band. They all kept adding their parts to it.
AD: We sent it to him and he loved it. He played bass and added his vocals to it. Showed interest in wanting to make a video of it. He even eluded that he’s glad a band like ours is still playing real funk music.
MR: Sounds as if you’ve been added to Bootsy’s shot calling like on the 1980s Dave Sanborn TV special… “Lettuce”… get ready to roll!
