Cold played in the equally cold Niagara Falls on Monday November 22 at The Rapids Theater. Cold, comprised of Scooter Ward (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Sam McCandless (drums, percussion), Lindsay Manfredi (bass, backing vocals), Nick Coyle (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Jonny Nova (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), brought with them Waiting For Eternity and Otherworldly Entity as the opening bands.
Cold has been on their current tour since September. and are coming to the end of their current tour with only a few shows left. The band performed 12 songs tonight including their hits “End of the World” and “Just Got Wicked.”
Cold – The Rapids Theater, Niagara Falls, NY – Monday, November 22
Setlist: Back Home, Happens All the Time, No One, When Angels Fly Away, End of the World, Another Pill, Ocean, A Different Kind of Pain, Just Got Wicked, Suffocate, Remedy, Bleed
Judy Collins will celebrate winter and the holiday season with a one-time-only performance at The Town Hall on December 17. This will be Collins’ first official show in New York City since late 2019 and she’ll be joined by Americana group Chatham County Line and special guest Toshi Reagon.
Collins and Chatham County Line will warmly salute the season with songs from their collaborative album Winter Stories and more. Collins will also debut original songs from a to-be-announced new album to be released in early 2022.
Winter Stories was released in November of 2019, a collection of songs that capture the sounds and feeling of the winter season with new originals and classics such as Joni Mitchell’s “The River.” The “not so Christmas-y seasonal album” (Variety) led to a definitive New York Times profile, was deemed “marvelous” by the Boston Globe and spent four weeks as the #1 album on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart.
Despite several months of not touring, Collins did perform at The Town Hall in February of this year, in an empty venue due to the pandemic. She livestreamed the concert and released the recording in August as Judy Collins: Live At The Town Hall. She revisited a very similar set list to the concert she played on that same stage in 1964. Her 1964 Town Hall engagement was her first official solo headline concert in New York City, and was also recorded and released as a beloved album in her catalog (The Judy Collins Concert), performing songs that captured the tumult of the era.
Collins remains ever-prolific at 82. She has released five albums in the past five years, and in July launched a podcast that only Collins could host called Since You’ve Asked, in which she has refreshingly upfront, honest and revealing conversations with guests ranging from Jeff Daniels and Clive Davis to Christiane Amanpour. New episodes will debut early next year.
Billy Strings is filling arenas coast-to-coast in support of his latest album Renewal, and on Friday, November 19th saw Billy and his band come to Wilkes-Barre, PA to entertain the sold out Mohegan Sun Arena. Half way through the second set Billy brought out ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro.
While the rest of the band took a short break the duo debuted Smokin’ Strings, the collaboration that appeared on Jake’s recent album, Jake and Friends. The rest of the band soon returned as Jake remained for the rest of the show including a take of John Hartford’s All Fall Down which included an extended jam much to the delight of the rapturous crowd. See below of the setlist and photos from the show.
Billy Strings – Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, PA – November 19, 2021
Set 1: Ole Slewfoot, This Old World, While I’m Waiting Here, Heartbeat of American, Katy Daly, Ice Bridges, In the Morning Light, Libby Phillips Rag, Unwanted Love, Leaders, Wargasm
Set 2: Van Scoy Jingle, Thunder, Know it All > Ernest T. Grass > Little Maggie, Smokin’ Strings*, Nothing’s Working*, All Fall Down*, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town*, This Heart of Mnie*,
With a fiery new rhythm section in tow, Runaway Gin has reemerged to rave reviews and are headed out on tour in 2022. They’ll make a long-awaited return to Saratoga Springs at Putnam Place on March 4, then perform at Mercury Lounge on March 5, before closing out the tour in Bridgeport, CT at Park City Music Hall.
The southern Phish tribute band’s recent Fall Tour has featured some huge jams, including a record breaking two-song first set on Friday, November 19, and four sets with less than four songs in their last two shows. This past Friday Joel Cummings (Umphrey’s McGee) joined the band for a break-neck rendition of ‘Maze’ in Richmond, VA.
The Winter 2022 Tour schedule includes returns to Jacksonville, Atlanta, Nashville, Winston-Salem, Roanoke, Washington, DC, Chicago, New York City, Ardmore, PA, and Saratoga Springs. The band will also have debut performances in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Bridgeport, CT.
Added shows include a debut performance at legendary Richmond, VA venue the National on April, 2nd, long awaited returns to the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC, and the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC, as well as returns to Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC at the Radio Room and Asheville Music Hall.
For tour dates, videos and live recordings visit Runaway Gin’s website here complete with videos, posters, photos, and setlists. Follow Runaway Gin on Facebook.
Runaway Gin 2022 Winter Tour
January 20th – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall January 21st – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5 January 22nd – Nashville, TN – Exit/In February 3rd – Winston-Salem, NC – the Ramkat February 4th – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary February 5th – Washington, DC – Pearl St. Warehouse February 6th – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Live February 9th – Columbus, OH – the Summit Music Hall February 10th – Chicago, IL – the Point February 11th – Indianapolis, IN – the Mouse Trap February 12th – Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live March 3th – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall March 4th – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Place March 5th – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge March 6th – Bridgeport, CT – Park City Music Hall April 2nd – Richmond, VA – the National April 8th – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre April 9th – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre April 15th – Greenville, SC – the Radio Room May 13th – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall May 31 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House* *post-Phish show, ‘Just the Covers’
Runaway Gin also recently released their first three song set from Salvage Station in Asheville earlier this month. VIDEO LINK
Irish acoustic band We Banjo 3 have announced the upcoming release of their first ever holiday album, along with their first American tour dates in nearly two years. A Winter Wonderful, an album featuring holiday tunes from their native country as well as the United States, will be available on all digital music platforms beginning December 3.
In support of this, We Banjo 3 toured the US for the first time in nearly two years throughout the first two weeks of December, and has announced Spring 2022 tour dates, including shows at City Winery in Manhattan, and Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.
WB3 will host their 2nd annual “A Winter Wonderful” livestream performance on Saturday, December 18 at 8 pm ET. Tickets, including ticket/merch bundles with new seasonal/limited-run offerings, are available at www.webanjo3.com. Each ticket purchase includes on-demand streaming access until New Year’s Day.
The friendships and kinships we’ve experienced on the road all over the world were interwoven into an incredible celebration last year during the pandemic with our livestreamed concerts. The holiday edition, ‘A Winter Wonderful,’ was a particular highlight, so we want to make it an annual tradition. We are so thrilled to return to the U.S. after close to 21 months off the road for our Winter Wonderful tour, which will include very special livestream on December 18th direct from the Rocky Mountains. Our fans can celebrate the holiday season with our banjo family in venues and in their living rooms.
WB3’s Martin Howley
Since 2012, We Banjo 3 has toured the U.S. several times a year, building a passionate and loyal following. The Galway, Ireland quartet––comprised of two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley––have fine-tuned their knack for seamlessly converging the shared and varied traditions of Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music with pop-sensible songcraft to create a truly unique signature sound.
With a brilliant command of their instruments––banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and percussion––combined with a pop sensibility and an undeniable energy, their seamless blend of Americana/bluegrass/Celtic music has made them fan favorites at a diverse range of festivals including BottleRock, Summer Camp, ROMP, Wintergrass, Merlefest, Milwaukee Irish Fest and more.
Their most recent full-length album releases––Haven (2018) and Roots To Rise Live (2019)––each reached the #1 position on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart. See below for the track listing to A Winter Wonderful as well as tour date information.
Track listing for A Winter Wonderful:
1. Christmas in Prison (John Prine) 2. Sunrise at Solstice (We Banjo 3) 3. Driving Home for Christmas (Chris Rea) 4. We Three Kings (John Hopkins) 5. Joy to the World (Handel) 6. Silver Bells (Jay Livingston & Ray Evans) 7. Little Drummer Boy (Katherine Kennicott Davis) 8. The Wexford Carol (Traditional)
We Banjo 3 Spring 2022 ”Awaking Tour”
Sat, Jan 15—Weinberg Center for The Arts, Frederick, MD Sun, Jan 16—Musikfest Café, Bethlehem, PA Tues, Jan 18—City Winery, New York, NY Wed, Jan 19—Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY Thurs, Jan 20—The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Fri, Jan 21—Colonial Theatre, Keene, NH Sat, Jan 22—Barre Opera House, Barre, VT Sun, Jan 23—Stone Mountain Center, Brownfield, ME Wed, Jan 26—Firehouse Arst Center, Pleasanton, CA Thurs, Jan 27—Crystal Bay Club and Casino Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV Fri, Jan 28—The Sofia, Sacramento, CA Sun, Jan 30—Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA Wed, Feb 2—Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, AZ Thurs, Feb 3—Yavapai College Performing Arts, Prescott, AZ Fri, Feb 4—Webb Center For the Performing Arts, Wickenburg, AZ Sat, Feb 5—Chandler Center for The Arts, Chandler, AZ Sun, Feb 6—Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ Thurs, Feb 24—Tin Pan Listening Room, Richmond, VA Fri, Feb 25—The Hamilton, Washington D.C. Sat, Feb 26—Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD Sun, Feb 27—Mr. Small’s Theater, Millvale, PA Tues, Mar 1– Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH Wed, Mar 2—Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH Thurs, Mar 3—Kent State University, New Philadelphia, OH Fri, Mar 4—Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH Sat, Mar 5 & Sun, Mar 6—The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI Tues, Mar 8—The Playhouse at White Lake, Whitehall, WI Wed, Mar 9—Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL Thurs, Mar 10—Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI Fri, Mar 11—Historic Temple Theatre, Viroqua, WI Sat, Mar 12—Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI Sun, Mar 13—The Cedar, Minneapolis, MN Fri, Mar 18—Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Owensboro, KY
Alexander 23 played a sold-out show at Webster Hall in New York City on Friday, November 19. Signing to Interscope records in 2019, the artist has quickly garnered a massive audience with his soft pop masterpieces. His debut single, “dirtyaf1s” instantly went viral and catapulted the artist to the top of streaming charts.
His knack for delicately layering airy vocals with unexpected instrumentals has not gone unnoticed. The artist has written and produced for fellow musicians, such as Role Model and mxmtoon. He also co-produced one of 2021’s biggest pop songs, “good 4 u”, performed by Olivia Rodrigo.
Despite the “Oh No, Not A Tour!”tour being his first-ever North American headline run, Alexander 23 commanded the stage with ease. Opening the show with “Cry Over Boys” off of his latest EP, Oh No, Not Again!, he instantly energized his young audience. As the night progressed, he played hits such as “girl”, “IDK You Yet”, and “Come Here and Leave Me Alone”.
Towards the end of his setlist, the artist took a moment to stray away from his releases and played a cover of Katy Perry’s hit single, “Teenage Dream”. The audience roared with approval and sang along so loudly that it became hard to hear Alexander 23’s vocals.
In between songs, the artist profusely expressed his gratitude for being able to make music and tour for a living. The crowd danced and sang along to each and every song, filling the room with the hallmark of a good concert — a light scent of sweat.
On the heels of their newly released album Raise The Roof, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced a string of tour dates, their first shows together in over a decade.
The duo first released Raising Sand in 2007 and promptly won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They’ll kick their tour off in June with three stops in the Empire State, starting with Cananadaigua’s CMAC, then head to Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Forest Hills in Queens before heading to the Midwest. The pair will play 8 shows in Europe starting later that month to round out their return to the road. Tickets are available here.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Tour
June 1 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC June 3 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 4 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium June 6 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre June 7 – Chicago, IL – Jay Pritzker Pavilion June 9 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park June 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion June 12 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion @ The Mann June 14 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre June 16 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park June 26 – London, UK – BST Hyde Park July 1 – Hamar, NO – Tjuvholmen Arena July 2 – Bergen, NO – Bergenhus Fortress July 5 – Rättvik, SE – Dalhalla July 14 – Lucca, IT – Lucca Summer Festival – Piazza Napoleone July 16 – Stuttgart, DE – JazzOpen Stuttgart 2022 July 18 – Sopot, PL – Opera Lesna July 20 – Berlin, DE – Zitadelle
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band played two shows for the Caffe Lena crowd in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, November 19, 2021.
Playing in support of their April release, Dance Songs for Hard Times, the show, and album, conveyed the hopes and fears of pandemic living, including the bleak financial challenges detailed on the songs “Ways and Means” and “Dirty Hustlin’.” Payton pines for in-person reunions with loved ones on “No Tellin’ When,” and he pleads for celestial relief on the album-closing “Come Down Angels.”
Far from a depressing listen, Dance Songs lives up to its name by delivering action-packed riffs and rhythms across 11 songs. The country blues trio that won over crowds on more than one Warped Tour knows how to make an audience move.
Reverend Payton found itself sidelined from a relentless touring schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. Peyton says he was surprised when his mind and soul unleashed a batch of new songs in March and April of 2020. This also allowed Big Damn Band supporters around the world check in monthly for pay-what-you-can livestream performances that originate at the Peytons’ log cabin.
Back on tour and playing to an always supportive audience at Caffe Lena, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band put aside the hardships of this moment in history, to focus on music created so that it may help people through it, as it seems to help Peyton through it as well.
Setlist: You Can’t Steal My Shine, Ways and Means, Give me Back My Wig, Plainfield Blues, Poor Until Payday, Dirty Hustlin’, No Telling When, Nell, My Old Man Boogie, Too Cool to Dance, Train Song
Glasgow based synth-pop vets Chvrches are currently in the midst of a tour which takes them to NYC this weekend for two shows at Terminal 5. The tour is in support of the band’s fourth LP, Screen Violence, released back in August on Glassnote Records. Since the record was released, Chvrches have also released an expanded “director’s cut” version featuring three bonus tracks.
Screen Violence: Director’s Cut Album Art
Screen Violence was recorded almost entirely remote between Los Angeles and Glasgow, Scotland. The term “screen violence” itself was originally an early candidate for the band’s name, but was revived for the title of the new album as it was fitting given the transition of our normal lives into digital screens. The album touches on motifs of loneliness, disillusionment, and fear as a result of being isolated during the global pandemic. Vocalist Lauren Mayberry describes the recording process:
I think for me it was helpful to go into the process with the idea that I could write something escapist almost. That felt freeing initially, to have concepts and stories to weave your own feelings and experiences through but in the end, all the lyrics were definitely still personal.
Multi-instrumentalist Martin Doherty adds:
To me, the screen aspect was a bit more literal. When we were making the record, it was like half of our lives were lived through screens. What began as a concept was now a lifeline.
Chvrches have released four albums over the last decade, and have crafted a visually stunning live show over the years. Boasting a new stage production on this tour, Chvrches is poised to awe fans at Terminal 5 this weekend. A small number of tickets for night one this Friday, November 26th are still available, while the second night on Saturday is sold out. Stay tuned for our review of the show plus a full photo gallery.
Chvrches at Governor’s Ball, 2018. Photo by Steve Malinski
Anton Karabushin, a 19 year-old singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer, has released his latest Nu Jazz single, “Central Park Archives.” Currently a student at Fordham University and originally from Denver, CO, Karabushin began his composing career in May 2020, now having released five singles featuring genres from classical piano to Drum & Bass and incorporating multiple languages in the process.
Anton is a first-generation American who makes music he loves, and does not limit himself to one single genres. “Summer Days” fell in the range of synthpop, while “Look in the Closet” took on a more metal feel, while featuring his native Russian language intermittently.
A self described Renaissance Man, arrived at Fordham at Lincoln Center to pursue music, theater, and a higher education all at the same time. Trained in classical piano from age 5 to 16, Anton sang in many school and city choirs from a young age, these two musical foundations made him “nitpicky” about harmonies and vocal tone
“Central Park Archive” was the result of a spontaneous decision to carry my Alesis MIDI Keyboard to Sheep Meadow at around 11am on a Thursday. The cool yet sunny atmosphere of the park and the people there really sparked my creativity, and as 4pm rolled around, the song was nearly complete. The title arrived from my feeling that the sounds encapsulated what it is to walk through Central Park. It is an “archive” because this song embodies that sensation in any time, past, future or present.
Anton Karabushin
Anton cites Aphex Twin, Mid-Air Thief and the Strawberry Guy, as well as newew influences including artists Nujabes and The Avalanches. Utilizing a MIDI to recreate sampling sounds, he notes Nujabes’ song “Horizon” having a direct influence on “Central Park Archive,” and synthpop band Homeshake helping to form his synth x vocals vibe.
Karabushin released “Central Park Archive” on November 19, using his newly developed electronic music production skills. A true self-taught artist in music production and vocal/instrument recording, Anton’s plan is to finish his bachelor’s degree at Fordham University at Lincoln Center and simultaneously create music he truly loves.
