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Endicott Performing Arts Center Names new Executive Director

The Endicott Performing Arts Center (EPAC) Board of Directors has announced that Joseph Foti has been named Executive Director. The promotion to Executive Director will help EPAC continue to provide high quality entertainment and arts education to the community.

The promotion allows Pat Foti to continue in his role as the Artistic and Program Director of EPAC, harnassing his passion to present the community with cutting edge performing arts productions.

Joe previously served as Business Manager for the past five years, which has shown that his expertise and business sense will be a valuable asset to EPAC well into the future. Per a press release, Joe has been instrumental in navigating the often confusing recent economic shutdown that has and continues to threaten every small business in our community. EPAC has managed to survive this COVID-19 pandemic and global health crisis by quickly adapting to the changing landscape of online entertainment and remote education, as well as adhering to all health and safety regulations for public and private social gatherings.

New Executive Director Joe Foti on what lies ahead for EPAC:

I would like to thank the EPAC Board of Directors for entrusting me with this great responsibility of bringing this truly amazing and unique performing arts center out of these dark times we’re living in. The EPAC mission has always been about diversity and inclusiveness, and is now needed more than ever. It allows us here at EPAC to reach across the poverty gap by providing the performing arts to the entire community at affordable prices. We offer financial assistance and scholarships to underprivileged families who participate in our Kids Theater Workshops, as well as offering free services to the entire community with programs like the Puppet Tree Project and the Shakespeare in the Park event. These programs are meant to provide entertainment and artistic education to the community outside of the EPAC Venue, for people who might not otherwise get to experience Live Performing Arts. EPAC Digital is the new online platform that will allow us to continue our mission by providing high quality entertainment and arts education to the entire community at an affordable price. So that everyone with access to the internet can experience the EPAC Magic in the comfort of their own home.
In addition to the EPAC mission, we plan on becoming the Premiere Digital Recording Center for Live Performance Arts Organizations in the Greater Binghamton Area. We will promote and create digital performance art and education through Virtual Classes, Live Streaming Events and Pre-Recorded Digital Productions. This will enrich the local Arts Community by Connecting Artists and Students through on-line EPAC Digital Projects and Programs. We will secure the Endicott Performing Arts Center as a Safe Space for the entire community to perform, learn, and grow as artists and Human Beings. I will personally guarantee that live audiences and volunteers will feel safe and healthy when they’re at the Endicott Performing Arts Center.

January 22, 2021
Flashback: Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales bring Hooteroll? to Syracuse University

On January 22, 1972 Jerry Garcia performed at Setnor Auditorium on Syracuse University campus with his first live touring band outside of the Grateful Dead. He teamed up with American Beauty collaborator Howard Wales who wrote the composition to the album Hooteroll? The all instrumental LP which Garcia participated with a various cast on is reminiscent of Miles Davis record Bitches Brew. Abdul Mati Klarwein who did the cover album art for Bitches Brew also sketched Hooteroll?.

Jerry Garcia once stated that “Howard did more for my ears than anybody I ever played with because he was so extended and so different.” As for the brief January 1972 tour in which Garcia, Wales and co. performed a handful of Northeast dates, in support of Hooteroll?, Wales remembers, “Jerry played some of the best blues I ever heard him play on that tour. The Hooteroll? tour that was basically a blur, though. We had two hours of sleep a night and by the time we got finished we were ready to be delivered to the emergency room.”

The touring band that took the stage in Syracuse that night was made up of Jerry Garcia on guitar, Howard Wales on keyboards, Jerry Love on drums, Jimmy Vincent guitar, Roger Troy (aka Jellyroll) on bass and vocals. The 700 person capacity music hall on top of SU Hill houses a 3,823-pipe Holtkamp Organ below a 70-foot-high open timber roof and stained glass windows. The show consisted of a 22 song set list that was mostly heavy improvisational acid jazz-rock fusion and does not have any live vocals till almost 30 minutes into the performance. With original jam tracks like “Space Funk” it could be said that they helped coin the category.

The entire performance weaves throughout galaxies on a cold January night with the Hooteroll? track “A Trip to What Next” One can only imagine the steamy visual illusions this music created off the stained glass windows inside Setnor that night. Unlike Jerry’s live playing with the Grateful Dead in which he led the pack, in the beginning of 72 it was Wales who was calling the plays. Fifty minutes into the performance is Garcia’s only words to the crowd where he introduces the band and takes a seat to see what unfolds with everybody else. After his quick ten minute set break Garcia returns to play his Wales acclaimed “best blues” on “Sweet Cocaine.”

This Dinosaur BBQ blues ballad was One of Four songs that featured any vocals by Jellyroll, “when your downtown and left all alone, i need some rest woman, lord when i come home, i can’t get nobody, lord to sooth my soul, well i feel like a dog that’s lost his bone” After another 30 minute journey down the improvisational tunnel led by Wales on Hammond B3 organ the ensemble encores with “Gypsy Women.”

A week later the band made their way down the Thruway to the University of Buffalo for a performance on January 29, 1972. Very limited material exists of their work, Wales recently found the Buffalo tape and observed “It was a great tour because none of it was rehearsed. Some people are surprised when they hear that but we were capable of being out of the box. The way people get that way is because they’re jammers. Jammers have no fear.” Drummer Joe Russo had no panic over the years assembling musicians for their tribute to Hooteroll?

The Rose, Jules R Dot, and Stanford S Dot Sentor. School of Music, Syracuse University

His third time was last January 12 at Brooklyn Bowl for the 2020 NYC Winter Jazz Fest where Russo led an all-star cast tribute to the composition. Joe Russo Presents Hooteroll? + Plus! at Winter Jazz Fest; The Bogie Band Debut. After a long strange trip of 77 years, Howard Wales just passed away on December 7, 2020. His iconic keyboard sound can be heard on The Grateful Dead’s signature studio version of “Truckin‘.” “There was a point in which he was going to join the Dead, but Howard was to out there for them”

Listen to the Studio Recording of Hooteroll? below.

January 22, 2021
Hearing Aide: Lost Breed ‘Speak No Evil’

2020 was a year (mostly) devoid of live music, and you’d expect that it should have been full of new music, right? Not as much as you’d think, I’ve found, but this heavy release from Lost Breed, which snuck out near the end of that year of plague, conflict, division and staying-at-home, was a nice surprise.

Lost Breed is a band with New York roots. They arose from the ashes of Albany/Colonie-area metal band Blind Legion, who had released a killer 7” single (“Nice Guys Finish Last” b/w “Used to be Blind”) in the mid-80s, along with a couple of key, Sabbath-meets-NWOBHM demos before disbanding (since released officially by Portugese label Blood & Iron records as ‘Much Too Fast – The Anthology 83/86’).

Most of the ex-members moved out west and formed Lost Breed in Van Nuys, California, initially with Blind Legion vocalist Gary Tocco, later with doom-metal legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich (of the Obsessed, St. Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, etc.), before the band settled on west-coast vocalist Pat Lydon, with the band filled out with ex-Blind Legion New Yorkers Eric “Ike” Baestlein (guitar) and Vinnie Augustine (bass), and L.A. native Jamie Silver drumming. The band released some mighty, Sabbathy, doom-metal albums on German label Hellhound in the 90s (‘Save Yourself’, ‘The Evil In You & Me’), before the band became more of a part-time affair, when the New York half moved back east.

Until now: in late 2020, out of nowhere, this new record by Lost Breed dropped, somehow created mid-pandemic with half the band (Vinnie and Ike) here in Upstate NY, the other half out west. This is a doom-marinated blast of creeping heaviness, features singers from two eras of the band, and absolutely is worth hunting down.

Side 1 features the legend Wino back on vocals (and lead guitar – he also did the swirlingly evil back-cover painting) for the first time since the late 80s, Side 2 features “classic” LB vocalist Pat Lydon singing. Both sides are gloriously, stomping hefty, dragging you down to the depths with crushing heaviness, where tentacled things crawl, as if weighted by lead. Each vinyl side features 4 tracks, and Side 1 (“Wino”) would please both fans of vintage Lost Breed, and Wino’s great bands such as the D.C.-area legends The Obsessed, or the 80s doom-metal deities St. Vitus, “Cradle to the Grave” and the perfectly-titled “Doom” being standouts

Oddly, as legendary as Wino is and as much as I love every single thing the guy has done, the Side 2 Lydon-sung songs might be even better, especially “Siren Song” and the apocalyptically heavy “Stalker.” Churning, crawling, leaden riffs and ripping Baestlein solos lurk throughout Side 2), both vocalists howl with mournful authority, top-notch doom on both sides, soaked in Sabbathy goodness – a killer release.

Buy the album on Ebay.

Key tracks: “Cradle to the Grave”, “Doom”, “Siren Song”, “Stalker”

January 21, 2021
X Ambassadors Announce Hyper-Creative New Multi-Part Project (Eg)

X Ambassadors have announced a collaborative project with emerging artists, creating an eclectic atmosphere for their genreless songs to swim in. The multi-platinum band shared the first single from (Eg), titled “ultraviolet.tragedies” with emerging artist Terrell Hines, a fiery track that captures the band’s multidimensional production. The song and electrifying music video are available now at all digital retailers through KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records.

Album Art for X Ambassadors’ Upcoming Release (Eg)

Several other fresh artists feature on (Eg), such as Jensen McRae and Earl St. Clair. Both highly collaborative and prolific, X Ambassadors crafted a project as a free-flowing, experimental venture. Sam Harris revealed that the impulse to create arose from new discoveries in production and songwriting work with others. “We wanted to give voice to these incredible artists that people may not have heard yet, and really let their imagination be at the forefront of everything,” he says. “They’re all very much artists with their own unique style that’s so specific to them; they truly don’t care about fitting into any sort of mold, or curating their sound to anything other than what they envision.”

Harris says that their collaboration endeavors have encouraged the band to dive into their creativity fully, to make what they love and not overthink the process. (Eg) has a natural sensibility of the pure joy and freedom that come with the art of collaboration. On “ultraviolet.tragedies,” X Ambassadors join with artist Terrel Hines. His sound amalgamates eerie soul, alt-pop, hip-hop, post-punk, and southern funk, building a colorful world for his songs to live in. Georgia-born and Los Angeles-based, Hines critiques society, ponders the limitlessness of technology in his songs that captivate the listener with the true magic of inventive music.

“ultraviolet.tragedies” was borne from a jam session between X Ambassadors and Hines that shines in the music video. More cinematic, including pauses for conversation, this song sings eerily to a futuristic visual. Created with Microsoft Azure Kinect Body Tracking SDK, the artists are captured in 3D in real time so that they can be superimposed into any world of their choice. The technology opens a world for X Ambassadors’ insatiable creativity in their music.

Hailing from Ithaca, New York, X Ambassadors is comprised of three hyper-creative men. Lead vocalist Sam Harris and keyboardist Casey Harris are brothers, with drummer Adam Levin whom they met when Sam attended the New School in New York City. Their full-length 2015 debut VHS launched the band on a three-year touring escapade. With radio hits such as “Renegades” and “Unsteady,” their release is now certified platinum. The lyrical content draws from the Harris brothers’ youth. ORION, their sophomore release,followed in 2019. After years of world touring, X Ambassadors have crafted more innovative, bemusing songs for release on (Eg) this year.

January 21, 2021
Elle Winter Begins the New Year with “Sad Girl Heaven”

Manhattan singer, songwriter, and actress, Elle Winter starts the year off by debuting her song “Sad Girl Heaven” and releasing an accompanying music video.

Photo by Gianni Taylor

This single comes almost a year after the release of her breakout album “Yeah, No” in March 2020. Winter was first discovered at 14 by Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” program comprising of several singles and a tour. In her high school years, she starred in two films and independently released her single “One More” in 2018. From these previous accolades, Winter signed to The Orchard from SONY Music in 2019. Her album received approval from major outlets like Apple Music, Spotify, Billboard and more.

“Sad Girl Heaven” is Winter’s first release of 2021 and it’s also the first single from her upcoming project. Co-written and produced by the famous UK producer Jungleboi, the song serves as a new beginning for Winter’s music. She plans to reveal a more personal and candid side of herself through her music that aims to share her story fearlessly.

The lyrics boldly express the cycles and emotions faced in relationships filled with heartbreak. Elle Winter describes the song as “a witty take on my tendency to pursue toxic relationships and people who are not good for me for the thrill of the experience.”

The single is accompanied by a music video directed by Bobby Hanaford. The visuals depict Winter with her mascara running and in distress over the disappointment coming from unsuccessful relationships. It represents her dealing with her unhappiness and failed attempts at finding her equal.

Winter’s upcoming project is releasing with more music to unveil her experiences. Her hope is to make music people can relate to and know that they aren’t alone. The single “Sad Girl Heaven” is available now on all digital platforms.

January 21, 2021
Cassandra Jenkins New Single Honors Inauguration Day

New York City singer Cassandra Jenkins released her new song “Hard Drive” in celebration of Inauguration Day.

Photo from Cassandra Jenkins website

“Hard Drive” is the third track and second released single off Jenkins’ upcoming album titled An Overview on Phenomenal Nature. The song is in the style of a spoken word beginning with audio of a security guard pondering about Mrinalini Mukherjee’s display “Phenomenal Nature” at the Met Breuer. It follows with lyrics filled with Jenkins recalling encounters in her life. The song works its way to her repeating “one, two, three”, a guided meditation from her friend. It ends with words from a psychic Peri Lyons stating the year will be good. Jenkins thought that Lyons’s statement was necessary after living through the uncertainty of 2020.

The single serves as a journey through a month in her life where she was in the middle of doing two tours. Jenkins also released a video to accompany the track, consisting of scenes with her walking and peacefully riding down a road. The instrumentals are supplied by musician Stuart Bogie on the saxophone and engineer Josh Kaufman on the guitar. The song was purposely released on Inauguration Day to symbolize the country collectively moving forward into a new chapter after the past four years.When creating the album, she was reflecting on ways to heal while living under Trump’s administration.

An Overview on Phenomenal Nature is releasing on Feb. 19 from Ba Da Bing Records. Jenkins worked with Josh Kaufman on the album and finished it within a week. It comes after her last album, Play Till You Win, which came out in 2017. Her previous body of work showcased her talent but the forthcoming work shows her adaptability. It has a theme of being optimistic and being open to change.

January 21, 2021
Rough Trade NYC Announces Store Relocation and Venue Closing

On Jan. 19 Rough Trade NYC announced that they are closing and moving from their location in Williamsburg this spring to a different place in New York later this year.

Rough Trade is a mainstream vinyl store as well as a venue for concerts. They are the only location for the company outside of the UK. The store opened in Brooklyn in 2013 and the venue was in partnership with the Bowery Presents. This was an essential place for music lovers from all over to gather and enjoy the art. It was more than a record store, it was a place to enjoy performances from artists of different genres. Artists such as Sza, Halsey, Tinashe, and several others performed there. There weren’t just individual performances, many annual events took place as well.

These gigs and events will no longer occur due to the relocation. Rough Trade’s concert venue will not be reopening due to this change. The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for this decision since it has limited the ability of people to gather at live music shows. While the store reopened in June last year, the pandemic caused cancellations of scheduled and upcoming concerts at Rough Trade. Refunds will be made automatically to people who have purchased tickets online or by phone, and the box office will be open certain days for those who purchased them in person.

The future of the store will be dependent on selling vinyl due to the increased demand for them during this time. The switch to a virtual world is also a factor in the decision as it is a new reality and is causing online sales to boost. When Rough Trade NYC closes its doors before relocating, all sales will be made on its website. The announcement for the new location is happening in the summer.

January 21, 2021
Melt, NYC Pop-Soul Band Release Dreamy New Single “Hours”

NYC-based psychedelic pop-soul group Melt released new single, “Hours,” ahead of their hotly anticipated forthcoming EP. The contemplative ballad is the third single released from the band’s debut EP, set to come out next month.

Available across all streaming platforms, the single captures the band’s sonic and lyrical maturity – a welcome presentation of their impressive studio prowess. A balanced combination of a passionate low end, moody synth leads, inquisitive guitar lines, and a lustful melody create “Hours.”

Hours totally captures the energy and intoxication we feel working on something new. We wanted to convey that feeling of meeting someone –– the excitement, but also the haziness and fantasy of it,
Eric Gabriels, Vocals and Keys

“Hours” was produced and engineered by Aaron Nevezie at The Bunker Studio, mixed by Michael Brauer, and mastered by Heba Kadry. Melt is known throughout the East Coast for their exhilarating live performances. The track captures Melt’s signature sound, despite the challenges the current pandemic presented to the creative process.

Melt is: Veronica Stewart-Frommer (lead vocals), Eric Gabriel (vocals, keys), Marlo Shankweiler (guitar), Josh Greenzeig (drums), Nick Sare (saxophone), Lucas Saur (bass), and Aaron Alcouloumre (trumpet).

Something unique about this project is that before we release new music, we normally test it live on tour for months to years. Quarantine forced us to hunker down, write new songs, and create—without any feedback from an audience,
Veronica Stewart-Frommer, Vocals

When Melt records a new song, they turn to each other and ask “what the hell is this band?” The septet’s sound is rooted in soul and psychedelia, infusing ethereal jam-sections into existential pop songs. Dubbed “one groovy super organism” by NPR, four years after their first-ever release “Sour Candy” went viral in 2017 and reached #5 on Billboard’s US Viral 50 Chart (and #6 in Canada). Melt sells out shows across the Northeast and repeatedly in their hometown of NYC at venues Mercury Lounge and The Knitting Factory.

January 20, 2021
The Dutchess – A Secret Hudson Valley Venue for Music and the Arts
Welcome to The Dutchess. Imagine over 250 acres of land filled with the most poetic scenes. A place where you are able to not only go for a walk, or learn how to garden, but you can also enjoy your favorite music or art pieces. But, the only way to get an invite into this oasis was just through word-of-mouth. No social media. No mass emails.

You may think a place like this must be somewhere in California, but this secret venue experience is located actually right here in New York, within the Hudson Valley.

Eric Mushel works at The Dutchess and is surprised that the venue doesn’t need to purchase any ads.

“Almost fully word-of-mouth and never got any paid advertisement,” Mushel said of the unique venue. “And we have been completely COVID compliant- especially since we have so much space.”

It’s hard to describe the vibes you feel when the property’s trees welcome you down a long driveway. It feels like there is instant peace within the air. You are surprised to learn that there is also a bar and restaurant with an amazing view and plenty of space to enjoy an outdoor gallery, or even a music festival.

Even though the pandemic was not so kind to restaurants or venues, these special grounds have been able to offer residents from all over New York state; a chance to organize yoga retreats and socially-safe galleries.

We are not able to share about the many people who have rented out the space since that information is protected. However, if you are a pop-culture guru you may recognize some scenes from a movie or even a fashion shoot for a famous brand.

When you are there, you can also feel the history throughout the farmhouses and the herb gardens. The property owners have been able to reserve the country charm of the late 1700s, yet incorporate modern amenities that can make anyone feel like a celebrity.

When one hosts an event, most of the produce is grown right on the property. In fact, there are event options to pick your own food for a 5-star meal.

So, if this place sounds too good to be true, contact porter@thedutchess.com to organize your next, invite-only, event and experience the magic for yourself.
January 20, 2021
Celebrities Come Together to Fundraise for Famous New York Jazz Club Birdland

In efforts to rescue the legendary New York jazz club, Birdland, a virtual concert will take place with many celebrity appearances on Jan. 24. This is the final attempt to save the iconic venue.

Photo from Theater Mania

Birdland is named after and inspired by famous Jazz artist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, opened in 1949. It was located on Broadway and 52nd which was the hotspot for jazz during that time. As inspiration for the club, Parker was the headliner. Several notorious jazz artists performed there, causing 1.4 million people to attend within the first five years of its opening. It attracted the likes of locals and celebrities and continued to do so throughout the years.

The club closed in 1965 and reopened and relocated Uptown to 2745 Broadway in 1986. While Birdland was able to discover about 2,000 rising artists, the Uptown location didn’t last for long. It moved back to Midtown at 315 West 44th St. in 1996. Since it returned to the area it gained even more popularity for the music and the menu.

Although the club is a staple in the jazz world, the pandemic’s restrictions recently took a toll. First, the shut down of indoor dining became a setback and caused them to rely on a concert series called Radio Free Birdland. At first, the series took place in the club but as COVID-19 became more unpredictable, there were more restrictions. Producers Tom D’Angora and Tim Guinee created a GoFundMe that raised over $200,000 in hopes of saving it. The virtual concert “Save Birdland: A Celebration of Music, History, and Community” was created in order to call more attention to the GoFundMe. It will stream on the website “Save Birdland”.

This concert will be a star-studded event with appearances and performances from many celebrities of different backgrounds. Former President Bill Clinton, Michael Broderick, Leslie Odom Jr, Chita Rivera Giancarlo Esposito, and many more are a part of the lineup. With the hopes that “Save Birdland” will bring enough awareness, this is the final effort to save the renowned jazz club.

Charlie Parker (as), Fats Navarro (tp), Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b), Art Blakey (d). Birdland New York, June 30, 1950

January 20, 2021