NYS Music 202​1

Tag: Music News

  • Kate Gratson Uses her Unique Background to Create “The Girl You Knew”

    Like many of us, Kate Gratson used the pandemic to channel her inner-self. Consequently, her latest album, The Girl You Knew, does most of her speaking for her. Gratson’s process of self-reflection is something that her fans are all too familiar with and on this latest project, she found a way to perfectly encapture all the intimate feelings we’re afraid to share out loud. A veteran of writing on self-actualization and acceptance, it’s apparent that the she has developed an even deeper understanding of herself and lets it all out in her music.

    While growing as a person and artist, Gratson has gotten a hold creatively as well, revealing a new sense of control.

    Musically and lyrically, “Watch and Wonder,” is all about tension and release, and my main goal was to highlight this when creating the music video. “Watch and Wonder” is my second music video with Isaac Rosenthal on cinematography, and Grant Sorth on editing, but it is the first time I had a distinct, artistic vision in mind

    Kate Granson

    When listening to Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, producer and cellist, it isn’t always apparent that she has a firm foundation in both jazz and classical techniques. Her knowledge of both genres almost silently seeps into her music layered with R&B, folk/indie and electronic elements. Combining both contemporary and aged sounds, she often find herself almost painting a picture of timelessness. Her various identities, paired with the layering of samples, mixed with velvety vocals, gritty drums and melodic synths are surely to catapult her career.

    Following her formal music education, Gratson would go on to receive a BM in music composition and vocal performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia. It was during this time that her sound and voice as an artist began to take shape. She then returned to New York City to focus on refining her distinctly eclectic feel, attempting to harness the layers that made up her voice. Later returning to her initial mentors, as she began to write and hone her craft, while steadily releasing singles.

    At last, she released her debut album, The Girl You Knew. With a growing fanbase and unique sound, it might not be long before Kate Gratson once again becomes the girl we once knew.

  • The Strokes Announce NYE Show At Barclays Center

    Indie rock favorites, The Strokes, have confirmed a New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center along with IDLES and Hinds. This will be their first New Years show in two years with this one coming on the heels of they latest Grammy-award. Tickets will be available and

    The concert will be produced by leading touring entityLive Nation, the world’s preeminant live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship.

    At this time, under a current New York City mandate, ticket holders are required to have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose to attend an event at Barclays Center. Concertgoers can visit the arena’s health and safety page for any updates to this mandate, along with a list of other safety measures and protocols.

    The Strokes released news of their upcoming NYE concert after recently headlining at Miami music festival, III Points and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees as well as their highly anticipated sold out show at The Forum in Los Angeles. Most recently, they made an appearance this past Halloween weekend at Outside Lands in San Francisco. Those that won’t be able to catch the NYE performance can rest easy, as the group have released numerous dates performing at festivals and select stadium dates along with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022.

    After releasing, The New Abnormal, their first album in seven years, the anticipation skyrocketed the album to chart topping status in 2020. Their latest Grammy is one in a long list of achievements as 2021 marks the twentieth anniversary of their record-shattering and universally beloved debut album, Is This It.

    THE STROKES LIVE

    2021

    December 31 Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY

    2022

    May 21 Corona Capital Guadalajara, Mexico

    June 3 Primavera Sound Sant Adrià de Besòs, Spain

    June 10 Primavera Sound Sant Adria de Besos, Spain

    June 12 Tempelhof Sounds Berlin, Germany

    July 6 NOS Alive Lisbon, Portugal

    July 8 Lytham Festival Lytham, U.K.

    July 9 TRNSMT Glasgow, Scotland

    July 22 Splendour in the Grass Yelgun, Australia

    August 3 T-Mobile Park Seattle, WA*

    August 6 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV*

    August 10 Suntrust Park Atlanta, GA*

    August 12 Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN*

    August 14 Comerica Park Detroit, MI*

    August 17 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ*

    August 19 Soldier Field Chicago, IL*

    August 21 Rogers Centre Toronto, ON*

    August 30 Hard Rock Stadium Miami, FL*

    September 1 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC*

    September 3 Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia, PA*

    September 8 Nationals Park Washington, D.C.*

    September 15 Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL*

    September 18 Globe Life Field Arlington, TX*

    *with Red Hot Chili Peppers

  • Hearing Aide: “All Souls Day” by The Forms

    Queens duo, The Forms, known for their experimental indie sound, have returned with another new single, the eerie-sounding, “All Souls Day,” an ode to the celebratory day of remembrance of the same name.

    The band released their first two albums with legendary producer Steve Albini, who had previously worked with lighting rods like, Nirvana and PJ Harvey. “All Souls Day,” is the third release from The Forms this year after over a decade without any new music. Their last full-length, The Forms, was released in 2007. 

    “All Souls Day” centers on a hypnotizing riff played on a bass steel pan. The echoey and percussive instrument, as played masterfully by Matt Walsh, creates an ominous sound. It’s perfect for their psychedelic brand of indie rock, as the steel pan feels otherworldly like a synth yet as painfully human as a banjo. Vocalist, Alex Tweens’, high and whispery vocals balance the instrument with an alien quality. Tweens described the track as

    a strange dark meditative soundscape of a quiet apocalypse. 

    The music video for the track, shot in a remote field in The Catskills, is eerie and sensory. Cattails brush up against the camera lens, and pollen disperses like gold flecks in the wind. When night falls and a thick mist settles over the set, you can almost feel the chill. The atmospheric video matches the track so perfectly the creeping plants even flutter in time with Tweens’ delicate tack piano. 

    As Tweens also pointed out, the track is a “wild mood swing” from their other recent releases. Their exultant comeback single, “Southern Ocean,” made apathy sound fun over a bouncy, summery beat. Their latest release “Head Underwater” leans hard into the coveted late 2000s indie-pop formula of classic 90s riffs plus synths. Tween described the track as

    the most purely joyful song The Forms have ever done.

    The fun, upbeat nature of both records is a far cry from the barren soundscape of “All Souls Day.” But, then again, summer is over and existentialism no longer feels like a beach game.

    All Souls Day, celebrated annually on November 2nd, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed mainly by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations.

    On the song, Tweens sings of spending the day floating in a river:

    Now I’ve come here/ In a state of mind/ One I’ll never forget.

    The meditative lyrics over the ever-echoing steel pan transport you right to that floating, questioning state. The effect is sonically beautiful and emotionally resonant, letting you know that this will be an All Souls Day you won’t forget anytime soon. 

  • This Week’s EQXposure Features Belle-Skinner, grape juice! And More

    Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Belle-Skinner, grape juice! and many more!

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    Belle-Skinner

    Just in time for Halloween, singer-songwriter Belle-Skinner has released her love magic-themed EP, Love Spell. Each song is equal parts spooky and seductive, with siren-esque vocals and lyrics that charm and bewitch. Skinner created the concept after hearing similar songs written by her friends, and penned her own to accompany the covers. “Spellbound” follows Skinner as the target of a love spell, while the psychedelic “Love Witch” sees her as the perpetrator. Instruments like the organ and theremin set the mood perfectly, creating a haunting atmosphere.

    grape juice!

    Albany alternative rock band grape juice! released their newest single “sad songs” in July. Despite the title and some of its lyrics like “Disappointment is my forte,” it’s an upbeat power pop song in the vein of Weezer and Fountains of Wayne.

  • Hearing Aide: Get Spooky with Surfbort’s “Happy Happy Halloween”

    As Ghouls and Goblin Day (Halloween) approaches, Brooklyn punk outfit Surbort has shared a fittingly spooky new track aptly titled, “Happy Happy Halloween.” Released on October 21, the record is accompanied by a music video.

    Halloween is our favorite holiday and we celebrate it everyday so we wanted to make an extra spooky song to celebrate the ghouls and ghosts,

    front-woman Dani Miller said.

    The track, originally imagined as a cover, morphed into a wacky original at manager and album producer Linda Perry’s encouragement.

    Linda just started playing spooky Dracula noises on the keys and the rest is history,

    Miller said. 

    The song is also a homage to Surbort’s favorite parts of Halloween. Based around the sinister children’s rhyme from Nightmare on Elm Street, each verse sees Surfbort celebrate pigskins, pumpkins, ghosts, and even “dead Santa Clause.” However, Surfbort also honors the sinister acts that inspire them, name-dropping goth icons like Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sisters of Mercy.

    Perry also directed the video for the track, featuring the band in outlandish, colorful Halloween costumes. With Miller morphing into a Harley-Quinn-meets-Joker character as the band-members appear in a rotation of costumes, with Bassist Nick Arnold as, Bob Ross, serving as a standout lookalike. The video employs every spooky trope in the book in a dramatic, tongue-in-cheek way, from grainy found-footage to severed limbs as drumsticks. Within all of the hooplah, what stands out is how much fun Surfbort is having. It’s not hard to believe Halloween is their favorite holiday.  

    “Happy Happy Halloween” is Surfbort’s first release since their latest album, Keep on Truckin, earlier this month. Guitarist Alex Kilgore described the album as encompassing

    12 songs for a new world, a call to arms to blast love: a panacea to the corporate hellscape we live in.

    Surfbort has two upcoming shows in the New York area, both in December. They will play TV Eye in Brooklyn on December 5th, followed by a show at The Mercury Lounge in NYC on December 6th. 

  • Sean Rowe Looks Back on ‘The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights’

    The latest release from Sean Rowe, The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights, is not just a thrilling listen. From first glance, the project begins its journey with listeners through its arresting album cover. The thought-provoking artwork depicts a smokey, neon, opaque cloud appearing in a mountain crevasse above two travelers. The cloud feels an apt metaphor for the album; The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights envelops you, taking you to places that are both painfully familiar and entirely enlightening. 

    Rowe recorded the album alongside producer, friend, and longtime collaborator, Troy Pohl. Working from Bon Iver engineer Brian Joseph’s studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the pair aimed to tell Rowe’s stories. An “artist and nomad,” Rowe grew up in Troy, and first began playing locally in 2003. His long career has left him with a vast collection of tales from all corners of his heart. He shares them with heartbreaking clarity on Darkness. 

    Sean Rowe. Photo by Joe Navas

    Rowe’s deep and husky voice brings to mind the classics of country and Americana, while simultaneously evoking the vulnerable tenor of Matt Berninger, frontman of The National. His spare and purposeful instrumentals absolutely grip you, letting his singular voice stand out. On the opening track “What Are We Now,” Rowe laments a disintegrating relationship. As the first song he recorded for the album, Rowe said he was dealing with a cold while in the studio for the track. He appreciated “ all the little imperfections. I knew my voice would never quite sound like that again…” 

    The track ends in a symphonic and strange collection of beeping noises and electric guitar whining. Over roughly 45 seconds, Rowe builds an ambient outro ending in a sound reminiscent of a Tibetan singing bowl, used for meditation. 

    His experimental use of ambient noises remains a theme throughout the album. But unlike some forays into ambient folk or electro-country, Rowe’s delicate production only amp up the emotional gut-punch of his songwriting. A dedicated naturalist and self-described forager, Rowe has often spoken of his deep connection to the forest and living close to the land. His dedication to the world around him is clear in the intuitive touches he adds to his music. Truly creating a world within a song, Rowe brings storytelling to a whole new level. 

    For its unique timbre, Rowe’s voice has incredible versatility. On “Gabriel,” where Jeremy Boetcher’s deep, reverberating upright bass makes the perfect partner, Rowe is an old-time blues poet. Meanwhile, “Little Death,” would easily get a summer Jones Beach crowd going, you can almost feel the ambient summer nights and the sloshing of Bud Light. Despite his versatility, Rowe seems most at home on his lowest notes, yet his higher ranges can be just as stunning. The mere cracks and vibrato in his voice singing “I know you feel me/When words don’t reveal me” on the outro record “Toast” is enough to bring tears to eyes. 

    The pattering beat of album centerpiece “Honey in the Morning” begs to be recounted around a campfire, hand-claps and all. Rowe said he was trying to capture something cinematic in the track, “a quality like a Kubrick or David Lynch film.” The ballad evokes the directors’ experimentation with the unknown perfectly. The chorus, “I know you’re a runner but I was hoping that I wasn’t right/ Honey in the morning turn to poison by tomorrow night” evokes a torrid love story while maintaining an air of mystery. The hypnotic instrumental, anchored by drummer Shane Leonard’s impossibly machine-like drumming, only adds to the uncanny quality. Eventually, an instrumental breakdown so good it’s not fair to spoil is the cherry on top. 

    Photo by Joe Navas

    For its complex atmospheres and shifting genres, at the heart of Rowe’s beautiful album is emotionally raw songwriting. His words feel deeply relatable and completely personal. In “What Are We Now,” he sings of a lover that just won’t let him go. 

    When the apple of your eye/ is an oxidizing core/ You’ll be sighing at the moon/ While you’re pumping in the gas/ And you’re hoping that tomorrow’s gonna save your tired ass. 

    The scene, so familiar yet specific, is paired perfectly with the pained understanding that you love something that may be harming you. Rowe said a recurring theme in his songwriting is “the duality that I feel is in all of us. All the hidden parts, and all the guts that spill out when we’re faced with tragedy, adversity, or a broken heart.”

    Darkness captures this duality with stunning clarity, vulnerability, and catharsis. Rowe’s lived-in stories speak of wreckage, recovery, and redemption. Elevated by the skilled instrumental and production work of friends and admired collaborators, each one is truly a gift. 

    Key Tracks: What Are We Now, Honey In The Morning, Toast 

  • Owner of Exclusive Wu Tang Clan Album Revealed

    The anonymous owners of the one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Clan album have been revealed. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin — formerly owned by disgraced hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive, Martin Shkreli, before being convicted of securities fraud — was seized in 2018 and recently sold by the U.S. government as a part of a $7.4 million forfeiture judgement. 

    After Shkreli was forced to sell the album, the original buyers were kept hidden from the public, with the sale being handled by NYC based lawyer, Peter Coolidge, who revealed that he has been one of the very few to listen to the project.

    It didn’t disappoint at all. It was pretty reminiscent of the ‘90s stuff. The first album was really good. All the first solo albums were good, like, Return to the 36 Chambers, Liquid Swords, Ironman, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, whatever,” he said. “And then they did some albums after that, that were perhaps not their best work. But this is like, up there with the best stuff.

    Now, the new owners of the suis generis album have been revealed to be NFT investment collective, PleasrDAO. The group revealed itself as the anonymous entity that purchased the album from the federal government in July for a reported $4 million.

    While Shkreli clashed with Wu Tang Clan almost immediately after purchasing the album, the new owners — who specialize in digitized art — may have more consumer-friendly plans in mind. While the album comes with a ton of contractual limitations (It can’t be commercially released until 2103; it can’t be remixed or recorded; and it can’t be played in front of large audiences, streamed, or even broadcast online), PleasrDAO Chief Pleasing Officer, Jamis Johnson, revealed to Rolling Stone plans to “bring the album back to the people.” With plans to curate listening parties throughout the world that will allow the general public a chance to hear the

      They bonded together to form a collective more powerful than any individual had on their own. Fuck these middlemen for taking all the money that should be going to the artists perfectly aligns with the ethos of crypto.

    Despite the limitations imposed on the album, PleasrDAO believe they have the same interests of the Clan, who began to encourage the album being made available on a wider scale as their dissatisfaction with Shkreli grew. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbY74KvIYEw

  • Japanese Breakfast Captivates Every heart at Brooklyn Steel With Four Sold Out Shows

    Indie rock sensation Japanese Breakfast played four sold out shows at Brooklyn Steel last week (October 14-17, 2021), continuing their North American Fall 2021 Tour.

    Japanese Breakfast
    Japanese Breakfast at Brooklyn Steel, photography by David Reichmann

    Luna Li opened for Japanese Breakfast the first three nights, her last involvement after having also opened for them throughout the first leg of the tour. Bringing a lot of warmth and enthusiasm, Li performed several of her biggest hits including “Alone But Not Lonely“, “Cherry Pit“, and a few energizing instrumentals from her Jams EP.

    Luna Li remarked on how deeply thankful she was for the fans and for the huge opportunity to go on tour. She also mentioned how seeing Japanese Breakfast in concert several years ago had inspired her, stating,

    as a Korean . . . seeing Michelle, another Korean, on stage meant so much to me.

    Luna Li
    Japanese Breakfast

    Japanese Breakfast started their set with “Paprika,” the opening track from their latest album, Jubilee. Each time Michelle smashed the gong, the crowd screamed and cheered. They went immediately into the second track of the album “Be Sweet,” which lifted the crowd to an even louder chorus of cheers.

    Japanese Breakfast

    During their set, they included several fan favorite tracks, such as “Road Head,” “Boyish,” and “Everybody Wants to Love You.”

    Apart from their successful run of performances, Japanese Breakfast front-woman and songwriter, Michelle Zauner, not only released an all-new soundtrack to accompany the video-game,Sable, last month, but had also launched her memoir Crying in H-Mart earlier this year as well.

    You can listen to their music and follow the rest of their North American Tour here.

    Photography by David Reichmann

  • Sticky Fingaz, Irv Da God & Bizkit Remain ‘Fearless’ for Holyfield vs. Belfort bout

    There’s a certain feel of adrenaline, intensity and excitement before a big bout. Surely the fighters experience their own range of emotions before they enter the squared circle, but for us fans who are counted on to set the tone within the arena, our passion helps create the “big fight” atmosphere that makes an encounter between two great fighters truly special. As the hours and minutes wane before four-time world champion Evander Holyfield takes on former multi-class UFC champion Vitor Belfort, the level of vigor and forecasting might make us feel as though we’re the ones putting the gloves on. 

    Here lies the beauty of music, for every emotion, there is an adequate melody, lyric, or song to match. With “Fearless,” Queens emcee Irv Da God, Onyx’s Sticky Fingaz and Grammy-nominated producer Bizkit manage to capture the feeling of “the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”  

    The record and music video is boxing/fighting themed, beginning with an introductory ring announcer — portrayed by Bizkit’s production partner, Butta — Fitting, as rap has always been described as a “contact sport,” for the competitiveness of the artform as well as the violence it is capable of inducing. Irv Da God’s round consist of a fluid and technical style of rapping, resembling that of a pacier, quicker fighter relying on his skill and brains rather than brute force. Beginning with successive boxing idioms and finishing each bar with clever world play.

    Rain on ‘em like April and give them Mayweather.

    Give me a headcount, get down for the 10-count. Whoever counted me out can get knocked out.

    In between each round, Bizkit serves as a pseudo corner man delivering an inspirational and anthemic hook, before Sticky Fingaz takes the proverbial ring for his own. The “Get It Up” emcee’s entire aura is based on the aggression that his raspy voice and boundless energy provides. And if Irv Da God’s verse was that of a technically proficient fighter, Sticky Fingaz represents the overwhelming knockout artist, as he delivers aggressive verbal attacks. 

    Representing Vitor Belford, Sticky goes on offense with his raw and vivid lyrics, while shouting out the former UFC heavyweight champion:

    You Punch like a soccer mom. I swear to God I’ll break your legs and drag you into the Octagon, when you boxing with The Phenom. 

    It just wouldn’t be a Sticky Fingaz record if he didn’t deliver any eyebrow raisers.

    It’s 9/11 the arena is ours and he goin’ down just like those towers. 

    Combined the trio put on a show, previewing the highly anticipated bout between Holyfield and Belfort.

  • Westside Gunn Releases Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf, featuring Lil Wayne,

    Griselda head honcho, Westside Gunn, is back releasing music. After teasing retirement from rapping with 2020’s Who Made the Sunshine (his third release of the year), the FlyGod is back with his first release in 10 months (long breaks between projects is a rarity in Griselda land). This is the 8th edition of the popular mixtape series which played a big part in his and Griselda’s ascension.

    The 13-track, 40-minute EP features usual Westside Gunn collaborators in Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Stove God Cooks, AA Rashid and 2020 Griselda records signee, Boldy James. The mixtape also sees appearances from Jadakiss, DJ Clue and Lil Wayne, who is making a habit of teaming up on tracks with the boys from Buffalo. 

    In Griselda fashion, Westside Gunn also managed to tease more music while promoting his incoming project.  In an Instagram post disclosing the track-list, Westside Gunn captioned the image “Side A,” teasing a possible double album for fans to look forward to. He subtly disclosed his plans for a two-sided project in an Instagram post promoting his GXFR jean brand.

    Late Night Work!!!!!! GXFR x @purple_brand jeans getting made and shipped, we’re down to the last 100 pair so if your waiting thank you for your patience it’s worth the wait these are all made by hand that’s why it was a preorder … but this Fri. I’m starting to do online drops again limited and ART sale, I’m going back to doing what I love the most Fashion, ART, and Curation, I just had to take some time off to make an AOTY contender and classic NO SKIPS on a double album   BLIENTELE.com this FRI. #GXFR#ART #CULTURE #ICON#PURPLEBRAND

    “Side B” of HWH8 will presumably release next week, while the unconventional rollout is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking that the FlyGod prides himself on.

     The latest Griselda release can be streamed through all available services.