Symphony Space in NYC will host Meshell Ndegeocello for a residency at from Feb. 24-26, showcasing the array of genres her music catalog touches on, from soul and funk, folk to rock, jazz to hip hop, and beyond. Throughout her residency at the venue, she will be playing music inspired by jazz musician Max Roach’s groundbreaking 1960 album, We Insist.
Meshell Ndegeocello, photo by Charlie Gross
Ndegeocello has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, and won one. She has been credited with starting the neo-soul music movement.
During her musical career, she has had many top hits. Her duet with with John Mellencamp, a cover version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” went to number 3 on the Billboard charts. Her only other Billboard Hot 100 hit was “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night)”, which peaked at No. 73.
Her music has also been featured in a lot of films, including How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Batman & Robin, Love Jones, Higher Learning,Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom, and more.
Meshell Ndegeocello, photo by Charlie Gross.
The Symphony Space is a venue in NYC that connects art, community, and ideas through performances and education. Symphony Space presents affordable and free programing to the NYC community through tours, radio broadcasts, and virtual events.
Meshell Ndegeocello will hold her residency Feb. 24-26, and tickets to see the various events can be found here.
This summer The Sembrich in Bolton Landing, NY, will be hosting a unique Reimagining the Classics, from the classics to the rhapsodies.
Artistic Director Richard Wargo spoke about how delighted he is to present the festival.
Reimagining the Classics will explore all manner of reinvention and present a variety of refreshing new takes on classical favorites. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to reimagine many aspects of life, including the way we present and experience music. This summer’s festival will incorporate the best of those bold reinventions, including the introduction of our new outdoor Promenade Series.
The festival will explore reinvention, from arrangements and transcriptions of classics to rhapsodies and variations of popular composers. There are many highlights of the festival.
Reimagining The Classics: Breaking Operatic Traditions – Michael Capasso, New York City Opera General Director, shares his insights on favorite works by Verdi and Puccini, and explores many productions and performance practices from the past 150 years.
Promenade Series – New in 2022 – This is a new outdoor series, modeled after the famous proms of London, and features a lot of musical styles, like classical and jazz. Comedians will also be featured here as well.
The Sembrich Film Series – This year’s films focus on reinvention and adaptations of the popular musicals Dear Evan Hansen (2021), West Side Story (2021), and In the Heights (2021). Several films, including Dracula (1931) will have live musical scores.
Masterwork Series – Performances for this series will be held in The Sembrich studio, with evening performances of monumental classical works.
These, and more, will be happening at The Sembrich this summer, and tickets can be found here.
Band Together Buffalo, featuring local musicians from across Western NY, is into their third season of highlighting rising artists from the region. Made in response to the pandemic shutting down live touring, the show helps spotlight musicians who may have lost live touring jobs and helps provide tips for artists, like how to make a music video.
Band Together Buffalo’s Season 3 logo.
Over the past few years, the group has featured over 60 live-streamed concerts. In 2021, they held the “Shutdown Showcase” which featured over 150 musical artists.
The new season includes videos produced by the Band Together Buffalo team and will have various self-produced videos that have been submitted by local artists. They will be featuring 128 music videos over 16 weeks, 64 being produced by the team.
We’re thrilled to bring back Season 3, featuring 70 local artists in the Buffalo music scene over 16 weeks. It’s taken a huge team effort, countless hours, and generous sponsorship to pull this off. We’re excited to offer this platform to showcase all the amazing talent in our city, and we hope you enjoy the show!
André Pilette
Viewers have the opportunity to win concert tickets from local music venues while watching as well. Some featured artists include Leroy Townes, Farrow, Grub, and more.
The New Colossus Festival in NYC has announced the final schedule of artists, happening from March 8-12 at various independent music venues across the city.
The New Colossus Festival started in 2018 and has since established itself as the first stop in the US for many emerging international artists. The festival organizers started in New York City because of the city’s long-standing tradition of welcoming artists.
Named after Emma Lazurus’s 1883 sonnet featured on The Statue of Liberty, The New Colossus Festival is a multi-day, multi-venue showcase and conference that takes place on New York City’s Lower East Side. Featured venues include Mercury Lounge, Berlin, Arlene’s Grocery, Bowery Ballroom, Bowery Electric, and more. The festival is also excited to announce a partnership with global music distributor Ditto Music who will bring the Ditto X: NYC23 music conference to the festival at Pianos on March 9 (12-7 p.m.). The event will offer insights and advice for independent artists and labels, covering topics including how to grow your fanbase, land bigger and better shows, build a sustainable career in music, and more. The full line-up of Ditto X speakers and panels will be announced soon here.
Long Island singer Carly X has released her new project called A Dark Frequency, featuring two songs “Lowkey” and “Don’t Mind Me.”
Growing up, she was influenced by a variety of artists, from SugarHill to McFadden & Whitehead, and also Marvin Gaye. She started writing music at age six, and once she discovered female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Queen Latifah, she started writing her own rap verses.
Carly X.
After being hand-selected by Doritos and Busta Rhymes to complete a rap competition, she was the youngest and only female to touch the stage, when she was only 19. She opened for Wiz Khalifa and was featured in Billboard Magazine.
Her newest piece of music, A Dark Frequency is about the silent battles she faces alone in the dark.
No matter how bright a light may seem to shine, it’s only a matter of time until darkness arrives. Sometimes we pretend everything is ok, sometimes we let the darkness consume us, and sometimes we fight to see the light again.
Carly X
The two songs featured in the project, “Lowkey” and “Don’t Mind Me” both encompass strong beats and melodic backing tracks as she spits verses down. The songs are reminiscent of older rappers, like Biggie or Tupac, but also give a modern rap feel. These are songs that everyone could add to their playlists and be able to vibe with.
Carly X is taking names and is here to stay and make her mark in the industry. She officially started releasing music in 2020 and has no plans to stop. Her new project A Dark Frequency is available to stream here.
NYC-based artist Rachael Sage is coming out with her new single “Revelation Ground” and tour, with nine shows across New York State.
Rachael Sage. photo by Blue Roses.
Sage has been touring for decades among the likes of Judy Collins, Eric Burdon, and Ani DiFranco and a six-time Independent Music Awards winner who founded her record label, MPress Records two decades ago. She has been described as “The Carole King of her generation…” by Blurt Magazine, and by artist Judy Collins herself as “A great gift…of incredible talent and beauty.”
Rachael Sage is going on tour and will have support from Howard Jones at the select show. She will perform songs from her recent Billboard Charting album Character, along with select pieces across her discography of 14 albums and her new collaborative side-project, Poetica. Tickets to the tour can be found here.
Rachel Sage Tour Dates 2/10/22 – Beacon, NY – The Dogwood (Winter Residency) 2/11/22 – Ithaca, NY – Hangar Theatre* 2/12/22 – Saratoga, NY – Universal Preservation Hall* 2/14/22 – Boston, MA – City Winery* 2/15/22 – Norwalk, CT – Wall Street Theater* 2/17/22 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House* 2/18/22 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount* 2/19/22 – New York, NY – Sony Hall* 2/20/22 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater* 2/21/22 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere* 2/22/22 – Richmond, VA – The Tin Pan* 3/1/22 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub (Single Release Show) 3/4/22 – Beacon, NY – The Dogwood (Winter Residency) 4/9/22 – Binghamton, NY – Atomic Tom’s * appearing with Howard Jones
58 years ago, on February 9, 1964, The Beatles played on The Ed Sullivan show in NYC, creating one of the most seminal moments in television history. A record-setting 73 million tuned in to watch the Fab Four perform “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
The Beatles with Ed Sullivan.
Consisting of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, The Beatles are one of the most influential bands to have ever existed. The group was formed in 1960 in Liverpool, England. They spent the first couple years playing small clubs in Europe and perfected their craft after playing eight-hour days in Hamburg, Germany. It wasn’t until their performance on “Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium” and the release of their first LP Please Please Me that Beatlemania truly began.
https://vimeo.com/385906665
Please Please Me by The Beatles full album.
Urban legend says Ed Sullivan first heard about the group when he and his wife were at an airport in London returning to NYC and witnessed 1,500 screaming fans welcoming The Beatles back from a successful tour in Sweden.
Actually, Sullivan found out about The Beatles before that, through his Talent Booker Jack Babb, and London-based agent Peter Prichard. Sullivan was eager to book the group but needed a selling point. Prichard said they had just performed in the Royal Variety Show where they were the first “long-haired boys” to be invited to appear before Queen Elizabeth II.
The Beatles meeting Queen Elizabeth II
On November 11, 1963, Beatles manager Brian Epstein met Sullivan in the Delmonico Hotel in NYC, and the deal was done with a handshake. The Beatles were booked for three performances, two live and one a taped rehearsal.
Before the debut performance on the Sullivan show, the group’s record “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was leaked before its planned US release. The record label was unable to stop the radio from playing it, so they released the LP earlier than expected, and it went to the number one spot on the Billboard charts before the month was over.
The Flight
The Beatles flew to America on February 7, 1964. When they arrived at the airport, they were surprised at the number of people there to see them. Paul McCartney commented on it during the Anthology sessions in the 90s.
There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody had expected. We heard about it in mid-air. There were journalists on the plane, and the pilot had rang ahead and said, ‘Tell the boys there’s a big crowd waiting for them.’ We thought, ‘Wow! God, we have really made it.’
5,000 fans, mostly young girls, were crowded on the balcony of one of the buildings at JFK, waving banners and screaming at the top of their lungs.
They were able to get so many people there because the group’s American record company promised that every person who showed up at the airport would get a dollar bill and a t-shirt. The receptionists at Capitol Records would answer the phone, “Capitol Records – The Beatles are coming.” Every radio station was talking about it too.
The Beatles arriving at JFK.
The Ed Sullivan Show
Paul McCartney spoke about their appearance on the show also during the Anthology sessions.
It was very important. We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us – the hairdo more than the music, originally. A lot of people’s fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, ‘Don’t be fooled, they’re wearing wigs.’
The band rehearsed the day before, and George Harrison was feeling ill, and their road manager Neil Aspinall stood in for him to mark where everyone would stand.
Neil Aspinall standing in for George Harrison during the rehearsals.
Their live debut broke record for television viewing figures, as a record 73 million people tuned into the show. The group even got a telegram from Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker, wishing the group luck. Harrison made a witty remark about the show, during the Anthology sessions.
We were aware that Ed Sullivan was the big one because we got a telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. And I’ve heard that while the show was on there were no reported crimes, or very few. When The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, even the criminals had a rest for ten minutes.
The band came on and played “All My Loving” to an audience full of ear-splitting screeching from teenage girls. Then they played “Til There Was You,” and while the song was playing, a camera cut to each member of the band to introduce them, and when the camera cut to John Lennon, the caption said “SORRY GIRLS. HE’S MARRIED.”
The band played three more songs, “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and their number one hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” After the show, The Beatles were whisked away to the Playboy Club with a police escort.
The Beatles’ success on The Ed Sullivan show paved the way for the British Invasion, for groups like The Rolling Stones and The Animals. The group have also inspired the works of many bands, like the Ramones song “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl,” a parody of the tune “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” by The Beatles.
Brooklyn punk band SAVAK announce their new album Human Error / Human Delight, and a Spring tour, with multiple dates in the NY Metro area.
SAVAK, photo by Taylor Sesselman.
The band is led by Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski, and Matt Shulz on drums. Jaworski and Habibion have both been doing singing and songwriting together since the band was created in 2015.
All the members played in bands in the 90s, which helps them reform their sound, as touches of the scene are heard in their music.
The album art for SAVAK’s Human Error/Human Delight.
SAVAK have released a number of singles ahead of the album’s release, which is set to come out April 15. The title of the album comes from the fascination of just existing as a human. The newest release, “No Blues No Jazz,” speaks of what life would be if genres didn’t exist. The album was written over Zoom, and grapples with the idea of creating an album during a pandemic, and if it is justified.
The group have also announced a Spring tour, with many NY metro dates, and tickets to that can be found here.
SAVAK LIVE 2022 Fri. Mar. 4 – Providence, RI – TBD
Sat. Mar. 5 – Northampton, MA – Bishop’s Lounge*
Wed. Mar. 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Thu. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Fri. Mar. 18 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Sat. Mar. 19 – Austin, TX – SXSW*
Thu. Apr. 7 – Brooklyn, NY – Littlefield #+
Fri. Apr. 8 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s #
Sat. Apr. 9 – Lowell, MA – The Town and the City Festival (early show)
Sat. Apr. 9 – Boston, MA – Midway Cafe #
Fri. May 13 – Philadelphia, PA – TBD +
Sat. May 14 – Washington, DC – TBD +
Fri. Oct. 21 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge !
* w/Pays P. # w/Chris Brokaw + w/Upper Wilds ! w/June of 44
NY singer-songwriter Sam Kogon has announced a four-track self-titled EP, and the release of his new single “Barbed Wire.”
Kogon describes his new approach to songwriting as an “Upstate country rockabilly crooner,” as he spends his time in the Hudson Valley. He has always been an old soul as he is a big fan of The Beatles, and even worked with Al Jardine of The Beach Boys.
Sam Kogan.
Sam Kogon had a lot to say about the new single.
‘Barbed Wire’ is a song about accepting love, denying love, unrequited love, infatuation, and coming out of the closet. It’s inspired by two friends exchanging songs they write as coded love letters. One friend wants their love to come off the page and the other friend can only express their true feelings in song. Running away with or from someone who isn’t emotionally available can get you tangled in the barbed wire fences they put up at the first signs of vulnerability, so I chose that as the title of the song. The one friend trying to move forward is asking (rhetorically) ‘Is this love? Is this love? I need to know right now…and could you even tell me right now.’ They already know the answer: Sometimes there isn’t a happy ending or closure; sometimes we get burnt like tires, and that’s ok.
“Barbed Wire” is a pop, rock, and country ballad, and makes the listener want to get up and dance. It was produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) and mastered by Steve Fallone (Arcade Fire, Angel Olsen, Big Thieif).
The song is available to stream here, and Sam Kogan’s new self-titled EP will be out in April.
While the Allman Betts Band tour has been postponed amid a hiatus, there is now a co-headlining tour with The Devon Allman Project and Samantha Fish Band in its place, with stops in Utica, Albany, Buffalo, Chester, New York City and Westhampton Beach.
Devon Allman.
The Devon Allman Project is a six-piece world-class band that has previously toured almost 20 countries. The band is led by Devon Allman, son of The Allman Brothers guitarist Gregg Allman. The band is known for gracefully blending genres and jam in the same way that the Allman family is known for.
photo by Brian Cornish
Samantha Fish is one of the most inventive artists in the blues scene, with her being placed in Guitar World Magazine’s list of “Top 10 Best Blues Guitarists in the World.”
Speaking of the tour, Devon Allman had this to say:
I can’t wait to get back out and spread some music around with my friends. I’ve known Samantha forever now and she’s such a phenomenal talent, her voice and guitar playing are smokin’ and her new band are world class…we’re gonna have some fun out there
The Devon Allman Project tour with Samantha Fish will be heading to multiple NY cities, and tickets can be found here.
THE DEVON ALLMAN PROJECT + THE SAMANTHA FISH BAND ON TOUR
Mar 3 @ The Kent Stage | Kent, OH Mar 4 @ Riverfront Live | Cincinnati, OH Mar 5 @ Robins Theatre | Warren, OH Mar 6 @ Kemba Live | Columbus, OH Mar 8 @ Jergel’s | Warrendale, PA Mar 9 @ Town Ballroom | Buffalo, NY Mar 10 @ Stanley Theater | Utica, NY Mar 11 @ HMAC | Harrisburg, PA Mar 12 @ Palladium | New York, NY Mar 13 @ Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center | Chester, NY Mar 16 @ Musikfest Cafe | Bethleham, PA Mar 17 @ Palace Theater | Manchester, NH Mar 18 @ Loos Center for the Arts | Woodstock, CT Mar 19 @ Cabot Theater | Beverly, MA Mar 20 @ Westhampton Beach PAC | Westhampton Beach, NY Mar 23 @ Academy of Music | Northampton, MA Mar 24 @ The Egg | Albany, NY Mar 25 @ Mayo Performing Arts Center | Morristown, NJ Mar 26 @ The Beacon Theatre | Hopewell, VA
THE DEVON ALLMAN PROJECT
Apr 1 @ Hawaii Theatre Center | Honolulu, HI Apr 2 @ Castle Theater | Maui, HA
