On Tuesday, November 15, Black Star took the stage at Sony Hall in Times Square for a once in a lifetime performance, presented by Blue Note Entertainment Group and co-presented by podcast platform Luminary.
Black Star is Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, the internationally recognized icons of rap, activism, and entertainment. This night, they performed songs from their iconic debut Mos Def & Talib KweliAre Black Star, as well as their new album No Fear Of Time, which was released after an extended hiatus of nearly 25 years. In addition to the Black Star originals, they both performed hits from their individual catalogs.
The Sony Hall show followed their SNL debut on Saturday, November 12th, where Black Star performed “So be it.”
The Disco Biscuits have announced even more dates for the 2023 Winter Tour, adding 12 more shows to their previously announced shows for the new year. Included in the tour dispatch is a show at Town Ballroom in Buffalo on Thursday, January 19 and The Palace Theatre in Albany on February 3. This follows word that they will make their annual return to the Capitol Theatre over March 23-25, 2023.
The Philly group have played the Port Chester venue 11 times previously, most recently March 31 through April 2, 2022.
The spring shows are the first U.S. dates for The Disco Biscuits in 2023, with a TranceAtlantic music event held in Reykjavík, Iceland, over May 20 through 22. They’ll wrap up the year in Chicago with three nights at the Riviera Theatre.
Disco Biscuits Winter Tour 2023
1/18 – House of Blues Cleveland – Cleveland OH 1/19 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo NY 1/20 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe PA 1/21 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe PA 2/1 – Higher Ground – Burlington VT 2/2 – Higher Ground – Burlington VT 2/3 – Palace Theatre – Albany NY 2/4 – The Anthem – Washington DC 3/10 – The Caverns – Pelham TN 3/11 – The Caverns – Pelham TN 3/12 – The Caverns – Pelham TN 3/23 – Capitol Theatre – Port Chester NY 3/24 – Capitol Theatre – Port Chester NY 3/25 – Capitol Theatre – Port Chester NY 3/29 – Belly Up, Aspen – Aspen CO 3/30 – Belly Up, Aspen – Aspen CO 3/31 – Mission Ballroom – Denver CO 4/1 – Mission Ballroom – Denver CO
Read more on the Disco Biscuits history at The Cap here. Tickets for the Capitol Theatre shows are on sale here. Tickets for all the band’s newly added shows will be available on Friday, Nov. 18 at noon E.T. via discobiscuits.com.
On Saturday, November 12 at the Broome County Forum Theatre, Maestro Daniel Hege led the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra in “Green Places,” a program named for a featured concerto by American composer Gary Schocker. The concert began with an unscripted reading of the National Anthem, sung heartily by the audience, followed with the brief fourth Novelette by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a work for strings and percussion.
“Green Places,” a three movement concerto for flute, featured principal flutist Karen Bogardus, whose stunning green gown helped set the tone for the fanciful piece. Bogardus’ virtuoso playing was fluid and flexible as she led the orchestra in playful calls and responses. Concertmaster Uli Speth concluded the first half of the program with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending.” Speth, dressed in an open vest and bowtie suitable for the English moors, held the audience in rapt attention as his soloistic lines soared over the muted strings.
The Philharmonic rose to the many challenges of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, one of the least known but most technically difficult of the nine. Highlights were the tight string sections, spot-on winds, and remarkably fine timpani playing.
The next event for the Binghamton Philharmonic is Winter Wonderland on December 10, featuring performances of music from Home Alone 2 (John Williams), The Polar Express (Alan Silvestri), Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman), The Snowman (Howard Blake) and many more.
Akshatha Ganesh and Ashwyn MuthukumaraswamiAmanda Green and Mark GreenAmi Titus and Barbara ReardonKimburlee Stewart and Kevin OriolPokey Crocker and Ann Scala 2Reenie Wilson, Ann Machlin, and Kathie Winckler
Producer, keyboardist, lyricist, composer and performer Idan Raichel is a global music icon who has brought his inspiring example and soul-stirring music to some of the planet’s biggest stages. As the leader of The Idan Raichel Project, Idan acts as a musical ambassador representing a hopeful world where artistic collaboration breaks down barriers between people of different backgrounds and beliefs.
The global music superstar appears with his full Idan Raichel Project band in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, NYC and Boston this November. For the very first time, audiences in the US will get to experience the full 15-piece Idan Raichel Project band, which has never performed in the US in this complete configuration before.
The Idan Raichel Project’s spectacular live show has enchanted audiences worldwide. They have headlined in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including New York’s Central Park Summer Stage, Apollo Theater, Town Hall and Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Kodak Theater, the Sydney Opera House, Zenith in Paris, London’s Royal Albert Hall and many international festivals. They have also performed across Europe, South & Central America, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Japan and dozens of other countries for enraptured audiences of all backgrounds.
Over the past 19 years, Idan has collaborated with American pop stars India.Arie, Dave Matthews and Alicia Keys, not to mention a wide range of artists who are household names in their native countries: Portugal’s Ana Moura, France’s Patrick Bruel, Italy’s Ornella Vanoni, Germany’s Andreas Scholl, and Mali’s Vieux Farka Touré to name but a few. The Tour presented by Teev Events
Earlier this week, the legendary Peter Gabriel announced plans for his 2023 tour across the UK & Europe in the spring. The tour marks his first solo shows outside of North America since 2014’s Back to Front Tour. which celebrated So.
The 22 shows in Europe will kick off in Krakow, Poland on May 18, 2023, with dates in Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and the UK before wrapping in Dublin, Ireland on June 25, 2023. North American tour dates will follow in the late summer and fall with dates and details to come.
Peter Gabriel said of the tour:
It’s been a while and I am now surrounded by a whole lot of new songs and am excited to be taking them out on the road for a spin. Look forward to seeing you out there.
Peter Gabriel first came to international prominence with the success of Genesis, a band that he co-founded while still at school. Since leaving Genesis in 1975, his recording career has included eleven studio albums, film soundtracks for Alan Parker’s Birdy, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Philip Noyce’s Rabbit Proof Fence as well as numerous live albums. His musical career has included multiple Grammy Awards, the world-renowned Real World Studios, the formation of the Real World Records label, and in 1980 the creation of WOMAD, the festival that has launched the careers of many artists from around the world and has just celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Peter Gabriel co-founded the human rights organization WITNESS (Witness.org) in 1992, the organization that pioneers the use of cameras and technology in human rights campaigning, and in 2007, alongside Sir Richard Branson, he founded The Elders (theelders.org) which was launched by Nelson Mandela. In 2006, Peter Gabriel was awarded the prestigious Man of Peace title by The Nobel Peace Laureates and in 2008 was also included in the Time 100 list. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. He remains engaged in a wide variety of tech-based businesses throughout a variety of creative industries.
Tickets go on sale starting Friday, November 11, 2022 at LiveNation.com.
Peter Gabriel i/o The Tour2023 dates
May 18: Krakow (TAURON Arena) May 20: Verona, Italy (Verona Arena) May 21: Milan (Mediolanum Arena May 23: Paris (AccorHotels Arena) May 24: Lille, France (Stade Pierre-Mauroy) May 26: Berlin (Waldbuehne) May 28: Munich (Koenigsplatz) May 30: Copenhagen (Royal Arena) May 31: Stockholm (Avicii Arena) June 2: Bergen, Norway (Koengen) June 5: Amsterdam (Ziggo Dome) June 6: Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis) June 8: Zurich (Hallenstadion) June 10: Cologne, Germany (Lanxess Arena) June 12: Hamburg, Germany (Barclays Arena) June 13: Frankfurt, Germany (Festhalle) June 15: Bordeaux, France (Arkea Arena) June 17: Birmingham, England (Utilita Arena) June 19: London (The O2) June 22: Glasgow (OVO Hydro) June 23: Manchester, England (AO Arena) June 25: Dublin (3Arena)
The Last Waltz 2022 concert tour with Warren Haynes kicked-off with two excellent shows on November 3rd & 4th at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. I was determined to see at least one show on the tour. Looking at the schedule, that show had to be at Proctors Theatre on Saturday, November 5 in Schenectady.
Proctors is one of the nicest theatres I have been to in New York State and may even be one of the nicest theatres in the US. The architecture, the history, the restoration, the sound quality, the staff, everything about Proctors Theatre makes it a special venue to see a performance such as The Last Waltz.
Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson were The Band. Their Thanksgiving concert 1976 was filmed live at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco and the concert became a celebration. The film became The Last Waltz. If you’re a fan of The Band, if you want to see & hear great timeless music, you just know, the music & songs from The Last Waltz, it’s going to be special.
The Last Waltz 2022 at Proctors Theatre included Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Kathleen Edwards, Anders Osborne, Dave Malone, John Medeski, Cyril Neville, Terence Higgins, Bob Margolin and Mark Mullins & the Levee Horns. The band will be joined by Taj Mahal & Don Was and other musicians at future dates. The song selections and arrangements were both familiar and unique.
My friend mentioned that he thought the 2022 horn arrangements closely followed the original 1976 Last Waltz horn charts arranged by Allen Toussaint. The Levee Horns played true to the New Orleans sound. The set lists will vary slightly from show to show. The concert highlights are far too many to count. Terence Higgins on drums is extraordinary. For me, Jamey Johnson’s vocals, especially on ‘Georgia’, Kathleen Edwards multi-instrumental musicianship & and her vocals on Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ were heart felt and everyone together on Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be Released’, that was excellent.
The tour continues November 9 the at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT and wraps-up on December 4 the at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Along the way, there will be performances in Boston, DC, Richmond, Atlanta, Florida and Oakland, CA. This is one of those must-see 2022 concert performances. If you’re local or within travelling distance, this concert should not be missed. Find more on the Last Waltz 2022 concert series here.
Tank and the Bangas will kick off their six-night residency at New York’s iconic Jazz club Blue Note New York on November 11, and bring with them special guests, starting with GRAMMY winning singer and pianist Norah Jones. This will mark the first show Norah has done with Tank & the Bangas since 2017, aside from their performance on her podcast.
In addition to Jones, other special guests announced include Keyon Harrold, Big Freedia, Kat Edmonson, Brandee Younger, Isaiah Sharkey as well as surprise sit-ins. Tank and the Bangas will also spend two nights covering The Music of Green Balloon and The Music of Red Balloon.
Coming from New Orleans, Tank and the Bangas are surrounded by plenty of grand musical traditions. And the five-piece group has a rare knack for combining various musical styles- fiery soul, deft hip-hop, deep-groove R&B and subtle jazz- into one dazzling, cohesive whole that evokes the scope of New Orleans music while retaining a distinctive feel all its own. “It’s music that can’t really be put in a box,” says singer and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball.
Blue Note New York is located at 131 West 3rd St in Manhattan
Tank and the Bangas Blue Note Residency Lineup
FRI NOVEMBER 11 – THE MUSIC OF GREEN BALLOON + NORAH JONES – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SAT NOVEMBER 12 – THE MUSIC OF RED BALLOON + SURPRISE GUESTS – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SUN NOVEMBER 13 – KEYON HARROLD – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
FRI NOVEMBER 18 – BIG FREEDIA – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SAT NOVEMBER 19 – KAT EDMONSON & BRANDEE YOUNGER – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SUN NOVEMBER 20 – ISAIAH SHARKEY – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
Fans of moe. got a dose of good news about beloved guitarist Chuck Garvey the other night at the band’s show at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO. In his customary pre-encore “Al.nouncements,” guitarist Al Schnier read a note from Chuck, who suffered a stroke last November, proclaiming that he would sit-in as a “special guest” for a portion of the band’s NYE performance at the Fillmore Philadelphia for the first time in over a year. As expected, the news was met with much delight.
The announcement came exactly one year to the day since Chuck Garvey suffered his stroke, and his return appearance with moe. is also significant since the Fillmore Philadelphia was the last venue he performed at on Halloween 2022. The band has yet to announce plans for Chuck to return to the band on a full-time basis.
Thank you for your well-wishes and your donations, without which my recovery would not have happened. This year has been a really long, difficult one for me, but a rewarding one, in that I learned what a person needs to do to achieve goals.
~ Chuck Garvey
The NYE performance will include an opening set by the New Haven, CT based 4-piece Eggy, and also feature The Horn Section, a 3-piece horn group featuring former members of Turkuaz, who will be performing with moe. throughout the night. The concert will follow moe.’s appearance at the North Beach Music Festival in Miami Beach, and a handful of Rob & Vinnie shows with BlueStar Radiation through the remainder of 2022.
Saxophonist and vocalist James Casey is set to make his solo recording debut with the release of a special holiday album, A Little Something For Everyone, that is scheduled to be released on December 5 via 12/23 Records.
Pressed on limited edition blue vinyl, the 7” EP offers a heartfelt Christmas collection from Casey that features two holiday staples, one funky original song and a beloved gospel hymn. Created in partnership with Nancy Langhorne Foundation, proceeds will benefit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Eastern Virginia Medical School’s HOPES Clinic to help provide free colon cancer screenings for the uninsured.
James Casey was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021, which made this holiday EP project an extremely personal undertaking.
Although we had a lot of setbacks while recording due to chemotherapy, being able to make a fun, holiday record with my friends to help people get access to screening for something that I am currently battling was a no-brainer. The fact that it’s the first music released under my own name is definitely an added bonus!
~ James Casey
Vinyl production will be limited to 300 copies, with silk screened and numbered album jackets designed by Brooklyn-based artist Nate Cepis. The album will be available for pre-order on November 7 at 1223Records.com, with vinyl shipping in mid-December. The single “Christmafunk” will roll out on streaming services on November 14.
Greensky Bluegrass have announced their Winter Tour 2023, featuring 16 dates with a kickoff on January 12 in Buffalo, followed by stops in Port Chester and Utica. The Michigan jamgrass band will make their debut performances at the Stanley Theater in Utica, as well as the historic Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ.
They’ll bring along with them support acts including Mikaela Davis, Neighbor, Mihali, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Railroad Earth and Holly Bowling.
Greensky Bluegrass are widely known for their thoughtful lyricism, edgy and genre-expansive sound, dazzling live performances and relentless touring schedule. Featuring Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [Mandolin], the five are connected through a deep bond, just as they are seasoned road warriors, they’re a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, personal and collective highlights, and the moments when life turns it all upside down.
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.
Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world. We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.
