NYS Music 202​2

Author: sydney pollack

  • Hearing Aide: Lucas Garrett ‘Reaching Through Dreams’

    The newest album from Lucas Garrett, Reaching Through Dreams, is as vulnerable as it is empowered. He released it slowly, first with a single, “Together,” on April 1, then four months later he released “So Many Times.” Finally, in September, Lucas Garrett put out the full six song album, and he’s now announced a release show for December 1. And what better backdrop for the upstate NY artist’s strange, fantastic sound than the historic Caffe Lena?

    Lucas Garrett

    Reaching Through Dreams, Garrett’s third EP, evokes layers that he peels back delicately, like an onion. On the surface, the song is filled with synthy bass and the melody runs a harmonic minor key. It sounds like fall, like an early sunset, kind of spooky and kind of fun. Garrett’s deep voice rumbles and warbles through poetic verse and each line is delivered with interest and depth. The lyrics merge relationships with people and music, blurring the lines dividing each intimate exchange, like in the EP’s opener, “So Many Times:”

    “Picking up your tune / your words turn to mine / I have tried so many times / to let it run free / but I know I will hear / all your melodies”

    In addition to the moving lyrics, the guitar on the album is explosive and adds to the layers of each song. In the inspiration for Reaching Through Dreams, Garrett cited Bowie’s “Heroes,” Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” and the Beatles’ “Two Of Us.” He also listed songs from David Byrne and St. Vincent. With inspiration as varied in both genre and time period, it makes sense that the album’s sound is eclectic and hard to place. 

    Caffe Lena has been hosting iconic musicians before they were icons since it opened in 1960. As one of the first on the east coast to welcome Bob Dylan, the venue is continuing its tradition of putting lesser known, talented artists on with Lucas Garrett. Tickets are starting at $10, and the event will be in person and live streamed. Garrett’s album release show will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on December 1; tickets are here.

  • Thomas Rhett 2023 Tour Announced with Stops in Buffalo, Albany and Belmont Park

    Country music superstar Thomas Rhett has announced a 2023 North American tour with Cole Swindell and Nate Smith in 40 cities for his Home Team Tour.

    Thomas Rhett

    Rhett, known for his modern country hits like “Die A Happy Man,” has won multiple Billboard, iHeartRadio and CMA Music awards. Last month, he released his first Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Y’all.

    The country sensation will be playing at MVP Arena in Albany on June 8, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on July 6 and at UBS Arena in Belmont Park on July 22, see the rest of the dates below. The tour will culminate in the country center of the world, Nashville. Tickets can be found here, on Rhett’s website.

    Tickets go on sale for Home Team Members and Citi cardmembers on November 8, and for the general public on November 11. 

    Thomas Rhett HOME TEAM TOUR 23 Dates

    May 4, 2023 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena 

    May 5, 2023 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena

    May 6, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse

    May 18, 2023 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center

    May 19, 2023 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center

    May 20, 2023- St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

    June 8, 2023 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena

    June 9, 2023 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena

    June 10, 2023 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena

    June 15, 2023 – Tupelo, MS – Cadence Bank Arena

    June 16, 2023 – Lafayette, LA – CAJUNDOME

    June 17, 2023 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena

    June 22, 2023 -Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena

    June 23, 2023 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum

    July 6, 2023 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center

    July 7, 2023 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena

    July 8, 2023 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

    July 13, 2023 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum

    July 14, 2023 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena

    July 15, 2023 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena

    July 20, 2023 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum 

    July 21, 2023 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

    July 22, 2023 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena

    July 27, 2023 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

    July 28, 2023 – Chicago, IL – United Center

    July 29, 2023 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena

    August 3, 2023 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

    August 4, 2023 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center

    August 5, 2023 – Austin, TX – Moody Center

    August 17, 2023 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center

    August 18, 2023 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena

    August 19, 2023 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

    September 14, 2023 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena

    September 15, 2023 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

    September 16, 2023 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center

    September 21, 2023 – Charlottesville, VA – John Paul Jones Arena

    September 22, 2023 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center

    September 23, 2023 – Toledo, OH – Huntington Center

    September 28, 2023 – Birmingham, AL – The Legacy Arena at The BJCC

    September 29, 2023 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

  • Emmet Cohen flexes on ‘Uptown in Orbit’

    In the 1920s, “Rent Parties” were a common place in Harlem. As the end of the month approached, with rent looming and no way to pay, tenants would host a musician and invite friends, raising money and having fun, dancing and listening to music with their community in a place safe from discrimination. In 2020, as the pandemic struck, esteemed jazz pianist Emmet Cohen started hosting Rent Parties in his own Harlem apartment. He played with his trio and live streamed the event, calling it “Live From Emmet’s.” This event isn’t where his inspiration from Harlem’s jazz scene ends, though; Emmet Cohen’s newest record was made in Harlem’s spirit as well — Uptown in Orbit was released on October 28.

    Emmet Cohen

    Uptown in Orbit presents huge energy through bright and powerful chords while showcasing immense talent and control. When listening, you see the view of bustling Harlem like you’re looking down on the streets from an upstairs apartment window. It’s all perpendicular and over-excited, but still perfectly harmonious, timed absolutely naturally. It feels like the song’s subject is orbiting, either we’re all circling around it or it’s circling us, either way the album brings the listener straight into this orbit. 

    The highlight of this album is the title track, “Uptown in Orbit.” Use of hemiola gives the song veritable bounce, as the ¾ rhythm is coupled into rhythmic pulses of three against two beats. The timing is swinging, and though Cohen likes to call back to the jazz hay days of the early 1900s, this track still has a modern feel with its energy and brightness. A saxophone comes soaring in during the second half of “Uptown In Orbit”  — wailing with so much passion and grace, before turning brassy and raspy, almost like the voice in Pink Floyd’s Great Gig In The Sky. 

    Cohen has said jazz boils down to connections; between the musicians performing and the audience, as well. This album exhibits that connection flawlessly, with brass that floats over Cohen’s dextrous, easy-going piano, drums that shake the background, adding fuzzy sparkles and backbone to the other instruments’ colorful musicality. 

    Since he was three, Cohen has been devoted to the piano. He earned a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music after graduating from University of Miami, and has since performed in international events, such as the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh and Jerusalem jazz festivals, in addition to playing in some of the most storied jazz clubs across the world. 

    The pianist is currently touring Europe, but in December he will be back in NYC for five days at Dizzy’s Club with his trio and Mary Stallings, starting December 8. You can RSVP for tickets here. 

  • Joanie Leeds and Fyütch are Redefining Christmas Music

    Yes, it’s only October, and yes the high in Syracuse today was in the 60s, but some might say it’s never too early for Christmas music. On October 21, NYC-based Grammy winner Joanie Leeds and Grammy-nominated Fyütch released their first original song, “Every Day’s a Holiday.” The two released the song with an accompanying music video in advance of their holiday music project, Oy Vey! Another Christmas Album, releasing on November 4.

    Joanie Leeds Fyütch Christmas

    When Joanie Leeds discovered that most of our most-loved Christmas songs were written by Jewish people, it was particularly inspiring to her as a Jewish singer much lauded for her songwriting prowess — in addition to her Grammy, Leeds claimed first in the USA Songwriting competition and International Songwriting Competition as well as finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting competition.

    Leeds was moved by the dichotomous spirit behind those Christmas tunes and thought the perfect way to honor the work of their original Jewish songwriters was through continuing their practice; so she started writing her own holiday music. The upcoming album will feature four covers of classic Christmas songs written by Jewish songwriters and two originals, co-written with Fyütch. 

    Though it feels early for Christmas, this new angle on the holiday season couldn’t come sooner, with Ye’s recent interviews and tweets that spread anti-semitic rhetoric to an avid audience of music devotees. 

    “I love our contribution to the holiday season and was excited to share my passion project with the world and write some new ones too, especially as anti-Semitism is on the rise,” Reeds said.

    “Every Day’s A Holiday” is a fresh and fun take on a traditional Christmas song. It retains the classic choral sounds of the classics, but with a twist: it’s not just a Christmas song, it’s a song dedicated to all holidays. In “Every Day’s A Holiday,” Christmas trees, dreidels, thanksgiving turkeys, fireworks, easter eggs all exist in musical harmony. The video itself is campy and engaging, with Leeds and Fyütch dancing around each other, with props and instruments as cartoon holiday animations flash over the green screen behind them. 

    The album will be out November 4, and you can stream the single here and watch the video below.

  • The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra to Open 2022-23 Season With a Bang

    Ithaca’s Orchestra, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, will open its 46th season on Saturday, October 29. The opening night for the orchestra’s 2022-2023 will feature acclaimed pianist Max Levinson. 

    The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1976, but has come a long way since. In the past decade alone, the CCO added a Youth Orchestra and a Diversity Career Fellowship program, which creates opportunities for college-aged musicians in underserved communities. Each CCO Season promises an orchestral series, chamber music series, holiday concert and free family concerts. This season will see five orchestral concerts and three chamber music concerts in the next months. In November, March and June, be on the lookout for the CCO’s family concert and storytime programs, as well as shows from the Youth Orchestra.

    max Levinson, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra

    Max Levinson will play Mendelssohn’s “Fingal’s Cave,” Respighi’s “The Birds,” and finish with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5: “Emperor.” Levinson is a highly awarded musician — he was the first American to win First Prize at the Guardian Dublin International Piano competition, he won the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and has been praised in such esteemed papers as the Boston Globe. 

    Levinson comes to the CCO under new Interim Music Director Grant Cooper. This is Cooper’s first season with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, he is also a Visiting Professor and conductor at Ithaca College.

    Opening night begins at 7:30 on October 29 in Ford Hall at Ithaca College. Tickets are $10-$30 and can be purchased here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnnGiBl9V8c

  • NNAMDÏ to play Baby’s All Right on US Tour

    NNAMDÏ, the genre bending rapper, singer and producer from Chicago will be coming to the East coast on Friday, October 28 to play Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. The rapper has been releasing music since 2013, but his latest record is some of his most technical yet.

    NNAMDÏ

    “Dedication,” track nine on NNAMDÏ’s newest album Please Have A Seat, contains a myriad of influence and originality. The song starts out with squeaky sounds, like two balloons rubbing against each other, in a “Thug Tears” by JPEGMAFIA type of avant garde, deconstructed beat. Then it breaks down into a Tierra Whack-esque perky r&b beat, which NNAMDÏ sing-raps over in a simple monotonous sound. But not even a minute later the song explodes, with layered melodies that evoke Kanye’s gospel choirs. By the time the song ends, with sparkly electric ad-libs and harmonious voices chanting, “It’s dedication,” I can barely remember how it started.

    These hops from genre to genre are performed absolutely seamlessly; you don’t even realize it has happened by the time it is over. It’s that consistent inconsistency that defines NNAMDÏ himself; in his songs, performances and personality.

    NNAMDÏ came up in the Chicago DIY scene but he broke into the mainstream in 2020 with his eclectic album BRAT. His previous albums had a rep for being weird and inaccessible, so in this album NNAMDÏ set out to make a “hummable” album, hoping to reach a wider audience. 

    I consciously wanted to make more communal things, some things that bring people together rather than alienate them — even though I love music that is dissonant and jarring and sometimes off in different ways.

    NNAMDÏ, as told to FADER.

    In the next months, NNAMDÏ is heading on a tour across the US that will finish in London and Berlin. He’ll be at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on October 29, click here for tickets. On October 30, he’ll be doing a Q&A and record signing at Rough Trade NYC. 

    NNAMDÏ Tour Dates

    October 18 –  Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel 

    October 19 –  Minneapolis, MN –  7th St. Entry 

    October 20 –  Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club

    October 22 –  Chicago, IL – Metro 

    October 24 –  Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s 

    October 25 – Toronto, ON –  The Garrison 

    October 26 – Montreal, QC – Diving Bell Social Club 

    October 27 – Johnson, VT –  Northern Vermont University 

    October 28 – Boston, MA – Crystal Ballroom 

    October 29 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right 

    November 1 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA 

    November 2 – Washington, DC – Comet Ping Pong 

    November 3 – Durham, NC – Pinhook 

    November 4 –  Atlanta, GA – 529

    November 5 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR

    November 11 –  London, UK – Pitchfork London

    November 14 – Berlin, Germany – Sooper Secretly Slang @ Marie-Antoinette

  • NY Rapper Dylan Owen Produces and Scores Film Pairing for Album

    How To Find Yourself is a new film produced by rapper Dylan Owen and directed by Brian Petchers. In it, the two try to answer that very question by following teens through those familiar coming of age film tropes: traipsing through wheat fields, impromptu fight clubs, screaming for joy on a roof in slow motion, motorcyling through back alleys. The characters speak over those portraits of adolescence in interviews — airing the regrets, joys and discoveries their juvenile years brought them.

    And playing underneath it all is a heartfelt acoustic score by Dylan Owen, of the same name, made for the film and featured on the artist’s upcoming EP, Take Care Of Yourself.

    Dylan Owen

    Dylan Owen found himself moving all around Upstate NY as he grew up. He’s from Orange County, NY, and has lived in Goshen, Middletown, Circleville and Chester; Owen now calls himself proudly a “nowhere kid from a nowhere town.” Now living in NYC, Dylan Owen’s poetic songwriting and sensitive style has found him a wider audience and prompted comparisons to icons such as Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. How to Find Yourself is Owen’s foray into film making, and fans who know of Topaz Jones’ short film – that paired with his album Don’t Go Tellin Your Momma which looks at Jones’ own upbringing in Montclair, NJ – will connect with Owen’s film.

    Through the testimonies from the film’s characters and the emotionally evoking scenes of innocence juxtaposed with violence and sudden danger, the film creates a space for people to openly share their stories of growing up, with an emphasis on those working through mental health problems. How to Find Yourself focuses on the harrowing journey to love and know other people and yourself while working through obstacles of anxiety and depression.

    The short film will be released on October 25, and Owen’s album will be out in November. 

  • Next Jazz Legacy Extends Application Deadline

    The trailblazing program by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, Next Jazz Legacy, has extended the 2023 application deadline through October 31. Next Jazz Legacy crowns awardees with personalized apprenticeships with jazz legends and financial support to combat gender and racial injustice in terms of access and opportunity in the music industry. 

    Next Jazz Legacy

    The awardees are chosen through a meticulous process of review by esteemed jazz musicians. On the 2023 board is tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen, Berklee College of Music Brazz Department chair Tanya Derby, saxophonist, flutist and composer Caroline Davis and more to be announced. Those awarded will receive $10,000, performance opportunities, mentorship programs, a cohort of progressive jazz students and professional promotional support. 

    Next Jazz Legacy is only in its second year supporting female and non-binary jazz musicians; but even in 2022, its inaugural year, participants saw apprenticeships with icons such as Esperanza Spalding, Lizz Wright, Marcus Muller, Tia Fuller and Chris Potter. Awardees have performed at such prestigious events as the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival and Brooklyn’s JazzFest. 

    The deadline to enter the empowering program is now October 31, the application can be found here, the program FAQ page here, an overview of the program with application tips here.

  • ‘High Line’ from Kids That Fly is Dedicated to NYC

    For a college band from University of Connecticut, making it to the point where you can finally move to NYC is cause for celebration — and what better way to celebrate than with a new single dedicated to the whole experience. “High Line,” released today, October 21, is Kids That Fly doing just that. “High Line” is a song for the proud transplant: listen to it on your first couple Subway rides, blast it with windows open when you first drive over the Brooklyn Bridge. “You made it,” the song promises, “you’re really here.” 

    Kids That Fly is a pop band bridging on indie, composed of four friends from college: Nick Smeriglio on vocals and guitar, Blake Henry on guitar and synth, Braden Frandino on bass and Ryan Hendry on drums. The four started out just playing live shows in and around their school in Connecticut, but soon started commuting in and out of New York for gigs. Finally, the band’s front man, Smeriglio, moved into the city, prompting their optimistic new single. 

    Kids That Fly, High Life

    The song evokes a more technical The 1975, a less sad Backseat Lovers. It’s pop with enticing guitar chords and a synth that fits right in. 

    For the older crowd, the synth keyboard conjures 80’s nostalgia, to neon-soaked teenage years. But for the younger generation, Kids That Fly’s newest feels nostalgic, too, for different reasons. Because it’s so much like The 1975, the synth-y beat and fast drums brought me back immediately to the yearning that defined being a teenage girl between 2013-2016. I remembered how I spent hours on my computer scrolling Pinterest and Tumblr, daydreaming about NYC, imagining my apartment, the parties I’d go to, the friends I’d make, even romanticizing my morning commute. It’s a universal phase for the American teen, the day dream about moving to the city, the bright days, the long nights. “High Line,” captures all that fantasy and its long-awaited fruition in one clean sweep. 

    Though the song calls out the High Line, a revamped New York Central Railroad track that was turned into an elevated park to overlook the westside of Manhattan, the “High Line” music video is filmed deep in the ground, in Subway stations and even on the train. Complete with vintage filter overlays the video sees the foursome walk into the station, set up their drums, guitars, mics and bass and play the single, while tourists watch from the MTA machines; you can almost hear them thinking: “Only in New York.” Listen to the song here, and see the video below.

  • Singer/songwriter Alan Chapell returning to the NYC scene this week

    After two years on the west coast, singer/songwriter Alan Chapell is moving back to NYC. He will be celebrating both his return to the city and last month’s release of his sixth album, Two Fishes with a record release party with Slyboots on October 20 at The Cutting Room.

    Chapell

    More than a songwriter, Chapell is a storyteller. He creates characters and plots in each song, amplified by energetic rhythms and creative melodies. His sound is rambling rock and roll, folksy soul and venerable vulnerability. Chapell is bridging on big time — he’s garnered over 1 million streams as of last year and worked with artists as varied as Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Gin Blossoms, Everclear, and as front man for east-west band Kalki in Mumbai in his twenties.

    Chapell is from Connecticut, but was a staple of the West Village music scene before he moved to the Bay Area. His newest album, Two Fishes is more serious and introspective than some of his past works, but as always it employs a unique structure for the conflicting and complementary situations of raising a child after 9/11 and raising a child during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a complex topic to address in song, but Chapell’s specialty is doing so again and again, with charm and nuance as well as superb musicality.

    Alan Chapell will be at The Cutting Room at 44 E 32 Street on October 20, with fellow NYC band Slyboots. Tickets are starting at $25 and can be purchased here. 

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