Category: Media

  • Upstate NY Director and Singer/Songwriter collaborate on score for “Panama”

    Nashville needed Upstate New York for the upcoming film Panama before it could arrive in theaters.

    Panama is loosely based on a true story of a special operations guy (Cole Hauser, who plays Rip on Yellowstone) getting mixed up in the US invasion of Panama in 1989. Mel Gibson stars as his point man in the military. The film is directed by Mark Neveldine (Crank) with music composed by Central New York native now in Nashville, Mick Fury.

    panama

    Neveldine, was born and raised in Watertown, and called upon Fury to compose the score in his studio. Stunt coordinator/actor Frank Blake, also from Watertown, organized his team from his home base in Nashville. Fury shares how we connected together with the film crew:

    So initially they liked some of my old Rock band (from Syracuse) Silent Fury’s music and asked to license that. A month later when I got officially hired I first got to sit with the director and hear what emotion he was hoping to present in each particular scene. They call this a “spotting session.” After spent a few hours on that, I hopped into my studio with a rough cut of the film and got to work. Most of the score was scenes you would guess, gun fights, drama, chase scenes, military stuff…but there’s a few scenes with some pretty intense love making happening. Certainly never expected my career to take a turn for softcore porn music! Lol. It wasn’t really that graphic, but it is intense and it’s a unique inspiration to compose for. 

    In Panama, Fury paints a soundscape of 80’s influences from cumbia (the folk music of Panama) to synthesizers to straight up rock n’ roll.

    panama
     Photo Credit Brett Berwager 

    I was working on the film as they were editing the video, which is not typically how its done. Usually they would finish the video and then send it to me, but the music is such an integral part of this film they wanted me in on the ground floor. As such, sometimes I’d score a scene, think it was great and send it…only to get an email back with the scene looking and feeling totally different, and a request of “Do you mind looking at this again?” When we’d finished the film, I felt great…until they asked the video team for a few major changes, including the “tone of the film.” That required me to re-score almost the whole thing a second time. Wild and not highly recommended, however I learned so much the first time through that the second time through my compositions were much much better and really helped to nail the mood. 

    Looking back, Fury says he has blocked the six months of struggle, sweat, blood and tears and only remembers a really fun experience that was artistically rewarding. And he can’t wait to do another.

    I have some connections in the movie world, including to the director of this film. It’s Mark Neveldine who did Crank with Jason Statham. I asked if I could get a song in Panama, and he said send something along and they’d see. I did, he and the production company liked it and asked for more. I sent more, and then more again, and again. I was driving across the Golden Gate bridge a few weeks later with my wife on vacation when I got a call asking, “Well, do you think you could score the whole movie?” I had no idea if I could but of course I said yes and here we are lol.

    Panama will release on Friday, March 18th on digital and in theaters.

  • Phil Lesh Announces 9-Show Residency At The Cap

    This October, expect to see a whole lot more of Phil Lesh at The Cap. The legendary Grateful Dead bassist has just announced a nine-show residency at the historic Port Chester venue that will take place over the last three weekends, culminating in a Phil-o-Ween show on the 31st. With his “Friends” still yet to be announced, these shows will also commemorate the 100th show for Phil at The Cap since 2012.

    Phil Cap

    A Deadhead destination and a quintessential venue in Phil Lesh history, The Capitol Theatre‘s Phil-o-Ween shows are always filled with musicians who like to push boundaries and create a mind-bending, high-octane, psychedelic experience in the Grateful Dead tradition.

    Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, March 25 at 12PM and can be purchased through The Cap’s website here.

  • All That Remains “Fall of Ideals” tour visits Rapids Theatre

    All That Remains brought their 15th anniversary of the “Fall of Ideals” album tour to Niagara Falls on Monday March 14, 2022. This was their third stop on a long awaited tour for the band. All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1998. Three other bands join All That Remains on this tour – Miss May I (direct support), Varials, and Tallah.

    Tallah

    Tallah- Rapids Theatre (Photo credit Mike Miller)

    The opener of the night was Tallah, a Nu metal band from Pennsylvania. They are currently signed to Earache records. Their whole setlist was filled with energy, power and emotion. At one point the singer Justin Bonitz, did a flip on the stage in the middle of a song. Tallah drew a decent size crowd considering they were an opener. Their setlist contained some of their hits titled; Overconfidence, No one should read this, and Telescope. Tallah consists of Justin Bonitz – vocals, Max Portnoy – drums (touring with code orange currently), Derrick Schneider – lead guitar, Alizé “Mewzen” Rodriguez – turntables, samples, keyboards , and Alex Snowden – rhythm guitar.

    Varials

    Varials
    Bass- Mike Foley

    Next up was Varials. They are an American hardcore punk band from Philadelphia, formed in 2013. The band currently consists of Lead Vocalist Mitchell Rogers, guitarist James Hohenwarter, bassist Mike Foley and drummer Sean Rauchut. The crowd started to hint at this point that there would be circle pits and crowd surfing later in the night. Fans started to bob their head and move with the music just slightly more than the previous band. Varial’s setlist consisted of; South of One, In Darkness Violent Measures, Pain Again, Romance, God Talk, Anything to Numb, and Empire of Dirt.

    Miss May I

    Miss May I
    Vocals- Levi Benton

    Miss May I is an American metalcore band from Troy, Ohio, formed in 2007. They are direct support for All That Remains on this tour. The crowd really got into the music and at times had multiple people crowd surfing into the photo pit. Security seemed concerned at times when bringing reinforcements up front to handle the people. The band stood on platforms in front of the stage at times so everyone in the crowd could get a good view of them. Some of the songs they played include, Under fire, My sorrow and Shadows inside. Miss May I band members include Levi Benton – vocals, B.J. Stead – lead guitar, Justin Aufdemkampe – rhythm guitar, Jerod Boyd – drums, and Ryan Neff – bass.

    All That Remains

    All That Remains
    All That Remains at Rapids Theatre

    By this time in the show, the crowd was packed together waiting for All That Remains to kickoff their set. You could feel the anticipation in the air by looking at each crowd member and seeing the smiles on their faces. The lights went black, and each band member walked out one at a time with intro music playing. Then appears the singer, Phil Labonte, walking out in a leather jacket. He quickly walks towards the front of stage and the song “Indictment” starts immediately.

    All That Remains
    Vocals- Phil Labonte (Photo Credit Mike Miller)

    The crowd is instantly into the trance of the metal thrashing music. Drummer Jason Costa, blasting out 32nd note double bass runs and Lead Guitarist Jason Richardson shredding solos, hit the crowd hard. Ear protection was most definitely needed for the music plus the roar from the crowd can damage your hearing.

    All That Remains Guitarists

    All That Remains asked the crowd at one point, who has seen them before and who has never seen them. The applause for each was 50/50 so the band gained a-lot of new fans in Niagara Falls. They played all their hits from their “Fall of Ideals” album which include; Six, The Weak Willed and This Calling. Check out how far All That Remains has come from our review of when they last played the area at Town Ballroom in 2015 with Swedish band In Flames.

    You can catch the All That Remains tour throughout the months of March, April and May. They will have another stop in New York on Thursday May 19th at the Paramount in Huntington.

  • John Oliver Analyzes Fan Frustrations with Ticketmaster and Live Nation on “Last Week Tonight”

    On the March 13 episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver broke down a myriad of issues with concert tickets, namely, Ticketmaster and its near monopoly on ticket sales for major artists and bands.

    While some information presented in the episode is public knowledge, the writers at Last Week Tonight deftly threaded the details together, offering a clear path from fan frustration when faced with exorbitant prices and a lack of tickets (not to mention insanely long wait times to acquire tickets), to the root causes, namely Ticketmaster.

    Ticketmaster, while disliked by the public, serves as the main platform for ticket sales around the country, accounting for 80% of ticket sales prior to their merger with Live Nation in 2010. Since the merger, there have been complaints, as noted in the New York Times regarding Live Nation pressuring venues into contracting with its subsidiary, Ticketmaster.

    Following the merger, Ticketmaster acquired Front Gate Tickets, which handles ticket sales for music festivals including Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, and that same year, acquired a DIY ticketing platform, Universe. TicketWeb, the self-service ticketing platform owned by Ticketmaster, acquired the marketing platform Strobe Labs, building a social media network in the process. Most recently, Ticketmaster has looked to convert physical tickets into digital ones using blockchain technology, and did so by acquiring UPGRADED in 2018.

    John Oliver pointed out that Ticketmaster absorbs much of the hatred for ticket sales, while artists, promoters, and venues all have a hand in raising ticket sales. This is where drawbacks to boycotting Ticketmaster begin, despite being popularized by Pearl Jam in the 1990s. Oliver noted that when Pearl Jam sought to perform at non-Ticketmaster venues, their manager at the time said the band would need “to play at weird places like a ski resort in Lake Tahoe and a fairground in San Diego.” If Pearl Jam can’t walk away from Ticketmaster, how can other bands, especially smaller artists with no leverage and limited options for venues, expect to avoid Ticketmaster?

    The answer is – they can’t, and now it is even more difficult to do so.

    Where do the tickets go?

    You’ve likely been there – logging in early, watching the clock for the on-sale time, then waiting in the virtual Ticketmaster queue (with 2000 other people in front of you) waiting for your turn to purchase tickets. Then you get to the end of the line, and if the show isn’t sold out already, the seats left available are typically not the best – behind the stage, upper levels, if any at all.

    Using the example of a pair of 2012 Justin Bieber concerts at Madison Square Garden, both of which sold out in 30 seconds, John Oliver points out the details of where the 20,000 tickets for that show went. Noting a NY Attorney General report, fewer that 2,000 tickets (10%) to each show were on sale.

    Where are the rest of the tickets sold? Some are given to credit card companies who partner with Ticketmaster for pre-sale on-sales and private passes that exclusive to credit card holders.

    Then there are the ticket brokers (a rebranded name) who buy them in advance. Even the ‘Are you a robot tests’ are still circumvented by bots via the ticket broker. These brokers/resellers include SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster itself (Platinum seating) who represent a majority or overwhelming majority of ticket sales, per a 2018 GAO study. They then mark up tickets by 49% on average, and sometimes as high as 1000%.

    The average music fan can login to one account at a time, per device, with a phone number attached to the account to prevent multiple accounts vying for the same tickets. While this seems to present itself as leveling the playing field, John Oliver notes that some brokers have 200 accounts, and Ticketmaster does not make any effort to restrict these ticket brokers.

    Showing video from the Ticket Summit conference in Las Vegas in 2018, undercover reporters discovered via a Ticketmaster representative that ‘damn near every one of them’ is using multiple accounts.

    The system of ticket brokers/resellers is designed to be opaque, providing brokers with anonymity. Resell sites have additional fees built in too, with John Oliver citing a ticket for a January 21, 2022 Adele performing in Las Vegas, resold on SeatGeek, at a cost of $1690 for the tickets, with $538 in SeatGeek fees (a 32% markup), for a total of $2,228. For a single ticket to see Adele.

    Blame is shared among Ticketmaster and ticket brokers – some artists are to blame as well. Justin Bieber’s tour resold tickets on resale sites, with an entire row that had gone to the tour, resold on the secondary market instead of direct to fans at on sale. Metallica did this as well, along with many other artists as well. Restricted resale has been experimented by Pearl Jam without extra fees or profit, but this effort was postponed in 2020 by COVID-19.

    What can live music fans do?

    Typically, Last Week Tonight offers a call to action for the audience, something that has made the Peabody Award winning show stand head and shoulders above their competition (with 23 Emmy Awards, including 8 consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Variety Talk Show, beating out The Daily Show, where Oliver got his start). In past episodes, Oliver has encouraged the use of the FCC public comments website during a Net Neutrality episode, to motivating viewers in taking to the streets to protest the killing of unarmed African-Americans by police.

    This week, however, there was no call to action, simply because beyond a trust-buster in the vein of Teddy Roosevelt taking Ticketmaster and other ticket brokers to task, there is not much that can be done by fans.

    There is one alternative for live music fans in the short term – avoid resale sites by using CashorTrade. Since 2009, CashorTrade has been the only website dedicated to helping face value tickets get into the hands of fans, devoid of the ticket brokers and scammers, and offering protection on purchases. This healthy alternative to Ticketmaster continues to build a base of users that allows a great deal of tickets to be resold at face value, or traded amongst fanbases. If there is one solution fans seek after watching this week’s episode of Last Week Tonight, CashorTrade is that solution, providing anti-reseller technology allowing real fans with a profile and trusted reviews to trade with one another. 

  • In Focus: Love Rocks NYC 2022 at the Beacon Theatre

    On Thursday, March 10, 2022, The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is presented the sixth annual Love Rocks NYC benefit concert for God’s Love We Deliver, live from the historic Beacon Theatre. Executive produced by iconic international fashion designer John Varvatos, NYC real estate broker and prominent concert producer Greg Williamson and esteemed concert/events producer Nicole Rechter, the concert was hosted by Mario Cantone, Kiefer Sutherland, Gina Gershon, Steve Schirripa and Michelle Buteau, supporting and honoring the work of the New York-based not-for-profit organization.

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: (L-R)John Varvatos, Greg Williamson, Warren Haynes, Ivan Neville, Jimmy Vivino, and Anders Osborne attend the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    The 2022 edition of Love Rocks NYC This year’s concert event will also celebrate an extraordinary milestone for God’s Love We Deliver with the delivery of their 30 millionth meal this spring. The organization, which was founded during the AIDS pandemic in 1985, has been an essential services provider during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the organization cooked and delivered more than 2.6 million medically tailored meals to nearly 10,000 New Yorkers living with and affected by severe illness, and its staff and volunteers continue to work tirelessly to meet the ever-growing demand for its services. 

    Building off of the smaller Love Rocks NYC affair in 2021, the announced lineup included Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos, Mavis Staples, Hozier, Warren Haynes, Melissa Etheridge, Allison Russell, Larkin Poe, Tyler Bryant, David Shaw (of The Revivalists), Anders Osborne, Celisse, Jimmy Vivino, Maggie Rose, Connor Kennedy (of Steely Dan), and left many surprises in store for all in attendance.

    At 8:15pm, Ben Harper opened the show with an instrumental tribute to his friend and long time bassist Juan Nelson. Then Harper took the crowd from the Hudson River down the Mississippi for Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” with Danny Clinch on swamp harp. 

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Danny Clinch and Ben Harper perform onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Bill Murray took David Letterman’s role 2021 as the surprise MC and introduced the first round of artists and God’s Love We Deliver founder Karen Pearl. He also helped organize a special farewell to the audience members that were seated below the Beacons infamous spike. “That thing is gonna come down mid show tonight and just take out that section, say goodbye to these people.”

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Bill Murray speaks onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Murray then introduced Connor Kennedy for a performance of Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly.” Aside from this song, all other artists performed three song sets over the three hours of music.

    Celisse Henderson, who was part of Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams, returned to the stage with her guitar in hand to make her voice heard to a fully seated Beacon. She also howled like Robert Plant & wrote a letter to Jimmy Page on guitar for Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll”.

    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Celisse performs onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Mavis Staples’ family has been gracing the world with their music for 74 years and her rendition of David Byrne’s “Slippery People” created a Start Making Sense vibe at Love Rocks.

    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Mavis Staples performs onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    New York Yankee Bernie Williams traded his bat for a guitar axe at the event, joining Staples on the classic “I’ll Take You There.”

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Mavis Staples and Bernie Williams perform onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Maggie Rose set a tone for the Upper West Side at Love Rocks for her version of “Lonely Town, Lonely Street,” perhaps a nod to the former unlit Beacon marquee in the past two years.

    Allison Russell acknowledged the moment immediately on how it was full circle for them to be standing where Mavis just performed, performing a special version of “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” with Hozier.

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Allison Russell performs onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Larkin Poe, who performed at the return of the New York State Bluesfest last June at the Syracuse State Fairgrounds, killed “Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo” with Tyler Bryant.

    A taste of New Orleans arrived around 10pm with Lafayette’s Anders Osborne with Danny Clinch for Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken.” The Beacon stage took on an old juke joint vibe as Laurence Fishburne came to tell stories about his favorite winos & introduce the band. 

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Laurence Fishburne speaks onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Fishburne introduced Keith Richards, Ivan Neville, Steve Jordan, Waddy Wachtel, and CBS Orchestra bassist Will Lee to the stage. The three song set included “999,” “You Got the Silver” & Keith’s killer “Before They Make Me Run.”

    Steve Schirripa from The Sopranos kept the fun going on stage after the X-Pensive Winos set, needing to take a minute on the stage as the smoke cleared from the winos set before carrying the show along. 

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Steve Schirripa performs onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    The next hour of music was a tribute to artists including David Bowie, John Lennon and Gregg Allman. Hozier sang on “Changes” & Melissa Etheridge performed “Come Together,” while Devon Allman, Warren Haynes and a full horn section performed on “Just Another Rider,” off Gregg’s final solo album. All yet another direct spark of inspiration off the Beacon Theatre’s historic stage.

    Jackson Browne returned to the Beacon for the first time since March 2020 and joined Haynes for a special “Running on Empty” to close the show.

    love rocks 2022
    NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Warren Haynes and Jackson Browne perform onstage during the Sixth Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert For God’s Love We Deliver at Beacon Theatre on March 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for LOVE ROCKS NYC/God’s Love We Deliver )

    Prior to the encore, Varvatos, Williamson and Rechter set the date for next years 7th annual Love Rocks NYC for March 9, 2023, and announced that a portion of the proceeds with go to those in need in Ukraine. 

    For the encore, the entire cast joined in unison for Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” to send everybody with smiles from the theatre to the reception.

    Love Rocks was once again a source of light & inspiration for those in the crowd, serving a worthy cause for those in the greater NYC community.

    Love Rocks Benefit Concert – Beacon Theatre, NYC – March 10, 2022

    Setlist: Inland Empire, When The Levee Breaks, Learning To Fly, Get There. Rock & Roll, In The Midnight Hour, Lonely Town, Lonely Street, Slippery People, I’ll Take You There, Nightflyer, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, She’s A Self Made Man, Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo, Dixie Chicken, 999, You Got The Silver, Before They Make Me Run, Work Song, Come Together, I’m The Only One, Ooh La La, Baba O’Riley, Just Another Rider, I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, Running On Empty
    Encore: Like A Rolling Stone 

    Photos via Getty Images by Kevin Mazur and Jamie McCarthy

  • In Focus: Lawrence Hotel TV 2 Tour Rolls Through Albany

    Two years ago, in March of 2020, bands were cancelling shows and tours left and right. Such was the case for Lawrence’s Hotel TV Tour, but the band has picked up right where they left off in 2022 with the Hotel TV Tour 2. Lawrence just stopped in Albany to perform at Empire Live, and the brother-sister-led soul group put on a show that was as advertised. The set was full of positive energy, funk, soul, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Lawrence opened the show on a high note, playing ‘Casualty’ and ‘It’s Not All About You,’ two songs off their 2021 album Hotel TV.

    lawrence hotel TV

    Fans of the show may recognize Clyde’s Arrested Development shirt in the photo above. This is one of many TV related shirts that he’ll be wearing as a nod to the tour’s theme: Hotel TV. Lawrence’s set had references throughout the night as they covered some classic theme songs from shows and movies like Hey Arnold!, The Office, and The Little Orphan Annie. Grace likened the idea of hotel TV to being a home away from home, which for kids raised in the 90’s and beyond this is often the case. And so for a chunk of the set, Lawrence bounced between nostalgic covers and originals, including ‘Probably Up,’ ‘The Heartburn Song,’ and ‘Jet Lag.’

    lawrence hotel TV

    After hitting the Cha Cha Slide, Lawrence moved into another string of originals including: ‘Shot,’ ‘More,’ and ‘Freckles.’ ‘Freckles’ is a standout song from the band’s newest album, and is a perfect representation of Lawrence’s music. The band’s music features lyrics with optimistic spins on relatable topics layered over upbeat, groovy tracks that are a joy to perform and witness live. After ‘Freckles’, Lawerence stayed loose with another cover, their funky version of Sean Paul’s ‘Get Busy.’

    After ‘Get Busy,’ Lawrence slowed things down with their ballad: ‘The Weather.’ The crowd got what would be a timely, quiet moment, before an upbeat end to the night. Lawrence ended the show on a particularly high note with a string of hits including: ‘Make A Move,’ ‘Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me?,’ and ‘Don’t Lose Sight.’ The crowd loved the set Lawrence crafted and they jumped, screamed, and sang at the tops of their lungs all night long. The crowd eventually waited for and welcomed an encore that featured ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’ and then faded out with Gracie singing ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie.

    Lawrence are wrapping up the east coast leg of their Hotel TV 2 Tour in Pennsylvania. After two shows at the end of March, the band will be making their way through the midwest and the south. You can view all of their upcoming tour dates and purchase tickets on their website. In the meantime, be sure to follow and subscribe to Lawrence on Instagram, YouTube and Spotify. For all upcoming shows at Empire Live, you can view their website here.

    lawrence hotel TV

    Setlist: Casualty, It’s Not All About You, Office Theme Song, Probably Up, Hey Arnold! Theme Song, The Heartburn Song, Jet Lag, Cha Cha Slide (Mr C the Slide Man), Shot, More, Freckles, Get Busy (Sean Paul), The Weather, Make A Move, Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me?, Don’t Lose Sight

    Encore: It’s Gonna Be Me, Tomorrow (Annie)

  • Rosalía performs “Chicken Teriyaki” and “La Fama” on SNL

    Spanish singer Rosalía served as musical guest for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by The Batman star Zoë Kravitz.

    Following a TikTok influencers-meet-President Biden cold open, Kravitz was joined by various Cat Women and Katt Williams (Chris Redd) in her monologue.

    Rosalía began singing at age eight, graduated from Barcelona’s Catalonia College of Music with a degree in the Flamenco arts (with studio album Los Ángeles serving as her graduate project) she has appeared in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain & Glory. Shortly after, Rosalía and her sister Pili launched a brand, gained a massive following in Spain and in 2018 was signed to Sony Music.

    The evening’s performance marked Rosalía’s solo debut on SNL, having performed in 2021 alongside Bad Bunny for a duet of their romantic collaboration “La Noche De Anoche.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EEyiB9NtVg

    The 28 year old Flamenco singer first performed the Latin trap song “Chicken Teriyaki” off the upcoming release Motomami, a track that is prime for TikTok at a run time of only 2:02.

    The lyrics reference various parts of New York City: “De azúcar la mami, todo sin recibo/Leo pentagrama’, pero no lo’ escribo./Desde Queens hasta Tribeca/Un ramo de flore’ azule’ no se seca.” Translated to English the lyrics read: “The mami made of sugar with no receipts/I read pentagrams but don’t write them./From Queens to Tribeca/a bouquet of blue flowers that doesn’t die.)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAtUnqdTz2g

    Her second song of the night “La Fama,” is a collaboration with The Weeknd (who did not make an appearance on the Studio 8H stage this evening.) Wearing a large comforter, Rosalía resembled Baymax from Big Hero 6, before ditching the puffy outer layer to reveal a white dress and shawl.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnItVv1EsXw

    Both songs performed his evening will be featured on the upcoming Motomami, the follow up to her 2018 album, El Mal Querer. The Latin GRAMMY-winner told Rolling Stone in an interview that the new album would include both experimental and vulnerable material, with a big emphasis on the theme of feminism.

  • Killswitch Engage Unleash Atonement Tour in Rochester

    Metalcore titans Killswitch Engage brought their Atonement Tour to Rochester at the Main Street Armory with August Burns Red and Light The Torch. With only a couple shows left to go on their U.S. run, all the bands still gave it their all and the crowd was singing along to every song.

    Opening the night was Light The Torch, fronted by Howard Jones who was Killswitch Engage’s previous singer before Jesse Leach came back. Both Howard and Jesse contributed some of the best Killswitch material they have released, and it is always a great pleasure to see when there’s no bad blood between artists and they tour together. Immediately starting their set, Howard Jones takes to the dim it stage to a roar of applause from the crowd. Not holding back, Light The Torch goes right into “More Than Dreaming”, which showcases Howard’s vocals in both his cleans and screams.

    After listening to Killswitch Engage for so long, and not being too familiar with Light The Torch’s work, it is difficult to not compare this band with the sound Howard brought with his time in Killswitch. There are some similarities, however that is mostly due to Howard having a fantastic voice that just carries to whatever project he is working on. Light The Torch had a 10 song set that was basically nonstop from start to finish. Some of their hard hitting songs such as “Calm Before The Storm”, “Death of Me”, and “Become the Martyr” really set the mood for the evening and did a great job of energizing the audience. Closing out their set with “Die Alone” Howard told the crowd how much it means to him to be able to still perform after experiencing a dark time, and how fortunate he is to have his band members with him. “I fucking love this so much, thank you, thank you, thank you!” he says before giving the crowd the metal horns and ending their set.

    August Burns Red wasted no time coming out swinging with “The Truth of a Liar”. Immediately, it’s like a switch is hit, going from Light The Torch’s dimly lit set to a full blown lightshow and fog machines. August Burns Red didn’t slow down at all for their set, feeding off of the crowds energy as mosh pits emerged and crowd surfers started flowing. The bands vocalist, Jake Luhrs, commanded the crowd with his stage presence as he moved around swinging the microphone and jumping up onto their platforms. Highlights of their set included a very surprising cover of the “Legend of Zelda” theme song right into “Mariana’s Trench”. Performing for just under an hour, August Burns Red really delivered a great performance. This was many of the attendees first time seeing them live, as shown by a raise of hands when asked by Jake Luhrs who’s first time it was, and it was clear they won over many new fans.

    After a quick teardown of the August Burns Red set, Killswitch Engage is ready to take the stage. Opening with “Unleashed” off their latest album, was the perfect introduction. Since this was one of the final shows of the tour, you would expect the band to be a little worn out, however this was not the case. Jesse Leach ran around the stage full of energy, singing and screaming the songs with as much enthusiasm as you’d expect on the opening night.

    Killswitch Engage always puts on a fantastic show, and this night was no different. The banter between guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and the crowd provided a comedic value that is almost expected at a Killswitch show. With fan favorites to sing along to such as “My Last Serenade”, “Daylight Dies”, and “My Curse” it was a pleasure to hear a combination of their older material as well as their new stuff. The highlight of their set was definitely when Killswitch brought Howard Jones on stage to sing two of their most well-known songs, “The End of Heartache” and “Rose of Sharyn”. This set the crowd into a massive sing along which was so much fun. Ending their set with a duet of “The Signal Fire”, Killswitch Engage delivered one of the best metal tours so far this year.

    Setlist: Unleashed > Hate by Design > Know Your Enemy > My Last Serenade > I Am Broken Too > Reckoning > In Due Time > Daylight Dies > This Fire > As Sure as the Sun Will Rise > The Crownless King > Irreversal > Always > My Curse > Strength of the Mind > Rose of Sharyn(with Howard Jones) > The End of Heartache(with Howard Jones) > The Signal Fire(with Howard Jones)

    Killswitch Engage

    August Burns Red

    Light The Torch

  • Goose Rocks Cleveland

    Connecticut jam band Goose came to Cleveland and played to a packed house at the Agora Theater on Thursday, March 9th. They wasted little time before venturing deep into improvisational territory as the opening “Tumble” stretched out to nearly 30 minutes. Three well placed covers kept the audience on their toes including Father John Misty’s “Writing a Novel.” While the second set featured “Use Me” by Bill Withers and finally they encored with Devo’s “Whip It,” which included Jon ‘Coach’ Lombardi on rainstick.

    goose cleveland

    Goose :: 03/10/2022 :: Agora Theater :: Cleveland, Ohio

    Set 1: Tumble > Writing a Novel, Turned Clouds, Bob Don, Rockdale

    Set 2: Echo of a Rose > Into the Myst > Old Mans Boat > Use Me, Dripfield

    Encore: Whip It’ > Jive Lee

  • This week’s EQXposure Features Laveda, Architrave, We’re History 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, Laveda, Architrave, We’re History, 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.

    Laveda – “bb”

    On their 2020 debut album What Happens After, Laveda draw a post-apocolyptic landscape through layers of colorful sound and ethereal melodies. The band fuses polished pop song clarity with a 90’s guitar driven sound reminiscent of groups like The Sundays or my bloody valentine. Founding members “Jacob Brooks and Ali Genevich explore the great yawning unknown. From the freedom and uncertainty that rests at your fingertips or the distant and possibly desolate future, they capture adolescent restlessness with big walls of sound and a dreamy melodious warble” writes Toronto based blog Ohestee. NYC’s Look At My Records! calls Laveda “a young band with a fully realized voice and perspective, and What Happens After couldn’t feel timelier.”

    Architrave – “Twitch of the Wing”

    Architrave have shared “Twitch of the Wing” which is part of compliation of music to support the Ukrainian people. Order here and listen below.

    We’re History -”Punk Rock Roots” 

    Remember when your favorite punk rock songs were always stuck in your head? It seemed like those days were about to fade into history. But we’ve got some news for ya. We’re History is here to save the day.We’re History is a pop punk band bringing you tight, fast-paced, rage-dance your problems away rock music, rounded out with infectious vocal melodies that force you to sing along. Listen on repeat and you will not be disappointed. Add a song to your punk rock playlist and your friends will be impressed. Take a deep dive into the lyrical inspiration of Tim’s soul and you will end up depressed, but that’s just part of the punk experience