Brooklyn jam/prog group PEAK have released two recent performances from the second half of 2022, giving a taste of their live sound in two unique settings – the Delaware Valley Opera House, and Nectar’s.
The first live release from PEAK is Live at Delaware Valley Opera Center, a full show video from the band’s October 28 show at the Delaware Valley Opera Center in Lake Huntington, located just west of Bethel. The band offers very special thanks to Eric Marczo who filled in on bass this fall.
https://youtu.be/D0WIviQFjFo
The second show released is the full audio from the band’s August 26, 2022 performance at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT. They’ll be heading back up that way in early 2023 for another show at the famed venue, now under new, yet familiar ownership.
The PEAK quartet features songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard (Turbine), Kito Bovenshulte (Particle) on drums, Josh T. Carter (Haley Jane and The Primates) on bass, and Johnny Young on keys (Mick Taylor Band). The self-described pychedelic indie funk band can be found jamming extensively during live shows, and allow the songs on the album to speak for themselves. Stay up to date with PEAK tour dates and news here.
New York City-based four-piece alternative pop/rock band Kids That Fly have released their newest five-track EP Tracks of the High Line, on December 9. With hopes of recreating their viral 2019 single “Kiss Her You Fool,” the group came up with this nostalgic, genre-blending EP. Along with this, the band has also released a VHS Music video for the song “Talk of the Town,” a catchy pop/alternative hit.
In October, Kids that Fly released the EP’s lead single, “High Line,” along with a vibrant music video to pair. “The synth-y beat and fast drums brought me back…it’s pop with enticing guitar chords and a synth that fits right in…conjures 80’s nostalgia. ‘High Line’ evokes a more technical The 1975, a less sad Backseat Lovers,” said NYS Music contributor Sydney Pollack in October.
Yet their newest “Talk of the Town” showcases the energy of Tracks of the High Line in its entirety, which can be described as a combination of sounds from the early 2000s alt-rock era, 80s synth pop, British alternative, and modern pop/rock.
Nick Smeriglio (vocals/guitar), Blake Henry (guitar/synth), Braden Frandino (bass/vocals) and Ryan Hendry (drums/vocals) make up Kids That Fly. Composed of college comrades, they formed in the fall of 2018 while attending the University of Connecticut. Having all grown up in Connecticut, the crew has had a lot of influence from other Connecticut musicians such as Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and indie/rock duo MGMT.
Tracks of the High Line is the “next logical step in the band’s evolution,” shares Nick. Composed of songs written throughout the heart and tail end of the pandemic. “It’s a reflection of lots of different romantic experiences that the four of us have had,” Nick confides. “On a deeper level though, it deals with the different struggles that came from the pandemic, how the isolation took a toll on people, and the recovery of it all.”
“Throughout the process we’ve been experimenting with different synthesizers and other interesting digital production techniques that give each song a bit of a retro futuristic style,” Braden reflects about the EP’s sounds.
Since the very beginning, the band has always put a focus on their fans, prioritizing the importance of live music. With their electrifying up close and personal performances, Kids That Fly will continue to prove their vast potential. You won’t want to miss out on their newest viral hits on Tracks of the High Line.
The network of original artists on Long Island have brought me from dive bars to aspiring stars. Sam Woolf is a young man with the courage of his convictions. When faced with the pressure to be reinvented to suit the market, Sam chose to stay true to his art.
Intrigued by two recent guests on The Long Island Sound podcast , brothers Como, Andrew and Matt, I was introduced to Sam Woolf. The Como Brothers collaborated with Sam Woolf, and I was impressed both with the original songs and vocal accompaniment. A particular jem is “Give a Little Love”
Sam Woolf & Como Brothers, Andrew and Matt
American Idol Competition
At the age of seventeen Sam Woolf, through the encouragement of his mother, took a chance at an audition for American Idol back in 2014. As an uneasy teen with little to no live performance experience, Sam Woolf got the golden ticket to Hollywood to perform on American Idol. He made all the way to the number five spot in the contest. When I asked Sam about the scrutiny on national television, he has this to say:
… I had really no experience performing live,… no real experience performing in front of an audience. So that that part was like, I just kind of had to muster up the courage and just be like, I gotta do this
Sam Woolf
2014 Sam Woolf on American Idol
American Idol judge Keith Urban was impressed with Sam’s perfect pitch as he performed Ed Sheeran’s Lego House during auditions. Woolf climbed to the number five spot before elimination. What intrigued me was his determination to retain his identity as an independent singer/songwriter. When the American Idol team wanted to transform Sam into some sort of a teen idol, this is how he responded:
Yeah, I certainly was going against it. Because that was the bubble they put me in. The heartthrob, which is how they labeled it… I don’t want to be the heartthrob. Come on, I’m just trying to be that indie singer songwriter
Sam Woolf
A Decade Later
It’s been a decade since Sam competed on National Television, and he has recently moved to New York City to continue with his music career. He’s opened for Jefferson Starship, War and the Doobie Brothers. He stays in touch with Alex Preston and Caleb Johnson who were contestants with him on American Idol. In January he’ll be releasing a new song called, “Worst Thing” and this is what he said about the new release:
It’s called “Worst Thing “, to me, it’s my favorite song, I think, the most honest song I’ve ever written. And I hope people can relate with it in some way, or they could connect with it.
Sam Woolf
Now that Sam has settled in New York, I’m excited to see where he pops up next. I’m sure there will be more collaborations and great music in this guy’s future. If you’d like to hear the rest of the conversation with Sam, check out his episode on The Long Island Sound Podcast.
The Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live brought together Elvis (Austin Butler) and Lizzo for a remarkable show that saw long-time cast member Cecily Strong bidding the late-night institution farewell. Lizzo filled in for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who were originally scheduled to perform, but had to back out due to illness.
The cold open was a send up of an NFT scam put forth by the 45th president this past week, played much more comically than Alec Baldwin by James Austin Johnson.
Butler’s monologue recalled that the 2021 Christmas episode was mostly cast-free due to surging COVID infection rates. Butler spoke about growing up in Anaheim, CA, being home schooled by his mom, alongside his sister (who he wished a happy birthday to in the balcony). Talking about how his mother helped him break out of his shell of shyness, and how they watched Saturday Night Live together, Butler teared up in paying tribute to her memory and credited his acting career to her. Austin Butler made his Broadway debut in the 2018 revival of The Iceman Cometh and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Elvis.
Sketches including a rip-off of Wheel of Fortune “The Phrase That Pays” was a deeply weird SNL game show concept, as was the the It’s a Wonderful Life spoof “A Christmas Epiphany,” where the viewpoint of an ideal family inside a house being observed by a voyeur was a fresh twist on the holiday classic.
On the rise featured player Sarah Sherman made a stand out appearance as Jewish Elvis, with Austin Butler in the front row in drag as one of the old women who get overly-stimulated by the Semetic singer.
Lizzo, who hosted in April, performed her first song “Break Up Twice” with a setting paying homage to artist Annie Lee’s Blue Monday. Lizzo, in white negligee, is seen sitting on the edge of the bed, having just woken up, exhausted but ready to press ahead with the day. Then, belting out the seventh track on her 2022 release Special, Lizzo stepped forward to reveal the full band, singing about a man who left her in tears but whom she does not want to leave, referencing her relationship with Myke Wright.
“Break Up Twice” had Lizzo singing direct to the camera and lit in white while the band was lit in blue, with notable samples of “Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill and Judy Clay and William Bell’s “Private Number” found throughout.
Weekend Update saw the final appearance for Cecily Strong’s desheveled Cathy Anne, who joked about having to go to prison. Making slightly-cringe conversation with Michael Che, Cathy Anne switched back to Cecily Strong, breaking character to say, “I had a lot of fun here and I feel really lucky that I got to have so many of the best moments of my life in this place with these people that I love so much.”
Lizzo’s second performance found her covering Stevie Wonder’s 1967 holiday classic “Someday at Christmas,” dressed in a half silver, half gold angel dress, wrapped up like a shiny gift. The track is among those featured on Amazon Music, with musicians offering classic covers of Christmas songs. Lizzo said of the song “I chose to cover ‘Someday At Christmas’ not just because it’s a classic, but because it’s a reminder to us that almost 60 years later, we are still fighting for peace, compassion, and equality, a friendly reminder to spread love and kindness this holiday season.”
For the finale, Kenan Thompson (as Frank Lasagna) introduced Cecily on her last day working at Radio Shack, noting her 11 year run and giving a heartfelt ode to her longevity on the show, fitting, coming from the show’s longest running cast member.
Butler then appeared as “Casual Elvis” to serenade Strong with Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” as Strong smiled and choked up, with Thompson’s final lyrics altered to “You’ll be doing alright, every saturday night” for the finale, as the cast joined in on stage for the end of the tribute.
Shot between January and November 1971, Neil Young’s docu-film Harvest Time is a cinema verité capture of Neil Young‘s most prolific era as a songwriter. Caught bounding between locations in the Bay Area, London, Nashville and New York, the film documents Young’s work on his most popular LP, Harvest. The celluloid finds the Young produced film in the midst of creative growth, coming to terms with his increasing popularity, and on the ceaseless search for inspired song.
Neil Young – Harvest Time poster
During the years 1971-1975 Young was composing music and developing creative ideas at a furious rate. Recent years have been a goldmine for Young and his fans as the homegrown Neil Young Archive platform has released films, demos, unreleased albums, and a plethora of ephemera from this era and more, all hailing from Young’s substantial archival collections.
The Harvest Time film played in theaters for limited engagements and is included in Young’s 50th anniversary deluxe edition box set documenting the Harvest record. The film in turn procures a collection of intimate moments and diverse locations during the development of the record. While sometimes rambling, a bit shaky, and always stoned, the cut of the film reflects the intent of its producer and originator.
Convivial recording sessions in Young’s legendary barn highlight the early segments of film. Nashville musicians Ben Keith, Tim Drummond and Kenny Buttery were invited to Young’s rustic compound after a timely meeting the previous year. Christened by Young as the “Stray Gators,” their early sympatico is evident in the existing footage. For Young’s hardcore Rusties, the film is a revelation, once mythical happenings have now been reanimated with an inspired soundtrack.
Young’s long time manager Elliot Roberts is often found running through frames, while keeping things in line. Young’s friend and arranger Jack Nitzsche is also a collaborator lending piano, slide guitar and an attentive directive to the proceedings.
Extraordinary footage shot just over the tops of the piano keys finds Young with his famed Gretsch White Falcon guitar directing the stony groove of the group with lidded eyes and a genuine smile. Surrounded by antique farm implements, hay bales, farm dogs, a mess of gear and lots of marijuana, Young and his new bandmates get down to business in the pastoral air of Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch.
The film follows a loose narrative as the album is developed between varying locals and times. In Neil’s barn, “Alabama ” and “Words (Between the Lines of Age)” are volleyed about through extended and patient jamming. The camera captures Young’s textural work with feedback and detailed vibrato on his Bigsby, as he attempts to shade the arrangement. The band cooks the basic stock of the soup before additional ingredients are added.
The Nashville rhythm section of Buttrey and Drummond are a latch board on the barn door, keeping things in the stall and the arrangements orderly. Ben Keith, who would remain one of Young’s best friends following the sessions, spreads butter on the toast with slick tasteful steel. Young often sits back on a bail with curt melodic statements and dynamic chording while letting Keith’s strings sing. The ambiance of which songs recorded at the ranch can be easily discerned on the official record after watching the film by recognising their hearty resonance.
The Wally Heider remote recording truck sits outside of the barn so the Stray Gators and Young can listen to their work. As the band and crew gather, the cameraman captures Neil walking across the field away from the barn. He catches up with Young, finding him lounging on the ground with a Coors and a joint. An extraordinary interaction takes place in the scene with Young documented musing about his creative exploits and ultimate goals.
“Are you happy with this one?” Young is asked by the filmmaker. “No,” Young answers, smiling. “It’s nice, though. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know till I hear it. I just don’t know.”
Young muses as his work is reflected back at him by the surrounding green hills. The glimpse of the artist in his own natural environment cultivating his creativity is an essential moment in the film.
Following the basic tracking taking place at the barn the film jumps from country to city to the vocal overdub sessions with two of Young’s bandmates from Crosby, Stills and Nash and Young. Stephen Stills and David Crosby gather around a microphone at Wally Heider’s lending their vocal acumen to a barn recorded version of “Alabama”. The film offers priceless insight into the volatile brotherhood between the Crosby, Stills and Nash team and the inspiration is ripe as the triad gather around the studio piano to work out harmony notes.
After work on “Words (Between the Lines of Age)” Graham Nash adds vocals at a session in New York. A tremendously entertaining segment between friends and an insider view of their harmonies in production.
The Young team is transplanted to England for a session with the London Symphony Orchestra. The contrast between the talented but stuffy and all male LSO and the rich hippy aesthetic of Young and his pals is fascinating. The segment illustrates the orchestra’s attempts at following Young’s music and how his ultimate vision comes to fruition. Both “A Man Needs a Maid” and “There’s a World” are fully formed, with nary a detail missed by Young. Midway through this essential sequence, Young debut’s a lacy fragment of “Harvest” on acoustic guitar in the canteen between takes.
Toward the conclusion of the narrative Young and the Stray Gators find themselves in a cramped studio in Nashville during a heated groove. After enjoying a unique improv segment the viewer is moved to the control room as tape is being spooled and final mixing of the record is about to take place. A high powered cannabis contraption is procured by Tim Drummond for the band and crew and a joyous listening session for Young’s developing LP is captured for eternity.
We are then placed in front of the DJ desk as Young sits in on a local Nashville radio show. Young is asked by the DJ Scott Shannon the intent behind the film crew and if the result will ever end up in the theaters. Neil replies, “Maybe pretty soon.” Similarly, to many of Young’s inspired projects, he is confident that it will come to fruition, just not sure when or how.
In one of the final more surreal clips, Young and his entourage run into Gil Gilliam, a 12-year-old Nashville personality who is seen at the station. The interview between Young and the excitable star is natural, different, and highlighted with young Gilliam asking the tough questions. The honesty in their interaction lends the movie a poignancy that hadn’t occurred in it up to that point.
While some may find the documentation of recording sessions and other musical minutiae tedious, for the Neil Young fan and music lover Harvest Time allows a deeper understanding of the creative artist at work. Young’s obvious perfectionism, varying approaches, as well as his collaborators illustrates his endless quest to find inspiration by following any and all paths. Harvest Time is truly a must see music documentary.
Similarly, to Peter Jackson’s on screen portrayal of the Beatles during their famed 1969 sessions in the Get Back documentary, the mundane becomes revelatory. Relationship dynamics and creative emotions are laid bare. Filmed snippets of song, musical connections, and captured clandestine comments not only help us to better understand the artist, but get closer to the heart of the music.
This week’s episode of Saturday Night Livefeatures SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short co-hosting, with musical guest, singer-songwriter, Brandi Carlile.
The cold open features Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, and Sarah Sherman sharing how they keep their cool during the holiday season. They sing a jingle about current events happening in the world, including Elon Musk buying Twitter, Kanye West’s antisemitic comments, and the unexpected album drop from convicted pedophile R. Kelly.
The monologue sawMartin Short and Steve Martin talking about how many times they have hosted in a montage video, with Martin hosting an incredible 16 times, and Short comically having hosted only three times, including this evening. They joked about how nostalgic it felt to be back and meet the new cast. Martin and Short are celebrating the third season of their Hulu show Only Murders in the Building as well. The two also jokingly read about what each other’s eulogies would be. Selena Gomez made a guest appearance at the end of the monologue.
The first sketch features Short and Martin premiering on a spin-off of a scientific PBS Kids TV show. The two use cast members Cecily Strong and Mikey Day as kids helping out in demonstrating different scientific scenarios, but they are comically unhelpful and make obscene jokes. Both Martin and Short become increasingly frustrated at the kids, and the segment cuts out.
The next sketch features the SNL writing room. They are making fun of a cast member’s ex and saying she smelled bad, and more. The funny joke is that they got back together, and she was in the room, with the family members seeing them talking badly about the ex. Martin and Short show up, and as the two cast members try to get themselves out of it, it keeps progressing.
Another holiday-themed sketch follows, taking place on a train ride. Martin Short and Steve Martin, along with Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson are sitting in a booth together. They break out into a song and dance about snow, wanting to see it and be in it, having not experienced it before. The sketch takes a turn, where Strong, Martin, and Short turn into bears, hibernating through the snow.
The next sketch features Martin as Santa and Short as an elf named Sprinkles. He is short-tempered and yells at each child as they try to tell Santa what they want. Following is a sketch about A Christmas Carol, with Short being The Scrooge. He comically blinds an orphan trying to give him money. Martin, being the Spirit or Christmas Present, also blinds people when throwing coins, even accidentally stabbing someone.
Brandi Carlile recently released a deluxe record titled In The Canyon Haze. This isn’t Carlile’s first time performing on SNL, having been featured as a guest earlier in the year. She will be opening for P!nk at Citi Field on Aug. 3, and tickets are on sale here. She carried a lot of energy in her performance of her song “The Story” dressed in a festive suit. Her unique and powerful vocals shine as she smiles at the audience several times.
https://youtu.be/CpNqR-ff_TQ
Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che talked about the political race, including Herschel Walker losing the election, with the audience clapping. They made a lot of jokes about Brittney Griner being released from prison as well as talking about the World Cup finals.
The next sketch features Short as Minky Carmichael on a show, teaching women how to treat their men. It gets funny as Cecily Strong makes fun of him, and humiliates him on the show. Brandi Carlile came back out, in a different black and blue outfit. She is singing a much chiller song, “You and Me on the Rock ft. Lucius” with the same powerful and beautiful vocals.
https://youtu.be/-sEbBaXMImY
The final sketch is a Father of the Bride spinoff, featuring Martin and Heidi Gardner as his daughter, celebrating her eighth wedding, with Short being a wedding planner. Kieran Culkin makes a guest appearance, as he was in the original movie along with Martin and Short. Selena Gomez also makes an appearance as the wedding singer.
Next week’s Saturday Night Live show features Austin Butler hosting, with musical guest Lizzo.
On October 29, two bands who got their start in Buffalo, moe. and Aqueous combined forces for only the second time. Watch the rare below moe.queous performance below.
The Town Ballroom show found the two bands donning a musical costume with a theme of ‘animals’ leading to covers of Phish, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as songs from the moe. and Aqueous catalogs that centered around various creatures and critters.
The lineups for the two band combo included Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico from moe., and Mike Gantzer, Evan McPhaden and Rob Houk from Aqueous. David Loss of Aqueous would also make a surprise appearance on vocals of “I Am The Walrus.”
Gantzer said of the collaboration, “It’s a cool full circle thing to intertwine the AQ and moe. worlds so directly-Both bands have history at Town Ballroom and share strong roots being from Buffalo, too. There’s something really connective about that, and I’ve always felt a unique kinship and chemistry when making music or even just hanging with those guys. Much of AQ’s early inspiration came from seeing moe. too, so that should tell you just how truly special this will be!”
Schnier agreed, saying “We love our boys in AQ almost as much as we love Buffalo! Last time we all got together for a moe.queous throw down, it was such an awesome amalgamation of our two bands, and we knew it was something we should definitely do more often.”
photo by Curtis Kruetter
Check out the moe.queous setlist and watch videos from across the evening below.
Set 1: Bearsong > Strange Times > Bearsong, Birds of a Feather > Kitty Chaser > Downward Facing Dog, Marty, I Am The Walrus*
Set 2: Moth > Pigs > Moth, Warren in the Window, Terrapin Station > Four#, Buster#
Phish’s Trey Anastasio has announced the release of The Beacon Jams which will commemorate the artist’s legendary eight-show virtual residency at New York City’s legendary Beacon Theatre in the Covid-riddled fall of 2020. These iconic shows will now be encapsulated in the form of an 18-track, 145-minute new anthology that will be available digitally on Friday, November 25. Proceeds will benefit The Divided Sky Foundation, an initiative launched by Anastasio to finance a residential recovery program in Ludlow, VT, which is set to open next year.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Performed at an empty Beacon Theatre and livestreamed around the world over the course of eight Fridays, The Beacon Jams saw Trey teaming with a range of collaborators to boldly reimagine music spanning his three-decade career. It includes performances from Trey Anastasio Band cohorts like Cyro Baptista (percussion), James Casey (saxophone, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), and, in his final performances with the group, the late Tony Markellis (bass).
Also featured are frequent collaborators Jeff Tanski (keyboards), Celisse Henderson (vocals), and Jo Lampert (vocals), as well as the debut of The Rescue Squad (Katie Kresek – violin, Maxim Moston – violin, Rachel Golub – viola, Anja Wood – cello).
In addition to great music and different interpretations of Phish and TAB songs, the Beacon residency also saw Anastasio interacting with fans via Twitch between songs for a completely unique live music experience in a time where pandemic restrictions made such things close to impossible. “What made it feel successful to me was that we weren’t trying to recreate a live concert,” Anastasio says. “What I was hoping was that it would be a fresh form of entertainment – turning lemons into lemonade. I feel like that turned out to be the case.”
photo by Jake Silco
Tracklist: Corona, A Wave of Hope, What’s The Use, And Flew Away, The Moma Dance, The Silver Light, Pebbles and Marbles, Bouncing Around the Room, Carini, I Never Left Home, Money Love and Change, Last Tube, Quantegy, You Enjoy Myself, Goodbye Head, Tube, Slave to the Traffic Light, First Tube
NY’s Bad Mary have just released their newest music video for their upcoming song “It’s All Trash,” which was released on November 8th. Bad Mary is made up of lead vocalist Amanda Mac, with her husband Mike Staub on bass, her dad Bill Mac on drums, and her Hofstra University professor David Henderson on guitar. This four multi-generational equal parts which continue to inspire each other with their musical prowess and distinct skill sets.
When asked about the song bassist Staubexplains, “This song is a sort of realization that despite a fancy label or how we dress up a lot of what we consume, much of it is still just… trash. I wanted to still convey this message in our own, cheeky, and bratty way, hence the 80s glam metal “oh yeahs” in the chorus. In the end, even Trash can be a lot of fun. This is also, to me, one of our heaviest songs, which I like as it encapsulates a fun-yet-aggressive vibe” shares bassist Mike Staub.
Guitarist David Henderson explains the video was shot in an abandoned psychiatric center creating the perfect aesthetic for the song. “We shot the video in an abandoned psychiatric center. We had to get a guide, Krispy DeRato, who knew their way around to help us find a good place to shoot. We had to walk through partly flooded dark tunnels full of white mud and dripping water to get there, it was pretty gross honestly, and if Krispy had not been guiding us, we definitely would have got lost down there. Once situated, I just played the song on my phone and said, “OK, just do the Amanda dance around the building.” Amanda took off and owned the space, I pretty much just followed her around making sure I got everything. It had rained the night before, so all of the dripping water and mud were just part of the natural atmosphere of the place.”
Around the middle of December, the band plans to bring some holiday cheer with the release of their holiday EP “A Very Bad Christmas.” You won’t want to miss their edgy rock n’ punk versions of Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard High, and Little Drummer Boy. Bad Mary’s songs have been a staple in rotation on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage, but “It’s All Trash” really perked up their ears.
“Bad Mary just seems to constantly provide an endless stream of entertaining content. They’re an incredible band, and it looks like they just have so much fun with everything they do”
Folk N Rock
Bad Mary is originally from Long Island, but they rehearse in Kings Park. Band members Amanda and Bill are originally from Massapequa, Mike is from Hicksville. Currently, David lives in Kings Park, Mike and Amanda are local to Huntington.
Their newest EP Trash And Glamour will be out in early 2023. You can catch their weekly live stream on Twitch on Tuesday nights at 8 pm EST. To watch, click the link here.
To check out Bad Mary’s newest video for “It’s All Trash,” below.
Dave Chappelle hosted his third post-election Saturday Night Live show on November 12, with musical guest Black Star, who has worked with and performed alongside Chappelle over the years.
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC
The cold open started with a spoof on Fox News with Fox & Friends, featuring news anchors played by Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, and Bowen Yang. They interviewed Republican candidate Kari Lake (Cecily Strong) about the election fraud, and how when Lake was winning, she was happy, and when she was losing, she was saying it was fraudulent, much like a lot of Republican candidates. The cold open also had an interview with Trump (James Austin Johnson) about his endorsements of candidates that lost.
In his opening monologue, Dave Chappelle spoke against Kanye West’s antisemitic tweets and West’s hatred of Jewish people. He joked about Jewish culture as well but did it in a tasteful and non-offensive matter. Chappelle also spoke about the midterm elections, and how “ominous” they were and called Herschel Walker “observably stupid.” He also spoke about the ongoing Russia and Ukraine conflict.
https://youtu.be/_m-gO0HSCYk
The next sketch featured the show “P.M. in the Afternoon” with Dave Chapelle as Willy T. Hawkins, talking about his new album My Potato Hole. The rest of the anchors made cringy jokes about the potato hole, and the meaning of the word was revealed as a food hole slaves had, making it very awkward.
Chappelle came back out to talk about House of the Dragon and the black characters on the show, and also showed a parody video of the show, with Chappelle featured in the sketch as characters from Chappelle Show. The next sketch featured Chappelle in a barber shop, with Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, Punkie Johnson, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, poking fun at Kanye West, and the election, featuring the awkwardness of a white barber (Longfellow) trying to comment on race issues.
New York-based hip-hop duo Black Star (Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey) were the musical guest tonight, making their SNL debut. They just released their highly-anticipated album No Fear of Time – their first in nearly 24 years. Chappelle introduced them as “Brooklyn’s finest.” The group was confident, rapping about the issues facing the black community today in the song “So be it.” Behind the group was a photo with lyrics so people can understand what they are rapping about. Madlib, who produced all the beats on the new record, was DJing behind the group.
https://youtu.be/rCIJrpcpWdg
Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che focused on the midterm elections. Jost joked about how polling places are run by old people. Che joked about Biden running for President in the 2024 election despite his old age and also joked about the new female governors. Candidate Jose Suarez (Marcello Hernández) spoke about his campaign and that “everything is basically fine.” He also joked about how people complain about too much today despite the hard issues in other countries. Cast member Sarah Sherman was featured on the show as well, joking about herself in a sketch called “Sarah News.”
Dave Chappelle came back out to introduce the next sketch, saying he was too old to do it and needed to rest. The sketch was called “Black Heaven” and the God figure, who was supposed to be Chappelle, is comedically played by a white actor. Chappelle was off-screen smoking, and laughing with other people. The sketch focused on stereotypes in the black community.
The second performance by Black Star was much chiller, with a different photo in the background and no lyrics. The song, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” speaks about white supremacy and guns. The group will be playing a special show at Sony Hall in NYC on Nov. 15, with tickets on sale here.
https://youtu.be/UKY8J8z0mlo
There was another sketch about Election Night, with newcomer Molly Kearney becoming Ohio’s Attorney General after a drunk tweet. Chappelle ended the show by mentioning Migos rapper Takeoff (Kirshnik Khari Ball), who had performed on SNL in 2018 and was tragically shot and killed on Nov. 1.
During the episode, it was announced that Keke Palmer will be hosting the Dec. 3 show, with musical guest SZA.
