Fresh off the release of her second album Squeeze, Sasami played a packed show last Friday night, March 25th, with support from Zulu. The eclectic crowd comprised people of all stripes, with plenty of typical goth garb (leather, long coats, and tall boots) and plenty of LGBTQ+ representation in the mix. Fans were asked to keep masks on throughout the show to protect the band from tour disruptions, with signs posted on the walls and doors.
Sasami at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photograph by David Reichmann
L.A. native “powerviolence” band Zulu opened up the show with loud, sustained heavy metal sounds. The audience gleefully moshed and thrashed throughout their brief but powerful set.
Zulu at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photograph by David Reichmann
Sasami started her hard-hitting set with some fan favorite tracks including, “Skin a Rat,” “Say It,” and “Make It Right.” Her setlist covered her 2-album catalog, and even included a cover of System of a Down’s “Toxicity” with on-stage help from Zulu. Given Sasami’s experience as a trained classical composer, her setlist spanned several genres and included operatic interludes, head-banging choruses, and even a few balladic deep cuts such as “Call Me Home.”
Sasami and Zulu at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photograph by David Reichmann
Sasami’s music has always contained difficult themes, and often expresses frustration with systemic violence or even her own interpersonal relationships. Earlier in the week, she had posted on social media about her decision to postpone an upcoming Boston tour date until they could “book it in a venue everyone feels safe in.” She also stated, “My [number one] priority as a touring musician is to create a safe space for my community to rage, emote, dance […] and have fun…” Throughout her set, Sasami repeated her mantra of wanting to use music to create a safe space for minority and disenfranchised peoples, leading to loud cheers each time she reaffirmed her intentions.
Sasami at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photograph by David Reichmann
Sasami’s North American tour continues, and you can listen to Sasami’s 2022 album Squeezehere and view upcoming tour dates here. Listen to Zulu’s music here.
Sasami and Zulu at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photography by David Reichmann
After a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, the BUKU Music and Art Project made it’s triumphant return to New Orleans this past weekend. The 2-day music festival and art project took place at it’s usual location outside of Mardi Gras World on the banks of the Mississippi river. The project’s 10th anniversary featured a stacked lineup of EDM and bass music, rap, hip-hop, and indie rock. Back in March of 2020, as the stages and grounds were being built, project organizer Winter Circle Productions made the tough decision to cancel BUKU Project just over a week out. Being the first cancelled festival in 2020, it was only fitting that in 2022, a few weeks after Mardi Gras celebrations returned to New Orleans, that BUKU would be the first festival to kick off the season.
The 2022 lineup featured several hold over names from the cancelled 2020 edition including headliner Tyler, the Creator, Glass Animals, Alison Wonderland, Taking Back Sunday, and 100 Gecs. Over the years BUKU has grown into a 20,000 attendees per day festival and the location has proven ideal. A 100 year old power plant with graffiti covered smoke stacks and a vintage riverboat anchored on the Mississippi overshadow the project, reflecting the rich history of New Orleans’ warehouse district.
BUKU Project attendees were treated to a perfect sunny 75 degrees in New Orleans, a city that was eager to welcome music lovers back into their arms. New Orleans’ famous culture center of Bourbon Street is once again buzzing with music and activity and this was mirrored into the design of BUKU. Organizers weaved the experience of discovering local music into the fabric of the project.
As you walk around the grounds, you find pop-up musical performances, many which were not featured on the lineup. In the fields of the main stage area, there is a small vendor market with bands playing DIY style shows in the center of the market. A mobile rickshaw draped in hundreds of Mardi Gras beads was seen riding around the festival with massive speakers and a DJ playing music off the back. Outside of the ‘Ballroom’ stage, there was a boxing ring where rappers, bands, and interpretative performers played intensely experimental music.
Rickshaw and Boxing Ring “Stages”
Aside from the music, BUKU is also an Art Project that celebrates New Orleans artists. Art installations were scattered around the festival grounds and vendors were selling art and custom clothing. Modern sculptures and lighting pieces were found around every corner of the grounds, provided interesting backdrops to the music and for photos. There were also “live art” areas where graffiti and mural artists spent the two days creating beautiful pieces in the shadows of the music stages. Some of these were sold or auctioned for charity, but many fans just spent time watching the art being created while listening to the music in the distance.
Live Art Gallery
Bass Music and Underground Rap
The backbone of the BUKU Project lineup are the dubstep and bass music artists, with the ‘Wharf’ stage dedicated entirely to the genre for both days. The stage production was top notch and all of the performers took full advantage of the system’s power. Lasers from the stage were projected onto the nearby warehouse and the Louis Armstrong riverboat anchored in the river, creating the feeling of an intimate outdoor club while still housing thousands of fans. Liquid Stranger and Lane 8 headlined the stage on Friday and Saturday respectively, with Svdden Death, Mersiv, Clozee, and Wreckno filling in the days.
The Wharf Stage at BUKU Music and Art Project
“Multimedia aggregate” Lab Group also played the Wharf stage, only three months after the tragic death of member and producer Charlesthefirst. The 25 year old’s death shocked the community, but surviving members Potions and Supertask are keeping the aggregate alive and still performing the music that the group created together. At one point in their set Lab Group paid tribute by playing “Old Ways” which features rap verses from Charlesthefirst.
Lab Group Performs on The Wharf Stage. Photo by Buscar Photo
Underground rap and hip-hop played a large role in the 2022 edition of the BUKU Project in New Orleans. Odd Future founding member and now international superstar and fashion designer Tyler, the Creator headlined the project on Saturday. Ever since his solo debut Goblin back in 2011, Tyler, the Creator has been putting a fresh spin on his sound with each new release. 2019’s IGOR was an ambitious blend of rap and experimental R&B which debuted at No. 1 on the charts. Tyler, the Creator followed this up with Call Me If You Get Lost in 2021 which continued to propel his commercial success.
Tyler, the Creator at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
Aside from the big name headliner, the rap lineup for both days of BUKU was stacked with rising stars and veteran artists. Friday featured ShyGirl and Tierra Whack in the Ballroom with Trippie Redd delivering a fiery set mid-day on the main Skyline stage. On Saturday, fans were treated to a full day of Flo Milli, Vince Staples, Baby Keem, Maxo Kream, and Tyler, the Creator. Another major success of the BUKU Project was that these individual genre lineups had no conflicts and fans who were there for the rap did not have to make any hard decisions.
Flo Milli at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
Indie Rock and The Undefined
What festival would be complete these days without the indie kids? The best thing about music today is that anyone can listen to anything at any time. This has cultivated a generation of music lovers with a very wide palate. This was on clear display when Taking Back Sunday took the Skyline stage for their mid-day set. The band is on tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal 2002 LP Tell All Your Friends and they split their set between newer material and classic songs “Cute Without the ‘E’” and “MakeDamnSure.” The band drew a large crowd for an early festival set and the injection of nostalgia was a beautiful way to kick off the weekend.
Taking Back Sunday at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
Friday headliners and Australian psych-rock titans Tame Impala were the highlight of the indie side of the festival. The band is on the second leg of The Slow Rush Tour which was partially postponed due to the pandemic but is back on the road in full force. Featuring a massive lighting rig suspended from the stage, the band’s live production overwhelms any audience they host. The lighting gives the unsettling yet beautiful feeling of coming face to face with a UFO.
Tame Impala at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
The band cruised through reworked live versions of The Slow Rush songs “Breath Deeper” and “Borderline” while playing a driving, laser fueled rendition of fan favorite “Elephant.” Two extended releases of confetti during the last two songs “Let It Happen” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” felt like a celebration not only of Tame Impala or BUKU, but more of the return to live music in one of the richest musical cities in the world.
Tame Impala at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
Given the seemingly endless creative outlets that exist today, there are so many artists out there that defy categorization and cannot fit within the typical genre classifications. 100 Gecs were an early highlight of the day on Friday. Described as “hyperpop,” the duo performs an aggressive and in your face punk-like pop music. Their chaotic style is a great show to see in a small club, but their gigantic sound reverberated across the main stage grounds as if that was their natural setting. Porter Robinson performed his Nurture live show and British indie rockers Glass Animals brought their iconic summer pool staging to same time slot on the main stage on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Glass Animals at the BUKU Music and Art Project. Photo by Buscar Photo
Our Impression
All in all, the return of the BUKU Music and Art Project to New Orleans was a major success. Organizers brought back some of the big names from the cancelled 2020 lineup and designed grounds that were well laid out and easy to navigate. Lines for food and drinks were never too long and there was plenty of free water and “BUKU Budz” throughout the festival supporting attendees. Most festivals with bass heavy electronic music suffer from sound bleed issues, but none of the stages interfered with each other at BUKU. The food lineup featured local mainstays and highlighted the signature creole cuisine of New Orleans.
NYS Music had a great time at the festival and we caught sets from so any different artists and styles throughout the weekend. We enjoyed seeing big names like Tame Impala in their prime, but also discovering new music that will become part of our rotation. Nothing is better than discovering new music live, looking over at your head-banging friends and asking “what song is this?” Moments like this are what we missed most during the pandemic and we are so happy to have back again.
Check out our artist galleries from the 10th edition of the BUKU Music and Art Project below, photographed by NYS Music photographer Buscar Photo.
M. Ward graced Levon Helm Studios with his presence this past Sunday, March 27. The singer-songwriter, and fans alike, waited two years for this Woodstock show, and the wait only made the night more special. For folks who have seen a show at Levon Helm Studios, you know just how incredible the venue’s acoustics are, and M. Ward played the barn’s walls like they were instruments. He opened the show and silenced the crowd without speaking a word.
Ward began with ‘Duet For Guitars #3.’ This started the night off perfectly by showcasing some of Ward’s most intricately dynamic guitar playing. His pinch harmonics resonated beautifully throughout the studio, and his individual style of strumming filled the room with chords that sounded too full to have been made by a single guitar. The crowd erupted after the song ended and they had their first glimpse into what was in store for them.
Ward then rolled into one of his most popular songs with ‘Chinese Translation,’ which allowed his voice to take center stage and play with Levon Helm Studios’ walls. You can take a listen to M. Ward’s 2011 performance of the song that he did for Kink FM in the video below. This clip is a great representation of just how smooth Ward is, both in his guitar playing and in his singing. At times during the show on Sunday, Ward would step away from his mic entirely and allowed his voice to carry itself throughout Levon Helm Studios. There are few venues, if any, that can compare to the sonic experience in this setting with a musician as skilled as M. Ward.
M. Ward played his first of two covers for the night with his rendition of Buddy Holly’s ‘Rave On.’ He slowed things down in the best way possible, and truly made the song his own, almost unrecognizable from the original. Ward’s second cover was one that caused an interesting response from the crowd. The lyrics to Daniel Johnston’s ‘Story of an Artist’ come off as humorous to some when sung in such a new tone. The song was featured on his 1983 album Hi How Are You, and its lyrics explore Johnston’s lack of support and belief in his art from his family. It is truly a sad, sad song, but what brought out the laughter seemed to be the juxtaposition of Ward captivating the crowd with his musical abilities while singing lyrics about a family telling their son that the world will never like his songs. The two observations clash, but the effect is powerful as the laughing fans soon saw and felt the seriousness of Ward’s voice.
The show’s pace picked up for the final few songs as Bat Fangs came out to accompany Ward. The group rocked the barn after an intimate set of songs, and left the Woodstock crowd on cheering on their feet for a few minutes. The crowd cheered until Ward and Betsy of Bat Fangs returned to the stage, and started the encore like the show began, with a song off Ward’s 2003 album Transfiguration of Vincent: ‘Helicopter.’ The duo would go on to end the night by fielding crowd suggestions, and settled on ‘Poison Cup,’ which managed to bring one fan to tears even.
M. Ward just finished up the last of his American tour dates until June, and will be flying across the pond to play three weeks of shows in Europe. When Ward returns to the U.S. he will be playing four shows in Texas before heading back overseas to tour the UK. If you have travel plans, be sure to check out M. Ward’s website. For future shows at Levon Helm Studios, check out their events page.
Setlist (partial): Duet For Guitars #3, Chinese Translation, Fuel for Fire, Rave On (Buddy Holly), Vincent O’Brien, Here Comes the Sun Again, Story of an Artist (Daniel Johnston), Never Had Nobody Like You, To Go Home
New York’s entirely independent alt-pop, King Vagabond released their debut single on a platform that helps to build a kingdom for the queerdos with their brand new single “Rule The World” along with music video which premiered on March 27th.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while the world seemed to be falling apart, King Vagabond looked thoroughly for a long time into a different path that could help them to create a natural flow of creative subconscious which led to the creation of their debut single.
“That’s what ‘Rule the World’ is all about. It asks listeners to unsheathe their swords—the ‘weapons’ they keep hidden—and lean into them hard. Only after you face, love, and own every part of yourself can you become the ruler of your world.”
-Joey Dean
The duo behind King Vagabond are familiar with the NY area since Joey Dean (vocalist) is from Hudson Valley and Niko Vaude (producer and guitarist) is from Queens. The inspiration to create the duo came after their previous band of seven years that ended at the start of the pandemic which as a result created King Vagabond. King Vagabond mission is to help build a kingdom for those wandering the shadows, searching for light. Before the creation of the group, they have performed with massive pop artists like Shawn Mendes, Charli XCX, and Todrick Hall, and festivals such as Vans Warped Tour.
The single, “Rule The World” comes from 80s-inspired synths with gritty guitar leads. A queer misfit and a catholic Egyptian-American became a turned rockstar tells a tale of poetic triumph with their songs to create an alternative sound introduced into pop and electronic.
The position of the Earth relative to the Sun indicated it was Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. But unsurprisingly in Rochester, Winter was hanging on for one last (we hope) gasp before ceding the floor. On an absolutely frigid and snowy late March Sunday, a duo of duos, Honeysuckle from New York via Boston, and Tough Old Bird from nearby Buffalo, shared the stage at the Club at Water Street for an intimate evening of folk music.
Honeysuckle, Holly McGarry on guitar and vocals, and Chris Bloniarz on mandolin and vocals, were closing out the first week of their first tour since the big live music pause. They released a new album in 2021 but when they were ready to tour behind it COVID reared its ugly head once again. So, they were promoting their “new” year-old album finally, though their set covered the breadth of their full catalog.
McGarry, donned in a flowery dress more fit for the season than the actual weather, tethered the duo to a more traditional folk anchor. Her beautiful singing brought life to reflective, darkened material, floating along her strummed and picked acoustic guitar work. Bloniarz contrasted that with mandolin playing that veered into jamgrass territory, weaving interesting and exhilarating threads in, out, over and through McGarry’s songs. He filtered his instrument through a large bank of pedals, though it never lost it’s mandolin-ity. He set up an occasional loop to increase the duo’s reach, a grooving bass-line or nice vamp to solo over for a few bars.
Their songs often looked into the past. “Shadow Dance” was inspired by an episode of the British show “Repair Shop,” which McGarry binged over the pandemic, in which an old violin was meticulously restored. The tune had an appropriately timeless quality. “Two Stone Birds,” about a stressful trip transporting delicate family heirlooms cross country on a small airplane, was fittingly jaunty and folksily funky. A cautionary tale about exploring your genealogy, “To the Grave” teetered between bright and dark. A rarely played “Crossbow” emerged from obscurity to fulfill a birthday request (as if having the band sing you “Happy Birthday” isn’t enough of a gift!), and proved to be one of the set’s highlights.
Tough Old Bird, brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan, opened the show with a set of their gorgeous folk duets. Matthew handled most of the vocal duties while Nathan took care of most of the flashier guitar work. But there was no exclusivity to this setup, these are brothers that know how to share. They are also brothers who knew how to harmonize, like only kin can, beautifully singing about both winter and spring, even if neither or both were appropriate, and songs inspired by their home’s proximity to the Great Lakes. The duo filled out and diversified their sound; Matthew with deft harmonica playing and Nathan switching it up with a banjo and electric guitar, all the while banging out rhythms on a foot tambourine.
Water Street served up a double shot of double folk that warmed the chilled audience up like a double shot of whiskey, from the inside out.
Honeysuckle Setlist: Miss You, Gaslight, Untouchable, Shadow Dance, Two Stone Birds, Little Less Alone, It’s Getting Late, Something Worth Having, Windstorm, Greenline, Firestarter, To the Grave, Darkness Knows, Crossbow, Deep Blue Eyes, Canary
In an effort to expose up-and-coming UK artists to American audiences, GREAT Campaign partnered with SoFar Sounds for the week of March 21, 2022 to put on numerous performances across New York City featuring some of the biggest names on the rise.
In an interesting way to gain access to the show, one had to pick up a ringing telephone within a classic English-looking telephone booth (many of which were spread across Manhattan). The phone would relay a message detailing the shows for the week and their locations.
Priya Ragu at Great Jones Distillery Co.
The purpose for this campaign was due to the UK still considered underrated, in terms of being a cultural musical hotspot. Massive current artists, like Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, and Ed Sheeran all hail from the UK, showing its constant relevance in the global music scene. There are many artists in the UK that are starting to rise and are nearly about to break into the mainstream American industry.
become incredibly popular in the past year, with the prestigious BBC Sound of Music giving her a nomination in 2021 and Vogue India listing her as one of the 6 artists that are going to blow up in 2021. On the other hand, Dan Croll (hailing from Liverpool) graduated from the Paul McCartney-founded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and has been on the scene since 2011. Both of them put on an intimate show for an adoring crowd, wowing them with Dan Croll’s indie-pop crooning and Priya Ragu’s energetic pop performance.
Dan Croll at Great Jones Distilling Co.
Many of performances occurred that week, ranging from Penelope Isles to Rose Betts. All of which showcased these rising stars and their immense talents.
Riya Ragu at Great Jones Distilling Co.
Some of the UK’s most talented singers Anaiis and Obii showed their skills in a Red Hook ice cream factory on Friday, March 25. As you walk in the door behind the ice cream shop counter, you go into a room with views of the factory through the window. The room was full of music enthusiasts and people there for a good time. The artists held a captivating show and kept the audience involved throughout the duration of it. This showcase exemplified the powerful voices that come from the UK and gave an idea of the future of UK artists and their abilities.
Great Calling – The National Arts Club – March 29 (review and photos by Michael Dinger)
The last of four shows performed at iconic spaces in Manhattan and Brooklyn over the past week, the Great Campaign’s final act took place at The National Arts Club at Gramercy Park this past Tuesday night. A collaboration with SoFar Sounds, these intimate gatherings have showcased homegrown artists from Great Britain that are all on the verge of stardom. The featured musicians of tonight’s festivities included Rose Betts (singer/songwriter), Geo Jordan (multi-instrumentalist/producer/writer) and Hamzaa (R&B singer/songwriter). If witnessing the talent of these young musicianswas not enough, guests were also immersed in the expressive, wondrous paintings of the contemporary Cuban artist Carlos Quintana, which hung from the walls throughout the performance space. His exhibition, PHySIKA, is on view until April 8th.
Rose Betts, originallyfrom London, was the evening’s first performer. After being introduced by Adam (the night’s emcee) as having “a voice that melts like butter,” Betts sat down before a Steinway for the first of five songs, while accompanied by Emmanuel Ventura-Cruess on an upright bass. Featuring songs from her newly released debut album, White Orchids (RAB Records), Betts introduced “Foolish” as “one of the few songs [she’s] written about love.” The songstress concluded her opening set with “Think Of You” and “Recovery,” a tune that Betts exclaimed to the audience was “the first song where [she] allowed [herself] to be vulnerable.”
After a brief intermission, Geo Jordan was the second British artist of the night to entertain the intimate crowd of approximately 100 souls in attendance. While on guitar, Jordan opened the set with “Let Go,” taken from the 5-song EP Technicolour (August 2021). This EP was self-produced by Jordan, a Trans artist who uses his music to explore topics such as identity and acceptance. Moving over to the piano for “The Colour Of You” (the title track from his 2017 EP), Jordan revealed,“I never know quite what to do with applause, thank you.” With a guitar back in his hands, Jordan went on to perform what can best be described as progressive soul pop tracks such as “Forever,” taken from the EP titled The Colour Of You (2017)and “Irreplaceable,” from the album Remember Me Pt. 1 [MD1] (2019).
The final act of the night was Hamzaa, a soul artist from Hackney (East London) who has been writing her own songs before she was even a teenager. Accompanied by Jeffandy AllTogether (guitar) and Chad Selph (keys), the first of her 6-song set was “Unlucky,” taken from Phases EP (2019). After bringing back Emmanuel Ventura-Crues for a guest appearance on bass, the highlight of the night was still to come. Hamzaa’s blissful closing number titled “Sunday Morning,” also from Phases EP, captured the cheerfulmood of the event, with the audience singing the chorus in unison – “You make me feel like it’s a Sunday morning” . . . even on a Tuesday night.
For six years, acclaimed bassist Michael Bisio and his artist wife Dawn have been bringing some of the jazz world’s finest to Lace Mill, the 55-unit affordable artist housing, gallery and performance space in Kingston that is also their home. On Thursday, March 24, the Bisios presented yet another astounding hour of improvisational invention in their long-running performance series, when the bassist was joined by guitar great Nels Cline, pianist Thollem and drummer Michael Wimberly.
Bisio has been called “a poet, a wonder and one of the most virtuosic and imaginative performers” on the double bass. He has over a one hundred thirty recordings in his discography, more than two dozen as leader or co-leader as well, as a dozen more documenting his extraordinary association with piano icon Matthew Shipp. His newest release which dropped a few days back, MBefore (Tao Forms), is an already critically-raved about work that finds Bisio in the company of another Hudson Valley great, world-renowned vibraphonist and Creative Music Studio founder Karl Berger, along with Mat Maneri (viola) and Whit Dickey (drums). Guitarist Nels Cline has been featured on over 200 recordings over the past few decades in every conceivable genre. But Cline is best known for his 17-years and counting stint as lead guitarist for Wilco. Drummer Wimberly has propelled greats like Charles Gayle, Henry Rollins, David Murray and Steve Coleman’s always excellent 5 Elements ensemble, while the perpetually globe-trotting Thollem has recently completed a 25-album cycle, one that found him collaborating with over 70 musicians worldwide.
The 40 or so attendees who packed the small performance space at Lace Mill included quite a few of Bisio’s fellow musicians and collaborators including the aforementioned Berger and Juma Sultan, the forever young percussionist best known for his appearance with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock.
Bisio and company collectively conjured two, 30-minute improvisations during the concert. These were really ever-evolving examples of spontaneous composition, ones that demonstrated both their individual instrumental mastery and the resources in seemingly shortest supply among musicians – the arts of listening and injecting silence to give oxygen to the music.
The first improvisation kicked-off with Bisio moving from resonant chording to drone-like bowing, then to rubbing the strings behind the bridge and even punching his double bass. Pianist Thollem alternated between machine gun runs a la Cecil Taylor and tapping, plucking and even drumming the insides of his instrument. A master of stomp box f*ckery, Cline kept a clean and relatively untreated sound on both improvisations, crafting new harmonic avenues for exploration with his spare but richly intelligent chord structures and his darting leads. It was a place where subtlety and cacophony co-existed, all within an arresting, ever-spiraling musical architecture, one that seemed to evolve into whole new nations of sound every four or five minutes. The piece concluded with a thundering solo by drummer Wimberly, who used sticks, brushes, mallets and his bare hands to wrestle unique sounds from the world’s oldest instrument.
The second improv commenced with Thollem singing and whistling into his piano. He was soon joined on the vocalese by drummer Wimberly, who together created a sound resembling the chanting of monks, a Cambodian temple music of sorts. Cline added to the drama by getting percussive on his Fender Jazzmaster guitar, now outfitted with two sticks to mute its strings. The whistle of a passing freight train on the tracks adjacent to Lace Mill only added to the otherworldly ambience. In this latter musical adventure, Bisio took a masterful 5-minute solo. It concluded with his bowed bass generating high-pitched overtones that sounded like a Shehnai, a double-reeded Indian wind instrument heard on tracks like The Beatles’ “Inner Light,” or a flock of seagulls caught up in a typhoon! There was a wonderful guitar solo from Cline propelled by Thollem’s thunderous chordal comps and Wimberly’s circular drum rolls and shouts.
Bottomline? Dissonance never sounded so luscious!
Bisio will be back at Lace Mill on Sunday, April 10 at 4 pm for a performance with the quartet featured on his new release, MBefore (featuring wonderful cover art by his wife Dawn). Hudson Valley guitar aficionados can catch Nels Cline on Saturday, April 2 at 8 pm at Colony Woodstock.
Bisio, Berger, Sultan and many more of the Hudson Valley’s most creative jazz and electronic improvisers are being featured at a new concert series at the Kingston Library curated by another Lace Mill resident, Daniel Rhiner of the Kingston Artist Collective. More excellent improvisational ensembles are being presented regularly, both live and via concurrent livestreams curated by owner D.b. Schnell at Green Kill, his long-running art and performance space at 229 Greenkill Avenue in Kingston.
HANZOLO! The indie group with an explosive, emotional sound mixing soul, jazz, rock and funk, hail from Cooperstown, and bested Albany’s Fine Grain en route to winning the finals of NYS Music’s March Madness 2022.
HANZOLO, hailing Cooperstown – where 5 of the 7 members attended Cooperstown High School – formed in 2016 after playing in a variety of groups from high school and into college. The group’s name derives from the name of a samurai, Hanzo, and a certain science-fiction cowboy.
Band members include Carl Loewenguth (vocals, guitar), Nick Summers (keyboard, trumpet), Jack Loewenguth (bass), Nate Olmstead and Sebastian Green (drums), James Matson (trombone), and Joey Katz (keyboard, saxophone)
Since forming, HANZOLO have opened for bands like Lawrence, Wild Belle, and *repeat repeat. They released their first album Table Butter in 2019, an apt title given they have been compared to Table Butter: soft enough to spread yet hard enough to keep its shape.
As COVID-19 led to a music industry shutdown in 2020 and most of 2021, the band took the time to refine their second album, HANZOLO. In September 2021, the group won the EQX Battle of the Bands and opened Albanyâs annual Pearlpalooza music festival.
They have played regularly in NYC at The Delancy and Rockwood Music Hall, and look to expand their audience in coming months with festival appearances that are soon to be announced.
The self-titled second album was released on Christmas Day 2021, the result of a Kickstarter campaign that netted over $14,000. With COVID sidelining the band from touring, they used the time to put more focus on the quality control of the album and launch the band into their next phase in a well-timed manner.
They’ve also got a selection of HANZOLO merch you can pick up here.
HANZOLO 2022 Tour Dates
April 8 – Arts Gala at The Madison Theater, Albany
Congratulations HANZOLO, NYS Music’s 2022 March Madness Winner!
Since 2015, NYS Music has crafted a friendly March Madness competition that spans all musical harbors of the Empire State. As fans and musicians, the NYS Music team aims to spotlight the great talent found across New York in a friendly contest, bringing broader attention to the next generation of artists and bands on the rise. March Madness 2022 highlighted 64 bands and artists you might not know, but should know, as these homegrown talents are making waves through the New York State. Review each round below.
Nearing the end of a 17-date tour, Nick Cave and his longtime collaborator Warren Ellis perfectly executed a second straight sold-out show in Brooklyn this past Friday evening. Following the culmination of a successful United Kingdom and European tour last fall, the duo kicked off the current leg of their North American excursion on March 1 in North Carolina, in support of Carnage, a hauntingly-poignant album they recorded together during the COVID-19 lockdown last year. The pair of Aussie friends have been working together since 1993, when Ellis (also known as a founding member of the instrumental rock trio the Dirty Three) played violin on Let Love In, the eighth studio album from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Nick Cave
With approximately one hour to go before showtime, excited concertgoers were spotted congregating on nearby sidewalks or hastily exiting their Uber ride near the grand marquee in lights. After patrons filed past the security check points and into the inviting confines of the theater, many grabbed a drink, joined a waiting friend or checked out the merch table. Others snapped a cellphone picture of the historic venue’s centerpiece, the console of a “Wonder Morton” pipe organ, one of four other magnificent organs installed in the original Loew’s New York City movie theaters.
Warren Ellis
At 8:20 pm sharp, Warren Ellis, a trio of backup singers (Janet Ramus, Wendi Rose and T. Jae Cole) and a touring musician who would play keyboards, bass and drums throughout the night, took to the stage. The eternally-suave Nick Cave followed closely behind, dressed in a sharp blue suit with a white shirt and a marvelous slick of black hair. With Ellis seated, his signature gray beard resembling that of a medieval knight and wearing a shirt unbuttoned nearly to his navel, he began to play the small synthesizer perched on his lap. After a long wave to the packed house, Cave grabbed the microphone from its stand and immediately got down to business.
Kings Theatre
For nearly the next two and half hours, Cave and Ellis would thrill the audience with offerings from the aforementioned Carnage, 2019’s Ghosteen and plenty of classic tracks spanning the entire Bad Seeds catalog. With nearly every soul now on their feet, the first offering of the night was “Spinning Song,” a song about Elvis Presley and his iconic status in popular culture.
Nick Cave
Halfway through the 16-song opening set, one of several comedic moments from the night occurred during Cave’s introduction of “Cosmic Dancer,” a cover by T. Rex, legendary British musicians who formed in 1967. With Ellis now changing his keyboards for a violin, Cave alerted his fans. “Alright, fucking strap into your seats. Warren is going to do a violin solo. You think that things are going to be the same afterwards, but they will not be. Your lives will be different. You will tell your children that you were there when Warren performed [his] solo.”
Warren Ellis
Once the laughter subsided, “Hand Of God” (Carnage, 2021) was delivered by Cave with the emotional intensity you can always expect to witness during one of his shows. Furiously pacing the stage to the driving beat, Cave did halt on a few occasions to reach out and clutch the hands of adoring fans, all the while repeating the high-pitch title line . . . “Hand of God! Hand of God! Hand of God.” Closing out the masterfully-crafted set was “Balcony Man,” another brilliant track from last year’s Carnage. Seated at his piano once again, Cave instructed the upper balcony to cheer every time the word ‘balcony’ was spoken, and emphatically cheer they did.
The first encore was comprised of two songs, “Hollywood” from Ghosteen, followed by “Henry Lee,” released on the Bad Seeds ninth studio album (Murder Ballads, 1996). It was during the early refrain of the second song when Janet Ramus, a British soul singer, innocently mixed up the lyrics. During the tune’s restart, Cave playfully exclaimed, “You can’t fuck this one up [again].” After the song’s conclusion, Cave graciously re-introduced his bandmates before they all exited the stage for a second time. The exultant crowd cheered non-stop for several minutes until Cave, Ellis and company finally reappeared.
Nick Cave
The exquisite hymn about loss and sorrow, “Into Your Arms,” opened the second encore. Following this fan favorite from The Boatman’s Call (1997) was a song requested by an audience member that had not been played by the Bad Seeds, according to Cave, “in a very long time.” Before launching into the melody, “Jubilee Street” from 2013’s Push The Sky Away, Cave remarked, “If we fuck it up, it’s on you dude.” The night’s penultimate offering was “Girl In Amber” (Skeleton Tree, 2016), a moving song written by Cave for Anita Lane, a founding member of the Bad Seeds. The night’s last offering, “Ghosteen Speaks” (Ghosteen), a song about the spirit of love and its existence, fittingly captured the overall theme of the night.
The Carnage tour wraps in Montreal, Canada with a pair of early April dates at the Place des Arts. If you were unable to catch a live show on their current tour, or just cannot get enough of Cave and Ellis, the global release event of This Much I Know To Be True is set for May 11, 2022. This feature film captures the exceptional creative partnership of both Australian natives as they brought to life the songs that would appear on the albums Ghosteen and Carnage. Additional details can be found here: https://www.thismuchiknowtobetrue.com.
Kings Theatre
Setlist: Spinning Song > Bright Horses > Night Raid > Carnage > White Elephant > Ghosteen > Lavender Fields > Waiting for You > I Need You > Cosmic Dancer > God Is In The House > Hand of God > Shattered Ground > Galleon Ship > Leviathan > Balcony Man > Encore 1: Hollywood > Henry Lee > Encore 2: Into My Arms > Jubilee Street > Girl In Amber > Ghosteen Speaks
NYC-based indie-pop singer-songwriter Aubrey Haddard announced her second LP, Awake And Talking, out August 16. She also shared the first single from the project “Just A Wall” along with a music video.
The album is about Haddard’s self-examination and how she navigates love and her relationship to art. Her biggest influences for the album came from the greatest songwriters of the 90s, like Oasis and Björk. With her writing partner and multi-instrumentalist Charley Ruddell and drummer Josh Strmic, they all wrote the songs in rehearsal spaces and Haddard’s childhood upstate home. She spoke about the album, and the deep meaning it has for her.
Awake And Talking is about seeking a sense of purpose. It challenges perception – how many ways can you look at the world before you find your place in it? It is about destiny and the journey to self-acceptance. And, like anything I create, it is about my own personal experience over the past few years. This record makes me feel powerful and confident in the face of uncertainty and it brings me a lot of joy to know that it could offer a sliver of that to anyone listening.
The new single “Just A Wall” is bold and emotional, with mesmerizing electric guitar riffs as she proudly sings the lyrics “Now that you’ve gone and shattered the glass…Whose arms do you run to?”
Aubrey Haddard, photo by Emmysu.
Aubrey Haddard’s new album Awake And Talking is out August 16, and her new electrifying single ”Just A Wall” is out now.
