Andrew Thomases, reflects on his adolescence from the point of view of suburban life within the busy streets of New York. This past Friday, January 21, Thomases released a new single, “Suburban Void”, sharing his experiences.
Thomases discusses life as a teenager and all the boredom-driven antics he pursued during that time. “Suburban Void” is a catchy upbeat rock song listeners can dance to. He highlights some activities pursued that were “so pathetic”, which is a feeling people may share in remembrance of their immaturity as a teen. Thomases looks back into what was deemed important to adolescents, like getting drunk or preparing for a sweet sixteen. Ultimately, his views have changed since then, resulting from seeing the world differently as he grew up.
Looking back, it seems so pathetic. We were just living in a suburban void, we didn’t know all we could’ve enjoyed. We were just living in a suburban void, that explains why we were oh so annoyed.
Andrew Thomases
All within his first year of being an established artist, Thomases’ fan base spread across 35 countries, 388 streams, and 235 listeners through Spotify. Considering Thomases takes his audience on an emotional and thoughtful journey through his music, he presents himself as relatable to the masses.
For more information on Andrew Thomases’ music visit his website.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center is located in the historic town of Saratoga Springs, and houses one of America’s most prestigious summer festivals.
SPAC is pleased to announce premieres and debuts by women and BIPOC composers, choreographers, performers, and conductors this summer alongside the classical work.
The NYCB residency from July 12-16 will have highlighted contemporary works by Jamar Roberts, Pam Tanowitz, and Justin Peck. Other programs include one dedicated to 20th-century masters, a story ballet of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,and a special presentation of “NYCB On and Off Stage.”
The Philadelphia Orchestra residency from July 27-August 13 will feature the return of music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin in four programs including a finale featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
The Philadelphia Orchestra.
The NYCB.
President and CEO of SPAC, Elizabeth Sobol, said it is exciting to have people back after two years of uncertainty.
After two long years without the full New York City Ballet in residence at SPAC, it is tremendously exciting to be announcing the return of the full Company in July 2022…SPAC’s ambitious and artistically inspiring programming continues our effort to bring significant contemporary works and iconic classics that have never been performed at SPAC to our stage, while also presenting a record number of works by BIPOC and female composers throughout the season.
The SPAC 2022 season will also feature film night, with Harry Potterand the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Princess Bride. Tickets for the season will go onsale to members on March 7, and March 16 for the general public, available here.
Buffalo native Willie Nile will be coming to Albany to play at The Linda on February 18 and will be performing his new album The Day The Earth Stood Still.
The Day The Earth Stood Still album cover.
Nile used lockdown as a basis for his album. After seeing the boarded-up streets of Manhattan, he grew inspired. Speaking of the inspiration Nile said this:
I have a storage space near the Holland Tunnel, and normally on a Friday night at rush hour, it can take an hour to move five blocks. But one Friday night last June…I realized that there wasn’t a car in sight, and that I could have laid down in the middle of the street without anyone noticing. The title The Day the Earth Stood Still hit me, and I carried it around in my head for awhile, and eventually it sparked this set of songs.
Nile grew up in Buffalo, and in the early ‘70s, he moved down to NYC, where his music career started to take off. He earned national status with a series of albums, and his independent indie work added to his fame.
Willie Nile, photo by CristinaArrigoni.
Nile has racked up many famous fans, including Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend, both of whom he has toured with on different occasions.
After all these years I’m still feeling the passion and the power and the pull of rock ’n’ roll as a way out, as a vehicle that can offer salvation and redemption and joy in this crazy-ass world. Here’s to more music and magic on the road ahead!
Willie Nile
The Day The Earth Stood Still combines all the elements of rock and punk, mixed with the passion of going through a pandemic. Produced by Stewart Lerman, who worked with Elvis Costello and Mumford and Sons, the album is described as “magical.”
Willie Nile and Steve Earle, photo by Cristina Arrigoni.
Willie Nile will be coming to The Linda in Albany on February 18 to play his new album live, as well as other fan favorites with some rarities mixed in. Tickets can be found here.
Willie Nile 2022 Tour Dates
Fri., June 25 STANHOPE, NJ Stanhope House.
Fri., July 2 BOSTON, MA City Winery
Sat., July 10 RED BANK, NJ The Vogel at Count Basie Theater for the Arts. Two shows: 4 & 8 p.m. 4 p.m.—40th Anniversary Show for Willie’s second album, Golden Down, featuring the whole album played top to bottom plus several fan favorites. 8 p.m.—Willie’s eponymous first release played in its entirety (41st Anniversary) followed by different fan favorites.
Sat., July 17 PIERMONT, NY Turning Point (solo; two shows)
Thurs., July 22 RIDGEFIELD, MA (outdoor show)
Sat., July 24 AVIS, PA WQBR Radio gig; outdoor show
Fri., Aug. 13 EGREMONT, MA The Barn. (duo show)
Sat., Aug. 21 TARRYTOWN, NY Tarrytown Theater,
Sun., Aug. 22 NEW YORK, NY City Winery (new album release show)
Sat., Aug. 28 WASHINGTON DC The Hamilton
Wed., Sept. 1 WOODBRIDGE, NJ Woodbridge HS Fields. 1 Samuel Lupo Place. Free show
Happy 41st Birthday to the 15-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer and much more Alicia Keys! Born on January 25th 1981 in Hell’s Kitchen, Alicia Augello Cook made a name for herself at the young age of 15 and professionally became known as Alicia Keys.
Back in 2001 Alicia Keys released her first album ‘Songs in a Minor’ with hit single ‘Fallin’ which led her to her first of many Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
Selling over 65 million records and becoming the #1 RIAA certified Female R&B artist of the millennium, Keys has become the title of her hit song ‘Girl on Fire.’
On December 10th 2021, Alicia Keys released her double-album Keys making this the eighth album for her career. Artists Brandi Carlile, Lil Wayne, Swae Lee, Pusha T, Khalid and Lucky Daye joined forces with Keys to help her produce the 26 track double-album. Last month Key’s released a new official music video of one of her songs off the album, Old Memories.
I could feel the power of Alicia’s presence even before she belted out the first soulful notes of the lyrics that made her famous—‘I keep on fallin’ in and out of love with you.’ I knew she had all those sparkling qualities that make stars shine. More important, Alicia has navigated the spotlight and pressures of fame while retaining a humble and beautiful spirit. I am honored she chose to share her personal story through my imprint.
-Oprah Winfrey
Diving further into a successful career, Keys reveals to the world an insight of her journey from self-censorship to full expression with a New York Times Bestseller book, More Myself. The part autobiography and part narrative documentary writes a 360-degree perspective of author Alicia Key’s life and journey with her experience with those who have walked alongside her.
Alicia Keys continues to live life inspiring others with her music and writing – be sure to catch Keys on tour this summer with her new album! Happy Birthday Alicia Keys!
NYC-based artist Alexa Dark owns up to her mistakes in her new dreamy alt-country single and video for “Ungrateful.”
Raised between Barcelona, Munich, and London, Dark began writing songs at an early age, influenced by a wide range of artists, from Jack White to Patsy Kline.
Alexa Dark’s new single, “Ungrateful.”
Dark lived on both the west and east coasts and uses her experiences on both coasts to write her music. Dark explores the depth of her music, offering new singles like “Fade to Black and Blue” and “Blind Faith.” The song is produced by Matt Chiaravalle and mastered by Grammy-award winner Emily Lazar who has worked with the likes of Beck and Haim.
Through the single, she admits to mistakes as she navigates the highs and lows of growing up, through her dreamy vocals and relaxed guitar.
“Ungrateful” started off as a voice memo of me strumming the guitar. I wanted to bottle up the feelings brewing inside of me – feeling unsteady and unsure in my life, yet feeling like I had to figure it all out perfectly. Simultaneously navigating a night out and sifting through my past, “Ungrateful” became a kind of reclamation, an anti-apology, telling the world (and more importantly, myself) to accept my mistakes, because I’m never going to grow if I’m too scared to make them.
Alexa Dark
The new single “Ungrateful” by NYC-based artist Alexa Dark is out now and can be streamed here.
Happy birthday to Joey Bada$$! Born in 1995 out of Brooklyn, New York, today the East Coast rapper turns 27.
Critically regarded as one of the top lyricists in the contemporary generation, Joey Bada$$ proudly represents his home borough in his discography, going even so far to release a song parading his Brooklyn roots in “Brooklyn’s Own.”
After first gaining internet popularity in 2010, Joey’s professional rap career quickly came to nascency in 2011, where he formed the Brooklyn-based hip hop collective Pro Era. The collective consisted of rappers such as CJ Fly, Kirk Knight, and the late Capital STEEZ. A year later, Joey would go on to release his first mixtape, 1999. This project featured classics such as “Killuminati” and “Survival Tactics,” both featuring Capital STEEZ. The lyricism that Joey showcased in these two respective songs would foreshadow his future success in hip hop.
Get your intel right, your intelligence is irrelevant/But it’s definite, I spit more than speech impediments/Brooklyn’s the residence, the best and it’s evident/We got ’em n—-s P.E. nuts, like they elephants
-Joey Bada$$, Survival Tactics
After the release of his debut mixtape, Joey went on to release the Summer Knights mixtape in 2013 and two studio albums, B4.Da.$$ released in 2015 and All-Amerikkkan Badass released in 2017. He also continued closely collaborating with Pro Era and other Brooklyn hip hop collectives, Flatbush Zombies and The Underachievers, and in 2019, the three respective groups came together for one album, Escape From New York, under the “supergroup” name Beast Coast.
Beast Coast
At only 27 years old, Joey Bada$$ has cemented himself as a Brooklyn legend, and according to a recent Instagram live stream, his anticipated third studio album Is expected to drop this year. In the meantime, his latest single, “THE REV3NGE” is available on all streaming platforms.
Most have heard the common saying “everything that happens in the dark comes to light.” Insinuating an air of inevitability when it comes to the truth. In the world of hip hop the truth can often be found in the shadows, and for a genre that was built on the struggles of the inner-city, the light shines upon the streets. The streets are where Eric Smith, widely recognized as “E-Money Bags” made his name and his bones and where he met his untimely end. In between the chaos, he built a name and legacy that will continue to ring throughout the inner cities of New York for years to come and served as an acquaintance or close associate to many of hip hop’s most fabled emcees.
Don’t matter if I did it, or you heard that I was with it, you can’t get the story from a spirit.
Hailing from Brooklyn’s Sumner Projects, Smith attended Westinghouse high school, along with The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay – Z, cultivating a close relationship with the former, while his dealings with the latter would eventually turn cantankerous. Smith earned his name for being about his bottom line and would resort to the streets to earn his living. From selling drugs, to being a stickup kid, extortion and even murder, he built quite a reputation with friends and enemies alike. In fact, for residents of Queens and Valley Stream who would frequent the now destruct, Sunrise Multiplex Cinema in Valley Stream and wondered, why were there metal detectors in a movie theatre? Well, Smith’s crew and an opposing posse began to argue during a showing of The Godfather III and thus a shootout erupted between the conflicting gangs, with Smith shooting a rival 15-year-old in the head and killing him. He was beloved by his friends because he was supportive and showed lots of love, while he was hated by his enemies for his cunningness and ruthlessness.
E Money Bags with Tupac Shakur (back left, dark long sleeve)
After relocating from Brooklyn to Lefrak City, Queens, Smith once again began to run with legends of the hip hop world. One he was particularly close to was, Tupac Shakur, whom he met in the early 90’s due to their street ties. While rappers hold most of the sway in this day-and-age, this was the era where the rapper’s looks, style, lingo and subject matter derived from whatever the street dudes were into. Most importantly, record contracts were still so shitty back then, that the rapper might be broke, while the hustler would be rolling in dough. Which is why, Smith and Shakur’s relationship cultivated so quickly. Not simply because of their similar mindsets in uniting people for a better cause, but because they would do street dealings in tandem. When Shakur was incarcerated as a result of his sexual assault case, Smith was one of the few people to visit him and even informed him on who gave the order that led to his infamous shooting at Quad Studios.
After Shakur’s release and subsequent rebranding as a West-coast act (despite being born in Harlem and spending much of his time in Hollis, Queens), Smith had developed relationships with many other prominent-turned legendary hip hop acts. Having befriended the likes of 50 Cent, Noreaga, Nas, Cormega, and Prodigy — who he became especially close to and spent many of his finals days and weeks with — while steadily treading the line between family man and street hustler.
A lot of people can’t understand E, like how fucking cool can one Black man be.
Prodigy goes in detail on their relationship and much more from hip hop’s golden era in a 2010 interview with Planet Ill,
I know Bags from my man Shameek. Me and Shameek grew up together in Hempstead, Long Island and we bumped into each other going down the block. He like I just moved out here, I’m like I just moved out here! So down the line, Shameek started bringing E Moneybags out to Queens Bridge. So that’s how I meet Bags. They started hanging out with Nas and all that, we got real close through Shameek and through Nas.
Ironically, their relationship began to forge at a time when Prodigy was embroiled in a rap beef with his former schoolmate, Jay – Z. The tension between the emcees was a result of a line heard in Hov’s “Money, Cash, Hoes” record, the third single from his 1998 Grammy-winning album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.
He was referring to Snoop Dogg and west coast duo, Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger), crushing the twin towers in their video for their record “New York, New York.” Prodigy and many other New York rappers took great offense to Jay – Z’s lyrics, because it was as though he was dissing them for not standing their ground. But, from their perspective, when the tension between the East and West coast was at its peak, Jay – Z was nowhere to be found, even when Tupac dissed him, it was rappers like Prodigy and Havoc who took it upon themselves to defend New York with records like, “L.A., L.A.”
So, years later he’s [Jay-Z] trying to restore the feeling? What feeling you trying to restore? What are you talking about son? Who are you talking about and why are you talking? Shut the f**k up son you should have said something a long time ago. Me and Fat Joe were in Loud offices one day and I even heard Fat Joe say it. I didn’t even come out and say nothing, I was just chillin’ in the office and Fat Joe came out and said, ‘Yo, this mother**ker Jay-Z said he’s trying to restore the feeling.’ I looked at Fat Joe I said ‘Word! I feel the same way son, I feel you on that!’ He was like, ‘Yo, that n***a is a funny n*** for saying that. Who is he talking about?’
Upon learning of Prodigy’s tension with Jay – Z, Smith made his feelings on Hov clear,
I live it so it never be forgotten
I went to high school with Jay-Z. Me, and Jay-Z went to high school. Sauce Money is married to my sister. F**k Jay-Z, that n***a is a bitch son. I know that n***a man.
While the beef between Jay – Z and Prodigy intensified, it would get personal between Smith and Jay – Z as well. While listening to a Roc-A-Fella freestyle on Hot 97, Smith was stumped to hear that Jay – Z had marketed one of his upcoming artists as “H-Moneybags,” which left him incensed. He had Prodigy call up the radio station and after getting on the phone with Hov, he let him know how he felt about his artist biting his style.
How the fuck are you going to let some random n***a bite my name. You know me n***a and you know how I get down, I done put in work for this name.” Feeling disrespected by Jay – Z’s indifference to his words, Smith told him, “when I see you, you know what it is” and hung up.
From there, Smith decided to seriously consider a rap career. After all, he was close to some of the biggest rappers out and he felt as though it was easy money, referring to it as “stickup without a gun.” He would release his only project, In E Money Bags We Trust, in 1999.
Unfortunately, Smith would not live long enough to see his hip hop dreams pan out. There are conflicting stories as to what led to his demise. One theory is that Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff — leader of the infamous and feared Supreme Team — refused to return a down-payment Smith had placed on a Lincoln Navigator. Once again feeling disrespected, Smith resorted to street rules and sought out McGriff to kill him.
Bags had beef with ‘Preme ‘cause bags was going to buy a car and ‘Preme was selling it. So he put a down payment on it and I was doing music with Bags and I paid him for it. So Bags is like, ‘Oh shit, I got this money now. Let me get that money back from him.’ Bags like let me get that back, ‘Preme like nah, you cant get that back. Bags like what? Bags seen him behind The Coliseum, one day. Seen him chillin in the car, walked up to his car and shot his car up. Nothing hit ‘Preme, the shit hit Black Just. Black Just was still alive, he got shot in the thigh and probably somewhere else, I don’t know, but the thigh was the bad one.
Mary Immaculate [Hospital] is right around the corner. Preme takes Black Just to the hood and tells somebody else to take him to the hospital. Black Just dies from bleeding to death, so now n***as is after Bags for that.
– Prodigy in a 2010 interview with Planet Ill
Another theory is that his death was the result of him robbing Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti, his brother Irv Gotti and Ja Rule, which Irv Gotti referred to during a 2020 appearance on Noreaga’s Drink Champs podcast.
Nonetheless, Smith’s street dealings caught up to him in July 2001. While at a barbecue at his friend Majesty’s house, four gunmen crept up while he sat smoking and eating in his Navigator. The gunmen fired over 40 rounds into his vehicle hitting him over 10 times and ultimately killing him.
Supreme took the murder hard, & had E Money Bags murdered in 2001, shot ten times in his Lincoln Navigator. They even taped it all. pic.twitter.com/YNGwnugr8y
For a period, E-Money Bags’ name rang bells throughout the streets and while he never got the chance to fully escape that life, his contributions to hip hop and the street culture that fuels it will never be forgotten.
Pop-rock trio Hanson announced their Red Green Blue Tour to follow a release of their new album Red Green Blue, with stops at Empire Live and The Beacon Theatre.
The band of brothers is a three-time Grammy-nominated pop-rock trio, selling over 16 million albums, and performing for over three million fans.
Hanson, photo by Jonathan Weiner.
Created in 1992 in Tulsa, OK, Hanson established a regional following before getting international fame, with a string of top 40 singles.
The new album Red Green Blue will be released on May 20, and it will mark 30 years of the band being together. Speaking about the milestone, they said this.
Going into our 30th year as a band we felt like it was imperative we continue to tell our story like only we can, and telling stories in ways that will continue to challenge us to grow and give people new reasons to listen. Red Green Blue is about sharing what has made us a band that has been able to weather so many storms.
Hanson’s tour will be stopping all over the globe, with two NYS stops. One will be at Empire Live in Albany and the other at the Beacon Theatre in NYC.
The band plans to release singles to accompany the album, one on February 11, one on March 11, and one on April 15.
Hanson
Tickets to see the Red Green Blue tour can be found here, with tickets going on sale at 10 AM local on January 20.
Hanson 2022 Tour Dates
EUROPE: JUNE 8 – Helsinki FINLAND – House of Culture 10 – Stockholm SWEDEN – Berns 12 – Oslo NORWAY – Vulkan Arena 13 – Goteborg SWEDEN – Pustervik 14 – Kolding DENMARK – Godset 16 – Hamburg GERMANY – Mojo 17 – Koln GERMANY – Gloria 18 – Munich GERMANY – Strom 20 – Milan ITALY – Magazzini Generali 22 – Paris FRANCE – La Cigale 23 – Brussels BELGIUM – AB 24 – Amsterdam NETHERLANDS – Melkweg 26 – Nottingham UK – Rock City 28 – Glasgow UK – SWG3 Galvanisers 29 – Manchester UK – O2 Ritz 30 – London UK – Roundhouse
JULY 2 – Bristol UK – O2 Academy 3 – Leeds UK – University – Stylus
NORTH AMERICA
JULY 12 – Houston TX – House of Blues 14 – New Orleans LA – The Joy Theater 15 – Nashville TN – Ryman Auditorium 16 – Atlanta GA – The Eastern 17 – St Petersburg FL – Jannus Live 19 – Birmingham AL – Alabama Theater 20 – Raleigh NC – The Ritz 22 – Richmond VA – The National 23 – Silver Spring MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring 24 – Philadelphia PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia 26 – Pittsburgh PA – Palace Theatre 28 – Albany NY – Empire Live 29 – Boston MA – House of Blues 30 – Hampton Beach NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom 31 – New York NY – The Beacon Theatre
AUGUST 2 – Montreal QC – Corona Theatre 3 – Toronto ON – Danforth Music Hall 5 – Elizabeth IN – Ceasers Event Center 6 – Cleveland OH – Agora Theatre 7 – Detroit MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre 9 – Grand Rapids MI – 20 Monroe Live 10 – Indianapolis IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre 12 – St Louis MO – The Pageant 13 – Chicago IL – Aragon Ballroom 14 – Madison WI – The Sylvee 16 – Springfield MO – Gillioz Theatre 18 – Council Bluffs IA – Stir Cove at Harrah’s 19 – Minneapolis MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis 20 – Fargo ND – Fargo Brewing Company Outdoors 21 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theater 23 – Calgary AB – The Palace Theatre 24 – Edmonton AB – Midway 26 – Vancouver BC – The Vogue Theatre 27 – Seattle WA – The Moore 28 – Portland OR – Crystal Ballroom 30 – San Francisco CA – The Fillmore 31 – Anaheim CA – House of Blues
SEPTEMBER 2 – Los Angeles CA – Ace Theatre 3 – San Diego CA – Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay 4 – Phoenix AZ – The Van Buren 6 – Las Vegas NV – Brooklyn Bowl 7 – Salt Lake City UT – The Depot 9 – Denver CO – Paramount Theatre 10 – Kansas City MO – Uptown Theatre 11 – Wichita KS – Cotillion Ballroom 13 – Austin TX – Emo’s 14 – Dallas TX – House of Blues
LATIN AMERICA
SEPTEMBER 25 – Mexico City MEXICO – BlackBerry 27 – Guadalajara MEXICO – Teatro Diana 28 – Leon MEXICO – Foro de Lago 29 – Queretaro MEXICO – Teatro Metropolitan
OCTOBER 1 – Monterrey MEXICO – Pabellon M 4 – Santiago CHILE – Teatro Coliseo 6 – Buenos Aires ARGENTINA – Teatro Gran Rivadavia 8 – Montevideo URUGUAY – La Trastienda 11 – Porto Alegre BRAZIL – Teatro Bourbon Country 12 – Curitiba BRAZIL – Live Curitiba14 – Ribeirão Preto BRAZIL – Arena Eurobike 15 – Sao Paulo BRAZIL – Espaco Das Americas 16 – Uberlandia BRAZIL – Arena Sabiazinho 19 – Brasilia BRAZIL – Centro de Convencoes Ulyess Guimaraes 21 – Rio de Janeiro BRAZIL – Qualistage
To many, the term “hippie” is often associated with counterculture, drug-induced dreamers. Sure, they may have the right societal ideals, but they are often followed by eccentric and unconventional behavior with abstract resolutions instead of anything concrete. Others turn the hippie persona into an identity, becoming a caricature that further discredits a way of life that has many valid ideologies.
As the Hippie persona loses credibility within contemporary culture, up-and-coming duo, dp.thuH and blond.bomber, are looking to revive what it means to be against the grain. Collectively, the Pittsburgh (blond) and Toledo (dp) bred artists are recognized as Hippie Tribe. A fitting name as their blend of rock & roll, hip hop, alternative music along with their live instrumentation and overall mix of musical elements create a magnetic sound that sways further away from popular contemporaries with each listen.
Now, different does not always mean better. Yet, their organic approach to their sound is a direct result of the duo’s realization that some spaces aren’t meant for them and that their niche isn’t any particular sound, but rather an encapsulation of their influences. They don’t occupy a sub-genre of hip hop, or Rock or R&B, they are those genres and whatever else they choose to become.
Operating out of Brooklyn, the duo feel as though they have the world at their fingertips, Assured about what they bring to the table. The duo answered some questions for NYS Music.
NYS Music: What part of Brooklyn are you guys from?
dp.thuH: We stay out in Bedstuy. We aren’t originally from BK. I’m from Toledo, Ohio and Niko’s [blond.bomber] from Pittsburgh.
NYS Music: How did you guys come together?
blond.bomber: We’ve been making music together for about five years now. We met playing ball in college. We spent a lot of time before we decided to make music just talking about it. Freestyling at parties, chatting on why certain albums were better than others. It all happened real organic like.
NYS Music: Your music is very diverse and does not confine itself to any genre. How much do you feel if (any) did your environment play a part in that?
dp.thuH: It played a huge role. And it still does. Growing up in gospel choirs naturally shaped our eclectic ears. You can hear hella genres in gospel music – blues, jazz, funk, rock. Once I got my own headphones and smart phones came around, it was over. So our music is a reflection of the sounds we’ve been hearing our whole lives.
blond.bomber: And playing instruments and producing all of our music gives us an advantage too, we can really manipulate and shape our music so that it’s super palatable to the average listener. But still unique too.
NYS Music: Your LP on Apple Music is labeled as “Alternative Rap” but what would you guys label your style as?
dp.thuH: Honestly, I don’t really know. It fluctuates so much. Hip-Pop&B? Alternative Punk Rap? It’s just different for real. In the best ways, like it’s uniquely refreshing.
NYS Music: You call yourselves “Hippie Tribe,” is that because you guys see yourselves as musical outcasts? Or different from the norm? Even your individual names (dp.thuH & blond.bomber)
dp.thuH: I guess so, we definitely go against the grain with our shit. But I think I felt like an outcast my whole life. And it took me some time to accept it too but I realized I was moving further from my purpose the more I tried to integrate myself into places that were never meant for me. Truthfully, it’s not on purpose. I think we’re different because unfortunately, a lot of this world is made up of bullshitters and people looking for photo ops. People who like to hear themselves talk and say things just to say they said them later. We’re not just being different because it’s the cool thing to do. We got chosen for this shit – that’s why we’re different. And that’s why we take it dead ass serious. It’s our job to push the art further, really push boundaries.
blond.bomber: This is just how our brains work. And it’s beyond the music like Dee said, we’re mad unorthodox without trying. We speak in cursive and dream abstract. I don’t claim to be cool or none of that shit and I don’t try to be. I just know God loves me and my shorties love me and I try to treat every breath like it’s my last. We’re here to leave a legacy and you can’t do that tryna fit in. our homies say it all the time, we’ve just always been different.
blond.bomber
NYS Music: Describe your songwriting process.
dp.thuH: I think I’m like 70/30 when it comes to freestyling versus writing so it doesn’t take us long to make records once we have production, or vice-versa. It isn’t hard to produce once we have lyrics or a melody. We feel like we’re vessels so producing records top to bottom comes naturally. And there’s no ego in this so if one of us is like, ‘yo, I feel like you should change the flow here’ or ‘I think we should find a stronger way to say this bar,’ the other is all ears. It’s all about putting the best product together possible.
NYS Music: Why only 2 songs for Gullah Punk: mod 1?
blond.bomber: Gullah Punk: mod 1, is the first of several capsules we’ll be dropping. We’ve always been pretty eclectic with our sound but over the past couple of years, we’ve been really focused on creating dynamics within minimalistic production. We love to rap and we love to rage so rock and hip-hop tethered naturally. This two-pack is littered with those little moments of perfectly balanced raw emotion, vulnerability and disorderliness. These capsules will be both auditory and visual too, we’re releasing a series of film shorts leading up to a short film. We pitched our film to a few directors and now we’re blessed to have a whole ass incredible production company behind us believing in our vision and mission. Along with the drops, we also put together a few community events in Bed-stuy. So this music project has sort of turned into a living, breathing movement.
dp.thuH: The goal for this particular project rollout and accompanying events is two-fold; We love music and the arts so if our presence and efforts allow kids to discover a new passion or encourage others in the community to pursue theirs, perfect. The second piece is probably most important for us… we want to ignite a new mindset in our people that together, we have the tools necessary to rewrite our fate. The philosophy is simple – “Kill your demons”. But in order for us to get that done, we got to shine a light into the dark.”
dp.thuH
NYS Music: Do you guys consider yourselves abstract artists?
dp.thuH: To us, we’re just doing our thing. I kinda feel like we’re Queen when they first wanted to drop “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They’re banging coffee mugs against chandeliers and shit, singing until their voices can’t crack any more. And all that “abstract” stuff was just their process. It’s exactly the only way they knew how to get out whatever it was they were hearing in their heads. So I don’t know if we’re abstract artists. I don’t know if that’s something we can even say because it looks like 1+1 to us.
NYS Music: Is there any particular artist that influenced you guys’ sound?
blond.bomber: Particularly, no. And that’s not to say that we don’t have influences – it’s actually the opposite. We get influenced everyday by everything. You could be sitting at the park and words come to you or, with your homies or, having sex or, dreaming. We just let things flow as organically as possible. So, sometimes Dee will have a beat that inspires me or someone will come in with some bars they came up with on the random. We really just let the universe decide.
dp.thuH: Yea it’s hard to name particular artists because it’s such a fusion of hella sounds. But lately we’ve been listening to a lot of N.E.R.D, Nirvana, Yves Tumor, and Willow…
blond.bomber: Haley Williams.
dp.thuH: Yup. We’ve been getting some gnarly sounds out of it.
NYS Music: What are your goals in the music industry?
dp.thuH: Because we’re super-producers, we’ll be a powerhouse label soon, with some of the dopest artists under our wing, all while producing and writing songs for the biggest acts in the world. We’re going to have a full-blown production and multimedia company soon too. We’re already writing, directing and scoring our own visual projects so, we feel confident that with the right infrastructure, we’re going to make some serious noise before people can even blink. And we’re going to debunk the whole notion of celebrity. Because, we’re giving it all back to the streets. We’re about to revamp Bedstuy to be the hub for the best art, regardless of medium, in New York. Studios on every block, random installations on the sidewalks and in parks, immersive programs. We’re about to turn it all up.
Capital District native Todd Nelson has been creating music for a long time, and his band called the Nelson Esposito Quintana (NEQ for short) released their new single, “Threshold.” Accompanying the single and release of their new album Nevertheless, the NEQ will be playing at the Hollow Bar in Albany on February 18.
NEQ’s vision is to redefine the art of rock instrumental, with a post-modern approach. Utilizing the traditional makings of a band, with guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion, NEQ rock out.
The most important thing is that the music connects with the listener emotionally, using the full range of emotions.
Todd Nelson
Nelson studied music theory at UAlbany in the 70s and while in college he played with a plethora of bands. He has shared the stage with the Police, Squeeze, the B-52s, XTC, and REM, and more.
His band, Fear of Strangers, was key to the Punk/New Wave scene in the Capital District in the 80s and held a reunion show with over 300 people in attendance.
Todd Nelson
Nelson has played in many more bands, and when asked if playing in a lot of bands affected him, he said not really.
It usually isn’t too difficult to juggle working in several bands…You just have to learn the material and review it before the gig. Having good musical ears and technique helps.
Nelson plays many different types of music, from jazz to rock to electronica. He doesn’t keep himself into one box but prefers to play one specific thing- his compositions.
The music I prefer to concentrate on is my own compositions, or music I’ve collaborated with someone on, or original music of someone else’s that I can contribute to. But as you may know it can be harder to find bookings playing original music, and I like to keep busy playing.
Nelson and his NEQ make rock instrumental music. Their new single “Threshold” is a nod to the 70s classic rock scene, with all things groovy and nice.
The band consists of guitarist Kyle Esposito and drummer Manual Quintana, who both work in other bands while devoting time to NEQ.
NEQ
Todd Nelson and NEQ will be playing at the Hollow Bar on February 18 to play their new album, a place that Nelson says he has played many times in the past. Tickets can be found here.
