Fake Dad, a Brooklyn alt. pop duo just released their new single “Painkiller,” about struggles with mental health and addiction, and how hard it is to support someone as they struggle with both.
Fake Dad is made up of Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford. They make music out of their tiny Brooklyn apartment, and since the beginning of 2018 have been inseparable with a love of music at the center of their relationship long before they started writing together.
Their music has a signature production sound with distinct voice styles and is there to give you a friendly pat on the back after a long day, and they want you to know everything is going to be okay.
We hope listeners feel understood and not alone in their respective battles with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm or really any kind of mental health struggle. Sometimes our connections with others, and a sense of belonging alone are reasons to stay on this earth and try to get better.
Fake Dad
Their new single “Painkillers” is a nod to the 80s synth-pop era, with uplifting lyrics about trying to break free from inner demons, and an ode to a relationship between two extremely anxious individuals desperately looking inward for ways to love each other better.
The lyrics that get repeated a lot throughout the song are “Someone tell me I’ll survive this/please just tell me I’ll survive.” These set of lyrics are very emotional and fans have actually thanked the band for writing it, as it helps those going through a mental health crisis tell themselves they will get through it.
Overall, the song is very well produced, and Varona’s vocals are very haunting and make you feel like you will make it through anything. “Painkillers” by Fake Dad is out now on all streaming platforms.
Earlier this summer, Albany-based band Coupons released their 3rd full-length record, Wasted Intimacy, via Counter Intuitive Records.
The indie-rock band consists of Dan LaFave, Collin J Reynolds, Shannon Straney, Dylan Depice, and Dan Maddalone. The 11-track album is upbeat, unique, and a great listen with different styles intertwined throughout the project. Wasted Intimacy also showcases the band’s creativity and talent, with various members contributing to vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation.
The album includes songs for everyone to enjoy, with the first single released, “Waiting,” giving listeners an intense rock track with powerful vocals whereas other singles, such as “Milk,” slow things down. Produced by Scoops Dardaris, Wasted Intimacy highlights Coupons’ range of melodies, rhythms, and beats on this release.
Throughout the duration of Wasted Intimacy, listeners are met with catchy lyrics, and songs seemingly perfect for the stage. In the song “Break a Leg,” written by band member Collin Reynolds, the lyrics “do you wanna celebrate, do you even know my name, are you getting home okay, it’s not too late” are relatable and work perfectly to hook listeners in.
With the snappy guitar on “Mardi Gras,” beautiful vocals from Straney on “Milk,” and the building piano track “Anyone Else,” this album from Coupons shines. Every track holds your attention and leaves you captivated.
In support of the album release, the band recently played a show at Empire Live Underground in Albany. Joining the group included music from the likes of Oso Oso, Another Michael, and Laveda. Be sure to take a listen to Coupons’ full discography, and stay tuned for their next live show.
Fans of Coupons music can keep up with them on Instagram and Twitter. The new record is also available to purchase on vinyl as well as to stream across platforms.
Mike Doughty announced his first solo tour in two years, as well as an exclusive Brooklyn residency with his band, Ghost of Vroom at Union Pool in Nov.
Photo Credit: Jamie Harmon
Mike Doughty hasn’t had a solo show in over two years because of the pandemic. He is known for his over two-decade career full of solo work, and his band Ghost of Vroom, which he created with his longtime musical collaborator, bassist Andrew “Scrap” Livingston. They have two albums, praised by American Songwriter for their “urgency and relevance…a beyond-perfect union, centered around a solid rhythm section, that elaborates on the hip-hop influences Doughty picked up as a young kid when he had just moved to New York in the late eighties.”
They change their sound up a lot, mashing up weird jazz, psychedelic trances, and Doughty’s blend of his signature art pop. The band will be having a residency in Brooklyn at Union Pool, every Sunday in Nov., starting the 6, with Doughty doing a set of his solo music. Surprise guests will be announced soon, some including Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood), Michael Wilbur (Moon Hooch), and Jamie Saft (John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith).
For more information and to buy tickets to Mike Doughty’s tour and Brooklyn residency, go here.
On Friday, September 16th, The Mars Volta end their decade-long hiatus and release their self-titled seventh LP. The Mars Volta is the group’s first record under Clouds Hill Records, following the label’s reissue of the band’s back catalog in 2021; a vinyl box set dubbed “La Realidad De Los Sueños” (or “The Reality of Dreams”). This reissue was truly a dream come true to the many fans that have become familiar with The Mars Volta long after their records were available on the shelves.
Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta. Shot by Fat Bob on Leica M10.
The set included all 6 previous LPs on 180g black vinyl, along with their 2002 debut EP Tremulant and the original demos from the Deloused In The Comatorium recording sessions called Landscape Tantrums. The demos were an intriguing part of the set, giving fans a look at the raw sound of the band before Rick Rubin put his finishing touches on. Limited to 5,000 copies the box set sold out nearly as fast as it was announced.
Shortly after the release of their sixth LP Noctourniquet in 2012, the El Paso prog rock titans announced that the band was no more. Evolving from a rift in the friendship of band leads Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the feud spilled online and caused the band to announce their break up. The Mars Volta had just completed a European tour behind the new album and Rodríguez-López wanted to move on to new projects while Bixler-Zavala wanted to do a full tour of North America. The feud was short lived however, with Omar and Cedric reconciling after the birth of Bixler-Zavala’s children. The two became creative again, forming the new band Antemasque for a short lived self-titled release and even resurrected At The Drive In for that project’s fourth LP, in*ter*a*lia. All of this activity left fans longing for The Mars Volta, but hope that the band would one day reconvene was as strong as ever.
According to an updated bio, Rodríguez-López began composing fragments of songs that would become The Mars Volta around the time in*ter*a*lia was coming together. The reunion of At The Drive In was cathartic for Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s relationship, albeit short lived. The group left it on good terms after a sizable tour behind the album, but the music of that project left Rodríguez-López feeling trapped in a style that was hard to be creative with. He knew that the time had come to resurrect The Mars Volta for the next chapter and Bixler-Zavala was on board.
The Mars Volta Cover Art.
Rodríguez-López wanted to make a “heavy pop” record. What could that possibly mean from a band that has alway made spastic and dense psychedelic prog rock with songs stretching well past the 10-minute mark? Ideas of a pop record floated around as early as 2008, but at that time, the band felt the urge to stay true to the frenetic prog rock sound they had pioneered up to that point and could not comprehend what pop sounded like for The Mars Volta.
After going through such a long hiatus from The Mars Volta and attempting to discover new things with old bands and new, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala knew it was time to evolve The Mars Volta into a brand new era. This meant isolating the musical elements that made The Mars Volta so unique, giving them more space in the mix to breathe, and shortening the songs into cohesive “pop” structures. This also meant giving Bixler-Zavala the freedom to write melodies based off his natural reaction to the instrumentals and treating them to a unique recording process. Rodríguez-López constructed a portable recording studio where Bixler-Zavala’s head was zipped inside of a box to create a level of intimacy to the vocal tracks. The vocals are as sharp and crisp as ever and without the dense layers of noise roaring behind them, we hear Bixler-Zavala in the most detail we ever have.
Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta. Shot by Fat Bob on Leica M10.
The “heaviness” also refers to the lyrical content itself. The songs focus on various tragedies and personal loss suffered by Bixler-Zavala. On previous records, Bixler-Zavala would write in deep riddles and invent his own lexicon for certain tracks. On The Mars Volta, the foreign riddles are traded for straight forward, yet poetic and haunting passages that are easier to decipher. “The most revolutionary thing for us to do was just be very simple and straight forward” Bixler-Zavala says about the lyrics. “Palm Full of Crux” was written as an ode to Jeremy Ward, who died shortly after recording Deloused In The Comatorium. “Flash Burns From Flashbacks” and “Collapsable Shoulders” are littered with courtroom and justice metaphors, referring to the impact Danny Masterson’s conduct has had on Bixler-Zavala’s family. It’s the “centrifugal ways” (sung on “Vigil”) always acting in opposition to our intentions that tear us apart – the one constant theme on The Mars Volta.
I think I’m coming undone, he bought the gavel to run all the crooked little cities.
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta sees the band successfully exploring many different musical genres, and stringing them together in surprising and exciting ways. Bixler-Zavala cites David Bowie specifically as inspiration,“noting that [Bowie] had mastered both challenging, experimental music and the pop format, often on the same song.” The dense overlapping of musical layers of the band’s past works is absent here, in favor of concise song writing focusing on groove and melody while allowing Bixler-Zavala’s vocals to seamlessly glaze over and come through cleanly. A prime example is on the second single, “Graveyard Love” where a sputtering drum beat plays behind a distinct bass line and swirling synths as Bixler-Zavala sings a delicate and haunting melody. Similarly, on “Tourmaline” Bixler-Zavala duets with a sparse acoustic arpeggio before a haunting array of psychedelic guitar and synths drop in, reminiscent of Radiohead’s darkest, jazzy moments.
A dominant presence on the album are funk-rock and Caribbean infused latin-jazz elements. “Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón” might be the shortest song in the band’s catalog, but it‘s furious with a driving bongo rhythm and Bixler-Zavala’s Spanish vocal melodies (thinking “L’Via L’Viaquez” here). “The Requisition” and “No Case Gain” fuse funky rhythms, anthemic rock & roll vocals, and groovy guitar riffs that scream early Red Hot Chili Peppers (and even At The Drive In on “No Case Gain”). “Flash Burns From Flashbacks” is another psychedelic mix of guitar and synth arpeggios backed by a punchy and complex drum beat. Much of the drumming from new member Willy Rodriguez Quiñones seems influenced by a combination of Mahavishnu Orchestra and latin-jazz great Steve Berrios.
The album is “heavy” in many ways, but gets the most experimental on the slower ballads. “Palm Full of Crux” is a classic 70s folk/prog sound, floating somewhere between Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin III. “Collapsable Shoulders” again features Bixler-Zavala’s croon, but over a genre-defying slow-paced trap beat while he sings “a truancy of wasps begin trying to make us their home as we pull their wings off one by one.”
All of these varying musical genres and song structures are woven together in a meticulous way that never allows there to be any dead space on the album. When a band like The Mars Volta tune it back the way they do on The Mars Volta, the album can easily become disjointed and drag on in sections. Here, the album goes back and forth consistently between slower ballads and upbeat bangers, constantly peaking the listener’s attention as if on a roller coaster. Album closer “The Requisition” bottles this up in and of itself, kicking off with an uplifting and light keyboard driven ballad before dropping off into an evil Red Hot Chili Peppers style groove.
The menagerie of prog displayed on this album is only pulled off with the incredible production and engineering provided by Johann Scheerer of Clouds Hill Records, in collaboration with Rodríguez-López. While intentional in style, previous Mars Volta records were so dense that many of the layers blended into indiscernible psychedelic arrays. Here, every individual track is given so much space to ring out which somehow amplifies their presence. Every bass note, drum hit, and guitar pluck shine through in extreme detail, and the vocals have a level of depth that we have not heard from Bixler-Zavala before.
The three singles that were chosen to preview the album eclipsed the new direction perfectly. “Blacklight Shine” and “Graveyard Love” came off as different yet familiar, but then “Vigil” solidified the evolution, and shocked fans. The song kicks off with a R&B vocal ballad that swells into a shimmering, 70s era folk rock song with an anthemic chorus one might hear on Rumours or a number of other folk albums from that time period. Towards the end, the song dissolves into a sputtering and complex drum pattern while Bixler-Zavala’s vocal loops dissolve into the background. It is truly a remarkable change of pace for the band, and admittedly, shocking on first listen. The more you listen, the more the subtle elements fill in the perceived empty space, and you really appreciate the complexity they are able to achieve in the subtle instrumentals, while still discussing hauntingly tragic themes Volta fans are accustomed to.
“Vigil” by The Mars Volta. Via YouTube
First listen of The Mars Volta is admittedly a jarring, but an incredibly rewarding experience. The suspense that is created on the slower and more deliberate songs culminates into funky grooves, psychedelic arrays, and Latin jazz fusion around every corner. I could not help but to think back to the last time I saw the band live – Roseland Ballroom, 10/8/2009 – almost 13 years to the day the album will be released. I still have the poster from that night hanging in my apartment and will argue it is the best show I have ever seen. But hearing The Mars Volta in 2022, those shows are going to evolve into something even more special and beyond comprehension. The band loves to jam and mix songs live, and we are all on the edge of our seats waiting for our chance to experience it.
The Mars Volta is out on Clouds Hill Records this Friday, September 16th. You can still pre-order the standard and gold foil “Kinetic Editions” on vinyl from the band’s store, and copies of the limited box set La Realidad De Los Sueños have appeared online as well. The tour kicks off in Dallas, TX at The Factory In Deep Ellum on 9/22 and the New York shows happen on 9/29 and 9/30 at Terminal 5 in NYC. Tickets are still available for both nights on AXS.
If the catatonic walls close in on the hem again, pull the tether down for me. I’ve been hemorrhaging the sins of these lesser men.
The Mars Volta
Key Tracks – Tourmaline, EQUUS 3, Flash Burns From Flashbacks
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 P.M. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Sinkcharmer and Power and Light Co.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Power and Light Co.- “Bottle Rocket Glow”
Power and Light Co. are a new wave-inspired indie rock duo from Albany, and the members include Curtis Flach on vocals, keys, guitars, and drums and Chris Brant on bass and vocals. The band was formed in 2019 when they began work on their debut album Have Gun, Will Travel. The debut single off the album “Bottle Rocket Glow” is out now.
Sinkcharmer- “The Ark”
Sinkcharmer is a retro band from Ballston Spa, making electronic beat-driven rock music that draws influence from post-punk and industrial. The project was started by Paul Coleman and is framed as a band that was lost in time, happening back in the 90s.
On this day in 2007, the first ever Farm Aid was held in New York State, with the annual benefit concert for farmers held on Randalls Island.
The official announcement came on June 11 with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp making the official announcement in New York City alongside then-NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and farmers and food buyers at Union Square’s Greenmarket.
Mayor Bloomberg welcomed the Farm Aid co-founders, saying “The City strongly supports sustainable family farming through our Greenmarket program — which has nearly doubled its locations over the past five years — and it’s an honor to be hosting Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Farm Aid for their 2007 concert.”
Willie Nelson shared “Farm Aid is coming to New York because your enthusiasm for family farm food is keeping family farmers on the land. We are thankful to Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council and the many activists here who are leading efforts so that every New Yorker has access to more food from family farms” while John Mellencamp said of the importance of the event, “Things change when we all take personal responsibility for our food and where it comes from. Farm Aid is a force for change that works hard to keep farmers on the land so that we’ll have good food on our tables.
Photo By Greg Allen/Shutterstock
Why did Farm Aid take so long to get to New York? Nearly the first two decades of Farm Aid (1985-2003) brought the festival to states whose economies are strongly based in agriculture – Texas, Indiana, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Virginia, and South Carolina. In 2004 the festival moved to Washington State and headed east for New Jersey in 2006. Given the quintessential urban setting of New York City, bringing a festival promoting support for local farms and farmers doesn’t seem like the right fit at first, but five boroughs of 8 million people need to eat.
It took being invited to The Big Apple, per executive director Carolyn Mugar, by environmentalists, politicians, Mayor Bloomberg’s office as well as chefs, that finally brought Farm Aid to the Empire State. “Farmers are never going to survive if they don’t have as allies the people who want this good food,” Ms. Mugar told the New York Times. “New York has a huge density of eaters and a density of people who are doing excellent things. There are restaurants, farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture programs, even people who are growing food in the city and teaching people how to grow it.”
photo via @ceefar74
The lineup for the day included Farm Aid staples in New York, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, the latter of whom was joined by Merle Haggard. Also on the day long festival-style lineup were the Allman Brothers Band (along with Derek Trucks Band and Gregg Allman performing solo), Counting Crows, Matisyahu, Ray Price, Guster, Billy Joe Shaver, Tim Reynolds, Montgomery Gentry, Supersuckers, Pauline Reese, Danielle Evin, The Ditty Bops, Jimmy Sturr, Paula Nelson, 40 Points, and Jesse Lenat.
The day was hot and quite dusty, part of the unkept nature of Randalls Island (which was prone to flooding at the time) prior to more events being held on the grounds. Thus, there was straw/hay laid down to keep the dust to a minimum. Much has changed over the past 15 years, as Randalls Island has become a destination for concerts and music festivals, among them Governors Ball, Panorama and Electric Zoo.
photo via @ceefar74
Farm Aid 2007 was “A Homegrown Festival,” was the first major music event that served local, organic and family farm food at concessions stands around the venue. The Homegrown Village featured interactive exhibits to educate concert-goers on soil, water, energy, food and farmers. On the heels of the 2007 Farm Aid, the next year Homegrown.org was launched, creating an online community for those interested in growing, cooking, crafting, brewing, preserving, or making anything Homegrown.
The announcement for Farm Aid was momentus, being the first time the traveling single-day multi-band event would make its way to the Empire State.
Can you believe it?!?! Farm Aid in NYC! I have been working on a pun that references the movie “Babe: Pig in the City” but I haven’t quite figured it out yet. We are so pumped about Farm Aid 2007: A HOMEGROWN Festival at Randal’s Island. 100% delicious family farm food, good tunes and a summer of events in a huge urban food and farm hub. On the DL, this show has been in the works for a few years and we are just thrilled that the time has come to bring Farm Aid into the lives of New Yorkers, to work with upstate farmers and urban growers and to show all of our concert growers that even after 22 years we have a few surprises up our sleeves!
The idea for Farm Aid originally grew out of a remark that Bob Dylan made at Live Aid in 1985. The Bard said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?” This inspired Willie Nelson to contact Neil Young and John Mellencamp, who was about to release Scarecrow, which includes a song about a farmer losing his land to a foreclosure.
Six weeks after those calls, the trio put together what became the first Farm Aid, on September 22, 1985 in Champaign, Ill. While they expected the event to be a one-off, the inspiration that came from raising money for family farmers to preserve their land and push for laws that support family farms over Big Ag.
Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001, and Margo Price joined in 2021. To date, Farm Aid has raised more than $64 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. A nonprofit organization, Farm Aid holds dear their mission to keep family farmers on their lands.
While the Randalls Island Farm Aid was the first held in New York State, it was only six years later that the event headed Upstate to Saratoga Springs with a performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). The day was highlighted with the unexpected arrival of Pete Seeger, who sang “This Land is Your Land” with the audience, in addition to some new lyrics referencing fracking. The 2022 edition of Farm Aid will take place on September 24 in Raleigh, NC at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.
While there was no live broadcast of Farm Aid, video from the concert was available on-demand on September 19, 2007, via Farmaid.org. A good deal of video from the day exists, as seen below. Setlists via ConcertArchives.org
Montgomery Gentry setlist: Hillbilly Shoes, Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm, What Do Ya Think About That
photo via @ceefar74
Supersuckers setlist: Paid, Breaking Honey’s Heart, Roadworn and Weary
Warren Haynes setlist: Indian Sunset, Fallen Down, One, Soulshine
The Derek Trucks Band setlist: Soul Serenade, Sailing On, Key to the Highway
Guster setlist: The Captain, Manifest Destiny, Satellite, Amsterdam, Airport Song
Counting Crows setlist: Rain King, Thunder Road, Recovering the Satellites, Washington Square, A Murder of One, A Long December
Gregg Allman setlist: Midnight Rider, Melissa
Allman Brothers Band setlist: Trouble No More, Revival, Who’s Been Talking, Black Hearted Woman, Statesboro Blues, One Way Out
Billy Joe Shaver setlist: I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train, Live Forever, Try and Try Again
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds setlist: Lie in Our Graves, Gravedigger, Crush, The Maker, The Dreaming Tree, Ants Marching
Neil Young setlist: Human Highway, Silver and Gold, Beautiful Bluebird, Too Far Gone, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Heart of Gold, Homegrown, Four Strong Winds
John Mellencamp setlist: Troubled Land, Rain on the Scarecrow, If I Die Sudden, Paper in Fire, Our Country, To Washington, Small Town, Pink Houses
Willie Nelson setlist: One Day at a Time, Jackson, A Peaceful Solution, Whiskey River, Stormy Weather, I Saw the Light, Superman, You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore, I’ll Fly Away, On the Road Again
From Rochester, Max Doud is making major strides in his career by releasing his first single of the year titled “Spin In Place” at just 17 years old. The professionalism and polish that went into this new release is just the beginning of hearing and seeing Doud’s truest capabilities.
Max Doud is a 17 year old musician (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and a student of Elvio Fernandes’ Roc Academy in Rochester, NY. Max performs all over the city as a solo act, as a duo with drummer Brennan Dornberger (5 Second Rule), and with his Roc Academy band Own the Night.
“Spin In Place” is a contemporary rock song, driven by commanding instrumentals and showcases Doud’s vocal ability. The track is the first to be co-written with Steve Sopcheck, helping compliment and fine tune Doud’s musical prowess as a young, evolving musician.
Not only is this new release Doud’s first on record musical entry for the year, but it’s also his first single to be released in conjunction with Sin Eater Entertainment. On his new endeavor with Sin Eater Entertainment, he comments: “I am also super exited for my journey to begin with Sin Eater and getting to see the more technical side of creating music and I can’t wait to see where it goes!”
Max Doud describes the meaning of his newest single by saying, “The song is about the journey that one would take to reach a goal in life that they have, while everything is still happening all around them whether it’s troubles or triumphs. You still want to reach that goal no matter what and that’s how life is for me right now. I want people to keep chasing their dreams no matter what and continue down their paths in life. This song helps me feel motivated in that sense.”
“Yes, he likes to sleep until noon. Yes, he has to be reminded to clean his room. But this kid has been playing solo gigs in bars since he was 12 years old. And did you know he co-wrote his first original song at only 13 years old? He puts 110% into everything he’s passionate about…further proven by the fact he earned a black belt in karate at the young age of 10! Every weekend you can bet you’ll find Max playing somewhere in Rochester, NY…whether it is a solo gig, or with his duo 5 Second Rule with drummer Brennan Dornberger, or his Roc Academy band, Own the Night you can be certain you’ll be entertained!”
COIN, a band of three, put on quite the show on September 3rd at The New York State Fair. The group, formed back in 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee as an indie pop/alternative rock band, includes lead vocalist and keyboardist Chase Lawrence, drummer Ryan Winnen and bassist Zach Dyke.
The band released their first album Saturdays in 2012 soon after COIN first formed. In 2015 one of their hit lead singles ‘Run’ finally gave them the attention and recognition they truly deserve. Although COIN has performed various shows in New York, Chase described during the show “it was their very first performance done in Syracuse.” This show was not one, but one of many. COIN has played various festivals, their next festival appearance is in Lake George at WIld in the Trees – Music and Skate Festival 2022.
An indie pop/alternative band sensation they definitely have a groove and put on quite the show as Chase dances and jumps on stage, encouraging the fans to jump, scream and feel the beat. Ryan and Zach rock on as well, the three keep the vibe and entertainment towards their fans at an all time high. Especially while performing some of their top hits ‘Talk Too Much’, ‘Malibu 1992’, and ‘Crash My Car’. Following with other hit songs from albums How Will You Know If You Never Try released in 2017 and their most recent Uncanny Valley released in 2022.
By the time the show soon came to an end the crowd was standing with excitement, praise and support for COIN. Only their first show stop in Syracuse, the band made it more than memorable. These three truly know how to put on a unique show, keeping the fans dying to hear what’s next as they celebrate 10 years together.
Rising star Lizzy McAlpine made an appearance this past Friday at The Great New York State Fair 2022. The 22-year-old McAlpine enjoyed a significant rise of attention once her music went viral on TikTok. Her debut album Give me a Minute was released in August 2020 and has since garnered her a following.
McAlpine was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started getting into music in middle school. She began studying music and songwriting in college at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Berklee College she continued to pursue her music career, leading to her internet fame.
“I think [Berklee] did shape my music, but not because of the classes. The main thing I got out of Berklee was the people that I met, and the people I surrounded myself with who definitely influenced my music. I don’t think you need to necessarily understand music theory to be a good musician. If you have a good ear, you don’t need to know all the harmonies to write a good song.”
Syracuse was one of many stops for McAlpine, as part of her first official tour. Lizzy’s raw and stunning voice had her fans singing along to every song. The audience was visibly enthralled by the performance as they swayed and danced with friends. Some of her top hits such as “ceilings” and “hate to be lame” her latest album Five Seconds Flat drew the best reactions. McAlpine also performed songs from her breakthrough project, Give Me A Minute. Songs like “Pancakes for Dinner,” “Means Something” and “To the Mountains.” all made the setlist.
Overall Lizzy McAlpine has become a leading figure at a young age. Inspiring young girls and other young artists to pursue their dreams.
Lizzy’s next show takes place on September 11, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Fine Line Music Cafe. We look forward to seeing what’s next for McAlpine and what the future holds for her.
Brooklyn alt-rock duo Locations has dropped “Moves,” a jovial dance rock track which is the band’s first release in over two years.
The track is centered around a bright, melodic guitar rhythm and the band’s falsetto vocal harmonies in this ode to optimism and getting up to dance. “Dance if you wanna dance, move if you wanna move, you have got to do it for you,” they sing on the chorus.
(left to right) Niko Rummell (lead guitarist/vocalist) and Thomas Whidden (drummer/vocalist) of Locations. (photo by Hannah Turner Harts)
While simple, the hook is catchy and succinctly expresses the song’s straightforward ideas. It provides a solid contrast from the track’s verses, which build towards something a little more hyper in the chorus. This is especially the case in the song’s final minute, as muted guitar creates a light tension which is released in satisfying fashion for the outro.
The song is also part of an impassioned campaign from the band, with them using the single to promote universal healthcare. Looking to raise funds for Campaign for NY Health, Locations is selling limited edition t-shirts to support the organization which seeks to pass a single payer healthcare system in New York State.
Also as part of this campaign, the group will be performing at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan on Monday, September 5 along with ALIENS, Witch Slap, Nuclear Family Fantasy, and Lumberob. Tickets can be found here.
Not only is “Moves” the band’s first single in over two years, but it was also the first written after a “major medical event” involving one of the members put activities on hold for several months.
“Moves” by Locations is a vibrantly optimistic song that looks to build optimism for a cause of passion, and it does so in an easily listenable way.
