NYS Music 202​2

Category: Funk/Soul/R&B

  • Northwell Health Announces Special Benefit Concert At UBS Arena

    Northwell Health’s “Side By Side: A Celebration of Service” is making its return to the UBS Arena with a special benefit concert from John Legend, along with a special appearance from Jason Derulo. This two-day festival starts on Sunday, May 29.

    Side By Side

    This event will begin with a block party in Flatiron Plaza on May 28, hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, with appearances from Questlove, Stars of Broadway, the Northwell Health Nurse Choir, and more.

    As a part of Memorial Day Weekend and New York’s Fleet Week, the first day of the festival includes active military members, veterans, and their families who will get the chance to mingle with the public for a day of games, food, music and more. Subsequently, day two will solely honor the nation’s active-duty military, veterans and their families with Legend’s hit songs.

    Memorial Day weekend is a dedicated time every year to reflect on the sacrifices so many Americans have made in our country’s history. We should never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy in this country or forget our heroes in the armed forces who will stop at nothing to protect those freedoms. We are honored to host ‘Side by Side: A Celebration of Service’ for those very reasons – to honor our service members.

    Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell

    Northwell Health’s “Side By Side: A Celebration of Service” first launched in 2019 and has had a great turnout ever since. In fact, this festival has raised more than $2 million for Northwell Health’s Military Liaison Services, an organization that focuses on benefiting those who have served and are struggling with post traumatic stress disorder, with medical and behavioral services, as well as better employment opportunities.

    Tickets for the concert event will be accessible on Friday, April 15 at 10 A.M. For more information visit Side By Side NYC.

  • Underground System Releases Genre-Bending Single “Desnuda”; EP To Release May 6th

    Brooklyn collective Underground System has recently released “Desnuda.” The single comes in anticipation of their forthcoming EP, Into The Fire, which is set to release on May 6th.

    Underground System is a compelling collective that blends reggaeton, funk, and house music. The deep bass lines on this cut mixed with the ethereal Spanish vocals create an atmosphere that only a few other artists can replicate. Underground System may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if any of the former genres interest you then it is definitely worth checking out.

    Underground System
    Photo Credit: Maurizio Mascetti

    The collective will be touring this summer and they will pass through New Jersey and New York. Tour dates are available down below.

    5.12 – Rockaway Music Live//co-curated by Found Sound Nation & Majel Connery: Rockaway Hotel & Spa
    5.26 – Strasbourg (FR): Pelpass Festival
    5.27 – Ajaccio (FR): Aghja
    5.28 – Le Bieymard (FR): Festival D’Olt
    6.01 – Paris (FR): Le Hassard Ludique
    6.02 – Lille (FR): La Gara Saint Sauveur
    6.03 – Angouleme (FR) Festival Musiques Métisses
    6.04 – Rouen (FR): Rush Festival
    6.17 – Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Made (Homecoming Record Release Show)
    6.18 – Coeymans Hallows, NY: Circus of Life Festival
    8.12 – New York, NY: Hudson River Park

    A new single will be available for streaming on April 22nd. For more information, visit www.undergroundsystembk.com.

  • Danielle Ponder wraps six shows in three nights at The McKittrick Hotel & Nubulu

    Singer-songwriter Danielle Ponder closed out Wednesday night at The McKittrick Hotel with a stunning performance after Sleep No More.

    Six shows in three nights ladies and gentlemen!” Danielle exclaimed, addressing the crowd in-between songs. “Amazing crowds, amazing people. This has just been really a great moment and it actually has been very surreal, but I’m going to get into these songs. Hope you enjoy them!

    Singer-songwriter Danielle Ponder singing at The McKittrick Hotel's Manderley Bar.
    Danielle Ponder at the McKittrick Hotel’s Manderley Bar

    The Rochester-based singer confidently radiated her powerful voice throughout The McKittrick Hotel’s moody Manderley Bar. This performance was the last of Ponder’s three-night run in New York City before joining St. Paul and the Broken Bones on tour later this month. Before exiting, Ponder concluded the set with an inspiring personal anecdote.

    I quit my successful job as an attorney to be a broke musician because I absolutely love you, and I absolutely love this stage. I completely live for it. I truly believe in following your purpose, I think that when God gives you a gift, a way you can show gratitude is committing to that thing. Amen, amen, amen! You all feel me? So a lot has happened in the past year that has really changed my life, even to be here with this audience in New York City listening has been so affirming for me and lets me know I made the right decision. I really feel like I’m a living testimony of that and that’s the only reason I’m telling you I’m 40! Because I want you to know my knees hurt, I’m old, but I’m here! So this next song is called “So Long.”

    “So Long” is Ponder’s latest single, released on March 11, an anthem about letting go of fear and being the best person you can possibly be.

    Singer-songwriter Danielle Ponder singing at The McKittrick Hotel's Manderley Bar.

    You can learn more about singer-songwriter Danielle Ponder on her website and listen to her Tiny Desk Contest submission, a recording of her song Poor Man’s Pain, here.

    St. Paul and the Broken Bones with Danielle Ponder Tour Dates

    April 23 – Dallas, Texas – The Granada Theater
    April 24 – Austin, Texas – Stubb’s
    April 26 – Tulsa, Okla. – Cain’s Ballroom
    April 28 – Denver, Colo. – Mission Ballroom
    April 29 – Aspen, Colo. – Belly Up
    April 30 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Commonwealth Room
    May 3 – Seattle, Wash. – The Neptune
    May 5 – Portland, Ore. – Crystal Ballroom
    May 6 – San Francisco, Calif./Oakland, Calif. – Fox Theater
    May 7 – San Diego, Calif. – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
    May 10 – Los Angeles, Calif. – The Theatre at Ace Hotel
    May 11 – Pioneertown, Calif. – Pappy & Harriet’s
    May 12 – Phoenix, Ariz. – The Van Buren

  • The Funky Dawgz Brass Band Return With New Single

    Emerging from Connecticut, the Funky Dawgz Brass Band is back after years of silence. Harnessing the soulful spirit of New Orleans R&B, the seven-man act delivers a level of bounce and warmth that can only be found along the sidewalks and plazas of bustling city nightlife.

    Funky Dawgz
    The Funky Dawgz Brass Band

    “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” showcases this feeling. Over six minutes, the track bursts with vibrancy and energy that can only be found walking down the streets of New Orleans on a Friday night. The feeling of funk, jazz, and celebration are intoxicating for any soul connoisseur. For those interested in groove, bounce, and the nuances in between, this single is not one to miss.

    Alongside this release, the band is releasing a new studio album titled Vertical. The album is set to release on June 17th. The album is arriving in celebration of the band’s formation ten years ago at the University of Connecticut. Colin Walters of the band, the alto saxophonist, speaks on the album:

    The music from this album definitely highlights the growth we have made as a band, individuals, and musicians over the last 10 years. We each have different musical tastes and that made the recording process exciting as we worked through various melodic and harmonic ideas.

    Colin Walters

    Since then, the horn players have played at venues all across the country, including Madison Square Garden. For more information on the Funky Dawgz Brass Band, visit funkydawgzbrassband.com.

  • CEG Announces Phish After-Party Series, featuring Funky as Hell, The DAB Sessions, Spafford, Neighbor and more

    With Phish ready to will return to Madison Square Garden this month for four nights over April 20-23, post show plans are back as well, with CEG Presents their annual Phish After-Party series at a number of venues near MSG. The shows feature up and coming bands in the nationwide jam scene, including the debut of Funky as Hell, The DAB Sessions, Pink Talking Fish, Neighbor, Dogs in a Pile and Spafford.

    Phish After-Party

    Among these shows, CEG has just announced the debut of all-star supergroup Funky As Hell, celebrating the music of Prince, James Brown, Michael Jackson and more, at Sony Hall on April 21.

    The artist lineup features bassist extraordinaire MonoNeon (Prince, Ghost-Note), vocalist Chris Rob (Talib Kweli), New York City’s DJ Logic, keyboardist Alric Carter (TAUK), trumpet players Chris Bullock & Mike “Maz” Maher both of Snarky Puppy, and The Chase Brothers (guitarist Matt Chase and drummer Adam Chase) of the James Brown Dance Party and Jazz is PHSH.

    Previously announced for 4/20 is The DAB Sessions, an interactive improvisational experience, hosted by Phish lyricist Tom Marshall featuring John Medeski, Mono Neon, Scott Metzger, and The Chase Brothers, at The Cutting Room, just 3 blocks from Madison Square Garden.

    phish after party

    Also on 4/20, CEG Phish After-Party series regular Pink Talking Fish, who fuse together the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish, will perform at Gramercy Theatre.

    Two up and coming bands generating buzz in the jamband scene can be seen after Phish on 4/21 witu Neighbor at The Cutting Room and Dogs In a Pile on 4/23 at Hill Country. Arizona touring stalwarts Spafford will also perform at Sony Hall on April 23, the final night of Phish’s MSG run.

    $1 for every ticket sold during the series will be donated to Phish’s non-profit the WaterWheel Foundation. Tickets and information can be found at www.phishafterparties.nyc 

    Phish After-Party Series Lineup 2022

    Wednesday April 20, 2022

    The DAB Sessions – John Medeski, MonoNeon, Eddie Roberts, and The Chase Brothers
    Hosted By Tom Marshall
    Cutting Room    
    Ticket Link

    The DAB Sessions is an improvisation series hosted by Tom Marshall and Osiris  Podcasts featuring musicians from a variety of musical backgrounds. The series is supported by Nugs.net and celebrates the power of improvisation and how it connects musicians and fans through “in the moment” creation.

    Pink Talking Fish                 
    Gramercy Theatre                
    Ticket Link
    A Fusion of Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads, and Phish.

    Thursday April 21, 2022 

    Neighbor                                
    Cutting Room    
    Ticket Link
    The Manhattan debut of one of the most talked about new bands on the scene!

    Funky As Hell
    Celebrating the music of Prince, James Brown, Michael Jackson & more
    MonoNeon (Prince, Ghost-Note), Chris Rob (Talib Kweli), DJ Logic, AC Carter (Tauk), Chris Bullock & Mike “Maz” Maher (Snarky Puppy),  The Chase Brothers (James Brown Dance Party)
    Sony Hall 
    Ticket Link

    Saturday April 23, 2022 

    *Dogs In a Pile
    Hill Country
    Ticket Link

    *Spafford                                 
    Sony Hall  
    Ticket Link

  • The Greyboy Allstars Share New Single with Woodstock and Brooklyn Tour Dates in April

    The Greyboy Allstars are set to release their upcoming album Get A Job with music from the original broadcast series Soul Dream on April 1st. The first song off the album, ‘I’ve Got Reasons’, recently dropped along with accompanying video along with Spring Tour Dates where they’ll perform in Woodstock and Brooklyn this April.

    Greyboy Allstars

    The quintet jazz band, Karl Denson (saxophone, flute), Elgin Park (guitars), Aaron Redfield(drums), Chris Stillwell (bass) and Robert Walter (keys) turn up the notches with their new album consisting of 10 unique never-before-released covers that consistently captivated their famed live performances for nearly three decades. Gil Scott-Heron, Gene Ammons and Burt Bacharach are some of the artists who’s songs are showcased on the ‘Get A Job’ album.

    The delivery of these covers shows the formative music that shaped the band while also adding a twist of their own funky imprint to the song’s arrangement and legacy.

    The more we play together, the more I enjoy listening to the other guys. It seems like a simple idea but finding a place in the mix is what’s important: not the solo. Weave a thread inside the fabric.

    -Elgin Park

    A running list of around 70 tunes that became live favorites during shows and music that came out of Prestige Records are showcased with the Greyboy Allstars. The soul-jazz band from San Diego, California will be coming to the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock and the Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

    The 21-date ‘Get A Job’ tour has 6 of the shows on-sale now and the remaining 15 shows go on-sale February 4th at greyboyallstars.com

    The Greyboy Allstars “Get A Job” U.S. Spring Tour

    3/9 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
    3/10 – Charleston, SC – The Pour House
    3/11 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
    3/12 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
    3/30 – St. Louis, MO – The Big Top
    3/31 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
    4/1 – Chicago, IL – Park West
    4/2 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater
    4/3 – Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern
    4/5 – Pembroke, MA – Soundcheck Studios
    4/6 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
    4/7 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
    4/8 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
    4/9 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
    4/10 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
    4/15 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Casino
    4/16 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Casino
    4/21 – Venice, CA – Venice West
    4/22 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
    4/23 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
    4/30 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s

  • Adekunle Gold Announces Catch Me If You Can Tour, Apollo Theater Performance

    Nigerian born and bred Adekunle Gold has just announced his “Catch Me If You Can – The Tour,” kicking off on Thursday, June 2nd at Big Night Live in Boston. This tour will also make a stop at Apollo Theater in Manhattan on Friday, June 3rd, 2022. 

    Adekunle Gold Announces Catch Me If You Can Tour

    Adekunle Gold is a Nigerian singer-songwriter based between Lagos, Nigeria, and Los Angeles. He gained recognition from his very first release, ‘Sade’ a love song which sampled instrumentals from One Direction’s ‘Story of My Life.’ Just two weeks after its release, Adekunle was contacted by one of Africa’s biggest acts, Olamide, to join his music imprint for two years. 

    Adekunle Gold is one of the most innovative artists to come out of Africa. He is one of the most recognizable and exciting pioneers of the vibrant Afropop genre, currently dominating this genre across the globe. His music consistent of mixing and influences of Afrobeat with Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B. 

    Since releasing his first single “Sade,” a love song which sampled instrumentals from One Direction’s “Story of My Life,” Adekunle has gone on to release four albums – Gold, About 30, AfroPop Vol. 1. His newest album, Catch Me If You Can, includes collaborations with an array of world-class talent including Ty Dolla $ign, Stefflon Don, Fatoumata Diawara and Fousheé. Altogether, featuring his one-of-a-kind combination of addictive melodies and razor sharp lyricism.

    Adekunle Gold

    CATCH ME IF YOU CAN TOUR DATES:  

    Thu Jun 02 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live 

    Fri Jun 03 – New York, NY – Apollo Theater 

    Sun Jun 05 – Montreal, QUE – Corona Theatre 

    Mon Jun 06 – Philadelphia, PA – The Theatre of Living Arts 

    Wed Jun 08 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring 

    Thu Jun 09 – Cleveland, OH – The Cambridge Room at House of Blues 

    Fri Jun 10 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House 

    Sun Jun 12 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater 

    Tue Jun 14 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre 

    Thu Jun 16 – Houston, TX – House of Blues 

    Fri Jun 17 – Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge & Music Hall 

    Sun Jun 19 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater 

    Tue Jun 21 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues 

    Thu Jun 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom 

    Fri Jul 01 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater 

    Sat Jul 02 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore 

    Mon Jul 04 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre 

    Tue Jul 05 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom 

    Fri Jul 08 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall 

    Ticket sale starts Friday, April 8th at 10am on Catch.ag 

  • Questlove and Billie Eilish win Oscars at 2022 Academy Awards

    At an unforgettable Academy Awards ceremony, Billie Eilish won the Oscar for Best Song and the Questlove-directed Summer of Soul won the Oscar for Best Documentary feature.

    Questlove Billie Eilish

    Summer of Soul looks at The Harlem Cultural Festival, filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park), an event that celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity. Over six weeks in the summer of 1969, and nearly 100 miles south of Woodstock (where another festival was taking place), the footage that makes up Summer of Soul was never seen and largely forgotten.

    Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson brought this ‘Black Woodstock’ to light for his debut documentary, Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Part concert film and part historical record, the documentary is an important piece of history that stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The trailer debuted during the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 2021 where Questlove was serving as music director and DJ for the evening.

    Questlove was joined on stage by fellow documentary producers Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein and appeared choked up when he mentioned his late father, musician Lee Andrews, who died in 2016.

    It’s not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old. This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But it’s not about me. It’s about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. Just know in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem.

    Questlove attempted to finish his speech but was overwhelmed, saying “I’m gonna get myself together and thank everyone proper when I get offstage.”

    Moments before Questlove’s category was introduced, future-Best-Actor winner Will Smith walked on stage and hit presenter Chris Rock for a comment made about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. The moment left Questlove somewhat shaken as he accepted the award for Best Documentary.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbOF4wpEVw

    A short while later, Billie Eilish, along with Finneas O’Connell, won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “No Time to Die” from the most recent James Bond film of the same name. The song was written by the brother-sister duo, and with Eilish only 18 when the song was recorded, makes the song and artist the youngest to record a James Bond theme, let alone win an Oscar for Best Original Song. “No Time to Die” previously won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

    Other nominees in the Best Original Song category this year included “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto (music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda), “Be Alive” from King Richard (music and lyrics by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), “Somehow You Do,” from Four Good Days (music and lyrics by Diane Warren), and “Down to Joy,” from Belfast (music and lyrics by Van Morrison).

    Since the 1960s, James Bond films have included memorable original songs, with two Best Original Song Oscars given to 007 films in recent years, including “Writing’s On the Wall” (Jimmy Nape, Sam Smith) from Spectre, and “Skyfall” (Adele, Paul Epworth) from Skyfall.

    Other Bond film original songs that have been nominated in the past include “The Look of Love” (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) from Casino Royale (1968), “Live and Let Die” (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) from Live and Let Die (1974), “Nobody Does it Better” (Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager) from The Spy Who Loved Me (1978), and “For Your Eyes Only” (Bill Conti, Mick Leeson) from For Your Eyes Only (1982)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpADZIsfZc0

  • Boyz II Men Announce Tour Stop at Proctors in Schenectady 

    The award winning R&B Group Boyz II Men will be coming to Proctors in Schenectady at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 27. Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wayna Morris and Shawn Stockman found fame during the 1990s with Motown Records. The group is currently the best-selling R&B group of all time, selling over 64 million albums. 

    Boyz II Men

    Boyz II Men dropped their debut album in 1991 called Cooleyhighharmony. The album sold over nine million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The album included hits such as “Motownphilly” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” 

    Since then, the 4-time grammy award winning R&B group went on to release mega-hits like “I’ll Make Love to You,” “End of the Road,” “One Sweet Day,” and many more. In 2011, Boyz II Men celebrated their 20th anniversary by releasing an album fittingly named Twenty. This album was the group’s first in nearly ten years.

    On top of their Grammy awards, they’ve also won nine American Music Awards, nine Soul
    Train Awards, three Billboard Awards, and a 2011 MOBO Award for Outstanding Contribution
    to Music, and many more iconic achievements.

    Outside of their musical achievements, the group also started their own charity called Boyz II Men House. The charity was established to support individuals and organizations that focus on improving quality of life while contributing to those who are less fortunate.

    Pre-sales for the August 27th show will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 15 with the official on-sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 18. Tickets are available through the Box Office at Proctors, in person or online at proctors.org. 

  • Morris Day and The Time & Cameo at Kings Theatre

    On July 23rd, Flashback Funk Fest will take place at Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, featuring legendary artists like Morris Day & The Time and Cameo with SOS Band and The Dazz Band.

    Morris Day and The Time & Cameo at Kings Theatre
    Morris Day and The Time & Cameo at Kings Theatre

    Morris Day, legendary funkmaster and well known for playing the main role in the movie Purple Rain, returns with his energetic vocals and witty lyrics. Day is the lead singer of The Time, a musical group associated with Prince. Similarly, the two even attended the same high school in Minneapolis in 1974. Some of his biggest hits include “Jungle Love”, “Get It Up”, and “The Bird.”

    Accompanying Morris Day & The Time, CAMEO celebrates 40 years & more than eighteen million albums. Larry Blackmon, the lead singer of CAMEO, composes such a unique funk sound thats played throughout time. Their hit songs are routinely placed in films, TV, video games, and commercials.

    S.O.S Band, otherwise known as The Sounds of Success, is comprised of Jason Bryant, Billy Ellis, Willie “Sonny” Killebrew, Bruno Speight, John A. Simpson, James Earl Jones III, and Mary Davis. 

    Their greatest hits include, “Take Your Time (Do It Right) and “Just Be Good to Me.” After Davis’ retirement from touring in 2020, the band added two new vocalists, Marleen Thomas, and Chimere Scott, who have taken the torch in place of their former iconic original vocalist.

    Led by Bobby Harris, The Dazz Band is comprised of Skip Martin (Lead Vocals & Trumpet), Marlon “The Magician McClain (Guitar), Donny Sykes (Vocals), Raymond Calhoun (Drums)Keith Harrison (Keyboards), and Alvin Frazier (Bass). Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, the band won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by an R&B Group or Duo for their smash hit “Let It Whip” in 1982. 

    The show will start at 7:30pm and doors open at 6:00pm. Tickets are on sale now here. 

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