The Smoke Jazz Club in NYC is one of the cities premier live music venues. It has announced its long awaited return, with modified operations including live streams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining. Created in 1999, the club is internationally recognized for its classic and modern jazz performances. It has survived economic crashes, fires in the building, and more but the pandemic proved to be much more difficult, co-owners Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson said in a statement.
Smoke Jazz Club has so much history. Despite the struggles of the last few years, we just knew that the music couldn’t stop here. The past couple of years have not been easy for anyone, but having live music back in the club with everyone together, musicians and listeners, seems like a turning point. We are very excited to take this next step. We feel very fortunate that our landlord has been so supportive these last two years.
The Smoke Jazz Club will be hosting a four-night grand reopening concert celebration July 21-24 (also streaming live worldwide). There will also be a number of different jazz concerts until September. Some of the bands performing at the club include the Bobby Watson Quartet, Louis Hayes & The Cannonball Legacy Band, The Heavy Hitters, and more.
Smoke Sessions Records will be holding different album release shows during the rest of the year.
For more information about the album release shows being held at Smoke Sessions Records, go here. For more information on the jazz concerts at the Smoke Jazz Club, go here.
The Adirondack Independent Music Festival will once again take place in Lake George at the unofficial end of summer on Labor Day weekend. The festival will return to the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons and take place Friday, September 2 through Sunday, September 4.
Pink Talking Fish
This year’s headliners are moe. who are playing four sets over two nights and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong who will play two sets as well, returning to the festival for the first time since 2019.
In addition to lots of great music, the festival will also feature a variety of food and craft vendors as well a great view of the fireworks at Lake George on Saturday evening. $175 General Admission Weekend (3-day) tickets are on sale now at the Adirondack Music Festival website. There is also a special VIP option available, which includes admission to all three days, a meal each night, free snacks, half-priced adult beverages, $2 water / soft drinks, a private viewing area (with private bar) and access to private bathrooms.
Also featured on this year’s bill are Dopapod, Pink Talking Fish, Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime, Ryan Montbleau Band, lespecial, Dogs in a Pile, Neighbor, Hayley Jane & The Primates and Freekbass & The Bump Assembly (featuring former members of Turkuaz).
Music in the Festival Commons will begin at 1pm on Friday and 12:00pm on Saturday and Sunday and run continuously across two side-by-side stages until 11pm each night. The event is open to attendees of all ages and children 12 and under are free.
The Village of Green Island, located just north of Albany and located on (and in) the Hudson River will once again hold its annual free summer concert series at the Green Island Gazebo, or GIG.
Located in River Park on the north end of Hudson Avenue, GIG is mainly known for the free summer concert series, although GIG also hosts the annual Festival of Trees in December.
Summer concerts are held each Wednesday night from 6pm-8pm and made possible by generous sponsors and the GIG-a-bite crew who cook up and serve delicious weekly treats along with a group of volunteer bakers who donate desserts.
No taxpayer dollars are used to fund the GIG summer concert series, with profits from GIG used to make improvements in River Park and Paine Street Park, and to support other groups such as the GI Senior Citizens.
Concerts are held at the River Park Gazebo on Hudson Ave. In the event of rain, concerts iwll be held under the Collar City Bridge on Hudson Avenue. Smoking and alcohol are not permitted in the park.
Green Island GIG 2022 Schedule (with food specials)
July 6 – The Accents (fried chicken basket, strawberry shortcake)
July 13 – Lustre Kings (steak sandwich, banana split ambrosia)
July 20 – Get up Jack (Irish Night) (Corned beef sandwich, mint chocolate chip ice cream)
July 27 – New York Players (Mac-n-cheese, Rice pudding)
August 3 – Swing Docs (Sausage and Peppers, Watermelon)
August 10 – Capt. Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers (Foot Long Hot Dogs, S’more bars)
August 17 – Big Fez and the Surfmatics (Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream)
August 24 – The Oldiest Show (Sock Hop Night) (Pulled Pork Sliders, Peach Pie with Ice Cream)
Governors Ball Music Festival wrapped up its third and final day on Sunday, June 12. Narrowly avoiding passing thunderstorms, the weekend was punctuated by a headlining performance from J. Cole, who performed a career-spanning set, including songs off his 2021 LP The Off-Season.
J. Cole has lived much of his life in New York, and reminisced about writing some of his most influential music in the city. “It’s so crazy to be here, with the train going by…I used to live right down the street, writing songs as the trains go by.” J. Cole opened his set with a fiery performance of “95.South” and also brought out J.I.D. and Kenny Mason for “Stick.” J.I.D. broke his hand moshing during his set earlier in the day, and pleaded to the crowd: “Don’t be like me; safety first!”
Kaytranada, Governors Ball, 6/12/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
As with all three headliners over the weekend, a majority of the bands on the lineup are celebrating releases dating back to 2020. With a complete year and a half hiatus in the live music industry as a result of the pandemic, 2022 is jam packed with artists touring off releases a couple years old as well as albums that are hot out of the studio. Soccer Mommy is only two weeks away from her highly anticipated fourth LP Sometimes, Forever while Coin are only a few months into the life of their fifth LP Uncanny Valley. Clairo is also still touring behind her strong sophomore LP Sling, released last year.
Stay tuned later in the week for our full coverage of the entire Governors Ball weekend. In the meantime, check out more photos from Sunday from NYS Music photographers David Reichmann and Joseph Buscarello in the gallery below.
KaytranadaKaytranadaJazmine SullivanJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastClairoJ. ColeJ. Cole and J.I.D.J. Cole and J.I.D.100 GecsCoinGlass AnimalsGlass AnimalsGlass AnimalsJ.I.D.Soccer Mommy
The NY Philharmonic has announced its annual Concert in the Parks, which is back after being canceled for two years because of the pandemic.
The Concert in the Parks series has become an iconic New York summer experience since it began in 1965. It transformed parks across the city into a patchwork of picnickers and allowed them to hear classical music under the stars.
The NY Philharmonic Concert in the Park series will happen from June 14-17, then again on the 19. All performances begin at 8 P.M. There will be fireworks following the performances in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.
Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct the concerts, which take place at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 14); the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 15); Cunningham Park, Queens (June 16); and Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 17).
Jaap van Zweden began his tenure as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2018. He has also served as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic since 2012. He has conducted performances on three continents, and at age 19 he became the youngest-ever concertmaster of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
The program includes Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Bomsori Kim as a soloist, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, and works by New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers: 14- year-old Naama Rolnick’s Keep Walking, and 17-year-old Alexander Rothschild Douaihy’s A Human Rhapsody.
Levitt AMP 2022 in Utica, NY has announced the lineup for the summer music series. The artists will perform at Kopernik Park this summer. Concerts will take place on Monday nights from 6-9 P.M. from June 20 to August 29.
The 2022 season will feature headlining artists from New Orleans, Nashville, Chicago, Iowa, Virginia, Rhode Island, Canada, and New York State. The concerts also feature opening local and regional acts and youth intermission acts.
The series brings in the most diverse audience in the city in a family-friendly, non-alcoholic, joyful, welcoming environment. The music series also helps add to the economy in Utica and promotes communal bonding.
The New Respects were named the Levitt Foundation’s National Touring Band for 2022. They are a mix of pop, soul, and rock and deliver a high energy and funky music. Through their music, you hear their inspirations like The Rolling Stones and Lenny Kravitz.
Roberta Lea is a rising artist, described as having “a voice like cinnamon and a pen-like butter.” She plays a mix of classic country, country soul, country rock, and pop country, and has no limits to expressing herself through her songs.
Walter and Wagner Caldas, are 31-year-old identical twins better known as the Brazilian 2wins or “B2wins.” Their instrumental music ranges from pop to hip hop and iconic classics reimagined. Each song drips originality and youthful exuberance. Their mission is to make the world smile after growing up very poor in Rio de Janeiro.
Argonaut & Wasp are a blend of indie, alternative, edge, and funk grooves described as the perfect soundtrack to NYC. They formed over a love for house/dance music and bring in 70s fashion, 80s synths, and 90s culture to their band.
Curley Taylor and his band, Zydeco Trouble use soulful, bluesy vocals along with zydeco beats to create their unique musical style. Curley began his music career at 16 playing drums in his father’s band, and since then has always had a passion for music.
Bassel & the Supernaturals tells the story of Bassel Almadani’s experience as a first-generation Syrian-American using funk-inspired rhythms, soulful melodies, and lyrics regarding love, loss, and the war in Syria. They have performed at major festivals, performance halls, and more while also working closely with organizations on events and residencies that build awareness and empathy for Syrian refugees.
The Big Takeover Band is a seven-piece New York band that plays original music that is rooted in the genres of Jamaican pop, reggae, rocksteady, and ska. They also cross lines between genres and blend traditions. They connect the spirit of Motown and the sophistication of the 21st-century retro-soul scene.
New York hip-hop artist Miranda Writes is known for her modern sound with strong lyrics and diversified beats. She is not signed to a major label, however, her 2018 single “Too Blessed” rose to No. 5 in the Digital DJ Pool charting alongside Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, and Ciara. She is the first biracial female hip-hop artist to cross over into the snowboarding market.
Ariel Posen is “one of the most exciting guitar players around” with show-stopping extended solos. His influences are electrified Americana, R&B, Beatles-inspired pop, and rock and roll. He has spent his childhood on the road with his musical parents, and found himself doing his own gigs traveling the world.
Shawnee Taveras is a Dominican-American singer-songwriter who brings heat to the stage with high-energy salsa accompied by a band creating music that is impossible not to dance to. In 2019, Taveras was awarded the Premio Conga de la Salsa in the Dominican Republic for best new musical act. She has had top ten singles in the Dominican Republic and has toured extensively in that country.
The Levitt AMP 2022 summer concert series is free to all those who attend and is happening from June 20 to August 29.
The Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay returns with their Summer Live Music Series for 2022. Running from June through the end of August, the series will feature over 30 bands performing over a three month period.
Riverboat Bar focuses primarily on promoting original music, hosting nationally touring bands from throughout the Northeast and beyond, with additional shows to be added in September. Most shows are free to attend.
Alexandria Bay and the 1000 Islands Region are a destination for a wide variety of tourists from America and Canada alike. While not located on a super highway, Alex Bay and the surrounding areas have maintained their original quaint personality with a bevy of activities, including family activities, world class fishing, romantic evenings, top-notch dive sites, live music or just relaxation.
Riverboat Bar is a long-running local tavern with comfort eats and bar bites with space for live music and a covered patio. Featuring live music on weekends with regional and nationally touring bands. Riverboat Bar also features a large selection of craft beer, wine and cocktails, a full service kitchen with extensive bar menu.
Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay
In the month of June you’ll find highly anticipated performances from Rochester based snarky pop and soul band The Sideways, Albany heavy blues rockers Sly Fox and the Hustlers and a two-night stand from Buffalo party rockers Tiny Music.
The month of July is loaded with 12 nights of live music, kicking off the month will be four nights of live music during the 4th of July holiday weekend. Syracuse indie/art rock group All Poets & Heroes get things going on Friday, July 1 with Burlington based reggae act The Reflexions playing on Saturday, July 2 while July 3 will feature a Quantum Cosmic Super Jam featuring members of Annie in the Water, Raisinhead and The Reflexions. Finally, Atlanta funk and soul powerhouse Funk You will close out the weekend on July 4 with a special performance after the Alexandria Bay holiday fireworks over Boldt Castle.
Also performing throughout the month of July will be Philadelphia rockers Chestnut Grove, the hot and buzz worthy Long Island progressive rock and funk trio Baked Shrimp and Connecticut power rock duo Balkun Brothers. Also in July will be performances by Upstate staples Ampevene, Vaporeyes, The Old Main, Roots Collider and fast rising new Buffalo band Eberwine, who will be performing a special Dead/Phish set.
The party continues in the month of August, highlighted by a return appearance by Boston roots reggae star Mighty Mystic on Friday, August 5. NYS Music March Madness winners HANZOLO will be at The Riverboat for a free show on Saturday, August 6. The famous Alex Bay Pirate Days festival will feature live performances by Connecticut jam funkers One Time Weekend and Maryland funktronica legends LITZ. Annie in the Water returns on Friday August 19 for their annual hometown throwdown. Also in the month of August, you can catch Sun Dub, Gentleman Brawlers and The Pickle Mafia.
More shows will be added in September including the annual Alex Bay Summer Send Off Party at the end of the month, which will feature multiple acts over two days.
Check out the full lineup below. Please visit the Riverboat Bar website for more information.
Legendary funk pioneers George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic will be on the One Nation Under a Groove Tour from June to August 2022. Along with a list of a robust list of acclaimed supporting artists, George Clinton will bring his vivacious flare to over 20 stages across the country.
Funk and jam artists, including The Motet (Ft. Shira Elias, Josh & Chris of The Horn Section), Dopapod, The Pimps of Joytime, as well as special guests on select shows Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Floozies, Fishbone, and The Soul Rebels will provide supporting sets. In addition, Blue Eye Extinction, the protege of George Clinton, will join the tour.
George Clinton Live In Central Park 2019 – Credit: Ed Satterwhite
Clinton initially retired in 2018, departed on the first iteration of the One Nation Under a Groove Tour in 2019. The nationwide sold-out for the passionate fans and admirers, suggesting Clinton to come back with one more summer tour. The final tour schedule will include some famous stages, including New York, NY (Central Park Summerstage), Asheville, NC (Salvage Station), Philadelphia, PA (The Fillmore), and Inglewood, CA (YouTube Theatre – part of the brand new SoFi Stadium complex).
George Clinton has singlehandedly done more to push music forward than any other artist I can recall. This tour represents that ‘big tent’ he’s created that includes so many generations.George has influenced artists across so many cultures, generations, genres. Our musical lives would not be the same if we never had George Clinton, and this is a once in a lifetime chance to come together and witness first-hand the next chapter of his iconic career being written before our eyes.
Nick Szatmari & Jeff Epstein (Tour co-founders)
Supporting band Dopapod will bring its brilliant, hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and electronica to a majority of summer dates. The band features Eli Winderman [keys, vocals], Rob Compa [guitar, vocals], Chuck Jones [bass], and Neal “Fro” Evans [drums].
Another supporting band, The Motet, have inspired the world with their unique style of dance music and now include lauded curators of modern funk, Shira Elias (vocals), and The Horn Section – Greg Sanderson (tenor sax), and Chris Brouwers (trumpet, keys), all formerly of Turkuaz.
The Motet (Ft. Shira Elias + The Horn Section) at Red Rocks – Credit: Jenise Jensen
Vibrant modern funk outfit Pimps of Joytime will provide an undeniably danceable flavor to multiple tour dates. The frontman Brian J crafts the innovative group’s subtle swagger, diligently cooking a soulful elixir of kaleidoscopic groove.
Longstanding modern legends, including Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Fishbone, The Soul Rebels, The Floozies, The Main Squeeze and The Fantastic Negrito will provide support on select dates.
One Nation Under a Groove Tour Summer 2022
06-15 New York, NY – Summerstage @ Central Park $!@ 06-24 Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s @#$ 06-25 Indianapolis, IN – Clowes Memorial Hall ~ 06-26 Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live @$ 06-30 Asheville, NC – Salvage Station $!@ 07-01 Knoxville, TN – The Shed at Smoky Mountain !@ 07-02 Pelham, TN – The Caverns Underground Cave $!@ 07-07 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore #@ 07-08 Toledo, OH – Promenade Park Stage <>+! 07-16 Aurora, IL – The Piazza @+! 07-22 Fort Worth, TX – Wild Acre Live $%@ 07-23 Cedar Park, TX – The Haute Spot $%@ 07-28 Seattle, WA – Seattle Zoo $^@ 07-29 Portland, OR – Pioneer Courthouse Square $^@ 07-30 Eugene, OR – The Cuthbert @~ 08-11 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater $^! 08-13 Las Vegas, NV – Craig Ranch Amphitheater &* 08-17 Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater $! 08-19 Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery &$! 08-20 Blue Lake, CA – Blue Lake Casino &$! 08-21 Napa, CA – Charles Krug Winery $!
! with Dopapod @ with Pimps of Joytime # with The Floozies $ with The Motet (Ft. Shira Elias and Josh & Chris of The Horn Section) % with The Soul Rebels ^ with Fishbone & with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe * with Fantastic Negrito < with Robert Randolph & The Family Band > with The Main Squeeze + with Blue Eye Extinction ~ Additional Support TBA
Governors Ball Music Festival continued on Saturday, June 11th, outside of Flushing Meadows in Queens. Saturday featured a triumphant headlining set from Edison, New Jersey native Halsey who is still running strong off her fourth LP If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power released in 2021.
Halsey had a setback earlier this week when her show on June 8th at Merriweather Post Pavillion had to be abruptly cancelled due to severe flooding at the venue. Unfazed by the heartbreak, Halsey delivered a powerful performance for the Flushing crowd. Governors Ball will always be a special occasion for Halsey; she attended the festival in 2014 (the day she signed her record deal), played an early evening set in 2018, and headlined on Saturday.
Halsey, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
During Halsey’s set, she admitted she “couldn’t resist” playing a cover of Kate Bush’s timeless classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and also treated fans to the live debut of her just-released new single, “So Good.” Other performers included Flume, Denzel Curry, DJ Diesel (Shaq), Tove Lo, and Dehd. Photos from day two of Governors Ball by David Reichmann and Joseph Buscarello are below.
Denzel Curry, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Day two was not without it’s hiccups. With a packed main stage waiting for Roddy Rich, the festival announced halfway through his set-time that Roddy Rich would not be performing. The disappointed crowd flooded over to the other stages and packed in for Joji and Denzel Curry.
Flume, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
The third and final day of the festival is today and features a headline performance from J. Cole. Other bands NYS Music are excited to see include Kaytranada, Japanese Breakfast, 100 Gecs, Soccer Mommy, and J.I.D.. Check back tomorrow for photos from the Governors Ball finale.
Fans of musical icon and New York’s own, the great, late Lou Reed, will soon be able to hear some new and previously unreleased material as part of a new archival release series. In partnership with Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson, acclaimed label Light in the Attic will release the first album of the series, Words & Music, May 1965, later this summer on Aug. 26. It features some of the some earlier takes on Velvet Underground classics like “Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” and “Pale Blue Eyes” that Reed helped craft along with fellow VU co-founder John Cale.
This newly unearthed material is the result of a five-inch reel of recordings that Reed mailed to himself in the form of a “poor man’s copyright” back in 1965. It went untouched for nearly 50 years, only discovered after the artist’s death in 2013. The raw, grainy material gives an early inside look at the genius of Reed and, per music journalist Greil Marcus in the liner notes, “They make a darkness, and Reed and Cale try to feel their way through it. In ‘Heroin,’ there’s just a hint of the hurricane it will become and the enormous authority it will carry two years later. … ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ says go farther, there’s no end to this, and you know that they will go farther — they’re almost there.”
Words & Music, May 1965 will be available in several formats, including LP, cassette, 8-track, digital and CD, and can be preordered here. The deluxe two-LP edition, is being limited to 7,500 copies and also includes an additional 7″ record that features six other early songs and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” The full track listings for both albums can be seen below.
In addition to this, the five-inch reel itself will be physically on display this week, along with other Reed-related artifacts, at Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars. The exhibition opens on June 9 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
“This collection is to inspire people,” Anderson said in a recent NY Times interview. “It’s not necessarily to say, ‘Here’s the real Lou Reed.’ That’s never what it was meant to be. Here’s a lot of his music and how he did it. Be inspired by it. But it’s not and can’t be a real picture of the man.”
Lou Reed, ‘Words & Music, May 1965’ Track Listing 2xLP 1. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Demo) 2. “Men of Good Fortune” (May 1965 Demo) * 3. “Heroin” (May 1965 Demo) 4. “Too Late” (May 1965 Demo) * 5. “Buttercup Song” (May 1965 Demo) 6. “Walk Alone” (May 1965 Demo) 7. “Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 Demo) 8. “Pale Blue Eyes” (May 1965 Demo) 9. “Stockpile” (May 1965 Demo) * 10. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” (May 1965 Demo) 11. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Alternate Version) 7-inch 1. “Gee Whiz” – (1958 Rehearsal) * 2. “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” (1963/64 Home Recording) 3. “Michael, Row The Boat Ashore” (1963/64 Home Recording) 4. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Partial) (1963/64 Home Recording) 5. “W & X, Y, Z Blues” (1963/64 Home Recording) * 6. “Lou’s 12-Bar Instrumental” (1963/64 Home Recording) *
