The Chautauqua Institution announced its 150 season, and annual Summer Assembly events, running from June 24 to August 27.
The Chautauqua Institution will be putting on live performances ranging from lectures, orchestras, and concerts with new and old faces. Some lecturers include Stranger Things and The Goonies actor Sean Astin on June 30, NPR puzzle master Will Shortz on July 7, political commentator Bill Kristol on July 10, and Jordan’s Her Majesty Queen Noor on Aug. 25.
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra will have 23 performances in weeks one through nine. The Music School Festival Orchestra will present five concerts in 2023 during its residency weeks one through six. The School of Dance will be in residence weeks one through seven, with performances inclusive of two student dance galas and the beloved Alumni All-Star Dance Gala. The Chautauqua Opera Company & Conservatory will produce a combined season featuring five productions. The 2023 theater and opera repertoire will be announced in January.
The Chautauqua Institution announced some exciting performers set to come to the Amphitheater. On June 30 at 8:15 p.m. a special performance by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons graces the stage. The group has sold over 100 million records worldwide, with Valli having a very successful solo career as well. July 7 at 8:15 p.m. brings Straight No Chaser to the stage, a group with 2 RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold, over 1 billion streams on Pandora, and over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Other artists performing include Natalie Merchant and Girl Named Tom, among others.
The Chautauqua Institution has an exciting lineup announced for the Summer Assembly programs. Gate passes and single event tickets, as well as parking and docks, will go on sale to the public on Jan. 17, with the season’s best prices from Jan. 17 through Feb. 20.
The Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden, originally scheduled for Monday, December 19, has been postponed until June 2, 2023.
In a statement from Billy Joel’s spokesperson, a viral infection that affected his vocals was the cause of the postponement.
Billy Joel is under strict doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection and as a result, his concert scheduled for Monday, December 19th at Madison Square Garden is postponed to Friday, June 2nd. We understand the inconvenience this causes everyone who purchased tickets, and we apologize for this unexpected circumstance.
On Facebook, Billy said to fans, “I’m disappointed to share that I’m under doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection so unfortunately, I must postpone my Monday, December 19th concert at Madison Square Garden to June. I’m so sorry to let you know so close to show day, but I was hoping to be closer to a full recovery by now. Sadly, that hasn’t happened. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.”
All tickets purchased for the December 19, 2022 concert will be honored on Friday, June 2, 2023 and will not need to be exchanged. However, the June 2nd performance is subject to change if it conflicts with a Knicks playoff game. For more information, please visit msg.com.
Billy Joel will next perform at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2023, making this Friday the 13th Joel’s 86th consecutive monthly show, and 132nd lifetime at The World’s Most Famous Arena.
In December 2013, Billy Joel was named Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at The Garden, “as long as the demand continues,” says Joel.
Billy Joel is one of the biggest concert draws in the world, selling out arenas and stadiums across the globe. Having sold 150 million records over the past quarter century and scoring 33 consecutive Top 40 hits, Joel ranks as one of the most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in history. The singer/songwriter/composer is the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time and the third best-selling solo artist. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected “Piano Man” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its “cultural, historic, and artistic significance.”
Joel received The Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States’ top cultural awards, in December 2013. He is also the recipient of six GRAMMY® Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Legend Award. Joel has been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards including a TONY AWARD for “Movin’ Out,” a Broadway musical based on Joel’s music. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
On December 10th, 2022 State Champs brought Frozen Fest back to Albany, NY with a packed lineup of pop-punk and alternative rock bands. For 5+ hours, Save Face, Between You & Me, Young Culture, Hunny, and headliner State Champs kept people on the feet and some surfing over the crowd at Empire Live.
State Champs dropped their album, Kings of the New Age, back in February 2022. With the resurgence of pop-punk, the demand to see them live kept many of their fans anxious. A highly anticipated return to the stage was met in back in June at Albany’s first show for their 2022 Alive at 5 series. Then in August, State Champs announced their tour for their album for late fall of this year.
The show opened with gothic rock band Save Face from New Jersey. Lead vocalist, Tyler Povanda, came out a stronger than expected. With the stage illuminated blood red, the entire band in red jump suits, and Povanda’s jerky movements, it gave the feeling more of a death metal concert… at a pop-punk show? Povanda did warm up the crowd eventually and they left with a warm cheer from the crowd.
Save Face, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022, – Photo by Jarron Childs
Between You & Me (BYAM) came all the way from Australia to join State Champs on their Kings of the New Age tour. No introduction was needed as they were an instant hit with the crowd. With a style similar to State Champs, the energy could easily be matched between the two. Their set was a rager from start to finish. Towards the end, vocalist Jake Wilson, and Tyler Povanda matched the energy of the crowd when they dragged their wired mics into the mosh pit seemingly against the advice of security.
Between You & Me Bassist, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Young Culture opened for State champs for their first 7 shows on tour and had to come back home to end the tour. They brought peace, love, and positivity to every single person in the room. Vocalist, Alex Magan, greeted crowd surfers at the barricade with a warm and infectious smile. Though their set was a bit shorter than expected, the energy felt light enough to float on for long after.
Hunny was the last opening act for the night. Along with BYAM, they went the whole tour with State Champs. Hailing from the suburbs just outside of LA, their somewhat mellow indie-rock style flattened out the crowd before the main event. They had turned off the lights for the first half of their set which made you really have to just vibe with the music. Things were turned up towards the end with vocalist Jason Yarger strumming his guitar with his foot and laying on the ground out of pure exhaustion.
Young Culture Vocalist Alex Magan, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
State Champs came out strong and did not let up. The crowd kept up with their energy as they sent a heavy stream of crowd surfers to barricade, over hauling the security for the rest of the night. With special guest appearances from Jake Wilson and their tour manager Colin Lorne, they brought out all the stops for their final show of their tour.
Their 22-song setlist was mostly songs from their new album, Kings of the New Age, but also had certified bangers for their real fans including “Secrets,” “Elevated,” and “All You Are is History.” Vocalist Derek “Steez” Discanio and Bassist Ryan Scott Graham interacted well with the crowd, having them dancing and head banging for the whole night.
Ryan Scott Graham of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Things were brought pretty low halfway through to do a 3 song acoustic set; including a solo stunt with Discanio strumming “Our Time To Go.” Hearts were clenched, hands were held, and bodies were swaying along as Steez belted his heart out on stage.
The music was turned right back up after, making the last three songs feel like a distant memory. Derek Discanio celebrated 13 years of State Champs by releasing balloons onto the crowd. They played their last 5 songs hard and left to the crowd screaming for one more. They came back out and granted Empire Live with a 2-song encore. First their Christmas song “Ordinary Christmas,” then closed the night with their hit off their album, “Everybody But You.”
Derek Discanio of State Champs, Frozen Fest 12/10/2022 – Photo by Jarron Childs
Steez and State Champs showed so much love to his home crowd and promised to bring another Frozen Fest next year. State Champs has had themselves a year and it looks like they plan to take a break and enjoy Christmas and the New Year.
Save Face Setlist: Sharpen Your Teeth, Bad, Bury Me (Tonight!), Weak, A.M. Gothic, Glitter, Another Kill For The Highlight Reel
Between You & Me Setlist: Butterflies, Supervillain, Overthinking, Goldfish, Go To Hell, Pleased to Meet You, Deadbeat, Dakota
Young Culture Setlist: Not in Love, Hum, Kinda Over It, Party Girl, Whiskey, Drift, Different Now, Holiday in Vegas
Hunny Setlist: JFK, Shy, Halloween, Saturday Night, A Slow Death In Pacific Standard Time, Loser, GHS, Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me), Everything Means Everything To Me, Homesick, Televised, Sports With Strangers, Lula, I’m Not Mad
State Champs Setlist: Just Sound, Mine Is Gold, Eventually, Outta My Head, Criminal, Sundress, Frozen, Elevated, Half Empty, Crying Out Loud, If I’m Lucky, Our Time To Go, Fake it, All You Are Is History, Act Like That, Deadly Conversation, Hurry Up and Wait, Losing Myself, All or Nothing, Breaking Ground, Secrets
State ChampsEncore: Ordinary Christmas, Everybody But You
On Sunday December 11th, the musical duo FRENSHIP sold out Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right for their “Big Boys in Small Rooms” tour. The members, Brett Hite and James Sunderland, and their lively drummer fortified a comforting atmosphere on stage. With soft synth sounds and lyrics paying an ode to friendship, love, and the sweetness of relaxing on the weekends, the band hosted an electric night full of dancing and new memories.
Members of FRENSHIP: James Sunderland (left) and Brett Hite (right).
Before the band formed, Hite and Sunderland met while working at sportswear store Lululemon in Los Angeles, CA. Their friendship developed as they shared their mutual affinity for music. They started producing together and uploading songs to the music platform SoundCloud. Their song “Knives” produced with Matoma in 2015 earned FRENSHIP a large following. Shortly after their growth spurt, they released their hit “Capsize” with singer/songwriter Emily Warren in June 2016. Their EP “Truce” followed suit in September 2016.
The opener for FRENSHIP, Kate The Dreamer, made a magical first impression on the crowd. Her lyrics spoke to the uncertainty that follows someone throughout their twenties into their thirties. Kate is crafting an insightful conversation with break-ups, career choices, and the youthful creativity she gracefully holds onto.
Kate The Dreamer.
Towards the end of the show, Kate came back onto stage to perform an acoustic version of FRENSHIP’s “Capsize” with Hite and Sunderland. Afterwards, Sunderland recalled Kate’s origin as a FRENSHIP fan who shared her work with them after a show she attended, which they took an immediate liking to. Hite then told the crowd to expect a single with Kate The Dreamer to come out during the new year.
After Kate’s short but dreamy set, FRENSHIP kicked off their performance with one of their eldest hits, “1000 Nights,” released in 2016. A perfect introduction to their sound with powerful percussion and soulful guitar riffs. The setlist rolled through with songs old and new: their newest single “Songs for The Weekend” seemed to be a crowd favorite, for the energy on the floor was contagious. The space was alive with electronic grooving and loving embraces. There was no choice but to dance with strangers, because FRENSHIP’s music undeniably surfaces a kindness within those listening.
James Sunderland (1:2 of FRENSHIP)
The band found it hard to leave the stage, as the crowd begged for more songs. Chants requesting their song “Swim,” released in 2019 on their album “Vacation,” echoed amongst the audience. Hite and Sunderland happily deviated from their setlist, and gave the song their all. When it came time for them to conclude the show, it felt like saying goodbye to dear friends. After all, their voice is founded on the intimacy of friendship.
Setlist: 1000 Nights, Carpet, Alright, Hurricanes and Sugar Highs, GMGB, Wide Open (acoustic), Anywhere but Here, Songs for The Weekend, Capsize, Remind You, How a Man Dies, Meet Again, Swim**
Whether you have spent the last week cheering on Morocco, Brazil or Argentina, Enisa caters to all World Cup fans in her latest single “Olè.” In the music video — which has already accrued over 20,000 views — Enisa dons the colors of three different teams, looking past rivalries in an ode to the camaraderie of the World Cup.
Enisa is a first generation American born and raised in Brooklyn. Her roots in NYC go deep, she attended Brooklyn College, where she honed in her sound: a beautiful combination of contemporary European and American pop, with some Balkan quirks. Her global approach to music in general is on display more illustratively than ever in “Olè,” which celebrates teams across continents and cultures.
Though “Olè” is an uplifting song, Enisa said she wrote it at a time when she was needing self-confidence and was looking for encouragement. When listening to lyrics, the song would be empowering to both the average person and a world-class soccer player, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders while lining up for a penalty kick. The song inspires coalition and support, a relief from the pressures of life in the city.
“I wrote this song with the World Cup in mind as well,” Enisa said. “When I closed my eyes, I pictured people all around the world singing the chorus and shouting ‘Olè’.”
This single closes out an exciting and productive year for Enisa, who released her first seven song EP, Fake Love and three other singles in 2022. Listen to “Olè” here, and see the video before.
Crane School of Music graduate Josh Barkley will host a unique tour of North Country churches, performing organ and piano music at each stop this December. The tour is free to the public, and even with stops at these historic churches, the performances will not include a religious service.
A multi-instrumentalist, Josh Barkley has played the accordion for his high school production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” the saxophone in his high school marching band, electric bass in a local country music group, and the organ at church on Sunday. This man of many talents is best known as a jazz pianist who plays the piano on the fly, improvising music more than sticking strictly to sheet music.
Barkley, an SLC Arts musician, will begin the holiday music tour featuring organ and piano on December 11, with each performance beginning at 6:00PM and taking place at a different church in St. Lawrence County, with the final concert on December 22nd at SUNY Potsdam’s Hosmer Hall.
This week’s episode of Saturday Night Livefeatures SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short co-hosting, with musical guest, singer-songwriter, Brandi Carlile.
The cold open features Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, and Sarah Sherman sharing how they keep their cool during the holiday season. They sing a jingle about current events happening in the world, including Elon Musk buying Twitter, Kanye West’s antisemitic comments, and the unexpected album drop from convicted pedophile R. Kelly.
The monologue sawMartin Short and Steve Martin talking about how many times they have hosted in a montage video, with Martin hosting an incredible 16 times, and Short comically having hosted only three times, including this evening. They joked about how nostalgic it felt to be back and meet the new cast. Martin and Short are celebrating the third season of their Hulu show Only Murders in the Building as well. The two also jokingly read about what each other’s eulogies would be. Selena Gomez made a guest appearance at the end of the monologue.
The first sketch features Short and Martin premiering on a spin-off of a scientific PBS Kids TV show. The two use cast members Cecily Strong and Mikey Day as kids helping out in demonstrating different scientific scenarios, but they are comically unhelpful and make obscene jokes. Both Martin and Short become increasingly frustrated at the kids, and the segment cuts out.
The next sketch features the SNL writing room. They are making fun of a cast member’s ex and saying she smelled bad, and more. The funny joke is that they got back together, and she was in the room, with the family members seeing them talking badly about the ex. Martin and Short show up, and as the two cast members try to get themselves out of it, it keeps progressing.
Another holiday-themed sketch follows, taking place on a train ride. Martin Short and Steve Martin, along with Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson are sitting in a booth together. They break out into a song and dance about snow, wanting to see it and be in it, having not experienced it before. The sketch takes a turn, where Strong, Martin, and Short turn into bears, hibernating through the snow.
The next sketch features Martin as Santa and Short as an elf named Sprinkles. He is short-tempered and yells at each child as they try to tell Santa what they want. Following is a sketch about A Christmas Carol, with Short being The Scrooge. He comically blinds an orphan trying to give him money. Martin, being the Spirit or Christmas Present, also blinds people when throwing coins, even accidentally stabbing someone.
Brandi Carlile recently released a deluxe record titled In The Canyon Haze. This isn’t Carlile’s first time performing on SNL, having been featured as a guest earlier in the year. She will be opening for P!nk at Citi Field on Aug. 3, and tickets are on sale here. She carried a lot of energy in her performance of her song “The Story” dressed in a festive suit. Her unique and powerful vocals shine as she smiles at the audience several times.
https://youtu.be/CpNqR-ff_TQ
Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che talked about the political race, including Herschel Walker losing the election, with the audience clapping. They made a lot of jokes about Brittney Griner being released from prison as well as talking about the World Cup finals.
The next sketch features Short as Minky Carmichael on a show, teaching women how to treat their men. It gets funny as Cecily Strong makes fun of him, and humiliates him on the show. Brandi Carlile came back out, in a different black and blue outfit. She is singing a much chiller song, “You and Me on the Rock ft. Lucius” with the same powerful and beautiful vocals.
https://youtu.be/-sEbBaXMImY
The final sketch is a Father of the Bride spinoff, featuring Martin and Heidi Gardner as his daughter, celebrating her eighth wedding, with Short being a wedding planner. Kieran Culkin makes a guest appearance, as he was in the original movie along with Martin and Short. Selena Gomez also makes an appearance as the wedding singer.
Next week’s Saturday Night Live show features Austin Butler hosting, with musical guest Lizzo.
New York-based producer and lo-fi sensation Chris Mazuera shares his latest album Let’s Take A Trip. The multi-instrumentalist released six singles leading up to the project, which received adds to Spotify’s chill lofi study beatsplaylist and Apple Music editorials such as “SLEEP” and “LoFi Jazz – Global.”
Mazuera is most known for his collaborative work, but Let’s Take a Trip is a solo album which is perfect for a chill relaxing study session. This project not only highlights his guitar skills, but also his beat making abilities, ranging from old-school boom-bap to more melodic, and guitar-driven jazz-hop.
“The album represents to me the musical growth that I’ve had,” says Mazuera, “more specifically in the last two years. I’ve learned better how to mold together all my different influences into a sound that’s more uniquely mine.”
From rock bands to lofi inspired hip-hop, Chris Mazuera has dabbled in a bit of everything and it brings out his unique style. A lover of music from a young age, Chris started his musical journey early by playing guitar for local bands in Miami.
When Chris moved to New York City, he began working with local producers in hip-hop and lo-fi. Energized by both the musical process and the ability to make entire tracks on his own in the genre, Chris released his first album Monstera in 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGn4_-ylcaI
The project’s emphasis on guitar solos is personal to Mazuera, calling back to his musical introduction to New York City. “I would busk in Grand Central soloing over the blues for hours,” he recalls. From start to finish, Let’s Take A Trip truly is a trip to be experienced.
Currently, Chris’ career has focused on collaboration and innovation across all musical genres. He has even produced for several artists such as FELIVAND, Nafets, Jessica Domingo, and Habe.
To check out Lets Take A Trip, click the link here.
16-year-old viral sensation Havanna Winter is lighting up this holiday season with her festive new single, “Daddy’s Kissing Santa Claus.” The track is accompanied by a hilariously outrageous Christmas video with an 80s-inspired twist. The video co-star’s Havanna alongside a great group of people including Guevara, Marsha Molinari, Vince Rossi, Jordan Xidas, and more.
“‘Daddy’s Kissing Santa Claus’ is such a fun song,” says Havanna Winter. “It’s chaotic and catchy, and it gets stuck in your head. I feel like it’s very relatable because most of us have experienced some Christmas gatherings that didn’t go as planned. I think that with all the serious things that have been going on in the world lately, people need a break from it, especially over the holidays, and to just be able to relax and have a laugh with some funny and happy vibes.”
Havanna Winter gained worldwide attention in 2020 with a series of hugely popular TikTok videos, she now has over 6 million followers across social media. Born in Norway but raised in Los Angeles, CA, the wildly talented musical artist, actress, and influencer gained popularity with a trio of singles released throughout 2022. Some of her most famous being “rain rain go away,” “Heaven To Me,” and “Hollywood Forever.”
The still-evolving young artist is determined to bring a similarly vivid and creative approach to modern Pop, infusing retro influences with forward-facing spirit to create something altogether her own.She has already released 3 singles this year with an album to come next year all guided by Executive Producer Maya K (Bebe Rexha, Anita, J Balvin).
Listen to more of Havanna Winter and “Daddy’s Kissing Santa Claus” by clicking the link here.
Albany’s State Champs spent their Thanksgiving in Las Vegas, holding a family dinner with their crew. The day off from their Fall Tour, one that took them from the East Coast, with an appearance in Brooklyn in November and all the way out west by late November, was a welcome respite from cross-country travel in post-pandemic America.
State Champs at Brooklyn Steel – photo by Joe Buscarello
State Champs return home to Albany to close the tour out at Empire Live on Saturday, December 10, with a sold out show and support from Young Culture, Hunny, Save Face and Between You & Me opening up the night. Dubbed Frozen Fest, the pop-punk scene is alive and well with State Champs leading the way for the next wave.
Speaking with guitarist Tyler Szalkowski and drummer Evan Ambrosio via Zoom the night before Thanksgiving before the band’s show at The Union in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas was a jumping off point, given the group having a first hand experience at When We Were Young Festival, held a month prior at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. High winds forced the cancellation of Day 1 of the festival, leaving a sour taste in many fans mouths, despite safety of fans being paramount, especially in a city like Las Vegas.
State Champs at Alive at Five – photo by Jarron Childs
The band was unloading at 10am when the found ou their se was cancelled. “It was a massive bummer, many thought it was too good to be true given the lineup, but the cancellation of Day 1 was needed due to high winds and fan safety,” said Szalkowski. “It’s the last thing you want to do as a promoter, let alone as a band. I can’t see anyone dying from the selfish desire to see music.” This passionate defense of a festival that was at first criticized for canceling the day is on point – this was no ‘emo Fyre Fest’ as Ambrosio best put it. In a town with hundreds of hotel options and nightlife around every corner, the band and fans made due.
They attempted to come up with a last minute show, but playing a show just to play a show wasn’t a worthwhile option, especially when all bands on the Friday lineup was looking to put on a show. With options limited and bands they were looking to pair up with for an impromptu show – one booked and announced mere hours before doors – State Champs came up with a better idea. Tweeting out a message to fans to meet them outside O’Shea’s – near The Linq, centrally located on the Vegas Strip – and this meetup turned into a large gathering for about an hour, much to the chagrin of security, despite fans being peaceful and there to hang with their idols in a setting that was a rare opportunity for all parties. Fans from around the world who were bummed about the cancellation were happy to meet a band they traveled far to see.
When Day 1 of When We Were Young fest got cancelled, we decided to do an impromptu fan meet up! Thanks to everyone who came and showed love pic.twitter.com/W7ShS4NZUw
Still in town for the weekend, the band and crew were able to check out the festival and see bands from their formative years, with Evan noting “I was impressed with how it was, walking around saying ‘I know that song, and that song. It also made you feel safe, with more security and scanning an RFID chip to get through access points.”
State Champs at Empire Live Frozen Fest 2021 – photo by Peter Herrick
Looking back on their Vans Warped Tour days with the experience of When We Were Young and other festival appearances for State Champs, Szalkowski reflected on the basicness for artists who were appearing at the many Warped side stages. “Warped was like a free for all with a mixed bag of folks and poppy artists nearby, the band playing Super Smash Brothers on a 55” screen TV in our 10×10 tent backstage.” For Evan, “Warped is still to this day my favorite tour,” with the band needing to be compact enough to set up, perform and break down quickly so you can get out to discover bands that were on the same footing.
Live performances these days for State Champs are all about keeping the sound, energy and performance steady for each night of the tour.
“There’s a lot of integrity in being a band, it has to be authentic and real, One day we said ‘fuck it, let’s be a professional band,’ and you want it to carry over live. At one point we dove into live rhythm tracks to have more control over our performance and the layers that helped us sound more professional. All the touring bands had a similar set up and we’re using tracks and a number of amps on stage. Why limit ourselves when we have all these assets at our disposal? We want it to sound like the biggest and best band, better than the studio.”
Tyler Szalkowski
By 2019, the full band had in-ear monitors, and lost the live cabinets from the stage, and ceded more control to FOH, keeping the rig fully self-contained so that none of our stuff changes from day to day. “We don’t show up with an experimental groove, we bring it all – gear, consoles, mics – to guarantee sonic consistency,” said Ambrosio.
Factoring in the setlist to the cohesive sound has the band looking steps ahead with each choice to determine ‘What does this song do, and how does the song before and after affect it,” according to Szalkowski. Keeping the setlist consistent this fall tour helps to keep the flow of the show going – although they had a rotating setlist in the summer.
“This tour is the favorite one we’ve ever done. We’ve extended some sections and added new arrangements and perform a medley of old songs that satisfies fans looking for earlier work. Having toured with pop acts that did cool things that we wanted to do, we brought in LED screens to make the show more of a live music experience.”
Evan Ambrosio
But as they push into their 30s, the angst they shared through their music once before has changed in inspiration, not in message. “We’re still pissed off about stuff. Not borderline teenage angst; bad stuff still happens to us, our hearts get broken by people (and events)” shared Szalkowski. “We always have a bit of an edge, we were the band of ‘something sucks, but it’ll get better, life is worth living.”
Avoiding being disingenuous or cringe and authentic in performance – as well as songwriting – allows the band to allow fans to create their own interpretation of a song. Ambrosio sums up where State Champs’ mindset is “We focus on life as we experience it, not an event we didn’t have a part in. We write about things that stay true to what we experience, and not try to jump on a trend of ultimate sadness or TikTok videos, so we can maintain authenticity and stay true to what the band has built up.”
State Champs’ sold out Frozen Fest at Empire Live takes place this Saturday, December 10.
