Category: Pop

Meet Petting Zoo, NYC’s Rising Pop-Rock Band

Petting Zoo is a pop-rock band from Norwalk, Connecticut and currently based out of New York City. Bandmates include Zack Ely, Bennett Newman, Colin Berger, Joe Wen, and DEEGAN.

Born and raised in Norwalk, Petting Zoo released their first single “Lovin’ Yourself” in 2018. They released their first self-titled EP in late 2020 and have been releasing subsequent singles in 2021. Recently, they are coming back with new songs and lively performances.

Zack Ely is the vocal and rhythm guitar whose favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked. Joe Wen plays electric guitar and bass in the band and Colin Berger is the drummer. Bennett Newman plays bass and electric guitar who is a Black Raspberry ice cream lover. And DEEGAN sang and helped produce the tracks.

Growing up on Coldplay, Maroon 5, Green Day, the Beatles, Bob Marley, the Police, U2, Petting Zoo have firmly established themselves as purveyors of bright, chart-friendly indie-pop. They are also suckers for contemporary Top 40 and pop/hip hop.

Their new song “Food” came out on July 15 which is a song filled with summer vibe. The finger-popping bass backs the song while the refreshing vocal with simple guitar chorus and sand hammer created a feeling of drinking iced juice. The speed change and the following sound design in the middle of the song created a sense of running into the sea and diving into it.

Petting Zoo

The passion for the food is the inspiration of the newly released song “Food.” Zack is known to devour chocolate and/or chicken parm sandwiches like his life depends on it, which is the origin of him to write a song about food. The members agreed that “Food” doesn’t even have to be a love song since Zack could genuinely just be talking about the entity of food itself.

They had wonderful performance in Bowery Ballroom on June 10 and will show up more frequently in July which including the show in Red Lion on July 23, Bitter End on July 30, and opened for the 502s at the Bayley Beach Summer Concert Series on July 31. More upcoming shows can be found here.

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

August 1, 2022
Fantastic Cat Release Debut Album “The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat”

‘New NYC supergroup, Fantastic Cat, are a new instrument-swapping rock/alt-country/folk band made of singer/songwriters Anthony D’Amato, Brian Dunne, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali. Their debut album The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat just came out on July 29. Likewise, they’ll also be celebrating at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom with an album release show the same day.

So far, their newest record has been praised by Atwood Magazine, No Depression, The Boot, Bluegrass Situation and more; the singles have been added to multiple 1M+ Spotify playlists including Fresh Finds and All New Indie. The band also have a CBS Saturday session confirmed for the end of July which will air in early/mid-August.

The first single, “C’mon Armageddon”, is an incredible A24-style music video featuring Marc Geller who plays Kier Egan on the hit AppleTV show Severance. Along with this, the music video for the single “The Gig” shows the band playing a gig on The Staten Island Ferry after being told by their sleazebag manager he booked the band on “one of those concert cruises that are all the rage.”

Captured in the wilds of the Pocono Mountains, the album shifts between genres and different decades of music. By mixing electrified 60’s folk and 70’s AM radio gold with 80’s heartland rock and 90’s alt-country, it encompasses a raw feel of longtime friends making music for the sheer joy of it.

“Their music is at once fun, freewheeling, achingly intimate, and beautifully honest. They can joke about themselves and the state of things while tapping into deeply meaningful and relatable emotions… Fantastic Cat’s songs are a reminder that, even in our darkest moments, we can find a little light and love to hold onto.”
– Atwood Magazine

Along with the great music the band produces, they have a very fun and humorous vibe in all their videos and photos. Particularly, the photos and videos where they wear the giant cut out cat heads. Fantastic Cat has impressively made its way into the spotlight collectively. Through the four transcend their respective roots, they have emerged as an instrument-swapping, harmony-trading, tear-jerking, wise-cracking rock and roll cooperative far greater than the sum of its parts.

Key Tracks:

July 28, 2022
Pleasantville Music Festival Returns

After a two-year COVID hiatus, the 16th Pleasantville Music Festiva l returned on July 9. The all-day event featured a cornucopia of musical performances with 18 acts between three stages.

We try to check off as many boxes as we can so there is something on our stages that everybody will appreciate.
Festival Director, Bruce Figler

Under a bright blue sky, attendees moved freely between the Chill Tent, Pamnation Party, and main stages. With each location offered its own style of music. Superb coordination of stage start times allowed most fans to catch most if not all of the performances.

Platinum Moon

Pleasantville music festival has prided itself on the promotion of local musicians. Staying true to their mission statement, the opening acts on each of the three stages were winners in the Lagond Music Sc hool ‘s 2022 “Battle of the Band” competition, where first place winners, Platinum Moon, were rewarded with opening the main stage. Rounding out the triumvirate of winners was Westchester based Noshows — who appeared on the Pamnation stage — along with Carter Quinn Tanis (hailing from Cromwell-on-Hudson) who performed in the Chill Tent.

The Pamnation stage, set up between the Chill Tent and the main stage, offered a separate dance area. The Narrowbacks from Pearl River took full advantage by getting the crowd up and moving with their Irish rock. Pamnation stage closers, Illiterate Light, raised the bar with a guitar and drum duet from the Virginia natives. The audience roared along with enough liveliness to mimic an arena.

The Narrowbacks

Resembling a circus big top, the Chill Tent offered an oasis for acoustic performers. Located at the back of the festival grounds, the Chill Tent lived up to its name: benefiting from a constant breeze flowing through the performance area. Throughout the day solo, duo, and trios graced the stage. Paula Cole closed out this space backed by a three-piece band. Under a subdued purple glow, Cole and band shared an intimate performance filled with songs and insights from her lengthy career.

Glenn Tilbrook

The main stage was not to be outdone. Highlights included Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze performing solo. Tilbrook played a host of Squeeze songs including “Take Me I’m Yours” and “Black Coffee in Bed,” to the crowd’s enjoyment. Standing tall with his custom-made red Squire Telecaster, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears followed, sharing a powerful blues set. Festival headliners, X Ambassadors, closed out the evening with lead singer Sam Harris singing and dancing from one end of the stage to another. Teenage girls lined the front of the stage giving their approval after every song. The Ithaca band presented a dynamic performance of their music, capping a stellar day.

X Ambassadors

With its 16th event in the books, the Pleasantville Music festival has proven its sustainability, offering top-notch performers in a suburban setting while mixing in crafts, food and family-oriented activities.

Main Stage

Platinum Moon

Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure

Glenn Tilbrook

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Crash Test Dummies

X Ambassadors

Pamnation Stage

Noshows

The Breaks Inc.

Blankslate

Sid Simons

The Narrowbacks

Illiterate Light

Chill Stage

Carter Quinn Tanis

Chaz Kiss

Greg Jacquin

Riki Stevens

Cole Quest & The City Pickers

Paula Cole

July 23, 2022
NYC Artist MuMu Shares New Pro-Choice Anthem “Wrapped Up”

MuMu, from Harlem, is a singer/songwriter who writes songs based on the guidance she received listening to spangled pop stars to feel less alone living in a home rife with addiction and mental illness.

The new single “Wrapped Up” is about the overturning of Roe v. Wade which makes the right to an abortion constitutional. This essential procedure is now illegal for many people across the United States. The song retells the real stories of three women who faced the challenges of unplanned pregnancy and expresses how important the right to choose is, and the detrimental effects of those rights being taken away.

MuMu wrote an essay talking about the single, and how important it is.

Abortions have always existed and always will. They are part of our human herstory. There is written documentation of different abortion methods used all over the world. Archeologists have discovered instruments used to perform abortions that date back hundreds of years. Limiting abortion access does not prevent abortions from happening, it prevents them from being safe. An abortion is not an easy choice to make, but it’s an impossible choice to make for a stranger. And if we take away the right to safe reproductive care, people will suffer. People will die.
MuMu

“Wrapped Up” explains what it feels like to go through an abortion for those who have never gone through it. The song is groovy and slow, and her vocals are reminiscent of Alanis Morissette. There are a lot of emotional and powerful lyrics like “He took her hand/And swore a lie/Until she opened up her thighs/When she went to the doctor/People screamed and rocks were thrown/They wanted a child/To have a child of her own.”

The chorus is fiery and emotional as she sings “All the fear you give/And all the faith you hold Is heavy on her heavy heart of gold/All your virtue and strong beliefs WRAPPED UP in her destiny.” The rest of the song talks about the trauma an abortion can cause and the family struggles that come after it.

Overall, the new single is well thought out, emotional, and backed with groovy guitars and MuMu’s sultry voice to speak about the ongoing struggle with the government handling women’s rights issues.

July 22, 2022
Dip into Finger Lakes Music with Geneva’s Live After 5 series

Live After 5 is the local Friday night Summer music series in the Finger Lakes town of Geneva. On select Fridays, listen to music while sitting in a lawn chair on the beautiful waterfront at the Geneva Wyndham.

Geneva has been settled by Americans since the late 18th century, being inhabited previously by the Algonquin, Senaca Nation who were members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The shores of Seneca Lake served as a military outpost for British Loyalists, with settlers moving in after 1792, bringing in others from New England, Maryland, Virginia, eastern New York and Pennsylvania for farming. Geneva itself was incorporated as a village in 1806 and a city in 1897.

One of the largest music events in the Finger Lakes, music for Live After 5 begins at 5:30pm and ends at 9:30pm, with performances held rain or shine.

Live After 5 Lineup

July 8th Ruby Shooz

July 22nd Jon Lamanna

August 12th Flint Creek

August 26th Prime Time Funk

July 19, 2022
NKOTB Mixtape Tour 2022 stops in Buffalo at Keybank Center

On Sunday July 17th, The Mixtape tour 2022 invaded Buffalo with multiple acts appearing. It featured multiplatinum selling pop super-group New Kids On The Block (NKOTB), Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, and En Vogue who last visited Buffalo in 2015.

One of the first big ‘boy bands’ of the 1980s, New Kids On The Block hail from Dorchester, Massachusetts and consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.

Fans heard chart-topping hits and legendary catalogues spanning generations all night long. It follows the colossal commercial and critical success of NKOTB’s 2019 tour by the same name. Which was their biggest since reuniting in 2008 which grossed $53.2 million, sold more than 650,000 tickets and pioneered a super-sized show each night with multiple acts (Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Naughty By Nature and Debbie Gibson).

Donnie from NKOTB walking around the floor taking photos with fans. Photo credit- Mike Miller

The crowd was mostly filled with female fans, but all the fans in attendance seemed to know the words to every song. There were two stages on each end of the floor which made some fans closer than usual. With a bar style single row seating layout along the edges of each stage, fans got up close and personal.

En Vouge Photo credit- Mike Miller

NKOTB hit the stage on the MixTape Tour 2022 to perform fan favorite #1 hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step” while tour mates Salt-N-Pepa (“Push It,” “Shoop,” “Whatta Man”), Rick Astley (“Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go [Love],” “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Hold On”) kept the party going with music that catapulted them to stardom and solidified their places in music history.

Throughout the show, confetti was blasted in the air with cannons. Everyone got covered in it almost like snow falling. On the main stage, they used pyro vertical fire blasts for multiple songs. There was a huge video screen above the main stage so people in the back could see what was going on. The security and the guest experience was top notch at Keybank Center. Everyone had smiles on and enjoyed the night which brought back memories from the 80’s and 90’s.

Rick Astley at Keybank Center. Photo credit Mike Miller

Over the past two years, Rick Astley has amassed million YouTube followers with a series of covers from his studio. Rick has become a major force on TikTok with 1.7 million followers. “Never Gonna Give You Up” was recently featured on the critically acclaimed series Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ and its video has been viewed more than 1 billion times.

NKOTB. Photo credit- Mike Miller

At the very end of the show, all of the acts got on stage to perform “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley.

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July 19, 2022
Hoodie Allen Releases Pop-Punk Single “Call Me Never”

Brooklyn-based pop-rock hitmaker Hoodie Allen has released his latest pop-punk single “Call Me Never” on July 15. Taking notes from staples like Blink-182 and New Found Glory, Hoodie explored himself in a new genre.

Call Me Never

After working alongside with several rock bands such as Fall Out Boy, this new pop-punk Call Me Never seamlessly melds pop sound with punk influences, which marked Hoodie’s extensive discography. In addition to the track is a comedic, action-packed music video that allows Hoodie’s acting chops to shine while juxtaposes the emotional backstory of the lyrics.

Hoodie Allen

Call Me Never is all about being in that endless cycle of chasing someone who’s bad for you yet simultaneously trying to run away from those tendencies and move forward with your life. It’s the phase of being stuck and I was definitely stuck when I wrote it. We tell ourselves lies to get over someone and we tell that someone that we’d be better of alone but yet if we were over it, we wouldn’t need to keep the conversation going. It’s pop punky and evocative of all of my teenaged influences at its finest new found glory…but despite the high energy fast-paced sing-along, it is still ultimately about a weak moment that you can’t shake.
– Hoodie Allen

Hoodie Allen delivers heartbreak-inspired emo hooks in this new release. His upcoming eight-track album weaves between infectious pop melodies with punk guitar riffs. Different from his usual playful raps, the record takes listeners on a highly personal journey of the messiness that befalls a breakup.

Without a label or management, his 2012 EP All American landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200, delivering 2 platinum singles, and eventually moving over 250,000 units. Now he is poised to break the preconceptions with his next release, which was co-written and produced with The Wreck’s Nick Anderson.

July 18, 2022
Lexi Mariah Returns with “Queen of Broken Hearts” this August

NYC-based pop artist Lexi Mariah returns with her upcoming single, “Queen of Broken Hearts,” coming to streaming services on August 3. Her energetic sound and carefully crafted storytelling combine into a catchy track worthy of high praise.

Produced by Kenny Cash and written by Mariah, “Queen of Broken Hearts” explores the ups and downs of relationships – how the people one trusts are not always who they seem. The track opens with an enticing guitar riff and vocal harmonies that pull you in and keep you hooked.

Influenced by artists such as Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift, Mariah explores her pop sound with engaging hooks and an upbeat and captivating chorus. The lyrics tell a story of a manipulative relationship, adding great depth to the underlying rhythm.

Lately I just feel like relationships and even friendships are a gamble and you truly never know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Sometimes people in your life will ‘play fair’ and sometimes they won’t. They might try to avoid showing their true colors at first, but the truth eventually will always come through.
– Lexi Mariah on “Queen of Broken Hearts”

Over the course of the nearly three-minute track, Mariah builds her message with engaging drums, sassy and ethereal vocals, and the perfect mix of the pop and indie genres. If you are looking for a song to blast in the car with the windows down this summer, “Queen of Broken Hearts” is the perfect addition to your next mix.

To anticipate the release of “Queen of Broken Hearts,” check out Mariah’s recent releases and take a look at her music video for her 2021 track, “Demons,” below. Fans of Mariah’s music can also find her on Instagram.

July 17, 2022
The 16th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival will be held on July 9

The Pleasantville Music Festival will be held on July 9 at Parkway Field in Pleasantville N.Y. The festival’s Main Stage headliner this year will be X Ambassadors – current hit makers from Ithaca, NY with hugely popular songs like “Renegades”, “Unsteady” and “Boom.” “Renegades” was featured recently in a national Jeep advertising campaign. Other performances on the Main Stage will include Tarrytown native Clare Maloney & her band the Great Adventure. She and her band perform regularly at Garcia’s and are favorites of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane crowds. She’ll be followed by a solo performance by the legendary Glenn Tilbrook; founding member and lead sing of the band Squeeze. Next up on the Main Stage will be Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears, performing their funk and R&B mix, often channeling James Brown. They’ll be followed by ’80s and ’90s icons 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey, a band that has come to be known for hit songs like “What’s the Matter Here”, “Like the Weather”, “Trouble Me” and “These are Days.”

This year, the Chill Tent Stage will feature performances from Cornwall on Hudson’s Chaz Kiss; singer-songwriter Greg Jacquin, originally from Sleepy Hollow; Riki Stevens , a singer-songwriter from Norwalk, CT; and Cole Quest & the City Pickers – a five-piece bluegrass band. The band’s founder and namesake, Cole Quest, a Mt. Kisco native, is Woody Guthrie’s grandson. The Chill Tent’s schedule will culminate with a performance from the Chill Tent Stage’s headliner, singer-songwriter Paula Cole, known for huge hit songs in the ’90s like “I Don’t Want to Wait” and “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone.”

The Party Stage this year will feature The Breaks Inc. , a retro rock band with a Beatles vibe featuring guitarist Adrian Cardenas from Croton on Hudson; Blankslate , a Denver-based alt-rock trio with partial roots in Armonk; Sid Simons , alt-rockers from Brooklyn featuring the Simons brothers from Mamoroneck; and The Narrowbacks – Rowdy Irish rockers hailing from the Bronx and Pearl River. The Party Stage will close out with headliner’s Illiterate Light, a talented Virginia-based duo known for their recent radio hit “Better Than I Used To.”

“We do our best to appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes and demographics. We try to check off as many boxes as we can so there is something on our stages that everybody will appreciate,” says festival Director Bruce Figler. “Some come to see the headliners. Some come to see artists they have never heard. We’ve got something for every one. After two years off, we are super pumped to get the festival back up and running, and I think our audience is pretty pumped too.”

The Pleasantville Music Festival, presented by Northwell Health, is known as New York’s Backyard Jam. It’s become a must-attend summer event for the whole family, with great local food and drink, a warm positive vibe, and of course, world-class rock. Tickets to the Pleasantville Music Festival are available through Ticketweb and the Festival Box Office located in the Pleasantville Rec Center. More information about the event and links to the performers can be found at www.pleasantvillemusicfestival.com

July 1, 2022
Pop-punk Baby Got Back Talk Release Single and Video for “Model Minority”

New York City-based pop-punk band Baby Got Back Talk debuted their latest single and music video for “Model Minority” off their upcoming Wiretap Records debut EP, Existential Shred, due out in September.

The band was originally formed in 2017, consisting of G’Ra Asim (vocals/bass), Rhiana Hernandez (keyboard), and Jake Lazaroff (guitar/vocals). After years of sharing bills with acts like Choked Up, Universe Ignore Her, and Gibbons, Wes Ruiz (drums) was eventually brought into the band’s fold.

Baby Got Back Talk likens this new single to Keri Hilson’s “Pretty Girl Rock,” – where “Model Minority” is a rallying cry for queer people and people of color. The accompanying music video directed by Carla Troconis is a homage to My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay (I Promise) with a more modern twist. The band also teamed up with producer John Naclerio and Nada Recording Studios for their latest EP.

We’re what punk looks like in the 2020s: driven by a DIY ethic, conversant with social issues–especially as they pertain to gender and race, enabled by inter-web, bankrolled by day jobs, powered by a rad like-minded community, resonant with the most venerable iterations of rock ‘n’ roll but firmly committed to injecting some new flavor into the mold.
– Baby Got Back Talk

Previously named one of AfroPunk’s Top 8 Punkest Bands on the Planet, some of the band’s performances include the AfroPunk Festival in 2019 and Punk Island the year before. Their full-length album, Genre Reveal Party, was mixed by Paul Leavitt who has worked with All Time Low, Senses Fail, and Yellowcard in the past.

To keep up with the band, you can find them on socials @babygotbacktalk across platforms and at babygotbacktalk.com.

June 30, 2022

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