MSG (Madison Square Garden) Entertainment announced it is considering spinning off venues like Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall into two separate companies.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre.
Under the possible spinoff, the company would retain its “immersive” MSG Sphere venues and its majority interest in the dining and nightlife company TAO Group Hospitality. The potential transaction would provide shareholders with greater investment choice and visibility into each company’s businesses and growth prospects
This potential transaction would create two companies, each with a distinct value proposition for investors.
MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan
The entertainment venues will get spun off to the new firm, and would also get the sports and entertainment bookings including the Radio City Rockettes, the famous Christmas holiday production, and arena licensing agreements with the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
MSG Networks would fall under the potential separate company as well. It consists of regional networks MSG Network and MSG+ and the streaming app MSG GO.
The spin-off is still proposed and in the works, and investors are eagerly waiting for a final agreement.
On Sept. 21, the new variety theater Midnight Theatre will open its doors for the first time. Situated in midtown Manhattan, the performance venue will offer a great setting for music, magic, theater, and performance art.
Photo Credit: Brett Beyer Photography
Creative Director Warren Adcock conceptualized the 160-seat theater which will also be the first home for Mastercard’s innovative multisensory studio. The Midnight Theatre also includes a permanently installed 270-degree projection system that can digitally alter the appearance of the space to transport audiences anywhere. With animated environments that can react to the beat of a song, versatile audio-visual systems, and full live-stream capabilities, the venue is high-tech for the best entertainment.
In addition to the engaging offerings as an entertainment space, Midnight Theatre is home to the pan-Asian restaurant and bar, Hidden Leaf. The latest restaurant from Josh Cohen opened in July. The Midnight Cafe is also open bringing customers crafted cocktails with a high-energy, 70’s Italian disco soundtrack.
Photo Credit: Jason Greenspan
The venue will host shows of magic, music, and comedy in early Sept. as a sneak peek at what is to come in the fall and winter seasons. As part of the future lineup, a signature show, A Brief History of Magic, is set to premiere.
With the theater opening, this completes the dream of creating the ideal New York night out all under one roof. There’s been such a positive response to the opening of Hidden Leaf, and it’s been rewarding to see guests come enjoy the dining and cocktails that we have to offer. We are beyond excited to extend their experience inside the walls of the tech-enhanced Midnight Theatre with intimate, one-of-a-kind storytelling across magic, music, comedy and much more.
– Creative Director Warren Adcock
Photo Credit: Brett Beyer Photography
Stay tuned for when this next-level entertainment venue opens on Sept. 21. For more information, visit the Midnight Theatre’s website.
The UAlbany Performing Arts Center has announced its 2022-23 season performance schedule including the previously announced Dance in Albany and Creative Life series, spotlighting local artists, events celebrating Hmong culture and other diverse touring artists’ performances.
Godspell at Univeristy at Albany
A local trio consisting of flamenco guitarist Maria Zemantauski, dancer La Nina and percussionist Brian Melick will perform Flamenco Rhythms on September 28 to celebrate of National Hispanic Heritage month. The guitarist and dancer will also offer Tacones y Manos Calientes on September 29 & 30 for high school student groups.
In October, Captial Trio, UAlbany’s ensemble-in-residence will offer two programs on October 25th to celebrate its 25th anniversary. They will also offer high school student groups Life Hacks: Classical Music Edition, as well a public concert. On February 8 & 9, there will be several screenings of The immersive film a love letter to Brian, Lesley and Michelle will be screening in Februrary. Director and Skidmore College faculty member Hettie Barnhill will lead a discussion after each of the screenings. Original contemporary Iran play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit will perform in March to clebrate the World Theater Day.
In late October and early November, the project Celebrating Hmong Culture through the Arts will take place. It includes Paj ntaub in cooperation with the Hmong Museum in St. Paul from October 24 through November 4, Hmong culture film Being Hmong Means Being Free, and a Literature to Life verbatim stage adaptation The Latehomecomer.
More music performances will also be held in this season. UAlbany Physics professor Keith Earle and local choreographer Ellen Sinopoli will collaborate on the ChoreoPhysics: Demonstrating Concepts through Dance the PAC’s annual artist-in-residence exchange program will host the Stockton Chamber Players on February 22.
Other fascinating performances such as Pang!, the triptych of live radio plays by Dan Froot and Company which involved a forest of microphones, sound effects, props and musical instruments. Selected Shorts, Public Radio International’s wildly popular series and podcast, will be offered on April 29 as a unique evening of literature in performance.
Tickets for those events with admission charges can be purchased through the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s web site at www.albany.edu/pac.
Schedule for UAlbany Performing Arts Center 2022-23 season
Urban Bush Women – 9.20 & 9.21 7:30pm Urban Bush Women lec/dem for high school student groups- 9.21 10am Flamenco Rhythms – 9.28 7:30pm Tacones y Manos Calientes for high school student groups -9.29&9.30 10am MOMIX at The Egg – 10.6 7:30pm The Creative Life: A Conversation with Lucy Sante – 10.18 7pm Limón Dance Company – 10.21 8pm Display of Paj ntaub (Hmong story cloths) – 10/24 thru 11/4 various Life Hacks: Classical Music Edition for high school student groups – 10.25 10am Capital Trio – 10.25 7:30pm Being Hmong Means Being Free – 10.27 4:30pm The Latehomecomer – 11.3 7:30pm The Latehomecomer for high school student groups – 11.4 10am ChoreoPhysics for high school student groups – 11.9 10am La Serpiente – 11.13 7:30pm The Creative Life: A Conversation with Maira Kalman – 11.16 7pm ODC/Dance – 1.27 7:30pm a love letter to Brian, Lesley and Michelle for high school student groups – 2.8&2.9 10am a love letter to Brian, Lesley and Michelle – 2.9 7:30pm New York Theatre Ballet with Bridgman|Packer Dance – 2.17 8pm Stockton Chamber Players – 2.22 7:30pm Paul Taylor Dance Company – 3.4 8pm Dublin Irish Dance – 3.18 7:30pm White Rabbit, Red Rabbit – 3.26 7:30pm White Rabbit, Red Rabbit for high school student groups 3.27 10am Pang! for high school student groups – 4.20&4.21 10am Pang! – 4.20&4.21 7:30pm SaViON GLOVeR and The CeLeBRaTeD ORCHeST’DaNCE RA – 4.22 8pm Selected Shorts – 4.29 7:30pm Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company – 5.13 8pm
Vevo, the world’s leading music video network, has announced Pusha T as the next artist in their Ctrl. series with performances of “Dreamin of the Past” and “Brambleton” from his critically-acclaimed album It’s Almost Dry. Pusha T has previously worked with Vevo for a “Vevo Presents” performance in 2011. In 2018 he gave Vevo an exclusive interview focusing on the making of his Grammy-nominated album called, “How The Purple Tape Shaped Daytona.”
Pusha T gave a live video performance of his record “Brambleton”
Vevo’s Ctrl series highlights the work of hard-hitting, cutting-edge musicians making an impact in today’s music scene – both emerging and established. These artists demand attention, and Vevo’s Ctrl shines a deserving spotlight. Pusha T’s performances follow sessions from Rick Ross, Common, Rapsody, Fat Joe, Jeezy, Jadakiss, Fabolous, A$AP Ferg and more.
It’s Almost Dry arrives as the highly-anticipated follow up to 2018’s highly touted Daytona. In a recent interview with Charlamagne The God, Pusha explained, ”
I had the best of both worlds in regards to production and in regards to two people that actually understand who I am and they like two different things from me that I feel are both really great…this body of work is untouchable because it doesn’t lean too heavy on either side…you get the whole spectrum. It’s my most well-rounded body of work.
Sonically, this album was a change of pace for Pusha T. He experimented by combining his luxury rap style with contemporary melodies and flows, with features from Don Tolliver, Lil Uzi Vert and Kid Cudi. Nothwithstanding, It’s Almost Dry still provided some of what made Daytona such an excellent album. Records like “Dreaming of the Past” — where Pusha T blends his eccentric drug kingpin persona with real life anecdotes — are now a staple of his discography and the Kanye West assisted song is one of the highlights of the album. Whereas “Brambleton” sees Pusha T get a bit more personal, with stories of his days in Virginia and addressing figures from his past.
We was out in Brambleton after Pooh got hit Club Entourage in that new drop six
The Park Theater announced it will host the Glens Falls Arts / Business District Street Festival & Creative Economy Panel Discussion event sponsored by the ACE (Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy). The event is scheduled for August 18, from 5 P.M. to 8 P.M.
The Park Theater – ACE! Glens Falls Arts / Business District Street Festival & Creative Economy Panel Discussion Event
The Park Theater is a premier theater, concert, and event destination just a short drive away from Albany, Saratoga Springs, and Lake George located on Park Street in Glens Falls. It is supported by a non-profit organization The Park Theater Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the Glens Falls community by providing a venue for quality and affordable entertainment and educational opportunities in the performing arts.
This event will include an outdoor festival celebrating Glens Falls arts and culture featuring members of the Arts District of Glens Falls and Glens Falls Collaborative. Thoughtful exhibitions will be available such as the interactive thought piece by The Hyde Collection, a live Plein air painting by North Country ARTS, and a “FolkLife” Exhibition preview by the Crandall Library. Additionally, there will be guided tours provided of Park Street Hospitality’s new development, “Park & Elm,” along with a walking tour of the new downtown Glens Falls mural program.
Taste buds could also be satisfied with Raul’s Mexican Grill, Mean Max Brew Works, and Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery, along with small plates and a beer garden highlighting regional beverages provided by Doc’s Restaurant. The food is fresh since they are locally produced and donated by Sunset Farm.
The event will also include a distinguished panel to discuss organizational synergies that allow for place-making innovation that builds community and sustainability including for-profit and not-for-profit businesses and institutions. The panel invited a selection of professionals including Jeff Mead (President, Business Operations, and General Manager of Adirondack Thunder and Cool Insuring Arena), Monica Kurzejeski (VP Property Management at Redburn Development), Ben Miller (Operations Manager at Park Street Hospitality) and Sam Parker (Capital Region Representative for Governor Hochul). Panel moderation will be handled by Judie Gilmore (Director of the Opalka Gallery, Russell Sage College).
“Glens Falls is creating an energy that is increasingly helping anchor the upstate Creative Economy. The infrastructure improvements and collaborative nature of important stakeholders is creating the perfect environment to drive awareness and attraction from a place making perspective. ACE! feels it’s important to share that story with other cities in our region.”
Corey Aldrich
This event is open and free to the public, with a special thanks to the Glens Falls Collaborative for helping to underwrite this event.
After receiving a highly-sought after $1.7 million grant from Creatives Rebuild New York, the NYC non-profit Creative Muse is working with multidisciplinary artists to expand the arts programming on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Founded in 2017, Creative Muse provides programming and mentorship to youth and adults placing importance on creativity and mindfulness. The organization primarily serves people of color, immigrant communities, and low-income individuals to help them access the creative and social skills critical for success.
Some of the programs being added due to the grant include artist residencies at Campos Plaza which will provide vulnerable youth, families, and communities the opportunity to creatively express themselves. The residency will allow individuals access to a theater, digital tablets, beat-making equipment, and more.
Providing professional artists with full-time employment, in an environment that allows them to pursue their craft, will lead to more robust programming for our students and communities and help solidify New York’s status as an artist-friendly state.
-Creative Muse Executive Director Jamie Parganos
Creative Muse was also founded with the aim to provide employment and mentorship opportunities for other adult artists and an environment where they are full-time employees. The non-profit offers higher than average hourly rates, monthly customized workshops, a robust substitute roster, a two-teacher per class requirement, and a great environment for artists to create.
As an artist, flexibility in a work schedule is crucial … this is the reason why many artists have little choice but to take on various part-time/contract jobs instead of committing to full-time work, effectively making basic socio-economic rights such as financial stability, healthcare, retirement savings, etc. luxuries instead of the norm. A workplace that ensures all of these rights while allowing us the freedom to pursue our own artistic endeavors is a rare and unbelievably special opportunity.
– Teaching Artist and Actor Libby Lee
With the support of CRNY, Creative Muse plans to continue to expand its programming throughout 2022. All programs will integrate Creative Muse’s model for mindfulness and social-emotional learning, which includes promoting resiliency and optimistic thinking. Stay tuned for community events, slam poetry readings, comedy shows, open mic nights, and more from the non-profit.
While being a musician has many redeeming qualities, we are merely human and yearn for true fulfillment … having the opportunity to apply my multiple decades of artistic experience to work with future generations fills a void that performing alone is unable to.
– Multi-instrumentalist and Producer Prince Terrence
For the full bios of all the Creative Muse teaching artists and more information about upcoming programming, visit the organization’s website.
New York-based singer-songwriter Bill Scorzari has just independently released his upcoming album, The Crosswinds of Kansas, this Friday, Aug. 19. With his rich raspy voice and a stellar ear for lyrics and composition, Bill transcends titles like songwriter or poet. Later in his career, he transformed his life as a New York Trial Lawyer in Huntington to a full-time musician in 2014.
Scorzari spent the early days of the Covid lockdown finishing songs for the album and gathering the right instruments to fit the mood. He even began to learn Navajo from new friends that he met when commissioning a Native American flute to be able to recite his lyrics in the language for the closing track—a song with an intriguing backstory.
For me, the journey that had begun in 2019 (and in many respects, much earlier), became a journey into the depths of my soul, not just in a nebulous aspirational or conceptual sense, but in its fruition, and this album is a record of many of the ways in which it has all unfolded for me so far. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have occupied my time with this effort and for the opportunity to continue to participate in the dance that is life, through this pandemic and beyond.
—Bill Scorzari
Scorzari, a prolific songwriter, has taken his craft to new heights and deeper depths with his 4th studio album, The Crosswinds of Kansas. He became inspired by his three-month-long Now I’m Free Tour in 2019, which had become a journey of self-discovery. Thus, he ultimately arrived at a new awareness and desire to adapt and continue to create.
New York-based singer-songwriter Bill Scorzari transcends titles like songwriter or poet. He catapults past categories into a dark, ruminative, and ultimately life-affirming realm where family folklore, memories, pain, prayer, and incantation meet.
In early 2022, he recorded some backing vocal and harmony vocal tracks for the song, “Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin.’” For the final piece to complete the record, he asked his friend to send him a short cell phone recording of himself singing a Navajo chant, which he edited to make it sound like a historically older recording before adding it in at the end of the song. Talking about the song, he said, “When I was done and listened back to it, the song (and the album) felt complete, and the history it has gathered is abundant and beautiful.”
To pre-order and listen to Bill Scorzari’s new album The Crosswinds of Kansas, click the link here.
J Mascis, of Dinosaur Jr., has announced the first puzzle from the newly launched Puzzle Heads, a jigsaw puzzle subscription service. J Mascis founded Puzzle Heads alongside graphic designer Aaron Draplin and 7S Management in January.
The puzzle subscription service will showcase classic rock ‘n’ roll images and album art. The first jigsaw puzzle will celebrate the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’sThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars with its album cover as imagery. The inaugural release with the Bowie artwork will ship in December 2022, just in time for the holiday season.
Many of us have always loved a good jigsaw puzzle and many of us became fans during the pandemic … I personally always had a puzzle on the table, and during the pandemic, I found myself searching for imagery that wasn’t available. I wanted puzzles to just show up at my doorstep so we decided to do it ourselves. All of us at Puzzle-Heads love puzzles and we love music. We happen to have day jobs in music and so we have the network to license some of the most iconic cover imagery and rock ‘n’ roll art out there. With J and Aaron helping to curate, we’ll make Puzzle Heads members come back for more. We hope all the Puzzle-Heads out there enjoy many hours of piecing our puzzles. Get It Together!
– Brian Schwartz, Founding Partner at 7S Management.
Subscribers can receive a new jigsaw puzzle every other month. Upcoming puzzles will feature imagery from artists such as Dinosaur Jr., Joy Division, Bad Brains, Wilco, Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen, and more. Puzzle-Heads subscriptions are available now, including a 6-Puzzle subscription and a 3-Puzzle subscription. For every new subscription, the service will also donate a sensory necklace or sensory toy to benefit children with autism.
For more information about Puzzle Heads, and to see future puzzle releases, visit the subscription service’s website.
The Albany Latin Festival will return to Washington Park in Albany on August 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with live music, dance, art, raffles, Latino craft and food vendors, and more.
Ritmo Caliente will headline the Latin Festival music showcase with other performers in the lineup including Hip Hop Jibaro, Grupo Los Costeños, Bronte Roman with a Celia Cruz tribute, and R&B artist Mirage. The lineup includes a diverse set of Hispanic music genres for all to experience and enjoy.
The Latino culture, specifically music, art and dance are beautiful. Some friends and I came up with the Albany LatinFest years ago to develop an event to share the culture, but more importantly an event that Latino families would be proud to experience. We knew from the beginning that this would not only be a celebration of art and culture, but also a statement of inclusion because the Latin Fest is for everyone.
-Pedro Diaz, founder and President of the Albany Latin Festival Association
The Albany Latin Festival Association aims to promote and develop Hispanic cultural events in the capital region. The Latin Festival is one way for the organization to honor the contributions of Hispanic performing artists and promote an appreciation for multi-cultural diversity.
Previous talents at the festival have included Bachata Heightz, Don Sonero, Tony Vega, Ray de la Paz, Jorge Blanco, Raulin Rosendo, Hector Tricoche, Alex Torres & his Latin Orchestra, Tito Rojas, Tony Swing, Anissa Gathers, Michael Stuart, Ismael Miranda, among many others.
In the case of rain, the festival will be held near the Corning Preserve Boat Launch. For more information, and upcoming events, visit the Albany Latin Festival Association website.
Wiz Khalifa and Logic are bringing their Vinyl Verse Tour 2022 to Saratoga’s Performing Arts Center on August, 23. Featuring special guests 24kGoldn, DJ Drama, C Dot Castro, and Fedd the God, the 28-city tour kicked-off on July 27 in Irvine, CA, before making stops across the United States. The August 23 date follows a performance at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on August 16 and preludes their last New York stop of the tour on August 25, at the Darien Lake Amphitheatre.
Since bursting his way onto the scene with his 2011 full-length debut, Rolling Papers, and the classic hip hop record, “Black and Yellow,” Wiz Khalifa has continued to elevate his status among the mainstream elite. Records like “23,” “Or Nah,” “Payphone” and “Young, Wild and Free” have not only maintained replay value, but has solidified Wiz Khalifa as one of the most popular hip hop acts across the world. His 2015 record “See You Again” — which served as a tribute to Paul Walker in the movie Fast 7 — earned him Grammy and Golden Globe nominations while amassing over 5 billion views on Youtube.
Since his emergence in 2010, multi-platinum GRAMMY® Award-nominated Logic has separated himself from the pack as one of the most prolific and prevalent artists of the past decade, a New York Times Bestselling author, and a positive force for change. His record “1-800-273-8255” is the previous phone number for the American National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and earned the Maryland native two Grammy-award nominations. With a sizable discography to his name, Logic has progressed from a now-legendary run of cult-like mixtapes to three number one albums, sold out arena tours on multiple continents, and 6 billion streams and counting.
Produced by LiveNation, tickets for the 6:30 p.m. performance can be found on their official website.
