The Grammy-nominated Western Wind Ensemble is celebrating nearly 54 years of music with a five-part concert series called Grief: a Necessary Journey in NYC on Nov. 19.
The Western Wind Ensemble is a New York-based, internationally acclaimed a cappella sextet with a rich history in the music industry. The New York Times has called them “A kaleidoscopic tapestry of vocal hues.” They perform a variety of music, including Renaissance motets to Fifties rock’n’roll, medieval carols to Duke Ellington, and more.
Band members include William Zukof, the founding member, Eric S. Brenner (countertenor), Paul Greene-Dennis (bass), Linda Lee Jones (soprano), Christina Kay (soprano), Bradley King (tenor), David Vanderwal (tenor).
Notable performances in the United States include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, ArtPark, Ordway Theater, the Metropolitan Museum, and more. Internationally, they have appeared at the Geneva Opera, and have toured Italy, East Asia, Australia, and more. In addition to their many live performances, The Western Wind Ensemble frequently appears on radio, television, film, and CD.
On Nov. 19 they will be performing at the Church of St. John’s in the Village in Grief: a Necessary Journey, a program featuring music by Dowland, Purcell, McFerrin, Rorem, Howells, Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, spirituals, and more. The concert program guides listeners along a journey through the five stages of grief, ultimately resulting in a place of acceptance and healing.
Eight-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Anita Baker has announced performance dates for 2023. The Songstress’ tour will tour 15 different cities, and even making a stop at the UBS Arena in Elmont, on Friday May 12th, 2023.
The tour celebrates Baker’s 40 years as a music icon in the industry since the release of her debut album, The Songstress, which released in 1983. These dates mark the first time she has been on a full tour since 1995 and it is also the first time The Songstress will be performing her classic hits live since winning back the rights to her masters.
“Looking forward to some crazy, lovely, hang time with my fans, on tour in 2023!! ….Gonna, bring some new music & some special guests, too.”
-ABXO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUSddpvB4X0
Anitia Baker, originally born in Toledo, OH, and raised in Detroit, MI, is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk band Chapter 8, Baker released her first solo album, The Songstress, in 1983.
In 1986, Baker rose to stardom following the release of her Platinum-selling second album, Rapture, which included the Grammy-winning single “Sweet Love.” Baker has won eight Grammy Awards and has four Platinum albums. Baker is a contralto, with a vocal range that extends her register to at least three octaves.
Anita Baker’s The Songstress Tour Dates:
Sat Feb 11 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live*
Tue Feb 14 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Fri Feb 17 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Wed May 10 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Fri May 12 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Sun May 14 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
Fri Jun 30 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sun Jul 02 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sat Nov 18 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Wed Nov 22 – Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum
Fri Nov 24 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena*
Fri Dec 15 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sun Dec 17 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Fri Dec 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Sat Dec 23 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Tickets go on sale starting on Thursday, November 17th at 10 AM. Click the link here for more information and to purchase tickets.
For the past couple years, Daisy the Great has been processing the experience of growing up, of changing. Their sophomore album, All You Need Is Time is a veritable coming-of-age catharsis. Armed with crystal clear, soprano vocals and an ironical approach to the absurdities of girlhood, their newest is a surprisingly relatable and honest self-examination.
In All You Need Is Time, Daisy the Great ditches allusions and ambiguity to tell it like it is. Not only are their lyrics astoundingly authentic, but you can hear the earnestly in their voices. While much of recent pop and indie has turned to heavy use of technology to disguise and distort vocals, Daisy the Great often drops the backing instruments to let their voices stand alone, so you can hear this addictive kind of girlish airiness and texture behind their voices. It’s that sound that broke them, with their 2018 song “The Record Player Song,” which quickly went viral on TikTok, accumulating over 20 million streams, and counting.
Daisy the Great started when Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker met at NYU. The two were acting majors, and Daisy the Great originally started as a musical they were writing about a fictional band, until they realized they should just actually start the band themselves. Now, Daisy the Great is a six-piece band, with Matt Lau on guitar, Bernardo Ochoa on bass, Matti Dunietz on drums, and Brie Archer on additional vocals.
The band is still finishing off their North American Tour, supporting The Happy Fits; and of course there will be a stop in NYC’s Webster Hall on December 17, where the band was formed and the album recorded. Tickets can be found here, see the dates below.
DAISY THE GREATNORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2022
November 8 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground +
November 9 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom +
November 11 – Washington, DC – Union Stage +
November 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Hall +
November 13 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
November 15 – Detroit, MI El Club +
November 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre +
November 18 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar +
November 19 – Chicago, IL – Metro +
November 20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue +
November 22 – Denver, CO Summit +
November 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex +
November 25 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom +
November 26 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre +
November 29 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall +
November 30 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues +
December 1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre +
December 5 – Dallas, TX – Trees +
December 6 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn +
December 7– Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall +
December 9 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live +
December 10 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven) +
December 11 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
December 13 –Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle +
December 14 – Washington, DC – Union Stage +
December 16 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock +
December 17 – New York, NY – Webster Hall +
December 18 – Philadelphia, PA –Theatre of The Living Arts +
+ w/ THE HAPPY FITS “UNDER THE SHADE OF GREEN TOUR”
Earlier this week, the legendary Peter Gabriel announced plans for his 2023 tour across the UK & Europe in the spring. The tour marks his first solo shows outside of North America since 2014’s Back to Front Tour. which celebrated So.
The 22 shows in Europe will kick off in Krakow, Poland on May 18, 2023, with dates in Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and the UK before wrapping in Dublin, Ireland on June 25, 2023. North American tour dates will follow in the late summer and fall with dates and details to come.
Peter Gabriel said of the tour:
It’s been a while and I am now surrounded by a whole lot of new songs and am excited to be taking them out on the road for a spin. Look forward to seeing you out there.
Peter Gabriel first came to international prominence with the success of Genesis, a band that he co-founded while still at school. Since leaving Genesis in 1975, his recording career has included eleven studio albums, film soundtracks for Alan Parker’s Birdy, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Philip Noyce’s Rabbit Proof Fence as well as numerous live albums. His musical career has included multiple Grammy Awards, the world-renowned Real World Studios, the formation of the Real World Records label, and in 1980 the creation of WOMAD, the festival that has launched the careers of many artists from around the world and has just celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Peter Gabriel co-founded the human rights organization WITNESS (Witness.org) in 1992, the organization that pioneers the use of cameras and technology in human rights campaigning, and in 2007, alongside Sir Richard Branson, he founded The Elders (theelders.org) which was launched by Nelson Mandela. In 2006, Peter Gabriel was awarded the prestigious Man of Peace title by The Nobel Peace Laureates and in 2008 was also included in the Time 100 list. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. He remains engaged in a wide variety of tech-based businesses throughout a variety of creative industries.
Tickets go on sale starting Friday, November 11, 2022 at LiveNation.com.
Peter Gabriel i/o The Tour2023 dates
May 18: Krakow (TAURON Arena) May 20: Verona, Italy (Verona Arena) May 21: Milan (Mediolanum Arena May 23: Paris (AccorHotels Arena) May 24: Lille, France (Stade Pierre-Mauroy) May 26: Berlin (Waldbuehne) May 28: Munich (Koenigsplatz) May 30: Copenhagen (Royal Arena) May 31: Stockholm (Avicii Arena) June 2: Bergen, Norway (Koengen) June 5: Amsterdam (Ziggo Dome) June 6: Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis) June 8: Zurich (Hallenstadion) June 10: Cologne, Germany (Lanxess Arena) June 12: Hamburg, Germany (Barclays Arena) June 13: Frankfurt, Germany (Festhalle) June 15: Bordeaux, France (Arkea Arena) June 17: Birmingham, England (Utilita Arena) June 19: London (The O2) June 22: Glasgow (OVO Hydro) June 23: Manchester, England (AO Arena) June 25: Dublin (3Arena)
On Friday, February 17, 2023, rock-trio King Buffalo, will be performing at Empire Underground on their just announced tour, along with an appearance by special guests, Swell the Fellas. The group is returning from their tour with Clutch, and more recently with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, from their spring tour in North America.
King Buffalo
Members of the Rochester-based group are vocalist and guitarist, Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds, and drummer Scott Donaldson. The band has released a total of four full-length EPs, “Acheron”, “The Burden of Restlessness”, “Dead Star”, “Longing to Be the Mountain” and “Orion”, since their formation in 2013 and most recently had their fifth full-length EP called “Regenerator” released on Sept. 2, 2022.
Empire Underground Performance of King Buffalo Poster
The album “Regenerator” is a pinnacle piece demonstrating a modern psychedelic sound production, while containing elements which stretch the stylistic boundaries of the underground rock genre. The band’s self release in North America and through the Europe-based company, Stickman Records, serves as a leading thematical counterpart to their prior projects, such as the 2016’s “Orion” debut, 2018’s “Longing to Be the Mountain”, as well as other EPs.
Drummer Scott Donaldson, discussed with NYS Music about King Buffalo and their most recently released album, Regenerator.
Heather Occhino: How did your band come together and what made you decide to be drummer?
Scott Donaldson: We formed from 2 bands from the Rochester area. As my band was breaking, so was Sean’s and Dan’s. I approached them about doing some stuff together and we had a natural chemistry, and have been rolling since then.
HO: How do you manage all the aspects of being in a band and still find time to make music?
SD: Being a musician and managing the day to day is a full time job. Fortunately, I’m able to handle the business side of things. When it comes to making music, we all jam together and form new some ideas. At this point, Sean will take the recordings and rearrange the ideas to form a more cohesive structure. Then we work through those ideas together until the song is complete.
HO: How you would you describe your music?
SD: We’re basically a new age classic rock band. We can be grouped into sub genres like psychedelic rock, stoner, metal, prog and so forth but we don’t really tie ourselves to any specific category.
HO: How were prior tour performances both in and outside of the U.S? Have you seen a growth in your listening base since then?
SD: We have seen significant growth since the pandemic in both Europe and North America. It’s nice to have some recognition since next year will be ten years as a band, but there is plenty more still to accomplish.
HO: Are there any artists who influence your sound or inspire you creatively?
SD: I think each of us are inspired daily by numerous influences. It’s impossible to pick any because anything can have a placebo that you might not even realize.
Tickets for the performance at Empire Underground can be bought here.
The Great Salt City Blues Concert, an annual Syracuse event, will return to the Palace Theatre for its sixth rendition on the day after Christmas at 7:30 p.m.
Held following the holiday every year, the concert series intends to feature ten shows by the end of its run.
The show will be held in honor of several renowned blues artists: singer Etta James, who the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has called “the matriarch of blues,” blues guitarist Elmore James, who has been named “The King Of The Slide Guitar,” guitarist and Blues Hall of Fame member Sleepy John Estes, and singer Junior Parker, another Blues Hall of Fame member.
With the night featuring cover performances of their music, participating musicians include the following: Tas Cru, Morris Tarbell, Colin Aberdeen, Ava Andrews, Dave Liddy, Jes Sheldon, Jeff Stockham, Rod Zajak, Ronnie Leigh, Rob Spagnoletti, Jake Capozzolo, Garnett Grimm, Steven T. Wilson, Raedwald Howland-Bolton, Don Williams, Larry Kyle, Lee Tiffault, Mike Davis, and Matt Lomeo.
The doors for the Great Salt City Blues Concert #6 at The Palace Theater, located at 2384 James Street, will open at 6 p.m. and information regarding tickets and more can be found here.
He’s the man you probably know best from his starring role alongside Keanu Reeves in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. But these days, Alex Winter is not only a talented actor but an impressive filmmaker, one entrusted by the family of Frank Zappa to create the ultimate documentary charting his iconoclastic life and career, 2020’s ZAPPA.
On Saturday, November 19 at 8 pm, Winter will be coming to Woodstock’s legendary Tinker Street Cinema to host a special screening of this watershed music documentary.
Winter began work on the film in 2015 by creating a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1.1 million to restore much of the unseen archival footage in Zappa’s legendary “vault.” He was the first and only filmmaker to be granted unfettered access to this material as well as some of Zappa’s never-before-heard sound recordings. With it, Winter crafted a portrait that showed the artistic triumphs and challenges faced by this one-of-a-kind creative force, an icon whose influence on culture and politics was truly global. Winter’s documentary delves into Zappa’s upbringing, the many stages of his long career, his campaigns as an advocate for free speech and the newly freed Czech Republic, all the way to his final battle with cancer, which ended his insanely productive life at 52. Also featured are interviews with Frank’s widow, the late Gail Zappa, and many of his musical collaborators through the years including Ruth and Ian Underwood, Bunk Gardner, Steve Vai, Scott Thunes and Ray White.
Portrait of Alex Winter. CREDIT: Philip Cheung
Winter’s film received high praise from critics worldwide, including outlets like The Guardian UK, The New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Wall Street Journal, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. You can find NYSMusic.com’s own extensive rave review here.
“Our cinema is a celebration of the bold, experimental and surreal, so Alex’s fantastic film on Zappa makes perfect sense for us and our audience,” says Andy Braunstein. “The fact that Alex lived here for a time, right next to the cinema in fact, will make this event a true homecoming.”
The Zappa event is just one example of the Tinker Street Cinema’s dedication to the fusion of film and music.
Like its neighbor, Upstate Films’ Orpheum Theater in Saugerties, the Tinker Street Cinema has produced several notable events where live soundtracks are created to accompany screenings of classic films. In June 2021, genre-leaping Australian composer JG Thirlwell, best known for his work as Foetus, presented “Silver Mantis,” a live performance set to film by Sten Backman. In August 2021, the theater presented Fritz Lang’s silent era classic, Metropolis, with music by Reel Orchestrette. And on Halloween weekend, the Tinker Street Cinema screened the horror classic, Night of the Living Dead, with a live score by Morricone Youth.
In acknowledgment of Woodstock’s history as home to some of the greats of contemporary music, the theater serves up a hefty platter of music-centric films, ones often hosted by local music luminaries. Earlier this month, the cinema featured a screening of Amadeus (The Director’s Cut) hosted by The Dresden Dolls, the duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione. Other films featured recently included AC/DC: Let There Be Rock, Woodstock and Poly Styrene: I am A Cliché. The theater will soon be screening Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road hosted by its producer and writer, Woodstock’s own Jason Fine.
On November 26, the Tinker Street Cinema will present a Jimi Hendrix Birthday tribute. This event will boast various films about the guitarist and live performances by artists including Chogyi Lama, a young Hendrix acolyte who just happens to be the grandson of Woodstock legend Richie Havens. On December 10, The Tinker Street Cinema will also have an evening dedicated to experimental music with a psychedelic lightshow. Brock Monroe of the Joshua Lightshow will create a backdrop for performances by edge-pushing musicians including Nepenthae and the trio of Lea Bertucci, Ric Royer and Ben Vida. The Tinker Street team is also finalizing plans that will bring The Black Lips to the theater, along with a screening of The Roar of Snowmobiles, a documentary dedicated to the racers and collectors of vintage ‘60s models.
Founded in 1961 in a pre-Civil War church, the Tinker Street Cinema has also been the site of a variety of musical performances through the years, public and private. The venue was reopened in the summer of 2021 by Ben Rollins and Lily Korolkoff, owners of the nearby Station Bar & Curio, and Andy “Animal” Braunstein, a film aficionado and Woodstock native known for his Meltasia music festivals.
Notably, the theater was also the site where Jimi Hendrix rehearsed and jammed in the days before his history-making performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. The below video captures some of the sounds and pictures, including a proto version of his iconic take on “The Star Spangler Banner.”
“We’re a very musical town with a long and rich history, so it’s only natural that the marriage of film and music is a centerpiece of our creative mission,” concludes Braunstein. “We’re passionate, maybe obsessed is a better word, to do everything we can to keep the flame of rock-n-roll burning bright.”
Hip hop legend Busta Rhymes will be adding another chapter to his illustrious discography. The “Touch It” rapper took to Instagram to announce his latest EP, The Fuse is Lit, to be released on Friday, November 18.
Originally set to hit airwaves this Friday, the EP has been pushed back in light of the death of Takeoff. The popular rapper and 1/3 of the Migos was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas on November, 1. The Slain rapper’s funeral and celebration of life takes place this Friday, November 11, on The Fuse is Lit‘s original release date.
As such, Busta Rhymes took to Instagram to share his condolences to Takeoff’s family and announce a new release date.
“I just want to start this off by saying, let us all collectively send love and light to our brothers. Takeoff, sending love and light to his beautiful family. Sending love and light to our brothers Quavo and Offset. the quality control family, P and Coach K. Family and friends affected directly and indirectly by this tragedy. In light of supporting this beautiful sending off of our beautiful bother, I have decided to push back the release date of my EP, The Fuse is Lit to November 18. Let us all send our love and beautiful energy to our bothers, the Migos and quality control and their beautiful families. Salute.”
The Fuse is Lit
Despite the delay, the five-track EP will feature a number of “whose who” in hip hop lore. The Fuse is Lit has guest appearances/ production from Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl, Swizz Beatz. Additionally, The EP’s promotional single and music video “slap” sees Busta align with Big Daddy Kane and Conway The Machine. The song and music video alike are an ode to hip hop and New York City’s golden age. The production is reminiscent of the culture’s golden era, while the three emcees present themselves as powerful Don’s. Moreover, The Fuse is Lit can be another reminder that hip hop’s golden age is ever present.
Toshi Reagon, an Atlanta-born singer, composer, musician, and curator has two more performances on the table for her three-show residency at NYC’s Symphony Space.
The first show of the run featured a performance by Be Steadwell, a Queer pop composer, filmmaker, and storyteller who composes her songs on stage using looping and vocal layering. Reagon, who has collaborated with Steadwell for the past ten years, joined her on select numbers.
Up next on Thursday, November 10 is You’re Having Too Much Fun… So We’re Gonna Have to Kill You, a “work in progress” which presents a modern story using disco-era music. Singers of the show include Reagon, Steadwell, Afi Bijou, and Josette Newsam among others, with performing musicians including bassist Fred Cash, drummer Matt Graff, keyboardist Kim Jordan, and Adam Widoff.
‘Sacred Revolution’ will close out Symphony Space’s residency for Toshi Reagon.
Topping off the residency on Saturday, November 19 is Sacred Revolution, a Reagon-curated song cycle featuring J. Bob Alotta, a filmmaker and media activist, Leah Penniman an educator, author, food sovereignty activist, and Co-Founder of Soul Fire Farm, multi-medium artist Carl Hancock Rux, performer and choreographer Maleek Washington; and The W.O.W. Project, a Chinatown initiative led by women and people of transgender and queer background. Singers of the shower include Reagon, jazz artist Lizz Wright, and Sudanese musician Alsarah.
Information regarding tickets and more can be found here.
Tank and the Bangas will kick off their six-night residency at New York’s iconic Jazz club Blue Note New York on November 11, and bring with them special guests, starting with GRAMMY winning singer and pianist Norah Jones. This will mark the first show Norah has done with Tank & the Bangas since 2017, aside from their performance on her podcast.
In addition to Jones, other special guests announced include Keyon Harrold, Big Freedia, Kat Edmonson, Brandee Younger, Isaiah Sharkey as well as surprise sit-ins. Tank and the Bangas will also spend two nights covering The Music of Green Balloon and The Music of Red Balloon.
Coming from New Orleans, Tank and the Bangas are surrounded by plenty of grand musical traditions. And the five-piece group has a rare knack for combining various musical styles- fiery soul, deft hip-hop, deep-groove R&B and subtle jazz- into one dazzling, cohesive whole that evokes the scope of New Orleans music while retaining a distinctive feel all its own. “It’s music that can’t really be put in a box,” says singer and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball.
Blue Note New York is located at 131 West 3rd St in Manhattan
Tank and the Bangas Blue Note Residency Lineup
FRI NOVEMBER 11 – THE MUSIC OF GREEN BALLOON + NORAH JONES – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SAT NOVEMBER 12 – THE MUSIC OF RED BALLOON + SURPRISE GUESTS – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SUN NOVEMBER 13 – KEYON HARROLD – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
FRI NOVEMBER 18 – BIG FREEDIA – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SAT NOVEMBER 19 – KAT EDMONSON & BRANDEE YOUNGER – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
SUN NOVEMBER 20 – ISAIAH SHARKEY – 8 PM & 10:30PM ET
