Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances, a summer series of free-to-the-public concerts will continue Thursday, September 8 with a duo performance by jazz pianists Aaron Diehl and Orrin Evans.
Both having claim to the famed title of “Steinway Artist,” the two will play a mixture of standards and originals on their signature instruments made by the Steinway & Sons piano company.
Aaron Diehl.
Diehl’s career highlights include winning the American Pianist Assocation’s Cole Porter Fellow of 2011 and performances at historic venues such as the Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard. As for influences, he gives credit to prior pianists Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, and Jelly Roy Morton.
Orrin Evans.
Evans has supported a career of nearly thirty years without support from a major label, with his last six projects being released with Smoke Sessions, an independent record company based in New York City. Achievements to Evans’ name include placing #1 in the 2018 Downbeat Critics Poll for “Rising Star Pianist” in addition to Grammy nominations for two albums made with his Captain Black Big Band.
Orrin Evans and members of the Captain Black Big Band talk about the group’s 2020 album “The Intangible Between.”
Food and beverages will be available from on-site vendors near the lawn. Information about the Manhattan park’s final three concerts of the summer following Diehl & Evans’ performance can be found on the Bryant Park website.
Method Man responded to his conspicuous absence from Wu Tang Clan, Nas and Busta Rhymes’, NY State of Mind Tour. The legendary acts announced back in April they’d be joining forces an end of summer tour. However, fans who attended the tour’s first few shows were disappointed to learn that Meth wouldn’t be joining the rest of the Clan on tour.
The Power Book II: Ghost actor gave reply to unhappy fans in a video, going on to say:
I’ma clear this shit up once and for all, I’ma say this one last time. One of the nicest muthafuckas in the world, but I am not a pushover. I have sacrificed so much over the years to satisfy the fans, and I’m pretty sure that’s vice versa and that’s why I love y’all, that’s why I don’t hesitate to go all-out for y’all.
The visibly frustrated Method Man specified that his issues were not with his real fans and “not the ones that’d jump in your DMs and curse you the fuck out all call you all kinds of bitches.” The Grammy-winner went on to explain his absence from the tour,
I fucking love Wu-Tang, wish I could have been on that tour with them. The booking came at a bad time, I was already booked to do a movie.
While still showing respect to his brothers, Meth emphasized his displeasure at the backlash he’s received from some fans. Noting that the show was billed irregardless of his presence.
And you know, these things happen and dudes do have to feed their families. Albums don’t sell the way they used to, I’m pretty sure you guys know that. So in order to preserve my lifestyle and to feed my family, I had to have alternative means of doing that. And I’m glad to say at 50 years old, I have options. Not everybody can say that. Everyone cannot say that they have options.
https://youtu.be/rnHDCO_SClk
Always the clan’s most marketable member, Method Man has branched out to a successful acting career. The How High actor will star in Paramount+’s feature, On the Come Up, from director Sanaa Lathan. He serves as the narrator for DC Comics’ Milestone Generations and will also lend his voice to Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. He currently stars in Power Book II: Ghost, for which he won consecutive NAACP Image Awards in 2021 and 2022.
The NY State of Mind tour kicked off August 30 and includes a stop at the Prudential Center on September 13. The tour wraps up on Oct. 4 with a performance at Los Angeles’ historic Hollywood Bowl.
The Dave Matthews Band has announced a Fall 2022 North American tour, with stops all over the country, wrapping up with two dates at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18 and 19.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch.
The Dave Matthews Band has sold more than 25 million tickets since its creation and a collective 38 million CDs and DVDs combined. With the release of 2018’s Come Tomorrow, the band became the first group in history to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The band just wrapped up their annual Labor Day weekend celebration at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA, and are finishing off summer tour dates before heading into the Fall tour, starting Nov. 2 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC. DMB will partner with The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees program and have funded the planting of three million trees through touring.
If you are a member of the DMB Warehouse Fan Association you can get tickets now, with public on-sale happening on Sept. 23 at 10 A.M. local time.
Dave Matthews Band Tour Dates
Summer 2022
9/9 Greenwood Village, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
9/10 Greenwood Village, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
9/14 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
9/16 Chula Vista, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
This past week the Ed Sullivan Show channel launched on Pluto TV, bringing an array of content which includes over 75 hours worth of on-air performances.
These can be found all in one collection, which includes Ed Sullivan’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Classics (Rock `N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, Rock Legends, The British Invasion, Psychedelic Sixties, Top Hits Of 1965, Top Hits Of 1970, West Coast Rock, Lennon & McCartney Songbook, Sounds Of The Cities, Gone Too Soon, Motortown Review and First Women Of Rock).
Ed Sullivan.
Having run nearly every Sunday from 1948 to 1971, The Ed Sullivan Show featured celebrity musicians such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Temptations, and the Jackson 5 along with comedians such as Joan Rivers, Flip Wilson, and Rodney Dangerfield over the course of the program’s run.
As well as showcasing those listed above, the 24/7 channel will also include the appearances of variety figures such as children’s puppeteer Topo Gigio, plate spinner Erich Brenn, and the Muppets.
In addition, the channel run TV specials and documentaries such as The Best Of The Ed Sullivan Show which comprises 80 edited episodes of original episodes featuring highlight moments of performances on air.
On Oct. 15, The Uncle Louie Variety Show will come to The Egg in Albany for a night of comedy, original music, and more.
Comprised of two comedians, Lou Greco and Carlo Russo, the show takes a hilarious and unique look at what it is like growing up as an Italian-American. Originating from Syracuse, Greco and Russo grew up together and began writing comedy during their high school Italian class.
What first started as a few ideas on tape grew to hilarious shows on video. Fans can find the pair on YouTube and Facebook, where they make millions of viewers laugh with their writing. Characters such as “Uncle Louie,” “Pasqualino,” “Zia Maria,” and “Zia Rosa,” are always getting into trouble and causing great reactions from crowds.
Attendees of The Uncle Louie Variety Show can expect two hours of original music, sketch comedy, and stand-up by Greco and Russo. After 30 years as friends, the duo’s stage presence brings a unique energy to their performance.
Over the year, the pair have traveled around the East Coast with “The Hard Comedy World Tour,” which Greco and Russo resumed in August. The tour will take the friends to the West Coast, southern United States, Canada, Australia, and England.
For tickets to The Uncle Louie Variety Show on Oct. 15, visit The Egg’s website, here.
The date and lineup for this year’s Virgin Islands Shakedown have been set. Running from November 17 to 20, the festival will take place at The Fred, a beachside resort in St. Croix.
The lineup includes appearances from the Dire Wolves featuring Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico of moe., Jason Hann of String Cheese Incident, Mark Joseph of The Big Wu, and Steve Molitz of Particle along with Phil Lesh, all of whom will perform four sets across the festival’s run.
Promotional poster for the Virgin Islands Shakedown.
Other four set acts of the event include Blue Star Radiation featuring Rob Derhak and Vinnie Amico of moe., Tim Palmieri of Lotus, and Nate Wilson of Percy Hill. Special guests of the festival include Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee, Ashish “Hash” Vyas of Thievery Corporation, and Janis Wallin of Family Groove Company. VIP attendees will also be privy to late night DJ sets by Jason Hann.
The Virgin Islands Shakedown first ran in December 2020, featuring a socially distanced version of what was seen last year and is programmed for this November.
Information regarding ticket/hotel room packages and more can be found on the festival’s website.
The Lake George Arts Project’s Jazz at the Lake is back for 2022, with a lineup including some of the most outstanding performers in jazz.
The festival will take place from Sept. 16-18 in Shepard Park in Lake George. The free event will have a lineup full of great jazz performers, with eight acts over a few days.
Shepard Park is conveniently located in the Lake George village, with many nights of the week having free concerts and entertainment in the amphitheater overlooking the lake.
On the last day, Sept. 18, the Grammy-award-winning Zack Brock Quartet featuring Aaron Goldberg, Yasushi Nakamura, and Clarence Penn will be playing at 1 P.M. At 3 P.M. comes Vanderlei Pereira & Blindfold Test, then closing off the festival at 5 P.M. is Elio Villafranca & The Jass Syncopators, who have received a GRAMMY Nomination in the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year category.
The Jazz at the Lake festival in Lake George will be happening from Sept. 16-18 at Shepard Park for free.
New York Public Radio will host its annual fundraising event at Brooklyn Bowl on Sept. 21 to celebrate 40 years of “New Sounds” with John Schaefer.
Starting at 7 P.M, the event will celebrate the radio host’s career on WNYC and his contributions to the city’s music scene.
John Schaefer. (credit: Daniel Randall)
The night will feature performances by Brooklyn bhangra fusion group Red Baraat and tropical futurism band Combo Chimbita, as well as a DJ set by Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley. The fundraiser will support New York Public Radio brands such as WNYC, WQXR, Gothamist, and WNYC Studios, and tickets can be found online.
Schaefer has been cited by New York Magazine as one of “the people whose ideas, power, and sheer will are changing New York” and was honored in 2003 with the American Music Center’s prestigious Letter of Distinction for his “substantial contributions to advancing the field of contemporary American music in the United States and abroad.”
Airing every night at 11 P.M. on 93.9 FM and wnyc.org, “New Sounds” was first brought onto the airwaves in 1982. After John Schaefer was brought to WNYC the year prior to read newscasts and introduce classical music, he found his calling at the station by engaging with the city’s music scene through his now renowned radio show.
“New Sounds” was expanded to include the New Sounds Live Concert Series in 1986 and the Soundcheck Podcast in 2002, having included prolific guests such as Mavis Staples, Mark Ronson, Norah Jones, and Danger Mouse, among others.
Five-piece improvisatory group, QWANQWA is making their debut in North America this fall; travelling on their first tour in the U.S. in over 20 states. Their performance locations feature a variety of memorable places, including Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Flushing Town of Hall in Queens, Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center, Saratoga’s Caffe Lena, Buffalo’s Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Centre, and more.
QWANQWA, based in Ethiopia’s capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, are dedicated to furthering the country’s unique musical tradition rooted in string – classical music blended with new styles influenced by new compositions. Having recruited some of the most prominent names in the country’s music scene, they’ve created room for exploration of new sounds while implementing traditional and region-based beats and moods.
QWANQWA’s released works include three critically-acclaimed albums, Volume One (2014) and Volume Two (2015); and Volume Three (2020). The group has performed at two major European tours with knockout shows at the Roskilde and WOMEX festivals in 2016 and 2017 and members of QWANQWA have performed with some of the biggest names in Ethiopian music and beyond: Getachew Mekuria, Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, The EX, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith, Butch Morris, and more.
The 34th annual Byron Bay Bluesfest Festival’s initial lineup has been revealed. Featuring international artists for the first time since 2019’s pre-pandemic festival, the first lineup released features over 40 artists.
Set for April 6-10, Bluesfest will see some of the finest contemporary and legendary blues, roots, soul, rock, hip hop, r&b, world and americana artists take the stage. This will be the first original style Bluesfest since the world re-opened. Last year primarily featured Australian and New Zealand Artists. Among those making their way down under are Utica’s own and renowned blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa, bluegrass music innovators Greensky Bluegrass and jam-band favorites, Southern Avenue.
Bluesfest 2022 daytime
What is Bluesfest All-About?
Bluesfest is held over five days at the Byron Events Farm each easter long weekend. Event facilities include seven performance stages, nine licensed bars and two undercover food courts. There are many independent food vendors, car parking for over 7,000 vehicles and camping for up to 6,500 people.
In the coming weeks, Bluesfest will release more of the line-up, along with artist performance dates so that both day-trippers and 3-day ticket holders can make an informed choice. There will also be further announcements on two special satellite events happening in Melbourne and Perth.
And more good news is that ticket prices, camping and VIP tickets remain the same as 2022’s prices. That’s despite the significant increase in cost of international flights and freight logistics, with artist fees also on the rise. Bluesfest will also invest in upgrading the VIP area in order to give its supporters the best experience possible. For the campers that seek a“class above” experience you can upgrade to the Rainbow Tipi accommodation this year.
Whilst there are still plenty of Aussie artists listed in this first and upcoming announcements it is wonderful to once again in 2023, after four long years be able to bring back some of the greatest Blues, Roots, Soul, Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, World and Americana artists (and so much more) back to our shores after so long. As well as, of course, the stars of tomorrow.
– Peter Noble, Festival Director
Tickets for Bluesfest are now available and can be purchased on their official website. While only the 5-day passes are on sale for now, Bluesfest also offers 3-day and single-day passes.
