NYS Music 202​2

Category: Brooklyn

  • Ryan Luce Releases New Illuminating Record “Country House”

    Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce has just released his newest illuminating record titled “Country House.” Ryan Luce explores the subtle nuance of everyday life and studies the inner dramas of fathers, sons, and daughters.

    Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce

    This Americana record was written throughout the pandemic where Ryan found love, lost his backing back, and honed his songwriting abilities. “I had to get back to writing, to what I know is the only thing I’m good at. Those songs became Country House,” stated Luce. 

    “Offers a blend of country-western Americana and Pacific Rock à la Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to paint energetic narratives with lasting visual effect.” 

    -Rhythm & Boots NYC 
    Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce

    Country House is a ten-song collection filled with heartbreaking lyrics and timeless melodies; Luce certainly pulled from classic country to modern day Americana throughout these releases. 

    “Before the pandemic I was pigeonholing myself in the themes I wrote about. I think I used songwriting as a projection on my own feelings of longing and escape and that limited my abilities,” says Luce. “Writing these songs allowed me to throw away the old ghosts and achieve a caliber of songwriting and production I’d been searching for.”

    Unlike Luce’s 2019 debut EP California Gold, a loose collection of songs from hustling the New York scene, Country House is rather an artifact from his life frozen in time. “I always dreamed of making a record where the songs are from a distinct period, as a time capsule, I could dig up in 20 years and look back on someday.”  

    The world had taken a toll throughout the time of the pandemic, but lots of musicians found a muse throughout being stuck inside. “I think a collective forcefield was blocking artists from creating during the early days of the pandemic including myself.” His band had scattered to the wind as the pandemic began and now, stuck in his apartment, recording plans scrapped, he fought off Covid.  

    The album came together out of the motivation that Luce hadn’t written anything in months. “Something switched on, I had to get back on the horse and start writing songs again. I started playing in different keys and the first song I wrote was the title track.” 

    Listen to more of Country House and to check out more of Ryan Luce, click here.

  • Westside Gunn Premieres Music Video for “Peppas”

    Westside Gunn the self-pronounced FlyGod continues to impress with his curation of albums and music videos.

    “Peppas” is the latest video off of Westside Gunn’s new album, 10 and features legendary hip hop duo, Black Star. Getting the seldom featured duo of Yaiin Bey and Talib Kweli on a track is a major coup for Westside. The legendary Brooklyn rhymers have made sure to not oversaturate their sound, going over two decades in-between albums. For the “Peppas” video, Westside bridges the gap between the “hood” and the glamors of the hip hop world. The visual of legendary hip hop figures returning to where it all began, just kicking it on the block adds a down-to-earth feel to the abstract sounding record. A juxtaposition that leans on the fact that most rappers earn their stripes in these communities, thus it’s all one big cycle.

    Visual Breakdown

    The record’s title itself is the name of a popular Jamaican restaurant in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of Brooklyn’s more renowned neighborhoods. The Conducter Williams produced track features the typical ear catching soul samples that fans have come to expect from a Westside project. Additionally, Kweli, Bey, and their abstract and philosophical rhymes serve as the perfect foil to Westside Gunn’s in your face style.

    Furthermore, each rapper’s verse conveys a similar message in their own way: their view of the world while subsequently letting you know how great they are. Concurrently, they gather with their homies on the block, enjoying the food and mingling with the restaurant staff. The entire record and video plays on the theme of the varying personalities and minds in the hood. Although a group of black males hanging around the block may be stylized as one, there are various personalities, ideologies and general life ethos at play within that group dynamic.

    Best Lyrics

    Matte-black dynamite, blast radials, black radio
    Core capability, flaco facility
    Fly guy, do or die, Bed-Stuy energy

    – Yasiin Bey
    Embed from Getty Images

    Claimin’ La Costra Nostra, we in love with the coca
    They hit niggas with the R.I.C.O., white people put it in cola
    For generational wealth, they standin’ on they ancestor’s shoulders
    After burnin’ down Tulsa, Oklahoma

    – Talib Kweli
    Embed from Getty Images

    My favorite fiend went to rehab
    Two weeks later, he was back a addict again
    He was three dollars short, had to drag him from the Benz wagon again

    – Westside Gunn

    Lastly, FlyGod.

    Embed from Getty Images

  • Machine Head Bring “Electric Happy Hour (Live)” To Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar

    In the middle of a 38-date tour of smaller venues across North America that kicked off November 3 in Fresno, California, thrash metal titans Machine Head played an intimate show to a raucous Saint Vitus audience in Brooklyn on Tuesday, November 29. A live extension of the band’s “Electric Happy Hour” online shows, which were streamed remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the first half of the tour has seen their diehard legion of fans thrilled by a free-form style set filled with deep cuts.

    machine head saint vitus
    Robb Flynn | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Nestled in its Greenpoint neighborhood, Saint Vitus opened in 2011 and has been known as the premier heavy metal hang spot ever since. On this weekday night, the bar would be taken over by the quartet hailing from Oakland, California who are touring in support of their tenth studio album Of Kingdom and Crown. A 13-track concept album that follows the stories of two main characters, Ares and Eros, was released via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings this past August.

    Arriving to the venue for my first time, I knew I was in the right place (despite the venue displaying no street signage as to its existence) when I spotted the band’s tractor trailer rig parked out front and a contingent of lucky VIP fans who were already making their way into the venue for soundcheck. The remaining fans, including myself, chatted and shivered together on the frigid evening as the general admission line steadily grew until it wrapped around the street corner.

    machine head saint vitus
    Jared MacEachern | Photo by Michael Dinger

    At approximately 7:00 pm, security returned to escort us into the warm confines of the 250-capacity concert hall. After my media credential was confirmed by the stamped application of the bar’s skull logo to my right hand, I walked through the bar area and headed straight for the coveted rail position. With no area designated for pit photographers, I was glad to be as close as possible to the metal action that would unfold before our collective eyes in a little more than an hour.  

    Without any opening support and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” playing over the house PA, the stage lights suddenly dimmed and the chants from the fans began . . . “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head.” For the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, Robb Flynn (vocals/guitar), the only remaining original member, Jared MacEachern (bass), Wacław Kiełtyka (lead guitar) and Matt Alston (drums) would deliver a heart-pounding, 21-song set that fully displayed the hard-hitting musicianship that made Machine Head one of America’s pioneering influences in new wave heavy metal.

    machine head saint vitus
    Wacław Kiełtyka | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Performing a set that included at least one song from each of their studio albums – spanning the course of nearly three decades – the San Francisco Bay Area metallers’ first offering was “Imperium,” from Through the Ashes of Empires (2003). With Flynn urging the crowd to “open up that circle pit,” he took us back to 1997 with the speed metal single “Ten Ton Hammer” (The More Things Change…). Reverting to their thrash metal roots, we lost our collective mind during “CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE,” taken from the aforementioned Of Kingdom and Crown and the first of three offerings that would be performed tonight from that 2022 release. The next trio of songs comprised two tracks from 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds (“Now We Die” and “Killers & Kings”), followed by “The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears” (The Burning Red, 1999). The night’s second contribution from Of Kingdom and Crown ensued, “UNHALLØWED,” an anthemic tune featuring dual-lead guitar lines and Flynn’s melodic vocals.

    machine head saint vitus
    Matt Alston | Photo by Michael Dinger

    With Machine Head’s set approaching the one hour mark and his plastic cup of Guinness running low, Flynn summoned crew member Junior to the stage to remedy the problem. After a quick refill of the Irish-made suds and another toast to the fans for coming out and their support, a special guest appearance was made by Joey Zampella (better known as Joey Z), guitarist for the Brooklyn alternative metal band Life of Agony that Joey Z co-formed in 1989. Taking over axe duties for Kiełtyka, the first of three cover songs followed, Life of Agony’s “This Time.”

    machine head saint vitus
    Robb Flynn | Photo by Michael Dinger
    Joey Z | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Over the next thirty minutes, Machine Head gave us “Old” (Burn My Eyes, 1994), “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)” (Unto the Locust, 2011) and “Aesthetics of Hate” (The Blackening, 2007), with Flynn again urging his fans to form another circle pit that nearly engulfed the entire room. Following a brief pause in the action, Flynn reappeared, now armed with an acoustic guitar. Pulling his hair back and wiping the sweat from his eyes, Flynn addressed the steamy room of sweaty bodies:

    The song that we’re going to do for you here is about mental health. It’s about religion. It’s about music, and it’s about depression. And, you know, for me, I wrote this song when I was in a pretty dark place in my life. I wasn’t raised with religion. I never prayed to a God upstairs to help me when times went tough. No, the thing that I always, always turned to throughout my life was music. It could be Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd or Metallica or Slayer or Hatebreed or Life of Agony. [There were] a million fucking bands [with] the power to reach down and pull me up out of that hole. It was never my music. It was someone else’s.

    So, I tell you what. If you relate to the words that I’m talking about, I want you to feel free to sing them as loud, loud as you want to. Be louder than me if you want to. I don’t care Brooklyn, you’re in a Machine Head show, New York. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Get your flashlights way, way, way up in the sky [and] turn the lights on for all of you who have a little bit of darkness inside you. This song is called “Darkness Within.”

    machine head saint vitus
    Robb Flynn | Photo by Michael Dinger

    In accordance with the show’s career-spanning theme, a foursome of songs followed, comprised of “Catharsis” (2018’s self-titled track), “Bulldozer” (Supercharger, 2001), “From This Day” (The Burning Red, 1999) and “Davidian,” a pulverizing, groove metal number from their 1994 debut album (Burn My Eyes) about the Waco, Texas siege the year prior. Following a brief moment offstage to collect their breaths for the final push, Machine Head performed two back-to-back covers as part of their encore. The first, Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” was spontaneously played in response to a request from the crowd. A blistering rendition of “Roots Bloody Roots,” released by Brazilian metalists Sepultura in 1996, was performed next.

    The epic night of heavy metal ended with “Halo,” a second track played from 2007’s The Blackening, with Flynn addressing us for a final time: Brooklyn, New York, we love you fucking maniacs. You were absolutely incredible. Thank you for making us feel so good. We are Machine-Fucking-Head, good night! Before leaving the stage for the final time, all four Machine Head members took a long, gracious bow before Alston handed his sticks to a pair of blissfully stunned fans and handfuls of picks were handed out by Flynn, MacEachern and Kiełtyka. The metal festivities officially concluded with the exclusive Machine Head t-shirt award to the most worthy fan who raged the hardest, a young man I personally witnessed headbanging in the front row all night long, while screaming every lyric in unison with Flynn.

    machine head saint vitus
    Machine Head | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Machine Head will continue their string of U.S. tour dates until the tour finale at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on December 23. Additionally, on the heels of a recently postponed show in Portland, Maine due to “transportation issues,” that show has already been rescheduled for April 2023.

    Machine Head Setlist: Imperium > Ten Ton Hammer > CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE > Now We Die > Killers & Kings > The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears > UNHALLØWED > Locust > NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS > This Time (Life of Agony cover) > Old > I Am Hell (Sonata in C#) > Aesthetics of Hate > Darkness Within > Catharsis > Bulldozer > From This Day > Davidian > Encore: Man in the Box (Alice in Chains cover) > Roots Bloody Roots (Sepultura cover) > Halo

  • Columbian-American Artist Valley Latini Releases Sensual Electro Pop Album “Attention Lover”

    NY-based Columbian-American pop artist Valley Latini has announced the release of Attention Lover, a sexy dose of introspection for lovers of electro pop. Musically inspired by the industrial sounds of Bushwick, Brooklyn, the album is sensual and direct. This 11-track project drops on December 1 and shares stories of past relationships and love affairs as well as a deeper look at self-love and female empowerment. 

    Valley Latini Columbian-American Artist Releases New Album

    As a singer, songwriter and music producer, Valley’s creative style reflects on a lot of social issues, self-realization, and personal philosophies on romance, delusion, and joy. “Attention Lover” branches further into Latini’s personal life and the relatable chaos that ensues when attempting to fall in love. 

    A huge part that goes into her sound and lyrics are fun and chaotic love life.  Along with this, she is highly influenced by her religious background. In a transgressive way, she chooses to combine said elements with contrasting themes like sensuality and divinity as a unified entity. 

    A lot of her live performances are centered around the expression of individual freedom and finding power in her female essence. Having recently performed on her national tour with comedian and author Jacq Frances, Valley has performed in venues and bars all across NYC. Valley’s music has been featured in a few local blogs like Bushwick Daily, The Hudson Valley News, Indie Wire, La Mezcla, and so much more.

    The combination of her Colombian upbringing with the sounds of NYC offer a diverse musical background. In her lyrics she embodies true strength through fearless vulnerability, proving herself to be a modern day renaissance woman. 

    As stated in a previous article from NYS Music, Valley talks about herself as the triumphant protagonist, dangles a literal carrot in front of the priest and wreaks havoc on his deserving soul in her song “Tu Y Yo.” Ultimately, as it turns out, the “haux house” leads to a beach utopia where the women can enjoy the finer things in paradise anyway.

    Valley expands on the concept, “the video is a metaphor for a modern day ‘witch hunt’ caused by men in power that fear female sexuality and censor the female body and sex workers.”

    Listen to “Attention Lover” by Valley Latini below.

  • Bobby Shmurda and NBA Youngboy Ignite Latest Social Media Beef

    Hip hop’s never ending machismo contest has reared its ugly head again. This time it involves two rappers whose words (or actions) could lead to serious legal complications. This latest brouhaha began with a Rowdy Rebel appearance on Math Hoffa’s  My Expert Opinion podcast.

    At around the four-minute mark of the clip, Rowdy begins to explain the reasoning behind some of the senseless violence in the streets. As he made his point, the “Computers” rapper used King Von’s late 2020 death at the hands of NBA Youngboy associate, Lul Tim as an example.

    His mind, off the rip, went to kill. How you went to kill? How much hate you have already to kill this man?” Rowdy continued. “Was it the drugs? You had the upper hand but just clear the seen and said, ‘Yo chill.’ You had the upper hand and could have just been like, ‘Yo, back your n***as up and get your dawg outta here.’ But you already chose the murder route.

    – Rowdy Rebel on Math Hoffa’s podcast

    In similar vain, Rowdy Rebel’s GS9 cohort, Bobby Shmurda, took to Instagram to share his thoughts on people who take credit for what their friends have done, since King Von’s death has been a major point of verbal warfare. Bobby’s rant began a long social media back-and-forth between the rappers.

    NBA Youngboy VS Bobby Shmurda

    In turn, NBA Youngboy took offense to Bobby Shmurda’s words and posted his own response on Instagram.

    Replying, “Ok mr ‘von shmurda’ you better stop the vilence boy!”

    “I thought you was a fan [laughing emoji] & don’t lie. Go make a hit. I just want to be friends.”

    Bobby Shmurda and NBA Youngboy
    Via NBA Youngboy’s Instagram story

    The “Make No Sense” rapper then provided another retort that read, “Well talking violent,” Youngboy wrote. “Help me keep the peace or just stay far away slave.”

    Bobby Shmurda and NBA Youngboy

    Youngboy continued his verbal attacks, posting another video message on Instagram addressing his New York counterparts.

    Including a sarcastic shot at the “Hot N***a” rapper, claiming that their social media interaction would only help Bobby’s views go up.

    Bobby Shmurda countered with with an Instagram live session and tried to get NBA Youngboy to join to they could have a “face-to-face” conversation. WIth his efforts for naught, he then started going off on a tangent, saying he doesn’t do “this Internet sh*t,” but that NBA Youngboy got what he wanted. He then countered Youngboy’s assertion that he needs a rub from the Louisiana rapper, going on to claim that he makes $100,000 a week and is “2-and-0 on the year” while being on parole.

    Bobby Shmurda continued with several more Instagram videos in which he accused Youngboy of being an “industry slave” and that all the streaming numbers (Which NBA Youngboy is known for) are fake. Before declaring that he will “boom” all the people speaking on his name.

    “Resolution”

    NBA Youngboy laughed off Bobby’s threatening remarks, YoungBoy then responded to Bobby‘s “boom” statements by laughing it off. He went on to say he has security and isn’t worried about anything. “I’m gonna stay out yo’ way, and hope you don’t get too close,” he said.

    Their exchange continued with another retort from Shmurda, walking back his initial threatening statement. He said his parole officer had been calling him and that he doesn’t want any problems with anyone due to him being on parole. The “Hot N***a” rapper added that he felt like this entire back-and-forth with YoungBoy might be a plot to put him back in jail.

    NBA Youngboy then shared a screenshot of a personal DM between him and Shmurda in which he claims he blocked the Brooklyn native.

    After that, Bobby posted a photo on his Instagram feed of the DMs that YB had shared, calling him the “feds” in the caption.

    “Nah you da feds how dis get outtt I don’t wanna hear nothing else I’m sorry to all the gangster entertaining this I apologize please I don’t want no beef with nobody,” he wrote.

    The duo then went ahead and shared several more thinly vailed Instagram messages aimed at each other before moving on. With hip hop culture becoming increasingly more violent, rappers are getting into disputes over the slightest of shots. While the two artists settled their differences by laughing off each other’s remarks, they are both paroled felons, and are putting their own freedom at risk by sending each other violent threats.

    Criminal History

    NBA YoungBoy is currently under 24-hour house arrest in Utah, while awaiting trial in Baton Rouge on weapons charges. Meanwhile, Bobby Shmurda was released from prison last year after serving 6 years on charges of drug and gun possession, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit murder.

    It would be in both rappers best interest to no longer involve themselves in rap beef.

  • NYC Winter Jazzfest Returning in January

    The NYC Winter Jazzfest is returning for its 19th year in mid-January, with a weeklong series of events at over a dozen venues with over 70 performers total.

    Beginning on January 12, opening night will feature the first-ever onstage presentation of jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards Live project. New Standards Live is composed of her book “New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers” and “New Standards, Vol. 1,” an album bringing to life music from this book. Musicians in January’s performance include Michele Rosewoman, Melanie Charles, Michael Mayo, Linda May Han Oh, Kris Davis, Tia Fuller, Caroline Davis, Helen Sung and Mary Halvorson.

    Opening night will also showcase French accordionist Vincent Peirani and French saxophonist Émile Parisien leading their respective ensembles, with trumpeter Avishai Cohen joining with his quartet in this concert at LPR. Lastly, UK radio broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner Gilles Peterson will DJ a set at Nublu.

    Next are the festival’s marathons in Manhattan on the 13th at (Le) Poisson Rouge, City Winery, City Winery Loft, Zinc Bar, the Bitter End, Nublu, and the Jazz Gallery, and in Brooklyn on the 14th at Brooklyn Opera House, Brooklyn Bowl, Superior Ingredients, Baby’s All Right, National Sawdust, Loove Labs, Club Curious.

    The weekend will include a Marshall Allen-led Sun Arkestra set, and at Brooklyn Bowl, a tribute concert to late jazz music promoter Meghan Stabile, who passed away in June at 39. This show will feature Late Show bandleader Louis Cato, revered hip-hop producer Pete Rock with his band, the Soul Brothers, and Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band, as well as a number of different special guests. Both nights will run from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.

    To close the weekend, on Sunday the 15th, the festival will also present a tribute to late trumpeter Jaimie “Breezy” Branch, who passed away in August at 39. The program, starting 8 p.m. at Nublu, will feature Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, Fay Victor, and more.

    On Tuesday the 17th at 7 p.m., pianist and composer Samora Pinderhughes will present his politically charged multimedia project “Grief & Process,” a collaborative exhibition and performance series taking place at The Kitchen’s temporary location at The Westbeth’s West Side Loft.

    At 8pm that same night, multi-instrumentalist Nate Mercereau will direct “Take Two,” in which audience and performers alike will listen to Pharoah Sanders’ 1974 album Elevation in its entirety, after which the musicians will take to the stage for a live reinterpretation of what they just heard.

    As in past years, the festival will also present a series of “Jazz Talks” for the afternoons of January 15-17, covering the topics of jazz and gender, wellness, social justice and more.

    On the 18th, NYC Winter Jazzfest will close with a concert at Nublu. Information regarding tickets and more can be found on the festival’s website.

  • Blake Sandberg of ALIENS: a Post-Punk and a 9-11 Story of Survival

    Never considering myself attracted to post-punk, I was engrossed by the story of both a visual and audio post-punk artist, Blake Sandberg of ALIENS. His story opened me up to a genre I would have not considered to be in my wheelhouse. It is one of a thousand 9/11 attack survival stories and how an artist can dig into his craft to cope with suffering on the way to survival.  You can hear the rest of the story in the interview I conducted with Blake on The Long Island Sound Podcast. 

    EP Release Party in Brooklyn

    Blake Sandberg’s New York City post-punk band ALIENS announced the  last show of the year and EP release party at Littlefield in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Friday December 2. I was able to sample their songs a few weeks ago.

    The AGORAPHONIC EP compiles singles from 2007 to the present.  ALIENS new songs were captured in Brooklyn at B.C. Studios, by Martin Bisi. The singles are “Leave Luck to Heaven” and a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song.”  The songs feature Blake Sandberg on guitar and vocals with ALIENS new bassist Kevin Jones and George Fiala on drums. 

    AGORAPHONIC is getting steady radio airplay across the country landing it in the NACC Top 200 and in the Top 20 Alternative Chart – currently at #13.  Check out the Brooklyn Release Party at Littlefield’s here.

    Blake Sandberg is an accomplished American artist. He creates iconic images and uses words in his paintings to explore meaning and associations with objects in our environments. 

    The Best Laid Plans

    Blake Sandberg battles a rare inner-ear disorder and illnesses from exposure to Ground Zero after 9/11.  Blake died in a hospital in 2005 and was resuscitated.  He is an artist and has been described as an “idea machine.”  His first guitar was given to him by a friend, it became a mission.  Words he wrote quickly became songs.  Chords bashed out on the guitar to carry them. And his 9/11 story begins with the planned opening of his art exhibit.

    BLAKE BY ANDREA BUCCI

    … and then 911 happened. And I had an art opening a couple of days before that. And my parents and my brother were in town for it. You know, there were fires a few blocks below me. It was a strange world to be in. So I think it naturally went to painting and writing and things.”

    Blake Sandberg

    The New EP

    ALIENS frontman, Blake Sandberg says “Tower of Song” became important to him during the Covid shutdown. 

    I thought I might learn the song. I was home playing guitar and looking out the window

    Blake Sandberg

    Leonard Cohen’s lyrics have similar imagery.  One day while walking to get something to eat he found a vinyl copy of Hank Williams Greatest Hits album someone had put out on their steps.  He took it as a sign.  In the song Cohen says “I said to Hank Williams how lonely does it get?”  

    Leonard Cohen

    
Sandberg sped up the song up to a runaway train pace, while managing to cram all the words into the song without ruining it and making something of his own out of it. He also related the current times with political upheaval and division to the lyrics of this song. “I see you standing there on the other side. I don’t know how this river got so wide.”  Sandberg takes on the weight of this cover song and his vocal performance is noteworthy.  Martin Bisi’s production work keeps the train on the tracks.

    “Enjoy Killing Time” was released in the first Covid shutdown in NYC.  This track was recorded with guest drummer Hunt Sales, the legendary drummer for Iggy Pop “Lust For Life” and David Bowie’s Tin Machine.

    ALIENS are Blake Sandberg, Miguel Vela, and Kevin Jones. Vela has taken over the drums over the last 12 months.  As a trio they form a powerful post-punk band capable of scream-along anthems, searing sci-fi guitar riffs, with a heavy dose of Jones’s bass and Vela’s pounding drums.  

    It’s refreshing to come across an artist who takes his suffering and joys and bangs out raw emotion into his music. Post-punk is a discover, I need to explore, it’s an appropriate megaphone to express what we need to hear. ALIENS deliver!  

  • Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) Opens Doors to Visitors

    The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is homeward bound and opened its doors in Stony Brook after two decades of planning the nonprofit’s first physical facility. On Friday November 25th, LIMEHOF celebrated its grand opening with a preview for former inductees and the media.

    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Ribbon cutting of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)

    Guests and former inductees were treated to performances by Long Island Music Hall of Famers, including Randy Jackson from Zebra. We were treated the grand tour of this building which holds so much history. Visitors will note the wall of photos that adorn the entryway which reflects the well-spring of talent from Long Island. Currently there’s an exhibit on the Long Island Club scene from the 1960’s through the 80’s. Members dontated musical instruments, memorabilia, including one of Billy Joel’s motorcycles, Joan Jett’s Jaguar and Dee Snyder’s wardrobe.

    Joan Jett's Jaguar Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Joan Jett’s car

    It’s a place that’s gonna give Long Islanders, a sense of community, a sense of pride. I dare anyone to find a place not just in the country, but in the world with as much musical talent that has come from one island.

    Erinie Canadeo, Chairman

    Energy, Exhibits and Excitement

    The excitement was palpable as we witnessed a rock-n-roll stew of performers, music industry executives, and entertainers across the spectrum. From doo-wop to rap, rock-n-roll to folk, artists gathered with a renewed sense of community and pride.

    Mark Mendoza expressed his indebtedness to the fans:

    It took too long. It’s about time it happened? No, but we are grateful to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, you know, entertainment Hall of Fame, really grateful. But I’ll tell you what, if it wasn’t for all these artists, including us and their fans, we wouldn’t be here. It’s really the people that will see on the map.

    Mark Mendoza
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Parish Smith, Mike Ricciardella, LAW and Rob Tellerman

    Two Floors Jammed Pack with Surprises

    The Hall of Fame will have a rotation of exhibits twice a year. Award winning designer and board member Kevin O’Callahan, designer of the iconic “popcorn” trophy for the MTV Movie Awards, created the premiere exihibit, Long Island’s Legendary Club Scene, a “club crawl” through the nightclubs of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. There is also a theater, gift shop, performance area, and an official Hall of Fame Museum filled with memorabilia from over 120 inductees.

    JJ French, Mark Mendoza

    Paying It Forward Supporting Education

    Typically the Arts are on the chopping block when school districts are faced with difficult budget decisions. Gratefully, the LIMEHOF is a 501(C)(3) non-profit dedicated to supporting the arts though education and various scholarships. There are some exciting partnerships to be announced in 2023 which will pass the torch of encougement onto the next generations.

    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Mark Mendoza and LAW
    Steve Vai guitar
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    LIMEHOF
    LIMEHOF
    Parish Smith from EPMD
    JMJ ADIDAS sneakers
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Parish Smith, Mike Ricciardella and L.A.W
    JJ French from Twisted Sister
    JJ French and Kevin O’Callahan
    JJ French and Kevin O’Callahan
    Ernie Canadeo
    Richard L’ Hommedieu
    Wayne Robins, Norm Prusslin, Ernie Canadeo
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    2022 inductee Wayne Robins
    Steve Yusko (right)
    LIMEHOF
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    LIMEHOF
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    LIMEHOF
    LIMEHOF
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    LIMEHOF
    Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF)
    Elliot Murphy
    LIMEHOF

  • The Smile Take Over NYC With A Trio Of Brilliant Shows at Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom  

    In the early stages of a 24-date North America excursion that kicked-off last week, The Smile (a side project by Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner) came to New York City this past weekend for a set of three consecutive shows.

    Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger

    The run began with two nights at the majestic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn (November 18-19) and the third at Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan (November 20), a turn-of-the-century opera house. NYS Music was front and center for The Smile’s opening night at King’s Theatre on Friday evening and the NYC finale at Hammerstein Ballroom Sunday night. 

    the smile kings theatre hammerstein ballroom
    Jonny Greenwood (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    The Smile, who take their name from a collated poem in Ted Hughes’ 1970 literary work Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow, are touring in support of their 13-track debut album that was released in May 2022, A Light for Attracting Attention (XL Recordings). Furthering the Radiohead connection, the record was produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. Born during the 2019 COVID lockdown, as many creative endeavors have, The Smile released a string of singles and eventually, the announcement of a world tour.

    The current trek marks the first shows on American soil for Yorke and Greenwood since August 2018, when Radiohead wrapped up their world tour in support of 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. Yorke was slated to tour North America in 2020 with stops at Kings Theatre behind his excellent solo album Anima, but this tour was ultimately postponed and canceled as a result of the pandemic.

    the smile kings theatre hammerstein ballroom
    The Smile (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    Supporting The Smile for the tour’s duration is Robert Stillman, a multi-instrumentalist and composer born in Maine who has called the United Kingdom his home for the past decade. Like his tour mates (with whom he contributed to their album), Spillman is presenting new material from his eighth studio album What Does It Mean to Be American? (Orindal Records/KIT Records), released in January 22.

    the smile kings theatre hammerstein ballroom
    Robert Stillman (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Taking the stage at approximately 8:15 pm each night, dressed in white from head to toe, Stillman unassumingly acknowledged the audience for a moment before taking to his synthesizer. For approximately 30 minutes, Stillman mesmerized the audience each night with a deliberate looping process between his synthesizers and a tenor saxophone, curating an eclectic sonic palette drawing on elements of jazz, drone and psychedelia.

    Kings Theatre (Friday, November 18)

    On Friday night, fans lined up early ahead of doors at Kings Theatre in Flatbush, donning various Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Sons of Kemet and other associated apparel. The recently renovated classical movie theater is an exquisite example of how a modern music venue can be incorporated into a historic space. The cavernous venue, decorated with red velvet and ornate gold accents, boasts a deep sonic experience that continually attracts artists of all genres who want their music experienced in such a gorgeous space.

    Thom Yorke (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    The show got underway with Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner taking to the front of the stage as they basked in a thunderous ovation, with a return of gratitude to the fans. With Yorke behind a familiar piano, Greenwood on bass guitar and Skinner behind the kit, “Pana-vision” started the festivities. The song begins with a swirling piano arpeggio before a dark, jazzy rhythm kicks in. Yorke drives the song with his signature falsetto as his voice swells and calms for several waves of the song. The band then dove into a tight rendition of “Thin Thing”, a psychedelic Kraut-rock song which highlights The Smile’s style perfectly. The music is “stripped back” in a sense that it is confined to a trio, but the blend of dissonant vocals, driving punk rock infused strings, and jazzy percussions creates a dense palette which overwhelms in a live setting.

    In addition to the songs from A Light for Attracting Attention, the band has been playing many unreleased songs on this tour. On Friday at Kings Theatre, Stillman joined the band and contributed his saxophone for two such songs “Colours Fly” and “People on Balconies”. Other new songs performed Friday were “Bending Hectic” and “Read the Room”. The main set ended with the vintage punk sounding “You Will Never Work In Television Again”, which got fans bouncing all over the venue. The final song of the night was surprisingly long-time favorite Thom Yorke solo song “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses”, self-released back in 2009.      

    The Smile (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello
    Thom Yorke (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello
    The Smile (Kings Theatre) | Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    Hammerstein Ballroom (Sunday, November 20)

    Although doors were more than two hours away, a large (and rapidly growing) contingent of fans already lined the West 34th Street sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan on a near freezing late Sunday afternoon. Mercifully, at 6:30 pm, the shivering fans hoping to get a spot on or near the stage rail were ushered into the warm confines of the Hammerstein Ballroom lobby, housed within the Manhattan Center.  Extensively renovated in 1997, elaborate architectural decorations adorn the historic venue which seats 2,500 (all of which would be sold out tonight) – complete with box seats, three balconies, a proscenium arch and a hand-painted ceiling mural 75-feet above depicting an “orchestra of angels on a heavenly stage”.

    Hammerstein Ballroom | Photo by Michael Dinger

    At approximately 9:20 pm, The Smile took to the stage, with Yorke pausing along the stage apron as the audience’s applause and wild cheers rained down. After assuming their stage positions (Yorke at stage right, Greenwood at center stage and Skinner on his kit at stage left), The Smile commenced their 90-minute set backed by a large video screen displaying broken, horizontal line patterns. Bathed in red stage lighting, the first of ten offerings from A Light for Attracting Attention was “The Same”. With Greenwood seated at the piano, Yorke took up his vintage Guild Starfire II bass and let his haunting, signature falsetto do the rest.

    Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
    Jonny Greenwood (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
    the smile kings theatre hammerstein ballroom
    Tom Skinner (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger

    Throughout the evening, Yorke and Greenwood seamlessly interchanged their instruments, each playing guitar, bass and piano. Ensuing magnificent presentations of “Thin Thing”, “The Opposite” and “Speech Bubbles”, guided by the loose-limbed Skinner and his punishing rhythmic dialogues, Yorke briefly addressed the audience as he took his seat at the piano for “Pana-vision”. “We’re a new band called The Smile, but I guess you knew that”. Up next was “A Hairdryer”, with Greenwood bowing his Fender Precision bass during the opening refrain of the 8-minute masterpiece.

    The night’s only snafu followed approximately one-third into the show, a technical malfunction that led to “Waving a White Flag” being scratched from the set. While two other tracks (“Open the Floodgates” and “Free in the Knowledge”) from The Smile’s debut album were not performed Sunday night, fans were treated to three new, currently unreleased songs – “Bending Hectic”, “Read the Room” and “Bodies Laughing”.

    Up next was “Skirting on the Surface”, developed from an unreleased Radiohead song and featuring Greenwood’s guitar arpeggios. As Yorke introduced “People on Balconies”, he acknowledged The Smile fans in attendance a second time. “I very much enjoy being back to New York City. We wish we had another week, or two, at least”. After welcoming Robert Stillman and his sax back to the stage, The Smile gave us “The Smoke” and “You Will Never Work in Television Again”, a banger in every sense of the word. Following an encore break, the last fifteen minutes of the epic show comprised “Just Eyes and Mouth”, “Colours Fly” (with Stillman rejoining the band) and “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses”.    

    The Smile will continue their string of U.S. dates until a pair of Los Angeles concerts on December 21 and 22 close out the run for the year. A 2023 show has also already been announced at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on February 16.

    Kings Theatre Setlist: Pana-vision > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Free in the Knowledge > A Hairdryer > Waving a White Flag > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Skrting on the Surface > Just Eyes and Mouth > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Open the Floodgates > The Same > Bending Hectic > Encore 2: Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)

    Hammerstein Ballroom Setlist: The Same > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Pana-vision > A Hairdryer > Bending Hectic > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Bodies Laughing > Skrting on the Surface > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Just Eyes and Mouth > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)

    Robert Stillman Gallery – Kings Theatre

    Robert Stillman Gallery – Hammerstein Ballroom

    The Smile Gallery – Kings Theatre

    The Smile Gallery – Hammerstein Ballroom

  • Lotus Announces 2023 Tour, Stops at Empire Live and Town Ballroom; Brooklyn Bowl Shows Thanksgiving Weekend

    Electronic-fusion band Lotus will be on the road has announced a massive 2023 US Tour in support of their new album Bloom & Recede, released in August of 2022. The coast-to-coast tour features nearly 40 shows in the early part of 2023, with stops in the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Texas, California, the Pacific Northwest and more.

    They’ll make stops in Albany at Empire Live and Buffalo at Town Ballroom in January, as well as two nights at Brooklyn Bowl over Thanksgiving weekend, November 25-26. Get tickets here.

    lotus tour

    Lotus is a five-piece instrumental band who have been playing music for more than 20 years ago. One of hte first bands to fuse electronic beats with dance, jam, psych-rock, post-rock, disco and jazz. the group have become renowned performer and have built a loyal following wherever they venture.

    Live Lotus shows take listeners on a dance-inducing journey of improvisation that can only be described as a one-of-a-kind experience. They’ve toured actively throughout the U.S., working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world class venues such as Red Rocks. They’ve become festival favorites, performing at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Electric Forest, and more. Lotus additionally hosts their own annual Summerdance Festival in Garrettsville, OH with a lineup of various Electronic artists. 

    In 2021, Mike Rempel departed the band he founded, and Tim Palmieri (Kung Fu, The Breakfast) joined Lotus, who forge ahead with Mike Greenfield, Luke Miller, Jesse Miller and Chuck Morris on this national tour.

    LOTUS 2023 TOUR DATES: 

    Nov 25 & 26 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY 

    Dec 10 – North Beach Music Festival – Miami, FL Dec 30 & 31 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO 

    Jan 21 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA 

    Jan 25 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT 

    Jan 26 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA 

    Jan 27 – Empire Live – Albany, NY 

    Jan 28 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY 

    Jan 29 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH 

    Feb 2 – The Majestic – Detroit, MI 

    Feb 3 – KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH 

    Feb 4 – MegaCorp Pavilion – Newport, KY 

    Feb 5 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY 

    Feb 7 – Goshen Theater – Goshen, IN 

    Feb 8 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN 

    Feb 9 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI 

    Feb 10 – Park West – Chicago, IL 

    Feb 11 – Myth Live – Minneapolis, MN 

    Feb 14 – The Majestic – Madison, WI

    Feb 15 – Old Rock House – St Louis, MO 

    Feb 16 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN 

    Feb 17 – Salvage Station – Asheville, NC 

    Feb 19 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC 

    Feb 22 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC 

    Feb 23 – The National – Richmond, VA 

    Feb 24 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC 

    Feb 25 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA 

    Apr 14 – Emo’s – Austin, TX 

    Apr 15 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX 

    Apr 16 – Echo – Dallas, TX 

    Apr 19 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ 

    Apr 20 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA 

    Apr 21 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA 

    Apr 22 – Crown Room – Crystal Bay, NV 

    Apr 23 – Goldfield Trading Post – Sacramento, CA

    Apr 27 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR 

    Apr 28 – Midtown Ballroom – Bend, OR 

    Apr 29 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR 

    Apr 30 – Nectar Lounge – Seattle, W 

    lotus tour
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