Governors Ball Music Festival wrapped up its third and final day on Sunday, June 12. Narrowly avoiding passing thunderstorms, the weekend was punctuated by a headlining performance from J. Cole, who performed a career-spanning set, including songs off his 2021 LP The Off-Season.
J. Cole has lived much of his life in New York, and reminisced about writing some of his most influential music in the city. “It’s so crazy to be here, with the train going by…I used to live right down the street, writing songs as the trains go by.” J. Cole opened his set with a fiery performance of “95.South” and also brought out J.I.D. and Kenny Mason for “Stick.” J.I.D. broke his hand moshing during his set earlier in the day, and pleaded to the crowd: “Don’t be like me; safety first!”
Kaytranada, Governors Ball, 6/12/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
As with all three headliners over the weekend, a majority of the bands on the lineup are celebrating releases dating back to 2020. With a complete year and a half hiatus in the live music industry as a result of the pandemic, 2022 is jam packed with artists touring off releases a couple years old as well as albums that are hot out of the studio. Soccer Mommy is only two weeks away from her highly anticipated fourth LP Sometimes, Forever while Coin are only a few months into the life of their fifth LP Uncanny Valley. Clairo is also still touring behind her strong sophomore LP Sling, released last year.
Stay tuned later in the week for our full coverage of the entire Governors Ball weekend. In the meantime, check out more photos from Sunday from NYS Music photographers David Reichmann and Joseph Buscarello in the gallery below.
KaytranadaKaytranadaJazmine SullivanJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastJapanese BreakfastClairoJ. ColeJ. Cole and J.I.D.J. Cole and J.I.D.100 GecsCoinGlass AnimalsGlass AnimalsGlass AnimalsJ.I.D.Soccer Mommy
The NY Philharmonic has announced its annual Concert in the Parks, which is back after being canceled for two years because of the pandemic.
The Concert in the Parks series has become an iconic New York summer experience since it began in 1965. It transformed parks across the city into a patchwork of picnickers and allowed them to hear classical music under the stars.
The NY Philharmonic Concert in the Park series will happen from June 14-17, then again on the 19. All performances begin at 8 P.M. There will be fireworks following the performances in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.
Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct the concerts, which take place at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 14); the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 15); Cunningham Park, Queens (June 16); and Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 17).
Jaap van Zweden began his tenure as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2018. He has also served as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic since 2012. He has conducted performances on three continents, and at age 19 he became the youngest-ever concertmaster of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
The program includes Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Bomsori Kim as a soloist, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, and works by New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers: 14- year-old Naama Rolnick’s Keep Walking, and 17-year-old Alexander Rothschild Douaihy’s A Human Rhapsody.
Stained glass colors the environment of Dimension 70, a unique studio space in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Founded by Berklee-educated engineer and musician Fern Souza in late 2019, D70 is a space defined by aspiration on each floor, with two craftily designed recording spaces, useful non-musical amenities, and plans & ideas that put artists first.
A stained glass display within the D70 building.
Assembled by Francis Manzella, a studio designer whose work spans nearly 40 years, the studio’s intrigue is fittingly matched by the space’s history. The building was originally a synagogue in the early 1900s, with prayer book pages being discovered between the bricks during construction. It also saw intriguing use during prohibition, when the space housed a whisky still.
D70’s adherence to this unique background can be found in Studio One, their “flagship tracking room.” 20 feet tall and 730 sq. ft wide, this space is comprised of a control room, live room (315 sq. ft), and isolation booth, which are arranged with a collective line of sight between all three areas. Studio One has a wide range of audio equipment and instruments available, and the live room is decorated by a custom stained glass window and a mural by Florida graphic artist Marlon Pruz.
Wide shot of Studio One.
Dimension 70’s other recording space, the 10′ by 11′ Studio Two, is the domain of mixing and mastering engineer Joshua Pleeter. Pleeter has engineered on records by artists such as Topaz Jones, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Princess Nokia, with marks of his D70 residency including work on records by Felly, Carrtoons, and Masego. While obviously not on the same physical scale of its companion recording space, Studio Two does have its own collection of audio equipment and instruments for artist use.
Wide shot of Studio Two.
Aside from the two recording areas, Dimension 70’s building includes a lounge room with assortments of vinyl records and gaming consoles, a workplace with a meeting table and flatscreen, and a kitchen.
In their quest to make a space as artist-accommodating as possible, in October 2020, D70 launched their Time & Space program. Time & Space offers musicians 10 hours of free recording time and 10 hours to gift to another creator of their choice. To apply for this limited opportunity, artists have to share one story and one post to Instagram. The last winner of free studio time was Orrin, a now LA-based rapper back in March 2021.
Photo of Orrin.
In just under three years, Dimension 70 has managed to build itself a strong network. Over 90 different artists have worked on projects at the studio, with big names such as Camila Cabello, 88rising, and Magdalena Bay leaving their mark in the building.
With plenty of distance covered as a business, a thoughtfully arranged studio, and business policy, there is likely much more to come from Dimension 70.
Governors Ball Music Festival continued on Saturday, June 11th, outside of Flushing Meadows in Queens. Saturday featured a triumphant headlining set from Edison, New Jersey native Halsey who is still running strong off her fourth LP If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power released in 2021.
Halsey had a setback earlier this week when her show on June 8th at Merriweather Post Pavillion had to be abruptly cancelled due to severe flooding at the venue. Unfazed by the heartbreak, Halsey delivered a powerful performance for the Flushing crowd. Governors Ball will always be a special occasion for Halsey; she attended the festival in 2014 (the day she signed her record deal), played an early evening set in 2018, and headlined on Saturday.
Halsey, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
During Halsey’s set, she admitted she “couldn’t resist” playing a cover of Kate Bush’s timeless classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and also treated fans to the live debut of her just-released new single, “So Good.” Other performers included Flume, Denzel Curry, DJ Diesel (Shaq), Tove Lo, and Dehd. Photos from day two of Governors Ball by David Reichmann and Joseph Buscarello are below.
Denzel Curry, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Day two was not without it’s hiccups. With a packed main stage waiting for Roddy Rich, the festival announced halfway through his set-time that Roddy Rich would not be performing. The disappointed crowd flooded over to the other stages and packed in for Joji and Denzel Curry.
Flume, Governors Ball, 6/11/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
The third and final day of the festival is today and features a headline performance from J. Cole. Other bands NYS Music are excited to see include Kaytranada, Japanese Breakfast, 100 Gecs, Soccer Mommy, and J.I.D.. Check back tomorrow for photos from the Governors Ball finale.
Fans of musical icon and New York’s own, the great, late Lou Reed, will soon be able to hear some new and previously unreleased material as part of a new archival release series. In partnership with Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson, acclaimed label Light in the Attic will release the first album of the series, Words & Music, May 1965, later this summer on Aug. 26. It features some of the some earlier takes on Velvet Underground classics like “Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” and “Pale Blue Eyes” that Reed helped craft along with fellow VU co-founder John Cale.
This newly unearthed material is the result of a five-inch reel of recordings that Reed mailed to himself in the form of a “poor man’s copyright” back in 1965. It went untouched for nearly 50 years, only discovered after the artist’s death in 2013. The raw, grainy material gives an early inside look at the genius of Reed and, per music journalist Greil Marcus in the liner notes, “They make a darkness, and Reed and Cale try to feel their way through it. In ‘Heroin,’ there’s just a hint of the hurricane it will become and the enormous authority it will carry two years later. … ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ says go farther, there’s no end to this, and you know that they will go farther — they’re almost there.”
Words & Music, May 1965 will be available in several formats, including LP, cassette, 8-track, digital and CD, and can be preordered here. The deluxe two-LP edition, is being limited to 7,500 copies and also includes an additional 7″ record that features six other early songs and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” The full track listings for both albums can be seen below.
In addition to this, the five-inch reel itself will be physically on display this week, along with other Reed-related artifacts, at Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars. The exhibition opens on June 9 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
“This collection is to inspire people,” Anderson said in a recent NY Times interview. “It’s not necessarily to say, ‘Here’s the real Lou Reed.’ That’s never what it was meant to be. Here’s a lot of his music and how he did it. Be inspired by it. But it’s not and can’t be a real picture of the man.”
Lou Reed, ‘Words & Music, May 1965’ Track Listing 2xLP 1. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Demo) 2. “Men of Good Fortune” (May 1965 Demo) * 3. “Heroin” (May 1965 Demo) 4. “Too Late” (May 1965 Demo) * 5. “Buttercup Song” (May 1965 Demo) 6. “Walk Alone” (May 1965 Demo) 7. “Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 Demo) 8. “Pale Blue Eyes” (May 1965 Demo) 9. “Stockpile” (May 1965 Demo) * 10. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” (May 1965 Demo) 11. “I’m Waiting for the Man” (May 1965 Alternate Version) 7-inch 1. “Gee Whiz” – (1958 Rehearsal) * 2. “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” (1963/64 Home Recording) 3. “Michael, Row The Boat Ashore” (1963/64 Home Recording) 4. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Partial) (1963/64 Home Recording) 5. “W & X, Y, Z Blues” (1963/64 Home Recording) * 6. “Lou’s 12-Bar Instrumental” (1963/64 Home Recording) *
The 2022 edition of the Governors Ball Music Festival got underway on Day One, June 10th, outside of Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. The festival has revamped itself in the new location with greater accessibility via mass transit, a dive bar area featuring intimate acoustic sets from artists on the bill, and more of a focus on local food vendors.
Kid Cudi, Governors Ball, 6/10/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Friday was headlined by Grammy Award winning recording artist Kid Cudi who released Man On The Moon III: Chosen back in 2020 and is set to release his eighth LP later this year. Kid Cudi previewed the new record with “Do What I Want” as well as playing the all-time hit “Memories.”
NYS Music photographers David Reichmann and Joseph Buscarello are on site all weekend covering Governors Ball. Other artists on Friday included Channel Tres, Black Pumas, JPEGMAFIA, and Jack Harlow. Lil’ Wayne was booked as a last minute replacement for Migos who dropped off the lineup earlier in the week. However, only a couple of hours before his set, the festival announced that due to “flight delays” Weezy would be replaced by Harlem native A$AP Ferg.
Black Pumas, Governors Ball, 6/10/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Saturday is going to be a packed day with sets from Denzel Curry, DJ Diesel (Shaq), Dehd, Tove Lo, and Flume. Halsey headlines the Governors Ball Stage, making her return to the festival after last playing in 2018. Tune back in tomorrow for photos from those sets and more.
The estate of esteemed rapper, Prodigy, has released his first posthumous single since signing a management deal to bring his solo catalog to streaming platforms. “You Will See” is the first single from Prodigy’s forthcoming posthumous project, The Hegelian Dialectic: The Book of Heroine.
The R&B laced track sees the “H.N.I.C.” at his story-telling best, as he details the inner-city lifestyle that littered his raps throughout his career. The “Keep It Thoro” MC did just that, sharing tales of his beloved Queensbridge along with the many vices that come with the street lifestyle.
It’s hard to put into words the impact he had on the world — his sound completely changed the game and influenced so many that came after him. His legacy will live on forever through his music and we’re grateful his estate has entrusted ADA to bring his iconic catalog back where it belongs — with his fans.
– ADA president Cat Kreidich
Prodigy passed away in 2017 due to complications from his sickle cell anemia, he was 42-years-old. Listen to “You Will See” below.
Acclaimed jazz sax titan Kamasi Washington and his eight-piece band delivered a ferocious performance to herald the return of BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn!, New York City’s longest running, free music festival at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.
Like many good things, this world-class event was sidelined by COVID-19, with no performances in 2020 and a greatly scaled back schedule in 2021.
Now in its 44th year, the 2022 BRIC season will boast a lineup of heavy-hitting musical artists from Brooklyn and around the world. The roster includes: rapper Vic Mensa; Brooklynite, contemporary poet, writer, lyricist and activist aja monet; Nigerian Afropop phenom Yemi Alade; British reggae vocalist, Maxi Priest; genre-defying rock band, Chicano Batman; Grammy-winning contemporary blues artist Fantastic Negrito; Grammy-winning latin pop singer Fonseca; San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet and filmmaker Sam Green, performing in tandem with “A Thousand Thoughts” documentary; indie-pop band, The Beths; American soul rock band Seratones and many more. The season will also include ticketed benefit concerts featuring Indie-Rock singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers; American-born Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer Davido; Texas-based psych rock band Khruangbin and multi-Grammy-winning “Queen of Neo Soul” artist Erykah Badu.
The June 8 season opener drew a packed house to Brooklyn that reveled in the sounds of Kamasi Washington and show opener Ravyn Lenae, the alt.R&B newbie riding high of the release of her massive 20-track Atlantic Records’ debut, Hypnos. The classical-trained Chicagoite has been around since 2015, as a part of Zero Fatigue, a collective comprised of Smino, Jean Deaux and producer Monte Booker.
Lenae and her tight quartet of backing musicians blazed through a set of both up-tempo neo-soul and ballads including her album’s standout tracks, including “Where I’m From,” “Skintight,” “Light Me Up,” “M.I.A,” the super slinky “Sticky” and the propulsive near rocker “Inside Out.” Lenae is gifted with a great stage presence and a soaring falsetto, which she uses to great effect on many tracks. The audience was full of Lenae fans, who pressed to the stage with cellphones drawn to capture the performance of this rising star. My one complaint is that she did not introduce her tight backing musicians, an array which included a powerful female drummer who may or may not have been Nikki Glaspie of Beyonce and the great jam bands, Nth Power and Dumpstaphunk.
Before Lenae and Washington’s sets, the crowd was fired up by the well curated spins from DJ Reborn. A vision in magenta, she swayed, and had the crowd doing likewise, to selections including Samankwe’s “Happysong” and Leikeli 47’s “Money.”
The energy hit a new level in Brooklyn when Kamasi Washington and his double-drummer ensemble hit the stage. Unlike many of his album tracks, which heavily feature masses of strings and vocal choruses, Washington’s performance at Celebrate Brooklyn! had a fierce howling edge driven by his tight interplay of his all-virtuoso ensemble.
The band kicked off its performance with an extended version of “The Garden Path,” Washington’s latest single. The stage was set with an intro solo by keyboardist Brandon Coleman, who fuses straight-ahead jazz, hard core funk and P-Funk master Bernie Worrell-esque spaceisms in a wholly unique style. Trumpeter Dontae Winslow followed, with the first of many searing solos that matched the mighty Washington in melodic architecture and excitement. Likewise for flautist and soprano saxman Rickey Washington, Kamasi’s father. The elder Washington not only helped mold his son’s talent but kicked up every tune he soloed on during the set.
Washington is both a superlative composer/arranger and a true titan of the art of tenor sax soloing. His extrapolation on the opening tune and all others in the performance build thoughtfully, from breathy balladeering to Tranesque sheets sound to a free jazz Pharoah Sanders scream and skronk. Washington and his band heightened the pace with the next tune, “Street Fighter Mas,” a majestic-themed, funkified selection from his acclaimed 2018 disc, Heaven and Hell, with 12 million streams, his biggest hit on Spotify.
The melodic “Sun Kissed Child” was one of the tunes that featured the singular soloing of bassist Miles Mosley. On this and several other tunes, Mosley clawed, sawed and thumped on his bass, giving it an otherworldly sort of post-Hendrix howl with judicious use of a harmonizer, fuzz and his bow. Another standout band member was vocalist Patrice Quinn, who admirably recreated the vocal parts of Washington’s tunes that are, on record, performed by a chorus. Kamasi’s performance also included crowd-pleasing tunes like “Blaxsploitation,” “Truth” from his awesome 2017 EP “Harmony of Difference” and the final track, “Fists of Fury.”
With his floor length robe, big beard and crown of locks, Washington projects a biblical/prophetic presence. This is wholly appropriate as his performances are an almost religious experience for those who love jazz, classical music, funk and everything in between. Keyboardist Coleman’s dabs of electronica and Washington and Mosley’s use of effects like delay give this jazz a futuristic feel that is missing from so much of the genre today – one which seems set on reproducing a music past from the likes of Coltrane that can never be matched.
If you want to see a show that embraces all the many eras of jazz’s great past but with an eye to the future, catch Kamasi Washington.
Indie-electronic artist-producer Wooter releases his first single “Epigraph” this Friday, June 10th. “Epigraph” is a chill psychedelic pop track that may calm you down and drive you away from the current chaos.
Wooter
Wooter, also called Rowan Brind, is a Brooklyn-based artist and producer. He is an engineer and mixer while he also learned multiple instruments. Meanwhile, he is a prolific songwriter who works mainly on his laptop alone.
However, in this signle, he collaborates with the experienced jazz drummer Caleb Estey. Followed his non-traditional songwriting process that first writing to a drum take, then inserting melody and lyrics, Wooter added new sounds in this new single as well.
Wooter is fond of obscure, niche audio equipment and instruments, which gives his music a distinctive sound. His perfectionism in audio production and mixing improved the listening experience of his productions. His perfectionism and interest in sound also benefited his produce skills as an entirely self-taught producer. He always searches for new sounds and evolves with each album.
“Epigraph” is the music shelter to escape from the daily hustle and bustle. Turn it on, and relieve the expectation and burdens on you for the two minutes and 44 seconds. This is music for those trying to break from the routine.
The book The Sun Also Rises inspired Wooter to express the feelings of characters. They are living aimless lives and yet live happily unfazed by the world crumbling around them. For the sound design, Wooter composed his new album on the OP1 which has a lush sound of synthesizers during a trip to New Orleans. He absorbed the feelings of artists like Tame Impala, Mild High Club, and Gorillaz. And now it is time to enjoy the realm of Wooter in the “Epigraph”.
On Wednesday June 8th, Arthur’s Tavern located in the West Village had it’s long awaited grand reopening with New Orleans legend Kermit Ruffins headlining. The historic jazz club first opened its doors in 1937, but was forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic. Arthur’s has hosted performances as well as long term residencies over the years by some of the biggest names in jazz such as Charlie Parker, Mabel Godwin, Al Bundy and The Grove Street Stompers.
Kermit Ruffins at Arthur’s NYC
Jazz trumpeter Ruffins had the honor of performing at the reopening. His band includes Yoshitaka “Z2” Tsuji on piano, Kevin Morris on bass and Jerry Anderson on drums.
I’m just a small jazz player from New Orleans, and all of a sudden I’m sitting right here. It’s full circle to be sitting here knowing the history of this place and I’m so excited.
Kermit Ruffins, just before going on stage
Ruffins, born in New Orleans, is not only a trumpeter, but a singer, composer and actor. His influences include Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan. He plays himself in the HBO Series Treme and also owns a bar in his hometown called Kermit’s Treme Mother-In-Law Lounge. Ruffins has also sat in with Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Arthur’s has a very intimate atmosphere and offers live music every night with no cover charge. The staff is also very friendly and accommodating. It’s one of the best spots in the village and has a very “Old New York” vibe. You can see all of their upcoming events here.
