On Friday, Brooklyn-native band Superbloom released their new single “Falling Up,” the group’s first new music since their 2021 debut album Pollen.
Superbloom first promoted the single via Facebook and Instagram on April 29, saying “something short, fast and loud coming soon.”
Promotional artwork for “Falling Up” done by Patrick Turk.
Produced by Superbloom, the two-minute “Superbloom” is a grunge track also features mixing & mastering from Zach Tuch, a Los Angeles-based engineer who has worked with Touché Amoré among many others since 2016.
The song’s structure is simple enough, consisting of two verses and choruses each before the moody but melodic track quickly wraps up.
While glossily produced, the song doesn’t remotely shy away from being loud. Shades of My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze are there, with Dan Hoon’s soft, layered vocals competing against waves of dirty guitar noise.
“Falling Up” is at its best when it leans into this noisier side. This is on point during the pre-verse/post-chorus section, where vigorously alternating guitar chords blend with an explosion of drumming.
This energy is matched by the angst of the lyrics, which are somewhat ambiguous. “Shit may hit different if you’re sipping off the pain,” Hoon sings at the end of the second verse.
“Falling Up” does a good job showing awareness for pop-grunge conventions of songwriting while not sounding restrained.
Photo credits: American Classical Orchestra with Guadalupe Peraza performing The Chaconne Project, Nov. 2020 at Harlem Parish, courtesy of ACO.
The production features a Chamber ensemble of Orchestra members and Mexican mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Perazain a lively program of Baroque repertoire featuring the chaconne, a musical genre that began as bawdy 16th-century dances in Spanish culture. The chamber concert was initially scheduled for February 3, but was postponed due to the Omicron variant.
American Classical Orchestra was founded in 1984 as the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy. Later on, renamed the American Classical Orchestra in 1999. After some time, Founder Thomas Crawford established its new and permanent home in New York City in 2005. Because they only preform music from the 17th, 18th, and 19th century, their mission is to present the music as the composers might have heard it in their time. By using certain instruments and techniques, the American Classical Orchestra is “supremely skilled musicians” (Theater Scene) have won critical praise for its recordings, educational programs, and concerts.
Thomas Crawford, is highly skilled in historically accurate performance styles in Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic music. Throughout his life he has founded two Connecticut orchestras: the Fairfield Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy. A passionate activist determined to bring the beauty of period music to a wider audience, Mr. Crawford’s educational activities with the Orchestra received a Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth award from the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizing the ACO’s dynamic music outreach to New York City schoolchildren. A Pennsylvania native, he holds degrees in organ performance and composition from the Eastman School of Music and Columbia University.
Photo credits: American Classical Orchestra with Guadalupe Peraza performing The Chaconne Project, Nov. 2020 at Harlem Parish, courtesy of ACO.
The show, Revisit:The Chaconne Project, was filmed at Harlem Parish. The use of harmonies create 10 vibrant examples of chaconne, a genre of music categorized by its repeating bass line. The director, Thomas Crawford, leads the audience through an aroma of musical instruments compromised through strings, voice and percussion. Revisit will showcase Guadalupe Peraza, who appeared as featured soloist with the New York Virtuoso Singers and at the majestic Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris in Mexico City.
Tickets, priced at $35 and $55, are available at aconyc.org or by calling American Classical Orchestra at (212) 362-2727. Ticket holders will need to follow the venue’s guidelines and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter the building. The show will begin on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 pm, Harlem Parish, 258 W 118th St.
Rochester’s Boy Jr. is gearing up to unleash their debut album Pay Attention to Meee next month. In anticipation of the release, they’re giving us a taste of the synthy-pop ear candy to come.
Inspired by Chairlift and Caroline Polachek, the bedroom pop ditty “Hey Sorry” ensconces girl power in the face of heartbreak.
“‘Hey Sorry’ is a sonic showcase of how fucked up I get when I have a crush.”
– Boy Jr.
Boy Jr. is the songwriting/production project of Erica Allen-Lubman (she/they). To celebrate the release of “Hey Sorry” they will be opening for Aryia at The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn tonight (May 18). Follow on Instagram.
If you like the soft/loud approach of The Pixies and the noise pop perfectionism of Nirvana, there’s a new trio on the NYC scene that’s sure to delight – Creature & The Butterflies.
Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Chris Seifert debuted the band as a solo project in 2019 with the release of two singles, “Sweet Tooth” and “Turnaround.” The latter is a delightfully noisy and demented reinvention of the DEVO classic, one also covered by Nirvana on their Incesticide compilation. In 2021, Seifert released his tenth and perhaps most commercially appealing song, “Murder Machine.” This is a suitably mad, mid-tempo Ramones/Nirvana stomp with a cutting, single-note guitar solo straight out of the Neil Young “Cinnamon Girl” school.
While the multi-instrumentalist Seifert comported himself well on guitars, keys, bass and drums on his slew of singles, the band is even tighter now with the recent addition of a new killer rhythm section. The band’s newbies are pigtailed drummer Timmy Emmerich and bassist Bettina C. Emmerich has a sledgehammer, four-on-floor approach and a never flagging energy that brings a new level of vitality to Seifert’s prior recordings. Like Talking Head Tina and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Bettina C is a cool presence on stage. She’s also the sonic glue that holds (or maybe herds?) together Chris and Timmy’s poppy cacophony, one that could easily go off the rails her rock steady riffage.
This new lineup showcased their stuff at their second-ever gig together Wednesday night at Berlin Under 2A in Manhattan.
Like his idol Cobain, the eight Seifert originals played were grungy, noisy, feedback-laced pop perfection. They each boast killer riffs, crunchy chord sequences and smart, hook-leaden middle-eights – a compositional maturity that shows the band could be real contenders in the altrock marketplace.
On stage, Seifert has the dry sardonic presence of another of his idols, Lou Reed. At the performance, he cast off self-depreciating introductions to songs that amused the packed house.
The band ran through several of the singles you can find on their Spotify page like “THEM,” “Boy with Guns” and “Murder Machine.” But perhaps my favorites were two new tunes. “Viper Dog Fish” is a dropped-D tuned smasher driven by a riff Black Sabbath would love to have penned while “Friends” is, again, Seattle grunge more than a pinch of Lower East Side punk nihilism. It’s lyrical hook, one repeated again and again in the chorus – “I Don’t Have No Friends.” That certainly wasn’t the case at this performance.
Creature & The Butterflies have several area gigs upcoming, and will be at The Delancey June 4 at 10 pm. Visit them on Instagram.
On May 11th and 12th, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum played 2 sold out shows at New York City’s LPR. PGTTBM is an avant-indie supergroup that features actor Michael C. Hall on lead vocals, Peter Yanowitz on drums and Matt Katz-Bohen on keyboard. The trio formed the group in New York City after years of mutual friendship and group jam sessions. They released their debut album, Thanks For Coming, in February of 2021. Their sound mixes styles of New Wave with heavy synth and has been self described as “kaleidoscopic sound weather” and “danceable apocalypse.”
Their first post pandemic gig was at Mercury Lounge in January 2021. Because of covid restrictions at the time, there was no live audience and the gig was live streamed. Finally, the band can now play to a live audience and has gained much momentum with these 2 sold out shows at LPR. You can see all their upcoming dates here. They have also recently released a remix of their song “Ketamine” and a new video for their song “Sideways.”
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum – le poisson rouge – NYC
Setlist: Intro/Vicious, Love American Style, Ketamine, Nevertheless, The Deeper Dow, Eat An Eraser, Let It Go, Into the Void, Sideways, Airhead, Angela Peacock, Jetpack, Cruel World, Tomorrow’s Screams, Thanks for Coming, Escape Route, Land of Make Pretend, Armageddon Suite, Come Talk To Me
Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton has announced 7 shows in the United States this September, including two nights at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City on Sunday, September 18 and Monday, September 19. Both shows will feature Jimmie Vaughan as special guest.
Eric Clapton’s band for these shows will include Doyle Bramhall II, Paul Carrack, Nathan East, Sonny Emory and Chris Stainton, with Sharon White and Katie Kissoon on backing vocals.
Clapton will be making his 49th and 50th appearances at Madison Square Garden, which date back to his first appearance at the World’s Most Famous Arena as a member of Cream on November 2, 1968. Eric Clapton has also performed at MSG as a member of Blind Faith (July 12, 1969), as a solo artist 43 times, including special engagements alongside Steve Winwood and Jeff Beck, and as part of his Crossroads Music Festival.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 20 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.
After a five year hiatus, hip hop legend and one of the greatest rappers of all time, Kendrick Lamar, has released his latest work of art, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers on May 13. On the same day as the album release, he announced The Big Steppers Tour, with appearances at the Barclays Center on August 5 and 6, as well as the UBS Arena on August 7.
When it comes to his music, Lamar is considered to be a prophet and a visionary who does not hold back on the messages to be relayed. His long awaited album after five years, has finally arrived and fans could not wait to hear his latest “masterpiece”.
Photo Credit: Renell Medrano
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is as raw as Lamar gets, as he speaks poetically and strongly about his personal life including his children, sexual abuse, relationship troubles, therapy, his ego, substance abuse and more. Many claim the topics of this album to be relatable, as Lamar speaks from the heart and sets a shift in the world of Hip Hop.
Photo Credit: Daniel Regan
Baby Keem is featured on Lamar’s current album within the song “Savior” and will accompany Lamar at every show throughout the tour. Keem was nominated for Best Rap Song of the 2022 Grammys, for “Family Ties” featuring rapper and cousin Lamar. Additionally, he won the 2022 Grammy for Best Rap Performance for “Family Ties”.
Photo Credit: Christian Lopez
Meanwhile, Tanna Leone , has a feature on “Mr. Morale” and is set to perform on Lamar’s tour for select dates. Leone is the new signee of Lamar’s multi-lingual company pgLang, that services artists and creatives. As of last month on April 28, Leone dropped his debut album, Sleepy Soldier.
In addition to Keem and Leone, artists Blxst, Amanda Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Sam Dew and Kodak Black are featured on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Considering these artists specialize in genres of R&B, trap/rap, U.K. trip-hop, Caribbean, and British, Lamar’s album brings unity from music worldwide. He managed to create an album that intertwines other genres with his specialty of hip hop, to express real life experiences.
Lamar is known to sell out shows and provide fans with an unforgettable live experience. His performances at the 2016 BET Awards, the 2017 MTV Music Video Awards, as well as the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, were nothing less than invigorating and powerful that left viewers speechless. Therefore, Lamar is expected to effortlessly blow his fans away, throughout the entirety of The Big Steppers Tour.
General tickets go on sale May 20 at 12 P.M. Furthermore, fans attending shows in the U.S., whether they are new or existing Cash App Card holders, will have access to the presale on May 19 at 10 A.M. until 10 P.M.
TOUR DATES:
Tue Jul 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Thu Jul 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Jul 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sat Jul 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sun Jul 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud
Wed Jul 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Fri Jul 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Sat Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun Jul 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Tue Aug 02 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Thu Aug 04 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Fri Aug 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Aug 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 07 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena
Tue Aug 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Wed Aug 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Aug 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tue Aug 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Thu Aug 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Fri Aug 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat Aug 20 – Minneapolis, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Sun Aug 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tue Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Wed Aug 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Fri Aug 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sat Aug 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sun Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Wed Aug 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thu Sep 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Tue Sep 06 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University
The penultimate episode in Season 47 of Saturday Night Live featured two SNL first timers – Selena Gomez as host, and Syracuse native Post Malone as musical guest.
Gomez did serve as musical guest on January 23, 2016, and used her monologue to discuss her TV show past, including her time on Barney & Friends, and discussed her current show, Only Murders in the Building, featuring SNL-vetaran Steve Martin and SNL-alum Martin Short.
Steve Martin would appear in a pre-taped “Unventor Documentary” sketch as Archie Gizmo, the inventor of the whoopie cushion. He tells the origin story of the gag gift, with Dina Beans (Aidy Bryant) as the muse he fell in love with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOKAWhFdYNM
For Post Malone’s first song, the dark stage was backlit by white spotlights, the singer on stage alone dressed head to toe in leather to perform “Cooped Up.” Partway through he was joined by Roddy Ricch, who featured on the remix of “Wow” in 2019. The new song dropped this past week, with lyrics that note how Malone gave Ricch a big opportunity: “And Posty took me on my first damn tour date/ He had me rockin’ every night, sold out arenas/ I’m project n—a, I never thought I would see s–t/ I tried to tell you, you prolly wouldn’t believe us.” “Cooped Up” appears on Twelve CaratToothache, set to be released on June 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdHZale2cA
Post Malone would show up twice in sketches – first as the conscience/shoulder-angel of Chris Redd in showed up in the sketch “Intuition,” and later in the final sketch of the night “Baby Monitor” as a baby in a crib.
Post Malone’s second song, “A Love Hate Letter To Alcohol,” also appears on the upcoming album. Fleet Foxes along with LA-based singer-songwriter Adam Melchor served as backup to Malone, all clad in black. Malone was revealed on one knee and wearing a calf-length dress along with white button down and black suspenders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNzvsXsQaMU
Saturday Night Live returns for the Season 47 finale on Saturday, May 21 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast.
By 1980, the Grateful Dead certainly didn’t feel like a stranger at Nassau Coliseum. The band had played ten shows at this arena already, five in 1973 and another five the previous year in 1979. However, 1980 would only see a single three-show run at Nassau. With the Brent Mydland era now fully initiated and underway, we take a look back at this opening night of the run on its anniversary, aided by a sterling soundboard recording.
The 1980 Nassau run kicks off with an “Alabama Getaway” that does nothing to wane the excitement present in the building. Some lively Brent Mydland harmonies and a few short but spirited guitar solos from Jerry Garcia highlight the opener that never really stops and instead instantly veers into a “Promised Land.” Bob Weir mans the vocals on the Chuck Berry cover and, by now, Mydland’s Hammond organ is fully turned up in the mix in a big way, adding a palpable layer of soul.
After that spirited 1-2 punch to open the show, the Dead then slow things down in a big way with a “Candyman” that hits all the right notes, with the band taking a delightfully patient approach to this live show staple.
Things then liven back up as the band takes a musical trip south of the border, so to speak, with an interesting “Mexicali Blues” and “El Paso” pairing. Bassist Phil Lesh throws down some stellar fills on “El Paso” before the Dead bring things back to the States with a “Tennessee Jed” that gets a roaring endorsement of approval from the Long Island crowd. “Jed” is played to perfection and after some brief deliberation, they jump right into “Let It Grow,” the second part of the esteemed “Weather Report Suite” that made its live debut at Nassau Coliseum nearly seven years ago. This elicits a brief but mesmerizing jam that sees Garica and Mydland fully in synch with one another.
They then take command of the next two songs, as Garcia lays down the opening guitar licks to “Althea” that, like much of the opening set, is played with a comfortably deliberate pace with each note serving a purpose. Lesh shines again on bass here, backing up another typical stirring Garcia guitar solo. Mydland then puts his signature raspy vocals on full display on the “Easy To Love You” that follows alongside some delightful play on the electric piano. The set then comes to a rousing finish thanks to “The Music Never Stopped” and a closing breakneck jam that sees the whole band immersed and engaged on this crowd favorite.
The second set begins with a rather funked out “Feel Like A Stranger,” a new weapon in the Dead’s live arsenal that just made its debut a few months ago at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ. Weir handles the vocals with ease and the song is aided by some droning synthesizer work on Mydland’s end that peppers the song throughout. Instead of its traditional ending, they jam out the ending of “Stranger,” and rightfully so, until Garcia initiates the introduction to “Sugaree.” Garcia and Mydland, on organ now, lock in together once more on a rousing version with a jam that slowly builds in intensity.
This first show of the Nassau run then features another pairing of Dead songs, this time it’s “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance,” with the latter making it another song that made its live debut in New York State. The first “Saint” was played in Glens Falls in August of 1979. To slow things down once more, the Garcia-led ballad “Comes A Time ” then emerges, replete with one more emotion-laden guitar solo.
The harrowing outro jam to “Time” slowly but surely begins to increase in tempo, with Garcia fluttering all around the fretboard, until Phil Lesh rings out the signature bass line that begins “The Other One” and the Dead are off and running once more. A madcap, psychedelic journey ensues between the two main verses on this classic tune that harkens back to the days of San Francisco and “Cowboy” Neal Cassady. Once the second verse is completed, the band almost stops playing instantly and defers to Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart for the “Drums” portion of the evening.
From the ashes of “Space” emerges the always reflective “Black Peter,” with Mydland once again lending a delicate touch thanks to the Hammond. The Dead then close the doors on the second set at Nassau with a couple of traditional rock and roll covers. Weir helms the vocals once more, starting with “Around And Around” and ending with “Johnny B. Goode,” rounding out a trifecta of Berry covers for the night. “Don’t Ease Me In” then served as a fitting encore for this show, with the Dead having laid the ground work for another memorable run of shows at Nassau Coliseum.
Listen to this show below or at Live Music Archive here.
View this show and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Grateful Dead Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Uniondale, NY 5/14/80
Set 1: Alabama Getaway > Promised Land, Candyman, Mexicali Blues > El Paso, Tennessee Jed, Let It Grow > Althea, Easy To Love You > The Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Feel Like A Stranger > Sugaree > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Comes A Time > The Other One > Drums > Black Peter > Around And Around > Johnny B. Goode
Governors Ball Music Festival 2022 is less than a month away, and festival organizers have announced the stage layout and daily schedule. Initially available in the Gov Ball app for the first 24 hours, fans can now start putting together and sharing their own custom schedules.
The schedule this year does an excellent job of avoiding any major conflicts and the layout of the venue allows fans to move easily between stages. Some notable overlaps include JPEGMAFIA vs. Channel Tres on Friday, YG vs. Diesel or Flume vs. Halsey on Saturday, and Kaytranada vs. J. Cole on Sunday.
Post Malone at Gov Ball 2021. Photo by David Reichmann
Last year’s Governors Ball lineup included massive headliners such as Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, and Post Malone. The festival’s first year at Citi Field was a massive success, despite their departure from the traditional Randall’s Island venue, with over 150,000 people in attendance reported. The more centrally located venue in the heart of Flushing boasts easy access to the subway, bus, and pedestrian throughways giving fans much easier accessibility.
Governors Ball 2022 Schedule
Returning to Citi Field from June 10th to June 12th, 2022, the stacked lineup features headliners Halsey, Kid Cudi, and J. Cole along with a slew of up and coming and long-standing artists. Governors Ball has always showcased local New York artists on the bill, and this year is no different.
Singer and songwriter Gus Dapperton was born and raised in Warwick, and ska-punk band Millington hail from Albany. Plastic Picnic features two duos from the Pacific Northwest who met in Brooklyn after moving to the city and formed a new band. The overall lineup represents a melting pot of musical tastes, styles, and regions, but that’s a story as old as New York itself.
Billie Eilish at Gov Ball 2021. Photo by David Reichmann
Governors Ball also successfully mimics New York’s long history of dive bar concerts with their Bud Light Seltzer Sessions. Embedded into the festival layout, this small stage features some of the names on the lineup who will perform a more intimate set at the casual dive bar style stage. The magic of a festival happens when you round a corner and bump into something unexpected, and these more casual performances provide just that.
Outside of the music, the star of the weekend will certainly be the food. Queens County is one of the most diverse municipalities anywhere in the world and a festival that calls Queens home must have the food to prove it. There will be classic NYC staples such as Roberta’s Pizza, Doughnuttery donuts, and Williamsburg’s finest fried chicken with Sweet Chick.
Choose between Destination Dumplings and Disos’ Italian sandwiches, Gordos Cantina tacos or Empanada Papas. And it wouldn’t be Queens without the largest Greek community outside of Greece represented with Efes Greek Kitchen and Souvlaki GR. Check out the entire food lineup below.
With the festival rapidly approaching, tickets are still available. Third and final tier 3-Day GA tickets are still on sale as well as single day tickets to all three days and the VIP and Platinum ticket packages. Full ticket details can be found HERE.
Read more about the official Governors Ball After Dark late night shows that take place after the estival HERE. NYS Music will be on the ground again this year at Governors Ball, so stay tuned for full artist photo galleries from this year’s festival. In the meantime, check out some highlights from the 2021 festival by David Reichmann and Steve Malinski.
