Category: NYC Metro

Bad Mary Releases Quirky Video EP “A Very Bad Christmas”

Bad Mary, New York punk veterans and tight knit family band composed of lead singer Amanda Mac, her husband, father and professor, released a video EP for their A Very Bad Christmas — three punk rock takes on classic Christmas songs. Their covers of “Silent Night,” “Angels We Have Heard High” and “Little Drummer Boy” juxtapose Blondie, Joan Jett-esque vocals against traditional medieval illustrations in the three-part video EP. The EP will release on all streaming platforms December 6.

The band has animated medieval paintings of Mary and Jesus, children’s choirs, angels and little animals in little two-dimensional movements so they mouth the lyrics and move their hands to the beats of each song. The short videos are so well executed because the aesthetics are consistent through all the songs, and though it might be sacrilege, it’s undeniably funny to hear pop punk renditions of “Silent Night” come from little baby Jesus’ mouth.

In “Angels We Have Heard On High,” an angel with the voice of Amanda Mac flies down onto the scene while singing to toga-clad farmers, as goats and puppies hop around, like paper dolls. The angel’s halo spins and the hooves of the goats are heard in the background, overlaid onto the song.

“Silent Night” has Mary holding baby Jesus, and lovingly rocks him to sleep with a screaming rendition of the Christmas classic. Halfway through, Joseph and Mary suddenly acquire a pair of sick shades and baby Jesus starts to go absolutely crazy on the electric guitar, all while enveloped by a heavenly light. The children’s choir joins in with an occasional “Woo” and “Yeah!”

The band, Mike Staub on bass, Bill Mac on Drums and David Henderson on guitar, specializes in using music as a force to find humor in the mundanity of life. Where Christmas songs could be called repetitive and boring, either overtly religious or overtly ambivalent, Bad Mary confronts the silliness of Christmas time, and has fun with its traditions. The medieval scenes portrayed are full of frollicking creatures, chaotic dancing and a love of music. The accompanying EP will be released on all platforms December 6, pre-save here.

December 12, 2022
Brooklyn-based songwriter Enisa releases World Cup Anthem

Whether you have spent the last week cheering on Morocco, Brazil or Argentina, Enisa caters to all World Cup fans in her latest single “Olè.” In the music video — which has already accrued over 20,000 views — Enisa dons the colors of three different teams, looking past rivalries in an ode to the camaraderie of the World Cup.

Enisa is a first generation American born and raised in Brooklyn. Her roots in NYC go deep, she attended Brooklyn College, where she honed in her sound: a beautiful combination of contemporary European and American pop, with some Balkan quirks. Her global approach to music in general is on display more illustratively than ever in “Olè,” which celebrates teams across continents and cultures.

Though “Olè” is an uplifting song, Enisa said she wrote it at a time when she was needing self-confidence and was looking for encouragement. When listening to lyrics, the song would be empowering to both the average person and a world-class soccer player, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders while lining up for a penalty kick. The song inspires coalition and support, a relief from the pressures of life in the city.

“I wrote this song with the World Cup in mind as well,” Enisa said. “When I closed my eyes, I pictured people all around the world singing the chorus and shouting ‘Olè’.”

This single closes out an exciting and productive year for Enisa, who released her first seven song EP, Fake Love and three other singles in 2022. Listen to “Olè” here, and see the video before.

December 12, 2022
In Focus: Lovejoy Plays Second Ever New York Show at Mercury Lounge

Lovejoy made a stop on Wednesday on December 7th at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. Selling out every one of their shows within minutes of announcing their US tour, the upbeat indie-rock band put on an amazing performance, full of jumping, head-banging, and enthusiastic crowd interaction. The UK-based band played various songs from their first EP Are You Alright, and their latest release, Pebble Brain.

Lead singer Wilbur Soot and bassist Ash Kabosu

Lovejoy, consisting of lead singer Will Gold—better known by his Youtube name, Wilbur Soot—guitarist Joe Goldsmith, bassist Ash Kabosu, and drummer Mark Boardman, played their second ever show in New York this past week. The band formed in 2020 when Wilbur Soot, with his already large fanbase of 6.35 million followers on Youtube and Twitch for video game streaming, uploaded his comedic yet catchy song, “Your New Boyfriend.” The song pushed Soot to pursue music on a more serious level. Already friends with guitarist Joe, Soot met bassist Ash Kabosu at a burger shop and drummer Mark Boardman through the freelance company Fiverr. After Soot and Goldsmith’s first day of recording music with their newly found instrumentalists, the four decided to form their band.

Lovejoy first entered the stage by pushing through the crowd, generating screams of excitement from the crazed fans, many of whom brought their parents with them to the packed venue. Given that Lovejoy had only four scheduled tour dates in the US, many dedicated followers traveled hours from far away states like Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and even Florida to see their favorite band play.

A teenager from the crowd handed guitarist Joe Goldsmith a black-and-white striped beanie, which he wore during the entire show. Prior to playing their song “Model Buses,” the crowd collectively booed Boris Johnson and sang along to lyrics like “We can barely see your hair receding..” and “Sound as good with slurred speech as I do when I’m sober…” After facing some technical difficulties during their performance of “Concrete,” the band replayed the song with the whole crowd screaming the lyrics and jumping eagerly to the beat.

Before their encore, the band members pretended to leave the stage and re-enter from behind the curtains, prompting the crowd to scream in excitement once again. Lovejoy is continuing their US tour with two last shows in California on December 9th and December 11th.

Setlist: Tomorrow, You’ll Understand When You’re Older; Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?; Taunt, Consequences, Model Buses, Cause for Concern, The Fall, It’s Golden Hour Somewhere (unreleased), One Day, Sex Sells

Encore: Perfume, It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!, Concrete

Guitarist Joe Goldsmith and Drummer Mark Boardman

December 11, 2022
Steve Martin and Martin Short Co-host SNL This Week, With Musical Guest Brandi Carlile

This week’s episode of Saturday Night Live features SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short co-hosting, with musical guest, singer-songwriter, Brandi Carlile.

The cold open features Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, and Sarah Sherman sharing how they keep their cool during the holiday season. They sing a jingle about current events happening in the world, including Elon Musk buying Twitter, Kanye West’s antisemitic comments, and the unexpected album drop from convicted pedophile R. Kelly.

The monologue saw Martin Short and Steve Martin talking about how many times they have hosted in a montage video, with Martin hosting an incredible 16 times, and Short comically having hosted only three times, including this evening. They joked about how nostalgic it felt to be back and meet the new cast. Martin and Short are celebrating the third season of their Hulu show Only Murders in the Building as well. The two also jokingly read about what each other’s eulogies would be. Selena Gomez made a guest appearance at the end of the monologue.

The first sketch features Short and Martin premiering on a spin-off of a scientific PBS Kids TV show. The two use cast members Cecily Strong and Mikey Day as kids helping out in demonstrating different scientific scenarios, but they are comically unhelpful and make obscene jokes. Both Martin and Short become increasingly frustrated at the kids, and the segment cuts out.

The next sketch features the SNL writing room. They are making fun of a cast member’s ex and saying she smelled bad, and more. The funny joke is that they got back together, and she was in the room, with the family members seeing them talking badly about the ex. Martin and Short show up, and as the two cast members try to get themselves out of it, it keeps progressing.

Another holiday-themed sketch follows, taking place on a train ride. Martin Short and Steve Martin, along with Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson are sitting in a booth together. They break out into a song and dance about snow, wanting to see it and be in it, having not experienced it before. The sketch takes a turn, where Strong, Martin, and Short turn into bears, hibernating through the snow.

The next sketch features Martin as Santa and Short as an elf named Sprinkles. He is short-tempered and yells at each child as they try to tell Santa what they want. Following is a sketch about A Christmas Carol, with Short being The Scrooge. He comically blinds an orphan trying to give him money. Martin, being the Spirit or Christmas Present, also blinds people when throwing coins, even accidentally stabbing someone.

Brandi Carlile recently released a deluxe record titled In The Canyon Haze. This isn’t Carlile’s first time performing on SNL, having been featured as a guest earlier in the year. She will be opening for P!nk at Citi Field on Aug. 3, and tickets are on sale here. She carried a lot of energy in her performance of her song “The Story” dressed in a festive suit. Her unique and powerful vocals shine as she smiles at the audience several times.

https://youtu.be/CpNqR-ff_TQ

Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che talked about the political race, including Herschel Walker losing the election, with the audience clapping. They made a lot of jokes about Brittney Griner being released from prison as well as talking about the World Cup finals.

The next sketch features Short as Minky Carmichael on a show, teaching women how to treat their men. It gets funny as Cecily Strong makes fun of him, and humiliates him on the show. Brandi Carlile came back out, in a different black and blue outfit. She is singing a much chiller song, “You and Me on the Rock ft. Lucius” with the same powerful and beautiful vocals.

https://youtu.be/-sEbBaXMImY

The final sketch is a Father of the Bride spinoff, featuring Martin and Heidi Gardner as his daughter, celebrating her eighth wedding, with Short being a wedding planner. Kieran Culkin makes a guest appearance, as he was in the original movie along with Martin and Short. Selena Gomez also makes an appearance as the wedding singer.

Next week’s Saturday Night Live show features Austin Butler hosting, with musical guest Lizzo.

December 11, 2022
‘Tis The Season With The Beach Boys At The Paramount

The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of all time and on Tuesday, December 6th, Mike Love brought the current version of the band to The Paramount in Huntington, Long Island. The lineup included Mike with longtime member since 1965 Bruce Johnston, musical director Scott Totten, Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, Keith Hubacher and Randy Leago.

John Stamos also performed as a special guest with the band for this show and their show at Carnegie Hall the night before. Stamos grew up idolizing the band as a teen and formed a friendship with the group during his days as an actor on “General Hospital” and has frequently collaborated with them since.

Mike Love at The Paramount 12.6.22

The group formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Shortly after Dennis’s tragic death in 1983, Brian became estranged from the group. Following Carl’s death from Lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Mike Love legal writes to tour under the group’s name. Other then a brief reunion in 2010’s for the 50th anniversary, Wilson and Jardine do not perform with Love’s edition of The Beach Boys, but still remain official members of the band.

Mike Love and Bruce Johnston at The Paramount 12.6.22

The show included 30 plus songs spanning over the 60 year legacy of The Beach Boys. The concert also included a generous collection of Christmas songs with a Beach Boys twist made famous by their 1965 “The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album.” Love, 81, recalls events leading to the Beach Boys first Christmas song. “In the early 60’s we made a 45 with “Surfin Safari” on one side. On the other side was a song about a hot rod ‘409’. Then we did “Surfin U.S.A.” and “Shut Down”. Along about 1963, we said, “Lets give Santa a hot rod sled” and “Little Saint Nick” was born. Other songs from Love’s 2018 album Reason for the Season were also performed.

This current tour is also an opportunity to acknowledge the new Sail On Sailor – 1972 box set which celebrates the landmark albums 1972 albums Carl And The Passions and Holland . The 5lp set also includes a 38 page book with liner notes and rare photos plus a previously unreleased concert from Carnegie Hall recorded in 1972.

Setlist: Do It Again, Surfin’ Safari, Catch A Wave, Surfin U.S.A., Surfer Girl, Getcha Back, When I Grow Up, Darlin, Be True To Your School, White Christmas, The Man With All The Toys, Santa’s Beard, Jingle Bell Rock, Finally It’s Christmas, Celestial Celebration, In My Room, Don’t Worry Baby, Little Deuce Coupe, I Get Around, California Dreamin, Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, California Girls, Forever, God Only Knows, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, Must Be Christmas, Reason For The Season, Do You Wanna Dance, Help Me Rhonda, Kokomo, Barbara Ann, Good Vibrations, Little Saint Nick, Fun, Fun, Fun

December 10, 2022
Drive-By Truckers Announce Stops in Woodstock, Albany and NYC on Spring 2023 Tour

Established country group Drive-By Truckers has newly announced their full set of tour dates for the Spring 2023. The tour makes its way to the Northeast in May, with Drive-By Truckers performing at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, two nights at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan, and a show at The Egg in Albany.

Drive-By Truckers

The band with its roots stemming from Athens, Georgia starts the tour with an appearance in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 9 at The Vogue, followed by traveling from the end of March to the beginning of April for their annual four-day “Heathens Homecoming” celebration at their hometown’s own beloved 40 Watt Night Club.

Welcome 2 Club XIII

Following the four-day celebration, a four-part two-night stands series by the band opens at Saxapahaw, NC’s Haw River Ballroom from April 25-26, leading up to premiering at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club from April 29-30, then New York City’s Bowery Ballroom from May 4-5, and lastly The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The recently-made announcement of the schedule of the Drive-By Trucker’s full tour is after the the release of the band’s 14th studio album, Welcome 2 Club XIII, which includes new singles like “The Driver”, “Every Single Storied Flameout”, along with the debut’s anthem, “Welcome 2 Club XIII”.

Drive-By Truckers Spring 2023 Tour

MARCH

9 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue #

10 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall #

11 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater #

12 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre #

14 – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre #

15 – Urbana, IL – The Canopy Club #

17 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall #

18 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant #

19 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live #

21 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Jones Assembly #

23 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater #

24 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre #

25 – New Orleans, LA – Joy Theater #

26 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City #

29 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt †

30 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt %

31 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt ^

APRIL

1 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt @

20 – St. Petersburg, FL – Floridian Social Club $

21 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room $

22 –Orlando, FL – Ace Café (Outdoors) $

23 – Columbia, SC – The Senate $

25 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom $

26 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom $

28 – Richmond, VA – Brown’s Island $

29 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club $

30 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club $

MAY

2 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios $

4 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom $

5– New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom $

8 – Albany, NY – The Egg Performing Arts Center

9 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall $

11 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall $

12 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel $

13 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel $

† HeAthen’s Homecoming w/Model Citizen
% HeAthen’s Homecoming w/Hayride
^ HeAthen’s Homecoming w/Camp Amped & Mercyland
@ HeAthen’s Homecoming w/Wednesday
$ w/Lydia Loveless
* w/ Tyler Childers

Tickets can be bought here.

“The Driver” by Drive-By Truckers

December 10, 2022
Marina Laurendi Releases Powerful Music Video for Track “Stay Mine”

Buffalo-based indie singer-songwriter Marina Laurendi has released a stunning music video for the track “Stay Mine,” off of her EP of the same name that came out in August.

Marina Laurendi is a singer/songwriter and musician, originally from the Western New York area. She started performing as an actress, singer, and dancer at a young age. Her career in musical theater led her to NYC, where she performed around the East Coast and Off-Broadway. Her music takes influence from the pulse of the NYC scene and the calmness of her Western NY upbringing.

Since the release of her EP, she has garnered over 10,000 streams on Spotify, and she was recently a quarter-finalist in this year’s competition to open at the Hollywood Bowl. When talking about the track and accompanying video, Laurendi said it is about the longing to have beautiful shared experiences with someone that matches your personality.

I had this sense of restlessness when I was writing it like I was just dying to start filling my life with these crazy adventures that make you feel like you can be forever young and I think that translated into the song. When we’re performing it, I always visualize it like a scrapbook of amazing memories so with the video, Luke Haag, our director/videographer, really helped me hone in on the best way to convey that. The whole thing is snapshots of this relationship where we really see the good, bad, and the ugly. It’s a healthy mix of reality and this pipe dream of what could be.
Marina Laurendi

The music video shows an intimate portrait of the highs and lows of a relationship. It matches the song’s build-up, as the passion between the couple is met with growing tension and a darker side of the love is revealed. The song focuses on these perfect imperfections as Laurendi sings the opening line, “you’re my favorite headache.” An interesting part of the video is that some of the scenes were shot at multiple locations around Buffalo and the Niagara Falls area. Laurendi also channels old Hollywood and the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers throughout.

Marina Laurendi showcases that she is here to make a splash in the industry and become the next star. She recently has performed at places like The Bitter End in NYC, Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, Nietzsche’s and Ironworks Buffalo, just to name a few. To stay up to date on new show announcements, go to her website.

December 9, 2022
A Boogie Releases Fourth Studio Album ‘Me vs Myself’

A Boogie wit da Hoodie is back with his fourth studio album, Me vs. Myself. The Bronx native’s newest project comes almost two-years after his last studio album, the platinum selling Artist 2.0, and nearly a year to the day of his 2021 EP, B4 AVA.

Correspondingly, Me vs. Myself arrives after being pushed back from its original November 4 release date to avoid competing for sales with Drake and 21 Savages, Her Loss.

In an instagram story post, A Boogie announced the album’s delay. Posting, “Sorry but Album dropping in December now, Drake was dropping same day and I’m not with that #HOODIESZN,” he wrote with a series of laughing emojis.

A Boogie wit da Hoodie not trying to drop his album on the same day as Drake https://t.co/FoC4kydEIQ pic.twitter.com/cV41MbmCyb
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) October 31, 2022

The 21-track project features heavy hitters from the hip hop and r&b world. Having recruited the likes of Lil Durk, Tory Lanez, G-Herbo, Roddy Ricch and Don Q. Additionally, the previously released single “Playa” with H.E.R. is included as a bonus track. In the same fashion, his Kodak Black collab “Water (Drowning Pt.2)” was released as a single. A sequel to his 2017 smash hit “Drowning,” A Boogie will look to replicate the success of the record which spent nearly 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and went 7X platinum.

Me vs. Myself is an important project for A Boogie’s current status in the game. While he remains one of the most streamed artists in the world, his reputation for delivering good albums has waned. With the emergence of the drill scene, A Boogie must remind fans that he remains a heavy hitter.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by A-Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (@aboogievsartist)

In an interview with Hip Hop Dx, the “Still Think About You” rapper revealed his goals for his upcoming drops.

“I’m definitely one of those top guys now,” A Boogie assured.

I’m not where I want to be yet, but you already know what I’m going for. Number one, and we’re not settling for anything less. I used to settle for less because I never had that goal to look all the way up there, but now that we looking up there, it’s looking scary for a lot of people.
– A Boogie wit da Hoodie

December 9, 2022
Chris Mazuera Shares Debut Album “Lets Take A Trip”

New York-based producer and lo-fi sensation Chris Mazuera shares his latest album Let’s Take A Trip. The multi-instrumentalist released six singles leading up to the project, which received adds to Spotify’s chill lofi study beats playlist and Apple Music editorials such as “SLEEP” and “LoFi Jazz – Global.”

Mazuera is most known for his collaborative work, but Let’s Take a Trip is a solo album which is perfect for a chill relaxing study session. This project not only highlights his guitar skills, but also his beat making abilities, ranging from old-school boom-bap to more melodic, and guitar-driven jazz-hop.

“The album represents to me the musical growth that I’ve had,” says Mazuera, “more specifically in the last two years. I’ve learned better how to mold together all my different influences into a sound that’s more uniquely mine.”

From rock bands to lofi inspired hip-hop, Chris Mazuera has dabbled in a bit of everything and it brings out his unique style. A lover of music from a young age, Chris started his musical journey early by playing guitar for local bands in Miami.

When Chris moved to New York City, he began working with local producers in hip-hop and lo-fi. Energized by both the musical process and the ability to make entire tracks on his own in the genre, Chris released his first album Monstera in 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGn4_-ylcaI

The project’s emphasis on guitar solos is personal to Mazuera, calling back to his musical introduction to New York City. “I would busk in Grand Central soloing over the blues for hours,” he recalls. From start to finish, Let’s Take A Trip truly is a trip to be experienced.

Currently, Chris’ career has focused on collaboration and innovation across all musical genres. He has even produced for several artists such as FELIVAND, Nafets, Jessica Domingo, and Habe.

To check out Lets Take A Trip, click the link here.

December 8, 2022
Magic of Lights Runs at Jones Beach Until December 30

Magic of Lights, a 2.5 mile-long holiday-themed light display with locations at Long Island’s Jones Beach State Park and Holmdel NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center, is offering nightly drive-throughs by car until December 30th as part of its 2022 edition.

A family enjoys a previous year’s Magic of Lights display.

This 2022 rendition for Magic of Lights, which includes over two million lights total, will feature several brand new displays, including a 32-foot-tall animated Christmas Barbie, the life-size dinosaur-highlighted Prehistoric Christmas, and a BIGFOOT Monster Trucks display.

2022 Magic of Lights first timer, Prehistoric Christmas.

Both locations will feature Toyota Holiday Village, which allows guests to walk through an out-of-car area featuring Santa Photos, skating, refreshments, and other holiday activities.

These are 2 of 21 Magic of Lights locations from NY to California. Its technology is handcrafted at and shipped from the company’s factory in Medina, OH. The NY and NJ displays combine for over 10 miles of LED lighting across all presentations, in the trees, and on the buildings.

The display is open from 5 p.m. to 10 on Sunday through Thursday, while Friday and Saturday feature availability from 5 to 11.

Information regarding tickets and more can be found on the Magic of Lights website.

December 8, 2022