The Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC), located at 1303 Louis Nine Blvd. in New York City’s northern-most borough, will close out their May programming with a series of events featuring dancing, Latin music and a multicultural celebration. Events will also be held at Bronx Music Hall Plaza, located at 438 E. 163rd St.
Although the Bronx was once a hub for music creation and performance, the disinvestment in the 1970s and 1980s destroyed many performance venues, devastating the music scene. As a result, access to arts and cultural programming has become scarce in the Bronx.
The BMHC, created by WHEDco, is committed to preserving and promoting Bronx music, cultivating Bronx artists, spurring neighborhood revival, and providing free cultural programs for the community. T The BMHC hosts music performances, art exhibits, artists-in-residence, workshops throughout the Bronx.
On Saturday, May 21, the Bronx Rising! program will feature Irish, U.S. and Cuban traditional traditions highlighting percussive dancing with the groups OYU ORO and CITY STOMPERS. The show starts at 8:00 pm at the BMHC, and the cost is $7 at the door.
On Friday, May 27, BMHC will present ABAZOS ARMY as they gear up to promote their upcoming CD release. ABAZOS ARMY combines music in a fusion of funk, reggae, Latin music, jazz and hip hop. This is a free show starting at 8:00 pm.
BMHC ends the month with a concert in partnership with the Multicultural Music Group featuring FELIPE FOURNIER & SUPERMAMBO on Saturday, May 28th. This is as free show, held at BMH Plaza. If it rains, the concert will be held at the BMHC.
From the BMHC archives, watch the last program held before the pandemic began. In February 2020, celebrating International Mother Tongue Day, the video features the Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts performing a Bengali folk dance. BAFA is a Bronx-based group and led by Margia Shiriti.
This summer, founding Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh will make his return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. And he’s bringing a few friends along with him. Phil Lesh & The Midnight Ramble Band will play one night on Saturday, August 20. It is slated to be part of the venue’s “Woodstock Anniversary Celebration” which will commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the iconic music and arts festival.
In addition to performing with the Dead at Woodstock, Lesh also made an appearance here in July of 2006. The second set included a sit-in from Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio on songs that were performed at the original festival in 1969 like “Dark Star,” St. Stephen,” and “Turn On Your Love Light.”
Lesh’s last appearance at Bethel Woods came in 2019 at Mountain Jam. Phil and Friends trotted out a cover of The Band’s “Chest Fever,” played the first ever “Midnight Highway” and closed out their set with an “Uncle John’s Band.”
This year’s band is dubbed The Midnight Ramble Band, in a nod to Levon Helm’s nearby legendary barn and its late night concerts, and will feature Amy Helm, Jim Wider, Brian Mitchell, Adam Minkoff, Steven Bernstein, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Connor Kennedy, Shawn Pelton, Tony Leone, Erik Lawerence, Jay Collins and, of course, Grahame Lesh.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 am through Ticketmaster.
Albany Symphony has announced their 2022 American Music Festival: TrailBlaze NY, a “celebration of New York State’s glorious new Empire State Trail.” The festival will feature various events from the beginning of June to the first week of July running from Kingston all the way up to Saratoga County.
“We wanted to amplify the amazing story of the incredible 750-mile walking and cycling rail trail that now connects all residents of New York State to one another,” said David Alan Miller, Music Director of Albany Symphony and Grammy-winning conductor.
David Alan Miller, Music Director of Albany Symphony and Grammy-winning conductor.
The Empire State Trail, completed in 2020, is composed of the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail which connects New York City to Albany, the Erie Canalway Trail which connects Albany to Buffalo, and the Champlain Valley Trail which connects Albany to the Canadian border.
TrailBlaze NY isn’t the first Albany Symphony production of its kind; during 2017’s Water Music NY, the Symphony travelled along the Erie Canal, performing free concerts at seven different canal communities along the way. During 2019’s Sing Out! New York, they performed free outdoor concerts at several different locations from Columbia to Saratoga County.
The festival will open with a “Troy & Cohoes New Music Week” from June 2 to June 5. One feature event of the four-day span includes a performance from the company’s new-art chamber orchestra, Dogs of Desire on the 3rd at the Cohoes Music Hall. The show will feature world premiers by Natalie Draper, Jack Frerer, Bobby Ge, Loren Loiacono, and Andre Myers.
There is also Albany Symphony’s keynote performance of “Trailblaze!” at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on the 4th. During the concert, the Symphony will play John Williams’ “Prelude and Scherzo (American Premiere)” featuring pianist Gloria Cheng, John Corigliano’s “Triathalon for Saxophone and Orchestra” featuring saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and Steven Stuckey’s “Radical Light.”
Other events include a piano recital from Gloria Chang at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on the 2nd, a “Late Night Lounge experience” with Jordan Taylor Hill at Table 41 Brewing Co. in Cohoes on the 3rd, a chamber performance titled “Endangered” at St. Paul’s in Troy on the 4th, and “Inuksuit,” a group percussion performance at Troy Riverfront Park on the 5th, among others. Admission costs for the week’s events range anywhere from free to $62, with tickets available for purchase on Albany Symphony’s website.
As for the other part of TrailBlaze NY, “Albany Symphony On The Trail!” will feature musical and trail-related event programs at Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville on the 11th, Hutton Brickyards in Kingston on the 19th, Basilica Hudson in Hudson on the 24th and around the city on the 25th, as well as Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady on July 1st, Jennings Landing in Albany on the 2nd, and Riverlink Park in Amsterdam on the 3rd.
TrailBlaze NY is a unique opportunity for people from all over the Northeastern US and Canada to discover some of the most extraordinary towns in New York State and the glorious nature that surrounds them. I hope all our friends and supporters will also join us to celebrate New York State in all its wonder and natural beauty, as well as our resilient communities and the things that connect us and bring us together, all the trails we explore, real and imagined.
David Alan Miller
The program involves free Albany Symphony concerts at each stop, featuring music from Natalie Draper, Aaron Copland, Viet Cuong, John Williams, and John Philip Sousa. Additionally, every day of the program will feature activities such as bike rides and hikes on local trails, refreshment from local vendors, and historical & museum tours among many others. Full information about “Albany Symphony On The Trail!” can also be found on their website.
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.
Caffe Lena will host the first annual Sing In The Streets music festival on May 22 to celebrate the venue’s 62 anniversary.
Music will take place at six sites in the historic downtown Saratoga Springs neighborhood, with each site having display photos and memorabilia associated with each decade of the venue’s operation.
Carolyn Shapiro, a Caffe Lena staff member and one of the performers for the afternoon, spoke in a statement about the festival. Shapiro also won an Eddie Award for Folk/Traditional Artist of the Year.
Sing in the Streets celebrates our venue’s history but it’s also a celebration of the community that helped our historic venue survive the turmoil of the last couple years. We’re encouraging people to visit every stage and get their Folk Passport stamped for a chance to win an Emcee Membership, which entitles you to two free shows a month for an entire year,
Also, Kira Favro, Caffe Lena’s Board President, spoke of the anniversary celebration.
We have a lot to celebrate this year. We marked our 60th during the peak of the pandemic. Now it’s time to gather in person and enjoy music and survival. Caffe Lena has a long history, but its future is going to be even longer.
The festival features various musical styles, like pop, country, folk, bluegrass, and children’s music. The festival is free, but people can donate to support Caffe Lena’s community services, like free shows for kids, music in nursing homes and homeless shelters, free music lessons, and more.
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.
Despite recent troubling times, the city of Buffalo has continued to band together and are now working towards showcasing the best of their city. The Beer Keep, Jack Rabbit, and Breezy Burrito Bar have announced the inaugural Elmwood Summerfest, to be held on Sunday, June 26, 2022. The festival is meant to celebrate summertime in Buffalo including beer, food, community, togetherness and, of course, music.
Elmwood Summerfest will showcase over 15 bands and performers on a large outdoor stage located between 1000 & 1010 Elmwood Avenue. Besides musical performances, Buffalo Eats will host its first annual Hot Dog Eating Competition, followed by a Live Art installation, and a Genesee Brewing beer tent featuring your favorite beers, ciders and seltzers. The music lineup will spotlight acts from Buffalo as well as the Rochester area. It will feature bands like Sideways, Witty Tarbox, Farrow, Grosh, American Nosebleed, Folkfaces, Well Worn Boot, Johnny Hart and the Mess, Kevin Sampson and the Night Shift, plus more.
For a next-level festival experience, The Beer Keep, Jack Rabbit and Breezy Burrito Bar will be opening their doors exclusively to VIP pass-holders. At all three locations, VIP pass holders will be able to enjoy air conditioning, private bathrooms, fully stocked bars, patio access and lounging areas.
Why Elmwood Summerfest is Happening
Recently, the Bidwell Park area of Buffalo’s Elmwood Village has been rejuvenated and seen a rebirth as an entertainment and hospitality destination.
One of the many wonderful things about the Elmwood Village is its overwhelming sense of surprise. Surprise at what you see coming down the street or around a corner, something you missed on a previous visit. It’s that sense of endless possibility that we invite people to come experience at the first Elmwood Summerfest.
– Cory Muscato, owner of the Beer Keep
Elmwood Summerfest is a product of the new neighborhood bars, restaurants and venues (The Beer Keep, Jack Rabbit, Breezy Burrito Bar, among others) coming together to put on a neighborhood focused street festival. Because of the location and limited footprint of the festival this first year entry is limited to 21+
Music has been a cornerstone of Jack Rabbit since our initial idea phase. Expanding that outside of our walls has been top priority since day one, we’re super excited to be working with our best buds, and neighbors, to bring this amazing event directly to the street.
– Josh Mullin, Owner/Operator of Jack Rabbit.
How to Purchase Tickets
Festival gates will open at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 26 with music and performances continuing all-day. General admission festival passes will be $25 in advance with a limited number of VIP passes available for $50. Tickets are available immediately at elmwoodsummerfest.com
Albany’s DIY music scene has been thriving in the wake of 2020’s lockdowns. Basement and house venues are popping up left and right, and bands have been eager to get back on stage and perform in front of live audiences. The Laundromat is one of the newest underground music venues in Albany and it just wrapped up a busy spring semester. The hidden basement spent the last five months promoting pop-up shows at Pauly’s Hotel, hosting their own basement shows, and contributing to Albany’s flourishing music and arts community.
The venue started back in September of 2021 and is run by two U Albany students Ari Spielman and Samantha Mehrkens. The duo runs their venue on Instagram (@the.laun.dro.mat) and have grown their page beyond 1,500 followers in the past few months and have put on over a dozen shows. Ari and Samantha have built, from the ground up, a popular space for musicians, painters, photographers, and artists of all kinds to work and enjoy each other’s art. The two can always be spotted up front at their shows, enjoying the music, addressing technical difficulties, and even keeping their fans cool and comfortable.
Glue Head @ The Laundromat – 3.11.22. Ari Spielman and Samantha Mehrkens (right)
The Laundromat was recently one of a handful of DIY venues in the Albany area that was part of Byrdhouse Records‘ Phoenix Fest. The week-long festival consisted of six consecutive shows all over Albany, Troy, and New Paltz. The Laundromat’s show took place on 4/20 and featured five local acts: Floral Arrangements, Ricky Bandana, Prom Sex, Rhakimali, and The E-Block. The packed lineup, along with the holiday festivities, brought out a big crowd for the Wednesday night show that ran late into the early hours of the morning.
The surprise highlight of the night was the third act of the night: Prom Sex. The newly formed band played their first show ever at The Laundromat and they received a warm welcome from Albany’s DIY community. The band played their own version of musical chairs, or rather musical instruments, as everyone rotated from guitar to bass to drums. The young band played on for a full 45-minute set with a crowd-demanded encore.
Prom Sex @ The Laundromat – 4.20.22
The Laundromat also features local bands time and time again, like Ladybyrd. The WCDB Rising Artist of the Year is a regular at The Laundromat, and performed at the last show of the semester on May 6. Ladybyrd had also performed at The Laundromat as recently as April 8th, along with Chaz Kiss, and Sam Legenbauer. This April 8th show was promoted as the Femme Fatale Feature Friday, as it featured acts fronted by women. The Laundromat doesn’t always host shows with an overarching theme, but when they do, they always tend to draw out their biggest and most energetic crowds.
Ladybyrd @ The Laundromat – 5.6.22
The Laundromat has often featured a broad range of music on any given night, one could hear everything from hip-hop to punk or shoegaze to funk. One of these genre bending shows was on February 18th, featured acts included: Free Spiritu, Cloud 18, Dork!, and Alliteration. Alliteration closed out the show and have been seen all over the 518 in the past few months. It feels like the Poughkeepsie-based punk band brings their unique sound to the area every other weekend and they have fans traveling regularly from as far as Long Island to catch every single one of their shows.
Alliteration’s success is well deserved and has been a direct result of the band’s collective work ethic, attitude, and fun music. Xayvier, Ryan, and Mike are loved throughout the music community and can be found in the crowd or the merch table at every show they play. They arrive early, enjoy the sets of other acts, and are eager to mingle with fans. It’s this type of approachability and friendliness from the band members though that has helped make them a true crowd favorite in New York’s DIY music scene. Basement show-goers may even find themselves challenged to a game of Super Smash by Xayvier for the chance to win a t-shirt discount. Good luck beating him though.
Alliteration’s Next show will be at The Bundy Museum on May 28th, for the Bing X Punk Festival . The day’s music starts at 3pm and is slated to run until 9:30. The show will feature three other bands who have been seen in the Albany area as of late: Stay Off The Fence , Senior Living, and DiRTYBANDAiD. All of these bands rock, hard, and will be accompanied by a number of other acts who won’t disappoint: The Droogz, Pons, The War Lovers, Pleasure Dome, and Tom Jolu.
Alliteration @ The Laundromat – 2.18.22
Like the Bing X Punk Festival shows, Albany’s DIY scene is not an island. It is, instead, a part of a much larger community of music lovers all around the state. There are vibrant underground scenes in cities like Oneonta, Binghamton, and Troy and bands are constantly playing together and traveling from city to city as often as they can. The Laundromat’s final show of the semester on May 6, 2022 featured Crash Test Auto from Oneonta. The upbeat rock band put the community’s connectedness on display by featuring Adam Henkel on bass. Adam is a SUNY Oneonta student who currently runs the 607 Music Scene Instagram page.
Adam has found himself playing for a number of bands and is now focused on building his Instagram following through 607 in order to aggregate event and artist news from around New York’s DIY music scene beyond. Adam’s efforts are all in the name of his love for music and for the members of the underground community. 607 Music Scene is the go-to page to follow if you are interested in keep up-to-date with upcoming shows, photography galleries from past shows, and new music from local acts.
Crash Test Auto @ The Laundromat 5.6.22
In addition to hosting shows in their basement, The Laundromat has also promoted a number of shows at Pauly’s Hotel in Albany. The Laundromat kicked off the 2022 spring semester with their Wild N’ Out rap show on February 5. The show featured nine of Albany’s up and coming rappers to allow the crowd to decide who their favorite rapper of the night was. The show’s winner and runner-up were awarded to Lil Baby Suplex, and Rhakimali. The grand prize was awarded to Suplex and earned him free studio time in New York City.
The Laundromat’s Pauly’s Hotel shows have also included lineups with some local regulars like Treasure Cove, The E-Block, and Safety Meeting. Those who frequent DIY shows in the area are more than likely quite familiar with all three of these acts, as they have all been regularly performing around the area and at other Laundromat shows. Safety Meeting also played shows at The Byrdhouse and WCDB this semester. In April they performed at WCDB Fest and were nominated for Best Alt Rock/Indie Artist for their fun style of rock that incorporates sounds from different genres spanning from punk to country. Safety Meeting has a show coming up on May 28 at Blueberry Field in New Paltz.
Safety Meeting @ Pauly’s Hotel – 2.17.22
As you can see, The Laundromat plays their own important role in a much larger community. Samantha and Ari have grown their own musical node in the network in a very short amount of time. The space they have created creates opportunities for so many artists to put their work on display. The nature of the community inspires crowd members, promotes new acts and venues alike, and makes the whole of New York’s DIY scene stronger.
So whether you are young or old, love hip-hop or punk, or just have $5 in your pocket, then you should consider following The Laundromat on Instagram and keeping your eyes out for the next show they have. It could be this summer, or it could be next summer, but either way you ought to be ready to send them a DM and get the address to what will likely be one of the best shows in Albany happening that night. Albany’s basements are dark and dirty, but the artists and fans are kind and welcoming to all. There is no doubt that a night spent at The Laundromat will be one filled with good music and good vibes.
The Field ServiceMidnight DriverMidnight DriverRicky Bandana & CirredCirredTreasure CoveTreasure CoveThe E-BlockThe E-BlockSafety MeetingDork!AlliterationMichael Rodriguez – AlliterationAlliterationSouly HadMoss TongueMoss TongueGlue HeadGlue Head, Ari & SamanthaGlueheadGlue HeadGlue HeadSam LegenbauerLadybyrdChaz KissDavid Stingle – Chaz KissEvan Randall – LadybyrdProm SexLadybyrdCrash Test AutoAdam Henkel Crash Test Auto / 607 Music Scene
Honest Folk, purveyors of, er, honest folk concerts in Rochester, brought The Dead Tongues to town from Asheville, North Carolina on Sunday, May 15. The Dead Tongues, the project of singer-songwriter Ryan Gustafson, is sometimes a solo act, as it was on his previous visit to the area last summer at the Point of the Bluff Vineyard on Keuka Lake. But tonight it was a full band show, and electric at that. Not unheard of for an Honest Folk show, but not the norm either.
To prepare for this, the crowd had the opportunity to stretch their listening muscles. The band’s drummer, Joe Westerlund, started the evening with about 30 minutes of drum and electronics improvisation. Subtly shifting rhythmic electronic loops created a bedrock for Westerlund to explore his well-equipped kit, which featured all the bells, but no whistles. Even the shakes, rattles and clanks emerging from the bar, which can distract from the usual folk fare, added an unintentional surround sound effect. Inner ears and minds stretched and loosened, the previous hours of the day washed away, the crowd was ready to settle in for The Dead Tongues.
After a short break, Westerlund was joined on stage by Gustafson on guitars, harmonicas and vocals, Maddie Schuler on guitar and lap steel and Jeff Ratner on bass. They opened with the title track off of their stellar 2022 release, Dust. The album was written and recorded in a short period, a burst of inspiration for Gustafson. Live, there was no urgency though. Songs could ooze into existence and drift out just as languidly.
Older songs worked seamlessly into the set, some retooled to take advantage of the current band. On “Peaceful Ambassador” Gustafson’s harmonica meshed beautifully with Schuler’s lap steel, creating an almost organ-like effect, a unique mix of sound that would show up throughout the set. Ratner picked up the pace with a popping bass line that opened the song up into a jam featuring a searing slow burn solo from Gustafson. He strapped on the 12-string acoustic as his band continued to fizzle the song into a spacey outro that led right into “Sweet Relief,” another mellow groove that got pulled and stretched by the band.
Each song expanded their sound universe in subtle ways. “Nothingness and Everything” added a bit of reggae, some beautiful 3-part harmonies and featured a crowd-wowing guitar solo from Schuler. Westerlund continued exploring his kit throughout the night, from a softer hand drummed beat for “Pale November Dew,” to a sharp electronic beat on “Little Lies” or just flat out wowing with unique fills on the twanging rocker “Pawnshop Dollar Bills.”
It all remained rooted in Gustafson’s heartfelt and evocative songcraft, which he let speak for itself, keeping the banter to a minimum throughout the night. And these are songs begging to be heard again and again. Time to give that record another spin.
Setlist: Dust, Ebb and Flow, Through the Glass, Strangers, Graveyard Fields, Peaceful Ambassador, Sweet Relief, Pale November Dew, Nothingness and Everything, Garden Song, Little Lies, Pawnshop Dollar Bills, Won’t Be Long
