New York band Monotronic release new single, “In Between”, on May 27. Monotronic is the brainchild of musician/producer Ramsey Elkholy. “In Between” was recorded in Costa Rica during the pandemic.
Monotronic defines itself as not just a band but “a music collective that defies genre”. Their punchy brand of electronic music features bouncy synths, energetic vocals, and approachable lyrics.
“My friend Dan Freeman has a studio in Nosara, which is on the coast and surrounded by lush jungles,” Elkholy explained. “It’s kind of a hippy place, lots of yoga going on, organic food, ayahuasca retreats. Very simple location, close to nature, which inspired a lot of creativity.
When Elkholy returned to New York he began working on the lyrics. Once they were complete he collaborated with vocalist Russell Graham to record the vocals for the track. Elkholy, Freeman, and engineer Killian Cruiser played and recorded all the instrumental parts on the track, which Cruiser mixed and produced.
Monotronic released its debut album in 2019, which it then followed up with the notable singles “Kids of Summer” and “Buy Yourself a Dream”. Both of which debuted at #1 on VEVO’s Incoming Indie playlist.
There are currently plans for an upcoming music video for “In Between”.
Trey Anastasio Band played one of the newest music venues in Boston, Roadrunner, over May 7 & 8, playing a variety of TAB originals & Phish classics. The first night Trey played an acoustic encore featuring “Theme From The Bottom,” “More,” “Chalkdust Torture,” & “Harry Hood.” Highlights of the second set included dueling leads of James Casey & Trey, “Moma Dance,” “Camel Walk,” “Night Speaks to a Woman,” “Gotta Jibboo,” “First Tube,” and “Blaze On.”
Trey Anastasio Band is playing as good as ever and clearly having a lot of fun doing it. Mixing a good amount of Phish fan favorites, TAB classics, new Trey songs, and some acoustic songs the show is proven to be as diverse as it is entertaining. Setlists via Phish.net.
Trey Anastasio Band – Roadrunner, Boston, MA – Saturday, May 7, 2022
Set 1: Alive Again, Set Your Soul Free, Love Is What We Are, Magilla, Ocelot, Olivia, Camel Walk, Drifting, The Moma Dance, Night Speaks to a Woman
Set 2: Speak to Me, Everything’s Right, Gotta Jibboo, Hey Stranger [1], Liquid Time > Ghost > Mozambique, Ether Sunday, Rise/Come Together > Sand
Encore: Theme From the Bottom [2], More[2], Chalk Dust Torture[2] -> Harry Hood [3] > Chalk Dust Torture[2], Push On ‘Til the Day
[1] Debut. [2] Trey solo acoustic. [3] Trey solo acoustic; started mid song and unfinished. Cyro teased Watermelon Man before Gotta Jibboo.
Trey Anastasio Band – Roadrunner, Boston, MA – Sunday, May 8, 202
Set 1: Blaze On, Mercy, Undermind, Curlew’s Call, Tube, The Silver Light, Money, Love and Change
Set 2: No Men In No Man’s Land, Cayman Review, Simple Twist Up Dave, I Never Needed You Like This Before, Spin, 46 Days, Roll Like a River [1], Valentine, A Life Beyond The Dream
JazzFest White Plains has announced the artist line-up for the 2022 festival, to be held from September 14-18 in several locations including ArtsWestchester, Grace Episcopal Church and White Plains Public Library.
Headliners for the festival include the Joey Alexander Trio, the Buster Williams Quartet, Grace Kelly and Ragan Whiteside and Friends. These major acts will also be joined by Miki Hayama and Richie Goods, the Albert Rivera Quintet, the Carlos Jimenez Mambo Sextet, the G. Thomas Allen Quartet and more.
Grammy Award winning instrumentalists Joey Alexander and Buster Williams will command the stage with their refined and unique performances. Alexander has been praised as one of the most engaging pianist-composers of his time, while also being the youngest artist to ever be nominated in the Jazz Grammy category.
Williams, a legend in his own right, has played alongside other big names including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Betty Carter. The “Something More” Quartet, composed of members Steve Wilson (saxophone), Lenny White (drums) and George Colligan (piano/keyboard), will support him.
Grace Kelly has accomplished many milestones in her career despite her young age. She has released more than 10 albums, sold out numerous shows and even appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert as part of the house band.
As a community staple, JazzFest White Plains has brought entertainment and culture to Westchester for more than a decade. It was produced by ArtsWestchester in collaboration with the City of White Plains and the White Plains Business Improvement District.
Long Island-based emo-pop duo poptropicaslutz! released their debut EP, just in case the world ends on May 6.
poptropicaslutz formed during the pandemic. Credit Eli Rae.
Composed of Nick Crawford and Christian Cicillia, the group’s seven-track project explores their inspiration with a no holds barred approach to making music.
Just In Case The World Ends is a project that started during the global pandemic, as poptropicaslutz! was forming, and the “end of the world” didn’t seem so farfetched,” the duo explained. “We thought about what album we’d make if it was our last chance to make one.”
The cover art for the debut EP, “just in case the world ends”, from poptropicasltuz!
The EP is released under Epitaph Records and is mixed by Matt Malpass, who previously worked with Blink 182 and MGK.
Most of the songs on just in case the world ends have a traditional pop punk song structure and content—self-aware lyrics and romantic themes. But poptropicaslutz! modernizes them with sparkly synths in their production. The combination of which makes for a fresh take on the hyper-punk genre.
poptropicaslutz! also released a music video for their lead track “this might be our last december” featuring Canadian artist 8485. According to the duo, this collaboration is the embodiment of the intersection of pop-punk and hyper-pop that they’re known for.
Throughout the EP the Gen Z duo showcase their interests in experimentation. Particularly with the track “lackluster at best, masterpiece at worst” which features an acoustic guitar as opposed to their usual hard hitting electric guitars of pop punk.
On “hysteria is impossible without an audience” they offer up some classic emo music before closing out the track with some impassioned screamo.
just in case the world ends is accompanied by a series of animated music videos from Rob Fidel. The 3-part cartoon series follows the mishaps of a group of evil genius pigs with mohawks who desperately search for a way to fly.
On the heels of an upcoming and ambitious new 4-album studio and film project, I Am The Moon, Tedeschi Trucks Band has just unveiled dates for their highly-anticipated annual return to the Beacon Theatre this fall.
The 12-piece rock and soul collective led by singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks will play seven nights in New York City – September 29 & 30 and October 1, 3, 6, 7, and 8 –as part of their multi-year, dual city residency with MSG Entertainment, which also includes annual shows at The Chicago Theatre.
The 2022 Beacon Theatre shows mark the group’s 11th multi-night Beacon run, and will include their 50th lifetime show at the famed New York theatre on October 3. Tedeschi Trucks Band’s annual tenure in the Big Apple is a destination event, featuring surprise sit-ins, special guests, and set lists that go deep in the band’s catalog, becoming a can’t-miss concert experience.
The Beacon is always a place for us to stretch out and explore musical territory. We have an incredible amount of new material coming out this year with I Am The Moon and the Beacon shows will be some of the first where we’ll be able to draw from all of it and have the space to really dig in.
Derek Trucks
The 2022 residency will feature support from Amy Helm on Thursday, September 29 and Ruthie Foster on Thursday, October 6. Friday and Saturday nights will feature two sets of Tedeschi Trucks Band. This year will also be one of the few opportunities in the U.S. to catch the band live after all four albums of I Am The Moon, are released.
I Am The Moon is a creative milestone for us – and we’ve got our 50th show at The Beacon, another milestone. We’re looking forward to celebrating both and all the hard work that went into getting here – it’s not something that just happens.
Susan Tedeschi
I Am The Moon is the most ambitious studio project of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s storied career – comprised of four albums and four companion films to be released throughout the summer. Inspired by a mythic Persian tale of star-crossed lovers, and emotionally driven by the isolation and disconnection of the pandemic era, the thematic I Am The Moon totals more than two hours of music unfolding across a robust tapestry of genre-defying explorations that propel the treasured American ensemble into new and thrilling creative territory. Watch the project trailer below.
The four albums that comprise I Am The Moon — I. Crescent, II. Ascension, III. The Fall, and IV. Farewell— will be released in successive months beginning with I. Crescent. The corresponding films which combine studio and performance footage with atmospheric photography and imagery will debut three days prior to each audio release offering fans an early opportunity to digest each album in its entirety via the band’s YouTube channel.
The first film debuts Tuesday, May 31 followed by the first album release available digitally and on CD, Friday, June 3.
Tedeschi Trucks Band is Susan Tedeschi (guitar, vocals), Derek Trucks (guitar), Gabe Dixon (keyboards, vocals), Brandon Boone (bass), Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (drums, percussion) Isaac Eady (drums, percussion) Mike Mattison (vocals, guitar), Mark Rivers (harmony vocals), Alecia Chakour (harmony vocals), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet) and Elizabeth Lea (trombone).
Tickets for all seven Beacon Theatre shows will be available for purchase by the general public beginning at 11:00AM (ET) on Friday, May 13 via ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be available at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre box offices on Saturday, May 14. Prices range from $29.50 to $135.00.
Fandiem has teamed up with Les Claypool of Primus and Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello to raise funds for relief efforts in Ukraine.Their special sweepstakes will run until July 15.
Participants can choose to donate a certain amount of money to be entered into the sweepstakes or they can choose to skip donating. Donation amounts range from $10 to $500 and those who donate at least $100 will receive a custom “Man With the Iron Balls” t-shirt.
By signing up for the sweepstakes, participants have the chance of winning a trip to see Primus & Ween at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for “South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert”, two VIP Tickets to the concert with preferred seating, round trip airfare, a two night hotel stay, local ground transportation to/from Red Rock Amphitheatre and exclusive signed memorabilia from performers on “Man With The Iron Balls”.
All donations will go to NOVA Ukraine, a nonprofit created in 2014 to provide aid to Ukraine while also educating the world. Proceeds will help fund humanitarian efforts, including first aid, medical equipment and refugee care.
Before Fandiem partnered with Les Claypool and Eugene Hütz, the duo had released “Zelensky: The Man With The Iron Balls,” a tribute to President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky. The single, also aimed at raising funds for relief efforts in Ukraine, featured a number of talented artists including Billy Strings, Stewart Copeland and Sean Lennon.
The Blues Brothers were founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, as lead vocalist Jake Blues, and harmonica player/vocalist Elwood Blues. The band was composed of well known musicians, and debuted as the musical guest on SNL on April 22, 1978.
That evening, Jake and Elwood opened the show performing “Hey Bartender” and later performed the Sam & Dave classic “Soul Man.” Later that year, they released their debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues, and opened for The Grateful Dead at the closing of the Winterland Arena in San Francisco. Their fame reached even further heights in 1980 when they released their own comedy film The Blues Brothers.
On March 5, 1982, Belushi died of an accidental overdose. After his death, updated versions of the Blues Brothers have performed on SNL and for charitable and political causes.
On May 4, 2022, Aykroyd, accompanied by Jim Belushi as Brother Zee Blues, played The Paramount in Huntington. They were backed by Belushi’s Sacred Hearts Band that still features some of the original members. There was no story line, but rather a full blown, highly energetic concert. Several audience members were dress head-to-toe in full Blues Brothers attire including the black suit, black shoes, white shirt, sunglasses and fedora.
When the duo took the stage, the crowd absolutely erupted. They started the show with a rip roaring version of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Shotgun Blues” followed by Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago.” Other songs included Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” and Floyd Dixon’s “Hey Bartender.” During Muddy Waters “I’m Ready”, Belushi ventured into the crowd high fiving audience members as well as dancing with some of the female members of the audience.
The main set closed with their signature song, Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.” The Brothers traded off on the lead vocals and the band really brought the house down. After a very brief break, they all returned to the stage for a two song encore, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “Money (That’s What I Want).” Belushi encouraged any of the women in the crowd that wanted to come up on stage and dance to do so, and many obliged. When it was over, the duo walked slowly off the stage waving to the crowd as the audience erupted once again.
Setlist: Soul Finger (The Bar-Kays cover) Shotgun Blues (Sonny Boy Williamson cover) Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson cover) Hard to Handle (Otis Redding cover) I’m Ready (Muddy Waters cover) Three Hundred Pounds of Joy (Howlin’ Wolf cover) Flip Flop and Fly (Big Joe Turner cover) 36-22-36 (Bobby Blue Band cover) Hey Bartender (Floyd Dixon cover) Rubber Biscuit (The Chips cover) Dig Myself a Hole (Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup cover) Land of 1000 Dances (Chris Kenner cover) Grits Ain’t Groceries (Little Milton cover) I Got Everything I Need (Downchild Blues Band cover) Altar of Love (Imperial Crown cover) Polk Salad Annie (Tony Joe White cover) Driving Wheel (Roosevelt Sykes cover) You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women (Carole King cover) Just A fool, She Caught the Katyand Left Me a Mule to Ride (Taj Mahal cover) Soul Man (Sam & Dave cover) Chicken Shack (Jimmy Smith cover)
Encore: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love( Solomon Burke cover) Money(That’s What I Want) (Barrett Strong cover) Skybox Outro
On Thursday, June 16th, DiscOasis, presented by Nile Rodgers, will open at the Wollman Rink in Central Park. The event will offer exciting evening skate times & programs featuring theatrical performances with an array of live DJs, artists, and special guests. It will also be open throughout the day for daytime skating.
Nighttime performances at the DiscOasis will have music curated by the Grammy-award-winning “Groovemaster,” Nile Rodgers. The experience will include unique art, tantalizing lights, exceptional music and dance, and occasional live performances. DiscOasis hopes that its theatrical experience will promote inclusiveness and positivity in the community.
The DiscOasis is a pop-up roller-skating experience like no other. The second you step onto the grounds… the energy of the party envelops you
Siena Giljum
Tickets are on sale beginning May 10th at 11 AM. Skating sessions will be available from 10 AM to 10 PM on Wednesdays through Sundays from June 16th till October 1st. Skates will cost ten dollars to rent. However, those who already own a pair of skates are welcome to bring them, free of charge. For tickets and more information, visit thediscoasis.com.
Spoon finally played their twice-delayed Hammerstein Ballroom show on Friday, May 6 with support from Margaret Glaspy. Fans came in shaking off their umbrellas and raincoats, damp from the rainy Friday night, but buzzing as the venue filled up.
Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
The lights dimmed before Margaret Glaspy took the stage to cheers and smiles. Fans listened, enraptured, as she played through her set.
Margaret Glaspy at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
Spoon played an energetic and jam-packed 16 song setlist. Their set included some personal and fan favorites, “The Underdog” and “I Turn My Camera On” as well as several tracks off their latest album, “Lucifer on the Sofa.” They ended their main set with “Wild.” They left the stage, the lights dimmed again, and the crowd cheered for more.
Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
The lights finally came back on, and Spoon started their encore with a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation.” Then they played “The Mystery Zone.” Next they brought Margaret Glaspy on stage for a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.”
Finally, Wolf Parade’s Dan Boekner joined Spoon onstage to a boom of cheers and applause for a cover of Wolf Parade’s “Modern World.” He helped Spoon conclude the night with “Rent I Pay.” They thanked the audience and exited to cheers.
https://youtu.be/IodZaCWs_V4
Spoon & Dan Boekner, video: Ironchefwong on YouTube
Follow Spoon’s ongoing tour and listen to their latest album, Lucifer on the Sofa. Check out Margaret Glaspy’s music and listen to Wolf Parade here.
Since the 1960s, the worlds of art and rock music have been joined at the hip. Now some of the finest art inspired by rock music, and much of it created by musicians themselves, has come to Hudson in a new gallery show, The Rock and Roll Circus.
The exhibition is the brainchild of gallerist/musician Luis Accorsi and his wife, Haleh, who relocated from NYC to Hudson a couple of years back to open The New Gallery. An art dealer since 1988, the Venezuela- born Accorsi may be best known for his efforts to breakout some of the NYC’s now world-renowned graffiti artists. The list of artist he championed includes Keith Haring, Crash, Futura and LA 2, whose wildly colorful Fender Stratocaster is a centerpiece of the exhibit.
“This exhibition is circled around the notion that music and the visual arts are often intertwined and never far from each other,” says Accorsi. “In a song, there’s a story and that story becomes a visual reference for us – all in a quest for the pure and the sublime. All of the artists in this show have an interdisciplinary approach to life. They all stand against the fossilized notion that an artist can only be a great artist in one discipline. And this work certainly demonstrates their position.”
The New Gallery’s latest exhibit includes 38 works in total, from photography, sculpture, painting and poster art to fashion illustration, collage, animation cels and even sheet music.
Highlights include a lithograph of a Wes Wilson poster made for a performance by Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable with the Velvet Underground and Nico at the Fillmore in San Francisco, one signed by Warhol himself. There’s also an original poster from Jimi Hendrix’s legendary New Year’s performance with his Band of Gypsies at the Fillmore East and a unique, uncut 2-up poster by Rick Griffin for a Hendrix performance at Royal Albert Hall.
Also showcased and available for purchase are limited edition prints from several famous photographers. These include Francesco Scavullo’s 1969 portrait of Janis Joplin, lithographs of Richard Avedon’s psychedelicized, individual portraits of The Beatles shot for Look Magazine in 1967, a Harvey Wang’s stage shot of Klaus Nomi, a Robin Rice performance snap of Patti Smith circa 1979 and Christophe Von Hohenberg portraits of Britney Spears and Debbie Harry, the latter taken at Andy Warhol’s memorial in 1987. Hudson’s own music notable, Melissa Auf Def Maur, is represented with a self-portrait shot while performing in Capetown, South Africa with The Smashing Pumpkins in 2000. Beatles’ fanatics will want to peruse the original animation cels from their 1968 film, Yellow Submarine, featured in the New Gallery’s collection.
Ramones’ devotees will be stopped dead in their tracks by Punk Magazine co-founder John Holmstrom’s pen and ink study for the cover art for their Rockets to Russia album. Even more incredible (and unsettling!) is Dee Dee Ramones’ “Horror Hospital,” an acrylic and silk screen on canvas painting of someone getting a lobotomy… with an ice pick! Famed director and sometime musician Jim Jarmusch is here with a 2021 collage of two guitarists in performance, while Beacon-based Richard Butler, the front man of The Psychedelic Furs, showcases a dramatic 2005 painting of fashion model-turned-victims advocate Marla Hanson. Also included are works from Mark and Paul Kostabi, producer/engineer Marc Urselli, djs Dmitry Wild and Mark Prosser, Alvaro Segura, Fernando Batoni, Tom McGill, Stella McNicol, fashion designer Stephen Sprouse and a page from a score by composer John Cage. Prices begin at $400 and run to $10,000+.
Like the musicians themselves who dabble in art, gallerist Accorsi is also busy with his latest musical project, the old school NYC punk-inspired Toxic Tito. Check out his latest video shot at Catskill’s Avalon Lounge, “I Don’t Like You,”
