On Friday, December 9, Rough Trade NYC will host revered indie rock guitarist Lee Ranaldo. The free night presented as part of The Birdsong Project will feature Ranaldo in concert and in conversation with project founder Randall Poster.
Lee Ranaldo, (pictured) best known for his work as lead guitarist of NYC indie rock act Sonic Youth.
Friday night will also mark the release and celebration of the project’s culmination. “The Birdsong Project Box Set” is a birdsong-inspired collection of music consisting of over 242 tracks with appearances from musicians, actors, Pulitzer Prize winners and more such as Olivia Wilde, Sean Penn, Robert Pattinson, Greta Gerwig, Mark Ronson, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Ad-Rock, Bette Midler, Danielle Haim, Florence Welch, as well as hundreds of other contributors.
All proceeds from the collection go towards The National Audubon Society, a non-profit dedicated to bird conservation.
Recent projects of Randall Poster (pictured) include music curation on the French Dispatch (2021) and the Queen’s Gambit. (2020)
Poster, a film soundtrack supervisor who has worked with Martin Scorcese and Wes Anderson, spawned the idea for The Birdsong Project after quarantining during the first year of the pandemic. Having been inspired by the “stillness of nature,” he gained a curiosity for birdsong and bird life.
Ranaldo’s Birdsong Project concert is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. while his conversation with Poster as well as David Ringer, the Chief Network Officer of the Audobon Society, is marked for 9. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce has just released his newest illuminating record titled “Country House.” Ryan Luce explores the subtle nuance of everyday life and studies the inner dramas of fathers, sons, and daughters.
This Americana record was written throughout the pandemic where Ryan found love, lost his backing back, and honed his songwriting abilities. “I had to get back to writing, to what I know is the only thing I’m good at. Those songs became Country House,” stated Luce.
“Offers a blend of country-western Americana and Pacific Rock à la Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to paint energetic narratives with lasting visual effect.”
-Rhythm & Boots NYC
Country House is a ten-song collection filled with heartbreaking lyrics and timeless melodies; Luce certainly pulled from classic country to modern day Americana throughout these releases.
“Before the pandemic I was pigeonholing myself in the themes I wrote about. I think I used songwriting as a projection on my own feelings of longing and escape and that limited my abilities,” says Luce. “Writing these songs allowed me to throw away the old ghosts and achieve a caliber of songwriting and production I’d been searching for.”
Unlike Luce’s 2019 debut EP California Gold, a loose collection of songs from hustling the New York scene, Country House is rather an artifact from his life frozen in time. “I always dreamed of making a record where the songs are from a distinct period, as a time capsule, I could dig up in 20 years and look back on someday.”
The world had taken a toll throughout the time of the pandemic, but lots of musicians found a muse throughout being stuck inside. “I think a collective forcefield was blocking artists from creating during the early days of the pandemic including myself.” His band had scattered to the wind as the pandemic began and now, stuck in his apartment, recording plans scrapped, he fought off Covid.
The album came together out of the motivation that Luce hadn’t written anything in months. “Something switched on, I had to get back on the horse and start writing songs again. I started playing in different keys and the first song I wrote was the title track.”
Listen to more of Country House and to check out more of Ryan Luce, click here.
Westside Gunn the self-pronounced FlyGod continues to impress with his curation of albums and music videos.
“Peppas” is the latest video off of Westside Gunn’s new album, 10 and features legendary hip hop duo, Black Star. Getting the seldom featured duo of Yaiin Bey and Talib Kweli on a track is a major coup for Westside. The legendary Brooklyn rhymers have made sure to not oversaturate their sound, going over two decades in-between albums. For the “Peppas” video, Westside bridges the gap between the “hood” and the glamors of the hip hop world. The visual of legendary hip hop figures returning to where it all began, just kicking it on the block adds a down-to-earth feel to the abstract sounding record. A juxtaposition that leans on the fact that most rappers earn their stripes in these communities, thus it’s all one big cycle.
Visual Breakdown
The record’s title itself is the name of a popular Jamaican restaurant in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of Brooklyn’s more renowned neighborhoods. The Conducter Williams produced track features the typical ear catching soul samples that fans have come to expect from a Westside project. Additionally, Kweli, Bey, and their abstract and philosophical rhymes serve as the perfect foil to Westside Gunn’s in your face style.
Furthermore, each rapper’s verse conveys a similar message in their own way: their view of the world while subsequently letting you know how great they are. Concurrently, they gather with their homies on the block, enjoying the food and mingling with the restaurant staff. The entire record and video plays on the theme of the varying personalities and minds in the hood. Although a group of black males hanging around the block may be stylized as one, there are various personalities, ideologies and general life ethos at play within that group dynamic.
Best Lyrics
Matte-black dynamite, blast radials, black radio Core capability, flaco facility Fly guy, do or die, Bed-Stuy energy
Claimin’ La Costra Nostra, we in love with the coca They hit niggas with the R.I.C.O., white people put it in cola For generational wealth, they standin’ on they ancestor’s shoulders After burnin’ down Tulsa, Oklahoma
NYC’s Mortal Prophets have released five singles ahead of their album, Me and The Devil, which is set for release on December 9. The songs – all covers – teeter between Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave, and bring something completely new to the table.
“Pretty Girl In The Pines” is an adaptation of the folk classic by Lead Belly and a famous performance of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” was covered during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert. In the Mortal Prophet’s version, it starts as an eerier version of Lead Belly’s, but drops into German electronica house, then introduces searing electric guitar. This amalgamation of genre electrifies, aptly, some of the oldest songs in our American folk canon.
The stirring bluesy sound in these singles feels alive, because it is. In making this debut EP, Mortal Prophets’ lead John Beckmann sent his rough tracks to William Declan Lucey, an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist and member of Rubyhorse. Beckmann entrusted Lucey with the task of adding or subtracting tracks from Beckmann’s raw files to the album, and this collaboration between the two artists led to some of the more surprising and exciting moments — Dana Colley’s saxophone on “Baby Please Don’t Go,” for one, gives the song transformative capacity.
There’s anger that’s jutting out behind gritted teeth in “Grinning In Your Face.” Beckmann gets to the core of the legendary Son House original. “It’s really a song of betrayal, and back stabbing, yet the musician rises above it all, and laughs in their faces, and continues his life undeterred. I think we can all relate to that on some level,” Beckmann said about his cover.
“Crossroad Blues” feels most like a Nick Cave song, gothic and earnest. Music writers say things like, “John Beckmann’s vocals shine on this record,” but Beckmann’s voice doesn’t “shine.” It’s totally matte, deep and dark, but with low opacity, like he’s singing through fangs bared — a voice that can be brutal, ravenous, in “Grinning In Your Face,” but here it is ultimately deeply mournful, loathing, that masculine kind of somber, you know, blue.
Two fan favorite festive orchestral performances arrive in the Capital Region in the coming weeks. The Albany Symphony Orchestra (ASO) appearing at Albany’s Palace Theatre for the The Magic of Christmas series on Sunday, December 4th and at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall for the Holiday Classics on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11.
Albany Symphony Orchestra
Groups of young, talented performers are being featured in the musical performance at the Palace Theater on Sunday, December 4, including The Music Studio and Capital District Youth Chorale, as well as the Boland School Dance, Ghanaian drumming group Gballoi and special guest narrator Walter Throne of the Albany Business Review.
Capital District Youth Chorale Featured in Magic of Christmas Poster
GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra conductor David Alan Miller is leading the orchestra in both concert series, which includes directing classical musical pieces by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson included in Holiday Classics. “It’s always such a treat for us to present beautiful Baroque and Classical music in the glorious Troy Savings Bank Music Hall during the holiday season,” said David Alan Miller.
Albany Symphony Orchestra David Alan Miller
Mr. Miller went in further depth about his experience leading the ASO during the holiday season and music highlighted in prior and upcoming performance.
Heather Occhino: The Magic of Christmas and Holiday Classic show events are premiering at Albany’s Palace Theater and Troy Savings Bank. How long have you been the director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra?
David Alan Miller: 31 years
HO: Music by Mozart and Bach are going to be included in Holiday Classics. Do you think sharing classics, such as Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, on stage affects the audience size for each year Holiday Classics is premiered?
DAM: Yes, there are different pieces we play at different times of year. People love Baroque and Classical music, we tend to play them during the month of December. Hearing these pieces is a wonderful treat. The shows on the weekend of 12/10 includes music by Black American multi-genre music composer, Coleridge Taylor Perkinson.
HO: Is Holiday Classics the first performance where musicians belonging to your ensemble are highlighting historically known performances part of the concert series?
DAM: No, we feature musicians during every season.
HO: Do other musical troupes other than the Albany Symphony Orchestra typically join shows you direct?
DAM: Yes, particularly in Magic of Christmas; 8-9 groups are joining this performance-an African drumming group, a children’s chorus, which are important particularly for Holiday programs. Young opera singers from Bard College are joining on the shows Dec. 10-11.
HO: A special appearance by Santa is featured in the Magic of Christmas. What do you think this will mean for the children of your audience?
DAM: We want to make it as much fun as possible for kids. We pick kids’ names out of a hat and conduct “Jingle Bells” on stage and do big sing alongs with the whole audience-we want to make the performance as engaging as possible.
Buy Magic of Christmas and Holiday Classic tickets here.
Watch Albany Symphony Orchestra Perform at AHA! A House for Arts
In the middle of a 38-date tour of smaller venues across North America that kicked off November 3 in Fresno, California, thrash metal titans Machine Head played an intimate show to a raucous Saint Vitus audience in Brooklyn on Tuesday, November 29. A live extension of the band’s “Electric Happy Hour” online shows, which were streamed remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the first half of the tour has seen their diehard legion of fans thrilled by a free-form style set filled with deep cuts.
Nestled in its Greenpoint neighborhood, Saint Vitus opened in 2011 and has been known as the premier heavy metal hang spot ever since. On this weekday night, the bar would be taken over by the quartet hailing from Oakland, California who are touring in support of their tenth studio album Of Kingdom and Crown. A 13-track concept album that follows the stories of two main characters, Ares and Eros, was released via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings this past August.
Arriving to the venue for my first time, I knew I was in the right place (despite the venue displaying no street signage as to its existence) when I spotted the band’s tractor trailer rig parked out front and a contingent of lucky VIP fans who were already making their way into the venue for soundcheck. The remaining fans, including myself, chatted and shivered together on the frigid evening as the general admission line steadily grew until it wrapped around the street corner.
At approximately 7:00 pm, security returned to escort us into the warm confines of the 250-capacity concert hall. After my media credential was confirmed by the stamped application of the bar’s skull logo to my right hand, I walked through the bar area and headed straight for the coveted rail position. With no area designated for pit photographers, I was glad to be as close as possible to the metal action that would unfold before our collective eyes in a little more than an hour.
Without any opening support and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” playing over the house PA, the stage lights suddenly dimmed and the chants from the fans began . . . “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head.” For the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, Robb Flynn (vocals/guitar), the only remaining original member, Jared MacEachern (bass), Wacław Kiełtyka (lead guitar) and Matt Alston (drums) would deliver a heart-pounding, 21-song set that fully displayed the hard-hitting musicianship that made Machine Head one of America’s pioneering influences in new wave heavy metal.
Performing a set that included at least one song from each of their studio albums – spanning the course of nearly three decades – the San Francisco Bay Area metallers’ first offering was “Imperium,” from Through the Ashes of Empires (2003). With Flynn urging the crowd to “open up that circle pit,” he took us back to 1997 with the speed metal single “Ten Ton Hammer” (The More Things Change…). Reverting to their thrash metal roots, we lost our collective mind during “CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE,” taken from the aforementioned Of Kingdom and Crown and the first of three offerings that would be performed tonight from that 2022 release. The next trio of songs comprised two tracks from 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds (“Now We Die” and “Killers & Kings”), followed by “The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears” (The Burning Red, 1999). The night’s second contribution from Of Kingdom and Crown ensued, “UNHALLØWED,” an anthemic tune featuring dual-lead guitar lines and Flynn’s melodic vocals.
With Machine Head’s set approaching the one hour mark and his plastic cup of Guinness running low, Flynn summoned crew member Junior to the stage to remedy the problem. After a quick refill of the Irish-made suds and another toast to the fans for coming out and their support, a special guest appearance was made by Joey Zampella (better known as Joey Z), guitarist for the Brooklyn alternative metal band Life of Agony that Joey Z co-formed in 1989. Taking over axe duties for Kiełtyka, the first of three cover songs followed, Life of Agony’s “This Time.”
Over the next thirty minutes, Machine Head gave us “Old” (Burn My Eyes, 1994), “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)” (Unto the Locust, 2011) and “Aesthetics of Hate” (The Blackening, 2007), with Flynn again urging his fans to form another circle pit that nearly engulfed the entire room. Following a brief pause in the action, Flynn reappeared, now armed with an acoustic guitar. Pulling his hair back and wiping the sweat from his eyes, Flynn addressed the steamy room of sweaty bodies:
The song that we’re going to do for you here is about mental health. It’s about religion. It’s about music, and it’s about depression. And, you know, for me, I wrote this song when I was in a pretty dark place in my life. I wasn’t raised with religion. I never prayed to a God upstairs to help me when times went tough. No, the thing that I always, always turned to throughout my life was music. It could be Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd or Metallica or Slayer or Hatebreed or Life of Agony. [There were] a million fucking bands [with] the power to reach down and pull me up out of that hole. It was never my music. It was someone else’s.
So, I tell you what. If you relate to the words that I’m talking about, I want you to feel free to sing them as loud, loud as you want to. Be louder than me if you want to. I don’t care Brooklyn, you’re in a Machine Head show, New York. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Get your flashlights way, way, way up in the sky [and] turn the lights on for all of you who have a little bit of darkness inside you. This song is called “Darkness Within.”
In accordance with the show’s career-spanning theme, a foursome of songs followed, comprised of “Catharsis” (2018’s self-titled track), “Bulldozer” (Supercharger, 2001), “From This Day” (The Burning Red, 1999) and “Davidian,” a pulverizing, groove metal number from their 1994 debut album (Burn My Eyes) about the Waco, Texas siege the year prior. Following a brief moment offstage to collect their breaths for the final push, Machine Head performed two back-to-back covers as part of their encore. The first, Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” was spontaneously played in response to a request from the crowd. A blistering rendition of “Roots Bloody Roots,” released by Brazilian metalists Sepultura in 1996, was performed next.
The epic night of heavy metal ended with “Halo,” a second track played from 2007’s The Blackening, with Flynn addressing us for a final time: Brooklyn, New York, we love you fucking maniacs. You were absolutely incredible. Thank you for making us feel so good. We are Machine-Fucking-Head, good night! Before leaving the stage for the final time, all four Machine Head members took a long, gracious bow before Alston handed his sticks to a pair of blissfully stunned fans and handfuls of picks were handed out by Flynn, MacEachern and Kiełtyka. The metal festivities officially concluded with the exclusive Machine Head t-shirt award to the most worthy fan who raged the hardest, a young man I personally witnessed headbanging in the front row all night long, while screaming every lyric in unison with Flynn.
Machine Head will continue their string of U.S. tour dates until the tour finale at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on December 23. Additionally, on the heels of a recently postponed show in Portland, Maine due to “transportation issues,” that show has already been rescheduled for April 2023.
Machine Head Setlist: Imperium > Ten Ton Hammer > CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE > Now We Die > Killers & Kings > The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears > UNHALLØWED > Locust > NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS > This Time (Life of Agony cover) > Old > I Am Hell (Sonata in C#) > Aesthetics of Hate > Darkness Within > Catharsis > Bulldozer > From This Day > Davidian > Encore: Man in the Box (Alice in Chains cover) > Roots Bloody Roots (Sepultura cover) > Halo
In the Cortland Repertory Theatre’s 2022 season, only two performances were able to be completed, due to unfortunately timed cases of COVID-19 within the theatre’s cast and crew. The scheduled play, Agatha Christie’s “Murder On The Orient Express” was never executed.
Luckily, Artistic Director Kerby Thompson said the set, props and costumes from were stored over the winter, so the Cortland Repertory summer season, celebrating the organization’s 51st anniversary, will kick off at the Little York Pavilion in Preble, NY on June 7, with Christie’s chilly murder mystery.
The 2023 season will contain three plays and two musicals: the Agatha Christie, Tony-nominated “Xanadu “by Douglas Carter Beane, “Unnecessary Farce” by Paul Slade Smith, “The Cake” by Bekah Brunstetter and wrapping up the season, “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Xanadu” will be showing from June 21 to June 30. This performance is based on the 1980 cult classic, with music and lyrics by Jeff Lyne and John Farrar. For fans of 80s pop, look no further — “Xanadu” features renditions of iconic hits from the period like “Strange Magic,” and “Evil Woman,” between hilarious story lines of forbidden love and greek gods on Venice Beach, California.
“Unnecessary Farce” centers on an embezzling mayor, his accountant, undercover police and a Scottish hitman. It’s one of Cortland Repertory Theatre’s most popular comedies, planned to show in this 2023 season between July 5 and 15.
“The Cake” was originally planned for the theatre’s 2020 season, but had to be canceled because of the pandemic. This comedy centers on a woman living in North Carolina who is cast onto an Americanized “Great British Baking Show,” but her life is complicated while she bakes a wedding cake for her late best friend’s daughter’s wedding. It will be playing July 19 and July 28.
Finally, closing the season, is Cortland Repertory Theatre’s original telling of “The Wizard of Oz.” This stage version, premiering August 2 to August 19, was adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company and is based upon the classic movie.
Cortland Repertory Theatre is now selling 5-show summer subscriptions along with 5 or 6 pack Flex Passes. The 5-show subscription allows the patron to see all 5 productions; the Flex Passes allow the purchaser to choose the shows they see. Special pricing is available for youth, seniors, military and first responders. Get tickets at their site.
The New York Youth Symphony has appointed Andrew Jinhong Kim as its new Music Director beginning in the 2023-2024 season. He replaces Michael Repper, who will complete his tenure at the end of this season after six years. Kim is joining an illustrious roster of prior NYYS Music Directors, including Leonard Slatkin, David Alan Miller, Ryan McAdams, Joshua Gersen, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
This season, Mr. Kim was Assistant Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO) and Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra. In this joint role he appeared in pops and subscription concerts throughout the season with DSSO and led the top ensemble of its youth orchestra program.
The NYYS Music Director Search Committee, chaired by Slade Mills, conducted an international search. More than 85 candidates were reviewed and vetted by the Committee and NYYS staff. Live auditions were held in October with the orchestra which allowed for the students’ opinions to be heard as well.
“Working with passionate young musicians is one of the most meaningful aspects of my life,” said Kim, “so I’m thrilled and honored to be joining the distinguished New York Youth Symphony family. I am immensely looking forward to creating a memorable journey from the first rehearsal to the concert and to engaging the community with the love of music and pursuit of excellence that everyone in the organization shares.”
Kim received his master’s degree at Ithaca College under the mentorship of Octavio Mas-Arocas. In addition to assisting the IC Symphony and Chamber Orchestras he worked with the IC Siinfonietta and the Contemporary Ensemble and enjoyed frequent collaborations with friends for recital performances and composition premieres.
Family, friends, local musicians and fans of The Band’s ‘Last Waltz’ got into the Thanksgiving spirit a day early at Lark Hall in Albany on Wednesday, November 23rd.
Based on an idea conceived by drummer Joe Sorbero and building off the success of 2021’s inaugural ‘Last Waltz on Lark Street,’ an impressive ensemble of some of the Capital Region’s best players, eighteen in total, came together to celebrate the famed “farewell” performance that originally took place at Winterland Ballroom in 1976. Martin Scorsese’s iconic documentary film of the same name is considered by many to be the best concert film of all time.
The Last Waltz on Lark Street | 11-23-2022 | Albany, NY | Lark Hall
Set 1: Don’t Do It, Up on Cripple Creek, The Shape I’m In, Ophelia, This Wheel’s On Fire, Further Up the Road, Who Do You Love, Such a Night, Genetic Method, Chest Fever, It Makes No Difference, King Harvest, Life is a Carnival
Set 2: The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down, Acadian Driftwood, Rag Mama Rag, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, Forever Young, Evangeline, Helpless, Four Strong Winds, Caravan, W.S. Walcott Medicine Show, Stage Fright, The Weight
Encore: I Shall Be Released (with all musicians on stage)
NY-based Columbian-American pop artist Valley Latini has announced the release of Attention Lover, a sexy dose of introspection for lovers of electro pop. Musically inspired by the industrial sounds of Bushwick, Brooklyn, the album is sensual and direct. This 11-track project drops on December 1 and shares stories of past relationships and love affairs as well as a deeper look at self-love and female empowerment.
As a singer, songwriter and music producer, Valley’s creative style reflects on a lot of social issues, self-realization, and personal philosophies on romance, delusion, and joy. “Attention Lover” branches further into Latini’s personal life and the relatable chaos that ensues when attempting to fall in love.
A huge part that goes into her sound and lyrics are fun and chaotic love life. Along with this, she is highly influenced by her religious background. In a transgressive way, she chooses to combine said elements with contrasting themes like sensuality and divinity as a unified entity.
A lot of her live performances are centered around the expression of individual freedom and finding power in her female essence. Having recently performed on her national tour with comedian and author Jacq Frances, Valley has performed in venues and bars all across NYC. Valley’s music has been featured in a few local blogs like Bushwick Daily, The Hudson Valley News, Indie Wire, La Mezcla, and so much more.
The combination of her Colombian upbringing with the sounds of NYC offer a diverse musical background. In her lyrics she embodies true strength through fearless vulnerability, proving herself to be a modern day renaissance woman.
As stated in a previous article from NYS Music, Valley talks about herself as the triumphant protagonist, dangles a literal carrot in front of the priest and wreaks havoc on his deserving soul in her song “Tu Y Yo.” Ultimately, as it turns out, the “haux house” leads to a beach utopia where the women can enjoy the finer things in paradise anyway.
Valley expands on the concept, “the video is a metaphor for a modern day ‘witch hunt’ caused by men in power that fear female sexuality and censor the female body and sex workers.”
Listen to “Attention Lover” by Valley Latini below.
