NYS Music 202​2

Category: Regions

  • The Harlem Gospel Choir will Celebrate MLK day at Sony Hall on January 17

    Celebrating Martin Luther King Day on January 17, the Harlem Gospel Choir will perform a matinee concert at Sony Hall.

    harlem gospel choir


    The Harlem Gospel Choir perform contemporary gospel with a touch of jazz and blues, and have become synonymous with power vocals, glorious sound and infectious energy. For over two decades they have been America’s premier gospel choir and have toured the globe, sharing the inspirational power of black gospel music.

    Deeply rooted in the history of the African-American slave trade, black gospel music can be traced back to the 1700s when African slaves brought their unique African musical heritage to America and combined it with their new faith – Christianity. Out of the hardship and the trials of slavery, this unique musical tradition came to be, and forever changed music as we know it. Blues, Soul, and Rock-and-Roll…they all have origins in black gospel music. Harlem Gospel Choir presents modern gospel classics as performed in the black churches of Harlem today.

    Born out of an MLK Jr. day celebration in 1986, the world-famous Harlem Gospel Choir is an enchanting display of only the finest choir singers and musicians from Black churches around New York’s Harlem. With 40 members, the group has solidified themselves as one of the most prominent gospel choirs in the United States, having performed on Good Morning America, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and even for figures like Pope John Paul II and President Obama.

    Join the Harlem Gospel Choir for a special matinee performance to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. at Sony Hall on January 17th, with doors at 11am and the show beginning at 12:30pm. Tickets are $25 Advance / $30 Day of Show. For more info, visit the event page.

  • Carole King ‘Live From Central Park’ Vault Release Announced

    The latest release from Third Man Records is Carole King – Home Again, recorded live on the Great Lawn of Central Park on May 26, 1973. This special concert was released in conjunction with Ode Records and Sony Music, and showcases songs from multiple albums including Tapestry and Fantasy.

    Carole King vault collection

    Many musicians have graced the stage within Central Park, from Simon and Garfunkel to Elton John, and on May 26, 1973, more than 100,000 fans gathered on the Great Lawn to enjoy Carole King’s homecoming concert. Actor Jack Nicholson was among the crowd of awe struck fans, quoted saying that King’s performance was “one of only two current events “proper” to be seen at in public.” 

    The first portion of the performance focuses on songs from Tapestry, produced by long time collaborator, Lou Alder. King glides her way through songs like ‘Beautiful’, ‘Smackwater Jack’ and “It’s Too Late” as fans enjoy their time in the park.

    New York has given me such an awful lot – stimulus, ideas, feelings to write – the concert is just a small way of giving something back.

    Carole King

    The concert was further electrified by the appearance of King’s 11-piece band, highlighting songs from her album Fantasy and adding to the already lush feeling within the park.

    Carole King Central Park
    King Performing on the Great Lawn

    The historic event ended with a beautiful dedication to close friend, James Taylor, and a resounding sense of joy.

    The vault package includes two LPs, a gatefold jacket with photos from the performance, the professionally filmed performance on DVD and two covers performed by long-time fan Lucy Dacus. Sign up ends January 31 at midnight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mefvCRU22oY

  • Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival Announces 2022 Dates

    Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival announced it’s 2022 dates. The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 but will be back on July 15 and 16 of 2022. 

    Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival

    This will be the fourth annual rendition of the Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival will take place in the Historic Cobblestone District in Downtown Buffalo, NY, stemming from its Buffalo Iron Works headquarters on Illinois Street. The festivities are being put on by Twenty6 Productions, Buffalo Iron Works, and Lockhouse Distillery & Bar. It will feature two large outdoor stages and two indoor stages, a vendor village, local artisans, food trucks, and local beverage stations throughout the festival grounds.

    Josh Holtzman who is one of the founders of the festival, co-founder of Twenty6 Productions, and owner of Buffalo Iron Works spoke on the 2022 version of the festival saying, “We can’t wait to bring Cobblestone Live back to the Buffalo community. From 2017 through 2019, we watched this festival grow into something we could’ve never imagined. It will be so rejuvenating to welcome everyone back to the streets of the Historic Cobblestone District on July 15th and 16th.”

    Tickets include two options the GA “Blind Faith” Two-Day Pass for $20.00 and the VIP Two-Day Pass: $100.00.The VIP ticket includes:access to two private VIP areas at each outdoor stage, front of stage viewing area, premium bar with craft beverages, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and snacks, lounge area under VIP Tent, private bathroom access, tables & chairs for sitting options, and VIP commemorative credentials & lanyard. Blind Faith & VIP Tickets are now on sale here. The artist lineup hasn’t been announced yet but hopefully more information will be released in the coming months. 

    For more information visit Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival’s website.

  • Capital Region Musicians to Pay Tribute to Folksinger Bill Staines at Caffe Lena on January 22

    At 74 years old, New Hampshire folk musician Bill Staines died on Sunday, December 5, 2021. For more than 45 years, Bill Staines has been the classic folk songwriter, singing his songs at the country’s top festivals, concerts, clubs and coffee houses. Above all, Staines performed at Saratoga Springs coffeehouse Caffe Lena twice a year from 1968 to 2021, once in the winter and once in the summer.

    Bill Staines

    Staines held a special role at Caffe Lena, having performed more than 100 times at the venue. In addition, Staines decided to play at Café Lena twice a year in 1968 and kept his promise. Across the world, many fans have been morning the loss of Staines.

    Bill Staines has passed away from cancer and our hearts are breaking. He played Caffe Lena summer and winter every year since 1968. He’s our nearest and dearest and it won’t be the same without him.

    Caffè Lena

    On January 22nd, Caffe Lena will host “Crossing the Water,” a tribute concert celebrating the life and legacy of the beloved songwriter, Bill Staines. The tribute will take place on the date that would have been Staines’ winter show for 2022. It will feature Staines’ songs, passages from his autobiography, and video clips from his final concert at the venue on September 17, 2021. Furthermore, there will be additional performances by Dan Berggren, Kate McDonnell, Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon, Wanda Fischer, Kevin McKrell and Arlin Greene, Jonny and Annie Rosen, and John Kirk and Trish Miller.

    Staines had wonderful songs, charm and gentle humor, He was known for being an amazing musician and likable person. Along with his his kindness and gentle wisdom, he was said to have driven more than 65,000 miles every year to perform at music festivals, churches, concert halls and sometimes even in private homes.

    For many years I have referred to him as an anchor to our heritage. So much has changed over the years. But Bill has remained a constant.

    Executive Director Sarah Craig. 
    Bill Staines

    In-person attendees must present proof of vaccination and masks are required. For those unable to attend, a free live stream will be available on Caffe Lena’s YouTube channel. Tickets and streaming information are available at caffelena.org

  • The Warp The Weft Release “It May Not Always Be So” based on an e.e. cummings Poem

    The Warp/The Weft is a progressive folk/metamorphic rock band based in Hudson Valley, Poughkeepsie. They have been active since 2012 and have used poetry to influence their psychedelia-style music. Their third LP, Dead Reckoning, was released in August 2019 and a new album is forthcoming.

    the warp the weft
    A Sun-Filled Room, The Warp/The Weft

    Recently, they have presented a musicalization of “It May Not Always Be So,” an e. e. cummings sonnet that explores an intense love and, with it, the need to nurture the other’s future happiness. This song was recorded at the Artfarm (Accord, NY) in December of 2021 by Sean Boyd, this is the band’s first recording and release since pre-pandemic times.  

    The Warp The Weft
    It May Not Always Be So, The Warp/The Weft

    The Warp/The Weft does an amazing job at captivating its audience’s emotions by evoking intense feelings of love, painful loss and imaginative awareness through e.e cummings,’ “It May Not Always Be So.” Shane Murphy and Trevor Larcheveque do incredible vocals to further express the deep feelings within the song’s poetical meaning. Christian Lark (Drums) and Chris Pellnat (Lead Guitar) help further captivate how powerful the melody of a song could be while using rhythmic beat and heart-felt guitar chords. The lyrics can be interpreted as an experience of a kind of love/relationship that it is possible to let go because you love someone so much you just want them to be happy, with or without you.

    “It’s a fun challenge to add music to poetry without destroying the music of poetry.” 

    The Warp/The Weft

    It May Not Always Be So; And I Say, by e.e cummings

    it may not always be so; and i say 
    that if your lips, which i have loved, should touch 
    another’s, and your dear strong fingers clutch 
    his heart, as mine in time not far away; 
    if on another’s face your sweet hair lay 
    in such a silence as i know, or such 
    great writhing words as, uttering overmuch, 
    stand helplessly before the spirit at bay; 
     
    if this should be, i say if this should be — 
    you of my heart, send me a little word; 
    that i may go unto him, and take his hands, 
    saying, Accept all happiness from me. 
    Then shall i turn my face, and hear one bird 
    sing terribly afar in the lost lands. 

  • Eagles Add Belmont Park and Buffalo Shows To Hotel California Tour

    The Eagles have added two NY dates to their Hotel California tour, Belmont Park and Buffalo. The shows on this tour will feature a live performance of the album in its entirety, with an orchestra and choir, along with a full set of hits.

    The Eagles consist of Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. They were the best-selling American band of the ’70s, and their album Hotel California is the third best-selling U.S. album in history and won two GRAMMY Awards.

    Hotel California Eagles tour
    The Eagles by Ron Koch.

    The Eagles have added a show at UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Long Island on April 23. The venue is home to the New York Islanders and hosts a variety of sports and entertainment events. This will be the first time in 16 years that the Eagles have performed in Long Island. The band also added a show at the Keybank Center located in downtown Buffalo.

    Hotel California Eagles tour
    The Eagles by Ron Koch.

    The tour so far has received great praise, with Billboard saying, “The band performed the album from front to back, following with a blazing greatest hits set that had the audience at the sold-out arena constantly on its feet.” The LA Times said, “From the title track — a 6 1/2-minute flamenco-reggae ballad— to the elegiac closer ‘The Last Resort,’ it’s consummately performed.”

    Tickets to the Hotel California Tour are found here, along with VIP Tickets. The newly added shows will be on sale January 14.

    The Eagles Hotel California Tour Dates

    Feb. 19 — Savannah, Ga. @ Enmarket Arena
    Feb. 21 — Charlotte, N.C. @ Spectrum Center
    Feb. 24 — Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center
    Feb. 25 — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ FLA Live Arena
    Feb. 28 — Tampa, Fla. @ Amalie Arena
    March 2 — Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena
    March 4 — Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena
    March 17 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse***
    March 19 — Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
    March 22 — Indianapolis, Ind. @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
    March 24 — Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
    March 26 — Pittsburgh, Penn. @ PPG Paints Arena
    March 28 — Philadelphia, Penn. @ Wells Fargo Arena
    April 19 — Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena
    April 21 — Buffalo, N.Y. @ Keybank Center
    April 23 — Belmont Park, N.Y. @ UBS Arena
    April 28 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
    May 14 — Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
    May 16 — Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
    May 19 — Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
    May 20 — Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
    May 25 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
    ***tickets not available on Ticketmaster

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9xLiMrRMp8

  • Bonnaroo Announces 2022 Lineup Including Tool, J. Cole, and Stevie Nicks

    Bonnaroo has announced the festival’s 2022 lineup including big names like Tool, J. Cole, and Stevie Nicks. The festival will take place on June 16-19, 2022 on the Bonnaroo Farm, located just 60 miles southeast of Nashville in Manchester, TN. 

    Bonnaroo 2022

    The festival started back in 2002 and has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee since then. Bonnaroo is known for featuring a wide-ranging bill and it’s lineup in 2022 will be no different. Between it’s selection of top artists performing around the clock and it’s 10 unique stages the four-day festival will definitely be one for the books. 

    Some of the big names in the 2022 lineup include Tool, J. Cole, Stevie Nicks, The Chicks, Machine Gun Kelly, Flume, Illenium, Roddy Ricch, 21 Savage, Billy Strings, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, $uicideboy$, and Porter Robinson. 

    The complete Thursday lineup includes: Gryffin, Clozee, Sidepiece, Role Model, The Brook & The Bluff, Sons of Kemet, Goth Babe, Blu Detiger, Indigo De Souza, Adam Melchor, The Weather Station, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Jessie Murph, The Dip, Nothi, Wreckno, VNSSA, Weval, Kenny Mason, and Calder Allen.

    Friday features the following artists: J. Cole, The Chicks, Illenium, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Disclosure, Lord Huron, The War On Drugs, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Goose, Bleachers, Isaiah Rashad, Lane 8, Still Woozy, Whiskey Myers, Denzel Curry, Japanese Breakfast, Tove Lo, Dayglow, John Summit, Arlo Parks, Chris Lorenzo, Tai Verdes, The Regrettes, J. Worra, LP Giobbi, Briston Maroney, Noga Erez, Phantoms, Ship Wrek, Westend, Maggie Rose, Claud, and Southern Avenue.

    Saturday’s lineup includes: Tool, Flume, 21 Savage, Billy Strings, $uicideboy$, Porter Robinson, Marc Rebillet, Chvrches, LANY, Ludacris, Chris Lake, Tobe Nwigwe, Judah & The Lion, Mt. Joy, 100 gecs, All Time Low, Nora En Pure, Slowthai, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Ashe, Said The Sky, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Joy Oladokun, The Backseat Lovers, Benee, Habstrakt, Lucii, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, Teddy Swims, Moore Kismet, Patrick Droney, Cory Henry, Lucille Croft, and COM3T.

    Wrapping up the festivities on Sunday: Stevie Nicks, Machine Gun Kelly, Roddy Ricch, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Rezz, Herbie Hancock, Puscifer, Wallows, Tash Sultana, Coin, G Jones, Zach Bryan, All Them Witches, Tinashe, Fletcher, Tierra Whack, Lettuce, Dombresky, Bas, Protoje, Of The Trees, Sierra Ferrell, Ravenscoon, Wild Rivers, Flipturn, A Hundred Drums, and SuperJam: Jack Antonoff’s 1984. 

    Tickets for Bonnaroo will go on sale Thursday, January 13, at 12 pm (CT), exclusively here. Options include General Admission (4-Day), GA+ (4-Day), VIP (4-Day), Platinum (4-Day), General Admission Camping & Parking, VIP Camping, Platinum Camping, and more. As always, Bonnaroo will be offering a range of affordable options, with tickets starting at $35 down and accommodations available for as low as $99 per night. Car Camping Passes prices start at only $70 (plus fees) per car, not per person, allowing fans to both save money and reduce their carbon footprint by carpooling.

    For more information on Bonnaroo 2022 visit their website.

  • The Super 20 Marks Their Debut With Single ‘The Good Life’

    New York hornsman Lee Hamilton recruited sensational artists to create the group The Super 20. The curation of this group is marked by the January 7 release of their debut single ‘The Good Life.’ Their debut album, Winds of Wareika, is scheduled to come out in the spring on Color Red.

    the super 20

    The group consists of performers that have worked along side artists like Chicago Jazz Underground,  Debo Band and Jeff Parker. While still having their own sound, inspiration is pulled from greats such as Rico Rodriguez, Tommy McCook and Quantic. Hamilton personally cites literature as another source of inspiration, with Paulo Coelho’s book “The Alchemist.”

    The album is a collaborative effort between Hamilton and renowned producer and engineer, Craig Welsch at Rear Window Studio in Boston. Welsch is cited as a “crucial piece of the puzzle” when it came down to exactly how the ideas of this single would come to fruition.

    The two started collaborating in the early days of John Brown’s Body with Hamilton forming the horn section and Welsh serving as the band’s sound engineer. The two share a common idea of what “feels good” about creating music.

    the super 20
    Lee Hamilton on tenor saxophone

    The Good Life’s sound is something that tries to transcend genres. The track’s ideas of optimism and positivity towards the future blend perfectly with the reggae and afrobeat inspiration, as the horns keep you captivated. 

    Hamilton’s saxophone provides a strong base for the entire song and it’s easy to see just how well his curation of this group worked out.

  • SAVAK Release Guitar Driven Single “Cold Ocean”

    Brooklyn post-punk band SAVAK release their new single “Cold Ocean,” with hints of a new album on the way.

    Savak and “Cold Ocean.”

    SAVAK is a two-headed machine led by Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski, and Matt Shulz on drums. Jaworski and Habibion have been sharing the duties of singer and songwriter since the band’s creation in 2015.

    All the members of the band played in bands in the 90s-The Obits, Holy Fuck, and The Cops. Their prior experience in 90s rock bands helps reform the sound of SAVAK, as touches of the scene are heard in their music.

    savak
    SAVAK, photo by Taylor Sesselman.

    “Cold Ocean” comes off the A-side digital single with the accompanying B-side “Adolescence Obsolete.” The single is guitar-heavy, and there is a lot of emphasis leading up to the big hook. The song has deep and meaningful lyrics, like the line, “Cold, cold ocean/Gonna break my neck/A wave of deep regret/I know we’ve already met.”

    The video itself features SAVAK’s home of Brooklyn, with scenes occurring throughout the city. The video is funny and uses shifting colors from gray to light to emphasize mood shifts. The story follows “Walker Slim” and his hustle to hawk a ring to give to a lover that never shows.

  • Hearing Aide: The Final Sleep “Vessels Of Grief”

    New York State has some of the finest bands in the U.S. From Clouds Taste Satanic, to Diluted, Wasted Space to Caustic, and Less than Hate, NYS knows how to throw down a heavy riff or three. With that in mind, our focus today is on a band from Troy, the immensely talented The Final Sleep.

    The Final Sleep

    The Final Sleep is a five piece that features founding members of Arsis (drummer Mike Van Dyne), Burning Human (bassist Jason Van DerVoort and guitarist Mike Stack), and Withstand (guitarist Kevin Maloney) joined by Jeff Andrews (guitar and vocals). Together they utilize melody, heavy riffs, sizzling lead guitar work, expertly performed vocals, and a ton of power in order to get their message across; they also throw in some progressive elements to bring their music up to new levels. Their upcoming album, Vessels of Grief, is due out February 4th.

    I was shocked as I listened to Vessels of Grief for the first time, mainly because The Final Sleep hits upon several different genres, and manages to keep the record cohesive despite that. I can hear influences from viking metal, dark melodic metal like Witherfall, death metal, hardcore, and a bit of black metal; the band specifically states that they take influence from Opeth, Edge of Sanity, Control Denied, Amorphis, and Mercyful Fate/King Diamond.

    The first single is called Screaming in Silence, and it’s easy to see why they chose this one to lead off with; it’s heavy, the vocals are incredible, and it has a serious Witherfall vibe thanks to those excellent vocals. A huge selling point for me are the heavy vocals, which ride the line between death metal and your standard metal vocals. 

    Tracks four and five, Soul in Between and Funeral Seed respectively, are everything that I love about heavy metal. The band utilizes a diverse approach in both tracks by incorporating dark and light, heavy and melodic, and it all hits like a ten ton hammer of awesomeness. There also seems to be a splash of black metal, particularly in Funeral Seed, but only as coloring for an already amazing piece of art; this one also has that Witherfall feel in its slower, clean sections, and in how the vocals are performed during them. 

    I would highly recommend The Final Sleep to any metalhead out there, without even taking their genre of choice into consideration, because Vessels of Grief hits so many sweet spots, and uses influences that are far ranging. This album will be one of New York’s finest metal releases.