Stella Rose, a NYC musician and the daughter of Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan has made her debut with “Muddled Man,” a menacing track with a palpable atmosphere of darkness.
Released shortly before Halloween, the song evokes the energy of gothic acts such as Bauhaus with its urgent opening and Rose’s deep, shaky vocals.
Produced by Yves Rothman, every bit of the track’s meticulous composition shines through. From its sludgy synths to its pounding snare to its mystical string notes to the echo of Rose’s singing and beyond, “Muddled Man” oozes ounces of haunting energy.
This is equally reflected in its lyrical content, which seems to describe some sort of sinister love affair. Lines like “I’ll have you once again, until then I’m well fed,” and “a muddled man who loves me the way I am” reflection narration of someone looking for romance through personal chaos.
While this song is split into two parts, the loud and brooding first section transitions perfectly into the spacy, gloomy second. Backdropped by muddied drums, arpeggiating strings, and echoing piano, Rose’s delivery calms down drastically and her lyrical content sacrifices its aggression. “How does it feel, when the feeling isn’t enough?” Rose wistfully asks.
While “Muddled Man” is a debut effort from Stella Rose, nothing about it speaks inexperience. This collaboration with Yves Rothman is a gripping and chilling track that espouses some of gothic music’s best qualities.
The 20th annual Native American Music awards will be held on November 19 at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls. The event is back after the pandemic’s devastating impact on Indigenous communities across America.
Robert Mesa
The Native American Music Awards will be commemorating National Native American Heritage month. The host this year will be actor Robert Mesa (Navajo/ Soboba) who most recently played the character James Chee, the first Indigenous doctor on Grey’s Anatomy.
Rodney Grant will be the host emcee, for the fourth time in his career. He has had an outstanding career in film, motion pictures, and television. He is best known for his memorable role as ”Wind In His Hair” in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves. Rodney Grant will also be inducting artist Micki Free into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame.
The awards were originally formed in 1998 as a national organization committed to traditional and contemporary Native American music. This year’s nominees have embraced many issues facing tribal communities today including; Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, land back, climate crisis, and the devastating pandemic.
The awards will proudly recognize and honor Oren Lyons as a Living Legend. He is an artist, speaker, author and environmental activist for Indigenous peoples worldwide and holds the title of Wisdom Keeper. He has advocated at the United Nations to recognize Indigenous rights, and is the Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation.
Oren Lyons
This year’s Hall of Fame inductee is Micki Free, a Grammy Award winner and multiple Native American Music Award winner of Comanche and Cherokee descent. He is currently on tour supporting his latest album, Turquoise Blue, which features members of The Santana Band, Steve Stevens of Billy Idol and Gary Clark Jr..
The Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are Paul LaRoche and Robert Tree Cody. LaRoche is the founding member of Brulé, the epic Native American rock show. Brule’ has won eight Native American Music Awards, released 20 CDs, and sold over one million CDs worldwide. Robert Tree Cody is a five-time award winner, and a multi-talented flutist, singer, dancer, actor, and educator.
Featured performers this year include Antoine Edwards Jr, Cody Blackbird, Earl Slick and the Fabulous Ripcords, Fawn Wood, Gunner Jules, Spur Pourier, Sten Joddi, and The Halluci Nation.
The Native American Music Awards has teamed up with SiriusXM for a special curated music mix celebrating the musical contributions of Native American artists. “Native American Voices,” an exclusive mix highlighting artists from the awards Hall of Fame, is hosted by the organization’s president, Ellen Bello. The content will be available on SiriusXM beginning Oct. 31, on the SXM App for the month of Nov.
Tickets for the awards show are on sale now here, and voting for the award ceremony remains open until Nov. 18.
Water Street Music Hall hosted a living legend when they brought in Rakim on Saturday, October 29.
Dating back to the late 1980s, there have been countless MCs making music and trying to earn their 15 seconds of fame. Among the best, according to people like Marley Marl, Dr. Dre, and Kool Moe Dee, was Rakim.
Rakim center stage in Rochester NY
Rakim burst onto the scene in 1985 as half of the duo Eric B. and Rakim and immediately gained praise and recognition as a skilled MC and lyricist. Working together until 1992, the duo released 4 studio albums, including the debut Paid in Full and their final album in 1992 Don’t Sweat the Technique, both of which were big sellers and remain highly regarded to this day.
Moving on to a solo career, Rakim released The 18th Letter in 1997 and is now touring as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of this lyrical masterpiece.
Setting up the crowd for Rakim was Rochester, NY based The Frank White Experience (Notorious B.I.G. tribute band) and Styles P., both of which were welcomed by the crowd. If you are a fan of Biggie, The Frank White Experience needs to be on your radar as they cover the late rapper with their own unique twist. Styles P played the crowd for about 45 minutes with some street style raps and eventually did a little freestyle set in the crowd.
On Wednesday October 26, Renaissance made an appearance at The Homer Center of Arts on their historic Legacy Tour. Renaissance became a progressive rock band starting back in 1978 when top hits “Carpet of the Sun” and “Ashes are Burning” came out.
The Legacy Tour was a celebration for Annie Haslam’s 75th year, in celebration to Annie’s solo music career and The Renaissance band for over 50 years. The group includes Jason Hart, David Keyes, Rave Tesar, Frank Pagano and lead vocals Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford. Combining rock, classical folk, jazz, and the lead female vocal, Renaissance has maintained their musical groove.
The Homer Center of the Arts was the perfect venue for hosting the Legacy Tour. The U shaped arranged seating brings the audience together. Renaissance welcomed the crowd from beginning to end which truly connected the crowd.
Renaissance’s great success began in the 70’s, and this show made it clear that their passion for music has carried with them throughout the decades. Highlights of their success in the 1970’s included sold out shows at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Chorale Society, while also recording and releasing these sold out shows as live albums.
Wednesday’s show at Homer Center for the Arts did an outstanding job bringing the 70’s rock back on stage. While Renaissance still pursues their music career, fans are nothing but excited to see what’s next in store for these progressive rock legends.
From his earliest days of musical self-expression, Harry Nichols has had deep passion for music and an ear for melody. He has released music independently since 2010 and continues to do so with his upcoming LP, Songs for the Rich and Beautiful.
Currently living and playing gigs around Ithaca, Harry Nichols announces his first full length album in 8 years, Songs for the Rich and Beautiful. The record, conceived during COVID lockdown 2020, is the result of a challenge with fellow Ithaca songwriter Samuel B. Lupowitz.
Songs for the Rich and Beautiful came out an eclectic, beautiful meditation on friendship, and testament to the power of camaraderie in the face of great difficulties. Both agreed to create new records, song for song responses, to each other’s efforts from 2012.
Songs on the album like “What’s Eternity?” have deep meaning and a nostalgic vibe when listening to the lyrics. Nichols pours his heart out to his audience about his past experience of nostalgia of his childhood growing up.
The song “Mecca” has an upbeat vibe that is incredibly catchy, yet the lyrics are more hitting to the heart. When trying to find the meaning in life, there are a ton of ups and downs. Nichols sings, “nothing goes as planned,” throughout the chorus.
Others songs like “Breathstroke” and portray a lighter side to the album, Harry Nichols gives us heavenly vocals and bright guitar chords. The song “Space Girl” also has amazing vocals and meaningful lyrics paired with Nichols guitar melody. Likewise, “Heteromasculine Lovegame” is quite the opposite, giving us a more fun indie/alternative upbeat song about how love and relationships can be such a game.
To check out more of Harry Nichols music, click on the link here to find more of his music on Bandcamp.
It’s not without calculated risk that Joe Satriani can take his guitar to places that no other guitar has gone to before. That’s what makes his music and his shows so unique and extraordinary. Sunday October 30th 2022, brought Joe Satriani and his band made a stop at Babeville in Buffalo. The venue is an old church turned into a beautiful concert hall.
Babeville
After two years off the road, and two full length albums released (2020’s Shapeshifting and 2022’s The Elephants Of Mars) , it was time for Satriani to return to the stage. For this tour titled “Earth Tour“, he’s put one of his best bands together. It features legendary session drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Bryan Beller (from Steve Vai and Dethklok), and keyboardist and guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte.
Joe Satriani
Most performers play all of their hits and little newer material, but Satriani played almost half of his songs from his past two albums. His new music is just as innovative and made for live performance as his more well-known songs. Given the fact that he’s playing only instrumental music, probably makes the blend a little more transparent.
Visually, Satriani and Aronoff, are both bald and brandishing similar wraparound sunglasses, marked an intriguing contrast to longhairs Beller and Thistlethwayte. Together, they mesh like a band should, with the spotlight mainly on Satriani the whole night, both Aronoff and Thistlethwayte had their own featured solo segments.The drum solo kicked off the second set of music. The bassist Beller consistently rattled the walls with his chunky bass lines.
The performance offered a full overview of Joe Satriani, where he’s been, where he’s at now, and where’s he going next. All of the musicians were at the top of their game and the crowd gave standing ovations many times during the show.
Set 1: Nineteen Eighty, Sahara, The Elephants of Mars, Ice 9, Thunder High on the Mountain, One Big Rush, Blue Foot Groovy, Flying in a Blue Dream, Spirits, Ghosts and Outlaws, Faceless, Crystal Planet, Summer Song
Set 2: Drum Solo, E 104th St NYC 1973, Keyboard Solo, Cool#9, Ali Farka, Dick Dale an Alien and Me, Shapeshifting, Teardrops, Luminous Flesh Giants, If I Could Fly, Always With Me, Always With You, Satch Boogie
Prominent actor and screenwriter, John Cameron Mitchell, and 1972 Cabaret film lead actress, Amber Martin, will collaborate together in the premiere of their Cassette Roulette show performances at MassMOCA and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn. A series of songs, stories and characters will be featured in their performance, which will be backed by Justin Craig and the Hedwig house band Tits of Clay, additionally featuring an introductory set from J. Hoard.
Songs covered will be from notable works directed by John Cameron Mitchell, such as the films Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Big River and The Secret Garden and his musical Anthem: Homunculus. Amber Martin is performing works derived from roles played and paying tribute to some characters part of her casted roles during her acting career.
Their vibrant stage acts are planned to be continued in 90-minute shows, designated for a smaller range of audiences, at Joe’s Pub on Jan. 21, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 19, Feb. 26. Each will start at 6:30p.m., with tickets being on sale at The Public Theater, located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan.
Tickets for the Cassette Roulette Residency at Joe’s Pub can be bought on the Public Theater website.
In the 1920s, “Rent Parties” were a common place in Harlem. As the end of the month approached, with rent looming and no way to pay, tenants would host a musician and invite friends, raising money and having fun, dancing and listening to music with their community in a place safe from discrimination. In 2020, as the pandemic struck, esteemed jazz pianist Emmet Cohen started hosting Rent Parties in his own Harlem apartment. He played with his trio and live streamed the event, calling it “Live From Emmet’s.” This event isn’t where his inspiration from Harlem’s jazz scene ends, though; Emmet Cohen’s newest record was made in Harlem’s spirit as well — Uptown in Orbit was released on October 28.
Uptown in Orbit presents huge energy through bright and powerful chords while showcasing immense talent and control. When listening, you see the view of bustling Harlem like you’re looking down on the streets from an upstairs apartment window. It’s all perpendicular and over-excited, but still perfectly harmonious, timed absolutely naturally. It feels like the song’s subject is orbiting, either we’re all circling around it or it’s circling us, either way the album brings the listener straight into this orbit.
The highlight of this album is the title track, “Uptown in Orbit.” Use of hemiola gives the song veritable bounce, as the ¾ rhythm is coupled into rhythmic pulses of three against two beats. The timing is swinging, and though Cohen likes to call back to the jazz hay days of the early 1900s, this track still has a modern feel with its energy and brightness. A saxophone comes soaring in during the second half of “Uptown In Orbit” — wailing with so much passion and grace, before turning brassy and raspy, almost like the voice in Pink Floyd’s Great Gig In The Sky.
Cohen has said jazz boils down to connections; between the musicians performing and the audience, as well. This album exhibits that connection flawlessly, with brass that floats over Cohen’s dextrous, easy-going piano, drums that shake the background, adding fuzzy sparkles and backbone to the other instruments’ colorful musicality.
Since he was three, Cohen has been devoted to the piano. He earned a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music after graduating from University of Miami, and has since performed in international events, such as the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh and Jerusalem jazz festivals, in addition to playing in some of the most storied jazz clubs across the world.
The pianist is currently touring Europe, but in December he will be back in NYC for five days at Dizzy’s Club with his trio and Mary Stallings, starting December 8. You can RSVP for tickets here.
Greensky Bluegrass have announced their Winter Tour 2023, featuring 16 dates with a kickoff on January 12 in Buffalo, followed by stops in Port Chester and Utica. The Michigan jamgrass band will make their debut performances at the Stanley Theater in Utica, as well as the historic Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ.
They’ll bring along with them support acts including Mikaela Davis, Neighbor, Mihali, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Railroad Earth and Holly Bowling.
Greensky Bluegrass are widely known for their thoughtful lyricism, edgy and genre-expansive sound, dazzling live performances and relentless touring schedule. Featuring Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [Mandolin], the five are connected through a deep bond, just as they are seasoned road warriors, they’re a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, personal and collective highlights, and the moments when life turns it all upside down.
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.
Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world. We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.
In September and October 1980, the Grateful Dead did a brief concert tour of shows with three sets each, one acoustic set followed by two electric sets. The acoustic sets were the first ones the band had performed since the early ’70s aside from a few rare one-offs. The final shows of this legendary Dead tour, which yielded both an audio and video release, took place at New York City’s Radio Music Hall with the last one taking place on none other than Halloween. NYS Music, along with a strong lending hand from YouTube, now presents a look back at this holiday gig at one of America’s premier musical venues.
Bob Weir greets a raucous Radio City Music Hall to start things off and also says hello to all the “folks who are filtering in to the various theaters around the country.” This show was both simulcasted across the country, apparently, and released to the public the following year on video as Dead Ahead. Things get off to a rocky start with Phil Lesh’s amp producing some decidedly spooky feedback. So he is whisked away and the rest of the band opens with a bass-less instrumental in “Heaven Help The Fool.”
With Phil and his bass still on the sidelines, Jerry Garcia leads the ensemble through another rare instrumental. This time it’s “Sage and Spirit,” a song that appears on 1975’s Blues For Allah and was only ever played live twice, with this being the last one.
The Dead keep the rare acoustic hits coming at Radio City with the cover of “Little Sadie” that appears next, with Jerry Garcia on lead vocals. It’s a song that hadn’t appeared live since a show at San Francisco’s Family Dog in 1970 – a dark tale of murder befit for a Halloween show.
Weir then shifts the theme from “tragedy” to “tragedy narrowly averted” with “Monkey and the Engineer,” which finally sees Phil Lesh and his bass return to the fold.
“Boy we’re really having fun now,” notes Weir afterwards. Up next, the Dead grace Radio City with “It Must Have Been The Roses.” A staple of Jerry Garcia solo shows in the ’70s, it would go on to be played for the rest of the Dead’s touring career. Garcia seems to visibly enjoy this one coming to life in the Dead setting.
Up next are two Grateful Dead live staples, starting with a percussion-heavy and crisp “Cassidy.” WIth one small drum kit, Mickey Hart moves over to the congas, after previously utilizing the maracas on “Roses.” This “Cassidy,” which even elicits a bit of a jam, serves as an MTV’s Unplugged-type version of a Dead classic well before the program ever existed.
This is followed up by “Bird Song,” by far the longest and most experimental of all the first set songs. Garcia leads the way once more with a blistering guitar run and the rest of the band now firing on all cylinders.
A very enjoyable opening acoustic set of Grateful Dead music then comes to a close with “Ripple,” much to the delight of the Radio City crowd, with special attention paid to the “let there be songs to fill the air” lyric.
With the acoustic setup gone and the traditional dual drum kits returned, the Dead then go on to play another two sets of electric music at Radio City Music Hall in their typical concert format. The second begins with a vibrant “Jack Straw” that sees Bob Weir bouncing up and down in earnest at one point.
This is followed by a fairly standard run through of “Cold Rain and Snow” that gets a very warm reception from the New York city crowd at first.
Bob Weir then takes lead once more and navigates the band through “Me And My Uncle.” With the drum beat never fully stopping, the Dead then slide seamlessly right into “Mexicali Blues,” completing a popular pairing of songs.
The “first set” vibe of this second set carries right along with “Ramble On Rose.” As expected, Radio City greets the “Just like New York City” line with a massive roar of approval. Garcia graces this version with a pedal steel-esque guitar solo that’s rife with emotion.
As is their custom, Bob Weir on slide guitar then tags in for lead on the next song, a cover of the blues song “Little Red Rooster.” Garcia is playing slide as well and drops another notable solo and Brent Mydland even gets into the action a little as well with some standout organ play.
Afterwards, the Dead rip through a pristine take of “Brown Eyed Women,” with Garcia back on lead vocals and Weir and Mydland ably tending to the harmonies.
From “Women” the music then shifts almost immediately into the ever poignant “Looks Like Rain.”
The Dead then close out the second set of Halloween at Radio City with a rousing “Deal” that’s carried by the strength of two more powerful Garcia guitar solos.
To start the third and final set at Radio City, the Dead kick things off with a short but sweet “Don’t Ease Me In.”
Next, it’s time for another signature pairing of songs, with the Bob Weir-helmed “Lost Sailor” that flows seamlessly right into “Saint Of Circumstance.”
With the third set energy peaking, Garcia initiates the familiar opening chords of “Franklin’s Tower” and the band is off and running once more. Playing his legendary “Tiger” guitar, Garcia obliterates another run up and down its fret board, spearheading a brief jam that reaches a quick peak before mellowing out and devolving into the “Drums” only portion of the evening.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be video of the “Drums” > “Space” sequence for this evening, but emerging from the psychedelic mist are the opening notes to “Fire On The Mountain.” While not necessarily jammed out, it’s a clean and pure take of a Dead classic, with Phil Lesh coming in loud and clear now, his bass issues a thing of the past.
The band takes a nice, relaxed approach to the introduction of the “Not Fade Away” that follows. The Grateful Dead deliver their own bluesy take of this Buddy Holly cover, with Radio City singing along in earnest.
Instead of keeping up the pace and stretching it out, however, the tempo slows to a crawl. This sets the stage for Garcia to take lead once more for “Stella Blue” and to unleash one last gorgeous guitar solo.
As the last notes of “Stella” drop, the Dead immediately steer back into the show’s closing sequence with a blistering cover of “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad.”
Instead of ending the set right then and there, the Dead throw in one last cover for the Radio City faithful. This time it’s The Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” sung by a spirited Bob Weir in the only way he knows how. He even throws in some Pigpen-esque vocal riffing at the end for good measure as the crowd eats every bit of it up.
Weir then wishes both the audience at Radio City and everyone else around the country “good night” and the Grateful Dead encore with “Uncle John’s Band,” closing out quite a memorable three-set show in the heart of the city.
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Grateful Dead – Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY 10/31/80
Set 1: Heaven Help The Fool, Sage And Spirit, Little Sadie, Monkey And The Engineer, It Must Have Been The Roses, Cassidy, Bird Song > Ripple
Set 2: Jack Straw , Cold Rain And Snow, Me And My Uncle > Mexicali Blues, Ramble On Rose > Little Red Rooster, Brown Eyed Women > Looks Like Rain > Deal
Set 3: Don’t Ease Me In > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Franklin’s Tower > Drums > Space > Fire On The Mountain > Not Fade Away > Stella Blue > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Good Lovin’
