From Monday, October 24, to Friday, November 4, 2022, A Celebration of Hmong Culture Through the Arts is being presented through the collaboration of The UAlbany Performing Arts Center and New York State Writers Institute. The multi-series event is focusing on Hmong culture and history, with an emphasis on Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir, The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.
Gaosung Heu in The Latehomecomer
Through the collaboration of the Hmong Museum in Minnesota with UAlbany, there will be a display of Hmong story/flower clothes, known as Paj ntaub, presented throughout the course of the entire event, from 11am to 4pm, during the weekdays. The material of these intricate textiles are a significant aspect of Hmong culture, particularly the variety and quality of the content integrated on the story clothes, which helps provide a broader understanding of Hmong tradition.
‘Crossing the Mekong River’ Story Clothe
The documentary Being Hmong Means Being Free that was screened on Thurs., Oct. 27, at 4:30pm, which frames a lens of modern-day Hmong life in America through the perspective of program host, Lia Vang, centers around a Hmong immigrant community in Wisconsin. The film further examines concepts rooted in ancient Hmong culture and provides a connection to how these traditions have progressively shaped the Hmong community, and also looks at the challenges in Hmong life during contemporary times.
Secondly, a duo-performance of the Literature to Life stage adaptation of The Latehomecomer is set to happen at the Performing Art Center. On Thurs., Nov. 3, a pre-talk show will be presented at 7pm, prior to the public performance starting at 7:30pm, following a second part of the performance on Fri., Nov. 4 at 10am, which is solely for high school students.
Directed by Elise Thoron, The Latehomecomer this theatre work starts as author Kao Kalia Yang is born in the Ban Vinai Refugee camp in Thailand and eventually arrives in the United States. The book and stage presentation follow her journey from a quiet, reticent student struggling to speak English while facing racial discrimination to a self-empowered young woman claiming her voice to tell the untold story of her people. They tell a universal story of immigration through the specific lens of this ancient culture inextricably bound to the history of the war in Vietnam.
Driven to share her family’s history after her grandmother’s death, The Latehomecomer is an eloquent, firsthand account of a people who have worked hard to make their voices heard. In search of a place to call home, thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand, finally emigrating to America. Winner of a PEN USA Literary Award for Nonfiction and Readers Choice Award, The Latehomecomer is the first memoir written by a Hmong-American to be published with national distribution. A Hmong written language was not taught or used until the 1950s so the author plays a significant role in bringing the culture into the realm of literature.
The Latehomecomer is performed by Gaosong Heu, a performance artist, musician, vocalist, published writer, educator, arts administrator and entrepreneur based in Saint Paul, MN. She received her B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Columbia University. Gaosong has over 15 years of training in Western Classical music, as well as training in traditional styles of Hmong folk music.
There will be a public performance at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 7:30pm, preceded by a pre-show talk beginning at 7pm. A second performance will take place on Friday, November 4, 2022 at 10am exclusively for high school student groups.
Advance tickets for the public performance are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased on the day of the show (pending availability) are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Individual tickets can be purchased on the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s site at www.albany.edu/pac.
Admission to the morning matinee is free for high school student groups. Reservations are required. Educators wishing to bring groups can contact the UAlbany Performing Arts Center office at (518) 442-3995 or PAC@albany.edu. Home school students and parents are also welcome.
Produced by Brandon “Brick” Lohr and Jason “J” Hubert, the inaugural Ramble Festival held at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, MD from October 7-9, transpired smoothly, as fans enjoyed nearly perfect fall weather near the Susquehanna, mere miles from Pennsylvania. Camp Ramblewood has held other music events, but Ramble Fest hosted a wide variety of bluegrass, brass, indie rock, blues, country, Americana and folk music from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Indiana, Colorado, California, and many other states, with fans traveling from all over the US and internationally to enjoy fun in the sun with cool nights & campfire jams.
Headlined by Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, and The Traveling McCoury’s, along with many local and national bands, Ramble Festival had numerous activities, a busking competition, kids’ shows and play areas, yoga, charity auctions & raffles, live art painters, an on-site art gallery, and numerous clothing, food & art vendors. Art Director Lindsay Jamison and her staff of volunteers spent weeks getting the site and the art gallery in the Beer Hall ready for the event. Street Team lead Will Gibbons also ran the instrument raffle, where two fans won a guitar and banjo signed by the headliners, with proceeds donated to Backline and Rage Against Addiction.
Camping was superb. Ramblewood has 200 pristine acres on a rolling hillside, with a lake, fire pits, large cabins, and wide fields, with ample trees & grassy shade. Food & drink vending was plentiful, including local microbrews, and food trucks with typical festival fare such as pizza & burritos, as well as veggie and farm-to-table options. There was onsite parking for the thousand or so attendees (though the lot nearly filled up during the peak on Saturday night). There were a few RV spots (no power & water hook-ups), as well as car camping, but the best camping was near the stages.
Fri. Oct. 7: Abby Bryant & The Echoes, Caleb Stine Band, Kendall Street Company, Rufus Roundtree & Da B’More Brass Factory, Arkansauce, Bella’s Bartok, Big Something, Keller Williams Grateful Grass feat. The Hillbenders, Kendall Street Company & Dirty Grass Players – late-night in the barn.
Friday started off smooth and sunny, with Rufus Roundtreee and his band leading a second line march from the campsites down the hill, where Abby Bryant & The Echoes kicked off the weekend on the Main Stage. Abby is a vocalist & guitarist from Charlotte (since relocated to Asheville), who performed a mix of soul & Americana, with great instrumental work by her band & cohort in songwriting, guitarist Bailey Faulkner.
A quick jaunt up the hill and past the food trucks brought us to the Beer Hall, an indoor stage with standing room for a thousand. Caleb Stine & Band treated us to cool country with a tinge of bluegrass. Kendall Street Company from Charlottesville next played on the Main Stage, with thoughtful and often funny lyrics, great harmonies, and energetic, punk stylings, deft guitarwork, sax, and engaging vocals by lead singer Louis Smith.
Back at the Beer Hall, Rufus Roundtree, who is from Parliament Funkadelic, led his band Da B’More Brass Factory on vocals & trombone, with fiery NOLA-style, Go-go tinged funk, supported by trumpet, sax, tuba, guitar & drums. Arkansauce next tore up the Main Stage with speedy banjo riffing by Adam Collins, Ethan Bush on mando, Zac Archuleta on guitar, and Tom Andersen on upright bass.
The wildness of Bella’s Bartok engaged our feet as we returned to the Beer Hall, with fast, energetic fiendish horns, driven by lead singer Asher Putnam, with Alex Kogut on accordion, synth, and keyboards, Riley Goodemote on trombone, and Julia playing feisty washboard. Mixing sonic styles of Googol Bordello with punk, folk, and klezmer music, an amalgam of genres and theatrical sensibilities. They were a new discovery to me, and fan favorites by the end of their set.
Big Something, a hip hop pop rock fusion jam band from Burlington, NC, heated up the Main Stage at sunset, with Casey Cranford’s signature EWI and sax work driving the melodies along with dueling guitar monstrosities Jesse Hensley and Nick MacDaniels, with Josh Kagel on keys and trumpet, Doug Marshall on bass and Ben Vinograd on drums holding it down. Stylistically chameleons, they drift from tight riffs to expansive jams, sometimes evoking Lettuce, other times Lotus, and at times channeling Umphrey’s McGee, basically all over the place, with aplomb.
The incredible sound and lights apparently challenged the main stage power generator, which failed shortly thereafter, and was not resurrected until the next day. This only major glitch of the weekend was trouble, but thankfully, the production team planned generous stage switchover times, so crews had time to migrate Keller Williams over to the Beer Hall. Stage Manager George Barrick reactivated that stage, which had prepared to close for the night.
Keller and The Hillbenders treated us to his widely-popular Grateful Grass set. The Beer Hall was a bit crowded, so staff asked fans to help move tables and chairs out of the way, which quickly added enough space to get everyone inside – just in time, since the only few raindrops of the weekend fell outside and chilled the night air as temperatures fell into the low 40s. Keller & friends treated us to a fun-filled set of Dead classics, including a killer Scarlet > Stranger, and a trippy They Love Each Other back and forth into and out of Cumberland Blues, followed by a lovely Bird Song > Cassidy [24-bit SBD/Stage Matrix recording by George Barrick].
No proper first day would be complete without a late night set, held in the Ramble Stage, aka “The Barn” (a nice, cozy place to warm up as temps dropped further at night). Kendall Street Company joined The Dirty Grass Players, which was the most musicians jammed onto that tiny stage. The Barn was well-appointed, with brass chandeliers, hanging flower arrangements and festive lighting. There were two late-night picking circles, one at the Hill Camp w/ Bella’s Bartok, and another down at the Lake Camp, with Deer Creek Sharpshooters & Fishing for Hippies to end the night.
Sat. Oct. 8 – Dogs in a Pile, Arkansauce, Armchair Boogie, Dirty Grass Players, Toothless (kids set), Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Underground Springhouse, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Leftover Salmon, Neighbor.
After much-needed rest, I arose Saturday morning to the distant sounds of another second line by Naptown Brass Band from Annapolis, MD. I ran up the hill to meet them as they marched down into the main field and kicked off the day for Charm City Junction, towing along recently-rousted dancing campers, led by the Vibe Tribe‘s Holly Reasner.
Arkansauce fired up the Beer Hall next. Saturday Bands played with some overlap, as there were 17 or more performance on Saturday. Dogs in a Pile was another great band that all my friends recommended. They had a great turnout, especially since they started around 1pm, and many campers partied quite late the night before.
Baltimore’s finest, the Dirty Grass Players kicked it up in the Beer Hall, with some overlap with Armchair Boogie on the main stage, another new band I really enjoyed. Toothless played a kids’ set on the small barn stage. Underground Springhouse continued in the Beer Hall, while Caleb Stine returned in the barn.
We kicked our socks off to Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (a funny name, because it’s only 3 people). Hailing from Indiana, the “Big” is for Jayme Peyton, who is a ginormous human as well as guitarist. They’re a wild country blues band, with heavy guitar shredding and “reckless” washboard by Breezy Peyton. Breezy actually lit her washboard on fire in the middle of a song!!! The band and audience had a good laugh; neither eyebrows nor hair were burnt in the process.
AJ Lee & Blue Summit, a bluegrass/Americana band from Northern California, continued at the Beer Hall, playing towards dinnertime. Heading back to the Main Stage, I wolfed down some tasty mac & cheese from Cosmic Charlie’s Grateful Grill, one of my favorite food trucks conveniently located between the two biggest stages.
Maryland native Kyle Hollingsworth (from String Cheese Incident) and his Band lit up the main stage, with a mix of organ and keyboard-infused jammy rock, tight & funky drums, bass & guitar. They played a variety of originals and classics, rearranged with speed & intensity, sprinkled with riffs & quotes from various well-known songs. Kyle is a killer clavinet and synth player, playing with percussive rhythm, electric piano and effects, his talented band adding fuel to his fire.
Ramble’s resident emcee, Libby Eddy (plays fiddle in The Jakobs Ferry Stragglers), got up to announce Leftover Salmon dressed as a giant avocado. She wrote page-long summaries of each band. As she rattled off superlatives, Vince Herman (in a blue unicorn costume) laughed and told the audience, “first time our band has ever been introduced by an avocado“! Ramble Festival founders Brick and J dressed as a tiger and bumblebee, to fit the costume theme, “furry creatures”.
Another favorite band, Neighbor (founded by Pink Talking Fish’s keyboardist Richard James), capped off Saturday night in the barn, followed by late-night campfire jams by Fishing for Hippies, Caleb Stine, Annie Sellick, and Pat Bergeson.
Sun. Oct. 9 – Travers Brothership, Country Current, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Woody! kids set, Neighbor, Bella’s Bartok, Busking Competition, Empire Strikes Brass, Armchair Boogie, Pink Talking Fish, The Travelin’ McCourys, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, & Armchair Boogie – late-night in barn.
Travers Brothership, based near Asheville, started the last day off with searing blues guitar intensity by frontman Kyle Travers, who formed the band with his twin brother and drummer, Eric. They’ve played all over the US & Europe, and are widely praised. Their new album is slated to be released next year, so they played a song or two off their new album.
The bluegrass band, Country Current, is the US Navy’s official band, formed in 1973. They’ve played for Presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama, and have toured nationally as well as overseas. They are all Musician Petty Officers, wearing their uniforms proudly on stage in the Beer Hall, playing guitar, banjo, bass, drums, fiddle, mando, and pedal steel guitar.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit returned to play the main stage, followed by Muskrat Flats in the beer hall, and another special kids’ set by Woody!, who is Jon Wood of Dancing Bears, ELM, Psycho Killers, and other Baltimore-based bands. His 7-yr-old daughter Ella helped her dad set up his mic and danced with her friends and other kids in the barn.
Neighbor treated us again to another tasty set on the main stage in the mid afternoon, followed by another wild dance party by Bella’s Bartok in the Beer Hall. The horn-heavy Empire Strikes Brass hit the main stage in the afternoon, and Armchair Boogie returned to the Beer Hall to close out the afternoon.
Pink Talking Fish brought resounding thunder and intermingling of songs by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish to the main stage, as a massive flurry of bubbles filled the air and caught the brilliant light trackers scanning over the field, filling it with geometric patterns and a spectrum of color.
Emcee Libby Eddy introduced The Traveling McCourys as “the best band on the planet!!!” – the final headliner set of the weekend. This long, wonderful weekend of music ended with a joint collaboration between AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Arkansauce, and Armchair Boogie, packed into the barn with as many fans as could still stand or dance, with a couple more campfire jams that lasted until 3 or 4 am.
Few festivals are successful upon inception, but through great planning, Ramble Festival attracted over a thousand people to its first annual event. They sold a hundred tickets at the “steepest discount” to fans on site.
“It takes a village”. I met dozens of staff, volunteers, artists, campers, production crew from Harford Sound, lighting engineers, photographers & videographers, vendors, artists, medical personnel (Bear Care), and vendors. There were zero injuries or problems, nobody got stuck in the mud, the weather was absolutely perfect, and the camping is the best of any music event I’ve attended. Everyone was friendly, helpful, fun, and smiling all weekend.
Brick and J are music lovers first and foremost. They hired a skilled team, adept at multiple roles. They asked their friend Phil Chorney (Charm City Bluegrass) to recruit a wide cast of musicians from all over. Skilled directors & coordinators were carefully chosen for Volunteers, Artists, Hospitality (Sandee Taylor), Marketing (Kelsey Riegger) and Media Coordination (Zach Ubaldini), as well as staff photographers Chris Gamber among many other pros.
Some of these bands I’d heard about, and saw them for the first time at Ramble Festival, a sentiment shared by many fans. I’ve seen all the headliners multiple times, which got me interested when J told me about Ramble at B Chord. I did some research on only a few of the bands I hadn’t seen, which left the rest as pleasant surprises.
Ramble Festival was quite smooth, even though it’s only in its first year. Everyone felt like family, with an atmosphere reminiscent of Catskill Chill, Bear Creek, and High Sierra Music Festival. Brick, J, Phil, and their wonderful cast & crew deserve accolades for making Ramble the best music and art experience of the year.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Ian Nichols, mrhs, and Northern Faces.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Ian Nichols – “Killer Corpse”
Ian Nichols is a singer-songwriter from Albany who is an indie rock/ Lo-fi composer. His fourth full-length album is scheduled to be released in November. He has worked on various other projects and produced the score and music for the 2014 horror film Lake Nowhere. His single “Killer Corpse” will be played on EQXposure.
mrhs – “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus”
mrhs are a synth-punk group from Albany. They recently released a new album, Poo Brain. The song “Old Fashioned Hurgusburgus” from that record will be played on EQXposure.
Northern Faces – “Feelings”
Northern Faces are a rock band formed in 2012. The band features Bryan Shortell and Marco Testa on vocals and guitars, and Matt Ippolito on bass.
Country music fixture Shania Twain has released dates for her 2023 Queen of Me Tour, a five month, 49-date run stretching across Canada, the US, and the UK.
Starting April 28 in Spokane, WA and wrapping up September 26 in Birmingham, England, the tour includes stops in NY on July 8 at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse and on the 11th at Madison Square Garden. New Jersey singer-songwriter Breland will feature as a guest performer.
Due to huge demand, she added a second leg of her tour, stopping in Buffalo on Oct. 20.
Poster for the ‘Queen of Me’ Tour.
Twain’s tour is in promotion of her upcoming album titled Queen of Me, slated for February 3 release. It’s the sixth studio record from the five-time Grammy Award winner, who owns the title of best-selling female country artist ever.
Ticket sales for the run begin this Friday, November 4 at 10 a.m.
SHANIA TWAIN ‘QUEEN OF ME’ 2023 TOUR DATES, LEG 1
4/28 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
4/29 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
5/02 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
5/03 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
5/05 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
5/06 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
5/09 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
5/10 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
5/12 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
5/14 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre
5/16 Madison, WI Kohl Center
5/17 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
5/19 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
5/21 Denver, CO Ball Arena
5/24 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
5/26 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
5/28 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
5/30 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
5/31 Thousand Palms, CA Acrisure Arena
6/03 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
6/04 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL
6/07 Nashville, TN GEODIS Park
6/09 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
6/12 Halifax, NS Scotiabank Centre
6/14 Moncton, NB Avenir Centre
6/17 Quebec City, QC Videotron Centre
6/18 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
6/20 Hamilton, ON FirstOntario Centre
6/21 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
6/23 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
6/24 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
6/27 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
6/28 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
6/30 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
7/01 Tinley Park, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/06 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Bluesfest
7/08 Syracuse, NY St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
In the next three weeks, Flushing Town Hall will welcome new and old, hosting Ethiopian experimental band QWANQWA and their 16th Annual NEA Jazz Masters concert.
QWANQWA, who are on their debut U.S. tour, are the Flushing Town Hall’s next performers on Saturday. October 29. Based in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa, the five-piece was formed in 2012 by violinist Kaethe Hostetter.
QWANQWA members from left to right: Bubu Teklamariam, Endriss Hansen, Selamnesh Zemene, Misale Leggese, and Kaethe Hostetter.
QWANQWA also consists of percussionist Misale Legesse, vocalist Selamnesh Zemene Taye, Endres Hassan, player of the masingo, a one-stringed traditional Ethiopian instrument, and Anteneh “Bubu” Teklemariam Barago, player of the bass krar, a five-stringed traditional Ethiopian instrument.
QWANQWA describes their music as “intersectional,” combining elements of rock, psychedelic, and regional beats from Addis Ababa.
NEA Jazz Masters from left to right: Wycliffe Gordon, Danny Mixon, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jimmy Owens, Camille Thurman, Kenny Davis.
The NEA Jazz Masters, led by trumpeter Jimmy Owen, will perform at the town hall on Saturday, November 12 at 8 p.m. With over 45 years experience as a jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, lecturer, and music education consultant, he’ll be joined on stage by five musicians.
Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington is a three-time Grammy Award winner, and the newest member of the group. Camille Thurman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist who has performed on the same stage as Wynton Marsalis, Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu.
Wycliffe Gordon has been named “Trombonist of the Year” by The Jazz Journalists Association a record 13 times and has topped the Downbeat Critics Poll for “Best Trombone” an unprecedented six times. Daniel Asbury Mixon’s 50+ year piano career has taken him to the White House. Bassist Kenny Davis has toured with artists such as Herbie Hancock and led “The Tonight Show” band from 1999 to 2002.
Vanessa Collier, the 2022 Blues Music Awards winner for Contemporary Female Artist of the Year, will head north to Plattsburgh for a show at Retro Live on Saturday, November 12. She’ll bring her winning heart and soul style of blues, funk, songs and R&B to The Lake City.
Vanessa just released her fifth album, Live at the Power Station, which is up for GRAMMY consideration. Joining Collier is one of the greatest guitar masters is Laura Chavez, who has multiple BMA noms for Guitarist of the Year.
Retro Live is a two-story dance hall and concert space with plenty of room to get down, and is located at 14 Margaret Street in Plattsburgh.
Doors will open at 7pm with the show from 7:30 to 9:40 pm. Tickets for Vanessa Collier at Retro Live are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and only $10 with student ID. Get tickets at Alpha Stereo and online here.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams announced their long-awaited album Live At Levon’s! will be released on Feb. 3. They have also announced a tour with stops in Tarrytown, Poughkeepsie, and Woodstock.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams returned to their Woodstock home in 2019 to create the record, after a long year of touring. They recorded it at Levon Helm Studios, a historic and dual-purposed recording studio and live music venue founded by the legendary Levon Helm. The duo played multiple shows there with the Midnight Ramble Band, fronted by Helm with whom Campbell served as a bandleader for over a decade.
The album was supposed to be released in 2020 after a live performance was recorded at the studio with their musician friends. Of course, the pandemic stopped that from happening, and Campbell ended up catching COVID in March 2020. With all that aside, they are ready to perform and get back into touring.
I’ll never forget the first time I experienced performing as a child and knew my lot in life was set. The only reason I am a singer is because of the indefinable spark that happens with the giving and receiving of your most intimate selves, back and forth, between the artist on stage and the audience there in the room. If I can’t see the audience because of lighting, it almost becomes even more spiritual, because it’s all just feeling them—us together in the moment. And each performance/audience has its own personality. If you can drop the thinking and just ‘be’ with them and this sharing of your most intimate selves, there’s no describing the transcendence.
Teresa Williams
The record Live At Levon’s! puts Campbell’s world-class guitar skills on display, and shows his songwriting capabilities. William’s vocals provide raw honesty and her trademark fragility and ferocity. Their new single “Angel of Darkness” is out today.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams are also going on tour, and are hitting Tarrytown on Nov. 18, Poughkeepsie on Nov. 19, and a special performance at the Levon Helm Studios where they recorded the album in Woodstock on April 22. Their brand-new album is available for preorder here and to purchase tickets to their tour go here.
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams Tour Dates
2/2 – Easton, MD – Avalon Theatre – Stoltz Listening Room 2/3 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall 2/4 – Johnson City, TN – Down Home 2/5 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic 2/7 – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Blue Jay Listening Room 2/8 – Tampa, FL – The Attic 2/10-17 – Miami, FL – Cayamo Cruise on Norwegian “Pearl” 2/24 – Washington, DC – Mountain Stage @ The Kennedy Center 3/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe * 3/16 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark * 3/18 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School * 3/19 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall * 3/21 – Madison, WI – Stoughton Opera House * 3/22 – Minneapolis, MN – The Parkway * 3/24 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads * 3/25 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway * 3/26 – Nashville, TN – City Winery * 3/28 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle * 3/29 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle * 3/31 – Washington, DC – Miracle Theatre * 4/1 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall * 4/14 – Great Barrington, MA – The Mahaiwe PAC ^ 4/22 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
The Rock n Roll/Doo Wop Spectacular, featuring four great acts – Trish Anderson, The Duprees, The DooWop Project and Chubby Checker – will perform at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady on Saturday, November 19.
Headlining the show is the legendary, ageless Chubby Checker. Chubby looks like he is fifty and sings and dances like he’s 50 too. In 1959, “The Class” was his first hit record. “The Twist” was originally a “B” side, but Chubby tirelessly promoted it on tv, in interviews and in performances. By the summer of 1960, “The Twist” became a #1 hit, introducing the concept of couples “dancing apart to the beat” and leading to a revolution in dancing with one dance craze leading to another (the Jerk, the Hully Gully, the Boogaloo, etc.), and Chubby was at the forefront with “The Fly,” “The Pony” and “The Hucklebuck.”
In 1962, “Pony Time” was a #1 hit that was on the charts for 16 weeks, and Chubby starred in two movies: “Don’t Knock the Twist” and “Twist Around the Clock.” For the first time in record history, “The Twist” re-entered the charts and, by January of 1962, it was #1 again on the Billboard charts. Chubby Checker merchandise was everywhere: t-shirts, shoes, ties, dolls, even chewing gum! More huge hits followed: “The Fly,” “Let’s Twist Again,” “The Limbo Rock, “ and he won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance. He was the only act to have 5 albums in the top 12 at the same time. In 1964, Chubby married Catharina Lodders, Miss World of 1962.
Chubby continues to push musical boundaries while performing all over the world. In 1988, “Yo Twist,” performed with the Fat Boys, was a #14 hit and in 2007 “Knock Down the Wall” went to #1 on the Billboard Dance charts, introducing Chubby Checker to a new generation of fans. Chubby looks and sounds young and continues to display his historic dance moves. You’ll see why Chubby Checker was recently voted “Casino Performer of the Year” and why “The Twist” was the most frequently played song on the radio in the history of rock music.
Co-headlining the show is The Doo Wop Project. The Doo Wop Project consists of five Broadway stars from smash hit shows like JERSEY BOYS and MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL. This supergroup of Broadway stars transforms hits from the classic and modern American pop songbook into unforgettable renditions of your favorite songs. The Doo Wop Project traces the evolution of the classic American Doo Wop sound with five guys singing tight street-corner harmonies (including songs by The Crests, The Belmonts, the Flamingos and more). This musical journey includes the hit-sounds of Motown (including The Temptations and Smokey Robinson) and of classic East-Coast Pop royalty like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Dion. Finally, we will experience “DooWopified” versions of hit songs by more recent stars such as Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, Garth Brooks, Maroon 5 and more. Audiences will be moved to reminisce, and newer generations will marvel at classic golden Doo Wop sounds… as well as versions of more recent hit songs.
Additionally, WMHT (PBS) will televise THE DOO WOP PROJECT’s brand new tv concert-special in June, giving the capital district audience an exclusive first look. Like their live show, this concert special gives a taste of the unparalleled authenticity of sound and vocal excellence in the group’s recreations of some of the greatest American hits in Pop and Rock history.
Fantastic audience favorite, The Duprees, will also grace the Proctors stage.The Duprees are known worldwide for their romantic interpretations of some of the most beautiful love songs ever written. They possess a smooth yet powerful vocal quality and heavenly harmonies, evidenced in the huge hit “You Belong to Me.” Other hits include: “My Own True Love,”“Gone with the Wind,” “Why Don’t You Believe Me,” “Have you Heard” and “Theme from Exodus.” Although their romantic harmonies are second to none, The Duprees also present a dynamic stage show that will bring the house down.
Opening the show is long-time regional fav Trish Anderson, singing female hits of the era. In her fifth decade of performing, Trish is most widely recognized as the lead singer of the Bluz House Rockers (26th year with them). Trish was inducted into the New York State Blues Hall of Fame and has shared the stage in concert with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Eddie Money, Marshall Tucker, and Little Feat, A singer-songwriter, her “Three Dollar Bill’ went to #2 on the pop 100 charts in Denmark. She and her band also perform every January on the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches cruise into the Caribbean. Her friend Trez Gregory, who backed up Brooks and Dunn in concert for 7 years, will travel from Ohio to back up Trish at Proctors.
Tickets are on sale now at Proctors Box Office, by phone at (518) 346-6204 and on line at proctors.org.
Yes, it’s only October, and yes the high in Syracuse today was in the 60s, but some might say it’s never too early for Christmas music. On October 21, NYC-based Grammy winner Joanie Leeds and Grammy-nominated Fyütch released their first original song, “Every Day’s a Holiday.” The two released the song with an accompanying music video in advance of their holiday music project, Oy Vey! Another Christmas Album, releasing on November 4.
When Joanie Leeds discovered that most of our most-loved Christmas songs were written by Jewish people, it was particularly inspiring to her as a Jewish singer much lauded for her songwriting prowess — in addition to her Grammy, Leeds claimed first in the USA Songwriting competition and International Songwriting Competition as well as finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting competition.
Leeds was moved by the dichotomous spirit behind those Christmas tunes and thought the perfect way to honor the work of their original Jewish songwriters was through continuing their practice; so she started writing her own holiday music. The upcoming album will feature four covers of classic Christmas songs written by Jewish songwriters and two originals, co-written with Fyütch.
Though it feels early for Christmas, this new angle on the holiday season couldn’t come sooner, with Ye’s recent interviews and tweets that spread anti-semitic rhetoric to an avid audience of music devotees.
“I love our contribution to the holiday season and was excited to share my passion project with the world and write some new ones too, especially as anti-Semitism is on the rise,” Reeds said.
“Every Day’s A Holiday” is a fresh and fun take on a traditional Christmas song. It retains the classic choral sounds of the classics, but with a twist: it’s not just a Christmas song, it’s a song dedicated to all holidays. In “Every Day’s A Holiday,” Christmas trees, dreidels, thanksgiving turkeys, fireworks, easter eggs all exist in musical harmony. The video itself is campy and engaging, with Leeds and Fyütch dancing around each other, with props and instruments as cartoon holiday animations flash over the green screen behind them.
The album will be out November 4, and you can stream the single here and watch the video below.
Bands largely based in Chautauqua and Erie County show up on a bi-weekly basis to take the stage at the Main Street Studios venue in Fredonia. Initially making cassettes for local bands, Foxhead Record Company rented out the building.
Foxhead record company logo
Follow the closure of the North Pole Strip Club (NPSC) house venue on Main Street, Felix Kellogg, Jake King and Liam Powers, the founders of the Foxhead label, talked with the owner of the space about their idea of launching DIY-shows. “Since we got to Fredonia, there was always live music going on”, explained King, “and it was always upperclassmen running it”.
(Credit: foxheadrecordco Instagram)
He pointed out there being a need for people to organize shows and Liam Powers also added in a prior lack of places for shows to happen, following the the North Pole Strip Club closing. The recognition of a need for performance outlets in town led to the transition of the company from focusing on making cassettes for bands to extending their business, bringing live concerts at one of the most popular venues in Fredonia.
Listen to Jake, Liam and Felix discuss more about the formation of their record company, the Fredonia music scene, and more in an exclusive interview below.
Interview with founders of Foxhead Record Company:
https://youtu.be/EG0mNXaG9Hw
A Fredonia-based artist, under the moniker Soup Kale and lead singer of the alternative band Karrot Kake, who performed at Main Street Studios on Saturday, 10/15, commented on the shift in the Fredonia music scene. In an interview below, he described a lot of jam bands being active in the area, along with reggae sounds being notable several years ago, before pop-punk more recently turned into the predominant element integrated in the scene.
Interview with Karrot Kake band musician Soup Kale:
https://youtu.be/t0kZki2MBDI
Interview with musician Soup Kale of Karrot Kake band
SAINT BLIND, real name Aaron, is another artist part of the line-up who performed at Main Street on the night of 10/15. He described working with many people involved in the Fredonia music scene, having joined multiple bands, including one with Jake King of Foxhead when he was in his teenage years, as well as composing a group known as the Blind Orchestra. The alternative/indie rock and synth-pop artist details more of his musical involvement and both upcoming and released works of his in an interview below.
Interview with musical artist SAINT BLIND:
https://youtu.be/RBNFz06i5TI
Interview with artist SAINT BLIND
Make sure to follow Foxhead on Instagram at @foxheadrecordco for updates on when shows are happening at Main Street Studios and original cassette releases. Also, follow Karrot Kake on Instagram @karrotkakemusic and on Spotify @Karrot Kake, and Kaleh @soupkale, as well as SAINT BLIND @saint_blind on Instagram to keep up with the latest news on their musical releases and performances.
