The Avett Brothers have announced shows in 2023, with a lone pair of shows in May taking them to Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard in Lafayette on May 20 and at Artpark in Lewiston on May 21. They’ll be closing out 2022 with a three-night run in Brooklyn and ring in the year at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Avett Brothers, featuring siblings Scott and Seth, is a Grammy-nominated folk-rock band from North Carolina known for songs like “Kick Drum Heart,” “I and Love and You,” and “Ain’t No Man.”
The three-time GRAMMY Award nominees made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label debut, I And Love And You, which landed at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 & garnered critical acclaim. In 2012, The Carpenter hit #4 on the Billboard Top 200, followed by Magpie And The Dandelion in 2013, which debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Top 200. In 2016, the band was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. The group most recently released the 2020 EP The Third Gleam.
Tickets for The Avett Brothers at Beak and Skiff and Artpark go on sale Friday, October 28, at 10AM on ticketmaster.com and at venue box offices.
Avett Brothers Tour Dates
Saturday, May 20 – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette, NY
NYC’s Sub Lights have just released their newest EP Half-Life, an album that describes how if you only live in the past or for the future, you miss the present. Thus,marking the duo’s second release following last year’s MedicineEP and a pair of successful debut shows in Manhattan.
The band has also released a new video for another track from this project, titled “Hell’s Kitchen Sink.”
To the artists, the challenge of making music as a duo has inspired them to put together a small studio in their new home in New York City, an effort that went into overdrive during the 2020 lockdowns. Their new Half-Life EP marks the duo’s second release, following last year’s Medicine.
“Big and brash electropop from this NY duo that centers blazing hooks amidst spiraling guitars and sizzling synths.”
Bandcamp New and Notable
“Music should be fun, it’s entertainment after all,” states Stephen. “But it’s also art and part of the purpose of art is to allow listeners to explore different ways of being. That’s our goal: to offer the chance to explore a bit of social consciousness along with fun.”
“Sub lights has a distinct electronic sound . . . sure to get you in your feels. . . . an incredible atmosphere. . . . creative and fun. More music from Sub lights is on the way; be on the lookout.”
Road Trips & Playlists
“The idea was to transform traditionally-written songs, mostly played on piano or acoustic guitar, into our indie-electronic style,” says the Stephen. “Lyrically, we wanted to try to capture the kind of social melancholy coming out of the pandemic and the Trump years, but then express that in a hopeful way. Like, life is tough and can be really sad, but even then people are amazing and able to find joy by connecting with each other. We also wanted to take our music seriously without taking ourselves too seriously—it’s a fine line, but I admire artists who can pull that off. But also I’m a college history professor and fairly politically active, so there’s always an element of the big picture mixed in there too, grand themes of what it means to be human and all that.”
“Half-Life has multiple meanings as it relates to the album,” continues Meredith. “It is one of the key lines in ‘Strange New Breed,’ and it is a way to describe how if you only live in the past or for the future, you miss the present, so essentially it feels like you are only experiencing half of your life at any given moment… It’s also my word for what deep depression feels like. All these missed opportunities, just watching life go by from your bed. ‘Black & White’ and ‘Rockville’ are songs about the past. ‘Traffic’ and ‘Hell’s Kitchen Sink’ are about living in the moment which is the only time we can experience the full interconnectedness of life, that we are all the same.”
“I think some of our songs conceptually resemble protest music,” says Merideth. “Common themes are anti-religion, anti-patriarchy, anti-unfettered capitalism, anti-fascism. Think for yourself, question things, wake up, be kind.”
Following his collaborative album with the legendary Eric B. & Rakim, Jonathan Hay and company have decided to tackle another iconic artist from the golden era of New York hip-hop and reimagine it as jazz. This time around, the billboard charting Hay and co. will look to channel hip hop’s first superstar, LL Cool J, into a 14-track jazz album of quintessential LL songs. Slated for a January 13-14 release (LL’s birthday), LL Cool Jazz, will look to repeat the success of Follow the Leader (Reimagined As Jazz), which spent 11-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Jazz charts.
LL Cool Jazz will reimagine hip hop’s first superstar
Ladies Love Cool Jazz
Jazz music and hip hop have long been distant cousins, with both genres rooted in similar strife. Despite the generational gap, rap music’s edginess was built on the back of Jazz’s more controlled chaos. In light, hip hop’s rhythms could not exist without the Jazz Symphonies to inspire it.
Similarly, Jazz runs deep in LL Cool J’s blood. His grandfather was a saxophonist and helped jumpstart a young LL. “They embraced me, they built me up. They made me believe in myself,” LL said of his grandparents, with his trademark bravado leading him all the way to a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Like all of our music, when Rakim and I first sat down to write and record Follow the Leader, we took inspiration from our Jazz icons in creating its signature sound,
– Eric B revealed in promotion for their collaboration with Hay.
Moreover, LL is no stranger to hip hop and jazz working synonymously. The Rick Rubin produced single “Going Back to Cali” — released over 34 years ago on Def Jam Records — showed the versatility of a young LL. The song opens with a memorable jazz and horn intro, along with a saxophone solo, something completely different for hip-hop at the time.
Recording sessions for LL Cool Jazz will take place in Brooklyn, with some of the final step mixing at Quad Studios in Manhattan. Additionally, the album will be distributed through Fat Beats Records.
LL Cool J is a true pioneer who changed the sound of modern music as we know it. I can’t wait for the world to hear LL Cool Jazz. Now that the pandemic is in our rearview, our team is back on the road with its aggressive mission of bringing back jazz music to pop cultural relevance. What I’ve learned so far on this journey is that ladies love cool jazz, so it’s appropriate that we are reimagiing hip-hop’s first sex symbol.
Considered by Rolling Stone to be the biggest pop star from Mali, guitarist and composer Habib Koité has been called the biggest pop star in West Africa. He’ll perform at City Winery in Manhattan on Sunday, November 13, presented by World Music Institute.
Hailing from the musically prolific West African nation of Mali, Habib Koité is a modern-day troubadour descended from a noble line of griots, from whom he inherited his passion for music. His grandfather played the kamele n’goni – a traditional string instrument associated with the legendary hunters from the Wassoulou region of Mali.
Koité is perhaps best known for his danssa doso, a unique blend of local rhythms with traditional hunter’s music, and often plays his guitar on open strings in the style of a n’goni. His latest studio album Kharifa, released in 2019, was recorded in Bamako and is rich with the musical traditions and instruments of his country.
Founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, World Music Institute (WMI) has served as one of the leading presenters of world music and dance within the United States. WMI is committed to presenting the best in traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world with the goal of inspiring wonder for the world’s rich cultural traditions, promoting awareness and appreciation and encouraging cross-cultural dialog and exchange. WMI presents at venues throughout the city and depends on both public and private funding to accomplish its mission.
The show on November 13 starts at 8pm, with doors at 6pm. Tickets are $30-45, available here.
The Eaves Band, based in Buffalo, is comprised of Adam Clukey, Chris Couche, and Maurice Halliday. They’ve been friends since childhood and reconnected after a couple of years after, following going to different colleges, according to Couche.
The Eaves Band (Credit: Brett Pallachino Photography)
In late 2018, The Eaves debut record Learning to Live in the Dark was produced by GRAMMY Award-winner, Ted Hunt, whose worked with other bands including The Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, and Dropkick Murphys. Fast forward to 2022, their upcoming album Lately, I Don’t Have a God…and Other Obvious Epiphanies was recorded in collaboration with artist Jay Zubricky and features a production from bassist and vocalist of the Goo Goo Dolls, Robby Takac.
Cover Art for ‘Lately I Don’t Have A God…And Other Obvious Epiphanies’
“‘It’ll Be Okay’ was the last song we wrote for the record”, the band’s Chris Couche said. He explained that the track “is meant to be earnest, reassuring catharsis – direct, unashamed, and unadulterated.” The new video for the track is available for streaming on New Noise and DSPs.
Read more of NYS Music’s interview with The Eaves’ Chris Couche.
Heather Occhino: What made you guys decide to form a band?
Chris Couche: The three of us (Mo, Adam, and I) grew up together. We all had similar musical interests and played in bands together. We sort of went our separate ways during college and reconnected a couple years after. We caught up quick and realized that our shared music taste had evolved similarly, so we decided to start writing together and see if anything came of it.
HO: Are there any artists or bands who inspired you to pursue a career in music?
CC: We’re inspired by a ton of artists, but honestly, the first band that ever inspired to me to pick up a guitar and write was Blink-182. I was 11 or 12. I could barely play (still can’t), but the true power of blink is their accessibility and lack of pretense. As a 12 year old, those three power chords were ACCESSIBLE. They were the way in.
It would take a little longer, but the real revelation I needed to push me over the edge was seeing Bruce Springsteen live for the first time. Totally changed everything for me. My entire perception of music and what it could do was instantly upended. It was a surreal and borderline religious experience on a personal level. I know lately even Bruce himself has been trying to dismantle his mythic stature a little bit, or at least trying to temper unrealistic expectations and create some separation between persona and actual, fallible human being. The persona may be fictitious, but the euphoric result of that group sharing their talent and passion with a crowd of equally passionate participants is very, very real. It was after seeing Bruce that I realized I needed to make music a priority in my life.
HO: After reading an article on your music that was released by Earshot Media on Mad Mimi, I saw that your debut single, “It’ll Be Okay” is part of your upcoming album, Lately, I Don’t Have a God… and Other Obvious Epiphanies. What makes this track stand out from the other songs part of the debut album, despite it being the last song?
CC: “It’ll Be Okay” may be the only truly reassuring song we have. It only talks about the sun exploding ONCE. But really, we were at a point where it was kind of bothering me that even when I would try to write lyrics that were reassuring or positive, I would almost inevitably gravitate toward negative feelings, mostly because I’ve found it’s difficult to write something reassuring that feels like it has any genuine sentiment behind it. That likely says more about me than it does anything else, and uncoincidentally, is sort of thematic through-line that most of the album wrestles with. But “It’ll Be Okay” is our earnest attempt at surrendering to sincerity and opening up to catharsis. Sometimes cheesy is cool, clichés are cliché for a reason, and it’s okay to feel good.
From an instrumental perspective, Kyle Resnick lent his celestial horns for the chorus, which are maybe the most identifiable trait of the song overall, and really set the track aside sonically from some of the other songs on the record. We’re all big fans of The National, so working with Kyle was a surreal experience. He’s also the nicest, most down to earth person you’ll meet, and of course generous with his talent. If I was that good at something, you’d need a draw bridge to get to me.
HO: The recording and production of the album was assisted by established people in the music industry, like Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls and Kyle Resnick, who worked with the band, The National, and also featured on Taylor Swift’s album Folklore. Are you planning on working with these people again for future debut projects?
CC: If they’ll have us after reading this! We’re very fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with all the people who helped make this record. Jay Zubricky mixed and engineered the album at GCR Audio and helped introduce us to Robby Takac. Having grown up in Buffalo, getting a chance to work with Robby was a pinch me moment. The project started in 2019 with Robby and a couple songs and ended with an album in 2022, with Jay there every step of the way (with the pandemic, logistics prevented us from working with Robby on more of the record). Finally, I have to mention Stu McKillop who mastered the record at Rain City Mastering. He really flipped the switch and brought the creature to life.
HO: I also saw that you guys have shared the stage with other rock bands, such as The Joy Formidable and The Lawrence Arms. Would you be able to share when your group is planning on performing next with other musicians?
Caffe Lena will present the third annual TrueSongs concert on Sunday, November 12th at 8pm, highlighting local lives changed for the better by Capital Region non-profits. The concert features previously untold redemption stories involving a local non-profit organization, each will be told in words and songs at Caffe Lena.
A young woman builds her life back after a stroke, two friends start a music shop in Haiti. A daughter finds peace and fulfillment in her final days with her mother, and a woman moves forward after homelessness. Each of these previously untold redemption stories involves a local non-profit organization, and each will be told in words and songs at Caffe Lena.
TrueSongs was created in 2019 by the Saratoga Springs music venue Caffe Lena to show how arts and social service organizations can work together to create a healthy, whole community. Now in its third year, TrueSongs will give five community members the chance to share their personal story with a live audience.
Each storyteller has been working with a songwriter who will follow the story with a compelling new song meant to bring out the emotional heart of the experience.
“We proudly partner with schools, churches and community centers throughout Haiti,” said Bill Cole, owner of Cole’s Woodwind Shop and founder of the non-profit Horns for Haiti. “The resilience of the Haitian people and their love of music has made it possible to implement projects during a very difficult time in this third world country. We’re providing musical instruments and supplies to hundreds of school children and also mentoring young entrepreneurs in starting their own sustainable businesses in the music industry.”
The TrueSongs Lyrics of Life concert will take place on Sunday, November 12th at 8p.m. at Caffe Lena. Tickets bought in advance are $20 to the general public and $10 for students. Tickets bought at the door are $22 for the general public. Likewise, $5 student rush tickets will be sold at the door with valid ID. The concert will also be available to live stream for free on Caffe Lena’s YouTube channel. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, click the link here.
Brooklyn alt-pop duo Fake Dad have just announced their newest aesthetic release “New Machines” out on November 10th. The single is dreamy yet electrifying, overall capturing the nostalgic experience of younger generations who have grown up in a world characterized by tragedy and fear.
This particular single reflects on global stressors like climate crisis, “New Machines” channels a care-free sound reflective of the consistent lack of seriousness society seems to meet very real issues with. “New Machines” is also a powerful follow-up to their most recent single, “Painkiller,” that caught the attention of esteemed indie music tastemakers like Ones to Watch and A1234, whopremiered the single.
“We hope that the upbeat sound on New Machines is motivating and empowering to anyone feeling dejected, anxious, and emotionally burdened. Most of all, we hope this makes every listener feel a little less alone in this scary mess of a world.”
– Fake Dad
Fake dad fans still obsess over their anthemic June single“How Do I Cry?,” which landed itself on eight major Spotify editorial playlists like All New Indie and Indie Arrivals. Fake dad release some of the most aesthetic songs and share their conceptual ideas with their listeners. Thus, their newest single “New Machines,” which is dreamy yet electrifying with a nostalgic taste, will surely do that.
Fake dad, also known as Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford, have made music together in their studio apartment since 2018. The duo had designated their roles within the band and have worked with a variety of up and coming artists. Both artists come from different musical backgrounds, but they do share one common goal. And that goal is to create something that understands the listener. Both Andrea and Josh wanted to create music that comforted people, especially if the listener had a rough day in life, stated in a previous article from NYS Music.
To listen to Fake dad’s newest release “New Machines,” click the link to Soundcloud here.
And to read more about Fake dad from NYS Music, click the link here.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family concert series, has announced a nationwide run of shows for Halloween weekend, with four happening in NY.
Running from Saturday, October 29 to Sunday, October 30, the classic rock-themed series will feature 18 shows cross country.
As for NY’s concerts, day one will include a Tom Petty tribute show at Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, and a “New Orleans Funk & Soul” themed Halloween party at Brooklyn’s Industry City featuring Black Tie Brass. The doors of Garcia’s will open at 1:30 p.m. before music begins at 2, while Industry City’s show will run from 1 to 2.
On day two for the Playhouse, Brooklyn Bowl will open its doors for a “Halloween Spectacular” show at 11 a.m. before music starts at noon, and City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery will open its doors for its own Halloween-themed concert at 10:30 a.m. before music also starts at noon.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse was founded in 2013 at the Brooklyn Bowl by Amy Striem, a NJ-based youth educator, and Peter Shapiro, co-owner of the Brooklyn Bowl and owner of the Capitol Theatre. Since its beginning, the program has held performances in over 42 venues across 30 cities for its core audience of children under 10.
List of Weekend Shows:
October 29:
Bluebird Theater – Phish (Denver, CO)
Pour House – Phish (Charleston, SC)
Garcia’s – Tom Petty (Port Chester, NY)
Sevier Park – David Bowie (Nashville, TN)
Industry City – New Orleans Funk & Soul (Brooklyn, NY)
October 30:
Brooklyn Bowl New York – Halloween Spooktacular (Brooklyn, NY)
Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia – Prince (Philadelphia, PA)
Last Concert Cafe – Grateful Dead (Houston, TX)
Portland House of Music – Phish (Portland, ME)
The Espee – Grateful Dead (San Antonio,TX)
The Grey Eagle – Grateful Dead (Asheville, NC)
Thalia Hall – Phish (Chicago, IL)
Mission Theater (AM Show) – Grateful Dead (Portland, OR)
Mission Theater (PM Show) – Grateful Dead (Portland, OR)
City Winery Hudson Valley – Halloween Spooktacular (Hudson Valley, NY)
The Water Street Hall-O-Ween show will take place on Friday, October 28, featuring local and regional Rochester bands have the opportunity to perform on the Hall stage, performing as another band. There will also be a haunted house in The Club, curated by Casey Arthur, as well as a costume contest.
poster by Sadie May
Water Street Music Hall is located alongside the Genesee River and has been Rochester’s premier music venue since 1999. With more than 20 years of shows with artists from Ashanti to St. Vincent, we look forward to continuing our mission of bringing the finest musical acts to the ROC.
The lineup of bands and their musical costumes includes:
Formed in 2017 by Hamilton and Mullen, Ghost Light performed at festivals and lightly toured throughout 2018 and 2019 before their momentum was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Healing was recorded at Hamilton’s studio The Ballroom in Philadelphia.
The album opens with title track “The Healing,” where Hamilton and Mullen’s harmonies are immediately put on display in the song’s emotional and folk-tinged vibe. The track ends with a rocking and heavily distorted guitar solo that fades into feedback.
Bowling’s keyboards really shine on “Faces in the Moon” and “Take Some Time” – both Mellotron and synthesizers contributing to a gorgeous textural backdrop to the high-quality lyrics and guitar fireworks from Hamilton and Mullen.
“Up Here Forever” has one of Mullen’s strongest vocal performances in an almost Broadway-like song full of raw emotion.
“Opening Credits”, unusually placed in the middle of the album, begins with a mellow guitar soundscape that is slowly joined by piano and then an arpeggiating bass line from Shell. The repeating motifs gradually grow more dissonant as the bass is augmented by a distortion effect. Sweeping waves of Mellotron bring the music to a crescendo before Zwang introduces a slow, pounding and cymbal-heavy groove as each member of the band contributes their piece to the massive wave of sound. Crashing into the shore, we are left with guitar, piano, and Mellotron as the track fades out.
Picking up where the previous track left off, “Sweet Unlimited” and “Dig a Hole” both are built upon the incredible chemistry of rhythm section Zwang and Shell as Bowling continues to excel on Wurlitzer. Dialing up a wide palette of guitar tones from compressed and distorted to ethereal and reverb-drenched, Hamilton really shines on these tracks.
The final track, “Don’t Say Goodnight Just Yet”, opens with a strong bassline from Shell as Bowling plays with synths. Zwang holds down a steady beat throughout the upbeat closing song as it acts as sort of an emotional climax to the album – many of the previous tracks having a darker and more melancholy tone to them. We are left the same way we began the song, with Shell’s strong bass.
The Healing is a fantastic addition to Ghost Light’s catalogue, capturing the band’s studio sound – layers of acoustic and electric guitar atop a solid foundation of keyboards, drums, and bass. One drawback that Best Kept Secret had was a “kitchen sink” approach, with overdubs of percussion and extra instruments almost to the point of extreme – The Healing is a breath of fresh air in comparison, a recording where you can clearly pick out each of the members’ contributions without getting muddled.
Ghost Light return to the road in December for a series of dates on the West Coast.
