What is there to say about Curren$y… a legend, a stoner rap icon, and also quite the performer. Coming off of a recent release, Curren$y gave the audience at Sony Hall a dynamic and intimate performance Friday night, May 27th.
Shante Scott Franklin, better known as Curren$y is a rapper, songwriter and record execuive with his own label Jet Life. The Louisiana native existed in the underground rap scene for over a decade finding his own niche within the stoner rap sub-genre with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.
Some of his best work include The Marina which features Smoke DZA, Action Bronson, French Montana and Wiz Khalifa. Curren$y shows his charisma and charm through this thought provoking lyrics and smooth punchlines.
During the show, Curren$y stopped the music to go on a quick aside on his love for the movie Scarface. He urged the audience to understand the deeper implications of the movie and the way it represents how a unhealthy desire for fame and fortune can corrupt.
Curren$y brought down the house at Sony Hall on Friday night. Curren$y recently released Continuance which features production by esteemed producer Alchemist. He played most of his new album during his performance in additional to his beloved classic songs.
Ballard Park, located in the heart of historic Westport on Lake Champlain, has just announced their summer 2022 concert series. This summer’s concerts at Westport, New York’s Ballard Park will take place on Thursdays at 7 PM, from July 7th to August 18th.
Come enjoy a beautiful, outdoor summer evening listening to some of the finest musicians in New England and the Adirondacks. You won’t want to miss the beautiful view of this park either.
Ballard Park was once the location of the infamous Westport Inn, a grand hotel of the Adirondacks and a focal point of Westport summer life. Though demolished in 1967, the property was purchased by Anne Ballard (“Petey”) Cerf, a long-time summer resident.
Through her visionary philanthropy, Ballard Park was established in 1989, named in honor of her parents. Ballard Park serves as a park in the Adirondacks with lake and beach access, a summer concert series, and skating rink, that is open to all.
The summer series concerts are free to all, with open seating on a grassy hillside overlooking the Pavilion and Lake Champlain, with the Green Mountains of Vermont beyond. Blankets or low chairs are recommended, picnicking is encouraged but there will also be food available for purchase.
The series kicks off on Thursday, July 7 with Mile 12. Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve surveys a broad landscape on their newest album, City on a Hill. All five band members bring their own influences and observations into the music, resulting in a project that feels contemporary, thoughtfully crafted, and relevant. City on a Hill follows significant recognition from the bluegrass community, including three IBMA Momentum Awards.
Ballard Park Summer Concert Series lineup
July 7th Mile 12, a Boston-based bluegrass band
July 14th Will Patton Ensemble, with Will Patton on mandolin and a musical world tour
July 21st HEARD World Music—vibrant, danceable music with a strong African beat
July 28th Ray Vega—Vermont’s master of jazz
August 4th Meadowmount School of Music, Petey Cerf Memorial Concert — strings students from Westport’s renowned summer camp
August 11th Cricket Blue—Vermont-based folk/indie group makes magic with cellos and voice
August 18th Big Hat, No Cattle—a hoe-down on the hillside with this upbeat cowboy Western swing group
For more information about upcoming concerts at this historic place, visit here.
After its absence in 2020 and 2021 attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, Boston Calling returned to the athletic complex of Harvard University in Allston, MA this past Memorial Day weekend for the first time in three years. Inaugurated in 2013, the eleventh edition of the festival (it was held twice per year from 2013 to 2015) was a welcome event not only for the 40,000 fans in attendance each day (who were able to roll their tickets over from the two previously cancelled years), but also for the musical artists, some of which had yet to play their new material to a live audience.
A 7-foot tall Boston Terrier sculpture, made of high-density polyurethane foam by Sean Roach, greets fans. | Photo: Michael Dinger
This year’s headliners were heavy metal legends Metallica (formed in 1981 in Los Angeles) and industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails (formed in 1998 in Cleveland). Nine Inch Nails replaced the previously announced headliner Foo Fighters who cancelled the remaining dates on their tour following the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins back on March 25. Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and company also graciously stepped in for The Strokes on Day 2 of the festival after a late scratch Friday afternoon related to COVID-19. The coronavirus would claim one more casualty during the long weekend, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the psychedelic rock band from Australia who were initially scheduled to perform Saturday evening.
The three-day festival lineup included forty-eight (48) other artists performing across four stages, including the following: HAIM, The Struts, Rüfüs Du Sol, Cheap Trick, Avril Lavigne and Oliver Tree on Day 1 (Friday); Black Pumas, Run The Jewels, Orville Peck and Glass Animals on Day 2 (Saturday); and Weezer, Modest Mouse, Goose and Japanese Breakfast on Day 3 (Sunday).
A replica of Fenway Park’s famed Green Monster displays the 3-day lineup across all four stages. | Photo: Michael Dinger
Across social media accounts related to Boston Calling, it was hard not to notice several festivalgoer posts voicing their displeasure with the line-up changes and merch lines – which did appear to be long every time I walked by. That aside, the festival was a welcome reprieve from the recent and very sad news regarding gun violence in our nation, with relatively few other hiccups.
Day 1 (Friday)
The gates to the festival grounds opened promptly at 1:00 pm and patrons had four stages (designated by color) from which to choose from throughout the day – Green, Red, Delta Airlines Blue and Tivoli Audio Orange (the smallest of the stages which showcased Boston-area acts). Being a fan of Nine Inch Nails since the early ‘90s and wanting to witness their set as close as possible, I opted to ‘camp out’ at the Green Stage where the band would be playing a mere eight hours later! And I was not alone, as I met Jeremy Dubiel and Scott Mack from Holyoke, Massachusetts and Stafford, Connecticut, respectively, who also had the same game plan as I did. Little did I know at the time, but these two gentlemen would be my concert cohorts for the entire weekend.
A map depicting the four stage locations throughout the festival grounds. | Photo: Michael Dinger
After devouring the first of four Tasty Burgers I would have this festival weekend (they are delicious and we don’t have these in New York!), I made the short walk over to the adjacent Red Stage where model/actress/singer Paris Jackson (daughter of the “King of Pop” himself) would be the first performer of the weekend. Nearing the end of her 30-minute set, I headed back to the Green Stage to catch Grandson, a Canadian-American singer that can best be described as an Eminem-Justin Timberlake hybrid. Of the fourteen (14) musical acts I was to see over the next few days, Grandson would be right near the top. I was blown away by his onstage energy as he repeatedly flew from the top of the drum kit riser, ran along the perimeter of the stage apron clutching the hands of his fans or climbing the security rail as he jumped into a sea of people.
Paris Jackson | Photo: Michael DingerGrandson | Photo: Michael Dinger
Shortly after Grandson’s set concluded, Rick Nielsen and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick appeared on the Red Stage, thrilling the crowd with their hits, including “Dream Police,” “The Flame,” “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender,” performed with Paris Jackson.
Up next on the Green Stage were The Struts, a British rock quartet fronted by their flamboyant frontman, Luke Spiller. Among several standout offerings from their 8-song set was the closing number “Could Have Been Me,” along with the ‘70s style pop duet “Low Key In Love,” performed with Paris Jackson. Ms. Jackson was making the most of her Boston Calling debut as she navigated back and forth between the Red and Green Stages, looking like she was having the time of her life.
Luke Spiller of The Struts | Photo: Michael Dinger
The third act to hit the Green Stage on Day 1 were HAIM, a pop rock band based in Los Angeles comprised of sisters Danielle, Este and Alana, the last of which who starred as an actress in last year’s Licorice Pizza, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Clad in matching black bikini tops and stylish leather pants, all three young women displayed their musical prowess, each playing several different instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano) with great proficiency.
HAIM (from left to right – Alana, Danielle & Este) | Photo: Michael Dinger
Right on schedule, Nine Inch Nails entered the main stage at 9:00 pm Friday night to thunderous applause from the audience grateful to have them there. Their first tour in nearly four years, this band holds a special place in the collective heart of Generation Xers, who first fell in love with Reznor’s studio wizardry more than 20 years ago. At that time, there were no other bands creating their now signature, chaotic sound of drum machines, keyboards and guitars, accompanied by dark and tormented lyrics.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails | Photo: Michael Dinger
Side-by-side on stage with fellow composerproducer Atticus Ross, a frequent collaborator on numerous film scores, Nine Inch Nails’ performance was also visually stunning, set against high-intensity, flashing strobe lights. The 21-song set list covered a wide range of their discography, including “Closer,” “Sanctified,” “The Perfect Drug,” “Head Like A Hole” and “Hurt,” including a stirring cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans.” For any fans who missed Friday’s performance, or wanted to do it all over again, they had less than 24 more hours to wait for an encore performance on Saturday night.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails | Photo: Michael DingerAtticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails | Photo: Michael Dinger
Day 2 (Saturday)
After spending most of the day at the Green Stage on Friday, I perused the entire festival grounds to take in the entire vibe of the festival. Arriving just as the Boston-based indie band Dutch Tulip’s last song was finishing up on the Tivoli Audio Orange Stage, I made my way to the Blue Stage where Charlotte Sands was set to perform at 2:20 pm. Shadowed by a 100-foot Ferris wheel that is a staple at Boston Calling festivals, the Blue Stage’s floor area was packed with mostly young adult fans waiting in anticipation for the hip-hop rapper with folk-style lyrics.
Charlotte Sands | Photo: Michael DingerFerris wheel | Photo: Michael Dinger
Not wanting to miss the end of Hinds’ set, a Spanish indie rock band from Madrid, formed in 2011 and comprised of Carlotta Cosials, Ana García Perrote, Ade Martin and Amber Grimbergen, I made the longest walk between stages back to the Green Stage. Near the conclusion of their set, I made the quick jaunt over to the Red Stage, weaving through the crowd until I was a few rows back to see Celisse, an R&B and soul singer-songwriter who plays face-melting, blues-tinged guitar with infectious hooks.
Ana Perrote of Hinds | Photo: Michael DingerCelisse | Photo: Michael Dinger
After a brief stop at one of the strategically-placed medic tents for a bandage wrap (my feet were already killing me early on the second day), I headed back to the Blue Stage to catch Frances Forever, best known for their song “Space Girl,” which became a viral hit on TikTok in 2020, at 3:30 pm. However, moments before their time on stage, it was then when I noticed that the skies above had turned an ominous gray, and the stagehands did too – as they quickly swooped in to cover up Frances Forever’s instruments under plastic sheeting.
Only a couple of minutes later, due to nearby lightning and thunderstorms, a directive came over the PA system that all fans and staff were to evacuate the festival grounds and take shelter in nearby Harvard Square or Harvard Stadium. I was one of the many thousands who headed to the stadium, packed into the historic concourse beneath the stands for nearly the next 2 hours. Time passed quickly, however, aided by a positive attitude from the collective people seeking shelter from the torrential downpour. It was in these damp and dark quarters where an impromptu sing-along erupted to the chorus of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” an eighth inning tradition at nearby Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Others passed the time by participating in random “Go Celtics” chants ahead of their Game 7 NBA conference final playoff game that was to take place at TD Garden the following night.
Concertgoers seeking shelter from the rain in Harvard Stadium | Photo: Michael Dinger
With the rain finally letting up, but before the fans and staff were permitted to return to the festival grounds, I made the decision to return to the main grounds in search of a ‘porta potty.’ It was there that I encountered an eerie, almost post-apocalyptic scene – a field that was once filled with thousands upon thousands of concertgoers earlier in the day, was now completely void of any souls (albeit two pink rain poncho clad girls). Seeking refuge in a beer tent until the last of the rain had finally dissipated, fans were allowed to return at approximately 5:30 pm. I watched as they trickled in, back through the main gate, while the Green and Red stages were being brought back to life by various staff and roadies.
Poncho-clad fans | Photo: Michael DingerA rainbow following Saturday’s downpour | Photo: Michael Dinger
With a revamped schedule for the remainder of the day, the musical festivities would resume with Black Pumas on the Green Stage at 6:30 pm, a psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Coming off their first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist, Mr. Burton thoroughly enjoyed himself, playing tag with the photographers in the pit as they chased him while he posed for the camera with the fans as a backdrop.
Eric Burton of Black Pumas | Photo: Michael DingerEric Burton of Black Pumas | Photo: Michael Dinger
Outside of Metallica and Nine Inch Nails, I was most excited to see the performance by Run The Jewels (a.k.a. RTJ) on the Red Stage, which commenced shortly after 7:30 pm on Day 2. RTJ are the hip hop duo composed of Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike and Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P. The former is a sociopolitical activist whose anti-establishment messaging and calls for peace and an end to police violence are evident throughout his lyrics. As the sun began to set halfway through RTJ’s set, the mosh pit opened up while a few crowd surfers rode the wave to the front of the stage where they landed into the arms of waiting security.
Killer Mike of Run The Jewels | Photo: Michael DingerEl-P of Run The Jewels | Photo: Michael DingerRun The Jewels Mosh Pit | Photo: Michael Dinger
After by-passing the Tasty Burger food tent, it was not easy (trust me), I had more than thirty other options from top, local area restaurants to choose my next meal from. I finally expanded my culinary horizons and opted for a mouth-watering pastrami Reuben from Mamaleh’s, a sandwich that would rival the famous Katz’s Deli, a Jewish institution in Lower Manhattan dating to 1888. After washing it all down with an Oatmeal Stout by Beer Geek Breakfast (7.5%), I maneuvered my way through the packed audience towards the rear of Harvard’s athletic field where I positioned myself to view the remainder of Nine Inch Nails’ set from the exact opposite vantage point from the previous night, taking in the enormity of the venue and the miraculous stage lighting. Hoping to grab an Uber ride back to my Airbnb before the local streets of Allston were crammed with others trying to do the same thing (a lesson learned from Friday night), I exited the festival grounds while Nine Inch Nails were nearing their set’s completion – mission accomplished.
Nine Inch Nails | Photo: Michael Dinger
Day 3 (Sunday) The festival’s final day arrived without any other surprises such as another line-up change or looming bad weather – aside from the size of the crowd, because James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo of Metallica would be concluding the festival weekend in epic fashion later this night.
But before Metallica, there was still a full afternoon of music to be had by all. The first band to play the Green Stage on Sunday were Peach The Rascals, an indie music collective from San Jose, CA who also achieved fame via TikTok with their song “Mariposa” last year. Cults followed next, the pop band duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion hailing from New York City. Although their set was hindered with an apparently faulty guitar instrument cable that was not resolved until the final song, their heavily-layered instrumentation was still a joyful listen.
Tarrek Abdel-Khaliq of Peach Tree Rascals | Photo: Michael DingerMadeline Follin of Cults | Photo: Michael Dinger
The Green Stage’s penultimate act of Day 3 were Glass Animals, a jovial rock band from England that lead singer Dave Bayley formed in 2010 with childhood friends Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer and Drew MacFarlane. Easily one of the best performances of the weekend, their stage setup was the cover of their latest record Dreamland (released in August 2020), reincarnated with hanging neon signs, pastel purple palm trees, a giant television and pyramid, basketball hoop, and of course, their pineapple mascot.
Dave Bayley of Glass Animals | Photo: Michael Dinger
Not wanting to chance it by veering too far away from my coveted spot on the Green Stage’s rail, I made the difficult decision to sacrifice checking out performances by Japanese Breakfast (fresh off their Saturday Night Live season finale appearance) and Goose on the Delta Airlines Blue Stage, as well as Modest Mouse and Weezer on the Red Stage. A case of FOMO hit me hard as I glanced over in the direction of the Red Stage often, taking in the visual images of Rivers Cuomo and his Weezer bandmates as they appeared on the large, vertical video boards on either side of the stage.
On this very hot Boston afternoon, dehydration also hit me hard, as well as many others in the first several rows who were packed shoulder-to-shoulder like sardines in a tin can. Thankfully, security guard Scott Turner, who I had gotten to know earlier in the day from chatting with him, repeatedly pushed bottles of water into the waiting hands of desperate audience members.
As dusk approached, and Weezer’s encore offering of “Buddy Holly” having concluded, Tuukka Rask, the recently retired goalie who played for 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins, took a quick seat at Lars’ drum kit for a quick photo op, before he and his small entourage exited stage left to the crowd chanting, “Tuukka, Tuukka, Tuukka!”
Boston Calling Archway | Photo: Michael Dinger
Not before long, AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” played over the house speakers, signaling Metallica’s imminent arrival. However, as per tradition at every Metallica show since 1983, Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” played next, accompanied by video footage from the classic 1966 Western film starring Clint Eastwood, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. At 8:50 pm, drummer Lars Ullrich was the first band member to appear on stage in front of the largest Boston Calling crowd of all time, followed shortly by guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. James Hetfield was the last to arrive, and equipped with his iconic white, well-worn Flying V, these metal gods launched into the first of sixteen songs, “Whiplash,” from their debut studio album Kill ‘Em All (1983).
James Hetfield of Metallica | Photo: Michael DingerRobert Trujillo of Metallica | Photo: Michael DingerKirk Hammett of Metallica | Photo: Michael DingerLars Ullrich of Metallica | Photo: Michael Dinger
Over the next two hours, diehard fans in attendance would be treated to hits taken from Ride the Lightning (1984), Master of Puppets (1986), …And Justice for All (1988) and Metallica (1991), better known as The Black Album. The unforgettable night culminated with a three-song encore of “Battery,” “Nothing Else Matters” (with a restart needed when Hammett humorously bungled the intricate guitar picking of the song’s introduction) and “Enter Sandman.”
Bard SummerScape returns in 2022 summer with eight weeks of live music, opera, dance, and theater at the Fisher Center, located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley, from June 23 to August 14. Fisher Center supports artists, students, and audiences in the development and examination of artistic ideas, offering perspectives from the past and present, as well as visions of the future.
Highlights include the 32nd Bard Music Festival, Rachmaninoff and His World; a new production of Strauss’s The Silent Woman, directed by Christian Räth; a World Premiere commission from Pam Tanowitz and David Lang; a new adaptation of Molière’s Dom Juan, directed by Ashley Tata; and more.
Theater
Molière’s Dom Juan
SummerScape Commission/World Premiere Production New translation by Sylvaine Guyot and Gideon Lester Conceived and directed by Ashley Tata
Amelia Workman (Dom Juan). Photo by Maria Baranova
A glittering and ferocious study of lust and power, Molière’s portrait of the libertine Dom Juan combines slapstick comedy with the taut psychology of a thriller. In this bold new adaptation, director Ashley Tata (whose digital production of Mad Forest astonished Fisher Center audiences in 2020) sets the story in a fantasy world where 17th-century France meets late-1970s America, raising pertinent questions about class, faith and gender. Casting both the titular libertine and her sidekick as women, Tata’s production literally recasts this subversive and brilliant tragicomedy in a contemporary light—celebrating Molière’s 400th anniversary with a Dom Juan for the 21st century. Commissioned as the opening production of Bard SummerScape 2022, and marking this year’s global celebrations of Molière’s 400th anniversary, Dom Juan makes its world premiere June 23–July 17.
Dance
Song of Songs
SummerScape Commission/World Premiere Choreography by Pam Tanowitz Music by David Lang
Spiritual and erotic, playful and mysterious, The biblical Song of Songs (also known as The Song of Solomon ) is perhaps the greatest of all love poems—a hymn of yearning, steeped in images from the natural world. The poem’s unforgettable images of the natural world have inspired artists and lovers for millennia – indeed some scholars argue that the entire tradition of Western love poetry springs from its glorious verses. Now, composer David Lang and Fisher Center resident choreographer Pam Tanowitz join forces to create a major new dance-theater performance based on this radiantly beautiful text. A collage of sound, song, and movement that reimagines ancient rituals of love and courtship, Song of Songs holds the sacred and profane threads of the Song in perfect balance. The performance is making its world premiere July 1-3 as part of the 2022 edition of the Bard SummerScape festival.
“Tanowitz has long been one of the most formally brilliant choreographers around.”
New York Times
Opera
The Silent Woman (Die Schweigsame Frau)
By Richard Strauss The American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein Directed and designed by Christian Räth
Jana McIntyre (Aminta) and David Portillo (Henry). Photo by Maria Baranova
Considered Strauss’s only true comic opera, this rarely performed work is by turns elegiac and incisively witty. The brilliantly written libretto by Stefan Zweig (loosely based on the Renaissance play by Ben Jonson) features a madcap cast of characters in a variety of guises. The imaginative and colorful production by Christian Räth (Das Wunder der Heliane, SummerScape 2019) featuring a stellar group of performers will be sung in German with English supertitles. Räth’s colorful, fast-paced new staging runs for five performances on July 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31.
a stentorian bass … with impressive focus, carrying power and quiet charisma
New York Times
Bard Music Festival
Rachmaninoff and His World
The Bard Music Festival returns for its 32nd season with an exploration of the life and work of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943), perhaps the last great exponent of Russian Romanticism, who nevertheless embodied many contradictions.
Through a series of themed concert programs, lectures, and panel discussions, Rachmaninoff and His World explores such themes as composition during the Cold War, virtuoso pianists and their public, and America’s ongoing love affair with Rachmaninoff’s music.
An edifying mix of academic and aesthetic delights.
– New Yorker
Through the prism of his life and career, Weekend One traces the complex course the composer navigated between Russia and Modernity (Aug 5–7), and Weekend Two investigates his relationship with the New Worlds he went on to conquer (Aug 12–14).
Spiegeltent
After a two-year absence, a magnificent Spiegeltent returns to SummerScape for a celebratory 15th year. Highlights include your first chance to experience new performances from Ms. Lisa Fischer and The Badass & Beautiful Band; the return of Black Roots Summer, a celebration of Black roots music curated by Michael Mwenso and Jono Gasparro; and returning favorites Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, Nona Hendryx, Susanne Bartsch, and more!
Gala: “Summer Enchanted Evening”
On July 16, Bard’s Montgomery Place Campus plays host to “Summer Enchanted Evening,” a special gala celebration to benefit the Fisher Center and Bard Music Festival.
SummerScape tickets
Tickets for mainstage events go on sale on March 9, starting at $25, and Spiegeltent tickets go on sale in April. For complete information regarding tickets, series discounts and more, visit fishercenter.bard.edu. or call Bard’s box office at (845) 758-7900.
The Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, NY, will happen once again during the first weekend of July. For nearly 30 years, the festival has drawn in thousands of fans from across the U.S. and has remained a tradition for people young and old to celebrate self-expression and music.
This year, the festival will expand the summer music series and implement “Beyond The Blue,” which will be weekend events running from the middle of July through Labor Day Weekend. The diverse and eclectic lineup will carry over into these “Beyond The Blue” events. Julie Rockcastle, festival’s co-founder, spoke about this new addition to the festival.
Our goal of this season, and the future, is to create a vibrant Great Blue Heron experience that honors both the traditions of the past and the land, by operating at a scale that doesn’t over-stress the natural and human resources we are entrusted to care for. The genre-focused Beyond the Blue mini-festivals present diverse and family-friendly experiences all summer long that enable us to welcome more people who share our passions for music, the outdoors, and sustainability.
Beyond the Blue I starts July 16 and is full of funky bluegrass, soulful rhythms, and sweet harmonies with artists like Dirty Blanket, Folkfaces, and Bella’s Bartok. Beyond The Blue II starts July 30 and it will be a full day of progressive Reggae beats, island music, and Native American sounds. The event headliner Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, will play on the main stage, along with Keith Secola, Root Shock, and Mosaic Foundation.
On August 20, Beyond the Blue III will have electrifying funk and electro-rock jams with headliner Jimkata. They are based in Ithaca, and Los Angeles that use bold arrangements and synthesizers to create their music.
To end the season, Beyond The Blue IV will happen on Labor Day weekend with more than 20 artists, including old-time country blues band Pokey Lafarage. Also headlining is acclaimed singer/songwriter Ryan Montbleau, who has spent much of his life going across the globe on a search for meaning and purpose, shown through his music.
The Great Blue Heron Music Festival sits on top of an award-winning campground. Voted the #1 campsite in the U.S. by HipCamp, The Heron is open daily for seasonal camping from May through October along with the Green Heron Growers Farm Store. For more information on the festival, go here.
Last year, Mitchell Cohen partnered with former Sparks/Roxy Music bassist Sal Maida on one of the most enjoyable reads about pop arcana ever penned, The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Oughta Know. Now Cohen is back, riding solo this time, to tell the story of the last quintessential New York record label. It’s the imprint that either launched or revitalized the careers of Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, The Kinks, Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin, Gil Scott-Heron, The Grateful Dead, Iggy Pop and, of course, Whitney Houston, in the ‘70s and early ‘80s – Clive Davis’ Arista Records.
Cohen’s Looking for the Magic (Trouser Press Books) tells the story of Arista from its inception – a label built upon the foundation of the singles-centric Bell Records to the conclusion of its freewheeling indie era with a mid-1980s merger with industry giant RCA. And although Cohen worked at the label in publicity and A&R from 1977 – 1993, he largely remains absent from the narrative, a humble factor that’s a very good thing for the storytelling.
“Looking for the magic” is a record industry maxim. It says that success is spelled by a label’s ability to realize what’s a hit and, more importantly, what is not! Clive Davis, the man who defined Arista, was unparalleled in his ability to sniff out both hits and artists who grow to become mega-selling legends. It’s something he had done from his early days at Columbia thru Arista to his latter run at J Records.
But before the book gets to Arista, Cohen tells the equally fascinating story of its forerunner, Bell Records, and its intriguing head Larry Uttal.
Uttal’s singles-focused label didn’t do artist development or produce records. It licensed them from a host of talented outside producers like Allen Toussaint and then did the savvy sales and promotion that made them big hits.
Mitch Ryder’s “Devil with the Blue Dress On,” The Box Tops’ “The Letter,” “I’m Your Puppet” by James and Bobby Purify and Merrilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning” were some of the independent productions Bell drove to the upper reaches of the charts. Uttal also sourced England for hits by Spooky Tooth, Suzi Quatro and Vanity Fair. And after Bell’s purchase by Columbia Pictures came hits from its TV division, The Partridge Family, and Tony Orlando and Dawn. Interestingly, Bell was the partner label for the proto-metal of Leslie West and Mountain and released one of the weirdest records you’ll ever hear, 1971’s For You. This crockpot of kooky features the erotic poetry of Brit thespian/singer Anthony (“What Kind of Fool Am I?”) Newley set to orchestral music by Neely Plumb, the father of child actress Eve Plumb of “Brady Bunch” fame.
Clive Davis enters the picture at Bell as a “consultant” after he is summarily fired from Columbia Records due to an accounting scandal in 1973. By 1974, Davis is in charge and changes the name of the label to that of his high school honors society.
As he had at Columbia with Santana, Sly & The Family Stone and Janis Joplin, Davis made his first order of business signing up talent he could grow – both the new and the established. A vast majority of these would come from NYC like his first signings: the proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron and Barry Manilow, the cabaret-styled singer who would become the label’s true triple platinum-selling cash cow. Arista would be in the thick of punk with the signings of Patti Smith and punk godfather Lou Reed, whose flagging career would be revitalized with Arista albums like Street Hassle. The Kinks and The Grateful Dead would see their careers soar again with their respective Arista releases, Low-Budget and In the Dark, the latter which featured The Dead’s only Top 40 hit, “Touch of Grey.”
Interestingly, jazz was a very important part of the mix at Clive’s Arista. This was perhaps due to his experience at Columbia Records with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. These were forward-leaning jazz stars who crossed over to a rock audience and Gold Record sales with their respective fusion masterworks, Bitches Brew and Head Hunters. Jazz was relatively cheap to record and market and they could break even without the huge sales of rock. So, Clive and company rolled the dice on jazz often, garnering both solid cash returns and even more lasting artistic results.
Arista Records’ forays into jazz deserves some serious attention. The effort was led by Steve Backer, the man who earlier signed Keith Jarrett and Gato Barbieri to Impulse Records. The imprint, Arista Freedom, kicked off with marquee signings of avant-garde notables like Anthony Braxton, Julius Hemphill, Cecil Taylor and the like. In the way of more mainstream fusion, Arista made a splash with The Brecker Brothers and Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House. The latter was a contender to the crown worn by Columbia Records’ resident guitar god John McLaughlin and his fearsomely talented and financially successful Mahavishnu Orchestra. With the purchase of the Savoy Records catalog in 1975, the label did a splendid job repackaging and turning a new generation on to the classic works of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon and many more. Arista Freedom eventually morphed into Arista Novus. It released a bevy of beautiful, edge-pushing jazz from the likes of Muhal Richard Abrams, Oliver Lake, Air with Henry Threadgill and guitarist Michael Gregory Jackson, whose 1979 album Heart and Center is a masterpiece of genre-leaping future funk.
With the licensing of Passport Records, Arista even dabbled in progressive rock, distributing discs by the likes of Camel, Brand X and synth wizard Larry Fast. By the dawn of the ‘80s, Arista also had a nice piece of MTV-era pop with the success of acts like A Flock of Seagulls, Haircut 100 and The Thompson Twins.
In 1983, things would begin to change. That’s when RCA acquired a 50% stake and took over distribution for Arista. That year, Clive Davis would see the future when he witnessed Whitney Houston singing at the Upper West Side club called Sweetwater. He took his time finding the right songs and style that would make her long-delayed 1985 debut not only an unprecedented smash with three #1 singles, but the template that would be followed to build the careers of everyone from Mariah to Britney.
But that’s another story and that’s where Cohen choses to end this very gratifying one.
France Rocks Summer fest, the largest festival of French music in the United States, have announced their 5th anniversary lineup. Beginning on Saturday, June 4, this month-long festival will feature 15 concerts across Brooklyn and Manhattan, and will culminate with a celebration at Central Park’s SummerStage.
Gracing the France Rocks stage will be legendary French hip hop artist MC Solaar, the Nice-based electro-pop artist Hyphen Hyphen and electro-pop trio Bon Entendeur. Co-presented with FiAF (French Institute Alliance Francaise), the performances on June, 21 will also mark the 40th Anniversary of “La Fête de la Musique”, an International day of music that derived from France.
We are thrilled to celebrate the 5th edition of France Rocks Summer Fest and the return of live music to New York City, which is once again thriving.
I am proud to present this diverse group of edgy, up-and-coming artists and can’t wait to witness the beautiful energy of audiences enjoying this tremendous music.
France Rocks founder, Michele Amar
France Rocks highlights the most exciting music coming out of France today, as well as international artists who draw their inspiration from French culture. Attracting more than 50,000 music lovers across all backgrounds, free and ticketed shows will be held across eight venues throughout the month, including Brooklyn Steel and Blue Note Jazz Club.
This year’s France Rocks festival is supported in part by the city’s programming initiative, NY Music Month, the official celebration of New York City’s vibrant and dynamic music ecosystem. In turn, France Rocks hopes to present its most eclectic roster of music to-date, ranging from gypsy jazz, electro-pop, Latin inspired French music and more.
France Rocks SummerFest is also supported through partnerships with France Rocks, French Institute Alliance Francaise, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Make Music New York, French Morning, A2IM Indie Week, SummerStage in Central Park, and the Lincoln Center.
Fore more on France Rocks Music Festival, visit their official website. While the entire festival lineup can be found below.
FRANCE ROCKS SUMMER FEST 2022 LINEUP: Sat, June 4 – Las Rubias del Norte @ Barbes – 8PM
Sun, June 5 – La Femme @ Brooklyn Steel – 8PM
Fri, June 10 – Clovis Nicolas @ Blue Note Jazz Club – 12:30PM & 2PM
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm 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, Doctor Baker and many more.
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 – “Cool and Cumbersome”
Albany based Nichols says of his latest track “Cool and Cumbersome”: retrofitting alt country vapor wAVE sounds within the confines of an attic that is in dire need of spray foam insulation. This song was an overhaul of bandages and anti-bacterial nothingness over the last two months in Upstate NY, tales of getting tied up in knots, stomach pangs theology and lust. The lo-fidelity, cheap vinyl siding, mandolins, and tepid crown moulding are desirable. To add, the flanged synthesizers give budget island vibes and provide 6 ounces of room temperature Sunday school apple juice that a child must imbibe to their advantage when hammering down a second rate bi-colored Oreo cookie.
Doctor Baker started out as an acoustic duo featuring singer-songwriter Ed Schwarzschild and guitarist Iggy Calabria, two wayward Philadelphians who met in Albany. After adding Danny Goodwin on drums and Chris Gockley on bass, Doctor Baker sounds a lot louder, and the band’s strong, sound medicine has begun to heal audiences in the Capital Region and beyond.
On Sunday night, EQXposure will play a fresh new unreleased track from Doctor Baker, “Trespassers”
Americana singer-songwriter Marcus King has announced U.S. fall tour dates in promotion of his upcoming album, Young Blood, slated for August 26 release.
With King’s European tour beginning June 23 and finishing July 8, followed a couple American stops in the weeks after, the U.S. stretch will start September 9 in Philadelphia and wrap up October 27 in New Orleans.
Poster for Marcus King’s U.S. Tour.
Hosted by comedian Dean Del Ray and featuring Neal Francis and Ashland Craft for most dates, the tour includes shows at Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on September 15 & 16.
Young Blood, which is produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, is King’s second studio album. His 2020 debut record El Dorado earned a Grammy nomination for “Best Americana Album.”
Cover art for Young Blood, releasing August 26.
King has released two singles for the album so far, “Hard Working Man” and “Rescue Me.” A music video for “Hard Working Man,” the record’s lead single, dropped Tuesday.
A South Carolina native, King has been around music his entire life, first learning to play guitar at three years old. He has opened for Chris Stapleton, Greta Van Fleet, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Festivals King has made the bills of include Stagecoach, Fuji Rock, and Rock Werchter.
More information regarding tickets/the tour can be found on King’s website.
Tour Dates
JUN 23 THU – Fairview Park – Dublin, Ireland* JUN 25 SAT – Alexandra Palace – London, United Kingdom* JUN 26 SUN – The Globe – Cardiff, United Kingdom JUN 28 TUE – O2 Apollo Manchester – Manchester, United Kingdom* JUN 29 WED – O2 Apollo Manchester – Manchester, United Kingdom* JUN 30 THU – Rock City – Nottingham, United Kingdom JUL 2 SAT – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium JUL 3 SUN – Rockhal – Esch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg JUL 5 TUE – Oosterpoort – Groningen, Netherlands JUL 6 WED – Cognac Blues Passions 2022 – Cognac, France JUL 7 THU – Doornroosje – Nijmegen, Netherlands JUL 8 FRI – North Sea Jazz Festival 2022 – Rotterdam, Netherlands JUL 16 SAT – Wild Hare Music Festival 2022 – Canby, OR, United States JUL 27 WED – FloydFest 22- Heartbeat 2022 – Floyd, VA, United States *with Greta Van Fleet
Sept 9 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA Sept 10 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – Washington DC Sept 11 – House Of Blues – Boston, MA Sept 15 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY Sept 16 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY Sept 17 – KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH Sept 18 – Bourbon & Beyond Festival – Louisville, KY Sept 20 – HISTORY – Toronto, ON Sept 21 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA Sept 23 – GLC Live at 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, M Sept 24 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI ^ Sept 25 – Palace Theatre – St. Paul, MN Sept 27 – Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN* Sept 29 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN* Sept 30 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN* Oct 1 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA Oct 2 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA Oct 4 – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q – Austin, TX Oct 6 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ* Oct 7 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA Oct 11 – The Masonic – San Francisco, CA Oct 13 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR Oct 14 – The Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA Oct 15 – The Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA Oct 17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT Oct 18 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO Oct 20 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO* Oct 21 – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL* Oct 22 – The Fillmore Detroit- Detroit, MI Oct 23 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland Ohio Oct 25 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC Oct 26 – Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL Oct 27 – The Fillmore New Orleans – New Orleans, LA
Neal Francis and Ashland Craft unless otherwise stated, ^ Neal Francis only * Support to be announced
Seagle Festival has announced its 2022 schedule. Going into their 107th season, the Adirondack theatre & opera organization and vocal training company will hold seven shows from late June to early September.
2022 marks a return to normal for Seagle Festival, after a heavily adjusted 2021 season and full cancellation in 2020. Hosted at the Oscar Seagle Memorial Theater, the season will begin on the 25th with a performance of Old Friends & New at 7:30 pm. This will be followed in July by legendary Broadway show Hello, Dolly! with nighttime performances on the 6th, 7th, and 9th, and a matinee performance on the 8th.
A performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro during Seagle Festival’s 2019 season.
July will also feature an 11:30 am tour stop on the 9th by children’s opera The Three Bears, and joint performances of Giacomo Puccini operas Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi from the 20th through the 23rd.
August will open with Fellow Travelers, a love story about two men working for the U.S. government during the 1950s McCarthy era, with showings on the 3rd through the 6th. Following is Once Upon A Mattress, a famed musical adaption of the fairy-tale The Princess and the Pea, running from the 17th to the 20th.
Last on the schedule is Happily Ever After, a revue of music from late composer Stephen Sondheim which will make a tour stop at the Oscar Seagle Memorial Theater on September 5.
Located in Schroon Lake, Seagle Festival is the oldest summer singing training program in the country. It was founded by world-renowned baritone singer Oscar Seagle, who made several concert tours in the U.S. and Europe, along with recording a number of hit songs such as the World War I anthem “Dear Old Pal of Mine.” Before running his own instructional program, he served as a teaching associate in Europe to Polish singer Jean de Rezke from 1903-1914.
Old Friends & New – June 25, 7:30 pm Hello, Dolly! – July 6, 7, 9 at 7:30 pm, July 9 at 2:00 pm The Three Bears – July 9, 10:00 & 11:30 am* Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi – July 20, 21, 23 at 7:30 pm July 22 at 2:00 pm Fellow Travelers – August 3, 4, 6 at 7:30 pm, August 5 at 2:00 pm Once Upon a Mattress – August 17, 18, 20 at 7:30 pm, August 19 at 2:00 pm Happily Ever After – the music of Stephen Sondheim – September 5, 7:30 pm*
The Seagle Festival is has also recently introduced the 2022 Seagle Festival Emerging Artists, a group of 32 talented singers selected through a rigorous audition process.
Top row (l-r): Elias Aguirre, tenor; *Justine Alexander, soprano; Amaan Atkins, tenor; *Andrianna Ayala, soprano; *William Casper, tenor; Jenna Rose Cipolla, soprano
Second row (l-r): *Joel Clemens, baritone; Abraham Isai Cruz, bass-baritone; Annika De Jonge, soprano; Samuel Enriquez, baritone; *Nicholas Fahrenkrug, baritone; Julia Fertel, mezzo-soprano
Third row (l-r): Emily Finke, soprano; *Grace Heldridge, mezzo-soprano; Hannah Jones, mezzo-soprano; Daniel Laverriere, baritone
