Caffe Lena is known for its extraordinary music and for being the longest operating folk music venues within the United States. Caffe Lena has now taken it to another level with their launch of their brand new app “Caffe Lena TV.”
The app allows easy access to live streaming concerts, archived videos, and the opportunity to be an interactive audience member by texting comments throughout the show. To download the app, just search “Caffe Lena TV” in your AppStore (iOS), PlayStore (Android) or Roku Store or click the link above and follow the instructions to sign in!
Caffe Lena launched a School of Music in 2020 which helps to carry on the folk tradition of music for students, children and adults. Some of America’s best loved songwriters have gotten their careers launched from Caffe Lena like American-blues songwriter, Sawyer Fredericks.
Caffe Lena was called “An American treasure” by The Library of Congress and is recognized for their help in the development of American music from The GRAMMY Foundation.
Check out Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs and the world-class performers that will get your foot tapping to the music. The Caffe Lena App thanks those for supporting their non-profit venue and keeping independent music alive!
Backroads Blues Festival will tour the east coast on a six date journey from Rhode Island to Virginia. Starting August 13, fans will see performances from Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy and Cristone “Kingfish” Ingram.
These three generations of artists will come together to bring forth a renaissance for the genre. It serves as an extension of Shepherd’s 2007 film and album project, 10 Days Out : Blues From the Backroads, where he traveled the country, recording and performing with artists like Etta Baker, Honeyboy Edwards and Hubert Sumlin.
Shepherd’s hope for the Backroads Blues Festival is that it will help to revive the tradition of touring Blues festivals. Inspiration comes from his past experiences with the B.B King Blues Festival, where legends such as Buddy Guy, Etta James and the Neville Brothers performed. He aspires to give blues performers and blues fans a place where they can come together and celebrate the genre.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
Shepherd will celebrate his 45th birthday with special performances 6/11 – 6/12 in Indiana and Ohio. He will be joined by Samantha Fish, the Ally Venable Band and Blues Entertainer of the Year, Shemekia Copeland. More information can be found here.
Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced their plans to release a four album and four film experience titled I Am The Moon. The ambitious project will push the band into a new era.
The albums include I Am The Moon, I. Crescent, II. Ascension, III. The Fall, and IV. Farewell, will be released in succession, starting 6/3. The first film will debut 5/31 at 9 PM on the band’s Youtube channel, with the films coming three days before its partner album. Directed by Alix Lambert, the films combine studio and performance footage with photography and other images designed to capture the specific atmosphere of each album.
The concept for I Am The Moon came from the band’s vocalist Mike Mattison, while they were on hiatus due to the pandemic. Drawing inspiration from the 12th century poem “Layla & Majnun” by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, the albums explore themes of love, collective struggle and faith.
PC : David McClister
Each band member contributed their own unique perspectives to the work and by January 2021, they were recording at Tedeschi and Trucks’ home studio, Swamp Raga, in Jacksonville, FL. Derek Trucks served as producer and long-time studio engineer Bobby Tis was in charge of recording and mixing.
Tedeschi Trucks Band will kick off their 2022 tour in Florida, Alabama and Michigan before stopping at Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, NY. They will also appear at the Great South Bay Music Festival, Artpark and SPAC.
Night three of Phish at Madison Square Garden not only brought with it three sets of music, but a whale of a chance to do “New Year’s” all over again. Friday night represented the NYE celebration of the rescheduled end of 2021 shows and revelers took full advantage, dressing up to nines and all but signing “Auld Lang Syne” on the way in.
Photo by Jake Silco
An “Everything’s Right” opener did nothing to curb the pre-show enthusiasm and had the MSG crowd rocking in unison from the get-go. A smooth segue into “Tube” only further enhanced the early show vibes. Another first set pairing of “555” > “Back On The Train” went off without a hitch, with a “Train” jam that slowly increased in both tempo and emotion. The Page McConnell-penned “Army Of One” gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath before Phish welcomed back “Axilla (Part II)” to the live setting after being resurrected last year. A rowdy “Bathtub Gin” was met with open arms before “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S” closed out a raucous first set.
The second set was the “all gas, no brakes” portion of the evening with a string of segues that started with an ebullient “Set Your Soul Free” that made its way seamlessly into the “Light.” This was followed by a simmering “Fuego” before a quick trek into “What’s The Use?” gave the second stanza a chance to breathe. A “Backwards Down The Number Line” that Trey Anastasio dedicated to his daughter for her birthday brought yet another slow build and release jam in closing out the second set.
Prior to Set 3, the stage was cleared off entirely, and new, more compact drum and key rigs were brought to the stage, centered more than usual. The wide area around the stage that now surrounded the band was revealed to be a white sheet just prior to the 11:45pm start time. With the band’s return to the stage for “Free,” the stage lifted up, bringing with it the now-stretched sheet upon which projections would appear during an Earth Day-themed set. Five songs – “Free,” “A Wave of Hope,” “Waves,” “Sand” and “Split Open and Melt” – would play off their lyrics while water and laser projections lit up the stage from underneath.
Anastasio and company found themselves lifting up off the stage, with all found on the same level, so as to avoid a repeat of 2019 where Anastasio found himself stuck on his a platform, 30 feet above the stage. Much like in 2013 and 2015, the band moved the stage within the confines of The Garden, keeping the fans on their toes.
photo by Pete Mason
The Earth Day gag as a whole did not give a direct nod to this rescheduled New Year’s Eve show, but there were connections to the past that could be found within the production. The foam blowing during “Split Open and Melt” was a callback to 2002’s “Seven Below” foam party; the ‘rain’ during “Free” and “A Wave of Hope” was similar to 2016’s “Petrichor” production; the overall aquarium feel throwing back to 1993’s New Year’s Eve, and the overall water theme from 2017’s “Soul Planet.”
During “Waves,” drone-operated dolphins made an appearance, floating through the air, gyrating as they flipped and bounded through waves of smoke and fog. The famed Blue Whale from the Natural History Museum arose from Mike-side moments later, coasting through the water and providing a stunning visual effect for all 20,000 fans to behold. For 20-30 minutes, The Garden felt like The Ocean, with a blue hue accenting the stunning set.
As the stage descended at the end of “Split Open and Melt,” the sound of cracking ice could be heard, giving a subtle hint to the single song encore of “It’s Ice” that was yet to come. For the grand finale, a giant donut was raised behind the stage, reminding phans that even on Earth Day, the universe is a donut.
photo by Pete Mason
Setlist via Phish.net
Set 1: Everything’s Right > Tube, 555 > Back on the Train, Army of One, Axilla (Part II) > Bathtub Gin > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Set 2: Set Your Soul Free > Light > Fuego > What’s the Use? > Backwards Down the Number Line
Set 3: Free, A Wave of Hope, Waves > Sand, Split Open and Melt
Encore: It’s Ice This was the rescheduled date for the show that had been postponed due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 surge in New York City in December of 2021. Trey teased Happy Birthday in Set Your Soul Free and wished his daughter Bella a happy birthday in Backwards Down the Number Line. For the third set and encore, the stage was raised with a screen showing moving images in front of and below the band. During Waves, dolphins and a whale flew throughout the venue. Kelp descended from above the band during Split Open and Melt and fell to the stage after the song was over. Prior to It’s Ice, there was a prerecorded freezing sound as the image on the screen “froze.”
The Great New York State Fair‘s 2022 lineup has been announced with a wide musical variety, taking place August 24 – September 5 at the Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
Founded in 1832 by a group of local farmers for agriculture and local fairs, it did not become a musical showcase until until the 1950’s and 1960’s, when the fair began gearing towards entertainment.
The Great New York State Fair Logo.
Artists performing at the Great New York State Fair 2022 are some fan favorites, but also some new faces making their State Fair debuts.
Jimmie Allen is making his return to the State Fair after a 2019 performance that put him on the map. Now, Grammy-nominated for Best New Artist and nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist, this all after being named the Academy of Country Music’s New Male Artist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year in 2021. He takes the Chevy Court stage on opening day at 6 P.M.
Fast-rising country star Niko Moon will be making his Fair debut on August 26 at 6 P.M. His song “Good Time” hit number one on the Billboard country charts and spent nearly half of 2021 on the top 40 pop charts. He has written for artists like Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, and Rascall Flatts.
Platinum-selling breakout singer-songwriter Tai Verdes will make his debut performance at the Fair on September 2 at 1 P.M. He is known for his chart-topping hits like “A-O-K,” and “Stuck In The Middle” and has performed on The TODAY Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Verdes has been hailed by the likes of TIME Magazine, Rolling Stone, New York Times, NPR, and more for his music.
Rock band Foreigner will return to the Fair stage and close out the first weekend of the Fair’s concert season on August 28 at 8 P.M. Foreigner has 16 Top 30 hits over their decades-long career, with nine Top 10 hits. Their catalog has sold over 80 million albums, and they held the longest number 1 on the Billboard charts with their album “4.” They are also looking for a junior high, high school, or college chorus to perform a 10-minute acappella set before their show, and they can apply here.
Grammy-winning vocal soul powerhouse group Boyz II Men will return to the Fair for the first time since 2009 on August 29 at 8 P.M. They have a long catalog of top hits, which fans will be able to sing to all night long.
Rapper 24KGoldn is making his debut at the Fair on September 2 at 8 P.M. He made music chart records with his song “Mood” with Iann Dior as it became the first song ever to top four Billboard music charts at the same time. His mix of genres from rap, rock, and alt-rock will bring a wide variety of fans to the show.
COIN will bring their bright indie-pop to their debut performance at the Fair on September 3 at 2 P.M. They are most known for their single “Talk Too Much” which hit high on the indie charts. They help diversify the lineup with their fresh sound, which will bring a lot of young fans to the Fair.
Rap duo City Girls are coming to the Fair and are making their debut on September 4 at 8 P.M. Miami-based Yung Miami and JT are known for their single “Act Up” which went platinum, and for their contribution to Drake’s song “In My Feelings.”
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 pm 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 Kendra McKinley, The Pine Boys, Gozer, 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.
Kendra McKinley – “Dirty Laundry”
Kendra McKinley is a Hudson Valley singer-songwriter who blends pop, jazz, and soul using vibrant sensuality and wit. Her new single “Dirty Laundry” will be on EQXposure, and the music video is out now.
The Pine Boys – “Lunatic”
The Pine Boys is a three-piece band that resides in Albany, NY, and consists of members Andrew Cerone, Brett Maney, and Sam Lasky. The group brews together genres like Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop and Funk. Their song “Lunatic” off of their album Vacationland will be shown on EQXposure. The song is very funky, with muffled vocals and cool synths and an almost wolf’s howl in the background.
Gozer – “Braindead”
Gozer are a band also from Albany, NY. The members include Mykah Dillenger, Sean Murphy, Nick Kossor, and Seth Maset. They are an original hard rock band and music contributors to various podcasts/movies. Their single “Braindead” will also be shown on EQXposure. The song has a lot of heavy guitars and is reminicisent of an early 2000s rock song, with stellar vocals and lyrics.
They say love is all-around. Sometimes the feeling is as palpable as an embrace. Yet, finding the accurate words to frame love into its proper context remains one of the world’s greater mysteries. Love can be all-encompassing, it can be selfless, it can blossom out of desire and it can even be fickle. Only one thing is certain, once love is in the air, it builds its own cocoon within the consciousness waiting to be explored. And on Winter Nights, we get a first-hand look into how Mo’ Love handles his ever-changing disposition.
Lately I’ve been f****d up, all these feelings got me worked up.
In five swift songs we see the enchanted crooner jostle between lust, desire, commitment and emotional weariness. Beginning with the anthemic “Pgp,” where he wastes no time addressing the point of contention. The record opens with voicemails from various women looking to get in touch demanding that he call them back. Instead, he makes himself readily available to all, where his promiscuous flair is captured.
She think I’m a player cause she like what I’m saying. I’m not into selling dreams, you should buy what you like. And if you don’t, you can return me after the night.
Mo’ Love – Pgp
While the project intros with an emotional free-for-all, the more tightly wounded “The Same” is the inverse of its predecessor. With his distinct singing voice and sultry delivery, the r&b singer confronts the feelings of complacency that comes from a long-standing relationship. From fighting about the same things, noticing changes in a partner’s feelings and behavior, while dealing the subsequent yearn for the person responsible for your pain.
Comparatively, “Slow Dance” is next on the queue and sees the South Bronx native do a complete 180. While “The Same” left him picking up the pieces of his dissolved relationship, on “Slow Dance” he goes from prey to vulture, picking at the remains of a woman’s freshly severed union as he looks to seduce her. As the third of five records on the project, the song placement seems to be indicatory of the middle ground between committed and spending time, as he lulls,
flowing through the vibes, I can it in your eyes, Oh I love.
– Mo’ love, Slow Dance
Mo’ Love shows his talents for performative arts with his thespian-like display of character arc, going from player, to sucker and back to the life of easy virtue in just three songs.
Won’t you slow dance for a n****a yea, if you want these bands from a n***a yea.
We keep fighting about the same thing, I need some space so I could maintain Since you left, I haven’t been the same.
– Mo’ Love, The Same
Winter Nights follows this ebb-and-flow throughout all five records, where each mirrors its predecessor and vice versa. It’s a Ying and Yang of commitment versus freedom and promiscuity, with an intermission to ponder giving up both on “F****d Up Anthem.”
Who doesn’t want to be in a nice healthy relationship? But then, also I like my peace. I’m on a journey, I’m trying to get somewhere and there’s distractions. A lot of people are distractions more than help. Me knowing that, I definitely battle with being in relationships, wanting to take one serious. It takes a big, big person to make that leap and I battle with that all the time.
– Mo’ Love
It can be played frontward or backwards and the same message still echoes, combine that with the concise length of the EP and it is a reflection of the fleeting emotions that we share with one another.
I’m losing myself. The only thing I want in this life is bad for my health.
– Mo’ Love, Dirty Diana
Such is the uncertainty that surrounds many modern-day relationships, with not only the number of options, but the availability of it all. Lust can turn to infatuation, which metamorphoses into commitment, yet can just as quickly transform into weariness.
I deserve more than this, hurt on my mind so it’s hard to reminisce.
I’m hoping they [fans] go through the rides of emotions that I felt when I made it and the attention that I put into it. I know I wanted people to dance to it, I know I wanted people to feel good to it, but also, I wanted people to understand that there’s always a message in everything that I’m saying. There’s a message in every song that I put out and that means the most to me.
Every Phish fan knows the meaning of “the night before”. Tomorrow is a big show like Halloween or New Year’s Eve and the band drops an absolute scorcher of a show to get us pumped for the massive event to come.
Photo by Rene Huemer
After Wednesday’s slightly uneven and messy opener (still a really fun show – check out my review here), expectations were high for what was originally slated to be the 12/30/21 show. The last few December 30th Phish shows have included incredible moments like the legendary 35-minute Tweezer in 2019, the Glide II bustout and overall insane show in 2018, and a 27-minute Down with Disease in 2017 that stands as one of my favorite versions of the song.
4/21/22 established itself as “one of those nights” right from the jump, with Trey shouting out THE Suzy Greenberg for her first show as the crowd erupted with an insane burst of energy. Two strongly-played versions of 46 Days and Plasma followed the blazing opener with short but concise jams in each.
The first WOW-inducing moment of the night came next with a pretty clean reading of The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, complete with the Avenu Malkenu sandwiched in between. After a quick check of the last two times this song was played (9/1/21, 7/14/19), I was then certain that the rest of the show would continue to be legendary.
The jamming began in the Wolfman’s Brother late in set 1, continuing its 2022 streak after the absurd 22-minute version played in Mexico in February. Sticking to the bouncy groove of the song, Page worked the Rhodes beautifully as Trey took the reins toward the end and erupted into a massive peak to end the song. The crowd fed off of and loved EVERY SECOND of it, and I truly began to understand why MSG is Phish’s home court and the best place to see them.
Continuing with a rare and well-executed Esther (another first for me!), the band closed the set with a powerful Ghost. Taking the now-traditional bliss modulation, Trey seemed to be heading for the end around the 14-minute mark, but the band egged him on and he assertively drove into a manic and rocking jam that almost hinted at Tweezer Reprise to close the song and set.
When the band walked onstage for the second set and ripping directly into Chalk Dust Torture, there was no doubt about this version going deep. As has been the trend for this run so far, Phish stuck to major-key themes throughout instead of the more Sci-Fi Soldier-ish weird jams that dominated 2021. Trey confidently soared through the driving and beautiful Chalk Dust before smoothly transitioning into Tweezer (see 8/7/15 for the last amazing second-set opening CDT -> Tweezer). Beginning the jam with a relaxed vibe, Phish really leaned into the groove, working in aspects and themes of both Your Pet Cat and the Free jam (at least to my ears). Mike then led the band into an absolutely perfect modulation to major key.
Here’s where the jam got crazy.
Trey continued to play the Your Pet Cat-like riff, but it took on different meaning in the gorgeous bliss soundscape. Page’s gentle Wurlitzer playing and Fish’s insistent drumbeat pushed the jam as Trey gently began to solo in an incredibly patient and gorgeous theme. Seeming to stretch for much longer than its 14 minute runtime, Tweezer was absolutely perfect and the crowd ate up every second, absolutely captivated by the beauty of what was being produced in front of us. There was one moment around the 13-minute mark where Trey sustained a long note overtop of a silky bed of electric piano that provoked a loud cheer from the crowd. Absolute madness.
As Tweezer faded, Fish dropped into the familiar 2001 drumbeat and Madison Square Garden erupted as over 20,000 people began to aggressively dance at the same time. Trey played some fantastic funky rhythm guitar as Page took advantage of his synths throughout the patient jam. After the get-down dance break of 2001, Phish ripped through an incendiary Maze > About to Run pairing before taking the first real breather of the set in The Mango Song.
When an absolutely spectacular Hood came next, most people (myself included) assumed that the set would end there. The band wasn’t done, however, and Trey emphatically ripped the opening riff to Character Zero.
As much as people like to hate on this song to close second sets, the crowd absolutely RAGED for this tune and sang along to every word. Led by Page shifting to clav, Zero got dark and filthy for a couple of minutes before Trey dropped into Tweezer for a minute before cleanly transitioning back to Zero to close the set.
Let that process for a minute. Character Zero -> Tweezer -> Character Zero to close the second set.
A great encore of power ballad A Life Beyond the Dream and the best three minutes in rock music (Tweezer Reprise) closed this legendary show with more incredible energy from both the band and crowd.
This band is nearly 40 years into their career and continues to blow minds in unexpected ways. Tonight we celebrate New Year’s Eve in April and I could not be more excited to see what Phish has in store for us across three sets.
Phish Madison Square Garden – New York, NY 4/21/22
Set 1: Suzy Greenburg > 46 Days, Plasma, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avnenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, Wolfman’s Brother, Esther, Ghost
Set 2: Chalkdust Torture -> Tweezer > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Maze, About To Run, The Mango Song > Harry Hood, Character Zero -> Tweezer -> Character Zero
E: A Life Beyond The Dream, Tweezer Reprise
This was the rescheduled date for the show that had been postponed due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 surge in New York City in December of 2021. Suzy Greenberg was dedicated to “the hero of the song,” Suzy Greenberg, who was attending her first Phish show. Chalk Dust Torture was unfinished. Trey teased Super Bad in 2001. Mike quoted Kung and Trey teased Plasma in Harry Hood. The conclusion of Character Zero contained a Third Stone from the Sun tease from Trey
With The Punches has dropped a new single “Stoneham Blues.” This single comes following their signing with Mutant League Records, an independent record label based in Chicago. Their new EP, Discontent, is set to drop on May 27th.
With The Punches was initially formed in 2008 out of Newburgh. The band released two consecutive EPs, one in 2009 and one in 2011. In 2012, the band released their first and only full-length studio album titled, Seams and Stitches. Now, after nine years of silence, the band is ready to make a big return.
Their newest release takes the listener back to the height of skater-influenced pop-punk. The opening of the track powerfully draws you in as a bright guitar gloss fully floats over bulldozing percussion. The lyrics, contrarily, take on a more mature theme.
Capturing the feeling of emptiness may be the hardest emotion to replicate in art. Death, addiction, and everything in between are experiences that everyone has dealt with in their life. With The Punches do not hold back in discussing these feelings and they manage to beautifully capture these emotions through excellently constructed metaphors with a slight Midwest emo twist.
Swedish House Mafia will journey around the world in their first tour in 10 years. The tour follows the release of their first full length album, Paradise Again, which is also their first major release in 10 years.
Swedish House Mafia has added a series of new dates to their world tour following the release of their 2022 album, Paradise Again. This move was announced shortly after their Coachella performance with The Weeknd, this past weekend. They will travel through the US, from the Bane of California Stadium in Los Angeles to Madison Square Garden in NYC.
The trio will be joined by supporting acts ZHU, Alesso, Grimes and Kaytranada. Fans will have the opportunity to hear iconic songs like ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ and ‘Save the World’, along with cuts from Paradise Again. The album has a number of features including A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign and 070 Shake.
The dj trio consists of members Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Axwell. After separating in 2012, the group took some time apart before coming back together in 2018 for their surprise set at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival.
