NYC-based indie-pop singer-songwriter Aubrey Haddard announced her second LP, Awake And Talking, out August 16. She also shared the first single from the project “Just A Wall” along with a music video.
The album is about Haddard’s self-examination and how she navigates love and her relationship to art. Her biggest influences for the album came from the greatest songwriters of the 90s, like Oasis and Björk. With her writing partner and multi-instrumentalist Charley Ruddell and drummer Josh Strmic, they all wrote the songs in rehearsal spaces and Haddard’s childhood upstate home. She spoke about the album, and the deep meaning it has for her.
Awake And Talking is about seeking a sense of purpose. It challenges perception – how many ways can you look at the world before you find your place in it? It is about destiny and the journey to self-acceptance. And, like anything I create, it is about my own personal experience over the past few years. This record makes me feel powerful and confident in the face of uncertainty and it brings me a lot of joy to know that it could offer a sliver of that to anyone listening.
The new single “Just A Wall” is bold and emotional, with mesmerizing electric guitar riffs as she proudly sings the lyrics “Now that you’ve gone and shattered the glass…Whose arms do you run to?”
Aubrey Haddard, photo by Emmysu.
Aubrey Haddard’s new album Awake And Talking is out August 16, and her new electrifying single ”Just A Wall” is out now.
Knickerbocker Arena will always be one of those venues with a special place in Grateful Dead lore. The band played the downtown Albany arena thirteen times in their career which included three three-night runs at “The Knick.” Today, we look back at the middle show of the last three-night run there in 1993. It may not reach the heights of the band’s initial heralded run here in 1990 which helped provide material for their Dozin’ At The Knick album, but it sees the Dead at a time when they’re clearly comfortable in their own skin with this last incarnation of the band. The show provides a solid blend of Grateful Dead fan favorites, a pair of Dylan covers, and some newer original songs that were only played a smattering of times in this late era for the band.
The show begins with a tune that was starting to entrench its spot as a show opener in this last phase of live Dead, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo.” Jerry Garcia sounds engaged right from the get-go and drops an immaculate guitar fill early on in the proceedings. The band takes their time dragging out the composed portion of the opener before Garcia lays down another heavenly solo. After a courtesy nod of gratitude from the Knick crowd, the opening licks to “Walkin’ Blues” ring out loud and true and fellow guitarist Bob Weir takes control for the next number. He leads the way through a cover of the American blues classic before they resort back to one of their sentimental originals in “So Many Roads,” replete with another feathery Garcia solo that serves as the bridge before a somewhat “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”-esque ending.
The Dead make the following cover selection more than clear with a joyous romp through Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” that has both guitarists wailing on vocals by song’s end. Things then slow down again somewhat with the “High Times” that comes next. This Grateful Dead classic serves up a classic blend of bluesy Garcia solos that merely matches vocals of the same tenor. This sets the stage for yet another late-era Dead regular that never seemed to take off, “Eternity,” co-crafted by Weir and his fellow Ratdog bandmate Rob Wasserman.
A slow transition into “Deal” then follows, with bassist Phil Lesh pushing the tempo early and often before a jam that reaches near hysterical proportions closes out the first set earnestly. The second one begins with the familiar tones of “Scarlet Begonias” as the Knick crowd gets brought back to life with this vintage Dead number. This triggers a brief but blissful jam, with Garcia’s tricked out guitar creating the effects of a veritable flute solo, that serves as the springboard into a raging “Fire On The Mountain.”
After a somewhat abrupt ending to “Fire,” the drum-fueled intro to “Samson and Delilah” emerges. Some vintage bass bombs from Lesh are peppered throughout on a frenzied take on this live show staple. Another old standby in “Ship Of Fools” then follows, graced with a typical breathtaking solo from Garcia, before the Dead break out “Wave To The Wind,” a song co-written by Lesh and longtime band lyricist Robert Hunter that was played only a handful of times in 1992 and ’93.
A post-song segue into “Truckin’” gets a little murky but the band soon finds their footing and treats the Knickerbocker Arena crowd to another classic Dead sing-along number. It sees some strong piano fills thrown in from Vince Welnick that help fuel a brief but explosive jam that sets the table for the traditional “Drums” > “Space” portion of the evening.
From the psychedelic mist emerges another song synonymous with ’90s-era Dead, “Long Way To Go Home” with an energized Welnick taking charge and leading the way on vocals. The tone then shifts from new school to old school in a hurry as the band dusts off “Attics Of My Life.” It ends a 41-show gap from its last performance, which just happened to be here at The Knick last June. The set then comes to a rousing finish with a “Turn On Your Lovelight” that sees Bob Weir doling out the signature bluesy vocals and Garcia once more digging into his bag of tricks and emitting joyous trumpet-sounding guitar fills on the closer. The second and final Dylan cover of the night then serves as the encore as the show ends with a beautifully somber take of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” The Grateful Dead would return to Knickerbocker Arena the next day to close out this run and, two years later, they would play their final shows at this heralded venue.
Check out video of the entire show here and below thanks to YouTube.
View This And More Grateful Dead Shows From Across The Years In New York State With Our Interactive Map Below
Grateful Dead Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, NY 3/28/93
Set 1: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Walkin’ Blues, So Many Roads, When I Paint My Masterpiece, High Time, Eternity, Deal
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Samson And Delilah, Ship Of Fools, Wave To The Wind > Truckin’ > Drums > Space > Way To Go Home, Attics Of My Life > Turn On Your Lovelight
This weekend, The Disco Biscuits return to Port Chester and The Capitol Theatre with a trifecta of performances that will also feature pre-shows each evening at the adjacent Garcia’s. With signs of spring finally starting to emerge in the Northeast, one of the more iconic jam bands of the region will help turn the calendar from March to April with three nights of electronica-infused music.
This weekend will see The Disco Biscuits reach the “Double Digit” Club for shows at The Capitol Theatre with the last one on Saturday, April 2 being their eleventh show overall at this fabled venue. The band first played here in March of 2016 on a two-night run, with a rendition of “Helicopters” started on the first night and finished the next evening. The first show also featured the lone (to date) cover of Carl Carlton’s “She’s A Bad Mama Jama.”
The Disco Biscuits followed this up the next year with a three-night run at the Capitol Theatre from April 27 to 29. This time, it was “Shem-Rah-Boo” that was spread across the first two nights, with the first night also featuring a monstrous “House Dog Party Favor” to close out the second set. The following night sees one of the earlier versions of “The Champions” played and the last night’s first set gets capped off in grand fashion with a particularly spirited “Confrontation” > “Rock Candy (unfinished)” > “Confrontation” sequence of events.
The last time the Disco Biscuits graced the stage of The Capitol Theatre was in 2019 with yet another three-night run spanning January 31 – February 2. This run is probably best known for the last night as the Biscuits paid homage to their jam fore fathers The Grateful Dead who played plenty a memorable show here and started the show with a completely unexpected bust out of “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower.” The last night also featured an inverted “Shelby Rose” and a sublime jam emerging from a first set “Shem” that seamlessly flowed into the beginning of “Cyclone.”
The band is surely guaranteed to only add to their own legacy at The Cap and it all starts each night with thee free pre-shows that start as soon as doors open. PEAK kicks off the weekend on Thursday, March 31, Microcave jams on Friday, April 1, and Sweeping Views spins some far out dance tracks on Saturday, April 2.
Attendees need a ticket to The Disco Biscuits shows to attend the pre-shows! Tickets are still available for purchase here.
On Friday, March 24th, fans gathered at the Cohoes Music Hall to celebrate one of our all-time favorite promoters, Greg Bell from Guthrie Bell Productions with music from Eastbound Jesus,Glass Pony, and Wreckloose. Greg has been bringing live music to the lucky residents of the 518 for the past 30 years and counting. Friday night’s event was the first in a series of four shows put together to celebrate Greg’s legacy.
Eastbound Jesus, Glass Pony, Wreckloose
Not one to break tradition, for Friday night’s show, we all got some extra-special treats thanks to Greg Bell including seeing one band that doesn’t really play together anymore. Wreckloose dusted off their equipment and it was impossible to tell they haven’t been playing together constantly over the years.
High Energy & Hyped Up
Glass Pony and EastBound Jesus wrapped up the evening. Glass Pony is hands down one of the most energetic jam bands I have ever seen perform live. What an absolute blast. And I had heard about Eastbound Jesus for years before I finally got to see them on Friday night — it was well worth the wait. This inexhaustible band played for an impressive two hours.
More to Come from Guthrie Bell Productions
If you missed this incredible show, don’t despair — there are more to come. Guthrie Bell productions has shows scheduled for the next three weekends starting with The Sharks w/ Johnny Rabb & The Jailhouse Rockers on April 9th.
Sad Summer Fest presented by Journeys features a variety of artists and local bands including Neck Deep, MayDay Parade, and more. This unforgettable event will make stops in New York City at Pier 17 on July 22nd, and at the Stone Pony Summer Stage July 29th.
When asked what message he has for fans ahead of the summer tour, vocalist of Waterparks Awsten Knight writes, “I am ready to step around in the mud and get huge. If you see me doing push-ups in the parking lot do not approach me Lucas will tackle you OUT! Saddie summer will be my baddie summer better watch out because I get MOODY in the summer!! See you soon.”
“We’re stoked to be on Sad Summer this year!” says Neck Deep lead singer Ben Barlow. “We really can’t wait for another American summer, ripping a few heavy gigs, making the most of the sunshine and closing your night out with a show you’ll never forget.”
Mayday Parade will co-headline Sad Summer Fest for the second time, coming back this time with their latest music in the setlist. The band released their most recent album “What It Means to Fall Apart” in November and has spent the start of 2022 taking those new songs on the road, as well as performing songs from their self-titled album in celebration of its eleventh anniversary. Speaking on the band’s return to the Sad Summer Fest stage, lead singer Derek Sanders says, “We’re happy to have the opportunity to play such a great tour with so many wonderful bands. We look forward to seeing so many of you out there, it’s gonna be a wild summer.”
Journeys is excited to partner with Sad Summer Fest again this year. Connecting with our consumers and employees through live music events has always been a huge part of our identity as a brand. The ongoing partnership between Sad Summer Fest and Journeys has allowed us to come together to create a memorable and safe experience for fans that were missing live music and the face to face connection with their favorite artists.
Kari Irons, Journeys, Senior Vice President of Marketing
Tickets will officially go on sale March 24th at 10am local time, for purchase here.
SAD SUMMER FEST 2022 PRESENTED BY JOURNEYS
July 8 – Sacramento, CA – Heart Health Park @ Cal Expo
July 9 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove Outdoors
July 12 – Dallas, TX – Gilley’s
July 13 – Houston, TX – Lawn @ White Oak Music Hall
July 15 – Orlando, FL – Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fair
July 16 – Atlanta, GA – Coca Cola Roxy
July 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoors
July 20 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Outdoors
July 22 – New York, NY – The Rooftop @ Pier 17
July 23 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium Outdoors
July 24 – Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavilion
July 26 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live Outdoors
July 27 – Newport, KY – Ovation
July 29 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
July 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage @ the Mann
August 2 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
August 3 – Lewiston, NY – ArtPark Amphitheater
August 5 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave/Eagles Ballroom
Happy Birthday, Lady Gaga! Born on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta aka Lady Gaga is one of the most successful pop stars in the world. She grew up in the city with her parents Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta, with her younger sister Natali. Taking her name from the song Radio Ga-Ga by Queen, Gaga has shown her versatility from being in the film and music industries, with multiple number one hits and nominations to show for it.
Lady Gaga at the SAG Awards for film House of Gucci.
Gaga learned how to play the piano at the age of four, and At the age of 11, she was accepted to the Juilliard School in Manhattan but she instead attended a private Catholic school in the city. She wrote her first piano ballad at 13, and at age 14 she had her first performance at a New York nightclub.
Her debut album The Fame and single “Just Dance” received both popular and commercial acclaim, and “Just Dance” was nominated for a Grammy Award. Although it didn’t win, it reached number one on the charts. The second single off of the album “Poker Face” went to the top of the charts in every category and country in 2009.
In 2010, she released her album Fame Monster, then in 2011 released yet another critically acclaimed album Born This Way. In 2013, she released another album titled Artpop. One of the highlights of her career thus far was working with Tony Bennett on the jazz album Cheek To Cheek. The album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. She performed at Super Bowl 50 in 2016. Also in 2016, Gaga released her fifth studio album, Joanne, her fourth number one album in the United States.
In 2017, she announced she had signed for a Las Vegas residency. She performed two separate shows over 27 dates: Lady Gaga Enigma, a collection of her most popular songs, and Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano, which had stripped-down versions of her greatest hits. In 2020, she released her sixth studio album Chromatica, which hit high on the charts, and had the number one single “Rain On Me” with Ariana Grande.
Lady Gaga at her residency, photo by Getty Images.
For films and TV shows, she has done a lot. In 2016, she earned a Golden Globe for her portrayal of The Countess in American Horror Story: Hotel. Also in 2016, she was cast to play Ally in A Star Is Born, which grossed an impressive $400 million globally. She and her co-star Bradley Cooper received Golden Globe, Grammy and Oscar win for their duet song “Shallow.” In 2021, she played Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci and has won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
Lady Gaga proves she is not done yet in her outstanding career, and she continues to deliver number one hits and be who she truly is, a star.
At an unforgettable Academy Awards ceremony, Billie Eilish won the Oscar for Best Song and the Questlove-directed Summer of Soul won the Oscar for Best Documentary feature.
Summer of Soul looks at The Harlem Cultural Festival, filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park), an event that celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity. Over six weeks in the summer of 1969, and nearly 100 miles south of Woodstock (where another festival was taking place), the footage that makes up Summer of Soul was never seen and largely forgotten.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson brought this ‘Black Woodstock’ to light for his debut documentary, Summer of Soul(…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Part concert film and part historical record, the documentary is an important piece of history that stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The trailer debuted during the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 2021 where Questlove was serving as music director and DJ for the evening.
Questlove was joined on stage by fellow documentary producers Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein and appeared choked up when he mentioned his late father, musician Lee Andrews, who died in 2016.
It’s not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old. This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But it’s not about me. It’s about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. Just know in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem.
Questlove attempted to finish his speech but was overwhelmed, saying “I’m gonna get myself together and thank everyone proper when I get offstage.”
Moments before Questlove’s category was introduced, future-Best-Actor winner Will Smith walked on stage and hit presenter Chris Rock for a comment made about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. The moment left Questlove somewhat shaken as he accepted the award for Best Documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbOF4wpEVw
A short while later, Billie Eilish, along with Finneas O’Connell, won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “No Time to Die” from the most recent James Bond film of the same name. The song was written by the brother-sister duo, and with Eilish only 18 when the song was recorded, makes the song and artist the youngest to record a James Bond theme, let alone win an Oscar for Best Original Song. “No Time to Die” previously won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
Other nominees in the Best Original Song category this year included “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto (music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda), “Be Alive” from King Richard (music and lyrics by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), “Somehow You Do,” from Four Good Days (music and lyrics by Diane Warren), and “Down to Joy,” from Belfast (music and lyrics by Van Morrison).
Since the 1960s, James Bond films have included memorable original songs, with two Best Original Song Oscars given to 007 films in recent years, including “Writing’s On the Wall” (Jimmy Nape, Sam Smith) from Spectre, and “Skyfall” (Adele, Paul Epworth) from Skyfall.
Other Bond film original songs that have been nominated in the past include “The Look of Love” (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) from Casino Royale (1968), “Live and Let Die” (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) from Live and Let Die (1974), “Nobody Does it Better” (Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager) from The Spy Who Loved Me (1978), and “For Your Eyes Only” (Bill Conti, Mick Leeson) from For Your Eyes Only (1982)
Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider releases new video for his song “Stand” in support of Ukraine.
Photo Credit: Randy Frieder
The video is retitled “Stand (with Ukraine)”. The new version includes live footage from the conflict currently going on in Ukraine.
About a week ago, it hit me that the song “Stand” from my last Napalm Records album, ‘Leave a Scar’, fit the crisis in Ukraine perfectly. I just couldn’t get around how well the lyrics resonated. So, I had a couple of incredibly talented people, Scott Pitek and Steve Sage Goldberg, cut together a new video using some live concert footage and news clips. The result is devastating.
Dee Snider
The idea for the new music video came after someone reached out to Snider to tell him that Ukrainians were using Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as a battle cry.
“About a month ago, someone on social media told me people in Ukraine were using Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as a battle cry and asked if I was cool with it,” said Snider. “Of course I was.”
Snider gained significant media attention after a tweet endorsing the use of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as a pro Ukraine anthem went viral. Since then, Dee Snider contributed to relief fund World United Live to raise awareness and money for the victims of the conflict in Ukraine.
“At [World United Live] we have been beating the drum for the free world to come together not only in support of Ukraine and condemnation of Putin, but in sending a message to the Russian people that they are misinformed and not being told the truth,” explained Snider.
The organization is planning a benefit concert in support of Ukraine that it hopes will be the world’s largest.
The award winning R&B Group Boyz II Men will be coming to Proctors in Schenectady at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 27. Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wayna Morris and Shawn Stockman found fame during the 1990s with Motown Records. The group is currently the best-selling R&B group of all time, selling over 64 million albums.
Boyz II Men dropped their debut album in 1991 called Cooleyhighharmony. The album sold over nine million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The album included hits such as “Motownphilly” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
Since then, the 4-time grammy award winning R&B group went on to release mega-hits like “I’ll Make Love to You,” “End of the Road,” “One Sweet Day,” and many more. In 2011, Boyz II Men celebrated their 20th anniversary by releasing an album fittingly named Twenty. This album was the group’s first in nearly ten years.
On top of their Grammy awards, they’ve also won nine American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Awards, three Billboard Awards, and a 2011 MOBO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and many more iconic achievements.
Outside of their musical achievements, the group also started their own charity called Boyz II Men House. The charity was established to support individuals and organizations that focus on improving quality of life while contributing to those who are less fortunate.
Pre-sales for the August 27th show will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 15 with the official on-sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 18. Tickets are available through the Box Office at Proctors, in person or online at proctors.org.
On July 23rd, Flashback Funk Fest will take place at Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, featuring legendary artists like Morris Day & The Time and Cameo with SOS Band and The Dazz Band.
Morris Day and The Time & Cameo at Kings Theatre
Morris Day, legendary funkmaster and well known for playing the main role in the movie Purple Rain, returns with his energetic vocals and witty lyrics. Day is the lead singer of The Time, a musical group associated with Prince. Similarly, the two even attended the same high school in Minneapolis in 1974. Some of his biggest hits include “Jungle Love”, “Get It Up”, and “The Bird.”
Accompanying Morris Day & The Time, CAMEO celebrates 40 years & more than eighteen million albums. Larry Blackmon, the lead singer of CAMEO, composes such a unique funk sound thats played throughout time. Their hit songs are routinely placed in films, TV, video games, and commercials.
S.O.S Band, otherwise known as The Sounds of Success, is comprised of Jason Bryant, Billy Ellis, Willie “Sonny” Killebrew, Bruno Speight, John A. Simpson, James Earl Jones III, and Mary Davis.
Their greatest hits include, “Take Your Time (Do It Right) and “Just Be Good to Me.” After Davis’ retirement from touring in 2020, the band added two new vocalists, Marleen Thomas, and Chimere Scott, who have taken the torch in place of their former iconic original vocalist.
Led by Bobby Harris, The Dazz Band is comprised of Skip Martin (Lead Vocals & Trumpet), Marlon “The Magician McClain (Guitar), Donny Sykes (Vocals), Raymond Calhoun (Drums)Keith Harrison (Keyboards), and Alvin Frazier (Bass). Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, the band won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by an R&B Group or Duo for their smash hit “Let It Whip” in 1982.
The show will start at 7:30pm and doors open at 6:00pm. Tickets are on sale now here.
