Dave Chappelle made history at Radio City Music Hall on Oct. 16 with the venue’s first comedy pop-up show. The momentous event featured an all-star lineup of special guests opening the night.
Suggested Caption: From left to right – DJ Scratchator, Michael Che, Ronny Chieng, DJ Trauma, Busta Rhymes (kneeling over), Earthquake, Dave Chappelle, Spliff Star, Mo Amer and DJ Cipha Sounds on stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY on Sunday, October 16, 2022.
Dave Chappelle is recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His work has earned more than 30 nominations and awards in television and film. Chappelle has received five Emmy awards including three for his Netflix comedy specials, and two for hosting Saturday Night Live. He has also won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album three years in a row, from 2018 through 2020.
The comedy show was announced on Oct. 14 with tickets going on sale immediately after. The late-night set drew rave reviews with a packed house that arrived at 10:30 p.m. The show included all-star guests, including Ronny Chieng, Mo Amer, Michael Che, and Earthquake. The show concluded with a surprise performance from rapper Busta Rhymes with hype-man Spliff Star.
Dave Chappelle’s history-making night won’t be forgotten. He is performing more shows in Dec. in Hollywood, FL, and Columbus, OH. Tickets for those and more that may be announced can be purchased here.
Highlighting both newly-made holiday songs and traditional Christmas tunes will be the ‘Tis the Season with the Beach Boys tour performance event on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The featured album, Reason for the Season, having been produced by established musicians such as Sam Hollander from Panic! at the Disco and Train, and Steve Greenberg of Hanson and AJR, features artists like Hanson and Beach Boys co-founder Love’s children.
‘Tis The Season with The Beach Boys 2022 Tour Advertisement
The 16-date tour starts on November 26th and takes place in several cities across the country, including at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 5th. Their following performance in New York will be held at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater in Syracuse on December 7th.
Tickets will be on sale on Friday, October 7th and may be purchased online at Ticketmaster or at the Solvay Bank Box Office at The Oncenter Civic Center Theaters.
Tis the Season with the Beach Boys featuring the Holidays Vibrations Orchestra Tour Dates:
10/8 – Syracuse Crunch vs Rochester Americans
10/8-10/9 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Convention Center – RetroGameCon
10/11 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – FOCL Presents Yusef Salaam
10/14 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinders Theater Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Scared Shitless
10/16 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – The Princess Bride – An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes
10/18 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Convention Center – The Salvation Army’s 51st Annual Civic Celebration
10/27 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – Whose Live Anyway?
10/29 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – Zach Williams
10/30 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinders Theater – Kevin James
11/2 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – Ray LaMontagne The MONOVISION Tour
11/15 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – FOCL Presents Casey McQuinston
11/18 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – Ancient Aliens Live
11/18 – Syracuse, NY – Upstate Medical University Arena – Oncenter War Memorial – Trey Anastasio Band & Goose
11/19 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater – Daryl Hall and the Daryl’s House Band
11/26 – Mashantucket, CT – Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
11/27 – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
11/30 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center
12/2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
12/2-12/4 – Syracuse City Ballet Presents Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
12/3 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
12/5 – New York, NY – Carnegie Hall – Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman
12/7 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater
12/7 – ‘Tis the Season with The Beach Boys featuring The Holiday Vibrations Orchestra
12/9 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
12/10 – Akron, OH – E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall
12/11 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
12/11 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater -Championships of Magic
12/12 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater -Nutcracker! Magic of Christmas Ballet
12/13 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
12/14 – Saint Louis, MO – The Fabulous Fox Theatre
12/15 – Des Moines, IA – Des Moines Civic Center
12/16 – Welch, MN – Treasure Island Resort & Casino
12/17 – Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
12/18 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
1/13/23 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinder Theater – Brian Regan
3/21/23 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinder Theater – FOCL Presents Kate Quinn
4/18/23 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinder Theater – FOCL Presents Garry Trideau
5/9/23 – Syracuse, NY – The Oncenter Crouse Hinder Theater – FOCL Presents Jill Lepore
When Sid Seth moved to NYC from Ahmedabad, Gujarat in India five years ago to attend the Manhattan School of Music he shortly found that “the city that never sleeps” seemed to have gone into hibernation. In a new city, at a new school and without friends, Sid Seth turned to art and music, his longtime companions. It was during this time that Seth wrote “Simple Yet True,” his just-released debut single.
“Simple Yet True,” trickles in with acoustic guitar and Seths clear vocals, before building to a cathartic emotional release. The song is yearning but bright, a song for slow mornings, paired with coffee and cream.
Seth made the song using his own multi-instrumentalist talents on guitar and piano and with the help of Kris Crawford — who has produced for Ariana Grande and Shawn Mendes — and Alex Psaroudakis — who has won a Grammy for master engineering. In addition to these industry veterans at his back, Seth has experience playing live in NYC at such venues as the Bowery Electric, Feinstein’s 54 Below and the Green Room, and at venues in India as well.
But he’s not just a musician. Seth’s inspiration for “Simple yet True” actually came from painting first. In his room during the pandemic, when the city seemed to stand still, Seth felt drawn to the page, he said. He ended up painting a long-forgotten scene from his childhood onto the canvas, and that artful nostalgia translates in clean sweeps off the canvas and into his music.
Sid Seth’s next show is at Kobrick Coffee Co. in NYC on October 20 at 7:30. He will be playing with Justin Charles, an 18-year-old song-writer and producer. Tickets are available here. And, on December 8 Seth will play Rockwood Music Hall.
London-based, indie-jazz artist Puma Blue performed alongside Houston artist Hamond at Baby’s All Right on Oct. 15, headlining two performances after supporting Arlo Park’s Collapsed in Sunbeams Tour. Returning to the venue where they first performed in the US over 3 years ago, Puma Blue supplied the audience with lush, lo-fi jazz and R&B music for the hour-long set.
The night began with a similarly moving performance by Hamond, whose album, Pirate Radio, released this past June. Alone with a guitar and MIDI keyboard controller, he filled the 280-capcity venue of soul-stirring melodies with every chord. Hamond performed songs off the aforementioned LP, dazzling the crowd early in the night and showcasing his musical finesse, backed by cinematic pop beats.
Hamond, 2022 Photo by Parker Alexander
After a short break between sets, Puma Blue came on stage. They traversed an intricate 15-song set, featuring songs from their debut album, In Praise of Shadows, and two EPs released in 2017 and 2019. Two new, unreleased songs were played.
“Pretty”, was gentle and tranquil, reminiscent of “Only Trying 2 Tell You”. “Light That Is Gone” featured a riff with glimmers of Jeff Buckley’s “Dream Brother”, who Puma Blue’s singer, Jacob Allen, has cited as a central influence on his work (even playing a Fender Telecaster that Buckley had regularly performed with).
The group’s newly released song “Hounds” also made an appearance during the show. The brooding bass line reverberated across the snare and into the crowd, a highlight of the night. Finishing off with “(She’s) Just A Phase” and an accompanying raucous applause, Puma Blue concluded their fall supporting and headlining show schedule.
More music was teased to come (likely next year) and they undoubtedly will make a stop in New York.
Puma Blue | Baby’s All Right | Brooklyn, NY | October 15, 2022
Setlist: Midnight Blue, Soft Porn, Velvet Leaves, Already Falling, Snowflower, Lust, Oil Slick, Pretty, Bath House, Bruise Cruise, Light That Is Gone, Hounds, Moon Undah Water
Veteran club owner, concert promoter and sometimes filmmaker Peter Shapiro is drawing back the curtain on a career that encompasses nearly three decades and 10,000 shows in his new memoir, The Music Never Stops(Hachette Books).
Peter Shapiro is the man behind venues like Wetlands Preserve, Brooklyn Bowl (located in Williamsburg, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Nashville) The Capitol Theatre and a bevy of tours and festivals including The Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well and LOCKN’ and films like U2 3D to name but a few. Beginning with his work at Wetlands, Shapiro can lay claim to being a central figure in keeping alive and expanding the cult around the Grateful Dead and the many “jam bands” that emerged in their wake. For all his Dead credentials, people sometimes forget that Shapiro also played a vital role in exposing this huge base of open-minded fans to diverse artists like hip hoppers The Roots, rapper Talib Kweli, Americana great Jason Isbell, bluegrass innovators Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, jazz guitarists John Scofield and Stanley Jordan and countless more.
Shapiro’s journey began after seeing a Grateful Dead show in Illinois in March 1993. It was something that inspired him and a friend to take to the road to film Deadheads in their natural habitat during the band’s summer tour. Things didn’t go too well at first due to his crew being mistaken for D.E.A. agents because of their rental vehicle of choice – a white-panel van sans windows. His love of the Dead community would soon lead him to a job at Wetlands Preserve, the downtown NYC club dedicated to improvisational music and environmental activism founded by Larry Bloch. By age 23, he became a minority owner; a year later he assumes full ownership and is one the first giant step in a long and still percolating career.
Peter Shapiro
The 50 chapters of Shapiro’s book are titled and dedicated to some of his most memorable shows, beginning with The Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in July 2015. As the last song of the first set ended, a giant rainbow broke out over the crowd. The promoter joked that he paid $50,000 to create the effect, a quip that got reported as fact in a review in Variety. The Dead’s drummer Mickey Hart said: “Not even Bill Graham could do that!”
The early part of the book deals with the ups and downs and incredible evenings at Wetlands. These include the 10th anniversary show where Bob Weir jammed with Hanson, the unmatched 21 show run by Disco Biscuits, the Black Lily Jams with Questlove and the new talent, like Jill Scott and India.Arie, who emerged with the opening of club’s Downstairs Lounge. The heartbreak of the closing of Wetlands would come around 9/11, but not before a stellar lineup of farewell shows and jams featuring club favorites like The Spin Doctors, Rat Dog, DJ Logic and Stanley Jordan.
Some of the best parts of the book deal with Shapiro’s matter of fact communication of his struggles and occasional failures. One was his participation, as an investor only, in 2012’s Great Googa Mooga Food and Music Fest in Prospect Park. This was one that failed because it was too successful, drawing an overflow crowd that well exceeded the 40,000 expected. It was also hampered by a forward-thinking digital payment system that was a little too ahead of its time. Shapiro also talks about the incredible run and occasional SNAFUs that took place at The Jammy Awards, including the vastly understaffed 2001 edition.
Peter Shapiro at The Capitol Theatre
The tale of his efforts to get Brooklyn Bowl going are also pretty entertaining. When Shapiro sought the advice of veteran NYC promoter Ron Delsner on the concept, he said he thought it was insane to have a bowling alley next to a stage where the band played. On this, the old man was wrong as Shapiro would go on to create hugely successful off-shoots of The Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Las Vegas and Philadelphia.
One poignant chapter is the one dedicated to Easy Rider Live at Radio City, a film screening with live music to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary film starring Peter Fonda. Artists like Steppenwolf’s John Kay and The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn were on hand to play their songs featured in the soundtrack live during the screening, with an all-star band corralled by T. Bone Burnette. Unfortunately, Fonda would pass the month before the September 2019 event. His final Instagram post was a picture of himself before the marquee announcing the show.
Naturally, Shapiro’s book is bursting at the seams with a lot of hard-earned wisdom about the music business.
In the early days of Wetlands, he noted the importance of the late great Village Voice in getting the word out about shows. The sell-out of the unsigned and unmanaged Vulfpeck at MSG in 2019 is credited to smart way the band built a huge following via social media, viral videos, a killer email database (a Shapiro go-to) and their efforts to keep ticket prices (and profits) reasonable. Shapiro is also the kind of guy who would fly for 20 hours to get facetime to pitch an idea to an artist like Bono, Robert Plant or Taylor Swift, but only if the vibe was right. He also tells us that sometimes cash is really king – that a wad of it can be (take over in) the inspiration needed to get a band like Umphrey’s McGee to do a second encore (that one cost $500.)
Peter Shapiro at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Readers will get plenty of anecdotes about their favorite musicians and celebs. Shapiro recounts the night when Jimmy Fallon joined Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at the Capitol Theater for a rousing rendition of Neil Young’s “Fuckin’ Up” and how it was B.B. King who gave hippie icon Wavy Gravy his unforgettable handle. We hear about the night SNL’s Chevy Chase played piano at The Jammy Awards and another when he made Shapiro valet his car at the 2010 Climate Rally in D.C. There are anecdotes from Questlove’s memorable “Bowl Train” nights at Brooklyn Bowl, the site where SNL’s Maya Rudolph pioneered her popular Prince Tribute. Naturally, there’s lots of insight into the Dead and the many shows he promoted for Bob Weir’s Dead & Company and Phil Lesh & Friends. You also get an insight into their differences with Phil liking things “loud and fast” and Bob preferring his music “slow and quiet.”
The later chapters of Shapiro’s book deal with the onslaught of COVID and what it wrought on his and the concert business as a whole. While he was able receive PPP support for The Capitol Theater, LOCKN’ Fest and his media off-shoot Relix, there was none in the offing for The Brooklyn Bowls, due to a partnership venture with Live Nation.
Peter Shapiro at Lockn’ Festival
A lifeline during COVID came from longtime running buddy Trey Anastasio of Phish. The guitarist created a weekly series of concerts – The Beacon Jams – streamed from The Beacon Theater via Relix’s partnership with Twitch. The eight events attracted nearly 2 million viewers and some sorely needed capital. Shapiro’s Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville became the site of the novel “Be In the Stream” concerts carried on FANS.live featuring Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. Viewers joined a Zoom session and could be selected to be projected on the walls at the venue at the end of songs, giving the virtual events a live audience feel and the performers some sorely needed applause. At The Capitol Theater, Shapiro greeted COVID and passersbys with a sign that said: “This is only a set break!”
It was one that would last for 18 months.
Post-COVID, Shapiro is back with the launch of Relix Studios in the home of the old Jazz Standard on NYC’s East Side, with the opening of Brooklyn Bowl Philly, a proposed concept for yet another club called Jazzlands and much more.
The 13 testimonials at the beginning of the book, from boldfaced names like Phil Lesh, Stevie Van Zandt, Don Was, Questlove and Trey Anastasio, demonstrate Shapiro’s importance to music makers and fans alike. More than one, call him “the Bill Graham of our generation.” The 330-plus pages in this book are evidence that more than supports the claim.
A Gofundme started only ten days ago, on October 6, has already raised over $100,000 for veteran tour manager Dave Burton. After Burton suffered a massive stroke in September while working in Kentucky, his found family of touring musicians immediately rallied behind him — donating, spreading awareness and even creating limited-edition merchandise — in a heartwarming display of solidarity and respect for those members of the music industry that do heavy lifting outside of the spotlight.
Dave Burton has been tour manager for hundreds of bands and artists: The Hold Steady, Drive-By Truckers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Shins, Liz Phair, Animal Collective, Primal Scream, Beach House, Best Coast, Franz Ferdinand, Liars and Mercury Rev, just to name a few. He’s been working as a tour manager for over 25 years, traveling across the globe at the drop of a hat with the upmost enthusiasm, his friends said.
But, the flip side of the tour manager life style is that Burton, and most touring professionals, have no long-term health care coverage. This reality has left Burton in financial instability after an over three-week-stay at a hospital in Kentucky last month following the stroke. His long-term prognosis is good, Burton is expected to heal fully in time, according to his fundraising page. And thanks to the continuing success to Burton’s Gofundme, the tour manager might be able to get on the road again once he is healed.
Since 2017, Dave Burton has been Brooklyn-based indie/rock band The Hold Steady’s tour manager. His loyalty and stability during the chaos of touring prompted The Hold Steady to call him “a major, unseen part of The Hold Steady family for over a decade.” To give back, The Hold Steady declared all sales from their Bandcamp will go to Burton’s recovery fund.
The band also added a new shirt to their merch holdings that reads: “Who the f— is Dave Burton?” The Hold Steady called the shirt “pure Dave,” and it’s a reference to the silent movers behind the scenes, that do it not for the fame, not for the notoriety, but for the pure love of music.
Patterson Hood, guitarist for Drive-By Truckers, encapsulated Burton’s personality in his statement on the Gofundme:
David Burton. Great father, film aficionado (he probably would hate that term), foodie (pretty sure he would hate that one too), excellent writer… Rocker, par excellence. A man for all seasons. He’s also one of the finest Tour Managers ever to take that horrifically hard and thankless job. He’s grumpy, but we love him. Very much.
Amid a 20-date fall tour of North America that kicked off in early-October, Violent Femmes played City Winery’s intimate Main Stage on a rain-soaked evening on Thursday, October 13 in the West Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The underground folk punk legends who formed in 1981 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were gracing the City Winery stage yet again – for the fourth of five consecutive sell-outs.
Violent Femmes | Photo by Michael Dinger
As drenched concertgoers hustled into the venue’s main entrance along 11th Avenue to escape the downpour, there were several options to pass the time until showtime at 8:00 pm. Many participated in the free wine tasting featuring a Limited Edition Violent Femmes Cabernet Sauvignon – each of the five residency dates featured its own label artwork with band autographed bottles also available. Some patrons attended the art exhibit (“Live From the Cell Block: Will Livingston and His Silk Screen Machine”) taking place on the second level, a remarkable body of work featuring vintage-style concert posters Livingston created during his forty years in prison. While other fans who came for dinner and a show were seen seated at tables on either side of the standing floor orchestra section, or in the balcony section with a bird’s-eye view of the ‘action’ to unfold shortly.
City Winery Stage Backdrop | Photo by Michael DingerLimited Edition Wine Bottles | Photo by Michael Dinger
Preceded by Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) and Jeff Fielder who opened the October 9 and 10 shows, Alsarah and the Nubatones provided support for Violent Femmes on the October 11, 13 and 14 dates. Although their musical genre could not be any different from the post-punk headliner to follow, the East-African retro-pop group formed in Brooklyn in 2011 nonetheless quickly won the over the crowd. Performing on a stage bathed in soft violet and fuchsia light for more than 30 minutes, the five-piece ensemble enchanted the City Winery audience with Alsarah’s beautiful voice and soulful presence, accompanied by backing vocals from her sister Nahid. The dynamic fusion of sound was equally rounded out with pulsating basslines courtesy of Mawuena Kodjovi and warm timbre, low texture rhythms from Brandon Terzic playing an oud (an 11-string instrument similar to the lute).
Alsarah | Photo by Michael Dinger
During the stage turnover following Alsarah and the Nubatones’ set, I chatted with a lovely couple from Denmark who revealed to me that their entire vacation itinerary was planned around this specific concert, ever since it was originally announced in the early summer. With the cozy venue now quickly filling up in anticipation of Violent Femmes taking the stage, I surveyed the crowd surrounding me and noticed the age diversity of the attendees – many of whom were twentysomething – a testament to the everlasting legacy of the Femmes, and a point to which frontman and guitarist Gordon Gano would speak to in the closing moments of the night.
After a brief introduction of the band by City Winery’s emcee, Gano and his two bandmates – founding member Brian Ritchie (bass guitar) and John Sparrow (their drummer since 2016 who plays on a Weber charcoal kettle grill!) – appeared from stage left to loud applause from the nearly 400 fans in attendance. The trio was joined by longtime touring partner and multi-instrumentalist (including a 6-foot contrabass saxophone) Blaise Garza.
Gordon Gano | Photo by Michael DingerBrian Ritchie | Photo by Michael DingerJohn Sparrow | Photo by Michael DingerBlaise Garza | Photo by Michael Dinger
Over their nearly four decades together as a band, Violent Femmes have released ten studio albums, with their last being 2019’s Hotel Last Resort and for which they toured extensively. On this night of their residency stay, fans of the Femmes were indulged to a 21-song setlist, lasting for more than 90 minutes, that spanned their nearly four decade career. The most recent material played from their discography – which otherwise focused on the first twenty years of their career – was “Memory,” taken from their ninth studio album (We Can Do Anything, 2016).
However, if you came to this show hoping to witness live offerings from their stellar 1983 self-titled debut album, as I did, you were not disappointed. All the Femmes’ classics that made up their distinctive, early career sound were played, including “Good Feeling,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off” and “Add It Up.” Gano’s unmistakable, nasal-style voice, accompanied by Ritchie’s thumping bass lines (whether using his signature Ernie Ball acoustic or his MusicMan StingRay electric), was solidified with a solid percussion backbone provided by Sparrow (albeit via a minimalist approach using steel brushes on a non-traditional setup of drums). All of which afforded a superior listening experience in the state-of-the-art venue with custom-designed audio acoustics.
Brian Ritchie | Photo by Michael Dinger
In their new “home away from home,” the Femmes displayed an easy-going chemistry coupled with undeniable showmanship. The band were in top form, and so too were the audience, as many sang the chorus to any catchy lyrical pop nugget they recognized, while others chose to abandon their coveted dining table for any nearby space to dance in. The ‘stole-the-show” moment came when banjo ace and New York (Syracuse) native Tony Trischka made a special guest appearance on “Country Death Song” and “It’s Gonna Rain” – both from the Femmes’ sophomore studio album (Hallowed Ground, 1984) – the former of which Trischka performed the recorded version at the Secret Sound Studio at nearby West 24th Street.
Tony Trischka | Photo by Michael Dinger
The Violent Femmes’ tour culminates at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia on October 28. Tickets for remaining shows on the fall run are available here.
Violent Femmes | Photo by Michael Dinger
Violent Femmes Setlist: Prove My Love > Promise > Memory > Confessions > I’m Nothing > Life Is an Adventure > Country Death Song > It’s Gonna Rain > Breakin’ Up > Nightmares > Jesus Walking on the Water > Good Feeling > Dance, Motherfucker, Dance! > Gimme the Car > I Held Her In My Arms > Color Me Once > Gone Daddy Gone > Blister in the Sun > Kiss Off > Encore: In the Dark > Add It Up
The new music documentary Let There Be Drums directed by Justin Kreutzmann will be out on Oct. 28. It features many notable drummers, including one of the last filmed interviewers with the late Taylor Hawkins.
Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, set out to answer these questions in the documentary: “Are drummers born that way or do they become that way? Does the urge to create rhythm and be an integral part of a band emanate from something within — or is it learned?”
To get different perspectives on the art of drumming, Kreutzmann sat with some of the best, including Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland of the Police, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of The Grateful Dead, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, and Chad Smith of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also interviews the late Taylor Hawkins who was the drummer for the Foo Fighters. This was one of his last filmed interviews before his death in March 2022.
The documentary includes rare and never before seen footage. Highlights include Keith Moon speaking in outtakes from The Who’s 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright, Led Zeppelin’s John “Bonzo” Bonham speaking about fatherhood, No Doubt performing in a basement before they made it big, and a snapshot of a pre-Beatles Ringo Starr posing with his new drum kit.
Let There Be Drums will be out on Oct. 28 via Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and in select theaters.
Saturday Night Live‘s third show of the season featured a double threat with Megan Thee Stallion returning as both host and musical guest. Following Queen Latifah in 2004, this was only the second time a female rapper served as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
The show’s cold open featured a take on the January 6th Committee, with second-year player Sarah Sherman appearing as New York Senator Chuck Schumer negotiating for a pastrami sandwich delivery during the insurrection.
Megan’s monologue was brief and allowed her to share one success over the summer, Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from Texas Southern University, an HBCU. Before her career took off, Megan Thee Stallion’s was enrolled at Prairie View A&M, leading the rapper to joke that while her fans know her as Tina Snow, Suga and Hot Girl Meg, she can now be known as “Megan Thee girl that needs some sleep.” Stallion continued by saying “I got my degree in health administration because I have always wanted to help the people in my community. I believe it’s important to have a sharp mind and a sharp body-ody-ody.”
Megan Thee Stallion also took a moment to plug the website she launched last month, called Bad Bitches Have Bad Days Too, which features mental health resources, crisis hotlines and directories of Black and LGBTQ therapists.
The first sketch of the night put her degree to good use with “Hot Girl Hospital” where, joined by nurses Ego Nwodim and Punkie Johnson, they were “three everyday heroes glow up the community one dusty chick at a time.” The trio were on point together, with Nwodim standing out as the new female lead cast member thus far in the season.
The first song of the evening, “Anxiety,” from her sophomore album Traumatize, had a Beauty Pageant vibe with Megan Thee Stallion and backup dancers all wearing formal dresses with sashes that read “Ms. Overlooked,” “Ms. Insecure,” “Ms. Overlooked,” “Ms. Underpaid,” and Megan wearing “Miss Anxiety.” Rapping about bad girls having bad days too, the emotional empowerment number struck a chord with fans online, and Megan, as she sang about the loss of her mother.
A medley of “NDA” and “Plan B” were featured in the second performance of the night, with Megan wearing a black corset and cutout jeans, with knee length hair and a Cuban link chain, all whiile backed by a full rock band.
Saturday Night Live is off this week and returns on October 29th for the annual Halloween show, with host and musical guest Jack Harlow, who previously was musical guest in 2021.
Musicians Natalie Merchant, Simi Stone, James Felice and Berkshire Bateria are set to perform at the Save our Democracy Rally at Catskill Point on Monday, October 17, from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.. Located on 1 Main Street, Catskill, NY, this event aims to articulate the vision of the local Democratic candidates who are seeking to support women’s rights, protect voting rights and to create a more diverse and inclusive New York State.
Save Our Democracy Rally serves to protect voting rights and to create a more diverse, inclusive, and just New York State.
Hosted by beloved longtime Hudson Valley radio personality Carmel Holt, the Save Our Democracy Rally is free to attend and will be held indoors at Catskill Point. Presented by the Columbia County and Greene County Democratic Committees in conjunction with Club Helsinki and Melmar Productions, it comes in advance of the November elections and will encourage participation in the upcoming elections.
Speakers for Save our Democracy Rally
Speakers at the Save our Democracy Rally will include New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Assembly woman Didi Barrett, Chairman of the Green County Democratic Committee Lori Torgersen, Chairman of the Columbia County Democratic Committee Sam Hodge, Congressional District 19 Candidate Josh Riley, Democratic Candidate for Assembly District 102, Nicholas Chase, and NY Supreme Court Judge Candidates Heidi Cochrane, Meagan Galligan and Sharon Graff.
Performers
Natalie Merchant’s 40-year career has earned her a place among America’s most respected recording artists as well as garnering a reputation for her quality songwriting. She has also been active in promoting a number of non-profit organizations by lending both financial support and raising public awareness, particularly in the Hudson Valley where she resides.
Simi Stone, the former frontwoman of Suffrajett and The New Pornographers, is a musician, songwriter, and visual artist born and raised in Woodstock.
James Felice is a member of the Felice Brothers, an American folk rock/country band originally hailing from Palenville, NY in the Catskills. Berkshire Bateria, a samba band, will provide authentic Brazilian music.
Free parking for the Save our Democracy Rally will be at Dutchman’s Landing. The Catskill Visitor’s Center will provide golf cart rides to and from Catskill Point.
