On June 3, Brooklyn-based emo band, Stay Inside, released their newest work and 5-track EP, Blight, via No Sleep Records.
Stay Inside consists of Bryn Nieboer (vocals/bass), Chris Johns (guitar/backing vocals), Chris Lawless (guitar/backing vocals), and Vishnu Anantha on drums. Blight is the band’s newest release since their critically acclaimed 2020 album, Viewing.
Jon Markson of Drug Church and Koyo returns on production for the Blight EP which showcases a more intense side of the emo Brooklyn band. Although only totaling five songs, the lyrics and carefully executed instrumentation put the release on a caliber of its own.
The opening track, “Eraser,” starts slowly, with an emotional rhythm and vocals to draw you in before an intense build with drums and guitar. “Hollow,” plays with a unique beat and engaging message, with the lyrics “so I just sit there with my arms wide / I think I used up all my good lies / Oh god you started losing everything before you try to tell yourself to stop.” The EP was written while NYC was experiencing intense lockdown, and it fully represents the extreme feelings of the time.
Other tracks, such as “Fracture” and “Spore” are great additions to the EP, bringing even more depth and experimentation to the work with addictive drums and melodies. Stay Inside is surely growing and expanding with this most recent EP, Blight.
This summer, the post-hardcore band perform at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on July 22. Be sure to keep up with the band on Instagram here and Twitter here, and take a listen to some more of their music, available below.
The Inaugural MetaMoon Music Festival will kick off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 26th to celebrate Asian talent and culture. Featuring pop star Lay Zhang, 9m88, Karencici, ØZI and Sury Su, as well hosted by MC Jin, the festival is their arena debut in the United States and a great opportunity to enjoy Asian popular music.
MetaMoon Music Festival
The MetaMoon Music Festival, a single-day festival and cultural experience to celebrate the Asian American diaspora which is founded by Hong Kong-based Graceful Media and produced in partnership with Live Nation. Its mission is to bridge the gap between Asia and the United States and show that music is a universal language since the underrepresentation of Asian community in American entertainment.
Graceful Media set out to create a platform in the United States for Asian and Asian American artists, to have a space where their fans can connect and celebrate while discovering new music and artists. The large Asian-American population made Barclays Center the perfect host venue for the festival.
“There is a great need for stronger Asian representation in pop culture and in the media, and the mission of MetaMoon Music Festival is to give artists the ability to shine from a prominent stage, in the heart of Brooklyn. Now more than ever, music is truly a global language, and talent, no matter where they come from, will resonate with fans across cultures if given the opportunity to share their passion and creativity.”
– Grace Chen, Founder of Graceful Media
The wonderful performers, including Lay Zhang, from K-pop super group EXO, will be headlining the event, along with9m88, Karencici, ØZI, and Sury Su. More artists and special guests are expected to be announced and MC Jin will be hosting the evening. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, July 15 at 10 a.m. EST and can be purchased online.
Live Nation is committed to creating endless opportunities to connect artists of all genres and backgrounds with their fans. The inaugural MetaMoon Music Festival will inspire and create new and exciting opportunities for many of today’s Asian artists, from both here and abroad, to shine brightly, and engage their fans in this epic and unforgettable event.
– Geoff Gordon, Regional President, Live Nation Northeast
Barclays Center is located in the heart of Brooklyn, at the crossroads of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues.
For more information on the MetaMoon Music Festival, please visit www.metamoonfest.com.
San Diego band Mrs. Henry annouced their Chest Fever tour dates to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the release of legendary rock group The Band‘s Rock of Ages album. The last two stops of this tour will be at Photo City Music Hall in Rochester on August 14th and The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on August 15.
Mrs. Henry is led by Dan Cervantes (Howlin Rain guitarist + Blind Owl label owner), and is rounded out by Jody Bagley (Vocals and Keyboards), Blake Dean (Vocals and Bass), and Chad Lee (Vocals and Drums). After West Coast tour in 2015, the group spent the last five years on the road building a reputation for their brand. In turn, they established individual credits including Howlin’ Rain, The Schizophonics, The Silent Comedy.
Chest Fever by Stacey Webb
The idea of Chest Fever started in 2017 when Mrs. Henry set their sights on recreating the historic 1976 night where The Band documented their legendary final performance The Last Waltz. The stress in the one-year planning and rehearsing nearly broke up the band. However, they entirely performed the Last Waltz on November 26, 2017.
The group performed The Last Waltz again in November 2021 at Solana Beach. After the sold out performance, the group set out to continue their sights on honoring The Band and their impact on rock and roll.
Now, with the official approval from The Band itself, the group is back to recreate The Band’s Rock of Ages live album to mark the 50th anniversary of it. Rock of Ages, a collection of live recordings from The Band’s four night 1971 residency at the Academy of Music in New York City featured Howard Johnson, Snooky Young, Joe Farrell, J.D. Parron, Earl McIntyre and suprised guest Bob Dylan, underscored The Band’s ambitious on-stage vision, and further cemented their place in rock music history.
Each night Chest Fever will be performing songs from Rock of Ages, including “Caledonia Mission,” “The Unfaithful Servant,” “Get Up Jake,” and of course “Chest Fever.” They will additionally be cycling in a number of deeper cuts from The Band’s oeuvre, including “Rockin’ Chair,” “Time To Kill,” as well as classics originally left out Rock of Ages including “Up on Cripple Creek,” “I Shall Be Released,” and more.
“The first time I heard The Band was when I was a young kid seeing The Last Waltz over Thanksgiving. My Dad played the video or rented from Blockbuster at the time, that just lit a fire.
Mrs. Henry member Dan Cervantes
The group will be performing alongside local horn sections from each city to recreate the iconic contributions from Johnson, Young, Farrel, McIntyre, and Parron, while additionally featuring a special guest in select towns to perform the 4 song Bob Dylan set from the original residency. Each concert will feature slight variations to give audiences a unique experience.
The band will feature an all-star group of accomplished and celebrated players at the final tour stop at Brooklyn’s Sultan Room on August 15th, including trumpeter Eric Biondo, sousaphone and tuba player John Altieri, saxophonist Stuart Bogie, and trombonist Dave ‘Smoota’ Smith.
Chest Fever Tour Dates
7/20 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Wayfarer 7/21 – Chico, CA @ Argus Bar 7/22 – Sunnyvale, CA @ Quarter Note Bar 7/23 – Red Bluff, CA @ Rock Of Red Bluff Festival 7/24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Park Side 7/29 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah San Diego 8/4 – Woodstock, GA @ Madlife Stage & Studios 8/5 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger 8/6 – Cleveland, OH @ The Winchester Bar 8/7- Columbus, OH @ The Summit Music Hall 8/8 – Columbus, OH @ The Summit Music Hall 8/10 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ El Mocambo 8/11- Pittsburgh, PA @t Thunderbird Music Hall 8/12 – Burlington, VT @ Nectar’s 8/13 – Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church 8/14 – Rochester, NY @ Photo City Music Hall 8/15 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Sultan Room
Runaway New York presents “Nights,” a micro festival for the youth, by the youth, taking place on Saturday, July 16th. With its current outreach mission, Runaway New York aims to share its platform with other budding creatives. You won’t want to miss what this event has in store.
Runaway New York is a fashion and lifestyle brand founded in New York City in 2018 by Jagger Walk, the brand’s CEO, and Creative Director. From creating apparel, fragrances, and jewelry, the brand prioritizes quality and values giving back to its beloved city. The band has even collaborated with Pharell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club. Overall, to Runaway New York, the sky is the limit.
After their first Nights event in London, the brand wanted to bring the concept back to New York where it originally came from. The show is headlined by Laundry Day and a special guest, who will be announced leading up to the event.
Industry City is the perfect place to debut Nights in New York City for many reasons. From its location to the amenities, and general atmosphere, we felt this would be the most fitting setting for the event
Jack Berk, one of the event’s organizers
Partnering with artist Tyler Miller and his manager Jack Berk; the three have come together to bring Brooklyn a “micro” festival made by the youth for the youth. Tyler Miller, Carlo Redl, and Chad Nelson will open the show which will be accompanied by exclusive Runaway New York merchandise.
The show will take place at Industry City Courtyard 1/2 and tickets will be sold to the public for all ages. Food and drink will be available for purchase as well. The doors open at 6:00 PM and the show is expected to go on until 11:00 PM.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click the link here.
Brooklyn-based alt-rock artist Moon Walker has released his newest single, “The Price of Life Itself,” off of his upcoming sophomore album, The Attack Of Mirrors, set for release on October 21, 2022.
Photo credit: Madison McConnell
With reverberated vocals, electric guitar, and gritty lyrics, the new track sheds light on injustices in American society. Moon Walker, also known as Harry Springer, wrote the track in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 after seeing first-hand the militarized response to a peaceful protest.
Moon Walker shares that the track is one of his most proud moments lyrically. The music video, directed by returning Madison McConnell, conveys an uneasy sense of reality to its viewers, channeling the themes of Alice in Wonderland. Taking place in a house covered in ivy, with warm outfits, hazy lighting, and a fish-eye lens, the music video combines groove and defiance into one.
It was a moment where I really realized how much my sense of safety, freedom and protection was a facade. Our country’s institutions are all so deeply broken and flawed, that not only do none of them actually accomplish what they set out to, they likely have the opposite effect. The entire ethos of the song can be summarized in one of the final lyrics: ‘We can stay above the water, while still lending a hand to those who sink.’ That is the price of life itself.
– Moon Walker
Harry Springer coined Moon Walker at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, passing the time by selling songs to various sound libraries. All of his music is composed, produced, and performed in his bedroom, but the sound is fit for much more than that.
Photo Credit: Madison McConnell
After sudden success on the viral video-making app Tik Tok, Moon Walker’s first seven-track album, Truth to Power, rose to light. Artists such as Justin Hawkins praised Moon Walker for his work, and he is back with his sophomore effort on The Attack of Mirrors out early this fall.
The second album from Moon Walker will see a more maximalist, experimental approach than compared to his previous work. With powerful, thought-provoking lyrics and a unique sound, the new album is sure to have success.
Brooklyn-based indie-rock band Wilder Maker released their newest single, “A Professional” on June 27 from their upcoming album, Male Models, out on July 29 via Western Vinyl. The single features guest lead vocalist Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors and Ava Luna.
Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz
Made up of musicians Gabriel Birnbaum, Nick Jost, and Sean Mullins, Wilder Maker began with a series of self-releases and home recordings before debuting music such as “New Streets” (2017), and Zion (2018) to much acclaim. Their upcoming Male Models album was live-recorded over several days and includes an impressive lineup of guest vocalists.
The track, “A Professional” is one of twelve songs on Male Models. Although the lead vocalist and songwriter of Wilder Marker, Birnbaum, does not sing on the track, Douglass’ vocals shine right in the start. Her voice carries the song’s message of isolation with feeling. With simple chords eventually overlaid with drum beats and other instrumentation, the track blends together beautifully.
’A Professional’ dips into the feeling of digital isolation … the way the physical world has become less real and more ghostly, less mysterious and more quantifiable. It’s inspired by this recurring experience I have, usually traveling, where I’ve been alone all day and I suddenly want to connect very badly with people I care about. I fire off several texts and sit there waiting for the phone to light up, with this strange feeling that everyone I know might have vanished. As soon as I imagined Felicia singing this song, I knew she’d be perfect for it, and she was. I’m so happy and grateful she was able to do it.
– Songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum
The upcoming Male Models features more guest lead vocalists, including an impressive line-up of Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Katie Von Schleicher, Felicia Douglass, Alex Schaaf (Yellow Ostrich), V.V. Lightbody, and Mutual Benefit. Across the 12 songs on the album, audiences will find electrified soul, heartfelt folk songs, indie rock, and more.
Birnbaum drew from a wide array of inspirations for the album, including everything from American novelist James Salter, the NBA playoffs, to Thin Lizzy and the topic of masculinity. After making music for nearly a decade together, Wilder Maker is set for the release of yet another energetic album – stay tuned for July 29.
The Green-Wood Cemetery series of concerts in Brooklyn will feature boundary-breaking performers in its historic catacombs from July through September. This season features performances with violinist/violist and interdisciplinary performing artist eddy kwon, multi-instrumentalist and composer Zeena Parkins, and free jazz legend William Parker.
The Green Wood Cemetery
Established in 1838, The Green-Wood Cemetery is recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries. As an affordable alternative to traditional burial spaces, the Catacombs are rarely open to the public. At the same time, Green-Wood is also an outdoor museum, an arboretum, and a repository of history. Throughout the year, it offers innovative programs in arts and culture, nature and the environment, education, workforce development, restoration, and research.
eddy kwon – July 6th and July 7th
eddy kwon will display their unique brand of interdisciplinary performance art, which explores transformation and transgression, ritual practices and mythology. Their art is inspired by American experimentalism, as shaped by the Associate for the Advancement of Creative Musicians as well as Korean folk timbres and inflections, textures, and movements from natural environments.
eddy kwon
Zeena Parkins – August 10th and August 11th
Zeena Parkins will bring their pioneering electro-acoustic style to the Catacombs. Parkins has designed a series of one-of-a-kind electric instruments and is also a master of modern harp practice.
Zeena Parkins
William Parker – September 21st and September 22nd
The New York City native William Parker will perform with his blistering improvisational bass. He has had a prolific career, released over 150 albums, published six books, and influenced countless students, musicians and artists over his decades long career.
William Parker by Peter Gannushkin
Because the Catacombs are deep in the Cemetery, attendees will be transported to and from the Catacombs from Green-Wood’s Main Entrance (25th street and Fifth Avenue) via trolley. There will be two performances each night, at 6:30 and 8pm.
Tickets start at $40, and are $35 for Green-Wood members. Attendees must wear a face covering at all times on the trolley and in the Catacombs. Doors close 30-minutes after the time on their ticket.
On Friday, 10 June, Brooklyn quartet band Living Room released their new album, New Years. After their growth in the last decade, the band performed their surprising leveling up in this album.
Living Room
Based out of Brooklyn, Living Room is anchored by a decade-long friendship between their members, and now joined indie label Fear Icon Records. It has Scott Fitzpatrick and John Nicholls on guitar/vocals, Kevin Dobbins on bass, and Fred Trumpy on drums.
Influenced by late ’90s and early aught acts, Living Room released a rich discography that blends emo, shoegaze, and post-punk. Their discography displays their evolving and precise musicianship with lyrics that reflect the complexity, vicissitude, and euphoria of life.
The first powerful impression of this album is its strong sense of rhythm. Based on the intense drumbeats, “Mauve Frame” successful built a cheerful but absurd environment. And the drum is the spine to support the emotional storytelling from the lyrics and vocals.
Guitar and bass played an important role in performing their shoegaze style. The long and droning riffs in “Flood” expressed the shoegaze style of the band. This album widely used such sound in guitar and bass performing.
Stand out tracks like “Petrol Head” and “Flood” have big choruses that shine with the production work of Gary Cioni. Cooperated with the Scott and John’s vocal, the big choruses amplified the emotion embeded in the songs.
Lyrically the album used metaphor to express their feelings. Written by the two vocals, the lyrics told the feelings of romance and life experiences. “All I saw was the mauve frame. It all looked burnt orange to me. I’m sorry, it’s not funny. A world so colorful yet so boring”, they sang in the “Mauve Frame”, with the bright melodies reflected the loneliness in the song.
St. Ann’s Warehouse announced its upcoming Fandango At The Wall concert in Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 9th. Arturo O’Farrill and 30 musicians from the U.S., Mexico and beyond reunite to celebrate the 300-year old son Jarocho sound of Mexico. Based in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, St. Ann’s Warehouse plays a vital role on the global cultural landscape as an American artistic home for international companies of distinction, American avant-garde masters and talented emerging artists ready to work on a grand scale.
Fandango At The Wall Concert
Based on the original 1860’s Tobacco Warehouse, St. Ann’s Warehouse is a waterfront theater that opened in October 2015 in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The building includes a Studio, a welcoming foyer/exhibit space, and The Max Family Garden. It has reconfigured its facade and rooftop balconies for public art presentations during the pandemic.
The Fandango at the Wall concert is rooted in the Fandango Fronterizo Festival, a cross-border fandango, or jam session, that has taken place annually since 2008 and features son jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico, performed on both sides of the Tijuana/San Diego border wall.
The musicians participating in this upcoming concert include Arturo O’Farrill, the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective (featuring Patricio Hidalgo, Ramon Guitierrez, Tacho Utrera, Wendy Cao Romero, Fernando Guadarrama, and Jorge Francisco Castillo); Mexican trio The Villalobos Brothers; American jazz violinist Regina Carter; American cellist and composer Akua Dixon; Iraqi-American oud virtuoso Rahim AlHaj; and the Iranian-born tar and setar player Sahba Motalebbi.
Former BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins has joined St. Ann’s Warehouse and the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance as Executive Producer of the concert.
Fandango at the Wall is especially important now, when so many things are going wrong and such horrible violence is wreaking havoc on our nation. It’s more important than ever to state that borders don’t exist—they’re manmade. Brooklyn Bridge Park is the perfect place to express that, because of the diversity and the wonderful way that New Yorkers come together. We look forward to celebrating humanity, celebrating togetherness, celebrating peace with you through the music of son jarocho.
Arturo O’Farrill
The Fandango at the Wall concert will be presented July 9 at 7pm at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1, which is located at 2 Furman St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. In case of rain, the concert will be held inside St. Ann’s Warehouse (45 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201).
Fandango at the Wall is free to the public. RSVPs are encouraged, but not required. Learn more and RSVP at stannswarehouse.org.
Artists appearing at Fandango at the Wall include:
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Arturo O’Farrill
Arturo O’Farrill is son of composer Chico O’Farrill, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. He is a pianist who has been nominated by Grammy for multiple times, and meanwhile a Professor at UCLA.
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
In 2002, he established Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) to introduce musical traditions of Afro Latin jazz to a wider general audience, and to greatly expand the contemporary Latin jazz big band repertoire. In March 2021, O’Farrill and the ALJO won their 7th Grammy for Four Questions. In September 2018, O’Farrill and ALJO released the album, Fandango at the Wall: A Soundtrack for the United States, Mexico, and Beyond, and participated in the documentary for HBO MAX.
Rahim AlHaj
Rahim AlHaj
Rahim AlHaj began playing oud at the age of nine, and has composed pieces for solo oud, trio, string quintet, symphony, etc. Delicately combining traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling/influence, his pieces establish new concepts without altering the foundations of the traditional “Iraqi School of Oud.” Rahim has released 13 albums, receiving two Grammy nominations.
Wendy Cao Romero
Wendy Cao Romero
Wendy Cao Romero has become a fandango dancer since 1987. She is a key member of the Utrera family, and has produced numerous field recordings of older son jarocho musicians. Wendy is also a radio producer and an educator, she teaches textile arts in El Hato “Mujeres Tejedoras,” an organization of thirty women.
Regina Carter
Regina Carter
Grammy-nominated violinist Regina Carter is passionate about performing, recording, teaching, and mentoring bringing music into nursing homes and hospice settings. She explores a wide range of genres—including jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, and African music. Her music has been recognized by the MacArthur “Genius” award and a Doris Duke Artist Award.
Jorge Castillo
Jorge Franscico Castillo (credit to Fandago at the Wall)
Jorge Castillo is a professional classical guitar player grew up in Mexico, having received his first training at home at age nine. He graduated from the University of Texas El Paso. In 2006, Jorge was introduced to the fandango culture and the group Quemayama drove him to become the founder of the Fandango Fronterizo in 2008.
Akua Dixon
Akua Dixon
Akua Dixon is a cellist, composer, conductor, and educator. Akua Dixon has been at the forefront of improvising string players since 1973. Akua is a native New Yorker and attended High School of Performing Arts and studied cello with Benar Heifetz. She is the first cellist to win the Downbeat Critics Poll.
Fernando Guadarrama Olivera
Hailing from Cordoba, Veracruz, Fernando is an expert at performing ten-line verses known as “Decimas in Son Jarocho.” Fernando has lived in Oaxaca for nearly thirty years and has played the jaraba for twenty-eight years. He has also taught poetry for son jarocho music for some twenty years. He also is the director of a poetry and son workshop in Tapacamino, Oaxaca, since 2005.
Ramon Gutiérrez Hernández
Ramon Gutiérrez Hernández (credit to Muziekpublique)
Raised in Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Ramon was introduced to the requinto at a young age. He has played it for over 30 years. In his music, he channels the great spirits of son jarocho veterans and masters while also forging ahead and cultivating a modern sound. As an educator, he has taught workshops on jarana, requinto, and zapateado.
Patricio Hidalgo Belli
Patricio Hidalgo Belli (credit to José Elías Némer)
Patricio, a son jarocho musician, was born in Apixita, Veracruz, and is the grandson of Arcadio Hidalgo, one of the most iconic son jarocho musicians of the twentieth century. Patricio started playing the guitar young and became a songwriter and master soloist.
Sahba Motallebi
Sahba Motallebi
Sahba Motallebi, a modern virtuoso of the tar and setar, studyed music as a young girl in Sari, Northern Iran. Her talent garnered an invitation to study at the Tehran Conservatory of Music when she was 14. After graduating from Conservatory in 1997, she co-founded the groundbreaking women’s music ensemble Chakaveh.
Tacho Utrera
Tacho Utrera (credit to Fandago at the Wall)
Born in El Hato, Veracruz, Tacho is a talented musician, carpenter, and luthier who learned to make instruments from his father and grandfather. He plays the leona, requinto, and jarana and has enjoyed a thirty-year career as a son jarocho musician.
The Villalobos Brothers
From left: Alberto Villalobos, Humberto Flores, Luis Villalobos and Ernesto Villalobos of the Villalobos Brothers. Their latest album, Somos, is out now.
The Villalobos Brothers have been acclaimed as one of today’s leading Contemporary Mexican ensembles. Their original compositions and arrangements masterfully blend Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music. Ernesto, Alberto, and Luis Villalobos use their violins and voices to redefine contemporary Mexican music.
The classic family concert series where kids and parents can rock out to the classics, The Rock and Roll Playhouse celebrates a special run of shows in celebration of fathers. This concert takes place June 18 and 19 on Father’s Day and Juneteenth Weekend, hosting 19 concerts nationwide of the music of Bob Marley for Kids. This will be the playhouse’s biggest show return since the pandemic.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse’s goal is to introduce the next generation to timeless classics while providing kids with early music exposure and encouraging creativities. The Playhouse was founded in 2013 at its flagship venue Brooklyn Bowl by Peter Shapiro, entrepreneur and co-owner of the Bowl and owner of The Capitol Theatre, and Amy Striem, a certified Early Childhood and Elementary teacher.
The Playhouse was designed to create an experience live music to bring families together, along with an experience in historic venues. This project continues to unite families through music with hundreds of unforgettable shows nationwide. A portion of the weekend’s sales will be donated to the Preservation Hall Foundation.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse has established itself as the premier family-friendly national concert series and we are thrilled to welcome them to The Troubadour for their LA debut. Their incredible band will introduce the next generation to Bob Marley, spreading his messages of love, peace, freedom and unity, as we celebrate both Juneteenth and Father’s Day
Jordan Anderson, Talent Buyer for the Troubadour.
Rock and Roll Playhouse Fathers Day and Juneteenth Weekend Schedule:
