NYS Music 202​2

Tag: NYC

  • Guards Release New “All I Have to Do is Dream” Cover

    Originating from NYC, indie-rock group Guards released “All I Have to Do is Dream,” a cover of The Everly Brothers’ 1958 hit. The revitalized track is the latest release off of the Guards’ upcoming covers album, More Cover Songs, out on August 23 via CGR.

    Guards takes the popular hit and makes it into a sound completely their own. Beginning with soft percussion before building with subdued vocals, and differing riffs, the band reimagines the track in a brand new way. 

    The group formed out of NYC in 2010, and consists of Richie Follin, Loren Humphrey, and Kaylie Church. The trio released their first single, “Resolution of One,” in December of 2010 and their first full-length album, In Guards We Trust, in 2013. Guards have been working on new music throughout the pandemic, including the forthcoming cover album, More Cover Songs.

    The Everly Brothers are one of our biggest inspirations for melody and straightforward songwriting. This song always seemed way ahead of its time while somehow being of that exact moment. I think the really special artists are the ones that inspire the artists that inspire even more artists to become artists…they are that kind of special artist. The slow songs are always harder to cover because you can’t hide behind the energy, but this cover felt natural and we were able to do some fun things on it.

    -Richie Follin

    Guards split time recording the album and their most recent single, “All I Have to Do is Dream,” in NY and LA. Adam Thein mixed the record in Austin, Texas. The upcoming album is sure to be a success if this newest release is any indication. 

    Previously, Guards opened for acts such as Queens of the Stone Age, MGMT, Two Door Cinema Club, Deertick, and played in festivals such as Coachella,  Lollapalooza, and Primavera Sound. Take a listen to more of their music, available below. 

  • Smoke Jazz Club in NYC Announces Reopening and Expansion

    The Smoke Jazz Club, one of New York City’s premier live music venues, announced its long-awaited reopening.

    smoke jazz club

    Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at the junction of Broadway and 106th Street (aka Duke Ellington Boulevard), the club offers classic and modern jazz performances. Created in 1999, the club is internationally recognized with top-notch programming and rising stars. It has survived economic crashes, fires in the building, and more but the pandemic proved to be much more difficult.

    For the past two years, the club has had to change the way they did things to make sure it was done safely. These include modified operations like live streams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining. Although indoor performances were closed, Smoke has survived with a newly expanded space.

    Smoke Jazz Club has so much history. Despite the struggles of the last few years, we just knew that the music couldn’t stop here. The past couple of years have not been easy for anyone, but having live music back in the club with everyone together, musicians and listeners, seems like a turning point. We are very excited to take this next step.

    co- owners Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson.

    The club will add smaller combined spaces to operate safely, serving as an attached lounge featuring the relocated, historic, full-length bar providing more space for audiences and a larger stage for performers in the main listening room.

    smoke jazz club

    There was a grand reopening concert to kick off the revamp, and a slew of artists are set to perform in the near future including Charles McPherson, Vijay Iyer, Mary Stallings, Bill Charlap, Bobby Watson, and more. For more information about the Smoke Jazz Club and to buy tickets to the many events happening, go here.

  • Bryant Park Picnic Performances Presents La Traviata and More this Summer

    Bryant Park Picnic Performances continues August 12th with New York City Opera’s condensed version of Verdi’s classic, La traviata. The performance will last two hours with one 15-minute intermission. Bryant Park will continue to monitor and follow updated New York City and New York State COVID-19 guidelines throughout the summer, as necessary. 

    Bryant Park Picnic Presents La Traviata and Upcoming Performances
    Photo Credit :Michael Cooper

    On Friday, August 12th at 7pm, Bryant Park Picnic Performances presents an abridged adaptation of Verdi’s classic that inspired Moulin Rouge. The show has instantly recognizable tunes famously featured in Pretty Woman. La traviata tells the story of the tragic love between the courtesan Violetta and the romantic Alfredo Germont. Playing out against the hypocrisy of upper-class fashionable society, Alfredo and Violetta’s love threatens to shame his family. 

    ‘The People’s Opera’ is thrilled to return to our summer home at Bryant Park, where we can continue our mission of free performances for New York audiences.

    – Michael Capasso, General Director of New York City Opera

    The 2022 Picnic Performances season is possible due to the generous support of Bank of America. “Bank of America is a long-standing supporter of the arts because we believe that a thriving arts and cultural community benefits both society and the economy,” said José Tavarez, President, Bank of America New York City. “So we are thrilled to once again sponsor Picnic Performances and combine our commitment to the arts with our partnership with Bryant Park. Together we’re helping New York City’s iconic cultural scene to thrive, while promoting green spaces and providing free access to live New York City music, dance and theater.”  

    On Friday, September 2nd, the performance Lucia di Lammermoor emerges. The story concerns fragile Lucy Ashton (Lucia) caught in a feud between her family. The setting takes place in the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland (Lammermoor) in the 17th century. Think Romeo and Juliet, but set in Scotland.

    Bryant Park Picnic Presents La Traviata and More
    Photo Credit: Ryan Muir

    Complete Bryant Park Picnic Performances:

    July 

    July 15: Carnegie Hall Citywide: Squirrel Nut Zippers 

    July 22: Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Broadway Sinfonietta 

    July 23: Jazzmobile: Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band 

    July 28: Ailey II Performance and Ailey Extension Dance Class 

    July 29: Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Hot Sardines Featuring Nellie McKay 

    Bryant Park Picnic
    Photo Credit: Ryan Muir

    August 

    August 5: Greenwich House Music School: Mireya Ramos and Alea 

    August 12: New York City Opera: La traviata 

    August 19: Asian American Arts Alliance: Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang 

    August 26: Habibi Festival: Esraa Warda & The Châab Lab, Firas Zreik, Yacine Boularès, and AJOYO 

    August 29: The Town Hall: Eighth Blackbird Celebrates John Cage 

    September 

    September 2: New York City Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor 

    September 8: Steinway Artists Aaron Diehl and Orrin Evans 

    September 9: Classical Theatre of Harlem 

    September 16: Accordion Festival: Heart of Afghanistan and More 

    September 17: American Symphony Orchestra 

    For the additional information please visit the link here.

  • GWAR Announced “The Black Death Rager World Tour” with Halloween at Irving Plaza

    American heavy metal band GWAR are pleased to announce the fall leg of “The Black Death Rager World Tour,” in support of their new album “The New Dark Ages”. The tour starts off September 10th in Alton, VA and runs through November 3rd in Baltimore, MD.

    The band will vist Niagara Falls at Rapids Theater on October 22nd and New York City at Irving Plaza on October 31st.

    The Black Death Rager World Tour

    Prior to the Fall tour, GWAR are headed overseas on the European leg of “The Black Death Rager World Tour.”  This run kicks off July 29th in Tilburg, NL and runs through August 18th in London, UK.

    The new album The New Dark Ages chronicles GWAR’s adventures in the Duoverse, which will be out on CD and digital. The album and the show concepts are tied to a companion graphic novel, “GWAR In the Duoverse of Absurdity” released by Z2 Comics which depict the battle of the band with their evil twins and the specter of rogue technology as they were sucked off into an alternate univers.

    “Long ago, GWAR broke the frame of what a rock concert can be. We’ve pushed the envelope of live performance for decades, but this time around, we wanted to do something different. This is the first GWAR show conceived to go along with a graphic novel and an album, all working together as one massive hunk of hot steaming shock rock performance ART! A can’t-miss cavalcade of chaos, a trash culture trilogy, a shocking extravaganza that will leave you utterly spent, soaking wet, and bawling uncontrollably. We’ve got the coolest storyline, unbelievable new characters, more blood, gore, and gags than ever before. Come, unload your worries, human scum, and let GWAR transport you to the Duoverse of absurdity just in time for the NEW DARK AGE!” 

    Berserker Blothar

    “The Black Death Rager World Tour” With Light The Torch, Nekrogoblikon and Crobot

    9/10 – Alton, VA @ Blue Ridge Rock Fest*
    9/11 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
    9/13 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
    9/14 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
    9/15 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
    9/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls
    9/17 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest*
    9/19 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
    9/20 – Little Rock, AR @ The Music Hall
    9/21 – Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
    9/23 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life
    9/25 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
    9/26 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
    9/27 – Casper, WY @ Gaslight Social Outdoors
    9/28 – Billings, MT @ Pub Station Outdoors
    9/30 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
    10/1 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
    10/3 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue#
    10/4 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
    10/6 – Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House
    10/7 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock*
    10/8 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theater
    10/9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
    10/10 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
    10/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
    10/12 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheater
    10/14 – Dallas, TX @ Amplify
    10/15 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
    10/16 – Austin, TX @ Empire Live
    10/18 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl
    10/19 – Orlando, FL @ The Beachum
    10/20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
    10/22 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theater
    10/23 – Detroit, MI @ The Crofoot
    10/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
    10/28 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
    10/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
    10/30 – Richmond, VA @ The National
    10/31 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
    11/2 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix
    11/3 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
    *Festival
    #Without Light the Torch

    For more information click here.

  • Festival of Possibilities to Begin on July 16 in NYC

    On July 16 and 17, The Foundation for New American Art will present the Festival of Possibilities to the Lower East Side at The Clemente Solo Velez Cultural & Education Center.

    Over the course of the two-day event, audiences can experience performances from artists all over the world, including from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The festival is family-friendly and free for all to attend. On Saturday, July 16, the event will run from 7 pm to 10 pm and Saturday programming will run from 11 am to 5 pm.

    The first day of the festival includes Tamir Hargana, a Mongolian Throat Singer, Columbian vocalist Maria Raquel, and Salieu Suso, an “edu-tainer” from Africa. After each of the performances, Phoebe Legere, the President of the Foundation for New American Art, will interview the artists in Spanish and English as well as act as Master of Ceremonies during the entirety of the event.

    On Sunday, the festival continues with a full day of programming. There will be fun and educational activities and workshops for all. Some of the programs include Mongolian singing, Cumbia Villera, art workshops, drumming, Zen tango, puppets, dancing, and more. The finale of the event will see a performance from a pan-Latin Dance Orchestra.

    Foundation for New American Art in NYC is using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.

    -NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers

    The Foundation for New American Art is a nonprofit organization in NYC that is passionate about providing spaces for the artists of tomorrow. The multi-cultural arts, music, and educational Festival of Possibilities is a great way to do just that. For a full list of programming and more information, visit the organization’s website.

  • Inaugural “Relix Rock Camp” With Phil Lesh and John Scofield, Announced for October

    Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has partnered with Relix for inaugural Relix Rock Camp in New York City, to be held October 27-30. Featuring legendary bassist Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), guitarist John Scofield (Miles Davis) and sacred steel guitarist Robert Randolph (Robert Randolph and the Family Band), this is a once in a lifetime change to jam and spend four days jamming with these musicians and more.

    Relix Rock Camp
    Relix Rock Camp

    Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp was created 25 years ago to provide real people the once-in-a-lifetime
    experience of connecting and jamming with their musical heroes. The Camp has provided unforgettable
    memories, advice and feedback for attendees worldwide. Camp events span over four jam packed days
    where campers join a band mentored by today’s top touring musicians, and work up to final
    performances with the headliner rockstars at legendary venues from Abbey Road Studios in London, to
    Hollywood’s Whisky A Go Go, to the Atlantic resort in The Bahamas.

    Relix Fantasy Camp is a musical experience for musicians and vocalists to take their skills and confidence to the next level, realize their dreams are possible, and create bonds and friendships for life with fellow aspiring musicians. The camp features four full days of jamming, masterclasses, instruction and exclusive Q&A’s in a private studio to prepare campers to jam. Finally the Camp holds a final showcase performance in front of family, friends, and jamband fans at The Cutting Room in NYC.

    I’m so excited to offer campers the opportunity to jam with the legendary original bass player of the Grateful Dead Phil Lesh and so many other incredible musicians. On top of it, to partner with Peter Shapiro and the entire Relix team for this camp is an honor. In the past we have had the pleasure of having Mickey Hart, Jeff Beck, Brian Wilson, Roger Daltrey, Bill Wyman, Alice Cooper and more at our Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, and we are excited to welcome these new first time artists joining us at this camp.

    Rock Camp founder David Fishof

    Rockstar mentors include Gary Hoey, Derek St. Holmes, Scott Sharrard (Little Feat / Gregg Allman Band), Alex Koford & Ross James (Terrapin Family Band), Tony Leone (Little Feat), Tash Neal (London Souls), Steve Leisman (Stella Blues Band), Lo Faber (God Street Wine), Leslie Mendelson, Michael Falzarano (Hot Tuna), Fuzz (Deep Banana Blackout) and more. For more information, visit Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp.

  • The Battery Announces River And Blues Lineup

    The Battery in New York City announced its lineup for the River and Blues series on Thursdays in July at Wagner Park. Located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, this event is set to featurre fabulous singers including Nicole Atkins, Eljuri, Cha Wa, Lady Wary, Cedric Burnside, and Maggie Rose to enjoy the summer sunsets.

    River & Blues at The Battery

    The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a 25-acre (10 ha) public park bounded by Battery Place on the north, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. The park contains attractions such as an early 19th century fort named Castle Clinton; multiple monuments; and the SeaGlass Carousel.

    Nicole Atkins – July 7th at 6PM

    Nicole Atkins

    Born in New Jersey, Nicole Atkins started playing piano at nine years old and taught herself to play guitar at 13. Now as a soul singer and songwriter, Nicole Atkins blends disco, folk, and country rock on her latest release, Memphis Ice.

    Eljuri & Cha Wa – July 14th at 6PM

    Elguri

    Touted as one of the top Latina guitar players in the world, Eljuri is a genre-fusing artist that blends the sounds and rhythms of her life experiences into her song-writing and guitar playing.

    Cha Wa

    The New Orleans based Mardi Gras Indian funk band Cha Wa had an infectious music and stage show when they were nominated by Grammy. The name Cha Wa is a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian tribes, meaning “we’re comin’ for ya” or “here we come.” Cha Wa has been described as “funk with feathers” – a sound rooted in traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian music mixed with funk and soul, a non-stop groove machine.

    Lady Wary – July 21st at 6PM

    Lady Wray

    Virginia-born artist Nicole Wray shows off her dexterous range of singing and songwriting, infusing hints of soul, R&B, and hip-hop into head-nodding, funky stories with the power to heal.

    Cedric Burnside & Maggie Rose – July 28th at 6PM

    Maggie Rose

    Cooperated with multiple bands, Maggie Rose has learned great experience in music. She also recorded two songs that were featured in episodes of the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and Good Luck Charlie television series. After years of honing her chops and making her name as a force-of nature vocalist, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter Maggie Rose has dreamed up her own unbridled collision of rock-and-roll, soul, folk, funk, and R&B.

    Cedric Burnside

    Cedric Burnside, an American electric blues guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter born into a prominent family of North Mississippi Hill Country legends. These sensibilities are reflected across his work and impeccably showcased on his 2022 GRAMMY™- winning release, I Be Trying. Burnside’s vocals, recorded in Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis, focus on romantic reverses and tenacious love with complete understanding.

  • Pop-punk Baby Got Back Talk Release Single and Video for “Model Minority”

    New York City-based pop-punk band Baby Got Back Talk debuted their latest single and music video for “Model Minority” off their upcoming Wiretap Records debut EP, Existential Shred, due out in September.

    The band was originally formed in 2017, consisting of G’Ra Asim (vocals/bass), Rhiana Hernandez (keyboard), and Jake Lazaroff (guitar/vocals).  After years of sharing bills with acts like Choked Up, Universe Ignore Her, and Gibbons, Wes Ruiz (drums) was eventually brought into the band’s fold.

    Baby Got Back Talk likens this new single to Keri Hilson’s “Pretty Girl Rock,” – where “Model Minority” is a rallying cry for queer people and people of color. The accompanying music video directed by Carla Troconis is a homage to My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay (I Promise) with a more modern twist. The band also teamed up with producer John Naclerio and Nada Recording Studios for their latest EP.

    We’re what punk looks like in the 2020s: driven by a DIY ethic, conversant with social issues–especially as they pertain to gender and race, enabled by inter-web, bankrolled by day jobs, powered by a rad like-minded community, resonant with the most venerable iterations of rock ‘n’ roll but firmly committed to injecting some new flavor into the mold.

    – Baby Got Back Talk

    Previously named one of AfroPunk’s Top 8 Punkest Bands on the Planet, some of the band’s performances include the AfroPunk Festival in 2019 and Punk Island the year before. Their full-length album, Genre Reveal Party, was mixed by Paul Leavitt who has worked with All Time Low, Senses Fail, and Yellowcard in the past.

    To keep up with the band, you can find them on socials @babygotbacktalk across platforms and at babygotbacktalk.com.

  • Rachel Bard Releases New Single “The Buildings Are Fake”

    NYC-based singer-songwriter Rachel Bard has released a new track, “The Buildings Are Fake,” her third song to be put on streaming services.

    Having written it in 2018 after visiting Los Angeles as a first year film student, the track “is a heartbreak song about the City of Angels.”

    A greyscale image of a television featuring on screen a vague image of a beach with a palm tree.
    Cover art for “The Buildings Are Fake.”

    Produced by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey, the song takes a stripped down garage rock approach. Almost Pixies-like it sets a nice quiet-loud contrast between its imagery-driven verses and disillusioned, anthemic choruses as the track builds towards a loud finish.

    As for Bard’s vocal performance, comparisons that ring strongly include Nico and Dan Bejar of Destroyer. Her gloomy, vibrato-laden delivery faithfully match the song’s cynicism and rise to meet the track’s energy during louder moments.

    In “The Buildings Are Fake,” Bard is quite visual in how she delivers her ideas. During the verses she muses about pushing “through crowds of teardrops and sunscreen” and “watching the stars all over the floor,” picturesquely reflecting the excited curiosity of a young film student.

    It’s all for nought however. “The buildings are fake, and so is your job,” Bard shouts on the hook, comparing the glamorous facade of Los Angeles and the artificial nature of movie sets to that of a dishonest romantic partner, enforcing the track’s general sense of disappointment.

    While Rachel Bard doesn’t stray from being artsy and metaphorical in “The Buildings Are Fake,” its message never fails to be clear. This air of let down and heartbreak is conveyed in full articulation over a solid slacker-rock backdrop, making for a fine new addition to Rachel Bard’s resume.

  • Revisit: American Classical Orchestra Presents “The Chaconne Project” At Harlem Parish

    Revisit: American Classical Orchestra (ACO) returns to the Harlem Parish performing The Chaconne Project directed by ACO founder Thomas Crawford on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 pm.

    Revisit: American Classical Orchestra Presents "The Chaconne Project" At Harlem Parish
    Photo credits: American Classical Orchestra with Guadalupe Peraza performing The Chaconne Project, Nov. 2020 at Harlem Parish, courtesy of ACO.

    The production features a Chamber ensemble of Orchestra members and Mexican mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Peraza in a lively program of Baroque repertoire featuring the chaconne, a musical genre that began as bawdy 16th-century dances in Spanish culture. The chamber concert was initially scheduled for February 3, but was postponed due to the Omicron variant.

    Revisit: American Classical Orchestra Presents "The Chaconne Project" At Harlem Parish

    American Classical Orchestra was founded in 1984 as the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy. Later on, renamed the American Classical Orchestra in 1999. After some time, Founder Thomas Crawford established its new and permanent home in New York City in 2005. Because they only preform music from the 17th, 18th, and 19th century, their mission is to present the music as the composers might have heard it in their time. By using certain instruments and techniques, the American Classical Orchestra is “supremely skilled musicians” (Theater Scene) have won critical praise for its recordings, educational programs, and concerts.

    Thomas Crawford, is highly skilled in historically accurate performance styles in Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic music. Throughout his life he has founded two Connecticut orchestras: the Fairfield Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy. A passionate activist determined to bring the beauty of period music to a wider audience, Mr. Crawford’s educational activities with the Orchestra received a Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth award from the National Endowment for the Arts, recognizing the ACO’s dynamic music outreach to New York City schoolchildren. A Pennsylvania native, he holds degrees in organ performance and composition from the Eastman School of Music and Columbia University.

    Photo credits: American Classical Orchestra with Guadalupe Peraza performing The Chaconne Project, Nov. 2020 at Harlem Parish, courtesy of ACO.

    The show, Revisit: The Chaconne Project, was filmed at Harlem Parish. The use of harmonies create 10 vibrant examples of chaconne, a genre of music categorized by its repeating bass line. The director, Thomas Crawford, leads the audience through an aroma of musical instruments compromised through strings, voice and percussion. Revisit will showcase Guadalupe Peraza, who appeared as featured soloist with the New York Virtuoso Singers and at the majestic Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris in Mexico City. 

    Tickets, priced at $35 and $55, are available at aconyc.org or by calling American Classical Orchestra at (212) 362-2727. Ticket holders will need to follow the venue’s guidelines and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter the building. The show will begin on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 pm, Harlem Parish, 258 W 118th St.