On May 11th and 12th, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum played 2 sold out shows at New York City’s LPR. PGTTBM is an avant-indie supergroup that features actor Michael C. Hall on lead vocals, Peter Yanowitz on drums and Matt Katz-Bohen on keyboard. The trio formed the group in New York City after years of mutual friendship and group jam sessions. They released their debut album, Thanks For Coming, in February of 2021. Their sound mixes styles of New Wave with heavy synth and has been self described as “kaleidoscopic sound weather” and “danceable apocalypse.”
Their first post pandemic gig was at Mercury Lounge in January 2021. Because of covid restrictions at the time, there was no live audience and the gig was live streamed. Finally, the band can now play to a live audience and has gained much momentum with these 2 sold out shows at LPR. You can see all their upcoming dates here. They have also recently released a remix of their song “Ketamine” and a new video for their song “Sideways.”
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum – le poisson rouge – NYC
Setlist: Intro/Vicious, Love American Style, Ketamine, Nevertheless, The Deeper Dow, Eat An Eraser, Let It Go, Into the Void, Sideways, Airhead, Angela Peacock, Jetpack, Cruel World, Tomorrow’s Screams, Thanks for Coming, Escape Route, Land of Make Pretend, Armageddon Suite, Come Talk To Me
Grammy award winner and music Icon Barry Manilow has just announced a special six show arena tour, Manilow: Hits 2022. Manilow’s tour is taking place this August with special guest David Koz.
Having sold more than 85 million albums worldwide, Barry Manilow is one of the world’s all-time bestselling recording artists. Some of his hit recordings include “Could It Be Magic,” “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana.”
The show will be located at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park, a place located in Queens that was made for music and built for hockey. The $1.1 billion multi-purpose, state of the art arena opened in November 2021 and has welcomed top artists including Harry Styles, Sebastian Maniscalco, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Genesis and TWICE.
He’s had an astonishing 50 Top 40 singles including 12 #1s and 27 Top 10 hits. Manilow is ranked as the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all-time, according to Billboard and R&R magazines. Growing up in a lower-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, Barry made a name for himself. His abilities made him a famous American pop singer and songwriter who specialized in elaborately orchestrated romantic ballads. Thus, winning him a wide audience in the 1970s.
MANILOW: HITS 2022 TOUR DATES:
Thu Aug 04 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Aug 05 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Sat Aug 06 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Fri Aug 12 – Allentown, PA – PPL Center
Sat Aug 13 – Providence, RI – Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Sun Aug 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Tickets go on sale starting Friday, May 13th at 11AM on Ticketmaster. For more information and to buy tickets, click the link here.
Spoon finally played their twice-delayed Hammerstein Ballroom show on Friday, May 6 with support from Margaret Glaspy. Fans came in shaking off their umbrellas and raincoats, damp from the rainy Friday night, but buzzing as the venue filled up.
Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
The lights dimmed before Margaret Glaspy took the stage to cheers and smiles. Fans listened, enraptured, as she played through her set.
Margaret Glaspy at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
Spoon played an energetic and jam-packed 16 song setlist. Their set included some personal and fan favorites, “The Underdog” and “I Turn My Camera On” as well as several tracks off their latest album, “Lucifer on the Sofa.” They ended their main set with “Wild.” They left the stage, the lights dimmed again, and the crowd cheered for more.
Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann
The lights finally came back on, and Spoon started their encore with a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation.” Then they played “The Mystery Zone.” Next they brought Margaret Glaspy on stage for a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.”
Finally, Wolf Parade’s Dan Boekner joined Spoon onstage to a boom of cheers and applause for a cover of Wolf Parade’s “Modern World.” He helped Spoon conclude the night with “Rent I Pay.” They thanked the audience and exited to cheers.
https://youtu.be/IodZaCWs_V4
Spoon & Dan Boekner, video: Ironchefwong on YouTube
Follow Spoon’s ongoing tour and listen to their latest album, Lucifer on the Sofa. Check out Margaret Glaspy’s music and listen to Wolf Parade here.
Brooklyn-based leading arts and media institution, BRIC, announced its festival lineup for this summer’s BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! 2022, taking place from Wednesday, June 8th through Saturday, August 6th.
This year’s lineup features artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Erykah Badu, Kamasi Washington, Vic Mensa, and more to who will perform at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park.
For the past 44 years, this festival presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks has been the summer-long outdoor concert. BRIC celebrates talent spanning global music icons to chart-topping indie bands, including benefit concerts, family days, and movie nights.
“This summer is about being together – the power of gathering in this moment of human history,” said Diane Eber, Executive Producer of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! “Artists can show us the way to heal through creative expression and there’s no better place to experience that than the Bandshell. We are so honored to bring another season of magic to our communities at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!”
It wouldn’t be summer in Prospect Park without the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Lena Horne Bandshell. This festival brings a wide range of free music and family programming to Prospect Park, and gives Brooklyn’s diverse community a chance to come together—we’re excited for the season to begin.
James Snow, Prospect Park Alliance Interim President
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! 2022 will also offer a movie night featuring the iconic 1980 musical film Fame, which follows the lives and hardships of the faculty and staff at the (fictitious) New York City High School for the Performing Arts. This season will also feature an evening dedicated to dance with Ragamala Dance Company, showcasing a performance of Sacred Earth. This iconic group draws their inspiration from South Indian American artists and uses multi-disciplinary dance works to epitomize intercultural and immigrant narratives that evoke a shared sense of humanity.
Carnegie Hall has announced the release of the debut album from NYO Jazz, We’re Still Here. Comprising young musicians ages 16–19 from across the United States, the album will be available everywhere June 24. The musicians of NYO Jazz will also embark on a tour this summer, including shows at Carnegia Hall and Chautauqua Institution.
Along with this, the album features Artistic Director and Bandleader/Trumpeter Sean Jones and special guest Melissa Aldana on tenor saxophone, plus an appearance by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.
We’re Still Here presents four new works written for the band since its inception. NYO Jazz’s debut album features a range of classic and contemporary charts that are hallmarks of its live concerts. Along with works exploring themes that include social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy.
“We’re thrilled for NYO Jazz to release its debut album this spring—the first recording by any of our national youth ensembles,”
said Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer and Director of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for these gifted young players to train, perform, and now record alongside some of today’s leading jazz artists including special guest Melissa Aldana. It was especially meaningful for the musicians to gather for an extended residency last summer as it marked the first time many of them had the opportunity to come together to play in a full ensemble since the start of the pandemic”
“With We’re Still Here, we are proud to showcase the incredible depth of talent and high level of musicianship of these standout jazz musicians from across the country who will help ensure one of America’s quintessential art forms is preserved for generations to come.”
“The big band has always been America’s orchestral format and one of the most wide-ranging ensembles ever devised,” said Jones, NYO Jazz’s Artistic Director and Bandleader. “It can convey nearly any style of music in a sonically stimulating and interactive way. This recording exhibits that diversity by placing classics by Duke Ellington and Neil Hefti alongside pieces that utilize the big band as a vehicle for contemporary American music and represent a wide variety of genres.”
“You close your eyes and think they’re all 20 years older than they are,”
said SeanJones who pays it forward through his passionate leadership of NYO Jazz, carrying on the tradition of mentorship in jazz.
The album will be released by Platoon and available for digital download and on all streaming platforms. Likewise, the album is available for pre-order here.
Carnegie Hall has also announced the schedule for the first-ever US tour by its acclaimed NYO Jazz set to take place on the heels of the release of We’re Still Here. The NYO Jazz US Tour kicks off at Carnegie Hall on July 28 featuring GRAMMY® Award-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn as Special Guest.
NYO Jazz US Tour Dates
July 28 | Carnegie Hall | New York, NY
July 30 | Tri-C Metro Auditorium | Cleveland, OH
August 1 | Chautauqua Amphitheater | Chautauqua, NY
August 2 | The August Wilson African American Cultural Center | Pittsburgh, PA
August 4 | Navy Pier, Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park | Chicago, IL
August 5 | The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center | Detroit, MI
August 7 | Wisconsin Union Theater | Madison, WI
August 9 | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, D.C.
Hank Williams will be honored 69 years after his death with the 18th annual Hank-O-Rama celebration. This ‘honky tonk tradition’ takes place on May 13th at The Cutting Room in New York City.
The Hank-O is a symbolic rain date for the last show Hank would ever miss. Originally scheduled for its usual date in January, this year’s unique springtime Hank-O-Rama is a rain date itself because of his death on January 1st.
After the New Year’s show was postponed due to last winter’s omicron surge, the remembrance of Hank Williams goes on with the 18th annual Hank-O-Rama celebration. The show features dozens of Hank’s hits and rarities performed live by The Lonesome Prairie Dogs.
The group features Lenny Kaye (guitar) and host Alex Battles. In addition, featuring guest stars Tammy Faye Starlite, Cliff Westfall, Sean Kershaw, and others from the Brooklyn & NYC country music firmament. Songs including “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and many others will be played in Hank’s celebration.
During the spring of 1952, Williams flew to New York with steel guitarist Don Helms, where he made two appearances with other Grand Ole Opry members on The Kate Smith Show. He sang “Cold, Cold, Heart”, “Hey Good Lookin’”, “Glory Bound Train” and “I Saw the Light” with other cast members, and a duet, “I Can’t Help It (if I’m Still in Love with You)” with Anita Carter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtolv9kM1qk
The singer made his early recordings for Sterling (based in New York) that produced the regionally popular song “Honky Tonkin.” Hank was only 29 when he was found dead in the back seat of his Cadillac on the morning of Jan. 1st, 1953, in WV. He was en route to a New Year’s Day gig in Canton, Ohio.
Ticket Information
Doors open at 6 and music starts at 7, tickets range from $20-25. To buy tickets, click the link here. For more information, click the link here.
Indigo De Souza played two sold out nights at Music Hall of Williamsburg last week on Thursday, April 21 and Sunday, April 24. Originally scheduled for January, the shows were postponed due to the pandemic surging in New York City at the time. She played with support from Friendship and Horse Jumper of Love.
Indigo De Souza at Music Hall of Williamsburg, photographed by David Reichmann
You can listen to Indigo De Souza’s latest full-length LP here, and follow Indigo’s ongoing North American Tour here. She will return to New York during her upcoming fall tour. You can listen to Horse Jumper of Love‘s music here and Friendship’s music here.
The deep, spiritual, American joy of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY is back on Broadway this spring for only a limited time, featuring brilliant songs arranged by Bob Dylan’s music and Conor McPherson’s extraordinary story. Performances will begin on Friday, April 29th, and will now run through Saturday, June 19th at the Belasco Theatre.
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY was written and directed by the genius playwright Conor McPherson. This exclusive play will be held at at the Belasco Theatre in NYC for only 50 performances. This Broadway play boldly reimagines Bob Dylan’s music, using his most legendary songs. The spiritually uplifting and beautiful story is set in Duluth, MN, in 1934, when a group of wanderers’ lives intersect at a house full of music, life, and hope.
“RAVISHING AND SINGULAR! Bob Dylan’s songs have never felt so heartbreakingly personal and universal.”
– The New York Times
“We are so thrilled to bring this incredible production back to Broadway and to return to our home at the Belasco Theatre,” said producers Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons. “As Broadway’s recovery continues, we are so grateful to be a part of this exciting season and to give more audiences a chance to visit us in the North Country and experience the magic of Bob Dylan’s songs and Conor McPherson’s remarkable storytelling.”
The production originated at The Old Vic in London and has played in the West End and Toronto, at The Public Theater in New York, and is currently playing across Australia and embarking upon a UK and Ireland tour, opening in Dublin on June 25th. Along with this, the Original Broadway Cast Album is nominated for a GRAMMY Award for “Best Musical Theater Album.”
Girl From The North Country features scenic and costume design by Rae Smith; orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Simon Hale. Additionally, features added arrangements by Simon Hale and Conor McPherson. Along with lighting design by Mark Henderson; sound design by Simon Baker; movement direction by Lucy Hind; and music direction by Marco Paguia.
Ticket Prices and Accessibility:
Monday-Friday: $69 – $139 (reg. $79 – $169)*
Saturday-Sunday: $79 – $149 (reg. $89 – $179)*
To access tickets and more information, click here, or by calling (212) 239-6200. Save over 20% off tickets with code NCPUB323.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in NYC closed its doors for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in a two-part PBS film Chamber Music Society Returns, the story of CMS’s return to live concerts is told. It will be airing nationally on April 8, and then on the 15th.
CMS is one of eleven constituents of the largest performing arts complex in the world, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. CMS brings the experience of great chamber music to more people than any other organization of its kind through its many performances, education, recording, digital, and broadcast activities.
Musicians perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, photo by Cherlynn Tsushima.
The PBS film will explore the passion for making music that pushed the CMS community forward. The film features behind-the-scenes footage at CMS’s rehearsal studios, offices, and backstage. Musicians will reveal their relief at finally leaving the pandemic, and long-awaited performances full of emotion, embrace, and tears of joy.
The first part Setting the Stage features violinist Arnaud Sussmann, bassist Joseph Conyers, cellist David Finckel, and pianist Wu Han talking about how frightening the early stages of the pandemic were, and how music helped them during that difficult time. Viewers get to see the everyday work of chamber musicians, and see performances of both solo Bach and work from the opening night concert.
The second part Bringing Down the House explores the aftermath of opening night, and the challenges of finding a way to safely gather over a dozen wind players to play as performing were considered risky early in the pandemic.
CMS artistic director David Finckel spoke about why live music is special.
Listening to a recording is like looking at a painting on a wall. It can be a great painting, but it doesn’t change. It’s always exactly the same. The live performance, though, is so far beyond the recording or the painting on the wall in that it’s like watching the artwork itself being recreated by the artist in front of your eyes in real time. Because live is always an interpretation. It’s never the same twice.
The CMS PBS documentary will be airing on April 8 and 15, and the trailer is out now.
NY Punk Band Shakeout has just released their new inspiring single “Build Your Building.” This is the second single from the band this year, who just got off an east coast tour.
Shakeout is a two-piece alt/punk band from Yonkers that formed at the end of 2016. The band’s songwriting is filled with experimentation as they take influence from a multitude of genres including punk, pop, and hip-hop. They have also built their sound on the heavy use of looping, which creates the idea that there are more than two people in the band. They are unique as well because both of the band’s members are named A.J.
The band has already self-released three EPs, has played throughout the east coast and midwest. They have played at multiple festivals, including the Launch Music Conference in Lancaster, PA, NYC’s Punk Island, and NY Riverfest.
The new single “Build Your Building” is inspiring with lyrics about “feeding a machine that dictates the lives we lead” and “building yourself up and don’t tear them down.” The song has a steady drum beat and layers of guitars. The overarching message of the song is inspiring, as they urge you to build yourself up and don’t tear others down, as they shout it in the bridge.
The single is availible to listen to now on any streaming service.
