Comedians John Oliver and Seth Meyers have announced a six-show, one-a-month residency at the Beacon Theatre, starting in January of 2024.
John Oliver, the Emmy and Writer’s Guild Award-winning writer and comedian, and Seth Meyers, Emmy Award-winning writer, New York Times bestselling author, and host of Late Night with Seth Meyers, graced the Beacon Theatre stage for a sold-out, three-night engagement in the summer of 2023. The two comedians are back for six performances, set for January 14, February 25, March 10, April 14, May 19, and June 16, 2024.
Oliver is the host and producer of the HBO show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which has been the recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including 23 Primetime Emmys, five Writer’s Guild Awards, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, four Television Critics Association Awards, and two Peabodys. From 2006-2013, he was a correspondent on The Daily Show and won three Primetime Emmys for his writing. Up until 2015, he also co-hosted the hugely popular weekly satirical podcast, The Bugle, with Andy Zaltzman.
He hosted his own stand-up series for Comedy Central, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show (2010-2013), and starred in the stand-up special John Oliver: Terrifying Times (2008). He has various film and television credits, including Community, Big Mouth, Paramount’s Wonder Park, The Detour, Bob’s Burgers, Danger Mouse, The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2, and Rick & Morty.
Seth Meyers, since 2014, has hosted NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, receiving two Emmy nominations in 2022 and 2023 for Outstanding Talk Series. He and his staff have been nominated five times for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, and Meyers also received back-to-back Emmy nominations in 2021-22 for “Late Night’s” digital series, “Corrections.” “Late Night” won back-to-back Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Talk Show in 2020-21. Overall, he has been nominated for 31 Emmys.
He began his TV career with Saturday Night Live in 2001, writing for nine seasons and being a “Weekend Update” anchor for eight. He has executive-produced a variety of shows, hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and ESPY Awards, and headlined the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner to rave reviews.
Tickets will be available starting on Friday, October 13 at 11 a.m.
Bandcamp United, a union comprised of Bandcamp employees, released a statement last week in response to the recent sale of the company to Songtradr, a music marketing company. They have launched a petition, demanding better employee treatment, among other things.
According to Relix, the union acknowledged being engaged in negotiations with the company since August, reached out to Songtradr CEO Paul Wiltshire with a request for voluntary recognition, having not heard from Songtradr. According to Bandcamp United, most Bandcamp workers have had access revoked to critical systems by Epic Games during the transition.
For almost 15 years, Bandcamp has been built on the idea of community. It has functioned as much more than a marketplace, providing a way for artists to connect and communicate with fans directly and for like-minded artists to find one another. Bandcamp has always stood strong in its beliefs and its place in the community that it has helped foster. Maintaining that value is critical for artists everywhere, and it starts with valuing the workers who have built it into the beloved platform it is today.
They are pushing for demands that include job offers for all employees, clear, fair, and consistent voluntary severance offers, and recognition of their union at Songtradr, with a swift continuation of negotiations while retaining the progress achieved at the bargaining table. They added that Songtradr is “offering positions to workers on a rolling basis with a 72-hour turnaround for acceptance despite the sales documents stipulating that the Purchaser allow 7 days to consider the offer.”
The integrity of the workers who build Bandcamp is a crucial aspect of the company’s ability to uphold its values. Bandcamp’s core mission is best protected by retaining all workers and by those workers having a seat at the table.
Cami Ramirez-Arau, Support Specialist
The union has initiated a petition, urging supporters to call on Wiltshire to acknowledge Bandcamp United. Songtradr has since issued a statement, saying “We have received Bandcamp United’s letter and are reviewing it. Supporting the Bandcamp community will be our number one priority once the purchase is completed.” They went on to say that “Not all Bandcamp employees will receive offers from Songtradr. Based on its current financials, Bandcamp requires some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans long into the future.”
Ed Blair, another support specialist said, “Bandcamp isn’t Bandcamp without the people who build and maintain the website – we are the people who made this website the platform it is for artists. Songtradr not immediately recognizing Bandcamp United is a worrying indicator that they have misunderstood the value of Bandcamp. It’s not a platform or a portal, it is a painstakingly hand-crafted community. The workers who make up Bandcamp United are essential for the future of Bandcamp.”
Songtradr dropped a new press statement but still hasn’t recognized our union. This Bandcamp United Friday, keep buying music & help us fight for our union by emailing Paul, CEO of Songtradr.
Please keep the emails respectful! Post a screenshot & tag us on social media. pic.twitter.com/QnrpAiHJ1o
Marco Benevento & Friends are standing up against the largest development in Woodstock history with The Trees Are Listening: Music for a Cause. The benefit concert for the Stop Woodstock National LLC Coalition is set to take place at Colony in Woodstock on Oct. 22 and feature Marco Benevento & Friends.
The Marco Benevento & Friends set will feature Simi Stone, Karina Rykman, Chris Corsico, Leslie Mendelson, Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls), Jeff Hill (Steve Earle), Bill Carbone (Max Creek) and Danny Blume.
According to JamBands, The Stop Woodstock National Coalition is a community-based group working with the Woodstock Land Conservancy, preparing to combat a plan proposed by Woodstock National LLC. The plan wants to wipe out 620+ acres of forest and wetlands—the largest forested tract along Sawkill Creek— and replace them with 191 housing units, a golf course, and a helipad.
“We have so many concerns,” said Andy Mossey, the director of the Woodstock Land Conservancy of the development that has been designated a “Critical Environmental Area” by the NYSDEC because of its importance to protecting “forest habitat, aquifer recharge zones, streams that feed into Sawkill Creek, wildlife habitats, and traffic.”
Marc Benevento photo by Seth Olenick.
Stop Woodstock National is putting the Town Board and agencies on notice with the stance that considering the negative environmental impact, the proposed project must be stopped. This project “has the potential to permanently change the Woodstock area, both in environmental quality and community character,” added Mossey. “It’s an utterly inappropriate project in the wrong location in the wrong community.”
Tickets for the Marco Benevento & Friends benefit show are on sale now.
On Sept. 26, Live Nation announced a new program, “On The Road Again,” designed to combat unfair merch sales cuts and provide supplemental money for touring staff and artists. Although this program appears on the surface to be a step in the right direction, in practice it could negatively impact both independent promoters and venues, potentially diverting bands and fans away from smaller independent venues.
As a refresher, the new “On The Road Again” program, inspired by the Willie Nelson song, says that all acts playing Live Nation-owned and operated clubs, from headliners to support acts, will receive a $1,500 gas and travel cash stipend per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation. The company’s clubs will no longer charge merchandise selling fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of merch profits, which many artists rely on to generate cash for the band while they’re on the road.
However, this could have unrealized negative impacts on independent venues and promoters. The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) released a statement, saying “Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins.”
The organization continued, saying “Instead, it appears to be a calculated attempt to use a publicly-traded conglomerate’s immeasurable resources to divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector. Such tactics threaten the vitality of small and medium-sized venues under 3000 capacity, many of which still struggle to keep their doors open.”
NIVA is not the only one to take note of this PR move. Gideon Plotnicki, from GMP Live, voiced his concerns about the program, citing it as “pretty scary for indie promoters.”
Independent promoters and venues are the lifeblood of the live music community. We invest in artists and provide crucial support and belief that helps them build their audience during the earliest phases of their career. How are independent promoters supposed to compete with a publicly traded company that uses its seemingly endless funds to entice artists to play their venues? How are we supposed to ask the artists to stick with us, rather than taking the bigger money elsewhere? It’s a question that a lot of independents will be asking themselves over the coming weeks and months.
Gideon Plotnicki- GMP Live
He also recognized that it is a pilot program, and may not “impact any specific market more than the other.” In turn, the “true impact will be felt if the program is successful and gets picked up for good. At that point, every Live Nation venue will hold an even more obvious financial advantage.”
Although the “On The Road Again” program may be beneficial to smaller acts touring right now, it could have negative impacts on independent venues, which are where artists get their start. An agreement between indie venues and Live Nation might need to be implemented, but for now, support the indie venues in your area by going to shows, buying merch, and supporting your local scene.
Billy Joel announced his 100th monthly and 146th lifetime show at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, March 28, 2024. This show is part of his record-breaking, sold-out residency, with his final show, and his 150th lifetime show at the venue, slated for July 2024.
Joel also announced two performances at the iconic venue on April 26, 2024, May 9, 2024, and June 8, 2024.
Billy Joel’s history with Madison Square Garden began with his first performance at The World’s Most Famous Arena on December 14, 1978. In 2006, with 12 consecutive performances, Joel set the record for “most consecutive performances by any artist,” commemorated with a banner stating “Joel – 12” in the venue’s rafters, making him the first entertainer in the venue’s history to accomplish this feat.
He is one of the world’s most iconic musicians, having received The Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States’ top cultural awards, in December 2013. He is also the recipient of six GRAMMY Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Legend Award. He has sold 150 million records over the past 25 years with 33 Top 40 hits.
Joel received both The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song which honors living musical artists’ lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations, and the once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award, which is presented to American music icons in recognition of their incomparable accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond.
In December 2013, he was named Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at The Garden for, as Joel said at the time, “as long as the demand continues.” In January 2015, Joel broke his own record of the “most consecutive performances by any artist” with the 13th show of the residency, and a new banner was raised to The Garden’s rafters.
In July 2015, with his 65th lifetime show, he broke another record for the “most lifetime performances by any artist,” for which another banner was raised. Both of Joel’s banners continue to hang at The Garden and are replaced each month with each performance. In July 2018, he performed his 100th lifetime performance at the venue, commemorated as “Billy Joel Day” in the state. His piano was put on display outside of Chase Square, and the performance saw Bruce Springsteen onstage with the Piano Man.
A multitude of other incredible surprise guests have joined him on stage throughout the course of the ten-year run including Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, John Fogerty, Billy Gibbons, Brian Johnson, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul Simon, and more. He also sold more than 1.6 million tickets from all 50 states and more than 120 countries.
Billy Joel speaking at his MSG Press Conference, June 2, 2023. Photo by: Lucas Kurzweil for NYS Music.
In addition to his ongoing residency run, Joel has also performed alongside other music greats at two of Madison Square Garden’s most extraordinary benefit concerts – “12-12-12, The Concert For Sandy Relief,” which raised awareness and money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and “The Concert for New York City,” which was held to help aid 9/11 victims and heroes.
Tickets for March 28, 2024, Billy Joel show at MSG will be available for purchase by the general public beginning at 10:00 AM (ET) on Friday, October 13. They will also be available at the Madison Square Garden box office on Saturday, October 14.
Tickets for his April 26, 2024, are on sale now. Tickets for the May 9 and June shows go on sale at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27.
Fast-rising jam band Dogs In A Pile (DIAP) will end their highly successful 2023 year playing two gigs at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs on Dec. 30 and 31. The run will mark the Dogs’ first time playing headlining shows on New Year’s Eve. The band will also perform at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Dec. 15 and 16.
DIAP fittingly chose the Upstate New York region for this special occasion as it has become a second home to the band over its formative years. This year alone, they’ve sold out headlining nights in Rochester and Ithaca, have played several festivals in the area (Memorial Meltdown, Rye Bread, Catskill Mountain Jubilee, and ADK Fest), and will return to Putnam Place after selling out the 500-capacity space for one show back in March.
New Jersey-based jam band Dogs In A Pile will begin an extensive national tour in the fall. Starting on Sept. 6, the band will make their inaugural visit to Madison, WI to play at the High Noon Saloon. The next night will see them return to Chicago, IL to play Lincoln Hall following a sold-out show in the Windy City earlier in the year at Martyrs’. They will then support the rambunctious Andy Frasco & The U.N. on Sept. 8 at the Canopy Club in Urbana, IL.
The Dogs will follow up their Midwest shows with headlining gigs in Nashville, TN at The Basement East with support from talented pickers Airshow. They will round out the first leg of the tour with a High Point, NC date on Sept. 10 at COHAB.SPACE. Support for this show will feature five-piece rock band Tand and blues-groove locals The Wright Ave. The band will play Wormtown Music Festival in Greenfield, MA on Sept. 16 followed by a Sept. 22 slot at Tumble Down aside headliners Twiddle and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
The second leg of their headlining Fall Tour will continue in Columbus, OH on Sept. 27 at The Summit Music Hall. Grand Rapids, MI-based Desmond Jones will offer support to the Dogs the next night in Ferndale, MI at The Magic Bag with the following two shows being supported by the versatile Pittsburgh four-piece The Roof. Those dates will be played at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh, PA, and The State Theatre in State College, PA, respectively.
Dogs In A Pile will head east in October to play Higher Ground in South Burlington, VT followed by a headlining turn at the NY Harvest Festival in Trumansburg, NY. They will then make their third stop in Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair. Rounding out the weekend on Oct. 8, they’ll join The Del McCoury Band on The Ramble Festival’s lineup in Darlington, MD. The band will return to the Northeast for their biggest headlining shows in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, PA at The Music Hall of Williamsburg on Oct. 20 and Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia on Oct. 21.
The five-piece will then embark on a supporting run with jam-funk quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong across 16 dates in the South, Rocky Mountain region, Pacific Northwest, and West Coast before playing two dates (Nov. 29 and Dec. 2) to support Andy Frasco & The U.N.
photo by Nick Codina
The third and final stretch of headlining dates will see the Dogs return to Virginia for a first-time visit to Roanoke at the 5 Points Music Sanctuary on Dec. 7. The tour will continue on Dec. 8 at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, NC once again with support by The Wright Ave. The band will end their 41-date Fall Tour on Dec. 9 at a to-be-announced city and venue.
To view all tour dates and learn more, visit here.
DOGS IN A PILE TOUR DATES
9/6 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
9/7 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
9/8 – Urbana, IL – Canopy Club%
9/9 -Nashville, TN – The Basement East
9/10 – High Point, NC – COHAB.SPACE
9/16 – Greenfield, MA -Wormtown Festival
9/22 – Lafayette, NY – Tumble Down
9/27 – Columbus, OH – The Summit Music Hall
9/28 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag
9/29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
9/30 – State College, PA – The State Theatre
10/5 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
10/6 – Trumansburg, NY – NY Harvest Festival
10/7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
10/8 – Darlington, MD – The Ramble Festival
10/12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
10/13 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
10/14 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern Café and Music Hall
10/20 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/21 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
10/29 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s**
10/31 – Austin, TX – Historic Scoot Inn**
11/1 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater**
11/2 -Fayetteville, AR -George’s Majestic Lounge**
MetaMoon Music Festival, a celebration of Asian music and culture, is announcing its return to NYC with MetaMoon Block Party, a special one-night concert taking place on Sunday, Dec. 3 at the famed Hammerstein Ballroom.
MetaMoon Music Festival was founded in 2022 as a platform for Asian artists to have a consistent and prominent stage in the U.S., and for fans to connect with their favorite artists while also discovering new music. It is an annual series of shows throughout the year that empowers Asian artists and connects them with fans, influencers, and prominent brands, celebrating their diverse culture.
With the MetaMoon Block Party and upcoming MetaMoon Presents tours, artists from Asia and music fans across the U.S. will be able to connect and share in ways they may not have had before.
The NYC line-up includes some of the most exciting names in Chinese Hip-Hop and R&B as well as other notable API artists. Attendees can look forward to feature performances from PSY.Pof Higher Brothers and special guest MC Jin as well as AK LIU ZHANG, KIRE, MARF @COLLAR, MISS KO, NENE, NINEONE, and SUNKIS, who will all be making their U.S. debut at MetaMoon.
MetaMoon was born in NYC last year with a talented lineup supported by their incredible fans and followers of Asian pop culture. We are so excited to be expanding upon that this year with MetaMoon Block Party. We started MetaMoon with the belief that music is a universal language that can foster stronger understanding between cultures. Bringing the festival back in this new format and being able to tour it next year allows us to continue our mission of providing a platform for creating a genuine connection between Asian artists and global music fans.
Grace Chen, founder of MetaMoon.
Additional dates and line-ups in various cities across the U.S. will be announced in the coming months as MetaMoon expands its footprint across the country and continues to spotlight the best of Asian talent and culture.
Presale for the MetaMoon Block Party starts Friday, Oct. 6 with general on-sale starting Monday, Oct. 9.
Tedeschi Trucks Band just headlined two sold-out shows at TD Garden and MSG, and are coming back to the Big Apple for their annual three-night residency at The Beacon Theatre from Feb. 29-March 2.
Tedeschi Trucks Band is a Grammy Award-winning 12-piece rock and soul powerhouse, led by the husband/wife duo of guitarist Derek Trucks and singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. They are known for their world-class musicianship and contemporary blend of a wide range of American musical influences. The band continues to tour in support of I Am The Moon, their acclaimed fifth studio project which “explodes with joyful, powerful and positive music” (Guitar Player). The album was made off the road during the pandemic and includes four albums released over the summer of 2022.
Since forming in 2010, the band has traveled countless miles to bring their music to fans all over the world, from sold-out multi-night residencies across America to tours through Europe and Japan, and their flagship annual summer amphitheater tours. Their extensive catalog isn’t geared towards one genre, spanning rock, blues, jazz, and even country, and no setlist is ever the same.
To get tickets to the Tedeschi Trucks Band annual Beacon Theatre residency, visit here.
Music icon Mariah Carey announced the return of her Christmas extravaganza “Merry Christmas One And All!” The special 13-date run includes two stops at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9 and Dec. 17, 2023.
Produced by Live Nation, the “Merry Christmas One And All!” performances are set to be the must-attend events of this winter, as these live shows will be Mariah Carey’s exclusive Christmas concerts for this holiday season.This event is a celebration of the global superstar’s timeless collection of holiday classics including the record-breaking mega-hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and fan-favorite chart toppers.
Carey is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, producer, and multiple award-winning artist and songwriter. She is the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, leaving a lasting impact on the music industry.
She is an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, numerous American Music Awards, three Guinness World Record titles, both Billboard’s “Artist of the Decade” and “Icon” awards, just to name a few.
Besides being a musician, Mariah Carey has also donated her time and energy to a range of philanthropic causes including Save the Music, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, World Hunger Relief, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Carey founded Camp Mariah in partnership with the Fresh Air Fund, a retreat for inner-city children to explore career development.
Tickets will be available via several presales beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 10 AM ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, October 6 at 10 AM. Tickets for her December 9 show will be available via several presales beginning on Thursday, November 2 at 9 AM ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, November 3 at 9 AM. Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, invitations to a pre-show reception, exclusive merchandise, and more.
MARIAH CAREY – MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL! TOUR DATES:
Wed Nov 15 | Highland, CA | Yaamava Casino*
Fri Nov 17 | Los Angeles, CA | Hollywood Bowl^
Tue Nov 21 | Denver, CO | Ball Arena
Fri Nov 24 | Kansas City, MO | T-Mobile Arena
Mon Nov 27 | Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena^
Wed Nov 29 | Montreal, QC | Centre Bell^
Fri Dec 01 | Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena
Sun Dec 03 | Chicago, IL | United Center
Tue Dec 05 | Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena
Sat Dec 09 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden
Mon Dec 11 | Boston, MA | TD Garden
Wed Dec 13 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center
Fri Dec 15 | Baltimore, MD | CFG Bank Arena
Sun Dec 17 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden
*Not a Live Nation Date
^American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets to this show before the general onsale beginning Wednesday, October 4 at 10 AM local time until Thursday, October 5 @ 10 PM local time.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Beard & Glasses, Wes Aldrich, and Ciarra Fragale.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Beard & Glasses- “War Without Room For an Argument”
Bears & Glasses is a rock/soul group from Bennington, Vermont. Their song “War Without Room For an Argument” is out now.
Wes Aldrich writes from the heart with haunting melodies and upbeat pop rhythms. He is the lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter for his bands Hug the Dog and Ballroom Sofa.
Ciarra Fragale is an indie pop singer/songwriter, producer, and actor from the Hudson Valley. She blends nostalgia with new-wave songwriting, creating a unique blend. In addition to making her own music, she has also composed many works for theater and film. Watch the video for her single “Country Line” below.
