NYS Music 2023

Author: sydney pollack

  • New York Heavy Metal Band Prong releases single, tours Europe

    While you wouldn’t know from their cutting lyrics and grating sound, Prong stands out from most heavy metal bands in that they lead with a down-to-earth attitude and prioritze forming relationships with their fans. The themes in the New York born and bred band’s newest single are angry and loud, but eloquent at the same time. “Breaking Point” marks the band’s return to the scene as they set off on a European tour this month. 

    Prong Europe

    Prong was formed in 1986 by singer and guitarist Tommy Victor, who still is lead singer today, the only member from the original line-up still active. He is joined by bassist John Christopher of the Corey Taylor Band and drummer Aaron Rossi of Ministry. The three come together harmoniously, equal parts energy and technicality.

    Tommy Victor said his single, “Breaking Point,” came about in the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a growing sense of exhaustion and frustration so palpable that Prong was almost overwhelmed during their last tour. The lyrics and Victor’s vocal tone are reminiscent of Fugazi’s “Break,” where Ian Mackaye sings, “Can’t ask for more so why unfulfilled / We take apart everything we build.” These themes have endured, making their way into Prong’s contemporary work; in “Breaking Point” Victor sings: “The denial / it’s the breaking point / It’s going to end / it’s going to stop / so many people have had enough.” 

    Joining Prong on tour is Life of Agony and Tarah Who?. Though the tour is in Europe, with this new single Victor is bringing New York with him. “I think moving back to New York has helped with these. I’m really happy where I’m at all around. I think it’s coming across in the new songs and showing a rejuvenated attitude,” Victor said on “Breaking Point.” Tour dates are listed below; tickets can be purchased here. 

    January 13 – Bochum, DE – Matrix

    January 15 – Aarhus, DK – Voxhall

    January 17 – Hamburg, DE – Grünspan

    January 18 – Berlin, DE – Astra

    January 19 – Warsaw, PL – Proxima

    January 21 – Prague, CZ – Palac Akropolis

    January 22 – Vienna, AT – Arena

    January 23 – Munich, DE – Backstage

    January 25 – Zurich, CH – Dynamo

    January 26 – Bulle, CH – Ebullition

    January 28 – Antwerp, BE – Trix

    January 29 – Vaureal, FR – Le Forum

    January 31 – Wasquehal, FR – The Black Lab

    February 1 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg

  • Zach Bryan Announces North American Tour, 2 Stops in NY

    2022 was a particularly prolific year for rising country star Zach Bryan and he’s set on riding that wave into the new year with his biggest tour yet. Bryan’s Burn Burn Burn North American Tour tour kicks off in April at the Two Step Inn Festival in Texas, and will include two shows in New York, in Albany at MVP Arena and Queens at Forest Hills Stadium.

    Bryan released 2 full length albums and multiple EPs and singles, amounting to around 12 projects overall last year. His album American Heartbreak was the number one most streamed album on Spotify last year; it consists of a stunning 34 songs. But despite his impressive quantity, Zach Bryan has not abandoned quality. “From Austin” on American Heartbreak combines intense imagery and devastating lyricism. “Something In The Orange” went double platinum and scored Bryan a Grammy Award for Best Solo Country Performance. 

    Zach Bryan tour

    Last year, Bryan’s tour sold out in minutes. Zach Bryan, self-proclaimed enemy of Ticketmaster — his most recent live show recording is called All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks) — is using Fair AXS to sell tickets to avoid catastrophes like those that plagued Taylor Swift’s last tour. To purchase tickets, fans should register on the site beginning January 29. Registered fans will then be chosen at random starting on February 13 to access the tour site and purchase tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. 

    See the full tour schedule below and register to buy tickets here. 

    Zach Bryan 2023 Tour

    *April 15                     Georgetown, TX        Two Step Inn Festival

    May 10                     Charlottesville, VA     John Paul Jones Arena

    May 12                     Worcester, MA          DCU Center

    May 13                     Wilkes-Barre, PA       Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

    May 15                     Duluth, GA                Gas South Arena

    May 19                     Houston, TX               Toyota Center

    May 20                     New Orleans, LA       Smoothie King Center

    May 23                     Jacksonville, FL        VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

    May 24                     N Charleston, SC      North Charleston Coliseum

    May 26                     Albany, NY                MVP Arena

    May 28                     London, ON              Budweiser Gardens

    May 31                     Philadelphia, PA        Wells Fargo Center

    June 02                    Cleveland, OH           Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse

    *June 03                   Lexington, KY           Railbird Festival

    June 23                    New York, NY           Forest Hills Stadium

    June 26                    Denver, CO                   Red Rocks Amphitheatre

    June 27                    Denver, CO                   Red Rocks Amphitheatre

    *July 07                    Milwaukee, WI           Summerfest

    *July 13                    Chicago, IL                Windy City Smokeout 

    *July 14-16           Whitefish, MT            Under The Big Sky Festival

    *July 20-July 22         Cullman, AL              Rock The South

    *August 05                    St. Charles, IA           Hinterland Music Festival

    August 07                      Grand Rapids, MI      Van Andel Arena

    August 09                      Minneapolis, MN        Target Center

    August 11                      Tulsa, OK                 BOK Center

    August 14                      Sioux Falls, SD         Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

    August 17                      Nampa, ID                Ford Idaho Center

    August 19                      Las Vegas, NV          T-Mobile Arena

    August 20                      Bakersfield, CA         Mechanics Bank Arena

    August 21                      Oakland, CA             Oakland Arena

    August 23                      Los Angeles, CA       Crypto.com Arena

    August 25                      Glendale, AZ             Desert Diamond Arena

    August 27                      Wichita, KS                   INTRUST Bank Arena

    August 29                      Lincoln, NE               Pinnacle Bank Arena

    August 30                      Kansas City, MO       T-Mobile Center

    * Indicates Festival Dates – on sale now

  • Blues Legend Joe Louis Walker Announces New Album, Show in Beacon

    Joe Louis Walker has been active in the blues scene since the 60s, and in February Walker’s releasing more music — his upcoming album, Weight of the World, is set for release on February 17. To celebrate this release, Joe Louis Walker will perform at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon.

    Joe Louis Walker

    Walker broke onto the scene with a debut album called Cold Is The Night, but Joe Louis Walker had been on the scene for long before that. Growing up in the Bay Area amongst some of the greats, Walker is one of the last living connections to the forefathers of the blues; he learned first hand and played with the likes of B.B. King and James Cotton, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in his own right. Known for his additions to the electric blues genre, Walker plays searing guitar and sings from the heart. His sound draws from more than just blues — it leans into rock and roll, draws from funk’s keyboards. Walker isn’t afraid to employ instruments from across cultures and genres. Despite his varying styles, his lyrics stay true to blues traditions, switching between mournful whines, spitting vengeance and earnest passion. 

    Weight of the World is releasing under Forty Below Records. If Walker’s last release, Blues Comin’ On, is any indication, listeners can expect instant blues classics and perhaps some unconventional features — Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen and punk rocker Charlie Harper both made appearances on his 2020 release. 

    The Towne Crier Cafe hosts live music almost every night, and tickets to see Walker are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. He’s set to take the stage on February 24, tickets are for sale here.

  • Brooklyn-Based Jay Sanford’s Latest Project Emphasizes Duality

    The latest from Jay Sanford’s project, Sanford, is at once an ending and a beginning. “Anymore” is the third release from an upcoming full-length album under Sanford; though just released it has been a staple of his live show sets, included among a wide range of artists in his diverse set lists — Sam Cooke, Joy Division, Fats Waller. “Anymore” has a positive message of optimism and action. It feels like a goodbye, but maybe it’s a hello.

    Sanford

    “Anymore” is a twisty word, especially on its own, cut-off and isolated from the rest of his lyric: “Ain’t gonna walk these streets anymore.” Anymore, repeated thereafter on its own, projects almost a yearning, it asks, demands, “is there any more?” Though in the rest of the lyrics, it seems that Sanford is tired and dejected by his current location — “Walking these streets I’ve been a thousand times / Walking these streets got me out of my mind / Same old footprints I have left before / Ain’t gonna walk these streets anymore.” At the same time, he’s noticing the streets, reveling in his own footprints; it seems he’s savoring these last moments as they are fleeting. This duality is true for anyone moving, leaving and changing, you think you’re ready to stay goodbye, but in that farewell the places you feel you’ve been a million times suddenly look brand new. You see them as you never saw them before.

    Anyway, “Anymore.” It has the southern twang of Jay Sanford’s hometown in South Carolina and a brooding, bouncing bass-line that evokes Sanford’s current locale, Brooklyn. The stellar horn section — made up of Wayne and Miles Tucker, on trumpet and tenor saxophone respectively — gently guides these two seemingly opposing forces together. Wayne Tucker is lending some star power to Sanford’s latest release, Tucker has played with many jazz, pop and country stars before Sanford, including Al Foster, Elvis Costello and Taylor Swift. His trumpet is subdued on this track, but still offers nuance to “Anymore.”