Brooklyn-based alt-band Citrus Maxima has dived headfirst into the indie-rock genre with their newest release “I Don’t Wanna Die,” the first single from their upcoming record. With hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams and years of local gigging experience around New York, the band is looking forward to releasing their upcoming debut album this spring.
The new single “I Don’t Wanna Die” is a song that cuts through the dirge of washed-out, lazy indie rock and instantly jolts the listener with its infectious chorus. The band captures this by combining wailing feedback, crunchy guitars, and driving drums with instantly catchy vocals and heartfelt melodies.
Formed in Albany, but now based in Brooklyn, Citrus Maxima offers up a fresh take on indie rock, anchored by strong songwriting, raw energetic rhythms, and melodic guitars. Citrus Maxima was originally formed in 2014 with Shawn Majeed on drums and Lucas Rinaldi on guitar and vocals. The band added members Wyatt Kirschner on lead guitar in 2018, and Max Gucinski on bass and backup vocals in 2021.
Citrus Maxima has built up a strong online presence with a string of successful releases. In December 2020, the band released “1970”, their most played song with over 250k Spotify streams, and followed up with “Sprouts” a small collection of songs including “Seeds Don’t Bleed”, which incorporates a 90s alternative rock influence.
Their “live session” videos uploaded to YouTube further solidified their online buzz, as their cover of Pavement song “Harness Your Hopes” even grabbed the attention of Pavement member Bob Nastanovich, who praised the cover on social media. Devotees of the DIY ethos, all releases, social media growth, and touring was planned and executed by the band alone without the assistance of a label or management.
Listen to “I Don’t Wanna Die” by clicking the link here.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm 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, Jim Cesare, North Side Sound and Leyeux
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.
Jim Cesare “Away We Go”
North Side Sound “Take my Time”
For fans of rock, indie, reggae, or funk, North Side Sound, a band out of Albany formed in 2020 and create genre bending music, releasing their EP Take My Time, January 2022.
Leyeux “Tightrope”
Leyeux (Jack Snyder) was born and raised in Central Vermont. He began drumming at the age of 8, and performed as a singer and guitarist in high school, playing drums in the school jazz band and other professional gigs. From 2013-2015 he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and joined the a capella group Pitch Slapped, which competed and won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in the Spring of 2014.
Renowned NYC-based reggae band Easy Star All-Stars have just released their new album Ziggy Stardub, a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Their newest track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” features vocals by the iconic multi-award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Macy Gray. Offering a fresh spin, the band has created a laid-back atmosphere within the song through a bounding drum beat and swaggering horns.
Michael Goldwasser, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist of Easy Star says, “The main key was finding an emotive and groundbreaking vocalist, and we did just that with Macy Gray, who is truly inimitable in every song that she sings, including this one.” The track is paired with a stop motion video, taking viewers through the journey of two cats during an evening in a paper town.
After a run of sonically mesmerizing singles, the band releases their highly anticipated album Ziggy Stardub on the 21st.The project is a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and features guest performances by Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), The Skints, Mortimer, The Expanders, Samory I, and many others.
Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies, and a premier rhythm section, Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene for over two decades. The band will also be performing at the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in New Jersey this September.
To watch the video for “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” click the link here.
NYC based band Sorry Mom has just liberated the punk-rock single “Shaving My Legs” in preparation for the release of their debut album babyface on May 12th. Following the album release, Sorry Mom will be hitting the road for a short northeast run that concludes with a set at Boston Calling Music Festival.
Sorry Mom is an NYC-based femme punk band whose music chronicles queer experiences and suburban despair through a nostalgic punk sound. Their music boasts the lyrical playfulness of Green Day and blink-182, but sonically has a more hardcore edge.
What began as a group of college friends playing music together quickly evolved into something bigger upon the release of Sorry Mom’s debut EP “Juno Goes to the Big House” in April 2021. As of July 2022, the band has garnered 10M+ streams across platforms and 50k+ followers across socials. In Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, Sorry Mom embarked on tours of the Northeast, playing 30 unique venues across the region.
The first single “Hiccup” shows the side of Sorry Mom that is incredibly hardcore punk. By using their artform to their advantage, they show how unique they are with powerful lyrics and punk melodies. Overall, “Hiccup” makes you want to jump straight into a mosh pit.
The second single “Shaving My Legs,” released on April 14th, provides a fast-paced intro to the overall album. While tackling feelings of being trapped, promising again and again to start making changes tomorrow, the band shows us that tomorrow never comes.
Sorry Mom is also going on tour for the release of babyface, stopping in Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar. For more information and to purchase tickets, click the link here.
To listen to “Shaving My Legs,” click the link here.
Zach Nugent’s Dead Set kicked off a six-show run across New York State at Garcia’s in Port Chester on Wednesday, April 19.
Performing with members of Swimmer and Corey Wilhelm on Percussion, a wide range of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia songs were featured, with a crowd filling the room and enjoying one of the freshest takes on the music of the Grateful Dead you’ll hear.
In concert, Nugent is exhilarating and unforgettable, energizing and inspiring fans, uplifting the crowd from the moment he and the band take the stage, Nugentâs virtuosic guitar playing and deep connection to the music of the Grateful Dead captivates the audience and transports them to another realm.
Upstate NY’s The Parlor have just announced their newest LP You Are Love And I Am You, a psychedelic dream-pop record about ecstatic realizations associated with what some call the mystical experience, unitive consciousness, or loving presence.
In celebration to the release on May 19th, they will also be hosting an album release show May 20th at Indian Ladder Cidery & Brewery’s Upper Biergarten.
You Are Love And I Am You is like a dream-pop relief compared to their more recent release in 2018 titled Kiku which chronicled the experience of grief and loss. It is meant to be listened to as an album, front to back. There were many that influenced the making of this album, such as The Mamas and the Papas, Tame Impala, Broadcast, Warpaint, Mazzy Star, George Harrison, Velvet Underground, Khruangbin, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Len, Cults, and Fleetwood Mac.
As a neo-psychedelic dream-pop project made by husband and wife Eric Krans and Jen O’Connor, The Parlor was named after a room in the 19th century farmhouse where they live, farm, and create. The multi-instrumentalist, producer-composers express some of the most powerful aspects of the human experience. Immersive sound scaping and aural synesthetic composition is the vessel through which they share their existence.
The song that has been released as a tease for the album, “Underneath the Universe,” is an absolute hit. It is very reminiscent of Tame Impala, with pretty indie visuals in the video to accommodate the dreamy-like melodies in the song itself.
The band stated, “Things got gloomy for us while touring on the Kiku record. Playing songs about trauma on a nightly basis, and the grueling nature of touring just sort of wore us down. (Jenn Pelly wrote an incredible piece for Pitchfork that relays a lot of what we experienced). Together these experiences ushered us deeper down a dark tapering claustrophobic tunnel with only a pinhole exit. We squeezed through somehow, thanks to meditative practice and sharing our deepest vulnerabilities with each other.”
During the pandemic, additional darkness ensued, but there was only one way out and it was through. We found a deepened sense of presence that felt sacred. By accepting the seemingly unacceptable we were paradoxically filled with awe and wonder. Living was imbued again with light, love and gratitude. That’s the experience this album captures. Us finding ourselves again. The heart of this album is the enigmatic realization that we are and always have been the universe experiencing itself. We exist as manifestations of the universe just as everything else. And when we allow ourselves to be whole and unique, we express the universe in hi-fidelity authenticity. Something about holding that in imagination produces a sense of reverence and a desire to sing and share.
“We got into Carl Jung, archetypal symbolism, alchemy, medieval Christian mysticism, Taoism, Sufism and found hundreds of esoteric philosophical characters that seem to be sharing similar mystical experiences of their own. This album is for them. Our new long dead friends. And everyone we ever met or wished upon. You shaped us. And to anyone out there who has had, or who hopes to have, a mystical experience in their lives that orients them toward abiding presence, awe and wonder, and gratitude for all existence. We celebrate you as us. Everything and nothing is one shining-forth ineffable non-dual eminence. Like dust in the light // Both the dark and bright.”
To pre-order You Are Love And I Am You, click the link here.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra continued their four show run at New York City’s Webster Hall this past Friday night, April 14. Continuing through Sunday to complete their New York stop on The V Tour.
Throughout the night, the group led by Ruban Nielson, blasted through songs from all of their albums, self-titled to the recently released V.
The show slowly ramped up with only a solo keyboardist playing a minimal piano track, leading into the rest of the band coming out on stage to perform the newest album’s opener, The Garden. Some songs seamlessly transitioned between one another, leading to a perpetual sense of musical cohesion.
The whole night felt like a family get together. From the familial themes sung about on V to Ruban’s brother Kody on drums, even their Dad regularly emerging to play saxophone, among a variety of other brass instruments.
Alongside their original material, two memorable covers joined the setlist. The group played The Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out,” the latter being a first. The band’s unique melding of psychedelia, rock, and funk blended astonishingly well with these two songs.
The V tour continues on in North America this week, concluding in Boston, before traveling overseas for the remainder of the summer.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra | Webster Hall | New York, NY | April 15, 2023
Setlist: The Garden, From the Sun / Secret Xtians, Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark), Weekend Run, The Opposite of Afternoon, Thought Ballune / Little Blu House, Necessary Evil / Monki, Ministry of Alienation, In the Rear View, Nadja, So Good at Being in Trouble / Waves of Confidence, Layla, Multi-Love
Encore: Meshuggah, Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover), Like Acid Rain, Movin’ Out (Billy Joel cover), That Life, Hunnybee, Can’t Keep Checking My Phone
(Note: The tour had a film-only policy for photographers)
Pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez put on a brilliant performance this past Saturday, April 15th at the St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church in Beacon. Sanchez, following no particular setlist and rather letting the music come to her in the intimate venue, did not fail to put on an incredible show for her captivated audience.
Angelica Sanchez
Sanchez, born in Arizona but now based in New York, is well-recognized for her jazz piano playing and has been featured in various publications like the New York Times, the Jazz Times, and the Chicago Tribune. She’s played multiple shows across NYC and the East Coast, and has another concert scheduled at Carnegie Hall for The Sophia Rosoff Concert Series: Jazz Piano Pairings 1. She is set to continue her tour until late November, playing venues across Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, the United Kingdom, France, Finland, and more.
Sanchez truly put on an outstanding performance in the dark-lit church venue. During one piece, she took out a drum mallet and began hitting the inside of the piano, adding a slow beat to her previously solo playing. The sheer silence of the crowd, coupled with the rain and thunder heard from the outside, beautifully matched the almost eerie ambiance of her piano playing. She masterfully blended dissonant chords and melodies together to create a panicky tone throughout her performance, with an incredible resolution toward the end. Her quiet humming to her crafted melodies entranced the audience members as they intently listened to her various eclectic compositions. The crowd stayed silent after each piece and waited to clap until the very end, making her one-hour set feel like a giant performance of a single piece.
Sanchez’s show was not something to miss. She is set to play many more shows across New York state throughout 2023, and her tour schedule can be found here.
Tesla rocked the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls with an incredible performance on April 15th. They last played the Niagara Falls area in 2019 and the Buffalo area in 2015. The legendary hard rock band has been a staple in the rock world for over three decades. The crowd eagerly anticipated the show from the moment the band took the stage. Tesla began with “Ladyluck,” a high-energy classic that set the tone for the night.
One of the show’s highlights was the band’s tribute to their former bandmate, Tommy Skeoch. Jeff Keith’s powerful vocals soared over Frank Hannon and Dave Rude’s heartfelt guitar work during the touching rendition of “What You Give.” Fans sang along to the emotional lyrics, paying their respects to the late musician.
Throughout the night, Tesla played hit after hit, including “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Love Song,” and “Love Me”. Fans sang along to every word, their voices blending together in a chorus of appreciation for the band’s incredible music.
But it wasn’t just the music that made the night special. Tesla’s connection with the audience was undeniable, and the crowd responded with cheers and applause. Brian Wheat’s bass and Troy Luccketta’s drums provided a rock-solid foundation for the band’s sound. Frank Hannon and Dave Rude traded blistering solos, their fingers dancing across the fretboards with ease.
As the night came to a close, Tesla launched into a rousing encore, playing “Little Suzi” and “Signs” to the delight of the crowd. Fans sang along, their voices blending together in a powerful show of appreciation for the band’s incredible talent.
In conclusion, Tesla’s performance at Seneca Niagara Casino was a masterclass in classic hard rock. The band’s musicianship was impeccable, their showmanship undeniable, and their connection with the audience was electric. It was a night that will be remembered by all in attendance, a testament to the enduring power of rock and roll.
Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA award nominee Ana De Armas shocked and stunned viewers with her role as Marilyn Monroe in the biopic Blonde, as well as her other roles, including the critically acclaimed mystery Knives Out. This week she hosted Saturday Night Live with Latin musical guest Karol G.
In honor of the warm weather recently, Saturday Night Live’s cold open took place in Central Park with an award show called the “First Warm Day of the Year.” Reporters (Heidi Gardner and Bowen Yang) took turns interviewing various people you’d see throughout the park, from runners, perverts, first-time rollerbladers, disgruntled park employees, and more.
The monologue opened with Ana De Armas showcasing her bilingual skills, swapping from Spanish to English, talking about how she learned to speak English from the TV show Friends, and different acting classes. Armas discussed her Oscar nomination as well as the fact that she is becoming a U.S. citizen in just three weeks. She finished it off by saying how she feels like she made it because she is hosting Saturday Night Live.
The second sketch, “Matt Schatt Game Show” featured Kenan Thompson as the game show host, with Ana De Armas playing an attractive wife, married to a nerdy, unattractive man with a humourous amount of nipples, played by Mikey Day. Lately, pop culture has been overtaken by the new Barbie movie trailer and SNL references that, utilizing American Girl dolls in a fake movie trailer, bringing the dolls to life.
Other sketches include “Album Recording Session,” about a producer (Devon Walker) trying to record his producer tag, starring Armas and Ego Nwodim as the girls recording it, messing up and joking about his car, his ability to get women, and more. Following that is a sketch about a Spanish class, with musical guest Karol G making an appearance towards the end, singing the Spanish alphabet. The “Please Don’t Destroy” sketch spoke about a bad night out, where they cannot remember what happened, suffering hangxiety.
Colombian singer/songwriter Karol G, described as a reggaeton and Latin trap artist, experiments with different genres throughout her music. She has amassed over 50 million monthly Spotify listeners and has over one billion streams. Her first song of the night “MIENTRAS ME CURO DEL CORA” off of her critically acclaimed record Mañana Será Bonito featured background singers humming the tune to “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” the tempo which is sampled in the track. Everyone was dressed in brown and beige, with a satin curtain background, dancing to the different beat changes the song includes, making the listener want to get up and groove. The vibes are happier on the song as Karol G sings in Spanish, catering to native and non-native speakers alike with her infectious energy and overall good mood.
https://youtu.be/_Q8b-dzZ9gA
Weekend Update rammed in on the Trump arrest and various politicians, from Supreme Court Justices to those voting against a women’s right to choose. Guests include Kenan Thompson as Funky Kong, talking about getting cut from the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Sarah Sherman as Genesis Fry, a meditation guru attempting to make Colin Jost become intuitive while making fun of his ego and soft arms. SNL makes it a point to introduce the first nonbinary cast member Molly Kearney as who they are, not a character. Kearney spoke about trans rights, which are a topic of discussion amongst lawmakers, trying to limit their rights, but Kearney makes it a point to discuss how important their rights are, and that we need to protect trans youth.
The final sketches included Armas and others in “Enter Stage Woof: Acting School for Dogs,” featuring actual dogs on the SNL stage, and Bowen Yang, holder of the Guinness Book World Record for the longest nails, with his wife, played by Armas. The sketch takes a shocking turn as Yang cuts his fingernails off, saving their relationship. Karol G performed her last song “TUS GAFTAS” with a completely different vibe change, suddenly in a spiky black outfit laying against a black car, with an all-female backing band, also in all black. The song is heavier than the last, with melodic guitars and a fast drum beat, showing her versatility. She wows the crowd with her stage presence, moving all around as she sings, not stopping the swaying of her hips even when the song stops.
https://youtu.be/BaQ532bS3N4
Pete Davidson will make his Saturday Night Live return on May 6 with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert.
