NYS Music 2023

Category: New York Singles

  • Tsavo Highway “Find a Way”

    Western New York rock/jam band Tsavo Highway has released their latest single, “Find a Way,” the first with a solidified lineup.

    Formed just over a year ago and led by the soulful vocals of Emily Scripps alongside guitarists Christian Dobosiewicz and Peter Kern and rhythm section of bassist Brian Calisto and drummer Dan Keegan.

    Tsavo Highway

    “Find a Way” was recorded by Producer Zach Tilton at his home studio. The nearly 6 minute long track is at first poppy with a mid-90s indie rock feel. Grooves build and flow into the next, while vocals from Scripps weave fluidly alongside the tempo.

    When we brought the tune to the band it clicked immediately. Everyone had an idea of how to make the song come to life. Christian with his twang in the way he plays the guitar’s lead lick in the chorus, Peter with his added trills and guitarmony in his solo, Brian with the most epic leading bass line, and Dan with his perfectly timed drum fills. Once everyone brought their individual takes and magic to the song, it came together as this wonderful, authentic, catchy tune. 

    Emily Scripps, Tsavo Highway

    Written by Scipps and Dobosiewicz, Emily shares that she wanted the song to have a feel of being at a train station – which explains the child’s train whistle making an appearance at the right times. The station here is symbolic to the middle ground in the journey of life.

    “You’re waiting at this middle ground for a sign, a feeling, a glimpse (a train) of something telling you you’re on the right track,” said Scripps. “You can feel it, hear it, you know it’s near, you hope it’s near, you’re calling out for it because it’s just within your grasp. So with this in mind I wanted the overall tone/sound of the song to reflect happiness but not in a sense of comfortability, but more a sense of happiness in being hopeful.”

    Tsavo Highway

    From playing intimate venues to larger stages, Tsavo Highway has a genuine passion for music that shines through every note they play, leaving audiences captivated by their raw talent and heartfelt performances.

    Learn more about Tsavo Highway and stay up to date with showing in 2024 here.

  • Chris Garneau Releases New EP ‘Out Of Love’

    New York artist Chris Garneau has released his new EP Out Of Love on December 8, preceding a pair of new singles titled “Millions” and “First Man”.

    Chris Garneau Out Of Love
    Photo by Michael George

    Chris Garneau is an American alternative indie singer and songwriter who entered the music scene in 2006 after releasing debut album Music for Tourists. Garneau explores themes of excitement, heartbreak, surprise with the sound of electric guitar, upright bass and drums to round out powerful narrative anthems.

    “’First Man’ isn’t just about a first crush but more importantly an initial recognition of a person’s queerness. My boyfriend wrote the lyrics, basing it on his memories of falling in love with the macho action movie characters from his youth. The concept led to a laid back, folk rock country vibe, and that informed the other songs on the EP. I wanted the production to be mostly acoustic, back porch summer nights with a smoky saloon atmosphere. And thanks to JOFF art direction and styling, and photographer Michael George, the shots look like movie stills. Throughout the shoot, it felt like I was acting and inhabiting these characters’ spaces — that was the point of this whole EP, that’s exactly what we set out to do.”

    – Chris Garneau

    The EP is made up of four songs that are character driven and capture the feeling of being transformed by the way of love. This is Garneau’s first collaboration with his boyfriend Marc Briz, a lyricist and fiction writer. Garneau and Briz acknowledge their first recognition of being queer and veer towards the Americana; the lovesick cowboy, the celebrity actor who pines for the spiritual, the addict who leaves this earth with love for the life he lived.

    The EP sparks a lush and soulful ballad which emerges emotive songwriting and displays a layered sonic landscape, speaking truth towards owning your identity and casting off shame. The songs are powerful, poignant, and mesmerize the intensity of the story despite its dark subject matter. Chris continues to pursue a diverse array of sound that influence an otherworldly and sensible talent.

    Listen to “Out of Love” by Chris Garneau below.

  • Velocihamster Release Lap Steel Version of Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings”

    Lap steel band Velocihamster have released a tribute to 80s band Mr. Mister with a cover of their #1 hit, “Broken Wings.”

    Mr Mister Broken Wings Velocihamster
    Cover artwork by Steven Bossler

    Velocihamster has been dubbed the worlds only lap steel metal band showcasing the external limits of steel guitar landscape and inspires the limits of the instrument. This single marks the first entirely solo effort in instrumentation with the exception of fretless bass played by longtime collaborator and friend Matt Turner (Static Chicken, Greg Koch). The tribute track honors Mr. Mister’s biggest hit “Broken Wings” released in 1985.

    Mr. Mister was an American pop rock band from Phoenix, consisting of Richard Page on lead vocals and bass guitar, Steve George on keyboards/backing vocals, Pat Mastelotto on acoustic and electronic drums/percussion and Steve Farris on guitars/backing vocals.

    “I’m hell-bent on extending steel guitar to musical eras, styles and genres you probably wouldn’t expect to hear the instrument, I’m proud to add this ’80s classic to an already diverse catalog of metal inspired lap steel mania. With this track, I’ve also earned my first credit as a drummer.”

    – Sean Williamson

    “Broken Wings” was the leading single on Mr. Mister’s second album release Welcome to The Real World, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a mix of synth, digitally delayed guitar, bass and drums. Velocihamster took a lap steel spin creating a unique version and an electric adaptation.

  • Jersey Native Wiseboy Jeremy Releases New Single ‘Do I Not?’

    The drowned-out, underwater, lyrical east-coast sound is alive and well. In like manner, New Jersey native Wiseboy Jeremy brings the perspective of a hip hop every man while rhyming over jazz-tinged, contemplative production. His latest release, “Do I Not,” featuring Phoenix James is an ode to feeling like an underachiever and underwhelming life circumstances and “battling with ego.” Using a drowsy, sub-merged flow he sings on the chorus, “Do I not do enough, Do I not do enough for you.”

    ‘Do I Not?’ is for those lost within. Those looking elsewhere to find the answers that they end up discovering within themselves.

    – Wiseboy Jeremy
    Wiseboy Jeremy releases new single "Do I Not?"b.
    Wiseboy Jeremy plays the role of hip hop every man on “Do I Not?”

    Moreover, Wiseboy Jeremy has released an equally expressive music video for “Do I Not?” directed by himself and redbrags. In like manner, the music video tells a similar story of every day lethargy. From taking the train, doing laundry, a date night with your girl and the mental quarell between following your dreams and holding down a job. All in all, Jeremy paints the picture of he build up of inadequacy within every day life.

    Furthermore, “Do I Not?” sets the stage for Wiseboy Jeremy’s forthcoming project, Pumpkin Seeds, set for release in January of 2024. His last effort, 2022’s Still Chldrn is a meditative collection of stories painted over unquantized, Blues & Hip-Hop laced production. Its success led Jeremy to the eyes of publications such as Pigeons & Planes (where he won Best New Artist), Bandcamp, Frank Ocean’s Homer Radio, Daily Chiefers, Sheesh Media & more.

  • Listen to San Fermin’s Emotional Single “My Love is a Loneliness”

    Brooklyn-based eight-piece San Fermin has released their dreamy new single “My Love is a Loneliness.” The third song to be pulled from their upcoming fifth studio album Arms (out February 16th via their burgeoning indie label Better Company Records), “My Love is a Loneliness” takes a bird’s eye view of heartbreak, finding solace in the cyclical nature of loss and redemption.

    San Fermin is Ellis Ludwig-Leone (bandleader, songwriter), Allen Tate (vocalist, producer), Claire Wellin (vocalist), Akira Ishiguro (guitar), John Brandon (trumpet), Stephen Chen (saxophone), Tyler McDiarmid (guitar), and Griffin Brown (drums).

    Arms marks a new direction for San Fermin, as they strip away much of the sonic ornamentation they’ve come to be known for in favor of a more raw, direct sound reflective of Ellis Ludwig-Leone’s candid, plainspoken lyrics. The album was written during one of the most difficult moments of Ludwig-Leone’s life, following the dissolution of two relationships. Over the course of the album’s nine stunning tracks, his lyrics move from anger and disappointment to clarity and acceptance in a steady progression reflective of the roller coaster journey that consumed him for the better part of a year.

    Ten years ago, San Fermin released their critically heralded eponymous album and rocketed to a national audience with NPR inviting them to play a Tiny Desk Concert and calling the album “one of the year’s most surprising, ambitious, evocative and moving records,” while Pitchfork praising their “ambitious chamber pop debut.” Over the next decade the band released four albums and became known for their “knack for simultaneously expressing beauty and crisis” (The New Yorker). Arms is the greatest testament to the community the band has built over the last decade, and illustrates their ability to transform crisis into a communal catharsis. 

    “I liked the idea of someone’s particular brand of love being misanthropic, kind of a misfit. Always taking rather than giving, always leaving rather than showing up. And then the vicious cycle that accompanies that— if your love is selfish, your only companion ends up being loneliness, which becomes a kind of armor protecting you from ever getting too close. If you never let down the armor, you’re safe, but it ultimately leaves you cold.”

    Ellis Ludwig Leone, bandleader and songwriter

    “My Love is a Loneliness” is a heartfelt indie song with incredibly touching lyricism. The song opens with a gut-punching line already: “My love is a loneliness // it sits just next to greed.” The personification of love and comparing that to the loss one feels after losing a relationship with someone is so beautiful.

    On top of the lyricism, this single features a fantastic indie guitar riff throughout the song, as well as an angelic vocal harmony near the midmark to the end.

    The band will celebrate the release of Arms with a 2024 national headline tour that kicks off on March 21st at Treefort Music Fest in Boise, ID, followed by stops in New York, Chicago, Nashville, and Los Angeles among others. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit their website.

    Tour Dates:

    3/15: Utrecht, NDL – Birds of Paradise Festival

    3/21-22: Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest

    3/23: Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room

    3/24: Denver, CO – Globe Hall

    3/26: St. Paul, MN – Turf Club

    3/27: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

    3/28: Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon

    3/30: Nashville, TN – The Blue Room

    3/31: Columbus, OH – The Basement

    4/2: Washington, DC – Atlantis

    4/3: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts

    4/4: Boston, MA – The Sinclair

    4/5: New York, NY – Racket

    4/30: San Diego, CA – Casbah

    5/1: Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever

    5/3: Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriets

    5/4: San Francisco, CA – Independent

    5/7: Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge

    5/9: Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret

    5/10: Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s

    For more information on San Fermin, visit their website, or follow them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.

  • Meet Aly G: Electro-Rapper, Activist, and Survivor

    Brooklyn electro-rapper Aly G has released her catchy new single “Super Power.” The single tells personal stories of fighting through various traumas, asserting that womanhood is the strongest power one could wield.

    An Ohio native, Alyson started freestyling while at college in Wisconsin, the rhymes spontaneously popping into her head. With her MFA in creative writing, she moved to NYC and built up a following as a singer-songwriter, until one night at a hip hop club, she realized who she was: Aly G. Incorporating beatboxing into her performances, along with covers of her fave 90s rap classics, she gained attention from The New Yorker and HuffPost for her innovative genre-blending and high energy performances. She has also recorded her own renditions of LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ and Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’.

    Inspired by Lauryn Hill, Saul Williams, Santigold, and Salt-N-Pepa, she began writing material that personified the fun-loving, colorful swagger of Aly G, including the hilarious true story about a friend’s unfortunate celeb experience ‘Michael Cera C*ckblocked Me at SXSW’. Twice featured at The American Beatboxing Championships (earning props from Rahzel from The Roots), she has performed alongside artist /actress Awkwafina and visionary emcee Jean Grae.

    Alyson’s music and original compositions have been featured on Fox, Lifetime, AOL, WNYC, and in TV/films including Conception, Super Sleuths, Creatures of Comfort, Dance Moms and The American Templars. She also founded NYC’s Tinderbox Music Festival, showcasing over 100 emerging female musicians from around the world in its four-year run, garnering press from The New York Times, Time Out New York, Billboard, Glamour and more.

    Alyson is also part of POLYVOX, a duo with Joe McGinty (Psychedelic Furs), creator and curator of NYC’s famed Loser’s Lounge. Earning praise from NYC’s The Deli, Greenfield was also one of the first five artists chosen to record at Converse’s Rubber Tracksstudio in Brooklyn.

    This single follows Aly G’s debut single “Build It Up,” which claps back at the urban renewal trend and increasing gentrification in Brooklyn, showcasing her socially conscious NYC vibe and rapid-fire delivery.

    Women in our society face a lot of criticism for being “weak” or not as strong as men, when in reality, women are the ones that are given the gift (or “Super Power”) of carrying and releasing life into the world– a feat that is extremely difficult and painful. 

    “Super Power” is all about focusing on women’s strengths and powers. Women are certainly not given enough credit for the strength they have to have to carry life. Even just growing up as a woman in America is so vastly different from growing up as a man in America: a man’s strengths can be a woman’s weakness. This song perfectly captures that imbalance we face. 

    “In the track I say, ‘Anything you can do, I can do bleeding / My body can sustain life through a feeding.’  We don’t have to be able to sprout webs from our fingers or fly through the air in order to do superhuman things, because as women we already have the power to do and face impossible things just by being who and what we are.”

    Aly G

    For more information on Aly G, visit her website, listen to her music on Spotify and Apple Music, or follow her on Bandcamp, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. 

    Listen to “Super Power” from Aly G below.

  • Mackenzie Shivers shares Love Song “Pedestal”

    New York folk-pop artist Mackenzie Shivers released her newest single “Pedestal” on November 30, the second track from upcoming album Primrose was in Season.

    Mackenzie Shivers

    Shivers boldly gives us a glimpse into her healing process after loss during her first pregnancy, capturing a depth of feeling that illuminates both her resilience, strength and vulnerability. A mix of electric guitar, organic drums, dance beats and Shiver’s trademark piano bolster highlighting her most adventurous work to date.

    “Pedestal”, at it’s core is a love song, overcoming hardship with the one you love and enduring the face we show to the world and to ourselves. Shiver’s illustrates a powerful portrait of feminine inner fragility and strength, intertwining magic with grief. “Pedestal” follows the release of album opener’s, “A cautionary tale”, that stands as an ethereal pop track capturing internal struggles confessing that Shivers is not always as put together as she seems, while pulling the listener into a stunning musical terrain.

    “The creation of ‘a cautionary tale’ and the subsequent nine tracks that would make up my upcoming album was creative and buoyant, bringing joy to a very difficult time in my life. I was struggling to get pregnant and stay pregnant. I felt like the odds were against me, like I couldn’t gain control of my own life. But in the studio, I felt like I had some control over what I was making, and I was also having a blast.”

    – Mackenzie Shivers

    For more information visit here. Listen to Mackenzie Shivers “Pedestal” below.

  • Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer Release Cover of “Solidarity”

    Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer have released their cover of “Solidarity” by Angelic Upstarts.

    Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz of international punk rock band Gogol Bordello, have announced the re-launch of his label Casa Gogol Records and set to showcase the sound of the New York scene and collaborate with legends of the punk rock community. Casa Gogol first started as a touring series curated by Hütz, focusing on bringing like-minded artists on the road with Gogol Bordello. 

    Casa Gogol released a cover collaboration on November 27, with Gogol Bordello and Bernard Summer of Angelic Upstarts’, “Solidarity”, to honor tribute to the anti-soviet movement to benefit Ukraine and stand in solidarity with oppressed groups worldwide. Aiming to provide proceeds to Ukrainian soldiers recovery, aid children affected, support needed medical supplies and provide other resources.

    “This is a particularly meaningful collaboration for us. To do this tribute with one of the most masterful and brilliant pioneers, Bernard Sumner, is truly epic and timely.”

    – Eugene Hütz

    “Solidarity” uses powerful lyrics that is upbeat, influential and highlights the importance of Ukraine while they sing, “As the people of Ukraine take their stance, and behind them, every honest living man.” They chant, “Give them hope, give them strength and give them light,” to tribute and bring peace to the people of Ukraine. A strong backbeat sews the song together with violin, guitar, and synthesized sounds on the keyboard that pulls punk and rock into a moving tune.

  • Poolside Announce 2024 “Blame It All On Love Tour,” New Single “Lonely Night”

    Poolside has announced their 2024 headlining North American Tour with a pit stop at Brooklyn Steel on February 17, and new single “Lonely Night (French version)” released on November 14.

    Poolside is the recording project of producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Paradise. In 2011, Poolside has set out to produce chill music for summer soirees, a light and danceable kind of music with liquid rhythm that was named “Daytime Disco”.

    “When Poolside sent me the demo for Lonely Night, I was immediately inspired by the song. I first wrote the lyrics in French and sent it to Jeff and he proposed the idea of having a version in English as well” 

    – MUNYA

    Jeffrey Paradise revealed the French version of “Lonely Nights” with MUNYA on November 14, from his latest album Blame It All On Love and is pleased to announce upcoming tour dates for 2024 starting in Santa Barbara at the Soho Music Club on January 19.

    While this is Poolside’s fourth studio album, Paradise leaves the shallows and enters the depths of his own creative voice. The eleven tracks are funky, playful, laidback and full of hooks that elevate Poolside’s sound to poignant pop heights. The lo-fi ballad “Lonely Night” co-written with MUNYA incorporates all the sweet things that make an easy to love song and blends it with romantic melancholy that adds a softness of verses in French.

    All general ticket sales begin Friday, November 27, for more information please visit here.

    Upcoming Poolside Tour Dates:

    2024 ‘Blame It All On Love Tour’

    Jan 19 – Santa Barbara, CA – SoHo Music Club

    Jan 20 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater

    Jan 25 – Del Mar, CA – The Sound

    Jan 26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

    Jan 27 – Oakland, CA – The Fox

    Jan 28 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades

    Jan 30 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall

    Feb 01 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

    Feb 02 – Seattle, WA – Showbox

    Feb 03 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre

    Feb 06 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

    Feb 08 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fine Line

    Feb 09 – Chicago, IL – The Vic

    Feb 10 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre

    Feb 13 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House

    Feb 14 – Montreal, QC – El Studio

    Feb 15 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair

    Feb 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Brookyln Steel

    Feb 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl

    Feb 20 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry

    Feb 21 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis

  • Saratoga Group The Zorbas Trio Releases Debut Single, “Still I Breathe”

    Sibling group The Zorbas Trio released their debut single, “Still I Breathe,” ahead of their Hudson Falls show at the Strand Theater on December 4. Composed of siblings Callista, Demetra, and John Zorbas, the group plays original folk rock tunes, as well as covers ranging across genres.

    Zorbas Trio

    The group’s first single, “Still I Breathe,” is a dark folk-rock track with strong vocals, as well as evident piano and guitar skills. The sibling trio shows strong collaborative skill, which will prove to be important in their upcoming album.

    Zorbas Trio

    The Zorbas Trio is currently based out of Saratoga, as Upstate NY natives. Pianist and composer John Zorbas is the youngest of the three, specializing in classical and jazz. Demetra, the second oldest of the Trio, brings lead vocals and bass, and is also an actor, fine artist, and trap shooter. Finally, Callista, the eldest sibling, also lends lead vocals as well as her guitar skills. She is also an actor, writer, and fine artist, in addition to her musical skills.

    The Zorbas Trio will play a show at The Strand Theater in Hudson Falls on December 4 at 7PM. The event is free. More information is available here.

    Listen to “Still I Breathe” from Zorbas Trio below.