Category: New York Singles

Tommy Weeks of Funky Dawgz Brass Band drops Funk and Soul-Filled “Strangers” off solo EP

Tommy Weeks, saxophonist and bandleader of Funky Dawgz Brass Band, has released the first single from his upcoming EP, Strangers. The single, “Strangers” is chock full of soulful guitar riffs and vocals, while heavy on the funk that Weeks is adept at delivering. The full EP will be released on April 25, with additional singles released in the next two months.

Tommy Weeks

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Weeks earned a bachelor’s degree in music and formed the Funky Dawgz. The band has toured across the United States, in addition to short tours in Europe, pre-Covid. Serving as bandleader for Funky Dawgz, as well as a music producer, Weeks has performed at festivals including Okeechobee, Camp Bisco, Peach Music Festival, and at Madison Square Garden as the horn section for Dispatch.

Weeks also had a full season stint in the house band for the entire season of the new Guy Fieri TV show “Guys Ultimate Game Night” on Food Network, which featured celebrity guests including Cheech Marin, Bret Michaels, Alyssa Milano, Vivyka A. Fox, and Bobby Moynihan.

When Weeks isn’t on television or touring the world, he teaches young aspiring musicians at an after school music program in CT, “Project Music.“

The fresh sound of “Strangers” is as a fusion of pop, R&B, house, and hip hop that features musicians and close friends from the Connecticut music scene. Featured on the track are Gabrielle Lakshmi (vocals), Paulie Phillipone (synth), Jon Singngam (drums) and Billy Ruegger (guitar).

Strangers was recorded in three locations: Weeks’ home studio in Ridgefield CT, Funkhaus Studios in Hartford, CT and Black Rock Sound in Bridgeport, CT. The EP was produced by Weeks and engineer, Mikhail Pivovarov, who also mixed and mastered the EP.

Tommy Weeks

Catch Weeks with Funky Dawgz horns on the road with TAUK for the last leg of their “Tauk Moore Tour” at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday, February 25. Listen to “Strangers” from Tommy Weeks below.

February 24, 2023
Daisy The Great Share Indie Pop Video For “I Don’t Wanna Fall”

NY-based indie pop band Daisy the Great have just released the music video for “I Don’t Wanna Fall” from their new album All You Need Is Time. To celebrate the album release, the band will embark on another nationwide tour as headliners. Daisy the Great’s All You Need Is Time Tour begins April 12th at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA, making their final destination at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Daisy the Great is an American indie pop band from Brooklyn led by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker. The song “Record Player” from their debut album was released in August 2021, with additional verses and production performed by AJR. It went to number 6 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

The band stated, “The “I Don’t Wanna Fall” music video is a compilation of footage from our most recent tour. It follows us on the road, backstage and on stage at the shows. We chose to pair “I Don’t Wanna Fall” with this very sweet docu-style footage because it felt really heartwarming and also heartbreaking to watch us so happy and in our element, tied up with this song about the temporary nature of good things. It feels important to remember to really live in the joyful moment when you’re in it, because everything comes and goes. The song was initially about a romantic relationship, but it brought new importance to the music to recontextualize it using our relationship with our audience and with live music in general. We love touring and we are very lucky to have our first headline tour EVER coming up this spring!!! We’re so excited to play all over the US. We hope you love the video and can’t wait to see you on the road.”

Both Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker make folk-inflected indie rock together that spans a multitude of moods, capable of being clever, devastating, simultaneous pop to powerhouse balladry. The pair first met as acting majors at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where they began co-writing a musical about a fictional band before realizing they could make it happen in real life and set out as Daisy the Great.

“Our music is generally pretty introspective, and we are often interested in the complexities or ironies we see within ourselves,” Dugan says. “That’s something we love about writing—you can say something small and delicate and true that maybe feels scary to say, but once you put it out there, it can turn into a comfort for anyone that might also be feeling that way.”

ALL YOU NEED IS TIME Tour Dates:

April 12 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

April 14 – Columbus, OH – The Basement

April 15 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen

April 17 – Minneapolis, MN – 7^th St. Entry

April 18 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater

April 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court

April 21 – Portland, OR – Holocene

April 22 – Seattle, WA – Barboza

April 25 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord

April 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo

April 29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego

May 2 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas

May 3 – Austin, TX – Antone’s

May 5 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa

May 6 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival

May 7 – Nashville, TN – The End

May 10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia

May 11 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House

May 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

For details about the Daisy the Great, the upcoming tour, and ticket availability, please visit the link here.

February 21, 2023
Hello Mary Share Video for Indulgent New Single “Special Treat”

Brooklyn’s Hello Mary have just dropped a new single “Special Treat,” right before the release of their self-titled debut album on March 3rd. The song opens with disarming harmonies that might recall a schoolyard taunt, or something more sinister, like the summoning of a coven.

The band explains that, “‘Special Treat’ is pretty much about indulgence of any kind, and doing things for pure momentary pleasure. For the music video, we just wanted to be crazy, eat dope food, and take out our deep resentment towards each other through a food fight.”

Hello Mary will also play a record-release party at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere Zone One on March 24. Their first ever tour kicks off on March 23^rd in Hamden, CT and concludes in Providence, RI on April 6^th. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now and all dates are listed below.

Hello Mary is made up of Helena Straight (guitar, vox), Mikaela Oppenheimer (bass), and Stella Wave (drums, vox). Mikaela started Hello Mary with Helena as freshmen in high school. When they met Stella by happenstance the three became an inseparable unit, as good of friends as they are bandmates.

The album Hello Mary references alternative rock of the nineties alongside Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley as influences. For sound, the band tends to meld elements of 90s shoegaze with indie rock and grunge, making a unique sound of their own.

The album’s song “Looking Right Into the Sun,” is most honestly described as “delightful,” driven by a tight and dynamic rhythm section that gives way to Straight’s crystalline and confident falsetto.

Hello Mary Tour Dates:

3/23 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT

3/24 – Elsewhere Zone One – Brooklyn, NY

3/25 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC

4/5 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA*

4/6 – Columbus Theatre – Providence, RI*

*Denotes Dates with Deerhoof

Pre-order Hello Mary by clicking the link here. Listen/share “Special Treat” by clicking the link here.

February 19, 2023
Fever Dolls Release Indie Single “Hate Myself (For Loving You)”

Burlington‘s indie rock duo Fever Dolls have just released “Hate Myself (For Loving You)” on February 17th. The single is an infectious heartache anthem for fans of Kevin Morby and Lord Huron.

Active since 2018, Fever Dolls is comprised of songwriter Evan Allis and singer Renn Mulloy. Formed 2018, Fever Dolls was born out of a desire to forego the self-seriousness of modern rock in favor of big hooks, clever lyrics, and broad musical range. The duo have over 10 million streams on Spotify, over 150,000 views on YouTube, and have Best Music Video Award from Gorilla River Music Video Festival 2019 (Adeline).

“If you were to ask me to name the qualities that unite my favorite bands, I would say, “a great bar band that sounds like it would write an amazing Broadway musical.” Fever Dolls meets and far surpasses that standard”
– Vox

By blending indie rock and Americana influences, “Hate Myself” showcases the lyrical storytelling that Vox’s Emily St. James praised as sounding like “a great bar band that would write an amazing Broadway musical,” and features collaborators Willoughby Morse (Cavetown), Riley Geare (Caroline Rose), and Dan Rome (Noah Kahan).

Evan Allis says that, “Hate Myself” was one of those songs that I kept coming back to when I really struggled with questions about the “sound of the band,” because it seemed to capture what I thought was special about Fever Dolls: anthemic choruses, hypnotic guitar riffs, and close vocal harmonies that sound descended from both classic country and Motown.”

“Lyrically, “Hate Myself (for Loving You)” strikes a balance between self-deprecation and self-delusion. There’s plenty of confessional songwriting that captures the initial disorientation, but not much that speaks to the mixture of emotions that lingers after the hurt has worn off. The narrator of “Hate Myself” is saying “good riddance,” even while acknowledging their own contribution to a toxic relationship. There are a lot of “kiss-off” songs and “please take me back” songs, but “Hate Myself” lives in that murky middle-ground where most people I know reside after a split. It’s our anthem for the anger/acceptance stage of the break-up grief cycle.”

To listen to “Hate Myself (For Loving You),” click the link here.

For more information on Fever Dolls, click the link here.

February 17, 2023
Albany Indie-Rock Group Canella Share Video for New Single “Why Can’t I?”

Albany based indie-rock band Canella has dropped their newest single “Why Can’t I?” off their upcoming full length album Can’t Make You Smile.

Inspired by the sounds of 2000’s alt rock, Canella have established an electric presence in NY’s Capital Region as winners of WCDB Radio’s ‘Song of the Year’ award for their debut single “Quiet Love”.

Written on a fall afternoon, Canella lead singer Juliana sat in her bedroom and wrote a song that would haunt her forever. The sad acoustic guitar echoed the fears she was harboring regarding her relationship. Fears that came to pass months later, when all she had written to that indie rock tune came true and the relationship ended. Writing, and later performing the single helped Juliana to process the relationship ending and coming to term with her feelings. “I feel like I was performing the song even before the relationship ended but once it finally did end and I sang the lyrics again it really all clicked” says Juliana. “This person wasn’t the right one for me since I was full of doubt and fears, and I didn’t really realize that until after I heard it back once I was single and going through the grief of it all. Now I’m very happy with where I’m at”.

Coming to all streaming platforms on February 17th, Canella’s third single off of their upcoming record Can’t Make You Smile, tells a story of disappointment, which smoothly fits the album’s overall theme of a revenge journal. This 2000’s inspired rock single starts with an unexpected bang representing the shocking realization of the ‘red flags’ in a relationship, and ends with a heavy breakdown perfect for releasing anger and frustration.

The chorus-y guitar-driven single will be released along with a DIY-style documentary lyric video of one of the band’s adventures through their home-base of the Capital Region. Speaking of the inspiration behind the video, Juliana speaks of wanting to permanently capture a wonderful day with friends. “At the time my friends in the band and I had very limited time together since I was only visiting them for a couple of days. I knew we were going to spend a whole day together in the city and since I had started to live far away from them, I wanted to capture candid footage of us hanging out and having a good time”.

Juliana continues, “when I went back home and was missing them I put the videos together as a cute highlight reel of that day with “Why Can’t I” in the background, and since it made us smile we decided to add the lyrics to it and post the video on our YouTube”. The fun, carefree video of a group of friends, enjoying a night out perfectly juxtaposes the concepts of uncertainty in the future of a relationship where the parties involved can’t seem to be on the same page.

You can follow the band’s social media for updates on their upcoming releases along with the full-length album coming out Spring 2023.

February 17, 2023
Reuben Vincent Releases “February 13th” To Commemorate Black Love Day

Young elite lyricist and producer Reuben Vincent announced the release of a new video for his soundtrack, “February 13th”. The soundtrack is from his recently released Jamla/Roc Nation debut album Love Is War.

“February 13th” entails Reuben and fellow Jamla/Roc Nation star Rapsody diving into the Love Is War theology and dissecting the complexities of relationships/situationships. The soundtrack highlights “Black Love Day”, a day designed to demonstrate love, forgiveness and acceptance among black people.

Conceptually, Love Is War is an acknowledgement that as young black men I feel like we aren’t taught, and given the tools of how to love properly. We don’t know how to love our people, our women, our brothers; and most importantly ourselves.
Reuben Vincent

Love Is War addresses the importance of self-love so that it can be possible to love others correctly. Vincent reveals that his goal is to establish a proper sense of self love for himself. The soundtrack is titled “February 13th” because of his realization that love is a constant battle to get to that center in your life. People battle themselves daily, to reach a place where they can both love and be loved.”

There is no doubt that Reuben Vincent was born to win. Recently named one of HipHopDX’s Rising Stars Of 2023, Vincent has spent the last few years honing his artistry. He was guided by Hip-Hop greats 9th Wonder and Young Guru.

Before the creation of “February 13th” Vincent and Rasposdy were living with Young Guru in LA during the pandemic. The three woke up together, shared experiences with one another, and learned from each other. According to Rapsody, the soundtrack and music video highlights their encounters with love. Vincent also says, “It was the day before Valentine’s Day so we wanted to make this the break up song. Everyone who is a part of this record experienced real emotions to get to this point.” The artist’s transparency allows you to feel genuine emotion as you listen to the soundtrack.

Reuben’s Jamla/Roc Nation debut album, Love Is War, is an emotional project that will place him at the forefront of debates about the new rap greats. Vincent uses warm soulful beats from 9th Wonder, Young Guru, The Soul Council and his own production, to unpack relationships and romantic entanglements. “February 13th” also features guest appearances from Reason (TDE), Domani and Stacey Barthe.

Reuben Vincent’s Love Is War is now available at all DSP’s via Jamla/Roc Nation Records. You can also purchase, stream, add and favorite Reuben Vincent’s Love Is War here.

February 16, 2023
Path Announces New Album, Lead Single “All I Wanna Do” Out Now

Indie-Rock band Path has released “All I Wanna Do”, the first single from their upcoming third LP entitled You’re Gonna Be Alright. This release comes on the heels of the recent success of their 2018 single Eugene, which amassed more than a million streams on Spotify since 2020.

All I Wanna Do single artwork

“Music has always been my main outlet for bottled up emotions” says Path frontman Sam Keeler. “Writing and recording music is often a difficult experience. I tend to get stuck in dark places while I’m trying to put certain feelings into music. I don’t know what changed, but this time around everything came from a positive place and I found the entire process to be really constructive on a personal level. I guess you can say this is an album about personal growth and getting to know yourself better.”

“For this most recent project, I made a point to shift my focus from looking inward to looking outward and forward. “All I Wanna Do” was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and I remember just wanting to make a simple love song. I was pulling myself out of a difficult period in my life around that time and I think that this track reflects that transitional period pretty clearly.”

Path’s signature sound has been documented by WXPN Philadelphia, Indie Underground, and Divide and Conquer, among others. WXPN notes “The five-piece band has a pointedly emotional and dreamy soundscape, seen on their two self-produced LP’s. Their new release features warm looping guitars and airy vocals, creating a contrasting soundscape of dazzling clarity and fuzziness. Indie-rock, soft folk and the band’s self-described ‘love rock’ all feel like appropriate labels for the track, but an enchanting breath of fresh mountain air could also serve to describe the start of what listeners feel as they fill in the rest of the gaps.”

Crediting Path’s rich, heartfelt sound, their 2018 sophomore album Still was embraced by critics and music fans alike as a hidden treasure of northeastern indie rock and folk music. Although still personal and poetic, You’re Gonna Be Alright features a fuller and more developed sound than their previous two records while maintaining the core characteristics that make their sound so alluring.

Path will tour the Eastern US this summer in support of the new record.

“All I Wanna Do” is available now on Spotify

February 11, 2023
Mmeadows share “When We Are Together We Are Really Free” off debut album

NYC‘s mmeadows have shared “When We Are Together We Are Really Free,” the final single from their debut album Light Moves Around You, which was released on Friday, February 3rd. The prog-pop duo will also be performing an album release show May 6th at Baby’s All Right.

Vocalist Kristin Slipp’s (Dirty Projectors) vocals weave seamlessly through Cole Kamen-Green’s production (walls of horns, synths, and piano) for a sound that’s mysterious, mercurial, and fearless. The track cements their trademark style, a permeable mix of sounds both fluid and rhythmic, organic and electronic.

The song is accompanied by a video filmed in an abandoned church, lending a visual atmosphere at once carefree and ominous, a perfect match for the track and the album as a whole.

“[“King of the Castle”] It’s a catchy, unpredictable dose of art pop…”
– BrooklynVegan

The track is accompanied by a bold video directed by Haoyan of America, in which the duo performs the song in an abandoned church. Complete with glow stick dance parties and colorful tarot cards, it creates an atmosphere at once carefree and ominous, a perfect match for the track and the album as a whole: mysterious, mercurial, and fearless.

Their singular alt-pop songcraft is ultimately the synthesis of complementary talents, mutual trust, and years of partnership. Light Moves Around You reflects this connection; a dynamic and deeply-honed collection of pop songs that silence chaos and celebrate the tender acts of making space.

“With community heavy on my mind during early days of the pandemic, but not within physical reach, I set out to write a song that I might play during one of a handful of virtual dance parties we hosted,” Slipp says. “The catharsis of sharing digital space with my friends during such a surreal time was powerful and lasting, and that energy motivated us to make this track super danceable, brimming with feeling, and short enough to demand an immediate repeat listen.”

Upcoming mmeadows Live Dates:

April 26^th – Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers
May 6^th – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Tickets go on sale Friday, February 3^rd at 10am Local Time. To purchase tickets, click the link here.

February 6, 2023
Dr. Scot Brown Releases MLK Inspired Single

To commemorate and celebrate civil rights leader and icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., music scholar and artist Dr. Scot Brown has released his new single “King of Love: MLK.”

This uplifting fusion of R&B and classic soul conveys the spirit of the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of love and community.

A Rochester native, artist, and author, Dr. Brown is also an African American Studies professor and music historian at UCLA. Currently, a visiting scholar at Colgate University, Dr. Brown has cultivated a distinct sound using the knowledge he’s gained analyzing the nuances of Black popular music–especially Funk and R&B history. On the heels of national news highlighting where change is still needed to continue Dr. King’s mission of social justice, togetherness, and change, Dr. Brown hopes to give listeners an inspirational MLK anthem.

“For this particular song, I drew inspiration from the awe I felt after hearing Dr. King’s words as a child,” explained Dr. Brown. “I felt an uplifting power in his words through his melodic preaching style – even before I could fully understand the messages and meaning.”

King of Love features a broad list of talented artists, including vocalists Kijana Crues, Alex Parris, and Funk pioneer Fred Wesley, former leader and trombonist of James Brown’s band. In addition, Dr. Brown brings his own unique sound to honor Dr. King. Wanting to capture the sensation felt when he first heard the “I Have a Dream” and “Drum Major Instinct” speeches, Dr. Brown brought in actor and MLK performer/voice-over artist Stephon Ferguson. On the track, it is Ferguson’s voice that is heard reciting passages, written by Dr. Brown, in a preaching style, reminiscent of Dr. King’s sermonizing voice. This version of “King of Love: MLK” was produced by artist and rapper O’hene Savant, who lent his multi-instrumental virtuosity to the song. Dr. Scot Brown is the executive producer, bassist, additional keyboardist [vibraphone], and songwriter (with Kalamu ya Salaam and Jerry Rescue).

“Over the years, I’ve gained an appreciation for the symmetry between Dr. King’s voice and his messages about the transformational power of love and his philosophy of social change.”

Dr. Brown believes the Civil Rights and Black Power movements were successful, in part, because they both emphasized the power of everyday people to make major changes in society.

“‘Freedom Now’, ‘We Shall Overcome,’ and ‘Power to the People,’ are all chants that express this idea,” said Dr. Brown. “As far as my own music goes, I believe that people are responding favorably to positive and empowering messages in music. With this song, I hope that listeners feel and activate their own expressions of Dr. King’s call for agape love – love for humanity.”

King of Love: MLK can be found now on digital platforms YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

February 6, 2023
Ben Cuomo Announces Solo Single “Changed The Way”

Multi-instrumentalist Ben Cuomo has announced his newest solo release “Changed The Way” in collaboration with fellow producer Ben Milstein, released on February 3rd.

While listners may recognize Cuomo from NYC duo MoonTree, this is Cuomo’s first solo release.The ambient single, written while Cuomo and Milstein were improvising in a Suny Purchase practice room, is the first collaboration between the friends.

Ben Cuomo and Ben Milstein are both producers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists attending the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. Although they have the same name they have very different musical backgrounds.

Ben Cuomo is a composer, multi instrumentalist, producer, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and overall-creative from Brooklyn who experiments with the indescribable and unorthodox sides of music. He is currently producing for multiple artists, and scoring films at Purchase.

Ben Milstein is a multi-instrumentalist and singer who has been writing music for years. Ben has performed in musicals as roles such as Curly Mclain in Roger and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, and wrote and produced an EP titled Microchosm. His 9 song debut album will be coming out in March, featuring his first single “Hopelessly Cold” which is out now on all streaming platforms.

Ben Cuomo and Ben Milstein met at SUNY Purchase college. Both are in the music conservatory and are friends, song writers, multi instrumentalists and producers, who wanted to produce songs for each other. “Changed the Way” is their first collaboration.

February 3, 2023