The initial lineup for the 2023 Wild in the Trees Music and Skate Festival in Lake George has been announced by Mirth Films.
Taking place October 7-8 at the Lake George Skate Plaza, this year’s lineup is set to feature Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band, FUNGKSHUI, Candy Ambulance, Victory Soul Orchestra, Hilltop, Shu, Fine Grain, The Skunches and many more. The multi-talented Connor Dunn will also be hanging out for the weekend as the Artist at Large.
The first ever Wild in the Trees Music and Skate Festival took place October 1-2, 2022 hosting local acts and also included five different skateboarding events. On the grounds of the festival you can find some of the area’s best food and craft beer along with over 20 craft vendors located at the space. Wild in the Trees pays homage to efforts made in 2008 to raise money to build the Lake George Skate Plaza while embracing all the incredible musical talent regionally and beyond.
photo by Frank Cavone
Back in 2008, local skateboarders in Lake George, NY brought to the towns attention about the need to have a skate park. Through various town board meetings and the creation of a skateboarding committee put together by skaters, family members and community leaders, it was time to raise money to make the dream come true.
Throughout the early 2010’s, local skateboarders held various fundraisers over the years including spaghetti dinners, coin drops, benefit concerts and much more. Between all the efforts locally along with a few grants, the skateboarders were able to raise nearly $100,000. By 2014, the park was designed with oversight from the local skaters. In 2015, ground was broken at the newly created Charles R. Wood Park and the dream was realized. The Lake George Skate Plaza attracts skateboarders from all across the Northeast and beyond each year giving kids a safe place to skateboard without getting in trouble.
photo by Frank Cavone
Wild in the Trees will also feature two days of skateboarding contests including Best Trick, Spot-Based Jam, Game of Skate, High Ollie and much more. Skaters will have the chance of winning prizes from Seasons Skateshop and Corners Skateshop.
If you thought Reubens were good, just wait until this year’s Wild in the Trees Music and Skate Festival!
Frank Cavone, owner of Mirth Films stated
The headliner to this year’s Wild in the Trees Music and Skate Festival will be announced on August 15th. This year will also feature an official after party with Two Planets Away at The Lagoon in the heart of Lake George on October 7th.
Wild in the Trees Music and Skate Festival 2023 is made possible by sponsors, including Lake George Steamboat Company, Seasons Skateshop, Ginter Electric Uncommon Grounds, S.F. Janitorial, Law Office of Paul Ryan, Altered Apparel, Radio Radio X and Corners Skateshop.
Weekend and single-day passes are available now at Mirth-Films.com/WildintheTrees. 50 percent of all ticket sales will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House of the Capital Region.
Rochester-based indie band Joywave has announced they will play the New York State Fair at the Chevy Court Stage on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
Formed in 2010, Joywave started when lead vocalist, Daniel Ambruster, was writing and recording music in his parents’ basement. They gained traction with a series of online mixtapes that blended their original songs with material from other artists. The group’s debut studio album, How Do You Feel Now? peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album chart, where their second album, Content, also cracked the Top 10. In 2014 they released the popular hit “Dangerous” with Big Data, and their most recent record Cleanse features a series of songs that explore life in the early 2020s.
Their infectious brand of indie rock and electronic elements has led them to perform at major festivals including Lollapalooza and Coachella. They have toured with Bastille, The Killers, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Bleachers, Foals, and more, and also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Watching Joywave’s performance is included with the price of Fair admission.
New York State Fair Lineup
Chevy Court
Aug. 23 at 1 p.m.- Chubby Checker
Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.- Salt-N-Pepa
Aug. 24 at 6 p.m.- Quiet Riot
Aug. 26 at 1 p.m.- Peppa Pig Live! Peppa Pig’s Adventure
Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.- Julio Iglesias Jr.
Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.- The Prodigals
Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.- Matt Stell
Aug. 28 at 1 p.m.- Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.- Anne Wilson
Aug. 29 at 1 p.m.- Tommy James and the Shondells
Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.- Bret Michaels
Aug. 30 at 1 p.m.- Danielle Ponder
Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.- Chapel Hart
Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.- The Fray
Sept. 2 at 12-9:45 p.m.- JAMS Funk Fest Featuring: Brick (6:45 p.m.) & Dazz Band (8:15 p.m.)
Sun. Sept. 3 at 1 p.m.- Disney Junior Live On tour: Costume Palooza
Sept. 4 at 12 p.m.- The High Kings
Suburban Park
Aug. 23 at 2 p.m.- Steven Page
Aug. 23 at 8 p.m.- Lainey Wilson
Aug. 24 at 8 p.m.- Theory of a Deadman
Aug. 26 at 8 p.m.- George Thorogood and the Destroyers
The alternative rock quartet Das Damen has returned with a remaster of their debut EP, 1986: Keeps Me Wild, as well as with their first live date in over 30 years at the Drom30 Festival in Catskill, NY. The first song from the remaster, “Trick Question,” is now available.
Credit: Naomi Petersen
The band was originally founded in 1984 by vocalist and guitarist Jim Walters, guitarist Alex Totino, eight-string bassist Phil Leopold Von Trapp, and drummer Lyle Hysen. 1986: Keeps Me Wild was produced by producer Wharton Tiers, known for his work with Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca, and Pussy Galore, at Fun City Studios in NYC. It was released on Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! imprint in 1986, later to be reissued by SST Records.
Das Damen would gain a reputation as an epic live band, playing alongside Nirvana, Soundgarden, Black Flag, Green River, Screaming Trees, and DC3 on various tours. 1986: Keeps Me Wild is regarded as a touchstone in the downtown NYC underground movement, and captured the live energy of Das Damen.
When we got the tapes baked several years ago, upon listening to them we discovered we had a few unfinished alternative takes from the original EP sessions. We didn’t feel we could bring the same “1986 enthusiasm” to finishing the tapes but by bringing in a few people who we respect or are pals from back then, the re-imaginings would have a new energy of their own.
Drummer Lyle Hysen
The remastered album features cuts based on the original Ecstatic Peace! recordings as well as never-before-heard demos. Additional contributors include Dez Cadena (Black Flag), Thalia Zedek (Come), Gary Lee Conner (Screaming Trees), John Robinson (The Fluid), and A Girl Called Eddy. Sean Glonek at SRG Studios was behind the remaster, with oversight by Walters, Hysen, and best-selling author and producer Tom Beaujour.
The full remastered album will release digitally on Sept. 8 and on vinyl in October. Pre-orders are now available.
The band’s showing at the Drom30 Festival will be under the name Sad Nemad on Sept. 16, with additional shows under consideration. For more on Das Damen and to listen to “Trick Question,” check out the band’s Linktree.
This Saturday, July 15, the second annual Bronx Summer Jam will be held at Bronx Park East – Oscar Comras Memorial Mall. Catch live music from local Bronx musicians for free from 12-6 pm.
July Quinn, WIN, and Kony Brooks return to the festival alongside a number of local artists. Drew Torres, The Phoenix Within, Wastewood, Balcony Talk, Richard Pigkaso, and Ki Storii will perform on the Kings Stage. Audience members can enjoy an array of genres, ranging from rap and indie rock to hip hop and reggae.
While artists from the Kings Stage take breaks after their thirty minute sets, the music continues on the Sirens Stage. Audiences will hear Jynn, DJ Mike, and F1rst Class perform.
The festival is produced by Sirens & Kings, a co-production company made of two Bronx music collectives, Sounds & Sirens and The Fox & King. Their goal is to showcase the often overshadowed music scene of the Bronx.
Performer at last year’s Bronx Summer Jam. Photo courtesy of Sirens & Kings.
“Everyone always focuses on Brooklyn, or Queens, or Manhattan for New York City’s music scene,” DJ Mike Nickerson, Founder of Sounds & Sirens, said. “There’s a thriving scene in the Bronx. We hope to be able to showcase it, have it grow, and support everybody in it.”
DJ Mike hopes the Bronx’s music scene will be heard by all, allowing a music community to grow, just like the one from his teenage years. During their teenage years, DJ Mike and Co-Owner and Founder of The Fox and King, Fernando Michael, were part of the Bronx’s The Underground community. The Underground was a prominent music scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s before its decline.
“Going to Bronx Underground shows when I was younger shaped the person I turned into,” DJ Mike said. “When you’re in high school or middle school, you may not like things that other people like. You’re not cool or popular, because you like rock, hip hop, or classical jazz. But coming together in a music community, like what we experienced growing up, helps foster a community that tells you that you’re not alone – that you have a group of people you can identify with and can party with.”
In 2018, The Fox & King started a reemergence of The Underground. They brought back live music shows to the First Lutheran Church in the Bronx. The pandemic, however, killed any efforts of a rejuvenation of this music community. After a lull in live shows, they hope the Bronx Summer Jam will reignite the drive to rebuild this music community.
At last year’s Bronx Summer Jam, sparks of their dream were seen. The first Bronx Summer Jam started off slow, but as the festival continued, its audience grew.
Performers and organizers from last year’s Bronx Summer Jam. Photo courtesy of Sirens & Kings.
“Slowly the public, the regular folks that go to the park, were showing up to the event, without knowing it was there,” said Christopher Vasquez, Co-Owner and Public Relations Manager of The Fox & King. “It became a natural audience.”
Fernando Michael referenced Field of Dreams. “If you build it, they will come.” Not only does this refer to the audience but to the musical artists as well. Fernando said, “We have musical artists reaching out to us in mass, because what we do is so prominent to the borough.”
They will come, even in the rain. The original date of the Bronx Summer Jam was this past June 24. It had to be rescheduled due to potential thunderstorms. Instead of doing nothing, some of the musicians got together and performed at Legendary Bar and Grill in the Bronx. They proved this musical community is back.
Christopher Vasquez notes how essential it is to have this musical community back. “Without someone to tell the story of the people in a community, it’s detrimental. You need the voice. You need the storytellers. The storytellers that are on a mic, the writers that write in a book or a journal – music does all these things. It brings people together.”
To be part of this music community and to check out the vast array of performers, head to the second annual Bronx Summer Jam this Saturday, July 15, from 12-6 pm at Bronx Park East – Oscar Comras Memorial Mall.
NYC-band Baby Got Back Talk released their new single and music video “I’m Sorry I’m a Moron, But Also, Help.” The song precedes the release of their EP Wince, Repeat, due out July 21.
G’Ra, Baby Got Back Talk’s vocalist and bassist, told the story of the single’s title. The phrase resulted from a text G’Ra sent after mistakenly eating marijuana infused cookies.
“As a result I became painfully, unbearably high for the first time in my overwhelmingly straight-edge life,” G’Ra said. When I realized my mistake, I texted the band group chat I’m sorry I’m a moron, but also, help. We thought the immortal phrase was a fitting title for our new single, which is about hoping for compassion even when you know your problems are your fault.”
Additionally, G’Ra explained that they executed the music video for the song in a single shot.”The action takes place in one long, unbroken, choreographed shot that we rehearsed for a couple of hours the day of filming. Because of schedule constraints at the set we rented, we only had time to shoot 4 complete takes. Working with my bandmates and director Ross Louis Klein to nail one of those takes before the clock ran out was like a higher-stakes version of one of those recreational escape rooms: nerve-wracking and intense but also super fun.”
Birthh, a Brooklyn-based alternative pop artist, has released her third single, “Hyperdrive,” from her upcoming studio album Moonlanded. The song is a futurist declaration of queer love with energetic lyrics that drift through time and space.
Alice Bisi, better known as Birthh, was born and raised in Tuscany, Italy. Starting with music at age six, Birthh released her first album, Born in the Woods, at only 19. In March 2020, Birthh traveled to Brooklyn, meeting her now-life partner, Storm Higgins, where two weeks quickly turned into two and a half years during the pandemic. It was here that the Moonlanded album first got its start.
We feel so much and so deeply. We feel the triumph of being alive as much as we feel the struggle that comes with it. All at once.
Birthh
Lead vocals, beats, guitars, and keys were recorded by Birthh in her bedroom recording studio fittingly named the Moonbase. Strings were captured by Grammy-winning sound engineer Tommaso Colliva, and the album was mixed by Robert “LB” Dorsey, another Grammy winner.
The song “Hyperdrive” itself connects science fiction imagery and romantic feelings in the lyrics to create the sensation of drifting among the stars. It also ties the grandeur of the grand vistas it describes with the love story embedded in the song. The vocals themselves cut through the rest of “Hyperdrive,” with an experimental and unique sound.
A personal favorite touch happens near the end of the piece, where “Hyperdrive” uses both sides of earbuds or headphones to have the name of the song almost “rotate” around the listener. It adds to the futurist stylings of the song and feels like Birthh’s victory lap before the song closes out.
It was really important for Storm and I to show the evolution of our love through a sweet, dreamy lens because that’s what it felt like to us. Sapphic love is often either hypersexualized or dismissed. Coming from a more conservative culture like Italy, it hasn’t always been easy to express my queerness fearlessly. But we’re here, we’re proud, and representation really does matter.
Birthh
The full Moonlanded studio album will release on Sept. 1, 2023, and is currently available for pre-order. “Hyperdrive” is available everywhere, and can be found on various platforms here.
In celebration of the 30 Anniversary of the defining album of the ’90s, the Last Splash, the Breeders have remastered the album and shared the previously unreleased track for the album, “Go Man Go.” In addition, the band will be starting their 2023 tour in September, featuring a stop at Kings Theater in Brooklyn.
The Last Splash is an alternative rock classic, achieving platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It is ranked in Pitchfork’s Top 100 Records of the 1990s. The album was recorded by what is considered the “classic” Breeders lineup, including Kim Deal, Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs, and Jim Macpherson.
The remaster uses the thought-lost original analog tapes and has been titled Last Splash (the 30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition). Finding these tapes also uncovered two unreleased tracks, of which “Go Man Go” was shared. “Go Man Go” has also been supported with a new music video, directed by Brandon Weaver of Ironwing Studios. Depending on the specific show, the Breeders will be playing alongside Foo Fighters, Belly (which was formed by original Breeder member Tanya Donelly), Screaming Females, and Horsegirl. The show in Brooklyn will feature Screaming Females.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Aug. 3 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
Aug. 4 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
Aug. 6 – Wildlands Festival – Big Sky, MT
Aug. 8 – USANA Amphitheater – West Valley City, UT
Aug. 10 – Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s – Stateline, NV
Aug. 25 & 26 – Ghost Ranch Music Festival – Abiquiu, NM
Sept. 7 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland, OH
Bolstered by charismatic rock-star energy and a one-of-a-kind voice, the legendary live band known as My Morning Jacket lived up to all expectations and then some on Friday night, delivering a max effort, powerhouse performance to the storied city of New Haven, CT on the last day of June 2023.
An outstanding evening of song and dance, hugs and headbanging, and music with enough substance and depth to make even the most jaded concertgoer feel alive, fans who couldn’t make it to their headlining Peach Festival set the following night were treated to a far more intimate experience at the Westville Music Bowl. Featuring bust-outs, rarities, and songs played for the first time on this tour, the two-and-a-half-hour, career-spanning set felt inspired and special and showed exactly why many consider MMJ to be one of the greatest American bands of this generation.
My Morning Jacket performing live at Westville Music Bowl on 6/30/23
A timeless attraction, My Morning Jacket possesses a rare appeal that spans across generations. Consisting of frontman Jim James on vocals and guitar, multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, and keyboardist Bo Koster, after more than two decades on the road the Louisville quintet have remained innovators of their genre and a creative force to be reckoned with. Still one of the “hairiest” bands out there, their look often harkens back to the glory days of 70’s rock n roll, while their sound has continually evolved to include more sonic experimentation and a wider palette of styles ranging from country to soul to psychedelia to even a bit of pop — all of it would be on full display on this hazy, humid Friday in New Haven.
With the bowl in Westville slightly more than half-packed, one could only assume the draw was directly impacted by The Peach Festival happening at the same time; the same festival My Morning Jacket would headline the very next night. But make no mistake, this was no “warm-up” gig for the band. In fact, they’d been on tour for several weeks already at this point, doing different setlists in each city, and by all fan accounts, have been having as much fun playing together as we’ve seen in years, acting reinvigorated and ready to rock out.
My Morning Jacket performing live at Westville Music Bowl on 6/30/23
After taking the New Haven stage accompanied by some hypnotic orchestral music and, of course, the colorfully dressed bears, Pooch and Denise, fans would see the light early as the show kicked off with the tour debut of “The Dark” from My Morning Jacket’s earliest album, 1999’s The Tennessee Fire, letting everyone know they were in for a treat tonight and to buckle up for the ride. Flowing directly into the thought-provoking crowd-pleaser “Compound Fracture,” vocalist Jim James, wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, would put his guitar down and work his way out to the front of the stage, locking eyes with the audience and drawing them in closer with his every movement and gesture; his presence was simply magnetic.
There’s no evil, there’s no good Only people doing as they should There is life in love and sound Get as much as you can keep around Before they put you into the ground
For who knows how long? (paradise calling)
-Lyrics from “Compound Fracture”
Now strapping back up with an acoustic guitar, James would go back to his childhood way with the title track of 2011’s Circuital before flowing directly into the classic MMJ rock anthem “Anytime.” A reimaged rendition of “I’m Amazed” featuring a Beatles-esq intro brought out goosebumps when the whole crowd shouted “Where is the justice?” in unison. Our next tour debut was the delicate song “Sooner” which saw multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel move over to the slide guitar for one of the very few times in the evening. The show was already seven songs deep before the band would play anything from their most recent self-titled studio album, uncorking a seven-plus minute version of “Least Expected” that featured a beautiful extended keyboard solo from Bo Koster. Next came the song which perhaps best summed up the overall message of the night with “Love Love Love.”
Jim James of My Morning Jacket was all about love on 6/30/23
In another setlist surprise, “One Big Holiday,” a signature song usually reserved for the encore slot, dropped early and would feature James improvising lyrics over its outro, expressing his love for the “beautiful, scenic, historic, and wonderful people of New Haven,” leading us directly into one of My Morning Jacket’s most cherished songs and my personal favorite, “Steam Engine.” Played under hazy skies and a cool jeweled moon, the lyrics felt particularly potent on this number; complete with a beautiful saxophone solo from Broemel and a piano outro that seamlessly segued into a powerful rendition of “Feel You” that would see the members of the band huddle around Patrick Hallahan’s drum riser to headbang in unison, something the band often does when they are locked in and “feeling it.”
My Morning Jacket performing live at Westville Music Bowl on 6/30/23
A well-received “Victory Dance” would then set the tone for the real meat-and-potatoes of the show, putting in motion a series of songs that would alligator together through “Cobra” and see the incredible light show come to life before your eyes. After giving the crowd a chance to show off their best falsetto voices, “Wordless Chorus” took on a particularly funky groove before transitioning back into the hard-rocking second part of “Cobra.” Somewhat reminiscent of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” here, the chugging low end was easily the heaviest of the night. “Cobra Pt 2” would then morph into the anthemic rocker “Wasted” which would evoke a dynamic, delayed pause that would send the audience into a frenzy, before reaching its high-octane peak.
Melting back into the conclusion of “Cobra” then slithering into the danceable electro groove of “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt 2” (as popularized by the band’s guest appearance on Fox’s animated series American Dad), the song would see a bit of a different arrangement here, jamming out with more intensity and yielding a rocking, hair swishing, shred fest that would bring the impressive near 40-minute frame of uninterrupted music to a close. Not done pummeling the audience yet, “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” would get the crowd singing along once again before the band would disappear behind the smoke-filled stage to leave fans begging for more.
Fissure is the thrill of the day Forget about feeling, that’s not what pays But you know, all of this can change Remember the promise as a kid you made
Ah, ooh, ah, ah, aha Aha, ooh, ah, ah
We are the innovators, they are the imitators C’mon, hey, don’t you know how we started We forgot about love, but weren’t brokenhearted
-Lyrics from “Wordless Chorus”
My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel letting it rip at Westville Music Bowl on 6/30/23
After a brief break in the action, the band would reemerge from the shadows and Jim James would candidly address the audience, letting them know how special this moment together was, saying “Thank you so much, New Haven, wow, what a beautiful bunch. We’re so grateful to be here, so honored that you’re here. Were so glad to all be together, all be alive right now, right here on this beautiful planet. All together just having a beautiful, beautiful night.” The band would then slowly strum the opening chords of another bust outplayed for the first time on this tour in “Old September Blues” which also included a healthy nod to the Santo & Johnny classic “Sleep Walk.”
As if the show hadn’t been epic enough already, My Morning Jacket would then uncork a monstrous nine-minute version of “Spring (Among the Living).” A bit of freestyle pandering in the middle of the song would again feature Jim giving the audience some love, singing “Among the living in beautiful New Haven now, among the living in historic New Haven town, wooo” before breaking it down into one of the funkiest grooves heard all night to coincide with perhaps the most impressive light show of the night. With the venue’s early curfew now rapidly approaching, there was time left for just one more song. With fans shouting out dozens of titles still on the table, it would be the time-tested favorite “Magheetah” that was chosen as the final sing-along, sending fans home gleefully into the night with huge smiles on their faces, bringing the powerhouse performance to a close.
My Morning Jacket performing live at Westville Music Bowl on 6/30/23
In a city with such storied history, on the way out some fans could be heard drawing comparisons between Jim James and Jim Morrison. While the band never blatantly acknowledged The Doors’ influence, upon reflection, certain moments of the show certainly seemed to conjure up images of the Lizard King. From the opening lyrics of “The Dark,” to the cool jeweled moon above the venue, to the fact that Morrison became the first ever rock star ever arrested on stage in this same city, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a happy coincidence. Either way, both men should be considered icons of their era and two of the greatest frontmen in rock n roll history.
Strike a Pose: Jim James of My Morning Jacket performing live in New Haven, CT 6/30/23
After headlining the Peach Festival the following night, My Morning Jacket will get a few weeks of rest before returning to the road at the Newport Folk Festival at the end of July. Fans in New York will have plenty to look forward to this fall, as the band will return to the beautiful Beacon Theatre for a three-night run celebrating the 20 anniversary of their album It Still Moves. The fall tour will also see My Morning Jacket’s highly anticipated debut at the Place Theatre in Albany.
Setlist:The Dark *, Compound Fracture, Circuital, Anytime, I’m Amazed, Sooner*, Least Expected, Love Love Love, One Big Holiday, Steam Engine, Feel You, Victory Dance, Cobra (Pt 1) > Wordless Chorus > Cobra (Pt 2) > Wasted > Cobra (Pt 3) > Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2, Holdin On To Black Metal
Encore: Old September Blues* > Sleep Walk **, Spring (Among the Living), Mahgeetah.
Eastbound Jesus has recently released its new single, “Fly Away.” Recorded in Salem, NY, the piece retains a classic indie feel with masterfully combined instrumentals, particularly through its many guitarists (and one banjoist). The single’s release coincides with the announcement of this year’s Eastbound Throwdown in September.
The band is made up of bassist Dave Wright, electric guitarist Zack Infante, electric guitarist Andrew Lynch, acoustic guitarist, and vocalist Adam Brockway, drummer and vocalist Carl Anderson, as well as banjoist and vocalist Luke Anderson. The song was produced and mixed by Jimi Woodul.
“Fly Away” starts with a bit of banter and the tuning of various instruments before the drums bring the full force of the song. It’s a classic move with a bit of a cliffside opening, a twist on something like the beginning of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” It adds a bit of indie charm to the introduction and brings the song to earth.
The switch between the verse and the chorus is often signaled by a switch between the focus on banjo and bass in the verse and the rise of electric guitar in the chorus. The drums are, beyond the bombastic beginning, relegated to the background of the piece, providing a good steady beat for the rest of the song to rely on.
The chorus in particular is very easy to sing along to, with its rise in everything that had made the verse great in combination with clear and simple lyrics. Wanting to “Fly Away” is something that everyone can get behind, and it’s clear why Eastbound Jesus decided to record it after playing it live for a year.
Eastbound Throwdown on Sept. 8 and 9, 2023 at the Irwin Family Farm in Salem, NY. Friday, Sept. 8 will feature The A.M.s, The National Reserve, Dirty Blanket, Eastbound Jesus, The Mallett Brothers Band, and Turf n’ Turf. Saturday, Sept. 9 will feature Dan Johnson, Black Mountain Symphony, Brule County Bad Boys, Beg, Steal or Borrow, Kat Wright, Fireside Collective, Eastbound Jesus, as well as Saints & Liars.
For more information and tickets for Eastbound Throwdown, check out their page on eventbrite.com. For more on Eastbound Jesus, take a look at their website. The “Fly Away” single is available on Spotify.
Michael Ian Cummings, former lead singer and songwriter of SKATERS, released his debut solo EP Oldest Troubles. The indie rock record is made up of five tracks where Cummings reflects on his own past experiences in a skillful way, as the listener is able to feel connected to each of his songs.
Oldest Troubles comes after Cummings took a six year hiatus from music. When Warner Brothers Records dropped his band SKATERS, Cummings felt disillusioned with the industry. He was left in the common place many musicians find themselves when the band life stops and needed to unplug, reset, and find his inspiration once again. Now, Cummings found that inspiration again. He also described making the album as “cathartic.”
“This was 100% for me to regain my balance in making and releasing music,” Cummings said in an interview. “And part of that was not doing things I didn’t feel good about in my gut. And whether that was a choice, like re-recording something so it sounds pristine, or keeping the live take, keeping the fucked up guitar that might be out of tune because it just felt better.”
His attitude paid off. While it may have been more for Cummings himself in how he recorded the EP, it also made the record better as a whole. In songs like “Contemporary Me,” the listener can feel more of his emotions because of how raw it sounds.
The title track, “Oldest Troubles,” reflects the melancholic feeling Cummings may have felt when writing and recording the song. The strings in the background only add to the beauty of the song, making it the most replay-able track on the record.
