Indie-pop singer-songwriter-pianist Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness has announced a string of New York tour dates, in conjunction with the release of new studio album Tilt At The Wind No More.
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness
The new album, which will release March 31st via Nettwerk. Celebrating the release of this new studio album, McMahon has scheduled intimate album release shows across the country including an Albany stop at Empire Live on May 16. This year also marks and is set to their debut at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 17.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness features McMahon (lead vocals, piano), Bobby Anderson (guitar), Jay McMillan (drums), Mikey Wagner (bass) and Zac Clark (keys). Tilt At The Wind No More will mark the fourth full-length studio album for McMahon under his Wilderness moniker and his first collection for Nettwerk. The forthcoming album, produced by Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, K.Flay, Børns) and Jeremy Hatcher (Harry Styles, Maggie Rogers, Lizzo), features his jubilant radio hit “Stars,” which peaked at #34 on the Alternative Radio chart, and recent singles “Skywriting,” co-written with K.Flay, the synth-pop “VHS,” and romantic ballad “Built To Last.”
On Wednesday, January 11th, Robin Skinner held his first annual This Is Home benefit show at the new NYC venue Racket that opened just a few days prior. Better known by his stage name Cavetown, the 24-year-old indie-pop artist played alongside artists like Mxmtoon, Chloe Moriondo, Penelope Scott, Yot Club, Cafuné, Spookyghostboy, and Sydney Rose. With doors opening at 7, hundreds of excited fans lined up hours in advance for a night of jamming, dancing, raffles, and an overall fantastic show. All proceeds from the show went directly to the New Alternatives resource for LGBTQ+ homeless youth.
Cavetown
The UK-based singer began his music career at age 13 by uploading videos of his original music to YouTube and sharing songs on the streaming service Bandcamp. He previously played in March of 2022 at the Terminal 5 venue with Spookyghostboy on the guitar. Being a part of the community himself, Skinner plans to host this fundraiser show yearly in support of LGBTQ+ charities.
Spookyghostboy took the stage at 7:30, playing a fifteen minute set for his first live performance in over three years. Also known as Austin Thomas, the indie-pop artist began his career in 2012 with the release of his first EP called The Forest Summer.
Spookyghostboy
Sydney Rose, a singer-songwriter from Georgia who gained popularity after her covers of “Turning Page” and “Home” went viral on TikTok, entered at 7:55. Also playing a fifteen minute set filled with beautiful vocals during songs, “Idk What I Did” and two unreleased ones, the rising artist put on a phenomenal performance.
Sydney Rose
Yot Club, the lo-fi bedroom pop artist from Mississippi also known as Ryan Kaiser, played many songs like “YKWIM” and “Fly Out West” during his set. His unique and distinguishable sound which he created through his masterful songwriting, producing, mixing, and mastering could be heard throughout his fifteen minute set. He is set to tour in North America between February and March of 2023.
Yot Club
Penelope Scott, evoking comedic, chaotic, and straightforward lyrics with her edgy guitar did not fail to put on an incredible performance with her unique songwriting and vocals. She played unreleased songs as well as some from her popular self-produced album Public Void, which gained massive popularity in 2020.
Penelope Scott
Next on the list was Cafuné, a native New York duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo. The two, creating indie-pop tracks like “Tek It” and “Talk,” met at NYU in 2014 and have been making music ever since. Their song “Tek It” went viral just last year and the band is now signed to Elektra Records. Schat and Yoo are starting their North American tour in February 2023 and are set to have a New York show on March 28th at the Bowery Ballroom.
Cafuné
Chloe Moriondo entered shortly after as the second-to-last opening act. A close friend of Cavetown’s and featuring on many songs of his like “Snail” from his Sleepyhead album and “grey space” from his recent worm food release, Moriondo excitedly jumped and sang along to songs like “Plastic Purse” and “I Eat Boys.” Rocking her cyberpunk outfit, pink hair, and iconic eyelashes, the indie-rock singer amazed ecstatic fans with her powerful vocals. Beginning her music career as a teenager by posting song covers to her YouTube channel, she quickly got the attention of Skinner and has opened for him during past tours.
Chloe Moriondo
Mxmtoon played the last opening set at 10, performing songs like “prom dress” and “seasonal depression” from her the masquerade album—which Skinner helped produce. She also sang “mona lisa” from her recent album release, rising. The bedroom-pop artist from northern California played a captivating and electrifying set with her signature instrument—the ukulele—and encouraged the audience to sing along with her.
Mxmtoon
The intimate Racket venue, with a capacity of 650 and looking fresh and newly furbished, hosted a wonderful show. Being much smaller and more intimate than his last NYC concert, the chill and refreshing vibe was evident as Robin interacted with his young and delighted fans. The fully-acoustic set of each artist and the gift-giving of fans added to this happy mood. Mxmtoon accepted many fan gifts like hand-sketched art and an egg-shaped stuffed animal which she named upon arriving. A bouquet of flowers surprised Sydney Rose as she exited the stage, and Robin received a variety of pictures, flags, and letters. Spookyghostboy came out to announce the raffle winners, which included prizes like vinyl pressings and one signed custom Cavetown Fender guitar. Skinner showed the crowd his new “blue chrome ombre” nails and asked whether the New York water gave them “crazy good hair.”
Cavetown Setlist: Lemon Boy, 1994, Idea of Her, fall in love with a girl, Juliet, frog, wasabi, a kind thing to do, worm food, This Is Home
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. 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 Haley Moley and Atelo Songs
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.
Haley Moley-“Amy”
Based in Troy, Haley Moley is comprised of house music DJ and dance music producer Jennifer Maher Coleman and features Paul Coleman on guitar, Andrea Kosek on keyboard and guitar, Pat Thorpe on bass, and Mike Broomhead on drums. Their newest single “Amy” off of their upcoming album Everybody Wins will be featured on EQXposure.
Atelo Songs-“words”
Sam Gleason, or Atelo Songs, got his start over a decade ago performing at various venues throughout the state of New York. He is a singer/songwriter and producer who creates music spanning a wide variety of genres, including pop, rock, folk, psychedelic, and new wave. He plays constantly throughout the state, having played with artists such as Jimmy Webb and Charles NeVille, and continues to keep writing, recording, and putting out as much music as possible. He currently resides in Albany, and his latest single “words” will be played on EQXposure.
SUNY Oneonta student Mirabella Phinney has released a brand new EP titled Through Stained Glass, which came out on Nov. 5 2022.
The EP is beautifully written, with smooth and rich vocals. It has the perfect music needed to guide you through your day, through sad moments, or at any time. The record was mixed and mastered by Gabe Angelo, and it features Chris Alvarado on bass during the song “Ignorance is a Gem.” It guides the listener through the feelings of love and relationships, to finally the moments when you can look in their eyes and know all is going to be okay. Each song is a new journey, and Phinney invites you in.
The first song “Ignorance is a Gem” is a slow, nice song with soft guitar strums in the background. Phinney has a beautiful folk voice, that makes me want to sway to the music. I could see myself putting this song on in the background when I am sad, or just studying and doing something as it is so soft and slow. I like the bridge where Phinney’s vocals have some type of effect on them as she sings “Ignore what I said I’m not/I’m nothing what I dreamed of.”
The next song “Think of You Fondly” follows similar slow guitar strums, but has some electric strums in the background, amping the sound more. I interpreted this song as a breakup song, seeing the person you once adored existing in life without you, and how hard it is. I recently went through this, so I resonate with this song a lot more. The lyrics “And I can’t help but think of you fondly/When I finally fake my way to feeling healthy/The wrong time and place never hurt so bad” made me tear up because Phinney put my exact feelings into words, and it is so surreal to hear that, especially in music.
Following the track is the short yet sweet song “Culpability.” Her vocals are higher pitched in this song, and I find that beautiful. I love the way it is written, especially the lyrics “Stay another minute/So that we’re alone/In this car ride that I looked forward to all day” because it describes that feeling of euphoria you get liking someone new again, and how you always want to be around them. The next song “Sleep” has to be my favorite on the EP because it is different from all the other ones so far. It has this haunting rain effect added, which makes me feel like I need to listen to it during a thunderstorm or something. It is a love song, and Phinney takes the time to compare her lover to sleep, something everyone needs and craves.
The final song on the EP is “Apple Pie,” and it gives me a warm feeling throughout, just like the temperature of a fresh apple pie would. It is a lot more upbeat than the rest of the songs on the EP, and it is a good finale song because it brings all these longing feelings of love together to finally the feeling of being in a relationship. The lyrics “Let’s talk about dreams over tea and apple pie/Let’s talk about love and how it finally came by remember that time/Yes, we’ve changed a lot and well never go back to how it was,” make me feel happy inside and long for this feeling.
Overall, Mirabella Phinney’s voice shines super bright on Through Stained Glass. She talks about love and its feelings, the ups and downs of it, and the magical feelings. I enjoyed listening to it and I think it would be great music to put on when you’re sad or happy, and I can’t wait to have it on repeat and see her at a future show! You can find Mirabella Phinney on social media and stream her music here.
Originally published in The Royal Journal on They Might Be Royalty.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. 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, Timing, Teddy Bear Savage, and Ciarra Fragale.
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.
Teddy Bear Savage is an indie rock band from Balston Spa, formed in 2019. The group is composed of bassist and singer Paul Lambert, lead guitarist Zak Westbrook, guitarist Ryan Halpin, and drummer Mike Atwood. Their single “Oh do you see me shake” came out in July of 2022, and will be played on EQXposure on Sunday night.
Ciarra Fragale is an indie pop singer/songwriter, producer, and actor from the Hudson Valley. She blends nostalgia with new-wave songwriting, creating a unique blend. In addition to making her own music, she has also composed many works for theater and film. Her newest single “County Line” which came on Dec. 28 will be played on EQXposure.
