Producer San Holo made a stop at Buffalo Riverworks October 21 for his latest tour. The Existential Dance Music tour invited a night full of emotion and mystical imagery.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Openers ZWAAN, OddKidOut, and DROELOE opened up the night for Buffalo. Through lush instrumentation and grit, they gave room for a night full of soothing sounds.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
San Holo stage presence invites an innovative take towards weaving personal journey through a live show experience. He is constantly running around stage, creating beats from scratch and layering on top of his guitar riffs. He utilizes his punk and alt-rock roots in adding a seamless grunge aspect to his music.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
This musician’s concert performance is nothing short of an emotional experience. All of the colorful imagery, projections, and use of a huge curtain captured the navigation through life’s highs and lows. His opening montage utilized a curtain that projected symbols depicting the turbulences that life takes us through. With the drop of the curtain, San Holo stood invoking the audience on a journey.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
San Holo mostly played songs off of his recently released album EXISTENTIAL DANCE MUSIC. This included his hits “DON’T LOOK DOWN” and “…BRING BACK THE COLOR.” His artistry shines through his candid songwriting and ability to translate that effortlessly on stage.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
This night in Buffalo forged room for an intimate connection with fans. This is especially so when he performed his fan favorite song “LIGHT.” The crowd appeared mesmerized and connected throughout. His shows speak to that existential thinking and allow people to move through that with dance. A new movement that is building in the electronic music scene.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
If you’re looking for more electronic music in Buffalo you are in for a stacked few months! Must Die! comes November 3 and Tape B performs November 4. Get your tickets here.
There was a palpable buzz across the Arbor Hill neighborhood in North Albany on Wednesday, as rockers My Morning Jacket made their long-awaited return to the area with a performance at the Palace Theatre. The band last played in the city in 2006. Madi Diaz opened the performance.
Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, My Morning Jacket has amassed quite the resume over its twenty-five years. Fronted by Jim James (vocals, guitar), the band also features Carl Broemel (guitars), Tom Blankenship (bass guitar), Bo Koster (keyboards), and Patrick Hallahan (percussion). The band has released nine studio albums, along with several EPs and live albums. Their current tour is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of It Still Moves, and has seen the band perform the album in its entirety at certain shows.
Those arriving early on this evening were treated to an opening performance by singer-songwriter Madi Diaz. A lone spotlight illuminated the stage, as Diaz took opened the performance, just herself and a guitar. Diaz would take those in attendance on an emotional journey, performing songs like “Crying In Public” and “Same Risk.” Her powerful vocals, reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers, filled the theater and captivated those in attendance.
As the clock struck 9:15, the stage went dark and the band’s familiar orchestral walk-on music played over the house speakers. The band members took to the stage to a thunderous roar from the audience. The familiar chord strums of “Circuital” would open the show and immediately all in attendance were on their feet. As the song slowly built in energy, fans made their way to the front of the stage, filling the side wings to dance about as the song kicked into full gear. The band kept the momentum going early, playing fan favorites such as “It Beats 4 U,” “I’m Amazed,” and “Mahgeetah” early in the set.
Jim James would bring Madi Diaz back to the stage early in the performance, to offer a beautiful rendition of the band’s classic ballad “I Will Be There When You Die.” The song would see Diaz harmonizing with James, with the two trading lyrics during the second verse, which even included Diaz adding a line to call out her hometown in Pennsylvania.
In all, the performance would feature all the familiar staples of a My Morning Jacket concert. Jim James’ signature vocals danced about the beautiful Palace Theatre. The band consistently elevated songs from their studio form, with jams and improvisations making each song unique to this night, with several tracks stretching into extended jam sessions. A prolific light show mesmerized those in attendance, with a giant disco ball dropping from the ceiling during “Wordless Chorus.”
After a nearly two-hour, career-spanning main set, the band would return to the stage for four more songs, opening the encore opening the encore with the hypnotizing “Feel You.” The band broke out older classics “The Dark” and “Anytime” before ending with the high-energy “One Big Holiday.” After such a brilliant set, fans poured into the streets, hopeful the wait for a return performance wouldn’t be nearly as long next time.
My Morning Jacket – Palace Theatre, Albany – Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Setlist: Circuital, It Beats 4 U, Love Love Love, I’m Amazed, Mahgeetah, Spinning My Wheels, I Will Be There When You Die (with Madi Diaz), Spring (Among the Living), Off the Record, Lay Low, Old Sept. Blues, I Will Sing You Songs, Phone Went West, Victory Dance, Holdin On to Black Metal, Lucky to Be Alive, Wordless Chorus
Encore: Feel You, The Dark, Anytime, One Big Holiday
The two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony, led by Music Director David Alan Miller, presents a concert that includes one of the most beloved works in the repertory and a soon-to-be new favorite “dance symphony,” evoking early rock ‘n’ roll at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Recognized as one of America’s most innovative and creative orchestras, the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony is renowned for performances featuring classic orchestral favorites, lesser-heard masterworks, and a diverse array of new music from leading and emerging voices of today. The Symphony has received more ASCAP Awards than any other orchestra in America, as well as several GRAMMY nominations, including the orchestra’s most recent win in 2021.
Led by Music Director David Alan Miller, the Symphony presents a core classical series throughout the region, each featuring a world-premiere or recent composition; a multi-day American Music Festival that celebrates established and emerging living composers; performances by its cutting-edge new music chamber ensemble, the Dogs of Desire; and a family series and holiday concerts in collaboration with youth performing arts groups. The Albany Symphony’s award-winning education programs include Symphony in Our Schools, which brings musicians into classrooms for interactive music education.
Founded in 1930 in New York’s Capital Region, the Albany Symphony serves a diverse regional audience covering more than seven counties and parts of three states. It regularly serves as an ambassador for new music and Upstate innovation beyond the Capital Region.
This gorgeous concert will absolutely delight you, bringing two Romantic masterpieces together with Michael Daugherty’s amazing orchestral tour-de-forces. I’m particularly excited to present Tchaikovsky’s glorious Third Symphony, the work of a brilliant young composer that leads the way directly to his major masterpieces, ‘Swan Lake’ and the Symphony No. 4. Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube,’ and Michael’s ‘Last Dance at the Surf,’ will make everyone want to jump up and dance, and ‘To the New World,’ a riveting tribute to Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission, is a glorious tone poem about space travel. Audiences of all ages will love this program!
Music Director and Conductor David Alan Miller.
Michael Daugherty, a composer, pianist, and music educator is a long-time friend of the Albany Symphony. Two of Daugherty’s pieces will be performed including, “Last Dance at the Surf” and “To the New World.”
One of Daugherty’s favorite road trips in Iowa, the state where he grew up, was to the majestic Surf Ballroom. Many of America’s famous swing, jazz, and rock-n-roll bands have performed at this venue for music lovers who dance the night away. In memory of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper who gave their last performances at the Winter Dance Party tour in 1959 before their plane crashed, and in celebration of the Surf Ballroom being declared a National Historic Landmark in January 2021, Daugherty’s piece will be performed on the November program.
“My dance symphony starts with woodblocks and pizzicato strings, playing a five-note rhythmic groove reminiscent of a Buddy Holly guitar riff. This groove is repeated in various transformations throughout the composition and provides a counterpoint to the main theme, a syncopated ascending melody played in unison by the woodwinds. The main theme goes through elaborate rhythmic and timbral developments, followed by a rousing ‘rockabilly’ section,” Daugherty said.
His piece “To the New World,” is about the 1969 Apollo-11 space mission. Like the rocket, which separated into three stages after lift-off, and the spacecraft, which was divided into three modules, his 22-minute composition is divided into three movements.
“The Blue Danube” is one of the most consistently played pieces in classical repertoire. Johann Strauss Jr. originally wrote the work for a carnival choir with satirical lyrics. The instrumental version, which will be performed at the November concert, is by far the more popular version played today. The piece was first performed in the United States in 1867. For pop culture fans, the piece is used in several movies and shows. Most recently, it was used throughout the 2021 Netflix series, Squid Game. Johann Strauss Jr. was born into a very musical family in Austria. As a child, he secretly took violin lessons because his father wanted him to become a banker, not a musician. However, his mother supported his dreams and Strauss moved forward making music his career.
The evening will conclude with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 also known as Polish. It is the only one of Tchaikovsky’s seven symphonies that is in a major key and the only one to contain five movements. During its first performance in the UK, conductor Sir August Manns referred to it as the Polish symphony because of the recurring Polish dance rhythms in the final movement. The piece was originally premiered in 1875 in Moscow. Ballet lovers may recognize the work from the Diamonds section of George Balanchine’s full-length ballet Jewels premiered in 1967.
The Albany Symphony November Concert will take place at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Saturday, November 11, and Sunday, November 12.
Wooden Duck Entertainment and The LateShift are thrilled to announce “Songs for Smokey,” a reunion concert and benefit set to take the stage on Saturday, November 25, at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen. This extraordinary event not only commemorates a dear friend but also continues the heartwarming tradition established by the band, The LateShift.
“Songs for Smokey” serves as a tribute to Zachary “Smokey” Tyler Warner, a beloved friend who departed this world a decade ago. It has become an enduring tradition for the band, featuring annual performances during Thanksgiving week. The first of these heartfelt gatherings occurred in 2013, serving as a fundraiser that led to the establishment of the Zachary Warner Scholarship, administered through North Colonie Friends of Music.
Unlike traditional academic scholarships, this scholarship recognizes music students who demonstrate exceptional kindness and compassion. The funds raised from the initial event provided invaluable support for a decade. This year’s concert aims to extend this support for another decade, benefiting a new generation of exceptional music students.
Zach, or “Smokey” as he was affectionately known, was a vibrant and sincere individual who left an indelible mark on those he encountered. His unconventional and spontaneous nature was a source of inspiration to those around him. His connection with The LateShift went beyond mere friendship; it was a deep and enduring brotherhood. A decade after his untimely passing, his memory lives on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
The LateShift, renowned for their last album, Forks and Knives, released in 2016, decided to disband in 2021. However, they are reuniting for this special occasion to perform two sets of music. The first set will celebrate the band’s 15-year catalog, offering a greatest hits selection that includes the fan-favorite song “Drink and Stone,” a poignant track co-written by Zach. The second set promises to be an electrifying mix of everyone’s favorite party tunes, complete with musical surprises and even some special guest appearances.
Tickets for “Songs for Smokey” at The Hollow Bar are available now and can be purchased here. Act quickly to secure your tickets at a special presale price of $10 until November 2. Starting November 3, general admission tickets will be available for $15.
With Halloween on the horizon, the KISS Army packed the Paramount Hudson Valley for their favorite spaceman, Ace Frehley, on Friday, October 27. Frehley, a New York native growing up in the Bronx, has added a string of tour dates ahead of releasing a brand new record in February.
Frehley’s band is composed of Ryan Cook on bass and Jeremy Asbrock on guitar. Asbrock and Cook are also in The Rock City Machine Co. alongside former Ace Frehley band member Philip Shouse. Rounding out Frehley’s band on the drums is Scot Coogan who is in his second stint with Frehley.
With the 93-year-old theater filling up with eager KISS and Ace Frehley maniacs, Black Dawn hit the stage. As Black Dawn plugged in, they powered through a metal set that was on the shorter side. With Black Dawn leaving via stage left, the middle band, Mainline jumped on stage to an enthusiastic crowd. Mainline features Anthony Schettino on bass, Johnny Iodice on lead vocals and guitar, Devin Reck on guitar, and Mason Servedio on drums. Mainline had a very memorable set as the talented musicians played all new material with the exception of Aerosmith’s “Toys In The Attic” as the final song.
The anticipation for Frehley came to a boiling point as his instrumental song, “Fractured Mirror” blasted through the speakers. “Fractured Mirror” segwayed right into 2001: A SpaceOdyssey’s theme song and the announcement of “You wanted him, well you got ‘em, from The Bronx, New York, Ace Frehley!”
In the blink of an eye, Peekskill immediately turned into “Detroit Rock City” for the remainder of the band’s 13-song set which included tracks from Frehley’s solo record as well as KISS classics.
Frehley’s band is extremely talented in that the three other members of the band sang vocals on at least one song during the set. Asbrock took over lead vocals during “Speedin’ Back to My Baby” which can be found off Frehley’s KISS: Ace Frehley record. Cook did his best Paul Stanley impersonation during “Detroit Rock City” and Coogan grooved on drums while belting out lyrics during “Love Gun.”
Halfway through the set, Frehley stopped to address the crowd and announce that his brand-new solo record was being released in February. The crowd, which was filled with Frehley’s “Rock Soldiers” all cheered as this would be the first record since Origins, Vol. 2 which was released back in 2020.
Throughout the show, the entire band was throwing guitar picks, bass picks, and drumsticks into the crowd. There were so many guitar picks thrown into the audience that it seemed like everyone could have gone home with at least one. Fans were reaching into the air, jumping and diving into the rows of seats to collect fallen, unclaimed picks.
During KISS’ heyday in the 1970s, they were known for their theatrics. From pyrotechnics to spitting out blood and rocket guitars, they all had different ways to wow an audience. Despite Frehley not being in KISS since his last show of the Reunion World Tour in 2002, the theatrical side of “Space Ace” hasn’t left.
During “New York Groove,” Frehley brought out a guitar that lit up and flashed during the song. Once the guitar was brought out and Coogan pounded on the kick drum, fans immediately knew what song it was. “New York Groove” then transitioned into “Shock Me” off of KISS’ Love Gun. Frehley brought out his guitar that releases smoke and it was full steam ahead.
Even though the city of Peekskill was rather quiet on Friday evening, the rock and roll inside The Paramount was deafening. Despite Frehley not being in KISS for over 20 years, he still brings fans classic KISS songs that make audiences reminiscent of what was while also creating new memories for the newer generation of rock fans. The Peekskill crowd, which was full of fans of all ages piled out of the theater in awe after witnessing one of rock’s most influential guitarists of all time and went home knowing that they witnessed real live rock and roll.
Setlist: Rip It Out, Rocket Ride, Speedin’ Back to My Baby, Parasite, Rock Soldiers, Love Gun, Hard Times, Detroit Rock City, Emerald, New York Groove, Shock Me, Cold Gin, Deuce
Chris Stapleton will continue his extensive “All-American Road Show” tour through next summer including one confirmed show in Darien Center, while teasing his newest album set to release November 10.
The upcoming performances add to yet another landmark year for the 8x Grammy, 15x CMA and 15x ACM Award-winner, who will release his highly anticipated new album, Higher, November 10.
Already receiving critical attention, Stapleton has unveiled three album tracks ahead of the release: “It Takes A Woman,” “Think I’m In Love With You” and “White Horse,” of which Billboard praised “a hell-raising anthem, meant to be blared with windows down and enjoyed with ears ringing. ‘White Horse’ finds Stapleton pairing an outlaw swagger with some heaven-scraping vocals, going for the gusto throughout the chorus to try and match the guitar snarl.”
Additionally, Stapleton is nominated for three more awards at this year’s 57th Annual CMA Awards: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year (“We Don’t Fight Anymore” with Carly Pearce). The awards ceremony will be broadcast live from Nashville on ABC Wednesday, November 8 at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT.
Alongside Stapleton (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide electric guitar), the new album features Cobb (acoustic guitar, eclectic guitar), J.T. Cure (bass), Paul Franklin (pedal steel), Derek Mixon (drums), Morgane (background vocals, synthesizer, tambourine) and Lee Pardini (organ, piano).
CHRIS STAPLETON CONFIRMED TOUR DATES ITALICSon-sale next Friday, November 3 at 10:00am local time
October 26—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center* (SOLD OUT)
October 27—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion* (SOLD OUT)
October 28—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion* (SOLD OUT)
November 11—Tampa, FL—Walmart Presents: Heroes & Headliners – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
November 16—Lafayette, LA—Cajundome†
November 17—Houston, TX—Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion†
November 18—Corpus Christi, TX—American Bank Center Arena†
March 2, 2024—San Diego, CA—Petco Park‡
April 3, 2024—Winnipeg, MB—Canada Life Centre+
April 4, 2024—Grand Forks, ND—Alerus Center+
April 6, 2024—Minneapolis, MN—U.S. Bank Stadium^
May 4, 2024—Indianapolis, IN—Lucas Oil Stadium#
May 9, 2024—West Palm Beach, FL—iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre~
May 11, 2024—Jacksonville, FL—Everbank Stadium#
May 22, 2024—Rapid City, SD—The Monument**
May 25, 2024—Ames, IA—Jack Trice Stadium#
May 31, 2024—Cleveland, OH—Blossom Music Center**
June 1, 2024—Charlotte, NC—Bank of America Stadium#
June 6, 2024—Philadelphia, PA—Freedom Mortgage Pavilion††
June 7, 2024—Bristow, VA—Jiffy Lube Live††
June 8, 2024—East Rutherford, NJ—MetLife Stadium#
June 12, 2024—Kansas City, MO—T-Mobile Center‡‡
June 26, 2024—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl++
June 29, 2024—Salt Lake City, UT—Rice-Eccles Stadium#
July 11, 2024—Buffalo, NY—Darien Lake Amphitheater††
July 12, 2024—Pittsburgh, PA—The Pavilion at Star Lake††
July 13, 2024—Detroit, MI—Ford Field#
July 18, 2024—Toledo, OH—Huntington Center††
July 19, 2024—Columbus, OH—Schottenstein Center††
July 20, 2024—Chicago, IL—Soldier Field#
July 25, 2024—Nampa, ID—Ford Idaho Center Arena^^
July 26, 2024—Portland, OR—RV Inn Styles Resort Amphitheater^^
July 27, 2024—Seattle, WA—T-Mobile Park##
August 1, 2024—Gilford, NH—BankNH Pavilion++
August 2, 2024—Gilford, NH—BankNH Pavilion++
August 9, 2024—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena~~
August 21, 2024—Birmingham, AL—The Legacy Arena at the BJCC++
August 22, 2024—Little Rock, AR—Simmons Bank Arena++
October 16, 2024—Manchester, England—AO Arena++ (SOLD OUT)
October 17, 2024—Glasgow, Scotland—OVO Hydro Arena++ (SOLD OUT)
October 20, 2024—Dublin, Ireland—3Arena++ (SOLD OUT)
October 22, 2024—Birmingham, England—Utilita Arena++ (SOLD OUT)
October 23, 2024—London, England—The O2++ (SOLD OUT)
December 7, 2024—Las Vegas, NV—Allegiant Stadium#
*with special guests Charley Crockett and Nikki Lane
†with special guest Nikki Lane
‡with special guests Turnpike Troubadours and Elle King
+with special guests The War and Treaty and Allen Stone
^with special guests Lainey Wilson and Marcus King
#with George Strait and special guest Little Big Town
~with special guests Grace Potter and Nikki Lane
**with special guests Marcus King and The War and Treaty
††with special guests Marcus King and Nikki Lane
‡‡with special guests Marcus King and Allen Stone
++with special guests Grace Potter and Allen Stone
^^with special guests Nikki Lane and Allen Stone
##with special guests Willie Nelson and Family and Sheryl Crow
~~with special guests Marty Stuart and Nikki Lane
Tickets for the new dates will go on-sale next Friday, November 3 at 10:00am local time. Ticket details can be found at www.chrisstapleton.com/tour.
To preorder Stapleton’s highly anticipated album, Higher, click here.
For more information, visit Chris Stapleton’s Facebook or website.
Like A Doll, Brooklyn’s music project from musician Emma Stacher, shared their brand new track, “Don’t Throw Your Words,” from their upcoming self-titled album. The record is set to release on November 10, with a release party that night at Alphaville in Bushwick.
“Don’t Throw Your Words” is a hypnotic, insistent track that truly evokes the band’s dollhouse aesthetics. The dreamy vocals and recurring guitar riff create a stirring aura, repeating the lyrics “Don’t throw your words out.”
This feels like an anthem to believe in yourself. It jolts you from slower to faster and swings to reflect the back and forth of birthing self-confidence. The lyric ‘Don’t throw your words out’ repeats in the chorus with the overall message emphasizing how important our thoughts and voices are.
Emma Stacher, vocalist, guitarist, and leader of Like A Doll
Like A Doll was created by Emma Stacher, who rallied a group of childhood friends to comprise the project’s live band: Isabella Dafonseca and Gabriel Paiano on drums, Daniel Barbrack on bass/synth, Adrian Dilulio on guitar, and Leah Beck on synth. The group grew up together in NYC’s East Village neighborhood, parting ways for many to study music at Berklee College, The New School, and Purchase College. Like A Doll marks a new beginning for the group, but is also a reunion of old friends.
Like A Doll’s debut self-titled album is set to release on November 10. The band will play a celebratory album release party at Bushwick’s Alphaville on November 10, alongside Noah Kesey and The Burning Sun.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools expand across the internet and become more commonplace in industries like computer science, finance, and technology development, questions are raised in the world of art and music. AI has the power to generate an answer to almost any prompt you can think of – and it’s only getting smarter. In an industry based in creativity and humanity, what happens when it becomes computer generated?
Right now, the transparency of AI art is pretty rough. With a tool like These Lyrics Do Not Exist, a lyric generator made by programmer Peter Ranieri, users can quickly generate song lyrics for any number of genres, moods, and topics. But here’s the catch: they’re not great.
When asked for a happy rock song about love, here’s what it produced:
With grammar errors like, “I have seen love make men heart stop,” it becomes clear that this specific AI is, well, not human. Nevertheless, as tools like ChatGPT get more and more use, they become smarter, after having interacted with humans so much.
What does this mean for artists? As shown in discussions of the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in the film and television industry, AI poses a threat to those who make a living off their artistry. AI has the ability to generate songs based on an artist’s likeness, replicating their voice, style, and sound. Once art can be generated by the click of a button, hiring and commissioning people to do the work instead becomes costly, and, to big studios, record companies, and corporations, potentially no longer necessary.
This isn’t to say that AI music doesn’t have its place. On platforms like Mubert, which boasts over 100 million AI-generated tracks, the focus is the artistry, rather than the function. Mubert is used by content creators who put the royalty-free music in the background of YouTube videos, online streaming platforms, interviews, and podcasts. With the ever-growing supply of online video content, the demand for music that creators can use without copyright strikes grows.
On Mubert, artists are commissioned for sample audio tracks to help teach the AI how to write music. The company maintains relationships with artists, and meets royalty and legal requirements for their compensation. Currently, Mubert owns a library of over 2.5 million samples that they use to train the AI.
But with platforms like Mubert, one question still stands: is this art? It is certainly music, given the sounds of many instruments, melodic tunes, and overall composition. However, since it’s completely detached from humanity, and, with just an algorithm generating the music, lacks any sense of creativity, making it hard to categorize it as artistry.
Steve Mink, known musically as SM Ink, suggested the idea of categorizing AI music separate from its human counterparts. Mink believes, “It could be great as a way to develop new ideas, or find new sounds.” This would allow the creation and spread of AI-generated music, creating space for the royalty-free platforms like Mubert.
Steve Mink, aka SM Ink
In conversation with Scott Hannay, a multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and producer from Upstate NY, he expressed hesitation towards the use of AI in making art.
I think there are already plenty of tools out there already that could discourage musicians to develop their skills further, so I’m not too particularly worried about it [discouraging musicians from developing their skills further]. But I do absolutely think it could assist musicians in creating more complex compositions. And it could do the same for people who are otherwise non-musicians; which is both alluring for non-musicians or amateurs, and scary for people who have worked their whole lives trying to build their career in music.
Scott Hannay
Regarding ethical considerations of AI music generators, Hannay feels that concerns grow towards a need for less hiring of composers and musicians for background music in the film and television industry – commercials and radio, specifically.” So many radio commercial music beds are simple, but somebody still has to write it and record it. “Entire radio jingles can easily be shoehorned through AI and ChatGPT if they wanted, potentially removing jobs from the industry,” said Hannay.
Scott makes a key point in the use of AI in radio jingles and film/TV. Musicians make a living not just in traditional songwriting and performing, but also in advertising, film scores, video games, and freelance commission on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. As artificial intelligence tools become smarter, the threat to those musicians’ jobs grows.
Photo: MK Devo
Despite these issues, AI can be a useful tool for musicians in their writing and arranging processes. As Marc Brownstein (co-founder of HeadCount and bassist for Disco Biscuits) points out, AI can be used as a critical tool in developing and transcribing arrangements.
AI brings so many possibilities into the world of music. Thinking about it in terms of the possibility of computers replacing musicians is an extremely limited view.
We think of AI as a tool that can assist musicians in ways never even imagined. Here’s an example. We haven’t played “Papercut” in a few years because I lost the file that contains the sheet music for the fugue and it’s a little tricky to pull off without sheet music. This last week we ran a version of the song into an AI machine and the machine was able to extract all of the individual parts into multi tracks.
We were then able to use this AI-assisted set of tracks by inputting them into a DAW and converting the audio to MIDI, which can then be turned back into sheet music. This all leads me to believe that soon if it doesn’t already exist, there will be a I machines that can transcribe music directly into sheet music. This is an extremely useful tool for learning music.
Marc Brownstein
Marc Brownstein
Brownstein poses the contrasting idea of, instead of AI writing and producing the music, it can be a tool that musicians use in their creative processes. Just like any other field, tools like ChatGPT can be extremely helpful in making tedious tasks easier; transcribing sheet music is a perfect example.
Toshi Reagon, daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon, a musician and civil rights activist, referenced her mother, who said, “That what she has discovered about technological advancement through time is that usually is that whoever is at the epicenter of this transformation commercially, is trying to find out what you need or what you have, take it from you, and sell it back to you, in a way that is exploited and usually creates a lot of wealth for a few people, and not ever distributed evenly across the creatives or the participants in it.”
Toshi Reagon
This is the prime issue with AI advancement in the arts. Artists who have built a career and thrive off their creativity and originality are threatened by those “at the epicenter,” who can readily weaponize artificial intelligence to essentially plagiarize established artist likenesses. As we see AI expand and grow, with new skills and strengths, creatives begin to wonder when their jobs will become automated too.
Art is a unique form in that it almost always requires a physical body to create: a hand to move the paintbrush, a voice to sing from, or an arm to play an instrument. Now that technology can replicate that, a troubling dichotomy narrows between human and computer. Nevertheless, artificial intelligence can work alongside humans, as a vital tool and creator in its own right. While the capabilities of AI expand, musicians, creatives, and people in all industries are just beginning to see the possibilities of what it can accomplish.
Hard rock fans piled into the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut on Wednesday, October 25, where Godsmack brought their Best of Times World Tour. This show is Godsmack’s second show of the four additional fall dates that were added in August in support of their new record, Lighting Up The Sky, which was released this past February.
Godsmack is made up of Sully Erna on guitar and lead vocals, Robbie Merrill on bass guitar, Tony Rombola on lead guitar and Shannon Larkin on the drums. Erna, Merrill, and Rombola have been in the band since the recording of the band’s debut record, with Larkin joining in 2002.
As fans were still finding their seat, the house lights dimmed and EXTREME hit the stage. Like Godsmack, EXTREME is also from Boston. EXTREME is made up of lead vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger, and drummer Kevin Figueiredo.
EXTREME delivered a bombastic set of new songs off their most recent record, SIX, as well as classic hits like “Get the Funk Out,” and “More Than Words.” Throughout the entire set, Cherone was interacting with the crowd, getting them to sing along while dancing around the stage. Bettencourt shredded away on guitar with a slight nod to the late Eddie Van Halen and the band plowed through their opening set.
As two curtains were raised while the road crew swapped out equipment, a video montage of The Beastie Boys with Queen’s “We Will Rock You” blasted through the theatre, the excitement was building for the New England natives.
When the curtain fell and the first song “When Legends Rise” blasted through the row of speakers, Godsmack took the stage with a thunderous cheer from the crowd. In a theatre that typically doesn’t showcase pyrotechnics, Godsmack showed off their theatrical side with fire during their first few songs. Throughout the hard rock extravaganza, Godsmack blasted through a setlist of newer material from their aforementioned Lighting Up The Sky record as well as classics off of their older records.
Throughout the show, the general admission section became a sea of bodies. From the start of the show till the band said their final goodbyes at the end, concertgoers were crowd surfing, attempting to form mosh pits and fist bumping.
As Larkin’s drums were pushed forward at the start of “Batalla de los Tambores,” a second drumkit was hauled forward and Erna hopped on the drums for a drum battle. At the end of the battle between bandmates, the band jumped into a jam that included short covers from artists like Aerosmith, Metallica, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin. With each new recognizable riff from Rombola, the fans all clapped and cheered in applause. Some fans were so enthusiastic about some of the covers being played that they took out their air guitars and played along.
Towards the tail end of the set during “Whatever” which is off their self-titled debut album, Erna brought up the “future of rock and roll.” Children like one boy, Michael, and his sister Amy joined other kids that ranged from eight to 17. With Erna prancing around the stage, he riled the crowd up hailing the next generation of rock and roll.
The band’s second to last song, “Under Your Scares,” featured Erna playing the piano that had a QR code to a link to Scaresfoundation.org which is the band’s foundation that fights mental health. As the band jumped into the song, Erna dedicated the track to some of the musicians that the music world had lost like Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and Van Halen.
As fans walked out of the theatre, smiles were on their faces as they witnessed Godsmack deliver a hard rock performance that was unforgettable. Fans were leaving the building singing their favorite songs, air guitaring, or looking at the new concert t-shirt they bought to add to their collection as they filed out into the cool Connecticut night.
Setlist: When Legends Rise, 1000hp, Cryin’ Like a Bitch!, What About Me, Surrender, You and I, Red, White & Blue, Awake, Keep Away, Voodoo, Batalla de los Tambores, Whatever, Under Your Scars, Bulletproof, I Stand Alone
New Paltz native Ryan Liberty Megan just released his chaotic video for his dreamy and melodic song “Sweep.”
The track hits your ears in all the right places with a groovy trumpet instrumental in the back as well as Ryan’s semi-raspy nostalgic voice. An alt-country track, “Sweep” is a song you can put on when you need a release, swaying back and forth to the guitars and harmonies dancing together in harmony.
Speaking of “Sweep,” Ryan Liberty Megan said “Imagine it like a phone call that’s being made to the most fragile part of you, giving you instructions on how to survive other humans, how to survive humanity. And in the end, the most important part of that advice or sage wisdom is to be able to just sweep it away. You need to be able to let things go.”
Ryan Liberty Megan is a New Paltz native, a doting father who gave up music to provide for his son, returning to music after about ten years, giving him that familiar relief. He started as a noise rock artist known for chaotic and rowdy shows, and turned the page into the simpler yet complex artist he is today. Reminiscent of acts such as Mr. Bungle, Ween, and Melvins, he transcends also into acts like Beck, Wilco, and The Flaming Lips.
Photo by Matthew Hersch.
The video accompanying “Sweep” is chaotic and brings the viewer on a journey. With a kaleidoscope of dark purples and lighter colors, the music video features Ryan singing the sweet tune, transitioning in and out of backgrounds that include things like dogs, horses, and the highway. The most intriguing part of the video is random trivia strewn throughout.
Some say things like “A snail can sleep for three years,” or “The eye makes movements 50 times every second.” About the video, Ryan said “I loaded this video with useless trivia, so no matter what, people will walk away with something they didn’t have before. My buddy owns a float spa, and he filmed me floating in a tank for some of this!”
The music video for “Sweep” by Ryan Liberty Megan is out now.
