Touring in support of their new album Intercepted Message, an album that was a bit of a throw back to earlier sounds, and heavy on the synthesizer; the album is what you’d get if you threw John Dwyer and Devo in a blender. Osees have a monster sized catalog to choose from, and they tend to represent the band’s many sounds and eras throughout the show.
John Dwyer and his Osees have gone through many line-up changes and different sounds. The current iteration has a two drummer setup, Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone are completely locked in and give the show a driving, chugging force. Tim Hellman does a fantastic job holding down the bass and Tomas Dolas adds some color on the keyboards. John Dwyer is the main attraction though, he twists and gyrates and contorts his body to seemly push out the music.
Do not miss a chance to see these guys when they come to your town, but make sure to bring some earplugs.
Upcoming The Osees Shows
9/28 – GONERFEST 9/30 – Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX 10/01 – Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX 10/3 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack have announced a five-night residency at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester this December. The group is currently on a fall tour alongside Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, and made their joint performance debut at Indiana’s Farm Aid festival.
Led by Bobby Weir, the group includes Don Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Barry Sless. The group has released two live albums Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado Vol. 2, to critical praise. This tour is not the group’s first residency at The Capitol Theatre, with a four-night run last winter.
Bobby Weir, a founding member of the legendary Grateful Dead, is one of rock music’s most celebrated and distinctive guitarists. The Grateful Dead is still one of the highest grossing performers in the United States, and holds a world record 2,318 total concerts. Bobby Weir has received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Goodwill Ambassadorship for the UN Development Program, as well as many other achievements.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack will perform at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on December 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17. Artist presale begins Thursday, September 28 at 10AM ET, with local presale beginning the same day at 12PM ET. Register for presale here.
General onsale begins Friday, September 29 at 10AM ET. More information and tickets are available here.
The Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros Enhanced Experience includes early venue entrance and merchandise shopping, access to watch a portion of soundcheck, a complimentary cocktail and exclusive merchandise! Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale September 28 at 10AM ET.
TOUR DATES
September 26—Mershon Auditorium—Columbus, OH
September 27—The Met Philadelphia—Philadelphia, PA
September 28—Pier Six Pavilion—Baltimore, MD
October 29—Frost Amphitheatre—Stanford, CA
December 12, 13, 15, 16 + 17—The Capitol Theatre—Port Chester, NY
December 29-31—Broward Center for the Performing Arts—Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 12-15, 2024—Playa Luna Presents Dead Ahead —Riviera Cancun, MX
A day filled with rain and overcast could not keep the Connecticut fans away from Yes at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven on Sunday evening. This show is only the fourth show of the Classic Tales of Yes tour as they are supporting their record that came out this past May titled Mirror To The Sky.
Yes is composed of Jay Schellen on the drums, Billy Sherwood on the bass guitar, Jon Davison on lead vocals, Geoff Downes on keyboards, and Steve Howe on the guitar. Howe has been a part of Yes since 1970 and is the only original member left.
Despite there being no opening act for Yes, as fans were still piling into the venue, William Roger Dean who designed album covers for Yes, Asia, and Uriah Heep welcomed fans into the hall. Dean used a slide show and provided commentary about his journey with the band and announced that prints of his work would be made available upstairs by the bar.
After Dean left and the road crew changed around the stage a bit, the house lights dimmed, and Yes took the stage. While most rock bands try to wow the audience with amazing pyrotechnics, a massive screen with images, and a crazy light show, Yes on the other hand prefers to focus more on their music than what their stage looks like. With one backdrop with the band’s name behind them, and a few drapes off to the side of the stage, all eyes were on the progressive rock band from London, England.
Throughout the 13 songs that the band played, they dipped into every era of the band and played songs that spanned their entire career. Whether they played “Time and a Word” off of the record of the same name from 1970, or a brand new track titled “Cut From The Stars” the aforementioned Mirror To The Sky, no matter when fans first started to listen to the band, there were at least a few songs that they recognized.
The crowd, though on the older side, stuck with the band the entire length of their set. From the first note of “Going for the One” off of the record with the same name till the very last song, fans were singing and clapping throughout. Watching the band on stage was like watching a timewarp back to the 70s. The energy on stage was amazing to watch. While Davison is not the original singer, he deserves all the credit for his vocal range. Howe was a man possessed on the guitar, his skill has aged like fine wine and he was truly sensational. Schellen, Sherwood, and Downes also played great, added to the overall sound, and provided perfect harmonies.
Towards the end of the set, around the encore, the lower bowl flocked towards the barricade to get a closer look at their heroes before the show ended. When Davison ran to the front, he started fist-bumping, high-fiving, and shaking hands with fans who were at the very front. Davison did this as a form of appreciation and a thank you to them for coming out in the cold late September rain. You could see that the band truly appreciated their fans as they were smiling at them the entire set and interacting with them as much as they could.
As Yes took their final bow to a standing ovation from the crowd, fans were left joyful after watching the progressive rock masters at work on stage. As Yes paved the way for many other acts that came after them, it’s easy to see how the band once ruled the world and still has the skills to back them up.
Setlist: Going for the One, It Will Be a Good Day (The River), Machine Messiah, I’ve Seen All Good People, America (Simon & Garfunkel cover) (instrumental version), Time and a Word, South Side of the Sky, Turn of the Century, Don’t Kill the Whale, Cut From the Stars, The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) / The Remembering (High the Memory) / Leaves of Green / Ritual (Nous sommes du soleil), Roundabout, Starship Trooper
Borderland Music & Art Festival brought some heavy hitting national and local bands to the historic Knox Farm State Park situated in the small village of East Aurora. Over three beautiful days – September 15, 16 & 17 – the historic grounds hosted many great bands on two stages that filled the air with sounds to sooth the soul from some amazingly talented artists.
Friday started as a wonderful partly cloudy morning with perfect temps. As festival goers started to flow in, setting up their chairs and blanks for the day, you could hear the first band. Folk/Americana jam-type band The Stove Pipes playing the Homespun stage which was situated off behind the horse stables at the top of the hill opposite the Mainstage. As the day progressed there was very minimal overlapping of each band’s sets. Making it an easy walk between both stages through or around the horse stables to see each band play throughout the day.
On the Homespun stage you could catch other local and reginal acts like, Dirty Blanket, Not Fade Away Band (Playing Dead Zepplin) & Farrow. The Mainstage acts included local, regional, and national touring acts like Leroy Townes Band, The 502s, Dawes & Goose. Goose being the closing act of night one, brought the house down with their amazing set of music. An absolute not to be missed band of abundantly talented musicians. Setlist via Elgoose.net.
Goosesetlist: Flodown[1], Mr. Action, Pancakes, Honeybee[2], Writing A Novel[3], Creatures, Rosewood Heart[4], Animal Encore: Slow Ready -> Arcadia [1] Flopener. [2] With Coach on rainstick. [3] Father John Misty. [4] With Taylor Goldsmith on guitar and vocals, Griffin Goldsmith on drums, and Jeff on guitar.
Saturday at Borderland was met with beautifully clear skies and temperatures out on the farm. Saturday’s crowd filled in the ground of Knox Farm State Park much earlier being a Saturday. Again with very little overlapping of each band’s sets, it was quite easy to catch most of each act playing both the Homespun and Mainstage. Starting out the day on the Mainstage with a great improvisational set was The Damone Jackson Outcome, a band known for their high energy improv sets.
First up on the Homespun stage was A Girl Named Genny, a folk/Americana band with a little bit of Rock and Roll. Other Homespun stage acts included local and reginal bands, Never Ben, Public Water Supply, Grosh and Organ Fairchild. Other Mainstage acts included local, reginal and national acts like, Miller & The Other Sinners, Mighty Poplar, Neal Francis and Sammy Rae & The Friends. Trey Anastasio Band closed out night two with a stellar set of mostly Phish tunes to send everyone home only wanting more. And what an exceptional set of music it was, made even better with an almost Phish/Kuroda level light show. Setlist via Phish.net
Trey Anastasio Bandsetlist: Sand, Back on the Train, Everything’s Right, Blaze On, A Wave of Hope, Outside the Lines, Llama [1], Heavy Things, Oblivion, Pillow Jets > …And Flew Away, Wolfman’s Brother > First Tube Encore: Ghost [1] Performed in an alternate arrangement.
Sunday, was the closing day to the perfect three-day Borderland Music & Arts festival and the weather could not have been better for mid-September. Starting out the day on the Homespun stage was The Red Grenadines, followed by Folkfaces, and NYS Dead Coalition. During Folkfaces and in between The Red Grenadine & NYS Dead Coalition was the Tailgate & Buffalo Bills Watch Party with many in attendance. Starting the day on the Mainstage was Karina Rykman, followed by, Krasno/Moore Project, The Infamous Stringdusters, and to close out the night, and festival, with two sets, our hometown heroes, moe.
Set 1: The Pit> Rise, Blond Hair and Blue Eyes, Gone, Do It Again> George, Lazarus Set 2: Skitchin’ Buffalo, Mexico> Ups And Downs> Silver Sun> Rebubula> Four[1] > Rebubula [1] Chuck on vocals. 1st time played since Chuck’s stroke.
The Stove PipesLeroy Townes BandDirty BlanketThe 502sNot Fade Away BandDawesFarrowGooseGooseGooseGooseGooseGooseGooseGooseThe Damone Jackson OutcomeA Girl Named GennyMiller & The Other SinnersNever BenMighty PoplarPublic Water SupplyNeal FrancisGroshSammy Rae & The FriendsOrgan FairchildTABTABTABTABTABTABTABTABTAB
In August’s blurry end of sweltering heat and constant music in New York City, NYS Music and the band HOKO found a summer second to have a chat. The day following their Bowery Ballroom show, on their debut tour with almost monday and Weathers, band members Nathaniel Hoho and Jesse Kotansky gathered to discuss a vast expanse of topics with myself, Kali Kugler.
From the band’s first tour experience, to the pandemic effect, to New York City recommendations and their upcoming residency, HOKO provided a rich dialogue on their transient spot in the music industry.
HOKO was formed in New York City, but the band pulls in flair from many places and faces. Jesse Kotansky, the vital melody of HOKO, is from New York. As lead singer Nathaniel put it, “he’s the go to guy for strings in New York.” Nathaniel himself was born in Pennsylvania but claims New York City as his homebase. The two of them met through mutual friends, and the rest of their connection unfolded naturally through the development of their sound.
“Freaky-pop!”
– Nathaniel Hoho
When asked how to describe themselves through the niche language of genre, there were many categorical dialects tossed around: experimental, alternative, rock, pop. Jesse spewed a vast yet accurate platter of descriptors – “Experimental is the key word to describe us, because experimenting is our process.” Nathaniel chimed in and stamped the label, “freaky-pop!” Having attended their show at the ballroom just the night before, I can back the freaky nature they brought to the familiar pop sound.
When posed the question about the evolution of HOKO since their first release “OK OK” back in 2020, every performing artist’s black cloud entered the conversation – the pandemic. Jesse spoke on their blooming process as a band and the halting choke COVID had on their initial exposure. Prior to the pandemic, HOKO had worked with EQT Studios and produced over forty songs they were ready to release. They put out an EP and their single “OK OK” that reached top 20 on the radio only a week before the universal shut down. Like everyone else HOKO remained indoors, but their time proved fruitful, for they spent two years writing and merging and learning about themselves and their tastefully ephemeral style.
“We find the more often we dive in, the deeper we go… as we grow as humans our sound is also growing. While things around us change we are influenced by it all.”
– Jesse Kotansky
HOKO’s creative process is an observant one. They are in a constant state of listening, sensing, reading, talking – living, really. Being human – the great collaboration. A lot of their inspiration comes from sharing a sound, having a conversation and “diving deep.” Jesse couldn’t pinpoint their inspiration on one person or place: “…what makes us wanna dance; everything we’ve ever listened to; every book we’ve ever read; every color we’ve ever seen all go into it.”
“I depend on the energy the crowd gives back – it’s a conversation.”
– Nathaniel Hoho
Coming back to the music community and getting to tour for the very first time, HOKO found the crowd’s energy to be an additional member in their band. Touring with almost monday and Weathers informed their style, for they were finally able to experiment and explore their sound with an audience. Jesse spoke on Nathaniel’s stage presence in relation to their fans: “I feed off of his energy.” He went on to state his pride in being an opening band and holding the responsibility to win a crowd.
“It has been lovely seeing our music interact with people.”
– Nathaniel Hoho
New York City is a lucky spot, because HOKO established their return date. On Thursday, September 21st, HOKO will be performing at Berlin Under A in East Village (tickets are still available, and are worth the purchase)! New York City is crawling with esteemed musicians, which is a positive factor according to Jesse as he reflected on their Bowery Ballroom performance: “There was a physical energy in New York, and there were a lot of musicians at the show that we look up to. That definitely added some nerves.”
Both Jesse and Nathaniel expressed gratitude for the hometown show crowd. It’s always sweet to see familiar faces and display growth in the place that raised you. Even though Jesse and Nathaniel still live in the city, they hold a heightened degree of excitement for their shows here. Both agreed the Bowery Ballroom show was their favorite of all their stops on tour. At the end of our conversation, HOKO even graced me with their sacred New York City recommendations: Bar Victoria, The York, Treasure Club, Cozy Royale for a burger, C&B Coffee, and Taco Ramirez.
HOKO was as kind as they were impressive, eager to speak on their artistry and to compliment their audience. Having witnessed their eclectic, colorful, and boundary breaking performance, I can confidently encourage anyone to get the chance to see them live. They are a group to keep your eye on – they are a blow up no one will want to miss.
Willie Nelson brought his Outlaw Music Festival to Saratoga for a late-summer jam session. With a tour that celebrates Willie’s lifelong musical genius and his legacy of hits, this tour seems extra special as Willie turned a remarkable 90 years old this year. The show brings an “Outlaw Village” with it, which is a little village of vendors that travel with the festival. And there is certainly a festival vibe as attendees ate and partied all throughout SPAC’s beautiful grounds.
The evening opened with Waylon Payne playing a solo acoustic set of country and bluegrass. (Particle Kid (Willie’s Nelson’s son’s group) was not there to start the night off.) Highlights from Payne’s set include an excellent cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” and Payne’s own classic “Born to Lose.” Payne was genuinely thankful to be performing and expressed that gratitude many times. Payne showed up later in the night as Willie’s right hand man during Willie’s set. A good night for Waylon Payne.
Los Lobos was up next. It’s unfortunate that the festival was held on a week night. Even though it was Friday, it was slow to fill and was still visibly empty when Los Lobos took the stage. They handled it like the classic professionals they are though and put on a hell of a set. Even with attendance low, one could look anywhere in the amphitheater and see people dancing to Los Lobos’ hits. With what had to be a nod to Bobby Weir, they opened with their song “Will the Wolf Survive?”. They followed that up with Three Midniters’ “Love Special Delivery.” The standout for the set was the set closing “La Bomba” segueing into The Olympics’ “Good Lovin’” and then back into “La Bomba.” With the set opening and closing with a nod to Mr. Weir, the crowd was warmed up indeed!
Hitting the stage next was The String Cheese Incident. Having been 20 or so years since this listener last saw SCI, it was special to hear them open with “Smile.” Michael Kang busted out his violin and the jam took off into classic Outlaw territory. With a blend of deep cuts and new tunes, it was good to hear these guys again. The highlight for this listener was the 20ish minutes of “Missing Me” segueing into “Just One Story.” Looking around the venue, one could see many Friends of Cheese dancing to the jams.
Setlist: Smile, Get Tight, Suntan, Barstool, Missin’ Me, Just One Story, Bhangra Saanj, Can’t Stop Now.
While this constant listener is not an old-school Deadhead with hundreds of Grateful Dead shows under his belt, but I have been listening to them for about 40 years now, and they remain in regular rotation at my home and in my car. Having been at this show, and from seeing chatter online, what occurred with the Bobby set this evening was one hell of a Dead set. Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros Featuring the Wolfpack dropped an incredible set of music on SPAC. The Wolfpack brings horns to jam. Drop a horn section into a “Dark Star”, a slow-building “Dark Star”, and magic happens. Add a “West LA Fade Away”, a “Wharf Rat”, and wrap it up with a “Sugar Magnolia” and you have one incredible set. And all this fails to mention the “El Paso”, the “Greatest Story Ever Told”, and the “New Speedway Boogie”! Listen to this set over Nugs.Net, and don’t you think of skipping that “Lost Sailor” with horns!
Setlist: Bertha, Greatest Story Ever Told, Dark Star, El Paso, Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance, West LA Fadeaway, New Speedway Boogie, Wharf Rat, Sugar Magnolia
To cap the evening off, Willie Nelson came on stage and amazed the crowd with his never-ending charisma and charm. His opening number “Whiskey River” segued into “Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer).” Listening to Willie is always a trip down Nostalgia Lane. He has written so many classic tunes, it’s mind-blowing. Highlights for this listener were “Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”, “On the Road Again” and that all-time classic “Always on My Mind” (written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James).
The patience shown by die-hard fans waiting for their statesman Willie Nelson paid off that evening. Sitting through the noodle-ly dancing of the Cheese- and Deadheads, fans were now saying they were glad that people were sitting so they could see Willie on stage. Willie was remarkable. At 90 years of age, he came out on stage unassisted, sat and played for an hour, and then left after waving and throwing his bandana into the crowd. Imagine catching Willie Nelson’s bandana? What a keepsake!
Setlist: Whiskey River (Johnny Bush cover), Stay a Little Longer (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover), Still Is Still Moving to Me, Bloody Mary Morning, I Never Cared for You, Workin’ Man Blues (Merle Haggard and The Strangers cover), Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground, On the Road Again, Always On My Mind, Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover), Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover) (Waylon Payne – lead vocals), Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Still Not Dead, Georgia (On My Mind) (Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra cover), I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train (Billy Joe Shaver cover), Write Your Own Songs (Willie Nelson & Kris Kristofferson cover), Move It on Over (Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys cover), Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson cover), Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (William MacEwan cover) (with Bob Weir), I’ll Fly Away (Rev. J.M. Gates cover) (with Bob Weir), It’s Hard to Be Humble (Mac Davis cover), Saw the Light
Afropunk returned to Brooklyn for 2 days of music on August 26th & 27th. The festival took place at Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Terminal Market for 2023.
As on brand for Afropunk, the lineup for the festival was all black artists from various genres. Some notable names included Tobe Nwigwe, Baby Tate, and Vince Staples. The lineup also included New York’s own Joey Bada$$, and day 2 headliner, Teyana Taylor.
Unlike last year, this year had a theme, which was Circus of Soul. Motifs of this theme could be seen throughout the event. Both on stage and in the crowd, fans and artists dressed as though they were part of a circus. R&B artist Cleo Reed really leaned into the theme by dressing them selves and other stage performers in clown attire during their set. There were performers on stilts wearing kente cloth patterns walking throughout the crowd. There were also Aerial Ring performers periodically doing stunts throughout the weekend.
This year was truly one to be at, as there were many performances and attractions that festival goers could really interact with all day.
A festival of the Arts
Afropunk is a festival that is bigger than music. Though music may be the highlight, it also features art and artists from all over the globe that center their creativity around the African diaspora. Inside the Spin Thrift Market, there were vendors selling things like clothes, jewelry, books, and weed products. Outside the Market, there were spaces for health and beauty. Festival goers were able to get their hair and makeup done, henna tattoos, and facials. Most of the vendors were also African American owned and operated.
In addition to vendors that were selling merchandise, there were also areas for festival goers to interact. In the center between the two stages, there were tents set up for festival goers to play games and run through a bubble pit. It seems as though they learned from last year as most activities and vendors were set up under large tents to protect against any potential rain.
Nonetheless, as much as there was to do off stage, there was much to watch on stage. There was a two stage setup to accommodate for about 30 performances. In between performances on both stages were DJ SNS and DJ Mohogany. They helped to keep the party going as people awaited some of their favorite artists to take the stage.
Day 1 Highlights
Day 1 had strong performances from Cleo Reed and a collaboration from the Soapbox presents on the 3 Ring Stage. The Soapbox brought together vocalists and musicians to bring a rock, R&B, and gospel like performance. This was one of the many perfect displays of how African American music is has roots in so many different genres that tend to overlap one another. The performance had fans feeling cool in the end of summer heat.
One of day 1’s most notable and electric performances was from Tobe Nwigwe. Originally from Houston, TX, Tobe holds on to his Nigerian roots well as they could be seen in his performances. He is always recognizable with his seafoam green outfits and sets. He brought out his wife, Martica Nwigwe, for a few songs from his set. He also had Olu from Earthgang come out for a song. Olu came out on brand, wearing seafoam green wings to sing “WILDLINGS” with Tobe. The performance was full of energy and surprises that keep the audience screaming for an hour.
Tobe’s performance was evened out by a more mellow from Vince Staples. Vince stared as “Maurice” earlier this year in the Emmy award winning show, Abbott Elementary. His Long Beach, CA vibes really brought the crowd down from their state of choas from before. Though his set did not features as many theatrics like Tobe’s, he still had the attention of the crowd. Vince had the crowd singing along to his hit song, “Norf Norf,” before there was a mass exodus from the event.
An uneventful end to the hype
The first night was headlined by Flying Lotus. He is a producer and DJ who has worked on many projects on TV shows and film. One of the most notable projects was Netflix’sYasuke, an anime centered around the story of Japan’s first black samurai. He makes a lot of EDM and electronic rap songs primarily.
Flying Lotus did not receive much of an introduction which left many fans confused. Though his fans would be familiar with his music and style, this may have been many’s first exposure to him. He could barely be seen from behind his DJ booth and did not say a word for at least the first 20 minutes of his set. About halfway through, he was joined by rapper Smoke DZA, who he is working on a collaborative album with. Smoke DZA did bring some excitement and energy to his performance.
After Smoke DZA’s exit, Flying Lotus played a few more songs and was about to leave. He did not realize that his set was not over and played for about another 15 minutes. Flying Lotus had a pretty anti-climatic exit, as it was a pretty bleak end to day 1 of Afropunk 2023.
A stark turn around from Day 1’s mishaps
Day 2 still featured a full lineup that had Greenpoint full. What was nice about this year’s festival was the scheduling of performances. With the stage schedules pretty staggered, fans were able to see all their artists without really having to miss a performance. This really set Afropunk apart from other festivals as many usually have fans contemplating which artists they wanted to see more. If they wanted to, fans could see just about every artist and take in the full Afropunk experience.
Some notable performances from Day 2 were from Baby Tate and Joey Bada$$. Baby Tate brought a fun energy out of the crowd. With a lot of positive sexual messages infused in her lyrics, her music and performance made Greenpoint a safe space for women to express themselves. In the middle of her set, Baby Tate took a break and her DJ Sky Jetta tapped into a different side of her fans. Though Baby Tate makes rap music, Sky Jetta played alternative rock hits, including “I write sins not tragedies” that absolutely killed.
Baby Tate came back and continued to kill. She played unreleased song “Wig” and ended on her hit “I am” to leave things on a high. Joey Bad$$ proceeded her and continues to bring smiles.
New York showing out for New York artists
Joey Bad$$ was happy to be back in his hometown as he expressed his love for Brooklyn all through out his performance. The theme around his performance was love as he turned the camera toward the audience to celebrate black love. He had a kiss cam going on for a bit before singing “Love is only a feeling.” He dedicated a few songs to fallen black artists including, XXXTentacion, Nipsey Hustle, Pop Smoke, Young Dolph, and more.
Before he left, he expressed his happiness to be playing at an event where he could see so many black faces. He also threw a jab at Afropunk for being a bit unprofessional behind the scenes. He still left things on a high with “Devasated” before handing the stage over to Teyana Taylor.
The energy from day 2 was drastically different than from the previous day. Day 2’s lineup featured so many artist that people knew and loved. They had performances that people wanted to be a part of and sing along with. Day 2 was originally supposed to end with Grammy award winner Jazmine Sullivan. Due to some personal reasons, she could not perform, but Teyana Taylor was passed the torch to close out the weekend.
Rose of Harlem feeling the love
Nicked named the “Rose of Harlem”, Teyana Taylor closed out to packed audience in her city. Teyana had mentioned during her performance that she was nervous to headline a show as she felt as though no one would stay for her. Though some mic issues may have fueled those nerves early on, New York showed her so much love that it brought her to tears.
The sound was getting too much for Teyana as she asked for just the keys to play during one of her songs. She was able to get real close and emotional with the crowd before turning things back up. The crowd screamed “Issues” and ” Gonna Love Me” with Teyana.
She was joined on stage by her daughter ,”Junnie,” and husband Iman Shumphert, for a few songs. Her daughter helped her throw out free t-shirts to the audience. Teyana also had 3 outfit changes that synced up with the many different vibes of her performance.
She exited the stage, but quickly came back for an encore. Teyana ran into the middle column of the pit to slap the hands of her fans before closing out the night. She thanked New York for showing her so much love and making this performance one worth leaving retirement for.
Afropunk continued to bring peace, love, and education about African American culture to one of the biggest melting pots of the world. With Afropunk’s voice continuing to reach millions, it’s only a matter of time before it starts to expand to other cities across the globe.
Grammy Award-Winning Rock Band, Blues Traveler has announced their upcoming Fall 2023 Tour and plans on stopping at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on October 26.
Blues Traveler is an American rock band that originally formed in 1987 in Princeton, New Jersey. Best known for blues alternative rock music they have become an influence to the reemerging jam band scene since the 1990’s. Members include singer John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, bassist Bobby Sheehan, drummer Brendan Hill and keyboardist Ben Wilson. The band experienced commercial success in the modern rock community after releasing the top hit “Run-Around” and hit the Billboard Top Ten in 1995 later going platinum six times while also receiving The Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy Award for album “Traveler Blues” in 2022.
Blues Traveler is proud to announce the upcoming Fall Tour, the band plans to perform a variety of hit singles over the span of three decades of music release. As well as new songs from the forthcoming album “Travelers Soul” which marks their 15th album drop. Accompanying Blues is special guest, American songwriter and singer Jono Manson
The Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced the special guests joining them on their “Garden Parties” short run at TD Garden in Boston and Madison Square Garden.
Tedeschi Trucks Band is a Grammy Award-winning 12-piece rock and soul powerhouse, led by the husband/wife duo of guitarist Derek Trucks and singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. They are known for their world-class musicianship and contemporary blend of a wide range of American musical influences. The band continues to tour in support of I Am The Moon, their acclaimed fifth studio project which “explodes with joyful, powerful and positive music” (Guitar Player). The album was made off the road during the pandemic and includes four albums released over the summer of 2022.
Since forming in 2010, the band has traveled countless miles to bring their music to fans all over the world, from sold-out multi-night residencies across America to tours through Europe and Japan, and their flagship annual summer amphitheater tours. Their extensive catalog isn’t geared towards one genre, spanning rock, blues, jazz, and even country, and no setlist is ever the same.
Credit: David McClister.
The band announced that joining the show at TD Garden in Boston, MA on Sept. 27 is Warren Haynes, and Trey Anastasio & Norah Jones at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 29. The opener for these performances will be fellow Grammy Award-winner, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Derek Trucks said “We’re excited and honored to throw these Garden Parties with our good friends. Both venues are hallowed ground, so collaborating with great artists that we have a shared history with makes it that much sweeter. It’s going to be a blast!”
Indie rock singer-songwriter Stephen Artemis Jr. announced his new single, “Pale Blue,” released on September 15. The new track is a classic American murder ballad, as Artemis channels country, rock, and indie veins to fuse his newest release.
“Pale Blue” is a lively Americana track from Artemis, showing his signature harmonica skills and a strong following melody. It has a full, busy arrangement, which is not to it’s detriment, but instead emphasizes the pressure and drama of the murder ballad storyline. With inspiration of dark, true crime media, Stephen Artemis Jr. creates a searing look into Americana folk-rock tunes and steadily marks his place among them.
I really like true-crime podcasts. I watched way too much true-crime TV over the pandemic, so I think that’s how the song’s concept crept into my brain. I wanted to test myself to see if I could write something dark, like a true-crime podcast, but in my preferred medium; music’s version of true-crime is “the murder ballad” and Americana music is particularly rife with that type of song, but I felt that nobody had written a proper murder ballad in a long time.
Stephen Artemis Jr.
No stranger to the New York music scene, Stephen Artemis Jr was born and raised in New York’s Capital Region. In 2006, he moved to New York City and now operates out of Brooklyn. As a former member of Brooklyn-based The Falling Birds, Artemis now leads his own solo project, with two albums under his belt so far. “Pale Blue” marks the beginning of his new project, with more announcements to come.
“Pale Blue” is available on streaming services and for download on BandCamp. Find more information and announcements to come at stephenartemis.com.
