The anthemic rock musical trio Today’s Outfit has dropped a brand new single titled “Best Seats in the House” with a five-minute long music video to accompany the release. The band will be rocking their nostalgic sound on Saturday, August 12th at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester!
Since debuting two years ago at the Toonerville festival, the pandemic-formed band has opened for hard rock legends Living Colour, released an inaugural EP, and has built up an impressive reputation by frequently performing in New York City and throughout the greater New York region. The band is comprised of bassist Mark Garufi, drummer Grant Zacharias, and lead singer and keyboardist Andrew Wood, whose previously active band Bridges and Powerlines experienced runs on the CMJ top 200 radio charts.
Although the band’s name may lead audiences to believe Today’s Outfit is all about using music to express ideas and sounds of the modern day, their inspiration and melodies work to contradict that. With their ’80s New Wave influenced keyboard instrumentals along with a ten-string bass bringing back the ’70s classic rock era, Today’s Outfit proves to be a trio that accepts how the past influences the present.
Their new single, “Best Seats in the House,” comes from the band’s unreleased first full-length record titled It’s AlgoRhythmic!, set to be released this fall. The song itself has energetic vocals and instrumentals that transport listeners to the time of The Outfield and classics such as “Your Love” while the lyrics tell a familiar story about our ever-shrinking attention spans and the switch-cost effect. Although the video that accompanies the single is more or less underwhelming, showing the band play their music with various scenes at a theater, the impressive melodies including a rocking Moog solo along with the mix of past and present influences screams that Today’s Outfit deserves attention and their single is worth another listen.
To be able to see them perform their new single live, get your tickets now for their upcoming show this Saturday, here. The doors of Garcia’s open at 7:00 PM and the toe tapping and head banging will begin at 8:00 PM!
The Jonas Brothers’ “The Tour” has expanded with new dates internationally, bringing the total number of shows to 90. “The Tour” kicks off with two sold-out shows in Yankee Stadium this August, with future performances in Buffalo this November and Albany this December.
Visiting 20 countries, many of which for the first time, and 86 cities, “The Tour” is the largest tour the band has ever put together. Earlier this year, the Jonas Brothers released a new album, titled similarly to their tour as The Album. It was produced by Jon Bellion and released with Republic Records.
The Jonas Brothers themselves are one of the most successful groups of this century, with over 20 million sold albums, two Grammy Award nominations, and three consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard 200. Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Kevin Jonas have not only had successful careers in music, but also in TV, film, and other business ventures. 2019 saw the band’s comeback with the Platinum-certified album Happiness Begins.
For more information and for tickets, check out the Jonas Brothers’ website. For information on VIP packages, check out the link here.
Old Tour Dates
Aug. 12 – Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
Aug. 13 – Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
Aug. 15 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
Aug. 16 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
Aug. 17 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Aug. 19 – Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
Aug. 22 – Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) the far-sighted orchestra and master’s degree program founded by Bard College president, conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, announced its ninth season performances, happening from Sept. 16, 2023, through May 19, 2024.
Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater on Sun 11-6-16. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now is a group of 59 vibrant young musicians from 13 different countries across the globe, including the United States, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, and more. The main mission of the orchestra is to make orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences by sharing unique personal insights in a welcoming environment. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories—including the Yale School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music—the members of TŌN give on-stage introductions and demonstrations, write concert notes from the musicians’ perspective, and have one-on-one discussions with patrons during intermissions.
Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein founded TŌN in 2015 as a graduate program at Bard College, where he is also president. TŌN offers both a three-year master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies and a two-year advanced certificate in Orchestra Studies. The Orchestra’s home is the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center at Bard, where it performs multiple concerts each season and takes part in the annual Bard Music Festival. Dubbed by the HuffPost as “dramatic and intense,” TŌN performs regularly at venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others across NYC and beyond.
The Orchestra Now musicians-Zhenyuan Yao, Milad Daniari, Paul Nemeth, Michael Franz, and Jonathan Wisner. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now has also performed with many distinguished guest conductors and soloists, including Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Järvi, Gil Shaham, Fabio Luisi, Vadim Repin, Hans Graf, Peter Serkin, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, and JoAnn Falletta. They are featured on several recordings, including Buried Alive with baritone Michael Nagy, released on Bridge Records in August 2020, which includes the first recording in almost 60 years, and only the second recording ever, of Othmar Schoeck’s song cycle Lebendig begraben.
For the 2023-2024 season, TŌN offers 20 programs and a total of 27 concerts, including two at Carnegie Hall, three at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, three free concerts at Manhattan’s Peter Norton Symphony Space and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and six at the Orchestra’s home at Bard College’s Fisher Center. This year marks the seventh season of The Orchestra Now’s popular broadcast series on WMHT-FM, the classical music radio station of New York’s Capital Region. TŌN’s performances are also heard regularly on American Public Media’s Performance Today.
As we approach the ninth successful season of TŌN, I am exceedingly proud of all we have accomplished since the Orchestra was launched in 2015. Since then, TŌN has performed a remarkable 668 works by 304 composers in 36 venues for more than 88,000 live and virtual concertgoers, with 320 soloists and 33 conductors. I am delighted to continue that impressive record in the 2023-24 season with three U.S premieres, an exploration of numerous undiscovered masterworks, and a roster of guest artists that range from Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe—Artistic Director of Bard Conservatory’s Vocal Arts Program—to rising young winners of Bard Conservatory Concerto Competitions.
Leon Botstein.
For more information about The Orchestra Now and to purchase tickets to the upcoming 2023-2024 season, visit here.
Exodus: Jewish Composers in Exile Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 at 7 p.m. The Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall series opens with Leon Botstein and the orchestra performing rarely heard works by Jewish composers written while they were in exile from their homelands during World War II. The program comprises Alexandre Tansman’s rhythmic Polish Rhapsody, inspired by the invasion of his homeland, the NYC premiere of Josef Tal’s dramatic Exodus, based on the Passover Haggadah, Walter Kaufmann’s Indian Symphony, written while in exile in Bombay, and Marcel Rubin’s melancholy Symphony No. 4, Dies irae, reflecting his experiences during the Second World War.
Photo by David DeNee – Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall on Fri 5-13-16.
Violinist as Composer Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 7 p.m. Leon Botstein spotlights four European virtuoso violinists who were also major composers in their respective countries but are not household names elsewhere today. The program includes Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s contemplative Partita for Orchestra, Hungarian composer Joseph Joachim’s Variations for Violin and Orchestra, the New York City premiere of a recently discovered concerto by famed Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe, and the energetic and passionate Second Symphony of Romanian composer George Enescu.
Rose Theatre
Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3 p.m.
TŌN welcomes rising French conductor Chloé van Soeterstède, who has conducted orchestras around the globe, including the London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. Her program begins with one of Debussy’s most popular works, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, inspired by a poem about the mythical creature and nymphs. Principal trombonist of the London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Moore, joins the orchestra for Dani Howard’s Trombone Concerto. The afternoon concludes with Rachmaninoff’s vibrant Symphonic Dances, the last piece he ever wrote, and his only work that was fully composed in the United States.
In the popular series Sight & Sound, Leon Botstein explores the parallels between orchestral music and the visual arts. Each program is accompanied by on-screen artworks and musical excerpts performed by The Orchestra Now, followed by a full performance and audience Q&A.
Copland, Culture & Politics in the 1930s Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 at 2 p.m.
The 1930s were a time of political and social turmoil in the United States. Through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, art and music aided the struggling nation’s search for identity and hope, depicting and publicizing the struggle of the era’s masses. Aaron Copland mixed everyday Americana tunes with classical music in an unprecedented way. His strict orchestral Statements for Orchestra, written at a time when the composer was becoming more politically active, and Wild-West ballet Billy the Kid both quote popular folk music of the day, earning him a reputation as the United States “populist” composer.
The exhibition Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Sept. 7–Dec. 10, 2023 in galleries 691–693.
Debussy & Matisse: Creating New Colors
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Artist Henri Matisse helped to revolutionize the visual arts in the first decades of the 20th century with experiments in a technicolor style that changed the course of French painting. In the same era Claude Debussy was rejecting classical German musical tradition, developing his own style of harmony and orchestral coloring that would strongly influence a wide range of composers for years to come. His expressive Images for Orchestra, which evokes English, Spanish, and French cultures, exemplifies the composer’s explorations in color and texture.
Still, Johnson & the Harlem Renaissance Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2 p.m.
With the rise of new, urban Black communities both in NYC and abroad, the Harlem Renaissance became the first African-American-led movement of international modern art. With that art came developments in visual art, poetry, jazz, and concert music. William Grant Still’s dramatic Lenox Avenue, which was commissioned by CBS for a 1937 radio broadcast, was inspired by street scenes in Harlem. Meanwhile, his orchestration of James P. Johnson’s Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody, was a response to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, capturing what the composer felt was a more “authentic” rhapsody about a black neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia.
The exhibition Harlem Renaissance will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Feb. 20–July 28, 2024, in Gallery 999.
The Fisher Center Series at Bard
The Orchestra Now, Bard’s orchestral masters, presents its ninth season of six different programs and 11 concerts. All performances will be livestreamed on TŌNtube.
Two Sides of Vienna
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Music Director Leon Botstein opens TŌN’s ninth season with a concert juxtaposing two distinct styles of Viennese music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include the vibrant and festive melodies of Franz Lehár and the Strauss brothers, and Mahler’s beautifully tragic Sixth Symphony. The concert opens with music from Lehár’s well-known 1905 operetta The Merry Widow, written in 1940 to celebrate the composer’s 70th birthday. This is followed by two dance pieces: Eduard Strauss’ train-themed polka Bahn frei!, and his brother Johann Jr.’s majestic Emperor Waltz. The program closes with a contrasting style from the same era, Mahler’s deeply personal Symphony No. 6.
Leon Botstein by Matt-Dine.
Jean-Marie Zeitouni Conducts
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Celebrated Canadian conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni makes his debut with TŌN in an all-French program, beginning with Saint-Saëns’ exuberant Bacchanale from his opera Samson et Dalila. Then mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, a co-founder of the Lynx Project who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, performs Berlioz’s song cycle The Summer Nights. The program also includes Fauré’s music for the play Pelléas et Mélisande, and d’Indy’s soaring and lyrical Symphony on a French Mountain Air, featuring Bard College Conservatory faculty pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough.
Stephanie Blythe Sings Brahms
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Award-winning mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, artistic director of Bard Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, joins TŌN for an all-Brahms concert. She performs his profound and dramatic Alto Rhapsody. The program also includes the sweeping cantata, Rinaldo, concluding with Brahms’ masterful First Symphony, which the composer toiled over for 14 years before its debut performance.
Stephanie Blythe.
Beethoven’s 6th & The Rite of Spring
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2 p.m.
TŌN welcomes spring with three musical tributes to the vernal equinox. These include Egon Wellesz’s 1911 The Dawn of Spring, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, performed alongside members of the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, and Beethoven’s lush Pastoral Sixth Symphony, echoing the composer’s love of nature.
Free Concert Series
These concerts are free, no tickets necessary, advance RSVP suggested. Check here for RSVP information.
Schumann & Strauss
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
TŌN Resident Conductor Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Barber’s overture The School for Scandal, Strauss’ powerfully evocative tone poem Death and Transfiguration, and Schumann’s intense and emotional Symphony No. 4.
Zachary Schwartzman, photo by Jito Lee.
Mendelssohn & Sibelius
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Mendelssohn’s fiery Ruy Blas Overture, Prokofiev’s masterful Violin Concerto No. 2 with soloist Yangxin Song, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and Sibelius’ voluptuous Symphony No. 1.
Schumann’s Piano Concerto
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
TŌN Assistant Conductor Andrés Rivas returns to Simon’s Rock for a free concert that includes Species of Motion by retiring music department chair Larry Wallach. The program also includes a performance of Schumann’s symphonic Piano Concerto, performed with Yilin Li, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition.
The Allman Betts Family Revival announced its 2023 dates and all-star lineup. The tour kicks off on Nov. 25 in Saint Louis, MO and will be making three stops in New York.
The Allman Family Revival initially began as a one-off concert in 2017 at The Fillmore in San Francisco to celebrate the late Gregg Allman’s life on what would have been his 70th birthday. Now entering its seventh year, the tour announced their rebrand from The Allman Family Revival to the Allman Betts Family Revival.
Gregg Allman’s son Devon and Dickey Betts’ son Duane spearhead the tour and hand-picked an array of guests who will perform two sets. One will feature songs by Gregg Allman and the other will feature songs by Dickey Betts. The performances will also include deep cuts from their legendary Allman Brothers Band catalog.
Performers include Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson & Cody Dickenson (North Mississippi Allstars), Jimmy Hall (Jeff Beck, Wet Willie), Jackie Greene, Larry McCray, Orbi Orbison, Ally Venable, Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and the Allman Betts Band featuring the Tal Wilkenfeld on Bass (Jeff Beck). There will also be additional artists that will join in select cities including Sierra Hull & G Love, with more to be added.
The tour will also welcome back The Brotherhood of Light for the otherworldly visuals Allman Brothers fans experienced at the height of their career.
Tickets and up-to-date information are available here.
The Allman Betts Family Revival Tour Dates
November 25 @ The Factory | Saint Louis, MO
November 26 @ Brown County Music Center | Nashville, IN
November 27 @ The Arcada Theater | St. Charles, IL
November 29 @ Kleinhans Music Hall | Buffalo, NY
w/ special guest Sierra Hull
November 30 @ Santander Performing Arts Center | Reading, PA
w/ special guest Sierra Hull
December 1 @ Orpheum Theater | Boston, MA
w/ special guests Greg Koch, Sierra Hull
December 2 @ Beacon Theatre | New York, NY
w/ special guests Greg Koch, Sierra Hull
December 3 @ The Paramount | Huntington, NY
w/ special guests Greg Koch, Sierra Hull
December 5 @ Capital One Hall | Tysons, VA
December 7 @ Macon City Auditorium | Macon, GA
w/ special guests Chuck Leavell, Vaylor Trucks, Melody Trucks
December 8 @ Gaillard Center | Charleston, SC
December 10 @ Sunrise Theatre | Fort Pierce, FL
w/ special guests J.D. Simo, Melody Trucks and Frank Hannon
December 12 @ Van Wezel PAC | Sarasota, FL
w/ special guests J.D. Simo, Melody Trucks and Frank Hannon
December 13 @ Florida Theatre | Jacksonville, FL
w/ special guests J.D. Simo, Melody Trucks and Frank Hannon
December 14 @ Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium | Spartanburg, SC
w/ special guests J.D. Simo
December 15 @ Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN
w/ special guest G. Love
December 16 @ Mobile Civic Center | Mobile, AL
December 17 @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater | Austin, TX
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros have recently confirmed that they will be performing select shows in Charlottesville, South Burlington, Columbus, Philadelphia and Baltimore this September. The group, led by Weir alongside Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti, will also be joining Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival 2023, making stops at venues throughout New York State, including Queens and Saratoga Springs.
The band will once again be joined by The Wolfpack, a string and brass quintet featuring Alex Kelly, Brian Switzer, Adam Theis, Mads Tolling and Sheldon Brown, along with Barry Sless on pedal steel performing the expansive catalogue of Grateful Dead, Bobby’s solo albums and more.
They will be joining Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival 2023 for seven shows this September, including Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY, Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs and more. They’ll also make their debut performance at the legendary Farm Aid in Noblesville, IN at Ruoff Music Center on September 23.
About Bobby Weir & Wold Bros
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros have released two notable live albums, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado followed by Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado Vol. 2. Both volumes feature songs recorded live at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in June 2021.
Notably, the second volume received praise from Pitchfork who raved, “he stages some of the most beloved material in the Grateful Dead’s catalog with the passion and reverence of a couple spending their 50th anniversary looking back on their wedding day,” while American Songwriter said, “Weir and the Wolfs manage to stay true to the template while also taking the music beyond any original incarnation by reinventing them in ways that find imagination and intrigue well stirred in a contemporary context.”
Weir also released Ace: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, an album which features one of the band’s most notable performances, a show at Radio City Music Hall in celebration of his debut solo album, Ace. The band played the entire album live and welcomed a number of special guests, including Tyler Childers and Brittney Spencer.
The band debuted orchestral performances alongside the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, as well as three nights with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Atlanta Symphony Hall. Each night the ensemble performed a completely unique set featuring hits from the expansive Grateful Dead catalogue, Bobby’s solo albums and more. Stanford professor and composer Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti provided original orchestration.
The Members
Bobby Weir, one of the original members of the iconic Grateful Dead, honored with a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, stands out as one of the rock genre’s most exceptional and unique rhythm guitarists. The Grateful Dead is still one of the highest-grossing concert attractions in the U.S. and their final tally of 2,318 total concerts remains a world record.
Weir has been honored with the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Les Paul Spirit Award, as well as a Goodwill Ambassadorship for the United Nations Development Program. His first solo album in more than ten years, Blue Mountain (2016), was critically praised upon release. Weir has been member of Dead & Company since its formation in 2015. Dead & Company has completed 10 tours and has performed to more than 4 million fans across 235 shows since the band’s debut. Weir is also a member of Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, who were formed in 2018. The band set out performing the expansive catalogue of Grateful Dead, Bobby’s solo albums and more and has toured extensively throughout the U.S.
Don Was is a GRAMMY-winning producer and founder of the ’80s funk-rock band Was (Not Was), known for hits such as “Walk The Dinosaur” and “Spy In The House Of Love.” As an in-demand, highly acclaimed producer, Was has been honored with four GRAMMY Awards for his production work in each of the past three decades, including Best Album honors for work with the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt. Production credits include the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Gregg Allman, John Mayer and Neil Young.
Albums produced by Was have achieved dozens of multi-Platinum, Platinum and Gold certifications and have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. As one of music’s top bass players, Was has collaborated with countless musicians throughout his storied career, spanning a multitude of genres.
Jay Lane is a longtime Weir collaborator and drummer who played with Weir’s RatDog for more than 16 years. He was also one of Primus’ first drummers and has recently performed with Phil Lesh and Friends as well as Dead & Company.
Acclaimed keyboardist Jeff Chimenti has a long history of working with former members of the Grateful Dead having performed with Bob Weir & RatDog, The Dead and Furthur. He has been a member of Dead & Company since the band’s formation in 2015. In 2020, Jeff Chimenti joined the Wolf Bros.
Tour Dates
September 8—Park City Song Summit Festival—Park City, UT September 10—FirstBank Amphitheater—Franklin, TN* September 12—CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park—Simpsonville, SC* September 13—Ting Pavilion—Charlottesville, VA September 15—Saratoga Performing Arts Center—Saratoga Springs, NY* September 16—Xfinity Center—Mansfield, MA* September 17—Forest Hills—Queens, NY* September 19—The Green At Shelburne Museum—South Burlington, VT September 20—Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater—Bridgeport, CT* September 22—Pine Knob Music Theatre—Clarkston, MI* September 23—Farm Aid—Noblesville, IN September 26—Mershon Auditorium—Columbus, OH September 27—The Met Philadelphia—Philadelphia, PA September 28—Pier Six Pavilion—Baltimore, MD
*Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival 2023
Tickets and More Information
Ticket sales began on July 21, and are currently available for purchase here. VIP packages will be available for the headline dates as well.
Rochester’s acclaimed music chamber ensemble fivebyfive recently unveiled its 2023-2024 season. The theme for this year’s round of programming is “Dichotomies” and is aimed at pushing artistic boundaries. As part of “Dichotomies” the ensemble will be releasing an album, holding collaborative concerts, hosting discussions, and much more.
Created in 2015, fivebyfive has earned a reputation for its ambitious performances and creative programming. The outfit is devoted to commissioning, developing, and performing the works of living artists. Boasting an incredible roster of musicians, fivebyfive takes pride in trying to highlight underrepresented and overlooked creators in the field. “Dichotomy” serves as another impressive artistic challenge for the ensemble. In honor of the theme, the group has curated an extraordinary lineup of visual and auditory experiences based on juxtaposition and contrast.
Fivebyfive is comprised of world-class artists, including Laura Lentz (Artistic Director & flute), Marcy Bacon (clarinet), Ken Luk (electric guitar), Eric Polenik (bass), Haeyeun Jeun (piano) and Marc Webster (Executive Director & audio/video engineer).
The upcoming season is designed to captivate and engage audiences through a range of complex feelings from primordial expression to celestial wonderment. We cannot wait to share these transformative musical experiences with the world.
Laura Lentz
Laura Lentz
Release of fivebyfive’s Third Album
“breath & fire”
Release date: Oct. 15, 2023
The project is inspired by the explosive and intense nature of fire balanced with the steady and tranquil essence of breath. Pieces on the album strongly invoke stillness or motion, and the recording process of matching spaces to the mood or pace in the music seeks to further draw out these energies as you listen.
Oct. 21, 2023 (Syracuse) and Oct. 22, 2023 (Rochester).
Musicians from Pegasus Early Music/NYS Baroque and fivebyfive will perform back-to-back concerts in Syracuse and Rochester. The concerts will feature both traditional and newly arranged versions of Sephardic music. Based in Jewish culture from medieval Spain and Portugal, the traditional performance will include instruments such as the lute, recorder, duduk, shawm, harp, and percussion. The new renditions will be performed in chamber style by fivebyfive featuring flute, clarinet, bass, piano and electric guitar. Additionally, artist Lynne Feldman will display several tapestries depicting Jewish life and discuss Judaic art.
Concert Featuring Medieval and Renaissance-Inspired Music
“Reflections: Music of Then & Now”
Nov. 15, 2023.
As part of a Jewish Music Series, fivebyfive will travel to Buffalo to present a program that reflects back in time to explore medieval and renaissance-inspired music. The performances will also incorporate other pieces that connect us to this present moment. This concert will feature Sephardic music, pieces from the Of and Between album, and Pale as Centuries, composed by Sarah Kirkland Snider.
Meet the Composer: Special Public Discussion with Roberto Sierra
Zoom presentation: Nov. 19, 2023
Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy winning composer Roberto Sierra will be part of an online Zoom discussion. Through a grant provided by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), fivebyfive commissioned Sierra to create a new work for the ensemble. In Sonidos de Tlön, Sierra explores the dichotomy of fantasy vs. reality using inspiration from 20th-century Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. During the 2024-2025 season, fivebyfive will showcase his piece in a concert of music and poetry from Latin America.
Multimedia Presentation with Eclipse-Inspired Music and Immersive Video
“Light & Dark: Eclipse Music”
Jan. 20, 2024 & Jan. 21, 2024.
To celebrate the 2024 total solar eclipse, fivebyfive has created a multi-media concert experience with original music by five composers. Jessica Meyer, Marc Mellits, Glenn McClure,Julie Herndon, and Kamala Sankaram were all invited to create work for the celebration. The Strasenburgh Planetarium at the Rochester Museum and Science Center will also present an immersive to go along with the event. The program combines art, science, music, and audience engagement activities to mark this unforgettable event.
Fivebyfive visits Minnesota’s Carleton College in 3-day Residency
In February of 2024, fivebyfive will travel to Carleton College in Minnesota for a three-day residency. The ensemble will present a concert, lead a reading session of student works, and participate in several workshops.. Composition professor and frequent fivebyfive collaborator, Andrea Mazzariello has previously produced works for fivebyfive including Of and Between which was featured on Performance Today several times.
Award-winning actor, producer, and comedian Chris Tucker has announced his highly anticipated tour, his first in over a decade, coming to the Beacon Theatre on Nov. 17.
The Legend Tour will stop in 30 cities during the Fall and Winter. Chris Tucker is known internationally, mostly for his role as Detective James Carter in the blockbuster Rush Hour action-comedy film franchise. Most recently, he was seen on the big screen staring opposite Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis in the Amazon Studio hit AIR.
Tucker’s career began in the early 1990s when he became a favorite on Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Comedy Jam. He then rose to prominence with his first starring role, in the 1995 cult classic Friday, alongside Ice Cube. In 1997, Tucker executive produced and co-starred with Charlie Sheen in the hit movie Money Talks and also appeared in Luc Besson’s globally successful sci-fi adventure The Fifth Element. His other film credits include the Hughes brothers’ Dead Presidents, Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, David O’Russell’s award-winning hit Silver Linings Playbook, and Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
In 2015, Tucker released Chris Tucker Live exclusively on Netflix, marking the first project he starred in and produced through his own company, Chris Tucker Entertainment. “I started my career doing stand-up in comedy clubs and it’s stand-up comedy that prepared me for all of my movie roles. I’m looking forward to getting back to my roots. I love performing live, there’s nothing like the energy of a live crowd and making people laugh. I’m excited to be back out on tour.” said Chris Tucker. He is also a dedicated humanitarian, spending much of his spare time traveling the world, and doing charitable work through The Chris Tucker Foundation.
Tucker will bring his rave-reviewed live comedy show to the Beacon Theatre on Nov. 17. Tickets for The Legend Tour will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Thursday, Aug. 10. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, Aug. 11 at 10 am.
THE LEGEND TOUR DATES:
Fri Sep 08 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Sun Sep 10 – Norfolk, VA – Chrysler Hall
Wed Sep 20 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
Celebrate México Now Festival (CMN) will be returning to NYC from Nov. 14 to 21, confirmed at locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn. Programs are across literature, photography, culinary arts, film, dance, and music. Each is a part of the pipeline connecting the arts and culture communities of NYC and Mexico.
The 20-year-old festival returned to live programming last year following the COVID-19 pandemic, run by award-winning curator and producer Claudia Norman of CN Management. Most events are free to attend. CMN has thus far showcased nearly 450 artists and partnered with over 150 venues and cultural institutions throughout NYC.
Confirmed Dates
Ximena Pérez Grobet: Reading Finnegans Wake – Center for Book Arts, Manhattan – Nov. 14 at 6:00 p.m.
Ximena Pérez Grobet will take the audience through the nine-year process of creating, editing, and publishing the limited edition of Reading Finnegans Wake. Using a classic edition of Finnegans Wake by James Joyce that was published in 1965, Pérez Grobet unbound the book, carefully cut the text apart nearly line by line, then reassembled it. This resulted in four knitted versions of the text.
Daniel Ramos: Eres Muy Hermosa – Camera Club of New York, Manhattan – Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m.
In the fifth year of collaboration with the Camera Club of New York, CMN will be hosting photographer Daniel Ramos. He will be discussing his solo exhibit Eres Muy Hermosa, which showcases a series of portraits made with a 4×5 large format view camera in bars and clubs at night in Monterrey, North Mexico.
Mexico Writes Now: An Evening with Carmen Boullosa, Ximena Santaolalla, Naief Yehya, Alvaro Enrigue, and Oswaldo Zavala – The Center for Fiction, Brooklyn – Nov. 16 at 6:00 p.m.
Some of Mexico’s leading voices in academia, poetry, novel, and essay writing will be assembled at the Center for Fiction, discussing their experiences living and working in NYC. Along with the acclaimed writer Carmen Boullosa, authors Ximena Santaolalla, Naief Yehya, Álvaro Enrigue, and Oswaldo Zavala will read their work and share their favorite Mexican films, photographs, and paintings with the audience.
Boullosa’s novel La otra mano de Lepanto has been acknowledged as one of the top works of literature written in Spanish in the last 25 years. She has written a dozen volumes of poetry and has published nineteen novels, two books of essays, and ten plays.
Diana Wangeman and Jesús “Pat Boy” Chablé: The Present and Future of Ancestral Practices – Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Manhattan – Nov. 18, TBA
A unique event featuring two indigenous creators seeking to preserve ancestral practices through very different forms of art. Diana Wangeman acts in the culinary preservation of ancient records of corn cultivation and preparation through her popular Brooklyn tortilleria and restaurant Sobre Masa. Jesús Chablé, better known as Pat Boy, performs rap in Mayan and teaches others to rap in Mayan, helping to preserve the language.
A Tribute to Lourdes Grobet – King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center on NYU Campus, Manhattan – Nov. 20 at 6:00 p.m.
CMN will pay tribute to the late Mexican photographer Lourdes Grobet, presenting the final two projects Grobet finished before passing. The first is Bering, Reunión Familiar, a documentary and a part of Grobet’s larger project on the Bering Strait. The second is Laboratorio de Teatro Campesino e Indígena, medio siglo de historia, a book that Grobet worked on for over 30 years.
SHIFT with Antonio Sánchez and Bad Hombre, Thana Alexa, BIGYUKI and Lex Sadler; Echoes in Proximity; and Ampersan, Co-Presented with World Music Institute – Le Poisson Rouge, Manhattan – Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m.
The only ticketed event as of present, the concert will conclude the CMN Festival. Audiences can expect a showcase of unique, yet contemporary sounds by award-winning musicians that blend genres and styles to create a dynamic music experience. The event will be co-presented with the World Music Institute.
Tickets for the Celebrate México Now Festival are available here. For more information and for updates on future events, check out CMN’s website.
The Hot Sardines, an authentic New York City-based jazz band, released their newest album C’est La Vieon Aug. 4. The album arrived with ten highly complex tracks including covers and reinventions of jazz classics as well as original songs written by Elizabeth Bougerol and Evan Palazzo.
The co-writes of C’est La Vie founded the lively Hot Sardines back in 2011, getting their start by playing various underground parties in Brooklyn. Since then, they have released six albums in total, all aiming to reinvigorate classic jazz music for the modern-day ear and spread their brand worldwide. With flourishing success taking them away from home time and time again, the band decided to record more music leading Bougerol to more thoroughly explore French influences which quickly took over what is now C’est La Vie.
The new album is a bilingual project with tracks both in English and French, providing listeners with newly interpreted classics from “Moon River” to “La Vie En Rose” along with various impressive, original compositions. When it came to the track’s production, Bougerol and Palazzo called on collaborators from all over the world ranging from Los Angeles all the way to Beijing. The pair aimed to create a stripped-down sound to help them record nearly one-hundred-year-old songs remotely with modern technology while keeping their original spirit and polish alive. With transient instrumentals and Bougerol’s timeless voice, the album takes listeners on a beautiful musical journey and sets a relaxing tone encapsulating the essence of the motto “C’est La Vie.”
The album is complete with track after track of slow and smooth jazz numbers supported by strong string and horn instrumentals with Bougerol’s voice slicing through it all. The co-founder’s vocal talent and control can be heard in every song and even takes on the Audrey Hepburn classic “Moon River.” Though the reinvention begins with seemingly risky harmonies presenting themselves as shaky and out of place, when the song picks up with a more classic jazz nightclub vibe and a laid-back tempo, it begins to truly shine. The classic lyrics continue to express the heartbreaking contradictions of relationships, but the musical composition supports the album’s title and overall message, conveying a newer interpretation to not take those heartbreaks so seriously because c’est la vie.
When it comes to original songs sprinkled throughout, “Adieu L’amour” stands out among the rest with its diverting and more serious sound. From the very start, the song seems to mix with Latin American styles with its faster pace and conga drum-like sound. Where the song continues to divert is in its lyrics, which have outward emotions of spite and blame against the love whose lies “closed the door” possibly going to show that living by the shrug of the shoulder motto of “that’s life” isn’t as easy or as possible as it seems. What brings the track back to the unity of the jazz album is the strength of the band’s playing and Bougerol’s controlled vocals occasionally slipping into French.
Throughout the album, there are numerous other highlights including a hushed “La Vie en Rose” duet between Bougerol and Bob Parins along with “Meet Me at the Bottom of the Bottle” which ends the album on a fantastic note. C’est La Vie is now available on various platforms along with a touching music video for “Moon River” directed by Greg Mottola.
On top of their new album, The Hot Sardines have also lined up tour dates for 2023-2024 which began on July 15th and will continue sporadically through April. The band will visit locations all over the United States, Tokyo, and Toronto, including select stages across New York State including a debut at the infamous Carnegie Hall.
Hot Sardines 2023-2024 Tour
July 15 Huntington, NY Chapin Rainbow Stage
September 12-16 New York, NY Birdland
September 23 Morristown, NJ Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival
November 10-11 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
November 27-30 New York, NY Joe’s Pub
December 7 Amherst, MA Bowker Auditorium
December 16 Tannersville, NY Orpheum PAC
December 19-21 Tokyo, Japan Blue Note
January 19 Richardson, TX Eisemann Center
January 20 Austin, TX Parker Jazz Club
January 21 San Antonio, TX Jazz, TX
January 24 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Museum
January 25-26 Las Vegas, NV Myron’s at the Smith Center
Buffalo artist Stress Dolls released a new single, “Body,” preceding a performance at Funk ‘N Waffles in Syracuse.
Stress Dolls is the moniker of Chelsea O’Donnell, an alt/pop/rock artist from Buffalo. Originally the name of a band, O’Donnell adopted the Stress Dolls title for herself and decided to move to Nashville after the group split up in 2017.
However, chronic health issues led to O’Donnell’s hospitalization less than a year later. After undergoing a feeding tube procedure, O’Donnell moved back to Buffalo, and after a period of recovery, began writing, performing, and recording again. Largely due to the tentative nature of her health, O’Donnell established Stress Dolls as a solo act in order to decrease stress and go at her own pace.
During this time, O’Donnell wrote “Body.” The song is a reflection of O’Donnell’s complicated relationship with her body in the face of ongoing health concerns, including Crohn’s disease and gastroparesis.
“I’m working on not pitting blame, or shame, on my body anymore, and through that practice I’ve realized that, really, the body is amazing.” O’Donnell said. “Mine withstood all of that anger, angst, stress, and physical anguish, and with some help, it found ways to heal. I’m learning to be a friend to my body instead of an opponent, and that’s making all the difference.”
