A series of Phish After-Parties have been unveiled as part of the band’s upcoming Madison Square Garden shows this December. As a recurring staple of Phish’s frequent MSG shows, the afterparties are once again brought to fans by CEG (Creative Entertainment Group).
Here are the already announced shows, with more to come! Get tickets for the shows soon, as these shows are often a hot ticket following each night of Phish.
Hill Country Live hosts Loop Troupe’s LSD Soundsystem, a jamified LCD Soundsystem, on December 28 at 11:59 p.m.
Sony Hall will host Dogs in a Pile, a psychedelic jazz-rock group on December 28 following Phish’s performance at MSG.
The Cutting Room’s December 28 afterparty will feature a Prince/Bowie theme, featuring appearances from members of Twiddle, Pink Talking Fish, The Machine, Deep Banana Blackout, and more to come. The musicians will play the music of legends Prince and David Bowie throughout the night at Midtown Manhattan’s The Cutting Room.
Hill Country Live will host a pre-party on December 29, featuring a happy hour with Dude of Life Band. The five-piece genre benders will host the event beginning at 4PM, with doors opening at 3PM. More information available here.
The Cutting Room’s December 29’s afterparty will be headlined by the Pink Talking Fish, playing hit 90s tracks from Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Phish, and more.
Hill Country BBQ Live will host Space Bacon, a progressive funk jam band, known for immersing audiences in audio-visual displays during shows. The afterparty will also take place on December 29.
The afterparty on December 30will feature John Medeski, Billy Martin, Scott Metzger, and Nels Cline. The group will play a night full of improvised music, following the Phish show at MSG that night. The party will be hosted at Sony Hall.
On New Year’s Day, Hill Country Live will host David Yates, performing his Wook Comedy Show. The event will take place at 1PM as a pre-party ahead of the NYE Phish show that night. Information available here.
In addition, Hill Country will host Marcus Rezak as yet another pre-party on New Year’s Eve. Performing his “Shred Is Dead” jam show, Rezak will perform at 4PM ahead of the NYE Phish show. More information here.
The night of New Year’s Eve, Hill Country Live will feature dj AF and Tad Cautious, two DJ acts performing to ring in the new year. Three tiers of tickets are available now for the NYE celebration afterparty.
Phish holidays runs are beloved events at Madison Square Garden, and afterparties around Manhattan are part of the adventure. Check back for updates on more after parties to be announced as the MSG shows approach. More information available at phishafterparties.nyc.
Rodrigo y Gabriela has announced a new run of dates in 2024, taking their thrilling live shows to cities in America that didn’t get a chance to see them on the first run. The tour will stop in Ithaca, Kingston, Tarrytown, and Buffalo.
Rodrigo y Gabriela recently kicked off the 49th season of the venerable television music series, Austin City Limits, as the premiere performers on episode one. The band was joined by an ensemble of over 30 musicians from the esteemed Austin Symphony Orchestra in an exhilarating hour; the unprecedented performance marked the first time ACL has collaborated with the world-class orchestra, one of Austin’s leading arts institutions.
In September, the duo shared their official music video for “In Between Thoughts…A New World,” featuring exclusive footage filmed earlier this summer on their North American tour. “In Between Thoughts…A New World” is the title track to Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest album, In Between Thoughts…A New World, available now via ATO Records.
“The perfect demonstration of their abilities…Rodrigo y Gabriela create a surging sonic display of cinematic goodness, using their guitars to represent rising and falling action. Each song feels like a mini-movie, containing stirring riffs, mesmeric backing strumming, and glorious, soaring strings that add extra tension to every piece…The duo harness the impressive ability to tell intricate stories without saying a word, and these songs are sure to conjure up rich images in listeners’ minds.”
FarOut Magazine
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s eagerly awaited follow-up to 2019’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Mettavolution and first full-length collection in four years, In Between Thoughts…A New World was self-produced by Rodrigo y Gabriela at their studio in Ixtapa, Mexico, the album includes such singles as “The Eye That Catches The Dream,” “Egoland,” “True Nature,” and “Descending To Nowhere.”
A #1 Most Added hit at Non-Com Radio outlets nationwide, “Descending To Nowhere” had its world premiere with an in-depth and illuminating “Origins” feature via Consequence and was quickly named by Paste as one of “The 10 Best Songs of February 2023,” hailing it as “an irresistible groove that builds and ebbs as it showcases delicious electric licks and the promised orchestral swells.”
Rodrigo y Gabriela marked the arrival of In Between Thoughts…A New World with a very special live session for Seattle’s KEXP as well as electrifying live performances of “Descending To Nowhere” and “Egoland” on BBC Two’s venerable Later… with Jools Holland. In addition, “Descending To Nowhere | A Take Away Show,” a live performance video filmed earlier this year at an empty Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, is streaming now exclusively via La Blogothèque.
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA’S IN BETWEEN THOUGHTS…A NEW WORLD 2024
APRIL
17- Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
18 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
19 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Parker Playhouse
21 – Charlotte, NC – Knight Theater
23 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
25 – Tysons, VA – Capitol One Hall
26 – Charlottesville, VA – The Paramount Theater
27 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
28 – Princeton, NJ – McCarter Theatre Center
30 – Ithaca, NY – State Theater of Ithaca
MAY
1 – Kingston, NY – Ulster PAC
2 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
4 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
5 – Nashua, NH – Nashua Center for the Arts
7 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
8 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
9 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall
11 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg University at XL Live
12 – Buffalo, NY – Asbury Hall at Babeville
14 – Cleveland, OH – TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic
15 – Columbus, OH – The Athenaeum Theatre
16 – Indianapolis, IN – The Egyptian Room
18 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
For more information on Rodrigo y Gabriela, visit their website.
The inaugural Extreme Music Awards will be held at Empire Live in Albany on Saturday, January 13. The awards show celebrates the most extreme music acts in the 518 Capital Region of Upstate New York.
The Extreme Music Awards is the conception of Mike Valente of Upstate Black N Blue Productions who then assembled the team of RadioRadioX, Capital Underground, That Fuzzing Rock Show and 518Scene.com. All five of these entertainment media forces joined together to bring the inaugural event to Albany.
Attendees will be able to enjoy a full concert experience by house band, Uncle SAMM, in addition to watching the awards ceremony. In between presenters, fans can also look forward to a raffle for a chance to win prizes like signed drum heads, guitars, gift certificates, and more.
Check out the nominees and categories below and get your tickets for the Extreme Music Awards here.
The Extreme Music Awards will be held on Saturday January 13 at Empire Live on N. Pearl St. in Albany, starting at 6:00pm.
Tickets to this event are limited and expected to sell out, with general on sale here:
CATEGORIES & PRESENTERS
Best Death Metal Band: Chris Pervelis/Kyle Eddy (Internal Bleeding)
Best Black Metal Band: Mike Score (All Out War)
Best Doom/Goth/Stoner Band: Matt Byrne (Hatebreed)
Best Power Metal Band: Gary Holt (Slayer/Exodus)
Best Progressive/Math Metal Band: Marc Rizzo (Soulfly/Ill Nino)
Best Hair/Glam/Sleaze Metal Band: Nick Miller (Lethal Lipstick)
Best Thrash Metal Band: Gary Holt (Slayer/Exodus)
Best Grindcore Band: Sal Lococo (Sworn Enemy)
Best Metalcore Band: Danny Schuler (Biohazard)
Best Punk Band: Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) (Video Presenter)
Best Hardcore Band: Mike Gallo/Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front)
Best Beatdown Hardcore Band: Ray Mazzola/Mike Valente (Brick by Brick)
Best Hardcore Punk Band: Jimmy Gestapo (Murphy’s Law)
Best Metal Video: Drew Stone (Stone Films/The NYHC Chronicles)
Best Live Performance: Art Fredette/Rob Smittix (RadioRadioX)
Most Brutal Mosh Pit: Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste)(Video Presenter)
Best Merch: Michael “Fuzz” Kebabjian (That Fuzzing Rock Show)
Album of the Year: Ralph Renna (Capital Underground)
Lifetime Achievement Award (25+ Years in the Scene): Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (Overkill)
Best New Band (Less Than 2 Years in the Scene): Mario & Kim Cangemi (Upstate Records)
Best Veteran Band (10+ Years in the Scene): Brendan Manley (518scene.com)
THE NOMINEES
Best Death Metal Band: Tyranize, Skinless, Invoke Thy Wrath, Intrusive
Best Black Metal Band: Malefic, Blackbraid, Morticide, Vile Tyrant
Best Doom/Goth/Stoner Band: Gozer, Ike’s Wasted World, Gunther Weezul, Carnwennan
Best Power Metal Band: Deveria, Alloy Reign, Frozen Sun, The Antarctican
Best Progressive/Math Metal Band: Deveria, Psychomanteum, The Phoenix and the Raven, MIRA
Best Hair/Glam/Sleaze Metal Band: The Erotics, Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band, Untaymed, Mystery Girl
Best Thrash Metal Band: Hate The Adversary, FACED, Concrete, Ice Queen
Best Grindcore Band: Escuela Grind, URINE, Horse Grave, Vaginal Fungus
Best Metalcore Band: Concrete, Oakheart, Faded Line, Downswing
Best Punk Band: The Hauntings, VinTri Hill, Nick Rossi, Lurking Class
Best Hardcore Band: Violent By Design, Confinement 413, Halo Bite, Cold Kiss
Best Beatdown Hardcore Band: Wrong Move, Torn Out, From Within, Adhara
Best Hardcore Punk Band: Halo Bite, Murderer’s Row, Gusto, Wet Specimens
Best Metal Video: Alloy Reign – “Blood Demon”, Downswing – “Bound to Misery”, The Antarctican – “I is the Lie”, Freya – “Nothingness or God”
Best Live Performance: Alloy Reign, Tyranize, Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band, Flatwounds
Most Brutal Mosh Pit: Invoke Thy Wrath, Concrete, Assault on the Living, Downswing
Best Merch: Alloy Reign, The Erotics, Malefic, Concrete
Album of the Year: Psychomanteum – Full Fathom Five, Blackbraid – Blackbraid II, Adhara – Abandoned Future, Urine – Excreta Lotium Miasma
Lifetime Achievement Award (25+ Years in the Scene): Paul Rukwid, Jeff Caro, John Glassbrenner, Bob Riley
Best New Band (Less Than 2 Years in the Scene): Alloy Reign, Flatwounds, Confinement 413, Outta My Head
Best Veteran Band (10+ Years in the Scene): Tyranize, The Erotics, Murderer’s Row, Concrete
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has announced the return of the popular Lift Concert Series in 2024. Curated by Organ Colossal, these performances give the audience the unique opportunity to sit on the historic Music Hall stage with the artists while they perform.
The Lift Concert Series presents performances of new, independent music featuring regional performers, curated by local artists Sam Torres and Sophia Subbayya Vastek. The audience is invited to be seated on stage, with the musicians, creating an intimate concert experience. Concerts are designed to last about an hour and, after the performance, concert-goers are encouraged to enjoy the rest of the evening at one of Troy’s many restaurants or breweries. All concerts begin at 6pm
Lift Concert Series Lineup
January 24 – Sophia Subbayya Vastek
Described as performing with “passion and profound tenderness” (Second Inversion) and “serene strokes and lyrical beauty” (Brooklyn Rail), pianist and songwriter Sophia Subbayya Vastek moves quietly between musical worlds. Her most recent LP, In Our Softening (2022), features nine of her own piano compositions. The album was called “one of the very best things I’ve heard all year” by longtime music journalist Steve Smith (Night After Night). She released her debut record Histories (Innova Recordings) in 2017, and more recently, an EP of the complete piano works by composer Lili Boulanger, entitled Lili (reissued 2023). In 2022, Sophia was recognized as a NYSCA/NYFA Fellow in Music/Sound. She is a co-founder of Organ Colossal, a nonprofit that produces musical projects in her hometown of Troy, NY. She and her husband also run a music series out of their home, a converted church building lovingly called Troy Listening Room. This performance is sponsored by Artist Pianos.
February 14 – Connor Armbruster with special guest Ian Cotter Wishlist
After exploring the vast sanctuary of an empty church in 2022’s Masses, Armbruster inhabits a new setting with polar opposite qualities for his sophomore release with Dear Life Records, Can I Sit Here. The music, colored by distortion and cutting rawness befitting its subject matter, was created and recorded live in mono in the small back room of an apartment. Acoustic violin takes a backseat to Armbruster’s heavily distorted electric violin on this record as he improvises over textures simultaneously warm and dissonant. It is a reflection on loss and the feelings that follow a death, the delicate balance between despair, celebration, nostalgia, isolation, and kinship. Armbruster is based in Troy, NY and is behind a multi-faceted body of work exploring performance art, electric violin, Irish fiddle, traditional music, field recording, dance, and theatre. In addition to his solo projects, he plays electric violin and guitar for Blue Ranger, is a member of Hold On Honeys, and performs and records with numerous other artists in the capital region. He was musical director and lead composer for Troy Foundry Theatre’s original musical, City of Myth: Illium Sings. Outside of performance, Armbruster is a cartoonist and music educator, and proud parent of a 4-year-old.
Thoughtfully eclectic, Ian Cotter Wishlist draws inspiration from fellow songwriters, composers, authors, visual artists, and the natural world to craft their recordings and live performances.
March 27 – Aubrey Haddard & MAYSUN
Aubrey Haddard is a self-proclaimed escape artist. When the tides change and personal growth calls for emotional upheaval, Aubrey seeks refuge in her creative discipline. Carving out a boundary-less space to explore the mysteries of the human experience and the vastness of the physical world, she creates a sonic landscape that is both epic and deeply personal. Dreamy synthscapes, overdriven guitars and pulsing electronic drums lay the foundation for Haddard’s vocals, heralded by critics as “harrowingly beautiful” (Clash Magazine) and “herculean” (The Line of Best Fit). Calling upon the inspirations of powerhouse PJ Harvey and dance music giant LCD Soundsystem alike, Haddard blends the analog and the digital with eccentricity. Themes of Greek mythology and Japanese literature weave their way through her stories, inviting listeners to peek into her subconscious and share in the escape. Haddard only leaves a few breadcrumbs and shoots for a surprise with each release. Moving on from her acoustic and minimalist debut EP Adult Lullabies, her knotty and soulful full length album Blue Part received widespread critical acclaim and earned her the title of Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year at the 2018 Boston Music Awards before she left to pursue her a career in New York City. Leaning into new, pop-driven inspirations and the chaos of the NYC scene, Awake And Talking proved Haddard’s ability to dive head first into new sounds and set the stage for her current project. Splitting her time between the far corners of New York state, you might find her in a library, at a Yankee game or jumping into a swimming hole. Aubrey Haddard may be a rising star in the indie scene, and one to watch for those interested in the future of experimental electronic music but “above all, it’s humanity that drives Haddard’s art” (Under The Radar).
MAYSUN is a composer and sound artist known for his unique blend of drumming expertise and sound design, creating immersive atmospheric soundscapes. With a focus on the use of physical space to shape and manipulate sounds, he crafts compositions that serve as soundtracks to his life events. MAYSUN’s work is characterized by an innovative approach that transforms real-life sounds into musical tones, skillfully interweaving the dimensions of time and space within its compositions. His artistic journey is driven by a deep passion for exploring spatial audio and a desire to create meaningful emotional connections through his music. MAYSUN’s latest release, ‘Timelines,’ represents his ongoing commitment to the craft of sound artistry, inviting listeners on a deep ambient introspective journey.
May 1 – Rafiq Bhatia
The New York Times proclaims “Rafiq Bhatia is writing his own musical language,” describing him as “a guitarist who refuses to be pinned to one genre, culture or instrument.” “His transient approach, combined with his obsession of assiduously studying the past in order to break cleanly from it, makes him one of the most intriguing figures in music today.” Bhatia’s 2018 album Breaking English (Anti- Records) finds a visceral common ground between ecstatic avant-jazz, mournful soul, tangled strings and building-shaking electronics, resulting in a “stunningly-focused new sound” (Chicago Reader) that “resemble[s] science fiction on a blockbuster scale” (Washington Post). His 2020 EP, Standards Vol. 1 (Anti-) renders repertoire from the American songbook “completely deconstructed, infused with brand new textures and electronic effects, dreamlike and beautiful” (BBC). Since 2014, Bhatia has been a member of the trio Son Lux; together, they have released several critically-acclaimed albums and given hundreds of performances internationally. A voracious collaborator, Bhatia has also worked with a multitude of artists across generations and musical communities, including Arooj Aftab, Holland Andrews, Hanna Benn, Ian Chang, Sam Dew, Dave Douglas, Marcus Gilmore, Mary Halvorson, Billy Hart, Shahzad Ismaily, Vijay Iyer, Kassa Overall, Kronos Quartet, Okkyung Lee, Nina Moffitt, Qasim Naqvi, Kassa Overall, Chris Pattishall, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Alex Somers, Moses Sumney, Anjna Swaminathan, Rajna Swaminathan, and David Virelles.
Tickets are available now at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Box Office, 30 Second Street, Troy, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. via phone, (518) 273-0038, or online at www.troymusichall.org.
Grammy and Juno-award winning artist Sarah McLachlan announces The Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Tour, live across North America next summer with special guest Feist.
The 30-date run includes a stop at Artpark Mainstage Theater in Lewiston, as well as a stop at Radio City Music Hall.
Sarah McLachlan is one of the most celebrated singer songwriters in entertainment with over 40 million albums sold worldwide. She has received three Grammy Awards and twelve Juno Awards over her career and has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In addition to her personal artistic efforts, she founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians and brought over two million people together during its three-year run. Lilith Fair raised over $7 million for local and national charities and was the most successful all-female music event, launching the careers of numerous performers.
Following Lilith Fair, Sarah was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award for furthering the careers of women in music. In 2002, she founded the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music which provides high quality music education and mentorship free to children and youth facing various barriers to access.
Feist, special guest touring with Sarah, is an 11-time Juno Award-winning artist and has a Grammy-nominated album Multitudes. She sets her observation on the countless ways we seek out or deliberately hide from the truth: searching the natural world for portents and good omens, pulling tarot cards and masking our true emotions to spare our loved ones from pain. From a lyrical honesty that’s as confronting as it is unguarded, Feist writes of “A crucible of apex events that brought life to a new temperature.” and of “A new dimension of self awareness that time and experience seemed to require.”
Her sixth full-length and first release since 2017’s critically lauded Pleasure, Multitudes took shape soon after the birth of her daughter and sudden death of her father, a back-to-back convergence of life-altering events that left the Canadian singer/songwriter with “Nothing performative in me anymore.” As she cleansed her songwriting of any tendency to obscure unwanted truths, Feist slowly made her way toward a batch of songs rooted in a raw and potent realism which is touched with otherworldly beauty.
At the completion of the developmental run of residencies and in turning to the task of creating the album in a bespoke residential studio in the California Redwoods, Feist produced alongside her frequent co-producers Mocky and Robbie Lackritz, with an ensemble including Todd Dahlhoff, Amir Yaghmai, Shahzad Ismaily (Lou Reed, Tom Waits) and Gabe Noel (Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington) with guest appearances by Blake Mills (Bob Dylan, Perfume Genius) and longtime collaborator Chilly Gonzales.
A supreme setting for her enchanting voice and all its manifestations, Multitudes unfolds with a near-symphonic grandeur despite its moments of absolute starkness, lending an endlessly mesmeric quality to Feist’s meditations on mortality and connection and the frenetic state of the human condition.
“I think it’s interesting as an artist or as a human for that matter, to be able to go back and look at a postcard of a time in your life and reflect on it…I think this tour is going to be a real walk down memory lane for me, and I’m hoping that my audience, many of whom have been with me for 30 years, will also be able to go back in time with me.”
Sarah McLachlan
The summer tour celebrates McLachlan’s highly acclaimed third studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, which first released October 22, 1993 via Le Studio. The album quickly topped the charts in Canada and went certified platinum within a few weeks, selling over 3 million copies worldwide to date. Hit singles include “Possession,” “Hold On,” “Ice Cream,” and “Good Enough,” among others.
The 30th anniversary tour will see McLachlan playing the beloved album in its entirety along with some of her most celebrated songs in iconic venues across North America, including the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, Radio City Music Hall and many more.
THE FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2024 TOUR DATES:
Sat May 25 – Seattle, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery +
Sun May 26 – Seattle, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery +
Tue May 28 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater +
Thu May 30 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre *+
Fri May 31 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl +
Sat Jun 01– Palm Springs, CA – Acrisure Arena at Greater Palm Springs +
Sun Jun 02 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park +
Tue Jun 04 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre +
Thu Jun 06 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre +
Fri Jun 07 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
Sun Jun 09 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre +
Mon Jun 10 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park +
Tue Jun 11 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island +
Thu Jun 13 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill +
Fri Jun 14 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion +
Sun Jun 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park +
Tue Jun 18 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Mainstage Theater +
Wed Jun 19 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage ^
Thu Jun 20 – Laval, QC – Place Bell +
Sat Jun 22 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion +
Sun Jun 23 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater +
Mon Jun 24 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall +
Wed Jun 26 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann +
Thu Jun 27 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion +
Sat Jun 29 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater +
Sun Jun 30 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park +
Tue Jul 02 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP +
Wed Jul 03 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory +
Fri Jul 05 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater +
Sat Jul 06 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre +
*Non-Live Nation Date
+ With Feist
^ With Allison Russell
Tickets will be available starting with Artist and Citi presales (details below) beginning on Tuesday, December 12. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, December 15 at 12 PM here.
The tour will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but may include premium tickets, access to the pre-show soundcheck, autographed item, specially designed merch and more. For more information, click here.
$1 per ticket will be donated to the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music. The school provides music instruction at no cost to children and youth facing barriers to access.
Is It Thursday Yet?, a beautiful show featuring complex dance choreography and enriching live music, opens December 12 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. The show features the incredible talents of Jenn Freeman, Holland Andrews, and Price McGuffrey.
Is It Thursday Yet? is a stunning tapestry of dance, live music and home video footage. The show invites you into the unique complexities of dancer and choreographer Jenn Freeman’s life following her Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis at age 33. Since then, she has navigated an endless sea of epiphanies, examining childhood memories through this new lens.
Is It Thursday Yet? is co-created, co-choreographed and performed by Jenn Freeman, co-created, co-choreographed and directed by Sonya Tayeh, and composed and performed by Holland Andrews. The production runs from December 8 through December 23 at PAC NYC.
Jenn Freeman (they/she) (Co-Creator/Co-Choreographer/Performer) is an Autistic American choreographer, dance performer, and educator based in New York City. Freeman is an O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation recipient, a 2023 New England Foundation for the Arts Recipient and the New York State Council on the Arts grant award recipient. Most recently Freeman was commissioned to set a solo for American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Cassandra Trenary, that premiered at Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur in 2022.
In 2021, Freeman created new work for the Martha Graham Dance Company. In 2018 Freeman produced, directed and choreographed her evening-length world premiere debut: …it’s time… at the Theater at The 14th St Y in New York City. After a sold-out run the show was presented for a second run in 2019. Freeman’s choreography has been commissioned by Marymount Manhattan College, Wayne State University, BYU, and The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been presented at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, The Kaatsbaan Summer Festival, The Reverb Dance Festival, and The McCallum Theater Choreography Festival.
For over a decade, Jenn has worked as Sonya Tayeh’s associate and resident choreographer in the development of pieces for: The Gibney Company, American Ballet Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Guggenheim W&P, LA Ballet, The Juilliard School, and Cirque du Soleil. Professionally, Jenn has danced in works by choreographers Sonya Tayeh, Kyle Abraham, Larry Keigwin, Charlotte Boye-Christensen (NOW-ID), and many others. Freeman is a graduate of the dance program at TISCH School of the Arts, NYU.
Sonya Tayeh (she/her) (Co-Creator/Co-Choreographer/Director) is a New York City based TONY® Award winning choreographer and director. Since paving her professional career, her work has been characterized as a blend of powerful versatility and theatrical range. She has gleaned many accolades for her versatile work, including a Tony Award, two Emmy nominations, one Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Choreography.
Holland Andrews (they/them) (Composer) is a vocalist, composer, and performance artist whose work focuses on the abstraction of operatic and extended-technique voice to build soundscapes encompassing both catharsis and dissonance. Andrews develops and performs soundscapes for dance, theater, and film. Notable collaborations include Bill T. Jones, Dorothee Munyaneza, Will Rawls, poet Demian Dinéyazhi, Son Lux, Christina Vantzou, William Brittelle, Methods Body, West Thordson, Peter Broderick, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Nils Frahm.
Perelman Performing Arts Center NYC Memberships starting at $10 for the inaugural season are available. Members are provided early access to purchase tickets and other perks. For more information or to learn how to support PAC NYC, visit their website.
Tickets start at $39 and are available online at PACNYC.org or by calling 212.266.3000. All performances are at 251 Fulton Street.
The public can sign up for important updates from PAC NYC at PACNYC.org/sign-up.
R&B powerhouse Charlie Wilson will be headlining UBS Arena this upcoming mother’s day as part of Jammins Events’ R&B Love Fest 2024. Featuring KEM and legendary r&b group, Dru Hill, this soul-watering experience is set for Sunday, May 12. Presented by concert promotion/production mainstays, Jammins Events, R&B Love Fest 2024 will feature performances from legendary and contemporary artists.
Charlie Wilson at the main stage during Stavernfestivalen in Stavern on 08. July 2016.
Lineup:
Charlie Wilson (vocal)
To be able to do this with Charlie Wilson, KEM and Dru Hill – the entire line-up of talented artists, we are truly excited.
– Jammins Management Team
After all, the one nicknamed “Uncle Charlie” is a musical force that has maintained relevancy in a career spanning six decades. Overall, the music icon has garnered 13 Grammy nominations, while topping the R&B charts 13 times with number one singles. Not to mention decades of sold-out concerts, a New York Times and Washington Post best-selling memoir, I Am Charlie Wilson, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award and a Soul Train Icon Award. As such, he has both a star on the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024.
https://youtu.be/25VQZA7yL-c?si=knXVaRnlo2n0LkC-
Additionally, R&B veterans Dru Hill and KEM will be making guest appearance at R&B Love Fest. Of course, the former has cemented their place in R&B folklore through a series of No. 1 hits, while KEM has been a steadfast presence in the r&b landscape. Meanwhile, Dru Hill has received multiple awards and performed internationally and has topped the Billboard Music charts multiple times.
Tickets for R&B Love Fest go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 15 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra has announced a holiday show titled “Winter Wonderland,” happening at the Broome County Forum Theatre on Dec. 16.
Founded by Fritz and Marianne Wallenberg in 1955 at the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society and later merged with the B.C. Pops, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra presents an annual series of classical, pops, and chamber music concerts in Downtown Binghamton and throughout Broome County. The professional musicians of the Philharmonic hail from the Southern Tier, New York City, and surrounding states. Maestro Daniel Hege was appointed Music Director in 2018.
On Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 3 p.m., the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra presents “Winter Wonderland,” a holiday-themed concert of beloved Christmas classics. The program includes favorites from stage, film, and ballet, along with a traditional carol singalong and a visit from Santa. Artists from Tri-Cities Opera are featured, along with local news anchor Jim Ehmke as the narrator in “The Night Before Christmas.”The Philharmonic also continues its tradition of screening the classic animated short film The Snowman, with live orchestral accompaniment and treble soloist Eva Dixon. The concert will be preceded by a holiday-themed organ recital by Nancy Wildoner on the Robert-Morton Theatre Organ at 2:30 p.m.
Eva Dixon.
13-year-old treble soloist Eva Dixon attends Grace Church School in Manhattan, where she has been a member of the Grace Episcopal Church Choir for the past seven years. In seventh grade, she was Lead Chorister, and this year she was named Optima Chorister. She toured Ireland with the choir in the summer of 2022, and in the spring of 2023 sang the soprano solo in Mendelssohn’s O for the Wings of a Dove. Her theater roles include The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda in Oz; Lucy in 13: The Musical, and DJ in Cyrano de Burger Shack.
Tickets are $25 to $65. Kids 17 and under attend free.
SLC Arts has announced their second annual “A North Country Christmas” Holiday Music Tour, performed by Josh Barkley.
SLC Arts musician Josh Barkley will present a holiday music tour featuring organ and piano this December. Four performances during the week of December 18th will begin at 6:00 PM and take place at different churches in St. Lawrence County.
Josh Barkley was born and raised in Madrid, NY, and is a graduate of The Crane School of Music, holding his Bachelors in Music Business. He currently works with SLC Arts through the Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment Program. Performing in many local venues, Josh has years of experience behind the keys as well as organ and bass. He is a prolific solo performer, in addition to performing with many bands since high school. He supplies bands with sound equipment and often does live sound for the regional ensembles.
The tour is free to the public, and performances will not include a religious service.
A North Country Christmas Tour Schedule
Monday, December 18: Potsdam United Methodist Church. 26 Main St. Potsdam, NY
Tuesday, December 19: Waddington First Presbyterian Church. 13 Fenton St. Waddington, NY
Wednesday, December 20: Ogdensburg United Methodist Church. 627 Caroline St. Ogdensburg, NY
Thursday, December 21: Massena First United Methodist Church. 189 Main St. Massena, NY
SLC Arts is the administrator of the New York State Council on the Arts’ Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) Program in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties. Through this program, $160,000 in state funding is distributed to municipalities, libraries, 501(c)3 organizations, individual artists and collectives, for the purpose of arts programming. Initiatives may include (but are not limited to) concerts, exhibitions, theatrical performances, readings, screenings, art classes, public art and more. Grants are project-based, and support community-centered projects in any artistic discipline.
Beloved rock band Taking Back Sunday has announced dates for their spring/summer 2024 North American headline tour celebrating their latest record 152. The two-part run is set to take place next year with stops in Wantagh and New York City.
Taking Back Sunday is made up of John Nolan (lead guitar, piano, vocals), Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), Shaun Cooper (bass), and Mark O’Connell (drums). The group has been making music together as a band for more than 20 years, sold millions of albums, and along the way, amassed a devoted, international fan base. Even then, the members of Taking Back Sunday still hope to make a powerful impact and sense of connection between fans and the world: “When we’re writing songs, the one thing we ask ourselves is, ‘Will it make people feel something?’ You try to make people feel emotion. That’s the one goal we went in with, and I think we did it,” says drummer Mark O’Connell.
This unrelenting pursuit of greatness lies at the heart of 152, Taking Back Sunday’s long-awaited, thrilling eighth studio album (and Fantasy Records debut). Written and refined over the course of several years, the group’s first full-length offering since 2016’s Tidal Wave is a passionate, melody-infused confessional from a band forever known for its honesty and vulnerability.
“…We’ve been on a whirlwind on finishing the record, getting everything ready to put it out, making all the plans. Now comes our other favorite part, getting to visit so many cities in North America and playing live. The set will be a good mixture of albums and the reception for 152 has been so positive that we can’t wait to get out there and play some of those songs for the first time in these cities and make magic all summer. Citizen also put out a great new record so we’re going to have a good time together. Can’t wait.”
Taking Back Sunday
When Taking Back Sunday first sat down together in late 2019 to begin working in earnest on what became 152, the band laid out some ground rules from the outset. They weren’t out to simply add more songs to their already-storied catalog, but rather make a piece of art they could be proud of.
To that end, so many of the songs that comprise 152 were workshopped like never before. As the band members explain, over the years they’ve learned to love letting a piece of music develop from its initial idea all the way to its sometimes drastically-different finished form. It’s a journey they’ve undoubtedly been on many times before when making previous albums, but as they found out when making 152, it’s one that continues to thrill them and keep things fresh.
Lyricists Lazzara and Nolan are also experimenting like never before. From the heartfelt recollections of the album’s epic opener “Amphetamine Smiles,” to the expressive yearning in lead single “The One”, listeners are invited into the songwriters’ collective heart.
Taking Back Sunday is expanding and developing as musicians, and we get to see it in real time with every album that they produce. There’s a hint of their old stuff in “S’old,” which is off put by their new versatility as shown in “Amphetamine Smiles” and “I Am The Only One Who Knows You.” It’ll be a ride to see what else they can do down the line.
“Normally it’s like, this is working right now, let’s just go with it and see what happens…But the process of making this record has helped get me to a point where I’m looking ahead. I’m so excited about the possibilities. You’ve got to keep moving forward. We need to continue building onto this wonderful world.”
Adam Lazzara
Taking Back Sunday 2023-2024 Tour Dates
12.5 Woolloongabba, AUS The Princess Theatre
12.6 Marrickville, AUS Factory Theatre
12.13 Wantagh, NY Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall *SOLD OUT
12.14 Wantagh, NY Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall *SOLD OUT
5.27 Ft. Worth, TX Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
5.29 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
6.4 Portland, OR The Crystal Ballroom
6.5 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
6.6 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
6.8 Edmonton, AB Union Hall
6.9 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
6.11 Salt Lake City, UT The Union Event Center
6.12 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom
6.14 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Stir Cove
6.15 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
6.18 Cleveland, OH House of Blues Cleveland
6.19 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
6.21 Minneapolis, MN The Fillmore Minneapolis
7.24 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
7.25 Columbus, OH KEMBA Live!
7.26 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
7.27 Buffalo, NY Buffalo RiverWorks
7.30 Newport, KY MegaCorp Pavilion
8.1 Orlando, FL House of Blues Orlando
8.2 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live at the Backyard
8.3 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live
8.4 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
8.6 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues Myrtle Beach
8.8 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
8.9 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
8.11 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle & Cork
8.13 Wallingford, CT The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
8.14 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway
8.16 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore Philadelphia
8.17 New York, NY The Rooftop at Pier 17
In addition to the headline tour, NY/NJ fans can look forward to the band’s annual holiday spectacular on December 13 and 14 at Mulcahy’s and December 15 and 16 at Starland Ballroom. On December 16, Taking Back Sunday will also be holding their annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop and fundraiser at Starland Ballroom in support of Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve in honor of the band’s longtime attorney Dave Stein.
UK fans can catch Taking Back Sunday this March in Manchester, London, and Cardiff. For a full list of upcoming shows, please visit here.
Pre-sale and VIP tickets opened Wednesday, December 6, with general on sale to follow this Friday, December 8 at 10am local time. For more information, please visit this website.
