Tommy Weeks, saxophonist and bandleader of Funky Dawgz Brass Band, has released the first single from his upcoming EP, Strangers. The single, “Strangers” is chock full of soulful guitar riffs and vocals, while heavy on the funk that Weeks is adept at delivering. The full EP will be released on April 25, with additional singles released in the next two months.
Tommy Weeks
A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Weeks earned a bachelor’s degree in music and formed the Funky Dawgz. The band has toured across the United States, in addition to short tours in Europe, pre-Covid. Serving as bandleader for Funky Dawgz, as well as a music producer, Weeks has performed at festivals including Okeechobee, Camp Bisco, Peach Music Festival, and at Madison Square Garden as the horn section for Dispatch.
Weeks also had a full season stint in the house band for the entire season of the new Guy Fieri TV show “Guys Ultimate Game Night” on Food Network, which featured celebrity guests including Cheech Marin, Bret Michaels, Alyssa Milano, Vivyka A. Fox, and Bobby Moynihan.
When Weeks isn’t on television or touring the world, he teaches young aspiring musicians at an after school music program in CT, “Project Music.“
The fresh sound of “Strangers” is as a fusion of pop, R&B, house, and hip hop that features musicians and close friends from the Connecticut music scene. Featured on the track are Gabrielle Lakshmi (vocals), Paulie Phillipone (synth), Jon Singngam (drums) and Billy Ruegger (guitar).
Strangers was recorded in three locations: Weeks’ home studio in Ridgefield CT, Funkhaus Studios in Hartford, CT and Black Rock Sound in Bridgeport, CT. The EP was produced by Weeks and engineer, Mikhail Pivovarov, who also mixed and mastered the EP.
Tommy Weeks
Catch Weeks with Funky Dawgz horns on the road with TAUK for the last leg of their “Tauk Moore Tour” at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday, February 25. Listen to “Strangers” from Tommy Weeks below.
Due to overwhelming demand, a second date was added to the When We Were Young Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, taking place on Oct. 21 and 22, 2023.
When We Are Young Festival took social media by storm when it was first announced, with people not believing it was even real at first, featuring big names like My Chemical Romance and Paramore as headliners. Tickets sold out almost immediately and two more dates were added afterward. The first run of the festival on Oct. 22 started out weak as it was canceled due to high winds, with fans taking to social media complaining as the festival was canceled after doors had already opened. Nevertheless, it has still maintained popularity as a second date has been added on Oct. 22, 2023.
This run there are many household punk names that will bring in huge crowds, including headliners Blink-182, featuring reunited original members Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker, and one of the most influential bands of the genre, Green Day. The lineup also features fan favorites, like 30 Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Good Charlotte, 5 Seconds of Summer, Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, Gym Class Heroes, Rise Against, Simple Plan, New Found Glory, and many more.
Presale for When We Were Young festival begins Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. EST here and any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Feb. 24 at 6 pm. EST. Layaway plans start with a $19.99 downpayment and GA tickets start at $279.99, GA+ tickets start at $439.99, and VIP tickets start at $539.99.
Singer, songwriter, musician and bluegrass phenom Billy Strings has extended his 2023 headline tour through this summer, adding shows at Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, VT on July 22 and 23.
Photo credit Jesse Faatz.
Billy Strings has become recognized as one of acoustic music’s most expressive vocalists. “My goal was just to master expressing myself through bluegrass music and so many of those players just sing how they talk. Then, when I grew up, I learned that I liked Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin, so that influenced me, too,” he says.
Since his 2017 debut, he has been awarded Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, Artist of the Year at the 2022 Americana Music Awards, Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2022 International Bluegrass Music Awards, and more.
Billy Strings in Broomfield, CO – photo by Zach Culver
His latest record Renewal landed on several year-end “Best of” lists including The Bitter Southerner, No Depression, Glide, The Boot, Folk Alley, and was one of the Top 50 Most Played Albums at Americana Radio last year. The New York Times declared the record, “a premier bluegrass mind for this post-everything era…he has zigged and zagged between the form’s antediluvian traditions and rapid-fire improvisations that hit like hard bop..”
Tickets for Billy Strings’ upcoming tour are on sale now, with several added shows including shows at Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, VT on July 22 and 23. To purchase tickets, visit here.
Billy Strings 2023 Tour
February 21—Charlottesville, VA—John Paul Jones Arena February 22—Charlottesville, VA—John Paul Jones Arena February 24—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena (SOLD OUT) February 25—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena (SOLD OUT) February 26—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium (SOLD OUT) March 3—Winston-Salem, NC—Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Doc Watson’s 100th Birthday Show March 4—Winston-Salem, NC—Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum March 7—Athens, GA—Georgia Theatre (SOLD OUT) March 10—Atlanta, GA—State Farm Arena (SOLD OUT) March 11—Charleston, SC—North Charleston Coliseum (SOLD OUT) March 12—Charleston, SC—North Charleston Coliseum March 16—Cincinnati, OH—The Andrew J Brady Music Center (SOLD OUT) March 17—Cincinnati, OH—The Andrew J Brady Music Center (SOLD OUT) March 18—Cincinnati, OH—The Andrew J Brady Music Center (SOLD OUT) April 13—Southaven, MS—Landers Center April 14—Mobile, AL—Mobile Civic Center Arena April 15—Mobile, AL—Mobile Civic Center Arena April 18—Tampa, FL—Yuengling Center (SOLD OUT) April 20—St. Augustine, FL—St. Augustine Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT) April 21—St. Augustine, FL—St. Augustine Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT) April 22—St. Augustine, FL—St. Augustine Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT) April 29-30—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl – Willie Nelson’s 90 th Birthday (SOLD OUT) May 11—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT) May 12—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT) May 13—Denver, CO—Mission Ballroom May 17—Phoenix, AZ—Arizona Financial Theatre (SOLD OUT) May 19—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theatre (SOLD OUT) May 20—San Diego, CA—Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (SOLD OUT) May 21—San Diego, CA—Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre May 24—Las Vegas, NV—Brooklyn Bowl (SOLD OUT) May 26—Napa, CA—BottleRock Napa Valley June 2—Austin, TX—Moody Center June 3—Austin, TX—Moody Center June 7—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center June 9—St. Louis, MO—Chaifetz Arena June 10—Indianapolis, IN—TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park (SOLD OUT) June 11—Indianapolis, IN—TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park (SOLD OUT) June 13—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion (SOLD OUT) June 14—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion (SOLD OUT) June 16—Clarkston, MI—Pine Knob Music Theatre (SOLD OUT) June 17—Chicago, IL—Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island (SOLD OUT) July 13—Cary, NC—Koka Booth Amphitheatre July 14—Cary, NC—Koka Booth Amphitheatre July 15—Cary, NC—Koka Booth Amphitheatre July 19—Norfolk, VA—Chartway Arena July 21—Bridgeport, CT—Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater July 22—Essex Junction, VT—Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo July 23—Essex Junction, VT—Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo July 25—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion July 26—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion July 28—Portland, ME—Thompson’s Point July 29—Portland, ME—Thompson’s Point July 30—Newport, RI—Newport Folk Festival (SOLD OUT) August 7—Frankfurt, Germany—Batschkapp August 8—Berlin, Germany—Huxleys August 9—Hamburg, Germany—Grobe Freiheit 36 August 24—Knoxville, TN—Knoxville Civic Coliseum August 25—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater August 26—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater
Robert Walter interprets infamous soul and jazz artists on his third session for the music journal, Aquarium Drunkard. The EP’s opening track, a reimagination of Melle Mel’s “White Lines,” which itself was a reinvention of Liquid Liquid’s track “Cavern,” has just released on February 17th.
A founding member of The Greyboy Allstars, Walter splits his time between The Greyboy Allstars, his own 20th Congress, playing organ and keys in Mike Gordon Band and on tour with Roger Waters, in addition to a robust film soundtrack career in Los Angeles.
“These tracks were all recorded for Aquarium Drunkard’s Lagniappe series. This was my 3rd installment,” explains Walter. “I always try to find some interesting tunes that have inspired me in some way over the years. It’s also a fun challenge to record the music all by myself. I played all the instruments here and arranged, recorded and mixed at home.”
Robert Walter said of the session, “I have always loved ‘White Lines (Don’t Do It).’ I remember hearing this when I was first discovering rap music as a kid. I learned later that the music is based on Liquid Liquid’s ‘Cavern.’ I love how the interactions between the NYC art scene, punk rock, and emerging hip-hop were happening so naturally and quickly during the late ’70s,” continued Walter. “This tune manages to be a message song, embrace some avant-garde musical ideas and still work as dance music even to this day. I have been playing it off and on in bands my entire life. I started doing it a lot as an organ vehicle during late night Jazzfest gigs as a comment on the wild party atmosphere. This version references both the original Liquid Liquid track and the brilliant Melle Mel interpolation.”
The keyboardist, who co-founded The Greyboy Allstars and is currently on tour as a member of Roger Waters’ band, plays all of the instruments. Some of the artists being featured on Aquarium Drunkard are Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, Liquid Liquid, Jackie Mittoo, Eddie Harris, Rammellzee & K-Rob and Les Baxter & Martin Denny.
Pre-order/save Aquarium Drunkard sessions featuring Robert Walter’s cover of “White Lines” by clicking the link here. For more on Robert Walter, click the link here.
Burlington‘s indie rock duo Fever Dolls have just released “Hate Myself (For Loving You)” on February 17th. The single is an infectious heartache anthem for fans of Kevin Morby and Lord Huron.
Active since 2018, Fever Dolls is comprised of songwriter Evan Allis and singer Renn Mulloy. Formed 2018, Fever Dolls was born out of a desire to forego the self-seriousness of modern rock in favor of big hooks, clever lyrics, and broad musical range. The duo have over 10 million streams on Spotify, over 150,000 views on YouTube, and have Best Music Video Award from Gorilla River Music Video Festival 2019 (Adeline).
“If you were to ask me to name the qualities that unite my favorite bands, I would say, “a great bar band that sounds like it would write an amazing Broadway musical.” Fever Dolls meets and far surpasses that standard”
– Vox
By blending indie rock and Americana influences, “Hate Myself” showcases the lyrical storytelling that Vox’s Emily St. James praised as sounding like “a great bar band that would write an amazing Broadway musical,” and features collaborators Willoughby Morse (Cavetown), Riley Geare (Caroline Rose), and Dan Rome (Noah Kahan).
Evan Allis says that, “Hate Myself” was one of those songs that I kept coming back to when I really struggled with questions about the “sound of the band,” because it seemed to capture what I thought was special about Fever Dolls: anthemic choruses, hypnotic guitar riffs, and close vocal harmonies that sound descended from both classic country and Motown.”
“Lyrically, “Hate Myself (for Loving You)” strikes a balance between self-deprecation and self-delusion. There’s plenty of confessional songwriting that captures the initial disorientation, but not much that speaks to the mixture of emotions that lingers after the hurt has worn off. The narrator of “Hate Myself” is saying “good riddance,” even while acknowledging their own contribution to a toxic relationship. There are a lot of “kiss-off” songs and “please take me back” songs, but “Hate Myself” lives in that murky middle-ground where most people I know reside after a split. It’s our anthem for the anger/acceptance stage of the break-up grief cycle.”
To listen to “Hate Myself (For Loving You),” click the link here.
For more information on Fever Dolls, click the link here.
One of the greatest British rock bands, The Kinks, announced that in celebration of 60 years as a group, they will be releasing The Journey, a two-part special anniversary anthology.
The Kinks was formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, adding their friend Pete Quaife, and joined by Mick Avory in early 1964. They quickly established themselves as a dominant group in the 60s, selling over 50 million records worldwide and have been streamed over a billion times. They have achieved five US Top 10 singles, nine US Top 40 albums, seventeen UK Top 20 singles, and five UK Top 10 albums, with four albums certified Gold. On top of that, multi-award-winning, legendary frontman Sir Ray Davies is widely recognized as one of the greatest British songwriters of all time.
A host of global events and activities will be launching throughout 2023 & 2024 to mark the band’s 60th anniversary. Included in these celebrations is the two-part career-defining anthology, The Journey. The part one release, coming out March 24, will feature songs handpicked by the brothers (1964-1975), including hits like “You Really Got Me,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “All Day And All Of The Night,” “Celluloid Heroes,” “Supersonic Rocket Ship,” “Dead End Street,” and “Death Of A Clown.” Ray Davies muses to “Ask yourself the question, is this journey really necessary?…….Yes!” Dave Davies continues “I’m delighted with what I think is an inspiring selection of timeless and magical Kinks music.”
The Journey – Part 1 will be released on 2CD, 2LP, Digital and HD Digital albums. The physical formats contain a booklet with band photos and personal track-by-track notes. Details of the The Journey – Part 2 will follow later this year. To preorder The Journey – Part 1, visit here.
RELEASE FORMATS:
2LP
Side 1
Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl:
1. You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)
2. All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)
3. It’s All Right (1964)
4. Who’ll Be The Next In Line (1965)
5. Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)
6. She’s Got Everything (1968)
7. Just Can’t Go To Sleep (1964)
8. Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
9. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)
10. So Long (1965)
Side 2
Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside:
1. Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)
2. Schooldays (1975)
3. The Hard Way (1975)
4. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)
5. Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)
6. I’m In Disgrace (1975)
7. Do You Remember Walter? (1968)
Side 3
Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times:
1. Too Much On My Mind (1966)
2. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)
3. Days (UK#2, 1968)
4. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)
5. Strangers (1970)
6. It’s Too Late (1965)
7. Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)
Side 4
A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl:
1. Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)
2. No More Looking Back (1975)
3. Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967)
4. Celluloid Heroes (1972)
5. Act Nice And Gentle (1967)
6. This Is Where I Belong (1967)
2CD
CD1
Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl:
1. You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)
2. All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)
3. It’s All Right (1964)
4. Who’ll Be The Next In Line (1965)
5. Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)
6. Dandy (Germany#1, 1966)
7. She’s Got Everything (1968)
8. Just Can’t Go To Sleep (1964)
9. Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
10. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)
11. So Long (1965)
12. I’m Not Like Everybody Else (1966)
Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside:
13. Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)
14. Wonderboy (1968)
15. Schooldays (1975)
16. The Hard Way (1975)
17. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)
18. Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)
19. I’m In Disgrace (1975)
20. Do You Remember Walter? (1968)
CD2
Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times:
1. Too Much On My Mind (1966)
2. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)
3. Days (UK#2, 1968)
4. Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains (1968)
5. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)
6. Strangers (1970)
7. It’s Too Late (1965)
8. Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)
A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl:
Levitate Music and Arts Festival’s signature summertime celebration returns this year on July 7th, 8th and 9th at the Marshfield Fairgrounds in Marshfield, MA.
This particularly special edition marks the 10th anniversary of an event that has grown to be New England’s premier music and arts festival, as well as celebrating 20 years of the Levitate community and brand. What started as a 10th Anniversary celebration of the beloved has grown to a nationally recognized festival with tens of thousands of tickets sold each day. “It’s humbling to be hitting the 20 and 10 year milestones of Levitate Brand and Levitate Music and Arts Festival,” says Levitate Co-Founder Daniel Hassett. “We set out to provide a different kind of festival for our town, and New England, back in 2013- championing our local musicians and artists and building a community who believe wholeheartedly in making the world a more creative and connected place. We’re excited to use this milestone to dig into our roots and expand our arts and mural programming, partner with more local vendors than ever, doubling our kids programs and expanding our greening efforts.” The eclectic, eco-driven and family friendly event will again present its recognized blend of world-class artists and emerging local acts, diverse food trucks, artisan vendors and wide ranging experiences from live art installations to kids activities.
The illustrious Brandi Carlile will make her first appearance at the festival, and as an artist known for celebrating the value of community, her ethos is perfectly aligned with Levitate. Trey Anastasio, a New England stalwart and lead singer of Phish will return to the festival to perform with his solo band. After ten years of incredible growth and annual performances since the inaugural Levitate Festival in 2003, American-reggae artist Stick Figure will headline in its hometown and energize the mainstage again at this year’s festival. Other notable artists on this eclectic bill this year include Goose,Ziggy Marley, Rebelution,Peach Pit, The Heavy Heavy, Celisse and Lucius.
Levitate was founded in 2003 as a community-focused surf and skate shop that steadily grew through local support and grassroots marketing. Over the past 20 years, these original core values of community, creativity and a connectedness to nature have been woven through all aspects of Levitate’s growth — from the development of its apparel line to their highly sought-after kids outdoors and creative summer camps; the expansion of its flagship store to an outdoor restaurant, music and events venue; the continued success of their signature festivals, Levitate Music & Arts Festival, and Levitate Flannel Jam, and most recently – the launch of the non profit Levitate Foundation 501(c)(3).
“I couldn’t be prouder of what Levitate has become” says Co-Founder and Artist director of Levitate, Jess Hassett. “The line-up is full of amazing female artists including Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Celisse, and Melt. Pro-skater Nora Vasconcellos will be exhibiting her incredible skills and our arts and mural program will feature a bigger and more diverse group of brilliant artists than ever before. It was thrilling to design the poster this year knowing how far Levitate has come and how the community has been behind it and has made what Levitate is today.”
In addition to the eclectic music lineup that has come to be expected at Levitate Festival, all three days will feature visual artists bringing large scale murals and live paintings to life, as well as 60+ local craft and artisan vendors offering hand-blown glass, locally thrown pottery and original artworks. 2023 will feature the largest gathering ever of these artisans
More than 30 food trucks are welcomed to the event grounds the weekend of the festival. All are locally sourced, offering a plethora of options such as farm to table, barbeque, handmade pizza, delicious baked goods and smoothies.
Additionally, Levitate Music & Arts Festival is a family friendly event and features many activities for kids to engage in. The kids zone operates each day of the festival and is run by Levitate Camp Counselors. Encouraging creativity and sharing their love of the outdoors with the next generation is at the core of Levitate’s mission and the largest kids program to date is planned for the festival’s 10th Anniversary.
Levitate Music Festival’s dedication to an eco-friendly approach reached new records in 2022 with the elimination of single use plastic at all of their bars, along with the addition of wood recycling from the site build. Additionally, thanks to their dedicated green team, the team was able to exceed their marks on clean recycling and composting stats and is excited to expand that success in 2023.
One percent of each ticket sold will be contributed to the Levitate Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by creating and conserving access to music, art and the outdoors
Tickets are on sale now. Visit Levitate’s website for more information.
In honor of Black History Month, we look at those whose significant contributions in their life that have transformed the way gender and class are looked at today. One of these early pioneers of journalism, poetry, and activism was Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson, one of the prominent African Americans involved in the Harlem Renaissance.
Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson as a young woman, circa 1895. Photo by R. P. Bellsmith from the University of Delaware Library.
Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson was born in New Orleans on July 19, 1875, to mixed-race parents. Her parents, Patricia Wright, and Joseph Moore were middle-class and part of the city’s multiracial Creole community. Her African American, Anglo, Native American, and Creole heritage contributed to her understanding of gender, race, and ethnicity, something she often referenced in her work. Her education began at Straight University (later merged into Dillard University) in New Orleans, graduating in 1892. She was named Class Poet by her graduating class.
After graduating, Dunbar-Nelson began teaching in the New Orleans public school system, taught second grade at Marigny School in the Seventh Ward, and became active in teacher organizations. While teaching, she began writing her first works, setting them in New Orleans, as well as poetry.
She began writing for the first newspaper created by and for African American women, The Woman’s Era. Her first book, Violets and Other Tales (1895) was published when she was just 20 by the New Orleans magazine The Monthly Review. Her second collection, The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories (1899) explored her Creole heritage, and the racial oppression she faced. She was highly criticized and rejected by publishers for speaking out about these things.
Courtesy Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.
Her writing and photography caught the eye of Paul Laurence Dunbar, who wrote to her, and the two began talking. Dunbar-Nelson left New Orleans with her mother and relocated to Boston with her sister and brother-in-law. She helped to co-found the White Rose Mission, NYC’s first settlement house for young black women. She met Dunbar one evening, and he proposed that night. They separated in 1902 after he nearly beat her to death and she moved to Wilmington, Delaware where she began teaching at Howard High School and then the State College for Colored Students (now Delaware State College). She continued to publish articles in newspapers, essays, and poetry and married Arthur Callis, founder of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in 1910. They divorced but her career continued on without him.
A Pioneer in Many Genres
According to Gloria T. Hull, editor of the volume Give Us Each Day: The Diary of Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1984), “Dunbar-Nelson perforce wrote in the interstices of a busy existence unsupported (except for one brief period) by any of the money or leisure traditionally associated with people of letters. Doggedly determined to be an author, she plied her trade… carried forward on the flow of words that came quite easily for her.” She was comfortable in many genres but was best known for her prose. She was one of the few female African American diarists of the early twentieth century, portraying the reality of African American women and intellectuals, and addressing topics about sexuality, racism, oppression, work, and family.
Dunbar-Nelson regularly published in Black newspapers such as the Opportunity, Ebony and Topaz, and Crisis magazines between 1917 and 1928. Her poems also appeared in James Weldon Johnson’s seminal anthology, TheBook of American Negro Poetry (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1931). In 1932 she moved to Philadelphia and published in the Journal of Negro History (JNH), also writing columns in the Washington Eagle and Pittsburgh Courier. She was also co-editor and writer for the A.M.E. Review, a church publication, and edited The Dunbar Speaker and Entertainer (1920), as well as co-edited the Wilmington Advocate.
Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images
Political Activist
On April 20, 1916, Dunbar-Nelson married journalist, poet, and civil rights activist Robert J. Nelson. Besides being a journalist, poet, and writer, she was heavily involved in politics during her life. In 1914, Dunbar co-founded the Equal Suffrage Study Club, and the following year she was a field organizer for the woman’s suffrage movement in the mid-Atlantic states.
She supported the NAACP and served with the Women’s Commission on the Council of National Defense and the Circle of Negro War Relief during World War I. In 1922, she advocated for the passage of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, created to “protect citizens of the United States against lynching in default of protection by the States,” and helped establish the Industrial School for Colored Girls in Delaware. She served as executive secretary of the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee (1928-1931) and gave many speeches during this time. One of her speeches was published and included in Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence (The Bookery Publishing Company, 1914).
Although she herself isn’t considered a huge part of the Harlem Renaissance, she inspired the work of many famous names of that era and was friends with many including W.E.B. Du Bois and poet Georgia Douglas Johnson. She was a fierce and in-demand speaker, as well as one of the leading poets and journalists of that era. Alice Dunbar-Nelson celebrated freedom and beauty until the end of her life when she died on September 18, 1935, in Philadelphia of heart disease at the age of 60. Her work was so often uncredited, unpaid, or both and she was overshadowed by white men, but she worked hard and deserves to be recognized not only for her pen but also for her fight for women’s and African American rights at a time when it was dangerous to do so.
During Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night, U2 dropped a brief look at their upcoming residency at the new MSG Sphere at The Venetian, coming this fall in Las Vegas. The venue has been in the works for years as a state-of-the-art venue, and one of the biggest bands in the world will be the first to christen it.
‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere’ marks a special run of shows and the band’s first live outing in four years, following the massive success of their acclaimed Joshua Tree 30th anniversary stadium tour, and their 2018 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE indoor tour which played to a combined audience of 1 million across Europe and North America.
The full-length trailer is intended to show the global U2 community, featuring a select group of new and longtime U2 fans (along with a few band doppelgangers) coming together for a futuristic Achtung Baby adventure in a unique desert landscape.
The announcement comes with confirmation that Larry Mullen Jr. will take time out to undergo and recuperate from surgery in 2023. These Las Vegas shows will see Larry and the band welcome drummer Bram van den Berg who will be sitting in to join Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton onstage at MSG Sphere. Bono, The Edge and Adam said in a statement:
It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right.
The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again. And what a unique stage they’re building for us out there in the desert… We’re the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and the Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level… That’s what U2’s been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this Fall.
The Sphere is more than just a venue, it’s a gallery and U2’s music is going to be all over the walls.
The Edge added separately “The beauty of the Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it’s also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it’s a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution and a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We all thought about it and decided we’d be mad not to accept the invitation.”
U2 is acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world. Formed in Dublin in 1978, the band were marked out by their drive and ambition from the beginning. U2 has toured the globe countless times, released 14 studio albums, sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award. U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
The band has also released “One” from their new album Songs Of Surrender – a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalog, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years which sees the band revisit some of the most celebrated songs of their 40+ year career, to be released in full on Friday March 17th. A special world premiere of “One” could be heard during the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Super Bowl feature.
MSG Sphere will introduce a new medium of entertainment, where fans will feel the impact of bands inside the world’s most experiential venue. MSG Sphere will introduce the first 16K screen that wraps up, around, and behind the audience. Sphere Immersive Sound will deliver pitch perfect audio to every seat in the house, with 4D technologies letting the audience feel the wind on their face, the heat on their skin and the rumble of thunder. The ‘U2 UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere’ opening series of shows will tap into this exclusive technology, allowing fans to experience something completely new.
With approximately 17,500 seats and a scalable capacity up to 20,000 guests, MSG Sphere at The Venetian will become the venue of choice for a wide variety of content, including Sphere experiences, concert residencies, product launches, and marquee events. In addition to the world’s highest resolution LED screen, MSG Entertainment has developed a multi-layered audio system – Sphere Immersive Sound – equipped with thousands of speakers that utilize beamforming technology to deliver targeted, crystal-clear and consistent audio to every seat in the house.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. Executive Chairman and CEO James L. Dolan said, “MSG Sphere’s advanced technology allows a legendary band like U2 to bring its music to life in entirely new ways. The Sphere is a new medium that will redefine entertainment.”
The venue will also feature 4D multi-sensory technologies such as immersive seating, evocative scents and changing temperatures, to take experiential storytelling to an entirely new level. The impactful exosphere, exterior screen features a fully programmable display, the largest LED screen on Earth. MSG Sphere at the Venetian is scheduled to open Fall 2023.
Fans around the globe can register now to receive more information regarding U2 at the MSG Sphere show dates and on sale details once they are announced.
Indie-Rock band Path has released “All I Wanna Do”, the first single from their upcoming third LP entitled You’re Gonna Be Alright. This release comes on the heels of the recent success of their 2018 single Eugene, which amassed more than a million streams on Spotify since 2020.
All I Wanna Do single artwork
“Music has always been my main outlet for bottled up emotions” says Path frontman Sam Keeler. “Writing and recording music is often a difficult experience. I tend to get stuck in dark places while I’m trying to put certain feelings into music. I don’t know what changed, but this time around everything came from a positive place and I found the entire process to be really constructive on a personal level. I guess you can say this is an album about personal growth and getting to know yourself better.”
“For this most recent project, I made a point to shift my focus from looking inward to looking outward and forward. “All I Wanna Do” was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and I remember just wanting to make a simple love song. I was pulling myself out of a difficult period in my life around that time and I think that this track reflects that transitional period pretty clearly.”
Path’s signature sound has been documented by WXPN Philadelphia, Indie Underground, and Divide and Conquer, among others. WXPN notes “The five-piece band has a pointedly emotional and dreamy soundscape, seen on their two self-produced LP’s. Their new release features warm looping guitars and airy vocals, creating a contrasting soundscape of dazzling clarity and fuzziness. Indie-rock, soft folk and the band’s self-described ‘love rock’ all feel like appropriate labels for the track, but an enchanting breath of fresh mountain air could also serve to describe the start of what listeners feel as they fill in the rest of the gaps.”
Crediting Path’s rich, heartfelt sound, their 2018 sophomore album Still was embraced by critics and music fans alike as a hidden treasure of northeastern indie rock and folk music. Although still personal and poetic, You’re Gonna Be Alright features a fuller and more developed sound than their previous two records while maintaining the core characteristics that make their sound so alluring.
Path will tour the Eastern US this summer in support of the new record.
