The improvisational groove trio who formed in 2018 have ramped up their touring schedule this year, as well as, re-releasing their 2020 debut self-titled album. Guitarist Scott Metzger, described by The Village Voice as “an ace guitarist of a thousand styles,” also performs as a member of the beloved Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), while drummer Russ Lawton and organist Ray Paczkowski forged their decades-strong synergy playing together as part of the Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) and their duo project Soule Monde. As the three members busy schedules have allowed, LaMP has been prioritized, performing shows up and down the East Coast with plans already in the works for venturing further next year.
In addition to their New Year’s Eve performance, LaMP has four remaining shows this December on their previously scheduled Fall tour, including stops at The Atlantis in Washington, DC, The Jefferson in Charlottesville, The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ and The Drake in Amherst, MA.
Tickets for LaMP at The Warehouse are on-sale now HERE.
LaMP 2023 Tour Dates
12/6 – Washington DC – The Atlantis 12/7 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre 12/8 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Wonder Bar 12/9 – Amherst, MA – The Drake 12/31 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse
In a world where dreams never fade, Burlington, VT duo The Middle Ages have released their first single, “Where My Cats At?,” on Friday, November 17. Bringing an infectious vibe to their music, The Middle Ages show that it’s never too late to become the rockstars you never knew you wanted to be.
Husband-and-wife duo, MC Booty Call (Dan Weathers) and Hot Tea (Taraleigh Weathers), have discovered their passion and talent for creating inspiring, feel-good music. Their motto, “It’s never too late to be the rockstars you never knew you wanted to be,” embodies their journey and the dreams they’re living. The music of The Middle Ages is a beautiful blend of old-school flow with fresh, modern beats, all served up with a side of humor that’ll have you both dancing and laughing out loud.
Take for example these soon to be released tracks from their upcoming debut LP. “Bronado,” an epic tale about tornado bros that’ll have you riding the storm with them; “GFX-106,” a love song dedicated to the couple’s trusty Prius, proving that cars can have a special place in our hearts too, and “Starting This Off,” a a perfect track to kickstart your day with positivity and energy.
Joining MC Booty Call and Hot Tea on these songs include a stellar lineup of musical talent, including Ryan Montbleau, Hayley Jane, Josh Weinstein, Phin Sonnin, Retired Chief Meteorologist Tom Messner, and Patrick McAndrew. Expertly produced by Scott Hannay (Mihali) and recorded, mixed, and mastered at Tank Studios by the talented Ben Collette, The Middle Ages have already left their mark on some of Burlington’s hottest stages, with memorable performances at Higher Ground (including an opening set for Will Evans), Nectars (backed by 3/5 of Annie in the Water), Orlando’s (with backing by Chuck Jones of Dopapod, Marshall Dominquez, Matt Blair, and sit-ins by Lee Ross), Moogs Joint, Higher Calling Festival (with a guest appearance by Jonny from Lespecial), Inclusion Festival, B’Autumn’s Up Ball, Summer Soirée, and Radio Bean, where their hype man (Ryan Montbleau) joined in on the fun.
The Middle Ages bring a unique twist to the hip-hop and jamband scenes, using the power of lyrics and the magic of music. Dan Weathers rocks the guitar and vocals with the same energy and charisma as hip-hop legend Chali 2na. Meanwhile, Taraleigh is the heart and soul of the band with dance moves channeling the iconic styles of Janet Jackson and Shirley Temple, making every performance a visual spectacle.
Taraleigh brings a wealth of performance experience, having graduated with a degree in dance and gone on to dance professionally. For sports fans, her cheerleading gigs for the NBA saw her lighting up venues like Madison Square Garden and the Meadowlands.
Dan, on the other hand, is a die-hard old-school hip-hop fan who spent his childhood rapping in front of a bedroom mirror. His forestry degree might not have seemed like an obvious choice, but it’s all about finding the wood in everything he does. This dedication paid off in 2020 when he conceptualized The Middle Ages, right before a global pandemic changed the world.
The Middle Ages are the hip-hop band that will make you want to dance, laugh, and believe that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.
Listen below and get ready to groove to “Where My Cats At?,” a purr-fectly catchy tune that celebrates feline friends in a way you’ve never heard before.
On a chilly Wednesday evening, fans flocked to the Toyota Oakdale Theatre on November 15 for The Beach Boys. The Beach Boys currently have four shows left in the Northeast on their “America’s Band” tour with the final show being November 19 in Schenectady.
Despite this version of The Beach Boys looking slightly different than the Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) lineup, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston still remain. Joining Love and Johnston is Tim Bonhomme on the keyboards, Christian Love, John Wedemeyer, and Brian Eichenberger on guitar, Keith Hubacher on bass, Randy Leago on saxophone with Jon Bolton on the drums.
Prior to The Beach Boys hitting the stage, the Garfield, New Jersey native band, The Rascals warmed up the crowd. Led by singer Felix Cavaliere, The Rascals had a short 30-minute set that featured classic songs and prepared the audience for the main event.
As the clock struck 8:30, the house lights dimmed and the screen behind the stage lit up with a video montage that featured The Beach Boys in pop culture. The montage featured the band’s appearance in Full House, being referenced in Good Morning Vietnam, and having Mathew Perry in his role as Chandler Bing in Friends sing “Kokomo.” The entire theatre rose to their feet as the band jumped into “Do It Again,” off of their 1969 album 20/20.
The Beach Boys played for a total of an hour and a half and within that hour and a half, the fans loved it. Inside the venue, it would have seemed like you were in a time warp back to the 1960s. Fans were dancing with their significant others in the aisles and women were running up to the stage trying to get a closer look at the band. Even during certain songs, long after lighters were ditched, fans took out their cellphones and flashlights to wave back and forth.
During the show, The Beach Boys ran through all their hits and even played a few covers. The most impressive cover that the band played was their version of “California Dreamin’” which was originally sung by The Mamas & the Papas and is from their 1966 album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Bolton while drumming was also on lead vocals for this song and did an outstanding job and gave the entire audience goosebumps while Leago provided the groovy solo in the middle of the song.
The entire band sounded great. Love and Johnston have an excellent band playing alongside them and each musician compliments each other very well. During the renditions of “I Get Around,” “California Girls,” and “God Only Knows” the harmonies sent shivers down the spines of the most hardcore Beach Boys fans and made them transport back to the heyday when the band ruled the world.
As the band took their final bow after “Fun, Fun, Fun,” fans filed out of the theatre and jumped into their cars blasting the Beach Boys music as if it was the ‘60s again. Fan rolled down their windows as they drove off knowing that for one night, there was nothing but “Good Vibrations” throughout.
Setlist: Do It Again, Surfin’ Safari, Catch a Wave, Rockaway Beach, Surfin’ U.S.A., Surfer Girl, Don’t Worry Baby, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, Shut Down, Little Honda, I Get Around, Be True to Your School, In My Room, Getcha Back, Good to My Baby, When I Grow Up (to Be a Man), Help Me, Rhonda, Darlin’, God Only Knows, Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Then I Kissed Her, California Dreamin’, California Girls, Do You Wanna Dance?, Rock and Roll Music, Barbara Ann, Kokomo, Good Vibrations, Fun, Fun, Fun
Gregory McLoughlin, a bassist and songwriter living in Jersey City, has recently released his latest single, “Woody Guthrie,” a song reflecting on struggles and the healing power of music.
Gregory writes and records as a solo artist, in addition to writing for artists including Beeman & Bannon, BuzzUniverse, Julia Kirk, Ross Sandler, Anthony Tamburro, Abbe Rivers, Johnny Bullitt, Anna Oh and others. He also performs in the tri-state area with his band, Gregory McLoughlin & the Lemonade Band.
McLoughlin didn’t set out to write about Woody Guthrie, and the song isn’t about the famous folk legend, he is just the destination where the songwriting took him. McLoughlin wrote the song in his head on a day in February 2021 during solitary gondola rides up and down Bellayre Mountain mid-pandemic.
“I feel like a lot of it started with Woody Guthrie, after all, he was Bob Dylan’s number one and Dylan‘s music certainly has healed many lost souls,” shared McLoughlin, adding “It’s a song I wrote reflecting on personal struggles I’ve been through and struggles of loved ones who I empathize with. It’s about how music can heal.”
Recorded a few months after, McLoughlin recently released the single on all platforms in July.
Listen to “Woody Guthrie” from Gregory McLoughlin
Next up for McLoughlin is a on December 30th before Dark Star Orchestra with The Lemonade Band. Get tickets here.
You can catch Gregory perform an online virtual concert, every Monday night at 8 PM EST on his YouTube Live Page.
Norah Jones has announced a concert program in Havana, Cuba as part of a four-day cultural experience in February. The program, titled Vive En La Habana, celebrates Cuban culture through music, education, and more, with two headline shows at Havana’s historic Teatro Martí.
An NYC native, Norah Jones launched her solo career in 2002, winning Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist following her debut album, Come Away With Me. Most recently, she re-released the deluxe version of her 2012 album, Little Broken Hearts. Jones began her newest project, a podcast titled Norah Jones Is Playing Along, in 2022, where she explores creative collaborations, conversation, and connection.
Norah Jones will play Havana’s Teatro Martí on February 17 and 18. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with the artist, watch soundcheck, and sit-in on a seminar session with Jones and musicians from Institute Superior De Arte, Cuba’s leading arts university. The program aims to celebrate Cuban cultural and musical heritage, as well as provide an educational experience for attendees visiting the country.
In addition to Vive En La Habana, Norah Jones will take the stage at NYC’s The Town Hall at Rufus and Martha Wainwright’s Not So Silent Night, a Christmas concert special featuring Norah Jones, Debby Harry, Sean Ono Lennon, and more. Tickets are on sale now, available here.
Attendees at Vive En La Habana will experience all things Norah Jones: tickets to both shows at Teatro Martí, Q&As, a Cuban music masterclass, accommodation, excursions, and more. The program runs from February 15-19, 2024. Tickets are available now at norahinhavana.com. Attendees can register by November 27 for a 10% discount.
The music of the late, great Warren Zevon is celebrated on the new live album Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon, released on Friday, November 3.
Recorded at Monterey, CA’s Revels and Renegades Music Festival, Jennings leads the Werewolves of Los Angeles and channels Zevon’s music with precision and enthusiasm behind each song.
The outlaw country legend, and son of original outlaw Waylon Jennings, Shooter brings together multi-instrumentalist Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam, Jim Lauderdale) and his longtime collaborators Jamie Douglass (drums), Ted Russell Kamp (bass) and John Schreffler (guitar) for an ideal mix of Warren Zevon for lifelong fans, casual fans and new fans.
The band performed earlier this year during GRAMMY week at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, and just this week, on November 1, performed the set to a sold-out Brooklyn Made.
Featuring popular songs (“Excitable Boy,” “Werewolves of London”), deep cuts (“Mohammad’s Radio,” “Mama Couldn’t be Persuaded”) and final album tracks (The Wind’s “Dirty Life and Times,” “Keep Me in Your Heart”), there is something for everyone in a well laid out flow, capped off with Zevon’s autobiographical “Desperados Under the Eaves.”
This last year we had a blast doing two separate shows paying tribute to one of my favorite artists of all time, Los Angeles legend Warren Zevon. When Zevon was picked to be potentially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year we, along with millions of Zevon fans, were hoping that he would finally get his due in the halls of Rock & Roll History.
Unfortunately, Zevon didn’t make it in this year and won’t be honored tomorrow night in New York City at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Upon hearing this news, the Werewolves of Los Angeles gathered in our Wolfcave to discuss what we could do about it. We decided that even though Warren wasn’t going into the Hall of Fame, we could take a special trip up to New York City this week and do our own celebration of Warren’s bad-ass music.
Shooter Jennings
Shooter – a three-time GRAMMY Award winner, founder of Black Country Rock (a label and multimedia outlet), and host of “Shooter Jennings’ Electric Rodeo” on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country channel – takes on a rock and roll legend still searching for a heart, and recognition for the indelible influence and mark Zevon left on rock n roll and Los Angeles. That recognition continues on through Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon.
Harold Bronson is a true rock-n-roll Zelig. He’s an everywhere man who began his career as a teenage rock journalist before rising to become co-founder of Rhino Records, the revered label that has put decades of often overlooked and unappreciated music back into circulation to the delight of both lifelong fans and new generations of music lovers.
Before he co-founded America’s leading re-issue label, Bronson was just another Southern California kid who was mad about music. He channeled his passion and discerning ear into writing about music, first for the UCLA Daily Bruin then with Rolling Stone, Hit Parader, Melody Maker and many other magazines. After interviewing many of the greats, he helped co-found, with Richard Foos, Rhino Records from the back of Foos’ record store. The label was created to release novelty records like those of Dr. Demento and Wild Man Fischer. But, most importantly, it would go on to re-issue classic sounds and many unheard gems from the catalogs of artists who were critically undervalued at the time like Arthur Lee & Love and The Monkees.
Bronson’s book is very much a diary, one rendered with day-by-day entries. It begins in the Summer of Love with him journalizing his critical take on, and the price paid for, albums like Procol Harum’s Shine on Brightly and The Beatles’ White Album. There’s also his mini-reviews of the many concerts he attended by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine and The Vanilla Fudge. Soon, Bronson is getting his first paid work – an interview for Entertainment World with the Bee Gees’ Maurice Gibb. Bronson hauls his massive reel-to-reel tape recorder to the interview, one where Gibb delights in telling him a stream of lies such as that he played and sang on The Beatles’ Abbey Road. In short order, Bronson is publishing features with artist like Cat Stevens (he looks like a “gypsy carnival worker”), Van Dyke Parks (who shows him “the future” from his office at Warner Brothers – the first fiber optic cable) and famed British session pianist Nicky Hopkins (who mistakes Jeff Beck for Mick Jagger at his first Rolling Stones’ meeting and who badmouths The Kinks for never paying him for his session work with them). There are also notables like comedian George Carlin and The Doors’ manager Danny Sugerman who he will interview repeatedly and forge lifelong friendships with.
Bronson’s life kicks into high gear in 1974, when he takes a job managing the Rhino Records store in L.A. Soon, Bronson and Foos will launch their label with novelty records by artists like Wild Man Fischer (the certifiably insane street singer discovered by Frank Zappa), The Temple City Kazoo Orchestra (with whom he makes appearances on national TV shows) and a reissue of tracks by comedian Alan Sherman of Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda fame. But Bronson and Rhino’s true worth would come with their lovingly crafted re-issues like the 1995 box set, Love Story (1966 – 1972). Bronson would have a long history with Arthur Lee, the band’s mercurial leader, a man he calls “an arrogant Muhammad Ali.”
https://youtu.be/ML1OS_1zuHY?si=ZJSH-4a4HB2Mjyya
Bronson’s book is chockful of humorous meetings with the likes of Iggy Pop (who asks for money to get wine and 10 aspirin at tackle a hangover), ELO’s Jeff Lynne (who confesses he can only write melodies between 10 am and noon) and Howard Kaylan (who recalls snorting coke off Abe Lincoln’s desk during a visit to the Nixon White House with his band, The Turtles). Also revealed is how Richard Delvy, a former surf musician/music entrepreneur, won the rights to “Wipeout” in a poker game.
Rhino Records would get much bigger until Bronson left the company in October 2001. Before that, there would be many acquisitions and partnerships that would find Bronson in the midst of many bigger things, such as bringing The Monkees TV show to a new generation via MTV and ultimately managing their careers, going into business with one his idols, Frank Zappa, on the Beat the Boots project and more. There’s even a cameo by the odious MAGA architect, Steve Bannon, during his days as a venture capitalist.
Credit should go to longtime music journalist Ira Robbins who is the driving force behind Trouser Press Books, the publisher of this and other fine releases reviewed here at NYSMusic. If you like Bronson’s LA-centric rock time trip, be sure to check out another Trouser Press book, Rock’s In My Head. This is the memoir of Art Fein chronicling his six decades in the California music scene, drawn from over 10,000 page of diaries he kept. For 20 years, he was the host of Art Fein’s Poker Party, a decidedly offbeat, ultra-low budget public affairs spectacular where the cream of music – from Phil Spector and Tom Waits to Joe Strummer and the Stray Cats – let down their guard over sometimes friendly, sometimes fierce games of cards.
Indie singer-songwriter, Marina Laurendi, is back with a second single off her upcoming Sophomore EP. The new track “halloween party,” is an ode to childhood innocence, the comfort and safety of home, and the bittersweet feeling of aging into adulthood, coming just in time for the spooky season.
Marina Laurendi is a singer/songwriter and musician, originally from the Western New York area. She started performing as an actress, singer, and dancer at a young age. Her career in musical theater led her to NYC, where she performed around the East Coast and Off-Broadway. Her music takes influence from the pulse of the NYC scene and the calmness of her Western NY upbringing.
Fusing elements of cinematic pop, alternative rock, and singer-songwriter lyricism, her nostalgic and singular sound is a breath of fresh air. She is poetic and moody, with haunting vocals and catchy melodies. Her music is steeped in personal experience yet is universally relatable.
“halloween party” is textured and dripping in ambiance, balancing soft indie rock with tender intimacy. Featuring undertones of singer-songwriter folk, muted acoustic guitar strums, quiet drums, and melodic lines, she captures the sounds that bring about the warm fuzzy feelings associated with home. The track is authentic and raw, featuring voice memos from Marina Laurendi’s childhood friends. It is honest and builds up beautifully into a bittersweet and nostalgic crescendo.
I wrote the song when we were getting ready to sell my childhood home and I was deciding what was next for me. That transitional period stirred up so many emotions and it got me reminiscing about my adolescence. Halloween parties at my childhood home are such a core memory for me and I associate them directly with my childhood and teenage years. When I think of them, I feel such a fondness for home and an appreciation of my upbringing that I didn’t truly value it until later in life.
Marina Laurendi
“halloween party” by Marina Laurendi is the perfect song to add to your fall playlist. Catch up with her new releases and future shows here.
Hard rock fans piled into the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut on Wednesday, October 25, where Godsmack brought their Best of Times World Tour. This show is Godsmack’s second show of the four additional fall dates that were added in August in support of their new record, Lighting Up The Sky, which was released this past February.
Godsmack is made up of Sully Erna on guitar and lead vocals, Robbie Merrill on bass guitar, Tony Rombola on lead guitar and Shannon Larkin on the drums. Erna, Merrill, and Rombola have been in the band since the recording of the band’s debut record, with Larkin joining in 2002.
As fans were still finding their seat, the house lights dimmed and EXTREME hit the stage. Like Godsmack, EXTREME is also from Boston. EXTREME is made up of lead vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger, and drummer Kevin Figueiredo.
EXTREME delivered a bombastic set of new songs off their most recent record, SIX, as well as classic hits like “Get the Funk Out,” and “More Than Words.” Throughout the entire set, Cherone was interacting with the crowd, getting them to sing along while dancing around the stage. Bettencourt shredded away on guitar with a slight nod to the late Eddie Van Halen and the band plowed through their opening set.
As two curtains were raised while the road crew swapped out equipment, a video montage of The Beastie Boys with Queen’s “We Will Rock You” blasted through the theatre, the excitement was building for the New England natives.
When the curtain fell and the first song “When Legends Rise” blasted through the row of speakers, Godsmack took the stage with a thunderous cheer from the crowd. In a theatre that typically doesn’t showcase pyrotechnics, Godsmack showed off their theatrical side with fire during their first few songs. Throughout the hard rock extravaganza, Godsmack blasted through a setlist of newer material from their aforementioned Lighting Up The Sky record as well as classics off of their older records.
Throughout the show, the general admission section became a sea of bodies. From the start of the show till the band said their final goodbyes at the end, concertgoers were crowd surfing, attempting to form mosh pits and fist bumping.
As Larkin’s drums were pushed forward at the start of “Batalla de los Tambores,” a second drumkit was hauled forward and Erna hopped on the drums for a drum battle. At the end of the battle between bandmates, the band jumped into a jam that included short covers from artists like Aerosmith, Metallica, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin. With each new recognizable riff from Rombola, the fans all clapped and cheered in applause. Some fans were so enthusiastic about some of the covers being played that they took out their air guitars and played along.
Towards the tail end of the set during “Whatever” which is off their self-titled debut album, Erna brought up the “future of rock and roll.” Children like one boy, Michael, and his sister Amy joined other kids that ranged from eight to 17. With Erna prancing around the stage, he riled the crowd up hailing the next generation of rock and roll.
The band’s second to last song, “Under Your Scares,” featured Erna playing the piano that had a QR code to a link to Scaresfoundation.org which is the band’s foundation that fights mental health. As the band jumped into the song, Erna dedicated the track to some of the musicians that the music world had lost like Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and Van Halen.
As fans walked out of the theatre, smiles were on their faces as they witnessed Godsmack deliver a hard rock performance that was unforgettable. Fans were leaving the building singing their favorite songs, air guitaring, or looking at the new concert t-shirt they bought to add to their collection as they filed out into the cool Connecticut night.
Setlist: When Legends Rise, 1000hp, Cryin’ Like a Bitch!, What About Me, Surrender, You and I, Red, White & Blue, Awake, Keep Away, Voodoo, Batalla de los Tambores, Whatever, Under Your Scars, Bulletproof, I Stand Alone
Nora Polinnia’s sophomore EP, Present Chronicles, is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a heartfelt expression of resilience and a call to action. While residing in New York City, Nora’s music transcends borders and languages, making her an influential voice in the fight for justice.
In her own words, “Yes, indeed, there is a time and place for groovy, happy music – such was my first EP. However, I think that now it is time to clarify my beliefs and the beliefs of those I hold close.”
Present Chronicles is an EP that came to life unexpectedly, driven by the collective pain of Nora’s home country, Ukraine. As she watched the world around her, Nora couldn’t help but wonder how she could make a difference, how she could channel her anger and communicate the Ukrainian people’s struggles to the rest of the world.
The result is a musical journey that delves into themes of resilience, loneliness, betrayal, and the responsibilities that come with our heritage. It’s an exploration of the human experience during times when accepting reality is not an option.
“Some of the songs I wrote didn’t seem war-related to me at all. They didn’t feel like they encapsulated the message I wanted to put out. Some I wrote before the war even began, but soon I realized that they are very relevant. They address all of the emotional factors and burdens that came into play because of what was happening.”
Nora Polinnia
Nora’s Present Chronicles doesn’t aim to invoke pity; it seeks to reveal the anger and resilience of the Ukrainian people and expose the reality of the Russian invasion. Tracks like ‘KGB‘ on the EP boldly challenge Russian propaganda and use ironic lyrics to mock the regime.
This musical project, born out of a deep sense of purpose, carries a message of hope and strength. Nora hopes that her music will serve as a legacy, a testament to the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people.
Nora Polinnia’s artistry is a reflection of the power of music to inspire change, and her music carries a message of hope and resilience that resonates deeply with her audience.
