Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Starfish Death Squad and Canella.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Starfish Deathsquad – “falling apart”
Starfish Deathsquad is an EDM artist from Lowell, with funky cover graphics and a unique sound. Their single “falling apart” is out now.
Canella is a rising indie-rock band from Albany and Bogotá, Colombia. They have established a presence in the Capital Region, winning WCDB Radio’s ‘Song of the Year’ award for their debut single “Quiet Love”. Inspired by early 2000’s alternative rock, the female-fronted group takes inspiration from former bandmate and best friend Kyle Robinson who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2020. Their new single “Why Can’t I” has an accompanying DIY-style documentary lyric video of one of the band’s adventures through the Capital Region.
Fresh off the heels of their massively successful U.S. tour last summer, 13-time Grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling global superstars, The Chicks announced their return to the global stage with The Chicks World Tour 2023.
This 37-date mega tour kicks off June 20 in Olso, Norway at Spektrum, with stops throughout the UK and Europe before returning to North America. In fact, the 29-date North American run includes performances at Bethel Woods on August 3rd, Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 6th, and CMAC on August 11th.
In the meantime, The Chicks have announced Grammy award-winning country music sensation, Maren Morris as an supporting performer on The Chicks World Tour 2023 for headline dates in Europe, U.K., and Canada. Furthermore, world renowned Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ben Harper will be joining the tour for nine select dates in the U.S. beginning August 10 at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA. Meanwhile, Canadian folk band, Wild Rivers will be opening for The Chicks on 12 special dates throughout the tour.
“North America! Thank you to all our fans for making last Summer so fun! We look forward to returning to the road and bringing the show to fans in new cities across the US and Canada! See you soon.”
The Chicks
Altogether, the Chicks released their fifth studio album Gaslighter after nearly 14 years to rave reviews in July 2020 via Columbia Records. Furthermore, the 12-track record was co-produced by award-winning singer-songwriter, producer, and close friend of the band Jack Antonoff.
Ultimately, The Chicks have earned universal recognition as the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, having sold more than 30.5 million albums and are among an elite group of artists and the only female group to achieve multiple “diamond” selling (ten million copies) releases.
Altogether, the group can count 13 Grammy Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and numerous Country Music Association Awards among many other accolades, their last record-breaking studio album, Taking The Long Way (2006), won five Grammy Awards including “Album of the Year,” “Record of the Year,” and “Song of the Year.”
Tickets will be on sale on Friday, February 17 at 10am local time, and tickets for the Bethel, Hershey, Columbus, and Sioux Falls dates will be available beginning Friday, February 24 at 10am local time.
For additional information please visit The Chicks website.
THE CHICKS WORLD TOUR 2023 DATES:
June 20, Oslo Spektrum*
June 21, Stockholm Avicii Arena*
June 23, Amsterdam Ziggo Dome* June 27, Cardiff Cardiff Castle* June 28, Glasgow OVO Arena* June 30, Dublin 3Arena* July 2, Birmingham Utilita Arena* July 4, Manchester AO Arena* July 21, Tulsa, OK BOK Center^ July 22, Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena^ July 25, Louisville, KY KFC Yum Center^ July 27, Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena^ July 29, Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena^ July 30, Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum^ August 2, Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion^ August 3, Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^ August 5, Gilford, NH Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion^ August 6, Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center^ August 10, Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium # August 11, Canandaigua, NY CMAC# August 13, Bangor, ME Maine Savings Amphitheater^ August 16, Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena# August 17, Grand Rapids, MI The Van Andel Arena# August 19, Des Moines, IA Iowa Fairgrounds# August 25, St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair^ August 26, Madison, WI Kohl Center Arena# August 29, Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center# August 30, Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Arena# September 1, Sioux Falls, ND Denny Sanford Premier Center# September 5, Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena* September 7, Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome* September 8, Edmonton, AB Rogers Place* September 10, Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre* September 12, Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre* September 15, Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre* September 16, London, ON Budweiser Gardens* September 18, Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena*
Albany based indie-rock band Canella has dropped their newest single “Why Can’t I?” off their upcoming full length album Can’t Make You Smile.
Inspired by the sounds of 2000’s alt rock, Canella have established an electric presence in NY’s Capital Region as winners of WCDB Radio’s ‘Song of the Year’ award for their debut single “Quiet Love”.
Written on a fall afternoon, Canella lead singer Juliana sat in her bedroom and wrote a song that would haunt her forever. The sad acoustic guitar echoed the fears she was harboring regarding her relationship. Fears that came to pass months later, when all she had written to that indie rock tune came true and the relationship ended. Writing, and later performing the single helped Juliana to process the relationship ending and coming to term with her feelings. “I feel like I was performing the song even before the relationship ended but once it finally did end and I sang the lyrics again it really all clicked” says Juliana. “This person wasn’t the right one for me since I was full of doubt and fears, and I didn’t really realize that until after I heard it back once I was single and going through the grief of it all. Now I’m very happy with where I’m at”.
Coming to all streaming platforms on February 17th, Canella’s third single off of their upcoming record Can’t Make You Smile, tells a story of disappointment, which smoothly fits the album’s overall theme of a revenge journal. This 2000’s inspired rock single starts with an unexpected bang representing the shocking realization of the ‘red flags’ in a relationship, and ends with a heavy breakdown perfect for releasing anger and frustration.
The chorus-y guitar-driven single will be released along with a DIY-style documentary lyric video of one of the band’s adventures through their home-base of the Capital Region. Speaking of the inspiration behind the video, Juliana speaks of wanting to permanently capture a wonderful day with friends. “At the time my friends in the band and I had very limited time together since I was only visiting them for a couple of days. I knew we were going to spend a whole day together in the city and since I had started to live far away from them, I wanted to capture candid footage of us hanging out and having a good time”.
Juliana continues, “when I went back home and was missing them I put the videos together as a cute highlight reel of that day with “Why Can’t I” in the background, and since it made us smile we decided to add the lyrics to it and post the video on our YouTube”. The fun, carefree video of a group of friends, enjoying a night out perfectly juxtaposes the concepts of uncertainty in the future of a relationship where the parties involved can’t seem to be on the same page.
You can follow the band’s social media for updates on their upcoming releases along with the full-length album coming out Spring 2023.
The historic Cohoes Music Hall has announced the addition of four new events to their events calendar. Comedians, magicians and musicians will add to Cohoes Music Hall’s already diverse schedule, with something for audiences of all ages.
Cohoes Music Hall originally opened in 1874 where it served as the regions premier music and entertainment hall. Acts like Buffalo Bill Cody, John Philip Sousa, P.T. Barnum, and General Tom Thumb passed through the hall until its closure in 1905. After a million dollar restoration, the Hall reopened in 1975, 100 years after its original opening. Since the reopening, it has been the home to various theater groups, comedy shows, and live concerts and it remains the 4th oldest operational music hall in the United States.
New Events
The Great Van Alden ft. Eric Mead – Friday March 3rd
A one-of-a-kind experience takes the stage, promising its audience a peek behind the curtain at the magic of filmmaking (literally). When world-class magician Eric Mead offered to play the titular role of the famous illusionist in their new film “Anomaly”, local filmmakers Spencer Sherry (Stephen King’s The Monkey) and Rahn Jenkins immediately thought of The Cohoes Music Hall as the perfect theatre location to shoot in. The filmmakers then saw an opportunity to forgo the traditional crowdfunding structure in favor of a unique and singular event that helps to fund the film, while also inviting the community to portray much-needed audience extras.
Ticket holders will be directed from stage as the Emmy-winning members of the production team will film Eric Mead in character engaging with the audience in character. Other entertainers will weave seamlessly between the takes, performing mentalism, illusions, and comedy. All the while, local artist Lexi Hannah will be creating a live painting of the event, which will be auctioned off upon its completion. Overall, the experience has been designed as a non-stop variety show of different art forms, all in support of a truly magical opportunity for the local arts scene. All proceeds will go towards completing the film and paying the local cast and crew for their work on the production.
Melvin Seals & JGB – Saturday April 8th
Melvin Seals has been a powerful presence in the music industry for over 30 years with a long-established reputation as a performer, recording artist and producer. Melvin is most revered for his powerful, high-spirited, Hammond B-3 organ, and keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band. Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up.
Jimmy Dore – Saturday June 10th
The Jimmy Dore Show is a comedy lifeline for people on the left and right (but definitely NOT the center) who are sick of bought politicians and gaslighting corporate journalists manufacturing consent for wars. A certified YouTube sensation, The Jimmy Dore Show boasts over 530 million views and over 1 million subscribers.
Don’t Iron While The Strike Is Hot – Saturday June 17th
The musical Don’t Iron While the Strike is Hot! tells the fascinating story of how a group of courageous and mostly Irish young women won the strike by their determination and the support of the local Iron Molders Union. Through storytelling enhanced with traditional Irish music and dance, the show demonstrates how they set the example for thousands of women workers who would form unions in the following years across America in order to improve their wages and working conditions.
For a full schedule of events, and to purchase tickets, visit Cohoes Music Hall’s website.
On Feb. 9, Opera Saratoga’s board of directors named Mary Birnbaum their new general and artistic director. Birnbaum succeeds Lawrence Edelson, whose eight-year tenure concluded at the end of the 2022 season. The 10th general director in Opera Saratoga’s history, Birnbaum’s hiring comes ahead of the summer 2023 season.
“We are incredibly excited and honored to have Mary Birnbaum join Opera Saratoga. She was selected after an extensive nationwide search, in which we interviewed many highly qualified candidates. Mary’s level of enthusiasm and love of opera are infectious and I am certain she will be an inspirational leader for the company as well as an integral part of the Saratoga Springs community,” said Board President Steve Rosenblum.
Other than her hiring at Opera Saratoga, Birnbaum teaches acting for singers as the Dramatic Advisor to the Masters of Music and Graduate Diploma Program at Juilliard. Birnhaum will main her position at Juilliard in addition to her role at Opera Saratoga. Birnbaum has worked both internationally, from Taiwan (Otello) to Australia and Israel, and across the U.S.
“I am thrilled to accept the position of General and Artistic Director of Opera Saratoga and look forward to collaborating with the talented staff and superior board of directors to bring exceptional music theater to Saratoga Springs and the surrounding communities,” Birnbaum said.
Fans can meet Birnbaum this summer, during the 2023 festival season. Her introduction to the public will happen on Thursday, June 8, 2023, at the Saratoga National Golf Club.
Opera Saratoga started under the name Lake George Opera Festival on July 5, 1962. Its first production was Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre. The company now calls Saratoga Springs home and has put on productions for more than 25,000 people annually.
Shortly after Birnbaum’s introduction, Opera Saratoga’s summer festival will begin Friday, June 30, and continue until Sunday, July 9. Curated by Managing Director Amanda Robie, Don Pasquale, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and The Selfish Giant, are among the acts set to perform. Tickets can be purchased through www.operasaratoga.org.
Capital Region indie-rock quartet E.R.I.E. have announced their new full-length record, Suburban Mayhem, arriving April 7th. Alongside the announcement, the band has shared the evocative new single “World is On Fire.” featuring friend Sydney Worthley from their local scene.
Vocalist/guitarist TJ Foster says, “Having Sydney lend her talents to this track was simply incredible. The embellishments she added really took the song to the next level, and we’re so honored to call her a friend. The song itself is about watching ourselves slowly destroy our planet and ruminating on how much more we all could be doing just on a small scale. But at the end of the day, it’s sadly just so much easier to change nothing and assume someone else will swoop in and fix our problems instead.”
E.R.I.E. consists of guitarist Matt Delgado, drummer Chad Flewwelling and bassist Levi Jennes. The band spent most of 2022 self-recording their sophomore full-length, yielding 12 nostalgia-tinged songs in the distinct style that the band affectionately describes as Tom Petty cosplaying as blink-182. The band’s sound has a “crunching guitars, catchy choruses and a down-to-earth, working-class vibe that recalls modern heartland punk rock…” (Daily Gazette).
The lead single “Can’t Stop Runnin’’ showcases the band exploring these more Springsteen-esque elements perfectly, whereas album highlight ‘Bad Man’s World’ is a pop-rock anthem tailormade for dominating the airwaves.
All the while, the band has solidified themselves as one of the most reliable and entertaining live acts in the greater Albany music scene. Combined with the consistently strong Suburban Mayhem has E.R.I.E. poised to quickly become a suburban success story.
Sydney Worthley is a singer-songwriter at heart, pulling inspiration from Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. At the age of 17, she released “Rose Colored Glasses” amongst an unforeseen pandemic. Coming of age, long lost connections, and learning from past haunting mistakes are all themes of her 2020 project. Vito Ciccarelli, WVCR radio personality said she’s an “Amazing talent, wonderful songwriter, and an engaging young lady. Having worked with many young acts over the years, I see her achieving great things in the future.”
University at Albany’s Department of Music and Theatre has announced three concerts, featuring the UAlbany Percussion Ensemble, throughout the first week of March.
On March 3rd, at 7pm you can enjoy special guests from the Empire State Youth, Repertory & Chamber Percussion Ensembles, the Festival of Contemporary Music accompanying the ensemble. March 8 showcases The UAlbany Concert Band presenting a Concert in the Round. Lastly, The UAlbany Symphony Orchestra will perform the final concert on March 9th.
All events for the three-day concert will be located at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center. The center can be found on the uptown University at Albany campus at 1400 Washington Avenue.
The Festival of Contemporary Music program premieres The Empire State Youth Percussion Ensemble performing Joseph Ott’s landmark work, Quartet for Percussion. Under the direction of Christopher David Neubert, the ensemble will also perform a program of three works: Felix Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave Overture, Gabriel Faure’s Pelleas et Melisande and James Barnes’s Heatherwood Portrait.
Audience members can count on hearing works by Nathan Daughtrey, Elliot Del Borgo, Daniel Montoya and the enigmatic Rainforest Journey of Charlie Sivils, in addition to the second set of Chick Corea’s magical and haunting Children’s Songs and three of composer-educator Ney Rosauro’s Brazilian Myths. The Myths include recounting legends of a deadly Brazilian mermaid, the mystical protector of the avian wildlife of the Amazon Forest, and the evil headless horsewoman spreading fear and pestilence throughout the villages and towns.
A Concert in the Round will feature the UAlbany Concert Band performing eight selections such as Charles Parker Peters’s American Legion, Robert Sheldon’s Beyond the Higher Skies, Arthur Benjamin’s Jamaican Rumba, Tyler Arcari’s Beacons (Guiding Lights), Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer and Claude T. Smith’s Serenade and Dance. Band director Kevin R. Champagne’s Octopercussiocity along with selections from the musical Rent will also encompass the concert.
Concert tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased on the day of performances are $10 for the general public and $8 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. All tickets must be purchased on-line from the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s site.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Laveda and Modern Fools.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Laveda is an American indie dream rock band from Albany. Toronto-based blog Ohestee says that founding members “Jacob Brooks and Ali Genevich explore the great yawning unknown. From the freedom and uncertainty that rests at your fingertips or the distant and possibly desolate future, they capture adolescent restlessness with big walls of sound and a dreamy melodious warble.” Their debut album What Happens After is out now, and they will be going on tour, coming to New York City on March 8.
Modern Fools don’t fall into just one genre, creating music that can be classified as country, folk, alternative, or even indie. “Gone” is the first single from their new album Strange Offering coming on May 5. The music video for the song was shot on a cold day in downtown Peterborough, NH and they aren’t done releasing new music, saying on their Facebook to “Stay tuned for part two of what we are calling “The Ballad of Sad-Sack” in the coming weeks.”
For 30 years, Music Haven has presented an amazing array of global sounds in Schenectady’s Central Park transporting summer seekers to locales like Yemen, Ukraine, Louisiana, Ireland and Peru without ever having to leave their seats. The Passport Series takes the same beloved world music that patrons of the park series have come to cherish and brings it to Proctors in Schenectady and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs so the party can continue all year!
“Music Haven is thrilled to expand its partnership with Proctors Collaborative to include UPH as well as the GE Theatre at Proctors,” said series curator Mona Golub. “Our winter/spring Passport Series itinerary boasts exquisite artistry from four distinct locales – two familiar favorites in Ireland and Cuba and two dynamic new destinations in Turkey and Korea. Come travel the world with us one concert at a time!”
Passport Series
The first in the 2023 Passport Series is Dervish at Proctors, Schenectady 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3. Dervish, the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Lifetime Achievement Award winner, has been bringing traditional Irish music to the world for more than 30 years. The line-up includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan.
Up next in the Passport Series, get transported to Cuba with the 3x Grammy®-nominated Tiempo Libre. “Salsa Night with Tiempo Libre” will be at UPH 8 p.m. Friday, March 24. Tiempo Libre are true modern heirs to the rich musical tradition with its sophisticated performances of timba music, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of Latin jazz and Cuban song. Dancing is strongly encouraged! When those feet start tapping, that’s the time to get up and dance!
The Passport Series returns to Proctors 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4 with Aynur. Her vocal style and her albums are praised in both Turkish media and internationally. Aynur has become one of the most well-known musicians from Turkey and a representative of the Kurdish people. She will be following her performance at Proctors by performing at Carnegie Hall.
Lastly, join ADG7 (Ak Dan Gwang Chil) at UPH 8 p.m. Friday, May 5. ADG7 is a multi-award-winning group featuring a rich repertoire inspired by Korea’s sacred, shamanic ritual music (gut) and beloved folk songs (minyo) of Hwanghae Province in the northern reaches of the Peninsula. ADG7 made their first big U.S. splash at globalFEST in 2019, an annual cultural celebration that features the most dynamic music globally.
The Passport Series pass includes a ticket to each of the four winter/spring 2023 shows in the series for $100. Single tickets to each show are also available at the Box Office at Proctors, in person or via phone at (518) 346-6204 Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or online at proctorscollaborative.org/passport-series.
The Disco Biscuits stopped at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday Feb. 3rd. This was the third stop of their winter tour, and the coldest night of the year in the Northeast. Those fans who were willing to brave the sub-zero temperatures were treated to a heater of a show. The Disco Biscuits also treated fans with the release of a new studio album Shocked! on the same day.
Snake and Stars opened the show. The electronic duo is comprised of Michael Travis (The String Cheese Incident) and Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls, David Byrne’s American Utopia). The band was formed last year between the two long time friends as an improvisational exploration of electronic dance music. Their current tour continues into April.
The Disco Biscuits opened up with the relatively new “Why We Dance,” followed by “Spy” which was an encore for the band at their November 1, 2007 show at The Palace. A nonstop segue of “Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack” rounded out the rest/majority of the first set. Set two opened with fan favorites “Crickets” and “42”, followed by the Shocked! track “Tourists (Rocket Ship)”, which continued the segue frenzy, leading into “Tempest > Svenghali > 42” with the new “To Be Continued” closing out the second set.
If you missed this show, catch the Disco Biscuits at one of their upcoming tour stops, including three more shows in New York at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester over March 23rd, 24th, and 25th.
Check out the Biscuits’ setlist and full photo gallery below.
The Disco Biscuits – Palace Theatre, Albany – Friday, February 3, 2023
Set 1: Why We Dance, Spy, Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack Set 2 Crickets > 42 > Tourists (Rocket Ship) > Tempest> Svenghali > 42, To Be Continued Encore Frog Legs
