Category: NYC Metro

Jim Jones Makes Loyalties Clear with Pusha T Stance

Jim Jones continues to make the airwaves with his unfiltered take on Vibe and Billboard’s list of the 50 Greatest Ever Rappers. The list — which was part of a collaborative effort to celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary — named Jay – Z as the genre’s greatest ever MC. However, it was Pusha T’s ranking that raised ire of the “We Fly High” rapper. Coming in at number 29, Pusha T’s career as a member of the Clipse (alongside his brother Malice) and his solo work on GOOD Music has made him a staple of hip hop lore. Yet, Jim Jones doesn’t see it as such and on an episode of The RapCaviar Podcast, the Dipset member aired out his true feelings.

“What has he done that puts him in the greatest rappers of all time besides talk about coke that he probably didn’t get himself?” Jones asked. “He’s nice as shit. He could rap his ass off, but what has he done?

“Nobody has dressed like him. Nobody wants to be like Pusha T. I don’t remember nothing. And let’s not be evil, but we don’t talk about rap where the n-gga that’s popping the bitches wanna fuck and the n-ggas wanna be like.”

He continued: “I don’t know too many n-ggas in this game that was leaning towards being like Pusha T. Pusha T don’t hold no weight out here. He not pushing no shit out here.”

Jim Jones Doubles Down on The Breakfast Club

Jim Jones then rehashed the sentiments during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. Confronted by DJ Envy and Charlemagne Tha God about the controversial stance, the Harlem MC colorfully reiterated himself. For the purpose of his argument, Capo focused solely on radio play and club records.

“Could you name five Pusha T records?” Jones asked The Breakfast Club staff. “Could you name five Pusha T records? No. Could you rap to five Pusha T records?” After Charlemagne named several standout Pusha T records, Jones dismissed Charlemagne as a Pusha T fan and joked about him listening to the records in his basement.

While Jim Jones acknowledged Pusha T’s talent as a lyricist, he said he hasn’t made enough of a cultural impact to be considered an all-time rap great.

“Shoutout to Pusha T, I love your soul,” Jones continued. “You my dawg, you not in my top 50. You might be in Charlamagne’s top 50 and things like that, but you haven’t done that much for me in my life.”

“I never wanted to be like Pusha, I never had a Pusha moment in my life. Where I’m from, n-ggas wanted to be like you if you was really that dude as a rapper.”

Jim Jones Makes his Loyalties Clear

Jim Jones is an accomplished rapper himself and is certainly entitled to his opinion. However, his conviction is not without bias. Along with his controversial opinion on Pusha T, Jones has made the rounds for declaring Drake as hip hop’s greatest ever rapper. During appearances on the RapCaviar Podcast and an interview on Complex, Jones asserted his controversial take.

“Drake is the only one that gets played anyplace on this Earth, and they’re gonna know it in English. If you’re not putting Drake in the Top 2 of all time, like, what are we gonna do? We gonna keep putting shade on his name? He has broke every single statistic, period. You heard?”

Drake of course, famously brought out Jim Jones and the entire Diplomats crew during his performance at the Apollo Theater and celebrated the veteran rapper and his cohorts with a heartfelt tribute. “These guys right here, from Harlem, made us dress different, talk different, walk different, rap different. All the way in Canada.”

Verdict

Thus, it could be that after that moment Jim Jones’ view of what makes an all-time great rapper was altered and he only saw things through a Drake lens. Or, the one they call Capo could just be aligning with his good buddy who also happens to be the most popular rapper in the world. After all, Pusha T and Drake’ s longstanding beef ended without a reply from the Canadian crooner. Consequently, many declared Pusha T the winner as he was one of the few to land a crack in Drake’s pop-star armor.

What Jim Jones might have looked over is that Drake himself counts Pusha T amongst his many influences. During an episode of the short-lived MTV show When I Was 17, Drake shared a story from his formative years revealing his fandom of the “Dreaming of the Past” rapper. While scouring eBay in search of Clipse memorabilia, Drake stumbled upon and purchased a microphone that was allegedly autographed and used by Pusha T.

“I used to pretend I was doing interviews on the red carpet and perform all the Clipse songs in my basement with the mic,” he says. “I’m a full-sized teen at this point, so this is in private. And I performed with it so much that I rubbed the autograph off. I don’t even know if he really signed it, but that was my big thing. At the time it meant the world to me.”

Furthermore, Pusha T remains one of the very few that can get Jay – Z on a record. For rap fans, that may be influence enough.

April 24, 2023
Django A Gogo Music Festival Comes to Town Hall in New York City for 20th Anniversary

The 20th Anniversary of the Django A Gogo Music Festival begins early this May and culminates with the main event: an intensive “Guitar and Violin Camp” at The Town Hall in New York City on May 6 at 8:00 p.m.

Additionally, Django A Gogo includes an enhanced “Guitar and Violin Camp” from May 2-May 7 at The Woodland in New Jersey. The concerts will follow the Django canon and veer into reinterpretation, improvisation, and interplay between artists.

Poster for the Django a Gogo Music Festival. Credit: Stephane Wrembel Presents.

Wrembel has produced Django a Gogo since 2003, bringing together some of the finest musicians to celebrate the constant evolution of the Sinti guitar style, commonly referred to as “gypsy jazz.”

The 3 concerts at The Woodland are as follows:

On May 3, Stephane Wrembel Band (Stephane Wrembel on guitar, Josh Kaye on guitar, Ari Folman-Cohen on bass, and Nick Anderson on drums) presents The Art of the Guitar with special guests Simba Baumgartner (Django Reinhardt’s great-grandson), Paulus Schaefer and more!

The Art of the Violin follows on May 4, featuring violinist Jason Anick and Trio Dinicu featuring Tommy Davy on guitar and Luann Homzy on violin as well as guitarists Stephane Wrembel, Debi Botos and, and Sam Farthing.

The Woodland concerts conclude May 5, celebrating the release of Wremble’s new album, Django New Orleans, recorded with his NYC-based supergroup of musicians. Django New Orleans features Stephane Wrembel and Josh Kaye on guitar, Adrien Chevalier on violin, Joe Correia on Tuba, Scott Kettner on drums, David Langlois on percussion, Nick Driscoll on sax/clarinet, Joe Boga on trumpet and Sarah King on vocals.

The main event on May 6 at The Town Hall opens with Stephane Wrembel Band, Simba Baumgartner (France), Paulus Schaefer (Holland), Debi Botos (Canada), Samy Daussat (France), and Sam Farthing (U.S.) on guitar; and Aurore Voilqué (France) on violin. The second set follows with a short performance by Trio Dinicu featuring Tommy Davy on guitar and Luann Homzy on violin, followed by a set from Django New Orleans. The concert concludes with a grand finale with all performers on stage.

The concerts for the Django a Gogo Music Festival, both at The Woodland and The Town Hall, are open to patrons of all ages. Tickets for The Woodland Concerts start at $35/show and a limited number of three-day passes for $90 are available. Tickets for The Django A Gogo Music Festival at The Town Hall start at 49.50.

April 24, 2023
PEAK Jam in Brooklyn With Hometown Show At The Sultan Room

Brooklyn locals PEAK stopped by The Sultan Room in Bushwick on Thursday, April 20th for a hometown gig packed with friends and family. The show was in support of fellow jam band Magic Beans, but the room filled in early with PEAK fans who danced and sang along to the entire set. Frontman Jeremy Hilliard and crew cranked up the energy of the room for nearly an hour, playing older songs as well as unreleased material.

PEAK at The Sultan Room, 4/20/23. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

PEAK began as Hilliard writing and performing music outside of his time as guitarist and vocalist for the band Turbine. This work culminated into PEAK’s 2018 debut album, Electric Bouquet. The album garnered critical acclaim in the jam scene, attracting an accomplished array of musicians to join Hilliard. Today, the band rounds out with Kito Bovenschulte on drums, Josh T. Carter on bass, and Johnny Young on keys and vocals. In 2021, the boys from Brooklyn released their sophomore record, Choppy Water.

PEAK at The Sultan Room, 4/20/23. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

At The Sultan Room in Brooklyn, PEAK proved they were here to stay. Hilliard and company seamlessly feed off of each other on the live stage, going in and out of extended jams without skipping a beat or ever allowing the music to become stale. Their fans bring great energy as well, dancing and grooving along to whatever PEAK was willing to feed them. One of the standout moments of the set, was when PEAK began playing new song “Summer”, but transitioned into “Merry Go Round” with a “Summer” reprise in the back end. Another example of the group being able to make sharp turns within the live performance of a song, and doing so with finesse.

PEAK at The Sultan Room, 4/20/23. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

PEAK continue on with shows and festival stops in the coming months. They will be at Wescott in Syracuse on April 29th, and return to New York later this summer with shows at Snug Harbor in New Paltz on June 9th, and Yasgur’s Road Reunion in Bethel on August 12th. Head over to the PEAK’s website for their full tour details, and check out the photo gallery from The Sultan Room below.

April 24, 2023
A New York City Night with Fruit Bats at Webster Hall

On Thursday, April 20th the Fruit Bats returned to New York City, having not played on the island of Manhattan in three years. The East Village’s beloved Webster Hall slowly filled with an eclectic crowd.

Photograph by Emma Dowd

People of all ages mingled and spoke about their relationships to the band, as they sipped wine and other elixirs. The energy was timid and sweet, emulating the same experience the Fruit Bats create with their sound.

Photograph by Emma Dowd

Hums of conversation and the movement on the floor fell to a still hush when the openers, H.C. McEntire took to the stage. The lights glowed golden and a light fog rolled onto the crowd, as the lead singer transitioned the night into an experience. Slowly, each instrument organically introduced itself into the song. Multiple guitars, a bass guitar, and a percussion set melded together to create a culmination of bluegrass and folk. The audience was entranced as they drank in the band’s filling guitar riffs, and weighty vocals.

Photograph by Emma Dowd

When H.C. McEntire humbly exited the stage, they were rewarded with hoot and holler applause. After a half an hour set change, the Fruit Bats made their way onto stage. Each band member made themselves comfortable behind their instruments. The keyboardist, Frank LoCastro, even poured himself a tall glass of red wine. Multi-instrumentalist Josh Mease, bassist David Dawda, and drummer Josh Adams situated themselves as their lead singer, Eric Johnson, approached the mic. He greeted New York City warmly, expressing his gratitude for having returned to “the big island.”

The show commenced with Johnson’s raw voice dueting with the melody pulled by the guitar. The first lyric to be sung was from their song, “The Pet Parade”: Hello from me to all you out there. The crowd waved back to Johnson, their swaying hands casted a moving pattern of shadows across the notorious Webster velvet drapes that frame the stage.

The Fruit Bats’ sound felt like a location. It held a midwestern kindness that could not be missed, as they performed songs tributing their roots in Chicago, Illinois. Though, the music was transient. As Johnson told stories through his lyrics, the audience was brought along with him to his muses. The journey was a long one, given that the setlist expanded over a vast culmination of records dating back to 1997.

Photograph by Emma Dowd

Photograph by Emma Dowd

The band performed songs from Johnson’s early career all through their newest record, “A River Running To Your Heart,” that was released last week. The record’s first debut to the world happened in New York City. Johnson asked if the crowd minded if they played something new. The audience welcomed the proposition with open arms and open minds, as they listened to the fresh record. He sang of “proverbial shame,” “chosen family,” and the thread of most albums “love.”

Photograph by Emma Dowd

The show concluded peacefully, the audience fulfilled and the Fruit Bats doused in gratification. Claps and utters of “thank you’s” vibrated in the crowd. Their goodbye was swift as they stilled their instruments and waved to their listeners as they made their way backstage. The stage emptied and the lights came on, but the crowd stayed awhile. Ushered to the bar, they stayed carrying on the story of the music they just heard.

April 23, 2023
New NYC Law makes Buying Concert Tickets a more Transparent Experience

A new NYC bill, titled the “Disclosure of service fee charges associated with tickets to entertainment events in NYC” was proposed by NYC lawmakers, forces ticket selling retailers to fully disclose the price of each ticket, including added service and convenience fees, up front.

Recently, concert tickets for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour cost, at face-value, from $49 to $499. When they were sold on Ticketmaster, though, some Swifties ended up paying far more for each stadium seat, after days of waiting in line. And that’s just for the ticket alone.

What buyers don’t always know is that when they select their seat number and squint at their credit cards, is that the ticket cost is about to be augmented by service and convenience fees, added at the last minute from Ticketmaster.

It isn’t just Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan spoke out against Ticketmaster, arguing that his music speaks to working class people and working class people should be able to attend his concerts, without having to take out a second mortgage. Since merging with Live Nation, Ticketmaster has all but monopolized the live music consumer scene, to the point that the government has had to get involved. Live Nation was brought into a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last January where they were accused of stifling competition by antitrust experts and lawmakers — all while Swifties gathered and sang just outside the building’s doors.

Councilmember Justin Brannan.

The new bill, sponsored by New York City Councilmember, Justin Brannan, states that the early disclosure of the full price ensures customers can make a truly informed decision. Not only should the full price of the ticket, including added fees, be disclosed to the customer, but the bill specifies that added fees should be included in all advertisements as well.

“As a whole, the concert industry is shifting to all in pricing,” said Jennifer Sellers-Dimitrov, who has been managing and coordinating concerts and events in the NYC area for over a decade. “In fact many ticketing companies have adopted this practice already. A fan should see the cost of a ticket before purchase. However what’s important here is the ticket price for the concert or event clearly spells out the base ticket and the fees. To place them together without the breakdown affects the artist’s value in the market. When you see a ticket price as $30 plus $15 in fees versus $45 flat, it shows which portion you’re spending on the act, $30, which is their ticket value in the market.”

“It’s important that ticket inventory is sold to the customer and fan, and that allotment and data is controlled by the entity taking the risk on the event whether it be the venue, promoter or the artist,” Sellers-Dimitrov continued. “This allows for the buyer to be notified about changes, cancelations, and other events from the artist, venue or promoter. When tickets are sold on the secondary market, that can’t happen. Along with price gouging and fake tickets, but that’s a whole other topic. “

The new law requires the operator of a place of entertainment to disclose the full price of a ticket whenever they display a ticket price on advertisements. The advertised price would be required to include fees such as taxes and service fees to increase transparency. Violators of the law would be subject to civil penalties from zero dollars for the first violation up to $500.

The bill passed the city council and committee, and is set to take effect toward the end of 2023.

April 22, 2023
Easy Star All-Stars Release New Bowie-Inspired LP “Ziggy Stardub”

Renowned NYC-based reggae band Easy Star All-Stars have just released their new album Ziggy Stardub, a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Their newest track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” features vocals by the iconic multi-award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Macy Gray. Offering a fresh spin, the band has created a laid-back atmosphere within the song through a bounding drum beat and swaggering horns.

Michael Goldwasser, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist of Easy Star says, “The main key was finding an emotive and groundbreaking vocalist, and we did just that with Macy Gray, who is truly inimitable in every song that she sings, including this one.” The track is paired with a stop motion video, taking viewers through the journey of two cats during an evening in a paper town.

After a run of sonically mesmerizing singles, the band releases their highly anticipated album Ziggy Stardub on the 21^st.The project is a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and features guest performances by Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), The Skints, Mortimer, The Expanders, Samory I, and many others.

Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies, and a premier rhythm section, Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene for over two decades. The band will also be performing at the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in New Jersey this September.

To watch the video for “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” click the link here.

To listen to Ziggy Stardub, click the link here.

For more by Easy Star All-Stars, click the link here.

April 22, 2023
American Classical Orchestra Announces Season Finale “Romantic Fantasy”

The American Classical Orchestra has announced its final concert this season on Thursday, May 18, at Alice Tully Hall: Romantic Fantasy

American Classic Orchestra’s Romantic Fantasy will be an evening of Romantic music by Rossini, Schumann, Sarasate, and Grieg, played on period instruments. The program features Filipino-American baritone Enrico Lagasca, critically acclaimed for his role as Daedalus in the U.S. premiere of Jonathan Dove’s opera The Monster in the Maze, and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. The program will begin with a brief presentation by orchestra founder and artistic director Thomas Crawford.

Founded in 1984 as the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy, the ensemble was renamed the American Classical Orchestra in 1999. Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Crawford established its new and permanent home in New York City in 2005. It is now the City’s only full-scale orchestra dedicated to performing 17th, 18th, and 19th century music on period instruments.

Romantic Fantasy Program

Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 8 pm, Alice Tully Hall

Rachell Ellen Wong, violin

Enrico Lagasca, bass-baritone

Rossini: William Tell Overture

Schumann: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38 “Spring Symphony”

Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25

Grieg: The Mountain Thrall, Op. 32

Tickets priced at $35 -$75 are available now at aconyc.org

April 22, 2023
Sorry Mom Releases Punk-rock Single + Upcoming Album

NYC based band Sorry Mom has just liberated the punk-rock single “Shaving My Legs” in preparation for the release of their debut album babyface on May 12^th. Following the album release, Sorry Mom will be hitting the road for a short northeast run that concludes with a set at Boston Calling Music Festival.

Sorry Mom is an NYC-based femme punk band whose music chronicles queer experiences and suburban despair through a nostalgic punk sound. Their music boasts the lyrical playfulness of Green Day and blink-182, but sonically has a more hardcore edge.

What began as a group of college friends playing music together quickly evolved into something bigger upon the release of Sorry Mom’s debut EP “Juno Goes to the Big House” in April 2021. As of July 2022, the band has garnered 10M+ streams across platforms and 50k+ followers across socials. In Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, Sorry Mom embarked on tours of the Northeast, playing 30 unique venues across the region.

The first single “Hiccup” shows the side of Sorry Mom that is incredibly hardcore punk. By using their artform to their advantage, they show how unique they are with powerful lyrics and punk melodies. Overall, “Hiccup” makes you want to jump straight into a mosh pit.

The second single “Shaving My Legs,” released on April 14^th, provides a fast-paced intro to the overall album. While tackling feelings of being trapped, promising again and again to start making changes tomorrow, the band shows us that tomorrow never comes.

Sorry Mom is also going on tour for the release of babyface, stopping in Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar. For more information and to purchase tickets, click the link here.

To listen to “Shaving My Legs,” click the link here.

To listen to “Hiccup,” click the link here.

For more by Sorry Mom, click the link here.

April 21, 2023
Moscot Mobileyes and Music Will Present “Punk & Beyond: Legends of the Lower East Side” at the Mark Miller Gallery

The Moscot Mobileyes Foundation has announced a partnership with national music education nonprofit, Music Will, for Punk & Beyond: Legends of the Lower East Side, at the Mark Miller Gallery in New York City.

Punk & Beyond: Legends of the Lower East Side is an immersive art experience celebrating the musicians that rose to fame in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The exhibit is free and open to the public, running Wednesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. from April 20th – July 9th.

“My Love Rains” by artist Hektad, from a previous exhibition at the Mark Miller Gallery. Credit: Hektad

With support from legendary music producers Perry Margouleff and Steve Rosenthal, Punk & Beyond: Legends of the Lower East Side will raise funds for the launch and expansion of Music Will’s music programming in public schools, and The Moscot Mobileyes Foundation has kicked off the initiative with a $26,000 donation to open four music programs in local public schools to fund teacher training, instrument donations, curricular resources, and scholarships to attend the Music Will Modern Band Summit. Both organizations hope to continue this initiative annually, building lifelong connections between students and music worldwide.

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to evolve Moscat Mobileyes from one passion of providing eye care to those in need, to my other great joy in life—music, by providing music education to local public-school kids. I am dedicated to finding ways to give back to the city that has been so good to Moscat.
Dr. Harvey Moscot

Designed by Daniel Kershaw, Exhibition Design Manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Punk & Beyond: Legends of the Lower East Side will feature artifacts from Johnny Thunders, Lou Reed, Norah Jones, David Peel, and more.

“We are so grateful to Moscot Mobileyes for their invaluable support of our mission promoting music education in the Lower East Side, and to Perry Margouleff for his unwavering dedication to our cause,” says Janice Polizzotto, Music Will Interim CEO. “We are so proud to be part of an exhibit that commemorates the rich musical heritage of this historic neighborhood and celebrates its vibrant diversity.”

Moscot Music originated in 2004 when Harvey Moscot grabbed his guitar and started jamming on a rainy Saturday. Since then, Moscot has added a music element to its repertoire, by connecting fans worldwide with emerging and established musical artists. Presently, their initiative has shifted from solely providing medical eyecare to supporting the needs of the community as a whole.

The largest nonprofit music program for schools in the United States, Music Will, in the last 20 years, has provided teacher training, curriculum, and instruments to over 6,000 schools across all 50 states – impacting over 1.2 million students to date. The organization strives to restore and transform music education in schools as districts continue to lose funding for music and arts programs. Music Will hopes to reach one million more students in the next five years.

April 21, 2023
Zach Nugent’s Dead Set kicks off NY Tour at Garcia’s

Zach Nugent’s Dead Set kicked off a six-show run across New York State at Garcia’s in Port Chester on Wednesday, April 19.

Performing with members of Swimmer and Corey Wilhelm on Percussion, a wide range of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia songs were featured, with a crowd filling the room and enjoying one of the freshest takes on the music of the Grateful Dead you’ll hear.

In concert, Nugent is exhilarating and unforgettable, energizing and inspiring fans, uplifting the crowd from the moment he and the band take the stage, Nugentâs virtuosic guitar playing and deep connection to the music of the Grateful Dead captivates the audience and transports them to another realm.

Don’t miss Zach on tour this month

April 21st – Flour City Station, Rochester, NY – Tickets:

April 22nd – Deep Dive, Ithaca, NY – Tickets:

April 23rd – The Colony, Woodstock, NY – Tickets:

April 29th – Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes, NY – Tickets:

Zach Nugent’s Dead Set – Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester – Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Set 1: Jack Straw, Jack-A-Roe (1980), Me and My Uncle > Big River, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, Queen Jane Approximately, Althea, Feel Like a Stranger

Set 2: Estimated Prophet > He’s Gone, Playin’ in the Band > Drums > Space > West LA Fadeaway, Promised Land

Encore: Ramble On Rose

April 21, 2023