Troy Savings Bank Music Hall returns with the free Music at Noon series, beginning with singer and song writer Alan Goldberg on December 12.
Since 1988, on the second Tuesday of each month from October to May, the free Music at Noon concert series has presented exceptional musicians with a diverse mix of musical styles. Program sponsors include FAM Funds, Troy Redevelopment Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Fagan Associates, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, MVP Healthcare, and the Saratoga National Bank. This show will feature the MVP Health Care Coffee Hour.
Join the fun early for a FREE cup of Stacks coffee 11am -12pm before the show begins. Shows are free to attend and be sure to bring your lunch.
Caroga Arts Collective announced the lineup for the 2023 Caroga Lake Music Festival (CLMF) WinterFest, spanning over four days from Dec. 13-16.
The Caroga Arts Collective presents over 50 performances and community events in the Southern Adirondacks throughout the year, featuring world-class musicians from across the country and from various styles of arts and entertainment. The mission of Caroga Arts Collective is to reimagine the Caroga experience through the power of the arts, founded in 2012 by Kyle Price when he invited friends to his grandmother’s house on Caroga Lake, where they presented a week of free concerts, calling themselves the Caroga Lake Music Festival (CLMF).
“For the past 4 years, CLMF WinterFest has brought acclaimed artists from the annual Caroga Lake Music Festival back to the region for a celebration of the holidays, music, and community,” said Price. “We are excited to gather once again for this beloved tradition, with an exciting mix of events that will offer something for everyone.”
CLMF WinterFest 2023 will kick off on December 13 with “Holiday Harmonies: An Evening with Rich Saunders featuring Caroga Arts Ensemble,” at the Nick Stoner Inn in Caroga Lake. Over the years, the New York-based artist Rich Saunders has gained over 1.3 million followers on Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok combined, quickly becoming a singer-songwriter sensation online. A founding member of Thirdstory, he has performed and opened for A-list artists like Tori Kelly and Chance The Rapper, in addition to making appearances on Saturday Night Liveand more.
On December 14, CLMF musicians will perform chamber works by Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and more in “A Classical Winter Wonderland,” at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts in Gloversville. On the 15th, the Caroga Arts Ensemble will perform Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Tchaikovsky’s famous Nutcracker Suite at the Glove Theatre in Gloversville.
The last performance, “Holiday Tchaikovsky Spectacular” on Dec. 16 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Johnstown features Serenade, The Nutcracker Suite, and more. All shows at the CLMF WinterFest 2023 run from 7-9 p.m.
To buy tickets or learn more information about the CLMF WinterFest musicians, visit here.
National Sawdust (Paola Prestini, Artistic Director, Ana De Archuleta, Managing Director) has announced its Winter/Spring 2024 season. In a moment of existential crisis for the performing arts field—as COVID relief funding runs out, ticket sales and fundraising lag across the industry in comparison with pre-pandemic levels, and smaller budgets frequently result in reduced opportunities and resources for artists—National Sawdust embraces its role as a “vital part of New York’s new music scene” (The New York Times), for artists and audiences alike.
National Sawdust is a dynamic non-profit cultural institution that commissions, produces, and presents programming rooted in sound and supports multidisciplinary artists and arts organizations in the creation of innovative new work. Founded in 2015 by Kevin Dolan and Paola Prestini, National Sawdust operates out of an intimate space, equipped with a state-of-the-art Meyer spatial sound system, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it is one of the few remaining cultural venues. The New York Times has described National Sawdust as “the city’s most vital new-music hall” and as “a triumphantly successful performance space that stands for a hip, sophisticated brand of new music.”
On the eve of its tenth anniversary, taking advantage of its nimbleness, and bolstered by the recent acquisition of its state-of-the-art Williamsburg venue, National Sawdust is finding new ways—and strengthening its impactful existing programs—to support composers, musicians, and multidisciplinary artists. The organization has initiated new partnerships with fellow NYC cultural institutions that will extend its impact. It teams with Harlem Stage on a new, cross-borough, series Uptown Nights: Convent to Wythe. Together, they will present silver through the grass like nothing, an in-process solo by violinist, vocalist, poet, and interdisciplinary performance artist yuniya edi kwon, and even in the shadow of a retching fog, a new work by performance collective SUN HAN GUILD, at Harlem Stage; and (( ( PHONATION ) )), a work of sound and visuals by Bora Yoon and R. Luke DuBois at National Sawdust.
National Sawdust also joins forces this season with Sparks and Wiry Cries to present their two-day festival featuring 14 world premieres by emerging composers from around the world and a co-curated concert by composer and Hildegard Commission-winner Niloufar Nourbakhsh; with Composers Now to present the opening event of the Composers Now Festival, hosted by that organization’s visionary founder and artistic director Tania León; with Winter Jazz Fest to offer Hess Is More’s category-defying musical concert and art installation Apollonian Blackout; and with the Metropolitan Opera to produce the 2023-24 season-long initiative Opera Evolved, a series of conversations with composers and artists about the contemporary operas featured at the Met this season and the ways opera is evolving today. In Winter and Spring, Opera Evolved presents Lileana Blain Cruz and Paola Prestini in discussion of genre fluidity, and a talk about reviving work from living composers.
National Sawdust is also bringing back its indispensable artist residency program, this season hosting eddy kwon & Holland Andrews. kwon and Andrews are among a wide range of artists making use this season of National Sawdust’s Meyer Sound spatial sound system, which facilitates ambitious sonic explorations and makes the live audience experience of new works uniquely compelling. Others include Hess Is More, Bora Yoon, Bruce Brubaker, Ning Yu, Maya Beiser, Susie Ibarra and Jeffrey Zeigler, Paola Prestini, and more.
By providing today’s most visionary artists with the institution’s unique suite of resources, National Sawdust empowers them not only to experiment and make meaningful contributions to a field undergoing various paradigm shifts, but to lend their visions and voices to urgent conversations in the world at large.
Please see below for the currentWinter/Spring 2024 programming schedule.
National Sawdust Winter/Spring 2024 Schedule yuniya edi kwon and Holland AndrewsHow does it feel to look at nothing
January 12, 20247:30pm
Using a new language of deconstruction, Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon present an in-process performance of How does it feel to look at nothing, a pre-origin story and collaboratively developed opera about a deity of namelessness. An opera of the elemental, of pre-deities, and illusions of containment, How does it feel to look at nothing is an embodied, interdisciplinary performance emerging through a story of transitional states. Composer-performers, multi-instrumentalists, and extended technique vocalists Andrews and kwon co-create this work through composition, improvisation, dance, physical theater, and ritual.
National Sawdust and Winter Jazz FestpresentHess Is More Apollonian Circles
January 16 & 17 at 8pm
Apollonian Circles is a multi-disciplinary musical concert and art installation experience that combines elements of electronic music, jazz, theater, and performance art. Each performance hinges on audience participation and improvisation guiding an ever-changing narrative of artistic expression; we are all participants reflecting one another’s experience as if in a hall of mirrors.
This project explores the very definition of what audiences have come to expect from a traditional concert. From the moment they arrive, attendees are transported to a mysterious dream-like space where the unexpected can happen. In the literal center of the room is a large table (decorated with other-worldly artifacts and ornaments) that is both stage and set piece for the performers and audience to gather.
Apollonian Circles is a constantly evolving musical live work, where concert formats and the relationship between music, musicians and audiences are explored and challenged. Apollonian Circles grow out of a constant longing for integration. We bring together artists, performers and ultimately audiences in a space that feels wide open yet artistically distinct and defined.
The music is composed and arranged by the Danish multi-instrumentalist Mikkel Hess and performed by his band, Hess Is More, which comprises musicians from Copenhagen and New York and features notable guests such as acclaimed singer Nomi Ruiz. The scenography is developed by Danish theater luminaries Christian Friedländer and Dicki Lakha in collaboration with award-winning director Tue Beiring, and with costumes by fashion design superstar Henrik Vibskov.
National Sawdust and Sparks and Wiry Cries present Laura Nevitt (8th Annual NYC songSLAM & songSLAM Commission winner) Anger in Open Mouths: three sweet songs
January 19, 20247:30pm
Fashioned after traditional poetry slams and storytelling events like The Moth, each Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM gives teams of composers and performers a chance to present world premieres of art song and compete for audience-awarded cash prizes totaling up to $2,000. Each regional songSLAM is produced with a partnering local organization. Since the inaugural songSLAM of 2016 in NYC, our first come, first served registration has filled in under 15 minutes of opening, and our songSLAM audiences are typically sold out and/or standing room only. The songSLAM was developed to bring in new, energized, and invested audiences for art song while removing barriers and gatekeepers for performers and composers. Our NYC songSLAM is the flagship event and in 2024 will be produced in partnership with National Sawdust.
During the 2023-2024 season, SWC will partner with organizations across the United States and internationally to produce 8 songSLAM events, allowing for the premiere of over 100 new songs and engaging with over 200 emerging artists in the following cities: NYC (‘Sparks’ & ‘National Sawdust’), Tallahassee (Florida State University), Waco, TX (Lone Star Song), Bratislava, Slovakia (421 Foundation), Bloomington, IN (Indiana University), Chicago, IL (Fourth Coast Ensemble), Ljubljana, Slovenia (Festival Ljubljana), and Minneapolis, MN (Source Song Festival).
Every year Sparks & Wiry Cries awards a songSLAM commission prize to one of the composers from the previous NYC songSLAM. This year’s commission will be the world premiere of Anger in Open Mouths: Three Sweet Songs, by composer Laura Nevitt and poet Viviana Gill performed by mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski and pianist Erika Switzer.
Only Voice Remains A recital co-curated by Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Sparks & Wiry Cries January 20, 2024 7:30pm
Only Voice Remains is a new sparksLIVE project. The title is inspired by Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad’s poem of the same name, and the program explores themes of exile, loss, and migration, using a diverse range of vocal traditions rooted in Iran and neighboring regions. The music in this program explores the intersection of Persian Flamenco, contemporary singer-songwriters, and Iranian classical music intertwined with the western classical recital format. Also highlighted on the program is the Pashtun Landay—a poetic folk couplet shared by women that exists primarily through an oral tradition. Set to music by Juhi Bansal for soprano, piano, and cello, these poems highlight similar motifs of struggle and triumph echoing down generations from woman to woman. Artist performers on this program include: Mahya Hamedi (vocalist), Ava Nazar (pianist), Farnaz Ohadi (vocalist), Karen Ouzounian (cellist courtesy of Silk Road Ensemble), and Abigail Sinclair (soprano).
Composers Now presents The Opening Event of the 2024 Composers Now Festival Hosted by Tania León January 31, 2024 7:30pm
While it may be nearly impossible to capture the totality of creativity as expressed by today’s composers, Composers Now and Tania try. From the very young to the legendary, you will come away from this evening with plenty of new sounds heard and composers met. Among the participants, Tania welcomes: the recipients of the 2024 Visionary Awards — Dwight Andrews, Philip Glass and Libby Larsen; the recipient of the First Commission Award and the world premiere of a newly written work, in collaboration with Jazz Gallery; a short documentary capturing the Fall 2023 Collaborative Creative Residency at the Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; works by Paola Prestini, a percussion trio by Javier Diaz, and more.
Julian Crouch and Saskia Lane BIRDHEART February 3, 2024 6pm
BIRDHEART is an intimate chamber piece of animated theater with a sheet of brown paper and a box of sand. A show about transformation,loneliness, and the urge to fly, BIRDHEART holds a hand-mirror up to humanity and offers it a chair. Through a series of animated images built in front of the audiences’ eyes BIRDHEART creates something achingly beautiful from the humblest of beginnings.
The BIRDHEART performance is preceded by some bird themed songs performed by Saskia and Julian, and led by the extraordinary musician Philip Roebuck. Singing along is encouraged.
National Sawdust and the Metropolitan Opera present Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity
February 22, 20247:30pm
The second installment of this three-part series celebrates artistic convergence by investigating the intersection of innovation and tradition at National Sawdust. This event brings together a diverse array of multi-faceted artists, including Paola Prestini, esteemed composer and co-founder and artistic director of National Sawdust, and dynamic theater and opera director Lileana Blain-Cruz. Attendees will be treated to rich discussions and captivating performances that highlight genre-blending compositions and illustrate the transformative power of opera.
Bruce Brubaker Eno Piano February 23, 2024 7:30pm
Brian Eno famously said, “The studio is a musical instrument.” American pianist Bruce Brubaker now says, “A musical instrument can be a studio.” Brubaker will take the stage for a concert highlighting his 12th studio album, Eno Piano. This record, released November 10 on InFiné, encompasses a selection of Brian Eno’s iconic ambient music, including Music for Airports.
Can a single instrument convey ambient music originally made through studio techniques and tape loops? Eno Piano is a companion to Bruce Brubaker’s acclaimed album Glass Piano (2015); even the two album covers are companions. Named by Pitchfork “one of the most exciting pianists in the contemporary American classical scene,” Brubaker, in Eno Piano, shows that just as the studio can be a musical instrument, a single musical instrument can be a studio.
Brian Eno’s music is a significant part of the repetition-based musical minimalism practiced by Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and others in the late 20th century. In 1971, Philip Glass performed at the Royal College of Art in London. In the audience were two 23-year-olds: David Bowie and Brian Eno. Glass’s music was a fundamental influence on Eno. Later, Glass wrote three symphonies based on the three albums of Eno and Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy. Eno Piano acknowledges this deep artistic bond.
Alkemie and guest artist Amanda Gookin A Worthy Mirror February 25, 2024 7:30pm
A Worthy Mirror represents a time-traveling dialogue with the 12th-century trobairitz—the feminine counterpart of the poet-composers known as troubadours. Together with guest artist Amanda Gookin of Forward Music Project, we are commissioning eleven female and non-binary composers to respond to and converse with the 36 extant trobairitz texts (of which we only have music for one). This body of lyric poetry represents a large group of historically female and anonymous femme voices in the literary tradition. Witty, ironic, heartbreaking, and erotic—these texts present a mirror to reflect upon what feels foreign about the past and what feels familiar, what is the role of gender and self in relationships, and how do we make space for the multiplicities of identity, both in the 12th century and today.
NationalSawdust+ presents Insectum Featuring Susie Ibarra, Jeffrey Zeigler, Graham Reynolds, and Jessica Ware February 26, 2024 7:30pm
Join a zany evening devoted to Insectum, a sonic exploration of the world of arthropods. The program takes its name from the forthcoming record release featuring composer-musicians Susie Ibarra, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Graham Reynolds, who worked closely with University of Texas at Austin entomologists to create their album showcasing original tunes such as “Mosquito” and “Melolonthinae Larvae.” American Museum of Natural History evolutionary biologist Jessica Ware shares research that unravels the evolutionary history of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata), termites, and cockroaches (Blattodea) in this event, hosted by NationalSawdust+ curator Elena Park. Insectum will be both a celebration of the most successful and longest existing multicellular group of animals on the planet, as well as a cautionary tale about how their current threatened status poses dangers for the entire global ecosystem.
Part of NS+’s continuing For Nature series, Insectum kicks off three programs exploring the interplay and collision between the natural and human worlds, featuring artists and musicians, scientists, and activists working to preserve and restore the environment. For Nature is made possible by the generous support of Kathryn and Emmanuel Morlet and the Westcustogo Foundation.
Insectum commissioned by Golden Hornet
Co-Commissioned by Kathleen and Harvey Guion & The Guion Family Fund
Co-Commissioned by Suzanne Deal Booth & The Suzanne Deal Booth Cultural Trust
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts
Presented in partnership with the Asia Society and its initiative, Coal + Ice: Inspiring Climate Action Through Art and Ideas.
Insectum was created in consultation with Alex Wild and Jo-anne Holley at University of Texas at Austin. Insect images displayed are courtesy of Alex Wild.
National Sawdust and Harlem Stage present Bora Yoon featuring R. Luke DeBois ( ((PHONATION)) ) March 9, 2024 8pm
( (( PHONATION )) ) is a multimedia performance by Bora Yoon with live video manipulations by R. Luke DuBois, exploring where sound connects to the subliminal using found sounds, new and antiquated instruments, electronic devices and voice. Using a sound designer’s approach to performance composition that is steered by a penchant for a song, ( (( PHONATION )) ) engages with music as music, and not as part of a genre, taking the means to one end, and using it for another to form new utterances of sound and the beginnings of a new sonic language, within its spatial and architectural context. In every case, a particular sonic geography is evoked that might be inspired by a simple, found-sound in the world, or an expression of a sonic paradox bouncing around only in the mind.
Jodie Landau Performance of Self March 15 & 16, 2024 7:30pm
Performance of Self is an immersive piece by Jodie Landau that uses chamber music and dance to weave its way through songs and stories about queerness, gender, sexuality, [online] dating, choice, consent, attraction, desire, expectations, conforming to someone’s needs vs. self-preservation, language and communication, dance, drag, costume, and the performance of self.
“We continuously construct and curate our lives, our relationships, and our selves,” says Landau, “by choice or by circumstance. We weave the stories given to us, those we gather, and those we choose to retell to form a sense of identity. In identifying ourselves and each other we look to codify and define, and in such things we find both comfort and tribulations, as well as opportunity and limitations. Within all this, gender and sexuality are heavily weighted and fascinating topics, or at least have been for me, by choice and circumstance.”
Lætitia Sadier
March 20, 2024 7:30pm
Over the course of her career, spanning three-plus decades, Lætitia Sadier has never shied away from the hard topics, or stopped advocating for the possibility of self determination and emancipation in the face of the powers that be, conscious or unconscious. This is an essential part of the foundation she co-built with Stereolab, showcasing her spiritual, scientific and sociopolitical inquiries. She’s continued this process with Monade and under her own name and as a writer/singer/musician whose every album acts as a report on her journey of the self through time, space and the collective.
On Rooting For Love, the report is set alight by the heat of a turbulent world, collapsing institutions and Lætitia’s fully engaged process of expression as well as orchestration. The opening number, “Who + What” elucidates the central issue of the album: a call for a collective striving for Gnosis — an inquisitive outlook that will lend clues to the traumatized civilizations of Earth, allowing us to evolve away from millennia of alienation and suffering and towards the achievability of healing. The musical arrangements help to embody the layers of the issue, as with “Who + What”’s combination of organ, synths, guitar, bass, trombone, drum programming, vibraphone and zither, all working along intricate paths of chord and tempo changes. Leading from the inside is the implacable presence of Lætitia Sadier, herself interacting with a vocal assembly of men and women billed as The Choir. The regular reappearance of The Choir throughout Rooting For Love is a reminder of this music being one of a people in critical mass, in addition to an evolution that continues to deepen the rich harmonic fields in which Lætitia plays.
Past wounds are addressed again and again in the libretto, as the music provides a transformational balm to aid the healing process. The melodic funk of bassist Xavi Muñoz leads a Chic-adjacent slink to the occasional dance floor vibes and no-wave rockouts, while Hannes Plattemier and Emma Mario take turns in mixing the tracks and informing the far reaches of the material, with vibes, additional drum programming and synths alongside a talented cast of players and singers from Lætita’s Source Ensemble and beyond.
Whether drawing inspiration from Zen Shiastu training, or the lyrics of Véronique Vincent, (lyricist and singer for Aksak Maboul, and once upon a time, lead singer of the French Honeymoon Killers), Lætitia faces the truth without flinching. The shadows, whatever stuff they are made of — individual and collective, present and ancestral — need to be recognized and acknowledged, because the more we heal within ourselves, the more undivided we become in the face of looming Neofascist/Neoliberal narratives polluting the inner and outer landscapes. As with the cover image of the winter tree mirrored by the word patterns of Rooting For Love, Lætitia maintains that how we heal the world that’s coming, and what we make of it, will be a co-creation. The quality of our imagination, the orientation we give our thoughts and the capacity to bring love to ourselves and the world are a first step.
Alongside her collaboration with Modern Cosmology, last year’s incredible What Will You Grow Now?, as well as her continued tours with a reformed Stereolab, Rooting For Love finds Lætitia back in the world, once again urging all our grounded inner alignment and heart power to make us better equipped for creating what’s to come.
Palaver Strings Visions + Miracles March 22, 20247:30pm
This one-hour program brings together music that is transcendent in nature, drawing inspiration from dreams, medieval chant, renaissance polyphony, spirituality, and the power of silence. Anchored by Christopher Theofanidis’ otherworldy composition of the same name, Visions and Miracles takes us on a journey through the gentle sound worlds of Arvo Part, Max Richter, and Caroline Shaw, interspersed with excerpts of Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 1. With mesmerizing harmonies and moments of joy, grief, and gentleness, Visions and Miracles is evocative and reflective, grounding and transcendent.
Summa for Strings Arvo Pärt
Entr’acte Caroline Shaw
Sinfonia No. 1 Felix Mendelssohn
Visions and Miracles Christopher Theofanidis
On the Nature of Daylight Max Richter
Fiddle Set Maya French/Jamie Oshima
Ning Yu + Qubit Piano Realities
March 28, 2024 7:30pm
Piano Realities is a program of works for piano and electronics, created and produced in collaboration by soloist Ning Yu and Qubit. As one of the foremost pianists of her generation, Yu is a champion of adventurous contemporary works, particularly those that incorporate aspects of sonic technology. As such, this concert has been specifically designed to realize the full potential of National Sawdust’s Constellation audio system, a multichannel environment with dozens of speakers.
The program features work by a group of composers—all based throughout the US and Europe—centered around the relationship between the grand piano and spatial audio. Yu will perform excerpts from David Bird’s Iron Orchid, a piece they developed together closely over several years. Also featured is the US premiere of Joanna Bailie’s new work, Marblepark, which aims to create, in the composer’s words “an impossible [acoustic] space,” while Aaron Einbond’s Cosmologies places the listener at the center of a larger-than-life grand piano. The program also includes the Berlin-based, Canadian composer Chiyoko Szlavnics’ haunting Constellations I-III; the world premiere of Heather Stebbins’ Prism II, as well as the first North American performance of Alec Hall’s A dog is a machine for loving, a powerfully emotional cycle for piano and tape based on the dogs in his life.
Roger Eno March 29, 2024 7:30pm
Roger Eno is a British composer and musician whose distinctive style as a recording artist has attracted a cult following. In 2020, at the start of the global pandemic, he made his debut on Deutsche Grammophon with Mixing Colours, his first duo album with his brother, Brian. During this turbulent period, the album garnered much praise, with The Observer noting that iIts slowly unspooling, generative beauty feels like a balm for these anxious times.” His debut solo album on DG, The Turning Year, was released in April 2022, at times featuring a 20-piece string ensemble and clarinetist. Critically well received, in May 2022 he was asked to appear on NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
After The Turning Year, Roger went on to release Rarities, an illuminating EP of unreleased tracks and gems from the album session. As well as this he also released “Above and Below,” a track that became an Amazon streaming success with 20 million plays to date.
Eno was born in the Suffolk market town of Woodbridge. He became immersed in music at school and bought a battered upright piano with money earned every Saturday as a butcher’s boy. His musical education continued at Colchester Institute School of Music. After a brief interlude playing jazz piano in private clubs in London, he returned to East Anglia.
As well as first collaborating with his brother Brian and Daniel Lanois in 1983 on Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, he has made over a dozen solo albums and other collaborative pieces with the likes of Peter Hammill, The Orb and his first “band,” the ambient supergroup Channel Light Vessel, whose line-up included Laraaji, Kate St. John, Bill Nelson and Japanese cellist Mayumi Tachibana. He’s also teamed up as a session musician and band member with artists as diverse as The Orb, Lou Reed, Jarvis Cocker and Beck, and not to mention his three-year stint as Musical Director for Tim Robbins and his band, The Rogues Gallery.
Known as a solo composer in both theater and film, Roger scored Trevor Nunn’s highly acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal at London’s National Theatre and, more recently, Nick Hornby’s Emmy winning TV series State of the Union, directed by Stephen Frears. Most recently he composed the soundtrack to the Erica Jong documentary Breaking the Wall.
Roger Eno lives in a small town on the border of Suffolk and Norfolk. Those two rural counties, with their quiet lanes, medieval churches and waterways, have given focus and intensity to the natural introspection of his music. He has described his creative process as one of “decomposing”—improvising in his studio early in the morning to later strip away all excess from the result to reveal the essence of the piece. His approach to the world has been likened to that of a visitor to a flea market, that nothing should be ignored, that the curious can be all too easily overlooked…
Roger’s sophomore album on DG is entitled the skies, they shift like chords, and is a quietly startling follow-up to The Turning Year. It features solo piano tracks, multi-instrumental piece, and electronic enhancement. The first track, “Strangely, I Dreamt” involves a stunning appearance on vocals by his daughter, Cecily.
Ran Blake Shimmering Shadows April 5, 20247:30pm
Ran Blake (b. 1935) will perform a rare NYC concert in solo and duo format with special guests. To celebrate the release of Ran’s biography, this concert will be inter-spliced with a live interview and film clips to present a retrospective of the life and music of this iconic pianist. From his early love of film noir, his the much heralded 1962 debut with Jeanne Lee on NewestSound Around, taking care of Thelonious Monk’s children after their apartment fire, getting caught up in the resistance after a coup in Greece on his birthday in 1967, to his highly influential teaching after founding the “Third Stream” program at the New England Conservatory; Ran Blake’s life sparkles with incredible vignettes, which he will share and
explore in his music for this performance.
In a career that now spans seven decades, pianist Ran Blake has created a unique niche in improvised music as an artist and educator. With a characteristic mix of spontaneous solos, modern classical tonalities, the great American blues and gospel traditions, and themes from classic Film Noir, Blake’s singular sound has earned a dedicated following all over the world. Blake is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” award and in 2022 earned a “Satchmo” award from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Maya Beiser Terry Riley’s In C(ello) April 6, 2024 7:30pm
Dubbed a “cello goddess” by TheNew Yorker, Maya Beiser creates radical works for the cello, reimagining her instrument’s boundaries with her iconoclastic performances and recordings.
On her forthcoming album, a multi-cello tribute to Terry Riley’s epic In C out in April 2024, Maya creates a hypnotic, rapturous soundscape with her cello, constructed from a series of drones and live cello loops. Joined by two of her long-time collaborators, the drummers Shane Shanahan and Matt Kilmer, this performance incorporates spatial sound designed specifically for National Sawdust’s immersive Meyer Constellation system.
National Sawdust and the Metropolitan Opera present Opera Evolved: Revival of New Work by Living Composers April 9, 20247:30pm
The compelling conclusion to this three-part series unveils the forefront of operatic innovation, offering a deep dive into the symbiosis of traditional support and cutting-edge creation in opera. This event compares the Metropolitan Opera’s groundbreaking initiative of presenting 17 contemporary works over the next five seasons with National Sawdust’s visionary plan to commission five new pieces in their 2024–25 season. The discussion will center on the transformative impact of these artistic endeavors by exploring the Met’s dedication to works by living composers and examining the pivotal role a burgeoning institution like National Sawdust can play in supporting this progressive shift.
NationalSawdust+ presents COMPOST! Featuring Melissa Clark, Tannis Kowalchuk, Mark Stewart, and More April 25, 2024 7:30pm
NationalSawdust+ digs deep into its For Nature exploration with COMPOST!, an evening of mixed fare with music, theater, and conversation devoted to the process of decomposition and cultivation. Multi-instrumentalist, song leader, composer, instrument designer, and committed composter Mark Stewart brings his Pete Seeger-meets-John Cage sensibility to bear, while theater artist Tannis Kowalchuk (co-founder of Willow Wisp Organic Farm and artistic director of Farm Arts Collective) performs a scene from her dynamic new solo show, Decompositions, which draws a parallel between the process of living, aging, and dying, and the transformation taking place in a compost pile on the stage. New York Times food writer Melissa Clark shares musings on biodegradation and moderates an engrossing discussion with farmers and activists in this nourishing NS+ evening, hosted by series curator Elena Park.
The event is part of NS+’s continuing For Nature series, three programs exploring the interplay and collision between the natural and human worlds, featuring artists and musicians, scientists, and activists working to preserve and restore the environment. For Nature is made possible by the generous support of Kathryn and Emmanuel Morlet and the Westcustogo Foundation.
Julia Jacklin New York Residency May 9, 15, 22, and 29 8pm
Since releasing her debut album Don’t Let the Kids Win in 2016, Julia Jacklin has carved out a fearsome reputation as a direct lyricist willing to excavate the parameters of intimacy and agency in songs both stark and raw, loose, and playful.
2019 follow-up Crushing was described as “a triumph” by The Independent, and “a candidate for this year’s strongest singer-songwriter breakthrough” by Rolling Stone, and her latest album, PRE PLEASURE, has been met with similar acclaim and continues to establish Jacklin as a mainstay of the indie world.
Jacklin returns to the US for the first time since her sold out PRE PLEASURE TOUR in 2022/23, and will be doing a unique series of solo residency shows alongside supporting a run of dates with Mitski.
Describing the upcoming shows, Jacklin says, “The residency idea started because in the spirit of doing what I want next year, even if it doesn’t make sense, I decided I wanted to do a Vegas Residency. The thought made me laugh, and I want to laugh more, and I want more joy in the indie rock touring circuit. I just feel like I jumped on a train in 2016 when I released my first record and it’s been a while since I’ve interrogated why I’m still on the train or asked who’s driving. I’m approaching next year’s shows with a sense of play. I want to write on the go, try things out and slow things down for a second. I want to stay in the same city for more than a night, have some breathing room in between each show to really think about what I’m doing, why I’m drawn to songwriting and public performance and how I can change my practises to be more sustainable. Maybe I can even work on my enduring stage fright in intimate rooms where I can see peoples faces, feel their support, and remember that this is all just about connecting with other people at the end of the day. I’ll be playing solo, I’ll have some guests, some friends, who knows! I’m just going to see how it feels and leave room for exploring and experimenting. Hope to see you there.”
NationalSawdust+ presents A Crisis of Responsibility: Excerpts from The Shell Trial Featuring Ellen Reid, and More to be Announced June 13, 2024 7:30pm
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid joins a special NationalSawdust+ evening showcasing insights and excerpts from her new opera, The Shell Trial, written with librettist Roxie Perkins, on the heels of its March 2024 world premiere in Amsterdam. Commissioned by Dutch National Opera and based on the play De zaak Shell by Rebekka de Wit and Anoek Nuyens, the opera explores climate devastation as a crisis of responsibility via a landmark 2021 court case in which environmentalists won a shocking lawsuit against Shell Oil.
The program will include arias sung from the perspectives of diverse figures, such as The Climate Refugee, The CEO, The Artist, as well as a chorus of children representing those killed by Shell’s colonial past and climate disasters. Members of the Young People’s Chorus of New York (YPC) will perform in the evening, which will include a probing discussion featuring a climate activist along with Reid and NS+ curator Elena Park.
The composer will share her experience of creating the provocative piece, which offers a range of voices and viewpoints on whose responsibility it is to halt climate change. As the complexity of the issues in the Shell lawsuit becomes clear, boundaries between guilty party and innocent victim, past harm and future progress, and individual and collective responsibility grow increasingly blurred.
The event is part of NS+’s continuing For Nature series, three programs exploring the interplay and collision between the natural and human worlds, featuring artists and musicians, scientists, and activists working to preserve and restore the environment. For Nature is made possible by the generous support of Kathryn and Emmanuel Morlet and the Westcustogo Foundation.
The Shell Trial is a commission by Dutch National Opera, in co-production with Het Geluid (Maastricht), Opera Philadelphia, and Bregenz Festival.
The Waterhole Music Lounge has announced the live music lineup for their most renowned concert series, Winter Carnival at the Waterhole.
Over the course of 10 days, The Waterhole will bring 13 live musical acts to the Upstairs Music Lounge to keep Carnival goers moving & grooving as our community celebrates the 127th annual Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.
The 2024 lineup features 13 different bands including a plethora of fan favorites, and pairs them up with unbelievably talented opening acts that are sure to entertain and excite.
Things kick off on Friday, February 2 with Annie in the Water, well known for excitable, high energy jams, funky tones, and chill vibes. Special guests Organ FairChild from Buffalo, NY will open up the evening. This old-school organ trio has dance-heavy grooves and adventurous jamming.
Joslyn & The Sweet Compression make their first Winter Carnival appearance on Saturday, February 3. This groove-hardy trip of soul music filtered through a vivacious, and sometimes lush, modern lens, a psychedelic soundscape that exemplifies truth in music’s ability to shake up the establishment. This band will make the journey to the North from their hometown in Lexington, Kentucky, a follow up appearance at The Waterhole after the crowd fell in love with their sound at a Party on the Patio performance in 2023.
Los Blancos are the perfect compliment to the Saturday night bill. This band has been playing the Waterhole since the creation of the Upstairs Music Lounge in 1991. They rip through blues, soul, zydeco, and with their bottomless bag of tricks they always get the party started.
Wednesday, February 7 Hayley Jane returns to the Waterhole with her new band. Known for her emotive and memorizing performances, her vocals have a delicacy that touches the heart and also a raw power that can drive one into a frenzy. Open and honest, she chooses words that are both brazen and playful as she spills secrets onto the stage, spinning them into a web of burred lines.
Giovanina Bucci, who was born and raised in Plattsburgh and a dear friend of Hayley Jane will open up the night. Her musical style is nothing short of eclectic. Rooted in blues, soul, and folk, she writes about the intimate experiences that have shaped her as a human and as a songstress showcasing her unique guitar style and sultry delivery.
Thursday, February 8 features The Strictly Hip: Masters of The Tragically Hip. The band takes an almost academic approach to performing the music of Canada’s most popular band, performing with reverence, respect and accuracy.
Friday, February 9 Bellas Bartok & Folkfaces partner up for an energetic and bedazzling co-bill that is sure to keep concert goers dancing the night away. Bella’s Bartok live shows are a theatrical mix of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ and the ‘Rocky Horror Picture’ show with a mesmerizing mix of Eastern European, Americana, punk and pop music. Folkfaces are a rowdy, roots quartet that takes its influence from weird old American music, offering an energetic variety show and traveling music review. The band explores a wide range of genres including country, blues, traditional jazz, rock & roll, honkey tonk, western swing, bluegrass, old-time, jug band and more.
Saturday, February 10 features two different shows – the first being the Post Parade Party. This day time show takes place immediately after the parade ends, and is well known as the biggest dance party of the entire year, plus its a free show headlined by another fan favorite, The Big Takeover.
Led by the powerhouse, Jamaican-born singer and songwriter NeeNee Rushie, The Big Takeover’s horn-powered global blend reveals deep fluency in reggae and world music, hints of soul and Motown, and their own infectious brand of pop classicism. Saranac Lakers will recognize The Big Takeover from their late night performance at the 2022 Northern Current Community Music Festival.
Later that evening, another show awaits Carnival goers. Fan favorite, West End Blend returns with funk and SOUL. Fronted by vocalist Erica Tracy Sullivan, WEB plays homage to classic throwback sounds while adding their own distinct vibe and flair. Behind her, the blend packs a four-piece horn section, two guitars bass, keyboards, and drums onto stages every night. From humble beginnings in an epic sweaty funky basement dance party, the Blend’s goal has always been to bring that same atmosphere to every show ever since.
Opening up for WEB will be All Night Boogie Band – hailing form the Green Mountains of Vermont, this band closed out the 2023 Party on the Patio 2023 season with a bang, and were thus invited to play during Winter Carnival. Think massive soulful vocals, big horns; and a powerfully tight rhythm section that creates a powerful and emotional blues that will make you shake your hips.
And last but certainly not least, Jatoba returns to the Carnival Lineup on Bloody Mary Sunday, February 11. This free day time show happens in the downstairs bar and will mark the band’s first Waterhole show since 2014. Jatoba sounds like groove-grass with quick bluegrass tempos driven by thumping and rockabilly-like bass lines, accentuated with soaring three part vocal harmonies. On top of this, they add effect-driven guitar solos, heavy rhythmic improvisation, beat boxing and even the occasional sitar interlude.
If you don’t want to miss a single beat of Winter Carnival at The Waterhole, consider purchasing a Week Pass for $76. This pass guarantees access to every ticketed event and saves you $24. Tickets are available for purchase on the Waterhole website saranaclakewaterhole.com and in person by stopping into the bar. As always, the Waterhole is a 21+ venue.
Lake George Winter’s Dream is putting winter magic and wonders on full display this year, inviting you to experience winter like never before in peaceful Lake George. Winter’s Dream officially opens to the public on Friday, Dec. 8.
Lake George Winter’s Dream is a brand-new immersive and interactive multimedia experience created and produced by the award-winning multidisciplinary studio Moment Factory, which created more than 500 unique projects worldwide. This new attraction will unfold in the courtyard of the Fort William Henry historic fortress. Visitors are invited on an immersive journey, exploring a series of installations along a pathway where lights, sounds, original music, and video content bring winter to life in a new way.
They can participate in the experience through a mix of cutting-edge interactive technology and old-fashioned fun. Inspired by the warmth and shared joys of the winter season, it engages the senses, offering the perfect setting for a unique outing with family and friends. Lake George Winter’s Dream is meant for the entire family, with children and adults equally enjoying the magic of winter. Both events are supported by Warren County Tourism / Lake George Area and the Warren County Coalition.
We are thrilled to bring people together to experience the enchantment and fun of a Lake George winter. The excitement is palpable as ticket sales continue throughout the Northeast and even spanning continents. There was a ticket sale all the way from Africa! We can’t wait for people to experience the magic of winter in a whole new way in Lake George.
Warren County Coalition Chairman Vincent Crocitto II.
Isaac Mizrahi returns to the famed Café Carlyle in Manhattan with his show, “Mizrahi on Ice,” from February 6-17, 2024.
Accompanied by his band of jazz musicians led by Ben Waltzer, Mizrahi will perform a range of tunes from Arthur Freed to Grace Jones. His previous residencies in the room were sellouts, receiving widespread critical acclaim.
The New York Times noted, “he qualifies as a founding father of a genre that fuses performance art, music and stand-up comedy.”
Isaac Mizrahi has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as a performer, host, writer, designer and producer for over 30 years. Along with his annual residency at Café Carlyle, Isaac has performed at various venues across the country such as Joe’s Pub, The Regency Ballroom, several City Winery locations nationwide and comes to the Carlyle fresh from a United States tour and his run as Amos Hart in the Broadway production of CHICAGO.
He is the subject and co-creator of Unzipped, a documentary following the making of his Fall 1994 collection which received an award at the Sundance Film Festival. He hosted his own television talk show, “The Isaac Mizrahi Show” for seven years, has written three books, and has made countless appearances in movies and on television. He served as a judge on Project Runway: All-Stars for the series’ entire seven-season run and. is just completing his first season of his record breaking podcast, HELLO ISAAC. The series can be streamed on iHeart radio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Café Carlyle is located in The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (35 East 76th Street, at Madison Avenue). Tucked behind a Madison Avenue doorway, Café Carlyle welcomes its guests into a classic cabaret setting where incredible talent and music are paired with New York elegance and style, yet in an updated way. Originally opened in 1955, Café Carlyle is known for headlining incredible talent through the years – from classic performers such as Elaine Stritch and Eartha Kitt to more modern-day acts such as Jon Batiste, Isaac Mizrahi, Jeff Goldblum, Jill Kargman, Katharine McPhee, Dianna Agron, Alan Cumming, Debbie Harry and Rita Wilson. Café Carlyle, the New York City bastion of classic cabaret entertainment, continues to draw socialites, politicians and celebrities into its distinguished and glamorous setting.
Tickets are available online via Tock. General Seating: $140 per person / Premium Seating: $190 per person / Bar Seating: $110 per person.
The Screaming Orphans transformed The Roslyn Cellar into their living room on Sunday, December 3, inviting audience members into their family’s Christmas celebrations during their Mini Christmas Tour.
The Diver sisters, from left to right, Angela, Joan, Gráinne, and Marie Thérèse, performing at The Roslyn Cellar at 3:00 pm on December 3 as part of their Mini Christmas Tour.
The Screaming Orphans consist of the Diver sisters, Angela (bass, violin and vocals), Joan (drums and vocals), Gráinne (guitarist and vocals), and Marie Thérèse (keys, accordion, and vocals). The four sisters from Donegal aim to have their familiar bond transpire within audience members during performances.
“For a lot of our shows, we want people to feel like they’re in our sitting room. Or we’re in the house or kitchen and just having a sing-song,” guitarist Gráinne stated.
Within minutes of their performance, The Roslyn Cellar was quickly transformed into the Diver sisters’ living room. After their first song, a cover of “Merry Christmas Everyone,” the sisters informed the audience that they bought their sparkly holiday / concert attire for a steal at just $14.99 from Marshalls! The Screaming Orphans transformed into your best friend letting you in on the latest holiday deals.
For a lot of our shows, we want people to feel like they’re in our sitting room.
Or we’re in the house or kitchen and just having a sing-song
Gráinne Diver, guitarist and vocalist of Screaming Orphans
In the true fashion of Christmas, the Screaming Orphans continued to tell stories and reminisce throughout the afternoon performance. Guitarist Gráinne recollected on when her family would drive down to Germany for Christmas. On one particular Christmas, they drove from Germany to Austria, to the place where Silent Night was written. While Gráinne joked about how silly the journey was, given they drove in the snow without snow tires and that all the sisters wore ankle socks instead of boots in the freezing cold, she also noted the divine beauty of it all.
The revered beauty of the site transpired in the sister’s cover of “Silent Night.” Their haunting harmonies melted together into a wintery vortex’s siren call. The harmonies amplified when they switched from English to German midway through the song, harking back to the birthplace of the lyrics.
The sisters’ signature harmonies were truly highlighted in the slower, stripped back covers of the night. Songs like “O Holy Night” and “That Night in Bethlehem,” which was sung in Irish Gaelic, showcased the sister’s range of harmonies.
Angela (left) and Joan (right) Diver singing their rendition of The Turtles “Happy Together,” which is featured on the Screaming Orphans’s 2019 album Life in a Carnival.
But like all great Christmas parties, there also had to be some good craic. Songs like “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake,” a song describing a horrific fruit cake that is sure to work up a fine stomach ache, resulted in cackling from the crowd. Lyrics weren’t the only culprit of good craic on December 3 though. So were the Screaming Orphans’s unique take on classic Christmas carols. Synthesizer, for instance, was added to the start of “We Three Kings.” The result was a time-traveling song that sounded futuristic yet nostalgic all at once.
The Screaming Orphans’s signature sound, melodic old-school pop with heavy folk influences, radiates throughout their cover of “We Three Kings.” Their signature sound allows the Screaming Orphans to reinvent these Christmas classics as well as to create new ones. The sisters played original songs “Song We Used to Sing” and “Bells,” the later of which is featured on their 2021 Happy Christmas Vol. 1 album.
The Screaming Orphans hinted at new original songs as well as a cover of “Christmas Wrapping” to appear on their Happy Christmas Vol. 2 album. The second volume is rumored to be released next December. Gráinne stated she hopes there will be not only a volume two but a volume three, four, and five! “We fully intend to do more,” she stated.
To close out their set, The Screaming Orphans kicked it into high-gear with a Christmas Eve reel. The energy continued and skyrocketed during their encore, which included their renditions of “Happy Together” and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Notably the chorus of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles” was changed from “Da d-da da” to “Shot of Vodka.” Here, the gears shifted to a full-blown folk rock concert Drummer Joan was throwing her long blonde hair from side to side as she belted out the lyrics with unparalleled passion. One might have easily forgotten they were at a Christmas concert and jumped straight to St. Patrick’s Day. The result, a standing ovation.
Gráinne (left) and Marie Thérèse Diver (right) perform their encore set, which consists of their covers of “Happy Together” and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”
The stormy Irish weather may have followed the Screaming Orphans from Donegal to The Roslyn Center in New York, but the rain certainly did not damper their spirits. Respite from the storm was found in their Christmas carols as the sisters invited audience members into their home.
The Screaming Orphans will be back at The Roslyn Center, located at 19 Bryant Avenue, Roslyn. They’ll return in March for St. Patrick’s Day. The exact date of their concert at The Roslyn Center is scheduled to be announced soon. To view tickets for their other tour dates, click here. Until then, fans can check out the sisters’ recent album Paper Daises, which was released this past August.
Setlist: Merry Christmas Everybody, Blue Christmas, Wishing You a Merry Christmas, O Holy Night, Christmas Time is Here, Jingle Bells, Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake, Ho Ho Ho, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Song We Used to Sing, Bells, That Night in Behtlehem, Happy XMas (War is Over), We Three Kings, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Frosty the Snowman, Silent Night, Sleigh, Fleiz Navidad, Fairytale of New York, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Christmas Eve Reel
Rochester surf-rock outfit Harmonica Lewinski released their newest album, SUPER HOT, on November 24. Recorded in analog style on a Tascam reel-to-reel machine, the album showcases 12 tracks with a fun groove and creative tone.
Harmonica Lewinski formed in 2012 in Rochester. The group cites a distinct blend of surf-rock, disco, and punk that inspires their new EP. Since their first release, Good Vibes/Bad Vibes released in 2012, the five-piece band has dropped eight full-length releases, with SUPER HOT marking their first since their 2021 EP Lost Weekend.
Largely focused on instrumentals, SUPER HOT marks an investigation of funky, groovy disco-rock beats. The album was recorded on a Tascam reel-to-reel machine, an analog tape recorder that dates back to the 1980s.
A key track on the record, “Burgundy Bandit” is a groovy, methodical track to open the album. Led by the commanding bass line and meandering guitar melodies, the track introduces Harmonica Lewinski’s style and strongly holds listeners’ attention for its four and a half minute instrumental run.
“Shadow Sequence,” the fifth track on SUPER HOT, diverts slightly from the groovy, meandering tone that the majority of the record follows. Beginning with an alternative, syncopated rhythm, the vocals are reminiscent of an excitable Orville Peck. The track is relatively short with only two minutes and change, but is certainly a strong point in the EP.
Finally, “Cakewalk” is introduced by a solo bass line supported by a steady, rhythmic drum kick and vocals. Again, this track is only about two minutes, but after a few listens the guitar melody will get caught in your head.
SUPER HOT is a proficient review of funky, bass-driven surf rock. Though many of the tracks get lost in each other due to similarity in overall sound, this doesn’t detract from the clear skill and fun listening experience from the whole album. SUPER HOT is available on all streaming services and Harmonica Lewinski on BandCamp.
Darlene Love fans shared a special moment with the singer during her “Love for the Holidays” concert at New York’s Town Hall on Thursday, November 30 when Bruce Springsteen came on stage to present Darlene with an RIAA platinum album plaque for A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, the groundbreaking multi-artist wall-of-sound holiday collection that introduced Darlene’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” to the world in 1963.
Bruce Springsteen and Darlene Love at New York’s Town Hall, Thursday, November 30, 2023
Photo Credit: Sachyn Mital
Springsteen called Darlene “my forever crush” while singling out “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” as “the absolute greatest Christmas rock ‘n’ roll song of all time” and acknowledging “that song and Darlene have been a part of our holidays for 60 years.”
Darlene Love at New York’s Town Hall, Thursday, November 30, 2023 Photo Credit: Sachyn Mital
“When we recorded it, we had no idea it would be a song that people would play for over 60 years,” says Love, laughing. “But it’s a great song. It’s something that had never been done before: It’s a great Christmas song and a rock ‘n roll Christmas song. I never get tired of singing it. And I never really get tired of singing it because I only do it at Christmas time.”
Darlene Love at New York’s Town Hall, Thursday, November 30, 2023 Photo Credit: Sachyn Mital
Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” single has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA as of April 7, 2023. Originally released November 22, 1963 on Philles Records, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector is currently available through Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Brooklyn electro-rapper Aly G has released her catchy new single “Super Power.” The single tells personal stories of fighting through various traumas, asserting that womanhood is the strongest power one could wield.
An Ohio native, Alyson started freestyling while at college in Wisconsin, the rhymes spontaneously popping into her head. With her MFA in creative writing, she moved to NYC and built up a following as a singer-songwriter, until one night at a hip hop club, she realized who she was: Aly G. Incorporating beatboxing into her performances, along with covers of her fave 90s rap classics, she gained attention from The New Yorker and HuffPost for her innovative genre-blending and high energy performances. She has also recorded her own renditions of LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ and Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’.
Inspired by Lauryn Hill, Saul Williams, Santigold, and Salt-N-Pepa, she began writing material that personified the fun-loving, colorful swagger of Aly G, including the hilarious true story about a friend’s unfortunate celeb experience ‘Michael Cera C*ckblocked Me at SXSW’. Twice featured at The American Beatboxing Championships (earning props from Rahzel from The Roots), she has performed alongside artist /actress Awkwafina and visionary emcee Jean Grae.
Alyson’s music and original compositions have been featured on Fox, Lifetime, AOL, WNYC, and in TV/films including Conception, Super Sleuths, Creatures of Comfort, Dance Moms and The American Templars. She also founded NYC’s Tinderbox Music Festival, showcasing over 100 emerging female musicians from around the world in its four-year run, garnering press from The New York Times, Time Out New York, Billboard, Glamour and more.
Alyson is also part of POLYVOX, a duo with Joe McGinty (Psychedelic Furs), creator and curator of NYC’s famed Loser’s Lounge. Earning praise from NYC’s The Deli, Greenfield was also one of the first five artists chosen to record at Converse’s Rubber Tracksstudio in Brooklyn.
This single follows Aly G’s debut single “Build It Up,” which claps back at the urban renewal trend and increasing gentrification in Brooklyn, showcasing her socially conscious NYC vibe and rapid-fire delivery.
“Super Power” is all about focusing on women’s strengths and powers. Women are certainly not given enough credit for the strength they have to have to carry life. Even just growing up as a woman in America is so vastly different from growing up as a man in America: a man’s strengths can be a woman’s weakness. This song perfectly captures that imbalance we face.
“In the track I say, ‘Anything you can do, I can do bleeding / My body can sustain life through a feeding.’ We don’t have to be able to sprout webs from our fingers or fly through the air in order to do superhuman things, because as women we already have the power to do and face impossible things just by being who and what we are.”
