42 North Brewing Company and Holiday Valley Resort have announced their partnership to celebrate the third annual Hilltap Festival at Holiday Valley on July 2nd. From 12pm-9pm this outstanding festival fuses music, craft beer, and outdoor adventure atop the mountain at Spruce Lake.
The Hilltap Festival will kick off with Kody & Herren bringing their roots from Springville, NY as the opening act. Following the guitarists will be the Buffalo-based Ten Cent Howl. The folk band is renowned for their up-tempo, Americana sound. Ionic band, The Probables will be giving a special performance at the base of the mountain for the closing act. Fans can expect to hear their bluegrass, rock and contemporary sounds at the festival as part of their 2023 Destination Tour.
“This is one of our favorite events of the year. There is no better place to merge craft beer, roots music, and adventure. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind venue”
-John Cimperman, 42 North Brewery Founder
Festival attendees will park at the Tannenbaum Lodge and take a chair lift ride to the top of the mountain. Once everyone has arrived at the mountain, a full day of music and adventure can be enjoyed along with thrilling activities such as mountain biking, stand up paddleboarding (SUP), and ax throwing. Furthermore, attendees can fill their stomachs at Fat Bob’s BBQ and Villagio.
Presale tickets are $40, same day tickets are $45 and $50 if you want to transport a mountain bike on the chairlift. Admission provides a lift ride to Spruce Lake, a full day of music, and access to the vendors and demos. Children ten and under are admitted for free if they’re accompanied by a paying adult.
More information about about the Hilltap festival and tickets can be found here.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm 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, Jim Cesare, North Side Sound and Leyeux
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.
Jim Cesare “Away We Go”
North Side Sound “Take my Time”
For fans of rock, indie, reggae, or funk, North Side Sound, a band out of Albany formed in 2020 and create genre bending music, releasing their EP Take My Time, January 2022.
Leyeux “Tightrope”
Leyeux (Jack Snyder) was born and raised in Central Vermont. He began drumming at the age of 8, and performed as a singer and guitarist in high school, playing drums in the school jazz band and other professional gigs. From 2013-2015 he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and joined the a capella group Pitch Slapped, which competed and won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in the Spring of 2014.
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.
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 21st.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.
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.
The band will have two consecutive New York shows, first on July 29 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts followed by the Darien Lake Amphitheater on July 30, and their third performance in the empire state will be on Sept. 20 at the MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport. The performances follow the release of the band’s latest EP, What If I, due for release June 2.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Credit: Danny Clutch.
The band is also slated to appear at Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend, Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration, and Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson & Family. See below for full tour routing.
Rateliff grew up in Missouri and his career spans more than two decades. His music career began with his first band, Born in the Flood, followed by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Wheel, which only released one album in 2007, after which he released three solo albums: In Memory of Loss (2010), Falling Faster Than You Can Run (2013) and And It’s Still Alright (2020.) The Night Sweats released their self-titled debut album in 2015, and have released a total of three albums, most recently 2021’s The Future.
The title track of What If I will have audiences anxious and ready to hear more music by The Night Sweats. The track’s lyrics speak to audiences at a crossroads in their lives, wondering “what if.” What if I’m taking too long? What if I just quit tomorrow? Listen to the track here.
What If I will feature four previously unreleased songs recorded during The Future sessions as well as a newly written and recorded track called “Buy My Round.” All songs on What If I were produced by Bradley Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby, The War on Drugs) and R.M.B.—the production trio of Rateliff, Meese, and James Barone (Beach House). In addition, the track “Slow Pace of Time” features The Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s leader and clarinetist, Charlie Gabriel.
Tickets to see Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats on their world tour, which includes three performances at New York music venues, go on sale April 21 at 10 a.m.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Live
April 29-April 30—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl * May 12—Miramar Beach, FL—Seascape Resort June 3—Chattanooga, TN—Riverbend Festival June 4—Lexington, KY—Railbird Music Festival June 16—Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom—Black Deer Festival June 18—Landgraaf, The Netherlands—Pinkpop Festival June 20—Cologne, Germany—Live Music Hall † June 21—Berlin, Germany—Huxley’s Neue Welt † Jun 23—Vienna, Austria—Arena Wien Open Air † June 25—Munich, Germany—Backstage Werk † June 26—Zürich, Switzerland—Kaufleuten † June 28—Paris, France—Cabaret Sauvage † June 29—Rotselaar, Belgium—Rock Werchter July 2—Ferrara, Italy—Comfort Festival July 3—Milan, Italy—Magnolia Open Ai July 6—Madrid, Spain—Mad Cool Festival July 7—Algés, Portugal—Nos Alive July 23—Redmond, OR—Fairwell Festival July 28—Columbia, MD—Merriweather Post Pavilion ‡ July 29—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center For The Arts ‡ July 30—Darien Center, NY—Dairen Lake Amphitheater ‡ August 1—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE § August 3—Grand Rapids, MI—GLC Live at 20 Monroe § August 4—Rochester Hills, MI—Meadow Brook Amphitheatre § August 5—Columbus, OH—KEMBA Live! August 7—Madison, WI—The Sylvee § August 9-10—Chicago, IL—The Salt Shed § August 12—Minneapolis, MN—Surly Brewing Festival Field § August 15—Moorhead, MN—Bluestem Amphitheater § August 18-19—Missoula, MT—Kettlehouse Amphitheater || August 22-23—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre || September 16—Asbury Park, NJ—Sea Hear Now Festival September 19—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica September 20—Newport, KY—MegaCorp Pavilion September 22—Milwaukee, WI—BMO Pavilion September 24—Franklin, TN—Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival September 26—Asheville, NC—ExploreAsheville.com Arena # September 27—Raleigh, NC—Red Hat Amphitheater # September 30—Bridgeport, CT—Sound On Sound Music Festival October 1—Ocean City, MD—Oceans Calling Festival
* Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration † with William the Conqueror ‡ with Willie Nelson & Family § with Thee Sacred Souls || with Waxahatchee # with Sierra Ferrell
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 12th. 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 14th, 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.
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.
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.
Urbano Street announced their U Street Music Festival, inviting people of all ages with an appreciation for street art, culture, and vinyl to celebrate record store day and the return of live music. The all-day festival will be on April 22 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY on Suydam St. between Irving Ave and Knickerbocker Ave.
The U Street Festival will feature two stages that serve as a discovery platform for multicultural and non-commercial musicians and street artists. Stars such as Rebelmatic, La Sazound, Dubcorps, Spite Fuxxx, Chico Raro, Tambor y Caña, Hecho en Brooklyn, Eclectic Charango Beats, Prince of Queens, Jah Point, Vee Vee, and Wild Roots will take the stage. The festival also emphasizes the long-standing record of street culture and urban art, focusing on BIPOC artists who enrich New York City. U Street is on a mission to support underground and alternative artists in the independent space.
U Street Music Fest is the first street event of its kind, no one has ever attempted to bring subcultural music communities together before. Think of it as a cumbia punky reggae party on the streets of Brooklyn.
– Diana Hernandez, Urbano Street Lead Organizer
The music festival will expose local talent while also celebrating the diversity of its vibrant community which is largely made up of immigrants from Latin America. Although the neighborhood has recently battled gentrification-related tensions, the U Street Music Festival strives to cultivate collaboration uniting its residents with Bushwick’s artistic roots. They also hope to help bridge the generational and socio-economic gap between old and new members of the community.
Urbano Street is a nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers, music lovers, and donors. Whilst focusing on BIPOC artists who enrich New York City. Urbano Street is on a mission to support underground and alternative artists in the independent space, opening doors for underrepresented musicians by bringing them to urban places and shooting music videos, a passport to more gigs, press, and opportunities.
More information about the non-profit organization can be accessed here.
