Bruce Springsteen performed a tour de force at the Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Wednesday, April 5th. Being just down Interstate 90 from Buffalo, many fans that couldn’t attend the sold out Buffalo show took the road trip three hours west to Cleveland.
Springsteen set the tone for the evening with a powerful performance of “No Surrender.” The Boss and his E Street Band set the tone for the evening with a passionate rendition that left the audience eagerly anticipating what was to come. What followed was a show that showcased Springsteen’s immense talent and musical prowess, and left the crowd spellbound.
Bruce Springsteen’s connection to his audience was palpable from the first note, as he masterfully worked the stage and engaged with the crowd throughout the night. The setlist was a perfect blend of old and new, with some surprises thrown in for good measure. Springsteen and his band delivered a night of music that had the audience on their feet, dancing and singing along to every word.
The band’s musicianship was exceptional, with each member delivering an outstanding performance. Bruce Springsteen’s voice was as powerful as ever, and his emotive guitar work filled the arena with sound. He seamlessly moved from one song to the next, delivering hit after hit. Some including “Ghosts,” “Prove It All Night,” “The Promised Land,” “Backstreets,” and “Badlands.”
One of the standout moments of the night was an emotionally charged performance of “Last Man Standing,” which Springsteen wrote for a close friend who had passed away. The song was a moving tribute that left the crowd in reflective silence. Springsteen’s musical prowess was further highlighted in “Last Man Standing” as he delivered a poignant and memorable performance.
The encore was a fitting end to a night that will be remembered by all who attended. Springsteen and his band delivered a medley of hits, including “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “Thunder Road.” The crowd sang and danced along, showing their appreciation for a performance that will be talked about for years to come.
Bruce Springsteen’s performance at the Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland was nothing short of exceptional. Springsteen proved that he is still one of the greatest musicians of our time, with a performance that was both powerful and passionate. The Boss and his E Street Band left the crowd wanting more, and provided a night of music that will be remembered for years to come. Bruce Springsteen has proven he still has it at 73 years young.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Maestro Daniel Hege, will begin its 2023-24 season this September and conclude the following, and a special four-night Phelps Mansion Museum Series will be featured in the new season. The new Phelps Mansion Museum series will consist of four Sunday afternoon chamber music concerts sponsored by Garufi Law, P.C. This year’s Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra season will be sponsored by Visions Federal Credit Union and include both the M&T Bank Symphonic Series and the Pops Series.
Sept. 30 begins the M&T Symphonic Series with “Beethoven’s Fifth,” featuring Aaron Copland’s Variations on a Shaker Melody, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto with cello soloist Annie Jacobs-Perkins, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Towards the end of the season, on April 6, “Roman Holiday,” will explore Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, and Ottorino Respighi’s monumental Pines of Rome. Kids 17 and under get in free to all Symphonic Series concerts. Kids 17 and under get in free to all Symphonic Series concerts thanks to M&T Bank.
Annie Jacobs-Perkins, the opening performer for the M&T Bank Symphonic Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
The Pops Series features programs to delight music fans of all ages and on Oct. 28, “Phantom of the Philharmonic,” is full of surprises. “Other Worlds: Superheroes, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi,” towards the end of the series on May 4 explores music across the genres, from Black Panther and Avatar to Game of Thrones, ET, among others. Thanks to Visions Federal Credit Union, kids 17 and under get in free to all Pops Series concerts.
Poster for Phantom of the Philharmonic, the opening show for the Pops Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
General admission for the new Garufi Law, P.C. Phelps Mansion Museum Series begins Sunday, Oct. 15. with the Juilliard Honors Chamber Music Program’s Marian String Quartet. Internationally acclaimed soprano Robin Johannsen will be joined by Philharmonic pianist Tomoko Kanamaru on Dec. 3. The series continues into the new year, when the Castalia String Quartet, led by Philharmonic Concertmaster Uli Speth, performs on Feb. 11. The new series concludes on March 10 with violinist Melissa White and pianist Pallavi Mahidhara.
The Marion String Quartet, the opening group for the Phelps Mansion Museum Series. Credit: Binghamton Philarmonic Orchestra.
The Binghamton Philharmonic, founded by cellist/conductor Fritz Wallenberg and his wife, violinist Marianne Wallenberg in 1955, is the Southern Tier’s largest and longest-serving symphony orchestra. It was originally founded as the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society, with the goal of providing the Southern Tier of New York with live, full-scale orchestral works. The orchestra unionized following Fritz Wallenberg’s 1976 retirement, becoming fully professional, and after its merger with the BC Pops (an orchestra formed in 1974 by Russell Hawkes and violinist/conductor David Agard), in 1996, became the Binghamton Philharmonic. Since 2016, Maestro Daniel Hege has led the Binghamton Philharmonic (as Principal Guest Conductor for his first two seasons, and as Music Director since 2018). Serving 10,000+ people annually, the Binghamton Philharmonic connects professional musicians with audiences to stimulate the economy and expand music’s possibilities for a broad listenership both within and beyond the concert hall.
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra is generously supported by the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation (Wells Fargo); the Community Foundation of South Central New York; the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation; the New York State Council on the Arts; Tioga Downs Regional Community Foundation; the Victor and Ester Rozen Foundation; and the United Cultural Fund of the Broome County Arts Council. The Philharmonic’s extensive Educational and Community Engagement programming is underwritten by IBM.
Flushing Town Hall has announced their monthly series of Mini-Global Mashup concerts fusing Brazilian and Chinese culture. On April 16, Brazilian artists Rogério Boccato and Vitor Gonçalves will perform alongside the Chinese guzheng artist Wei Sun. Fans can enjoy the series at Northern Boulevard at Linden Place in Queens.
The Mini-Global Mashup was curated by acclaimed klezmer trumpeter Frank London. The concert series will showcase various types of cultural music and unexpected collaborations that create new and spontaneous sounds.
“Our mini–Global Mashups are unique every time – they bring together artists from different parts of the globe who have never played together before with an intimate experience for the audience.”
-Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director
Rogério Boccato has been featured on three Grammy-award-winning albums including Kurt Elling & Danilo Perez‘s “Secrets Are The Best Stories,” “The Thompson Fields,” with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, and Billy Childs’ “Rebirth.” He has also contributed to projects led by stellar jazz artists known as Maria Schneider, John Patitucci, Fred Hersch, Brian Blade, Kurt Elling, Danilo Perez, and Renee Rosnes. Boccato is a longtime member of the “Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo”and has played with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hermeto Pascoal, Milton Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti, João Bosco, Joe Zawinul, etc. Apart from his spectacular performances, Boccato teaches Brazilian Music and Ritmica at the Manhattan School of Music, NYU, and the University of Hartford.
Vitor Gonçalves is a pianist, accordionist, and composer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2012, Gonçalves moved to New York City following a prominent career in Brazil, playing with such icons as Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Itiberê Zwarg, etc. Since his arrival to the city, Gonçalves has added more success to his resume by performing at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, the Jazz Gallery, the Newport Jazz Festival, NPR’s Jazz Night in America, and The New York Times. Gonçalves also frequently collaborated with members of New York’s jazz scene, such as Anat Cohen, Vinícius Cantuária, Anthony Wilson, Cyro Baptista, and Yotam Silberstein.
Wei Sun is a young guzheng artist who began her journey at the age of six in China. It was no surprise that Sun was quickly drawn to the music industry due to being born into a family of musicians. In China she was a certified senior teacher of guzheng and a member of the China National Instrumental Association and the International Guzheng Association. In 2016, Sun moved to the United States as a guzheng performer and teacher at the CBA Cultural and Arts Center. Sun is now the principal performer of guzheng of the Chinese National Orchestra in New York. She’s also performed at the Lincoln Center, United Nations, Columbia University, Flushing Town Hall, Queens College Art Center, and more. Sun has also cultivated success by cofounding the trio bands, StringsW and Miss, holding a concert at Carnegie Hall in 2017, and performing on the Broadway musical show “Noble Family” in 2022.
Flushing Town Hall presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens, New York. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, they are on a mission to inspire an appreciation for art and culture by supporting local, immigrant, national, and international artists. Flushing Town Hall is also a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG). The Town Hall celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz by showcasing the finest in jazz performances.
For the more information about Flushing Town Hall’s 2023 Spring events, visit here.
Hudson Valley based indie rock-folk band Setting Sun has just announced their sixth full-length studio album in ten years, The Feelings Cure due out on May 19th.
Alongside the announcement, the band shares a brand-new hit single “Feelings Cure,” along with an accompanying music video. Setting Sun will also be playing live in Woodstock for their official album release show the day before the album drops.
The single “Feelings Cure” aims to resist feelings of pain and sadness through music. Levitt says the track is about “denial and playing music and finding a cure for sadness or pain.” Written three months into the start of the pandemic, Levitt was forced to confront the reality of diving back into music, only this time, in quarantine with his wife and toddler which presented new challenges.
“Setting Sun create an Arcade Fire urgency, creating sweeping orchestrations, driving rhythms”
–Pop Matters
Levitt adds, “It took a while to be able to turn on the creativity at will according to the clock, but I found it was actually possible. The limitations made me more productive. This song was one of the first I recorded for the new record and maybe it helped get out some of that frustration from being forced into a new life and future not made by my choice.”
The band Setting Sun, led by songwriter Gary Levitt, began in San Francisco where the band’s first release, holed up, was recorded in 2003. From there, Levitt moved to Los Angeles, then to Brooklyn and now resides in the Hudson Valley.
With their newest, and most comprehensive body of work yet, Setting Sun is ready to re-introduce themselves to society. In the band’s current state, joining Levitt are long-time collaborators Lawrence Roper (keyboards, vocals), Jonathan Hambright (drums) and John Burdick(bass/vocals).
The Feelings Cure was recorded like no other Setting Sun record, diligently. Explaining the creative process and creating the album while now being a father, Levitt says,“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get in the creative zone with set times of having to turn creativity on and off like a switch. I used to write and record in creative blasts when I felt it come on like a wave or virus. Having kids forced me to write, record, and mix in the gaps of being a father and the maturity shows on this record.”
Over 10 rich tracks, Levitt turns inward to blend genres and juxtapose upbeat instrumentals and production with melancholic lyrics. Unafraid to take risks and allowing himself to create without reserve, the album chronicles Levitt further discovering himself and his artistry, culminating in the band’s most realized work to date.
While producing the album, Levitt learned to listen to himself and how he was feeling to best use his time and play to his strengths. “I produced this record myself in my studio and enlisted friends to lay down some tracks like drums, harmonies, violins, etc. One trick I learned is to be aware of my mood. If I wasn’t feeling a creative wave, I’d then do some mixing. If I was in the creative zone, I’d sit and write and record a part to one of the songs.”
The creative process became casual, free-flowing and unforced. Levitt says, “Most of the sounds you hear on this record were written and recorded simultaneously, so you’re getting the raw thing, not a reenactment of the moment it was written, this is the moment.”
Setting Sun will celebrate the release of their first album in ten years with a show at Colony in Woodstock on May 18th. The following month, the band will perform at Riverside Concerts in Germantown on June 15th.
Tickets for the release show are on sale, to purchase click the link here.
To pre-order The Feelings Cure, click the link here.
For more music by Setting Sun, click the link here.
Soulshine Market has announced that the second annual Shinefest will be held on June 17 at Bullville Park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m, in Bullville, NY, nestled in the Catskill Mountains, 30 minutes west of Newburgh.
The festival will feature activities for all ages including an inflatable house, craft tables, cornhole, live music, food, and vendors. Throughout the day, Shinefest will showcase a variety of local talent, as it did last year.
TEL The Poet, a local performer at last year’s Shinefest. Shinefest will continue to showcase local talent at this year’s festival. Photo Credit: Soulshine Market.
Shinefest was first held last year at the start of summer at Bullville Park, the same time and location as this year’s festival, and welcomed a variety of musical guests including Kieran McGee, REL The Poet, and more. This year, the event will kick off with a performance by local musician Dewey, followed by performances by Kevin Thomas, Caswyn Moon & Faith Kelly, Prize Fighter, The Blue Hearts Band, Kieran Mcgee, Jacob Kantner, and The Bunker Boys. The main headliner will be announced later this month.
All proceeds for this year’s Shinefest will go to Hudson Valley Honor Flight. For more information click here.
Soulshine Market is a food vendor for Shinefest. Photo credit: Soulshine Market.
Shinefest is hosted with support from Soulshine Market, a food vendor for the festival. Soulshine Market is a family-owned local health food store located at the foot of the Shawangunk Mountains, providing the best in nourishing food, supplements, and gift items for healthy living. The market uses organic and local produce whenever possible, and is committed to using only the cleanest ingredients, including their own sauces and dressings, and several GMO-free, vegan, and gluten-free items are available on their menu.
Tickets for this year’s Shinefest at Bullville Park are “pay as you go” and available now.
Heavy Metal band W.A.S.P. has announced their newest tour, The 40th Never Stops World Tour 2023. This 33-city run kicks off in Wheatland, CA, on Saturday, August 5, and includes a stop at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY, on Saturday, August 26.
W.A.S.P. are known for their controversial lyrics, style and performances. Notorious for its raunchy and, at times, shocking live shows. W.A.S.P. were known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack, and to also hurl raw meat into the audience.
Despite their music being banned in multiple countries, W.A.S.P. persevered over the past 40 years, continuously recording and releasing music, touring with other metal legends like Iron Maiden and Metallica, and even making the occasional film cameo.
The 2023 North American tour comes following the band’s first U.S. tour in 10 years wrapping up in 2022, ending with 18 sold-out shows. The tour was selected by Metal Edge as one of the 10 Best Hard Rock and Metal Tours of 2022 and one of the 22 Memorable Rock Tours of 2022 by Ultimate Classic Rock. BraveWords writers listed the tour as the Top Concert of 2022 and selected by the Detroit radio station WRIF as one of the Top Concerts of 2022.
W.A.S.P. is currently playing off their massive European leg of the 2022 40th Anniversary World Tour, with upcoming shows taking place in Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and more before wrapping on May 18 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.
For more information, and to purchase tickets please visit W.A.S.P.’s website.
THE 40TH NEVER STOPS WORLD TOUR 2023 DATES:
Fri Aug 04 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theatre *
Sat Aug 05 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento
Mon Aug 07 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Tue Aug 08 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre *
Thu Aug 10 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
Fri Aug 11 – Spokane, WA – The Podium
Sat Aug 12 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center
Sun Aug 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Tue Aug 15 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
Wed Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus
Thurs Aug 17 – Moline, IL – The Rust Belt *
Fri Aug 18 – Eau Claire, WI – RCU Theater *
Sat Aug 19 – Clive, IA – Horizon Events Center *
Sun Aug 20 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
Tue Aug 22 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe
Wed Aug 23 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre
Thu Aug 24 – Wheeling, WV – Capitol Theatre *
Fri Aug 25 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater *
Sat Aug 26 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun Aug 27 – Hampton, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Tue Aug 29 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome At Oakdale Theatre
Wed Aug 30 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
Thu Aug 31 – Warren, OH – Packard Music Hall *
Fri Sep 01 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
Sun Sep 03 – Montreal, QC – Mtelus
Tue Sep 05 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Thu Sep 07 – Memphis, TN – The Soundstage at Graceland
Fri Sep 08 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
Sat Sep 09 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Sun Sep 10 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Wed Sep 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre *
Fri Sep 14 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Sat Sep 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
When discussing the capital region’s vibrant post-COVID underground music scene, it’s impossible to ignore Troy’s No Fun. Founded in Dec. 2021 by August Rosa, originator of the Albany/Saratoga Springs craft beer business Pint Sized, the venue has quickly become a hotbed for DIY music in the capital area and greater northeast region.
More than just a place, Rosa views it as a project and a springboard for creativity in the area. “I built it here so we could have new and different artists come through,” he said. “I’m trying to involve the folks that I think have their head in the same place that want to bring new, challenging different artists to the capital region.” While Rosa initially intended for No Fun to be an extension of his first enterprise, he’s enjoyed seeing the space take a life of its own.
Performance by Algonquin singers/drummers The Medicine Singers at No Fun in September. (Photo credit: Rudy Lu)
Rosa fits the appearance of your prototypical mid-30s punk. He sports thick frame glasses and a brown beard, wearing a gray beanie, blue-yellow flannel, and gray jeans. Even though he scoffs a bit at his fashion sense, Rosa had an active eye for aesthetic when setting up the venue itself.
Made for 200 people, No Fun is an artsy yet minimalistic space, with a checkerboard floor, walls of white sheet rock, and a modest yet decently sized stage area in the back, complete with a disco ball. The single bathroom specifically emits a punk aesthetic, featuring a crude black paint jump and walls covered by graffiti and posters for future No Fun shows. Aspiring for a genuine atmosphere, Rosa modeled the space with DIY venues of NYC in mind. “I want it to feel like you’re more at an art space or your friend’s apartment than a business,” he said. “I think that’s resonated, for sure.”
While No Fun’s physical layout was very much intentional, Rosa feels its importance pales in comparison to the people actually occupying it. We’ve had packed houses on the regular here,” he said. “I think we’ve sold out about a dozen shows this year so far which is awesome.”
In terms of promotion and planning of shows, Rosa describes No Fun as a team effort. Describing his noteworthy act booking efforts, he mentions hauls such as NYC noise rock band A Place To Bury Strangers and global acts such as Algeria’s Imarhan and an upcoming show featuring Australia’s Surprise Chef. There’s Shane Sanchez, the frontrunner of Super Dark Collective, a capital region promotion which hosts shows on the grittier and experimental side. Rosa also credits Sanchez as having “amplified the hip-hop angle” at No Fun.
He additionally mentions bartender Shane Secor, the man behind promotion arm Hey Greasy!, shouting out his booking of Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers and his rock-and-roll and Rochester connections. Rosa also namedrops a couple peripheral figures such as Rachel Freeman, ex-runner of the Byrdhouse venue in Albany and current regional promoter through Byrdhouse Records. “I want to give massive credit to the team that I initially put in place here, and I’m so grateful that they’ve stuck around,” he said. “Between the people that were initially hired here, and the folks that evolved with it as it continued, the place wouldn’t be the same without them.”
Despite the hindrances of an Omicron-delayed beginning for No Fun, Rosa has found nothing but joy in the project so far, delighting in memorable and unique performances at the venue. He reminisces on hosting prolific New Jersey indie pop group Pinegrove and organizing for an interesting collaboration between Algonquin singers/drummers the Medicine Singers and members of legendary noise rock band Swans. “I’m seeing more of people just coming out to stuff where they’re like, ‘I saw some weird band that No Fun booked, it’s probably gonna be cool, I don’t know much about the band,’” said Rosa.
This same approach went into his program on Friday, March 3, a four-band showcase featuring some new and some native to the Capital District scene.
Tonight isn’t a sellout, but the crowd is still significant and full of enthusiasm. Up first is Aaron Wilson, co-owner of Herbie’s Burgers on Lark Avenue and tonight, frontman of a folk rock four-piece. The guitarist has long auburn hair and dons a light beard and glasses, singing about beer and romance. The five-song set starts upbeat before becoming wistful for a couple tracks, closing out with an energetic and quick number backed by thwacking drums.
Next is Binghamton dream pop act Pleasure Dome. They’re a six-piece with two keyboardists and one guitar, fronted by vocalist Cydney Edwards who softly sings over waves of reverb. Their six-track set ranges between slow, moody shoegaze and uptempo surf rock, featuring plaintive melodies. Their stage presence is expressive but not overzealous, inspiring dancing near the front of the crowd. “Tonight was really fun, but the venue is mislabeled because we had a good time,” said guitarist Brandon Musa after the performance.
Third is Precious Metals, a local alt-rock band. Lead vocalist J. Lee White reminisces of glam with frizzy brown locks and a jean jacket over a tank top, singing in a shrieky falsetto that harkens of Journey’s Steve Perry and Geddy Lee of Rush. The four-piece mixes groovy, urgent originals with covers such as Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness,” building the excitement and motion from the show’s earlier half.
Closing the night is singer-songwriter The Age, who steals the show. Age oscillates between blue-eyed soul and funk rock across his six song set, crooning Billboard-worthy melodies, dueling with his backing guitarist John Drabnik, interpolating Arctic Monkeys and the Outkast, and effortlessly engaging his audience. His four-man group’s musicianship is commendable and their enthusiasm is infectious, with the checkered tiles of No Fun becoming a dance floor by the second song. To finish, Age shreds the closing track in Purple Rain-esque fashion, capping off a magnetic performance.
The Age on March 3. (Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis) The Age on March 3. (Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis)
The scene at No Fun as the night ended is exactly what the venue is about: an excited swarm of people having enjoyed a wide-ranged and impassioned show of regional music over the course of three hours. Nights like these prove just how much the No Fun mission can pay off.
Rosa’s been patient, understanding that “just like anything, it takes time to develop your crowd, to have people feel comfortable to have them feel like the space is theirs.” If the space wasn’t theirs before, now it is.
Bryant Park Corporation has announced the 2023 lineup for its free summer performing arts series, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, happening from June 1 to Sept. 14.
Photo credit Chris Lee.
Located in Midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances has grown into one of the foremost outdoor performing arts festivals in New York City. Over 75,000 people attended last summer, and nearly half a million watched the live streaming of the free performances. The 2023 season features world-class local artists as well as performers from as far away as Italy, Colombia, Turkey, Finland, and South Africa. More than 20 shows from the 2023 season will be live-streamed for free on Bryant Park’s social media channels and website, reaching national and international audiences. Attendees may bring their own food or purchase from on-site food and beverage vendors near the Lawn.
“Bryant Park Picnic Performances is an uncommonly collaborative project that is meant to showcase the best of the arts in New York City,” says Dan Fishman, Vice President of Public Events at Bryant Park Corporation. “I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate New York than to provide a platform in partnership with the many cultural institutions – large and small – that make this city great.”
This summer, the New York City Opera will host a number of shows in Bryant Park, kicking off the picnic performances on June 1 at 7 p.m. with a one-night-only, staged, and costumed production of Puccini’s La Bohème with orchestral accompaniment, conducted by Maestro Joseph Rescigno. Later on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m., there will be a live music-supported production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville featuring members of the New York City Opera Orchestra. Tenor Alessandro Lora performs a special concert of Italian favorites on Aug. 19. Closing out the New York City Opera series is Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet on Sept. 8, starring Ekaterina Siurina and tenor Won Whi Choi.
New York City Opera, 2018, photo credit Angelito Jusay.
Different contemporary dance performances curated by Tiffany Rea-Fisher will take place in June, starting with Robin Dunn, Buddha Stretch, and Mr. Wiggles with additional artists TBA, marking 50 years of hip-hop dance on June 8. The next day brings Dance Heginbotham, a New York-based contemporary dance company founded in 2011 committed to supporting, producing, and sustaining the work of choreographer John Heginbotham, enriching national and international communities with its unique blend of inventive, thoughtful, and rigorous dance theater works. Two rising stars in contemporary dance, Terk Lewis and Kayla Farrish perform on June 15. Lewis began his formal ballet training at the age of 17 with Tony Calucci at The Dance Extension in Columbus, earning his BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University. He has choreographed his own commissioned works for The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, The Joffrey Ballet School, Black Boys Dance Too (Presented by Bryant Park NYC), and Western Michigan University.
Farrish is a Black American Director merging dance-theater, filmmaking, narrative, and sound score, receiving the Sundance Uprise Grant for Emerging BIPOC Directors, Bessie Awards for NYLA’s Motherboard Suite, the Harkness Promise Award for 2022, and more. The last contemporary dance performances feature two of New York’s extraordinary percussive dance artists, Soles of Duende and Josh Johnson on June 16. Soles of Duende is on a lifelong mission to elevate the joy and music of true collaboration across disciplines and the celebration of the forms they practice, based on the sounds of Tap (Amanda Castro), Flamenco (Arielle Rosales), and Kathak (Brinda Guha). Johnson is a Harlem native, who tap-danced on the trains of New York City to pay for college at Penn State University, going on to perform at many jazz clubs in the city, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, and has made multiple appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Kayla Farrish, photo by Sarah Annie Navarrete.
The Emerging Music Festival presented by Bryant Park and curated by AdHoc returns this summer with some of the best up-and-coming artists today. Starting June 23, THUS LOVE, Psymon Spine, and Katy Kirby grace the stage. THUS LOVE was founded in 2018 by three trans-multi-instrumentalists in Brattleboro, Vermont, Echo Marshall (she/her), Lu Racine (he/they), and Nathaniel van Osdol (they/them). The mission statement of the group is to amplify the voices of those who struggle, tackling weighty themes with startling intimacy and vulnerability. Brooklyn-based dance group Psymon Spine is comprised of Noah Prebish, Peter Spears, Brother Michael Rudinski, and Sabine Holler, taking inspiration from Talking Heads and Os Mutantes along with the rush of the NYC dance scene, fuzing psych-pop and post-punk.
Katy Kirby is an indie rock songwriter, with lyrics focusing on unspoken rules, misunderstandings of all kinds, and boredom, forming a band to work on recording a full-length record. The Emerging Music Festival’s final day on June 24 consists of Ky Vöss, Seramic, Miss Grit, Dead T00th, and More TBA. Vöss is an NYC-based American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, utilizing stark contrasting lyrics, striking visuals, and synthesized melodies to walk the line between otherworldly and deeply human. Seramic (Marcus Foster) showcases a powerfully unique and varied range of influences, releasing two critically acclaimed EPs, combining his love for Prince, gospel, & soul singers of the 70s and 80s mixed with 90’s hip hop and RnB. New York-based musician Margaret Sohn created Miss Grit to function as an outlet for their own analysis and expression of self, releasing their debut record Follow The Cyborg earlier this year.
Dead T00th is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band that has released several EPs, winning OWL Winter Madness (a 16-band, 5-week-long “battle of the bands” at Brooklyn’s legendary rooftop venue Our Wicked Lady). Other concerts include Shaina Taub and Friends on Aug. 11. Taub is an Obie Award-winning, Emmy Award-nominated songwriter and performer. She is an artist-in-residence at Joe’s Pub and at the Public Theater, where she wrote and starred in Suffs, garnering Drama League, Drama Desk, and Lortel Award nominations. She has three solo records released, created, and starred in critically acclaimed musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and As You Like It at Free Shakespeare in the Park, as part of their community-based program, Public Works, among many other accomplishments.
Psymon Spine.
On June 2, Jazzmobile brings trumpeter, Steve Oquendo, to lead a 19-musician Latin jazz orchestra. Other events include the Jalopy Theatre curating a three-part folk festival with bluegrass headliners Michael Daves Quartet Ft. Tony Trischka, Malian kora virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko, and lap steel guitarist Terrell King on June 30, the Classical Theatre of Harlem performing an abridged version of Langston in Harlem, five nights of music presented by Carnegie Hall Citywide, and more. For more information about the Bryant Park Picnic Performances, go here.
Schedule of Events
June 01 – New York City Opera: La Bohème – 7pm
June 02 – Jazzmobile: Steve Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra- 7pm
June 08 – Contemporary Dance: Robin Dunn and more TBA – 7pm
June 09 – Contemporary Dance: Artists TBA- 7pm
June 15 – Contemporary Dance: Terk Lewis + Kayla Farrish- 7pm
June 16 – Contemporary Dance: Soles of Duende + Josh Johnson – 7pm
June 23 – Emerging Music Festival: THUS LOVE, Psymon Spine, Katy Kirby – 7pm
June 24 – Emerging Music Festival: Ky Vöss, Seramic, Miss Grit, Dead T00th – 5pm
June 30 – Jalopy Theatre: Michael Daves Quartet ft. Tony Trischka, Yacouba Sissoko, Terrell King – 7pm
July 07 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra – 7pm
July 14 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Tessa Lark + Michael Thurber – 7pm
July 21 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Magos Herrera featuring The Knights – 7pm
July 28 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Champe-Soukous Collective – 7pm
August 03 – Ailey Moves NYC: Ailey II – 7pm
August 04 – Carnegie Hall Citywide: Ndlovu Youth Choir – 7pm
August 18 – New York City Opera: The Barber of Seville – 7pm
August 19 – New York City Opera: Alessandro Lora in Concert – 7pm
August 25 – Accordions Around the World: Diana Burco, Suistamon Sähkö, Ragini Ensemble – 7pm
August 26 – Roulette Intermedium: 75 Dollar Bill, Ka Baird, Additional Artist TBA – 7pm
September 01 – Classical Theatre of Harlem: Langston in Harlem – 7pm
September 07 – American Symphony Orchestra: American Expressions – 7pm
September 08 – New York City Opera: Romeo and Juliet – 7pm
September 09 – Drom: Gaye Su Akyol (U.S. Debut) – 7pm
September 14 – Harlem Stage: 40th Anniversary Celebration – 7pm
Reggae-pop band UB40 is celebrating its 45th anniversary with its “UB45” summer tour throughout July, which will stop at The Space at Westbury on July 6.
The Cover of UB40’s debut studio album, 1980’s Signing Off.
The band will perform their hits “Red Red Wine,” “Food For Thought,” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You,”among others, on their anniversary tour, in addition to being joined by special guests such as Maxi Priest, Inner Circle, Third World, and Big Mountain. Concurrently, UB40 will release a new album this summer, titled UB45, with new songs and reworked classics, and a yet-to-be-announced release date.
Guitarist/vocalist Robin Campbell said of UB40’s US tour, “We love playing the U.S., and celebrating our 45th year and having a new album makes our return even more exciting.”
UB40 was originally formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and its current members consist of Jimmy Brown (drums), Robin Campbell (guitar/vocals), Earl Falconer (bass/vocals), Norman Lamont Hassan (percussion/vocals), Martin Meredith (keyboards/WX7/saxophone), Tony Mullings (keyboards), Laurence Parry (trumpet/flugelhorn/trombone), Ian Thompson (saxophone) – and Matt Doyle (lead vocals.) Doyle only joined the band recently, taking over for a retired Duncan Campbell after Doyle’s group, KIOKO, opened for UB40 at The Royal Albert Hall in 2018, and later supported them on UB40’s subsequent UK tour and European tours. UB40 released their debut studio album, Signing Off, in 1980, and since then have released a total of 20 studio albums, most recently 2021’s Bigga Baggariddim.
UB40’s 45th-anniversary summer tour is in support of their upcoming studio album, UB45. One of the most successful British groups of all time, UB40 is represented in the USA and South America by Jeff Epstein and Paul Gaudio of Universal Attractions Agency (UAA.). For more information visit UB40’s website.
The Space at Westbury originally opened as Westbury Movie Theater in 1927, with a screening of Hula, starring Clara Bow, while The University of Maryland Collegian’s Band thrilled the audience with a spectacular performance. One of the six theaters built by Salvatore Calderone in Nassau County, the Westbury Theatre eventually closed due to a decline in patronage in the late 70s. Eight years ago, Cyrus Hakakian and his partners saved the Westbury Theater from demolition, and the venue now enters a new chapter of its illustrious history as The Space at Westbury.
For tickets to see UB40 on their 45th-anniversary tour, which includes a stop at The Space at Westbury, click here.
UB45 Tour Dates Are as Follows:
7/4/23 Wiggins Waterfront Park Camden, NJ 7/6/23 The Space Westbury, NY 7/7/23 Chevalier Theatre Medford, MA 7/9/23 Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing Arts Vienna, VA 7/11/23 Schermerhorn Nashville Nashville, TN 7/13/23 The Amphitheater at Phillip S. Miller Park Castle Rock, CO 7/15/23 Marymoor Park Seattle, WA 7/16/23 Bossanova Ballroom Portland, OR 7/17/23 Brittfest Jacksonville, OR 7/20/23 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA 7/21/23 The Microsoft Theater Los Angeles, CA 7/22/23 Palm Pool Las Vegas, NV 7/23/23 Saroyan Theatre Fresno, CA
When someone refers to a musician as multi-faceted, they often mean one who would best be described as a singer/songwriter or a multi-instrumentalist. But what about musicians who bring their outside interests into their music? Musicians like Sean Rowe, whose music and interest in the natural world combine to create something truly unique.
Sean Rowe is an American singer-songwriter, musician, recording artist, and forager. A writer of heartfelt songs strongly rooted in singer-songwriter tradition, Rowe is an avid naturalist and renowned forager, and often speaks of his fascination with the woods and his connection to the land. You might recognize him from appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” or heard his song, “To Leave Something Behind” featured in the 2016 film, “The Accountant”.
This Adirondack raised baritone would not be out of place at a rock show, or your local farmers market. I spent some time with Sean talking about his music, his successful Youtube series, and most interestingly, his love of foraging, and how all those topics intertwine to create his unique approach to Americana.
Montana Munoz : Hey Sean! Glad we could chat for a bit, just wanted to say i’m quite excited to be talking with you today. I just wanted to start off by saying I really like your song “Squid Tattoo”. I played it the other day at home and my Dad has put it on in the car at least 10 times now.
Sean Rowe : Oh thanks so much!
MM: How would you describe yourself or really, describe your music for someone who may not know who you are?
SR: In terms of conveniently looking me up in a genre it would probably be Americana or Folk, although ‘Folk’ is such a loose word. It encompasses a lot of music and has certain connotations that I would say is not so fitting to my music but I guess if you look up Alternative Folk or Americana I would probably be lumped into that category.
MM: As for musical influences what music did you grow up listening to that you feel has kind of influenced you as a musician yourself?
SR: Certainly older country music in terms of Johnny Cash and that whole “outlaw” vibe like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Also some 50s and 60s music my dad was listening to a lot when I was a kid cause that’s the era he grew up in. It is a weird thing though because that was from very early on when I was about 7 or 8, those were my musical memories but my teen years it was more like hard rock, metal kind of of a thing because that is what I was exposed to. But then I came back around to the earlier stuff as I got into my younger 20s so I’d say definitely early 60s music, the whole Folk movement in the 60s, Leonard Coen for sure, Bob Dylan, etc. It is a really a blend of American music, like Rhythm and Blue’s, that was my foundation.
MM: Oh I definitely get that vibe from you! Very Jim Morrison songwriting meets Johnny Cash sounds! So, tell me a little bit about your songwriting process. Do you usually start with an idea and then build from there, do you start from some chords and do you build the lyrics around it, or does it change with every song?
SR: It can change, 9 times out of 10 I’m writing the music before I write the lyrics, not always the case but for the most part thats the way it is for me. Honestly the best stuff seems to come when I’m not looking for it. I might be practicing some other song and for whatever reason I’ll start playing this chord progression that I’ve never played before in that order or sequence and then something jumps out about that, being like a separate entity in itself and it makes me want to record that and just try to find out what its saying. Songwriting for me is almost what I would imagine what its like for someone who scupts, and someone who has this raw medium and inside the medium they see something thats alive and they just have to get down to it. They just have to chip away for this thing they see in their mind. Thats the way it is for me. I’ll listen to a piece of music that I’ve written that doesn’t have words and I’ll listen back to it and to get an idea of what its trying to say.
MM: Awesome! I always love to ask songwriters about their process because it really is so different for everyone. So next i was wondering, what do you think music, especially as like a vehicle, mean to you. Is it a way that you can express yourself creatively, is it storytelling, is it just something that is fun and you’re good at?
SR: Well for me, its all of the things you mentioned. A lot of it is a kind of a transference of energy. This feeling of release. People have different things they release with, some of them are healthy and some are unhealthy but music is a very healthy release. And it might not be so specific, like I am writing about a specific topic or anything to just get it out there; it might be just a general feeling that I need to pick up the guitar and just transform that energy in my spirt into this instrument that has its own language. I think at its core it is just a release and its a beautiful release.
MM: Something I noticed when I was doing some research on you, is you’re really into foraging which i think is awesome. You even offer foraging classes! So how did you get into that? Did somebody introduce it to you?
SR: So I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, that part of the country and as a kid I was just always kind of intrigued by nature. I always wanted to be inside of it in other words. It was never enough for me to just go to a museum and look at nature as kind of an abstract thing; I always wanted to be inside of it. So I ended up learning with other people who would be considered “experts “in the field of like you know Wilderness Living and and survival skills and especially foraging. I’ve taken a lot of courses and I’ve done all that but I’ve also done some experimenting on my own. Foraging is so universal. Almost everybody was a forager at one point in history and it’s almost like fire. Foraging is almost like as the feeling of fire in terms of like the way people can gaze into fire and and tap into something otherworldly almost. And it really taps me into what it means to be human, as well as being something I can do everyday which is good because it can be very addictive!
MM: So you have a very entertaining YouTube Series called “Can I Eat This?”, in which you and guest musician go out foraging, with your instruction of course, and create a pretty interesting meal, topped off by a musical performance together. What inspired that series?
SR: I think of a couple of things, and this is changing, but I don’t think wild food sas always been represented well on the screen. You know at its core, foraging is just so fun, you’re just going out, and finding food to eat, but the way its been portrayed is bland. So I wanted to create something that one, was entertaining and captured peoples eyes and attention. But I also wanted it to be informative and have some substance in the material. So the music came into play because I wanted to sort of tie these two things that are universal experience: Music and Eating.
MM: Oh I completely understand. I definitely had some misconceptions about foraging and more “traditional” food tasks like canning and such until I met my Mother-in-law, and she quickly educated me right! So I could have used your series a few years ago!
MM: Do you think having this special interest in foraging and more, I don’t want to say naturalist, but enjoying a more natural feel for things, do you think that in that influences your music in any way?
SR: Yeah I would say so, I mean certainly conceptually you know in terms of like writing music and lyrics there’s a lot of like naturalistic elements in my songs. There’s also a lot of like metaphors that I use that you would consider taking a sort of naturalistic approach.
MM: Alrighty so just a few more questions for you, being in a time where many would consider a lot of music mechanical, do you feel that it is important to keep your music almost as organic as possible?
SR: Yes I do. I try to keep my music almost as untouched as I can and how I wrote it, and its why I often record more acoustic performances of my music to share.
MM: Awesome! So I noticed that you do a lot of “House concerts” where your fans can book you directly to come to their house or event and you perform these intimate shows. Why do you focus on these instead of traditional touring?
SR: Well you hit it right on the head, it’s more intimate this way. It allows me to connect with people who listen to my music in a much more organic way and I’m able to almost feel the essence of the music flow through people, and receive that flow of energy back.
MM: Do you think these house shows help you as a musician?
SR: Oh, absolutely. Like I said the energy I get from these performances really drives me and makes me want to write and perform more.
MM: Sounds great! Ok so to wrap us up, what can we expect from you in the future to look forward too?
SR: Well really, I just want to continue writing and performing. Obviously I’d love to make more episodes of “Can I Eat This” and keep recording my performances. I think in the long run, I’d like to make more music for movies and such, but right now that’s for later.
MM: Alright Sean any last parting words for us?
SR: It’s all about the music, just living life and enjoying what comes along.
For more information on Sean, please visit his website.
