For 30 years, Music Haven has presented an amazing array of global sounds in Schenectady’s Central Park transporting summer seekers to locales like Yemen, Ukraine, Louisiana, Ireland and Peru without ever having to leave their seats. The Passport Series takes the same beloved world music that patrons of the park series have come to cherish and brings it to Proctors in Schenectady and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs so the party can continue all year!
“Music Haven is thrilled to expand its partnership with Proctors Collaborative to include UPH as well as the GE Theatre at Proctors,” said series curator Mona Golub. “Our winter/spring Passport Series itinerary boasts exquisite artistry from four distinct locales – two familiar favorites in Ireland and Cuba and two dynamic new destinations in Turkey and Korea. Come travel the world with us one concert at a time!”
Passport Series
The first in the 2023 Passport Series is Dervish at Proctors, Schenectady 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3. Dervish, the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Lifetime Achievement Award winner, has been bringing traditional Irish music to the world for more than 30 years. The line-up includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan.
Up next in the Passport Series, get transported to Cuba with the 3x Grammy®-nominated Tiempo Libre. “Salsa Night with Tiempo Libre” will be at UPH 8 p.m. Friday, March 24. Tiempo Libre are true modern heirs to the rich musical tradition with its sophisticated performances of timba music, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of Latin jazz and Cuban song. Dancing is strongly encouraged! When those feet start tapping, that’s the time to get up and dance!
The Passport Series returns to Proctors 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4 with Aynur. Her vocal style and her albums are praised in both Turkish media and internationally. Aynur has become one of the most well-known musicians from Turkey and a representative of the Kurdish people. She will be following her performance at Proctors by performing at Carnegie Hall.
Lastly, join ADG7 (Ak Dan Gwang Chil) at UPH 8 p.m. Friday, May 5. ADG7 is a multi-award-winning group featuring a rich repertoire inspired by Korea’s sacred, shamanic ritual music (gut) and beloved folk songs (minyo) of Hwanghae Province in the northern reaches of the Peninsula. ADG7 made their first big U.S. splash at globalFEST in 2019, an annual cultural celebration that features the most dynamic music globally.
The Passport Series pass includes a ticket to each of the four winter/spring 2023 shows in the series for $100. Single tickets to each show are also available at the Box Office at Proctors, in person or via phone at (518) 346-6204 Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or online at proctorscollaborative.org/passport-series.
When it comes to indelible anthems of the ‘60s that are called upon to impart the times and mood in film and television, few are as a popular as The Chambers Brothers’ iconic 1967 hit, “Time Has Come Today.” Now the band’s lead singer and formational catalyst, Lester Chambers, is sharing the mighty highs and lows of his remarkable life in a new, self-published biography written with veteran journalist T. Watts, Time Has Come: Revelations of a Mississippi Hippie.
Bob Minkin Photography
Though his hit-making days are long past, Chambers is known to a younger generation due, in part, to a viral campaign spearheaded a few years back by Reddit co-founder Alexis O’Hanian and Rob Max, the late CEO of the musician’s aid charity, Sweet Relief. A 2012 picture from Lester, then homeless and suffering from cancer, showed his Gold Record for his biggest hit with a handwritten message about his financial plight due to not being paid royalties for decades, a position he claims he is in with “99%” of his fellow musicians of the time. The photo launched a Kickstarter campaign to help house and treat him and produce a new album. It was shared millions of times on Facebook, Reddit and other social platforms. The buzz generated not only support for him, but a greater awareness of the plight of the vast army of musicians who are not getting their rightly royalties. Lester and his brothers also received interest from a new generation with their 1969 performance of “Uptown” featured in Questlove’s Academy Award-winning 2021 documentary, Summer of Soul.
Lester’s story begins in the Deep South, on a sharecropper farm in Echo Hills, Mississippi governed by a Grand Dragon of the KKK. One of 13 children, Lester and the three brothers with whom he formed his famous group – Joe, Willie and George – honed their extraordinary gospel harmonies, modeled on their idols The Blind Boys of Mississippi and The Soul Stirrers, while working in the fields. When Lester was 13, he and his brothers would flee the harsh farm life under cover of darkness and end up in South Central Los Angeles. Here Lester would befriend blues great Jimmy Reed while mowing lawns and would have his first gig with his brothers at a party at the Hollywood Palladium for TV’s Superman, George Reeves. The brothers would polish their act “signing for sandwiches” in venues like the 5th Estate and Xanadu Coffeehouse, where Lester would meet a man who would become a longtime friend, the soon-to-be LSD king Augustus Owsley Stanley.
The Chambers Brothers true rise began when they secured a long-term residency at LA’s famed folk club, The Ash Grove. The frenzy of dancing they created with their mix of high-energy gospel and blues forced the owner to replace his glass cups with plastic. Their performances of gospel music at a venue that served alcohol raised the ire of Mahalia Jackson, who called it “blasphemy” in a 1963 article in the Los Angeles Times included in the book. While playing a regular “Gospel Hoot” at the Troubadour, they would catch the eye of Jack Goode, producer of the music TV show, “Shindig,” which they would perform on more than two dozen times in the following year.
As backing vocalists for singer Barbara Dane, they came to make additional recordings and tour nationally. Dane also introduced them to folk legend Pete Seeger. Through Seeger, they were invited to do workshops at 1964 Newport Folk Festival and were there again in 1965, at the one where Dylan went electric. When bluesman Josh White fell too ill to perform, they took to the main stage. They also provided vocal backing to Dane and Joan Baez at the festival. And after hearing their sweet harmonies, Dylan invited the brothers to sing backgrounds on his album, Highway 61 Revisited, which sadly went unused.
Lester and his band of brothers would then spend a good deal of time in New York City, playing a residency at Ondine, where they would meet their great drummer Brian Keenan, and also at Steve Paul’s legendary rocker hangout, The Scene.
During his career, Lester was often in the right place and time to strike up friendships and have encounters – some good, some bad – with a boatload of boldfaced names.
Lester befriended Jimi Hendrix during his time in Greenwich Village, was called the N-word by Diana Ross in a limo, would be on the road with Robert Kennedy right before his assassination, have a later-day band “stolen” by Wilson Pickett and even record with Miles Davis on his 1974 album, Get Up with It. It’s Lester’s searing bluesy harmonica that is featured on “Red China Blues.” In the album liner notes, he was credited as “Wally Chambers,” something the ornery Davis refused to fix on further pressings. Lester is also the man who would introduce Miles to his wife Betty. She was the street-smart and stylish soul/rock singer-songwriter who would go on to introduce Davis to the music of Sly and Jimi and pave the way for jazz rock fusion.
Lester also expresses his great admiration for Ed Sullivan. The TV host stood up for the band when the hotel they were to stay in during the filming of an appearance on his show in Las Vegas tried to deny them entry. Chambers also became close with John Lennon and appeared alongside him and Yoko Ono during their week co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show in February 1972. Chambers also has special gratitude for Yoko who provided financial aid for his housing and medical treatment after becoming aware of his Kickstarter campaign.
One of his most meaningful friendships was with Owsley, the Grateful Dead soundman and acid king. Owsley would gift Lester a mason jar full of LSD, which he claims to have taken every day for three and one-half years. Lester says it was a powerful ingredient in shaping his spirituality and humanity and in helping use visualization to fight his battle with colon cancer.
https://youtu.be/sKNz4hKQA00
On the musical front, The Chambers Brothers would be one of the last acts signed to Columbia Records by John Hammond, the A&R man who brought the world Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin and many others. With the help of producer David Rubinson, they would go against the label and craft an 11-minute opus modeled on what they did with the tune live. Driven by Lester’s propulsive cowbell pounding and memorable ‘cuckoo” in the intro, the shortened single edit would make them stars.
But as great as the songs, it doesn’t demonstrate the true killer gift of The Chambers Brothers, their unparalleled four-part gospel harmony. This is something showcased on most other entries on this and other albums, like their powerful cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” and the gospel classic “Wade in the Water.” This can also be heard on earlier live recordings captured at The Ash Grove and the Unicorn. Also underrated in their double-album live and studio disc from 1969 and its 16-minute title tune, “Love, Peace & Happiness.”
Co-writer Watts really adds texture to the story by including interviews with others who played a role in Lester’s life and career. These include early drummer Jesse Cahn, roadie Tony Smith, road manager Julius Chambers, his sister Jewel and his bandmate brothers, Joe and Willie. Also included are interviews with his sons, Andre and Dylan, the latter who has been with him throughout his times of homelessness and illness. That chapter of his life and the remarkable support provided by Reddit, Sweet Relief and notables like Yoko One are related in a transcript of CNN interview with Lester and Dylan. Also notable is a transcript of a long feature on their early “gospel soul” years by Opal Nations in a 1999 issue of Real Blues.
Like many bands, unequal royalties from songwriting have played a role in the breakup and frequent feuds among the brothers. Willie and Joe were the writers of their big hit and keep those earnings among themselves, something that Lester feels was unjust to him and their late brother George.
With these and further misfortunes including an onstage attack during a performance at a 2013 blues festival, Lester remains a positive spirit, one who shares his deep belief of the healing power of music and love of his fellow man throughout these pages. He continues to perform in with the band Moonalice with his son, Dylan. In the end, as the title says, he’s just a “Mississippi hippie” at heart. Here’s to hoping you will support him by purchasing his life story to help keep him in justified comfort during the final set of his rich and remarkable life.
Burt Bacharach, one of the most accomplished pop composers of the 20th century, having created 52 top 40 hits, passed away at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 94.
Burt Bacharach, photo courtesy of CNN.
Burt Bacharach was a Grammy, Oscar, and Tony-winning composer who grew up in Queens‘ Kew Gardens neighborhood and graduated from Forest Hills High School in 1946. In his early years, he showed a keen interest in jazz and often used his fake ID to get into 52nd Street nightclubs where he would see bebop musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, whose styles influenced his songwriting.
He was a major figure in 20th-century pop music, but also scored major hits in a variety of genres like Top 40, country, rhythm and blues, and even film scores, writing the theme song for the movie Arthur and “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Later in his career, he even appeared as himself in all three Austin Powers movies.
History was made in 1957 when Bacharach and lyricist Hal David met at the Brill Building in New York City. The pair wrote dozens of popular songs, folding everything from pop to jazz to Brazilian grooves and rock, writing in non-standard time signatures; instead of the typical 4/4, they often bounded in 5/4 or 7/8. Dionne Warwick popularized many of these songs, with her recordings selling over 12 million copies, and 38 singles making the charts. Among the hits were “Walk On By,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Alfie,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”
Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick in 1971. Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns/Getty Images.
Over his career, he also wrote other massive hits including “That’s What Friends Are For,” the charity collaboration between Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder in 1986, raising millions for AIDs research. He wrote the Shirelles’ “Baby It’s You,” and Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat?” Perry Como’s “Magic Moments,” the Patti Labelle-Michael McDonald duet “On My Own,” and the Grammy award-winning Elvis Costello record Painted from Memory. Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, and more recently White Stripes, Twista, and Ashanti.
Later in his career, in 2012, he was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, performed at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival in the UK, played with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in March 2016, and other high-profile performances. His final released composition was a joint 2020 EP with songwriter and performer Daniel Tashian, Blue Umbrella, which earned them a Grammy nomination for the best traditional pop vocal album.
Bacharach had high-profile marriages to actress Angie Dickinson and later to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, with whom he wrote “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do).” He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and he married a fourth time to Jane Hansen in 1993.
Dionne Warwick spoke about his passing in a statement to CNN saying, “Burt’s transition is like losing a family member. These words I’ve been asked to write are being written with sadness over the loss of my Dear Friend and my Musical Partner. On the lighter side, we laughed a lot and had our run-ins but always found a way to let each other know our family-like roots were the most important part of our relationship.”
Burt Bacharach is survived by his adopted son, Christopher, as well as two children with his fourth wife, Jane Hansen, Oliver, and daughter Raleigh.
The Disco Biscuits stopped at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Friday Feb. 3rd. This was the third stop of their winter tour, and the coldest night of the year in the Northeast. Those fans who were willing to brave the sub-zero temperatures were treated to a heater of a show. The Disco Biscuits also treated fans with the release of a new studio album Shocked! on the same day.
Snake and Stars opened the show. The electronic duo is comprised of Michael Travis (The String Cheese Incident) and Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls, David Byrne’s American Utopia). The band was formed last year between the two long time friends as an improvisational exploration of electronic dance music. Their current tour continues into April.
The Disco Biscuits opened up with the relatively new “Why We Dance,” followed by “Spy” which was an encore for the band at their November 1, 2007 show at The Palace. A nonstop segue of “Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack” rounded out the rest/majority of the first set. Set two opened with fan favorites “Crickets” and “42”, followed by the Shocked! track “Tourists (Rocket Ship)”, which continued the segue frenzy, leading into “Tempest > Svenghali > 42” with the new “To Be Continued” closing out the second set.
If you missed this show, catch the Disco Biscuits at one of their upcoming tour stops, including three more shows in New York at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester over March 23rd, 24th, and 25th.
Check out the Biscuits’ setlist and full photo gallery below.
The Disco Biscuits – Palace Theatre, Albany – Friday, February 3, 2023
Set 1: Why We Dance, Spy, Times Square > Bombs > Humuhumunukunukuapua’a > Another Plan of Attack Set 2 Crickets > 42 > Tourists (Rocket Ship) > Tempest> Svenghali > 42, To Be Continued Encore Frog Legs
Three-time Grammy-nominated guitarist and 25x Billboard chart-topper Joe Bonamassa announced on February 6 that his tour will be coming to New York this summer, and is scheduled to perform at Jones Beach on August 12th and the Bethel Woods Center on August 13. The two-night performance is part of a concert series, “Keeping the Blues Alive presents: Joe Bonamassa and Friends.”
Also joining Bonamassa in concert are the rock band Styx, and former Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder. In line with its inaugural event last year, the concert series will feature individual performances from each act. The final act features a jaw-dropping encore with members from all three bands.
On a related note, Bonamassa is currently preparing for his spring 2023 tour. The tour starts Feb. 15 in Charleston, West Virginia, and continues through the Midwest and East Coast. Bonamassa will conclude his tour with the sold-out Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea VIII, scheduled for March 13-17, departing from Miami, Florida to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Prior to his Jones Beach and Bethel Woods Center shows, Bonamassa is scheduled to perform at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre on Feb. 28
Originating in Chicago, Styx is comprised of six members, James “JY” Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards), Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals), and ‘Crash Of The Crown’ producer and co-writer Will Evankovich (guitars.) Their career spans over 50 years, with their anonymous first album debuting in 1972. The band released its 17th album, Crash of the Crown, in June 2021 through their label Alpha Dog 2T/UMe.
Born in Gainesville, Florida, Felder got his big break after the release of the Eagles’ third studio album, On the Border, in 1974. It was Felder’s first record with the Eagles, remaining with them until 2001. While he was still a member of the band, Felder released his debut solo record, Airbourne, in 1983. Further, in 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Eagles. On his own, Felder was inaugurated into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville in 2016 and the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017.
Bonamassa in concert
Born in New Hartford, NY, and raised in Utica, Bonamassa rose to fame in 2000 with the release of his debut record, A New Day Yesterday. In 2020, Bonamassa created his independent record label, Keeping the Blues Alive Records, which promotes and supports the talent of musicians. Similarly, he also runs the 501(c)(3) non-profit Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation.
His fifteenth and most recent record, Time Clocks, was released in Oct. 2021 by J&R Adventures. In support of his latest album, Bonamassa recorded a live concert film, Tales Of Time, in Aug. 2022, scheduled for worldwide release on April 14, by Bonamassa’s J&R Adventures in CD/DVD, CD/BR, vinyl, and digital formats.
Tickets for Joe Bonamassa at Jones Beach and Bethel Woods, and all other shows, go on sale Friday, Feb. 10, beginning at 10 a.m.
Joe Bonamassa U.S. Tour 2023 Feb. 15 – Clay Center – Charleston, WV Feb. 17 – Playhouse Square – Cleveland, OH Feb. 18 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI Feb. 20 – The Orpheum Theater – Madison, WI Feb. 22 – Peoria Civic Center Theater – Peoria, IL Feb. 24 – DeVos Performance Hall – Grand Rapids, MI Feb. 25 – Morris Performing Arts Center – South Bend, IN Feb. 28 – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre – Buffalo, NY March 1 – Benedum Center – Pittsburgh, PA March 3 – Ovens Auditorium – Charlotte, NC March 4 – Fox Theatre – Atlanta, GA March 5 – Soldiers And Sailors Memorial Auditorium – Chattanooga, TN March 7 – Montgomery Performing Arts Centre – Montgomery, AL March 8 – Saenger Theatre – New Orleans, LA March 10 – The King Center – Melbourne, FL March 11 – The St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL March 13-17 – Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea VIII – Miami, FL August 12 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY * August 13 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY *
* Keeping the Blues Alive presents: Joe Bonamassa & Friends: Styx and Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles
On April 16, Garcia’s in Port Chester will celebrate the life of music legend, Michael Winters with a tribute concert.
Winters, the former Operations & House Manager of The Capitol Theatre and a crucial figure of the New York live music scene, passed away 5 years ago on July 1, 2018. To commemorate his life and legacy, this tribute concert will be held on Sunday, April 16 at 4:20PM, on a day before what would have been his 57th birthday.
Friends and staff of The Capitol Theatre have organized the event to celebrate the life of Mike rather than his departure. Mike, who was often referred to as “the heart and soul of The Cap,” had an invaluable impact on the theater, where he is credited with helping to name the lobby bar Garcia’s, before retiring after five years. Before his time at The Capitol Theatre, Mike and his brother, Brad, were partners in Manny’s Car Wash, a renowned blues club in Manhattan.
Mike’s love for music began at the age of 12 when his brother and sister took him to see Frank Zappa on Halloween. His passion for music continued to be fueled by bands like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. The tribute concert, named “With the Gold of Sunshine” after his favorite Grateful Dead song, “Ripple,” will feature performances by local Grateful Dead-inspired bands Grateful BRO and Dead Meat. The proceeds from the event will be donated to Songcatchers, a charity dedicated to fostering the next generation of music fans by providing affordable music education.
Songcatchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has provided accessible, affordable, and high-quality music education and experiences to children and families for over 40 years. Programs bring music into children’s lives, fostering a lifelong appreciation of the arts. Leadership development is a hallmark of all Songcatchers programs; youth serve as aides, instructors and counselors, and are mentored by professional musicians and music educators. The goal of “Reaching for Peace Through Music” is realized with the belief that all children deserve the chance to learn music and to see the beauty of each other through the arts.
“When Mike worked at the Cap, everyone was so kind, they were a tight knit crew and became the original Capitol Family. After his passing, they have continued to make me feel like part of the Cap Fam.” said his wife, Lara Winters. “It truly means the world to me that he had such a positive impact on the many he touched and that his memory will be honored with love in a meaningful way.”
Join friends, staff and family for an evening of music, friendship, and giving back to the music community as we celebrate the life of Michael Winters. The event will also feature a charity auction and raffle including a collection of music memorabilia. Friends are encouraged to bring a photograph of Mike for the memorial display board.
The 2023 Winter Hoot was held February 3-5, 2023, at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge. N.Y. This year marks the Hoot’s 10th anniversary, started as a collaboration by Mike Merenda and Ruthy Ungar in conjunction with the Ashokan Center and those in the surrounding area.
Friday night started with a community dinner followed by the showing and discussion of the documentary film “Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective.,” by filmmaker Costa Boutsikaris. A jam session followed to close out the evening. Sunday activities included yoga, guided hikes around the center and a community sing. Saturday proved to be the meat of this down-home, down-to-earth gathering.
The Hoot is set up as a family fun time. This was obvious from all those who brought their children with them. Saturday featured a kid’s zone of craft making, learning to blacksmith, and an ice sculping exhibition by Thomas Brown.
But music is the star of this semi-annual event. In the main lobby of the Esopus Lodge, you encountered a one-of-a-kind instrument petting zoo. An area encouraging people to pick up an instrument and join in with real musicians to make their own music. Farther into the Ashokan campus, the Pewter house offered small intimate musical performances. The ambiance of the room set the mood of entertainment in earlier times.
In the lodge’s performance hall, you got the feeling of attending a large family gathering on a cold winter day. Those in the Winter Hoot audience were treated to some of the Hudson Valley’s finest musicians. People were encouraged to sing along and when the song was right, dancing would break out in front of the stage. Featured performers included Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, Jude Roberts, Rachael Yamagata, and The Mammals.
This three-day gathering went off without a hitch. Whether you participated in activities or were just there for the music, you came away with the felling of what the Hoot is about. It is love. Love for community, nature, and music.
Sometimes you need to head west in the winter to find some heat, and at 1st Bank Center on Saturday, February 4, that’s just what was found. Amid bitter cold back east, I flew out to Denver for a short weekend and experienced my first Billy Strings show.
This is not to say I’ve never seen Billy Strings perform – I first saw him at WinterWonderGrass in Stratton, VT in December 2018, after years of hearing the buzz about this Michigan bluegrass musician. It took until last summer to catch him a second time, during Outlaw Music Fest when it came to Saratoga Performing Arts Center. But I had never seen him in a regular show setting, and festival sets always give you a different experience than seeing the band for an evening with. Thus, this would be my first Billy Strings show, on the last night of his sold out three-night run in Broomfield, CO, and what a show it was.
Cutting to the chase here, Billy Strings, featuring Mr. Strings (guitar), Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), puts on one hell of a show. There wasn’t a dull moment, an unengaged fan or any feeling I was arriving to the show as an outsider – the crowd was welcoming, one that assured me afterwards that I got a heater at my first Billy show.
With a half an hour before show time (given the 815pm start time the previous two nights), our crew found ourselves on the floor about a third of the way from the front, stage right. With 15 minutes, 10 minutes and 5 minutes before showtime, a brief announcement came on the screens with the voice of god saying “X minutes until Fuzzy Rainbows” – a unique way to get the crowd prepared for the show at the same time the band is getting ready and heading to the stage. With all the shows I’d listened to of Billy Strings’, this was a brand new concept and one of those welcome surprises that did not disappoint.
Kicking off with two substance-tinged tunes, the ever popular “Dust in a Baggie” and “Heartbeat of America,” eyes were drawn to the video screens on either side of the stage. These made Billy and the band seem larger than life (by design), with the band-wide shot above the stage giving a horizontal frame to the band. For those way back in the audience, this was helpful as the five musicians side by side appeared so tiny after looking at the video screens of Giant Billy looking down on the crowd.
The hour long first set had an array of covers, with traditional tunes from Roy Acuff and Larry Sparks complemented by covers from The Moody Blues and John Hartford. Billy Strings’ blending of his own originals and covers that go back through the history of bluegrass, as well as non-bluegrass tunes is a great part of the appeal that makes the music so accessible to so many.
Alongside the video screens were the lights, which were another thing that could not translate to the audio-only experience, let alone festival sets. The lights were on par with the 20th Century Fox intro spotlights, continually shining all around, rotating and occassionally connecting with the disco ball way up in the rafters off stage left. This unexpected element to a bluegrass show gave a never-ending intertwining of lights, something you’d only see at a Greensky Bluegrass show.
After a not too long setbreak, set 2 came out swinging with an Oak Ridge Boys tune, a mellow and delightful “Watch It Fall” and the traditional “Cumberland Reel.” From there, the set picked up speed and never let up, dropping in with the dark as hell “Psycho” that segued smooth as silk into J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High.” The Bad Livers’ tune “Pretty Daughter” – covered often by Yonder Mountain String Band – jumped up late in the set, with Billy moving from side to side on the stage, hamming it up a bit and watching his bandmates take solos. The closing “Turmoil & Tinfoil” rounded things out with a punch, with an all too brief encore of “Tennessee,” noted as the band’s destination for some recording, and not a sit-in with Phil Lesh and Friends the next day in Denver.
And with that, I checked my first Billy Strings show off the list, with assurance from the show and crowd that this would not be the last.
Billy Strings – 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO – Saturday, February 4, 2023
Set 1: Dust In A Baggie, Heartbeat of America, Along The Road (Dan Fogelberg), Streamlined Cannonball (Roy Acuff), The Fire On My Tounge > Know It All, John Deere Tractor (Larry Sparks), The Preacher & The Bear (Arthur Francis Collins), Wargasm, Nights In White Satin (The Moody Blues), This Old World, Bronzeback, All Fall Down (John Hartford), These Old Blues (Traditional)
Set 2: Dig A Little Deeper In The Well (The Oak Ridge Boys), Ice Bridges, Watch It Fall, Slow Train, Cumberland Reel (traditional), Psycho (Eddie Noack) > Ride Me High (J.J. Cale) The Train That Carried My Girl From Town (Doc Watson) > Black Mountain Rag, Love Like Me, Whisper Your Name (New Grass Revival), Pretty Daughter (Bad Livers), Nothing’s Working, Turmoil & TInfoil
History is said to repeat itself. In fact, we study textbooks and learn from our past as a means of avoiding it. In the case of hip hop, a genre that began as a social movement by-and-for the local community of African, Latino, and Caribbean Americans, we’ve had the luxury of having monumental moments captured for us by some of histories greatest orators. 50 years after its inception, the best rap songs are time capsules into their respective eras. Keeping in theme, Swedish photography museum Fotografiska have decided to chronicle hip hop’s emergence for its 50th anniversary. From its creation in the Bronx in 1973 and culminating in the worldwide phenomenon it has become 50 years later.
Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious chronicles the genre beginning with its origin in the Bronx
What is Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious?
Created in partnership with Mass Appeal, Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious delves deep into the genres origins, identifying the individual creatives involved in the movement. It is a fitting name considering the intended and inadvertent effect of what is now the world’s most popular genre. Located in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood, the show’s layout is by chronology and geography. Additionally, the exhibition brings audiences through five decades of history, culminating in recent imagery of today’s biggest names.
Beginning with formative figures such as DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, the display captures the era’s larger cultural climate, painting a picture of wthe influential factors that helped inspire the genre’s proprietors. Correspondingly, the show’s imagery features breakdancers, graffiti artist, b-boys and even gang culture which Sacha Jenkins — the exhibition’s co-curator –explains “was the precursor to hip-hop in terms of creating an identity for yourself,” especially regarding the culture’s core philosophies around self-identification.
Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious runs from January 26 until May 21, with focus areas that include the early years, the regional and stylistic diversification; and the turning point when hip hop became a billion-dollar industry. In like manner, the set of women who trailblazed hip hop’s male-dominated environment are also extensively documented.
Women’s contributions to hip hop are celebrated thoughout the exhibition.
We made a thoughtful effort to have the presence of women accurately represented, not overtly singling them out in any way,
– Sally Berman, co-curator of Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious
You’ll turn a corner and there will be a stunning portrait of Eve or a rare and intimate shot of Lil’ Kim that most visitors won’t have seen before. There are far fewer women than men in hip-hop, but the ones that made their mark have an electrifying presence—just like the effect of their portraits interspersed throughout the show.
-Sally Berman
Why should you go see this exhibit?
Hip Hop’s comeuppance is no small feat. What began as humble break parties in the Bronx has emerged to inspire millions around the globe. It’s representation of youthful urban culture is now the cultural norm. However, for those who trail-blazed the movement, hip hop meant freedom and the ability to express unfiltered thoughts and emotions. Sadly, time has faded the memory of the movement’s many vanguards. Several key figures played roles in amplifying this energy shifting movement and now many of these forgotten pioneers will get their proper due.
In addition to the genre’s periphery figures, world-famous photos like Geoffroy de Boismenu’s 1994 portrait of Christopher “Biggie” Wallace staring at the camera with an off-center blunt in his mouth, Run DMC’s feet under the table at The Fresh Fest press conference, a 20-year-old Mary J. Blige in New York, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean on an East Harlem rooftop while shooting the music video for “Vocab” and many more iconic photos will feature heavily throughout the show.
It’s easy to forget that there was a time before hip-hop was an industry and before it made money. It wasn’t conscious of itself. It was just existing with young people living their lives, dressing as they did, trying to entertain themselves with limited resources and creating an aesthetic that registered amongst themselves. It wasn’t for the world; it was for a very specific community. Then there was an exponentially paced transition where hip-hop culture became a conscious of itself as an incredibly lucrative global export. The exhibition’s lifeblood is the period before hip-hop knew what it was.
– Sacha Jenkins, exhibition co-curator and Chief Creative Officer of Mass Appeal
Information about Fotografiska New York and Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious can be found here.
Captivating the audience with beautiful harmonies and songs of both heartbreak and hope, Hayley Jane and the Hold On Honeys put on a stellar performance at Lark Hall in Albany on February 2nd. Collaborating with each other for the first time and trading sit-ins, the immediate chemistry between these two respective acts could be felt by everyone in the room.
Haley Jane performs with Troy, NY’s Hold On Honeys at Lark Hall on 2/2/2023
Kicking off the show were Troy natives The Hold On Honeys, an indie folk minimalist vocal trio comprised of Emily Curro, Raya Malcolm and Shannon Rafferty. Trading leads and singing to their strengths, each member of the Honeys’ was given an equal chance to shine, but the true beauty came when this pitch-perfect trio sang together as one. After serenading the highly receptive audience with songs like “Case of You,” “Lullaby,” and “Maple Lane,” tender ballads about finding love and losing it, the gals then showed their more optimistic and fun-loving side with “Get High,” before sending us to intermission with “Down Home Girl.” A very enjoyable set, but it wouldn’t be the last time we’d see this promising up-and-coming act.
The Hold On Honeys opened the show at Lark Hall on 2/2/2023
After a quick break in the action, it was officially time for Hayley Jane to grace the Lark Hall stage. A familiar face to the Albany crowd, Jane has been playing the area for years, mostly with The Primates behind her, or as part of Yes Darling with Ryan Montbleau. For this run however, Hayley enlisted an equally talented group of Burlington, VT based players that featured Josh Dobbs on keyboards and the former Swimmer rhythm section of Jack Vignone handling bass and Cotter Ellis on drums.
Opening her set with “Look to the Moon,” the pace quickly picked up when Hayley went into a bit of medley of mashup cover songs. Touching on a Cowboy Junkies-esq rendition of “Blue Moon Revisited” that took a ‘tasty’ left turn into the Italian classic “That’s Amore,” before eventually paying homage to the Grateful Dead with a beautiful version of “Ramble on Rose.”
Haley Jane gives up her secrets at Lark Hall on 2/2/2023
Inviting you in with her undeniable charisma and vulnerability, Jayne’s storytelling between numbers left you feeling like you actually knew her. Looking around the room, you literally could see an entire audience falling in love. Working her way through a few songs from her most recent solo album, “Road Map” and “Soul Shaken,” from 2021’s Late Bloom, one of the most powerful and emotional highlights of the night came next when Hayley Jane performed “For Someone Who Needs It,” a song about depression, loneliness and reaching out for help. Fan shot footage of that can be seen below.
Taking her listeners on a humble journey, Hayley would tell the audience she was raised as a Baptist, and despite some groans, would give credit to her church choir for teaching her to sing. After belting out stellar versions of “Ignite” and “Madeline,” another of Jane’s favorite covers, Gregory Alan Isakov’s “Big Black Car” was next. Revealing a little more about herself, Jane would say the best thing she ever did was stop caring what other people think about her.
Essentially freeing her to be who she really is while also allowing a natural relationship to develop with the audience, Hayley confessed that “nerds rock” and are also “better in bed.” “Loose Screws” and “Madam Humphrey” would take a little walk on the wild side before Haley would play a new one called “Assembly of Words,” a song that was written while living in California and simultaneously going through the pandemic and a tough break-up. Some of her most vulnerable lyrics yet, afterwards she would admit to “feeling nervous” and “naked” during that one.
Hayley Jane and the Hold On Honeys captivate an intimate Lark Hall crowd on 2/2/2023
Picking the pace back up with another rocker from The Primates 2014 album Gasoline was “Hey Mister,” followed by an unreleased new song that was recently recorded with members of The Main Squeeze called “Girl.” Instead of leaving the stage and returning ala your typical encore however, Hayley would invite the members of the opening act, Hold On Honeys, to join her on stage for the remainder of the night. What then transpired was pure magic. Playing in Levon country and rambling together for the first time, Hayley and the Honeys’ uncorked an absolutely beautiful version of The Bands’ classic song “The Weight,” a rite of passage in this part of New York.
Feeling the combined energy of the women on stage, Hayley beamed with pleasantries for her new gal pals, even claiming she’d love to take them out on the road with her. As the curfew came and went, Jane would quickly check with Lark Hall staff if it was “Alright” to play one more. Once given the green light, Haley would quickly teach the Honey’s the chorus to the final song of the evening, “Make It Alright,” which was then jammed out to perfection, fusing multiple genres and stretching its legs all the way to the 15-minute mark and included “Wild Thing” teases for good measure.
Haley and the Honeys made a cold February night more than alright at Lark Hall 2/23/
After thanking everyone for coming out and wishing them well on their way home, the girls would convene near the center of the stage for a group hug and shared smiles. An exceptional performance all around and yet another reason to never miss a Thursday show at Lark Hall. An evening filled with genre bending, thought provoking, and at times heartbreaking music. Honest storytelling and songwriting, surprise collaborations, dancing, and beautiful down- home harmonies. Great medicine for these modern times indeed. While it remains to be seen how serious Jane is about taking her new friends out on the road, what we do know is that ‘Hayley and the Hold On Honeys’ sure has a nice ring to it.
Haley Jane | Albany, NY | 2/2/2023 | Lark Hall Setlist: Look to the Moon, Ramble on Rose, Roadmap, For Someone Who Needs It, Ignite, Madeline, Big Black Car, Loose Screws, Soul Shaken, Madam Humphrey, Assembly of Words, Hey Mister, Girl
Encore: The Weight, Make It Alright *Grateful Dead cover **Gregory Alan Isakov cover ***The Band cover featuring The Hold On Honeys **** Featuring The Hold On Honeys
Hold On Honeys | Albany, NY | 2/2/2023 | Lark Hall Setlist: Wisely, Calling All My Children, TN River, Chicago, Getting Home, Case of You, Lullaby, I’m On Fire, Maple Lane, Knowing, Get High, Down Home Girl
