NYS Music 2024

Author: Aidan Lukomnik

  • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Turns Holiday Standards on Their Head

    On Thursday. December 19, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra did what they do best – they tossed common musical conventions to the wind while elevating songs to a new level.  

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, just back from a two-week tour around the U.S., was welcomed to their Big Band Holidays performance with a rousing round of applause. Standing on their home stage of Rose Theater, the Orchestra played ten songs from a catalog of more than thirty holiday standards ranging from religious to anti-holiday. But these weren’t your normal holiday songs. 

    “You might have heard Frosty the Snowman before, but you’ve never heard it like this,” Musical Director and Trombone player Christopher Crenshaw said. That was the theme that prevailed throughout the show: you ain’t heard it this way before. Across an hour and a half of music, standard holiday compositions were eschewed for new ways to play, throwing each song into a new context and making the audience consider their perception of just what a holiday song sounds like. 

    Christopher Crenshaw at Rose Hall, Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    Starting with two classics, the band played a sped-up and swung version of “Here Comes Santa Claus” and then transitioned into an extremely melancholic version of “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.” The first act was spiced up by Robbie Lee singing the anti-holiday song “Blue Xmas (To Whom it May Concern)” and “Merry Christmas Baby.” Lee’s vocal intonation was incredible – moving from a gravelly embodiment of the Grinch in “Blue Xmas” to clear and pure desire in “Merry Christmas Baby.” 

    However, the pinnacle of the first set was Sherman Irby’s solo in the “Merry Christmas Baby.” His saxophone transported audience members and, it seemed, members of the orchestra from a 1,200+ person venue to a dark and smoky jazz club inches from the stage. For the length of the solo, no one took a breath, and for a moment, all there was in the world was his music. It was a Blues solo at its finest.    

    Sherman Irby, Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    The second set was punctuated by the dulcet vocals of Ekep Nkwelle, who sang a spiritual version of “Mary Had a Baby” and then upended all religious expectations with a downright sexy version of “Santa Claus, Santa Claus.” Nkwelle’s vocals during “Santa Claus, Santa Claus” felt straight out of film noir with desire, danger, and pain clear as day, while Chris Lewis’ solo put an exclamation point on the number.

    As the night came to an end, the hometown crowd responded to the orchestra’s take on holiday classics with their you ain’t heard it this way before swagger, with a standing ovation. 

    Setlist: 

    Set 1: Here Comes Santa Claus> Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel>Blue Xmas (to Whom it May Concern) > Merry Christmas Baby > (I’m gettin’) Nuttin’ for Christmas 

    Set 2: Up on the House Top > Mary Had a Baby > Santa Claus, Santa Claus >Blue Christmas > Frosty the Snowman

    The Big Band Holidays show has two more performances at Rose Theater on Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd. 

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

  • Moon Hooch Brings Relentless Energy to Bowery Ballroom

    If you want to rave to a collection of saxophones and woodwinds, then Moon Hooch is the band for you. Yes it’s weird, yes it’s wild, and yes it’s a fun show to dance to. 

    Moon Hooch at Bowery Ballroom 12.7, Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    On Saturday, December 7, Moon Hooch brought their energetic mix of Jazz and Electronic music to Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan.

    A truly New York sound, Moon Hooch was born when Michael Wilbur (Horns, woodwind, vocals), Wenzl Mcgowen (Horns, woodwind, synth), and James Muschler (original drummer) met at The New School. The band, now with Cyzon Griffin on drums, started playing together as buskers across the city. Often playing in the subway, Moon Hooch was banned from the Bedford Ave L station for bringing in crowds that were dangerously large. 

    Audience Member; Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    That history of busking can be heard in their music, as the trio at times evokes the guttural sounds of an oncoming train paired with high-pitched notes reminiscent of a closing subway door. They even use found objects, like a traffic cone, on stage as a mute to alter their sound. 

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    On December 7, COFRESI opened for Moon Hooch. The drummer and beatmaker brought together modern techniques (looping, drops, Trap and Dancehall melodies) with samples from hits like, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Stand By Me,” “Mr Sandman,” and “It’s Tricky” to create a sound all his own.

    COFRESI Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomik

    As Moon Hooch took the stage, audience members head banged, grinded, and jumped up and down – emphasizing how many different musical sub-cultures came out to see the band. 

    The band’s physicality is impressive, as Michael Wilbur and Wenzl Mcgowen dance throughout a set that’s over an hour while Cyzon Griffin’s rapid drumming holds down the beat. Throughout the set there wasn’t an idle monument with high energy songs one after another, only rarely bringing in classical music phrases to give the audience a breather before the beat drop.

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    At the same time, that lack of idleness has its own drawbacks. After a while, songs in the set started to run together with limited ability to determine where one song stops and the other begins. This run-on of songs was exacerbated by similar musical motifs and almost identical lighting cues that could cause a listener Deja Vu. While the band sometimes threw their hands up to engage the audience, they never stopped to talk to the crowd. Better performance pacing, verbal engagement with the crowd, and breaks between songs would do the band well. 

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

    On this tour the band isn’t just bringing their relentless energy, they’re also trying to do good. At each city, the band is auctioning off a (small) tree and giving away all of the proceeds to replant trees across the country. In NYC they also worked with Support and Feed – a food equity organization that works to address challenges in food desserts and provide information on plant-based food.

    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
    Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik

  • Moshing to Telescreens at Webster Hall

    You want a rock concert? A mosh-pitting, floor-bouncing, head-yelling, crowd-surfing rock show? That’s exactly what Telescreens brought to Webster Hall on November 19. Hometown fans crowded the 1,500-person Grand Ballroom and for a few hours were swept up in the power of rock. 

    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    Telescreens formed after frontman and lead guitarist Jackson Hamm moved to New York to attend the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. There he met keyboardist Josiah Valerius and bassist/keyboardist Austin Brenner in 2016. The final member of the band, drummer Oliver Graf, joined the other three in 2019 – adding to their explosive sound. The band started playing gigs around the city before COVID-19 but was forced to stop because of the pandemic. Since their return to live touring, they’ve played Austin City Limits and Governor’s Ball. 

    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    On Tuesday, hometown bands Skorts and Kareem Rahma & Tiny Gun opened the show. Skorts amped the crowd up with head-banging energy and a light show with more than enough fog to fill the room. The one problem was Skorts’ drummer hidden in a wall of mist. Following Skorts, the multi-hyphenate singer/ comedian/ interviewer Kareem Rahma came on stage with his trademark sunglasses – which he never took off. Playing off his success as a video creator, the band’s song “Content Machine” got the audience jumping as the singer poked fun at his other jobs.  

    Kareem Rahma Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    By the time Telescreens came on, the audience was ready, and a moshpit formed almost immediately. Within the first two songs Jackson Hamm jumped from the stage into the crowd to re-form the pit in the middle of the room. Once he was back on stage, moshing started again, and the floor of the ballroom roiled like the ocean – visibly shaking and bouncing from the audience’s movement. 

    Throughout the night, Hamm encouraged the audience to lose themselves to the music, asking them to “take this as an opportunity to push yourself a little out of your comfort zone.” The lead singer also admonished wallflowers who weren’t engaging with the music, “You on the sides, why do you wanna be so fucking cool?” 

    Jackson Hamm reforms the Moshpit, Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    It’s clear that Hamm believes in the power of rock. Throughout the set, the singer and guitarist worked up a sweat and, at one point, said: This [Rock and Roll] is like a religion. You have to believe it will make you feel better. You’re not supposed to stand there with your arms crossed. You’re supposed to move your feet. You’re supposed to get your heart rate up. 

    Telescreens, Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    As the night wore on, mosh pits formed and closed, and dozens of people crowd surfed, egged on by Hamm, who said, “Keep crowd surfing, that shit feels good, I promise.” As crowd surfing escalated, Webster Hall had to call in extra security to ensure everyone was safe.

    A crowd surfer, Credit Aidan Lukomnik

    Telescreens ended their set with Hamm ripping chords, jumping from the stage to the crowd and back (again), and the band leaving it all out for their hometown fans. 

    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Telescreens Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    A crowd surfer, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    A crowd surfer, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Skorts, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Skorts, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
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    Skorts, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Skorts, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Skorts, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Kareem Rahma & Tiny Gun, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Kareem Rahma & Tiny Gun, Credit Aidan Lukomnik
    Kareem Rahma & Tiny Gun, Credit Aidan Lukomnik

  • Sammy Rae and The Friends bring Heartfelt Joy and Community to Terminal 5 

    Sammy Rae & The Friends brought soulful vocals, upbeat rhythms, sweet horns, and a genre-crossing show to Terminal 5 on Friday, November 8. Most importantly, they brought heartfelt joy and community to a packed venue when it was so needed – less than a week after the most contentious election in recent history.

    Fresh off their first full studio album Something for Everybody, Sammy Rae & The Friends made a New York homecoming at Manhattan’s Terminal 5 for two nights on November 8 and 9. This isn’t the first time the band has toured in New York, having finished their CAMP world tour in Buffalo earlier this year, but it is the first time they’ve been back to showcase their new album.

    Sammy Rae & The Friends appeal has grown exponentially since they formed in New York City, and played their first 30-person gig, as Sammy Rae said from the stage. The singer moved to the City in her late teens, originally intending to study music. She ended up playing at venues around the city and building her own network of musicians who would later become the eponymous “friends” in her band.

    Smoke Ring, followed by Sub-Radio, opened the show, with the latter jumping onto the stage from their first note. The Washington DC-based Indie-pop band kicked, high jumped and sang soring lyrics for an action-packed hour before Sammy Rae & The Friends came on.

    Showcasing that “Friends” isn’t just a name and community isn’t just an ideal, C-Bass Chiriboga, Sammy Rae’s drummer, replaced Michael Pereira, Sub-Radio’s drummer, with just four days’ notice since the latter was stuck out of the country. Throughout their set, Sub-radio and C-Bass created a safe space for queer teens highlighting the importance of music for those finding themselves, especially after an “incredibly hard week.”

    As soon as Sammy Rae & The Friends stepped on stage, they exploded with energy, joy, and hope. Building on Sub-Radio’s message, early in the set, Sammy Rae highlighted that governmental policies may come and go but that community and radical joy will build true strength. The rest of the show expanded that message both on stage and in the audience. More than most front people, Sammy Rae shares the spotlight with her band, physically moving to the back of the stage to let her horn section riff off each other, her guitarists take the spotlight, and even letting her bassist solo with a standup bass. A string quartet even joined the band, so did Jacob Jeffries who was in from Los Angeles.

    Their message of joy and community didn’t end at the stage. Throughout the audience, lyrics were yelled, fans danced, and Sammy Rae & The Friends encouraged it all – allowing fans to feel everything they needed. At one moment, as Sammy Rae saw members of the audience crying, she stopped the show, saying, “I see so many of you crying, and you’re so beautiful.” The singer then asked audience members to turn to their neighbors and tell them that they were beautiful. 

    As the night wore on, the band ended by bringing all their stored energy to bear, thanking their hometown audience with massive solos, sending the audience off with one more moment of joy.

    Setlist: Friends Intro >Thieves, The Feeling, We Made it, Jackie O, Cool Douge, No Rule Book > Winds Intro, I Get It Now, David, Call Ya Back, Good Time Tavern, Luck of the Draw, Good Life Medley, State Song, Hold the Line, Coming Home Song

    Sammy Rae & The Friends will be on tour in the northeast through December before going to Europe in February 2025. Notably, The band has committed to making their entire tour as environmentally friendly as possible, working with Headcount across the U.S. to register voters, and donating one dollar of every ticket sale to local LGBTQ organizations in each city they play.

    Tour Dates: 

    Nov 11, 2024 Ulster Performing Arts Center Kingston, NY

    Nov 12, 2024 Academy of Music Theatre Northampton, MA

    Nov 13, 2024 Academy of Music Theatre Northampton, MA

    Nov 15, 2024 Roadrunner Boston, MA

    Nov 16, 2024 Roadrunner Boston, MA

    Dec 31, 2024 The Anthem Washington, DC