When Here Come the Mummies come to town, you know you’re in for a thrilling night of funk. For the unfamiliar, you’re in for a lyrical treat, in addition to the stellar musical performance from the wrapping cloaked mummies on stage.
This past Friday, May 3 at Empire Live, Troy-based Front Biz opened the night for Here Come the Mummies, dropping a choice set of indie rock that paired nicely with the funk that was on tap. This night marked HCTM first show back in the Capital Region since performing at Skyloft in late 2019.
Entering from the back of the venue, the Mummies walked out and wound through the crowd, a drumline sounding their arrival in grand fashion. Once on the stage, the group burst into “My Party,” and from there, the party took off.
What lay ahead was more than 90 minutes of venue shaking bass, multiple horn players swapping back and forth on solos and adding flare to each song, as well as a guitarist who shredded song after song, all keeping their identities under wraps. The group let their “Freak Flag” fly, led the crowd in “Ra Ra Ra”, got suggestive with “Hard at Work” and doubled down with “Pants.” The group’s hilarious lyrics (SFW but full of double and triple entendre) are engaging for the uninitiated, atop a funk foundation you can’t stop moving to.
With an encore of “Dirty Minds,” the party came to a close, a crowd covered in streamers that had been shot from the stage, celebrated the Mummies and cheered them on for more.
NYC sibling duo The Lemon Twigs have just released their latest LP, A Dream Is All We Know, via independent Brooklyn label, Captured Tracks. They also embark on an international tour, stopping back in New York for shows at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, and Webster Hall in the East Village.
The Lemon Twigs – a duo consisting of brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario from Hicksville, Long Island – have been described as “remarkably inventive… harmonically unlike anything that’s come before them” by Michael McDonald. The brothers formed the band while still enrolled at Hicksville High School, and have been consistently recording and touring since 2014.
A Dream Is All We Know was recorded completely to tape and mixed and mastered by Brian and Michael themselves on of-the-era equipment, and explores the timeless tropes of the Lennon-McCartney songbook, with Sean Ono Lennon co-producing “In The Eyes Of The Girl.” The album features the harmonies of the Wilson family, and many other 1968 influences including The Move, Big Star, The Raspberries, The Byrds, The Left Banke, and many more.
The Lemon Twigs have also announced a massive, 30 date headlining tour this fall. The run of shows include some of their biggest US venues to date including Webster Hall. The fall tour follows summer dates across the Southeastern US and a leg in the EU.
The Lemon Twigs Live Dates
USA
5/4 – White Eagle Hall / Jersey City, NJ
5/5 – The Southern Cafe and Music Hall / Charlottesville, VA
5/7 – King – Raleigh, NC
5/9 – The Pour House / Charleston, SC
5/10 – Tuffys Music Box / Sanford, FL
5/11 – Heartwood Soundstage / Gainesville, FL
5/12 – Crowbar / Tampa, FL
5/14 – 40 Watt / Athens, GA
5/15 – Saturn / Birmingham, AL
5/16 – 805 After / Huntsville, AL
5/17 – The Burf / Lexington, KY
5/18 – Rumba Cafe / Columbus, OH (SOLD OUT)
Europe
5/25 – CCVF / Guimarães, Portugal
5/26 – LAV / Lisbon, Portugal
5/28 – Sala Copérnico / Madrid, Spain (SOLD OUT)
5/29 – Kafe Antzokia / Bilbao, Spain
5/30 – Sala Oasis / Zaragoza, Spain
6/1 – Primavera Sound Festival / Barcelona, Spain
USA
7/20 – Fort Collins, CO / The Aggie
7/23 – Indianapolis, IN / HI-FI
7/24 – Detroit, MI / Magic Bag
7/26 – Northampton, MA / Iron Horse Music Hall
7/27 – Woodstock, NY / Levon Helm Barn
Europe & UK
8/29 – 9/1 – End of the Road Festival / Salisbury, UK
On Thursday, May 2, PEAK took the stage at Brooklyn Bowl along side guitarist Ryan Liatsis and P(X3) for a night full of funk, riffed-out blues-rock and music to fuel the soul.
PEAK, a Brooklyn based band consists of guitarist and vocalist Jeremy Hilliard, keyboardist and vocalist Johnny Young, bassist Josh T. Carter and drummer Kito Bovenschulte. The group captivated their audience with melodic songwriting along with psychedelic funk groove that makes your body move. They took on a life of their own as some of the best musicians in the NYC improv rock scene with moody blues-rock and created an atmosphere for their danceable improvisations.
Brooklyn Bowl welcomed fans with an open floor to dance, as fans had an intimate engagement throughout the night with the New York jam band. Quick controlled snare, dominant guitar riffs, upbeat blend of melodies and synthesized sounds from keyboard combined to create PEAK’s ambience of psychedelic, funk variables of rock and roll, a musical narrative that let good-timey clash with poetic guitar.
By the end of the night, the crowd was in their groove and connected with the band, looking forward to their future music endeavors. After this show, PEAK will be on their way to Burlington, Vermont at Nectars on May 4th and 5th. Shortly after, the band will head to Newmarket, New Hampshire to perform at The Stone Church on May 16th.
PEAKSetlist: Forsythia Fills the Wilderness, Little Miss Mary Merry- Go- Round, Woody Guthrie with Ryan Liatsis, Daddy Donât Live in that New York City No More, When the Night Comes Calling You, Pastures of Plenty, It Ainât Over âtil the Credits Roll, Run Me Down
The third annual Wilmington Mountain Music Festival lineup has been announced, featuring a diverse lineup of five bands, and the beloved Smoke Show Firedancers as evening entertainment on July 27.
There will also be a lot of local food, beer/wine, and coffee vendors on site to keep you fed and hydrated throughout the day. The Wilmington Mountain Music Festival is a family-friendly and community-minded event, so grab chairs and blankets and get ready for a truly amazing show, the Wilmington way: tons of fun with our community members and visitors.
Acts performing at the festival #1 Bon Jovi Tribute Band – Don Jovi, the Van Halen Tribute Band -Completely Unchained, Taylor LaValley, The Midnight Stargazers, and Merle Jam.
The 2024 NY Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks lineup has been announced. Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, it will take place from June 11–14, 2024.
Photo by Chris Lee.
Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads four free outdoor concerts at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 11); the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 12); Cunningham Park, Queens (June 13); and Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 14). The program includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture; Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring Randall Goosby — who made his NY Phil debut on a Young People’s Concert at age 13 — as soloist; Elgar’s Wand of Youth Overture; the New York Premiere of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol; and works by New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Dalya Shaman and David Wright. All four outdoor performances begin at 8:00 p.m. and conclude with fireworks by Santore’s World Famous Fireworks.
The Concerts in the Parks series has become an iconic New York summer experience since it began in 1965. It transformed parks across the city into a patchwork of picnickers and allowed them to hear classical music under the stars. More than 15 million listeners have been delighted by the performances since their inception.
The 2024 Concerts in the Parks marks Wilkin’s first time conducting the event, making his NY Philharmonic debut in 2015. He has since conducted and hosted numerous Young People’s Concerts, and returns in October 2024 for the Philharmonic’s exploration of Afromodernism on a program that features a New York Premiere by Nathalie Joachim and a reprise of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances.
Following the Concerts in the Parks, musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform a Free Indoor Concert on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island. The program includes Clarke’s Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for clarinet and viola; Mozart’s Oboe Quartet; and Prokofiev’s Quintet.
The New York Philharmonic’s annual Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, are always a highlight of our year. It is a joy to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers turn out to enjoy free concerts under the stars, creating a sense of community and shared experience that is rare and vital. We are deeply grateful to Didi and Oscar, the visionary and generous couple whose love of music and of New York City’s parks is essential to making possible the ambitious tour of our hometown.
NY Phil President & CEO Gary Ginstling.
Admission to the 2024 Concerts in the Parks is free, and tickets are not required. Admission to the Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island is free. Tickets are required and are available here.
Lincoln Center in NYC has announced The Ephemeral Cinema of Sam Green Festival as a part of their Summer for the City series. The festival lasts three days from June 13 to 16.
Sam Green, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, brings three masterpieces to the festival: 32 Sounds, A Thousand Thoughts, and The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller. The festival interweaves film and performance, with live narration from Green and live music from JD Samson, Kronos Quartet, and Yo La Tengo. The Ephemeral Cinema of Sam Green takes place at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.
The festival kicks off with the immersive documentary 32 Sounds (2022) on June 13 at 7:30pm. Headphones are provided for all audience members to experience the dynamic, dimension-expanding binaural sound mix. A Thousand Thoughts (2018), written and directed by Green and Joe Bini, marks the last-ever performance of the film in New York City on June 15 at 8pm.
Lastly, The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller (2012) takes place June 16 at 7:30pm. Green explores the 20th century futurist, architect, engineer, and inventor’s utopian vision of radical social change through a design revolution. This collaboration with legendary indie band Yo La Tengo, originally commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Design and Architecture Department, concludes the festival.
Green’s most recent projects are “live documentaries” that explore the depths of social, societal, and natural phenomena. All of Sam Green’s works are performed live, with Green narrating and musicians performing the soundtrack.
JD Samson is best known as leader of the band MEN and for being one-third of the electronic-feminist-punk band and performance project, Le Tigre. JD’s career as a visual artist, musician, producer and DJ has landed her at the intersection of music, art, activism, and fashion.
Yo La Tengo’s uninterrupted 40-years-and-counting career is unparalleled in its creative breadth and refusal to rest on laurels. The band has released more than a dozen full-length albums and composed soundtracks for a number of films. These include Adventureland, Old Joy and Shortbus.
Tickets to all three nights are available through Lincoln Center’s Choose-What-You-Pay ticketing model, starting at $5. To purchase tickets and for more information, click here.
Saigon and Fredro have teamed up for a new album called “The Jordan Era,” honoring hip-hop’s golden age from 1984 to 1998. The album, set to drop on May 3, via Payday Records, features production solely by Fredro and guest appearances from hip-hop heavyweights like Grandmaster Caz, Pete Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, Kool G Rap, and more.
“The Jordan Era” is poised to make waves within the hip-hop community and beyond. Notably, the album’s tracks have already found resonance in popular television shows like “BMF” and “Raising Kanan,” testament to the timeless quality of its sound and the relevance of its themes.
On May 1st, a select group of enthusiasts and industry insiders gathered at Payday Records in Manhattan for an intimate listening party, where Saigon and Fredro provided exclusive insights into the album’s creation. Track by track, they delved into the nuances of each song, offering glimpses into the creative process and the inspirations behind their artistry.
As the music played and the lyrics flowed, listeners felt like they were back in the prime of hip-hop. “The Jordan Era” captures the essence of that time, known for its real lyrics, heavy beats, and bold storytelling.
“The Jordan Era” album offers a mix of tracks, each giving a glimpse into hip-hop’s golden age. One standout is “Lyrical Genius,” featuring Grandmaster Caz, known for his sharp rhymes. Another is “Think Twice,” with Grand Puba, bringing smooth flow and deep lyrics. Then there’s “Make Money,” with Kool G Rap, a gritty song about street life. Each track shows the creativity and talent that defined hip-hop back then.
As fans anticipate its release, “The Jordan Era” promises to keep the spirit of hip-hop’s golden age alive. It’s not just about the music; it’s a tribute to the artists who shaped the genre and a reminder of why hip-hop continues to be a cultural powerhouse.
Sally Rogers, Claudia Schmidt, and Emma’s N Revolution will perform their second annual concert celebrating women, artists and change-makers at the 8th Step at Proctors (GE Theatre) in Schenectady on May 5.
The award-winning folk legends concert will be a part of their second annual Mother’s Day tour “Every Day is Mother’s Day”, which was formed to “lift up mothers and foremothers, trailblazers and hell raisers of all kinds,” according to Pat Humphries of the duo Emma’s Revolution.
Pat Humphries, who had a solo career as a folk singer and songwriter, recorded two albums before forming Emma’s Revolution with Sandy Opatow. Opatow had also been part of another folk duo, Petronella, when the two met. The duo is named after the statement attributed to Emma Goldman that “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution”.
In 1979, Sally Rogers embarked on a full-time touring career, encouraged by the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers. She traveled throughout the United States, Europe, China, Hungary, Poland, England, and Scotland thanks to more than a dozen appearances on A Prairie Home Companion. Sally is well-known for having a clear voice and for playing the guitar, banjo, and mountain dulcimer for herself. Many of these instruments are featured in her solo concerts, in her interactive school residencies, in duos with her husband Howie Bursen, and with her longtime friend Claudia Schmidt.
Also performing at the Mother’s Day tour is Michigan-based folk and jazz singer Claudia Schmidt. Ever since her first performances in the late 1970s, Schmidt has been a well-known figure in the folk and acoustic music scene. Claudia Schmidt, who’s based in Illinois, made her stage debut at AmazingRace Coffeehouse in Evanston. After she established a relationship with the fledgling record label Red House Records in 1987, she went on to record five additional albums, including a pair with Sally Rogers. It was evident that the ten tracks listed above were all folk and acoustic.
Emma’s Revolution made of Pat Humphries and Sandy O, Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt will come together and create their powerful four-part harmonies in their second annual concert celebrating women, artists and change-makers. The concert will kick off at 7:00 pm on May 5, at the 8th Step at Proctors (GE Theatre), 432 State Street, in Schenectady.
Tickets are $30 advance / $33 day of show / $65 Gold Circle (front center), available through 8thstep.org; or through Proctors Box Office (518) 346-6204 and at the door.
Jam band God Street Wine has announced they are playing four live shows, three of which in New York this September.
God Street Wine was formed in 1988 by Lo Faber, Aaron Maxwell, Dan Pifer, Jon Bevo, and Tom Osander. The band hails from NYC and are known for their multi-genre approach to music. They perform in the styles of Jam Band, Jazz, Bluegrass, Pop, Reggae, Funk, Rock, Psychedelia and so on. The group has had infrequent yet memorable musical gatherings since their separation in 1999.
2024 brings more activity for God Street Wine. On top of marking the 30th anniversary of the bandâs first major label release, $1.99Romances, and digitally releasing the long-lost HotSweet & Juicy, the band is also releasing three albums from their catalog on vinyl for the first time. This all culminates with the original fives-ome performing together again with four New York area shows.
God Street Wine sees the stage in Woodstock on September 20 and 21. They also perform at The Cutting Room in NYC on September 27. Lastly, the band plays in Asbury Park, New Jersey on September 28. These four shows welcome fans of GSW and those who simply love music. There is a bit of everything for everyone when it comes to GSW’s music.
For more information on God Street Wine’s upcoming show at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, click here. For information on GSW’s show at The Cutting Room in NYC, click here.
Music icons Brittany Howard and Michael Kiwanuka have announced their co-headlining tour which arrives in Philadelphia on September 29. The tour sees two dates in New York – The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and Summerstage in NYC.
The tour kicks off September 29 in Philadelphia for a run of 14 shows across the US, wrapping in Paso Robles, CA, on October 19. Brittany Howard and Michael Kiwanuka have partnered with The Ally Coalition. The partnership donates $1 per ticket to support housing for mental health resources for people of color, single mothers, and unhoused LGBTQ Youth. The tour sees support from artist Yasmin Williams.
Brittany Howard is a multi-instrumentalist and vocal powerhouse who specializes in soul, funk, and rock. She plans to play music from her sophomore album What Now along with older hits from her discography. Michael Kiwanuka introduced himself and his art with the acclaimed debut album, Home Again, followed by his decidedly left turn LP, Love & Hate. He has won a Mercury Prize and BRIT Award. Together, the two icons plan to bring their musical gifts to the forefront of several cities across the US.
BRITTANY HOWARD AND MICHAEL KIWANUKA CO-HEADLINE DATES
Sept
29 Philadelphia, PA The Met+
30 Boston, MA Roadrunner*
Oct
2 Port Chester, NY The Capitol Theatre+
3 New York, NY Summerstage*
6 St Paul, MN Palace Theatre*
8 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom+
10 Boise, ID Outlaw Field at Idaho Botanical Garden*
11 Portland, OR Edgefield+
12 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
14 Jacksonville, OR Britt Pavilion+
15 Seattle, WA The Paramount*
17 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre+
18 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre*
19 Paso Robles, CA Vina Robles Amphitheatre+
*Brittany Howard to close
+Michael Kiwanuka to close
Support from Yasmin Williams
For more information on Brittany Howard and Michael Kiwanuka’s co-headline tour and to purchase tickets, click here.
