Dispatch performed on a cloudy summer evening at Artpark on Friday, June 28. Thousands gathered at the outdoor venue, located on the edge of the Niagara Gorge to see Dispatch, a band that performs a mixture of indie, reggae, rock and folk. Stolen Gin opened the show.
Stolen Gin has been around for 5 years and they are known for indie, pop, funk and rock, said the drummer, Josh. This is their first show touring with Dispatch in 2024. Stolen Gin gave the crowd a unique taste of their music throughout the show and set the stage for the Dispatch.
As the sun went down, Dispatch took the stage as the gentle breeze carried into the crowd. They seamlessly transitioned between genres, and the band members swapped instruments throughout their set. The memorable moment was when Brad Corrigan wrote a song about the moon on the stage after he saw the street light and thought that it was a full moon. The lyrics went “I see three moons, maybe four. There are more coming for more, we eat berries in the woods”. He said I will keep working on that song until we all sing together. Fans were singing along and dancing along as they played their iconic songs “The General”, “Bang Bang”, “Only The Wild Ones” and “Bond By Love”. Dispatch ended the show with a Birthday song for the band member Matt Embree who play guitar and bass.
Dispatch will continue their US tour throughout 2024. They will come back to the gorgeous vanue Artpark to singalong with their audience in near future.
The Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association, located in Ballston Spa, NY, has announced its summer concert series, “Concerts in the Park.” Events and performances will take place weekly on Thursdays from 6-8 pm in Lions Music Park at the historic Iron Spring Park on Front Street. Attendees can enjoy performances from a wide variety of performers, including community symphonic bands and local rock groups.
Formed in 1983, the BSBPA is committed to making Ballston Spa a thriving, prosperous community that is great for both business and everyday life. Since its inception, they have promoted local vendors, merchants, and businesses alongside artists and musicians in and surrounding the area. The Concerts in the Park series is one of their many events promoting the extensive talent in the thriving neighborhood.
From chamber ensembles to indie rock bands, the Ballston Spa Concerts in the Park series celebrates musicians of all kinds. Listed below is the full list of those performing for Concerts in the Park.
The Ballston Spa Community Band makes their return to the concert series just in time for the opening performance. Since 2005, the volunteer musicians that make up the band have bonded over their love of music. About a dozen times each year, the Ballston Spa Community Band performs in schools, parks, and theaters in the area. Join them for a sensational opening performance on June 27.
For the last 15 years, HEARD has brought captivating fusions of jazz, improvisational, and world music to festivals and concerts all over the country. Their vibrant sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and beyond.
Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Fenimore Blues performs an eclectic mix of blues, R&B, and rock. The blend of genres comes from multiple inspirations, including Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin, the Neville Brothers, the Allman Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James, Santana, and even Tedeschi Trucks. Their unique stage presence stems from its instrumentation – Sherian Nolan’s powerful vocals are backed by guitar, keyboards, saxophone, bass, and drums, and one band member doubling on accordion.
Concerts in the Park once again welcomes the Union Fire Company Band with an ice cream social, accompanied by a performance from the Union Fire Company Band. Support the Ballston Spa local fire department on August 1st.
Hailing from Upstate NY, Sirsy is a sassy pop-rock duo with an amazing musical ability. Drummer Melanie Krahmer, who also plays keyboards, is joined by her husband John (guitar), these multi-instrumentalists manage to sound like a full band. Sirsy is known for their passionate, honest, heartfelt live performances. The Boston Globe calls SIRSY the “little band with the big sound.”
For the last 30 years, Lustre Kings have cemented themselves as focused, driven, and passionate musicians returning to their roots. Their reverb-driven sounds of early rock lean on touchstones of country, blues, and R&B.
The Protones are a group of well-seasoned musicians bringing back the classic sounds of 70s rock to venues and festivals all over the state. Join them as they close out the Concerts in the Park series on August 22!
Papadosio brought their Summer Sequence Festival to Wonderland Forest on June 21 and 22 in Lafayette, New York. Summer Sequence has been around in different variations since 2017. This summer they decided to give the new venue in the Finger Lakes a try, moving the festival from their home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina.
Wonderland Forest, still in it’s nascent phase, was a great low-key location for a music festival, as it was intimate and hassle free. Everything was centrally located with two campgrounds on either side of the venue, and besides a trek up the hill for the late-night stage, you were never a far walk from anything. The main stage, nestled in the forest was intimate, and the trees offered a great spot for people to set up their hammocks and set up their own home bases away from their camp site. I did not venture into the other campground area, so I’m not sure if they had any other food options out that way, but the main stage did have a small menu for food. They cooked it made-to-order and they had a pretty damn good wood-fired pizza as an option. If you are camping there for a festival in the future it would probably be smart to not depend on those options for the whole weekend though. The Finger Lakes offers a ton of opportunities to take in some nature in the afternoon, both onsite and offsite, exiting and entering the venue was a breeze.
Papadosio are a mix of Prog Rock, Livetronica, Jazz and Jamband, and their eclectic style reflected on the wide-ranging line-up. Along with Psy-Dub producer Ott, both acts were scheduled to play longer sets each night. After some afternoon Yoga, the music started both days around noon. The afternoons started off laid back, with sparse crowds but as the days went on, the crowd thickened out and were really ready to go by 7 or so.
As it was a new venue, there were still a few kinks to the weekend. As reported, a neighbor in the area is not exactly excited about the venue, and the late-night stage on Friday was shut down early at 2 AM (it was supposed to go until 5). Because of the legal issues with the sound, the late-night for Saturday was entirely canceled. The late-night stage itself was a hike up the mountain, but the venue had shuttles to remedy this and escorted people back down into the late of the night. To no fault of anyone, Ott’s Saturday’s set was cut short after only 45 minutes, as a lighting storm appeared in the area. Everyone went back to take shelter at their camp sites, some left but most stayed in the hopes that Papadosio would still be able to properly close out their festival. During the break the storm turned into a torrential downpour, but as quickly as it started, it stopped. Right before their scheduled set at 10, you could hear some sounds from the stage, and the lights turned back on. Someone from venue drove around in an ATV and let people know that Papadosio would be coming on soon.
Papadosio was able to play their final set, you could tell that everyone was enjoying getting a win at the end. Wonderland Forest was a great spot for their Summer Sequence Festival, the weekend was a success with only a few hiccups. Hopefully the venue is able to work out some of the issues and they will be able to come back next summer. Papadosio still has several dates planned throughout the summer, including the Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival in Ohio and AVL Fest in North Carolina. Wonderland Forest will be bringing back the Disco Biscuits over the 4th of July weekend for their second Biscoland music festival.
As of June 24, 2024 the MTV News website has completely vanished, taking with it over two decades of content. This comes after the closure of MTV News in 2023 by its parent company Paramount.
The result of this wipe, thousands of pieces of music journalism, including interviews, columns, and archives are now lost. With this massive blow to music journalism, let’s look back at the history of MTV News and how it shaped the field.
The history of MTV News has to begin with the beginnings of MTV as a whole. MTV began broadcasting on August 1st, 1981 at 12:01 AM. The channel execs must have known the magnitude of this launch, inaugurating the channel with footage of the Columbia Space shuttle launch and moon landing, all edited to feature the MTV logo. In many ways, the launch of MTV was as consequential as the moon landing for the music industry, changing the way audiences consumed music forever.
Prior to the launch of MTV, the music video was a fledgling medium. While superstars like the Beatles, and Bob Dylan had recorded videos to accompany songs in the 1960s, they were far from what we would consider music videos today. For instance the Beatles’ performances feature in the narrative of their 1964 hit film A Hard Day’s Night rather than acting as standalone videos. Even Bob Dylan’s iconic “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video was part of the larger Don’t Look Back documentary. Despite this lack of videos, music television was extremely popular thanks to programming like Midnight Special. These programs often featured live performances, as music videos were still not widely established as a practice.
MTV changed all of this in 1981. Following its inaugural broadcast, the station screened its first music video: the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The song’s title seemed to foreshadow exactly what MTV would do to the music industry. Because of MTV, the music video became a common part of any album roll out, with the medium becoming its own art form.
By 1984, MTV was a staple of American television, reaching 25.4 million households across the country. With this wide spread, MTV became a tastemaker for America’s youth. New Wave artists like the Human League, and Adam Ant were kicking off the “second British invasion” thanks to frequent play on the station. By the end of the decade, MTV had made the music video the paramount form of promotion, propelling superstars like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper even further into stardom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Lq9sqqbYY
Off of this massive broadcasting success, MTV launched MTV news in 1987. MTV News began with the twice weekly program The Week In Rock. In 30 minute segments, the program featured news about award shows and tours, and interviews with the biggest stars in music. This programming added a journalistic edge to MTV’s programming, featuring high quality reporting that was still entertaining to the station’s young audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPj88KXBCOc
At the helm of MTV News was Kurt Loder. By the time of The Week in Rock’s launch, Loder was already an established figure in music journalism. Starting in 1976, Loder was writing for New York-based music magazines, beginning with Long Island’s Good Times. By 1978, Loder had moved to Manhattan to write for Circus, focusing on heavy metal, punk, and other emerging genres. He admits that the writing of Circus was not always the most admirable “it was a foregone conclusion that writing of any technical ambition about new acts of any real excitement or interest would make it in the mag only by the sheerest accident.”
In 1979, Loder began a 9-year career as one of the most prolific writers at Rolling Stone Magazine. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career prior to MTV was co-authoring Tina Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina. The book quickly became a best-seller, launching the film adaptation What’s Love Got to Do with It, launching Loder further into the public eye. It was following this that MTV approached Loder to head their newly-established news desk.
“Linda Corradina called me and asked, ‘Have you thought about being in TV?’ I hadn’t — ever. So I went over and did a camera test, which was pretty awful, I think. And suddenly, I was there”
– Kurt Loder
Introduced by the guitar intro of Megadeth’s “Peace Sells,” Loder brought features on some of the biggest musical groups of the era. Early stories featured Depeche Mode, Public Enemy, and Anthrax. Loder’s presence brought a seriousness and professionalism to the station, while providing quality interviews and commentary. Up to that point, many viewed MTV as a raunchier, rather unserious network for America’s youth. However, Loder and MTV News proved that its programming could be just as diligent and well-produced as established news stations. While being professional, the programing managed to retain MTV’s trademark sense of rebelliousness.
Soon after its founding, MTV News began to incorporate politics and society into its repertoire in addition to music. This came to a head in 1992, preceding that year’s presidential election. In the leadup to the election, MTV News launched a $1 million “Choose or Lose” campaign to encourage young people to vote. Accompanying this was frequent political coverage, making up about 25% of its programming. In June 1992, MTV News aired “Choose or Lose: Facing the Future with Bill Clinton,” a 90 minute program featuring the candidate answering young people’s questions. By election day, the number of 18-20 year olds voting was up by 20% aiding in Bill Clinton’s electoral victory.
Despite this incorporation of politics, MTV News still remained one of the premier sources for music journalism. Perhaps one of the defining moments of MTV News’ 90s output came in the follow up of Kurt Cobain’s death. On April 5, 1994, Kurt Loder interrupted MTV’s regular programming to announce the news of Cobain’s death. This broadcast was the first time many people had heard the news, launching a wave of nationwide mourning for the biggest rock star of the era. In addition to the announcement, Loder’s coverage provided a thoughtful tribute to Cobain’s career, influence, and talent.
Following a decade of success of TV reporting, MTV News launched its website in 1996. Over the course of the next 20 years, the site became a haven for online music journalism. It hosted thousands of articles and artist interviews. Of note was the site’s hip-hop archives, such as the “Monday Mixtape” column, which featured many early interviews with future stars.
After three decades of operation, MTV News ran into serious financial woes. This began in 2017, with the site’s shift towards video content, laying off most of its editorial staff. These problems came to a head in May 2023, as Paramount announced it would shut down MTV News. With this announcement, its television and internet content was abruptly brought to a halt.
Despite this, the MTV News site remained open for over a year. However, on June 24, 2024, MTV removed the site and all of its content from the internet. Among the first to notice was former MTV News journalist Patrick Hosken. Writing on X, Hosken said “So, mtvnews.com no longer exists. Eight years of my life are gone without a trace.” If users try to access the website, they will now be redirected to the mtv.com home page. MTV has not given a reason for the website’s removal, however some such as music journalist Alex Young have speculated it could be due to hosting and legal costs.
Music lovers have taken to X to express their disappointment in the site’s deletion. Rolling Stone Senior Writer Brian Hiatt called it “disgraceful,” with Entertainment Weekly News Director Jillian Sederholm adding it was “devastatingly cruel to journalists.”
With the loss of MTV News, let’s remember the programming that helped bring music journalism to America’s youth. With Kurt Loder and countless music journalists, their television and online programming helped provide America’s youth with updates on everything from the Pet Shop Boys to the Presidency, all while establishing MTV as a news source to be reckoned with.
Those interested in exploring the history of MTV News can explore archival versions on the Wayback Machine.
The two-piece rock band, AM Gold, just released their long awaited, self-titled album on all streaming platforms.
Today, Aaron Magram and Dana Fasano make up the rock band. When the project first started, AM Gold was Magram’s solo work. Between 2017 and 2020 he released three albums, Fuckin’ A, Love Pharmaceuticals & Smooth Jazz and SuperUltraMegaMediocre along with their two EPs, Xanax and Aww Yeah!
In late 2022, the project was re-born and Magram and Fasano started to perform together. Originally, the two wanted to find other bandmates to fill out their sound more, but with the help of music technology, they no longer have that need.
With octave and vocal pedals along with guitar looping, AM Gold sounded like a full band. Recordings for this new album started in early 2024 at Magram’s home studio with the help of Bob Hershberger, who professionally mastered the album.
In preparation for the new album they’ve released three singles, “Unto You,” “Use Your Delusions I” and “Tell Me.”
Listening to AM Gold is like taking a journey through rock history. You can find the resemblance to 80’s hair rock with the opening track “Word of God” as well as “About Me.” Their intense guitar instrumentations and harsh vocals speak to the inspiration. “Sleight of Hand” is a more easy-going carefree 70’s style song.
Although this grunge punk album has clear inspiration, it is original and unique to AM Gold’s style. Their mixing and instrumentation is exactly the modern touch rock music needs in 2024.
AM Gold also has some performance dates in the Hudson Valley and you can find more information about it on their website.
Marking what would have been the late singer’s 78th birthday, The Bon Scott Estate is embarking on a number of high-profile activations to celebrate the icon’s life and music.
On July 9, the actual birthday of Scott, a tribute concert will be held at Arlene’s Grocery on New York City’s Lower East Side. The infamous rock club has hosted some of the most raucous nights of rock and roll in the 21st century, and the show will harken back to the secret set that AC/DC performed at CBGB in 1977. 16 singers will each tackle one classic AC/DC song with a stellar backing band.
44 years after his untimely passing, the music Bon Scott helped create with AC/DC continues to resonate with fans and fellow artists.
Few rock singers were as unforgettable—and have proved as enduring—as Bon Scott. As the frontman of AC/DC from 1974 until his tragic passing in 1980, his “rock n’ roll pirate persona,” street poet lyrics, and striking image have made him an absolute legend. Additionally, Bon’s vocals were featured in several pre-AC/DC bands, including Fraternity, the Valentines, and the Spektors.
But really, it is the quality of the songs of the “Bon-era” of AC/DC that serve as his greatest legacy: “Highway to Hell,” “Sin City,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” “Let There Be Rock,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “T.N.T.,” and “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”—the list is seemingly endless.
How does Bon measure up to rock’s all-time great frontmen? Classic Rock Magazine declared him “The Greatest Rock n’ Roll Front Man of All Time” in 2004, beating out the lofty likes of Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, and Axl Rose in the process.
In addition to the tribute concert, The Bon Scott Estate will be releasing a variety of merchandise and collectibles.
Two new online stores are launching in time for the birthday, one at Amazon in the U.S. and the other at Merch Jungle in Australia, making it easier and more cost-effective for fans to get their hands on their favorite singer’s merchandise. Further Amazon stores will continue to roll out throughout the world. Bon Scott’s e-commerce and merchandising program is handled by Perryscope Productions, LLC.
A brand-new merch design will be launching to commemorate the birthday by renowned Australian graphic artist Dave Homer.
Information and tickets for the NYC show can be found here. Visit here for official Bon Scott merchandise.
It was an exhilarating homecoming jam for Mikaela Davis at Thursday nightâs show at the Colony in Woodstock. The June 27 show was full of high energy, dancing, and an extraordinary show from a group of versatile musicians.
Davis, originally from Rochester and now based out of Catskill, is currently on a tour of headline shows and festivals opening for Amos Lee. This show was even more significant, marking her return to the Hudson Valley before embarking on a West Coast tour in July.Â
The audience got a taste of what they were about to witness when she joined opener Rich Ruth on stage for a harp contribution. Davis’ harp playing was recently featured on Ruth’s latest release Water Still Flows. Ruth along with his band and Davis, treated the audience to a special collaborative performance.
Another highlight of the night with Mikaela Davis at Colony in Woodstock was the remarkable musicianship exhibited by the band. By crossing genres, they exemplified how a variety of musical backgrounds can come together to create new distinctive pieces of art. It’s not every day there’s a harp and a double-neck bass in the same band. The experimentation allowed for making the environment feel like a jam session where everyone in the room was equal to the performers, witnessing genuine virtuosity.
After spending the last few years playing with legends like Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, it’s no surprise that Davis chooses to cover a Grateful Dead song at most of her shows. Characteristically, she ended the show with the Jerry Garcia tune “Bird Song.” This was an extremely successful way of uniting the room even more, by playing a song loved by everyone with such positive energy.
Lake George’s summer concert series “Fridays at the Lake” returns this year with an exciting lineup. From July 5 to August 30, Shepard Park Amphitheater will host a concert every Friday. Concerts are free, and will feature a beer and wine garden.
Amanda Metzger
On July 5, The Ultimates will open for the New York Players, who will be returning to Fridays at the Lake this year. The New York Players are known for being dance party experts, with over 1,000 events under their belt. On July 12, Yellow Dog will open for Soul Session.
Dirt Cheap will open for E.B Jeb with classic blues and rock on July 19. E.B Jeb has been bringing authentic Southern Rock to upstate New York since 1980.
July 26, Saratoga-based pop group The Schmooze will open for Vivid. The Hartford based band is known for playing upbeat and danceable pop rock covers.
Albany band Sirsy will bring pop rock with folk intimacy to Fridays at the Lake on August 9. They will open for the TS Ensemble, a high energy, eight piece band from
Sirsy by Chet Seidel
The US Navy band will open for The Accents on August 23; The Accents will be returning for another performance this year; Lake George regulars, the Accents have performed at Fridays at the Lake and thousands of other events.
On August 30, Troy rock trio Super 400 will open for Ten Most Wanted. The Ten Most Wanted is a ten piece band known for their powerful vocals and sizzling horn section.
All events are family & dog friendly, and bouncy houses will be available. Openers will take the stage at 6:00, and headliners will start performing at 7:30. A recap of last years’ Fridays at the Lake is available at the following link, and a video of a performance from a previous year is available below.
Grammy Award winning pop star, Jason Mraz will perform alongside the Boston Pops at Tanglewood on Tuesday, July 2.
This iconic singer-songwriter has been releasing music since 1999 as a self-published artist and released his first studio album Waiting For My Rocket To Come in 2002. Mraz’s career started at Java Joe’s coffee shop in Ocean Beach, San Diego. Mraz was signed to Elektra Records in 2001 and opened on Jewel’s 2002 tour.
His singles “The Remedy” and “You & I Both” made it onto Billboard charts. In 2005, he released Mr A-Z with Atlantic Records and went on to open for stars like The Rolling Stones and Alanis Morissette. His 2008 album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, blossomed his career and gave listeners his most well known songs like “I’m Yours,” “Lucky” and “Make It Mine.” He won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Make It Mine” and Best Pop Collaboration for “Lucky” with Colbie Caillat at the 2010 Grammy Awards.
Currently, The Jason Mraz Foundation raises money for arts education organizations like Harmonic Humanity and the Rock n’ Roll Camp For Girls. Since 2011, he has raised over $1 million to help these inclusive arts programs.
The Boston Pops will perform alongside him on the Koussevitzky Music Shed stage. They have performances throughout the Tanglewood concert series including with the band DISPATCH and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra during their film nights. Tanglewood is a summer series located in the Berkshire hills in Western Massachusetts and will continue until August 31.
For more information of Jason Mraz’s Tanglewood performance and to purchase tickets you can visit the website here.
Long Island based Hip-hop artist and producer, Jesse Eplan released his single, “Sunburst,” on June 21.
Eplan releases music under his own name and produces all of his work, including pop, rap and trap music and works in every aspect of production from writing to mixing and mastering. Eplan attempts to push boundaries and create unique genre blending beats.
His interest in music started with more of a classic rock discography when he was 9 years old. “I was learning to play drums and guitar. I was listening to some of the classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, ACDC, The Rolling Stones and The Who” Eplan told NYS Music. “As I got into middle school, my friends and I started listening to Rick Ross, Kanye West and Chris Brown. I was DJing at local parties. All I wanted to do was make beats. So, my classic rock roots and rap-trap/pop, met somewhere in the middle and I’ve been making beats and music ever,” he said.
Eplan’s projects venture beyond his music productions. He currently owns and operates The Sound Lab, a recording studio in Bellmore, Long Island. He engineers in both studio rooms and works with other up and coming artists in the area.
After he released his first two LPs, Trap Harmony and Purple Wave at the University of Tampa the Hip Hop world took notice of the young star. He collaborated with similar artists like Wacotron, Famous Dex and Kontraversy. Although his music started to blossom in Tampa, he ultimately decided to attend The Los Angelos film school where he studied audio engineering. His range of sounds spans across his seven albums and many singles like “Sunburst.”
“Sunburst” has a catchy hook and exposes his vocals over a simple beat. It has a relatively slow tempo making it an easy-going song. Along with Sunburst, he released a “Sunburst remix,” a song with a more dance friendly tempo. The new single is accompanied by a music video featuring Eplan performing the song at a beautiful sunset lit beach.
Jesse Eplan’s upcoming album Jetty Life 3 is set to be released on July 14 – you can find his music on any streaming service – list to “Sunburst” below.
