The Ithaca Reggae Fest family has announced the return of the much-loved Ithaca Reggae Fest, taking place June 20-21, 2025 in the picturesque Stewart Park, Ithaca.
This vibrant festival celebrates reggae music and culture, bringing together fans from all walks of life for an unforgettable experience. The event promises to be a highlight of the summer, showcasing an incredible lineup of artists, delicious food, and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Planning for the 7th Annual Ithaca Reggae Fest is already underway. As we reflect on the success of this past June’s festival, featuring unforgettable performances from John Brown’s Body, Sister Nancy, Pachyman, and more, the 2025 festival is set to be an even more magical experience.
In the spirit of celebration, there are a very limited number of Early Bird Tickets that are now available for purchase. As always, the Friday Welcome Party on June 20 is FREE for all attendees, and children under the age of 16 can join the festivities for FREE on Saturday, June 21, when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Don’t miss out on the chance to relive the magic of this incredible festival. With this beautiful thriving community, organizers can’t wait for you to celebrate at the 7th Annual Ithaca Reggae Fest in Stewart Park in June, 2025
New York City-based Irish Arts Center has announced their Spring 2025 season featuring bold and inventive new programming.
The Irish Arts Center is renowned for its dynamic, inspiring, and collaborative experiences that showcase the evolving arts and culture of Ireland and Irish America in its environment of warm Irish hospitality.
Founded in 1972 in Hell’s Kitchen, this year’s Spring 2025 season will be hosted in the Irish Arts Center’s recently opened state of the art facility as the organization platforms the newest works and artists of the future.
Highlights for the season begin on February 12-16 with John Scott Dance and Mel Mercier’s Begin Anywhere. A response to the inspirations and methodologies of the iconic choreographer Merce Cunningham and composer John Cage, Scott and Mercier will debut a new piece inspired by their shared histories with Cunningham and Cage’s works.
This world premiere will feature a preceding performance of Four Solos by Merce Cunningham presented in a continuous dance event with music by John King.
February 28-28 will host the GRAMMY-winning pianist, composer, and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill alongside the talents of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in an exploration of the intersection between Irish folk and Afro Latin music.
Brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac have expanded the lineup of Ye Vagabonds to feature Alain McFadden (concertina) and Caimin Gilmore (harmonium) for their first North American performance since the band’s sold-out debut at the Irish Arts Center on March 11 and 12.
April 30-June 1 will feature the five-week North American premiere of Colin Murphy’s The United States vs Ulysses directed by Conall Morisson.
A funhouse vision of 1930s radio performers re-enacting the courtroom battle for the future of James Joyce’s Ulysses against U.S. censorship, this production captures the very same world-changing potential IAC has sought to emphasize throughout its entire existence as an organization.
Arriving to the States with its original cast, The United States V. Ulysses celebrates the power of an idea on a page as it examines the forces that benefit from holding culture in stasis instead of allowing evolution of thought in the public eye.
In celebration of the famed Irish producer, composer, and performer Bill Whelan’s 75th birthday, the IAC will hit a two-day musical jubilee featuring fellow artists and special guests on June 26 and 27.
Throughout the season, Dublin-based artist Paul Hughes’ paintings will be displayed in the I am here & I am unwaiting exhibition from February 1-June 21, filling the walls of the IAC with vibrant abstract landscapes. An artist talk will also be hosted on March 6.
For further information on the IAC and their full calendar of events for the upcoming Spring 2025 season, be sure to visit their official website here.
From 1986 until 2014, David Letterman would close out his final show of the year with a Christmas episode that featured the one and only Darlene Love. Over the span of those 28 years, Love would perform her holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” one of Letterman’s favorites.
The appearance found its origins after Letterman saw Love perform the song at the Bottom Line, in a show called Leader of the Pack. He immediately had to have her on the show. Love told Variety in 2014:
He had David [were] down to see the show. [Letterman] said, “You know that song that girl sings? That Christmas song? That’s the greatest Christmas song I’ve ever heard. We need to get her on the show.” That was 1986, and so I’ve been doing it ever since.
The tradition spanned two networks over nearly three decades, appearing from 1986 until 1993 on Late Night with David Letterman, and later on the Late Show with David Letterman when Letterman joined CBS.
The song was originally recorded for the 1963 Phil Spector album A Christmas Gift for You, and while Love performed the song on Letterman’s shows, she told the New York Times in 2014 that she will not sing it for any other TV talk-show hosts moving forward.
For her final performance, the Late Show paid tribute to Darlene Love. Following her brief interview with Dave, the stage filled in with additional musician, including string and horn sections and several backup singers. These singers would not overshadow Love’s powerful voice, and sang her final last verse from the top of Paul Shaffer’s piano, with fake snow falling around her.
Recently, an animated version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” has been released through Legacy Recordings. The short video follows a young Black girl as she walks home through a snowy neighborhood, accompanied by a happy snowman. Along the way, she stops to admire a Christmas tree and runs into her dog, who is singing along with a pair of carolers. The girl and her dog arrive home, where they are lovingly greeted by her parents. As the video nears its end, the girl opens up one of her presents to find a snow globe with the smiling snowman inside.
At the end of the music video, Love posted a message paying tribute to her late sister, Edna Wright Perry, who sang backing vocals on the track.
Featured on the show prior to Love’s show-stopping performance, Letterman annually welcomed comedian Jay Thomas, to share, as Letterman put it, “the best story I’ve ever heard.” Thomas would then launch into his true story about an encounter with Clayton Moore, the actor famous for playing The Lone Ranger. For 17 years starting in 1992, Thomas would come on the show and deliver the joke, much to Letterman and the audience’s approval. Watch the story unfold over the years.
After Thomas delivered the punchline, he and Letterman would alternate throwing a football at the meatball on top of the Late Show Christmas tree. To wrap up the show, Darlene Love would come out for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and send the show into the night.
Former frontman of Antibalas and Afrobeat pioneer Amayo has released “Black Magic Sister” ahead of his debut solo album, Lion Awakes.
Photo: Kory Thibeault
Known best as the former frontman of Antibalas, it’s nearly an understatement to describe Amayo as a legend in the Afrobeat scene. Often credited with the globalization of Afrobeat and contributing to the sound becoming a genre of itself, Amayo moved to New York City in 1995 from Nigeria.
Having attended Howard University, Amayo eventually moved to Brooklyn and found his niche in designing clothing and teaching Kung Fu out of his Afrospot Temple.
While there, Amayo was approached by two of his future bandmates with an invitation to join their new band named Antibalas- and the rest is history. Over the course of 23 years, Amayo became the face of the band while lending his voice and songwriting skills to the group.
Parting ways with Antibalas to pursue his solo career, Amayo has returned to the public eye with the announcement of his debut album Lion Awakes and the release of its first track, “Black Magic Sister”.
Dedicated to his rich Nigerian heritage and Chinese martial arts teachings, Lion Awakens is a testament to Amayo’s boundless creative vision and deep love for his craft. Opening the five track album with “Black Magic Sister,” he makes a vibrant first impression.
Just under six and a half minutes in length, “Black Magic Sister” is a rich soundscape of percussion, keyboard, horns, and vocals- both Amayo’s own and a chorus of supporting voices.
“[Black Magic Sister is] about offering Blessings for an abundant mindset. It’s also a prayer for twins and a wish for those who lost close ones.”
– Amayo
Amayo’s debut solo album Lion Awakes is slated for release on January 17, a set of fierce afrobeat tracks that promises listeners a sonic adventure through myth and reality. In anticipation for the release an official album release party to be held at the Brooklyn Bowl on January 29.
To learn more about Amayo, find out how to attend the official Lion Awakes listening party, and keep up to date on his latest ventures, be sure to check out his official Facebook page here.
For all the live performances at the expanding multitude of Hudson Valley venues, none may match the bold sensibility championed by the edge-pushing curators at Elysium Furnace Works. Led by James Keepnews and Mike Faloon, EFW’s mission is, in its founders’ words, “to present the work of vanguard artists in settings as dedicated and uncompromising as the art itself.” The final event of their momentous 2024 season will surely deliver on this promise when the electric, eclectic, and deliriously intense power trio, Harriet Tubman, cuts loose at Poughkeepsie’s VBI Theater at Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center on December 7 at 8 pm.
Harriet Tubman was formed in 1998 by guitarist/vocalist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer JT Lewis. They take their moniker from Harriet Tubman, an African-American woman born into slavery who was renowned as a liberator of other slaves who, like she, chose to seek freedom by escaping to the North. She accomplished this with the help of a secret network of safe houses, or “stations,” on what was known as “The Underground Railroad.”
Before joining forces, Gibbs built an eclectic discography collaborating with artists including Ronald Shannon Jackson, Arto Lindsay, George Clinton, and Henry Rollins. Ross has done the same in his work with Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Henry Threadgill, Tony Williams, The Lounge Lizards, Jewel and more. JT Lewis has divided his time between studio and live work with an a-list of leading names in jazz, R&B and pop, including Whitney Houston, Sting, Bill Laswell, Sonny Sharrock, and William Parker. Together, the trio has waxed five critically acclaimed albums, including I Am A Man (1998), Ascension (2011), and their latest, The Terror End of Beauty (2018)
The music of Harriet Tubman is both familiar and fresh, a unique blend that allows the listener to experience the music free from distracting labels of style or genre.
Several critics have likened their style to a free jazzy, future-forward extension of the musical terra firma first laid down by Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys. There are also elements of Delta Blues, King Tubby-style dub, electronica, 70s-styled jazz fusion, metal, ambient, noise- and progressive-rock.
While Ross may be best known for his mannered acoustic guitar work with vocalist Cassandra Wilson, he is genuinely liberated in this trio, like Harriet Tubman herself. Ross conjures spacious textures and loops as the backdrops to melodies and solos that often impart a white-hot fire, as captured on “Farther Unknown,” the opener of their latest album. Gibbs was once called “the egg in the meatloaf” by his former boss, the late great drummer/bandleader Ronald Shannon Jackson of the Decoding Society.
In this band, he provides the sub-harmonic foundation for their wildly wonderful and unpredictable sonic excursions, alternating between deep, steady grooves punctuated with thunderous chords and rapid-fire melodies of his own. Drummer Lewis provides the beats, which are polyrhythmic, funky, tribal, and swinging. Lewis functions at the conductor, creating the pulses and crescendos that propel the surprisingly dense sound produced by the trio. Harriet Tubman has a bit of everything for anyone with open ears, – free jazz, metal, blues, electronica, noise, swing, funk and dub – often co-existing happily in a single bar of music.
Elysium Furnace Works’ 2024 season has brought Hudson Valley music lovers some of greatest names in jazz with an experimental edge. Past concerts have featured local guitar hero David Torn, The Matthew Shipp Trio, legendary Ornette Coleman collaborator bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and trumpeter Peter Evans. Fans of experimentally-minded guitarist should also consider checking out EFW’s November 16 event at VBI with AM/FM. This power duo of guitarist Ava Mendoza and violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul synthesize a heady brew of avant-jazz, blues, and noise – radically upending experimental music(s) past, present, and future.
Harriet Tubman will perform on Saturday, December 7 at 8 PM at the VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center at 12 Vassar Street in Poughkeepsie. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door — advance tickets are on sale here.
Singer-songwriter Mihali has announced the dates for his annual Mihalidaze tour spanning nine venues across the Northeast, including three nights around New York State.
Photo by Dave DeCrescente
Reggae artist Mihali Savoulidis has spent the past few years spreading his good vibes through sound and live performance. Formerly the frontman and founding member of rock band Twiddle, Mihali began his solo career formally in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, bringing in fans new and old with a series of singles and albums following in the following months and years.
Most recently, Mihali has been on a collaboration streak, making tunes with the likes of Andy Frasco, Coyote Island, and Collie Buddz, in addition to touring the country as a solo headliner and supporting musical acts G. Love & Special Sauce and The Movement on their recent tours.
Wrapping his incredibly successful year in an exciting bow, Mihali has announced the 2024 dates of his annual ‘Mihalidaze’ holiday themed tour, returning to some of his favorite venues including a few in Syracuse, Saratoga, and Woodstock with both his live band and his solo looping act.
Composed of Scott Hannay on keys, Adrian Tramontano on drums, Zdenek Gubb on bass, and Mihali himself on guitar and vocals, the band will kick off the tour in Massachusetts and make their way through the Northeast- including stops at the Westcott Theater on December 11, Putnam Place on December 12, and Bearsville Theater on December 14. A celebration of family, friends, and the holiday season, this tradition is not one to be missed.
“Every year, I get super excited to announce my Mihalidaze celebrations. The holidays are so important for friends and family to come together and celebrate life, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than with live music!”
– Mihali Savoulidis
Tickets to Mihali’s Mihalidaze tour are available now- for more information on how to attend, ticket purchasing, and Mihali’s other adventures, visit his website here.
BRIC, the Brooklyn-based leading arts and media institution announces the next event in the BRIC House Parties series – Disturbia.
The October 26 Halloween event at BRIC House in Brooklyn is a project in collaboration with The Culture LP. Disturbia is an eerie Afrofuturistic Halloween experience hosted by multi-talented DJs Quiana Parks, Vashtie, 9am and Eden. This one-of-a-kind Halloween party promises to transport guests into an Afrofuturistic realm with immersive visuals, haunting soundscapes, and pulsing beats.
BRIC House Party is a new series at BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn that lets DJs take center stage in their own creative playground. It’s not just a gig; it’s a full takeover. DJs curate the vibe, from the layout and visuals to the crowd size, for a dynamic, 360-degree experience that fosters a tight-knit connection between them and the audience.
BRIC House Party builds on BRIC’s longstanding commitment to empowering the communities of Brooklyn. By handing the reins to local DJs, we create a platform for diverse voices and artistic visions, ensuring everyone has a chance to be seen and heard. This event sells tickets ranging from standard to VIP and is mandatorily 21+.
Disturbia takes place at 9:00pm at 647 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, NY. Standard tickets are being sold online for $27 while VIP tickets are $85. Come in your best futuristic attire and let the beats and visuals guide you through this dark, mystical voyage into the unknown. Disturbia is not just a Halloween event—it’s an odyssey into a haunted futurescape.
“Disturbia is my way of bringing together everything I love- art, music, and that eerie magic only Halloween can create. With New York’s best DJs and an art and sound exhibition that speaks to the soul, we’re crafting an unforgettable experience that invites everyone to step into the unexpected”
DJ Quiana Parks
For more information on BRIC House’s Disturbia event and to purchase tickets, click here.
Progressive rock-fusion band TAUK has announced their ‘Oogie Boogie Nights’ Halloween show in Port Chester with a star-studded guest list.
Long Island local rock-fusion band TAUK has been pushing the boundaries of sound for nearly a decade now. With several tours, millions of streams, festival slots spanning from Bonnaroo to Electric Forest, and an array of critical praise, TAUK is an ever-evolving quartet of musical force.
In addition to their purely musical endeavors, the band has begun a new tradition of gathering their favorite musical acts for once-in-a-lifetime halloween shows. Now in its third year, the ‘Oogie Boogie Nights’ Halloween extravaganza is a wild night of live music, good vibes, and all things spooky.
This year’s show goes hand-in-hand with TAUK’s recent streak of collaborative singles with artists like reggae icon Matisyahu, G. Love, Kanika Moore, The Shady Horns of funk group Lettuce, and Taz.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have played the Capitol Theatre a couple times already but being able to come in and throw our own show is something we’ve been dreaming up for a while… We get some of our absolute favorite musicians together and throw a huge party. The lineup for this is unreal and we have so much in store for this show.”
– Matthew Jalbert, guitarist of TAUK
In addition to some of their recent collaborators, TAUK will be bringing Mike Wilbur and Mihali along for the ride, elevating the night’s programming to another level of excitement.
Acting as the only New York date of TAUK’s current United States tour, the ‘Oogie Boogie Nights’ 2024 musical extravaganza will be hosted at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on October 25. Tickets are available now- visit here for further information and ticket purchasing.
Transatlantik is a series of performances and conversation featuring the work of diasporic artists engaged with the artistic and political concepts of negritude and créolité. Artists include Aruán Ortiz and Anaïs Maviel; Sélène Saint Aimé; KāFOU (Val Jeanty and Cassie Watson Francillon); Vodou drummer Renald St. Juste, and Patrick Chamoiseau, the Martinican author and theorist of créolité. An afterparty with Alexis Marcelo, DJ Buddy and DJ Jeff Brown is also to be expected.
There is a total of four separate shows from November 22 to 23. November 22 sees one show at 7:30pm at Greenwich House Music School. November 23 sees three shows at varying times, at CARA, Greenwich House Music School, and Francis Kite Club respectively. Each show explores unique themes regarding negritude, creolization, Afro-Carribean cultures, and more.
TRANSATLANTIK Series of Events:
Friday, November 22, 2024
7:30pm (doors 7:00pm)
Greenwich House Music School
Sélène Saint-Aime’s Creole Songs
Renald St. Juste
Saturday, November 23, 2024
2:30pm (doors 2:00pm)
at CARA
Patrick Chamoiseau
in conversation with Sélène Saint-Aime, Aruán Ortiz, and Anaïs Maviel
Saturday, November 23, 2024
7:30pm (doors 7:00pm)
Greenwich House Music School
Reimagining Tropiques, Then and Now: Aruán Ortiz, Anaïs Maviel, and Aliya Ultan
KāFOU: Val Jeanty, Cassie Watson Francillon
Saturday, November 23, 2024
10:00pm–midnight
at Francis Kite Club
Afterparty with Alexis Marcelo, DJ Buddy and DJ Jeff Brown
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at door, and $25 for both nights. 11/23 conversation and afterparty are free. For more information on FourOneOne and Transatlantik and to purchase tickets, click here.
Grammy-winning artist Trombone Shorty, alongside his foundation, is once again embarking on a cultural exchange known as “Getting Funky in Havana” in Cuba.
From January 16-20, Trombone Shorty, his band Orleans Avenue, a group of young musicians from New Orleans, all members of the Foundation, and critically acclaimed Afro-Cuban/funk fusion star Cimafunk will come together for a unique cross-cultural experience. This trip will bring together artists, students, and supporters for a transformative journey of music and cultural connection.
Photo by: Ed Aranz
The event will feature a lineup of celebrated artists, including Taj Mahal, Grace Potter, Julius Rodriguez, Keyon Harrold, Robert Randolph, Yola, and others. Jam sessions, cultural exchanges, and performances will highlight the deep historical and musical connections between New Orleans and Cuba, fostering collaboration and creativity among all participants.
This marks the fourth trip of its kind, inspired by Trombone Shorty’s personal connection to Havana which dates back to his childhood when in 1999, alongside his brother James Andrews, he embarked on a transformative journey to Cuba as part of a cultural exchange program.
The music of Cuba was “hidden away from American ears on the island” for decades, but this exchange explores the musical influences and connections that have persisted between New Orleans and Cuba. The music and culture of Cuba are already infused into the larger New York City area with over 140 thousand people of Cuban heritage in the area. Our own editor-in-chief highlighted the importance of this in his own transformative journey through Cuba. You can check this story out and more in our NYS Music Goes To Cuba series.
Approximately 100 supporters will join the musicians and students, forming a VIP travel group to Cuba. Funds raised from this effort will support educational programs led by Cimafunk and the Trombone Shorty Foundation, benefiting young artists and musicians in both Cuba and New Orleans. These efforts will include instrument donations and partnerships with local Cuban music schools and community programs, further strengthening ties between the two vibrant cultures.
Getting Funky in Havana is organized by Cuba Educational Travel, the leader in travel and cultural exchanges between Cuba and the United States.Learn more here.
