NYS Music 2024

Category: News Desk

  • Whiskey Pickle Venue Announces Triumphant Re-Opening

    Beloved Troy bar and live music venue Whiskey Pickle has just announced their reopening under new management after their closure this past September.

    Whisky pickle

    Known and loved for their uniquely intimate and laid-back atmosphere with an impressive menu and a lively dance scene to boot, Whiskey Pickle quickly became a favorite of many Troy locals after their opening in 2021. Widely appreciated for its warm and social atmosphere that drew folks from near and afar in, it’s no wonder why their sudden announcement of the venue’s immediate closure in late September took many by surprise. 

    Posted to the bar’s official social media accounts, the announcement signed by owners James and Erin explained that “The cost of making the Pickle into one of the most popular destinations in the capital region has been more than we can even describe… The Pickle would not have been anything as cool as it was without the people that sat on our unmatched bar stools and helped changed our lives.”

    Folks from all walks of life paid their respects in the comments of these posts, a shared sentiment between individual testimonies and heartwarming stories being that Whiskey Pickle had rapidly become a Troy staple that would be a sore loss for the community at large. 

    September 27 seemed to mark the end of Whiskey Pickle for good… until a mysterious and seasonally appropriate image of a zombie hand emerging from the grave was posted to both the venue’s Instagram and Facebook accounts on October 31. Paired with the ominous yet exciting caption “Nothing stays dead forever…”, the announcement was met with widespread tentative excitement.

    Then, on November 4, the official news broke– the Whiskey Pickle would be revived under new management, with a promise for the bar to return bigger and better than ever.

    The announcement outlines the upcoming changes to the venue, which would act more as an update and expansion than a total reinvention of the space so many had come to know and love. This primarily comes with the news that the torch of management is to be passed to Jamel Mosely, fittingly described as “a staple of the capital region community.” 

    With an expansive resume of performance, multimedia production, and one of the minds behind Troy-based marketing firm Collectiveffort, it’s safe to say that the beloved drink, dance, and hangout venue is in good hands. 

    “He’s one of the most genuine human beings we know, and we know that the values we built this place around will continue to live on under Jamel’s team and leadership.”

    The Whiskey Pickle Management

    In true Pickle fashion, the Whiskey Pickle will re-open on November 7 with a Tiki Night party hosted by James, Erin, and Jamel with musical support form DJ Intell Hayesfield and other special guests. The Pickle will celebrate the local cornerstone’s triumphant return starting at 6:00 PM that night, with much more on future events and the venue’s formal transition to come.

    To join in the celebration as a longtime fan or newcomer all the same, check out their party announcement above in addition to their official website here.

  • Glimmerglass Film Days Returns to Cooperstown Nov 7-11

    Ostego 2000’s Glimmerglass Film Days’ returns for its 12th season from November 7 to 11 in Cooperstown.

    Glimmerglass Film Days Returns for 12th Season in Cooperstown from Nov 7-11

    Glimmerglass Film Days presents a slate of independent films—25 features plus three shorts programs— November 7-11 in multiple Cooperstown locations, including the Grandstand Theater at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and The Farmers’ Museum (now known as Fenimore Farm & Country Village). A program of Otsego 2000, Film Days also offers filmmaker talks, an art exhibit, parties, film and food pairings, and guided walks.

    The Film Days program team of Peggy Parsons, founder of the film program at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; Xander Moffat, an independent film producer; and Joey Katz, a film programmer; selected this year’s films based on the theme “Boundaries.”

    Filmmakers attending Glimmerglass Film Days include: Michael Gitlin (The Night Visitors), Jef Sewell (All Illusions Must Be Broken), Thomas Piper (We Start With The Things We Find), Daphne McWilliams (A Boston R(E)volution), Becca Brooks Morrin (Good One), Andrew Nadkarni and Katie Schiller (Between Earth and Sky), Ryoya Teraro and Elisabeth Gareis (13 Driver’s Licenses), and Olympia Stone (Under the Hat: The Complicated History of the Pith Helmet).

    In addition, Giuseppe Lignano and Ada Tolla, principals of LOT-EK who are featured in We Start With The Things We Find, Thomas Edison Film Festival executive director Jane Steuerwald, and scholar Mikayla Brown (Dahomey) will attend. Musicians Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton will attend and provide live musical accompaniment to the 1928 silent film Speedy.

    Grandstand Theater at National Baseball Hall of Fame

    Films will be shown at multiple Cooperstown locations: the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (25 Main Street), The Farmers’ Museum Louis C. Jones Center (5775 State Hwy 80), the Village Hall (22 Main Street), Templeton Hall (63 Pioneer Street), and new for this year, Cooperstown Coworks (6 Doubleday Court). The 2024 Film Days companion art exhibition, In Play: Borders & Edges, presents the work of four established artists who live in the region and exhibit locally, nationally and/or internationally: Richard Barlow, Amy Cannon, Mark Mastroianni, and Gail Peachin.

    Free guided walks will be held during the festival, including a bird walk led by the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, a kid-friendly walk with the Otsego County Conservation Association (held after the free kids’ film Flow), a guided forest walk with the Otsego Land Trust and Black Land Ownership, and a walk on boundaries and land use in Cooperstown with Otsego 2000. Film Days Trivia will be held on Saturday, November 9 at 7:30 pm at Cooperstown Coworks, just prior to the screening of Secret Mall Apartment.

    Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown

    For more information on the Glimmerglass Film Days festival and to purchase tickets, click here.

  • Stranger Cat Announces Sophomore Album “Slow Jam Love Letters To My Body In Pieces” to Release Nov 15

    NYC-based musician, producer and multimedia artist Stranger Cat has announced her sophomore album Slow Jam Love Letters To My Body In Pieces due out November 15 on North Street Records.

    Stranger Cat

    The resonant forthcoming album allowed the artist to feel it all. Putting the pieces of their body back together, both physically and emotionally, produced a collection of work that required careful reflection and complete surrender. Confined to a bed, the ten tracks that emerged was an accumulation of the pain, frustration and yearning for a brighter future. The result is a cornucopia of orchestral synth pop with layered vocals, sparkly synths and 808 beat driven dance parties.

    The project’s first single, out now, “Witness” is a raw, lush pop song that came together in a particularly painful period. The “Witness” lyric video captures the desire to be seen and the beauty of capturing one’s joy. While the track was created amidst deep pain, the video is a chance to display the artist on the other side. Recorded at the historic Guillaume Tell studio where everyone from Radiohead to Serge Gainsbourg recorded, the final vocals were done on vintage mics, and the musician played all the additional instruments heard on the track including: B3 organ, electric and grand piano, the echo effects and more.

    Stranger Cat is Brooklyn-born, Miami-based vocalist, producer, composer, light artist, video maker, DJ, dancer, and sound healer Cat Martino. She has collaborated with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Son Lux, Lucius, and The Shins and as well as supporting Empress Of, Marissa Nadler, and performing at iii Points Festival and Art Basel in Miami. Stranger Cat’s self-produced, vulnerable second album, Slow Jam Love Letters To My Body In Pieces, sees the artist surrender, only to find beauty in her own healing. Its first single, “Witness” is out now, and the full project is due out November 15.  

    In The Wilderness, the artist’s soulful electronic art-pop debut album, arrived in 2015. Earlier this year, Stranger Cat collaborated bringing captivating vocals to author and musician’s Scott Guild’s debut album Plastic: The Album which now has over 250K streams across platforms. Despite such substantial setbacks in recent years, Stranger Cat is more than ready to bring her healing second album into the world, one that turns her isolation into hope and pain into power.

    For more information on Stranger Cat and her upcoming album Slow Jam Love Letters To My Body In Pieces, click here.

  • Arthur Miller Foundation Honors Theater Education Programs

    On Sunday, Oct. 27, at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre, the annual Arthur Miller Foundation Honors celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Theater Education Programs. Honorees included Alicia Keys, Kristoffer Diaz, and Linda Aziza Miller.

    Arthur Miller Foundation

    The Arthur Miller Foundation (AMF) is an independent, nonprofit organization, created to honor the legacy of Arthur Miller and his New York City public school education by increasing equitable access to quality theater education for public school students. The benefit paid tribute to the power of theater education by honoring artists, educators, and advocates who have made significant contributions to the arts and arts education.

    This year’s honorees include 16-time Grammy Award winner, Alicia Keys, who received the AMF Arts & Culture Award. Keys, a former NYC public school student, has remained committed throughout her career to creating opportunities for young artists and putting access to education at the forefront of much of her philanthropic work. Tony nominated playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, also an alumnus of NYC Public Schools, was awarded the AMF Legacy Award, for carving a meaningful impact in the American theater. Former Professional Performing Arts High School educator, and Keys’ former educator, Linda Aziza Miller received the AMF Excellence in Arts Education Award for her dedication to public school students and access to quality, comprehensive arts instruction.

    AMF’s Theater Education Programs provide theater teachers with certification, training, and critical resources to build and sustain quality in-school theater programs impacting over 60,000 public school students in all 5 boroughs of NYC and in Bridgeport and Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut. The Arthur Miller Foundation Honors celebrates the power of public school theater education and is produced by AMF Executive Director Jaime Hastings. 

    Learn more here.

  • The Sembrich Gives and Receives Wondrous Awards This Fall

    The Sembrich in Bolton Landing has announced they have given the Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize to American tenor Michael Butler. The venue has also received an award from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network.

    Sembrich
    Michael Butler

    The Sembrich features museum exhibitions and an annual summer festival with an exciting mix of world-class musicians, noted musical scholars, a free film series, and the opportunity to enjoy it all on the beautiful shores of Lake George. Listed on the National Historic Register, The Sembrich was once the teaching studio of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich, one of the most famous musicians at the turn of the 20th century.

    Visitors can discover her storied legacy, which includes over 400 performances at the Metropolitan Opera and faculty positions at both the Juilliard Graduate School and the Curtis Institute of Music. With a treasured museum, performance series, and over four wooded acres of nature paths to explore, The Sembrich is truly a unique cultural experience.

    The Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize awarded to Michael Butler exemplifies the artistic legacy of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich. The prize guarantees the selected singer a solo performance at The Sembrich, the famed singer’s former lakeside teaching studio in Bolton Landing on Lake George, during an upcoming season. The auditions were held on the weekend of October 12-13 at the Kosciuszko Foundation’s house in NYC.

    Michael Butler hails from Washington, D.C. and is American lyric tenor. Of nearly 120 applicants, 34 singers were admitted to participate. Butler placed second in the overall competition and won the award for the best performance of a Polish work by a non-Polish entrant. The grand prize was awarded to Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma, and third prize was awarded to Canadian contralto Rose Naggar-Tremblay.

    Along with awarding a prize, The Sembrich has also received an award of their own. The 2024 Award for Excellence was given by The Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) for The Sembrich’s recent efforts to preserve Marcella Sembrich’s “Queen of the Night” costume. The museum staff attended the annual GHHN conference on Tuesday, October 15 to accept the award and present at an awardee poster session. The conference “Embracing Innovation,” was held at Manhattanville College in Purchase New York and was attended by museum professionals from across New York State.

    GHHN is New York State’s ‘go-to’ service organization focusing on interpretation, collections care programming, and the conservation and preservation of objects in collecting institutions statewide. Its programming and professional development training programs, webinars, hands-on workshops, web-based resources, responsive technical assistance, and grant opportunities provide the tools so that historical societies, historic house museums, heritage centers, historic sites, archives, and libraries may better care for their own collections.

    Greater Hudson Heritage Network’s Awards for Excellence program seeks to recognize and commend exceptional efforts among GHHN members. Awards are made to projects that exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture, and diversity of the region.

    The Sembrich Staff at the Awardee Poster Session

    For more information on The Sembrich, Marcella Sembrich Memorial Performance Prize, and the GHHN, click here.

  • Marcus King and Chris Dave Announce Blue Note Residency

    Chris Dave and Marcus King, joined by MonoNeon and Isaiah Sharkey, have announced a weeklong residency at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club from Jan. 14-19.

    Marcus King and Chris Dave

    Drummer and composer Chris Dave and American singer/songwriter Marcus King are set for a special, one-of-a-kind six-night run at Blue Note Jazz Club. The pair will be joined by MonoNeon on bass January 14-16 and virtuoso guitarist Isaiah Sharkey making a rare appearance on bass January 17-19. Shows at 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. each night.

    These special performances come on the heels of Marcus King’s new album Mood Swings, produced by Rick Rubin. In discussing the new record, GQ hails King as “a modern-day blues-rock god” while Rolling Stone notes that Rubin “helps him switch things up and bring out the soulful side of his sound.”

    Houston native Chris Dave is a critically acclaimed drummer and veteran performer who has appeared with Robert Glasper, Adele, D’Angelo, The Winans, Kenny Garrett and many more. Dave most recently appeared on Keyond Harold’s Foreverland, out now via Concord Jazz.

    Bassist MonoNeon has established a cult following, serving as Prince’s last bassist before his passing in 2016. MonoNeon’s new record Quilted Stereo is out now, with Bass Magazine noting that it “will captivate listeners with its dynamic blend of genres, ranging from jazz and funk to hip-hop and beyond.”

    Virtuosic guitarist, singer/songwriter and producer Isaiah Sharkey started out as a child prodigy, playing local gigs in his hometown of Chicago at the age of 14. By age 16 he was touring with gospel singer Smokie Norful and soon after became one of D’Angelo’s core collaborators. Sharkey returns to the Blue Note taking a rare turn on the bass having performed alongside a long list of superstars including John Mayer, Paul Simon, Corrinne Bailey Rae and many more.

    Learn more and purchase tickets to the Marcus King residency here.

  • Hank Azaria’s Springsteen Tribute Will Hit Brooklyn Ahead of Upcoming 2025 U.S. Tour

    Hank Azaria has announced an upcoming Bruce Springsteen tribute tour. Ahead of the upcoming national tour, Azaria will play the Brooklyn Bowl on Nov. 8, as well as Springsteen’s original stomping grounds, The Stone Pony Nov. 15 in Asbury Park.

    Hank Azaria

    As a lifelong Springsteen fan the project is a labor of love for Azaria. Perhaps best known for his decades of work on The Simpsons, Azaria has began a new and different undertaking as a voice actor. Azaria spent months creating an impression of Bruce’s distinctive speaking cadence and singing ‘voice’ to conceive the tribute show. As Azaria told Rolling Stone, “I think of it as a theatrical performance,” he says. “I’m staying in character as Bruce even though I’m telling stories about myself. It’s a performance piece, but I’m not a Bruce impersonator.”

    At the debut public performance of Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band, at Le Poisson Rouge, the sold out celebration of The Boss’ music was such a joyful experiance Azaria decided to take the show cross-country. Full details and routing for the tour will be announced soon. Azaria doesn’t simply sing Springsteen’s music, but also speaks on the impact it has had on Azaria’s personal life. “I’ve never worked harder preparing for any role than I did in perfecting a singing vocal impression of Bruce,” said Azaria. 

    The tribute performance itself is a joyful, full-tilt rock ’n roll event, and Azaria’s physicality and flair are a true homage to Bruce. Azaria channels many familiar components of Bruce Springsteen’s iconography: intimate, irreverent storytelling, connection to family, preternatural stamina, camaraderie with the band, and a palpable love for performing. Azaria has delivered a show we want to root for – invigorating, upbeat and ambitious.

    Learn more and purchase tickets here.

  • Amy Zou, Looi, and T Shan to Perform at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on November 17

    NY-based indie/alternative artists Amy Zou, Looi, and T. Shan are set to perform at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on November 17.

    All three featured artists create indie/alternative music and are based out of New York. Amy Zou is a singer-songwriter, musician, and producer based in Brooklyn. She spent her formative years playing classical piano and flute, before channeling her love for singing, reading, & writing into songwriting. Now, she crafts genre-bending songs, layering in sonic complexity with sometimes cerebral metaphors & fictional worlds into her lyrics. Her upcoming EP I’ve Been Looking For You captures an ambient, avant-pop-leaning sound sieved through an experiential lens of self-discovery. It is a classic hero’s journey turned inward – a search for adventure within the confines of your bedroom, half-remembered dreams, and in the place between decisions.

    Raised between China and both coasts of the US, T. Shan’s music blends increasingly wide genre influences united by his biting, confessional lyrics. His music reflects the highs and lows of modern love, yet never loses sight of where he and his family came from.On his latest EP “Flowers & Spice,” released in 2023, T. Shan sought to explore a host of new sonic terrains, from indie rock ballads to house rap dance tracks, all while telling a love story from its blossoming to its post-mortem. Intimate and hectic, saccharine yet bitter, the record braids together reflections of diving headfirst into love while hesitant from the aches of past scars, numbing yourself amidst strobe lights and D&B, and coming to peace with the good and bad of a bygone affection.

    Amy Zou

    A singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and seasoned performer, Looi is working to release her debut EP — an intergenerational exploration of her Chinese-Malaysian heritage, which exists within the soundscapes of neo-soul, alt-indie, and r&b pop. Her cult following of listeners keeps up with her journey through enchanting performances of unreleased music, private demos, and select public releases. The November 17 show follows the release of her latest single, “Cherries.”

    The show begins at 7:00 PM on Sunday November 17. The event is 21+ and tickets are currently at $22. The Sultan Room in Brooklyn is standing room only, with very limited seating available on a first come, first served basis. It is highly recommended arriving early to secure one of the few seats. Each of these artists plan to rock the house in their own unique ways, and the performances are ones you’ll not want to miss.

    Looi

    For more information on the upcoming show at The Sultan Room on Nov 17 featuring Amy Zou, Looi, and T.Shan, click here.

  • Stereophonics Announce Spring North America Tour to Stop in NYC

    Acclaimed U.K. band, Stereophonics, will embark on their first tour in three years in Spring, 2025. They will hit the Brooklyn Paramount on Mar. 25 and have announced a new studio album planned for next year.

    Stereophonics

    Stereophonic’s North American tour will kick off Mar. 21 at Théâtre Beanfield in Montreal and will conclude Apr. 11 in Mexico City. The tour will reach major cities across the continent such as, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and more.

    The tour will see the band perform hits from their expansive catalogue including “Dakota,” “Have A Nice Day,” “Maybe Tomorrow,” “C’est La Vie,” “A Thousand Trees,” and more, along with songs from a new studio album coming in 2025.

    In addition to the North American dates, Stereophonics will play some of the U.K. and Ireland’s biggest venues including Dublin’s St. Anne’s Park, Cork’s Virgin Media Park, London’s Finsbury Park, Huddersfield’s The John Smith’s Stadium, and Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park as part of Summer Sessions.

    Frontman Kelly Jones notes, “Being on the road again with my best friends, playing all the hits of this band’s catalog, for people in 2025 makes me so excited, we should make a new album…oh wait…we already did that! See ya there for more good times….TUNE!!! TUNE!!! TUNE!!”

    Stereophonics achievements include eight U.K. #1 albums, 12 U.K. Top 10 albums and 11 U.K. Top 10 singles, including the U.K. #1 single “Dakota.” The group have sold over 10 million albums, 1.5 billion global streams and five BRIT award nominations, with one BRIT award win. Their hits collection, Decade In The Sun, sold over 1.7 million copies in the U.K. alone and is certified Quintuple Platinum, while in 2022, on their last U.K. arena tour and Cardiff Stadium headline shows, they sold over 250,000 tickets.

    Special guests for the tour will be announced soon. Tickets are available now. Learn more and purchase tickets here.

    Stereophonics 2025 Tour Dates:

    Mar. 21—Montreal, QC—Théâtre Beanfield
    Mar. 22—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
    Mar. 23—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer
    Mar. 25—New York, NY—Brooklyn Paramount
    Mar. 26—Boston, MA—House of Blues
    Mar. 28—Washington, DC—Lincoln Theatre
    Mar. 29—Cleveland, OH—VENUE TBA
    Mar. 30—Chicago, IL—The Vic Theatre
    Apr. 2—Vancouver, BC—Vogue Theatre
    Apr. 3—Seattle, WA—Neptune Theatre
    Apr. 4—Portland, OR—McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
    Apr. 6—San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom
    Apr. 8—Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern
    Apr. 9—San Diego, CA—Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
    Apr. 11—Mexico City, MX—Teatro Metropólitan

  • Ethnomusicologist Joseph Alpar to Perform Love Music of the Ottoman Middle East at Arthur Zankel Music Center in Saratoga

    Ethnomusicologist, performer, and educator Joseph Alpar is set to perform music of the Ottoman Middle East at Arthur Zankel Music Center in Saratoga Springs on November 16.

    Alpar explores the intertwined histories of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Ottoman Empire through music at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center. Admission is free and open to the public. The central theme of the concert, “Aşk: Music, Love, and Mysticism in the Ottoman World,” is love in all its forms.

    It will feature poignant songs of unrequited desire, lyrical wedding ballads about marital loyalty, bawdy tunes delighting in infidelity, driving Sufi and Jewish mystical songs about divine and earthly beloveds, and musical vignettes of everyday courtship, relationships, and separation.

    The concert will tell an inspiring story of shared musical traditions and intense cultural collaboration between the peoples of the Ottoman world in several languages — Turkish, Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), Greek, and Arabic. Alpar will sing and perform on several Turkish and Greek instruments, joined by a stellar ensemble. 

    The event is sponsored by Skidmore’s Jacob Perlow Series, Office of Special Programs, and departments of Music, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Religious Studies, Political Science, and History. Funding is provided by endowments established by Jacob Perlow, an immigrant to the U.S. in the 1920s who was committed to furthering Jewish education, and by a bequest from Beatrice Perlman Troupin.

    For more information on Joseph Alpar’s upcoming Nov 16 concert at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center and to purchase tickets, click here.