Singer-songwriter Katie Gavin, who rose to fame as lead singer of indie pop trio MUNA, gave a heartfelt performance at The Bowery Ballroom December 10âthe first New York show of her solo What a Relief tour.
Photo by Molly Higgins
After an opening set from Liam Benzvi, Gavin strutted on stage to Frank Sinatra’s “(Theme From) New York, New York,” and poured herself a cup of tea before she sat down to tune her guitar. Immediately, the atmosphere in the 575-capacity venue was cozy and personal, as if Gavin was inviting her fans into her living room for a private acoustic show.
Candles flickered and the stage lights warmed as Gavin began her set with “Today,” a soft track that set the tone perfectly for an evening of showcasing her folk-leaning solo record What a Relief.
Katie Gavin and Nana Adjoa
In contrast to the upbeat pop sound of much of MUNA’s discography, Gavin’s solo project is stripped-down, with an acoustic sound and deeply personal lyrics that highlight her artistic versatility. Throughout the live show, Gavin delivered warm vocals, chatted with the audience like friends, and seamlessly cycled through instruments, trading in her acoustic guitar for everything from the keyboard to the violin to a shruti box.
After playing an additional Bowery Ballroom show December 11 (which featured an appearance by surprise guest Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls), Gavin will continue on the What A Relief tour through December 18.
Liam Benzvi and Katie Gavin
Katie Gavin – Bowery Ballroom, Manhattan – December 10, 2024
Setlist: Today, Sparrow, As Good As It Gets (with Liam Benzvi), Casual Drug Use, Inconsolable, Sanitized, Sweet Abby Girl, I Want It All, She Gives Me Feeling, The Baton, Keep Walking, Sketches, Aftertaste
Spoken word artist FlowPoetry and multi-instrumentalist Noah Lehrman have announced the release of their live album slated to release Dec 17.
FlowPoetry (aka Adam Pergament) is a neo/beat spoken word artist who hails from Madison, Wisconsin. Noah Lehrman is a NYC-native world/fusion drummer and multi-instrumentalist. The two artists were recently on tour in the Northeast when an opportunity arose at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC.
Upon finishing their July 31 gig, the duo met up with pianist Shoheen Owhady for their second show of the day, a breakout midnight jazz set as a trio. The three talents felt a connection with Adam’s languid words and Noah and Shoheen’s stunning improvisation on “Tonight”, “DripStuck”, and “Get Up Off the Floor”, along with sparkling reimaginations of FlowPoetry classics “Holy Man”, “Garden”, and “Braincells”, topped by a literally show stopping version of “Rachet”- for an audience crawling with electricity.
Flames & Flowers & Steam is the resultant live album of that late set at Rockwood. The album’s first two singles “Tonight”, an opening incantation that distills the evening’s magic down to its lyrical and experimental essence, and “Drip Stuck”, a romantic meditation on love and loss, are no available on Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, and all streaming services and digital platforms.
FlowPoetry and Noah Lehrman’s Flames & Flowers & Steam boasts 11 tracks. Each track more unique and exciting than the last. With sensational wordplay, fantastic musical dynamics, and overall, an intoxicating bunch of melodies, this live album is sure to impress the listener as it did the audience in attendance.
That show marked the end of a Midwest-East Coast tour that spanned 3,000 miles, 11 cities, 8 states, 6 guests and 2 time zones, and saw the debut of music and improvisations touching on styles spanning jazz to jambands and edm to cosmic cowboy tunes.
FlowPoetry/Adam is the originator of the lyrical jam poetry form, with over 1800 live US performances under his belt. As a drummer/percussionist, Noah has performed with members of moe., Phil & Friends, RatDog, and more, and he appears internationally as a singer-songwriter. Together they bring a lyrical sense and melodic beats to their song-structures, improvisational explorations, and psychedelic imagery.
For more information on FlowPoetry and Noah Lehrman’s upcoming live album Flames & Flowers & Steam, click here.
On February 3 and 4, Artistic Director Ted Sperling leads the 120–member MasterVoices Chorus in the premiere of the acclaimed opera, “Blind Injustice.” The show takes place at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
“Blind Injustice” features music by Scott Davenport Richards and libretto by David Cote. The opera tells the true story of the Ohio Innocence Project’s work to overturn the convictions of six men, women, and teens who were wrongly imprisoned for violent crimes they didn’t commit. The opera is based on the book of the same name by Mark Godsey and the casework by the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The inspiring 90-minute work in staged presentation showcases an operatic score infused with jazz, gospel, funk, hip-hop, and musical theater. The shows take place on Feb 3 and 4 at 7:30pm.
“Blind Injustice” makes its New York premiere following a critically praised world premiere at Cincinnati Opera in 2019 and a subsequent production at PEAK Performances at Montclair State University (MSU) with Ted Sperling conducting and members of the MasterVoices Chorus joining MSU choristers in February 2024. Immediately following each performance, there is a 30-minute moderated conversation with four exonerees portrayed in the opera: Nancy Smith, Laurese Glover, Clarence Elkins, and Rickey Jackson, as well as artists and experts working in the field of criminal justice reform. Conversations are free to ticket holders.
Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center
MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) was founded in 1941 by legendary American choral conductor Robert Shaw. Under the artistic direction of Tony Award winner Ted Sperling since 2013, the group is known for its versatility and a repertoire that ranges from choral masterpieces and operas in concert to operettas and musical theater. Season concerts feature a volunteer chorus of 100+ members from all walks of life alongside a diverse roster of world-class soloists from across the musical spectrum.
Conductor Ted Sperling
One of today’s leading musical artists, Tony Award-winning Maestro Ted Sperling is a classically trained musician whose career has spanned from the concert hall and the opera house to the Broadway stage. Presently Artistic Director of MasterVoices, he has led such symphony orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Boston Pops, San Diego Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, the Iceland Symphony, Czech National Symphony, and BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Put simply, you’ll want to catch him live conducting this opera in February.
For more information on the upcoming “Blind Injustice” opera performed by MasterVoices at Lincoln Center, click here.
Progressive bluegrass unit The Infamous Stringdusters have announced a string of tour dates across the east coast, including dates in Saratoga Springs and Westhampton Beach.
The five member progressive band The Infamous Stringdusters are best known for their musical influences across the entire sonic spectrum. Most recognized for their strongest influence, bluegrass, the band has seen a wide array of acclaim including a win for Best Bluegrass Album” at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards and a number of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Awards.
Comprised of Andy Falco on guitar, Chris Pandolfi on banjo, Andy Hall on dobro, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, and Travis Book on double bass, The Infamous Stringdusters are beloved by fans for their releases but even more so for their live performance- the stage is where they truly shine.
On the heels of their annual ‘Ski Dust’ tour that brings the band through the mountains of Colorado and Utah, the Stringdusters have announced an exciting extension to their travels with a set of seven dates spanning the east coast, including a stop at the Universal Preservation Hall and the Westhampton Beach Pac.
Tickets for The Infamous Stringdusters’ latest tour are available now, including their Saratoga Springs stop on March 13 and Westhampton Beach stop on March 15.
For more information on The Infamous Stringdusters, their latest tour and its subsequent expansion, and ticket purchasing opportunities, visit their official website here.
The full list of tour dates is below.
TOUR DATES
12/12 – 12/16 – Puerto Morelos, Q.R. – Strings & Sol 12/30 – Richmond, VA – The National 12/31 – Richmond, VA – The National 1/8 – Crested Butte, CO – Center for the Arts 1/9 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center 1/10 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center 1/11 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom 2/7 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen 2/8 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House 2/9 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House 2/10 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House 2/11 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater 2/13 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre 2/14 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre 2/15 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre 2/16 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre 3/13 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall 3/14 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live 3/15 – Westhampton Beach, NY – Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center 3/16 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Music Hall 3/20 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Spring Reunion 3/21 – Roswell, GA – From The Earth Brewing Company 3/22 – Mount Vernon, KY – Renfro Valley – New Barn Theater 5/16-18 – Aztec, NM – Tico Time Bluegrass Festival 5/22 – Mills River, NC – Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 5/24-25 – Pelham, TN – CaveJam 8/8-10 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival
The Apollo Theater in Harlem has announced the 2025 winter and spring season with a stunning array of performances, exhibitions, and educational programs in performance spaces new and old.
The historic Apollo Theater has been providing the community of Harlem and beyond with quality entertainment and education since it opened its doors in 1914.
Having played a major role in the exponential growth of quintessential American genres such as jazz, swing, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and the list goes on- the impact felt by the Apollo within New York and across the world cannot be stated enough.
Beginning as a platform for emerging jazz and tap acts which would feature the likes of soon-to-be icons such as Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, The Apollo has since evolved into not only a musical performance space but a nonprofit presenting theatrical and dance programs, film screenings, educational programs, and community outreach.
Returning with their 2025 winter and spring season, The Apollo has announced an extensive lineup of performances and events that explore legacy and lineage while celebrating the impact of Black artists with time-honored works alongside bold and cutting-edge new productions.
With three dates spanning January 9 to the 11, the Apollo will be hosting a multi-media performance of Loss in Under the Radar: Loss. Originally produced by The Theatre Centre, Loss explores themes of grief within Afro-Caribbean communities in an immersive experience towards healing as audiences follow the intergenerational family narrative retold live on stage.
Organized in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Black women-led theatrical dance company and social activism ensemble, Lineage Legacy and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis will open as a multi-media gallery on January 13 and remain open to the public through March 12.
In addition to its expansive display of rare photographs, performance footage, audio clips and more, the exhibition will feature a series of pop-up performances on select dates throughout its installation period.
A showing of Claudine directed by John Berry and starring Diahann Carroll will be held on January 17. Oscar-nominated, the romantic comedy balances warm humor with its serious approach to a variety of issues ranging from cyclical poverty to the indignities of the welfare system. An emphatic piece on both Black working-class strife and Black joy, Claudine is presented in collaboration with the Harlem Festival of Culture Foundation.
Returning once more is Apollo’s partnership with WNYC and the March on Washington Film Festival on January 19 as scholars, community leaders, and activists will engage with the audience of Harlem and beyond in conversation about the lasting legacy and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.
Presented on the first Thursday of each month from February through May is the Apollo Comedy Club. Made in partnership with the producer of Def Comedy Jam and creator of Laff Mobb on Aspire Bob Sumner with Freddie Ricks as host, the Apollo presents the best of comedy’s emerging acts on their Stages at the Victoria.
The Apollo Music Café series returns for the first Friday and Saturday of each month from February through May, featuring diverse performances spanning the sonic pallets of R&B, hip-hop, soul, jazz, funk, rock, and more. The Music Café seeks to showcase artists of the independent music scene who have made/are making an impact on the way music as an art form is consumed and experienced.
On February 22, composer, pianist, and vocalist Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes will perform The James Baldwin Essays: As Much Truth As One Can Bear in celebration of Baldwin’s legacy. Commissioned by Harlem Stage in 2015, the piece is one of Pinderhughes’ many performances that utilizes music to examine socio-political issues.
Each Wednesday from February 19 to June 25 will host the time-honored Amateur Night, America’s longest running talent show. Having been revered by artists as a once-in-a-lifetime experience uplifting emerging talent, names such as Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R and more have graced Amateur Night’s stage where the audience has the power to shape a career.
The Grand Finale winner will receive $20,000 alongside the “Child Star of Tomorrow” who will win $5,000.
While the 2025 lineup is already full of rising stars, live auditions for the 2026 season will be held on March 22 at The Apollo’s Historic Theater.
Guardian Spirit will present the poems, prose, and essays of bell hooks set to the musical works of Martha Redbone on March 29. Highlighting and celebrating bell hooks’ work and influence on the modern artist and individual, Redbone will set her stories within the world of music and storytelling.
Highlighting the intricate dynamics of generations of Black female strength and resilience is Jeffrey Manor from April 7 through the 12. Set in the south side of Chicago, Jeffrey Manor explores themes of generational dysfunction and mental health struggles born of a lifetime of trauma through the secrets and tragedies of Black women bound together by lineage.
Jason Moran will celebrate Duke Ellington’s great canon on April 11 through his illuminating piano explorations alongside iconic images of The Duke taken by legendary photographer Gordon Parks.
Among all of these stunning productions, the Apollo offers a myriad of educational programs including but not limited to MLK Young Changemakers, Treasures from the Archives, professional learning workshops, and more.
For more information on the Apollo’s Winter and Spring 2025 season, their expansive educational programs, and ticketing information, be sure to visit their events page 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.
The Brooklyn-based alternative rock band The Upstart Crows have returned with their newest single “House Fire” on the frustrations of the creative process ahead of their upcoming EP.
Rooted in Brooklyn, The Upstart Crows have brought their unique combination of folk, punk, and Americana sounds throughout New York City and beyond in live shows spanning haunting acoustic solo performances to the full effect of a rock unit.
Debuting in 2018 with a 12 track self-titled album, The Upstart Crows have been performing live shows and honing their sound among a small set of single releases since they formally emerged on the scene.
Now back and better than ever, the band has returned with new music in the form of the single “House Fire”.
Penned during the Covid-19 Pandemic, “House Fire” captures a unique frustration felt by creatives when it seems as though no part of the act of creation is going your way.
With fast-paced and hard hitting drums, insistent guitar lines, and vocals that compliment the oscillating bass line, “House Fire” is a stellar example of how indulging in the negative can not only relieve personal stress but result in a work exploding with emotion.
“The song is about the self-doubt doom spirals we all face when we are working on something… Where you start to question your own taste and ability to make something good.”
One of many parts of the Crows’ upcoming EP slated for the spring, “House Fire” marks a promising start to the next era of The Upstart Crows.
For more information on this release, the band’s upcoming endeavors, and all things The Upstart Crows, be sure to check out their official website here.
Long Island native Roger Street Friedman has released his newest americana single, “Banks of the Brazos.” The track is a powerful ode to the “Sugarland 95,” a group of Black convict laborers sentenced to brutal work in Texas sugarcane fields in the post-reconstruction era.
“Banks of the Brazos” is the third single from his upcoming album Long Shadows, due out January 24, the song is a powerful and evocative story that looks into the hidden history of the “Sugarland 95,” a group of African American men who were often victims of unjust laws designed to control the lives of newly freed people.
When the bodies of the Sugarland 95 were unearthed along the banks of the Brazos River, Roger Street Freidman was inspired to write a song from the perspective of one of these laborers. The song aligns with a viral TikTok that Roger posted last year, garnering nearly a million views, resonating with audiences for his honest storytelling.
The song holds a strong outlaw americana feel. The western country flare paired with the dark nature of the song’s backstory sets the listener up to feel it in their heart. Each strum of the guitar shows Roger Street Friedman’s passion and grit for music and exposing history’s many injustices. The track is dynamic, with many changing musical tides throughout the track, but with a meaningfully brawn backbone allowing for wide arrays of sound.
Even the opening sounds from the electric and acoustic guitars simultaneously made me feel something. Followed by the consistent, strong kick and snare, this track immerses the listener from the very start. Both Friedman’s hearty solo vocals and the powerful harmonizing vocals truly touch the heart and soul of whomever may be listening, especially when you factor in how Roger is soulfully expressing his outlook on the horrible enslavement of the Sugarland 95. The track sees a phenomenal climax with soaring vocals followed by a spirit-touching finish that brilliantly yet softly wraps up the hearty ode.
For more information on Roger Street Friedman and his latest single, “Banks of the Brazos,” click here.
Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg will be playing a few select holiday dates on the East Coast including Gramercy Theatre tomorrow, December 12. See below for all dates and links to purchase tickets.
Dec. 12 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre Buy Tickets
Dec. 13 Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater Buy Tickets
Dec. 14 Atlantic City, NJ – Tropicana Showroom Buy Tickets
Dec. 15 Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s Brewing Co Buy Tickets
The Rooftop at Pier 17, one of New York City’s most scenic venues, has announced the addition of a one-of-a-kind glass structure to the space, enabling winter shows upon its installation in late 2025.
artist rendition of the indoor structure atop Pier 17
With Manhattan’s skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge as its backdrop, The Rooftop at Pier 17 has quickly become one of the city’s most iconic new venues.
Opening in 2018 alongside the complete reinvention of Pier 17 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s destruction, The Rooftop has hosted some of New York City and the world at large’s biggest names as a part of its annual concert series.
In its nature as an outdoor venue, The Rooftop has been limited in its ability to host concerts when the weather becomes too cold to bear- however, in a revolutionary new announcement, this constraint will soon be no more.
Starting in late 2025, The Rooftop is set to become a year-round live performance venue with the introduction of a custom-designed glass structure that will completely transform the space’s capabilities.
Jordana at The Rooftop at Pier 17
This innovative enclosure will take the once warm-weather exclusive venue into a climate-controlled, indoor setting without compromising the stellar views it’s become synonymous with.
“We look forward to The Rooftop at Pier 17 transforming into a year-round concert venue. Our state-of-the-art space will deliver an unparalleled experience for both artists and guests, providing the quintessential New York City live music venue no matter the season.”
– Anton Nikodemus, CEO of Seaport Entertainment Group
Accommodations for fans will shift slightly, limiting The Rooftop’s regular capacity of 3,500 down to 3,000, however the introduction of the enclosing structure will also provide ample opportunity for a brand new VIP balcony level.
In addition to its standard season of 60+ shows a year, The Rooftop’s new glass structure will enable an additional estimated 25 performances throughout the late fall and into the winter months.
Each spring, the structure will be removed and The Rooftop will return to its original state as an open-air venue with a capacity of 3,500, maintaining the space’s signature charm while elevating the audience experience entirely.
This development marks an exciting expansion of what was thought of as possible for fans of the venue and New York’s music scene at large- attendees and artists alike.
For more information on this revolutionary expansion, upcoming shows, and other announcements about The Rooftop at Pier 17, be sure to check out their official website here.
