On Oct. 3, Brooklyn-based rock project sweet93, fronted by lead vocalist Chloe Kohanski, released their latest single, “what’s true?”
The titular question drives the melancholy track to a desolate dreamscape in three-quarter time. “what’s true?” represents a foray deep into Dream Pop. Drawing inspiration from notable groups such as Beach House, sweet93 moves away from the angst-ridden, rougher sound of previous singles (“Stars Above” and “Be My Best“) and continue down that path of introspection, getting tighter more straightforward in their songwriting.
The loss of hope conveyed so clearly in “what’s true?” is most recognizable in Kohanski’s 2023 OurVinyl Sessions Acoustic EP. However, sweet93’s newest effort delivers layers of ambient noise, reverberated into oblivion, creating a sound that holds up on all fronts. On the acoustic live EP, Kohanski’s vocals shine brilliantly, proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that she’s a talented singer. Yet, the professional-grade production on their newest song only adds to the list of factors that make sweet93 a standout listen.
The best thing about sweet93 is they’re a new act that’s still trying to find their sound. When every sound they try sounds great, you know you have a special group on your hands, especially when Kohanski’s vocals sound like a young, mellow Janis Joplin.
Since 2021, sweet93 has been apart of the NYC music scene collaborating with friends like Porches and playing shows with Ovlov and untitled (halo). sweet93 opened for Porches, at their most recent gig at Brooklyn Steel on Nov. 20, and contributed vocals to his latest album Shirt, on the song “Bread Believer.”
sweet93 informs us “There’s more music on the way, they’re constantly trying new things and experimenting in the studio.”
Multi-platinum country artist Cody Jinks has announced his upcoming 2025 North American Headline Tour, Hippies and Cowboys.
The Hippies and CowboysTour sees 23 dates including two in New York: The Rooftop at Pier 17 in NYC on August 13 and Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater in Syracuse on August 17. Special guests Tanner Usrey and Shane Smith & The Saints appear at certain dates along the tour.
The electrifying performer who has sold over 2 million tickets to date is looking forward to another ambitious stage setup as he embarks on this upcoming tour produced by Live Nation and FPC Live. Fans can expect the same kind of big tent, inclusive environment for which Jinks is known for.
The tour announcement dropped alongside his upcoming project, Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell, a tribute album to the late honky-tonk legend, Lefty Frizzell which includes covers of many fan-favorite tracks including, “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time.” Giving the songs new life, Jinks takes the music, a cornerstone of traditional country and honky-tonk and makes it his own with the same sincerity and emotional depth that captured fans throughout Lefty’s career. The Hippies and CowboysTour kicks off on March 14 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and wraps up on September 20 in Youngstown, Ohio.
Cody Jinks 2025 Tour Dates:
March 14, 2025–New Orleans, LA–Mahalia Jackson Theatre of Performing Arts
May 29, 2025–Columbia, MO–9th Street*
May 30, 2025–Franklin, TN–FirstBank Amphitheater*
June 26, 2025–Nampa, ID–Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater*
June 27, 2025–Idaho Falls, ID–Mountain America Center*
June 28, 2025–Casper, WY–Ford Wyoming Center*
July 10, 2025–Wheatland, CA–Hard Rock Live*
July 11, 2025–Stateline, NV–Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys*
July 12, 2025–Berkeley, CA–Greek Theatre UC Berkeley*
July 17, 2025–Kent, WA–accesso ShoWare Center*
July 19, 2025–Airway Heights, WA–Northern Quest Amphitheater*
July 26, 2025–Morrison, CO–Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 7, 2025–Asbury Park, NJ–Stone Pony Summer Stage#
August 8, 2025–Philadelphia, PA– The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark#
August 9, 2025–Baltimore, MD–Pier Six Pavilion#
August 11, 2025–Virginia Beach, VA–The Dome#
August 13, 2025–New York, NY–The Rooftop at Pier 17#
August 15, 2025–Bridgeport, CT–Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater*
August 16, 2025–Boston, MA–Leader Bank Pavilion*
August 17, 2025–Syracuse, NY–Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview*
September 18, 2025–Des Moines, IA–Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park*
September 19, 2025–Indianapolis, IN–Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park*
September 20, 2025–Youngstown, OH–Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre*
*with Tanner Usrey
#with Shane Smith & The Saints
Shane Smith & The Saints
For more information on the upcoming Hippies and Cowboys Tour and to purchase tickets, click here.
On Friday, November 29, perhaps the two biggest rising stars in the jam-band scene – Dogs in a Pile and Eggy – took another giant leap, packing out The Capitol Theatre to near capacity.
The first time both bands were set to headline the iconic venue, Dogs In A Pile and Eggy had their fans pour in early to check out a pre-show at Garcia’s featuring Residual Groove. The link between the two fanbases was as clear as day, as was the decision to make the two evenings a co-headlining spectacle.
As announced on social media by Peter Shapiro a few days prior via a coin-toss, Dogs In A Pile were set to open Day 1 with Eggy following, and the reverse happened the next day.
Dogs In A Pile hit the stage at 8pm sharp on Friday night, busting of the gate strong with “Look Johnny ll”. Hailing from Asbury Park, New Jersey, Dogs In A Pile have become a nationally recognized act, touring all around the country with great frequency. Certainly no stranger to the New York music scene, playing huge shows like the Phish after show last year at Sony Hall, Great South Bay Music Festival, as well as going on tour with Andy Frasco at Pier 17 and The Capitol Theatre itself, though this time, under a very different circumstance.
Childhood friends who met fellow students at Berklee, the band consists of Jimmy Law on Guitar and Vocals, Joey Babick on Drums, Jeremy Kaplan on Keys and Vocals, Sam Lucid on Bass, and Brian Murray on Guitar and Vocals. Ending on a real high note, a difficult task was set upon Eggy, following what had just occurred was no small feat.
Eggy gracefully took the stage to great anticipation. In quite fitting fashion, “Here and Now” was the designated opening number as dancing re-emerged throughout the audience. Fresh off the release of their new album, “Waiting Game“, the band consists of Jake Brownstein on Guitar and Vocals, Dani Battat on Keys and Vocals, Mike Goodman on Bass and Vocals, and Alex Bailey on Drums and Vocals.
New York is a frequent stop for Eggy, and its easy to see why. Their impressive song writing abilities, along with deep experimentation of the material, a fantastic tour-de-force is always on full display. As the first set winded down, Dani Battat slowed things down, paying tribute to his bandmate and dear friend, Jake, to celebrate his birthday.
A cake was brought out as this touching moment was rang in by Bailey switching to his cajon and Goodman to his standup bass. An acoustic set brought the evening home, but the festivities were not over just yet.
For an encore, Dogs In A Pile came back on stage to join Eggy in family band style fashion. Paying homage to the day, “Black Friday” by Steely Dan rang out, followed by the Hunter/Garcia classic, “Bird Song”.
The evening concluded with strong enthusiasm as another epic night of music awaited everyone the following evening. Though the two bands have similar fanbases and style, their momentums are respectively separate and strong.
Dogs In A Pile go on to play more dates throughout December, including a 4 night run through New Years in Saratoga Springs at Putnam Palace. Eggy will also be playing in New York at the end of this month, hitting Electric City in Buffalo on the 27th, and Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock on the 29th. Tickets for all shows are available now.
Brooklyn-based Indie Pop artist Ski Team (Lucie Lozinski) has announced Dec. 3. as the release date for the music video of “Me”.
“Me” is about “the struggle of adjusting someone’s role in your life, or your own role to them, and giving up control in that process,” shares Lucie Lozinski, otherwise known as Ski Team. “It’s about realizing if you have to assign roles, maybe it’s not as special as you think. And, like, challenging this idea of roles being the whole of someone’s identity. It’s scary to not know who’s on your roster, or who you are without a particular person/job/trait/whatever, and just go forth into life’s abyss as a human, but it’s often better for everyone involved to get on with it.”
While the song is classified as experimental, there is enough common elements to make the song relatable to the average listener. The saxophone that begins the song is a nice touch and each time the sax makes an appearance in the mix it is always a welcome addition. The lyrics take the song to a personal level that gives the feeling of listening to a journal entry.
The video reflects the isolation and mundanity of the roles we play in everyday life by the use of the grey office space, escalators, and packed public transportation. Lozinski wears her hair pinned back as tight as can be and an all-white suit and tie combined with a long flowing skirt and a fo-leather jacket. All this draws stark connections to Apple’s famous “1984 Macintosh” commercial in the sense of routine and technology controlling life. With fantastic editing and shots that beautifully depict the liminal, the music video is an incredibly impressive achievement.
Lozinski found the saxophone player on Hinge. He had a bunch of videos of him playing sax, and she reached out saying, “hey I don’t want to date each other, but can you come put down some saxophone on this song?” And he did. Ski Team collaborated with popular producer Daniel Knowles (Sharon Van Etten, Cigarettes After Sex) on the new single. Ski Team has received praise from the likes of American Songwriter, Atwood Magazine and more.
On December 2, 2012, the King of Blues, B.B. King played Westbury Music Fair, which is now know as NYCB Theatre in Westbury, New York. At the time he was 87 years but still enjoyed playing for his adoring fans.
King started his music career in 1949 on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. He named his first guitar Lucille when he ran into a burning building to save it, and later learned that the fire was caused by two men knocking over a barrel of kerosene while fighting over a girl named Lucille. His guitars were usually black Gibson guitars and in 1980, Gibson introduced a B.B. King custom model.
King recorded some of the greatest rock n’ roll hits of all time like “3 O’Clock Blues,” “You Know I Love You,” “Woke Up This Morning,” “Please Love Me,” “Every Day I Have the Blues,” “You Upset Me Baby” and of course his signature hit single “Lucille,” just to name a few. He also found commercial success through a series of all-star collaborations.
On his 1997 album Deuces Wild, he enlisted artists such as Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson. In 2000, he collaborated again with Eric Clapton for the Grammy winning album Riding with the King. He has released 43 studio albums and 16 live albums and a number of compilations.
AllMusic recognized B.B as “the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century.” He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is one of he most influential blues musicians of all time. He is also ranked at No. 6 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Over the course of his 60 year-plus career, he has received 18 Grammy awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honors, among many other awards.
King died in May of 2015 at the age of 89. His body was flown to Memphis and a funeral procession went down Beale Street with thousands of people watching and a brass marching band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In.” His body was then driven down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi where he was laid to rest.
The New York Philharmonic‘s January schedule has been fully announced and will feature 20 concerts throughout the month from Nathalie Stutzmann, Kevin John Edusei, artist-in-residence Yuja Wang, and many more.
The Wu Tsai Theater at David Geffen Hall will host these performances in January:
From January 2–4 and 7, Kevin John Edusei, in his New York Philharmonic debut, will conduct Samy Moussa’s Elysium, Berlioz’s song cycle Les Nuits d’été featuring mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra.
On Jan. 8, 9, and 11, Daniele Rustioni, also making his Philharmonic debut, will lead the Overture to Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Merchant of Venice, Dvořák’s Violin Concerto featuring soloist Joshua Bell, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
On Jan. 12 at 3:00 pm, as part of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles series at Merkin Hall, Philharmonic musicians will perform Haydn’s String Quartet in G major, Turina’s Piano Trio No. 2, Moszkowski’s Suite for Two Violins and Piano, and Britten’s String Quartet No. 1.
On Jan. 16, 18, and 19, Nathalie Stutzmann, a 2024–25 Artistic Partner, will conduct The Ring Without Words, Lorin Maazel’s orchestral arrangement of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
On Jan. 17 at 7:30 pm, the Bach: From Darkness to Light concert, presented by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, will take place at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann, the program includes Cantata BWV 56 (Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen) featuring baritone Leon Košavić (NY Phil debut) and singers from Voices of Harlem, directed by Malcolm J. Merriweather, as well as Cantata BWV 51 (Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen) with soprano Talise Trevigne (NY Phil debut). The evening will also feature Bach’s Sonata sopra il soggetto reale from Musical Offering, performed without a conductor.
From Jan. 23–25, pianist Yuja Wang will debut as the Philharmonic’s 2024–25 Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence. Her residency includes a Kravis Nightcap performance on Jan. 25 at 9:30 p.m., featuring choreographer and ballerina Tiler Peck alongside musicians from the Philharmonic. Additional details about her residency will be announced soon.
On Jan. 25 at 2:00 pm, David Robertson will present a program celebrating the centennial of Pierre Boulez, featuring works originally curated by the late NY Phil Music Director in 1974. This Sound On series concert includes J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Schubert’s Symphony No. 2, Webern’s Symphony Op. 21, Boulez’s Pli selon pli: Improvisations sur Mallarmé I and II with soprano Jana McIntyre (NY Phil debut), and Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat Suite.
Finally, on Jan. 29, 30, and Feb. 1, and 2, Marek Janowski, another NY Phil debutant, will conduct Weber’s Oberon Overture, Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring Beatrice Rana, and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish).
The nominations for the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards have been announced and a host of New York artists are among the nominees. Today we take a look at the nominees hailing from across New York State.
One of the most prestigious music awards in the industry, The GRAMMY Awards are held annually to recognize the best of the best in music each year, both on stage and behind the scenes. Now in its 67th year, the Recording Academy has released its nominees ahead of this year’s presentation of awards on February 2, 2025.
To little surprise, several nominees on this year’s ballot hail from the state of New York. With some of the industry’s biggest names rooted in the state and rising stars cropping up each and every day, you can check out our list of this year’s GRAMMY nominees who call New York home below.
A$AP Rocky
Most recognized as A$AP Rocky, Rakin Mayers returns for his third GRAMMY nomination to date with Best Music Video for “Tailor Swif”. Born and raised in Harlem, Rocky’s career was launched within the hip hop collective ASAP Mob- hence his stage name- and has since skyrocketed into the limelight with a BET Award, two BET Hip Hop Awards, an MTVU Woodie Award, and an MTV Video Music Award Japan, among several nominations.
The Baylor Project
Husband and wife and musical duo Marcus and Jean Baylor are nominated for Best Jazz Performance for their track as The Baylor Project “Walk With Me, Lord (SOUND | SPIRIT)”. Based in New Jersey, the two will add this nomination to their roster of seven previous nominations, including two for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
With an astounding five nominations for this year’s awards added to his collection of eight wins thus far, banjo virtuoso and New York City native Béla Fleck has an impressive list of accolades and accomplishments under his belt already. Having won in an array of categories already, Fleck’s nominations for the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards are Best Jazz Performance, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Arrangement.
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Nominated for the second year in a row for Best Orchestral Performance is the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra alongside conductor and fellow nominee JoAnn Falletta. Founded in 1935, the Orchestra has presented live symphonic music and other adjacent events to the folks of Buffalo and beyond for nearly a century now. With more than 120 classical, rock, pop, kids and youth concerts each year, this nomination marks another major recognition for the already GRAMMY Award-winning Philharmonic.
Cardi B
Born in Manhattan, Cardi B- or Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar- is up for Best Rap Performance with her track “Enough (Miami)”. Cardi was raised in the South Bronx but spent much of her time in her grandmother’s home in Washington Heights, the region she accredits her accent to. She also attended Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology, a vocational high school on the Herbert H. Lehman High School campus.
Catherine Russell
Catherine Russell
Native New Yorker and graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts Catherine Russell is in the running for Best Jazz Vocal Album for My Ideal with Sean Mason. Born into musical royalty, Russell’s father Luis Russell was a lifelong pianist, composer, bandleader, and musical director for Louis Armstrong, and her mother Carline Ray performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Sy Oliver as a pioneering vocalist, guitarist, and bassist.
After graduation, Russell toured and recorded alongside the likes of Carrie Smith, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, and more, with a total of over 200 appearances on various albums made thus far in her career.
Cory Henry
A jazz organist, pianist, gospel artist, producer, and musical prodigy, Cory Henry began his musical career at just two years old when he was introduced to the piano and the B3 organ. Performing an astonishing show at the Apollo Theater at just six years old, the Brooklyn-Born artist was first a member of the unit Snarky Puppy before launching into his solo career in 2018. Henry has been nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album for his collection Church.
Photo: Shervin Lainez
Daniel Nigro
Long Island local Daniel Nigro is nominated for Producer Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media, and if you’re a fan of today’s pop princesses it’s likely you have Nigro to thank. With credits in Olivia Rodrigo’s “girl i’ve always been”, “so american”, “stranger”, and “Can’t Catch Me Now” as featured in the Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack, as well as the entirety of breakout star and fellow GRAMMY nominee Chappell Roan’s debut album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, Nigro’s impact on the past year’s most popular music cannot be understated.
Raised in Massapequa Park, Daniel took piano, guitar, and voice lessons in his youth and attended Fordham University for philosophy during his college years. Nigro has accrued a total of 16 GRAMMY nominations across his career thus far in addition to winning Best Pop Vocal Album with Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour in 2021.
Photo: Monhand Mathurin
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Hailing from Brooklyn, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II is up for a Producer Of The Year for his work on tracks like Usher’s “I Love U” and “One Of Them Ones”, Lucky Daye’s Algorithm and “That’s You,” “Power of Two” from Star Wars: The Acolyte featuring the voice of VIctoria Monét, and song of the year nominee “Die With A Smile” with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
Elaine Martone
Born in Rochester, raised in Long Island, and graduating from Ithaca College with a Bachelors in Music, Elaine Martone is a New Yorker through and through. With a background in the oboe, editing, and recording, Martone has been nominated for Producer Of The Year in the Classical category.
The Harlem Gospel Travelers
Formed with members hailing from throughout the five boroughs of New York City, The Harlem Gospel Travelers gathered originally as members of the Gospel For Teens music education program before launching their own collective rooted in their shared passion for gospel music. The group has been nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album for their album Rhapsody.
JoAnn Falletta
A decorated musician and conductor, JoAnn Falletta was raised in Queens and spent her college years at Mannes College of Music and Juilliard. Beginning her career as a guitar and mandolin student, Falletta began conducting the Mannes student orchestra in her freshman year despite administrative doubts concerning women in music directorship. JoAnn rose above and beyond these doubts, however, going on to Queens College for her Masters and Juilliard once again for her Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting.
JoAnn’s nominations for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Compendium this year stem from her work as conductor for fellow nominee, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Joe Bonamassa
Blues rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa has been nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album with his release Blues Deluxe Vol. 2. Born in New Hartford and raised in Utica, Bonamassa began playing the guitar at just age four.
First influenced and taught by his father, Joe would go on to be mentored and trained by American guitar legend Danny Gatton at just 11 years old, and by age 12 he was touring around western New York with his band named Smokin’ Joe Bonamassa and even opened for the likes of B.B. King. Since then, Bonamassa has released a total of fifteen solo albums, with eleven charting number one on the Billboard Blues chart. This year’s GRAMMY nomination will be Joe’s fourth.
Photo: Danielle Neu
Kim Gordon
Rochester native Kim Gordon has earned nominations for both Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Alternative Music Album, for “BYE BYE” and The Collective respectively. Returning to New York after her college years to pursue the arts, Gordon discovered her love for no-wave music and the artistic freedom it offered.
Lady Gaga
Needing little introduction, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta- better known as Lady Gaga– is nominated for Song Of The Year for her collaboration with fellow pop superstar Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”. Born in Manhattan and raised on the Upper West Side, Gaga famously spent her college years at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, playing gigs with her band in the Lower East Side’s club scene as she honed her skill.
Once her solo career as the famed Lady Gaga began to take shape, she played iconic Manhattan venues such as Mercury Lounge, the Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall, slowly developing a following- and the rest is history.
Lakecia Benjamin armed with her saxaphone. Courtesy of ropeadope.com
Lakecia Benjamin
Nominated for Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Instrumental Album is Lakecia Benjamin with Phoenix Reimagined (Live). Born and raised in New York City, Benjamin has been writing and performing music since grade school. After winning admission to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, Lakecia attended the New School for its renowned jazz programming.
At The New School Benjamin studied with veterans of the genre including Billy Harper, Workman, Buster Williams, and Gary Bartz, who proved to be a key mentor in her studies and musical touch. Her deep roots in jazz and reputation for innovation landed her performance opportunities of all kinds, including a touring gig with Anita Baker.
Marc Anthony
The top selling salsa artist of all time, New York City native Marc Anthony has returned to the GRAMMY docket once more with a nomination in Best Tropical Latin Album for MUEVENSE. Raised in East Harlem, Anthony’s career is nothing short of admirable with over 12 million album sales recorded to date. This year’s nomination will sit on the shelf beside his eight Latin GRAMMY Awards, 29 Lo Nuestro Awards, and four GRAMMYs.
Madison Beer
Up for Best Dance Pop Recording is Madison Beer with “Make You Mine”. Born in Jericho, Beer saw a rise to fame after a cover she posted to YouTube was reposted by Justin Bieber. Debuting in 2013 with “Melodies”, Beer has since released two studio albums, the second Silence Between Songs earning her a nomination for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 66th GRAMMY Awards.
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop is nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for her work with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and it’s little wonder why. As the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting, the first conductor to earn a MacArthur Fellowship, a musical director and chief conductor for several orchestras, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, Alsop has achieved quite a lot in her career thus far.
Born in New York City and raised on the Upper West Side, Alsop attended The Masters School and studied violin at Juilliard’s Pre-College Division, eventually graduating from the school with a Bachelor of Music and Master in violin. While studying, Alsop also played in the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet.
Norah Jones
Awarded singer-songwriter and Manhattan-born musician Norah Jones has been nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her release Visions. Music is practically in Jones’ blood, having been raised by her mother, the concert producer Sue Jones, and father, the Indian Bengali musician Ravi Shankar.
With nine GRAMMY wins already under her belt, over 50 million record sales recorded to date, and the title of Billboard’s top jazz artist of the 2000s decade, this nomination adds to her already impressive collection of accolades.
Pete Rock
Born in The Bronx and raised in Mount Vernon, Pete Rock is nominated for Best Rap Performance alongside Common on their track “When The Sun Shines Again” featuring Posdnuos. Having grown up in an environment of live music, Rock was influenced by his father’s part-time DJ gig and extensive record collection, often accompanying him to watch his father perform. His passion was sparked at age seven after his parents bought him a Fisher-Price record player toy.
Post Malone performs onstage during the Global Citizen Festival.(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
Post Malone
Known professionally as Post Malone, Austin Richard Post is up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen and Best Country Album for F-1 Trillion. Born in Syracuse, Malone was heavily influenced by his father who had been a DJ in his youth, subsequently introducing his son to a myriad of genres including rock, country, and hip hop, all of which make appearances in his professional work.
This year’s nomination will add to his collection of other GRAMMY nominations in addition to a whopping ten Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and three American Music Awards.
Run DMC
The three-member hip hop group RUN DMC has been nominated for Best Music Film for their piece “Kings From Queens”. Fittingly titled, Run DMC hails from Hollis. Formed in 1983, the trio is recognized as one of the most influential hip hop acts in history for pioneering the new-school sound and ushering in what many consider to be the golden age of the genre.
Samara Joy
Rising jazz star SamaraJoy is nominated for Best Jazz Performance for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” with Sullivan Fortner and Best Jazz Vocal Album for A Joyful Holiday. A native of Castle Hill in the Bronx, Joy’s life has been entwined with music since the very beginning. Her grandparents led the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father Antonio McLendon has produced, composed, and arranged his own astounding original works.
Beginning her jazz journey during her studies at SUNY Purchase, Samara won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition which put her name on the map for those within the scene. Debuting in 2021 with a self-titled album, her career quickly took shape and her second release Linger Awhile garnered her first GRAMMY win with Best Jazz Vocal Album in addition to the headline-making Best New Artist.
Shemekia Copeland
Born in Harlem, Shemekia Copeland is up for two nominations in Best American Roots Performance for “Blame It On Eve” and Best Contemporary Blues Album for her release of the same name. The daughter of blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, Shemekia began singing at an early age and made her first public performance at just ten years old at the Cotton Club on 125th street. Copeland has released 12 albums and received eight Blues Music Awards to date.
Tony Trischka
Born in Syracuse and raised in a household that was almost overflowing with music, Tony Trischka has been nominated for Best Bluegrass Album with his release Earl Jam. Recognized as one of the most influential banjo players of today, Trishka is credited with the inspiration of a generation’s worth of progressive bluegrass artists.
For the first time in over a decade, ’90s jam stalwarts Addison Groove Project will perform live with two shows, one in Boston and another a week later at DROM in the East Village, slated for 2025.
Addison Groove Project formed in high school in the suburbs outside of Boston, gaining a reputation as a hard working and talented band, performing at festivals including Bonnaroo and across the Northeast, bringing a combo of funk, soul, rock, groove and jazz. The band’s founding bassist, John Hall, passed away in 2004.
As the band notes, it has been about a lifetime since the group last performed live. Brendan McGinn (vocals/guitar) is now a doctor, Andrew Keith (drummer) is a therapist, Ben Groppe (tenor sax) is a chef, Dave Adams (saxophone) is currently band director at a middle school, and Rob Marscher (keys) continues to play music with Matisyahu and Star Kitchen, on the side of software development gigs.
With the band each with families at the forefront of their lives, instead of getting together each weekend at iconic New England rock clubs, the band’s group chat has led to a desire to play together again for the first time since 2013.
The band joked about their absence for fans to “come out in March to see if we’ve still got it or if we should stick to our day jobs.”
Addison Groove Project will perform in 2025 at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA on Saturday, March 29, and the following week on Saturday, April 5 at Manhattan’s DROM.
Tickets are on sale now for the Drom show – General Admission is $32.61 ($25.00 + $7.61 fees) and GA Preferred Seating is $61.38 ($49.99 + $11.39 fees).
GRAMMY-award winning rapper and producer J. Cole has announced a special one-night-only show on Monday, December 16 at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his third studio album.
A rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, basketball player, and self-taught pianist- J. Cole has it all. Having started as the first artist to sign on to Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, each of Cole’s releases has debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in addition to earning him two Grammys and seventeen nominations, a Billboard Music Award, three Soul Train Music Awards, and eight BET Hip Hop Awards.
In addition to his own work, Cole has produced for the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, and Mac Miller. He’s also pursued other ventures like his own record label, taking shape in Dreamville Records.
Despite his massive commercial success, Cole has avoided a more sanitized pop sound to pursue works that tackle complex and conscious sounds and themes. This passion for pressing matters spread to Cole’s touring habits, introducing his annual ticketed events in 2013 aptly titled “Dollar And A Dream” shows, where fans only have to pay $1 to attend.
Having been active in the music industry for 15 years, Cole is celebrating the tenth anniversary of his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive with a one-night-only event at Madison Square Garden.
In addition to standard tickets, on the day of the show an additional 2,014 tickets will become available for just $1, continuing Cole’s tradition of “Dollar And A Dream” into this once in a lifetime event. Details on the location and time for the special $1 tickets will be revealed day of, limited to an in-person only purchase of one ticket per fan.
Standard tickets will be available on Wednesday, December 4 at 10:00 AM. For more information on this once-in-a-lifetime one-night-only event and how to attend, check out the event’s official page here.
On Monday, November 18, the New York City Council passed a resolution designating every November 30 as “Shirley Chisholm Day,” honoring the longtime Bedford-Stuyvesant resident, political pioneer, as well as the first Black woman elected to Congress and first woman to run for President.
Chisholm speaking at the 1972 Decmocratic National Convention – photo via Library of Congress
The honor arrives a week that would have ended with Chisholm’s 100th birthday, on Saturday, November 30.
“This legislation is … an affirmation of the contribution of Shirley Anita Chisholm, who unlocked and opened doors for generations of political leaders who were excluded simply for being Black.”
Brooklyn Councilmember Farah Louis – regarding “Shirley Chisholm Day”
Earlier this year, breakout vocalist Samara Joy released an original single, “Why I’m Here,” a song so triumphant it was chosen for the Netflix film Shirley, starring Oscar winner Regina King as the title character.
Co-written with GRAMMY winner PJ Morton, “Why I’m Here” captures the inspiring drive of Chisholm. with Joy noting, “For me, this song was a representation of how Shirley Chisholm’s commitment to pursuing her purpose has affected us all, whether we realize it or not.”
The song further establishes Samara Joy as a voice to be reckoned with, both in the world of jazz and beyond. Likewise, Chisholm was a force to be reckoned with, and a passionate leader for decades.
Born in 1924 in Brooklyn as Shirley Anita St. Hill, Chisholm noted in her 1970 memoir “Unbought and Unbossed” that she was taken to Barbados at an early age to live with her grandmother, later returning to Brooklyn when she was 10. There, she lived with her parents and siblings in an “unheated, four-room, cold-water railroad flat” in Brownsville, a mostly-Jewish neighborhood at the time.
Chisholm graduated from Brooklyn College and in 1951 received a master’s degree in early childhood education from Columbia University before eventually joining the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. In 1964, she became the second African American in the New York State Legislature and in 1968 she won a seat in Congress, advocating for early childhood education, among other causes.
Chisholm represented Brooklyn’s 12th Congressional District, which covered much of Bed-Stuy, for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In recent years her legacy has been celebrated with various honors, including a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and a statue in Prospect Park approved by city officials.
In the lead up to her run for the Democratic nomination for president in 1970, Chisholm argued, “Our representative democracy is not working, because the Congress that is supposed to represent the voters does not respond to their needs. I believe the chief reason for this is that it is ruled by a small group of old men.” Chisholm’s words from more than a half-century ago echo loudly today in the wake of the most recent presidential election.
The lyrics to “Why I’m Here” follow the course of Chisholm’s trailblazing career, with the chorus, “An easy road was never promised, and so much has been from taken from us, but I won’t stop no matter how much I have to go through, I won’t shed one tear, I know why I’m here,” solidifying the icon’s tenacity in the face of oppression, racism and sexism.
Photo by Ambe J. Williams
In February 2024 at the 66th GRAMMY Awards, Samara Joy added to her accolades by taking home Best Jazz Performance for her single “Tight.” Self-produced, the winner features Joy with her working band – pianist Luther Allison, bassist Mikey Migliore and drummer Evan Sherman – recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in NYC.
Samara Joy is currently on tour, with a few upcoming New york performances, before heading to Europe to start 2025.
December 13 – United Palace, New York, NY
Decemeber 16 – Hart Theatre at The Egg, Albany, NY
December 17 – “A Joyful Holiday” Feat. The McLendon Family – UB Center for the Arts – Mainstage Theatre, Buffalo, NY
Shirleycan be seen on Netflix, starring Regina King as Chisholm and directed by Oscar winner John Ridley (“12 Years a Slave,” “Jimi: All Is By My Side”). Shirley follows Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign and the impact she left on modern culture.
Samara Joy “Why I’m Here” Lyrics Fight! Fight! Bending but never broken Knocked down but I keep going I’ve decided to stand my ground I will not be moved And I have no fear I know why I’m here
An easy road was never promised And so much has been taken from us But I won’t stop no matter how much I have to go through I won’t shed one tear I know why I’m here
The future is in our hands Now’s the time to stand Together we’ll pave the way Those who walk by faith With their heads held high Have the power to change the world
Bending but I can’t be broken I’ve been knocked down But I choose to keep going I’ve decided to stand my ground I will not be moved And I have no fear So don’t you shed one tear Cause I know why I’m here
