NYS Music 2024

Category: Regions

  • In Focus: Tinashe Returns to New York With Sold-Out Brooklyn Paramount Show

    R&B sensation Tinashe returned to New York for her second show this year with a dazzling performance at the newly renovated Brooklyn Paramount November 4.

    Part of the singer-songwriter’s Match My Freak world tour, the sold-out show followed the release of her seventh studio album Quantum Baby—featuring the viral lead single “Nasty,” which propelled Tinashe to her first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 this summer. 

    Tinashe

    Tinashe’s smooth vocals and expert choreography were as fierce as ever Monday night, as her ever-growing fanbase packed every inch of the 2,700-capacity music hall. After a soulful opening set from Raveena, Tinashe made a confident entrance and kicked off the show with “Getting No Sleep,” the second single from Quantum Baby. 

    Tinashe

    The historic theatre felt more like a vibrant nightclub as fans danced and sang along to Tinashe’s hits like “Needs,” “2 On,” “Gravity,” and more. Backed by a skillful team of dancers, Tinashe never missed a beat as she moved through each precisely choreographed number, complete with unique visual effects for each track. As both a masterful vocalist and a former competitive dancer, Tinashe’s stage presence is magnetic, and the crowd erupted with cheers at nearly every move.

    Tinashe

    Even before heading out on the road, Tinashe has had a busy 2024—the release of Quantum Baby amplified her pop notoriety as “Nasty” quickly became a viral sensation. She was also featured on Charli Xcx’s track “B2B” from brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a remixed companion to one of the most culturally significant albums of the year, as well as “More Than a Little Bit” from Grammy winner Kaytranada’s album Timeless. 

    The Brooklyn Paramount show looked to be an upgrade in production value from Tinashe’s February BB/Ang3l tour stop at Terminal 5, before “Nasty” was released. Virality aside, Tinashe has been hard at work delivering vibrant performances and R&B hits for years, and it seems the public is finally taking notice. 

    Tinashe – Brooklyn Paramount – November 4, 2024

    Setlist: Getting No Sleep; When I Get You Alone; Needs; Link Up; Bouncin; Bouncin’; Pt. 2; Thirsty; Red Flags; ZOOM; The Worst in Me; Save Room for Us; Throw a Fit; Talk to Me Nice; X; Unconditional; Party Favors; All Hands on Deck; 2 On; SHY GUY; Cross That Line; Uh Huh; Gravity; No Broke Boys; Nasty (Match My Chic Remix); Nasty 

  • Symphony Space To Host 44th Annual John Lennon Tribute With Kenny Loggins

    Symphony Space will celebrate love, life, and John Lennon with Kenny Loggins and other music acts during their 44th Annual Benefit Tribute as a part of their 2024-25 season.

    A multi-disciplinary performing arts center, Symphony Space was founded and functions under the belief that the arts transcend barriers, bringing communities together by celebrating both similarities and differences. 

    Known for their wide array of programming including but not limited to Selected Shorts, their immersive Wall to Wall concerts, and their Global Arts education initiative, Symphony Space boasts a full slate of original, affordable, and free programming that fosters the arts through all disciplines. 

    Among many talents and events featured on Symphony Space’s 2024-25 music season is the time honored John Lennon Tribute, now in its 44th year. Two-time Grammy Award winner Kenny Loggins will grace the stage for an evening of his favorite Lennon and Beatles Classics, and will be the recipient of the 2024 John Lennon Real Love Award.

    In addition to Loggins, the night will feature performances from Joan Osborne, Jimmy Vivino, The Kennedys, Chrissi Poland, Martha Redbone, Everett Bradley, and Music Director Rich Pagano. 

    All proceeds from the Lennon tribute will support the Theatre Within initiative. Creators of the John Lennon Real Love Project, Theatre Within provides free workshops in creative expression and mindfulness for folks of all ages that have been impacted by cancer. Notably, they bring the music and mindset of John Lennon to life in elementary and middle school classrooms in an award-winning songwriting workshop and program.

    The 44th Annual John Lennon Tribute will be hosted on Saturday, December 7. For more information on how to attend and ticket purchasing, visit the event page here.

    The rest of Symphony Space’s 2024 lineup is host to a series of impressive acts including but not limited to queer pop musician and filmmaker Be Steadwell, recipient of the Stephen Sondheim Award, National Book Award, and the 2024 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction James McBride, Grammy-winning New Orleans Rebirth Brass Band, multi-instrumental and vocalist artists in residence Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, and 1920s jazz inspired The Squirrel Nut Zippers in a Christmas Caravan show.

    The center will open the 2025 year with critically acclaimed blues and folks artist Queen Esther and continue with acts like the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, the “elegantly gritty” Big Lazy, award-winning Black folk interpreter Jake Blount, fusion act Metropolitan Klezmer, the Broadway legend Patti LuPone herself, the lively Martha Spencer and the Wonderland Country Band, Tony Trischka’s tribute to Earl Scruggs, and raga jazz fusion ensemble Falsa in addition to the return of some of their resident artists.

    For further details on their entire 2024-25 season, how to attend, and the artists featured, visit Symphony Space’s official website here.

  • Shakti Lounge kicks off 2024-25 Live Music Series

    In Buffalo on Saturday, November 9, the Shakti Lounge’s 2024-25 monthly Concert Series kicksoff with a performance by the Walter Kemp 3.

    Shakti Lounge

    The Shakti Lounge is a collaboration between Shakti Yoga (Michelle Gigante) and Lavender Haze Collective (Ellen Pieroni). The monthly concert series provides musicians with space to show their skills and art to the community, and a comfortable environment for the audience to hear innovative music. Shakti creates a salon-like setting offering guests the unique experience of reclining on its heated floor with cushions or taking a seat in a chair. All are welcome.

    This year’s selection features a diverse group of artists performing across a wide variety of genres such as jazz, folk, classical, and world music. The musicians are mainly local to Buffalo, with the exception of Nicholas Mycio Trio (jazz guitar from New York City) and Haunted Continents from Connecticut, featuring Buffalo-based cellist Katie Weissman.

    Bandleader Walter Kemp 3, (piano, Rhodes, and Viscount organ) grounded by the roots of swinging, soulful syncopation, will open the series with an existential, extraterrestrial, performance of meditative music. The group features Alec Dube on vibes, Dave Phillips on drums, and Ben Levitt on bass. The ensemble will deliver a one of a kind listening experience. Complimentary refreshments will be available.

    Other acts featured in the 2024-25 lineup are alt-jazz guitarist Adam Bronstein & ABtrio, (Feb. 8) and talented string quartet fra/ctured (Mar. 8). Both of those groups are making a return from last year’s series. Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams: a world jam trio consisting of sitar, drums, and bass will also make an appearance on May 10. A special benefit concert on 1/11 for the Sara Rogers Foundation, will feature a talented crew of musicians who knew, loved, and shared the stage with Sara.

    Learn more and purchase tickets here.

  • American Ballet Theatre Studio Company to Perform at Binghamton University

    American Ballet Studio Company, the junior company of American Ballet Theatre, will be performing on Binghamton University’s stage on November 9.

    if it ain’t BA-ROQUE by Hope Boykin, photo by Rosalie O’Connor

    Composed of 12-18 rising stars in the ballet world ranging from ages 17 to 21, the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company is a highly mobile unit of the next generation of ballet greats. 

    Hailing from all over the globe, the ABT Studio Company members are in preparation to enter the professional ballet world, whether that be with American Ballet Theatre or other leading ballet companies worldwide.

    Nearly 80% of the current dancers in American Ballet Theatre are alumni of ABT Studio Company, including eight soloists and 14 principal dancers- notable names including Misty Copeland, Isabella Boylston, and Calvin Royal III.

    Having performed masterworks, contemporary pieces, and newly commissioned custom ballets around the world, the ABT Ballet Theatre celebrates the excellence of female choreographers throughout their work. Recent years have brought the group to stages in London, Athens, Manila, Hong Kong, and St. Petersburg in a mixed bag of performing arts centers, college campuses, festivals, and galas.

    Dying Swan by Michel Fokine, featuring Aleisha Walker – photo by Erin Baino

    On November 9, the ABT Ballet Theatre’s global travels will bring them to Binghamton University’s own Anderson Center for the Performing Arts. For one night only students, staff, and visitors alike will be able to experience the talent of ballet’s next greats in the flesh.

    Tickets for the unforgettable night of dance are available now, with general public prices starting at just $25. In addition to select discounts, ticket prices for students and children have been cut to just $10 for any seat in the house. For more information and ticket purchasing, visit the Anderson Center Box Office’s website here.

  • Brigid Hart Offers A Guide to Living

    Indie folk artist and Queens native Brigid Hart explores every step of picking yourself back up after the unimaginable in her debut album A How to Guide: Living With the Shame.

    Brigid Hart

    Born and raised in Queens, Brigid Hart is an indie folk artist who has been weaving her emotions into sound since she was only 10 years old. Having consistently composed, recorded, and released songs since then, Brigid is now a part of the Studio Composition program at SUNY Purchase where she explores and develops her musical skill even further.

    Released in 2023, her six track EP I’d Be Just Fine was born out of a partnership with Ben Cuomo and Shanne Garcia formed through her Studio Composition studies. Among her studies and professional ventures, Hart has been performing alongside her band in venues, clubs, backyards, gardens, colleges, and even camp festivals throughout New York State. 

    Her sophomore year’s work culminated in her second major collaboration with Ben Cuomo, her debut album A How to Guide: Living with the Shame. Formed among the spaces of the SUNY Purchase campus that caught their interest the most alongside a myriad of friends and peers on the harp, violin, mandolin, drums, and more, Brigid’s debut album captures the raw honesty and emotion nestled within her artistry.

    A How to Guide: Living with the Shame is a deeply vulnerable piece that explores the effects an experience of sexual assault has on relationships afterwards. Hart’s expression of heartbreak and sadness through the album’s instrumentals is counterbalanced by her witty and self-aware lyrics, creating a balanced and personable listening experience. 

    “Brigid’s vocals float above the bed of sound created by her finger-picked guitar in open tunings. In both of these projects she managed to keep an intimate and lulling atmosphere while also having dense and unapologetic arrangements that maintain the illusion of Brigid sitting right in front of you.”

    – Ben Cuomo

    Accompanying the album’s release was the adjacent music video for the ninth track, “Before the Leaves Fall.” A recording of Brigid singing the track alone at a bar is interspersed with personal home-style moments of stillness and double-exposure clips of nature that capture the same gentle warmth felt in the track’s instrumental.

    Returning once more to the SUNY Purchase campus, Brigid is working towards her second album to be released in the summer of 2025. The gentle folk sound Hart has developed thus far will be intertwined with a new indie rock approach as she once more expands her repertoire in exciting ways.

    To keep up with the latest updates on her upcoming project and all other endeavors, follow Brigid Hart here.

  • 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.

  • Elysium Furnace Works Closes Out 2024 Season with Eclectic Power Trio, Harriet Tubman

    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.