On Tuesday, March 19, Gary Clark Jr. performed at The Soho Sessions, an exclusive music-driven community known for curating exceptional live experiences in NYC. Clark Jr. was celebrating the release of his new album released this week, titled JPEG RAW.
In attendance were Actor Richard Kind, Jane Rose, Promoter Peter Shapiro, Elle Fanning, Fran DeFeo, David Fricke, Gus Wenner, Steve Schirripa among others. photo by Kim Mancuso Photography.
In addition to celebrating Clark’s new album, this edition of The Soho Sessions also celebrated music through raising awareness and funds for Music Will, the organization that has provided music teacher training, curriculum, and instruments to over 6,000 schools across all 50 states – impacting over 1.6 million students to date.
photo by Kim Mancuso Photography.
The nonprofit strives to reach a million more students by 2027 while making music education accessible to all students regardless of their socio-economic circumstances. Music Will runs the largest nonprofit music program in the U.S. public school system.
Music Will believes that music education is a right, not a privilege, and it should reflect the cultures of the students it serves. That’s why, for two decades now, their programs have taught students such popular American genres as rock, pop, R&B, Latin, rap and country—alongside styles already taught in schools, such as classical and jazz.
Chief Relationship Officer, Janice Polizzotto (right) pictured sitting with Soho Sessions executives. photo by Kim Mancuso Photography.
Additionally, more than 70 colleges and universities now use their approach to music education majors. Several state departments of education have partnered with Music Will to grow music education in the schools they serve. Its mission of transforming lives by transforming music education has grown into a movement.
In the Round Series will return to Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs with three new concerts on April 19, May 17 and June 14.
A view of Universal Preservation Hall is seen during the media tour and ribbon cutting of the new concert hall in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (Jenn March, Special to the Times Union)
In the Round Series has partnered with WEXT for the these three concerts with the main mission to uplift and highlight the work of various singer/songwriting artists on the rise to stardom.
The first show in this new round of concerts is New Zealand-based pop star Kimbra on April 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall. Kimbra’s 2011 debut albumVows, which was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. Kimbra exploded that same year with “Somebody That I Used To Know,” a duet with Gotye that earned her two Grammys for “Record of the Year” and “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.” In 2014 she released her highly acclaimed album, The Golden Echo, recruiting artists as diverse as Thundercat, Omar-Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta, Bilal and John Legend to highlight her eclectic musical style.
Next, UPH will welcome homegrown artists Jocelyn and Chris with special guest Sydney Worthley on May 17 at 7:30 p.m. Jocelyn and Chris, along with their band, charted five consecutive commercial radio singles in the Billboard AAA Top 40, took two records to number one on the Relix Jambands top 30, and appeared nationally on NBC’s Today Show. The siblings, both recent graduates of Harvard University, have recorded eight albums and toured coast to coast.
Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift are two singer-songwriters who inspire Sydney Worthley. In her debut single,”How Soon Is Now?”, the singer talks about heartbreak, losing all emotion, grieving for a departed loved one, and the fallout from modifying who you are to suit the requirements of another person. In 2020, Sydney released her EP project Rose Colored Glasses, which features different themes like learning from past mistakes, coming of age, and long-lost friendships.
Also announced is Shayna Steele and Buggy Jive on June 14. Steele, claimed to be one of the greatest singing sensations of our time, will be featuring her third album Watch Me Fly, offering six self-penned originals and four select classics ranging from soul, blues and gospel and easily crossing over to retro R&B and jazz. Joining her is Buggy Jive, a soul rock singer-songwriter from Upstate New York.
Buggy was recently honored as a 2023 “Top Shelf” Tiny Desk Contest finalist and his latest release The Ghost of Alexander, was named Album of the Year at Upstate New York’s 2023 “Eddie” Awards as well as recently opening for Macy Gray’s recent tour stop in Troy.
Tickets for the In the Round Series at the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga are on sale now through the Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at (518) 346-6204 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or online visit atuph.org.
Drive-By Truckers will be stopping at Irving Plaza on October 17, as part of their Southern Rock OperaRevisited2024 Tour. With a selection of fan favorites from their vast discography, this tour will be an exciting celebration of their legendary 2001 album.
Drive By Truckers at Water Street Music Hall – photo by Brian Ferguson
Drive-By Truckersput love and effort into Southern Rock Opera, which they first self-released on September 11, 2001. They raised money from fans who later became investors to press 5,000 copies, and they independently sold 10,000 copies while going on a huge tour that they organized. The band moved from dive bars to larger venues and theaters due to the album’s success, which also led to proper management and a record deal.
Drive-By Truckers began their journey with Southern Rock Opera, and for 23 years, this trajectory helped them thrive. Acclaimed for their enthusiastic performances and insightful political views, the group’s varied take on rock ‘n’ roll has connected with listeners all over the world.
Beginning on June 7, the tour will travel throughout North America until the beginning of July. Not only that, but the tour will return in October. On October 17, New Yorkers can catch them at Irving Plaza.
With a special soundcheck party and limited-edition merchandise, the VIP Experience gives fans an opportunity to dig deeper into the music. Get your VIP tickets now for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness history.
The band sums it up nicely when they say, “It ain’t about the past.” This tour is meant to spark conversations about our past, present, and future. Thus, get your tickets, mark your calendars, and get ready to rock out when Drive-By Truckers hit the road for their Southern Rock Opera Revisited 2024 Tour.
Garage rockers The Chesterfield Kings announced the release of their latest single, “Meet You After Midnight.” The band also announced their first live shows in over 15 years.
The Chesterfield Kings formed in the late 70s, heavily influenced by the bluesy and rugged sounds of the 60s. The group hails from Rochester and has toured for decades but hasn’t since the early 2000s.
The single is reminiscent of 60s bands like The Doors, Beach Boys, The Who, and more. The Chesterfield Kings add an element of that ’70s dirty garage sound as well. The track feels like entering a portal to the classic era of rock n roll, super well done in its instrumentation, lyricism, and catchiness.
The band plans to tour for five dates across the US beginning March 16 and wrapping up March 22. The tour stops in Austin, Los Angeles, Pheonix, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
Catch The Chesterfield Kings on the The Wicked Cool Records Revue!, presented by Hard Rock and Little Steven’s Underground Garage, which marks the fabled garage rockers’ first live shows in over 15 years.
To check out The Chesterfield Kings’ latest track, “Meet You After Midnight,” click here. For more information on the band and their upcoming shows, click here.
The Chesterfield Kings Upcoming Shows:
16 – Austin, TX – Continental Club (SXSW) *
* w/ The Jellybricks and Bobby Mahoney
19 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent
20 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room Highland Park
21 – Las Vegas, NV – The Shag Room at Virgin
22 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Bernadette Peters from Hello, Dolly!, and Follies fame will host the 10 Anniversary High School Theatre Festival for NYC public schools on March 25 at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.
The Shubert Festival celebrates six outstanding high school student productions from the 2023-24 school year, selected from more than 20 productions across the city by professional theatre artists and theatre educators. Throughout the festival’s ten-year history, school productions from all five boroughs have performed at the event.
The Broadway Festival is hosted by Bernadette Peters – author, actress, and singer famously known for her role in a broadway star-packed movie tick, tick…Boom! alongside Academy Awards nominee Andrew Garfield. Apart from theatre and music, Peters was presented with the Animal Medical Center Brooke Astor Award in 2018 in recognition of her lifetime dedication to animal welfare, which includes the “over 2,000 adoptions” she has made at Broadway Barks events.
Other guest Broadway presenters will include James Caverly, Miguel Cervantes, Charlotte d’Amboise, Jeanna de Waal, Treshelle Edmond, Drew Gehling, Tamar Greene, Anika Larsen, Apollo Levine, Julian Elijah Martinez, Gary Perez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Seth Rudetsky, Brandon Uranowitz, and Kara Young.
This year, student presentations will present excerpted scenes and musical numbers, including Titanic by Professional Performing Arts High School from Manhattan, Joseph, And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Lexington School For The Deaf from Queens, Mamma Mia! By Curtis High School from Staten Island, Zanna Don’t! by Repertory Company High School For Theatre Arts from Manhattan, Titanic by Frank Sinatra School Of The Arts from Queens, and Urinetown by Brooklyn High School For The Arts from Brooklyn.
The Shubert High School Theatre Festival highlights the vital lives and theatrical skills of collaboration, artistry, discipline, focus, literacy, student voice, self-awareness, presence, and empathy, in addition to showcasing the outstanding theater currently being produced in NYC public high schools. The evening’s main focus is how a dedicated theater program may benefit students and school communities by encouraging them to consider theater and the arts as possible career options.
This year’s annual theatre education experience for NYC students is presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Department of Education Arts Office and for more information fans can visit www.shubertfoundation.org.
Stella Blue’s Band is excited to announce the fifth annual Free Dead in the Park concert to benefit Riverkeeper, presented by The Capitol Theatre and RYTHM Cannabis, at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park in New York City on Tuesday, May 14.
Free Dead in the Park began in 2018 when Stella Blue’s Band first played in the bandshell to commemorate the 50anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s epic free concert with Jefferson Airplane and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In the years following, the show has benefitted Riverkeeper and its mission to protect, clean up, and advocate for the Hudson River and surrounding ecosystems.
“Free Dead in the Park is our family reunion and it gets better every year,” said Steve Liesman, the band’s rhythm guitar player, a member of Riverkeeper’s board, and the senior economics reporter for CNBC. “It’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of the Dead in beautiful Central Park while helping support the vital cause of cleaning up the Hudson River.” An exclusive commemorative T-shirt featuring a photo of Bob Weir onstage taken by photographer Jay Blakesberg will be given to everyone who becomes a Riverkeeper member at the event.
Stella Blue’s Band, founded in 2009, recreates the experience of being at a Grateful Dead show – lighting up the tri-state area for more than a decade with its six-piece line-up, including two drummers, strong, soulful vocals, and high-energy performances.
Photo by Zapshots Photography.
“We’re thrilled to be back supporting Free Dead in the Park and Riverkeeper and bringing together the power of good music and collective action for the environment in the heart of New York City,” said Peter Shapiro, owner of The Capitol Theatre.
Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River, and safeguards drinking water supplies through community partnerships, science, and law. They improve water quality, restore habitat for an abundance of life, and address the impact of climate change on waterways. Founded in 1966 as the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, Riverkeeper became the model for more than 320 Waterkeeper organizations and established globally recognized standards for waterway and watershed protection.
“Listen to the river sing sweet songs with the Stella Blue’s Band at one of Riverkeeper’s most beloved events, Free Dead in the Park,” said Tracy Brown, President of Riverkeeper. “Join environmentalists and music enthusiasts in celebrating and supporting the preservation of the Hudson River.”
Folk/country artist Christian Parker has announced his upcoming album, Change is Now, set to release on March 22. The album pays tribute to some of The Byrds’ classic hits.
Christian Parker
The album, Change is Now is something of a power-folk medley. Each song has an energetic folk melody, but a very distinct sound that Christian Parker made his own. The album pays much homage to the Byrds’ classic hits like “Ballad of an Easy Rider,” “Chimes of Freedom,” and “The World Turns All Around Her.” You can very clearly hear Parker’s own original spin on the tunes.
Along with The Byrds, Parker has clear influence from other classic artists like The Beatles, Blue Oyster Cult, and of course, Bob Dylan. Each song on the album has its own spark, its own character and its own rhythmic flair. Some tunes on the album are perfect for a excited countryside drive, while some fit for a calm, hopeful campfire.
Christian Parker hails from Canton, New York up by the Canadian border. Parker’s dazzling collection of songs have been warming the hearts of listeners over the past 3 and a half decades. His music contains lyricism around emotion, tension, and hope, carried by chiming guitar, and unforgettable hooks.
Earl Poole Ball, one of the original Byrds studio members, joins Parker on the album. This addition adds another element of honor to the album already paying homage to The Byrds. The album’s folk-driven, country-twanged, and mainstream appeal brings people of all tastes together.
Earl Poole Ball
To learn more about Christian Parker, and to stream his upcoming album, Change is Now, click here.
The New York Philharmonic has announced their 2024-2025 season of events. The season is packed with hearty, unique, and diverse talent with Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel leading three weeks of subscription concerts.
Gustavo Dudamel
The New York Philharmonic presents a wide range of new compositions, including 13 World, US, and New York Premieres this season. This consists of five World Premieres, two US Premieres, and six New York Premieres. These premieres encapsulate the diversity and broad perspectives of the Philharmonic’s community.
For the first time, Dudamel leads New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer. The Philharmonic explores programming from a variety of musical perspectives. Pianist Yuja Wang appears in contexts that reflect her musical interests, including her first NY Phil appearances in which she leads the Orchestra from the piano.
Also new for the upcoming season, New York Philharmonic musicians were invited to act as an Artistic Partner, curating a program that reflects their varied musical interests, and also celebrates the Orchestra’s brilliant history.
The Philharmonic examines music of the African diaspora in America from the latter half of the 20th century through the present day. Artistic Partner International Contemporary Ensemble presents the beauty of Afromodernism. The program is curated by artistic director George Lewis; and a Young People’s Concert.
Over the 2024–25 season the New York Philharmonic shines a spotlight on two French composers who transformed the musical landscape and left enduring legacies. The Pierre Boulez Centennial and Ravel’s 150th Anniversary are two programs that pay deep tribute to the French composers.
The upcoming season sees several debuts from conductors and soloists alike. Along with this, there are many returning friends and favorites. The New York Philharmonic welcomes all those returning and the unfamiliar faces as well.
For more information on the New York Philharmonic’s upcoming 2024-25 season, click here.
On March 20, history and music intertwined at the Resnick Education Wing at Carnegie Hall, where an exclusive first listen event was held for Alice Coltrane’s Live at Carnegie Hall album. This event marked the culmination of years of anticipation for fans worldwide, as the concert, originally performed in 1971, was finally set for release on March 22, under the title Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert.
Alice Coltrane, a luminary in the jazz world and a spiritual seeker, took the stage at Carnegie Hall for a special gala benefiting the Integral Yoga Institute. Backed by an ensemble of renowned musicians, including Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Jimmy Garrison, and Cecil McBee, among others, Alice delivered a transcendent performance that captured the essence of her musical and spiritual journey.
The evening began with a captivating listen to the album, transporting listeners back to that pivotal moment in 1971 when Alice Coltrane graced the stage at Carnegie Hall. The audience was then treated to a thought-provoking panel discussion hosted by Marcus J. Moore, featuring esteemed guests Michelle Coltrane, Brandee Younger, and Cecil McBee.
The panel discussion delved into various aspects of Alice Coltrane’s music and legacy, offering insights into her creative process, spiritual journey, and the impact of her music on contemporary artists. Throughout the conversation, panelists shared personal anecdotes, reflections, and interpretations of Alice’s music, providing a deeper understanding of her artistry and influence.
One of the key themes that emerged from the discussion was the improvisational nature of Alice Coltrane’s music. Cecil McBee, reflecting on his experience playing alongside her, highlighted the freedom and spontaneity she encouraged in her band members. He emphasized that Alice created an environment where musicians could express themselves authentically, without constraints or preconceived notions.
Michelle Coltrane, drawing from her childhood memories, spoke eloquently about her mother’s musical legacy and spiritual evolution. She described Alice’s transition from grief to spiritual awakening following the death of John Coltrane, her husband. Michelle emphasized the profound impact of Alice’s music on her own artistic journey, citing instances where her mother’s influence could be heard in her compositions.
Brandee Younger, a contemporary harpist and composer, shared her perspective on Alice Coltrane’s influence on her own work. She discussed how Alice’s music transcended boundaries, incorporating elements of jazz, gospel, Indian classical music, and world music to create a unique and transformative listening experience. Brandee expressed admiration for Alice’s fearless experimentation and dedication to spiritual exploration.
The panelists also explored the spiritual dimensions of Alice Coltrane’s music, highlighting her deep connection to Indian spirituality and her role as a spiritual leader. They discussed how her music served as a conduit for spiritual expression, offering solace, inspiration, and transcendence to listeners around the world.
As the event concluded, it became evident that Alice Coltrane’s legacy extends far beyond the confines of a concert hall or recording studio. Her music continues to resonate with audiences of all generations, inspiring artists, musicians, and spiritual seekers alike. Through her pioneering spirit, unwavering dedication to her craft, and profound spirituality, Alice Coltrane left an indelible mark on the world of music and beyond.
On Saturday, May 18, the Sound Mind Music Festival proudly returns to Brooklyn for its sixth year. This festival isn’t just about entertainment, it’s a powerful platform for raising awareness about mental health.
Since the beginning, this festival has been more than just a lineup of acts; it has inspired improvement and offered hope. Over the years the festival has become a must-attend occasion rooted in the belief that music has therapeutic qualities. Sound Mind Music Festival creates a safe space where music and conversations about mental health coexist harmoniously. Attendees are asked to look into the relationship between music and mental wellness through live performances, panel discussions, and interactive workshops.
Beyond the music, the festival provides a wide range of experiences meant to nourish the body and the mind. Folks can take part in mindful breathing workshops, movement and yoga classes, and a dance party with DJ sets at House of Yes. Additionally, look forward to the afterparty with DJ White Shadow at Elsewhere directly after the event.
SHAED – Photo by Cody Ackors
Moreover, the festival aims to make a difference. The proceeds will support the Sound Mind Center, crafting transformative healing experiences through music and sound.
DJ White Shadow
In essence, the Sound Mind Music Festival teaches understanding, empathy, and healing; it offers hope in a world where mental health illnesses have become more common. Get tickets here.
