Discover the spunky world of Turning Point, an imaginative album by Alex Northrup, released on January 13.
Alex Northrup is a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in the wonderful and friendly Rochester. Instead of creating songs on the guitar or piano from start to finish as he usually did, Alex decided to go on a spontaneous recording journey for Turning Point by aimlessly recording tracks. “My usual process is to write the song start to finish either on guitar or piano, with a complete lyric/melody/chord change, then work out the arrangement. This time, I was creating songs out of bits and pieces of recorded tracks. The arrangements and productions were coming before the actual songs!” added Alex.
Alex Northrup
Turning Point was created over the span of three years, creating songs out of bits and pieces of recorded tracks. To Alex, it was important to experiment with different sounds and colors. However, he discovered about a dozen of these “songs” that were largely finished and appeared to belong together. He spent a lot of time perfecting those, and the result was the album.
It’s definitely the most diverse sounding project I’ve done, but there are enough threads that tie the whole thing together – some chord changes, an old Univox drum machine, and a Mellotron that was at our house for a couple months. These songs would never have existed without that process – they’re just not things I would have thought up on an acoustic guitar.
Alex Northrup
Turning Point features members of Big Nobody, Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon, Pleistocene, Ginger Faye Bakers. The release party for Turning Point will be held at Three Heads Brewing in Rochester on Saturday, January 13. Expect to see exciting special guests such as The Bat Sisters (Katie Morey & Cammy Enaharo) and light show by Rainbow Full of Sound (Brian Blatt & Pat Doyle).
Unity Hall has announced the first six months of its 2024 Mainstage Performance Series, presented in the historic Landecker Auditorium, updated with a state-of-the-art sound system.
Unity Hall’s 2024 MainStage Performance Series opens on Saturday, February 17 at 7:30 PM with Patsy Cline: Letters, Stories and Songs. The show features Rebecca Miner as Patsy and a cast of musicians and actors depicting important people in Cline’s life.
From its start, Unity Hall was built to be used as a performing arts venue, and a place for private and public meetings, parties, and other gatherings. It was built in 1896 by the nearby Unitarian Universalist Church and soon became a cultural and community center shared with other groups from Barneveld and its surrounding villages. In 1993, just about the time when the venue’s future was becoming seriously in question, local George Landecker decided that this precious historical structure was too important to just let languish and die, creating the Unity Hall Foundation to save and replenish the iconic venue.
The Unity Hall 2024 season launches on Saturday, February 17 with an original show about the iconic singer, Patsy Cline. Titled Patsy Cline: Letters, Stories, and Songs, the showfeatures well-known local singer and performer Rebecca Miner in character as the iconic singer, joined by a cast of talented musicians and actors playing important figures in Patsy’s life.
On Friday, March 22, internationally lauded banjo player, Tony Trischka, will perform with his band in a tribute show to Earl Scruggs, a major appearance for Unity Hall. Trischka is one of the most influential and innovative banjo players in the Roots music world. He won three awards at the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association gathering, including Recorded Event of the Year and Banjo Player of the Year, and also produced Steve Martin’s banjo album Rare Bird Alert.
Local acoustic music legend, Danny Holmes (formerly of Holmes and Mancini) returns to Unity Hall from Florida on Saturday, May 18 for his only area appearance. The multi-talented singer/songwriter Holmes will perform in the duo Rose ‘n’ Thorne with his wife, the outstanding vocalist, Karen Holmes. Finally, the talented and eclectic band, Quatro, will perform on June 22. Hailing from Syracuse, this dynamic band describes themselves as four perfectly aligned misfits performing Progressive Americana featuring guitar, cello, pedal steel, double bass, and vocal harmonies that will melt your heart.
For more information about Unity Hall and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 p.m. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Josh Morris, Mike Grosshandler, and Shannon Tehya.
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Mike Grosshandler has been active in the Albany music scene since 1997. He is the singer/guitarist for the rock band The VeLMAs and has also performed with Above The Flood, The Hard Luck Souls, and Midnight Radio. About the single, Grosshandler says “About Time is a song about the struggle to find happiness and fulfillment in life. It’s a 90s-inspired alternative/grunge rock song with a dynamic range of sounds and emotions.”
Shannon Tehya-“Change”
Shannon Tehya writes her music from the heart, with each song acting like a portal from her soul to the worlds. With melodic and beautiful lyrics, her powerful prescence and deep compassion transcend into the hearts of others. Her new single “Change” is out now.
Hailing from NYC, Josh Morris has cultivated an identity all his own while taking inspiration from artists such as The 1975, Jeff Buckley, and Pearl Jam. Concealed underneath his playful lyrics are conversations we should all be engaging in. The music itself is consistently supported by thoughtfully executed production and laser-focused performances.
The Listen Up Awards, a peoples choice music award ceremony that celebrates local talent in the Capital Region, has released the slate of nominees for 2024.
photo by Frankie Cavone
Created by Mirth Films and Radio Radio X, the Listen Up Awards features multiple live performances, with the ceremony taking place on March 24th at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, at 2pm.
With the nominations now released, the voting process has begun for the 2024 Listen Up Awards and the awards are entirely determined through online voting.
The nomination process wraps up February 29th at 11:59pm ET. Vote for your favorite Capital Region bands/artists by visiting this link.
2024 Listen Up Awards Nominees
Favorite Solo/Duo: Sirsy
James Mullen Matty D Acoustic Inc.
Favorite Solo/Duo Covers: Acoustic Inc. Gus Unplugged Jason Irwin Matty D and Ky McClinton
Favorite Party Band: Hit-N-Run Lucid Street Off The Record The Refrigerators
Favorite Country Artist: Kristian Montgomery Tame the Rooster Skeeter Creek Grit and Whiskey
Favorite Rock Cover Band: Harmony Rocks Hit-N-Run Lucid Street Out of Office
Favorite Americana Artist:
Kristian Montgomery Northern Borne Little Saints James Mullen and the Strangers
Favorite Pop Artist: IRod and the Auxiliary Phil Orsini Sydney Worthley Shannon Roy
Favorite Rock/Hard Rock: The William Deuel Band Same Old Rat The Broken View The Hard Luck Souls
Favorite Alt/Indie Artist: Nickopotamus No Such Things as Ghosts Galene Anacortez
Favorite Folk/Bluegrass: Northern Borne Shannon Tehya Jim Gaudet Carolyn Shapiro
Favorite Jazz Artist: Billy Buono Joe Barna Keith Pray Ian MacDonald
Favorite Punk Garage: Feral Meryl The Erotics The Hauntings VinTri Hill
Favorite Metal/Hardcore/Extreme: Gozer Frozen Sun Brick By Brick Alloy Reign
Favorite Jam Band:
Dead Man’s Waltz Glass Pony Hilltop Ampevene
Favorite Blues Artist: Dealt The Blues Matt Mirabile Soul Sky Berkstar
Favorite RB/Soul/Funk: Oobleck Donna Tritico Band Aplo The Nolanauts
Favorite Electronica/Experimental Artist:
Portyl UnRendered I’m Getting The Skeleton Comfort Frequency
Favorite Performing/Recording DJ: DJ Goodlyfe DJ HOLLYW8D DJ John Brown DJ Irod
Favorite Reggae/World Artist: Mixed Roots Embe Esti Dr Jah & The Love Prophets Jordan Taylor Hill
Favorite Irish Artist: Get Up Jack Kilashandra Triskele Hair of the Dog
The five-piece rock band KILLCODE has released a new single ‘RIDE’ accompanied by an intense music video directed by David Swajeski.
KILLCODE is a band that plays aggressive, exciting live shows and are known for their pleasant blend of alternative and punk-rock. They are constantly refining their sound and making new waves in the rock music scene. The band has also supported other artists like Brett Scallions on the Re Fueled East Coast tour.
Formed by their vocalist/frontman Tom Morrisey, and guitarist Chas, the NYC-based rock band has enjoyed their ever-growing fan base both nationally and internationally. The band has continued to headline and sell out at prominent venues like Gramercy Theater and Bowery Ballroom.
The music video features a man haunted by the opportunities he lost, facing one shot of redemption as he looks back to the scenes of his happier times. Still, he must continue to spin the roulette wheel because quitting is never an option. The intense music video completes the imposing raw, and vibrant song that explores the wild fixation and attachment of life’s twists and turns in a city that never sleeps.
The new single is off KILLCODE’s latest album “Life, Death, Rock N’ Roll” produced by Joey Zampella (Life of Agony, Stereo Mud, Carnivore).
‘RIDE’ music video is available to stream on all major digital retailers. The band will also release another song on Jan. 20 called ‘Life, Death, Rock-N-Roll” produced by Joey Z.
St. Bonaventure University has announced it is offering a new course this spring semester on the power of pop culture, studying everything from the Taylor Swift effect to the impact of protest music during the Vietnam War era, and the influence pop culture has on the media and public policy.
Taylor Swift at Metlife Stadium, photograph by David Reichmann.
As reported in New York Upstate, the new class will examine a variety of scenarios, including how politicians use appearances on entertainment shows to avoid media scrutiny, the impact of celebrities on public policy, and actors turned politicians. The big selling point for most people will be the phenomenon of Taylor Swift and her tremendous impact on the music industry and popular culture.
“The lines between entertainment and politics have always been blurry, but the distinction is even less clear today,” said Richard Lee, the professor behind the course. “The class will help us understand how we arrived at where we are today, as well as where we are headed tomorrow.”
This isn’t the first New York college to launch a course about Swift, New York University’s Clive Davis Institute introduced its first-ever course on her a few years ago. The class covered her evolution as a music entrepreneur, the legacy of pop and country songwriters, youth and girlhood discourses, and race politics in contemporary popular music.
For more information about St. Bonaventure University, visit here.
Fresh for 2024, and fresh off the release of his first two singles, emerging Miami-based indie soul artist JOSCH (A.K.A. Josh Schwartz) showcases his musical palette with the funk and soul-filled track, “Fantasies Don’t Cry.”
Drawing from a wide pool of inspirations ranging from funk, R&B and electronic music to soul, pop and lyrically-based folk music, JOSCH spent 2022 touring with Zac Brown Band (on their “Out In The Middle” stadium tour) and currently tours with rock and roll legends Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew (on their “Remain In Light” tour) as well as disco funk band Cool Cool Cool, and of course indie funk band Turkuaz.
“The song “Fantasies Don’t Cry” combines bombastic horns by The Horn Section, funky 70’s clavinet from keyboardist Swatkins (Allen Stone, Scary Pockets), a driving back beat and Schwartz’s soulful vocals dripping with attitude. “Fantasies” is the frustrated confessions of a scorned lover who gets kicked to the curb without warning, replaced by someone else.
“The concept that one’s reality, the model of their universe they put together in their mind, can be shattered instantly by getting broken up with, that has always fascinated me. Whether it’s getting dumped, losing a friendship, getting fired from a job, we’ve all experienced some kind of event that makes us question our perception of others, of ourselves, even our own sanity. It makes you wonder if you can really trust your senses and your gut. My aim with “Fantasies” was to channel that heavy mass of emotions in a way that brings a bit of levity to the situation. I think having me sing the vocal melody in unison with myself but an octave higher lends some Scissor Sisters-esque sassiness and humor to what could other wise have been a pretty dark song.”
Josh Schwartz
The opening query, “Did I miss the meeting when you decided to dust me off the shelf?” moves quickly into the accusatory “your heart is fleeting, your mind will mirror someone else.” So begins the journey into the mind of the heartbroken and confused protagonist that waffles between deep hurt, bitter resentment, and a begrudging acceptance of the fact that “romance, to me, can die.”
While he recorded the song during the pandemic, Schwartz wrote “it “Fantasies” while in college, around 2007, for acoustic guitar. He says of the song: ““Fantasies” is one of the few songs I’ve written that’s stuck with me for years. When I showed it to [then-bandmate] Dave Brandwein, who was producing my album, he loved the soulful, R&B style choruses but hated the verses. On the demo, I played the song on acoustic guitar and swung the rhythm slightly, which Dave rightly pointed out sounded a bit cheesy, kind of 90’s pop rock. The verses just didn’t match the vibe of the chorus, or of the other songs for that matter. But I wasn’t ready to give up on the song.” So Brandwein and Schwartz put their heads together and realized that with a few tweaks to the chords, beat and instrumentation, they could transform the song into a 70’s-inspired funky strut. That’s what it would’ve remained were it not for the insistence on Schwartz’s part that they add horns.
“Dave suggested I shy away from adding a ton of horns, since our funk band at the time, Turkuaz, was horn-heavy and this album was my chance to show another side of me. While most of the other songs I recorded don’t have horns, I knew in my gut that this song needed a powerful horn arrangement to musically portray the depth of emotions the lyrics deal with.”
To make that happen, Schwartz tapped his longtime bandmate Chris Brouwers, who masterfully arranged the 6-piece horn arrangement heard on “Fantasies.” The horns you hear are courtesy of The Horn Section, which in addition to Brouwers on trumpet and Schwartz on baritone sax, includes Greg Sanderson on alto and tenor sax as well as Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated trombonist Quinn Carson. “I was worried it was going to be too much with six horns, but Chris’s arrangement beautifully dances around the guitar line and vocals and doesn’t get in the way. It was the final element the song needed to really pop.”
Mixing all the myriad elements of “Fantasies” was no easy feat, but mixing engineer Kyle VandeKerkhoff was more than up for the challenge, and mastering engineer Joe Bozzi made VandeKerkhoff’s mix shine. Rob O’Block, as with Schwartz’s first two singles, was heavily involved in the production of the song. His menacing, synthetic-sounding guitar playing evocative of The Black Keys soars in the instrumental sections, and he added other guitar and electric bass parts along with drum-replacing and other production elements that helped the song go from demo to done. Dave Brandwein, former leader of 9-piece funk band Turkuaz of which Schwartz was a part, produced “Fantasies.”
Brooklyn-based indie rock band kicked off 2024 with two great early garage-style singles ‘Fantasize’ and ‘Uno’ released on January 12.
Hipsy Gap is a five piece Brooklyn-based indie rock band. Their songs often combine all the catchiness of pop and also the energy of a rock band. The five of them come together from vastly different backgrounds and music inspirations and they draw from a wide range of artists like The Cranberries and Slowdive.
The band’s first single ‘Fantasize’ is a gloomy indie-rock track that features powerful vocals with perceptible synthesizers and strong guitar skills. The song demonstrates excellent teamwork and chemistry, which are crucial skills needed for a band.
The song borrows sounds from disparate genres, the song features ambient guitars with a reggae-inspired drumbeat and ethereal synthesizers that suggest a comatose dream state where memories flood with the vision at light speed.
In ‘Uno’ you can hear the Hipsy Gap leaning into their indie rock roots, creating a dreamlike track that pairs a slow pace with a soft, gleaming guitar. The band’s drummer describes the drum beat as “balls-to-the-wall” with an amped-up instrumental mood that mimics the song’s story of lust, death, and revenge.
I entirely agree with their appraisal as the final verse fully shows their intent, and it also contributes to the track’s upbeat and amped-up vibe. The song evokes some type of nostalgic feeling that will make the listeners question if they might have heard them before but can’t quite pinpoint where.
To cerebrate the release of the two songs, Hipsy Gap will headline their first set at an up-and-coming FirstLive BK on January 12 with support from Petruziello’s band Little Slicer and My Friends. Tickets can be purchased here.
Be sure to check out Hipsy Gap’s newest singles ‘‘Fantasize’ and ‘Uno’ and keep up with their social media @hipsygap.
Cloud 9 Adventures dropped the music schedule for Jam Cruise 20, sailing from Miami, visiting ports in Montego Bay and Grand Cayman. moe. headlines, along with Medeski, Martin & Porter, and Cory Wong. Jerry Harrison & Andrian Belew will play Remain in Light, backed by Cool Cool Cool. Lettuce commences the Sail Away Toast, ending the cruise with Lotus on the main Pool Deck stage, Galactic in the Pantheon Theatre, and Marc “Brownie” Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits with Chali 2na in the Jam Room.
Jam Cruise Lifers, KDTU and Galactic will return. 3-time Grammy winner Eric Krasno* will join Galactic’s drummer Stanton Moore in their recent Krasno Moore Project.
There are eight or nine official stages on the massive MSC Divina, one of its largest ships. The largest main stage is on the Pool Deck, with a smaller Brews at Sea stage facing it, and the Garden Pool stage all the way aft, next to the infinity pool where fans can watch bands perform while swimming. At the front of the ship is the majestic Pantheon Theatre, which is the other largest stage. The famous Jam Room is hosted in the Black & White Lounge. Special piano sets by Ivan Neville and others, bluegrass, and other musical styles are performed in the Atrium, the multistory central lobby with an opulent $3M Swarovski Crystal Staircase.
A formerly-unofficial “secret stage” on deck 7, The Spot, created by Nathan Moore, is now hosted by The Sweet Lillies. The Spot’s acoustic mayhem is one of the many surprises fans find while exploring the ship. A “Purple Party” superjam will tribute Prince in the theatre on the night we leave Grand Cayman.
GMP Live hosts the Jam Cruise 20 Official Pre-Party on Feb 24, with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Cool Cool Cool, and Electric Kif & DJ Logic spinning DJ sets.
Only a handful of cabins remain – the Jam Cruise 20 booking deadline is Jan 26.
Talented singer-songwriter and saxophonist, Gabi Rose, has treated us to “Therapy,” part of her project Enrose.
Enrose-“Therapy”
This catchy track effortlessly blends Indie Pop with Alt-Rock. What makes this song truly special? Gabi’s signature touch, a saxophone solo- this time as a lead hook, staying true to her classic style we know and love.
“Therapy” blends saxophone-infused goodness to encourage listeners to follow their dreams. Gabi and her song aim to encourage self-expression, even in the face of fear. Drawing inspiration from artists like Paramore, Alanis Morissette, and Olivia Rodrigo, Enrose’s music melds contemporary appeal with nostalgic elements and expressive New York musical artistry. “Therapy” was made dedicated to those who grasp life’s brevity and recognize that life is complicated but self-reflection is a large part of figuring it out.
Gabi Rose sings, “That’s it, I’m getting therapy / Cuz I am seeing things / Got No One Else to Blame / The Wheels are Turning the Wrong Way ,” setting the stage for the chorus: “Knot in my Soul / Out of Control / I’ve Done All That I Can Do For Me / I’m Getting Therapy”.
While therapy is more of a widely discussed topic nowadays, it still can be very challenging to take the leap. This vulnerable, yet uplifting hit describes to listeners the willingness to accept help in therapy, after making an effort to figure things out on your own.
Gabi has broken barriers with her viral performances and now with her own project, Enrose. Through Enrose, she plans to carve out her unique niche, challenge societal conventions, and empower women in the music scene.
Now streaming on all platforms, have a listen to “Therapy” from Enrose.
