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  • The Marley Brothers Legacy Tour at Forest Hills Stadium: A Tribute to Reggae’s King

    On Sunday, September 22, Forest Hills Stadium in Queens was transformed into a musical time capsule, as the Marley Brothers united for the first time in two decades to celebrate the enduring legacy of their father, Bob Marley.

    The Marley Brothers Legacy Tour, which kicked off in Vancouver, brought together Damian, Stephen, Julian, Ziggy, and Ky-Mani Marley for an epic 22-date journey across North America, paying tribute to their father’s timeless work. The tour, which ends in early October in Miami, features a nostalgic setlist of nearly 30 of Bob Marley’s most cherished songs, bringing generations of fans together to rejoice in the spirit of reggae music.

    A Family United by Music

    The significance of this tour cannot be overstated. Though each of the Marley brothers has had successful solo careers, it has been 20 years since the five have shared a stage. Bob Marley’s influence, both on reggae and on global consciousness, is unparalleled, and the brothers’ reunion not only honors their father but also the rich musical heritage he helped to create. Performing together, their synergy is unmistakable, and their collective energy invokes memories of Marley’s original performances while breathing new life into the music.

    The Show: A Journey Through Bob Marley’s Greatest Hits

    The Forest Hills Stadium show, one of the highlights of the tour, featured an electric atmosphere, with the Marleys delivering a setlist packed with classics. From revolutionary anthems like “Get Up, Stand Up” and “Buffalo Soldier” to love ballads like “Is This Love,” the brothers brought Bob’s music to life, reviving both the message and the passion that defined his career.

    The crowd erupted during timeless hits such as “Three Little Birds,” “Iron Lion Zion” and “Positive Vibration” singing along in unison, while more politically charged songs like “War” and “Exodus” reminded the audience of the power of music as a vehicle for social change. Damian, known for his harder-edged, dancehall-inspired sound, added a modern twist to the night with fiery performances while Ziggy’s soulful voice channeled the spirit of his father throughout. The setlist for the tour has been consistent with nearly 30 songs, a true testament to the power and breadth of Bob Marley’s work.

    Honoring a Legend: The Life of Bob Marley

    Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile, Jamaica. Rising from humble beginnings, Marley became the voice of reggae and a symbol of resistance and hope for millions around the world. He started his musical career in the early 1960s with The Wailers, along with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. The group became known for their unique fusion of ska, rocksteady, and reggae.

    Marley’s music was more than entertainment; it was a message. Songs like “Get Up, Stand Up,” “One Love,” and “Redemption Song” became anthems for unity, resistance, and peace. His blend of spirituality, activism, and culture resonated far beyond the Caribbean, elevating reggae to international acclaim. Tragically, Marley passed away from cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, but his legacy has continued through his children, who have carried on his mission and music.

    A Night of Unity and Celebration

    The Marley Brothers Legacy Tour is more than just a reunion; it’s a celebration of Bob Marley’s profound influence and a reminder of the unifying power of music. At Forest Hills Stadium, the brothers’ performance felt like a historic moment, one that bridged the past and the present. With each song, they brought their father’s message to new ears while giving long-time fans the opportunity to experience Marley’s magic once again.

    As the tour continues across the country, fans from all walks of life will have the chance to partake in this once-in-a-generation experience. Bob Marley’s legacy lives on through his music, and through his sons, who have proven that the message of love, peace, and unity is more relevant now than ever.

    Whether in Vancouver, New York, or Miami, the Marley Brothers Legacy Tour is a testament to the enduring power of Bob Marley’s music—and to the familial bond that keeps that legacy alive for generations to come.

    Setlist: Natural Mystic, Get Up, Stand Up, So Much Trouble in the World, Coming in From the Cold, Positive Vibration, The Heathen, Concrete Jungle, Wake Up and Live, Shalom Salaam, War/No More Trouble, Running Away/Crazy Baldhead, Three Little Birds, Is This Love, Don’t Rock My Boat, Buffalo Soldier, Jammin, Easy Skanking, Boom Draw, New Heights, Medication, Kaya, Iron Lion Zion, Exodus, Could You Be Loved, One Love

  • Mary J. Blige Announces “The For My Fans Tour” With Several Stops in NY

    The Queens of hip hop soul will be coming to a stage near you, as Mary J. Blige announces her upcoming expedition, “The For My Fans Tour,” in light of her new album Gratitude, set for release on November 15. Produced by Live Nation, the 27-city tour will feature several stops within New York State. Beginning on Saturday, March 22 with a stop at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, April 10 at Madison Square Garden and April 11 at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY.

    Mary J.
    Mary J. Blige’s “The Four My Fans Tour” will feature 3 stops within New York State.

    Moreover, this tour will be another notch in the r&b star’s legendary career. Her upcoming album–Blige’s 15th– will release through her own Beautiful Life Productions and in partnership with 300 Entertainment and serves as a refresher for fans of Blige as her star has blossomed on the TV screen in recent years. However, in August, she dropped the first single off the album, “Breathing” featuring Fabolous signaling a returned focus for the stage. In addition, the Grammy, Emmy-winning songstress will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19 in Cleveland, ahead of both the album release and tour.

    I am so excited to kick off this tour. I have amazing fans and am so grateful for all of the love and support they have given me throughout the years. This tour is for them, and I cannot wait to be able to travel to all these cities and see everyone. I am in such a place of immense gratitude and peace at this moment, so also having the chance to release my new album Gratitude on November 15 ahead of this tour is really special to me.

    – Mary J. Blige

    In light of Mary J. Blige’s latest accolades, “The For My Fans Tour” will offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. While tickets will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Tuesday, October 1. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, October 4 at 10 AM at LiveNation.com. 

    MARY J. BLIGE – THE FOR MY FANS TOUR 2025 DATES: 

    Thu. Jan 30 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum 

    Fri. Jan 31 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center

    Mon. Feb 03 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 

    Thu. Feb 06 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

    Sat. Feb 08 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena 

    Tue. Feb 11 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live 

    Fri. Feb 14 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center

    Tue. Feb 18 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center

    Fri. Feb 21 – Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena

    Tue. Feb 25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena 

    Sat. Mar 01 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

    Fri. Mar 07 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

    Sat. Mar 08 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center

    Wed. Mar 12 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

    Fri. Mar 14 – Chicago, IL – United Center

    Sun. Mar 16 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

    Wed. Mar 19 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

    Sat. Mar 22 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center

    Mon. Mar 24 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

    Wed. Mar 26 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena 

    Fri. Mar 28 – Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall 

    Wed. Apr 02 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena 

    Fri. Apr 04 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 

    Sun. Apr 06 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

    Thu. Apr 10 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden 

    Fri. Apr 11 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena 

    Mon. Apr 14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

  • English Teacher Unleash Their Northern Charm on Brooklyn

    English Teacher showed off their indie oddball talents at a hastily arranged show at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel, September 25. Packing Northern wit, Gen Z rage, sincerity and spilled margaritas into their show, the hour-long headline slot left the crowd excited for what’s next.

    English Teacher at Market Hotel, September 25. Credit: William Shanks.
    English Teacher at Market Hotel, September 25. Credit: William Shanks.

    Having wormed their way through the crowd to get to the stage (Market Hotel seemingly has no backstage), the band opened with an accelerated version of “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, a salute for the downtrodden and middle finger to those who tread on them.

    English Teacher come to the city weeks after winning the Mercury Prize, a Very Big Deal in the UK, for their debut album This Could Be Texas. They quickly apologized for canceling their recent headline tour “because they were tired.” This refreshing rejection of toxic expectations of the music industry can also be found in their work: during “R&B” singer Lily Fontaine fights the assumption that she should sing any particular genre because of the color of her skin.

    The music is deeply rooted in experience, and there is sense of territorial ambiguity, or perhaps – despite a palpable attachment to where they are from – a yearning for pastures new. The work is largely rooted in the band’s home of the North of England (songs like “Albert Road” and “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” reference local landmarks, cultural touchstones, heroes and villains) and yet there seems to be a westward gaze to the work. This is most apparent in the album’s title track, “This Could Be Texas”, which is vaguely set in the Lone Star State.

    Guitarist Lewis Whiting, commenting to NYS Music after the show, said that even though “the music is very English,” its wider messages are still accessible for an American crowd. Members of the audience did seem confused by references to the band’s home county of Yorkshire; while there was general agreement in the crowd that “York’s a city I think, like New York I guess,” British concepts like the council – blamed for environmental destruction in ‘Broken Biscuits’ – seemed unfamiliar. Market Hotel patrons get a close-up view of Brooklyn’s JMZ subway lines directly behind drummer Douglas Frost, which throws English Teacher’s, well, Englishness into interesting graphic relief.

    The band is composed of technically gifted multi-instrumentalists comfortable with complex rhythms and winding melodies. Strong musicality is not always enough to guarantee an edifying live experience, but English Teacher’s performance sidestepped many of the traps that befall successful recording artists when it comes to taking to the stage. They wisely recruited a fifth member to fill out the midrange with keys and cello and, stage access aside, Market Hotel is perfectly set up for high-energy acts like these, its trapezoid shape projecting force and sound out from the band and inviting back the crowd’s energy.

    Singer and keyboardist Lily Fontaine is a convincing frontwoman and the spiritual leader of the group. She drives the performance, now conducting her bandmates, now interrogating them as if willing them further, higher. She waves her hands at each of the things she’s “not” on “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying”, staring into the middle distance and apparently entirely absorbed in her experience.

    There is rage in this music, with Fontaine seeming at points to dissociate into the memory of whatever transgression or crime has inspired her lyrics. At one point she muses that “maybe the spotlight’s not for me,” but while there is an awkwardness to her performance, it is an awkwardness that she wears comfortably. Fortunately for English Teacher, their bandleader possesses undeniable authenticity, that one quality totally essential to a convincing live act.

    Some of the performance did feel rushed – there are times where you wish English Teacher gave their work some more breathing space. Songs could be extended to incubate their power and anger some before unleashing into the breakdowns that make the band so thrilling. You almost want a member of Phish, those wizened jam-band rockers, to throw a grizzled arm around these kids and remind them that the crowd is here for them; they can take their time; the people here can take it. This Could Be Texas, with its punchy second act math-rock pile-on, seemed primed for an 8-minute treatment.

    The set was closed with the album’s swansong, “Albert Road”. The album’s final act sees Fontaine climb a rousing ladder of pitch-perfect semitone gasps, one final shot at lifting off out of this small, narrow-minded Yorkshire town and into outer space – or perhaps just Texas. Earlier in the show, Fontaine described how the band recently supported IDLES, English Teacher’s equally buzzy indie-rock contemporaries. She engages in some light patter with a member of the crowd, sips her margarita. Then Fontaine’s face drops; she becomes deadly serious. “But this is our show now,” she says. It certainly feels like it.

  • At Live Dead and Brothers, Sidemen Take Center Stage

    What does the son of an Allman Brothers bassist, a late-60s member of The Grateful Dead, and a studio guitar foil for Dickie Betts have in common?

    All are members of Live Dead and Brothers, a group that pays tribute to the golden era of psychedelic blues by alternating covers of Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers material from the days when the Fillmore was still wide open on both coasts.

    The band’s all-star lineup featured Les Dudek (guitar) from The Allman Brothers Band, original Grateful Dead pianist Tom Constanten, Berry Duane Oakley (bass, vocals) from The Allman Betts Band, Mark Karan (guitar, vocals) from Bob Weir & Rat Dog, Scott Guberman (keyboards, vocals) from Phil Lesh & Friends, and Pete Lavezzoli (drums, vocals) from Oteil and Friends.

    The ensemble formed to revive the magic of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band’s co-billed concerts during the period of 1969 to 1973, and at times, the twin guitar attack made you wonder what kind of supergroup could have been formed had the Dead and the Brothers ever decided to do more than an encore jam together.

    The tour, which landed in Albany at Empire Live on Friday, marks the final East Coast run for Tom Constanten, who recently announced his retirement (though he will still compose and play local gigs near his home on the West Coast).

    Despite some canceled tour dates due to a health concern earlier this summer, all of the band members looked pretty good. Considering their collective road mileage, the music sounded young and fresh too. 

    Karan, Oakley Jr, Guberman, and Lavezzoli alternated vocal responsibilities, but it was the dueling guitars of Karan and studio legend Les Dudek that really stole the show. Karan played a Les Paul Goldtop for most of the night, channeling the recently departed Dickie Betts, while Dudek’s custom Strat served as a perfect compliment. 

    Particularly on the Allman Brothers tunes, where Dudek pulled out his glass slide to play those buttery Duane-leads, the band was firing on all cylinders. And where their vocal harmonies left something to be desired at times, the twin guitar harmonies on songs like “Blue Sky” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” was Southern Rock personified.

    At times, the two drum approach of both legendary bands was noticeably missing, but Lavezzoli often nailed the swing style of Billy the Drummer, and his impassioned singing on “Stormy Monday” was the best vocal performance of the night. He also crushed his role as Jerry-ballad leader on “High Time”.

    Oakley also turned in a yeoman’s performance, holding down the low end and taking lead vocals on songs like “One Way Out”, a superb “Blue Sky”, and “Statesboro Blues”.

    While it was the Allmans songs that shined brightest, the group got the heavily tie dyed (alebit modest in size) crowd twirling on a “China>Rider” medley where Karan impressively played both the Weir and Garcia parts.

    And if dueling guitars weren’t enough, there were also dueling pianos, or, dueling Nords to be specific. Guberman handled Gregg and Brent-style organ sounds on his Nord Electro 4 and TC did his noodling on a Nord Stage 3. Constanten was erudite as ever with his playful counterpoint lines, though somewhat buried in the mix. That said, the sound in the club was relatively excellent, reminding this listener of what an improvement the Empire Live sound is over the muddy strip mall sound of predecessor clubs Northern Lights and Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park.

    View Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below

    After a brief intermission, the band’s second set leaned hard on Europe ‘72 numbers by the Dead (including a touching “He’s Gone” which reminded me of TC’s advancing age and the many Brothers and Sisters these road warriors have lost). 

    But it was the Allman’s instrumental “Jessica” that garnered the biggest crowd reaction of the night. Dudek, who played on the original recording of the track, handled the slide masterfully, and Guberman channeled Chuck Leavell in his best solo of the evening. 

    “Jessica” has always been a great road song, and was even used as a needle drop in a scene in the movie Field of Dreams when former hippie Ray Kinsella hits the open road in his VW bus. In other words, it makes sense that these longtime sidemen, after years of touring, have their chance to take center stage with a tune that’s helped so many music fans make it down the road another few miles, headed for the next show. 

    While they weren’t “Truckin’ up to Buffalo” the band did come into Albany from a show in Buffalo on Thursday, and of course they played “Truckin’” too. On a night that was a little short on extended jams save for “The Other One”, and the second-set closer “Elizabeth Reed”, a long coda on “Truckin’” got a little weird and was one of my favorite instrumental moments (particularly when they teased Donovan’s “Mountain Jam” riff).

    Hearing “Jessica” and “Truckin’” into “Mountain Jam” was kind of like living out some kind of dream from my youth. I used to alternate a cassette copy of Skeletons in the Closet  and The Best of The Allman Brothers’ back in the days when I could only afford to own a few albums and cassettes instead of the basement-full I have now. And in those days I knew every note on those cassettes and played them until one of them got stuck in the deck. Or, maybe my tapes got melted on a hot summer day when the sun ruined my collection, boiling the plastic cases through the hatchback of my 1990 Ford Probe. In short, alternating Allmans and Dead material took me back to a place,and I could tell it took others in the audience even even further back in time. It also made for one heck of a fun night out.

    Here’s wishing Tom Constanten well on this last leg of his Long Strange Trip. Live Dead and Brothers has a number of tour dates through mid-October and three more dates in New York State in Bethel, Canandaigua, and Syracuse that are well-worth seeking out if you want to wish TC an East Coast farewell.

    Live Dead and Brothers Setlist; Empire Live Albany, 9/27/2024

    Set 1: Turn on Your Lovelight, One Way Out, Hurts Me Too, Blue Sky, Bertha, Stormy Monday, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, High Time, Hot Lanta

    Set 2: Hard to Handle, Statesboro Blues, Tennessee Jed, Jessica, He’s Gone, Truckin’ (w/outro jam & “Mountain Jam” tease), Spoonful, Dreams, The Other One, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

    Encore: Ramblin’ Man – Les Dudek on vocals for the only time all night!

  • The Lawn Sausages to say Farewell After 35 years

    On Oct. 6 at Cohoes Music Hall, the Lawn Sausages will take to the stage together one last time for the “Last Schmaltz.”

    The Lawn Sausages

    The legendary schlock rock band The Lawn Sausages bring their illustrious career of comedic performances to an end with this one final show.

    Founded in 1990 as a joke and in response to a challenge from local singer-songwriter Tina Ward, the band has combined elements of The Three Stooges and Iggy and The Stooges to deliver comedy rock for the drinking man.

    Throughout their career, The Sausages have performed in some of the best dive bars in Capital Land, delivering laughs and rock music for the past three decades. Now, they’re hanging it up, but not without one ‘Last Schmaltz.’

    The band would also like you to know that this won’t be like KISS or Mötley Crüe, who have had more than their share of farewell tours. After this, all we will have are the memories.

    The entire show will be filmed for an upcoming documentary film and all of the smash hits will be played.

    Learn more and purchase tickets here.

  • In Focus: Elephant Gym and Brooklyn’s Own Mei Semones at Music Hall of Williamsburg

    Elephant Gym and Mei Semones have teamed up for a jazzy, math-rocky tour across the Northeast, and it’s outrageously good. Mei Semones and her four-piece band came out casually onto the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, September 26th. Mei wearing her signature hair charm, a hoodie with the strings tied into a bow, her green artist’s badge stuck to the leg of her cargo pants, and some Nike AF1s.

    Mei’s soft vocals poured through the venue’s many halls and staircases as the crowd filed in, excitement building as she and her ensemble flitted through indie-infused math rock tracks. Semones’ music combines the youthful vocals, twangy guitar, and intricate, punchy drumming of Japanese math rock with her bandmates’ masterful violin, viola, and standup bass backing.

    Noam Tanzer, in particular, was impressive, switching between standup bass, bass guitar, and electric guitar throughout the show. Semones is a masterful guitarist, both electric and acoustic, and her unique playing style is easily the most recognizable aspect of her sound. But the full effect of the lyricism and her live ensemble is indescribable. It truly represents every side of Semones in 3-5 minute chunks, something wholly hers that can’t be replicated or compared.

    Tell, Elephant Gym’s guitarist came out early to put down his setlist, and when people at the front tried to sneak a peak, he hid it behind his bag, telling them it was a surprise. It’s always humorous when artists saunter onto stage well before their set time, and the audience suspends their disbelief long enough to cheer for them to set up and then cheer when they come out a second time. Soon after, KT, the band’s lead singer and bassist, and Chia-Chin, their drummer, came on stage and Elephant Gym was complete.

    After the first song, KT jokingly pointed out that the band’s 10th-anniversary tour also meant that most of their early fans were likely entering their 30s alongside the band. She also lamented about being single and suggested that young single concertgoers look around the room for someone with good music taste to date.

    Elephant Gym talked a bit about their Taiwanese identity and the unique circumstances of Taiwan’s place in the world. They pointed out Taiwan’s position between China and Japan, their belief in democracy, and the mandatory military service that both Tell and Chia-Chin served.

    Japanese Math Rock has clearly influenced Elephant Gym, but making too many comparisons would take away from their music’s intense talent and individuality. In a genre so influenced by jazz, every little electric impulse becomes both melody and a representation of who you are. Typical math rock is very guitar-forward, but KT drives the band, literally and figuratively, letting the base take center stage. This is who Elephant Gym is, and they are wonderful.

    Elephant Gym also poked fun at the cliche of constant merch callouts by bands. They brought up merch every few songs, with some subtle segues and some hilarious nonsequiturs poking fun at the mutual understanding of how vital merch sales are to bands and how there’s no shameless way of asking people to buy stuff from you. KT announced they were going to play a new song, but were nervous, saying, “So if I fuckup some notes … buy some merchandise!” Part of what made this bit so endearing was their candidness about being their own financial advisors, social media managers, and merch designers. The band members divide responsibility like assigning instruments. Like most artists in the modern era, they have to be masters of all to survive.

    Elephant Gym boasted an unreal repertoire, playing an hour and a half of intricate math rock. The memorization required for such a feat is incredible. For their song “Moonset,” which is written in Japanese despite the band not being fluent, Elephant Gym brought Mei Semones back out to sing. The song combined Mei’s sweet, bouncy vocals with more bass-driven funk, forming a perfect jam for the concert’s end.

  • Fall Fest Debuts at Buffalo Central Terminal on October 12

    Fall Fest will debut at Buffalo Central Terminal on October 12. Guests can expect everything from live music, awesome activities and various vendors for a day of fall fun.

    Buffalo Fall Fest

    Fall Fest 2024 features live music and local bands, food trucks, beer and wine vendors, no-mess pumpkin decorating, henna artists and face-painting. Festgoers can also expect carriage rides and photo installations, local vendors for laser engraved products, embellished glassware, clothing, books, syrups, health and beauty care products, and much more.

    The musical artists featured for October 12 are Chuckie Campbell and Diyene. Chuckie Campbell is a hip-hop artist who originated in Buffalo. He plans to dazzle audiences with his impressive wordplay and poetry-forward rapping style. Diyene is a funk-soul-pop fusion band based out of Buffalo as well. Their distinctive sound is characterized by heartfelt lyrics and catchy hooks, delivered through powerful performances bursting with energy.

    “Western New Yorkers have a long history of celebrating fall. On Oct. 12, Fall Fest will combine traditional community aspects of events like Oktoberfest with family-friendly contemporary elements for an unforgettable experience for people all ages.”

    Monica Pellegrino Faix, Executive Director of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp.

    The Fall Fest takes place from 11am to 3pm at 495 Paderewski Drive, Buffalo. For more information on this free event, click here.

  • Bad Bloom Releases New Shoegaze Single, ‘onion’

    Rochester-based new wave shoegaze band Bad Bloom has released their latest single, “onion.”

    Bad Bloom

    Described as having a goth, grunge gaze sound, Bad Bloom has been evolving traditional genre patterns since their initial release of the three-track Candle in November of 2019. Since their inception, the band has shared the stage with the likes of Ringo Deathstarr, SUUNS, Greet Death, and Pet Fox, with Kal Marks soon to be added to the list.

    Known for pop hooks tucked underneath a distinct shoegaze distortion and riveting instrumentals, members Kate Rogers, Jay Trovato, Travis Johansson, and Jenn Wameling have dedicated themselves to constantly evolving as they experiment with noise through several pedal boards and a determination meld the conventions of the shoegaze genre to their liking.

    Once more, Bad Bloom has delivered upon this promise with their latest release, “onion.” As the title suggests, the track itself and its significance offers listeners several layers to dissect. Rooted in hazy rock instrumentals and dreamy vocals, “onion” explores the feeling of having a dream so enjoyable it’s almost disappointing to find yourself back in the real world once you’ve awakened.

    Rogers, lead vocalist and bassist, penned the track in the hopes of recreating the feelings of innocence, playfulness, and boundless delight that come with a wandering mind- the magic that happens when one is left to their own devices, bored out of their mind and following whatever weird path boredom leads their thoughts down. 

    “onion” is only the first track of many to come from Bad Bloom, being the initial pre-release leading up to their upcoming EP Pepper, to be released later this year. In addition, the band plans to release the official music video for “onion” in October. 

    Bad Bloom is currently on tour, performing at the Bug Jar in Rochester on October 11 and in Kingston on November 1. For more information on future shows, the upcoming Pepper EP, and all of Bad Bloom’s other happenings, visit their Linktree here.

  • After 30 Year Split, Crash Harmony Release New Song “Orange Background”

    Formed at Yale in 1986, NYC-based band Crash Harmony has released the second single from their upcoming first-ever album, No One Asked for This, set to be released on Oct. 18.

    Crash harmony

    “Orange Background” is the newest song from the indie rock group Crash Harmony, and it will be included on their debut album, No One Asked for This, set for release on Oct. 18 through the Montclair, NJ-based label Magic Door Record Label. The band draws influence from acts like The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Big Star, and R.E.M, contributing to the song’s clear ’90s vibe, which fits it comfortably within the group of other ’90s indie bands, particularly R.E.M.

    Now based in NYC, Crash Harmony consists of Dave Derby (The Dambuilders, Gramercy Arms, Lloyd Cole), Nils Nadeau, Jon Nighswander, and Mike Potenza (The Anderson Council). Formed in 1986 at Yale University, the band played its last gig in May 1988 and hadn’t performed together again until 2022. After more than 30 years apart, they reunited to record this 10-track album, releasing the lead single, “Velour Goddess,” on Aug. 20. The album was recorded with renowned producer Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms) at Magic Door Recording and is already available for pre-order.

    “‘Orange Background’ is a letter from our college selves to our grown selves and also, in a way, from Generation X to what we have now in the world,” says Nadeau. “It’s also the only one, played back, that might have made me wet-eyed for a minute”.

    Learn more here.

  • Albany Symphony and ESYO Present “Symphony Side-by-Side”

    On Monday, Oct. 14, The Albany Symphony and the Empire State Youth Orchestra will offer the chance to rehearse and perform with a professional symphony orchestra in a “Symphony Side-by-Side” at MVP Arena in Albany.

    Symphony Side-by-Side

    Following the success of last year’s “Movie Music Play-In,” which engaged more than 1,500 people, the Albany Symphony and the ESYO have announced a special free family-friendly event, entitled “Symphony Side-by-Side,” that is designed to engage and entertain audiences of all ages.

    Members of the ESYO along with high school and college students from across the Capital Region, will join forces with the Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony. Together, they will rehearse and perform, gaining invaluable experience in the professional symphonic performance process. Musicians from both the Albany Symphony and ESYO will perform a dynamic selection of music—ranging from blockbuster hits in film, television, and video games to beloved symphonic classics—while sitting literally side by side.

    ESYO, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1979, has been recognized as a premier music education/performance program for youth and has received three ASCAP awards. 

    The event will culminate in a grand finale featuring community musicians of all ages, celebrating the unifying power of music. For the finale, audience members are invited to join the stage with their instruments for a lively performance of John Williams’ iconic “Imperial March” and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Community members can choose to participate at different points throughout the concert.

    Families can also enjoy a variety of activities, including an “instrument petting zoo,” where children can explore and try out different musical instruments.

    Learn more here.