If you want to rave to a collection of saxophones and woodwinds, then Moon Hooch is the band for you. Yes it’s weird, yes it’s wild, and yes it’s a fun show to dance to.
Moon Hooch at Bowery Ballroom 12.7, Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
On Saturday, December 7, Moon Hooch brought their energetic mix of Jazz and Electronic music to Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan.
A truly New York sound, Moon Hooch was born when Michael Wilbur (Horns, woodwind, vocals), Wenzl Mcgowen (Horns, woodwind, synth), and James Muschler (original drummer) met at The New School. The band, now with Cyzon Griffin on drums, started playing together as buskers across the city. Often playing in the subway, Moon Hooch was banned from the Bedford Ave L station for bringing in crowds that were dangerously large.
Audience Member; Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
That history of busking can be heard in their music, as the trio at times evokes the guttural sounds of an oncoming train paired with high-pitched notes reminiscent of a closing subway door. They even use found objects, like a traffic cone, on stage as a mute to alter their sound.
Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
On December 7, COFRESI opened for Moon Hooch. The drummer and beatmaker brought together modern techniques (looping, drops, Trap and Dancehall melodies) with samples from hits like, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Stand By Me,” “Mr Sandman,” and “It’s Tricky” to create a sound all his own.
COFRESI Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomik
As Moon Hooch took the stage, audience members head banged, grinded, and jumped up and down – emphasizing how many different musical sub-cultures came out to see the band.
The band’s physicality is impressive, as Michael Wilbur and Wenzl Mcgowen dance throughout a set that’s over an hour while Cyzon Griffin’s rapid drumming holds down the beat. Throughout the set there wasn’t an idle monument with high energy songs one after another, only rarely bringing in classical music phrases to give the audience a breather before the beat drop.
Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
At the same time, that lack of idleness has its own drawbacks. After a while, songs in the set started to run together with limited ability to determine where one song stops and the other begins. This run-on of songs was exacerbated by similar musical motifs and almost identical lighting cues that could cause a listener Deja Vu. While the band sometimes threw their hands up to engage the audience, they never stopped to talk to the crowd. Better performance pacing, verbal engagement with the crowd, and breaks between songs would do the band well.
Photo Credit: Aidan Lukomnik
On this tour the band isn’t just bringing their relentless energy, they’re also trying to do good. At each city, the band is auctioning off a (small) tree and giving away all of the proceeds to replant trees across the country. In NYC they also worked with Support and Feed – a food equity organization that works to address challenges in food desserts and provide information on plant-based food.
Dive bars and small clubs are generally the starting point for any fledgling band looking to make it big. Ideally, the goal is to move up to bigger and better venues eventually. Well, today, we celebrate one of the few tiny clubs that became renowned worldwide and a dream destination for any band. CBGB opened its doors 47 years ago,today, and the music world hasn’t been the same since.
Located in the heart of New York City’s Bowery district, CBGB was not always the musical Mecca it would come to be. It was previously a biker bar known as Hilly’s on the Bowery, one of two local establishments that owner Hilly Kristal managed. When his other bar was forced to close, Kristal redirected his efforts to the one left standing and made a life-altering change. On December 10, 1973, the Bowery dive bar officially became CBGB & OMFUG.
The CBGB acronym stands for Country, Bluegrass and Blues, Kristal’s initial vision for the music he wanted played there. The OMFUG supposedly stood for “Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers.” Although a gormandizer is a term often used in reference to someone who eats food ravenously, in this case it would be the music that was being consumed. However, Legs McNeil, one of the true punk music journalists of our time and a CBGB regular in its heyday, claims the “U” in OMFUG was often left open to interpretation.
At its inception, CBGB stayed true to Kristal’s musical vision. But that would soon change, starting in February of 1974 when they booked local act Squeeze. This marked the first shift from country and bluegrass to original rock acts performing there. Another factor that led to the change in format was the nearby Mercer Arts Center burning down in August of 1973. For years, local unsigned bands of all styles had a place to play music there. Now they were in need of a new stage.
Eventually, the bookings at CBGB would lean more and more towards rock. Bands like Television, a local band at the forefront of the newly emerging punk music scene, would begin playing there. Other bands like the Patti Smith Group, Talking Heads, and Angel and the Snake (eventually renamed to Blondie) later got their start here as well. Rock legends The Ramones also played their first gig ever at CBGB in August of 1974 to a comically small crowd in hindsight.
While the early years of the club were rife with bands that would later become nationally known, CBGB was far from a financial success. Per Kristal, it was not until sometime in 1976 that the club started paying for itself. During this time, he also established two “set in stone” rules that would go on to define the ethos of this establishment. Bands had to play original material only and they had to move their own gear. In return, Kristal would allot most of the door money to the bands, encouraging them to develop a following and return.
That first year was an exercise in persistence and a trial in patience. My determination to book only musicians who played their own music instead of copying others, was indomitable. Originality (to me) was prime, technique took second place.
Hilly Kristal
Within a few years, CBGB was a known place for local artists of all kinds to experiment, play and do whatever they want – as long as it was original. It would only be a matter of time before acts based outside of New York City would begin to appear. In 1977, The Damned played a show there that marked the first time a British punk band ever played in America. Elvis Costello later opened shows there and The Police would also play their first American gigs here. As the 1980s rolled on, CBGB became primarily a haven for hardcore punk and metal acts.
With its growing success, the club was able to expand a little and a neighboring storefront soon become the CBGB Record Canteen, a record shop and cafe. In the late 80s, this was converted into an art gallery and second performance space. This would be a place for the “other” musical acts to perform, catering to fans of folk, jazz or experimental music.
Sadly, the turn of the century would begin the downfall of this iconic music venue. CBGB would soon enter into a protracted dispute over allegedly unpaid rent amounts. In 2005, atop its normally paid monthly rent of $19,000, CBGB was sued for some $90,000 in rent allegedly owed to its landlord, Bowery Residents’ Committee. Kristal claimed, and the court would later agree, that he was not properly notified about the increase in rent, marking the debt invalid. However, the two sides were unable to come terms on a new rental agreement and the soon-to-expire lease would not be renewed.
The last show at CBGB took place on October 15, 2006 and was broadcast live on Sirius Satellite Radio. Fittingly, New York City and club legend Patti Smith was the headliner, aided by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Television’s Richard Lloyd. Smith’s rendition of “Gloria” was notably interlaced with snippets of The Ramone’s classic “Blitzkrieg Bop.” And during “Elegie,” the final encore, Smith named musicians and other music figures who had died since playing at CBGB. This marked a somewhat somber end for a venue that was undeniably full of life for decades.
Talking Heads play CBGB in 1977
Even though no more music is played here, the legacy of CBGB continues to live on. It remained open as CBGB Fashions—retail store, wholesale department, and an online store—until October 31, 2006. And in 2008, fashion designer John Varvatos opened a store there, although in tasteful fashion. Aside from a few needed upgrades, the entire interior of the club remained the same – stickers, graffiti and all – as it housed CBGB memorabilia and clothes for sale. It even has its own movie that came out in 2013.
Aside from the venue itself, CBGB Radio would later launch on the iHeartRadio platform in 2010. CBGB music festivals would later begin to sprout in 2012. And the following year, the building itself at 315 Bowery was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bowery Historic District.
CBGB was founded in 1973 on the Bowery, in a former nineteenth-century saloon on the first floor of the Palace Lodging House. The legendary music venue fostered new genres of American music, including punk and art rock, that defined the culture of downtown Manhattan in the 1970s, and that still resonate today. In this role as cultural incubator, CBGB served the same function as the theaters and concert halls of the Bowery’s storied past.
National Park Service nomination form
The spirit of CBGB and the early punk era also lives on through new forms of audio storytelling like the immersive audio walks created by arts and culture app, Gesso. Their Punks + Poets audio walk begins in Washington Square Park and ends in Tompkins Square Park, illuminating the birth of punk music in the area.
It’s truly amazing that such a small club could leave such a big impact on society. The music it inspired and the artists it gave a home to read like a Who’s Who of rock music. Kristal’s willingness to pivot from his original vision and adapt to the surge of new wave and punk rock that the 70s and 80s brought with it helped define a generation of music.
For one last look at CBGB the way it was, check out the video below.
Silver Bay YMCA’s bluegrass festival, Bluegrass in Heaven, is undergoing a rebrand to open the festival up to more people. The festival will now be known as “Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival.”
The new name aims to open the festival up to more people who enjoy the genres that fall into the mountain music category such as americana and folk. In addition to the new name, the festival is also sporting a new logo to help the rebrand along. The logo features a sun with some music notes behind a mountain range with the text Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival below it.
Silver Bay’s bluegrass festival originated in 2023, with the planning for it starting in 2022, when a long-time Silver Bay employee and volunteer, Terry Baker, approached Silver Bay with the idea. Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival is set to take place September 12 – 14. The lineup for the festival will be announced in the new year.
Silver Bay YMCA, founded in 1902, is in Silver Bay, NY, just minutes south of Hague. Its 700-acre campus along one mile of Lake George shoreline offers a breadth of programs for all ages. Silver Bay YMCA is consistently ranked one of the top ten family reunion sites in the country and is on the National Register of Historic Places with the U.S. Department of the Interior. As a mission-based charity, Silver Bay YMCA offers outreach programs in addition to its core activities as a premier conference and family retreat center.
For more information on Silver Bay YMCA and their upcoming Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival, click here.
Park Street Hospitality has unveiled its latest project, Doc’s Bar & Lounge, a newly renovated event space located within The Park Theater in Glens Falls.
Formerly known as Doc’s Restaurant, this reimagined space on the lower level of the theater now offers a chic and versatile setting for intimate gatherings, corporate events, and special occasions. The floor plan has been reconfigured, removing the booths of the former restaurant to serve as a more functional multi-purpose event space, perfect for cocktail hours, family style dinners and more.
Combining stylish ambiance with enhanced functionality, Doc’s Bar & Lounge provides an elevated experience, perfect for catering to the diverse needs of its guests. This exciting expansion highlights Park Street Hospitality’s dedication to delivering unforgettable moments for the Glens Falls community and beyond.
Built in 1911, The Park Theater is the premier entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Glens Falls, NY. This century-old theater holds a vast and rich history within the community and has been revitalized as a destination for performing arts, weddings, events and more. In 2021, The Park Theater Foundation was established, launching its inaugural outdoor Summer Concert Series and highly anticipated 2021/22 season.
The Park Theater remains a state-of-the-art performing arts center, featuring national and international touring performers, as well as local community artists and productions. With the renovation of Doc’s Bar & Lounge, the venue just got another exciting and stylish addition to its fan-favorite atmosphere.
For more information on The Park Theater and to stay up to date on future events, click here.
1995 was a year that defined the 1990s. Michael Jordan came out of retirement to return to the game of basketball. OJ Simpson’s verdict was “Not Guilty.” TLC encouraged listeners to stop chasing waterfalls. Pixar changed the future of animated films with the release of Toy Story. And if you were in the jamband music scene, you experienced a seismic shift in the atmosphere.
Just 49 days after Jerry Garcia passed on August 9, Phish kicked off a massive 1995 Fall Tour in the guitarist’s home state of California. The Vermont foursome played more than 50 shows through December, hitting over 30 states and making a pitstop in Canada. Fans will argue over the best shows (or even best month) during this transformative time period, but most are in agreement that The Who’s Quadrophenia Halloween show in Rosemont, Illinois was a career-defining moment for one of the year’s top-grossing acts just half-way through the megatour.
Official poster for 10/31/95 by Jim Pollock
As the rising stars ripped through the frigid Northeast in December, they were only getting hotter in their raunchy, rock-forward, improvisational playing and it all culminated on Sunday, December 31, 1995 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The date marked the third time Phish would play “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” but the first time they would sell it out for New Year’s Eve. From the 12/29/95 Worchester show to the 12/30/95 opening night at the Garden, it was hard to imagine how the well-polished act would continue getting better night after night, but Phish is always poised to shock the brain.
There was and always will be a special energy when you see Phish’s name in big bright letters on the midtown Manhattan marquee. As Jon Fishman’s father so eloquently put it, he realized his son had “made it” after the band played their first performance to a capacity NYC crowd on 12/30/1994. As fans anxiously anticipated the first note of the last show of 1995, they were greeted by their hungry party hosts with the first-ever, one-two punch of “Punch You in the Eye” and “Sloth.” It was a high-energy attempt to sonically bottle the energy of the 1995 Fall Tour and to kick off a show considered by Rolling Stone as “one of the best live performances of the ’90s.”
Flip to page 824 of the 2nd Edition of The Phish Companion, and you’ll find that five of the songs performed that night are considered some of the “best versions ever.” With a fiery first set “Reba,” the second set’s “Runaway Jim” and closer of “Mike’s Song” to introduce the Gamehendge Time Factor laboratory loop, and the unfinished and unhinged “Weekapaug Groove” from Set III with a “YEM” to top it all off, Phish had made a statement—not only in their community—but in the history of live music. They showed the world what fans had been trying to say for over a decade. They were not just a talented, pot-smoking cover band from Vermont, although they did have the chops to cover and expand upon some of the most highly regarded artists in the rock genre. Any band can cover a popular song to get a reaction from the crowd, but Phish reinvents the music they love, and one example of this is their nod to The Who in Set II’s “Drowned” > “Lizards” opener. Not only did the band double the length of the Quadrophenia studio version, but they interweaved the Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” to pay tribute to a band that had sold out six shows at the Garden just 14 months prior. Look past the epic jams, the tribute to legendary rock bands, the New Year’s Eve shenanigans, and the three-set masterpiece performance, and you will find a band on stage that wants fans to get their money’s worth – Phish at their core.
The 1995 New Year’s Eve performance was a launchpad for great things to come. 1996 was the year Phish released one of their greatest studio albums in Billy Breathes; they created a blueprint for music festivals by welcoming 70,000 fans to North America’s largest concert event of the summer, The Clifford Ball; brought their unique sound across Europe; dressed up as The Talking Heads for Remain in Light on Halloween; and claimed the throne as the most popular jamband of the 1990s. And they were just getting started.
But the purpose of this piece was never to recap one of the greatest shows in Phishtory, that has been dozens of times before. I’m here to tell you why it sparked a new generation of Phish fans nearly 10 years later.
This is the story of the New Year’s Eve 1995 – Live at Madison Square Garden, the official album release.
If you were in high school during the early 2000s, you had limited ability to enjoy Phish like your cooler, older family members (or maybe even parents). With the first hiatus in 2002 followed by the official farewell in 2004, it felt like maybe you just weren’t cut out to go on a full summer tour with your future college buddies like you dreamed about sitting in Earth Science, doodling pictures of ugly pigs in your notebook.
The internet was starting to get better, but looked nothing like what it does today in 2020. We didn’t have smartphones for Spotify, LivePhish, 4K professionally shot footage, or a girthy YouTube catalog of Vermont’s greatest rock band. You could risk destroying your family’s Gateway or Dell PC by downloading Phish shows from Limewire or Napster, but a lot of them were low quality, poorly recorded, or not even actually Phish (see their “Gin & Juice” cover) and took days to transfer. Apple iPods were expensive, and the use of .mp3s was becoming more common for those somewhat technologically-advanced, but didn’t completely take over until later that decade.
We did have CDs.
Before 2005, the year I graduated high school, the only officially-released Phish shows you would find in retail record stores were Slip Stitch and Pass, A Live One, Hampton Comes Alive, and drips and drabs of the 20-set LivePhish series. If you were lucky enough to have an older friend or family member serve as a Phish mentor, you could scrounge up hand-me-down, fan-traded tapes and CDs by the dozen, but if you had no path to follow besides seeing the band at SPAC in 2004, you were shit out of luck trying to level up from “noob” status in Upstate NY.
This all changed during the holiday season of 2005, when the retired jam band released New Year’s Eve 1995: Live from Madison Square Garden. At the time, the global Phish community was still mourning the loss of their fallen heroes much like the Deadheads of December 1995. The band members were still touring, and I was lucky enough to catch Page McConnell sit in with Trey Ananastio Band at Roseland Ballroom as a college freshman in NYC. That was NOT the Phish experience I had been dreaming about throughout high school.
Official shirt by Jim Pollock
Santa was extra heady that Christmas and next to NBA2K6 and the iconic Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 for PlayStation 2, the best gift was undoubtedly the three-disc, week-old live release. From the opening “PYITE” on disc one, followed by “The Sloth,” I was hooked. I had never even heard “The Sloth” before Christmas morning 2005, likely because it was never officially released until that album.
It was like in the movie Neverending Story where Sebastian finds the book and runs off to immerse himself in the incredible journey. I had spun through Slip, Stitch and Pass and A Live One until the discs were scratched and raw, but I had never understood the importance of a full show experience until MSG 1995. It was part performance and part theatrics. The show is the blueprint for quintessential Phish. Gamehendge narration, fantastic themes about the creation of time, covers from the recently performed musical costume The Who’s Quadrophenia, and of course, driven improvisation. In the twelve years of Phish music up to that show, December 1995 is widely considered the best. An entire tour of above-average shows was summarized during that hallowed night in the world’s most sacred rock space.
The live release made a new generation of fans appreciate the show as much as those that were in attendance. It made us extremely jealous we were still in elementary school in December 1995, and if we had just known about Trey Anastasio, maybe he would have been even more important than Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, or Hootie & the Blowfish.
Big egos can get in the way of sharing in the groove and surrendering to the flow. The most obsessed Phish fans like to think they know more, feel more, and enjoy more than their fellow fan. Although I wasn’t fortunate enough to see Phish 1.0 and barely caught the tail end of Phish 2.0, I was able to listen to the Old Testament of Phish and memorize one of their greatest shows from the front of “PYITE” to the back of the “Johnny Be Good” encore. New Year’s Eve 1995: Live at Madison Square Garden proves that everyone begins their journey in different ways. And if you want to learn how to swim, you’ve got to jump in the water.
Prog Metal legends System Of A Down have announced three stadium events for Summer 2025.
The first will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on August 27 and 28 with Korn; the second show to be held atSoldier Field in Chicago, IL, on August 31 with Avenged Sevenfold, and the final show at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, ON, on September 3 with Deftones. Special guests Polyphia and Wisp will open for all three shows.
As the most inspired, impactful, and inimitable rock band of the 21st century, System of a Down has sold over 40 million records worldwide, earned a GRAMMY® Award, and headlined arenas, festivals, and stadiums on multiple continents, worldwide. Formed in Los Angeles, the group have soundtracked personal, political, sonic, and spiritual revolution since the 1998 release of their multi-platinum self-titled debut. The quartet have consistently sold out shows worldwide and regularly register over 23.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making them one of the most-listened to rock/alternative bands in the world. System of a Down is Daron Malakian [guitars, vocals], Serj Tankian [vocals, keys], Shavo Odadjian [bass], and John Dolmayan [drums].
Korn changed the world with the release of their self-titled debut album. It was a record that would pioneer a genre, while the band’s enduring success points to a larger timeless, cultural moment. Since forming, Korn has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, collected two GRAMMY®s, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. Korn has continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans and generations of artists around the globe.
Korn – Albany, March 2022 – photo by Zak Radick
Avenged Sevenfold have sold millions of albums worldwide, earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart (2010’s Nightmare and 2013’s Hail To The King), have over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio. The band (comprising M. Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ and Brooks Wackerman) is equally known for their spectacular live shows, selling out arenas and headlining the world’s most prestigious rock festivals as well as always being at the forefront of rapidly changing technology, cultural mile markers, and new ways for communities to engage.
Formed in Sacramento, CA in 1988, Deftones are one of the most influential alternative bands in the world. The band, comprised of Chino Moreno, Frank Delgado, Stephen Carpenter, and Abe Cunningham, has released nine studio albums, with the most recent release being GRAMMY®-nominated Ohms. Deftones’ culture is revered as one of the most fervent that exists.
Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Wednesday, December 11. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, December 13 at 12 pm at LiveNation.com
Legendary singer/songwriter James Taylor has announced his 2025 summer tour with his All-Star Band, covering 24 shows across the US and Canada.
The show’s penultimate performance will take place at Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center, colloquially known as CMAC.
The tour will see Taylor & His All-Star Band perform at a number of iconic venues and will kick off on May 5th in Phoenix, AZ and will conclude on July 1st in Gilford, NH.
As a recording and touring artist, James Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 50 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Over the course of his celebrated songwriting and performing career, Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards since the release of his self-titled debut album in 1968. In 2015, Taylor released Before This World, the first-ever #1 album of his illustrious career.
photo by James Sullivan, SPAC August 2021
Taylor has won multiple GRAMMY Awards, has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the prestigious Songwriters Halls of Fame and in February 2006, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected him its MUSICARES Person of the Year. Taylor was also awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012.
In November of 2015, Taylor was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor and in December of 2016 he received the Kennedy Center Honors, which are presented annually to individuals who have enriched American culture by distinguished achievement in the performing arts. In early 2020 Taylor released Break Shot, a deeply personal and authentic audio-only memoir detailing his first 21 years. He also released his newest album, American Standard, his 19th studio album, which earned Taylor the 2021 GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and gave him the honor of being the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades.
photo by James Sullivan – SPAC August, 2021
Supporting Taylor will be Tiny Habits, a Boston-bred band that has been praised by the likes of NPR and The New Yorker. Last year, the group opened for Gracie Abrams on her North American and Australian tour dates, and also opened for Noah Kahan on his European tour. They have performed with Lizzy McAlpine on her Tiny Desk appearance, harmonized with Kacey Musgraves and Laufey among many others. The Habits released their debut album All For Something via Mom+Pop records in May of 2024. The band hit the road supporting Vance Joy and Lake Street Dive while finishing 2024 with a headline tour of Australia. Their latest single, ‘For Sale Sign’ with Lizzy McAlpine is out now.
Tickets for the 2025 summer tour dates go on sale to the public on Friday, December 13th at 10AM local time. For all upcoming routing, please see dates listed below and visit https://tour.jamestaylor.com/ for more information.
JAMES TAYLOR SUMMER 2025 TOUR DATES
5/5/2025 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
5/7/2025 – Palm Desert, CA – Acrisure Arena
5/8/2025 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theater
5/10/2025 – San Diego, CA – Rady Shell
5/11/2025 – San Diego, CA – Rady Shell
5/13/2025 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
5/14/2025 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
5/16/2025 – Stanford, CA – Frost Amphitheater
5/17/2025 – Lincoln, CA – The Venue at Thunder Valley
5/19/2025 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheatre
5/21/2025 – Nampa, ID – Ford Amphitheater
5/23/2025 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheatre
5/25/2025 – Seattle, WA – Chateau St. Michelle Winery
5/26/2025 – Seattle, WA – Chateau St. Michelle Winery
6/13/2025 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
6/14/2025 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
6/17/2025 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Center
6/19/2025 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia
6/21/2025 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest*
6/23/2025 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
6/24/2025 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
The whimsical singer-songwriter AURORA graced the stage of the Beacon Theatre for two nights amid her sold out What Happened to the Heart? world tour.
If you’re in search of an act straight from a storybook, look no further than AURORA. With a signature sound akin to a woodland fairytale, a voice that positively twinkles, and whimsical yet cutting lyricism, AURORA revels in the magical and channels the mystical in every sense of the words.
Born and raised in Norway, Aurora Aksnes exists within an ethereal sonic sphere entirely of her own. Beginning her songwriting and dance journeys at the age of six, creation is in her blood.
A self described “forest person,” AURORA has compared her home place of Drange to Narnia, spending her time in her home when not spent adventuring through the woods.
Releasing her fifth album What Happened to the Heart? in June of this year, AURORA’s most recent release and its subsequent headlining tour stems from a letter co-written by indigenous activists titled “We Are The Earth” which described the earth as “the heart that pulsates within us,” creating the inspiration for the album’s core concept.
Announced alongside the album was the What Happened to the Heart? world tour, which has and will continue to take AURORA throughout Europe, the United States, and South America- including a date at Manhattan’s own Beacon Theatre, which was soon expanded into a two-show run for its impressive demand.
Before the show even began, the Beacon Theatre was positively teeming with excitement. Folks were dressed in everything from band tees to ball gowns, couples were wandering the packed foyer excitedly pointing towards the merchandise table, and children were gasping in awe of the theater’s grandeur atop parents’ shoulders.
With opening support by neo-soul and hip hop artist Biig Piig, the evening’s festivities were off to a wonderfully mesmerizing start as she encouraged audience members to stand up and dance if they so wished in between tracks like the wonderfully smooth “Roses and Gold” and the hard hitting “Decimal” that had light production for days.
Prior to AURORA’s exciting step on stage, the lights dimmed to allow a nostalgically hazy projection begin to play. The excitement was palpable, but fans kept sound to an absolute hush to experience the visual to its fullest extent before she twirled her way on stage to an explosion of cheers.
Delivering a hauntingly magical performance of “Church Yard” and “Soulless Creatures,” AURORA’s main support was a small set of other vocalists that turned the theatre into an echo chamber.
With a full set list of 21 tracks, AURORA’s musicality and vibrancy both vocally and in her stage presence was on full display paired with the Theatre’s groundbreaking new Sphere Immersive Sound system.
Dazzling fans for the second night in a row with her shimmering voice, dazzling spins and leaps, and effortless sense of musical presence, AURORA made the New York dates of her What Happened to the Heart? tour ones to remember.
AURORA – Beacon Theatre – Friday, December 6, 2024
Bluegrass legend Alison Krauss and her band Union Station have announced their first tour in 10 years, the Arcadia 2025 Tour, alongside special guest Willie Watson with an extensive list of dates that include two stops in New York State.
A multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer, Alison Krauss is a modern bluegrass legend. With 27 Grammy Awards of 42 nominations, the title of International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductee, and a whopping 14 albums under her belt, itâs no wonder as to why.
Krauss partnered up with the band Union Station tangentially with the release of her first solo works, reworking themselves to Alison Krauss & Union Station soon after and quickly becoming a cornerstone unit of the bluegrass and country scenes.
Known for their boundary-transcending sound, Alison Krauss & Union Station went quiet after the release of their 2011 album Paper Airplane that saw major critical success. Over the years, the unit brought their talents to stages across the globe, but similarly took a pause on performances as a unit in 2015. However, both of these hiatuses are about to change.
In an exciting announcement, the unit has made impressive progress on their newest album release slated for 2025 in addition to an impressive tour titled Arcadia that will take Alison Krauss & Union Station across the United States and Canada over the course of 73 shows, including two nights in Manhattan and Lewiston.
Having recently joined the ranks of the band and soon to be traveling North America alongside them is the vocalist and guitarist Russell Moore, best known for his work as the frontman of IIIrd Tyme Out. Being the most awarded male vocalist in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association, Mooreâs skills will make for a stellar addition to each nightâs performance.
If all of that wasnât exciting enough, Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced that support for the tour will come in the form of special guest Willie Watson. Fans can look forward to hearing tracks brand new and time-honored all the same as the band kicks off their performances in the spring.
âIâm so grateful to get to make music again with my comrades of 40 years. Theyâve always accomplished incredible work individually and have been constantly traveling because of it. Weâre very inspired to experience this new exciting chapter in the bandâs history.â
– Alison Krauss
Tickets for Alison Krauss & Union Stationâs exciting Arcadia tour are available now. The band will be making two stops in New York, first at the historic Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on September 12 and then at the Artpark Mainstage Theater in Lewiston on September 21.
For more information on dates, to-be-announced special guests, and ticket purchasing opportunities, be sure to check out Alison Kraussâ official website here.
The expansive full list of Arcadia 2025 Tour dates are below.
TOUR DATES
Thursday, April 17, 2025 | The Louisville Palace | Louisville, KY
Friday, April 18, 2025 | The Louisville Palace | Louisville, KY
Saturday, April 19, 2025 | Mershon Auditorium | Columbus, OH
Friday, April 25, 2025 | Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park | Atlanta, GA
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | Live Oak Bank Pavilion | Wilmington, NC
Sunday, April 27, 2025 | Koka Booth Amphitheatre | Cary, NC
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | Bell Auditorium | Augusta, GA
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | The Adderley Amphitheater | Tallahassee, FL
Friday, May 2, 2025 | The Wharf Amphitheater | Orange Beach, AL
Saturday, May 3, 2025 | Brandon Amphitheater | Brandon, MS
Sunday, May 4, 2025 | BJCC Concert Hall | Birmingham, AL
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | Orpheum Theatre | Memphis, TN
Monday, May 12, 2025 | First Security Amphitheater | Little Rock, AR
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | The Criterion | Oklahoma City, OK
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | Saint Louis Music Park | Maryland Heights, MO
Friday, May 16, 2025 | Walmart AMP | Rogers, AR
Saturday, May 17, 2025 | Starlight Theatre | Kansas City, MO
Thursday, May 29, 2025 | Smart Financial Centre | Sugar Land, TX
Friday, May 30, 2025 | Whitewater Amphitheater | New Braunfels, TX
Saturday, May 31, 2025 | The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory | Irving, TX
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | PNC Pavilion | Cincinnati, OH
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater | Decatur, IL
Friday, June 6, 2025 | BMO Pavilion | Milwaukee, WI
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | The Chicago Theatre | Chicago, IL
Sunday, June 8, 2025 | The Ledge | Waite Park, MN
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | Vetter Stone Amphitheater | Mankato, MN
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | Bayfront Festival Park | Duluth, MN
Friday, June 13, 2025 | McGrath Amphitheatre | Cedar Rapids, IA
Saturday, June 14, 2025 | Denny Sanford Premier Center | Sioux Falls, SD
Sunday, June 15, 2025 | The Astro Amphitheater | Omaha, NE
Monday, June 16, 2025 | Hartman Arena | Park City, KS
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO
Friday, June 20, 2025 | Dillon Amphitheater | Dillon, CO
Saturday, June 21, 2025 | Kit Carson Park | Taos, NM
Friday, July 11, 2025 | Arizona Financial Theatre | Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, July 12, 2025 | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park | San Diego, CA
Sunday, July 13, 2025 | Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | Santa Barbara Bowl | Santa Barbara, CA
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | The Mountain Winery | Saratoga, CA
Friday, July 18, 2025 | Grand Theatre | Reno, NV
Saturday, July 19, 2025 | Redding Civic Auditorium | Redding, CA
Sunday, July 20, 2025 | Edgefield Amphitheater | Troutdale, OR
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 | Wine Country Amphitheater | Walla Walla, WA
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 | Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden | Boise, ID
Saturday, July 26, 2025 | Theatre at the Brick | Bozeman, MT
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | BECU Live at Northern Quest | Airway Heights, WA
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 | Grey Eagle Resort & Casino | Calgary, AB
Thursday, July 31, 2025 | TCU Place | Saskatoon, SK
Friday, August 1, 2025 | Centennial Concert Hall | Winnipeg, MB
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | Massey Hall | Toronto, ON
Thursday, August 21, 2025 | Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park | Indianapolis, IN
Friday, August 22, 2025 | Ascend Amphitheater | Nashville, TN
Saturday, August 23, 2025 | The Tennessee Theatre | Knoxville, TN
Sunday, August 24, 2025 | The Tennessee Theatre | Knoxville, TN
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 | Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium | Chattanooga, TN
Thursday, August 28, 2025 | The Dome | Virginia Beach, VA
Friday, August 29, 2025 | Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront | Richmond, VA
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | Earl Scruggs Music Festival | Mill Spring, NC
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre | Sterling Heights, MI
Sunday, September 7, 2025 | Jacobs Pavilion | Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | Wolf Trap | Vienna, VA
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 | The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark | Philadelphia, PA
Friday, September 12, 2025 | Beacon Theatre | New York, NY
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Veterans Memorial Auditorium | Providence, RI
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | Leader Bank Pavilion | Boston, MA
Friday, September 19, 2025 | BankNH Pavilion | Gilford, NH
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | The Green at Shelburne Museum | Shelburne, VT
Sunday, September 21, 2025 | Artpark Mainstage Theater | Lewiston, NY
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | Salem Civic Center | Salem, VA
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 | Credit One Stadium | Charleston, SC
Friday, September 26, 2025 | The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL
Saturday, September 27, 2025 | The BayCare Sound | Clearwater, FL
Sunday, September 28, 2025 | Hard Rock Live | Hollywood, FL
Music is a force, a force that triggers emotions, not unlike religion. This force can elicit elation. It can contribute to sorrow. As a social experiment, a concert reveals emotions across that spectrum. It is the rare occasion, however, that a venue can do the same. Enter, Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock.
Affectionately known as “The Barn,” Levon Helm Studios is a nondescript building set off a country road on the outer edges of Woodstock. This building has an air of reverence about it as soon as you approach it. Once inside, its easy to get the feeling of being inside a church. High, vaulted ceilings with impeccable woodwork force one to take in the architecture. It’s not uncommon to see first-timers looking around with jaws agape at the craftsmanship that went into building this structure.
The story of The Barn has its origins as the home and recording studio of Levon Helm. Helm was best known as the drummer for The Band but also took turns acting in such films as “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “The Right Stuff” and “Feeling Minnesota” among others. The Arkansas-born musician grew up with minstrel shows and wanted to recreate that in his home studio. What became known as The Midnight Ramble was born out of necessity, but also out of a love for the informal feel of a simple jam session. Helm’s Midnight Rambles began in 2004. Word spread in the musical community and Helm and his Midnight Ramble Band (guitarist/mandolinist/fiddler Larry Campbell, guitarist Jimmy Vivino, Helm’s daughter Amy and Campbell’s wife Teresa Williams) began attracting the likes of Elvis Costello, Phil Lesh, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris, My Morning Jacket and Norah Jones to this tiny Catskills hamlet two hours north of New York City.
When Helm died in April of 2012, his final words to Amy and his manager Barbara O’Brien were, “Keep it going.” And keep it going they have. The Midnight Rambles occur regularly and provide an opportunity for musicians of Helm’s ilk to “keep it going.”
The magic that occurs at The Barn isn’t just with the music and the venue. What is truly magical about this venue, is experiencing the reactions of first-time attendees. NYS Music photographer Brian Cornish attended his first Ramble with his brother in 2006. The joy in his retelling of his first Ramble is consistent with so many others who have experienced this jewel of a venue:
It was November of 2006. My brother had heard about these house parties in Woodstock where you could buy a ticket and listen to Levon Helm sing and play, and the kicker was that it was in his own home/studio. We decided to go. Following the opening act, with no fanfare and no announcement, Helm and his band emerged and walked down a hallway to the studio. He preferred to set up on stage left, to be able to look directly at all of the other musicians and catch their eye, read their moves, maybe give them a cue or a nod, or maybe grin and point a drumstick at someone approvingly at the end of a song. Due to this atypical arrangement, we astonishingly found ourselves seated at his left elbow, six feet or so from an American treasure. With a brief flourish on the snare drum, he set the tempo, the horns kicked in, and the band followed. “Boards on the window, mail by the door…” The entire crowd was immediately dancing, tapping their feet, or singing along. It was magical. It still is.
Cornish’s proximity to Helm during his first Ramble is what makes this venue so unique and keeps people coming back. You’re not attending a concert at Levon Helm Studios. You’re celebrating music in a pure listening room with friends, friends you know and friends you just haven’t yet met. The capacity is around 200 and there isn’t a bad spot in the house. It lends itself to chatting with your neighbor between songs and the chance of chatting with any of the musicians at some point during the night.
Amy Helm taking in a performance at “The Barn”
Cornish continues with another Ramble experience:
One time, I and a few friends were seated behind the keyboards so we could look across the room at Levon. A man emerged to the right of my friends, stood at the end of the row, nodded hello, and exchanged small talk between songs in the semi-darkness. After ten or fifteen minutes, he said, “It’s been nice talking to you folks, but I have to go to work.” Only when he was under the stage lights and grabbed his guitar did we realize we’d been chatting with John Prine. Unannounced drop-in guest appearances and unexpected moments are hallmarks of many Midnight Rambles.
Cornish has made it his mission to introduce as many of his music-loving friends as possible to this experience by gifting a ticket to a first-timer as long as the next time that person goes, he or she brings another first-timer and does the same. This writer was the recipient of one such gifted ticket to a Ramble. We were joined by two other music loving friends, Dan Frieden and Rob Bishton for a performance of Amy Helm and Friends on Black Friday 2015. What made this performance so incredibly special was the appearance of Donald Fagen of Steely Dan sitting in for a performance of his band’s “Black Friday.” The fact that this musical legend was mere feet away from us during this performance was not lost on us that night and is the stuff that will be remembered for a lifetime. Two new converts to the Church of Levon were made that night.
A visit to Woodstock isn’t complete without stopping by Big Pink, the house rented by the members of The Band as they killed time waiting for Bob Dylan to recover from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in 1966. Dylan lived in Woodstock at the time and the members of what would become The Band were members of Dylan’s backing band. Band members Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson lived in this rental in the town of West Saugerties and spent time in the basement recording covers and Dylan originals. The time spent at Big Pink, so named for the pink siding that adorned the house, solidified The Band’s sound and resulted in the oft-bootlegged and finally released album The Basement Tapes in 1975.
Each time this writer visits Levon Helm Studios, a visit to Big Pink is on the itinerary, as well as a stop at Catskill Mountain Pizza Company, a pilgrimage if you will. It will be left to the reader as to how to find this legendary abode. Anyone familiar with the music of Dylan or The Band can feel the ghosts surrounding this property. Frieden described it this way:
There is an energy at Big Pink. I had never been a big Dylan fan, but being on a property that sparked so much musical creativity made me wonder what it is that really flipped the artists’ “on” switch.
A recent visit to Woodstock for a performance by Joe Henry and Rose Cousins on December 9 indoctrinated April and Enzo Cacciatore to The Barn and Big Pink. Witnessing each of them as they took in the entire experience is what sharing a Ramble is all about.
The nearly two and a half hour trip from Rome took longer than anticipated due to a Nor’easter clipping the southeast section of the state. Despite that, a visit to Big Pink still occurred as did a dinner of pizza and craft beers at Catskill Mountain. Traveling through Downtown Woodstock during Christmas season, especially in the midst of a snow storm, is magical in itself. The storefronts are all decorated as is the town square. The snow cover offered an added air of peacefulness to the town that prides itself on the ideal of peace.
Adding to the family gathering atmosphere at the barn is the communal food table in the merchandise area. Each person is asked to bring a “dish to pass” just like at the potluck dinners of yore. This communal space in what would normally be a garage, is a place for all to gather, share food and talk music. Here, you’ll hear tales of past shows at The Barn or encounters with musicians. This is also the area where the artists’ merchandise is sold, often by themselves after their set, as was the case with Rose Cousins on this night. Cousins was friendly and quick with a joke with each person she dealt with.
Once inside, the Cacciatores took in every inch of the space. Enzo has been in the construction business as a licensed plumber and pipe fitter for almost 40 years. He’s a man who appreciates good construction and good music. He and his wife, April are 17-year veterans of the Poconos Blues Festival and regularly attend the Chenango Blues Festival. His pure appreciation for the architecture of the room was worth the price of admission. He commented that the room is perfectly built for acoustics.
April is a massage therapist and completely took in the arts-centered culture of Woodstock. Those who know April, know she wears her heart on her sleeve and this was clear in her appreciation of the music that she was just being exposed to on this night. She warned earlier in the day that tears may flow early and often throughout the show and while that can’t be proven, the emotion exhibited on stage between Cousins’ and Henry’s sets would lean this writer to believe that there were some tears shed.
Joe Henry is no stranger to this setting. His previous performance at Levon Helm Studios was with British folk/punk troubadour Billy Bragg in 2016 as they were touring their train songs album,Shine a Light. Henry commented during his performance that he and his band don’t view a stop at The Barn as just another tour stop. He likened it to being at a church, deserving of reverence.
The fact that a venue such as Levon Helm Studios exists in the age of big sheds and ticket brokers is a miracle in itself. The down-home flavor that accompanies the attendance at a Ramble and the pure magic of the room itself makes this venue a required trip for any music aficionado.
Upcoming shows at Levon Helm Studios include blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland on January 19, The Weight Band on February 17, David Bromberg on March 3, the Zombies on March 9 and Jorma Kaukonen on March 10. To purchase tickets, you must visit the studio’s website. You will not receive a physical ticket, but rather a wristband with a number. The number on your wristband determines when you are allowed to enter the venue to claim your spot.
Join the congregation. You won’t regret the services, that’s for sure.
