NYS Music 2024

Tag: live shows

  • KRS-One to Headline 4th Annual Tour For Life Concert At The Brooklyn Monarch

    This Sunday at The Brooklyn Monarch, MC’s better act like they know, as KRS-One headlines the annual Tour For Life concert this Sunday, August 18. Uniquely, Tour For Life is essentially a rap concert that also advocates for mental health awareness within the hip-hop community. At each stop, on-site therapists offer free sessions, live art, giveaways, community mending art projects, and performances. Presented by Full Blast Booking, a Connecticut-based booking company that specializes in booking tours, Tour For Life has raised over $60,000 for mental health non-profits over the past three years. Hence, this year’s tour will be raising money for organizations such as Mental Health Connecticut.

    KRS will headline Tour for Life this Sunday August, 18.

    Tour For Life’s Final Weekend

    Yet, Brooklyn will be the final stop for Tour for Life. This weekend’s performances, from August 15 – 17,  will see Tour For Life make stops in various neighboring east coast states including Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Meanwhile, performances will feature hip-hop headliners Sage Francis, Billy Danze of M.O.P., and Rome Streetz. Supporting this stop on the tour will be artists such as, Duece Bug, Konflik, Sosoon + Tony Dimes, DTaylz, Neema MC, Mickey Bourbon, Mic Hoffa, and more.

    With this intention, Tour for Life also works to provide a platform for legendary headliners, as well a the many talented and independent artists from all over the nation. Thus, with the tour’s final stop will see hip hop pioneer/legend KRS-One replace initial headliner Redman. However, with one of the most comprehensive discographies in hip hop as well as a bevy of thought-provoking lyrics, KR-One is no stranger to nuance nor the healing properties of rap music.

    Tour for Life Dates and Lineups

    8/15 Manchester, NH- The Shaskeen feat. Sage Francis + Akrobatik

    8/16 Providence, RI- Alchemy feat. Billy Danze of M.O.P.

    8/17 Hamden, CT- Cellar on Treadwell feat. Rome Streetz

    8/18 Brooklyn, NY – The Monarch feat. KRS-One (+ surprise guests)

    Set to begin at 6:00 p.m. at 23 Meadow St, tickets for Tour for Life’s closing weekend can be found on Full Blast Booking’s official website.

  • An Evening With Nas at Albany’s Palace Theatre

    Amidst a slew of tour dates, Nas made a stop at Albany’s Palace Theatre this past Friday (July 19) and delivered an all-encompassing performance. In turn, the normally quiet-kept streets surrounding the Palace felt a simultaneous murmur between 7 and 8 p.m. on Friday night as hip hop fans came out in droves in support of Esco.

    With both floors of the Palace decked out, the legendary rhymer offered a passionate rendition of his biggest hits, album cuts and freestyles.

    An evening with Nas
    Nas performs “Fever,” the opening track from Magic 3

    Backed by longtime tour DJ and friend, Rochester’s own DJ Green Lantern, Nas offered fans a non-linear run through his historic discography. In truth, An Evening With Nas, gave the feel of a distant family gathering. As though Nas was kickin’ it with his hip hop cousins from Upstate.

    The crowd’s appreciation was apparent as the 17-time Grammy-nominee was on the receiving end of the night’s first standing ovation within the first 20 minutes, after a flawless, passionate performance of “N.Y. State of Mind.” Green Lantern played to the lively crowd, riling them up with chants of “hip hop, hip hop,” before dropping the iconic DJ Premier scratches preluding “Nas Is Like” as the crowd roared their approval.

    Nas receives standing ovation
    Nas receives a standing ovation

    Similarly, performances of “Got Ur Self A…,” “Made You Look,” and “You Owe Me” all earned the crowd’s approval. Yet, the most well-received songs are the ones that capture Nas’ soulful essence. For instance, performances of “Life’s a Bitch,” “The World Is Yours” and “If I Ruled the World” had the crowd hung on every word, particularly the latter two which led to a theatre-wide serenade.

    Such was the scene as a noticeably vibrant Esco basked in he and the crowd’s shared catharsis. Afterwards, in a moment of reflection over his long-career, the hip hop mogul thanked his long-time supporters and encouraged the vivacious crowd of about 1500 to “live vicariously through me. I’m still outside.”

    Memorable Moments

    During this period of elation DJ Green Lantern upped it and announced a Nas and DJ Premier album slated for later this year. As the show waned, Nas honored both Prodigy and The Notorious B.I.G with special renditions dedicated to both fallen legends.

    Nas pays tribute to Prodigy
    Nas paid tribute to Prodigy

    A large image of Prodigy appeared on the big-screen as he performed his verse on their classic hit, “It’s Mine.” He later shouted out Biggie before performing a special rendition of “One Love” over the “Sky’s The Limit” beat. Meanwhile a rendition of “Daughters” was cut short as Nas claimed it made him emotional, before transitioning to the more rugged “40-16 Building.” The show closed as the Queens native gave an impassioned performed “One Mic” to applause and shouts not to leave.

  • Rochester Jazz Vocalist Nancy Kelly To Perform In Buffalo Series

    Renowned jazz vocalist Nancy Kelly will inaugurate the Jazz at Richardson Jazz series in Buffalo on Aug 16. Her performance will be inside the Richardson Hotel as part of the “pre-fall” preview performance. Thus Kelly will sing alongside a band including saxophonist Jerry Weldon, organist Dino Losito, and drummer Carmen Intorre, Jr. 

    Nancy Kelly began her career in her hometown of Rochester.

    Namely, Kelly started her career in her hometown of Rochester, NY studying piano, clarinet and voice at the Eastman School of Music. She became a house singer at Jewels, a jazz venue in Philadelphia. Currently, she often appears in other iconic venues such as Birdland, The Blue Note and The Rainbow Room all in NYC. 

    Moreover, she performs in clubs in Los Angeles, Miami and even around the world including France, Switzerland and Turkey just to name a few. She’s released chart topping recordings and in 2020, she was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. 

    Markedly, Jazz at Richardson is the “central hub” for jazz within the buffalo music scene. It is JazzBuffalo’s collaboration with the Richardson Hotel and the Douglas Development Corporation, inviting artists to perform indoors and outdoors at the hotel. JazzBuffalo or Greater Buffalo Jazz Society, mission is to make more performances like this possible. The non-profit organization has continued to build a new jazz audience since it was founded in 2011. 

    To purchase tickets to the star-studded performance, you can purchase tickets on eventbrite.

  • Second Annual Meadowlark Festival Confirms Lineup

    Meadowlark Festival — the Stone Ridge, NY three-day festival of indie, roots, and countercultural music that benefits farmers in Hudson Valley and nationwide — confirms its lineup for its 2024 fall festival.

    Set for September 13-15, the 3-day event will feature performances from indie rock icons Blonde Redhead, NPR Tiny Desk concert alum and Hudson Valley artist Laura Stevenson, NYC garage rockers and Yep Roc artists Daddy Long Legs, Kentucky songwriter Joan Shelley, Boston Music Award-nominated blues guitarist Ryan Lee Crosby, the “sweetly flavored folk-pop” music of Fruit Bats, WXPN-named “Artist to Watch” Slaughter Beach, Dog, Newport Folk Fest favorites Deer Tick, the psychedelic space rock of KidBess & The Magic Ring, along with Honeycrush and Lulu Lewis. Also performing are the “first couple of Americana” Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, and artsy Manhattan garage-rockers Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage, with a special guest set for reveal as the festival draws closer.

    Lineup for the 2nd annual Meadowlark Festival revealed

    All in all, the 2nd annual Meadowlark Festival continues to garner support for farmers local and nationwide and supports organizations who are aligned with the values of promoting food security and advocacy for local farms. These organizations include Farm Aid, Rondout Valley Growers Association (RVGA), and Hudson Valley Center For Food, Culture & Agriculture. The festival takes place at Stone Ridge Orchard & Farmers Market, a 200-year-old working farm on 115 acres.

    Moreover, tickets for Meadowlark Fest 2024 are on sale on the festival website, with prices ranging from an early bird special and day-of pricing. For instance, a 1-Day general admission early bird ticket costs $70, but will be $100 on the day of, with similar rules set for parking passes.

    Meadowlark Festival will take place at Stone Ridge Orchard & Farmer's Market.
    Meadowlark Festival to take place at Stone Ridge Orchard & Farmer’s Market

    Additionally, Meadowlark Fest will feature local artisans, food vendors, award-winning artisanal hard apple ciders, and more with more details to come. Less than two hours north of New York City and a twenty-minute car ride from the Kingston Metro North railroad station, Stone Ridge Orchard and Farmers Market in the scenic Roundout Valley sits between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill mountain range in the Hudson Valley region.

  • Graham Nash Brings ‘More Evenings of Songs and Stories’ To Carnegie Hall This Fall with Special Guest Judy Collins

    Legendary musician Graham Nash will be bringing his “Graham Nash – More Evenings of Songs and Stories” tour to the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at the historic Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, October 1. Set for an 8:00 p.m. start time, Nash, a founding member of both The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash, will be performing a body of work spanning over six decades that includes a litany of monumental recordings.

    Graham Nash to perform at Carnegie Hall
    Graham Nash to bring ‘More Evenings of Songs and Stories’ tout to Carnegie Hall

    Additionally, the Carnegie Hall audience will be treated to a special guest in Judy Collins, whose own legendary body work spans more than seven decades. In light of his special performance tickets have already gone on sale on the Carnegie Hall official website. Ticket prices range from $69, $89, $99 and $149.

    Graham Nash will be bringing Judy Collins on stage as a special guest at Carnegie Hall
    Judy Collins’ legendary career has seen her remain active for over seven decades

    Moreover, Nash offered a preview to the midtown-Manhattan venue’s crowd making an unannounced appearance at Crosby, Stills, and Nash tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Monday, May 13. Although Nash wasn’t officially on the bill, he came out at the end of the night to perform a moving rendition of “Our House.”

    For his part, Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has seen rock history unfold at some of its seminal moments. After all the Blackpool-bred musician began making history during the launch of the British Invasion with his work with CSN, while perfecting his craft during the birth of the Laurel Canyon movement a year later. An extraordinary Grammy Award winning renaissance artist – and self-described “simple man” – Nash has contributed a wealth of songs to the soundtrack of our lives. Moreover, the “I Used to Be a King” singer is a two-time inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, for his work with CSN and his work as a solo artist.

    Similarly, the eternal Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism throughout her extensive career. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence continues to shine brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.

  • Albany’s Palace Theatre Presents An Evening With Nas this July

    Few rappers boast the resume of Nas. After all, with a career spanning over three decades, 14 studio albums — 8 of which have gone multi-platinum — the Queens native is one of the few rappers with the resume to make a claim as hip hop’s GOAT. The 16-time Grammy nominee continues to stave off father time, remaining as prolific as ever. With a catalog bevy of hits, classic hip-hop cuts and poignant story-telling, Nas remains in demand. In turn, the legendary rapper, mogul, actor, executive producer and co-founder of Mass Appeal Records will make his way to Albany’s Palace Theatre in a showcase dubbed “An Evening With Nas.”

    Nas Palace Albany theatre

    An Evening With Nas: What to Know

    The hip hop legend returns to the Palace Theatre on Friday, July 19 in a performance that is sure to feel like a homecoming for the Magic rapper. All in all, the capital region maintains an intense appreciation for classic hip hop and the boom bap sound. Moreover, New York’s upstate region spearheaded the return of the raw, gritty New York City sound that permeated during hip hop’s golden era.

    However, Nas isn’t here to relive old glories. Having recently released Magic 3 — completing two simultaneous three-album runs with Hit-Boy — he remains a prominent force in the hip hop diaspora. Therefore, while fans will surely await classic cuts like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “I Gave You Power,” and “One Mic,” there will be those just as eager to hear cuts from Nas’ latest run. From his Grammy-winning King’s Disease and its subsequent series to the trilogy of Magic tapes, “An Evening with Nas” will present fans with nonstop content. Above all, Nas remains at the heart of the genre for loyalists and guests alike.

    Tickets for “An Evening With Nas” at the Palace Theatre in Albany go on sale Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. Moreover, tickets are also available for purchase at the Palace Theatre Box Office (located at 19 Clinton Ave). Box Office hours are Monday – Friday Noon to 5 p.m. as well as select days and hours.

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