NYS Music 2024

Tag: New Album

  • Grateful Dead Take One Last Step Back in the Carrier Dome: 10/20/84

    On Octorber 20, 1984, The Grateful Dead played their third and final show at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse. It would be the last East Coast show of their Fall 1984 tour, following two nights at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ a few nights prior. Playing to a clearly packed Dome, the Dead throw down a vintage show full of original classic and noteworthy cover songs.

    After a brief warmup, the band jumps headlong into a bubbly and downright perky “Bertha.” Brent Mydland is engaged right from the get-go and peppers this one with soulful organ fills throughout before Jerry Garcia takes his first prolonged guitar solo of the evening. It’s not quite a segue, but at song’s end there is an immediate shift to “Greatest Story Every Told” with Bob Weir taking over on lead vocals and Mydland supplying harmonies. Garcia’s tone, again, sounds immaculate on guitar, providing a thick, funky vibe to this one. Once completed, after a brief tuning lull, Garcia starts up “West L.A. Fadeaway” and the Dead are off and running again in the Carrier Dome. It’s a somewhat slow and moody “Fadeaway” that works nicely in this early slot in the first set and even features some slight vocal effects.

    Things shift back to a bluesy mood with Weir taking back the mic on a classic run through of “C.C. Rider.” The full band soon gets involved and this is a version that reeks of blues and stretches out naturally. At it’s conclusion, Weir plays the role of traffic cop and leads everyone’s favorite crowd instruction for those crammed up front in “Take A Step Back,” replete with super echoey vocal effects for good measure.

    With this seemingly resolved, the band then leaps into a pleasant and lively “Ramble On Rose” with Garcia belting out the lyrics flawlessly. However, afterwards, Weir gets even more dire and serious with a second and third renditions of “Take A Step Back” that seems to be for the benefit of the crowded “bug-eyed” folks up front at the behest of the fire marshal. It’s pretty remarkable that a venue as massive as the Carrier Dome can have the floor fill up to near fire-hazard capacities.

    Grateful Dead in Concert at the Carrier Dome, 20 October 1984

    After a quick jaunt through “My Brother Esau” that almost sounds like it’s cut off preemptively at the end, “Birdsong” then starts the ending sequence of the first set with a poignant version that again sees Garcia up to the task on vocals. This one bobs and weaves for a while enjoyably before eventually straightening out, eliciting a long round of applause from the Syracuse faithful.

    There would be time for only one more number in this set and the Dead make it count and then some with a pristine “Jack Straw.” Garcia and Weir belt out the poignant lyrics from the outset on this one before it slowly intensifies into its usual pace with Garcia leading the charge with some impeccable work on the fret board. Once finished, Weir notifies the crowd that they’ll be right back and makes one more plead for everyone to “take a step back” before they leave the stage. Was the floor just oversold? People sneaking in from the sides? Maybe a little of both.

    The second set later begins with an audio clue of sorts, as some signature funked out tuning licks give way to a full fledged “Shakedown Street.” The Dead rip through the composed section which contains some more echoey vocal effects, clearly taking advantage of the Carrier Dome acoustics. This elicits a thoroughly funked out jam that sees the rhythm section fully engaged and on point, led by bassist Phil Lesh. This leads directly into the drum-heavy intro of “Samson & Delilah” in a true segue that’s executed flawlessly. An extended intro fuels a powerful take on this classic Dead number that features some more timely organ fills from Mydland although it doesn’t get stretched out very far, coming to a fairly abrupt stop. Things then get considerably more mellow with a heartfelt take of “He’s Gone,” a nod to the late Pigpen, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. Both the “steal your face right off your head” and “nothing left to do but smile” lyrics get noticeable rounds of applause from the Carrier Dome crowd and Garcia drops some more dazzling guitar licks in the middle of this one.

    “He’s Gone” elicits another soulful, bluesy extended jam which feeds directly into a quasi-bust out of sorts with the return of “Smokestack Lightning.” Before its last performance eleven days ago in Worcester, this one hadn’t been played by the Dead since March of 1972. Some beautiful interplay between Garcia and Mydland highlight this performance which fuels one of the more sizable and extended jams of the evening. Once it begins to dwindle out, this sets the stage for the “Drums” portion of the show with Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, aka The Rhythm Devils, taking center stage on percussion.

    After the rest of the band returns to the stage, the closing leg of the show kicks off with “The Wheel” whose jam serves as the launching pad for a spirited “The Other One” that features some more sublime work on the piano from Mydland early on. It’s one of the more powerful songs of the whole show with Lesh dominating the rhythm on bass while Garcia throws in a bevy of fast-paced licks on guitar. As the jam lessens in intensity, it slowly funnels into a “Black Peter” with Garcia belting out the soulful lyrics flawlessly.

    Instead of getting stretched out, “Peter” shifts almost instantly to a rousing version of “Turn On Your Lovelight.” It sees Weir doing his best Pigpen impression with some soulful, freeform lyrics towards the end as the second set comes to a close. For an encore, the Dead treat the Carrier Dome to a cover of The Beatles’ “Revolution” with Garcia on lead vocals as the third and final show at this iconic Central New York venue comes to a close.

     View this show and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!

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

    Grateful Dead Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY 10/20/84

    Set 1: Bertha-> Greatest Story Ever Told, West L.A. Fadeaway, CC Rider, Ramble On Rose, My Brother Esau, Bird Song, Jack Straw

    Set 2: Shakedown Street-> Samson & Delilah, He’s Gone-> Smokestack Lightning-> Drums-> The Wheel-> The Other One-> Black Peter-> Turn On Your Love Light,

    E: Revolution

  • Hearing Aide: Going Back To Where It All Began by Jeremy Hilliard

    Jeremy Hilliard announced the release of his newest album Going Back To Where It All Began which dropped October 4. The full-length album contains 13 tracks, all of which are originals.

    Jeremy Hilliard peak

    Jeremy is a songwriter and guitarist living in Brooklyn. He tours regularly with his band PEAK, with whom who he has released 2 studio albums. Right off the bat, the title track “Going Back To Where It All Began” sets the tone for the entirety of the album. Hopeful, upbeat, adventurous and homey are words that describe the overall feel and theme of the track.

    “Before Your Love” changes the pace a bit with a more somber and low-tempo sound. You can hear lots of influence from indie-country artists as well as a powerful influence from Tom Petty. Moving onto “Sailor’s Warning,” the track opens with a floaty, indie feel. I’d say this track has a mood somewhere in between the previous two tracks – not quite somber, but not as upbeat – somewhere in between.

    Jeremy Hilliard peak

    Going Back To Where It All Began is a very interesting album. Some tracks are more indie-forward while others are certainly folk or country. Some are reminiscent of an indie artist like Tame Impala, others have clear influence from Tom Petty, The Beatles, and others have influence from folk/country artists like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and more. I find this level of range to be rather impressive and a testament to Jeremy’s talent.

    For more information on Jeremy Hilliard and to hear his recent album Going Back To Where It All Began, click here.

  • Paris, Texas, Brooklyn for Desvelada and Sprælle on New EP

    Brooklyn-based experimental musicians Desvelada and Sprælle have released their first joint EP, escaping from the body of a sleeping hummingbird on label Contain, a podcast and multi-media project based in Austin and Los Angeles.

    Artwork for ‘escaping from the body of a sleeping hummingbird.’

    Born from Austin’s fledgling experimental music scene, Sprælle’s art rock beginnings and distended guitar and production work fold lovingly into Desvelada’s choir upbringing and live vocal processing to create a unique feeling of uncertainty and discomfiture.

    The 5-song EP moves through obscure, sometimes painful natural landscapes – it feels like the pair are here to ask questions to which there are no answers. On opening track épié (‘spied’) Desvelda and Sprælle wade with us through a treacle of confused dreamscape. Who is spying? Who are they spying on?

    The pair say of their work that “spare synth bass and mournful drones create for us a hinterland of abandoned narratives, of characters unsure or unaware or unwilling to see that they are ghosts, but carrying with them a fatigued and defiant air of hope throughout.” épié’s lyrics compound this sense of ambiguity:

    in the labyrinth of my mind (I dreamt of you) / what else is there? / you burn in my being / there is nothing more to say.

    The EP sounds like a kind of reverie of the natural world, or at least some version of it. In tree up ahead, birdsong floats overhead while we, perhaps like the rivers referred to earlier in turn to talk, meander slowly into an anarchic canon of Desvelada’s voice. It feels like the pair want to remind us of the chaos of the natural world and our influence on it.

    Desvelada and Sprælle (photo credit: Anthony Flores)

    Turn to talk is the project’s most joyous moment, spending some minutes finding its feet before slowly expanding into a blissful release. But it is a tentative release, as if the pair are afraid of having whatever it is they have nurtured snatched away again. The production is generally sparse throughout, with playful and sometimes surprising use of pads and tones that you might expect to hear in 80s productions.

    Desvelada and Spraelle cite Tricky (of Massive Attack), Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Berman as influences. This eclecticism underpins the music, with each song carrying a resistance to containment reflecting the natural world that Desvelada and Spraelle want us to think about.

    While asleep, hummingbirds enter a state of torpor – some kind of hibernation – where their body temperature can drop by as much as 50 degrees. Is this how Desvelada and Sprælle feel? Does this torpor reflect, in their eyes, the state of the natural world, as humans encroach inch by mile? Is escaping from the body our only option left?

    Buy on Bandcamp or listen on Spotify to find out.

  • Uncle Ben’s Remedy Releases Sixth Album

    Western New York alternative rock band Uncle Ben’s Remedy have released their sixth album, Saturday Night Swindle.

    Saturday Night Swindle uncle Ben's remedy

    Rooted in the small towns of Western New York, Uncle Ben’s Remedy provides lively performances and unparalleled storytelling to their enthusiastic fanbase throughout the area. With a fascinating blend of punk rock energy and the twang of swampy-backcountry alternative rock, members Ben Westlund, Harmony Griffin, Shawn Huestis, Brendan O’Connor, and Josh Mullin deliver riveting performances of catchy songs and rowdy theatrics time and time again.

    Uncle Ben’s Remedy has returned once more with their newest release, Saturday Night Swindle. Their sixth release since their debut in 2014, the path to this album was not an easy one. With a drummer swap due to their previous decades-long partner having to pass the baton from tinnitus and the recovery of their soundman/busdriver after a bout of cancer, Saturday Night Swindle has certainly been an emotional one to produce- a testament to the band’s dedication to one another and the music they share.

    A masterful entwining of rock, blues, and country sounds, Saturday Night Swindle captures the listener in an indescribable experience of understanding. Perhaps through the emotionally charged lyrics, or the effortlessly moving instrumentals; whatever the reason, Uncle Ben’s Remedy brings you into a conversation that can only be truly communicated through sound. Strings, keys, drums, guitar, horns, vocals that perfectly toe the line between southern twang and alternative rock, and more culminate in Saturday Night Swindle.

    Opening with the narrative-focused “Never Get Caught,” Uncle Ben’s Remedy perfectly balances the story unfolding in the lyrics with kicking instrumentals that perfectly set the tone for the rest of the album, one that promises to take you along for an exciting six track adventure.

    On “From The Outside” and “While Back”, the band leans into the more rock-influenced-country aspect of their sound. “From The Outside” takes on a cowboy on the frontier attitude paired with a concluding echoing duet that reinforces this feeling, the narrator refusing to listen to the words of those meant to tear them down as they trek towards their future unflinchingly.

    “Heartbreaker’s Heart,” leans full-in to the country twang energy with a bright tone and layers upon layers of guitar and strings that practically beg to be stomped along to, and Uncle Ben’s Remedy follows this immediately with “Liquor Wrote These Records”, the kind of song that starts off hard-hitting and concludes by pulling you to the dance floor with an infectious liveliness you can’t refuse.

    The album closes out with “Coming To The Show,” a deeply vulnerable track that perfectly explains why it’s never just music to artists like themselves, wrapping the project in a bow of self-assurance and careful optimism that leaves listeners with a sense of satisfying completion.

    Saturday Night Swindle is out now. To learn more about Uncle Ben’s Remedy their newest release, and future endeavors, visit their website here.

  • National Sawdust Announces Album Playcast Series “Live from National Sawdust” Beginning October 18

    National Sawdust has announced the release of their 3-part album playcast series, Live from National Sawdust. The first of this series to release is Joy on October 18.

    Live from National Sawdust

    Drawing from the countless transportive and transcendent performances presented and recorded live at National Sawdust over the decade since its inception, the series—part playlist, part podcast, part radio show—offers a curated journey through the evolution of contemporary music.

    New Sounds presents playcast selections on its daily show on WNYC Radio and the full playcasts, with commentary from hosts Prestini and Ousley is presented from their YouTube channel. The music featured in the playcasts will also be available on Apple Music Classical.

    Amidst its 10-year Anniversary season recalling the groundbreaking musical and sound-based work shared in one of the best-sounding halls in New York City, National Sawdust now brings these singular performances to listeners everywhere.

    Live from National Sawdust
    Co-Founder Paola Prestini

    The initial drop from this series features pieces that fall under the theme of joy — followed, in November, by Faith, and December, by Healing. For the first time, listeners can experience these vibrant pieces, specially mined from the National Sawdust archive.

    Joy features works by composers including Andy Akiho, Bach, Beethoven,  Magos Herrera, Emma O’Halloran, Caroline Shaw, and Paul Wiancko. The first collection Joy also includes performances from Andy Akiho, Aizuri Quartet, Attacca Quartet, Theo Bleckmann, Magos Herrera, The Refugee Orchestra Project, Brooklyn Rider, Ian Rosenbaum, and Chris Thile.

    As Live from National Sawdust explores its given theme, each episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative processes of artists, blending live performances, studio recordings, and intimate interviews. These playcasts give listeners an immersive experience and takes them on a journey through the minds of the artists and the stories behind the music.

    Host Andrew Ousley

    To listen to the playcast series Live from National Sawdust on October 18, click here. To learn more about National Sawdust and their background click here.

  • Watch Consider the Source “Mouthbreather” off Latest Release “The Stare”

    Consider the Source has released their eighth studio album, The Stare, along with a pro-shot video for the track “Mouthbreather.”

    the stare consider the source

    Formed in 2004 after a particularly successful jam session, Consider the Source has been releasing music and touring the globe for two decades now. Influenced by Turkish, Bulgarian, North and South Indian styles filtered through jazz, rock, and psychedelic sounds, the band’s sound can only be encompassed as “Consider the Source”. 

    The group’s newest release, The Stare, is the product of a story from years prior to Consider the Source’s conception. In 1992 David Prater, the producer of The Stare, worked on the up and coming progressive rock band Dream Theater’s breakthrough album- a work each of the founding members of Consider the Source absolutely fell in love with. Years later the members had found themselves in a band of their own, and in a full circle moment as the new album became a culmination of both the band and Prater’s talents.

    Tour cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic and spread across the country remotely, Consider the Source reached out to Prater after a chance encounter at a small local venue a few years prior that had formed the connection. Excited to return to a semblance of normalcy and routine, the band and Prater collaborated initially over Zoom before eventually road tripping to a house in which the only things to do were eat, sleep, and talk music. 

    The Stare captures the rare energy of the pandemic and the live artist’s experience- all of the creative energy that had been bottlenecked is on full display, and it’s beyond evident in each second of the tracks. It’s a creative feat that defies the emotional limits of isolation, leaving everything out on the metaphorical stage- a product of the pandemic, yes, but also a work that showcases how music is inherently a magnetic force for community and togetherness in the face of uncertainty.

    In addition to the album’s release, Consider the Source has released a pro-shot video for the final track, “Mouthbreather.” A stunning seven and a half minute performance, the band’s showmanship is on full display.

    To see Consider the Source on tour and learn more about their supporting acts as well as acts they’re supporting, visit their website here. The full list of upcoming dates is below.

    TOUR DATES

    09.20  Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA

    09.21  The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA 

    10.02  Lark Hall – Albany, NY 

    10.04  King’s Rook – Erie, PA 

    10.05  Folkfaces Fest – Darien Center, NY

    10.31  Electric Haze – Worcester, MA 

    11.15  Wonder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ

    11.21  The Parlour – Providence, RI

    11.22  Industry – Huntington, NY 

    11.23  The Abbey Bar @ ABC – Harrisburg, PA

    12.12  830 North – Fort Collins, CO

    12.13  Globe Hall – Denver, CO

    12.14  Public House – Crested Butte, CO

  • Tower of Power Announces Holiday Album “It’s Christmas”, Shows in Niagara Falls and NYC

    Legendary soul, funk and R&B powerhouse, Tower of Power, is set to light up the holiday season with a new album and anticipated December tour. The holiday album It’s Christmas releases September 27 and the “Holidays and Hits” tour begins December 3, with stops in Niagara Falls and Manhattan.

    This tour promises to be a joyful journey through Tower of Power’s storied past, blending beloved holiday tunes with the band’s classic hits and fan favorites that have defined their legacy. Alongside iconic tracks like “What Is Hip?” and “You’re Still a Young Man,” fans can expect fresh renditions of timeless holiday songs, delivered with the band’s unmistakable brass-driven sound and signature high-energy performances.

    The “Holidays and Hits” tour begins December 3 in Plymouth, MA, and wraps up on December 21 in Oakland, CA. The tour sees a total of two dates in New York including a stop at the Seneca Niagra Casino & Hotel in Niagra Falls on December 6. Following this, the tour also stops at Sony Hall in New York City on December 8.

    Tower of Power “Holidays and Hits” Dates:

    December 3: Plymouth Memorial Hall, Plymouth, MA

    December 6: Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, Niagara Falls, NY

    December 7: Golden Nugget, Atlantic City, NJ

    December 8: Sony Hall, New York, NY

    December 10: Midland Theatre, Newark, OH

    December 11: Rialto Square, Joliet, OH

    December 13: Capitol Theater, Davenport, IA

    December 15: The Astro, La Vista, NE

    December 17: Lensic Performing Arts, Santa FE, NM

    December 18: The Fox, Tucson, AZ

    December 21: The Fox, Oakland, CA

    The album It’s Christmas contains 11 total holiday-themed tracks. Fans can preorder the album now alongside limited-edition bundles that include a variety of album-specific merchandise and access to an exclusive presale code for the Holidays and Hits Tour. Link to pre-save and preorder can be found here.

    For more information on Tower of Power’s upcoming tour and to purchase tickets, click here.

  • Gooseberry Release Debut Album “All My Friends Are Cattle”

    Indie Brooklyn band, Gooseberry, have released their debut full-length album titled, All My Friends Are Cattle.

    Gooseberry
    Gooseberry continue their buzz with the release of their debut album, All My Friends Are Cattle.

    Gooseberry, formed in 2019, is a band which takes inspiration from genres such as alternative rock, indie, and blues to craft their sound. Asa Daniels (guitar, vocals), Evin Rossington (drums), and Will Hammond (bass) form the group and have played major venues across the east coast including, Baby’s All Right, the Knitting Factory, and The Bowery Ballroom in NYC.

    Since the release of their 2022 debut EP Broken Dance, the trio has received praise from editorials such as Under the Radar, Ones to Watch, and more. In April, Gooseberry announced their debut full-length album, All My Friends Are Cattle. The album was released on Sept 6 and has been steadily growing in popularity since its release. The band has been on tour leading up to the release of the album over Aug and Sept, including four dates in New York.

    “We are super fortunate to call a lot of really great – and buzzing – NYC bands our friends. We feel ourselves part of that community and eternally grateful for being welcomed with such open arms. Our hometown has truly shaped what this band has become.”

    Asa Daniels

    The ten-track album was recorded at Precision Sound Studios in New York City with an all-star production team including, Grammy-winner James ‘Jimmy T’ Meslin (Dream Theater, John Petrucci, Rush), Grammy-nominated engineer Colin Bryson (Zach Bryan, J Balvin, Willow Avalon), who served as producer and recording engineer (reprising his role from the Validate Me EP). They were joined also by Grammy-winner Phil Joly (The Strokes, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk) who mixed the record, and Jennica Best (Colatura) who mastered it. The band’s “honorary fourth member” Dan Janis of Baked Goods, provided saxophone and flute for a handful of tunes.

    The album begins with “Kikiyon,” a harder, driven track with an instantly recognizable riff that pays homage to many classic rock songs over the years, most notably The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” The solo on that song in particular has a distinct feeling to it that sounds much different than what is in vogue. As the album runs on, the songs grow softer and softer ending in the reverb-soaked “Start Over.”

    Though powered by heavy 90s alternative influences, the standout tracks on the album are the gentler, simpler songs, like “Cherry Blossoms,” which remind listeners of artists like Jack Johnson. It is through these tracks that Gosseberry reveals who they can be.

    The album contains a multitude of interesting musical ideas, most notably, the feature of the distinctive blare of the saxophone especially on “All The Same.” Many songs have clear Nirvana, Bush, and other 90’s alt inspiration, but the vocals on the record bear a recognizable similarity to more contemporary pop groups. As with many young bands, Gooseberry is still attempting to find their own sound.

    The kaleidoscopic image on the cover is representative of the entire album in more ways than one. With just a glance, you see a menagerie of colors and feelings, each one notably different from its counterparts. While interesting for a moment, a deeper look renders the full image fractured and without a clear cohesion through all parts. Yet still briefly pretty.

    Key Tracks: Cattle, Cherry Blossoms, One of the Good Ones.

    Gooseberry will play the Richmond Music Hall in Richmond VA on Oct 3 and at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, in NC on Oct 5.

  • Unreleased Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young “Live at the Fillmore East” Hits in October

    Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s 1969 Live at the Fillmore East performances are set to release this October as a double live album. The album boasts recordings from the group’s 1969 concert at the Fillmore East in NYC.

    Crosby Stills Nash and Young Fillmore East

    A newly discovered multi-track recording of the band’s September 20, 1969, concert at the historic Fillmore East in New York City captures an early moment from that first tour is releasing as a double live album on October 25.

    Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young were heavily involved in the creation of this never-before-heard live show. Stills and Young compiled and mixed the original eight-track concert recordings at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles.

    The album was recorded only a month after Woodstock. The concert was the band’s fourth in two days at the Fillmore East and featured both acoustic and electric sets. The setlist spotlights soon-to-be classics from CSN’s self-titled debut and Young’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Helplessly Hoping,” and “Down By The River” to name a few.

    Stills delivers a stunning solo acoustic performance of his introspective ballad “4 + 20.” Nash follows, alone at the organ, singing “Our House” to its inspiration, Joni Mitchell, who was in the Fillmore audience.

    “Hearing the music again after all these years, I can tell how much we loved each other and loved the music that we were creating. We were four people reveling in the different sounds we were producing, quietly singing together on the one hand, then rocking like f**k for the rest of the concert.”

    Graham Nash

    The electric set is powerful and intense, highlighted by expansive versions of “Wooden Ships,” “Long Time Gone,” and “Sea Of Madness.” The band closes the show with “Find The Cost Of Freedom.” This song by Stills would later be released as the B-side to the protest anthem “Ohio.”

    Live At The Fillmore East, 1969

    LP Tracklist

    Acoustic Set

    Side One

    1. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

    2. “Blackbird”

    3. “Helplessly Hoping”

    4. “Guinnevere”

    5. “Lady Of The Island”

    Side Two

    6. “Go Back Home”

    7. “On The Way Home”

    8. “4 + 20”

    9. “Our House”

    10. “I’ve Loved Her So Long”

    11. “You Don’t Have To Cry”

    Electric Set

    Side One

    1. “Long Time Gone”

    2. “Wooden Ships”

    3. “Bluebird Revisited”

    4. “Sea Of Madness”

    Side Two

    5. “Down By The River”

    6. “Find The Cost Of Freedom”

    CD Tracklist

    Acoustic Set

    1. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

    2. “Blackbird”

    3. “Helplessly Hoping”

    4. “Guinnevere”

    5. “Lady Of The Island”

    6. “Go Back Home”

    7. “On The Way Home”

    8. “4 + 20”

    9. “Our House”

    10. “I’ve Loved Her So Long”

    11. “You Don’t Have To Cry”

    Electric Set

    12. “Long Time Gone”

    13. “Wooden Ships”

    14. “Bluebird Revisited”

    15. “Sea Of Madness”

    16. “Down By The River”

    17. “Find The Cost Of Freedom”

    To pre-order the CD of “Live at the Fillmore East” click here. To learn more about the vinyl record, click here.

  • Kate McDonnell Releases New Album “Trapeze” on September 5, Celebrates in Saratoga Springs

    On September 5, Upstate folk artist Kate McDonnell releases her sixth album, Trapeze. To celebrate, McDonnell returns to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs for the album release party on September 20.

    This is the latest release from McDonnell since her last album, Ballad of a Bad Girl, released in 2021. The album explored heavy themes of female gender identity and the relationships that stem from it. This time, the complex, introspective political themes are back in full force and more prominent than ever.

    In this album, McDonnell covers a wide range of topics, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the tragic shootings occurring in the United States. But while these political issues are a central focus of the album, they are by no means the only issues McDonnell sings about. Struggles between family members, personal mental health, the death of a loved one, and leaving your home to pursue an independent life are all abundantly clear themes.

    The opening track, “Pretty Good Day,” begins the album with a deceptively positive note. No matter what the struggles of life mean to her, it’s going to be a pretty good day when she spends time with those who provide a sense of security in the wake of such an isolating time like the pandemic. However, tracks like “All On My Own” and “Madeline” depict those feelings of loneliness, sadness, and depression as clear as day. The album’s finisher, “You Won’t Blow Away,” however, reminds us that even if things do not go our way, or if bad things happen, it is not the end of the world.

    McDonnell’s political tinges don’t end there. The track “Step Right Up” dedicates itself to those who lost their lives to gun violence throughout the United States. As a firm advocate for gun safety laws and ending gun violence, McDonnell pays a wonderful tribute to the children whose lives were lost to gun violence throughout the country.

    On September 20, Kate McDonnell hosts a release party for Trapeze at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Trapeze is out now on all streaming platforms. For more information, visit Kate McDonnell’s website.