NYS Music 2024

Tag: news

  • “Pride in Times Square” Returns This June

    Playbill and the Times Square Alliance have announced they will partner for the third annual Pride in Times Square celebration of free events on June 28 and 29, 2024. 

    Pride in Times Square

    Last year’s Pride in Times Square included top stage and screen celebrities, talent from Broadway/Off-Broadway productions, local Times Square business promotions, Pride Piano Bar sessions, live DJ sets, the return of The Big Broadway Disco, and more. 

    Founded in 1992, the Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square, cultivating the creativity, energy, and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture, and urban life for over a century. It keeps the neighborhood safe and clean, promotes local businesses, manages area improvements, and produces major annual events, like Pride in Times Square. Founded in 1884, Playbill is an internationally known trademark synonymous with theatre and is a symbol of the arts. Playbill Magazine is distributed to every Broadway theatre, most Off-Broadway theaters, regional theaters, and fine arts institutions in over 24 cities across the country.

    Pride in Times Square 2024 promises to be another exciting event and a great addition to New York City’s celebration of Pride at the Crossroads of the World. On Sunday, June 30, the Playbill Pride Float returns to the NYC Pride March, supporting their partner Heritage of Pride (Pride NYC).  Customized double-decker buses from some of the event’s sponsors will also join the Pride March, rounding out an amazing weekend of diversity, equity, education, and celebration.

    Past Pride in Times Square events have attracted nearly 800,000 attendees and social media coverage garnering over 1.05 million social impressions. The third day, centered on one of the world’s largest Pride marches, had an attendance at 2023 Pride March of 2.4 million people.

    “Playbill is extremely proud to take part in our third annual Pride celebration in the heart of New York City with our fantastic partner, the Times Square Alliance,” said Alex Birsh, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Playbill. “For ten years, we have been honored to change our iconic yellow design to recognize the Pride Flag colors, celebrating this expansive and important community. And this year, we are even prouder to celebrate with another activation that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies in Times Square. Playbill aims to be a leader in our community, and we look to this event to continue our tradition of standing with and behind our LGBTQIA+ friends, family, and allies. Here’s to an amazing celebration with our partners, sponsors, and the entire Broadway community.”

    For more information about the Times Square Alliance, and to find more Pride events happening around the city this June, visit here.

  • American Symphony Orchestra To Give Rare Performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder at Carnegie Hall

    Musical Director Leon Botstein will lead the American Symphony Orchestra in a rare performance of the massive Gurre-Lieder orchestral composition on March 22. The concert will be held at Carnegie Hall and marks the 150-year anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg’s birth.

    Performances of Gurre-Lieder are very rare due to its massive orchestral size of over 200 musicians. The American Symphony Orchestra will honor Arnold Schoenberg, the mind behind the cantata.

    The performance also celebrates the 150th anniversary of Schoenberg’s birth, and the centennial of Gurre-Lieder’s 1913 world premiere in Vienna. The grand concert also marks the closing of the ASO’s 2023-2024 season at Carnegie Hall.

    Arnold Schoenberg

    The guest artists of the performance are soprano Felicia Moore, mezzo-soprano Krysty Swan, and tenor Dominic Armstrong. Along with these talented individuals are also tenor Brenton Ryan, bass-baritone Carsten Wittmoser, and bass-baritone Alan Held.

    The performance of Gurre-Lieder is nothing short of grand. The American Symphony Orchestra will certainly put on an unforgettable show, with hundreds of talented musicians displaying each intricate sound of the cantata.

    The American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

    For more information on ASO, please visit americansymphony.org. To purchase tickets for the March 22 show, click here.

  • Gramercy Arms Announce Latest Power Pop Single, “After the After Party”

    NYC-based Indie-pop group Gramercy Arms has announced the release of their latest single, “After the After Party.” The track is also the opening tune on their upcoming album, The Making Of the Making Of.

    The “revolving” collective is masterminded by Dave Derby and producer, Ray Ketchem. The latest single is a yearnful power-pop work of art about regret and missed opportunities. The latest Gramercy Arms track was produced, recorded and mixed by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording in Montclair, NJ. This record was mastered with help from award-winning engineer Greg Calbi.

    Gramercy Arms has an interesting ability of making a sad song feel happy, and vice versa. “After the After Party” does exactly that. The tune has upbeat, poppy guitar and vocals, but with a note of melancholy. The indie and alternative guitar tones allow for a glimpse of nostalgic regret to sneak in. Those same guitar tones allow for a summery reminiscence within a soup of blueness.

    Stay updated on Gramercy Arms and their upcoming album, The Making Of the Making Of. For more information on the band’s single, and other projects, click here.

  • Diane Warren Set to Receive Johnny Mercer Award at Songwriters Hall of Fame

    The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Diane Warren as the 2024 recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award this Summer. The prestige takes place at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC.

    The Johnny Mercer Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The award is reserved for a songwriter who has already been inducted in a prior year. The inductee’s body of work must uphold the gold standard of quality and impact set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. Diane Warren was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. 

    Diane Warren has written countless hits including nine #1 and 33 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. She is tied for having written the most #1 songs as a sole writer in Billboard history. Some of these songs include, “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” “Un-Break My Heart,” “If I Could Turn Back Time, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” and many others.

    Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $2,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, and SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. To join the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, click here.

    “The songwriting community is filled with many special people who have delivered incomparable songs that have made the world go round. Within that special group of people, Diane Warren is unique; she is a force of nature that, despite her enormous success from ‘Rhythm Of The Night’ to ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ and at least 100 (15!) Academy Award nominations, she shows up to write songs every morning at 8 am! I am delighted to see her receive the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is the gold bar standard. Diane is that and more!”

    SHOF Chairman, Nile Rodgers

  • Saint Vitus Bar Closure Leaves Many Questions

    Members of New York City’s metal scene are scrambling to rebook shows as Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn was shut down by The NYC Department Of Buildings in the middle of Balmora’s set at the Mindforce show on Feb. 16. Many are questioning what happened and what to do next.

    Saint Vitus Bar has been in operation since 2011 but since 2017, the company started receiving complaints about its certificate of occupancy, which got the attention of the city’s building department.

    As Gotham reported, in May and June of 2023, the venue received dozens of identical complaints alleging a lack of maximum occupancy signs, an inappropriate certificate of occupancy, and a missing Public Assembly Certificate of Operation. The complaints started threatening to get the city involved, falling silent until September. This recent complaint sparked the inspection during the metal show.

    As of Friday, September 22, 2023 the following are facts about 1120 Manhattan Avenue know to the public as Saint Vitus Bar: 1) Saint Vitus Bar does not have any maximum occupancy signs posted anywhere, and more often than not they host more people than their allotted maximum capacity. 2) Saint Vitus Bar’s most recent Certificate of Occupancy on file with the Department of Buildings does not allow it to operate as an eating/drinking establishment. There is no other Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of No Objection that supersedes their Certificate of Occupancy dated November 12, 1953…I will continue to make this complaint on a daily basis until either the Department of Buildings performs an inspection or until Saint Vitus Bar can remedy their situation.

    Recent complaint excerpt- reported by Metal Injection

    The main question plaguing the venue owners and staff is who could have made these complaints. Do they have some personal vendetta against the venue? Why would the DOB come during the show? As one of the last independent venues operating in the city, it is a loss for the underground community. Bands scheduled for February and March now have to cancel shows and find new venues, which is difficult in a city like New York where acts are booked months in advance.

    With the fishiness of the similar complaints, people believe it might be one disgruntled community member who was upset by the noise. Obviously, the venue needs to get their paperwork and rules in order, but hopefully, this isn’t the end of Saint Vitus.

  • Great South Bay Music Festival is Back with Another Stellar Lineup for This Summer

    Long Island’s largest and longest running four-day music and art festival is back with another groovy lineup. The Great South Bay Music Festival will host their 16th anniversary at Shorefront Park in Patchogue, NY. The festival is sponsored by Voodoo Ranger.

    The Great South Bay Music Festival in 2019

    The elite festival will take place July 18 through 21 and will host a wide variety of artists of many genres. Contemporary and classic rock, jazz, jam, blues, Americana, ska, reggae, alternative and funk will be represented this summer with over 60 featured artists.

    Also included in the festival are several draft beer and wine tents, along with a food court of diverse selections. A craft market will also be showcased. The fest will present four very different days of music, with a lineup of headline artists alongside cutting-edge rising stars.

    Great South Bay Music Festival

    Featured artists include blues-rock legend Joe Bonamassa, Jim Messina of Buffalo Springfield, and phenom guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. Saturday is Jam Day and continuing the Grateful Dead Live Concert Experience as no one else can, is Dark Star Orchestra. Newly added acts include Start Making Sense, Aqua Cherry, Funkin A, Enrose, Rob Europe, Chris Ruben Band, Lex Grey & Urban Pioneers, Stanton Anderson Band, Imposters, Drop The 4, Chloe Halpin, & IRIEspect.

    The Disco Biscuits support with their brand of “Trancefusion”, bridging the gap between electronic music and jam bands. Also appearing is Asbury Park New Jersey’s famed quintet: Dogs In A Pile, Dopapod, psychedelic indie-rocker Karina Rykman and more.

    Closing out the Great South Bay Music Festival is legendary rock group YES. Accompanying the Sunday stage is Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, and Talking Heads Tribute: Start Making Sense.

    Great South Bay Music Festival

    Festival Times:

    Thursday, July 18: Doors are at 3:00 pm, fest goes till 10pm.

    Friday, July 19: Doors are at 3:00PM, music till 11pm,

    Saturday July 20.: Doors are at 1:00pm, music till 11pm,

    Sunday July 21: Doors are at 2:00pm with performances till 10pm.

    Ticket price includes all concerts and entertainment. Food and beverages not included. Children under 10 are free. For more information on The Great South Bay Music Festival and tickets, click here.

  • Guitar Masters Festival to Return to NYC in April with Fantastic Lineup

    Charles Carlini Presents has announced the return of the inaugural Guitar Masters Festival in NYC this April. The bash lasts for five days from April 25 to 29, featuring a lineup curated with some of the world’s most exceptional guitarists, celebrating the art of string mastery.

    Guitar Masters Festival

    The show will kick off at the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium with the wildly talented acoustic guitarist Kaki King. The following night will take place at Klavierhaus with six wonderous guitarists scheduled to perform. These artists are Steve Cardenas, Joel Harrison, Brad Shepik, Max Light, Pete McCann, and Grant Gordy. This entire show will be a diverse showcase of musical talent.

    Guitar Masters Festival
    Guitarist Gilad Hekselman

    Audiences can expect to be dazzled by several genres, styles, and musical artists throughout the progression of the event. The final night, April 29 will see a large lineup of top-of-the-line jazz musicians performing all-time hits for audience enjoyment.

    Charles Carlini, the visionary behind the event, has an enthusiastic hope for an amazing, unforgettable music experience with only the best guitarists in the world. The Guitar Masters Festival is one to attend, and Carlini hopes to continue the tradition every year.

    Featured Guitarist Badi Assad

    For more information on the event or to buy tickets, visit GuitarMastersFestival.com

  • An Intriguing Glimpse into Cosby Gibson’s Videography and Musicianship

    Songwriter Cosby Gibson has released two videos to her YouTube channel to display both her music and the everyday activity of a songwriter. The music and videography are carried out with unique expression and inspiration.

    An Intriguing Glimpse into Cosby Gibson's Videography and Musicianship

    Cosby Gibson is an award-winning performing songwriter who lives near the Adirondack Mountains. She writes unique, original acoustic and folk-style songs on guitar and dulcimer. GRAMMY balloted, and winner Capital District Music Awards for Best Folk Album, 2017 and 2018.

    She’s won Dorn Space Arts Award for Music Outreach, 2019, Best Folk Album, 2021, and Outstanding Folk Artist in 2023, and has been a nominee for the Eddies Music Awards for Best Folk Duo in 2023.

    Cosby’s first video, “Day in the Life: A Song Writer’s Day Off,” details everyday activity that she participates in. The 15-minute video shows how Cosby creates and practices her music, delving into the ways she recharges and unwinds. The video also emphasizes the means in which she becomes inspired and how nature connects musical idea and artistic expression beautifully.

    Gibson is seen in the video performing various tasks like making breakfast, taking in the atmosphere of the outdoors and doing laundry, showing that inspirations can be drawn from all types of activity.

    “It’s almost as if Cosby composes from another time; simpler, more honest, more concise, without frivolous self-importance…Follow Cosby’s footsteps through the forest, to a cabin with a stone fireplace, warm and inviting.”

    Greg Jackson, Upstate Live

    The second video Cosby Gibson posted is a music video for the “The Hollow Crown,” an uplifting folk tale of kings and queens and knights who fought over the “hollow crown.” In the video, Cosby tells the story of how the once sought-after crown, became one that brought upon evil and misfortune. The tune is joyful, with a solemn background.

    The tune ends on peaceful notes, and the music video does as well. The hymn is quite catchy and is reminiscent of a story book of sorts.

    For more information on Cosby Gibson and to hear some more of her works, click here.

  • Musical Memories Café in West Falls Gains Big Recognition

    Musical Memories Café (MMC) has announced its recognition by ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center as an Innovative and Exemplary Respite Program for three years. As one of only four organizations to receive this recognition in the US, MMC was praised for effectively “supporting multiple generations of caregivers and family, including extended families, of persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

    Caregivers and their loved ones enjoying the music and a meal.

    Recognition includes an honorarium, usage of the ARCH logo and registration, travel and hotel costs to attend the National Lifespan Respite Conference in Albany, NY, May 21-23,  2024. Musical Memories Café Executive Director Carolyn Panzica was selected to present at this conference on  “Musical Memories Cafe: Innovation, Impact, Replication, and Sustainability.”  

    In 2014, founders Carolyn and Bill Panzica launched Memory Cafe at the West Falls Center for the Arts. By applying their business and franchising know-how and experience as both caregiver and nonprofit managers, the West Falls Memory Cafe quickly became a thriving nonprofit program. From this success, Carolyn and Bill created Musical Memories Cafe to empower other nonprofits in WNY and beyond.

    Musical Memories Café (MMC) offers a beautiful meal and musical entertainment created especially for caregivers and their loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. They enrich lives by collaborating,  inspiring, and educating through music and making an unforgettable experience available to those who truly need it but may not have access. West Falls Performing Arts Center programs include: 1. Musical Memories Café – West Falls Center, 2. Harmonica, ukulele, and guitar lessons for  Military Veterans and their families, and 3. Kids Jam for children and adolescents to learn from and play along with professional musicians.

    There is a growing body of knowledge about the positive impact of music on individuals with   Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

    Carolyn Panzica said, “We hope this recognition will encourage other nonprofits to consider offering a Musical Memories Café in their community. We have seen how this transcendent experience enriches the lives of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia and their caregivers. More communities need respite programs that  offer in-person, loving companionship, a therapeutic approach backed by research, and a lasting community  (virtual and in-person) with others facing similar challenges.”  

    ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center is a national organization charged with “assisting and promoting the development of quality respite and crisis care programs in the United States.” 

    Your shared respite model seems especially effective in supporting multiple generations of caregivers and family, including extended  Musical Memories Café Recognition families, of persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The strong evaluation you conduct uses psychometrically sound measurement tools to assess caregiver intensity and caregiver needs and to show positive outcomes for caregivers. Notably, you also use data in a formative way to guide referrals to other  needed services and to tailor day-to-day services according to the needs of individual care recipients and their families.

    Jill Kagan, Director of the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center.

    To learn more about Musical Memories Café, visit here.

  • Upstate Films Announces Grand Opening of “The Mark” in Saugerties

    The Hudson Valley will soon have a new world-class venue as Upstate Films has announced the grand opening of The Mark – a brand new screening room above the Orpheum Theatre in Saugerties.

    The Mark is an intimate 99-seat space featuring outstanding sightlines, comfortable seats, and top-of-the-line cinema audio and live sound systems. The theater was designed by the acclaimed acoustic consulting and architectural design firm WSDG, based in Highland, NY. WSDG is one of the world’s leaders in the creation of audio facilities. 

    The Mark’s most notable elements are its acoustics with its Dolby Atmos sound system, engineered with WSDG and cinema specialist Dave Berti, which provides precision sound that envelops the audience, immersing them in the heart of the film. The acoustics in the geometric room are crafted with artisanal care and the latest sound engineering technologies. The live sound system has been designed by WSDG in partnership with Blaze Audio, for outstanding performances. 

    The theater is named in honor of the late Mark Braunstein, the visionary founder of Markertek, a beloved member of the mid-Hudson Valley arts community, and a generous philanthropist. WSDG, led by John Storyk, has previously designed venues and studios for Bruce Springsteen, UCLA, Lincoln Center, Spotify, Jay-Z, MTV, Alicia Keys, NYU, and, at the beginning of Storyk’s career, Jimi Hendrix.

    We are immensely proud to be part of this project. Communities need theaters more than  ever, and this theater will rival professional executive screening rooms anywhere in the nation. This is a  project my dear friend Mark Braunstein would have loved to have supported—he understood the importance of gathering together to celebrate the arts and culture. It is an honor to dedicate our work to Mark.

    John Storyk

    Upstate Films was founded in 1972 in Rhinebeck, New York. In the past 51 years, it has provided millions of filmgoers with life-altering, inspiring, and connective experiences, remaining one of the nation’s most prominent rural art-house cinemas. In addition to the Orpheum Theatre, Upstate Films operates the Starr Cinema in Rhinebeck Village, and its touring program has visited Catskill, Kingston, Hudson, Saugerties, Rhinebeck, Kinderhook, and Woodstock.

    “Every community deserves a great gathering place,” said Jason Silverman, co-executive Director of Upstate Films. “The Orpheum has inspired generations of people from our region. The Mark will make a great space even better—we think it’ll be one of the best and most exciting venues to fully experience a movie anywhere. Working with WSDG and John and honoring Mark Braunstein—an extraordinarily generous man— has given this project a lot of soul.”  

    The Orpheum, a central feature of the Main-Partition Streets National Historic District, was built in 1908 as a roller rink, vaudeville house, and community center. It was converted into a movie theater in 1918 and served for a century as the center of communal life for Saugerties. Upstate Films purchased The Orpheum in 2021 and completed its first phase of renovations, including technical, safety, and environmental updates, a new lobby, and a spectacular new audio system in its large theater.

    The Mark’s Grand Opening celebration runs Friday, March 15 through Wednesday, March 20, with a special program exploring the room’s acoustics on Wednesday, April 10. The festivities include three open house events featuring Atmos short films and free refreshments, a silent film with live accompaniment, comedy, the launch of “All Singing, All Dancing,” (a new series of classic musicals), and new and classic Atmos films. 

    A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15 at the Orpheum, 200 Main Street, Saugerties. For more information, visit here.

    Grand Opening Program

    Monday, March 11-Friday, March 15  

    Friday, March 15  

    5 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony (details to come) 

    5:15-6:30 p.m. Open House at The Mark: free short films, popcorn and soda 

    7 p.m. Silent film: THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton, 1926) with live music by Anvil Orchestra / $10/$14 

    Saturday, March 16  

    Noon-2 p.m. Open House at The Mark: free short films, popcorn and soda 

    2:30 p.m. DUNE: PART 2, in Atmos / $7-$11 

    6:30 p.m. $5 community screening: LA LA LAND in Atmos (2023) 

    8:30 p.m. Upstate Comedy Club (local comedy showcase) 

    Sunday, March 17  

    Noon to 2 p.m. 30-minute clip show on repeat (free admission and popcorn)

    2:30 p.m. DUNE PART 2 (2024, in Atmos) $7-$11 

    6 p.m. $5 community screening: RRR (dir. S.S. Rajamouli, 2022, 187 min) 

    Monday, March 18  

    6 p.m. RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCE (2023, 168 min.) / $7-$11 

    Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday March 20  

    7 p.m. Musical series “All Singing, All Dancing: HIGH SOCIETY, introduced by Katie Cokinos 

    Wednesday, April 10  

    7 p.m. The Magic of the Mark: An Evening with John Storyk and Elliot Scheiner FREE / reservations strongly recommended