Billy Bragg & Joe Henry Ride Train, Release Album Together On Saturday -October 1st, 2016 – Billy Bragg and Joe Henry celebrated the unleashing of their first album recorded as a duo, Shine A Light, with a show at Society of Ethical Culture. Recently these two collaborated on Bragg’s excellent […]
Yearly Archives: 2016
110 posts
First Ever Roots Picnic NYC Is Happening 10-1 & 10-2 This upcoming weekend’s festivities also involve many stars but will not allow non-musicians on stage. The Roots were in wicked form in July at one of my fave annual events – the Lowdown Hudson Music Festival. ROOTS PICNIC: NYC AT […]
5th Annual Global Citizen Festival 9-24-16 Saturday was a mad scene in Central Park as 60,000 turned up to see, by any standard, an impressive lineup of talent. The musical parade in the early going in the afternoon included Demi Lovato, Ellie Goulding, and Major Lazer as well as special […]
Donovan & Brian Wilson Celebrate Fifty Year Anniversaries – Sunshine Superman and Pet Sounds were both released in 1966 and both the Glasgow born troubadour and American genius are marking the landmark releases with tours visiting New York City. Donovan played Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Thursday September 15th, […]
Kangol Kid Honored By New York & Smithsonian – September 10th, 2016 Roxanne Roxanne by UTFO is one of those songs that got tattooed onto popular consciousness. The year was 1984 and the group was out of Brooklyn. It’s difficult to overstate how BIG a song it was. It spawned […]
Peter Wolf Brings A Cure For Loneliness To City Winery – September 8th, 2016 Also September 9th & tonight (September 10th) Peter Wolf’s A Cure For Loneliness is one of my favorite albums of 2016 and he is the kind of performer who I want to see regardless of the […]
As it always is with that most exciting of trios, it was my pleasure to take in the Soulive show a few weeks as part of the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival at Flushing Meadows Park. At that time, Eric Krasno revealed in an interview that he has a Central […]
Stanley Jordan Wows Iridium – August 25th & 26, 2016 Stanley Jordan used to love to sit in with Les Paul at Iridium on Monday nights and he regards the venue as his home in New York. The artist has a long history at the club and added a few […]
Al Di Meola Lets It Rip At BB Kings – (8-23) & 8-24-16 While his fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen was setting up shop about ten miles away on the other side of the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, Al Di Meola brought his Elegant Gypsy Romantic Warrior Electric Tour to […]
Springsteen Reaches New Heights (& Lengths) In Jersey (8-23-16) 8-25-16 & Tonight at Metlife Stadium. “I want to hear that satisfied sound!” – Bruce speaking to the audience at approximately the 3 hour, 50 minute mark of Thursday’s show shortly after refreshing himself by squeezing a sponge over his head. […]
Steve Aoki Talks Hardcore Roots, New Documentary I met the great character that is Steve Aoki at The Roxy Hotel in Tribeca on August 22nd, 2016. He was in New York to do a handful of interviews about the new documentary film, Steve Aoki: I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, that […]
Living Colour Covers Biggie In Stand Against Gun Violence – Who Shot Ya Mixtape Coming Next Month Living Colour have offered a sneak peek at their new video that will accompany their song Who Shot Ya to be released on September 9th as part of an Andre Betts produced mixtape […]
Jill Scott Owns Apollo Debut After Earning It – August 9, 2016 Jill Scott is absolutely radiant these days. She’s killing it on stage with an amazing band as she emphatically showed at New York City’s most historic uptown theater. In the acting domain, she’s the #1 Lady at the […]
Eric Burdon Hits The Mark At City Winery – August 8, 2016 “If you want to find the truth in life, don’t pass music by. You know, you know…I would not lie!” -Eric Burdon from Monterey, 1967 I was a little intimidated to meet Eric Burdon whose voice is nothing […]
Ageless Paul McCartney Conquers MetLife Stadium – August 7, 2016 Paul McCartney puts on a phenomenal show by any standard. The fact that the brilliant artist is doing what he doing at age 74 only adds another level of awe. It was the setlist of doom; 38 songs in all. […]
Garbage Hits Summerstage In Central Park – August 1, 2016 touring behind the new album Strange Little Birds… As I mentioned to Shirley Manson as I was clipping a microphone on her garment last Monday evening, I read an interview with her in the mid 90s in which she was […]
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down In Town Tonight – August 4, 2016 When I spoke with Thao on a lovely afternoon in Austin during SXSX in March, she said that the new record A Man Alive was a much more personal album than she and the band had […]
D Generation Celebrate Comeback Album At Irving Plaza – July 30, 2016 “We always liked bands that had melodic kind of pop songs; groups like The Replacements and Cheap Trick and T-Rex. You’re taking something really nasty with the melody and the two are fighting against each other and you […]
New Documentary Film: Miss Sharon Jones – playing this week in NYC “Her spirit is driven by music, and this was always her source of inspiration to continue onwards, despite the odds. Sharon makes you believe in anything.” – Barbara Kopple As a lover of her music as well as […]
Femi Kuti Brings Positive Force To Prospect Park – July 23, 2016 Swirling, intoxicating polyrhythms emanated from Prospect Park on Saturday night. Undeterred by the wicked New York City heatwave that’s been torching the five boroughs of late, fans of Femi Kuti packed the band shell for a free show […]
Wonderful World With Dr. John, Soulive, Kermit Ruffins – July 16, 2016 Flushing Meadows Park was the venue for the third annual Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival. It was a day to appreciate not only Armstrong’s legacy but the rich musical tradition of his home city New Orleans. Both Kermit […]
Ramones Live At WFUV And At Queens Museum – always but especially this week at WFUV…til July 31, 2016 at Queens Museum This week WFUV is celebrating the Ramones as an essential artist. I’ll be doing a 30 minute set of their music on the air at 90.7 FM NYC […]
Michael Franti & Spearhead Lively Up Times Square at the Playstation Theater – July 15, 2016 Michael Franti has a great attitude; he emanates positivity. Â His live shows are love-ins. That was especially true last week Friday at the Playstation Theater in Times Square as a second stage was set […]
So I collect my cash then slide, I got my back, my gun’s on my side… It shouldn’t have to be like that, I guess it ain’t where you’re from it’s where you’re at – Eric B & Rakim from In The Ghetto off Paid In Full Rakim’s Paid In […]
The Roots Got Lowdown Last Night; Free Festival Continues Tonight July 13, 2016 A genius double bill last night at The Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival with Antibalas and The Roots. Tonight, the free fest continues with Rayland Baxter, Valerie June, and Drive-By Truckers!