Real Journalism written by people
There’s a new wave of black artists tearing down, and redefining age-old commandments and narratives about their identities with uncompromising honesty, voice, and talent. One emerging band aims to be part of this movement. Bathe is a Brooklyn based duo comprised of Corey Smith – West and Devin Hobdy, guitarist/producer and singer-songwriter respectively. They met in 2014 while in college, […]
Scott Sharrard is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is perhaps best known as the former lead guitarist and musical director of The Gregg Allman Band, but his journey began long before that. Sharrard grew up in a musical household in Dearborn, Michigan. His father, also a musician, encouraged Scott from an early age by frequently taking him out to see […]
There is great reverence among the British towards certain American songwriters. The cultural impact crater from the US musical asteroid stretches across genres and time, and I’ve been unfortunate enough to bare witness to its effect in drizzly pubs, enduring a dire British approximation of a Johnny Cash impression in an oversized cowboy hat. As much as we fetishize American […]
Martina Arroyo, Kennedy Award ceremony honoree, soprano supreme, who has been a beacon of light and pioneer since the 1960’s and 1970’s, a crossover classical singer with a delightful sense of humor still is in the game. She is a brilliant teacher “go getter”and nurturer through her Martina Arroyo Foundation. This gala event occurred at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter […]
The enormity of unreleased material Prince left behind him is the stuff of legend and the issues around making it available are complicated to say the least—from questions of ownership to the fact that Prince himself (as he made clear during his life) didn’t want his unfinished or abandoned projects made public. Even so, the late master’s heirs and his […]
A bright new venue has blessed the shores of Brooklyn this summer. The Sultan Room, (associated with The Turk’s Inn) is the newest exploration in creative venues to open in Bushwick. The multi-room space features takeaway doner kebab, a sit-down restaurant (The Turk’s Inn), and a beautiful music room, The Sultan Room. It’s impeccably thought-out, well-designed for both sit-down shows […]
Bang! – The Unstoppable Force Meets the Immovable Object From Oil City Confidential I’m listening to the latest Wilko Johnson record called Blow Your Mind. A few years before that, I listened a lot to his previous album Going Back Home, a joint venture with Roger Daltrey, The Who singer. And way before that, I listened to his various Wilko […]
Lois Wang, a soon-to-be 12th-grader at BASIS Independent Brooklyn, scored a 99 of 100 on her cello solo at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Spring Evaluation Festival. She played on a Level VI performance level, which is the highest, most difficult level one can do, according to the school’s music teacher, Luis Ingels. An adjudicator noted her […]
A BRIEF HISTORY OF VOODOO FEST So, it’s early July and you, for some reason, are already planning your Halloween night activities. Good for you, you forward-thinking person! It’s time for a trip to New Orleans for Voodoo Fest. But what IS Voodoo Fest? Officially named the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience, Voodoo Fest has become a Halloween destination for […]
July is upon us and there are a ton of concerts to get to this summer. Stop by Bene’s Record Shop to hear some Free Jazz Stylings or get into Jalopy to hear some fine roots and blues music. The free shows continue at Prospect Park Bandshell as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn summer festival: Mick Jenkins and Leikeli47 will […]
Playing music live in a band is one of the greatest sensations a living being can experience; when it is right, there is really nothing quite like it. It can take the listeners and players to great spiritual heights, cure depression, even save one from a serious illness. Some folk are even able to mix this pleasure with varying degrees […]
While the African American impact on jazz is recognized and well established, the contribution of Italian immigrants on jazz is not. Italians arrived in America playing mandolin, violin, guitar and piano. They brought traditions of Southern-Italian marching bands, opera and folk histories. Whether Neapolitan, Sicilian or Calabrese, they understood passion and romanticism in music. And the Italian propensity for humor […]
On March 29th and 30th, the Live Composition Festival was held at the Gemini & Scorpio loft in DUMBO. Over two days, 11 groups presented varying sets that presenting different approaches to “live composition” (also known as “sound painting” or “conduction”), which is a method of signs and signals communicated to a group of performers by a conductor in the […]
