New York Music News

We almost Lost Control Again but NYMN used a Sweet Potion to peel away the layers in this intimate interview with Hank and Cupcakes.

2012, New York

Teen sensation Austin Mahone visits the Empire State Building in New York City and let’s us know about his upcoming tour and album.

2012, New York

Opening act Morning Parade wowed the crowd Monday night at the Barclays Center with thunderous, danceable beats, warm vocal harmonies, and staccato guitar parts on songs like “A&E” and “Headlights”, the latter their breakout hit from their self-titled album released earlier this year. “That was our last single,” said lead singer Steve Sparrow, “and this is our next one,” before playing “Under The Stars”, a song that starts out as soft and gentle as an early morning sunrise, then a little past the one minute mark, morphs into a driving beat with a rock growl. Morning Parade is clearly a band on the rise, having already performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno here in the US, and having played Hyde Park for the London Olympics torch relay this summer. Their closing number, “Born Alone”, is the final track on their album, was a good way to say goodnight to the Brooklyn audience. “Can you show me true romance/can you show me how to dance?” Sparrow sang. Morning Parade certainly showed Brooklyn both of those things, and will soon likely show the rest of the world.

Smashing Pumpkins took the stage at 9:00pm and played for a full two and a half hours. “On this tour, we play Oceania (their latest album, released in June of this year) in full, and then if I’m in the mood, we’ll play some of those dusty classics,” said Pumpkins frontman/mastermind Billy Corgan. The Barclays Center crowd reacted with wild applause, hoping to cheer Billy up enough to play some of their favorite tracks from 1993’s Siamese Dream or 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. With other bands, the paying audience is sure to get the radio hits that the band is known for, but with Billy Corgan, it’s always a gamble. Luckily for all who were there (and for those who will see the recorded performance later – there were 3D cameras rolling the whole time for a likely upcoming DVD release), Corgan & Co. started the post-Oceania set with a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and then began knocking out the Pumpkins most beloved radio hits.

They played a furious version of “X.Y.U.”, a b-side from Mellon Collie, that had Billy screaming and beating his chest like a crazed gorilla, then cradling his Stratocaster in his arms like a lost boy holding a teddy bear, at which point he began reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb. Perhaps continuing on his exploration of the innocence of youth, they then played “Disarm”, the hit single that juxtaposes the lyrics “I used to be a little boy,” with “the killer in me is the killer in you.”
Hardcore fans who had purchased the 1996 box set “The Aeroplane Flies High”, or new fans who might have purchased the recently re-released expanded version of Mellon Collie on iTunes, would have appreciated that Billy started mega-hit “Tonight, Tonight” by playing the reprise version found on either of those collections before playing the “proper” version that everyone knows & loves. The Pumpkins had a giant spherical video screen behind them which played the 1902 film “Trip to the Moon” that served as the inspiration for the “Tonight, Tonight” music video that won MTV’s Video of the Year in 1996.
Towards the end of the set, Billy took a break to introduce the rest of the Pumpkins, which may be different than the Pumpkins you remember: Jeff “The Shredder” Schroeder on guitar, Nicole Fiorentino on bass, and 22-year-old Mike Byrne from Portland, OR on drums. “What do hipsters think of drum solos?” Billy asked. He then showed everyone his Tebow pose, later admitting “I’m killing my mystique.” Billy’s mood must have brightened after all, because he next treated Brooklyn to a “new, new, new” song called Dream Machine, a sprawling epic that toggled between soft & reflective and loud & abrasive, as only the Pumpkins can do. “For those of you on drugs, now is a good time to leave, because you’re not going to like this journey,” Billy warned beforehand.
The band came back for an encore, now over two hours in, playing “Eva Adore”, “Cherub Rock”, and closing out the night with “Zero.” Smashing Pumpkins’ tour was officially over, but with Billy’s prolific writing habit, they are likely to be back soon.

You can get Shvona Lavette’s new album Gossamer, in January 2013.

About Shvona Lavette

Shvona Lavette- the Queens, New York native excelled in the arts at an early age. The actress/sing-songwriter was classically trained at Manhattan’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, New York. Despite a rapidly ascending profile in front of the camera as a skilled actress, Shvona remained intent on making her musical dreams a reality. In 2011, she joined the roster with Snoop and Far East Movement at Stampede Management.

For more information on Shvona Lavette, please visit her website, follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

www.shvonalavettemusic.com
www.youtube.com/shvonalavette
www.twitter.com/SHVONALAVETTE
www.facebook.com/ShvonaLavetteMUSIC

2012, New York

FLO RIDA visits New York’s Empire State building and chat’s with New York Music News about what he likes to do in the city and about his new album.
2012, New York

Brian Fennel and Rhett Stonelake of Barcelona sat down with NYMN at Union Square and chatted about the dark songs on their new album Not Quite Yours, the mishaps they’ve encountered on the road, and how to find free practice spaces.

2012, New York

Mateo performs at the Apollo Cafe’s new monthly show where you can get to know the performers in an intimate setting and enjoy the performance. Intimate it was as the ladies swooned when Mateo unleashed his vocal chords upon them. The food was good too, for that post auditorial bliss. Keep your eye on this guy because he’s going to be around for a while, working with Alicia Keys and recently signed to Interscope. Mateo’s powerful voice, good looks and overall great attitude ensures his budding music career to last and no doubt his ability to excite the ladies. We reccomend you check out his new project Suite 823.

Get to know more about Mateo https://twitter.com/mateo and https://www.facebook.com/therealmateo

“The Music Café is designed to attract intergenerational and forward-thinking artists and audiences alike. Featuring diverse performances across a myriad of genres — R&B, hip-hop, soul, jazz, pop, funk, and rock, the monthly series showcases artists from the independent music scene; some of the most talented, under the radar artists destined to impact the way music is heard and experienced. Some Music Café presentations will complement Apollo Music Main Stage events, such as Africa Now. The Music Café shows will be presented From October 2012 through June 2013 this season.” -Apollo Music Café

2012, New York

New York Music News Interviews John O’Regan aka Diamond Rings.

2012, New York

2012, New York

2012, New York

 Alison Sudol, also known as A Fine Frenzy, has sold more than 650,000 albums worldwide. With her newest album, “PINES,” she has crafted an imaginative fable—a response to our accelerating pace of life in the 21st century. The story is further realized with a companion book, “The Story of Pines.” Join us for a moderated discussion with Alison, then stick around as she reads from the book, takes a few questions from the audience, and plays a short set.

(Oct 9, 2012 — New York, NY) Capitol Records releases PINES, a new record from singer-songwriter A Fine Frenzy today on the iTunes as a one-week exclusive before releasing wide to all retail partners on October 16th (www.iTunes.com/AFineFrenzy). Check out the new track ‘Now Is The Start’ as iTunes ‘Free Single of the Week’ (www.iTunes.com/NowIsTheStart). On her third full-length album PINES, A Fine Frenzy presents a powerfully charged fable about rebirth, redemption, and the enduring beauty of nature. To bring that story beyond the lush soundscape that permeates PINES, singer-songwriter Alison Sudol will simultaneously release a book and movie that capture the visual element of her magical-realist, eco-minded allegory.

Largely inspired by Sudol’s recent retreat to the redwood forests of Northern California, PINES tells the tale of a lone tree left behind after the destruction of its surrounding forest—and the tree’s quest to find a new home and start anew. Produced by Keefus Green (who’s previously worked with Iggy Pop, Cassandra Wilson, Dr. Dre, and Alison Krauss), the endlessly enchanting album includes contributions from the likes of Jon Brion, Jonathan Wilson, and longtime A Fine Frenzy collaborator Omar Cowan.

Uncommonly sweeping in its scope and sound, PINES delivers a selection of tracks ranging from the hushed and haunting “Avalanches” to the sweetly rousing sing-along of “Now Is The Start” (which was performed on The Tonight Show last week and can be viewed here: http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/wednesday-october-3-2012/1419622) But despite the album’s stunning breadth, Sudol felt compelled to expand the story of its central character Pine even further. “The record told a great deal of the story, but the songs could only cover so much with fullness, depth, and detail,” she says. “I found myself wanting to explain much more than I could possibly fit on to a single album.”

For help in unfolding the fable, A Fine Frenzy created The Story of Pines, a beautifully illustrated digital book available exclusively on Apple’s iBookstore, and credited to A Fine Frenzy’s alter-ego, Alison Sudol (www.iTunes.com/AFineFrenzy). With a fairytale-esque aesthetic set to charm both children and adults, the book features elegant animations and artwork by illustrator Jen Lobo, whom Sudol chose because of her “scientific precision and whimsical beauty”. The Story of Pines will delight A Fine Frenzy fans by including Sudol’s own narration, allowing us to follow along as the artist’s voice reads this beautiful tale aloud. The book also includes a soundtrack of song samples from the album as well as a host of animated and audible Easter eggs.

A Fine Frenzy rounds out her wildly ambitious multimedia project with a movie also named The Story of Pines, a 12-minute short that—like the book—both functions as a stand-alone piece and a companion to the album. Visually exquisite and richly textured, The Story of Pines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP5TVYTxKMI) recounts Pine’s magical journey with the help of hand-cut sets, puppets, layered glass, stop-motion animation, and a dreamy score extracted from Pines. Directed by Musa Brooker (an acclaimed animator whose credits include The Simpsons and Robot Chicken), The Story of Pines is a production of TakePart (the digital division and social-action network of Participant Media, a company focused on creating entertainment that inspires and compels social change).

A limited edition version are currently available and include The Story of Pines as a beautifully illustrated linen book, a DVD of The Story of Pines movie, a lithograph of one of the illustrations from the book, a copy of PINES via a digital download card and a special note from Alison herself. This special package is available at www.merchdirect.com/afinefrenzy

A longtime environmentalist and an ambassador for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sudol conceptualized PINES as both a plea for the preservation of our troubled environment and a meditation on the strength of the human spirit. “It’s about facing your fears and going through all the highs and lows, and wonders and delights and tragedies that come with learning how to live your life,” she says. “And finally finding where you belong.”

Since releasing her highly acclaimed debut album One Cell in the Sea (featuring the breakthrough hit “Almost Lover”) in 2007, A Fine Frenzy has sold more than 650,000 albums worldwide. PINES is the follow-up to her 2009 sophomore release Bomb in a Birdcage.

2012, New York

(Oct 9, 2012 — New York, NY) Capitol Records releases PINES, a new record from singer-songwriter A Fine Frenzy today on the iTunes as a one-week exclusive before releasing wide to all retail partners on October 16th (www.iTunes.com/AFineFrenzy). Check out the new track ‘Now Is The Start’ as iTunes ‘Free Single of the Week’ (www.iTunes.com/NowIsTheStart). On her third full-length album PINES, A Fine Frenzy presents a powerfully charged fable about rebirth, redemption, and the enduring beauty of nature. To bring that story beyond the lush soundscape that permeates PINES, singer-songwriter Alison Sudol will simultaneously release a book and movie that capture the visual element of her magical-realist, eco-minded allegory.

Largely inspired by Sudol’s recent retreat to the redwood forests of Northern California, PINES tells the tale of a lone tree left behind after the destruction of its surrounding forest—and the tree’s quest to find a new home and start anew. Produced by Keefus Green (who’s previously worked with Iggy Pop, Cassandra Wilson, Dr. Dre, and Alison Krauss), the endlessly enchanting album includes contributions from the likes of Jon Brion, Jonathan Wilson, and longtime A Fine Frenzy collaborator Omar Cowan.

Uncommonly sweeping in its scope and sound, PINES delivers a selection of tracks ranging from the hushed and haunting “Avalanches” to the sweetly rousing sing-along of “Now Is The Start” (which was performed on The Tonight Show last week and can be viewed here: http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/wednesday-october-3-2012/1419622) But despite the album’s stunning breadth, Sudol felt compelled to expand the story of its central character Pine even further. “The record told a great deal of the story, but the songs could only cover so much with fullness, depth, and detail,” she says. “I found myself wanting to explain much more than I could possibly fit on to a single album.”

For help in unfolding the fable, A Fine Frenzy created The Story of Pines, a beautifully illustrated digital book available exclusively on Apple’s iBookstore, and credited to A Fine Frenzy’s alter-ego, Alison Sudol (www.iTunes.com/AFineFrenzy). With a fairytale-esque aesthetic set to charm both children and adults, the book features elegant animations and artwork by illustrator Jen Lobo, whom Sudol chose because of her “scientific precision and whimsical beauty”. The Story of Pines will delight A Fine Frenzy fans by including Sudol’s own narration, allowing us to follow along as the artist’s voice reads this beautiful tale aloud. The book also includes a soundtrack of song samples from the album as well as a host of animated and audible Easter eggs.

A Fine Frenzy rounds out her wildly ambitious multimedia project with a movie also named The Story of Pines, a 12-minute short that—like the book—both functions as a stand-alone piece and a companion to the album. Visually exquisite and richly textured, The Story of Pines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP5TVYTxKMI) recounts Pine’s magical journey with the help of hand-cut sets, puppets, layered glass, stop-motion animation, and a dreamy score extracted from Pines. Directed by Musa Brooker (an acclaimed animator whose credits include The Simpsons and Robot Chicken), The Story of Pines is a production of TakePart (the digital division and social-action network of Participant Media, a company focused on creating entertainment that inspires and compels social change).

A limited edition version are currently available and include The Story of Pines as a beautifully illustrated linen book, a DVD of The Story of Pines movie, a lithograph of one of the illustrations from the book, a copy of PINES via a digital download card and a special note from Alison herself. This special package is available at www.merchdirect.com/afinefrenzy

A longtime environmentalist and an ambassador for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sudol conceptualized PINES as both a plea for the preservation of our troubled environment and a meditation on the strength of the human spirit. “It’s about facing your fears and going through all the highs and lows, and wonders and delights and tragedies that come with learning how to live your life,” she says. “And finally finding where you belong.”

Since releasing her highly acclaimed debut album One Cell in the Sea (featuring the breakthrough hit “Almost Lover”) in 2007, A Fine Frenzy has sold more than 650,000 albums worldwide. PINES is the follow-up to her 2009 sophomore release Bomb in a Birdcage.

FALL CO-HEADLINING TOUR WITH JOSHUA RADIN:

10/11    Santa Rosa, CA              Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

10/12    San Francisco, CA         Warfield Theatre

10/13    Newport Beach, CA     Balboa Beach Fest

10/16    Portland, OR                 Crystal Ballroom

10/17    Vancouver, BC              Vogue Theatre

10/18    Seattle, WA                  City Arts Festival

10/20    Edmonton, AB              McDougall Church

10/21    Calgary, AB                   Knox United Church

10/23    Winnipeg, MB               Garrick Center

10/25    Minneapolis, MN           Mill City Nights

10/26    Chicago, IL                    Vic Theatre

10/27    Detroit, MI                    Majestic Theatre

10/29    New York, NY              Best Buy Theater

10/30    Philadelphia, PA             Electric Factory

11/1      Toronto, ON                Danforth Music Hall

11/2      Montreal, QC               Corona Theatre

11/3      Boston, MA                   Orpheum Theatre

11/5      Charlottesville, VA       Paramount Theatre

11/7      Durham, NC                 Carolina Theatre

11/8      Atlanta, GA                   Buckhead Theatre

11/9      Nashville, TN                Marathon Music Works

11/10    Birmingham, AL            Workplay Soundstage

11/12    Houston, TX                House of Blues

11/13    Austin, TX                    Paramount Theatre

11/14    Dallas, TX                     House of Blues

11/16    Los Angeles, CA           Wiltern

2012, New York

2012, New York

2012, NewYork

Live video footage courtesy  of 301 studios - Live at Studios 301

2012, New York

NYMN sat down with The Vaselines before their August show at the Bell House in Gowanus.  The duo talked about their latest album, sex with an x, and joked about swinging (not on the playground).

2012, New York

New York Music News hangs with the rhythm section, Aaron McVeigh and Daisy Caplan, of Foxy Shazam on their tourbus before their show with Slash at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

2012, New York