Tag: New York City

LISTEN: Elliah Heifetz, “Keep the Grass in the Ground”

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Artist: Elliah Heifetz
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Keep the Grass in the Ground”
Album: First Generation American
Release Date: April 1, 2022

In Their Words: “Written within a week of John Prine’s passing, ‘Keep the Grass in the Ground’ is a tonal ode to one of my biggest heroes. I’ve learned so much about life and how to best live it from John’s lyrics, advice I wish I’d heard as a kid… so this song is basically an imagined conversation where I’m giving my younger self that advice. The thought is, we should follow our instincts, pursue our dreams and urges, open our hearts, let the tears fall when they come, and take the risks we need to. But never, ever at the expense of anyone else. It’s important to appreciate beauty, and just as important to know when to leave it be. I start every chorus with: ‘Take a stone, throw it; take a leaf, blow it; take a drive when the night sky’s good n’ glowing; Aw, but never grab a smile and pull it down.’” — Elliah Heifetz

Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo

BGS 5+5: Danielia Cotton

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Artist: Danielia Cotton
Hometown: Hopewell, New Jersey; now New York City
Latest Album: Good Day (out March 18)

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I live in New York City and just being outside with my headphones on listening to a great song is so powerful. Walking in the city that never sleeps with a great soundtrack in your ears can almost always lead to moments of inspiration and pleasure. Many times I have taken a run on the West Side Highway in downtown Manhattan and I come home and go straight to the piano or my guitar and begin a new piece. It is always tough to write when one is uninspired. There are times you can push through, others when you put the instrument down and either find inspiration in existing music or art you like, or simply wait it out until you are struck with a spark of lyric or melody that leads you somewhere substantive.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Right after one of my first solo performances at a “Save the Delaware” benefit in New Jersey. I had just learned to play acoustic guitar and I performed my three-chord song. It was the scariest yet one of the most exhilarating moments ever.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

There is no one artist for me that encapsulates all that has influenced me. My sound has always been a bit eclectic so I pull from a few different musical genres. As far as rock goes, two huge influences are The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The Stones are soulful storytellers with serious grooves. Zeppelin for me has a depth that hit me when I was young and feeling displaced that took me somewhere else. Robert Plant’s voice was incredible at that time and his range was inspiring. When it comes to soul, I would include in my top three: Prince, Stevie Wonder and Sly and The Family Stone. Prince and Sly meshed rock and soul in a way that spoke to me as rock music sounded the way I felt. Stevie Wonder was deep. To this day Songs in The Key of Life inspires my soul, my musical theoretical side and my heart.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

There was a literary critic about a hundred years ago who was asked to define what is a great work of art, and that critic said, “It’s whatever adds to the available stock of reality.” To the extent that my career might mean creating something that becomes part, however small, of someone’s memory, someone’s sense of peace, someone’s sense of solace, or someone’s sense of joy. I guess that’s my mission statement.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I almost never hide behind a character when writing a song. I generally write in first person as the honesty in performance is crucial for me as I try to take the audience to a real place. If I can’t find myself in the story or some way to personalize it, my ability to really connect with my audience becomes incredibly difficult. I am not a fan of faking it.

Photo Credit: Chia Messina

WATCH: Danny Burns & Steve Earle, “Mercenary Song”

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Artists: Danny Burns & Steve Earle
Song: “Mercenary Song”
Album: Hurricane EP
Label: Bonfire Music Group

In Their Words: “We cut ‘Mercenary Song’ before the pandemic, and I had reached out to Steve and he really dug our arrangement. I had my pal Colin Farrell (of Lunasa, not the actor) add a fiddle tune into the middle parts and then thought it would be cool to add some Tex-Mex vibes on accordion. So we asked Michael Guerra from The Mavericks to add some accordion and he blew the doors off it. Then, Chris Masterson of The Mastersons and The Dukes added bari Tele and it all came together nicely. We also added Josh Day on drums, Byron House on upright bass, and Matt Menefee on banjo, mando and dobro. Finally, Steve added his bouzouki in the mix in a bajo sexto vibe.

“We thought it would be cool to shoot a video in NYC at the Dead Rabbit Irish pub. Sean Muldoon, one of the owners who’s from Belfast, was a great host. I recruited director Jim Wright into the project. We had been threatening to work together for few years now, and Steve was up for it and lives pretty close. So we just hung out, talked music and guitars, Ireland, and Irish breakfasts for a day and shot it upstairs at the Rabbit.” — Danny Burns

Photo Credit: Jim Wright

The Show on the Road – The Felice Brothers

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week, we call into the Catskills of New York for a deep conversation with James Felice: accordionist, pianist, songwriter and co-founder of fun-house-mirror Americana group, The Felice Brothers.

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James started the band with his brothers (poet lead singer Ian) and percussionist Simone in 2006 as a busking folk pop experiment with a literary rebel streak within the subways of New York City. They’ve joined roots-pop luminaries like Bright Eyes at venues as storied as Radio City Music Hall — but somehow the gritty, back-alley bar seems like their natural habitat. Ian, James and their longtime quartet (Will Lawrence and bassist Jesske Hume round out the band) returned after years of hibernation to release their daring party-through-the-apocalypse rollercoaster of a new LP From Dreams To Dust in 2021 on Yep Roc Records.

Some bands record at home, or maybe in tricked-out cabins or plush studios, but The Felice Brothers seem to make records that use their unique and often bizarre surroundings as an added character in the band. Their beloved self-titled record, which came out 2008, feels like a gin-soaked saloon party where Hemingway and Lou Reed and Sly Stone would join in on swaying sing-alongs besides a sweat-soaked piano. It was somehow recorded in a converted chicken coop, while their brassy, bizarro-rock romp Celebration, Florida (2011) was recorded in a booming high school gymnasium. “Honda Civic” is a musical-theater-esque favorite, with an explosion at the local Wonder Bread warehouse taking center stage in the narrative. Does any of it make sense? Does it matter?

Their newest work is a more emotional, sonically lush, storytelling-driven operation, having been recorded in a church in Harlemville, New York, with award-winning mixer Mike Mogis at the helm. Mortality takes the spotlight. Ian Felice is in rare form here, spitting more words and setting more strange scenes per song than most slam-poets or absurdist playwrights. The lead song, “Jazz on the Autobahn,” has become a staple on Americana radio, showcasing what TFB have always done best: taking their listeners on a white-knuckle ride that has no predicable end or resolve in sight.

The Show on the Road – Sammy Rae & The Friends

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week, we talk to Brooklyn-based bandleader and jazz-roots singer extraordinaire Sammy Rae, who for the last four years has barnstormed the country with her kinetic octet, The Friends.

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Look, when you’re young and inspired, you drop out of college, you’re waiting tables and you’re thinking about starting a jazzy pop band — most people (as well as common sense and basic economics) tell you to start small. Get a few like-minded musicians in a room, work and work on your best songs, try packing out a few local shows, put some radio-ready singles on the internet, do a music video or two. See what happens. But Sammy Rae does her own thing — and has done pretty much the opposite.

Much like your host of this fine program, Z. Lupetin (who went against all advice and began Dustbowl Revival as an 8 to 10 piece genre-bending, New Orleans-string band mashup in 2008), Sammy has harnessed the open-minded, countercultural energy of Broadway musicals, the slinky funk-pop of the 1970s AM radio, and her own rapid-fire poetic style to create a massive sound that’s made with three singers, two saxophones, and a fearless, seasoned rhythm section. Plus, they are all friends who don’t just treat this as a temporary weekend gig. Too much too soon? Well, ask the packed houses up and down the Eastern Seaboard if they care about playing it safe.

Sammy Rae knows the road ahead for The Friends won’t be easy, but so far, the response from listeners has been undeniable. Starting at tiny supportive clubs in New York like Rockwood Music Hall and graduating to the biggest rooms in one of the hardest towns to impress, the group struck a nerve with their debut EP The Good Life in 2018 — with the standout jazzy experiment “Kick It To Me” gaining nearly ten million steams and counting. “Don’t record songs over four minutes long,” they keep telling us. “No one will pay attention!” Yet their most listened-to track clocks in at nearly seven minutes.

What’s the lesson here? For Sammy it’s finally learning to trust her instincts and be herself. Their upbeat EP Let’s Throw A Party dropped in 2021. Make sure you stick around to the end of the episode to hear how Sammy’s experience as a queer teenager in a Connecticut girls’ Catholic school informed their new track, “Jackie Onassis.”

 

LISTEN: Mike Younger, “Killing Time”

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Artist: Mike Younger
Hometown: Halifax, Canada/Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Killing Time”
Album: Burning the Bigtop Down
Release Date: August 27, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Killing Time’ is a sideways glance at another time and the dreams and people of that time. I had survived the Hall Of Horrors which was the street/squatter experience in New York City in 1992/1993 — and I’d lost more than a few pals along the way. The lyrics take comfort in the remembrance of past friendships forged in the fire of struggle, but swept apart like grains of sand. … I’ve always been deeply affected by the struggles faced by our disenfranchised communities. I greatly admire those writers and creative people in general, who, through their work, have lent their voices to the struggle for equity in our society, like John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and others. Artists have nothing to lose by speaking their truth, and doing so unapologetically, especially these days. That’s what I strive for in my work. There are enough great songs about pickup trucks already.” — Mike Younger

Photo credit: Michael Weintraub

WATCH: Claire Hawkins, “Small Doses”

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Artist: Claire Hawkins
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Small Doses”
Release Date: June 18, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Small Doses’ was the last song I wrote before the pandemic, when I was still performing in youth hostels across Europe on the Foreign Voices Travelers Tour. It was a weird, wonderful time that was brought to an abrupt end in March 2020. It wasn’t until several months later that I revisited the song. I reached out to some artist friends, and suddenly we had this fantastic collaborative project to work on together during lockdown. The track was produced by Katie Buchanan, who produced my first-ever single when I was 17; the music video, which will be out later this month, was shot and directed by Florence Bradish, who created the music video for my song ‘Dublin.’ After so many months of staying apart, the opportunity to make art with my friends has made this release all the more special.” — Claire Hawkins

Photo credit: Ryan Cho

WATCH: Morningsiders, “This Could Be Good”

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Artist: Morningsiders
Hometown: New York City
Song: “This Could Be Good”
Album: Easy Does It
Release Date: July 23, 2021
Label: Nettwerk

In Their Words: “We started writing this project after lockdowns hit, and it was starting to sink in that this was a long-term situation. I wanted to write something about aimless nights out with friends (since there were none coming up anytime soon). We knew we wanted it to feel dance-y and delicate, but also hazy as if you’re kind of floating. The song is meant to capture this rare feeling when you just can’t put a foot wrong with the person you’re with. You’re both laughing at the same things, both on the same wavelength, both equally curious about the other. When that happens the rest of the world recedes away a little, almost like background noise.

“Instrumentally, the challenge was to build an arc out of the same musical pattern that repeats throughout. The entrances and exits of the strings and drums come and go around the steady heartbeat of the tune. We ended up giving the last couple choruses over completely to the instruments, and that’s probably my favorite part of the song. I don’t have to repeat ‘this could be good’ because that feeling is just hanging in the air at that point. For the video we knew that we wanted to bring the tune to life by working with Ilya Vidrin and Jessi Stegall, who are two incredible dancers based in Boston. They totally captured a certain lightheartedness, but also the vulnerability and obsession that come along with falling deeper and deeper into a relationship. Watching them move makes the song feel less like an internal monologue and more like a feeling that is shared and nurtured between two people.” — Magnus Ferguson, Morningsiders

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

The Show on the Road – Menahan Street Band (The Daptone Sound)

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week, The Show On The Road brings you a rare conversation with Thomas Brenneck and Homer Steinweiss, the braintrust behind brass-forward instrumental supergroup the Menahan Street Band. If Tarantino and Scorsese ever needed a custom-made, 1970’s greasy-soul soundtrack, MSB might be the perfect choice. While the timeless Daptone Records sound has gone worldwide thanks to breakout stars like the late Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, most don’t know the bandleaders and songwriters behind their intricately arranged works.

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Guitarist/producer Thomas Brenneck has been the secret sauce in helping hitmaker Mark Ronson create vintage backdrops for crossover stars like Amy Winehouse, while Homer Steinweiss’ slinky drumming can be heard across the Daptone universe, including on Jones, Winehouse, and Lee Fields and The Expressions records, not to mention his work with Lady Gaga, St. Vincent, and Bruno Mars. For the first time in a decade, MSB — which includes Dave Guy (The Roots), Leon Michaels (The Black Keys) and Nick Movshon (The Expressions) — have reconvened the troops to create their most effortlessly cinematic collection yet: the cheekily titled The Exciting Sounds Of The Menahan Street Band. The album art alone signifies a sensual, intimate evening is ahead to whoever listens. Is the design NSFW? Maybe.

Brenneck called into the episode taping from outside L.A. and Steinweiss from his studio in New York City. The conservation jumped back to how they formed the group in 2007, how they convinced Bradley to join them in making new music (he had been doing James Brown impression work), and how they find that out-of-body, improvisational zen zone which creates their aural moods of mystery and intrigue — showcased best in the reverb-y Bond-like jam “Starchaser.”

A favorite surreal moment that Brenneck mentioned was driving through Brooklyn hearing their song sampled by Jay-Z. For a moment, their horns were blaring from every car radio in the city. While hip-hop legends often find their beats and backdrops from classic soul and R&B vinyl, notables like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and 50 Cent have mined the funky MSB catalog for years. Sir Paul McCartney also used their services. If you need an instant vibe, they’ve got you. Even in sparkling trumpet-led themes like “Glovebox Pistol,” which clocks in at a minute and eight seconds long, you can see a velvet-boothed, smoke-filled scene unfolding, bringing to mind the lush scores of The Godfather or The Score.

Only recently have star backing-bands like The Wrecking Crew, The Swampers, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section come to be appreciated for creating some of the most beloved songs in the American pop canon, from The Beach Boys and Aretha Franklin to Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and The Staples Singers. It can be argued that in the 21st century, Brenneck and Steinweiss (and the work of The Menahan Street Band) deserve to be included in that conversation. With one listen of The Exciting Sounds Of The Menahan Street Band, you are transported — exactly where is up to you.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

Chris Thile Takes Us to Church in Official Music Video for “Laysong”

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For a musician who has seemingly done it all and has the awards to prove it, Chris Thile found an excellent opportunity to create a solo record in the throes of the early pandemic. The project of that period of introspection and seclusion is one that has been, in some ways, a long time in the making, as his label Nonesuch had been hinting for some time to make an album centered around faith and spirituality. When the circumstance arose, Thile decided it should be done in as honest and straightforward a manner as possible: performed entirely by himself and recorded within the walls of a beautiful old church in upstate New York.

Titled Laysongs, the album offers a host of incredible performances, including compelling arrangements of Bartok and Bach, re-imaginings of traditional folk tunes, and original pieces inspired by literature. Enjoy this video of Chris Thile, our BGS Artist of the Month for June, performing the album’s title track in the church where it was recorded. And, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our exclusive, AOTM interview.

Photo credit: Josh Goleman