Rich Kubicz
(Tom Petty… Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar)

Eager to be an all around entertainer (and with some coaxing from friends who asserted that he looked and sounded like Tom Petty), Rich started Damn the Torpedoes as a tribute to this great American icon. The daunting task was made even more challenging as Rich’s attention to detail could not be compromised.  Surrounding himself with only the top musicians in the business, Rich is proud to present what he likes to call the “awe” factor in every performance.

Rich has been playing guitar and singing for 35 years. He has been writing music since his teens and released his first album Echo Lake in 2005. Shortly after Echo Lake’s release, Rich co-founded the E-zine Lets Rock America and brought dozens of American Indie Bands into the spotlight on the World Wide Web with articles and podcasts. 
   

Jimi Alan
(Mike Campbell… Lead Guitar)

Jimi has been playing guitar professionally for over 30 years in cover band and original music projects. With experience in various styles of music including Funk, Rock, Blues, and R&B, Jimi has mastered the techniques to play note for note renditions of some of the greatest lead guitarists and can create identical guitar sounds.

Jimi is also an experienced sound technician and recording engineer. He owns his own recording studio, Rockslide Studios in Andover, New Jersey.

Gary Castelluccio
(Benmont Tench/Scott Thurston… Keyboards, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals)
 
Gary has been involved with music and performing since the age of 13. He started with guitar and later learned to play keyboard and harmonica. Over the years, he has played in many bands , original projects and studio sessions. His experience and versatility has helped him to become a consummate side man adding support and color to the bands he works with. 

Jon Provan
(Ron Blair/Howie Epstein, Bass Guitar and backing vocals)

Jon caught the music bug young, playing and singing in rock bands, a cappella groups, sax quartets, theatre pits, recording studios and more. He has laid down his bass groove for Brooklyn bands Devious Semantics and Grandpa's Secret Recipe, as well as hard-rocking Jersey outfit Black Velvet Fate. Also a songwriter and solo artist, Jon is thrilled to provide foundation for Damn The Torpedoes.

While not on stage with DTT, Jon is the musical director at the Porch Light Theatre in Glen Rock, NJ.

Ross Kantor
(Stan Lynch/Steve Ferrone...Drums/Percussion and Backing Vocals)

Ross is the quintessential percussionist and the driving force behind DTT's tight rhythm section.  His versatility allows him to play with the finesse of Stan Lynch and the power of Steve Ferrone while also adding polished vocals to an already very melodic harmony section.

When Ross isn't playing with DTT, he is laying down the drums and vocals for the original hard rock band Bubba Grouch. 

Twenty five years of hard rocking blues

Popa Chubby, born Ted Horowitz, has been hard rocking the blues in his fierce and soulful way for more than 25 years. Over the course of a career that dates back to 1994, he has been a force of to be reckoned with on the guitar, and his tempestuous, soulful playing has never been more powerful. An imposing figure with a shaven head, tattooed arms, a goatee and a performance style he describes as “the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson,” Popa Chubby is an endearing character who is one of the genre’s most popular figures.

His career has always been about moving forward and carving a place for himself in the imposing terrain of the music business, overcoming odds to continue growing and maturing as a creative force. He has built a constantly increasing base of fans across the world, where in many territories he is a star. A native New Yorker, Horowitz’s first gigs were in the NYC punk scene as a guitarist for what he reflects was a “crazy Japanese special effects performance artist in a kimono called Screaming Mad George who had a horror-movie inspired show.” Right from the start he was immersed in rock ‘n’ roll as theater, and learned from George and others playing CBGB’s at the time that included the Ramones, the Cramps, Richard Hell, whose band, the Voidoids he joined that rock ‘n’ roll should be dangerous. He reflects, “Musicians like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols weren’t just bands. They were a threat to society.”

The Blues however was the foundation of his playing style. He recalls, “Since I’d grown up on Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin, when I started playing blues in New York clubs I understood that the blues should be dangerous, too. It wasn’t just from playing in punk bands. Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters were dangerous men. They’d cut or shoot you if they thought it was necessary, and Little Walter packed a gun and wouldn’t hesitate to use it. That danger is a real part of the Blues and I keep it alive in my music.”

Popa Chubby is his own man for better or worse. He reflects, “I’m living in a wild time, and that is where the inspiration is drawn from. There are my issues, but the picture is much bigger than me and my situation. Everything is breaking down in the world. The lines are being redefined. We all need something.”

 Meet & Greet Also Available:

In 1976, Jeff Daniels bought a Guild D-40 from Herb David’s Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, threw it in the back of his old Buick, and moved to New York City. That guitar led to a creative outlet, became a solace, a road into the artist that he didn’t know existed. Now, over 40 years later, he releases his 8th record, Simple Truths.

In 1976, Jeff Daniels bought a Guild D-40 from Herb David’s Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, threw it in the back of his old Buick, and moved to New York City. That guitar led to a creative outlet, became a solace, a road into the artist that he didn’t know existed. Now, over 40 years later, he releases his 8th record, Simple Truths.

Since the beginning of 2016, THE ZMED BROTHERS have celebrated the pivotal music and history of The Everly Brothers legacy with enthusiastic crowds all across the US and over seas in prestigious venues. The Zmeds say, “The music of the 50's and 60's are nostalgic to us, our parents raised us on it, and we feel that the Everly's contribution is greatly overlooked, especially by younger generations. Our aim is not to impersonate but to do our best in honoring the aesthetics of their iconic sound and in honoring the important role they played pioneering the rock n' roll movement, all while having a little fun telling our own personal story,” and they do just that. Growing up with a father, (Adrian Zmed) as a traveling singer/dancer/actor (Grease 2, Bachelor Party, T.J. Hooker), and a mother (Barbara) as a second grade teacher in a suburb of Los Angeles, the Zmed Brothers continuously strive to pay homage to their personal roots by always infusing an instinctual blend of entertainment (a la Smothers Brothers) and contextual education in their performance.

The Everly brothers career lasted over half a century, they recorded 21 studio albums, sold more than 60 million records world wide, had over 30 billboard top -100 singles, among the highest ranking of any rock duo ever, they received numerous accolades in their later career, and influenced countless legendary artist that came after them including The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Bee Gees, Neil Young.. and the list goes on. THE ZMED BROTHERS are absolutely thrilled to be able to contribute to a cause that supports the recognition and preservation of the intimate and singular origins of America's greatest Rock n' Roll sibling duo. Long live the music.

Having chalked up fifty years at the peak of the music and entertainment industry, Justin Hayward’s voice has been heard the world over.  Known principally as the vocalist, lead guitarist and composer for the Moody Blues, his is an enduring talent that has helped to define the times in which he worked. Over the last forty-five years the band has sold 55 million albums and received numerous awards. Commercial success has gone hand in hand with critical acclaim, The Moody Blues are renowned the world over as innovators and trail blazers who have influenced any number of fellow artists.  Justin is honoured with the Moody Blues on the Rock Walk Hall of Fame on Sunset Boulevard and this year the band will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Born and brought up in Swindon in the UK, Justin’s interest in music started early when he was five years old and his grandfather bequeathed him his large collection of 78 rpm recordings. “It opened a world of imagination to me,” says Justin.  Having taught himself to play the ukulele, he soon progressed to guitar and by his early teens he was playing in local groups.  Upon leaving school at 17 he answered an advertisement in Melody Maker newspaper and successfully auditioned for UK Rock and Roll hero Marty Wilde. “I got the job playing guitar for Marty – it was a dream come true for me”. Justin credits Marty with encouraging him to become a songwriter; he made several recordings with Marty’s ‘Wilde Three’ and also appeared with them at the London Palladium.  They remain close friends to this day: “Marty is still my hero”.

Having started the ball rolling as a songwriter in his own right with a couple of solo singles, he joined the Moody Blues in the summer of 1966. Hitting his stride immediately with the single ‘Fly Me High’, he followed it up with the classic hit songs ‘Nights in White Satin’ and ‘Tuesday Afternoon’ from the seminal album ‘Days of Future Past’. This album went on to become a favourite of the NASA astronauts and was taken aboard the Atlantis shuttle space craft by Chief astronaut “Hoot” Gibson on many missions.

This purple patch showed no sign of abating as Justin created other classic, era and genre-defining hits ‘Question’, ‘The Voice’, ‘I Know You’re Out There Somewhere’, ‘The Story In Your Eyes’ and ‘Your Wildest Dreams’.  These laid the foundation for the incredible success story of the Moody Blues – as well as his solo work – which continues to this day.

When the Moody Blues took a break from touring in 1975, Justin worked on the Blue Jays album, followed by the hit single ‘Blue Guitar’ (recorded with the members of 10cc). Although the Moodies continued to record and tour at the highest level, Justin also found time to create several solo albums: ‘Songwriter’, ‘Night Flight’, ‘Moving Mountains’ and ‘The View From the Hill’.

In the 1980s, he was made a member of the famous ‘SODS’ (The Society of Distinguished Songwriters) and in 2012 he was elected ‘King SOD’.  He also collaborated in 1989 with Mike Batt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded the album ‘Classic Blue’.

In March 1997, Justin was chosen as the subject for the TV show ‘This Is Your Life’ in the presence of many of his friends including Marty Wilde, Lionel Bart and astronaut “Hoot” Gibson.

Justin was presented with ‘The Golden Note’ award from ASCAP in 2005, the top honour for a British writer, and he has appeared in Nashville regularly with other songwriters in showcase events. In 2013, The Performing Rights Society in the UK awarded him his second Ivor Novello statue for ‘Outstanding Achievement’.

Justin records in Italy and France of which he says, “Spending time making music in a beautiful place with your friends is every songwriter’s dream”. Justin undertook extensive solo tours in both 2016 and 2017; and in 2018 Justin will again head out on the road bringing his wonderful music to his fans in the UK and Europe, as well as North America.

As well as live shows, Justin has released several solo recordings; an album of new songs ‘Spirits Of The Western Sky’ – for Eagle Rock – was released in 2013 followed by several solo tours, and in 2014 a ‘live in concert’ DVD ‘Spirits…Live’ was made available, which reached No1 on the Billboard Video chart. 2016 saw the release of ‘All The Way’ (Eagle Rock Entertainment), a compilation from Justin Hayward’s solo career.  “All The Way” includes Justin’s solo songs, a recording with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, solo live performances and unique versions of classic Moody Blues tracks and the brand new song “The Wind Of Heaven.”  Justin said, “My acoustic solo tours give the perfect balance to the big production of the Moody Blues concerts. I’m so lucky to have both”.

Whilst releasing solo albums and DVDs and working on many different projects, including new solo recordings, Justin continues to tour with the Moody Blues all across the world; Justin has toured with the band extensively in the US, but also the UK, Europe in each of the last few years. 

In January 2018, the news broke that The Moody Blues were finally to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  This recognition comes not before time but means a great deal to the band.  At the time Justin commented, “I’m extremely grateful to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first for creating the supreme temple to all that has brought endless joy into my life since I was a small boy, and now, after all these years, for including us.

It’s a privilege to be celebrated in the same building, on the same street even, as my own heroes - Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers - and now, at last, with us, my heroine Nina Simone.

But all the thanks must go to The Moody Blues fans for giving us a wonderful, wonderful life in music - our induction has now validated the music they so love, and I’m so, so pleased, for us all. Yippee!”

Whilst the acceptance intro the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a truly global endorsement it is of course the music that matters.  2018 sees the 50^th anniversary of the ‘Days Of Future Passed’ album.  The band are marking this with some North American dates and the release of the concert recording ‘Days Of Future Passed Live’.  With the solo dates of 2018 still to come, Justin certainly keeps himself busy.

“I have spent most of my life, so far, on the road”, says Justin. “Playing live and creating a small piece of magic in a room is like a drug to me, one that I never want to give up”. His is a talent that has helped soundtrack more than a generation and created a legacy that remains undimmed.

As if 2018 isn’t busy enough for Justin Hayward, he will be embarking on his North American “All The Way” tour with his trio (Mike Dawes and Julie Ragins), beginning August 4 in Plymouth, NH, performing material from All The Way, a retrospective of songs from across his career. 

Alan Chapell is a unique character – even by the standards of the West Village, NYC. Made from years of travelling the world and honing his craft and moving effortlessly through several musical genres without a single tune sounding the same. Seriously good songwriting that’s augmented by what many are calling the best seven piece band in New York. All led by Chapell -  Mephistopheles outfitted in a well-tailored white linen suit.  

Growing up on the “mean streets” of Stamford, Connecticut, Alan Chapell was something of a musical wunderkind - playing piano and trumpet before the age of six. He recorded with the legendary Jimmy Ienner at age 15, and more recently with Talking Head Jerry Harrison. He’s played to jam-packed houses around the world from Mumbai to Managua. It took Chapell a while to get here, but audiences across the U.S. are starting to take notice in a big way.

Chapell’s band includes Lorenza Ponce on violin, Ann Klein on guitar, Ali Culotta on piano, Billy Aukstik on trumpet, Ryan Gleason on bass and Rodney Howard on drums. Ponce plays a variety of delicious retro-synth lines which both play off of and play with Klein’s guitar work. There are multiple moving parts that all go together a bit differently depending on the song (and Chapell’s mood.)

Chapell’s live show is a cacophony of juxtapositions. His set moves seamless from genre to genre and from topic to topic. From songs about love to songs about more heady topics such as gun violence and human rights. And finally, to a parody of Mark Zuckerberg’s recent Congressional testimony. With all that, Chapell somehow manages to keep things fun – not to mention you’re guaranteed to leave the night with at least a few of Chapell’s melodies stuck in your head.

On making music in 2018 Chapell now says, “I feel like I’m discovering myself as an artist in a way I never could have earlier in my life. For too long, I bought into the notion that I couldn’t become a successful artist in my 30’s – and it was liberating to recognize how foolish that was. The most invigorating thing is that I don’t feel I’ve written my best song yet. I know who I am now and I am excited that I am nowhere close to my peak.”

Join us in socializing while unleashing your inner artist for a Sip, Paint & Socialize session with Tipsy Topics & Textures. We’d indulge in the smoothest wine and engage in a Tipsy Topic as your masterpiece unfolds. What better way to relax on our Friday Eve?

A flight of three wines is included. See you there!

Having chalked up fifty years at the peak of the music and entertainment industry, Justin Hayward’s voice has been heard the world over.  Known principally as the vocalist, lead guitarist and composer for the Moody Blues, his is an enduring talent that has helped to define the times in which he worked. Over the last forty-five years the band has sold 55 million albums and received numerous awards. Commercial success has gone hand in hand with critical acclaim, The Moody Blues are renowned the world over as innovators and trail blazers who have influenced any number of fellow artists.  Justin is honoured with the Moody Blues on the Rock Walk Hall of Fame on Sunset Boulevard and this year the band will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Born and brought up in Swindon in the UK, Justin’s interest in music started early when he was five years old and his grandfather bequeathed him his large collection of 78 rpm recordings. “It opened a world of imagination to me,” says Justin.  Having taught himself to play the ukulele, he soon progressed to guitar and by his early teens he was playing in local groups.  Upon leaving school at 17 he answered an advertisement in Melody Maker newspaper and successfully auditioned for UK Rock and Roll hero Marty Wilde. “I got the job playing guitar for Marty – it was a dream come true for me”. Justin credits Marty with encouraging him to become a songwriter; he made several recordings with Marty’s ‘Wilde Three’ and also appeared with them at the London Palladium.  They remain close friends to this day: “Marty is still my hero”.

Having started the ball rolling as a songwriter in his own right with a couple of solo singles, he joined the Moody Blues in the summer of 1966. Hitting his stride immediately with the single ‘Fly Me High’, he followed it up with the classic hit songs ‘Nights in White Satin’ and ‘Tuesday Afternoon’ from the seminal album ‘Days of Future Past’. This album went on to become a favourite of the NASA astronauts and was taken aboard the Atlantis shuttle space craft by Chief astronaut “Hoot” Gibson on many missions.

This purple patch showed no sign of abating as Justin created other classic, era and genre-defining hits ‘Question’, ‘The Voice’, ‘I Know You’re Out There Somewhere’, ‘The Story In Your Eyes’ and ‘Your Wildest Dreams’.  These laid the foundation for the incredible success story of the Moody Blues – as well as his solo work – which continues to this day.

When the Moody Blues took a break from touring in 1975, Justin worked on the Blue Jays album, followed by the hit single ‘Blue Guitar’ (recorded with the members of 10cc). Although the Moodies continued to record and tour at the highest level, Justin also found time to create several solo albums: ‘Songwriter’, ‘Night Flight’, ‘Moving Mountains’ and ‘The View From the Hill’.

In the 1980s, he was made a member of the famous ‘SODS’ (The Society of Distinguished Songwriters) and in 2012 he was elected ‘King SOD’.  He also collaborated in 1989 with Mike Batt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded the album ‘Classic Blue’.

In March 1997, Justin was chosen as the subject for the TV show ‘This Is Your Life’ in the presence of many of his friends including Marty Wilde, Lionel Bart and astronaut “Hoot” Gibson.

Justin was presented with ‘The Golden Note’ award from ASCAP in 2005, the top honour for a British writer, and he has appeared in Nashville regularly with other songwriters in showcase events. In 2013, The Performing Rights Society in the UK awarded him his second Ivor Novello statue for ‘Outstanding Achievement’.

Justin records in Italy and France of which he says, “Spending time making music in a beautiful place with your friends is every songwriter’s dream”. Justin undertook extensive solo tours in both 2016 and 2017; and in 2018 Justin will again head out on the road bringing his wonderful music to his fans in the UK and Europe, as well as North America.

As well as live shows, Justin has released several solo recordings; an album of new songs ‘Spirits Of The Western Sky’ – for Eagle Rock – was released in 2013 followed by several solo tours, and in 2014 a ‘live in concert’ DVD ‘Spirits…Live’ was made available, which reached No1 on the Billboard Video chart. 2016 saw the release of ‘All The Way’ (Eagle Rock Entertainment), a compilation from Justin Hayward’s solo career.  “All The Way” includes Justin’s solo songs, a recording with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, solo live performances and unique versions of classic Moody Blues tracks and the brand new song “The Wind Of Heaven.”  Justin said, “My acoustic solo tours give the perfect balance to the big production of the Moody Blues concerts. I’m so lucky to have both”.

Whilst releasing solo albums and DVDs and working on many different projects, including new solo recordings, Justin continues to tour with the Moody Blues all across the world; Justin has toured with the band extensively in the US, but also the UK, Europe in each of the last few years. 

In January 2018, the news broke that The Moody Blues were finally to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  This recognition comes not before time but means a great deal to the band.  At the time Justin commented, “I’m extremely grateful to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first for creating the supreme temple to all that has brought endless joy into my life since I was a small boy, and now, after all these years, for including us.

It’s a privilege to be celebrated in the same building, on the same street even, as my own heroes - Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers - and now, at last, with us, my heroine Nina Simone.

But all the thanks must go to The Moody Blues fans for giving us a wonderful, wonderful life in music - our induction has now validated the music they so love, and I’m so, so pleased, for us all. Yippee!”

Whilst the acceptance intro the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a truly global endorsement it is of course the music that matters.  2018 sees the 50^th anniversary of the ‘Days Of Future Passed’ album.  The band are marking this with some North American dates and the release of the concert recording ‘Days Of Future Passed Live’.  With the solo dates of 2018 still to come, Justin certainly keeps himself busy.

“I have spent most of my life, so far, on the road”, says Justin. “Playing live and creating a small piece of magic in a room is like a drug to me, one that I never want to give up”. His is a talent that has helped soundtrack more than a generation and created a legacy that remains undimmed.

As if 2018 isn’t busy enough for Justin Hayward, he will be embarking on his North American “All The Way” tour with his trio (Mike Dawes and Julie Ragins), beginning August 4 in Plymouth, NH, performing material from All The Way, a retrospective of songs from across his career. 

City Winery has partnered with Forest Hills Stadium to bring you great seats, and bring our urban winery vibe to Queens with the City Winery Wine Garden, an exclusive, covered, all-weather spot just steps from your seats.

Wine Garden guests will enjoy unlimited wine from Manhattan’s only winery and light snacks before and during performances by acclaimed artists such as Robert Plant, David Byrne, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.

CHECK OUT FULL LINE UP HERE

ABOUT CAKE

CAKE’s adherence to their original guiding principles has only grown stronger. Originally formed as a somewhat antagonistic answer to grunge, CAKE’s democratic processes, defiant self-reliance, and lucid yet ever-inventive music has made them a nation-state unto themselves, with no obvious peers, belonging to no school.

In addition to writing, arranging, producing, and performing their own music, they have taught themselves to engineer & produce their recording projects in their own solar-powered studio in Sacramento, CA — which actually generates more power than is needed to run it (causing the building’s electrical meter to run in reverse).  Additionally, CAKE’s go green advocacy will continue this summer… the band gives away a native tree at every performance (and have done so for the past 12 years). When you attend a CAKE concert, there is always a tree on stage throughout their performance, and at some point during the evening one lucky audience member (who is willing the make the commitment to be a lifelong steward for the tree) gets to take it home. The CAKE Forest can be seen here.

CAKE’s most recent album, SHOWROOM OF COMPASSION, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s “Top 200” Chart and was touted for its “deadpan brilliance” by The New Yorker. The band is currently in the recording studio working on their ninth album, due for release later this year.

ABOUT BEN FOLDS

Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation. He has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and collaborative records with artists spanning Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, and William Shatner.

Folds’ most recent work, 2015’s SO THERE, blended original songs with his critically acclaimed “Concerto For Piano and Orchestra” and soared to #1 on Billboard’s “Classical” and “Classical Crossover” charts. For over a decade, Folds has performed with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras. In 2017, he was named as the first-ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

Folds continues to perform with symphonies and also recently returned to solo touring, delivering a high-energy rock show with the intimacy of a solo piano performance.

City Winery has partnered with Forest Hills Stadium to bring you great seats, and bring our urban winery vibe to Queens with the City Winery Wine Garden, an exclusive, covered, all-weather spot just steps from your seats.

Wine Garden guests will enjoy unlimited wine from Manhattan’s only winery and light snacks before and during performances by acclaimed artists such as Robert Plant, David Byrne, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.

CHECK OUT FULL LINE UP HERE

ABOUT CAKE

CAKE’s adherence to their original guiding principles has only grown stronger. Originally formed as a somewhat antagonistic answer to grunge, CAKE’s democratic processes, defiant self-reliance, and lucid yet ever-inventive music has made them a nation-state unto themselves, with no obvious peers, belonging to no school.

In addition to writing, arranging, producing, and performing their own music, they have taught themselves to engineer & produce their recording projects in their own solar-powered studio in Sacramento, CA — which actually generates more power than is needed to run it (causing the building’s electrical meter to run in reverse).  Additionally, CAKE’s go green advocacy will continue this summer… the band gives away a native tree at every performance (and have done so for the past 12 years). When you attend a CAKE concert, there is always a tree on stage throughout their performance, and at some point during the evening one lucky audience member (who is willing the make the commitment to be a lifelong steward for the tree) gets to take it home. The CAKE Forest can be seen here.

CAKE’s most recent album, SHOWROOM OF COMPASSION, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s “Top 200” Chart and was touted for its “deadpan brilliance” by The New Yorker. The band is currently in the recording studio working on their ninth album, due for release later this year.

ABOUT BEN FOLDS

Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation. He has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and collaborative records with artists spanning Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, and William Shatner.

Folds’ most recent work, 2015’s SO THERE, blended original songs with his critically acclaimed “Concerto For Piano and Orchestra” and soared to #1 on Billboard’s “Classical” and “Classical Crossover” charts. For over a decade, Folds has performed with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras. In 2017, he was named as the first-ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

Folds continues to perform with symphonies and also recently returned to solo touring, delivering a high-energy rock show with the intimacy of a solo piano performance.

All shows in The Loft are seated, general admission. Seats are first come first served so we recommend arriving early. Check out the new menu at The Loft!

Throughout his two-and- a-half- decade recording career, Jeffrey Gaines
has maintained an impressive standard for soul-searching, introspective lyrics and catchy,
uplifting melodies. Since bursting on the scene with his self-titled 1992 debut album, the
charismatic singer-songwriter- guitarist has built a beloved body of recordings that’s won him a
large and deeply devoted international fan base.
Now, after an extended absence from the recording studio, Gaines returns with Alright, his first
Omnivore Recordings release and his first set of new studio material since 2003’s Toward the
Sun. Street date is January 26, 2018. The new album features ten irresistible examples of the
Philadelphia-based artis'ts personally charged songcraft, performed with the same effortless
exuberance that's long been a hallmark of Gaines’ artful recordings and his dazzling live
performances.
Recorded in Los Angeles with producer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Price (whose production
resume includes acclaimed recent comeback efforts by Emitt Rhodes and Linda Perhacs, as well
as his own widely celebrated second solo effort, Stop Talking), Alright features an all-star studio
band consisting of guitarist Val McCallum (Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams),
bassist Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello, Cracker, John Hiatt), and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis
Costello, Squeeze, Elliott Smith), who also record on their own as Jackshit.
Alright vibrates with positivity and enthusiasm, lending an unmistakable immediacy to such
effervescent new Gaines originals as “Feel Alright,” “Firefly Hollow,” “Seems to Me” and “Frowned
Upon.” The new songs showcase Gaines sublime melodic gifts, his vivid lyrical insight and
ingratiating performing skills, while drawing strength from the unmistakable chemistry of the
studio team, which cut all of the album’s backing tracks in a marathon three-day session.
“The whole experience of making this album was just a joy from beginning to end,” Gaines
asserts. “We didn't have a lot of time, so there was no fooling around. We just went in and
knocked it out. Everybody played great, so it was an inspiring situation. The musicians have
similar influences to me, so we were all on the same page, and I picked the songs I thought
would suit this group of musicians. It was cool to have a structure, but at the same time it was
also loose and organic.”
“Chris and I have a lot of shared interests, so that definitely helped,” he continues. “And I had
really wanted to work with the Jackshit guys. Val McCallum had played guitar on my album
Towards the Sun, and I wanted to work with him again And I love to record with rhythm sections
that already play together, which Davey and Pete do, so they've already got the non-verbal
communication going."
"I couldn't be prouder to be involved in the making of this album,” Chris Price adds. “We got a
raw, immediate sound thanks to the incredible musicianship and killer vocal performances.

Everyone showed up on their A-game, so nothing was left to chance. Not to mention the fact that
Jeff wrote some fantastic tunes that worm their way into your head, and don’t have any intention
of leaving.”
Alright’s title, Gaines explains, is a reflection of the mood in the studio during recording. “It’s just
what everybody kept saying over and over again while we were making the record,” he says.
“People would come into the studio and listen to a track and say ‘Hey, that’s alright!’”
Gaines has been pursuing musical transcendence for much of his life. Raised in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, by soul-music- loving parents, he began his musical life playing guitar in local cover
combos, before his songwriting muse became too insistent to ignore. He soon landed his first
record deal shortly after graduating from high school, and in 1992 released his widely acclaimed
debut album Jeffrey Gaines. The eponymous disc won massive amounts of critical and audience
acclaim, spawning the hit “Hero in Me.” Somewhat Slightly Dazed (1994) and Galore (1998)
further expanded his audience. Interview magazine described Gaines’ work as “soul-searching”
and “refreshingly free of jargon, sentiment or cliché.”
In 2001, Gaines’ release Always Be yielded a surprise hit in his deeply felt interpretation of Peter
Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”; 2003’s Toward the Sun attracted even more critical accolades, with
Mojo praising the “soul-folkie’s sexy growl” and The Boston Globe declaring that “Gaines’ soulful,
wounded vocals make a case for his being one of pop’s finest singers.” Toward the Sun was
followed by a pair of live albums, the 2004 CD/DVD Jeffrey Gaines Live and 2012’s Live in
Europe, which reflected the deep and abiding rapport that Gaines has with his fans. That
relationship keeps him consistently on the road playing high-energy one-man live sets, even
when there’s no new album to promote."
"The biggest pleasure I derive from this is playing live," Gaines notes. “There’s nothing more
satisfying for me than a good live gig. I’m in control, but the audience can take it to a place that’s
higher than I can imagine. When I show up for a live gig, I don' need much, there';s no rider. It’s
just, turn it on, let the audience in, and we'll do the rest. It’s the best job anyone could ever have.”
With a quarter-century of recording and performing under his belt, Jeffrey Gaines is enjoying life
and music more than ever. “Nowadays, I know what the job is about, so there’s nothing to stress
about, he says. “I know that there’s people out there who want it, so I have the opportunity to
extend their experience, and I’m thankful for that. Even though there’s a long gap between
Toward the Sun and Alright, this one continues that story and that sound. I guess I could lay my
albums all out and see that they tell a story, but personally I prefer to keep looking forward.”

City Winery has partnered with Forest Hills Stadium to bring you great seats, and bring our urban winery vibe to Queens with the City Winery Wine Garden, an exclusive, covered, all-weather spot just steps from your seats.

Wine Garden guests will enjoy unlimited wine from Manhattan’s only winery and light snacks before and during performances by acclaimed artists such as Robert Plant, David Byrne, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.

CHECK OUT FULL LINE UP HERE

City Winery has partnered with Forest Hills Stadium to bring you great seats, and bring our urban winery vibe to Queens with the City Winery Wine Garden, an exclusive, covered, all-weather spot just steps from your seats.

Wine Garden guests will enjoy unlimited wine from Manhattan’s only winery and light snacks before and during performances by acclaimed artists such as Robert Plant, David Byrne, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.

CHECK OUT FULL LINE UP HERE

Entertaining audiences from his phenomenal guitar work to his incredibly impassioned lyrics
and overall songwriting prowess - one thing has certainly become clear about Albert
Cummings’ music: He is FAR MORE than simply just the guitarist or the bluesman he’s often
painted as by fans and the media alike. He offers the complete package.

Though undoubtedly a masterful guitar player who burst onto the blues rock scene in the early
2000’s and almost immediately began gaining praise in that realm, his latest release “Live at
the ‘62 Center” further portrays not only his versatility as singer/songwriter and live performer
but as an artist first and foremost.

This comes to fruition in the true spontaneity and creative spirit of the album, in which he put
together a newly formed version of his usual trio that afternoon of the October, 2016 recording.
With longtime friend and Grammy Winner Jim Gaines behind the soundboard, what comes
through in both sight and sound is an incredible journey into the live performance world and
true artistry of one of today’s most seasoned musicians.

“His muscular guitar work is simply outstanding. He’s a great blues singer as well with passion
for the tunes inherent in his full throttle approach.” - Rock and Blues Muse on Live at the ‘62
Center.

Like many greats before him who’ve been painted into a corner as merely great blues players,
or guitar players, or singers - Cummings seeks to rise above these labels and be praised for
the devotion to his overall craft as a true musician. In artist terms - he’s sought to be known for
the overall pallet of his music, rather than one specific color. From greats like Eric Clapton to
the more recent stylings of John Mayer, his artistic integrity has allowed him to focus on the big
picture, writing songs from the heart rather than catering to his specifics strengths as a singer,
guitarist, or bandleader (all of which he does impeccably, however).

DAVID BROMBERG - “THE REASON MAN CREATED STRINGED INSTRUMENTS”

(JERRY JEFF WALKER) - RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM ‘THE BLUES, THE

WHOLE BLUES, AND NOTHING BUT THE BLUES’ OCTOBER 14 ON RED HOUSE

RECORDS

On October 14, David Bromberg – a godfather of Americana, decorated multi-

instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, gifted song interpreter and lauded

bandmate to the stars - will release 'The Blues, The Whole Blues and Nothing

But The Blues' (Red House Records). Produced by Levon Helm and Bob Dylan’s

longtime collaborator, Larry Campbell, Bromberg’s first album since 2013 is a

wonderfully curated selection of deep cuts from the blues genre, in addition to

original compositions. Bromberg found his inspiration for the album when he

heard Willie Nelson repeat a quote from Texas fiddler Johnny Gimble: "there's

only two kinds of music - the Star Spangled Banner and the Blues."

Hear a blustering take on Robert Johnson’s “Walkin’ Blues” here: LINK

Through Bromberg’s unparalleled playing and gift for interpretation, a crack

band and Campbell’s tasteful horn arrangements, the record reaches

electrifying heights as well as intimate acoustic moments, breathing fresh life

into the songs of Robert Johnson, Bobby Charles, George “Little Hat” Jones,

Ray Charles, and Sonny Boy Williamson, among others.

Ray Charles’ “A Fool For You” is one of many album stand-outs, featuring just

David on a spellbinding solo acoustic guitar performance and vocals. David

learned the song “Why Are People Like That?” from a Muddy Waters record, a

song written by one of his favorite writers: Bobby Charles. Bromberg dug deep

into recorded music, sometimes finding songs with mysterious origins such as

“How Come My Dog Don’t Bark When You Come ‘Round,” or “900 Miles,” an old

country song imagined as if Howlin’ Wolf were to play it. 

Bromberg is “an American music icon” (Dr. John), and counts Bob Dylan,

George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Garcia, Bonnie Raitt, Carly

Simon, The Eagles, and so many more as collaborators, fans and friends. This

is Bromberg’s 18th album, the latest in a solo career that began in 1971 on his

self-titled debut.

THE DRUNK YOGA EXPERIENCE

Wine brings us together, yoga brings you to yourself.

Drunk Yoga™ begins with 30-minute happy hour will kick off your party. We’ll uncork the wine, play some music and let your guests mingle.

Eli Walker, founder and lead instructor will then bring everyone to their mats for a 45-minute beginner-friendly yoga class with wine in-hand. Class will be structured for optimal safety and fun. A 15-minute “wine-down” will conclude the event.

Come laugh, feel yourself and find community.

*Drunk Yoga is a 90-minute experience. Ticket price includes yoga class + two glasses of wine. BYO yoga mat.

Q: CAN I DO DRUNK YOGA IF I’M NOT A YOGI?

A: YES! Drunk Yoga is for yogis and non-yogi’s alike. The only thing you need for Drunk Yoga is an attitude of gratitude and an appreciation that happiness is health.

Q: HOW MANY DRINKS DO I GET DURING DRUNK YOGA? DO I GET “DRUNK”?

A: Guests drink approximately two glasses of wine throughout a Drunk Yoga class. Enough to feel happy-tipsy at the end. We do not let you have enough to get drunk; excessive drinking before or during class is prohibited.

Q: DO I HAVE TO DRINK WINE AT DRUNK YOGA?

A: Nope! We have plenty of water and other non-alcoholic beverages for you to enjoy.

Q: CAN I COME BY MYSELF OR SHOULD I COME WITH FRIENDS?

A: Whether you come alone or with friends, you’ll find a community of friends at Drunk Yoga. It’s a very open, communal environment.

Q: ARE THERE ANY RULES TO DRUNK YOGA?

A: Yes! But only to ensure safety and optimal fun.

Here they are:

Consume no more than one glass of wine before glass begins. Do not pre-game--less is more in Drunk Yoga!

Drunk Yoga is not B.Y.O.B. Guests are only allowed to drink the wine provided by the host.

Hydrate! Drunk Yoga is best enjoyed by those who are happy, healthy and hydrated. Water is provided before, during and after the class.

Other “game rules” are introduced during class by your Drunk Yoga teacher, designed to help you feel and share good vibes with your classmates.

Have fun!

More Q's? Email info@dodrunkyoga.com or visit www.dodrunkyoga.com.

Alejandro Escovedo

Alejandro Escovedo, renowned songwriter, singer and true believer. In a trailblazing career that began with The Nuns, San Francisco’s famed punk innovators, to the Austin-based-based alt-country rock pioneers, Rank & File, to Texas bred darlings, True Believers, through countless all-star collaborations and tribute album appearances and finally a series of beloved solo albums beginning with 1992’s acclaimed Gravity – recently named by Paste Magazine #21 on the Top 50 Southern Rock Albums of All Time –  Escovedo has earned a surplus of distinctions: No Depression magazine’s Artist of the Decade Award in 1998 and the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing in 2006, just to name two.

In December 2017 Escovedo joined the Yep Roc family, after playing the 20th anniversary celebration shows in North Carolina. He crossed paths again with Chris Stamey (dB’s) for the first time in 17 years after Stamey produced A Man Under the Influence  (Bloodshot, 2001). It was here the concept was born to merge a new interpretation of A Man Under the Influence with the Think About the Link Tour presented by Prevent Cancer Foundation, for whom Escovedo has been a spokesperson since 2017. As a hepatitis C survivor, Escovedo hopes to spread the word about the link between hepatitis C and liver cancer. The tour kicked off on January 13, 2018 at his annual show at ACL Live at the Moody in Austin to stunning reviews.  Each night, Escovedo and band performed his seminal “A Man Under the Influence album in its entirety, with new arrangements by music director Stamey and featuring most of the original musicians featured on the album  – Mitch Easter (producer, R.E.M., frontman, Let’s Active), Eric Heywood (The Pretenders), long-time drummer Hector Munoz and cellist Brian Standefer. The second half of the show devoted to inspired covers by celebrated music heroes who have succumbed to cancer, survivors, and gems from Alejandro’s rich catalog.

In October 2016, Escovedo, released the well-loved Burn Something Beautiful on Concord Music’s Fantasy Records. The album, Escovedo’s first solo endeavor since 2012’s acclaimed Big Station, was a highly collaborative affair where he teamed with long time friends Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (R.E.M.,The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows) to co-write the album’s songs, and also enlisted the pair to act as the project’s producer.

Escovedo and The Burn Something Beautiful Band, as they fondly refer to themselves, took some mighty big swings. At once a celebration of the rock and roll life, a contemplation on mortality, and the healing power of love, Burn Something Beautiful connects repeatedly with Escovedo’s soulful heart and voice at its core. Recorded at Portland’s Type Foundry studio, the project coalesced with the help of an esteemed group of musicians who give the album a genuine band feel. They include guitarist Kurt Bloch (The Fastbacks), drummer John Moen (The Decemberists), vocalists Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) and Kelly Hogan (Neko Case, The Flat Five) as well as saxophonist Steve Berlin (Los Lobos). The record took Escovedo and three incarnations of bands on a year-long journey across the US and Europe. He will release a new record on Yep Roc later this year.

“You just do your good work, and people care,” Alejandro says. “I always believed, when I was a kid, that if you worked hard, you would find fulfillment. I think I got a lot of that from my father and my brothers. A working musician is all I ever wanted to be. Hard work, stay true to what you want to do, and then eventually someone would notice for that very reason.”

Alejandro’s many gifts are revealed across a lifetime spent in dedication to and faith in the hard work of life and music…and its possibilities. Refusing to go unnoticed.

__________________________________

“Musically, Alejandro Escovedo is in his own genre.” – David Fricke, Rolling Stone

“There are songwriters who sing their songs, and then there are songs who sing their writers.” – Lenny Kaye ( Patti Smith Band)

“A masterwork from one of the genuine lights in rock music.”- Billboard

“Escovedo has blended the lyricism of Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne with the raw power of the Stooges and the Velvet Underground…the result is music with heart, brains, and a burning sense of adventure.”– Mark Kemp, Rolling Stone

“The performances were lush and full…it was truly a treat to hear these songs with such a rich resonance that only added to their depth and beauty.” – Front Row Center

“Alejandro Escovedo likes songs with stories; tonight, he was, the American story.” – The Boston Globe

“Alejandro Escovedo is one of the great songwriters of our time.” – Time Out Philadelphia

“Alejandro Escovedo  was like a lean slice of nighttime that had found its way into a sunny afternoon. That set was rumbling roots-punk guitar gunslinging at its most fierce and hip. After a long afternoon on a festival stage, the 60-something Escovedo still bristled with energy. Cool cats get nine lives. Ticking it off on your fingers, it seems as if the Texas songwriter must have cycled through all of those and then some.” – Allison Fernstock, New Orleans Times-Picayune

Joe Ely 

Panhandle Rambler is Joe Ely back home, returned to the always dusty, perpetually

windy, generally arid, frequently smoldering, and seemingly barren landscape around

Lubbock where he grew up and first began playing music. A place that has hosted

generations of dry land farmers and wildcatters. It’s where Joe found his calling as a

writer and performer. First located that unmistakable voice. Learned to carry himself

upright and open, to move with determination.

In the rock’n’roll era, the vast spaces of west Texas have been filled with great music.

Joe Ely stands in a tradition born out on these gritty plains. It includes Roy Orbison,

Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton,

Don Walser, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines, his daughter Natalie Maines, and Joe’s enduring

musical partners, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

It is a land where you can see for miles and miles and miles. Only those who don’t know

it find it barren. For it’s full of stories if you know where to seek them. And it has

customs and amusements all its own. Even the forever dipping oil wells have their role.

“In high school, we used to get somebody to buy us a six pack and go out there to the

fields and ride the front part of those oil pumps all night long,” Joe remembers.

Now, Ely lives in Austin and spends much of his life on the road. But when

he’s accumulated enough song ideas, Lubbock is where Joe heads. “Somehow, just

driving for hours down those country roads is still the best place for me finish my

songs.”

Panhandle Rambler is one of the most personal albums Joe Ely’s ever made. It brings

forth this terrain, the spirited people it produces and that special sense of destiny, be it

terrible or glorious, that its very vastness creates. “Wounded Creek” starts the album

with what you might call a Western fantasy, except that the “bushes and the brambles,”

the traffic light, the stray dog and the cold wind are all completely brought to life.

“Sometimes, when I was a kid, you’d look outside and the only things you’d see would

be these huge radio towers, must have been fifty of a hundred feet tall, just swaying

in the wind,” Joe said. “Wonderin’ Where,” perhaps Panhandle Rambler’s most beautiful

melody, pays tribute to those trembling towers, the railroads which carried other things

equally unimaginable distances, the “cross between a river and a stream” where he

played, and the dreams and nightmares that flitted across that kid’s mind and heart,

and the loneliness of bearing such secrets. If it is possible to write a love song for a

place, this is one of the great ones, “trying to find a verse that’s never been sung

to hearts that need relief.”

“Here’s to the Weary” is the story of all the great musical refugees, from

Woody Guthrie, Bob Wills and Muddy Waters to the rockabillies—Buddy Holly,

Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, the shadows of the others—who soothed our

“weary and restless souls” with nighttime musical magic.

It’s also typical of all the songs on the album. The place doesn’t necessarily always win,

but, as in “Magdalene” and “Coyotes are Howlin’,” it’s the one thing that carries a sense

not so much of permanence as of inevitably. The two sides are fully summarized in the

almost giddy “Southern Eyes” and the fatalistic “Early in the Mornin’.”

Of course, every Lubbocker album needs its legendary tales. Here that territory is

covered by “Four Ol’ Brokes,” which combines a hobo yarn with the ballad of

a gambling scam, and “Burden of Your Load,” in which true love triumphs over evil, if

just barely, we hope.

Equally legendary, but true in every respect, is the closing song, “You Saved Me,” which

is a love song to Joe’s wife, Sharon. The lyric never mentions her name, but no one

who’s known Joe Ely longer than about a day could mistake her.

Legendary tales and legendary musicians. Panhandle Rambler, largely recorded in

Austin, features some of the most respected local musicians: drummer Davis McClarty,

guitarists Lloyd Maines and Robbie Gjersoe, Jeff Plankenhorm, and Gary Nicholson,

bassist Glen Fukunaga. There were also Nashville sessions, with Music City’s usual

superb playing, led by guitarist Gary Nicholson. Joe wrote all but two of the songs:

“Magdalene” by Guy Clark and Ray Stephenson, and “When the Nights are Cold” by his

original Flatlanders sidekick Butch Hancock.

This is a classic Joe Ely album. It has moved me, every time I’ve heard  it, with a

certain kind of awe. One reason is that, long before you hear “You Saved Me,” he put

everything he has into telling the world about a place in the world, and through

that, reaching his own emotional center. It’s beautiful and it’s inspiring.

Tickets will be $20 Day of Show

 DON’T BE AFRAID No matter how much life twists and turns, it always brings us where we’re meant to be… That’s definitely the case with Chris Stills. After many successful years overseas in France, Chris turned his attention back to LA to focus on fatherhood and strengthening the bond he shares with his two daughters. Getting back to his musical roots, Chris reconnected with that “California kid who loves Leon Russell and Tom Petty”. Ten years in the making, and a rollercoaster of experiences snowballed into his independent third fulllength album, Don’t Be Afraid.

“There was a lot of life that had to happen,” he exclaims. “A lot of things had to go right for this record to see the light of day. For as much as there’s a slight embarrassment in regards to how long it took, I can’t knock myself, because I went through quite a bit. Like anybody else, I’ve had my ups and downs in this business and personally as well, but I never stopped doing what I do. Some stars just needed to align. The songs themselves are an honest chronicle from various moments of my journey to now. When I came back from France, I needed to be as present as possible for my kids while going through a divorce. When that dust finally settled, I went to the studio. Once I did, I got back to who I am.” So who is Chris Stills? For starters, he’s a celebrated troubadour with two fan favorite albums—100 Year Thing [1998] and Chris Stills [2006]—under his belt. Moreover, he’s a road dog who’s shared stages with everyone from Richard Ashcroft, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Ryan Adams, Shelby Lynn, and Paul Weller to Smashing Pumpkins and Gov’t Mule. He’s also a sought-after presence in film and television whose songs have featured in multiple movies and shows. He even appeared as a regular co-star for 2 seasons in Showtime’s Shameless. In addition, he contributed “Live To Live” to American Hustle and most recently sang the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” in the 2018 Oscar® winning movie I, Tonya. As an actor, he took on the role of Julius Caesar in the topgrossing French musical Cleopatra-The Last Queen of Egypt. He also starred in the French film Requiem for a Killer opposite Melanie Laurent, Tcheky Karyo and Clovis Corniac. Elle magazine praised him as, “Sublime... a revelation.” As a philanthropist, he’s the co-producer and musical director for “Light Up the Blues”—an annual concert to benefit Autism Speaks. Every side of Stills shines through Don’t Be Afraid. Working intermittently with producers and sometimes bandmates Zac Rae (Death Cab for Cutie) and Dan Burns (Grammy Nominated and 3 time Juno Award winner), the vision for what would become Don’t Be Afraid came into focus as they helped Chris sort through demos he recorded as early as 2013. Threading together Americana-style storytelling, rock ‘n’ roll energy, pop panache, and classic grit, it reasserted Stills’ identity. 

Listening to this album, Chris exudes a pure authenticity as he writes about his personal life and experiences over the past decade. With an endearing and honest intimacy he crosses a wide range of ups and downs through love and hardships that Chris calls “a self-reflective, atmospheric space walk”. Rustling acoustic guitar punctuated by a bluesy wail, introduces the single “The Weekend.” Right off the bat, he admits, “Sometimes my past comes back to haunt me” before sharing a playful narrative born from a barbecue with friends Clifton Collins, Jr. who loved the song so much he directed the video, as well as Natasha Bedingfield and David Saw who both ended up as co-writers on the song. “It was born out of fun,” he states. “We’re taking the piss out of smoking too much weed, drinking too much, and losing your phone.” Elsewhere, the upbeat sun-soaked harmonies of “This Summer Love”, reminiscent of Harry Nilsson, recount romance in everybody’s favorite season. “I grew up going to the island of Ibiza every summer,” he continues. “After many years I finally went back. It came out of a desire. I was single. It was summertime. I was writing about the magic of meeting someone.” Meanwhile, he joined forces with his old friend Ryan Adams for the rollicking tribute to a “Bad Girl” on “Criminal Mind.” Showcasing another side of his story, “Daddy’s Little Girl” portrays a father’s toughest moment—when he has to give his daughter away. In the end, Stills turned life experience into an unforgettable journey in Don’t Be Afraid. “I’d like to think that there is hope in all these songs. If there is something in my music that makes you feel better, then hallelujah.”

Don’t be fooled by the title of Glenn Tilbrook’s latest album, Happy Ending, or at least not all of it. He’s happy, of course, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s more than earned his place at pop’s top table as one of our most cherished singers, guitarists and songwriters, not to mention an in-demand and endlessly endearing live performer. But more than 40 years after he first answered an ad placed by Chris Difford looking for like-minded sorts to form the band that became the much-loved evergreen Squeeze, an ending is nowhere in sight.

In 2014 alone, in addition to releasing the highly acclaimed Happy Ending, Glenn is busy treading the boards both at home and away, saddling up with Mr Difford again for a tour of songs and stories under the banner “The At Odds Couple”, and – also in tandem with Chris – writing material for a TV series based on the life of another South London renaissance man, journalist and broadcaster Danny Baker.

“It’ll be just Chris and myself on stage playing songs in quite a different way,” says Glenn. “We’re very different musicians to when we first started out, we’re way ahead of where we were – you could say we’ve actually learned how to play properly! We’ve put in a lot of time rehearsing, and have gone into our catalogue of songs from before we started making records, things people won’t have heard before, and there’s some good stuff in there.

“On record, there’s never really any reason to look back, but live it’s a different perspective. It’s interesting to revisit those songs we wrote between 1974 and ’76; there’s lots of them. It was an incredibly fruitful time for us. There will also be some new stuff, songs that we’ll be recording early next year, which go hand in hand with the Danny Baker TV series.”

 The Glenn & Chris connection to Baker stretches back to even before the days of Squeeze.

“I remember meeting Danny for the first time when I was about 17, and Chris actually went to the same school as him. We’re South London contemporaries, so we know what the area was like back then. I read Danny’s book, which is very evocative of that time, and I thought it would be a good idea for us to do something based on it. Of all the vehicles I’ve been looking at for myself and Chris to get involved in, this was the one I thought really had legs. It’s a really exciting project.”

Such is the continuing work ethic of a fellow who’s never been far from the action since Squeeze made their recording bow with the Packet Of Three EP in 1977. Those humble three tracks led to such enduring pop classics as Take Me I’m Yours, Cool For Cats, Up The Junction, Another Nail In My Heart, Tempted, Labelled With Love, Black Coffee In Bed, Hourglass (this could go on for a while...), not to mention landmark albums like Argybargy, East Side Story and Some Fantastic Place.

Squeeze’s demise in 1998 saw Glenn embark on a solo career that spawned the albums The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook (2001) and Transatlantic Ping-Pong (2004), showcasing an ever-maturing songwriting talent and the formation of his new band The Fluffers. Initially put together as a touring concern, The Fluffers came into their own on Glenn’s next long player, 2009’s Pandemonium Ensues – by which time Squeeze were also back in business, playing sell-out tours across the UK and US.

2011 saw Glenn and Nine Below Zero collaborate on The Co-operative, an inspired mix of original songs co-written with Dennis Greaves, plus instrumental tracks and a few covers, from Johnny Paycheck via Randy Newman to Lennon & McCartney.

Arguably, though, Happy Ending is Glenn’s most personal work to date, a series of evocative portraits of time, people and places, that included writing and vocal contributions by his own children Leon and Wesley, in addition to old friends Simon Hanson (Fluffers/reunited Squeeze drummer) and Dennis Greaves (Nine Below Zero, also Glenn’s compatriot in the side project band The Co-operative).

“I’m really, really vibed up on what I’m doing now,” Glenn says of Happy Ending. “To me, this record takes its place alongside Pandemonium Ensues, East Side Story, Argybargy and Cool For Cats, which are my favourites of all the ones I’ve made. That’s five albums that I’ve thought ‘Yes! I’ve actually done that properly now”...”

 Anyone who has witnessed Glenn on the live stage can attest to the properness of his doings, as it were. Armed with ready wit, raucous vibes and a shed load of grin-inducing great songs, there are few musicians able to connect with their audience on such an immediate and warm level. The ever burgeoning festival circuit is frequently enriched by Tilbrook the troubadour, whether he be leafing through his own plentiful back pages or dashing off impromptu audience requests ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Tony Orlando & Dawn, and all points in-between.

“I’ve been doing solo tours for the last 18 years or so, and it’s been great fun. When I started it was becoming clear that the old music business model of record companies was a thing of the past, for me, and it was time to do things under my own steam. And to be honest, I’ve never been happier. You may not have the major sales of the old days, but what you’re doing is so much more gratifying.

“More or less everything I do now is because I want to do it. I’ve always wanted to make music, but there were times when the business side of it got in the way, and I felt removed from what I’d originally set out to do. When you’re involved with a major label it kind of becomes like writing by committee, whereas all the best stuff should be personal, it should be your own voice. Happy Ending is probably the most personal album I’ve ever made, and I’m really, really proud of it.”

 Away from the constant and steady stream of fine music, Ivor Novello, Nordoff Robbins, Mojo and PPL awards, landmark plaques commemorating his formative Squeeze years in Greenwich, Glenn is also active in the charity Love Hope Strength, set up by his friend Mike Peters of The Alarm. LHS raises money to set up cancer units in countries in need, and works tirelessly on raising awareness on bone marrow donation. His work with the charity has included record-breaking treks up mounts Everest, Fuji and Kilimanjaro, which should come as no surprise to anyone already in thrall to the man.

Be it mountains or music, Glenn Tilbrook is never very far from the top.

After a series of indie record releases, Shawn Mullins’ critical breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core album shot him to fame on the strength of its Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby” followed by AAA/Americana No. 1 “Beautiful Wreck” from 2006’s 9th Ward Pickin Parlor. His song, “Shimmer” was used in promotion of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and was included on the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack. He co-wrote “All in My Head” which was featured in episode one of the hit TV sitcom “Scrubs.” Mullins also cowrote the Zac Brown Band’s No. 1 country tune “Toes.” In early 2002, he formed super group The Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Peter Droge. Mullins’ most recent album My Stupid Heart, was released in 2015, the theme of which, Mullins says, can be summed up most succinctly by the song title, “It All Comes Down To Love,” the guiding force behind just about every song on the album. Mullins is currently embarking on a recording project in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the release of his album Soul’s Core, which came out July 17, 1998! He always performs songs from Soul’s Core in his live sets including “Lullaby” (Rockabye), “Gulf of Mexico,” “Twin Rocks Oregon,” “Shimmer” and “Anchored in You”. The song arrangements have evolved through the years as he continues to perform them live and grow as an artist. For the 20th anniversary, Shawn will revisit the music on Soul’s Core and record two new versions of the album. He is calling this Soul’s Core Revival. This is not a remix or a remaster of the original, but rather brand new recordings with new arrangements of the songs – one album will be new stripped down solo performances, some on guitar, some on piano and maybe one a cappella and the second will be a new studio recording with his full band, Soul Carnival. Mullins has partnered with PledgeMusic to reach out to fans to join him in the process of making these records. Supporters of the project can take part by pre-ordering a download of the records, signed CDs, high-quality vinyl, a live guitar or vocal lesson online with Shawn, Soul’s Core Revival swag – t-shirts, caps, mugs and sweatshirts, a visit to the studio while he records the albums, a personalized Platinum record plaque of Soul’s Core, handwritten lyrics to “Lullaby” - these and many more options to participate in the making of these records are available on the Shawn Mullins PledgeMusic page at www.pledgemusic.com/projects/shawnmullins. 

Don’t be fooled by the title of Glenn Tilbrook’s latest album, Happy Ending, or at least not all of it. He’s happy, of course, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s more than earned his place at pop’s top table as one of our most cherished singers, guitarists and songwriters, not to mention an in-demand and endlessly endearing live performer. But more than 40 years after he first answered an ad placed by Chris Difford looking for like-minded sorts to form the band that became the much-loved evergreen Squeeze, an ending is nowhere in sight.

In 2014 alone, in addition to releasing the highly acclaimed Happy Ending, Glenn is busy treading the boards both at home and away, saddling up with Mr Difford again for a tour of songs and stories under the banner “The At Odds Couple”, and – also in tandem with Chris – writing material for a TV series based on the life of another South London renaissance man, journalist and broadcaster Danny Baker.

“It’ll be just Chris and myself on stage playing songs in quite a different way,” says Glenn. “We’re very different musicians to when we first started out, we’re way ahead of where we were – you could say we’ve actually learned how to play properly! We’ve put in a lot of time rehearsing, and have gone into our catalogue of songs from before we started making records, things people won’t have heard before, and there’s some good stuff in there.

“On record, there’s never really any reason to look back, but live it’s a different perspective. It’s interesting to revisit those songs we wrote between 1974 and ’76; there’s lots of them. It was an incredibly fruitful time for us. There will also be some new stuff, songs that we’ll be recording early next year, which go hand in hand with the Danny Baker TV series.”

 The Glenn & Chris connection to Baker stretches back to even before the days of Squeeze.

“I remember meeting Danny for the first time when I was about 17, and Chris actually went to the same school as him. We’re South London contemporaries, so we know what the area was like back then. I read Danny’s book, which is very evocative of that time, and I thought it would be a good idea for us to do something based on it. Of all the vehicles I’ve been looking at for myself and Chris to get involved in, this was the one I thought really had legs. It’s a really exciting project.”

Such is the continuing work ethic of a fellow who’s never been far from the action since Squeeze made their recording bow with the Packet Of Three EP in 1977. Those humble three tracks led to such enduring pop classics as Take Me I’m Yours, Cool For Cats, Up The Junction, Another Nail In My Heart, Tempted, Labelled With Love, Black Coffee In Bed, Hourglass (this could go on for a while...), not to mention landmark albums like Argybargy, East Side Story and Some Fantastic Place.

Squeeze’s demise in 1998 saw Glenn embark on a solo career that spawned the albums The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook (2001) and Transatlantic Ping-Pong (2004), showcasing an ever-maturing songwriting talent and the formation of his new band The Fluffers. Initially put together as a touring concern, The Fluffers came into their own on Glenn’s next long player, 2009’s Pandemonium Ensues – by which time Squeeze were also back in business, playing sell-out tours across the UK and US.

2011 saw Glenn and Nine Below Zero collaborate on The Co-operative, an inspired mix of original songs co-written with Dennis Greaves, plus instrumental tracks and a few covers, from Johnny Paycheck via Randy Newman to Lennon & McCartney.

Arguably, though, Happy Ending is Glenn’s most personal work to date, a series of evocative portraits of time, people and places, that included writing and vocal contributions by his own children Leon and Wesley, in addition to old friends Simon Hanson (Fluffers/reunited Squeeze drummer) and Dennis Greaves (Nine Below Zero, also Glenn’s compatriot in the side project band The Co-operative).

“I’m really, really vibed up on what I’m doing now,” Glenn says of Happy Ending. “To me, this record takes its place alongside Pandemonium Ensues, East Side Story, Argybargy and Cool For Cats, which are my favourites of all the ones I’ve made. That’s five albums that I’ve thought ‘Yes! I’ve actually done that properly now”...”

 Anyone who has witnessed Glenn on the live stage can attest to the properness of his doings, as it were. Armed with ready wit, raucous vibes and a shed load of grin-inducing great songs, there are few musicians able to connect with their audience on such an immediate and warm level. The ever burgeoning festival circuit is frequently enriched by Tilbrook the troubadour, whether he be leafing through his own plentiful back pages or dashing off impromptu audience requests ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Tony Orlando & Dawn, and all points in-between.

“I’ve been doing solo tours for the last 18 years or so, and it’s been great fun. When I started it was becoming clear that the old music business model of record companies was a thing of the past, for me, and it was time to do things under my own steam. And to be honest, I’ve never been happier. You may not have the major sales of the old days, but what you’re doing is so much more gratifying.

“More or less everything I do now is because I want to do it. I’ve always wanted to make music, but there were times when the business side of it got in the way, and I felt removed from what I’d originally set out to do. When you’re involved with a major label it kind of becomes like writing by committee, whereas all the best stuff should be personal, it should be your own voice. Happy Ending is probably the most personal album I’ve ever made, and I’m really, really proud of it.”

 Away from the constant and steady stream of fine music, Ivor Novello, Nordoff Robbins, Mojo and PPL awards, landmark plaques commemorating his formative Squeeze years in Greenwich, Glenn is also active in the charity Love Hope Strength, set up by his friend Mike Peters of The Alarm. LHS raises money to set up cancer units in countries in need, and works tirelessly on raising awareness on bone marrow donation. His work with the charity has included record-breaking treks up mounts Everest, Fuji and Kilimanjaro, which should come as no surprise to anyone already in thrall to the man.

Be it mountains or music, Glenn Tilbrook is never very far from the top.

Compared to most musical artists in the Americana genre, Malone seems like a pair of distressed blue jeans amidst a sea of pantsuits. Unlike the surplus of self-professed rootsy rebels, one listen to this woman from Dixie and you know you’re hearing the real thing. Credit Michelle Malone with doing things her own way for the better part of the past three decades, and defying expectations in the process.

She’s had her share of success, courtesy of some 15 studio albums, her own independent SBS Records label, numerous top flight film and TV soundtracks, kudos from the critics and collaborations with a remarkable roster of amazing artists, among them, the late Gregg Allman, ZZ Top, Ellen DeGeneres and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Chuck Leavell, the master keyboardist who has backed both the the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers, cited her as “One of the best female vocalists I’ve ever heard.” It’s little wonder that Guitar World once hailed Malone as “Equal parts guitar slinger and sweet songstress, with masterful lyrical introspection – sublime to raucous.”

Malone isn’t content to simply acknowledge her accomplishments.

A singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer whose music is informed by blues, roadhouse rock & roll and Georgia soul, Malone’s stunning and stirring new album Slings and Arrows (Due February 16 via SBS Records) pushes the parameters even further. It’s upbeat, defiant, and jubilant, flush with the raw energy and emotion that’s always been a part of her signature sound all while nudging her deeper into some personal territory she hasn’t explored before. Malone deals with issues that have been burned into her psyche and affected her deeply. These songs speak to desire and disappointment, optimism and awareness, all with a driving and fiery conviction. “It wasn’t planned that way”, she insists, “but inevitably, that’s how the album evolved”.

“The past year seemed to alternate between darkness and light,” Malone reflects. “It’s kind of been the arc of my life in general, but even more so over the past year. In a very real sense, this album is a microcosm of issues that I’ve rencountered, and in writing this record, it became a kind of therapy. It helped change my perspective, and I suspect that there are messages here that can offer affirmation to others as well.”

While it’s not a concept album in the strictest sense, Slings and Arrows does look at a myriad of scenarios from the perspective of the characters that populate these songs. It’s through their hardships that Malone draws parallels with situations she’s encountered in recent years with her friends and family. In that way, Malone offers both a connection and a catalyst for dealing with these universal difficulties.

Slings and Arrows is more than mere meditation or rumination. Malone, an Atlanta native, describes it as a “Georgia record,” due to the fact that the musicians, studios, and even those responsible for the visual art are all Georgians. ”I take a lot of pride in Georgia and the importance that Georgia music has played not only in my music but also in American music in general,” she says. “Georgians such as Little Richard, James Brown, Ray Charles all laid the ground work. Without them, we would never have had Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones - there would be no rock and roll.”

As the New York Times once pointed out, Malone is "The kind of singer and songwriter who can jolt things into overdrive." That’s best evidenced by the fact that the record was recorded quickly live in the studio. It took all of five days to get the songs on tape. “I aim for authenticity,” Malone insists. “I don’t know how to do it any other way. I’m at my best when I’m just being me.”

Produced by Malone herself, recorded by Jeff Bakos and mixed and mastered by Gerry Hansen, Slings and Arrows finds her handling vocals, brandishing electric and acoustic guitars (including her signature slide guitar), harp, and mandolin, with additional support from guitarist Doug Kees, bassist Robbie Handley, drummer Christopher Burrows and percussionist Trish Land.

Malone slyly adds half jokingly and half seriously, “These Slings and Arrows have the power to defeat your blues, move your shoes and put you back together, too!”  Who doesn’t want that?

Fresh off the hugely successful The River Tour 2016-2017 of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band—where the group played 89 concerts nearly four hours long each night in 15 countries amassing $300,000,000 in ticket sales, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Drummer Max Weinberg announces a new touring concept for the small venue—“Max Weinberg’s Jukebox”.

A truly interactive experience, Weinberg invites the audience to create in real time the set list he and his crack four piece group will play that night. Performing songs from the glory days of rock and roll your guests get to choose from a video menu of over 200 songs-- everything from the Beatles to the Stones to Bruce and The E Street Band’s biggest hits—and hear the group play ‘em the way they want to hear them played!

That’s right—the crowd gets to yell out their choices and Max plays them! This unique approach is fun and satisfying.

How many times have you attended a show where you yearned to hear your favorite performer play your favorite song? With Max Weinberg’s Jukebox your dream will be realized.

Weinberg, the driving rhythmic force propelling The E Street Band for 43 years, is also known to millions of fans for his 17 year stint as the bandleader and comedic foil to talk show host Conan O’Brien and is the only musician in history to make the leap from a starring role in one of the world’s iconic rock groups to leading his eponymous band on NBC’s “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show”.

And if that wasn’t enough Weinberg managed to do both gigs simultaneously from 1999-2009.

Throughout his 50 year professional career Weinberg has played with some of the biggest and most diverse names in music-—James Brown, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, BB King, Tony Bennett, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty, Stevie Winwood, Sheryl Crow—even Isaac Hayes performing his legendary “Shaft” with a 30 piece orchestra Max conducted on the Late Night broadcast.

In 2009 Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performed the halftime show at Super Bowl 43 to the largest audience ever recorded for that event—over 100,000,000 people.

Weinberg also has the distinction of being the drummer on the two biggest selling rock albums in history—Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA” and Meatloaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell”.

While on hiatus from his E Street Band work and in addition to his 4 piece “Jukebox” Max Weinberg also leads a twelve piece rock and soul aggregation featuring 6 lead vocalists, a 3 piece horn section and the grooving-est rhythm section this side of Motown. Perfectly geared for your private event or fundraiser, “Mighty Max’s Rock and Soul Revue” will have your guests up and out their seats from the first downbeat as they dance the night away to hits from the classic era of soul music on up to the soul reinventions of contemporary artists like Bruno Mars. And with all the rock and TV history he has participated in and observed from the best seat in the house Weinberg continues his highly regarded public speaking series begun in 1986 with the publication of his book The Big Beat. Here your audience has the opportunity to take a peek behind the curtain as Max regales them with stories of life on the road, and the big personalities with whom he’s had the pleasure of working. Followed by a comprehensive Q & A with his audience your patrons will leave the venue feeling that they’ve had a true personal interaction with the guy they’ve seen behind the Boss or behind the kit or in a skit on television. Why you might ask is Weinberg busier than ever with these projects after all these years with Springsteen?

He puts it simply—“It’s too late to stop now”.

This ticket will guarantee admission to the Meet & Greet only!

Fresh off the hugely successful The River Tour 2016-2017 of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band—where the group played 89 concerts nearly four hours long each night in 15 countries amassing $300,000,000 in ticket sales, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Drummer Max Weinberg announces a new touring concept for the small venue—“Max Weinberg’s Jukebox”.

A truly interactive experience, Weinberg invites the audience to create in real time the set list he and his crack four piece group will play that night. Performing songs from the glory days of rock and roll your guests get to choose from a video menu of over 200 songs-- everything from the Beatles to the Stones to Bruce and The E Street Band’s biggest hits—and hear the group play ‘em the way they want to hear them played!

That’s right—the crowd gets to yell out their choices and Max plays them! This unique approach is fun and satisfying.

How many times have you attended a show where you yearned to hear your favorite performer play your favorite song? With Max Weinberg’s Jukebox your dream will be realized.

Weinberg, the driving rhythmic force propelling The E Street Band for 43 years, is also known to millions of fans for his 17 year stint as the bandleader and comedic foil to talk show host Conan O’Brien and is the only musician in history to make the leap from a starring role in one of the world’s iconic rock groups to leading his eponymous band on NBC’s “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show”.

And if that wasn’t enough Weinberg managed to do both gigs simultaneously from 1999-2009.

Throughout his 50 year professional career Weinberg has played with some of the biggest and most diverse names in music-—James Brown, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, BB King, Tony Bennett, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty, Stevie Winwood, Sheryl Crow—even Isaac Hayes performing his legendary “Shaft” with a 30 piece orchestra Max conducted on the Late Night broadcast.

In 2009 Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performed the halftime show at Super Bowl 43 to the largest audience ever recorded for that event—over 100,000,000 people.

Weinberg also has the distinction of being the drummer on the two biggest selling rock albums in history—Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA” and Meatloaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell”.

While on hiatus from his E Street Band work and in addition to his 4 piece “Jukebox” Max Weinberg also leads a twelve piece rock and soul aggregation featuring 6 lead vocalists, a 3 piece horn section and the grooving-est rhythm section this side of Motown. Perfectly geared for your private event or fundraiser, “Mighty Max’s Rock and Soul Revue” will have your guests up and out their seats from the first downbeat as they dance the night away to hits from the classic era of soul music on up to the soul reinventions of contemporary artists like Bruno Mars. And with all the rock and TV history he has participated in and observed from the best seat in the house Weinberg continues his highly regarded public speaking series begun in 1986 with the publication of his book The Big Beat. Here your audience has the opportunity to take a peek behind the curtain as Max regales them with stories of life on the road, and the big personalities with whom he’s had the pleasure of working. Followed by a comprehensive Q & A with his audience your patrons will leave the venue feeling that they’ve had a true personal interaction with the guy they’ve seen behind the Boss or behind the kit or in a skit on television. Why you might ask is Weinberg busier than ever with these projects after all these years with Springsteen?

He puts it simply—“It’s too late to stop now”.

No matter the form, when it comes to art, there are a number of different tacks to take. Some artists continually push their work across new horizons. Others stand a bit more still in order to continually refine the capturing of their vision. Singer/songwriter Peter Bradley Adams falls into the latter category of perfectionists chasing their own perfection. With A Face Like Mine, he may well have caught it.   

There's a confidence, a completeness in the song cycle that listeners have gleaned throughout Adams' illustrious career, but A Face Like Mine, his sixth solo effort, brings it all into sharp focus. Adams' brand of Americana nestles his often delicate, always heartfelt voice in the warm embrace of gentle guitar, tasteful dobro, subtle banjo, supportive bass, and unhurried percussion. The result is a sonic scape that, in turn, wraps itself around the listener like a soft blanket on a cold day. With A Face Like Mine, Adams further refines the simple musical sophistication that has become his trademark.

Throughout the self-produced set, Adams tells tales of love and loss, homes and hearts. The territory he mines is a deliberate mix of fact and fantasy. “I feel like I'm, firstly, a storyteller,” he offers, “but it's inevitable that my own stuff gets in there deep. And it's funny how, sometimes, I don't realize it until the song is done.”

Regardless of the details, there's always a philosophical bent that is often more under than on the surface, firmly grounding Adams' songs even as they stretch outward. By his own admission, Adams is a seeker who spends considerable time wrestling with matters of faith, though he's the first to admit he doesn't have any real answers. “I honestly don't know what the hell I'm doing... nor do I have the language for any of this stuff,” he says with a laugh.

That seeker's heart is the tie that so often binds these songs together. Whether the search for place and purpose is of a spiritual or geographical nature, few writers capture the journey as thoughtfully as Adams. An Alabama native, Adams says he feels most comfortable in motion and doesn't have a strong sense of being Southern, even though his music is rooted in that world in so many ways. And though he sets various scenes with his lyrical imagery, Adams always leaves room for the listener to crawl inside his stories and make them their own.

A Face Like Mine's songs were composed all over the world, from Alabama to India, and they dig into topics are disparate as the desperation of addiction (“Lorraine”), the grappling of self-image (“Who Else Could I Be”), the vitriol of politics (“We Are”), and the genetics of suffering (“A Face Like Mine”). “We Are” and “Who Else Could I Be” were originally written for a dance piece that Gina Patterson choreographed for the San Angelo Civic Ballet. Even so, Adams made sure the songs could stand alone in their own world no matter what else was swirling around them — confidence and completeness in action.

As a work of musical art, A Face Like Mine fulfills the promise of Peter Bradley Adams. And rarely has an artist's standing still sounded so divine.

Today, the words "blues" and "shouting" are, alas, inextricably linked, but what about the tradition of mellow blues crooners that extended through Charles Brown, Nat King Cole and, in their more romantic moments, Joe Williams and Ray Charles? "Buster Poindexter" (nee David Johansen) first attracted attention as a glam rock pioneer (in the New York Dolls, with whom he still tours) and then as an early MTV idol (with "Hot Hot Hot"). Yet with his big, deep, resonant voice, Buster Poindexter is most impressive as a crooner and occasional belter of ballads in the classic R&B tradition. His ongoing run affirms the point that however you know him, the artist known as Buster Poindexter, complete with his one-liners and longer comic monologues (not to mention his signature pompadour), is one of the most endearing and enduring entertainers currently trodding the boards in New York.

City Winery and American Airlines present a First Class International Pairing Series. We invite you to a three course dinner showcasing the wines and cuisine of a fascinating region served by American Airlines. The winemakers are characterized by their dedication to showcasing terroir and production of high-end wines. Each grape variety is hand-picked and carefully handled so as to maintain the fruit expression, and achieve wines with a singular unique style.  Join us for an evening of some of the most exciting wines from Sicily!

Sicily is a legendary island, whose rich history and culture span millennia. Irresistible to film makers, foodies, and world travelers, it is also becoming one of the hottest spots for wine in the country of Italy. And how could it not be? With mountains, volcanoes, deserts, beaches, and plains, this Island of the Sun is extremely geographically diverse, creating hundreds of perfect microclimates for a very wide range of wines.

But that’s not all – not only does Sicily produce wines that span from aromatic whites to bold reds, but it also houses some of the best winemakers in the nation, each approaching their craft in a unique way. Join us as we explore all of these aspects of this truly magnificent Italian region, tasting natural wines from Marsala, terroir-driven cru’s from Europe’s most active volcano, Etna, and lush Nero d’Avola’s grown in a windy riverbed.

Everyone who attends a dinner will be entered into this sweepstakes, and will have the opportunity to win! Again, the drawing of final winner name will take place at the conclusion of the series of dinner in 2019. This will include the possibility to win 2 roundtrip tickets to any international destination that American Airlines services.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of City Winery and the First Class International Pairing Series

Capó, born Pedro Capó, has an inherent great love for music. Born in the land of his ancestors, San Juan, Puerto Rico, he lived a life of bohemian inspirations. Grandson of the brilliant Puerto Rican singer/songwriter Bobby Capó, renown melodist and singer of the 1940’s and son of the unforgettable singer and cultivator of the trova and salsa Bobby Capó, this young singer/songwriter is the third generation member of a family tradition that has left its stamp in Latin music. “My dad would include me in his process of songwriting and would invite me to contribute in his songs since I was a boy,” he remembers.

Pedro picked up the guitar at an early age and quickly demonstrated great virtue with the strings, even becoming the main voice of the group Marka Registrada.

“My mission as an artist is to take the message that there is love and life and that, even though there are tribulations, we can move forward.”

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Joanne Shaw Taylor has established herself as the UK’s number one star of the blues rock world. The girl with the big voice from the Black Country has toured extensively around the world, released critically acclaimed albums and gained a global fan base as well as having the honour of playing alongside some of her musical idols.

Joanne’s debut album White Sugar first opened the door and Joanne’s career has since gone stratospheric, with her breaking the notoriously hard-to-crack US market. She beat the stereotypes of her age and gender, gaining acclaim from critics and peers alike. Subsequent albums; Diamonds in the Dirt, Almost Always Never and Songs From The Road followed and saw Joanne’s fan base rise globally.

In 2014 Joanne reunited with her White Sugar album producer Jim Gaines and recorded her new studio album in Memphis.  That album entitled The Dirty Truth was a return to Joanne’s original sound that mixes rock riffs with blues influences.  The album was released in the UK in September 2014 on Joanne’s own independent boutique label Axehouse Records to critical acclaim across the world and has already become her biggest selling album to date.

Joanne is a bona fide star with famous fans across the guitar world including Joe Bonamassa ( who described her as a Superstar in waiting ), Tedeschi Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Wilko Johnson, Glenn Hughes and John Mayall to name but a few.

Following critical acclaim in 2016 including performances on Later With Jools Holland, BBC’s Glastonbury coverage and outstanding reviews for her latest album Wild, Joanne toured extensively to sell out audiences in 2017 which included a major theatre tour in the UK which visited London's Royal Festival Hall, Manchester's Bridgewater hall and Birmingham's Symphony hall (to name a few). Having just completed a one month tour across America, 2018 is looking very bright for Joanne Shaw Taylor as she embarks on the next chapter of her expanding career.

JD Simo

As if creeping from the Southern swamps and mist-soaked cotton fields, SIMO’s “Stranger Blues” is the perfect table setter for the Nashville power trio’s vibrant new LP, Let Love Show the Way. The song is a blueprint for reinvigorating the fusion of jazz improvisation, downhome blues and classic R&B, as well as these genres’ psychedelic Brit Invasion and countrified Southern-rock manifestations. The rest of the record follows suit, a souped-up vehicle transporting the band on a deeply satisfying, off-the-cuff musical journey.

Cut entirely live in full, unbroken takes—vocals and solos included—the sound is primal, sweltering and immediate. “We live and die by the take,” says singer-guitarist JD Simo. “We don’t edit, and if there are overdubs, they’re minimal. I want it to be unaffected and pure. For me, the music that always resonates most is when a performance is captured. That’s what I love, and that’s what we go for.”

The first album ever recorded at Macon, Ga.’s Big House—the communal home of the Allman Brothers Band during their late ‘60s/early ‘70s heyday—Let Love Show the Way finds SIMO not just reveling in the hallowed space’s unique mojo and history, but taking it to a fresh and inspired place. As a musical unit, Simo, his longtime drummer Adam Abrashoff and bassist Elad Shapiro have an undeniable chemistry, taken to even greater heights with JD playing Duane Allman’s 1957 gold-top Les Paul for every track on the record. This is the same six-string heard on the first two Allman Brothers LPs, the same storied guitar that delivered the unforgettable riff on Derek & the Dominoes’ “Layla.” JD is now part of an elite group of artists—including Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes and Wilco’s Nels Cline—who share the rare honor of having wielded this talismanic instrument.

“There’s definitely a magical element to the recording,” Simo says of Let Love Show the Way. “The vibe of the Big House, using Duane’s guitar, plus all the touring we’d done leading up to it, all the refinement of the material on the road—it was a perfect storm.”

Let Love Show the Way was not planned—results this potent are difficult to script. In fact, when SIMO headed down to Macon, the band had an entirely different set of songs already approved for release by its label, Mascot—this last-minute trip to the Big House was merely intended to yield a pair of bonus tracks for a deluxe edition. But with engineer Nick Worley at the boards of a stripped-down mobile recording unit, the band caught fire, burning through more than a dozen tracks in less than 48 hours. Once they heard the raw and electrifying intensity of the mixes, they didn’t think twice about abandoning the original plan and rolling with what suddenly felt so right.

“As the producer of the project, I couldn’t live myself if we didn’t use these songs,” Simo says. “I just felt it was better than anything the band had ever captured—so we decided to scrap the original record and build this new one around everything we recorded at the Big House.”

This choice to record at this historic location is a nod to JD’s lifelong reverence and respect for the musical pioneers who have come before him. When he was just three years old, seeing The Blues Brothers and Elvis Presley’s ’68 comeback special changed his life. “I was transfixed,” he says. “With The Blues Brothers, you’ve got John Lee Hooker with Muddy Waters’ band, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, Chaka Khan right after she made one of my favorite records of all time with Rufus, Rags to Riches. Not to mention some of the greatest rhythm & blues musicians to ever walk the planet—Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy from Chess, that incredible original horn section from Saturday Night Live, Willie Hall from Stax, who played with Isaac Hayes. I mean, it’s a comedy and it’s funny, but as far as exposure to some really heavy music—I wanted to be Steve Cropper, I wanted to be John Lee Hooker. And it was the same with the Elvis special—he’s in the black leather suit, still good looking and charming and singing his ass off. Seeing The Blues Brothers and that Elvis comeback special made me want to play music.”

By the time he was five, JD was begging his parents for a guitar. They obliged, and by age 10—much like his peers Derek Trucks and Joe Bonamassa—he was regularly playing bars backed by older musicians. By 15, he’d dropped out of school, put his own band together and was touring full time. “For six years,” he says, “I just lived in a van and played all over the country and never really had a home.”

When he was 21, JD moved to Nashville, where—after making a living as a session guitarist and moonlighting in bar bands for half a decade—he made an important decision. Though he’d learned much from his experiences as a sideman, the time had come for him to pursue his own muse. He met likeminded musician Abrashoff and original SIMO bassist Frank Swart, and they set off on a journey together, hitting the road hard and honing their craft. During this time, the group also recorded its self-titled 2012 debut LP, which Rolling Stone later hailed as “soulful psychedelic blues rock with an improvisational bent.” Eventually, Swart left the band, making way for Shapiro to join on bass. “When we played with him it was so immediate,” JD says. “It was like, ‘Where the hell have you been?’”

While Simo is comfortable with his role as a bandleader, he’s never wanted to be a solo artist. “A band is something very unique and special,” he says. “You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Adam is one of my best friends. He and I have been through the whole scope of the journey so far together. And now, with Elad—who has taken the band to a new level—we truly are a team. We’re brothers.”

It’s a sentiment that’s reflected in the band’s egalitarian/improvisational approach to songwriting, even in the way SIMO sets up for shows—in a straight line across the stage, with no member given more weight than any other. “I can’t emphasize enough how much I love these guys and what they bring to our sound,” JD says.” Adam is an absolutely immaculate improviser. He’s completely free and technically the best musician in the band. I’ve done hundreds of shows with him, and I still don’t know what he’s gonna do or where he’s gonna take things—it’s inspiring. And Elad, he completes my musical thoughts. He is full of passion and enthusiasm and authenticity. He has absolutely no filter, both socially—which is hilarious—and musically, which is always incredible. In many ways, he’s the heart and soul of the band.”

Together, they’re an adventurous rock & roll trinity, a thriving creative partnership completed by JD’s combustible guitar playing and soulful vocals, and Let Love Show the Way is a game-changing album from a band in the midst of an evolutionary breakthrough. “I’m a stranger here,” JD belts on the record’s opening salvo, all mysterious swagger and smoky, downhome grit. But for a band with such with such memorable songs, uncommon rapport and awe-inspiring musicality, SIMO can take solace in knowing the line won’t hold true much longer.

JOIN US FOR A COMPARATIVE TASTING!

Maximilian Riedel will lead you through a journey to discover RIEDEL PERFORMANCE, the result of three generations of research, development and experience in creating functional, grape varietal specific glassware.

The ticket includes a presentation, a tasting of four wines and a set of four Riedel Performance glasses to take home.

In September 2014, some 50 years after moving to Los Angeles to form the band Rising Sons with fellow blues musician Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid, Taj Mahal hightailed it to Nashville to receive an honor he called “one of the most powerful and wonderful things that could ever happen in my life.” Celebrating decades of recording and touring that have nearly singlehandedly reshaped the definition and scope of the blues via the infusion of exotic sounds from the Caribbean, Africa and South Pacific, the two-time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, film composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist was feted with the Lifetime Achievement for Performance Award at the 13th Annual Americana Honors and Awards.

“I’ve been performing for over 50 years, and to be recognized for the road I’ve traveled means the world to me, says Mahal, who during the show performed “Statesboro Blues” – which he first recorded on his eponymous 1968 debut album – on dobro with a band that included Cooder and Don Was. “I could not have done this without the audience that has been so supportive of me throughout my musical journey. It was a fantastic night and I was thrilled to be there and celebrated among such other outstanding American musical treasures like Jackson Browne and Flaco Jimenez, whose music and talent I am a fan of. It certainly represented a diversity of musical styles and culture. That’s what I’m talking about essay help!”

The night at the legendary Ryman Auditorium capped another extraordinary year for Mahal, which began with a performance at the Gregg Allman Tribute Concert in Atlanta and included playing on the entire Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas album; performing as part of the Bonnaroo Superjam on a bill featuring Derek Trucks with Chaka Khan, Eric Krasno from Soulive,  renowned R&B/blues session drummer James Gadson, David Hidalgo from Los Lobos and Susan Tedeschi; and playing and recording with Van Morrison in Dublin.

Since the release of 2008’s Maestro, his most recent studio recording which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Mahal has been busier than ever touring and recording at a whirlwind pace with old friends and fellow musical sojourners. In 2010, after being nominated for Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation, he joined Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night studio band The Roots as a special musical guest on the Rolling Stones classic “Shine a Light.” He also opened in Lake Tahoe for Bob Dylan. One of the highlights of the following year as performing a special opening solo set for Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center; Mahal also performed several songs with his two fellow legends. The concert was recorded and released as a CD and CD/DVD entitled “Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues – Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center.”

After starting 2012 producing and performing (vocals, guitar and banjo) on Vusi Mahlasela’s live album Say Africa, Mahal joined the critically acclaimed Experience Hendrix tour for a three week run that included performances by everyone from Buddy Guy, Dweezil Zappa and Robby Krieger to Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Keb’ Mo’ and Living Colour. Energized anew after the Sony Legacy release of two collections celebrating the riches and rarities of his musical legacy – the two disc set The Hidden Treasures of Mahal Mahal 1967-1973, featuring a full live 1970 concert from Royal Albert Hall, and The Complete Columbia Albums Collection box set, featuring all of his LPs from 1968-1976 – the bluesman enjoyed a wildly productive 2013.

That spring found Mahal singing and playing harmonica on “Further Down the Road” from Clapton’s Old Sock album, and performing as a featured guest at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival at MSG (NYC) where over 30 of the world’s greatest guitarists played sidemen to each other over two nights. Mahal jammed with The Allman Brothers Band featuring David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos and in a special unplugged acoustic set with Keb’ Mo’.

That June marked the release of the all-star soundtrack album to “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” a supernatural blues n’ roots musical featuring music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King and production by T-Bone Burnett. Mahal appeared on “Home Again” with Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, in addition to “Tear This Cabin Down” and “What Kind of Man Am I.” He later performed on “Vicksburg Blues” on actor/recording artist Hugh Laurie’s album Didn’t It Rain and a new rendition of his song “Winding Down” on the Sammy Hagar & Friends recording. He capped the year with “An Evening with Taj Mahal” at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Mahal’s career has been full of and defined by colorful twists and turns, unexpected whimsical ventures and a commitment to a muse that has long preferred freewheeling innovation to conformity. So there’s always the challenge of finding the right words and phrases to capture just what he’s meant to American music over the past half century. Miles Mellough, who wrote the stark and honest, no holds barred liner notes for The Complete Columbia Albums Collection, captures the complexities perfectly on several posts he penned on his blog Birds with Broken Wings after the box set came out.

“Here’s the thing, plain and simple,” he writes. “Taj Mahal has always been a conundrum; a man who is capable of mirroring many things to many people, and the reason why is because he’s an enigma — an alchemist and a contrarian…Through his music he’s been a dirt farmer, a man of gentry, and a Mississippi riverboat gambler. He’s played the role of the pious country preacher of old South camp meetings to a chain gang prisoner breaking rocks in the hot, midday sun. He’s been a hard-boiled harp player with a gold tooth and process blowing gritty on the South side of Chicago to a West Indies fishing boat captain sipping Banana Daiquiri’s with a St. Kitts woman…Like the blues tree with its many roots, Mahal has become the sum of many parts. But if you were to strip him of the elements that have come to define him publicly, you’d no doubt find that beneath it all he’s really just a simple man with a harp, a steel guitar, and a banjo in his rucksack; a man making music with a whole hell of a lot of heart and soul.”

In another post, Mellough ruminated on the global fusion approach Mahal has taken to the blues, which has caused its share of controversy: “While purists may have sometimes had issues with his unusual blend of acoustic blues mingled with the sweet sounds of Africa, the West Indies and South Pacific Islands, I believe Mahal elevated the music form to an entirely new plane. By approaching the blues from a global perspective, Mahal presents it as part of a broader musical palette, a world canvas. Using traditional country blues as a starting place, Mahal perfumes the pot by mixing a spicy concoction of Afrocentric roots music, a blues gumbo kissed by reggae, Latin, R&B, Cajun, Caribbean rhythms, gospel, West African folk, jazz, calypso, and Hawaiian slack key. The savory dish he serves is both a satisfying and uplifting stew that actually transforms ‘singin’ the blues’ into something to be very happy about.”

In September 2014, some 50 years after moving to Los Angeles to form the band Rising Sons with fellow blues musician Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid, Taj Mahal hightailed it to Nashville to receive an honor he called “one of the most powerful and wonderful things that could ever happen in my life.” Celebrating decades of recording and touring that have nearly singlehandedly reshaped the definition and scope of the blues via the infusion of exotic sounds from the Caribbean, Africa and South Pacific, the two-time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, film composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist was feted with the Lifetime Achievement for Performance Award at the 13th Annual Americana Honors and Awards.

“I’ve been performing for over 50 years, and to be recognized for the road I’ve traveled means the world to me, says Mahal, who during the show performed “Statesboro Blues” – which he first recorded on his eponymous 1968 debut album – on dobro with a band that included Cooder and Don Was. “I could not have done this without the audience that has been so supportive of me throughout my musical journey. It was a fantastic night and I was thrilled to be there and celebrated among such other outstanding American musical treasures like Jackson Browne and Flaco Jimenez, whose music and talent I am a fan of. It certainly represented a diversity of musical styles and culture. That’s what I’m talking about essay help!”

The night at the legendary Ryman Auditorium capped another extraordinary year for Mahal, which began with a performance at the Gregg Allman Tribute Concert in Atlanta and included playing on the entire Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas album; performing as part of the Bonnaroo Superjam on a bill featuring Derek Trucks with Chaka Khan, Eric Krasno from Soulive,  renowned R&B/blues session drummer James Gadson, David Hidalgo from Los Lobos and Susan Tedeschi; and playing and recording with Van Morrison in Dublin.

Since the release of 2008’s Maestro, his most recent studio recording which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Mahal has been busier than ever touring and recording at a whirlwind pace with old friends and fellow musical sojourners. In 2010, after being nominated for Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation, he joined Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night studio band The Roots as a special musical guest on the Rolling Stones classic “Shine a Light.” He also opened in Lake Tahoe for Bob Dylan. One of the highlights of the following year as performing a special opening solo set for Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center; Mahal also performed several songs with his two fellow legends. The concert was recorded and released as a CD and CD/DVD entitled “Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues – Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center.”

After starting 2012 producing and performing (vocals, guitar and banjo) on Vusi Mahlasela’s live album Say Africa, Mahal joined the critically acclaimed Experience Hendrix tour for a three week run that included performances by everyone from Buddy Guy, Dweezil Zappa and Robby Krieger to Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Keb’ Mo’ and Living Colour. Energized anew after the Sony Legacy release of two collections celebrating the riches and rarities of his musical legacy – the two disc set The Hidden Treasures of Mahal Mahal 1967-1973, featuring a full live 1970 concert from Royal Albert Hall, and The Complete Columbia Albums Collection box set, featuring all of his LPs from 1968-1976 – the bluesman enjoyed a wildly productive 2013.

That spring found Mahal singing and playing harmonica on “Further Down the Road” from Clapton’s Old Sock album, and performing as a featured guest at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival at MSG (NYC) where over 30 of the world’s greatest guitarists played sidemen to each other over two nights. Mahal jammed with The Allman Brothers Band featuring David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos and in a special unplugged acoustic set with Keb’ Mo’.

That June marked the release of the all-star soundtrack album to “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” a supernatural blues n’ roots musical featuring music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King and production by T-Bone Burnett. Mahal appeared on “Home Again” with Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, in addition to “Tear This Cabin Down” and “What Kind of Man Am I.” He later performed on “Vicksburg Blues” on actor/recording artist Hugh Laurie’s album Didn’t It Rain and a new rendition of his song “Winding Down” on the Sammy Hagar & Friends recording. He capped the year with “An Evening with Taj Mahal” at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Mahal’s career has been full of and defined by colorful twists and turns, unexpected whimsical ventures and a commitment to a muse that has long preferred freewheeling innovation to conformity. So there’s always the challenge of finding the right words and phrases to capture just what he’s meant to American music over the past half century. Miles Mellough, who wrote the stark and honest, no holds barred liner notes for The Complete Columbia Albums Collection, captures the complexities perfectly on several posts he penned on his blog Birds with Broken Wings after the box set came out.

“Here’s the thing, plain and simple,” he writes. “Taj Mahal has always been a conundrum; a man who is capable of mirroring many things to many people, and the reason why is because he’s an enigma — an alchemist and a contrarian…Through his music he’s been a dirt farmer, a man of gentry, and a Mississippi riverboat gambler. He’s played the role of the pious country preacher of old South camp meetings to a chain gang prisoner breaking rocks in the hot, midday sun. He’s been a hard-boiled harp player with a gold tooth and process blowing gritty on the South side of Chicago to a West Indies fishing boat captain sipping Banana Daiquiri’s with a St. Kitts woman…Like the blues tree with its many roots, Mahal has become the sum of many parts. But if you were to strip him of the elements that have come to define him publicly, you’d no doubt find that beneath it all he’s really just a simple man with a harp, a steel guitar, and a banjo in his rucksack; a man making music with a whole hell of a lot of heart and soul.”

In another post, Mellough ruminated on the global fusion approach Mahal has taken to the blues, which has caused its share of controversy: “While purists may have sometimes had issues with his unusual blend of acoustic blues mingled with the sweet sounds of Africa, the West Indies and South Pacific Islands, I believe Mahal elevated the music form to an entirely new plane. By approaching the blues from a global perspective, Mahal presents it as part of a broader musical palette, a world canvas. Using traditional country blues as a starting place, Mahal perfumes the pot by mixing a spicy concoction of Afrocentric roots music, a blues gumbo kissed by reggae, Latin, R&B, Cajun, Caribbean rhythms, gospel, West African folk, jazz, calypso, and Hawaiian slack key. The savory dish he serves is both a satisfying and uplifting stew that actually transforms ‘singin’ the blues’ into something to be very happy about.”

Tickets will be $12 Day of Show

“This work is a reflection of the re-gentrification of places and the real and meaningful memories they leave in their wake. How our own growth, over time, leaves us with a shifted perspective on ourselves. The once familiar now gone, never to come back except through the ghosts of lovers, places, objects.” -- Royston Langdon

LEEDS is Royston Langdon, former lead singer of Spacehog, with a name that's a nod to his hometown and an album, Everything's Dandy, that is a culmination of his 24 years in New York, both in its content and its production.

"I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere on the planet," says Langdon of New York. "I feel like I'm part of the city in a way."

Originally from Leeds, Langdon got his start playing music in the U.K. In 1994, however, he followed his brother Antony to New York and fell for the city immediately. Not long after the move, Spacehog formed. In the fall of 1995, they released the debut album Resident Alien, which spawned the hit single "In the Meantime." Three more albums followed over the next 18 years.

More recently, Langdon has worked on the industry side of music, using his own experiences to help up-and-coming artists. Yet, he remained a musician at heart. Langdon kept his new work fairly private, telling only a few people as he built a new collection of songs

The evolution of Everything's Dandy began two years ago, after Langdon's son moved to London. The changes in Langdon's own life, as well as the changes in the city that has been his home for so long, sparked new ideas.

"They put up these new shops," says Langdon of the urban landscape of New York. "Still, the memory of the kind of experience of that thing remains." He sees a connection between waves of gentrification diminishing the city's creative spirit and his "experience of loss and also growth."  In his songs, Langdon writes of this not necessarily with nostalgia in mind, but with a sense of "awe" at how life moves forward.

By fall of 2017, Langdon was ready to solidify those ideas in the studio. He enlisted Bryce Goggin to produce and engineer Everything's Dandy. The two have known each other since Langdon's early days in New York, when he interned at the recording studio where Goggin was head engineer. While Langdon played many of the instruments himself on the album, he enlisted a few longtime friends to play on select cuts, including drummer Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley) and  multi-instrumentalist Timo Ellis (Yoko Ono, Joan as Police Woman). The song "Your Day Will Come" was co-written by Langdon and Rich Robinson of Black Crowes. "What Became of the People" is a songwriting collaboration between Langdon and his brother Antony, who also shot two videos for the album.

Everything's Dandy is set for release on May 4 on vinyl and digital formats.

Kenyon Phillips

Crowned “the new King of New York” by The Huffington Post and “the of-the-moment It kid of the musical theater scene” by The Daily Beast, wildly theatrical singer, songwriter, emcee, actor, model, and DJ Kenyon Phillips knows how to put on a show. In addition to founding and fronting the bands Roma! and Unisex Salon, Phillips has shared the stage, screen and studio with such luminaries as comedienne Amy Poehler, pop culture commentator Michael Musto, international drag performer Joey Arias, choreographer Karole Armitage, director Mark Romanek, and Broadway bombshells Cady Huffman and Daphne Rubin-Vega. In addition to landing a role in the latest season of The Blacklist on NBC, Phillips has had his songs featured on several network and cable television programs, including Shameless on Showtime and Eleventh Hour on CBS. He is currently in residence at Joe’s Pub at the Public, where he regularly mounts Unisex Salon with Kenyon Phillips – an improvisational musical variety show featuring a rotating lineup of guests along with Phillips’s orchestral rock band, The Ladies in Waiting. 

The Fixx has been often heralded as one of the most innovative bands to come out of the MTV era. The style and substance of the band has always created a special connection with its audience. The Fixx’s themes are often complex, introspective and thought-provoking and it’s also been mass appeal with three #1 hits, five in the Top Five, a dozen reaching the Top Ten and millions of albums sold worldwide. Instantly recognizable, The Fixx sound is unmistakably unique and stands out among the thousands of artists filling the airwaves. Songs such as “One Thing Leads To Another”, “Red Skies” and “Saved By Zero” remain everyday staples on the playlists of the radio stations that continue to break new acts inspired the era that The Fixx helped to define. It is rare for an audience to experience a band that has continued to thrive for three decades. The Fixx were then, and still are - Cy Curnin on vocals, Rupert Greenall on keyboards, Jamie West-Oram on guitar, Adam Woods on drums, and bassist Dan K. Brown.

Tickets will be $15 Day of Show

“I’ve always been a proponent of not making the same record twice,” Holly Miranda says. “Some people find a niche and go with that, but I need to try something different every time.”

That’s more than apparent on Mutual Horse, Miranda’s third release for Dangerbird Records, out February 23rd. The album, Miranda’s fourth full-length solo release, is more than just an artistic step forward, it’s a whole new way for her to make music. “This really is the most collaborative record I’ve ever done,” she says. “It’s first time I’ve shared so much of the writing and the production, the meat and bones of making an album.”

With support from a stellar circle of players – including My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Nova, TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone, Grandaddy/Modest Mouse’s Jim Fairchild and Built To Spill’s Matthew Morgan amongst others – it’s Miranda’s astonishing singing vocal that is set free, elevating this collection of songs as no one else could. An instrument which can shift from a barely-there whisper to a soaring wail that cracks open the sky, Holly’s voice is startling from the moment it emerges on Mutual Horse.

This record finds Holly bridging the gap between 2010’s experimental synth laden release The Magician’s Private Library and 2015’s stripped-back, soulful self-titled record. Miranda takes an honest and intimate approach, while maintaining her sense of humor amidst sonic explorations. The tracks run the gamut from the sultry, driving “On the Radio,” to a cover of Crazy Horse’s “When Your Lonely Heart Breaks,” and the delicate “Sing Like,” inspired by Miranda’s mother; an intimate clip of her singing while pregnant with Holly follows the song.

The album was recorded in Los Angeles, where Miranda laid down the beginnings of 23 songs before returning to her home base of New York City to finish the songs that would end up on the album. The Dangerbird studio also inspired the album’s title. “Mutual Horse comes from this image we hung in the studio. It was a photo of the singer-songwriter Cris Williamson—we did a cover of her song ‘Midnight Oil’—and I had become a big fan,” Miranda explains. “We printed out photos of her from the 1970s and taped them up around the studio; that was our vibe.” One of those photos was of Williamson and another woman holding the reins of a horse; the two women are staring at each other, but the horse is staring at the camera. That picture was on the wall of Miranda’s studio, and eventually someone scrawled the phrase “Mutual Horse” beneath it.

“It doesn’t feel like just mine,” Miranda says of the album, which took its name from the graffiti. “It feels like it belongs to everybody who worked on it. I opened myself to collaborating this time around, which made me really vulnerable.”  Her collaborators on Mutual Horse include Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), Josh Werner (Dr. John, Lee Scratch Perry), Jared Samuel (Yoko Ono), Jim Kirby Fairchild (Grandaddy, Modest Mouse), Kyp Malone (TV On the Radio), Maria Eisen (Underground System), and Matthew Morgan (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse) among others.

Miranda grew up between Detroit and Nashville, two music towns that would influence her own journey in a very profound way. She began playing piano at the age of six, taught her self-guitar at 14 and moved to New York at 16 to start her professional career. For nearly 20 years, she’s been performing, writing and producing with some of the best talent in the business. She has performed with the likes of Karen O, Lou Reed, The XX, and Lesley Gore. She released two records with her band The Jealous Girlfriends and has co-written and produced a mass of other projects.

Among the great pure vocalists of the urban contemporary era, Howard Hewett has seldom found material worthy of his tremendous skills. He grew up in Akron, Ohio and relocated to Los Angeles. Hewett danced on Soul Train, and became one-third of Shalamar with Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley in 1979. They had several big hits before Hewett departed for a solo career in 1985. He signed with Elektra, and his second single, I'm for Real, was a number two R&B hit in 1986.

The follow-up single, Stay, also made the Top Ten, while I Commit to Love in 1987 reached number 12. Hewitt remained on Elektra through the '80s and into the '90s, earning another hit with Strange Relationship in 1988 and cutting duets with Dionne Warwick and Anita Baker. He also became busy as a writer, producer, and session vocalist. Hewett co-wrote and produced Frustration for LaToya Jackson in 1984, and sang on her LP Heart Don't Lie. He did lead vocals on LPs by Stanley Clarke and George Duke in 1984 and 1986, a duet with Stacy Lattisaw on Ain't No Mountain High Enoughand sang with Firefox in 1986, as well as doing backgrounds on a Donna Summer release. An eponymous 1990 album by Hewett included the number two R&B hit “Show Me,” and the singer followed up with 1992’s Allegiance and 1994’s It’s Time before going on hiatus as a solo artist and concentrating on his work as a background vocalist on albums by a variety of jazz musicians, including Duke and Joe Sample. Hewett returned with the 2001 gospel album The Journey, and the single “Enough” (also featuring Duke) arrived in 2006, followed by the holiday effort Howard Hewett Christmas in 2008.

In the summer of 2016, Bakithi Kumalo the original bass player on the Graceland Album was scheduled to perform his original music at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. From that booking the concept of a "Graceland 30th Anniversary Tribute" was born. Backed by an all star band and featuring many of the best singers at the Festival, the tribute was a monster hit. Vocalist Ryan Tennis suggested keeping the project alive and assembled a touring version centered around Kumalo, whose iconic bass lines and bright smile bring authenticity to a show that's passion, energy, and pulsing South African rhythms go far beyond that of a standard "tribute band." Featuring all of the Grammy winning hits ("Call Me Al", "Graceland", "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", etc) and performed by some of Philadelphia's finest musicians (with members of Amos Lee's band and other standouts), The Graceland project is the feel good, sing along night of the year.