Recap: "A Loveletter to New York" Show at City Winery

It was a great night of music Tuesday night at City Winery, with about a dozen acts (and various backing musicians) playing a benefit to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Despite all the talent that took the stage, the event, called "A Loveletter to New York," had the relaxed feel of a coffeehouse concert. Some artists sang and played guitar, while others performed with only one or two additional players, rather than the full band that might otherwise accompany them.

Jesse Malin (right) at Tuesday's show.

For me, this was a plus: the low-key, mostly acoustic setting meant that there was no downtime between acts for hauling amps, drums, etc. on and off the stage. So the performers got to spend a maximum amount of time singing and playing.

Each artist did two or three songs, and I got to see performances by acts that I'd heard of for years but had never before seen (Sasha Dobson, Ari Hest, Alberta Cross, and most of all, Nicole Atkins), as well as artists I'd seen before and enjoyed (Joan Osborne, Jesse Malin, and Matisyahu). And there were some performers who were new to me: Kevin Devine, Chris Ayer, Lesley Pike, and Bobby Long.

Matisyahu, one of the Tuesday's crowd favorites.

There were many highlights; among them: Jesse Malin rocking the crowd with "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" and "Burning on the Bowery"; Ari Hest singing "The Wake"; and Matisyahu (backed with guitar and stand-up bass) doing "Crossroads," "Live Like a Warrior," and "Happy Hanukkah."

The last two acts were Nicole Atkins and Joan Osborne, and they lived up to what amounted to headline billing. Accompanying herself on guitar, Atkins sang with a voice full of emotion as she did two of her songs, including "Neptune City" (the ode to her Jersey Shore hometown), and a cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying."

Most of the evening's musicians take the stage for the night's finale.

I had seen Joan Osborne once before, maybe a decade or so ago, and last night her voice sounded as good as it did before. I haven't kept up with her album releases since then other than hearing a tune or two on WFUV, so I was glad that two of the three songs she did were from her first album, "Relish": "St. Teresa" and her ubiquitous hit, "One of Us."

The show ended with most of the musicians returning to the stage to perform "Silent Night" and the Beatles' "In My Life," a beautiful and fitting pair of songs considering both the time of year and the concert's occasion, about seeking peace and recalling the people and places that are special to us. All in all, it was a fine concert featuring a great line-up of experienced artists.

The concert was webcast live, and an emcee at the show said some of the songs would be released on an album (no specifics yet on where or when).
 
All proceeds from "A Loveletter to New York" were to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity set up in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who perished in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matisyahu, Joan Osborne, Nicole Atkins, & Many More Playing Sandy Benefit Tues. at City Winery

Matisyahu has been added to what was already a great Hurricane Sandy benefit show at City Winery Tuesday, Dec. 18th, the venue announced Monday. The show, called "A Loveletter to New York," features a lot of artists who either live in the City or have close connections to it. [Update: Matisyahu announced today on his Twitter account that he will be performing three acoustic songs at the show.}

Lots of musicians with an NYC connection play a benefit at City Winery.

On the bill are Joan Osborne, Ari Hest, Nicole Atkins (who recently recorded a new version of her song "Neptune City" as a benefit), Alberta Cross, Bobby Long, Kevin Devine, Sasha Dobson, Jesse Malin, and Chris Ayer, as well as what City Winery is billing as "many more VERY big surprise guests."

Matisyahu, the international rap-reggae star, is a native of the NYC area, and performed at Terminal 5 this past Saturday.

There are still tickets available for "A Loveletter to New York," ranging from $35 to $65. The concert is listed as starting at 7 p.m. The show benefits the Tunnel to Towers foundation.

Another talent-packed with a local flavor takes place on Thursday, only this time "local" means the Hoboken/north Jersey area. Maxwell's is the site for the Holiday Banding concert, which features performances by Chris Butler, Tammy Faye Startlite, Julio Fernandez, The Gefkens, Abbe Rivers, Karen Kuhl, Jack Skuller, Dave Calamoneri, The Cucumbers with Jon & Deena, Lloyd Gold, Bianca Bob, Gene Turonis, Emily Turonis & The Ideals, Sputnik, Jim Testa, AnnaLee Van Kleeck, and Tom Vincent & The Holiday Banding House Band.

The show starts at 7 p.m., costs only $7, and all sales will benefit Rebuild Hoboken.

Music Notes: Sandy Benefit with Springsteen, The Who, & Many Others; Yo La Tengo Tour; New R.E.M. Video; & More

Here's a smattering of recent music news concerning bands big and small:

* It's the mother of all Hurricane Sandy benefit shows: Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, and others will play the "12-12-12" concert at Madison Square Garden on, you guessed it, December 12th. Info on tickets, prices, etc. to come soon.

* Yo La Tengo announced a bunch of tour dates this week. If you got shut out of their eight nights of Hanukkah at Maxwell's, check these out to see when they're coming near you. (They'll play Town Hall in NYC on February 16th; no ticket info as of this writing.) The band's new album, "Fade," will come out on January 15th.



* Here's an odd thing that popped up this week: a new video by R.E.M. (who broke more than a year ago), starring Lindsay Lohan (above). It's for the song "Blue" from the band's last album, 2011's "Collapse Into Now." Oh, and it's directed by actor James Franco. We're hoping this is a sign that maybe the boys from Athens are thinking of reuniting for at least a few shows sometime soon.

* NPR did a fine story this week on the 50th anniversary of A&M Records, co-founded by trumpeter Herb Alpert. For decades it was the musician's label, putting out music by a wide range of artists without placing typical sales-oriented, corporate pressure on them.

Although A&M is no longer independent (and sadly has a more corporate approach to music), the label was the home to many great albums by everyone from Alpert's Tijuana Brass to Suzanne Vega, The Police, Peter Frampton, and Joe Jackson.

Benefit Shows to Aid Hurricane Sandy Victims

Will Sheff is one of many artists appearing at Thursday's Brooklyn benefit.

Aaaand we're back. Although Podcast Party HQ has power and heat, a lot of people in the tri-state area are still suffering. So instead of our usual early-week post detailing streaming albums for the week, we'd like to spotlight some upcoming shows and events to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. (More will be added as we hear about them.)

[UPDATE, Nov. 6th: Oh My Rockness has put up a list of Hurricane Sandy benefit shows, which will no doubt be growing; you may want to bookmark it. Among the shows added: a Bad Brains tribute tonight, Tuesday, benefiting Amnesty International and the Red Cross featuring H.R. (of the Bad Brains), Jesse Malin, Vernon Reid, Steve Earle, and others at Bowery Electric.]

This Thursday the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn is hosting East Coast Relief, which features a diverse lineup of great performers: Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Jared Evan, Kevin Devine, Jennifer O'Conner, Jean Grae, Holly Miranda, Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Bird of Youth, Jaymay, Brian Bonz, Zumo Kollie, Sonya Kitchell, and DJ Rajni Jacques. Tickets are $40 here, with all proceeds said to be benefiting the Red Cross. [Update, Nov 7th: see set times here.]

Blues guitarist Gark Clark Jr. is playing Brooklyn Bowl Tuesday night (tomorrow), Spinner says, with admission being a minimum donation of $20. Attendees are also urged to bring items such as nonperishable food, bottled water, blanket, clothing, and other similar items.

Dean Ween of the recently broken-up The Weens is playing a benefit show at The Saint in Asbury Park on Nov. 11th, says Brooklyn Vegan. [Update, Nov. 7th: Brooklyn Vegan says the show has now been pushed back to Nov. 28th.] Ween says the gig is to benefit "my good friend Nick Honachefsky who lost his home and all of his worldly possessions in the storm."

The show, called "Dean Ween and Friends," will include Claude Coleman, Glenn McClelland, Chris Harford, Dickie Moist, and others, and Ween says, " The evening will feature new music and old music by Moistboyz, Chris Harford, Jimmy Wilson, members of Ween, etc." Check the website of The Saint later for details; the show doesn't yet appear on their calendar.

There will no doubt be more benefit concerts announced later; we'll post these as we hear about them.

Also: Jersey Shore native Nicole Atkins talks with the Village Voice about the devastation in her home territory. She's planning on re-recording "Neptune City," the title song from her debut album, and donating the proceeds to relief efforts. [UPDATE, Nov. 6th: You can download "Neptune City (for the shore)" here for a minimum donation of two dollars.]