Music
Records made for the ride home.
59 stories
A Secret Warehouse, a Live Band, and Halloween After Midnight
AMI CHEON plays a full band set before BADDIE VISION takes the decks until late
One Hundred Nights at the Garden, Phish Set a New Year's Milestone
Trey Anastasio and the Vermont quartet return to Madison Square Garden for four nights, and the last one will be their hundredth
Rock Me Tonight, Freddie Jackson and the Voice From Harlem
The church-trained tenor who sang his way out of New York's clubs and to the top of R&B radio has died
Arepas on the Plaza, Dudamel's Gala Sends the Philharmonic to Europe
A bilingual banner, a Spielberg surprise and Ellington's Harlem, then New York's orchestra packs for Paris
Under the Unisphere, the Strokes Come Home to Queens
A rainy, political, all-day homecoming at Flushing Meadows with Beach House, TV on the Radio and Fcukers on the bill
A Hush on Seventh Avenue, Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall on Film
Paul Thomas Anderson turns one December night with the Geese frontman and a grand piano into a concert film for the ages
Eighteen in the Drill Hall, Steve Reich Turns 90 at the Armory
Fifty years after Music for 18 Musicians, three generations of players circle the audience on Park Avenue
4 min readEvery Breath at Flatbush, Sting Settles In at Brooklyn Paramount
The former Police frontman stretches his November stand in a restored 1928 movie palace to eight nights
4 min readThe Storm Took the Stage, CBGB Festival Washes Out in Brooklyn
A nor'easter cancels the punk revival under the expressway and takes two more city festivals down with it
4 min readRodeo Hay at the Garden, Kacey Musgraves Brings Texas to Midtown
A sold out stand at Madison Square Garden, a mirrored prop that got everyone talking, and a long goodbye to Dolly
5 min read
No Phones in the Arena, Phoebe Bridgers Takes Barclays
The Lost Tour asks a Brooklyn arena to put its phones away for three nights, and boygenius walks back onstage
Paradise on the Grand Concourse, a Bronx Movie Palace Returns
The Bronx movie palace that once hosted Cab Calloway is coming back as the city's second largest stage
No Label, No Lifeguard, BAILEN Go Their Own Way on SWIM!!!
The New York sibling trio BAILEN made SWIM!!! entirely on their own terms, and it sounds like a band that survived something
A Home Stand in Sequins, Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden
Harry Styles has made Madison Square Garden his house for the fall, and the city is rearranging itself around him
The Longest Residency on Second Avenue, The Prodigals Make History
The Prodigals have held the same Kips Bay stage since 1997, and Guinness finally took notice
Falsetto in the Dark, a Brooklyn Singer Who Records Only at Night
The Brooklyn singer recording an album only between midnight and dawn
4 min readMidnight Sessions at the Studio That Only Books After Dark
A studio that only takes bookings between twelve and six
4 min readThe Organ in the Basement, a Harlem Church Instrument Turns to Soul
A Harlem church instrument finds a second life in soul music
4 min readThe Producer in the Basement, One Room on Canal Street Behind the Hits
Every hit this summer passed through one room on Canal Street
4 min read
The Voice in the Stairwell, Recording Vocals in a Natural Echo
Recording vocals where the echo comes free
Synths and Subway Cars, an Electronic Producer Samples the Trains
An electronic producer samples the city's trains
Late Night Busking with the Subway Performers Who Play After Midnight
The subway performers who play only after midnight
One Take, Why the Best New Record in Town Was Recorded Live
Why the best new record in town was recorded live
The Piano Bar Prodigy, Midtown's Best Kept Secret
Twenty-two and already the best-kept secret in Midtown
Tape Machines Never Died, Keeping Analog Alive in Williamsburg
The engineers keeping analog alive in Williamsburg
4 min readThe Studio in a Water Tower, Recording High Above Tribeca
Recording forty feet above Tribeca
4 min readStatic, the R&B Duo Building Songs Out of Subway Noise
An R&B duo builds songs out of subway noise
4 min readHeartbreak in Stereo, Why Sad Records Sound Best Late at Night
Why the saddest records sound best at 3 a.m.
4 min read
The Choir Loft Sessions, an R&B Singer Records in a Borrowed Church
An R&B singer records inside a borrowed church
Songs for the Night Shift, the Music Nurses Play to Get Through
Five nurses share what gets them through twelve hours
Low End Theory, a Bass Player and a Harlem Basement Record
A bass player, a Harlem basement, and a record that took six years
Headphones on the Q Train, What New York Listens to on the Ride Home
What the city is listening to on the ride home
The Songwriters' Room, One Piano and No Phones Allowed
Five writers, one piano, and no phones allowed
The Drummer Who Never Plays Loud and the Art of Silence
Brushes, restraint, and the art of silence
4 min readEcho Chamber, the Recording Studio Built in a Former Bank Vault
Inside the recording studio built in a former bank vault
4 min readMixing in the Dark With an Engineer Who Turns Off Every Light
An engineer who turns off every light to hear better
4 min readThe Opening Act, New York Musicians Before Anyone Knows Their Names
Life before anyone knows your name
4 min read
A Record Pressed in Brooklyn, Following an Album From Lacquer to Shelf
Following one album from lacquer to shelf
Slow Burn, the New York Singer Who Stayed Independent
The singer who turned down three labels to stay independent
Record Store Clerks Know Everything, Crate Digging in New York
Crate-digging with the city's best ears
The Guitar with a Past, Many Owners and Decades of Songs
One instrument, four owners, forty years of songs
The Duet Nobody Planned, Strangers at an Open Mic and a Song That Spread
Two strangers, one open mic, and a song that went everywhere
The Session Player, the Guitarist on Records You Know by Heart
You have heard her guitar on a hundred records. You never knew her name.
4 min readFalsetto School, a New York Vocal Coach on Hitting the High Notes
A vocal coach on the high notes everyone wants to hit
4 min readBasement Jazz at the Village Club That Never Changed Its Format
The Village club that has not changed its lineup format since 1971
4 min readBeats from a Fifth Floor Walk-Up, a Producer's Apartment Studio
A producer's apartment studio, soundproofed with winter coats
4 min read
Strings at Sunrise, the New York Quartet That Performs Only at Dawn
A quartet that performs only at dawn
The Last Independent Label, a Record Company in a Chinatown Office
Running a record company out of a Chinatown office
Night Radio, the New York Host Still Broadcasting Until Dawn
The host still broadcasting from midnight to five
The Manager Behind New York's Quietest Rising Star
The person behind the city's quietest rising star
The Sound of Rain, an Ambient Record Made on New York Fire Escapes
An ambient record made entirely on fire escapes
The Price of Being Loud, What Rehearsal Space Costs in New York
What rehearsal space really costs in New York
4 min readCovers Only, the Wedding Band Secretly Playing New York's Best Clubs
The wedding band that secretly plays the best clubs in town
4 min readBass Heavy, Inside Sound System Culture in the Outer Boroughs
Inside the sound system culture of the outer boroughs
4 min readThe Album Nobody Heard, a Lost New York Record Finally Released
A lost record from 2009 finally gets its release
4 min read