June Show Reviews: Sammy Rae, Don Toliver, Weston Estate, and More!

Sammy Rae and The Friends

On June 15, the perfect blend of indie rock and jazz from Sammy Rae took place on a beautiful summer night in Central Park. It was Sammy’s send-off show before going on her world tour, and we are so happy the Brooklyn-based artist gave us one final smashing show.

The Band walked out with lively and eccentric energy. They were running around the stage and hyping up the crowd like they were born to do it. Sammy Rae and The Friends were as excited to be performing as the crowd was excited to see them.

Sammy hit a very impressive vocal performance as well! From a deep and raspy voice to an angelic tone, Rae has this music thing down.

The crowd was singing along to the first song with their live and large energy. Sammy Rae and The Friends are a band you do not want to miss!!

Written by Mark Bluemle and Ashley Murphy

Photography by Jake Pranian

---

Kiki Kramer: Pop Star of the East Village

I recently caught Kiki Kramer performing at Heaven Can Wait, and she put on a show to kick off "Femme Fatale Summer." With her edgy sound and honest lyrics, she captivated the crowd.

While her songs remained upbeat and seductive, they also depicted topics unique to her Gen-Z audiences such as social media and hookup culture. Within the catchy lyrics of Kramer's song "Relevant", she captures flags the desperation many faces in effect to go viral and the craving for validation from strangers online. My favorite song of the night, "Painted Black," describes the relatable heartbreak and lack of emotional connection within the hookup culture. She closed her set with a rockin' performance of her single Rotten Core, but the crowd demanded more. She graced them with an encore, singing a cover of Girls by The Dare.

Written by Ashley Murphy

Photography by https://www.instagram.com/finnianlyon/

---

Savoia, Juniper, The Backfires

On Saturday, June 24th, local indie rock band, Savoia, started off the night strong at Bowery Ballroom, prepping the crowd for a long night of rock music. One of my favorite things to see while watching a band perform is their chemistry on stage. The band as a whole had great energy that not only hyped up the crowd but also hyped each other up. Throughout their set, you could see the bassist of the band, Caleb Rubin, rocking out and smiling at every member, and frontman, Lucas Allan’s eccentric personality, a Jagger -esque stage presence, interacting with the crowd. Overall, insane instrumentals and a powerful performance that was a great kick-off to the night.

Next, Juniper came on with upbeat, feel-good songs that genuinely changed the atmosphere with lead singer, Scott Johnson’s, cheerful energy. The audience jumped up and down matching the vibe of the band’s stage presence. Guitar solos that made everyone stop and stare, and vocals that made you want to sing along. Juniper’s performance was exciting and impressive, along with being a great way to warm up the crowd for the headliners!

The Backfires put on a show that was worth the wait. The anticipation for their arrival on stage made the crowd even more energetic than before. They fired off straight away with their single, “Joyride” that the audience danced and sang along to. The band’s chemistry on stage together was vibrant and exuded through the venue. With a band that goes crazy on the drums, bass, and guitar and a lead singer who owns the stage, it’s difficult not to be captivated by the show. The encore “Blindsided” ended off the show with everyone in the venue absolutely rocking out! The Backfires truly encapsulate what an NYC rock ‘n’ roll band is!

Written by Amy Kapel

Photography by Aspen Rider curiosity of The Backfires

---

Weston Estate

On June 22, Weston Estate performed at the Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia. They played most of their catalog, including some of their most popular songs. The singers laughed with the audience when some of them were holding up signs, and they would pause and ask the left side to scream and the right side to scream to see who is more amped about the concert. Pretty cool!

Estate thanked the audience at the end of the show, but the crowd chanted for an encore. The band came back and played their song “Stoked” to close out the show.

Written by Mark Bluemle

Photography by Shrithik Karthik

---

Don Toliver: 6/28 at the Mann

Photography by Shrithik Karthik

TWICE at Metlife Stadium

I went to Twice’s New York stop of their fifth World Tour, “Ready To Be” this past Thursday, and I can confidently say that eight years into their career, this will go down as the best tour yet from the K-pop power group. While it was 90 degrees at Metlife stadium, me and my friend, Mickayla, lost our minds and sang our hearts out in the heat to the nine-member girl group’s biggest hits and fan favorites.

I have personally been a fan of Twice since 2019, so I didn’t want to spoil the concert for myself and I had no idea what to expect with their live performance. I tried my best to avoid concert videos on purpose and I’m glad I did. I feel like it brings more excitement when you walk into a concert not knowing what to expect. Since I was completely ignorant of the experience I was about to have, it caused me to be absolutely shocked throughout the night. If I wasn’t screaming my ass off, my jaw was on the floor.

Members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu blew me away with their setlist. Their level of stage presence, execution of synced choreography, audience interaction, vocals, and overall energy throughout the entire concert was electric. While the songs the girls played as a group were exceptional, the most memorable moment of the show for me was the fact that each member got their own special solo performance. There were five solo stages in act one, (Dahyun, Sana, Momo, Mina) followed by four in act two. (Chaeyoung, Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Nayeon) The fans specifically went wild over Mina’s solo, as she covered “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande. Another hit was the dance routine done by Momo, the main dancer of Twice. Momo started her solo stage by giving the audience a superb hip-hop combo, followed by her taking off her football jersey and baseball cap to reveal a pole dancing section. I was full-on gagged by this and it was clear that the whole stadium was too.

There were also elements outside of Twice themselves that helped elevate the concert experience. Member, Sana, mentioned that this was the first time that the group has had a live band on tour with them. I must say, the live band was the best addition to Twice’s shows, and they really took the original composition of their songs to the next level. The band actually caused me to get emotional during the performance of “Feel Special.” (I also cried multiple times but whatever). Additionally, the lighting/graphic design was A1, as well as the backup dancers who created amazing visuals and formations with Twice on stage.

The night ended with the girls performing one of my favorites, “Talk That Talk.” As fireworks flew into the air amongst the lightstick-filled crowd, I completely absorbed the show I just saw. This concert provided even more proof that Twice isn’t considered one of the biggest groups to ever grace K-pop for nothing. They are here to stay (Because Dahyun said that they renewed their contract) In all seriousness, they have implemented themselves as K-pop royalty, and they will not be leaving their throne anytime soon.

Written by Jake Pranian

Photography by Jake Pranian

New Music Monday: 7/10/23

Messy by Olivia Dean

The beauty of music is that there are various ways of interpreting songs based on what resonates. Olivia Dean’s title track “Messy” feels that way, that it can be a song about relationships with others, yourself, or just life. Her pop-soul proficiency shines throughout her debut album, but this specific song with its dreamy guitar and light beats fit under a calming psychedelic soul genre. Dean reclaims the word ‘messy’ as something positive rather than its negative connotation, “It’s okay if it’s messy/ I’m on your side.” The drums pick up and strengthen after the bridge and its hypnotizing hums, continuing the chorus.

Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo fans have been anticipating Olivia’s return to music, and her new single, “Vampire”, made the wait worth it. A slow piano ballad at the beginning deceives you into believing it’s just another sad slow song. Rodridgo’s talent for writing riveting, honest, and poetic music still stands true with lyrics like, “Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise”. Her songwriting ability has helped her release tracks like this, telling a story, and expressing the disappointment and fury she feels recounting a past relationship. The bridge further shows her indignation and that emotion thunders on, “...you can’t love anyone, cause that would mean you had a heart”

the car by glaive

glaive releasing this as the last song before his album “i care so much that i dont care at all” which comes out on July 14th, gets us more excited to see what's coming. What glaive does best is writing aggressive, blunt lyrics that contrast the upbeat and quick melody played behind it. In an interview, Glaive admits this is the only song not written from his point of view, but rather, from a friend’s perspective of getting cheated on. The second sentence sets the tone for the rest of the song, a badass recap of the “imaginary” cheating scandal between himself, the girl, and the boy in question. Being known for his hyper-pop expertise, glaive has proved himself to be efficient in different musical aspects other than the expected hyper-pop song, which this track along with the other pre-released songs, has shown.

Running Blind by Aluna, Tchami, Kareen Lomax

For an enticing electric dance song ideal for the summertime, turn to “Running Blind”. With an addicting melody, compelling piano chords, and metaphoric lyricism, Aluna and Tchami collaborate and successfully produce together for the first time. The build-up before the beat drop is note-worthy for its merge of smooth vocals and dynamic rhythm. “Freedom is locked in my mind/ Gotta believe it” a song that contains powerful songwriting with a beat to dance to, all around a 10/10 song perfect for July!

Pretty Girls by midwxst

Known for his gift in mixing hyper-pop with rap, midwxst has released, yet again, a genre-defying single. Contrary to his previous albums with sad-boy writing, ‘Pretty Girls’ depicts a clearly complicated relationship, but filled with more confusion and lust. With cool guitar riffs mixed with a production of energized rhythm, this song showcases his dexterity in making music. The track ends off with a beautiful saxophone and a voicemail, from the assumed pretty girl, as the outro.

Think Fast by Dominic Fike (feat. Weezer)

This is the third track on Dominic Fike’s new album, “Sunburn”, inspired by Weezer’s “Undone - The Sweater Song”, he makes this song a perfect example of just one of the musical directions he takes. “Think Fast” leans into the pop-rock aspect of song-making, but still adds rap, with a lively guitar and a tenacious chorus hook. While the album entirely takes creative freedom and has no boundary for a specific genre, sampling from 90’s rockers, Weezer, you can still hear how he has incorporated his unique sound into the track making it his own. A blithe and passionate contemplation of life's fast-paced momentum, “Think fast/ you only get one try”.

F’d Up by LAYA

No bullshit, confident and daring. Three words describing the track to add to your hot girl summer playlist. Laya’s soothing vocals juxtapose the unflinching lyrics with a playful bass, a striking beat, and a catchy chorus. The song is about not dealing with someone’s trivial drama, doing the mature thing, and moving on, “Quit with all the cap/ You got me fucked up”. The groovy R&B song ends with a beautiful instrumental ballad, a thrilling sign-off.

Written by Amy Kapel

Graphic by Ryan Murray