#Hillary Safadi

[thebowerypresents]

Tinariwen – Brooklyn Steel - July 26, 2024

Tinariwen, the acclaimed group of Saharan refugee musicians, filled a rapt Brooklyn Steel with their guitar- and rock-fueled desert blues and the Nashville-meets-North-Africa sounds featured on their ninth long-player, Amatssou, on Friday night. 

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Chrissy Costanza & VOILÀ – Racket – October 9, 2024

Lead singer of the pop-punk trio Against the Current, New Jersey’s Chrissy Costanza just dropped her debut EP, VII, and celebrated its release alongside L.A. pop duo VOILÀ at Racket on Wednesday, as part of their Spin the Bottle Tour.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Chromeo & the Midnight – Terminal 5 – October 4, 2024

Montreal twosome Chromeo and L.A. synthwave duo the Midnight’s joint tour has found them funking up North America together, and Friday night at Terminal 5 was a whole lot more of that ’80s-influenced funky good time.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Stars – Music Hall of Williamsburg – September 19, 2024

Out on a North American tour in support of the 20th anniversary of their beloved breakthrough album, Set Yourself on Fire, Montreal rock and chamber-pop outfit Stars played a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday and sent everyone home with a smile. 

(Stars play Music Hall of Williamsburg again tonight.)

(Stars play Union Transfer in Philadelphia tomorrow.)

(Stars play Royale in Boston on Sunday.)

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Alice Phoebe Lou – Brooklyn Steel – November 10, 2024

Born and raised in South Africa and based in Berlin, singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou capped off the American leg of her North American tour — and the weekend — with a sold-out show at Brooklyn Steel on Sunday night, winning over the crowd with her take on bedroom pop featuring hints of blues, folk, synths and jazz.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Brat Rave – Webster Hall – August 10, 2024

Brat Summer came to the East Village this weekend, and everyone at a sold-out Webster Hall got down to the sounds and vibes of Charli XCX and party-girl anthems, dancing the night away from late on Friday ’til early on Saturday.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

MAVI – Music Hall of Williamsburg – September 12, 2024

Just a few dates into the tour behind his stellar third album, Shadowbox — “It’s among his darkest work, but also his most piercing and inventive” — Charlotte, N.C., rapper MAVI landed in Brooklyn on Thursday at a welcoming Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Danny Brown and Frost Children – Music Hall of Williamsburg – August 22, 2024

NYC genre-spanning hyperpop sibling duo Frost Children kept it local last night at a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg, first serving as part of the backing band for Detroit rapper Danny Brown and then doing their own set, making Thursday an extra-special night.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Orion Sun – Brooklyn Steel – November 7, 2024

As Orion Sun, singer-songwriter Tiffany Majette deftly mixes R&B, rock, jazz and hip-hop into her own unique soulful sound, as witnessed by her knockout debut album, Orion. On Thursday night, the New Jersey native was welcomed to a sold-out Brooklyn Steel.

(Orion Sun plays Union Transfer in Philadelphia tonight.)

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Webster Hell – Webster Hall – October 31, 2024

Somewhere between the end of NYC’s 51st annual Halloween parade and the start of November, people headed directly to Webster Hall for Webster Hell, the official after-party, which included a costume contest, a virgin sacrifice, and a whole lot of dancing and fun.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Cassandra Jenkins Brings Treats to Music Hall of Williamsburg the Night Before Halloween

Cassandra Jenkins – Music Hall – October 30, 2024

Given the options of tricks or treats on the night before Halloween, Cassandra Jenkins opted for the latter, providing a set full of musical ear candy for a full house at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday. It was a festive affair with many in the audience dressed in costumes, Jenkins and her band wearing matching Petco uniforms, a reference to the song “Petco,” off her latest album, My Light, My Destroyer. The new material would be featured prominently, the night starting with the opposite-of-spooky ethereality of “Devotion,” delicate guitar and Jenkins’ vocals joined by keys, bass, and then violin and drums in a dreamy blend. 

The ensuing 80 minutes was a pillowcase of sweet musical treats, with Jenkins’ songwriting providing a dominant flavor. “Aurora, IL” mixed a chunky guitar with smooth violin while the lyrics turned existential: “It’s a thin line / Over the planet / Just a thin line / Between us and nothingness.” A variety of musicians and guests — also in costume — rotated through, adding harmonizing vocals, extra guitars, and saxophone and flutes. The additional players added texture on songs like “Omakase,” but with a lightness that kept space between the instrumentation. 

“Petco” had two guitars while the violin took the rocking solo, eventually opening into a cover of the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” with someone dressed as the “Ghost of Music Hall of Williamsburg” joining on vocals before the drum-driven rock-out went back into “Petco,” a full-size candy bar in a sack full of fun-sizers.

The set ended with some fan-pleasing older songs, the self-described “vibe-y” “New Bikini,” off 2021’s An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, was so airy it felt like it might float away. The closing “Hard Drive” was Jenkins at her finest, lyrics and music weaved together to tell a singular story, words spoken and sung, the band opening into a full freak-out, Jenkins singing assurances to the audience: “But this year, it's gonna be a good one.” No tricks needed. —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Foxing – Racket – October 29, 2024

With just a handful of remaining dates on the tour in support of their eponymous fifth studio album, St. Louis post-rock quartet Foxing packed ’em in at Racket last night.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

TOPS – Racket – October 27, 2024

Back in New York City, Montreal harmonic-pop outfit TOPS closed out the weekend in style with a sold-out show at Racket. 

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

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Homixide Gang – Racket – October 21, 2024

Atlanta rap duo Homixide Gang were back at Racket last night, ratcheting up the intensity and throwing a weeknight party in the Meatpacking District.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Richard Thompson Thrills Town Hall with New Music on Friday Night

Richard Thompson – Town Hall – October 18, 2024

Richard Thompson exists somewhere in the area overlapping legend and cult hero, and for his longtime fans, catching him live is a special treat in the unique region that overlaps nostalgia and rediscovery. Catching him live playing electric with a full band in the States is an even better treat, so it’s no surprise that he got a hero’s welcome when he took the stage at Town Hall on Friday night.

And for those in the audience who were there to hear him sing their favorite songs or to play guitar or to remember why they fell in love with him in the first place, or for that area overlapping all three of those reasons, well Thompson did not disappoint.

The band kicked off with “Turnstile Casanova,” one of several featured tracks from his newest release, Ship to Shore, and Thompson’s distinctive voice and growling guitar immediately settled in for the night. His solos were as vibrant and masterful as ever on old favorites like the twangy blues of “Hard on Me,” and the gypsy-jazzlike “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven.” 

The backing band was equally up to the task: Bassist Taras Prodaniuk was lush and melodic on “Guns are the Tongues,” while drummer Michael Jerome played a marching rhythm. Thompson’s second guitarist took several clean-toned solos of his own and it was equally surprising and not surprising to learn that the youngster giving Thompson a run for his money on classics like “John the Gun,” was Zak Hobbs, his grandson. I couldn’t decide if it was cooler for Thompson to watch his grandson take the lead or for Hobbs to see his grandfather dazzle the audience again and again. 

Thompson switched to acoustic for a three-song stretch midway through, including the signature “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” which he performed solo with the skill and emotion of a youngster playing it for the first time. After a rousing “Tear Stained Letter” with guest accordion, round-robin solos for all, and some crowd sing-along to close the show, Thompson returned with another surprise. His son, Teddy Thompson, joined to duet on two songs — “Persuasion” and “The Grey Funnel Line” — just father and son and two acoustic guitars.

The show ended with two more rockers, a cover of “The Bells of Rhymney” and finally “Jealous Words,” acoustic giving way to electric, old overlapping with the new, guitar overlapping with songwriting, legend and cult hero all at once. —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi

[thebowerypresents]

Kate Bollinger – Music Hall of Williamsburg – October 16, 2024

After putting out four EPs, Kate Bollinger released her highly anticipated debut LP, Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind, in September. And just a week into her tour in support of it, the Charlottesville, Va., folk singer-songwriter packed them into Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday night.

Photos courtesy of Hillary Safadi | @hillasafadi