Each month here we visit with a member of the community to find out what music they’ve been digging.
My home listening is shaped by our great local clubs—Catskill’s Avalon Lounge, Woodstock’s Colony, Hudson’s Half Moon, Quinn’s in Beacon, and especially Tubby’s in Kingston. Together they host adventurous music nearly seven days a week; we’re blessed. This month, I’m stoked for dreamscape heroes Damon and Naomi (Tubby’s), Malian guitar master Vieux Farka Touré (Woodstock Playhouse), and the return of the glorious 24-hour Drone Festival (Basilica Hudson). In June, there’s the Waco Brothers’ transatlantic country-punk (Avalon Lounge). Big Thief, one the world’s best rock bands at the moment, play UPAC in July. I reported on a new wave of tradition-minded Irish music for the New York Times earlier this year, and I’m still plumbing marvelous LPs by Lankum and Lisa O’Neill. Southern rock bard Jason Isbell has a new album due in June; his songwriting’s never been stronger. Ditto the singer-songwriter trio of Boygenius, whose LP is among the year’s best. I’m kinda tired of trap beats, so the recent revival of ’90s club sounds—jungle, drum ‘n’ bass, garage—delights me. Nia Archives, PinkPantheress, and Yaeji (my Flushing, Queens, homegirl) have gotten me excited about electronic pop again, which I’d doubted was possible. Kelela’s new LP, Raven, too—sultry cosmic R&B, awesome vibe. There’s always something new to discover and share, which is why I love writing about music.
This article appears in May 2023.
