Ani DiFranco

Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:30pm at Troy Music Hall

Widely considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani DiFranco is the mother of the DIY movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label in 1990. While she has been known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica and even more distant sounds. Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince. She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Bon Iver, Brand Carlile, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D., and many more. Her most recent albums include 2021’s Revolutionary Love and the July 2022 25th Anniversary Edition reissue of her iconic live album Living In Clip, both on her own label Righteous Babe Records. Her memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream was released in May 2019 by Viking Books, and was a New York Times Top 10 best seller.

Rejecting the major label system has given her significant creative freedom. She has referenced her staunchly-held independence in song more than once, including in "The Million You Never Made" (Not a Pretty Girl), which discusses the act of turning down a lucrative contract, "The Next Big Thing" (Not So Soft), which describes an imagined meeting with a label head-hunter who evaluates the singer based on her looks, and "Napoleon" (Dilate), which sympathizes sarcastically with an unnamed friend who did sign with a label. After recording with Ani in 1999, Prince described the effects of her independence. "We jammed for four hours and she danced the whole time. We had to quit because she wore us out. After being with her, it dawned on me why she's like that – she's never had a ceiling over her."

Her lyrics are rhythmic and poetic, often autobiographical, and strongly political. “Trickle Down” discusses racism and gentrification, while “To The Teeth” speaks about the need for gun control, and “In or Out” questions society’s traditional sexuality labels. "Play God" has become a battle cry for reproductive rights while “Revolutionary Love” calls for compassion to be the center of social movements. Rolling Stone said of her in 2012, "The world needs more radicals like Ani DiFranco: wry, sexy, as committed to beauty and joy as revolution." 

Over the years she's performed at countless benefit concerts, donated songs to many charity albums, and given time and energy to many progressive causes. She has learned from and demonstrated beside Gloria Steinem, Jesse Jackson and Dennis Kucinich. In 2004, she marched in the front row of the March for Women's Lives along with Margaret Cho, Janeane Garofalo, Whoopi Goldberg, and many others, later performing on the main stage. She has beaten the drum for voter registration and turnout with "Vote Dammit" tours in multiple presidential election years, including most recently in 2016. She's currently on the board of Roots of Music, an organization that provides at-risk youth with support and musical education in New Orleans, and the creative council of EMILY’s List, which helps elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.

As an iconic songwriter and social activist, she has been the inspiration for woman artists and entrepreneurs for over two decades. She has been featured on the covers of SPIN, Ms., Relix, High Times, and many others for her music and activism. She is the idol of empowered women who came of age in the 90s and continues to bring younger fans into her fold. From Alice Walker to Amy Schumer, Ani is respected by wordsmiths across milieux and generations. She blazed the trail for self-directed artist careers and has been cited by musicians from Prince to Bon Iver as an inspiration to release their own art outside of the major label system. 

Ani has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including a Grammy for best album package (Evolve), the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women, the Gay/Lesbian American Music Award for Female Artist of the Year, and the Woody Guthrie Award. At the 2013 Winnipeg Folk Festival she received their prestigious Artistic Achievement Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg. In 2017, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from A2IM (a nonprofit trade organization that represents independent record labels) and the Outstanding Achievement for Global Activism Award from A Global Friendship. In 2021 she was named a Champion for Justice by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

The Moth - True Stories Told Live

Thursday, May 13, 2022 at 8:00 PM at Troy Music Hall

Join us for an evening of stories, shared live as five storytellers take the stage and share a true, personal story from their life:  joy and heart, in equal measures. Stories of glory and defeat, taunting fate, laughing in the face of danger, and the moments that forever changed the course.

POSTPONED

Martin Sexton

TBA at 8:00 PM at Massry Center for the Arts

"The real thing, people." – Billboard

"Outstanding taste in songwriting as well as a soul-marinated voice." –Rollingstone

Syracuse native Sexton got his start singing in the streets and subways of Boston in the early 90's. Still fiercely independent and headlining venues from The Fillmore to Carnegie Hall, he has influenced a generation of contemporary artists. His songs have appeared in television series and in numerous films, though it's his incendiary live show, honest lyrics, and vocal prowess that keep fans coming back for more.

An Evening with Bruce Hornsby and yMusic

Friday, February 28, 2020 at 8:00 PM at Troy Music Hall

Bruce Hornsby, the creatively insatiable pianist and singer-songwriter from Williamsburg, Virginia, always has succeeded on his exceptional gifts, his training, and his work ethic. He became a global name in music by reimagining American roots forms as songs that moved with the atmospheric grace of jazz. “The Way It Is” defined sonic joy on the radio, however as a hit record it also evidenced a thrilling re-structuring, and during the years afterward Hornsby, in staggeringly diverse ways, has kept going.

He has returned to traditional American roots forms, collaborating with Ricky Skaggs. He has played with the Grateful Dead. He has fused the plunk and dazzle of twentieth-century modernist classical composition to singer-songwriter emotional inquiries. He has scored films. He has performed with symphony orchestras. If the sound of an arrogant air-conditioner or a stretch of rude playing caught his ear, he has entered the hallowed doors of the conservatories of punk.

yMusic, "six contemporary classical polymaths who playfully overstep the boundaries of musical genres," (The New Yorker) performs in concert halls, arenas and clubs around the world. Founded in New York City in 2008, yMusic believes in presenting excellent, emotionally communicative music, regardless of style or idiom. "One of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of classical music," (Fred Child, NPR's Performance Today) their virtuosic execution and unique configuration (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) has attracted the attention of high profile collaborators -- from Paul Simon to Bill T. Jones to Ben Folds -- and inspired original works by some of today's foremost composers, including Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli and Andrew Norman.

Air Supply

The Lost in Love Experience

Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 8:00 PM

Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock sing their greatest hits, including "All Out of Love," "Lost In Love," "The One That You Love," and "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.”

Graham Russell & Russell Hitchcock met on May 12, 1975, the first day of rehearsals for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Sydney, Australia; they became instant friends with their common love for The Beatles and, of course, singing.

After the shows' performances at 10:30, they would play pizza parlors, coffee bars and night clubs with just one guitar and two voices. They quickly gained a reputation for great harmonies and for original songs that Graham was constantly writing. They made a demo on a cassette of two songs, "Love and Other Bruises" and "If You Knew Me" and took it to every record company in Sydney. Everyone turned it down but one — CBS Records — who admired their unique style.

They made a single in one afternoon and it shot to number one on the national charts. Air Supply was born! That same year, they opened for Rod Stewart across Australia and then throughout the U.S. and Canada playing all of the famous huge venues before Rod would take the stage. They found new fans, but did not break the U.S. market.

Back in Australia they had to start again and made a record called Life Support. On this record were some treasures of songs, including "Lost in Love" which went Top 10 in Australia and somehow found its way to music industry executive Clive Davis in New York.

Clive immediately signed Air Supply to Arista Records and in 1980, "Lost in Love" became the fastest selling single in the world, leaping to the top of all of the charts. Now Air Supply was on their way. The second single was "All Out of Love," and that went up the charts even quicker.

Seven top-five singles later, Air Supply at that time had equaled The Beatles' run of consecutive top five singles. The albums Lost in Love, The One That You Love, Now & Forever, and The Greatest Hits sold in excess of 20 million copies. "Lost in Love" was named Song of the Year in 1980, and, with the other singles, sold more than 10 million copies.

The trademark sound of Russell Hitchcock's soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell's simple yet majestic songs created a unique sound that would forever be known as Air Supply.

However, it is the live shows that always hold audiences captive around the world. They were the first Western group to tour China, Taiwan, and countless other countries that before would not allow pop music across their borders. In 1983 they recorded "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" by Jim Steinman which solidified the group as a permanent force in modern music. This song was released on The Greatest Hits album which soared past 7 million copies.

"Lost in Love", "All Out of Love", "The One That You Love", "Sweet Dreams", and "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" have each achieved multi-million plays on the radio.

In 1986 the group's music was still playing endlessly on radio. That same year, Graham was married to actress Jodi Varble from Rochelle, Illinois, who also was his leading lady in the video for "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All."

Air Supply began to tour with lavish productions in places that no one had been before. In South America and Asia they became a part of everyone's life. In 1988, Air Supply was asked to participate in Australia's bicentennial celebration and to play for HRH Prince Charles and HRH Princess Diana, where they learned both were already ardent fans. This engagement would be one of their most treasured moments in their career.

In 1989, they recorded "The Earth Is" album selling over a million copies outside of the U.S. This album was followed by "The Vanishing Race" CD and, with the singles "Goodbye" and "It's Never Too Late", again saw multi-platinum success. The following albums, "News from Nowhere", "Yours Truly", and "Across the Concrete Sky" all gave their second greatest hits album multi-platinum status as they traveled the world each and every year.

In 2000, a new production company was founded to be devoted to Air Supply's entire future product, called A Nice Pear, which gave them complete creative control.

In July 2005, their live DVD, "It Was 30 Years Ago Today" celebrated 30 years of success around the world and in that same month, Air Supply smashed attendance records when, in Cuba, at one show they played to 175,000 people. Also 2005 saw the release of "The Singer and the Song", an acoustic album of many of their big hits which received critical acclaim.

In May 2010, the long-awaited album, "Mumbo Jumbo" –also the duo's first studio recording in eight years- was released. Recorded at Graham Russell's home studio near Park City, Utah and at Odds On's state of the art facilities in Las Vegas with top session musicians and an orchestra, "Mumbo Jumbo" was produced by Russell and engineered by Odds On's Sean O'Dwyer, whose credits include Pink Floyd, Randy Newman and Blink-182. Among the 14-tracks, released by Odds On's label, was the first single "Dance With Me," which earned Air Supply a prominent feature article in Billboard Magazine titled "Still Supplying The Hits After 35 Years."

Just weeks after composer and vocalist Graham Russell was honored with a BMI Million-Air Certificate recognizing 3 million performances of the duo's hit "All Out Of Love," Air Supply's new song was the #1 most added track on the FMQB AC40 Chart, and also one of the most added on the R&R (Radio and Records) AC Chart and the Mediabase AC chart.

In 2013, the duo was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame. Air Supply celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2015 and continue to delight audiences all over the world.