W♥M

R.I.P. George Winston

(Read more Musicians who died in 2023)

R.I.P. George Winston

The rural folk/New Age instrumental pianist and principal performer on the Windham Hill Records label George Winston passed away on Sunday in Williamsport at the age of 74 of cancer, according to his publicist Jesse Cutler.

Winston lived in Santa Cruz, CA and had dealt with several forms of cancer for years while continuing to create and perform his music which required among other forms of care, a bone marrow transplant a decade ago.

George Winston III was born on Feb. 11, 1949, in Hart, MI to George (a geologist) and Mary (a secretary) Winston, growing in Mississippi, Florida and especially Montana, which triggered an early love for nature that would be reflected in his recordings.

He took piano lessons as a child, soon losing interest but upon hearing The Doors’ debut album with opening track “‘Break On Through (to the Other Side),” his musical re-awakening was quickly in full bloom.

Inspired by that band’s Ray Manzarek, Winston took up the organ, but soon switched to piano after discovering vintage Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson recordings and remained principally self-taught.

His first album, 1972’s “Piano Solos” (aka Ballads and Blues, on Takoma Records), was mostly ignored and after negotiating with producer William Ackerman, found himself on the fledgling Windham Hill Records label, breaking through on 1980’s “Autumn,” a series of seven piano solo tracks all inspired by nature.

Winston continued the calendar theme with two 1982 albums, the holiday-themed “December” (which went more than 3x Platinum) and “Winter Into Spring,” and again with 1991’s “Summer.” In 1994, “Forest,” won a Grammy Award for Best New Age album and he would be nominated four other times.

He broadened his interests, recording for children on 1984’s “The Velveteen Rabbit” (with Meryl Streep as narrator) and returned to his early inspiration on 2002’s “Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors”, but perhaps was better known for his interpretations of the music of Vince Guaraldi, the jazz pianist who composed the familiar themes for the animated “Peanuts” television episodes.

In later years, he even did an album of harmonica solos, and formed a label to record a niche genre he admired, Hawaiian slack-key guitar. He would perform and compose minimalist pieces while recovering from cancer, in the medical center’s auditorium, and released a 2014 benefit album which would donate its proceeds to Los Angeles’ City of Hope.

2019’s “Restless Wind” paid tribute to influences Sam Cooke, Stephen Stills, George and Ira Gershwin, Country Joe McDonald, and others, and his 20^th studio album “Night” was just released last month, featuring originals and interpretations of Leonard Cohen, Laura Nyro, Alan Toussaint songs, and more. George Winston is survived by his sister.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Yellow Ostrich @ Pianos, NYC 02.12.14

Setlist Terros Neon Fists Shades My Moons You Are the Stars In the Dark Any Wonder How Do You Do It Things Are Fallin’ Don’t Be Afraid Read More Yellow Ostrich New York's Yellow Ostrich will be heading out on tour this March in support of their latest album, Cosmos (due out Feb. 25 on Barsuk Records). As a special preview, the band will …

     It was the first time I had seen Yellow Ostrich play live Wednesday evening at NYC’s Pianos, and it was the first time I understood how someone could be into the show without having to physically respond whether by head bobbing or by full on rocking out.

Jared Van Fleet

     I listened to Yellow Ostrich’s music the day before the show and knew immediately that I wanted to see them live. They have a lo-fi indie rock sound with vocals from Alex Schaaf (also member of The Chairs) whose voice is a mixture of fun.’s Nate Ruess and Ben Folds. Other band members include talented musicians: Jared Van Fleet (guitar/keyboard), Zach Rose (bass), and Michael Tapper (drums).

Yellow Ostrich

     The band played a special show Wednesday evening at Pianos to showcase their third album, Cosmos, to be released February 25. To an audience of around seventy people, which in a space like Pianos is a comfortable packed, Yellow Ostrich delivered an entrancing set, playing the entire 10-song album with minimal interruptions other than Schaaf’s quick, high-pitched “Thank you!”’s after each song. The album starts off with an ominous yet rocky “Terrors,” dips into some rock riffs with “Shades,” and gradually becoming more upbeat, personality-wise, with their current single, “Any Wonder.”

Alex Schaaf

     “It’s so silent,” Schaaf pointed out three-fourths into the set. Though Schaaf felt awkward with the silence in between songs after applauses, it just seems to be an indication that the audience was just that enthralled in the music. Citing astronomers Carl Sagan and Frank Drake as inspiration for the album, Cosmos does provide a space-y, out-of-your-body vibes, which probably explains why the audience of around seventy people was pretty quiet.

     Catch Yellow Ostrich on tour this year. Dates with (*) indicates with Pattern Is Movement.

02/27/14 | Great Scott (w/ TEEN) Allston, MA 03/03/14 | DC9 * Washington, DC 03/04/14 | Kings * Raleigh, NC 03/05/14 | The Earl * Atlanta, GA 03/06/14 | The High Watt * Nashville, TN 03/07/14 | The Bottletree * Birmingham, AL 03/08/14 | Circle Bar * New Orleans, LA 03/09/14 | Fitzgerald’s * Houston, TX 03/15/14 | Pub Rock Live * Scottsdale, AZ 03/16/14 | Casbah * San Diego, CA 03/18/14 | The Echo * Los Angeles, CA 03/19/14 | Bottom of the Hill * San Francisco, CA

03/21/14 |Dough Fir Lounge * Portland, OR 03/22/14 | Barboza * Seattle, WA 03/23/14 | Media Club * Vancouver, Canada 03/25/14 | Urban Lounge * Salt Lake City, UT 03/26/14 | Hi Dive * Denver, CO 03/28/14 | Turf Club * St. Paul, MN 03/29/14 | High Noon Saloon * Madison, WI 03/30/14 | Turner Hall * Milwaukee, WI 03/31/14 | Schubas * Chicago, IL 04/01/14 | Do317 Lounge * Indianapolis, IN 04/03/14 | Boot & Sadie * Philadelphia, PA 04/04/14 | Bowery Ballroom * New York, NY

Yellow Ostrich at Pianos, New York (02/12/2014)

justina ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ yellowostrich.com

BNLX at Pianos, New York (11/21/13)

Setlist Read More BNLX Produit Collecté - an assemblage of tracks from BNLX EP's 1-8: The handmade physical releases of BNLX EPs 1-7 have been out of print for some time and are now collector's items.…

Minneapolis’ own BNLX took the stage at NYC’s Pianos Thursday night, playing a 45-minute set for a small, but engaging audience. The backroom of Pianos where the band played is of the typical Lower East Side size: tiny. With roughly 30 people in the audience, the place, though not crowded, was filled.

With lights arranged like a life size Lite-Brite projected onto the stage background, BNLX started their show promptly at 10:00 with a quick introduction then going straight to the music. At first glance, the band members, Ed Ackerson, Ashley Ackerson, and David Jarnstrom, seem a bit out of place to be playing in a grungy-ish LES bar, (Ed looks like the brother of Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard), but by mid-set all the members are becoming more comfortable, perhaps feeding off from the audience’s encouraging applause and woo!’s in between songs, especially from one audience member in the front enthusiastically rocking out and singing along. (Or maybe from the random guy, who came in and danced throughout the crowd, trying to sell light-up mini-tambourines.)

BNLX’s music is strong and their sound is tight. They produce an awesome combination of alternative, indie, post-punk, and classic rock, but at times their vocals are missing an edge or strength to match the music. Their newer songs like “Opposites Attract” seem to work better with both Ed and Ashley’s voices. “BNLX Today” from their newly released album, Produit Collecté, and “Permagaddan” are a couple of their strongest songs, the first blending in a bit more indie rock than their other songs and the second being more of a classic rock song. Overall, BNLX played a solid set and had the audience moving throughout the show.

BNLX at Pianos, New York (11/21/13)

justina ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ bnlx2day.com

Zookeeper @ Pianos, NYC 11/29

 

 

Zookeeper

“Have you heard the joke about a pilot, a coffee and a blow job?”  This was Zookeeper singer Chris Simpson’s segueway into a lively performance of “Everyone’s a DJ” at Thursday’s Pianos show.  For a moment I was confused:  did he just awkwardly associate DJs with BJs?  I suppose I heard what I wanted to hear.  BJs aside, the Austin-based boys of Zookeeper played a short set of solid, upbeat rock, occasionally downplaying the jangle with a dash of Western-influenced emoting. 

 

Zookeeper - Snow in Berlin Zookeeper - Ballad of My Friends

Zookeeper’s debut full-length album, Becoming All Things, is an anxious jumble of barn-raising knee slaps and indie rock sensibilities, with Simpson warbling in a slightly off-kilter pitch.  It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll, and a whole lot of PBR.  However, I would be wary of labeling Zookeeper an “alt-country” band, as songs like “Snow in Berlin” and the “Ballad of My Friends” employ less twang and more wrangle, reaching choral octaves that would probably satisfy fans of Okkervil River moreso than fans of Ryan Adams.  There are also remnants of Simpson’s previous musical projects, like the heavy-lid emo sound of Mineral; but where the former opted for brooding, Zookeeper seems more concerned with rousing a physical response.  Simpson still preserves his talent at spinning a melancholic phrase (“And his eyes screaming for a soul to see him”), but backed by a buoyant rhythm, the result is not as dreadfully self-pitying as straightforward emo rock.

 

As with most bars on the Lower East Side, the backroom venue promoted fast  friendship-making, with low ceilings and a few tables pushed against the walls.  Zookeeper played hard with no frills, stressing the tiny sound system and threatening to, literally, bring down the house.  There was little audience banter (besides the aforementioned BJ joke) as the band concentrated on packing as much oomph into their set as possible.  When a few zealous fans chanted “encore,” Simpson obliged, although he jokingly requested approval from the higher forces “in charge.”

 

For more information on Zookeeper, visit their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/zookeepersworld, or their official, yet somewhat cryptic, website:  www.zookeepersworld.com.

 

-Lara