STANDWITHSTANDINGROCK Benefit Concert feat. Immortal Technique, Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio), The Skins, Holly Miranda, St. Lucia (DJ Set) + more!

“Born Felipe Coronel in a military hospital in Lima, Peru, in 1978, Immortal Technique moved to Harlem with his parents when he was two years old. At age nine he started rapping, though he didn’t start to take it more seriously until he was in high school. Despite the fact he was in and out of trouble throughout his teenage years, Tech was accepted at Penn State University, but before he could get through much of college, he was arrested and eventually ended up spending a year in prison. It was there that he began to study the lives and teachings of black and Latino revolutionaries like Che Guevara and Malcolm X, as well as to devote himself to writing songs. Out in 1999, on parole, he moved back to New York, where he spent his days working various jobs and his nights battling other rappers, a forum that allowed him the opportunity to show off his aggressive, vituperative style.

Concerned that he was being pigeonholed as a one-trick pony, Tech set about writing complete tracks, finding beats to accompany them, and eventually releasing his debut, Revolutionary, Vol. 1, in 2001 (an album that was later re-released by his own company, Viper Records, in 2004 and Babygrande in 2005). The record, plus his indefatigable work ethic, earned him local recognition and a spot as The Source’s “unsigned hype” in November 2002, and the following year he issued his second album, Revolutionary, Vol. 2. Although he promised his third release would see the light of day in 2005, it wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that — besides a few singles and mixtapes — fans got any new material from Immortal Technique, coming in the form of the full-length The Middle Passage.” – Marisa Brown, AllMusicGuide

Kyp Malone is a musician. He lives in Brooklyn. He’s worked with the bands Tv on the Radio, Iran, Ice Balloons and Rain Machine.

If 21st century revolution had a sound, it would be post-race, post-gender, post-sexual orientation, and post-genre. It would be The Skins. The Brooklyn quintet is comprised of three siblings—Bay Li [lead vocals], Kaya Nico [vocals, bass], and Reef Cole [drums]—and two friends who became “ family” Daisy Spencer [guitar] and Russ Chell [guitar, synth], ranging from the ages of 18 to 24. This diversity informs a dynamic and definitive style that’s undeniably pop, but encompasses rock, funk, punk, hip-hop, andsoul.re so amazingly bad ass, everything they do sounds the way you want a hard rock album to sound. It is intimidating, mysterious, sensual and mostly just a glorious expression of the art.”-SYFFAL.com http://www.syffal.com/album-review-the-skins-ep.

Their self-titled EP, The Skins, has been receiving rave reviews since its release in January 2012, creating buzz from countless blogs, radiostations and magazines. Their first in-studio music video recorded by Wreckroom Records (Brainchild of actor Adrian Grenier) received over 10,000 views in its first week on youtube VIA http://wreckroom.tv/. In late May they finished recording and filming their second Wreckroom in-studio music video which can be found on their youtube page along with footage from live shows, and personal updates on what the band is up to. If you are fortunate enough to catch a live performance by the Skins then get ready to be blown away and save your ticket so you can prove that you saw them before they were big.

“It’ s how I learned to play the guitar,” Holly Miranda says. “I was on a missions trip to Belarus when I was 14 and this girl brought a guitar and taught me “Linger” and “Zombie” by the Cranberries. I’ d been playing piano since I was 6, but it wasn’ t till then that I really started enjoying playing music. When I got home I started learning every song I could find the chords to online and taught myself that way.” And while the accomplished musician has released three albums of her own acclaimed music, her latest EP, Party Trick, harkens back to her first experiences playing music and showcases just how powerful cover songs can be.

“The title of this album comes from Tegan Quinn saying I could take any song and ‘ make it sad’ she said it was my ‘ Party Trick’” Miranda, who takes the opportunity on the EP to cover Morphine, Lhasa De Sela, Drake and others, says. “Some of these are covers are new, but others I’ ve done throughout the years. It’ s just what I do for fun. Doing covers is such a great way to learn the way someone else constructs a song, if you can break that down and find your own voice in it it can be something really interesting.” And whatever joy she takes in making the songs, listening to them is just as exciting.

Party Trick comes just a year after her return to the spotlight in 2015 with her sophomore self-titled release, co-produced by Miranda with Florent Barbier. Tracks like “Desert Call” and “Everlasting,” show off straightforward songwriting, soulful delivery and a lighters-in-the-air orchestration that places Miranda alongside the pantheon of songwriters who can make heartache sound beautiful.

“This is the most honest thing I’ve ever made; it’s very raw and is a contrast to what I’ve done in the past,” she says. After writing in Joshua Tree, she headed to Brooklyn, New York in the winter of 2012 to record most of the album, enlisting the help of bandmates Timmy Mislock, Maria Eisen and David Jack Daniels, while taking turns herself on piano, drums, guitar and bass. “There’s a Motown vibe to some of the songs,” she notes of the recordings. “I wanted it to feel like the band was playing the songs live. There’s also a few that are more electronic and ethereal,” like the song “Come On.” She recorded that track in Los Angeles with David Andrew Sitek, producer of her 2010 release The Magicians Private Library.

Making the year’s OUT 100 and finding coverage from the likes of Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, SPIN and more, Holly is already tearing up 2016 with a slew of well received appearances and now a new music video for one of the most engaging singles on the record. The clip for “Come On” is directed by Natalie Morales of The Grinder (Rob Lowe, Fred Savage) who has been directing a wide array of visual projects recently.

Diane Birch’s latest album, the self-produced Nous, is her bravest and most independent work to date. Written and recorded mostly in Berlin, Nous draws on musical influences as varied and rich as Birch’s own international upbringing—from her childhood as a preacher’s daughter in Zimbabwe and South Africa, to her wedding dress and black-lipstick days as a Goth teen in Portland, to her late teens in L.A. where she paid her musical dues playing piano and singing covers in fancy hotels. She was discovered on MySpace in 2007, and shortly thereafter moved to London and New York to begin her recording career.

In Nous, Birch channels Ambrosian hymns, moody soul, Debussy and RnB, all brought together with an unflagging attention to classic pop songwriting and the intricate possibilities of the piano. Lyrically, Nous explores questions of love, power, gender, and loss, along with Birch’s recurring odes to the concept of a “higher self.” Indeed, the album’s title doesn’t only mean “ we” in French. Nous is an ancient Greek term for “ awareness.”

Working primarily alone with her piano, Birch has crafted a sonic landscape both timeless and contemporary. Saxophone by Stuart Matthewman of Sade and drums by Max Weissenfeldt of Polyversal Souls contribute to Nous’s layered, intelligent instrumentation, fusing touches of her live-band sound from previous albums with delicate forays into programming, sampling, and electronic production.

With two previous critically acclaimed albums on her discography (Bible Belt and Speak A Little Louder), Birch has earned herself a dedicated fan base across the globe, together with respect from a wide range of musicians from Prince, Mark Ronson, Daryl Hall and Stevie Wonder.

Nous marks a turning point for Diane Birch, who has both reclaimed creative control of her music and expanded her territory, crafting an album of intimate resonance and deep, reaching, soul.

Cole Ramstad began his music career playing backyard sessions with older Jazz musicians in Park Slope, eventually headlining hot venues all over New York City, including SoHo House, Up and Down, and Norwood. He and his band, Chinatown, have carved a niche performing at exclusive spaces like these, where tickets cannot be purchased.

They pioneered the coveted weekly show “Happy Monday” at Apotheke Bar in 2009, which still continues today, although he recently left the show, after 5 years, to focus on writing and recording his forthcoming EP.

Cole and Chinatown bring a sexy, soulful vibe to the stage, captivating crowds in intimate and dance driven performances, and has galvanized a strong and energetic following that turn any venue into a beautiful party.

Currently, he curates and DJ’s every Monday night at one of New York city’s hottest and newest downtown institutions, The Blond.