Gustavo Dudamel to conduct Nina Shekhar’s New York premiere of “The Mother is Standing”

“The Mother Is Standing,” written by Maggie Dave remix artist Nina Shekhar, will kick off the New York Philharmonic’s Spring Gala next week, led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Also joining in that evening’s celebration will be actor, author, and activist Common, soprano Hera Hyesang Park, and guitarist and former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams – taking turns in the spotlight while NY Phil musicians perform several works side-by-side with student musicians from communities across New York City.

Celebrating the past, present, and future of music education, this Spring Gala marks the New York premiere of Shekhar’s composition, inspired by (in her words) “…my mom and the many strong women in my life who guide me with their resilience – women who have weathered grief and loss in a deeply patriarchal world. And through it all, they always carry themselves with a quiet grace – soft but never silent.”

“The Mother Is Standing” was originally commissioned by the NY Phil along with the Bravo! Vail Music Festival).

Tehillah Alphonso arranges “So Amazing” for Kings Return

Maggie Dave vocalist/arranger Tehillah Alphonso arranged the latest viral performance from Grammy Award-nominated vocal group Kings Return, released just before Valentine’s Day. Surpassing one million streams on Instagram, the a cappella arrangement of “So Amazing,” originally written by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller, showcases Alphonso’s distinct and peerless craft at building evocative harmonies with layered voices.  

From the group: “Kings Return is a Dallas-based a cappella group created in 2016 by Gabe Kunda, Vaughn Faison, J. E. McKissic, and Jamall Williams. After initially singing for Kunda’s graduation recital, the quartet’s popularity soared when the group started posting videos to social media from the stairwell where the singers rehearsed. The ensemble, which has more than ten million views across digital platforms, derives inspiration from gospel, jazz, R&B, soul, and classical music.”

“‘The name Kings Return is a reflection of ourselves,’ the group asserts. ‘We are kings who go forth to conquer, but most importantly we return to give back to our community.’”

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Videography: Richard Tran
Arranged by: Tehillah Alphonso
Engineered: Plaid Productions
Mixed: Ed Boyer
Photo by Bryson Gamble

Harbor Party's debut single "Ain't Young Anymore" written by Sean David Christensen & John Schroeder

“Ain’t Young Anymore,” the debut single by LA’s premiere yacht rock tribute band Harbor Party, was released on December 29th. Co-written by Maggie Dave lead singer/founder Sean David Christensen & guitarist/producer John Schroeder, the song celebrates the smooth radio hits of the 70s & 80s that inspired it, and signals more original music to be released by the band later this year.

“This Is a Story Without a Plan” by Cassie Shao at 65th ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short Film

Animator and music video director Cassie Shao screened her latest film This Is a Story Without a Plan at the prestigious 65th ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short Film this month. Recognized by the European Film Academy, the Oscars, BAFTA Film Awards and the Goya Awards as a nomination qualifying festival, ZINEBI recognizes superior filmmaking in several categories including Best International Short Film.

Shao’s inimitable style depicts a story of “…two people and an explosion. This film envisions two characters witnessing a constant explosion in different fragments of their lives.” Shao is the director of the Maggie Dave music videos “Old You” and “I’m Not Ready,” which garnered her a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2019.

"Change Your Mind (Single Edit)" - Everywhere November 17th

Maggie Dave announced the release of their upcoming single “Change Your Mind,” slated for Friday, November 17th. Currently working on their debut album, lead singer Sean David Christensen describes the new song as “…an anthem that speaks to the human struggle of deciding whether to let somebody go or hold onto them even tighter than before.” Co-written by Grammy Award-nominated choral arranger and songwriter Tehillah Alphonso, “Change Your Mind” signals a bold new sound for the band—one they’ll continue exploring next year. “Mark & I [Maggie Dave] are learning to expand our sound with each new collaboration. On this record that involved so many creative souls, I could feel a sense of community protecting us. I’m so grateful for that. We’re all moving forward together and it’s very exciting.”

Pre-save the single on Spotify via DistroKid – HyperFollow.

Nina Shekhar premieres “The Mother is Standing” with the New York Philharmonic

Nina Shekhar, Maggie Dave remixer & collaborator, premiered her latest symphonic work with the New York Philharmonic on Wednesday, July 19th at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. An original composition co-commissioned by the festival and the NY Phil, Shekhar’s “The Mother is Standing” examines the love between mother and child.

Nina: “As I navigate my own womanhood, I am guided by the strong women in my life. My mom’s side of the family had a unique matrilineal structure, in which the mother’s name was passed down to her children rather than the father’s. I am blessed to have been surrounded by many brilliant, beautiful, and resilient women— women who have weathered grief and loss in a deeply patriarchal world. And through it all, they always carry themselves with a quiet grace—soft but never silent. The Mother is Standing draws inspiration from the Stabat Mater Christian hymn to Mary, which describes her suffering as Jesus’s mother during his crucifixion. While based off the hymn’s traditional chant melody, this piece examines the love between mother and child in a wider context. This piece is dedicated to my mom, who constantly teaches me through her example what womanhood and motherhood truly means.”

Shekhar’s “The Mother is Standing” shared the bill with Chick Corea’s Trombone Concerto and Dvořák’s beloved New World symphony, led by guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero.

The New York Philharmonic performs at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. (Photo credit: B. Cohen)

“Underwater” by DREAM RADiO featuring Maggie Dave

The DREAM RADiO writing / producing duo (Devin Gáti and Russell Cloder) has featured Maggie Dave on their latest single, “Underwater.” As composers and producers the pair has collaborated on many film and television projects and have been featured in campaigns for Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre and others.

Sean David Christensen interviews ERIKA POH

Sean David Christensen interviews singer/songwriter and friend of the band, ERIKA POH, about her debut EP Teens In My Twenties. Painted from a vivid musical palette influenced by Broadway melodies, R&B and symphonic masterworks, POH's songwriting explores the doubts of young adulthood with intricate harmonies woven from a large cast of collaborators and friends.

"It’s a body of work that questions societal expectations of growing up," says POH. "It questions the need to feel like growing up is a point of arrival or even a process in which the individual emerges from it having everything figured out. I think all these thoughts/phases are what I’m currently going through right now in my career which is what compelled me to write this."

Maggie Dave photographed by Nicole Neri

From the evening peaks of Arizona’s South Mountains overlooking downtown Tempe, longtime Maggie Dave photographer & artistic collaborator Nicole Neri captures the band with her signature use of expressive color and exposure.

 A freelance photographer based in Minneapolis, Neri focuses on social justice issues, immigration, and the role of community art. A contributor to Bloomberg, HuffPost, Politico & The Wall Street Journal, more of her work can be discovered here.

Ricky Berger wins “Best Song” at Songwriters at Play: The Finale

Maggie Dave producer & singer/songwriter Ricky Berger took home the “Best Song” award this Sunday at Songwriters at Play: The Finale, presented by Cambria Center for the Arts. The live concert featured ten finalists from the previous year’s showcases performing two original songs each. Berger’s “Novocaine” earned top marks and the grand prize for songwriting from the panel of judges, with Fort Vine and Walk the Whale winning “Best Performance” and “Best Overall” respectively. Will Breman, semifinalist from NBC’s The Voice, closed out the evening with selections from his upcoming opening set for Neil Young.

 Listen to more of Ricky Berger’s music on Spotify!

"Pulsar" by Tallac

DJ/producer and Maggie Dave collaborator Tallac has released his latest single, “Pulsar”, featuring guitarist John Schroeder. Released through Ritmo Fatale, a French record label, the track showcases a driving beat reminiscent of early-80s European dance music that has become part of Tallac’s signature nostalgic sound.

"My Year of Dicks" nominated for Best Animated Short Film at 95th Academy Awards

My Year of Dicks, based on creator/writer Pamela Ribon's 2017 book Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn't Share in Public, was announced as one of the five nominees for Best Animated Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday, January 24th. Directed by Sara Gunnarsdóttir, the short features animation by Maggie Dave music video director Cassie Shao, who worked remotely with a team of artists to complete the film.

“Largely over Zoom, Gunnarsdóttir and Ribon shot live actors performing the script as reference for the animators, who then loosely rotoscoped their artwork overtop, creating the film’s fanciful, kaleidoscopic vision of a teenage girl’s inner life.” - Adam B. Vary, Variety (January 24th, 2023).

When asked about using the medium of animation to tell this personal story, creator/writer Pamela Ribon told Variety: “I don’t think this is a story you get to see very often, particularly in adult animation. I think animation is not a genre, it’s a tool. It can be inviting for people who might have thought adult animation wasn’t made for them. This is pretty inclusive.”

The 95th Academy Awards will air live on March 12th, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. (PDT)

Anthony Gonzalez talks about new M83 album "Fantasy" with bandmate Joe Berry

On the heels of releasing the first single from their upcoming ninth studio album Fantasy, M83 frontman Anthony Gonzalez spoke with NME about his creative process with longtime bandmate and Maggie Dave saxophonist Joe Berry.

NME: "Gonzalez spent the entirety of 2021 in the studio with longtime bandmate Joe Berry and producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Paramore, Wolf Alice), taking the time to ensure that the new material landed in the right spirit. 'I wanted to come back with an album that had a band feel,' Gonzalez explained. 'The idea was to make music in a room with musicians and jam around and see what happened.' He continued: 'We gathered in a room every day, and we just created music. At the end, we had enough material to turn all these jams into an album. I really wanted to create an album that plays well live and translates well on stage. It was about going back to my roots, which is more shoegaze-y, guitar-like, 80s sound."

Joe Berry's production features in the music video for "Oceans Niagara," the lead single to the forthcoming full-length, Fantasy. A world tour is set to begin for M83 in April, with their first stop in Phoenix, AZ.

Nina Shekhar featured on ASCAP New Music Friday

On Friday, December 10th, composer, performer and Maggie Dave collaborator Nina Shekhar placed two songs on ASCAP New Music Friday, an official Spotify playlist featuring the best songs released that week with the venerable performing rights organization.

Performed by the Khemia Ensemble, Shekhar’s "Don't Beat A Word" appears on the album Intersections. Track produced by Bill Kalinkos / Co-Producer & Recording Engineer: Eric Dluzniewski.

Performed by The Crossing under the direction of Donald Nally, “Y-Mas” appears on the album Carols after a Plague.

Composer & performer, Nina Shekhar. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

"Maggie Dave - Old You" wins Honorable Mention at Los Angeles Animation Festival

Maggie Dave - Old You, the official music video animated by Cassie Shao, was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2022 Los Angeles Animation Festival. This honor is given "to work of an exceptionally high standard and worthy of festival praise." Shao is an alum of LAAF, earning a nomination for her film There Were Four of Us as Best Student Experimental Short at the 2019 festival.

Joy Guerrilla BEATSCENES playlist on Spotify

Maggie Dave collaborators and multi-instrumentalists Magdalena Daniec and Adam Grab, performing together as Joy Guerrilla, have released a special playlist on Spotify. “BEATSCENES” contains a series of aural environments that the band describes as “morsels which musically evoke the feel of a place at a particular time.” Featuring warm analog synths and precise jazz grooves, it’s a great playlist to keep you company!

Writing about their song “Hume Lake (Golden Hour),” the band writes: “The churning percussion, golden Rhodes, and bouncy groove, with the light wave ambiance in the intro/outro, are meant to place the listener at the edge of Hume Lake in Sequoia during the golden hour of the day. It's a combination of the classic ‘Environments’ soundscapes of the late 60s/early 70s and grooves we write to remember these places.”

Written, arranged, and performed by Magdalena Daniec and Adam Grab // Mixed by Adam Grab and Julian Nicholson // Produced by Magdalena Daniec, Adam Grab. and Julian Nicholson // Mastered by Saif Bari at Fixed Mastering.

Ryan McDiarmid on tour with HAIM

Maggie Dave drummer Ryan McDiarmid just returned from “The One More HAIM Tour” with the celebrated, Grammy Award-nominated American rock band. Congratulations to our friend and musical collaborator on this amazing time on the road!

"Quarantine Dreams" by Sam Hirsh co-produced by Daniel Weidlein

Composer & producer Daniel Weidlein collaborated with acclaimed jazz pianist Sam Hirsh on “Quarantine Dreams,” an album blending hip hop & jazz elements into a richly illustrated portrait of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing quarantine of 2020. Now streaming on Bandcamp!

"Elvis Presley - That's All Right" directed by Richard Noble

We were thrilled to see our creative collaborator & friend Richard Noble helm the official music video for "Elvis Presley - That's All Right." Noble continues to forge a distinctive path in the animation world with his signature blend of character animation and 3D modeling that utilizes analog textures to evoke nostalgia for an imagined past.

CREW

Director: Richard Noble
Character Animation: Barney Abrahams
3D Modellers: Richard Noble and Taylor Michael Brown
Background Artists: Richard Noble, Robert Hunter, Alexander Hellebaut and Ben Austin-Duch

Fest Anča International Animation Festival: "Maggie Dave - Old You"

"Maggie Dave - Old You" recently competed in the International Competition of Music Videos at the Fest Anča International Animation Festival in Slovakia. Animated by Cassie Shao, her video shared the screen with a superb collection of films from around the world, featuring documentary to experimental works. The complete program to the 2022 festival can be found here.