Category Archives: NY Musicians

Professional Musician Fighting Against Climate Change

Marc Schmied 1Text by Marc Schmied

Greetings – My name is Marc Schmied and I’m a new member of MFM. I’ve been playing acoustic and electric bass professionally in the NYC area for about 25 years. I love playing different styles – currently I’m playing with Tommy Tune (covering the Great American Songbook), a funky rock band (Tamika & The Slay), a classical string quartet (The Iris Quartet), and whatever theater work comes my way. I’m also active in a grassroots environmental group that fights against climate change, 350brooklyn.org.

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Underrated “Harmolodics” Master Guitarist Bern Nix Remembered

Bern NixText by Dawoud Kringle

The world of improvised music was shocked to learn of the passing of master guitarist Bern Nix.

Born in 1950, Nix moved to New York City, and made a living for a while as a guitar teacher. He succeeded James Blood Ulmer in Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time band, and in 1985 formed his own band. In 1993, the band released the album Alarms and Excursions. Nix released solo recordings such as Low Barometer (an acoustic recording), Less is More, and Negative Capability. Nix also performed with Jayne Cortez, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Elliot Sharp, Jemeel Moondoc, James Chance, Kip Hanrahan, and Roland Shannon Jackson. In recent years, Nix performed regularly at the Vision Festival, and at smaller local venues. He worked with his quartet The Bern Nix Quartet (featuring Matt Lavelle, François Grillot and Reggie Sylvester), Cheryl Pyle’s Beyond Group, and with ensembles led by Ras Moshe Burnett.

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CD Recommendation: BONOMO’s Debut CD

BONOMO CD coverArtist: BONOMO
Title: Phases
Label: self produced
Genre: Alternative-Folk, Gospel, R&B

Today award-winning Broolyn alternative folk duo BONOMO release their debut CD. Congrats!

BONOMO is a New York (Brooklyn) based family of musicians on a mission to unify musical traditions. Formed in 2015 by singer-song writer, keyboardist and composer, Adam Bonomo. On the CD he’s joined by Andrew Renfroe on guitar.

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Womens March Jan 2017 Rockerfeller Center

Womens’ March NY: HISTORY, HER-STORY AND OUR-STORY

Text by MFM Member BAASSIK (Pamela Jennett)

I have been to many marches and parades before; but I did not expect the overwhelming feeling that I experienced at the NYC Women’s March on Saturday, January 21, 2017.  The sounds. The colors. The music!  It was a little scary on one level and exhilarating on another. When I exited the subway, I was lost in a sea of people with costumes, signage and many people! (The slogans were rather creative! It is amazing how creative humans can be when oppressed!)

As a bass guitarist, the songs, beats and chants caught my ear…please do not make me try to recall any of them! There were so many! However, I joined in, lending my voice to the masses. All of the chants said the same thing; we ALL want equality, justice and peace in all forms. We want control of our bodies. We do not want war!

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