NEWS
Over a soul-folk groove, new Buggy Jive single asks: ‘What Do Y’all Know About Shakespeare?’
Singer-songwriter BUGGY JIVE is set to release his latest single “What Do Y’all Know About Shakespeare?” Friday, September 12, 2025.vThis is the second single released in anticipation of the new album Icarus Ascending, which is set to arrive later this year.
ALBANY, NY - Singer-songwriter BUGGY JIVE is set to release his latest single “What Do Y’all Know About Shakespeare?” Friday, September 12, 2025.
This is the second single released in anticipation of the new album Icarus Ascending, which is set to arrive later this year.
Over crunchy acoustic guitars and a no-nonsense cajon groove tailor-made for fans of acoustic-driven funk and soul, "What Do Y'all Know About Shakespeare" is a line-by-line series of the songwriter’s inside jokes with himself recounting a visit to New York City earlier this year that he describes as "a fun, informal art sabbatical."
The recovering English major is hard-pressed to elaborate beyond that, but the lyrics provide some clues: hints at recent runs of "Othello" and "Purpose" on Broadway; a reference to an old high school friend's art installation in Soho; and even a Cécile McLorin Salvant performance at Carnegie Hall.
Together with the contemplative timpani and piano zen of the b-side “This Can Not Be That,” Buggy Jive once again offers up the stuff of modern soul singer-songwriters like Brittany Howard, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Frank Ocean, while also appealing to literary music lovers and fellow recovering English majors who might dig Joni Mitchell or Elvis Costello.
The new songs arrive in the aftermath of the somewhat reclusive artist's emergence from his basement studio for several high profile solo-acoustic shows – including opening slots for Macy Gray and Ben Folds; official and curated main stage showcases at the midwest (FARM) and northeast (NERFA) regional conferences of Folk Alliance International; a tribute show for Joni Mitchell produced by Michael Paz at the legendary Riot House in West Hollywood on the eve of Mitchell’s Hollywood Bowl shows; a special tribute show for Tracy Chapman curated by Joy Clark at Space in Evanston, IL, as part of the Evanston Folk Festival; and contributing vocals to hip-hop wunderkind J.B.! a.k.a. Dirty Moses' "Great Day" single, and to two songs on traditional songwriting stylists Lecco Morris & Justin Rivers' upcoming album Spirits.
And a recent update: in August, Folk Alliance International announced that Buggy Jive is among those selected for an Official Showcase at their annual industry gathering taking place in January in New Orleans, LA, on a main stage sponsored by the Black American Music Movement.
A video of a live, solo-acoustic performance of "What Do Y'all Know About Shakespeare?" is also in the works. The full album Icarus Ascending is expected to drop in November.
Stay tuned.
ABOUT BUGGY JIVE
BUGGY JIVE is a soul rock singer-songwriter quietly uploading music from a basement somewhere in Upstate New York. Equal parts Zeppelin and D’Angelo and Prince and Joni in sound and sensibility, his lyrics often mine the literature of the past to make sense of the present – from Ellison to Morrison to Eliot to Didion – delicately balancing the heaviness with humor.
Set for a Fall 2025 release, his forthcoming album Icarus Ascending promises 13 new acoustic soul rock songs contemplating songwriting and storytelling, love and literature, and the festering fears of a divided nation.
Recent accomplishments include: opening slots for Macy Gray’s “Reset” tour and Ben Folds' New Year's Eve show; a feature as a “Top Shelf” entry for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest; Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year wins for Upstate New York’s “Eddie” Awards; and official and curated main stage showcases at Folk Alliance International northeast and midwest regional conferences (NERFA and FARM); and a recently announced official showcase at the mothership FAI 2026 conference in New Orleans in January.
The artist is a graduate of Niskayuna High School in Schenectady, New York and Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. He may or may not have quit his most recent day job in digital communications at an educational non-profit headquartered in New York's Capital Region. He lives in Delmar, NY, with his wife and two daughters.
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Acoustic soul rocker Buggy Jive selected for Official Showcase lineup at 2026 Folk Alliance International conference in New Orleans
ALBANY, NY - Aug, 19, 2026 – Folk Alliance International has selected acoustic soul rocker Buggy Jive for an Official Showcase at their 2026 conference, taking place January 21-25, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to a press statement released today by FAI staff and showcase jurors.
Official FAI showcases feature select few artists for sets on professionally produced stages at the conference hotel. They offer incredible opportunities for emerging artists to share their music with a global community of industry professionals and fellow musicians. This years lineup of official showcase artists includes Buggy Jive’s fellow Paz Group singer-songwriter Joy Clark as well as Lost Bayou Ramblers, Bruce Sudano, Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience, Chuck Prophet, Pieta Brown, Ramy Essam, Beth Nielsen Chapman, The Steel Wheels, Rainbow Girls, and many more.
Buggy Jive at the Bitter End in New York City for John Platt's "On Your Radar" series, March 2025.
ALBANY, NY - Aug, 19, 2026 – Folk Alliance International has selected acoustic soul rocker Buggy Jive for an Official Showcase at their 2026 conference, taking place January 21-25, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to a press statement released today by FAI staff and showcase jurors.
Official FAI showcases feature select few artists for sets on professionally produced stages at the conference hotel. They offer incredible opportunities for emerging artists to share their music with a global community of industry professionals and fellow musicians. This year’s lineup of Official Showcase artists includes Buggy Jive’s fellow Paz Group singer-songwriter Joy Clark as well as Lost Bayou Ramblers, Bruce Sudano, Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience, Chuck Prophet, Pieta Brown, Ramy Essam, Beth Nielsen Chapman, The Steel Wheels, Rainbow Girls, and many more.
The showcase is a big step for the somewhat reclusive artist as he continues to emerge from his longtime safe space – his basement home studio – for high profile solo-acoustic shows and collaborations, including:
recent opening slots for Macy Gray and Ben Folds;
official and curated main stage showcases at the midwest (FARM) and northeast (NERFA) regional conferences of Folk Alliance International;
a tribute to Joni Mitchell produced by Michael Paz at the legendary Riot House in West Hollywood on the eve of Mitchell’s Hollywood Bowl shows;
a special tribute to Tracy Chapman curated by Righteous Babe Records singer-songwriter Joy Clark at Space in Evanston, IL, as part of the Evanston Folk Festival; and
contributing vocals to hip-hop wunderkind J.B.! a.k.a. Dirty Moses' "Great Day" single, and to two songs on traditional songwriting stylists Lecco Morris & Justin Rivers' upcoming album Spirits.
Last week, Buggy Jive released his new single "This Will Never Be On the Radio," a tongue-in-cheek funky folk-rock meditation on resisting the business and marketing side of making music (cough, cough, cough) as a preview of sorts to the vibe and sonics of the forthcoming album Icarus Ascending. Tentatively set for a Fall 2025 release, Icarus Ascending promises 13 new acoustic soul rock songs contemplating songwriting and storytelling, love and literature, and the festering fears of a divided nation.
Stay tuned.
ABOUT BUGGY JIVE
BUGGY JIVE is a soul rock singer-songwriter quietly uploading music from a basement somewhere in Upstate New York. Equal parts Zeppelin and D’Angelo and Prince and Joni in sound and sensibility, his lyrics often mine the literature of the past to make sense of the present – from Ellison to Morrison to Eliot to Didion – delicately balancing the heaviness with humor.
The artist is a graduate of Niskayuna High School in Schenectady, New York and Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. The artist behind the NPR Tiny Desk Contest favorite “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” may or may not have quit his most recent day job in digital communications at an educational non-profit headquartered in New York's Capital Region. He lives in Delmar, NY, with his wife and two daughters.
POV: When you submit a song about the Tiny Desk Contest to the Tiny Desk Contest. And you clone yourself.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The Annual Folk Alliance International Conference is the largest gathering of folk musicians and music industry professionals in the world. This is an experience like no other. Music is around every corner. Legends, rising stars, and industry innovators share career-boosting insights.
An international crowd of artists, venues, labels, DJs, agents, and organizations come together for five days of professional development, networking, and music.
The keynote address features an influential figure in the folk music industry who inspires us and shapes the narrative of the conference – in ways unexpected and magical. The Keynote Speaker for FAI 2026 has yet to be revealed.
The summits are multi-day experiences that bring together thought leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and artists to foster meaningful dialogue and collaboration across legal issues, Black American music, and international Indigenous music.
Official Showcases highlight the best folk music in the world across a vast variety of genres. Over 160 jury-selected artists perform on the largest stages of our conference to an audience of venue bookers, agents, record labels, DJs, media companies, and more.
The crowd-favorite of every FAI Conference, Private Showcases give everyone an opportunity to perform. Late at night, hotel guest rooms transform into small stages with hundreds of performances hosted by different organizations.
The first night of the conference is the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs) – the premier recognition of folk music industry leaders, legends, unsung heroes, and rising talent.
Founded in 1989, and governed by a 21-member board of directors, Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the world’s largest membership organization for the folk music industry and community. Its mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion.
Acoustic soul rocker Buggy Jive set to release new single ‘This Will Never Be On the Radio’ Aug. 15
Buggy Jive’s new tongue-in-cheek folk funk rocker with a Bonham beat arrives as a preview of sorts to the vibe and sonics of the forthcoming album Icarus Ascending, which is tentatively set for a Fall 2025 release.
Song and lyric video serve as teasers for forthcoming album 'Icarus Ascending'
Still image from the lyric video for Buggy Jive’s new single “This Will Never Be On the Radio.” Yes, he actually left the house for this one.
UPDATE: The single has officially dropped.
Check it out now on your favorite digital music service.
Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Tidal | Pandora
ALBANY, NY – Wednesday, Aug. 6 – Acoustic soul rock singer-songwriter Buggy Jive will release his latest single Friday, August 15, 2025.
"This Will Never Be On the Radio" is a tongue-in-cheek funky folk rocker with a Bonham beat, as if Bill Withers got into an intense argument with Led Zeppelin. It drops this month as a preview of sorts to the vibe and sonics of the forthcoming album Icarus Ascending, which is tentatively set for a Fall 2025 release.
The lyric video for the song follows Buggy walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and reciting his inside-jokey lyrics to oblivious passersby. It was spontaneously shot in a single take on a 360-degree camera, with a gritty 1970s B-movie aesthetic added in post-production. The video includes cameo appearances by a certain Snake Man, a Freestyling "Rules" Man and yes, even Spider Man. Only in New York.
"Lyrically, 'Radio' came to me as a stream of consciousness meditation on resisting the business and marketing side of making music," says the artist with a straight face as if he's not the one writing this damn press release.
Like many of the songs on the forthcoming album, the B-side to “Radio” – the acoustic pop rocker “When the Thang Ain’t Enough” – investigates similar themes of art versus commerce versus the existentialism of the current moment.
“I don’t know if it’s art, but she likes it,” he sings. “And she’s calling my bluff.”
LISTEN NOW: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Tidal | Pandora
The new songs arrive in the aftermath of the somewhat reclusive artist's emergence from his basement studio for several high profile solo-acoustic shows – including opening slots for Macy Gray and Ben Folds; official and curated main stage showcases at the midwest (FARM) and northeast (NERFA) regional conferences of Folk Alliance International; a tribute show for Joni Mitchell curated by Michael Paz at the legendary Riot House in West Hollywood on the eve of Mitchell’s 2024 Hollywood Bowl shows; and a special tribute show for Tracy Chapman curated by Joy Clark at Space in Evanston, IL, as part of the Evanston Folk Festival.
In addition to the lyric video, a video of a live, solo-acoustic performance of "This Will Never Be On the Radio" is also in the works. A second single, "What Do Y'all Know About Shakespeare?" is tentatively set to drop on September 15. Beware the Ides.
Next up? Buggy Jive will be at Mojo’s Cafe in Troy, NY Saturday, Aug. 9, to co-host an evening of solo soul rock with his west coast doppelganger, multilingual singer-songwriter and cultural storyteller Amelia Ray, in support of her “Soulveillance” Tour. Details here.
ABOUT BUGGY JIVE
BUGGY JIVE is a soul rock singer-songwriter quietly uploading music from a basement somewhere in Upstate New York. Equal parts Zeppelin and D’Angelo and Prince and Joni in sound and sensibility, his lyrics often mine the literature of the past to make sense of the present – from Ellison to Morrison to Eliot to Didion – delicately balancing the heaviness with humor.
Set for a Fall 2025 release, his forthcoming album Icarus Ascending promises 13 new acoustic soul rock songs contemplating songwriting and storytelling, love and literature, and the festering fears of a divided nation.
Recent accomplishments include opening slots for Macy Gray’s “Reset” tour and Ben Folds' New Year's Eve show; a feature as a “Top Shelf” entry for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest; Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year wins for Upstate New York’s “Eddie” Awards; and official and curated main stage showcases at Folk Alliance International’s northeast and midwest regional conferences (NERFA and FARM).
The artist is a graduate of Niskayuna High School in Schenectady, NY and Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. The songwriter behind the Tiny Desk Contest fave "Don't Quit Your Day Job" may have recently quit his long time day job in digital communications at an educational non-profit headquartered in New York's Capital Region. He lives in Delmar, NY, with his wife and two daughters.
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