25 NYC Cover Music Artists to Catch Live in 2021

As New York City's live music lovers look back on a bygone year and look ahead optimistically to a brighter new year, let us celebrate all the positive rather than dwell on the negative that happened in local music in 2020. My recent list, The Top 40 NYC Original Music Acts to Catch Live in 2021, applauded many of the local musicians who performed original music to live audiences throughout the pandemic months. Many additional musicians deserve accolades for performing frequently and courageously before live audiences during the past nine months. For the first time ever, I will list here 25 wonderful musicians who regularly played mainly cover songs to their audiences during the pandemic months.

Inclement weather and the temporary pause in indoor dining in December has all but shuttered most live music avenues, but a few, including the Anyway Café, Marshall Stack and Rue-B, continue to stage local musicians indoors to seated outdoor audiences. Once New York City restaurants return to at least 25% capacity, we expect these and many more musicians will play again for live audiences.

The original article, The Top 40 NYC Original Music Artists to Catch Live in 2021, is posted at http://themanhattanbeat.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-top-40-nyc-music-acts-to-catch-live.html?m=0.

Anya Aliferis

Anya Aliferis (folk, pop) sings and plays acoustic guitar to soft pop songs at the White Oak Tavern and the Red Lion. Ask her to play original songs and she will impress you.

Frida Anuar

Frida Anuarbek (world music, pop) sings Russian love songs and reworks English-language pop songs at the Anyway Café.

Nora Balaban (center) and Friends

Nora Balaban & Friends (world music) sing and play spiritual music from Zimbabwe using handheld acoustic instruments at Tompkins Square Park, the Front and Pinky's Space.

The Cafe Wha? House Band

The Café Wha? House Band (rock, top 40) is a high-energy band that has played for years at Café Wha?

Carl Banks

Carl Banks (country, folk) performs soft pop songs with a clever sardonic twist at the Red Lion.

Chris Campion

Chris Campion (new wave, alternative) covers a range from the Psychedelic Furs to Smashing Pumpkins at the Corner Bistro and the Red Lion

Yael Dray (right) with Gabriel Hermida

Yael Dray (world music) performs with her husband, guitarist Gabriel Hermida, and also as the leader of the Cosmo Trio, and covers standards, tango, and gypsy jazz in many languages at the Anyway Cafe, Nomad, and Fine and Rare.

Gina Healy

Gina Healy (blues, pop) sings songs from the 1920s to the 1970s at Pinky's Space, Nomad and Caravan of Dreams.

Diana Gitesha Hernandez (far right)

Diana Gitesha Hernandez (jazz) covers the Great American Songbook at the Anyway Café. Nomad and Tompkins Square Park.

Teddy Horangic (left) with Mark Capon

Teddy Horangic (jazz) covers the Great American Songbook at the Anyway Café and Nomad.

The Meetles

The Meetles (pop) specialize in the Beatles but also cover similar radio hits from the 1960s and 1970s at Tompkins Square Park.

Miss Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes

Miss Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes (ragtime) performs songs dating from 1900 to 1919 at Rue-B and City Winery.

Seth Okrend

Seth Okrend (blues rock) energizes old rock and roll songs solo, with an accompanist, or with a band at the Anyway Café, and City Winery.

PANDEMIC!!

PANDEMIC!! (Latin music) plays salsa and Cuban son at Tompkins Square Park and Cooper Square Plaza.

The Eric Paulin Quartet

The Eric Paulin Quartet (jazz) plays familiar jazz standards at Tompkins Square Park, Caravan of Dreams and the Anyway Café.

Proud Yuma

Proud Yuma  (Latin music) plays salsa and Cuban son at Tompkins Square Park, Washington Square Park, Groove and Café Wha?

Amos Rose

Amos Rose (folk, pop) performs soft pop songs at Marshall Stack and the Red Lion.

Silbin Sandovar

Silbin Sandovar (folk, pop) sings soft pop songs at the Red Lion.

Sarava

Saravá (forro, pop) plays Brazilian forro music mixed with American pop, funk and reggae using accordion, electric guitar, electric bass and a snare drum at Joey Bats' Café.

Karl Schwarz

Karl Schwarz (acoustic blues) sings in a deep, gravelly voice and plays old-time blues songs on a vintage resonator guitar at Chelsea Market and Marshall Stack.

Scott Stenten

Scott Stenten (jazz) plays classic jazz tunes on a custom double-neck guitar, his right hand playing leads on the upper neck while his left hand plays fast-moving jazz chords on the lower neck at Tompkins Square Park.

The Typsy Gypsy Girls

The Typsy Gypsy Girls (world music) is as many as five women dressed as gypsies singing gypsy songs in various Eastern European languages. They use a keyboard and acoustic instruments and sometimes include a gypsy dancer at the Anyway Café and Nomad.

The Underground Harmony

The Underground Harmony (classic rock) lean heavily on Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd and other bands from the 1960s and 1970s at Caravan of Dreams and Pinky's Space.

The Eyal Vilner Big Band

Eyal Vilner Big Band (swing) is a 15-piece jazz ensemble that inspires octogenarians and hipsters alike to dance as couples at Washington Square Park.

WhiteClaw

Whiteclaw (alternative rock) plays grunge and classic rock, much of it from the 1990s, in Tompkins Square Park.