Author: Grace Kentrotas

North Mississippi Allstars, Missing Cats and Eastbound Jesus, Upstate Concert Hall, September 29th

With the arrival of southern rockers North Mississippi Allstars and Missing Cats heading up Upstate New York, I leaped at the chance to check out two bands that I was first enthralled by at the first Bonnaroo. While not exactly the same band lineup, with North Mississippi missing the recovering Chris Chew, and Missing Cats featuring Widespread Panic keyboardist JoJo Hermann, this was a pure treat, to see the musicians playing together for two sets, one Missing Cats and one North Mississippi. In a room like Upstate Concert Hall (formerly Northern Lights), the potential for an intimate and classic show was high.

Thirty minutes of Eastbound Jesus got the crowd warmed up for the evening, and added some local flair to an otherwise southern lineup. Missing Cats took the stage with Sherman Ewing on acoustic guitar and JoJo on keyboard. Singing original songs with a rockabilly/Dixieland ring, the duo opened up with “Lazy Bones” and a few songs later were joined by Luther (guitar) and Cody Dickinson (drums) for the rest of the set. JoJo told stories in between some songs, including “Over Lovett”, which was written while flying over Buddy Holly’s hometown.”Follow me Down” had a Warren Zevon aspect to it, between both the lyrics and JoJo’s melody on the keys (see video below). This song stuck in my head for a day or two after, particularly because JoJo and I had discussed Zevon in our interview earlier that week, and lo and behold, the influence of the hairy-handed gent was present on stage. Some New Orleans infused tunes followed, along with “Halfway to the Top”, which JoJo mentioned was inspired by driving on a mountain highway through the Catskills during the change in foliage; the tune had a Jackson Browne/Early 80s feel, and was a perfect end to a great first set.

Six song playlist – Missing Cats: “My Hideaway”, “Burn This Mission Down”, “Follow me Down”; North Mississippi Allstars: “Sugartown”, “Daisy Mae”, “All Night Long”

North Mississippi Allstars brought the jukejoint blues of the land south of Memphis to the stage with Lightnin’ Malcolm on bass and JoJo on keys, the sound of generations past were updated as fluid jams developed from blues compositions into jazzy outlays of pure gold.

Following the opener “Someday Baby”, after 10 years, I finally got to see “Sugartown” for the second time (first at Bonnaroo) and it was a pure treat, although the absense of Chris Chew’s thumping bass could be heard. “Never in all my Days” and “Mean old Wind Died Down” were foot stomping, head bobbing, thigh slapping numbers that roused a focused crowd. “Mississippi Boll Weevil”, “Shake ’em on Down” and “Shake What your Mama Gave You” provided a steady arc of upbeat, evenly paced songs that never let the momentum drop. “Moonshine” was more of a bridge, being somewhat more ballad-esque, and showcased Luther’s slight drawl-tinted voice. JoJo joined the band for “Bang Bang Lulu”, a machine-gun of a number, with Cody knocking each verse and refrain out of the park.

The echo-laden blues guitar sound of “Po Black Maddie” was oddly complimented by a Dukes of Hazzard video on the screen behind the band. Cody took a moment to solo with his electric washboard, a classic aspect to any NoMiss set. Luther then took out a two string guitar made with an old microphone as the (limited) body, but still played strong on “Ho Down” and “Psychedelic Sex Machine” The set ended shortly after midnight, and an encore of the Smiling Assassins tune “Daisy Mae” was sung by JoJo and received a warm reception from the Panic fans in the crowd who have heard this number played once or twice in the past. Being that is was Lightnin’ Malcolm’s birthday, he elected to play Junior Kimbrough’s “All Night Long”, which kept the audience dancing for an extended jam that drained every bit of energy from the band and fans alike.

Post show, Luther and JoJo stopped into the crowd to talk to fans, remarking about the intimacy of the show and the tour as it was slowing creeping to a close. Later that week they played in Ithaca at The Haunt and brought the same high energy, southern rock show to a gathering of ardent fans of the blues.

Download the North Mississippi Allstars show recorded by tapers John and Ed.

October 5, 2012
Medeski, Martin and Wood performing acoustic concert October 6th at The College of Saint Rose Massry Center

“Wide open.” That’s how John Medeski describes his bandmates’ musical sensibilities, the attitude he seeks in himself, and the spirit of musical adventure he, Billy Martin and Jeff Wood have pursued for two decades. On Saturday, October 6th at 7:30pm, Medeski Martin & Wood will perform a special acoustic performance at The College of Saint Rose, in the Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall, located in the Massry Center for the Arts. Tickets are $30 each and may be purchased online.

photo by Christopher Decotis

Medeski, Martin and Wood’s amalgam of jazz, funk, “avant-noise” and other musical currents and impulses is nearly impossible to classify. Medeski’s keyboard excursions, Chris Wood’s hard-charging bass lines and Billy Martin’s supple, danceable beats have come to resemble a single organism, moving gracefully between genre-defying compositions and expansive improvisation atop a relentless groove.

Though the “jazz spirit,” as they like to call it, has been ever-present in their sonic voyages, Medeski Martin & Wood have won over a substantial audience that rarely responds to instrumental music. Their club and festival appearances are packed with alternative-rock lovers as well as jam-band aficionados and jazz heads. The band’s onstage adventurousness sparked an experimental approach to recording as well – as on 1996’s solar-powered Shack-Man, recorded in a plywood shack amid the mango trees and plumerias on Hawaii’s Big Island (and featuring Martin’s artwork on its cover); the funked-out 1998 Blue Note disc Combustication, which enlisted two radically different engineers to create complementary sonic approaches; the acoustic live set Tonic (2000), recorded in New York, and its plugged-in twin, 2001’s Electric Tonic; 2004’s End of the World Party (Just in Case), produced by John King of the Dust Brothers; their two collaborations with guitarist John Scofield, A Go Go (1998) and Out Louder (2006, under the name Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood); the 2008 children’s record Let’s Go Everywhere; and the 2008-09 Radiolarian series, a trilogy of albums generated according to a strict policy of “Write > Tour > Record > Repeat,” as the band noted in an online announcement. They’ve also founded and run their own label, Indirecto.

The band members also have kept things fresh by pursuing scores of other projects. Medeski produced two albums by the Wood Brothers, Chris Wood’s rootsy partnership with his brother, Oliver, as well as work by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and performed as a solo pianist. He and Martin also have performed and recorded as the duo Mago.

Martin, for his part, has recorded several solo discs and an album of breakbeats (under his own name and as Illy B), collaborated with DJ Logic, DJ Spooky, Dave Burrell and other artists, authored a book, pursued his own visual art, and produced and directed “Fly in a Bottle,” a feature-length documentary about the making of the Radiolarian series.

The Wood Brothers have released three LPs and an EP of cover songs and toured with the likes of Zac Brown Band, Levon Helm, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers and k.d. lang.

We’ll see you at the show on October 6th at 7:30 for this intimate performance.

October 1, 2012
Jimkata with Dirty Paris, September 20th at Red Square

Jimkata embarked on their ‘Die Digital’ Fall Tour last week and made a stop in Albany at Red Square to get things rolling, and opener Dirty Paris was a perfect selection as their electronic dance music finds a great groove and sticks with it, not looking for an easy out. Take a song and they’ll make a rager of it, and damn well at that. You can get lost in their jams for the longest time before the jam changes tempo and you’re catching up to pace. Dirty Paris is traveling and writing but expect them to be back in Albany and surrounding areas as winter approaches.

Jimkata drew quite a crowd for a Thursday and treated the crowd to much of their new album Die Digital and some classics. The intro bled into “Release” followed by a great duo in “Feed”->”Chalice”. “Fiction” was an immense highlight, with Eric shredding through a jam, an extended explosion of Super Mario coins. Intense, thorough and patient jams could be found in LegoLand, Electronic Stone and Chainstore. An encore of an older number, “One to Ten” was met with great thanks after the show from the crowd, while “Die Digital” makes the album version seem basic by comparison; this song mutates into a huge set closer live. While Die Digital is a great album, live > studio, and that’s a good thing.

Of note, the band has some impressive lighting, especially for an up and coming band. In the back of Red Square, the back wall was lit with rows of small twinkling LED lights that moved in waves as a perfect accent to the music, while the low front stage lights gave the band their own 5th member, in sync throughout the show.

Setlist: Intro, Release, Feed->Chalice, Punches->Fiction, Niteshade->When The Day Comes, Legoland, Place of Dreams, Electronic Stone, American Cars, Chainstore

Encore: One to Ten, Die Digital

September 26, 2012
An Interview with John ‘JoJo’ Hermann of Widespread Panic and Missing Cats

With Widespread Panic taking a light break from touring this year, members of the band have taken to the road with their side-projects. Missing Cats, featuring piano/keyboardist JoJo Hermann, comes to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on Saturday, September 29th. JoJo sat down to talk with NYS Music about Missing Cats and other musical topics.

Pete Mason: Missing Cats has you working with Luther and Cody Dickinson from North Mississippi Allstars, as well as Sherman Ewing from your college days at Columbia. Was this project a long time in the making?

John ‘JoJo’ Hermann: Well we recorded an album and Cody and Luther played on that, and I talked to them (North Mississippi Allstars) about hooking up on the road for about 15 dates and it’s just been a blast. They’re joining us on our set and I’ve been sitting in with them. It’s been really fun.

Pete: How has your collective Mississippi roots affected the sound of the band and what can be said for Sherman’s guitar and vocals in the group?

JoJo: Sherman and I ran around the New York City clubs for a while, then I went to Mississippi and really got into some of the music around North Mississippi, Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside were playing in Oxford and there was a jukejoint in HollySprings we would visit that occasionally. When I first heard those guys, it blew my mind.

Pete: You have a heavy New Orleans influence in your music from living in Mississippi. How did you first become aware of New Orleans music and in what ways has it influenced your musical direction with Beanland and Widespread Panic?

JoJo: Well a friend introduced me to Professor Longhair, I’d been listening to Dr. John and Allen Toussaint’s stuff. I just kinda got hooked and started learning that style and when I played it, is just made me happy, this music just makes me really happy. I got into New Orleans music that way through Professor Longhair records and went down there, started hanging out and playing with New Orleans musicians a lot. We jammed last week with in Athens with Tony Hall and Ivan and Ian Neville and the guys from Dumptaphunk and just had a big superjam there. New Orleans is where all the music I play… I’m a musician because of New Orleans.

Pete: This past August marked 10 years since Mikey Houser died. Beyond being the namesake of the band, looking back, what do you feel his legacy is with Widespread Panic?

JoJo: We miss him dearly, I sat behind him for many, many years. His style, his playing, it had a way of taking me to another place, it was almost like he played his own style and he took you to this very special place. He’s always been a part of me and always will be.

Pete: Tell me about the Missing Cats tune ‘Halfway to the top’, it stood out when I listened to the Ogden Theater show.

JoJo: Sherman and I have been writing songs for a while and I think that was a combination of three songs that we crammed together, because that bridge drops out so that’s like a separate song. On the record, Luther (Dickinson) and a guitar player from Nashville Guthrie Trapp play on it and the guitars are pretty wailin’ on that track.

Pete: Have you been playing any Smiling Assassins songs this tour?

JoJo: Yeah we played a few, we busted out five or six of them over the course of the past few nights, it’s fun to revisit that stuff. Smiling Assassins stuff is fun to play.

Pete: Widespread Panic introduced me to Warren Zevon and his music has had a huge impact on my life. Along with “Lawyers, Guns and Money”, Panic covered Warren Zevon’s “Exciteable Boy” and more recently, “Carmelita”. What makes Zevon such an appealing artist to cover?

JoJo: His lyrics, how clever they are. He’s a lot of fun as a piano player, he comes up with just these great piano parts. “Excitable Boy” is my favorite Warren Zevon song, I always loved that song.

Pete: One of the greatest moments I have had at a music festival was seeing Steve Winwood sit in with Panic at Bonnaroo 2002. Was that planned in advance, or something that came up as the festival came together? It was quite a moment to hear “Glad” and “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” with two keyboardist at the helm.

JoJo: He stopped by rehearsal the day before and we played those songs and the idea came up. I’ll never forget we were in the trailer backstage rehearsing with Dottie Peoples (who performed with Panic that same night) and Steve came in and started playing. It was quite an experience in that rehearsal. It was wonderful to have him up there, he has such a powerful voice and it’s just amazing. (Glad begins at 28:08, Low Spark at 37:40)

Pete: Before moving to Mississippi, you grew up in New York. Where were you for Game 6?

JoJo: I was watching it on TV at a friend’s house and I couldn’t believe it; I’ll never forget that game. What a strange, strange game. I always think about Mookie Wilson, I love Mookie.

Pete: When Panic returns to the road next year, will we see more shows in the northeast? Even though the fanbase is more fervent in the south and west, there are still fans up here dying for some Panic shows.

JoJo: Well I know we’re playing New Year’s Eve in Charlotte, NC and a ‘Tunes for Tots’ benefit, as well as a trip to the Caribbean for Panic in La Playa, we did that last year and really enjoyed it. I think we’re going to meet next month in October, talk about next year, have a cup of coffee, watch some baseball, watch the World Series together.

Pete: In your years of living and touring throughout New York, do you have a favorite place that you have visited in Upstate New York? A favorite place you have played in Upstate?

JoJo: Well, Saratoga, I especially enjoyed the racetrack. I think the first H.O.R.D.E. show we did (1992 or 1993) Col. Bruce Hampton hit like a 43-1 shot or something, that was a lot of fun. I remember there’s a great theater at Cornell in Ithaca which we used to love.

September 24, 2012
Jimkata releases stellar third album, “Die Digital”

Jimkata made their presence known with their debut album Burn my Money and the 2010 follow up Ghosts and Killers, both products of progressive rock and the music of the 80s and 90s on this quartet of millennials from the heart of New York State. With graduated song writing and more complicated compositions, their new album Die Digital flows seamlessly from beginning to end, well produced and fantastically frenetic.

“Sweet Glory” begins the album with deep bassy and a sound akin to Disney’s Electrical Parade via chimes played on the sythnethizer, as the band chants Druid-like vocals that set the tone and give you a slight sway from side the side. “Nightshade” accelerates from “Sweet Glory”’s intro, and has an indie/late 80s pop vibe, a remarkably upbeat and dancey track that has high potential when performed live. “Chainstore” pairs neatly with “Nightshade”, however the vocals are ‘less is more’ on this track, letting the music move the song and the lyrics punctuate the rhythm in only the most apt of spots; the synth/drum combo carries you through this menagerie of a song.

“Electronic Stone” is Smashing Pumpkins-esque while “Low Low” takes the album on a mellower turn; think The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Snakedriver” with an indie twist. The songs turn into a melodic, full band assemblage in the song’s second half, driving the song to unexpected heights. This track is a huge pleasure to listen to.

The title track “Die Digital”, another highlight off a purely enjoyable album has deep bass furrows in between the stanzas, where you can hear the keys speak in retort to lines such as “Cause all the best things seem to surface after the worst times. All the worst things seem to come around after the best times”, a musical conversation between musician and instrument. “LegoLand” has a unique Nintendo-style character banter to open the track and then moves into a groovy bass led jam, with chanted lyrics returning for the perfect outro.

“Girl with the Diamond Tongue”, the darkest track, carries Freidell’s guitar and makes a larger presence on this track, as layers kick in with samples and hints of trance- style electronica. “American Cars”, a bass-heavy sendoff to the album is an anthem ala “Ghosts and Killers”, with great vocals along with drum/bass dynamic and a driving rhythm as all four combine in perfect synchronization, much like a 90s alternative act hitting the mark; instead of a tune for the disaffected generation, this is a choice album of the next generation.

Key Tracks: Nightshade, Low Low, Die Digital, American Cars

Pick up Die Digital here

Listen to American Cars

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/58746025″ iframe=”true” /]

September 20, 2012
Oaktoberfest featuring Conehead Buddha, The Deadbeats and Jerkwater Ruckus coming to Speculator on September 15th

Next weekend is a celebration of great music and great beer in the mountains of the Adirondacks, featuring two sets each of The Deadbeats, Jerkwater Ruckus & Conehead Buddha! Three of Albany’s storied bands will take the stage at Oaktoberfest during the day and evening at Oak Mountain in Speculator, NY with beer specials from Saranac, Labatt Blue Light, Becks & Blue Moon.

On Saturday, September 15th, the gates open at 11am with music starting at 12 noon. In between each set, kids will have an opportunity to play and dance to their own music in the kids tent, provided by Matt Yaeger and Music Together. The base lodge and bar will be open for all sorts of food and drinks. A beer truck will be on premises ready to serve $2.50 12oz beers.

Cost of tickets is $30 in advance or $35 the day of the show, with RV Passes costing $25. You can pick up your pre-sale tickets at oakmountainski.com/oak. Camping is provided with ticket price and is a short walk from the parking lot. The chairlift will be open for rides!

Merchandise vendors are welcome to Oak Mountain, all for the price of admission (no promoter cut). Oaktoberfest is rain or shine and please, no glass or glass bottles on site.

See you on the mountain!

September 6, 2012
An interview with Alan Evans of The Royal Family

Alan Evans has been the drummer for funky alt-jazz trio Soulive since 1999 and laying the foundation for The Royal Family record label. With his new group, Alan Evans Trio, touring this fall in support of Drop Hop, their debut album. Alan spoke with ‘s Pete Mason regarding his new project, The Royal Family and growing up in Buffalo. The group is currently on tour, performing at Catskill Chill Music Festival on September 8th, Nietzche’s in Buffalo on September 27th and The Haunt in Ithaca on September 28th.

Pete Mason: The Royal Family – you, Krasno, Neal, Nigel, Deitch, Zoidis and others – combine for a number of acts, some that intertwine the musicians into side projects and some that stand alone. How is it that an eclectic group of musicians can come together under one label and produce albums and acts that have broad appeal and a solid following?

Alan Evans: Most importantly we’re all friends and we all enjoy playing music with each other and we enjoy each other’s music and that’s really what it’s all about. It’s a family, we’ve known each other, most of us, Dietch and Zoidis and Kras, we’ve known each other for 20 years now, so we’ve been at it a long time. It’s all about having fun and making good music.

PM: How does the Alan Evans Trio differ from other Royal Family acts?

AE: It differs in that Beau and Danny playing with me and they’re just different people, their take on music and their influences, it’s different from everybody else. A lot of us grew up listening to the same things but then we perceive those things as individuals, and that helps create your sound and your take on music, so that’s pretty much the difference, just the individuals and the individual take on music.

PM: Working with new musicians, how does their presence in a free form improvisation setting change the musical environment you become accustomed to, even if only briefly?

AE: It’s funny, it depends. Sometimes there are very subtle differences and sometimes they can make be huge (differences). For instance, we just did this album with Karl Denson, and we have played with Karl on many occasions, but just throwing him in the mix, the way he plays, we’re all ears, we’re always listening or reacting to what he does, so we have Ryan Zoidis up there playing with us and literally the next night, have Karl play the same exact tune, definitely completely different. Again, it’s all about people’s vocabulary and improvisational music is using that vocabulary to have a conversation, but at other times it can be very subtle. The thing with Neal, Eric and I, and all of us really, we’re always listening to each other so it’s not a one sided conversation.

PM: The debut album from Alan Evans Trio is Drop Hop. Consider the uninitiated jazz fan who is unfamiliar with your work – how do you pitch the album to them as a must listen?

AE: I can’t understate enough that I love to have fun and playing with cats who like to have fun too. The album itself, there’s no political statements; it’s a fun album that I just pulled my influences in on for the album, like Booker T and the M.G.s and The Meters. The album has a definite vibe and it takes you somewhere and if you want to go on a quick little journey, that’s the album to check out.

PM: The new trio includes you on drums, Danny Mayer on guitar and Beau Sasses on organ. How did you first connect with each of them and how did the Trio come together as a result?

AE: Beau and I have known each other for a long time. He’s always been a part of Royal Family circle, even before we had an idea of what the Royal Family was. Beau is a Boston cat and I’ve known Beau a long time and he does regular gigs out near my house in and basically, it’s an every Wednesday gig and whoever’s around will show up, it’s a rotating cast of characters on this show. So Beau asked me while I had some time off the road from Soulive and we’re hanging out and playing and that’s when I was like “OK, I want to create a band with this guy here,” and that was the initial scene.

Danny, who initially came to me as a Soulive fan and musician, he wanted me to engineer and produce his band, the On the Spot Trio for their album, and then it became two albums. The last album I did for them we did out in Santa Cruz, California, and while I making the album, I was out there for like three weeks, Danny and a friend of his asked me to do a regular Tuesday night gig there, and that was the first time I got to play with Danny. That’s when I knew, “I gotta put Danny and Beau together.” So I started us with a few tunes, and I thought “I’ll record an EP and see what happens,” so I set the recording date, the mastering date, I had Danny’s ticket to fly out east, and when I got home from Jamcruise, they were going to record maybe two weeks after Jamcruise and I ended up writing the entire album. We got in the studio and the first day when Danny and Beau met each other and it just clicked and that’s the history.

PM: Buffalo is you and your brother Neal’s hometown. In what way did growing up in Buffalo influence your musical upbringing and how did you develop as a musician while in high school in Buffalo?

AE: Buffalo is an interesting place because back in the day it was a huge stop on the soul/jazz circuit, punk rock, everybody was coming through Buffalo. So growing up, all those influences were around us in the city and in the music we were growing up listening to. When I was about 11 years old that was when I started gigging out in clubs and such, and the cool thing about that was that I was really young and I’m hanging out with all these older musicians, very experienced, been on the road and played with everybody and everyone was very supportive, which was amazing. There weren’t a lot of haters in Buffalo, everyone was always willing to give you a chance, and then it was up to you, once you were on stage if you were going to stay up on stage. If you weren’t a hit, they would let you know kindly. It was a very supportive musical community.

PM: You are playing Catskill Chill September 8th, a hometown stop at Nietzche’s September 27th and The Haunt in Ithaca September 28th, covering much of Upstate New York. Is there an aspect to Upstate New York that you enjoy returning to when touring makes it possible, and what can you recommend to those who head out of New York City and venture into Upstate?

AE: I have a special place in my heart for Upstate New York. I’ve been touring this area for as long as I can remember. It’s hard for me to remember having a bad show upstate. I don’t know what it is about it, people love to get down and have a good time. Some of my favorites, Syracuse, Rochester with the Jazz Festival is amazing; I would always anyone go check that out, it’s an amazing festival. Playing in Buffalo for me obviously involves seeing friends and family, that’s just amazing, plus when you’re in Buffalo you gotta get some chicken wings. Ithaca is always dope and a crazy music scene. It’s a small town and I can think of so many great bands that have come out of there. The old Haunt has been gone for a long time but the tradition is still being carried on. There’s something in the water there; its a lot of fun to play, people really appreciate music in Upstate New York.

PM: Having collaborated with a variety of musicians over the years, both live and in the studio, what artists out there are you looking forward to working with in the future, either ones that you know or ones that you hope to know?

AE: Man, that is a tough one. What I’ve discovered over the years is that the collaborations that have worked best and I have enjoyed the most are the ones I wasn’t looking for, and then there have been collaborations that we worked on very hard at getting so and so into the studio and it just doesn’t work. The reason is, what I have found is that when people come and see us or hear about us and they’re really digging on it, there’s something about a more personal connection, rather than its just kind of business. With that said, one person I would love to work with, and we kinda have at one of our Bowlives is Van Hunt. Van has become a friend which is really cool, so I can hit him up whenever and we can just kick it. I’d love to get in the studio or just play live with him again. He’s just an incredible musician, incredible composer, incredible lyricist, incredible writer, all around the dude is just dangerous. On top of that he’s just an amazing human being, a really cool cat. That’s one that I’m really waiting on.

Check out more from Alan Evans Trio at alanevanstrio.com and Royal Family Records

Alan Evans Trio plays Catskill Chill in Hancock, NY on Sept 8th, Nietzsche’s in Buffalo on September 27th and The Haunt in Ithaca on September 28th.

September 4, 2012
A Review of Backwoods Pondfest 2012

Festivals are becoming so common place, it’s hard to find that festival that doesnt feel too big or hasn’t gone the corporate route. Back in 2008, I drove north on a whim to Peru, NY, a town I was unaware of until Backwoods Pondfest 2012 was announced. Back then, The Breakfast and Plattsburgh’s Lucid headlined and I figured this would be a nice way to see what a festival looks like in its nascent years. I returned in 2010 and saw that the festival had grown, just enough to show that it was going to continue to grow at a steady pace. When I drove the two hours north to Backwoods, I wasn’t surprised to see a bigger festival, more fans, more vendors, two stages and a scene that brought me back to some of my first festivals. Backwoods Pondfest 2012 is the festival that reminds you what the festival experience is all about – seeing music both familiar and new, hanging with friends and strangers alike, and experiencing nature and camping in an ideal setting.

I missed Friday because I was at John Prine and Lucinda Williams, but I talked to fans who gave high marks to Break Science, Floodwood, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds and Twiddle for their performances. Backwoods always delivers on the music and this year was no exception with two jam packed nights. I arrived on Saturday around 3pm and found the festival more spacious, filled in with campers in parts that empty back in 2008 and vendors of a wide variety taking up a ring around the main stage field.

Jatoba from Brattleboro, VT was the first act of the day I caught. I saw them back in 2010 with Cornmeal at Red Square in Albany and I was impressed. This time they were even better and tighter, as evidenced by the video of these two songs, “Ride Slowly Ride” and “Closure”, with some stage banter mixed in. They are rumored to be playing some supporting Northeast dates in the fall/winter and will be stopping in Upstate NY for sure. If you are going to Upstate Boogie 3, you can expect to hear some material they have been working on, a treat coming from Jatoba.

Lucid, the host band of Backwoods took the stage for an evening set and played to a crowd that gravitated towards the stage as Lucid warmed up. Sporting some of the finest North Country beards around, Lucid brought up special guest Rooster, aka Rick Bentley from Birmingham, Alabama, to sit in on guitar for “Countryesque”. Rooster was in the audience when Lucid played in his town and while he sat through their soundcheck, they bantered back and forth and clicked, leading to Rooster heading north to take in Backwoods Pondfest 2012 and sit in. A great guitar and friendly southerner, Rooster felt welcome at the festival, a bit of a rarity down south. Next, percussionist Lowell Wurster invited his father George (and festival MC) to sit in on harmonica for “Backwoods”, to which George introduced to the crowd at the end as being “all the way from the great Adirondacks” and the applause thundered from the crowd leading to a return to the stage for an encore of “Green Money”.

Campfires could be seen as you walked to your car (it took me about 90 seconds to get to my car when I needed to) and a larger fire kept fans close to the music and warm as the temperature dipped into the 50s after midnight. Although during the day the skies were partly cloudy and warm, this is Upstate New York and the first sign that summer is coming to a close is a chilly night in August, but this little taste of fall is always pleasant to experience a month before it starts to become the norm.

Max Creek, having “been around for a few years now”, as MC George put it (really though, more than 40 years) performed as Saturday headliners, ranging through originals and covers alike, including “Helter Skelter”, “Rag Mama Rag” and “Cities”. Afterwards, guitarist Scott Murawski mentioned how Phish bassist Mike Gordon texted him that Trey had listened to Scott playing Phish’s “Sugar Shack” so that he could nail the guitar riff in transition. It turns out that while Max Creek was onstage at Backwoods, Phish was playing “Sugar Shack” for the first time since October, 2010. A very cool musical connection and story bridging two bands 3,000 miles away.

A staple of Backwoods has been the acts Tim Palmieri, The Breakfast and Kung Fu, the latter of which is alive and well and put on a great late night set on the main stage. It helps for a festival to have a known music element like this and the crowd clearly appreciates Kung Fu and their funky performances.

The late-latenight action belonged to The Indobox at the tent stage. If you wanted your latenight jams, mixed with elements of techno and dance music, then this fulfilled your wishes and overflowed the cup. If there was any band that could rise out of the clutter of EDM acts and perform live electronica at a high level, then The Indobox is that band. For over an hour, the tent was another 20′ warmer inside, steamy and full of dancing bodies moving to the truly impressive tightness of The Indobox. If this were the late ’90s, we’d be seeing a glimmer of an early Disco Biscuits group. Do not miss them at Catskill Chill on Saturday September 8th at 4:20 in the afternoon.

Backwoods Pondfest remains a diamond in the rough of music festivals. Few festivals give you the pure, original festival feeling like this one. Make plans for the 2013 edition, which will be covering as announcements on dates and lineup come out in the spring. Festival-goers who have been to just a few or a few dozen fests, Backwoods is for you.

August 24, 2012
Aqueous: Live Nugs Volume III

The third live release from Buffalo’s Aqueous, Live Nugs Volume III, was recently released at moe.down 13, coinciding with their two sets on Saturday afternoon. The six tracks of the album were recorded in New Philly, Ohio on June 2nd and in Baltimore on July 25th of this year. Aqueous has a prog-rock base with improvisation that incorporates funk and rock riffs into ten minute-plus compositions when played live. Offered up as a ‘name your own price’ album, fans across Upstate New York should download this live album and familiarize themselves with Aqueous, as upcoming tours take them across the state and into New England. Aqueous looks to be one of the next bands to break out and this album shows why.

“Warren in the Window” leads off the album with 12 minutes of solid prog-rock without a dull moment. Fans of Twiddle will here a little familiarity, as will Umphrey’s McGee fans, but they do not sound just like either of these acts, but the influence is apparent and a positive welcome to the album. “Gordon’s Mule” continues the prog-rock journey while “Below the Funk” heats up the album and likely many rooms the band has played. With the casual line “So pass the joint” repeated a few times, “Below the Funk” references the band’s native Buffalo, the type of song that a band like Aqueous will precede them and contribute to an already positive reputation for solid live performance. “Eon Don” contained a tight jam while “Timmy’s Blades” was a short, succinct, progressive instrumental that slowly grows into a fast paced, electric ode to Rush. “Triangle” is the highlight of the album, growing its pace into an anthemic guitar led track, with good vocals taboot.

Key Tracks: Below the Funk, Triangle

Download the album on their website here and check them out on Facebook

August 23, 2012
Lucinda Williams and John Prine at The Palace Theater

Singer-songwriters Lucinda Williams and John Prine took the stage at The Palace Theatre, each playing a story telling set to a rapt crowd of Baby Boomers and 30-somethings.Lucinda, in her silver locks and with a mild southern drawl sang selections off her new album, Blessed. Fans heard favorites such as “I Lost it” and “When I Look at the World”, as well as “Drunk Angel”, a song Lucinda said could have been about Townes Van Zandt (off the album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, the title track of which was also played earlier that night). Guitarist Doug Pettibone accompanied Williams while she played acoustic guitar, adding a compact electric guitar sound, contributing no more notes than necessary, with a blues base that set the groove for much of her performance. The Tom Petty rarity “Change the Locks” took a new perspective when sang by Lucinda, adding an emotional freedom to the lyrics. Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”, a delta blues song written during The Great Depression was noted as an appropriate tune for today’s hard times, to cheers of agreement from the crowd. Closing the set was “Joy”, a scornful and angry lover number that elicited the most cheers of the night.

John Prine took the stage thirty minutes later and the crowd became notably more engaged and slightly chatty in between songs. Dylan-esque in writing, performance and even voice, Prine gives a quite memorable live performance, playing hits, fan favorites and a variety of covers. With David Jacques on bass and Jason Wilber on electric guitar, mandolin and harmonica, the crowd stirred, cheered and shouted out love for songs throughout the 85 minute set.

The crowd showed much love for “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” and “Six O’Clock News” contained the touching line “Come on baby spend the night with me” while the song deals with more tragic circumstances. “Souvenir”, his mother’s favorite song he wrote (she would cook him anything he wanted if he played it for her) was dedicated to his brother Doug. Mid-set, Prine played a few solo numbers: “Long Monday”, about a weekend that hangs over into the new week, “Donald & Lydia”, an Army story from his days at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, and All the Best.

During “Sam Stone”, he was rejoined by Jacques and Wilber halfway through, taking the song from acoustic somberness to a deeper, more powerful song of drug addiction, with the harrowing line “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm, where all the money goes”. “Bear Creek Blues”, by The Carter Family and “Lake Marie” brought the set to a close and the crowd to their feet, giving a deafening ovation and praise to Prine for a memorable and incredible performance.

Before the encore, a second microphone was brought out for Lucinda Williams, who said to the crowd “I am completely mesmerized and in love with this man” and embraced Prine before singing along with him on “Paradise”. The performance ended as the crowd showed their appreciation once again, praising two songwriters for a noteworthy performance.

John Prine Setlist: Spanish Pipedream, Picture Show, Humidity Built the Snowman, Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Six O’Clock News, Souvenir, Grandpa was a Carpenter, Storm Windows, Fish and Whistle, Angel of Montgomery, Long Monday*, Donald & Lydia*, All the Best*, Sam Stone, Bear Creek Blues, Lake Marie

Encore: Paradise

August 20, 2012