NYS Music 20​12

Author: Olivia Gloffke

  • Michael Menert & Break Science, Twilight Frequency Tour at Valentine’s, December 8th

    Having seen the Brooklynites all over the east and south, I was excited to be able to witness my favorite EDM duo Break Science in a local setting at Valentine’s in Albany. I have caught their act at festivals such as Bear Creek in Live Oak, Florida, Rock n Roll Resort in Kerhonkson, Royal Family Affair in Stratton, Vermont and The Festival of Gnarnia in Beech Mountain, North Carolina and thus, was familiar with how powerful and energetic their performances can be. This would be a night full of juggling and dancing for me; I needed a night to release my stress into the void; I was ready.

    Never having seen Paul Basic before, I didn’t know what to expect and I was very pleasantly surprised. His moody soundscapes had the crowd bobbing and jumping in delight. His being a member of PLM, or Pretty Lights Music  for the uninitiated, is no surprise to me. Created by none other than producer/DJ Derek Vincent Smith, PLM consistently brings some of the freshest production to the music scene today. Paul Basics set was a taste of what was to come, bringing us on a journey of peaks and ebbs. He dropped the bass in our face with the precision of a seasoned vet. For a taste of his music free downloads are here PrettyLightsMusic.com.

    Michael Menert joined Paul Basic for a track to finish his set, then we were given a short interlude. Claiming the stage, Michael started slow and began to amp the crowd more and more. The ever-morphing mass of fans grew during his set and the energy in the room grew with it. Palpable waves of vibration spilled off of the dance floor from speakers and revelers alike. It’s no wonder he was an original member of Pretty Lights. His skills in amping up the crowd were unquestionable. Alas, his set came to a close and another short break was awarded.

    The anticipation washed away as Break Science took the stage. A powerful presence, Borham Lee is a keyboardist, programmer, producer and DJ all rolled into one. He has worked with such stars as Wyclef Jean, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Matisyahu, Lauryn Hill, and even Wu Tang Clan. He uses a Nord Stage Keyboard coupled with samples and smooth innovative computer programming to produce a textured ambiance that cannot be reproduced with instruments alone.  Adam Deitch has to be one of the busiest drummer/producers in the music scene today. He is the current drummer for the bands Lettuce and Dr. Klaw as well as Break Science. He also has worked with the likes of Ledisi, Talib Kwali, John Scofield, 50 Cent and more.

    This night would be the second to last night of their tour and Borham would make it a memorable one, blending Dubstep, Hip-hop, Jazz, Funk, Soul and even Reggae into a swirling forefront for Deitch to lay his consistent and thunderously tight barrage of beats behind. Adam and Borham have a sort of telekinetic bond on stage. With little more than an unemotional nod or glance in either’s direction, they operate almost as if they are separate entities, having just wandered into the same room to create a masterful noise that moves the mind and soul. This set was one that displayed their incredible talents. As  the crowd worked its way into a writhing frenzy, I found myself pondering what they could be trying to convey, what message they might be sending into the universe…and I concluded that it was to accentuate the positive: to focus on the here and now and find peace with whatever was found there.

    As an encore of sorts, the duo became a trio with Michael Menert joining them onstage to perform some tracks off of their new EP Twilight Frequency. Free Download at breaksciencemusic.com.  This was a perfect way to bring the show full circle and to a close. An amazing night, I left exhilarated and satisfied. My juggling and dancing craving satiated, I was ready to take on the world.

  • Cope brought the Hope to the State Theater in Ithaca on November 1st

    Driving the windy road to Ithaca in the misting night was a daunting task; the roads climb and drop and swerve all over. Finally reaching Ithaca and wishing they had a local brewed beer to offer, I settled into a seat towards the rear floor. The theater is about half full on the floor with a smattering of people in the upper deck. The State Theater is a large 1600-capacity gorgeous theater built in 1928 and the historic landmark in Ithaca with excellent sound and a very accommodating vibe.

    The lights dimmed and Cope and company graced the stage with no intro and got straight down to business. This led into “One Lovely Day”, which is gorgeous played live, giving an uplifting feeling from the endorphins released while the music started to wash over me. There was something stirring within the crowd and many were singing and swaying and with “Bullet and a Target”, a popular song from Cope. At this point the crowd, as if by telepathy, all decide to rise and crowd near the front of the stage and dance. The energy coming from the stage and the crowd mixing was intoxicating. (Maybe it was all of the pheromones in the air as the crowd was, in my estimatation, 65% women.) A heartfelt “Hurricane Waters” followed and the band was noticeably in full swing. They showed more energy and even Cope was smiling. A powerful pulsating version of “Penitentiary” followed with the blends and layers of music that Cope combined with  cathartic hopeful lyrics, the live experience is truly moving. A few more songs, including “Healing Hands”, “When Sun’s Gonna Rise Begins” and “Climax” kicked in, and the band was all smiling and feeling the crowd, singing an extended chorus into a jam by the band. While it felt like the end of the show, it was only the end of the first set.

    After a standing ovation and even the chanting of “Cope! Cope! Cope!”, he returned to center stage, solo this time with only an acoustic guitar.  Strumming through gems like “Picasso”, “Lifeline”, “D’Artagnan’s Theme”, “200000”  and finally, “Holding On”. This very personal second set found the band rejoining Cope on stage and after playing another number they pulled out crowd favorite “Sideways”. This number is oft requested via shout outs from the crowd, to which Cope responded “We’ll get there….we’ve gotta get through the foreplay.” This segued directly into a cover of “Karma Police” which was powerful and charged. Towards the end, a member of the audience threw his hat on stage which Cope donned and promptly gave out high fives to the crowd in front. He later returned the hat and handed the guy a t-shirt he had been teasing the crowd with.  It was a perfect ending to the show.

  • Light and Sound: An Interview with Phil Salvaggio and Greg Ellis of Pretty Lights

    Light and Sound: An Interview with Phil Salvaggio and Greg Ellis of Pretty Lights

    Yesterday, Sue Rice recapped the Pretty Lights show at the Times Union Center. Today features an interview with Pretty Lights Lightining Director Greg Ellis and Production Manager/Audio Engineer Phil Salvaggio. After the show was over, Chris McMullen sat down with the Oneonta natives to get a look at the behind the scenes of producing a Pretty Lights show.

    Phil Salvaggio Greg EllisChris McMullen: When did the lighting rig really reach its peak?

    Greg Ellis: Well the funny thing is we debuted the pillar style video rig last year at Bonnaroo but we used the festival light rig and it was very sub-par. After that was when it all kind of came together. We followed that with a string of festivals and then during our fall tour was the first time it was a complete package. Its been a couple years in the making. We’ve been taking care to make sure the equipment does what we want it to do. The visuals are particularly a challange because I can improvise with lights but Video is so delicate.

    Chris: Who does the visuals?

    Greg: Its a company called Radio Edit AV out of Chicago. Led by this kid that we know Dave Najarian.

    Chris: Have you had a memorable show on this tour?

    Greg: The last two nights have been my favorite shows I’ve ever done. We grew up in Oneonta and our whole crew was here tonight. And last night my friends from Connecticut, from when I lived there attended., so its been one huge family reunion the last two days. THere was a moment last night when Something just kind of happened. From then on out its been full steam ahead.

    Chris: How did you get involved with PL?

    Greg: When I moved to Connecticut, he moved to Colorado and bounced around and started to find his groove. He started working with PL and convinced me to come out there.

    Phil: I had to work with all these dudes, and all had this gear and they all sucked…and I was like, I know this kid…give him the right tools and he’ll slay these kids. And thats what happened. haha

    (As Chris and Phil were talking, they were interrupted by alcohol and women, a few follow up questions ensued)

    Chris: What is your favorite NY venue?

    Phil: Now, I’m partial to the Times Union Center, it’s a large scale big arena. I saw my first Phish show there in 1998. I was pretty stoked to get in there and do a show.  As far as places to see a show, Radio City Music Hall is pretty awesome.
    Chris: Any pre show rituals?
    Phil: I usually take a nap between sound check and showtime, its the most time I have off during the day.
    Chris: What are you listening to lately?
    Phil: Muse: 2nd Law, totally sick, new modern record, bands just don’t do this kind of stuff anymore, this band can actually play live, they are sick, they are the real deal. There music is very rock opera-ish. Brings me back to my youth. Its like Queen meets Radiohead meets a Broadway show or something. You should watch their making of 2nd Law. You’ll understand what I’m saying.
    Chris: Craziest tour moment?
    Phil: The Crazy tour moments are less and less these days as we have advanced into such large venues. These days its way more low key backstage. Just playing the Boston Garden was pretty crazy to me. I saw Phish 20th anniversary there, so that was crazy. That or this past summer doing the Gorge, then Sunset Festival in Tampa, then Summercamp, with the help of charter jets. Literally opposite parts of the country.   EDC Vegas… 100,000 people.. I am returning to this, Full Flex Express Tour, It was the 2012 version of Festival Express. Use your imagination…
    Chris: Favorite tour moment?
    Phil: Favorite Tour moment for this tour… Kickin it with my friends backstage at the Times Union Center in Albany. Everyone seemed to have a blast, and it was great to bring my old band mates and friends into that element, in a venue where we had seen so many epic shows.
    Chris: Any word on a Pretty Lights festival?
    Phil: This is something we have been talking about forever. We do so many festivals where we are limited from a production standpoint. Our touring rig is bigger than most festivals we play, and its OUR thing. We did EDC Vegas and Electric Zoo, both were great and had HUGE productions. But we’d rather walk into doing our OWN thing with artists we want to play with.   We did just did a co-bill festival with Skrillex in Nashville, the weekend before Halloween, it was called “With Your Friends.” We used our rig, it was Awesome, we can show what we are really about when its our stuff.  I would love to do what Phish did, or rather something similar, with artists we like or are on the label etc…. Create a really cool brand, something that people can remember. So, in terms of any word on a festival, NO, but its been in our minds for a minute.
    Chris: How did you meet Derek?
    Phil: I was living in Fort Collins CO. Playing in bands and booking a club. I started doing Audio for a company down there. I was in some bands that were just struggling. He was in a band, I was in a band, we had mutual friends. I did his first real show in Fort Collins, I brought in lights and extra subs for his show. About 4 months later he needed a sound guy, for his first ever multi date run in the south. I hopped on a plane and the rest is history.
    Chris: When did you realize that Pretty Lights had gotten big?
    Phil: Well, I remember our first tour bus, then our second. Then we had a semi, now we have 2 busses, and 3 semi trucks. And we headline all the big crunchy festivals… Wakarusa, Summercamp, All Good… etc..  I think it was All Good last year (2011) there were 30,000 people there rocking the fuck out. And we were playing after bands I used to go see all the time… moe… Primus… And we put on a pretty mind blowing production.
    Chris: Advice for up and coming acts(djs bands producers)?

    Phil: Follow your dreams and don’t be a rockstar until you are ready, no one has time for that jazz.

    Chris: Any thoughts on Pretty Lights live? (ALA shpongle, Bonobo etc)?

    Phil: The new record was recorded with a live band. Basically there were a bunch of players, locked in a studio for about 2 weeks in New York. We had various different instrumentation per session. I was super stoked to play with some of my favorite musicians, Adam Deitch, Eric Krasno Nigel Hall….   The sessions went from me and Derek making noises on guitars and basses, to full on 12 piece band locking into grooves.  The sessions were all “live,” and recorded to 2 inch tape. Then all the tapes were dubbed to vinyl plates. Then Derek took the records, and chopped them up in his usual style. He basically created a library or samples that were his own. The grooves and breaks that we locked into were absolutely amazing, and the engineer, Joel Hamilton of Studio G in Brooklyn,  is a genius. They have so many old pre amps, compressors and processors from the 60s and 70s. Which is what Derek wanted for his record, to really have the sound of that age. He ended up going back and doing it again in New York and New Orleans with singers and more musicians.  It was really an awesome process, we literally took the tapes, hopped in a cab, and dropped them off at Salt Mastering. I got to see the whole process go down. It was pretty amazing. The record should be out sometime early this year.

    As for a live band, There have been talks of this as well. However I think there would have to be some serious time off and a lot of planning and rehearsing for something like this. Derek is a perfectionist…. It is not something that would happen over night.  I am pretty sure it is a dream of his.  He drew a picture of himself when he was a kid, standing at Red Rocks with his bass guitar. I think this dream is still alive in him. I could see it happening. But are there plans now… im not really sure to be honest. But again, we’ve been talking about it for years.

  • Evening Jazz with Charlie Hunter, Club Helsinki, October 20th

    Evening Jazz with Charlie Hunter, Club Helsinki, October 20th

    I arrived fashionably late to Club Helsinki for Charlie Hunter on Friday, mostly because its rather unassuming at first glance. Understated even, compared to the elegance inside. A renovated Factory originally built in 1863, Helsinki has many irons in the fire with a Ballroom upstairs, full restaurant in front, Club in the rear and an adjacent courtyard.

    charlie hunterI had driven right by as I am not totally familiar with Hudson yet and hadn’t noticed the HELSINKI lettering dripping down the outer wall on either side. Duh, I thought, as I hustled inside. I mistakenly entered the restaurant first and was directed to the back via the courtyard. Luke, the Club Helsinki manager greeted me outside in the courtyard with a smile. He showed me in, informing me Charlie had started about 15 minutes before. Knowing his songs tend to noodle around, I figured I had missed around 3-4 songs. Club Helsinki has simple tasteful decor and is inviting and comfortable with a large bar, three levels of tables and an ample dance floor. I settled into the most immediate open table with my brown ale.

    The first song I’m privy to is an energetic and funky breakdown of Hall & Oates’ I Can’t Go For That! It was everything I could hope for in a jazzed up version of a song I grew up hearing. I enjoyed the next song and then noticed my friend Tom Carpenter and joined him at a table closer to the stage. I am not sure what the next couple songs were, but I noticed as I was sitting closer that Charlie has on his guitar face, that means business. Scott Amendola, his drummer, has come to play as well. Playfully covering a Curtis Mayfield B side Charlie’s chops are so incredible as he makes the bass lines with the top three bass strings and guitar licks and solos on the bottom four strings of his hybridized guitar. Next is a soulful You’ve Been A Good ole Wagon, But Baby Now You’ve Done Broke Down, an old Bessie Smith number. After a brief pause at the end of the show Scott and Charlie joined us for an encore after the crowd of 40 or so hooted and applauded them.

    I had a great time at Club Helsinki. Anyplace I can see some great musicians in an intimate setting with excellent sound and have drinks delivered to my table, I’m game. I will definitely be back.

    DOWNLOAD A FREE MP3
    “BLIND ARTHUR”

  • Interview/Review: Ott and the All Seeing I go LIVE in Syracuse

    Interview/Review: Ott and the All Seeing I go LIVE in Syracuse

    There has been a recent trend of electronic DJs and producers recreating their music on stage with a live band. Thankfully, Ott, a UK based Master Engineer/Producer/DJ, is one of them. Ott & the All Seeing I are the result as he is joined by Naked Nick (Vocals, Guitar, Synths, and Percussion), Chris Barker (Bass), and Matt White (Drums).  I was privileged to catch two of their sets recently, in particular one on Sunday, October 7th at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY.

    OTTUnimpressed by the “rave” music found in London clubs, Ott discovered a commonality with artists who shared his love of organic dub and pristine electronics such as The Orb and Dub Syndicate. These artists were not afraid to concoct music with one part heavy bass rhythms, one part spacey soundscape and one part gorgeous melody; shaken not stirred. Ott spent time honing his engineer skills working with such artists as The Orb, Sinead O’Connor, Brian Eno, Steve Hillage, and more recently Simon Posford of Hallucinogen/Shpongle fame. His first release on Simon Posford’s Twisted Records was Hallucinogen-In Dub (2002), where he remixed classic Hallucinogen songs. Since then he has released three of his own, Blumenkraft (2002), Skylon (2008) and Mir (2011)

    Having seen Ott a half dozen times or so in the last few years, I have felt a connection to his music ever stirring within me. His music can have an intoxicating effect on me and OH what a beautiful buzz! It is like his music breaks and enters my soul and commands my body to move in ways previously unimaginable. Heading to the Syracuse show I was eager to be a part of the energy he shares with his audience.

    Playing to a smaller crowd, the Westcott was less than half full of guests but Ott & the All Seeing I were not to be daunted. Playing through giant speaker stacks that easily withstood Ott’s powerful sound, the band got down to work. Having as much space as I needed, I danced away the set, oblivious to any perceived problems in my life. The show highlights for me included “Splitting An Atom”, “Owl Stretching Time” and of course always a crowd favorite, “The Queen of all Everything”. The live performance gives Ott’s music a raw and powerful energy, full of life.

    Traveling with me to this show was Kelly, a precious gems and mineral merchant of Kali’ka Crystals and Creations. Kelly had “gridded” Ott’s stages with crystals at two previous shows, a process in where she places crystals in an array that is meant to help harness energies. Her grid this night included Smoky Quartz for meditation, Amethyst and Selenite for intuition and divinity, Lepidolite for stability and communication, Lemurians (and Pink Lemurians) for love and spiritual awareness,  and Herkimer Diamonds for attunement and connection. Post show the band joked about how she should jump on the tour bus with them as they enjoyed her crystal work and company so much.

    Any chance I am afforded to see Ott & the All Seeing I again will be taken with utmost seriousness. It is truly a spiritually enlightening experience.

    I had the privilege of asking Ott & the All Seeing I a few questions as they broke down post show:

    Chris McMullen: Do you have a favorite venue in upstate NY?

    Ott: Oh thats hard. It depends who turns up,…it depends who’s there.

    Chris: How much time had Ott & the All Seeing I gotten to practice live?

    Ott: Not much actually, we were fairly unprepared when we got here.

    Naked Nick: It’s just life’s logistics. We did everything we could and we were all practicing individually. Some of us are in the east of England and some of us the west, so the amount of times we can actually come together in one place is quite limited.

    Ott: The first time we were able to come together and all play in the same space was our first gig in Baltimore.

    Nick: We never all played in the same room together!

    Chris: Oh wow, I was at the NYC show at Club 39 and thought you guys sounded pretty good.

    Ott: Yeah our sound guy had to totally rewire everything there. Our crew really pulled it out of the bag. I quite enjoyed it in the end.

    Chris: It was a tight space.

    Ott: I love the hot sweaty basements….that doesn’t sound quite right, does it?

    Nick: I think there is going to come a time when I can use that piece of information against you. Not sure yet when it will be.

    Chris: Have you found yourselves engaging in any pre or post show rituals?

    Ott: I can see patterns forming. Kelly and her crystal garden are the closest thing to a ritual we have. But she’s abandoning us! She has driven miles to see us. We will miss you Kelly.

    Nick: It’s really nice to see some familiar faces coming to more than one gig, it’s meant a lot.

    Chris: Are there any musicians you’ve been listening to lately?

    Ott: I generally don’t listen to anything made after 1982 really, actually no, to be honest, 1978 at the moment.

    Nick: Bird Of Prey, Sun Monks

    Ott: Nick’s your man. If you want to hear somebody reel of loads of really contemporary artists that no one’s ever heard of. He’s your man. I actually don’t like music very much. I try and avoid it.

  • Medeski, Martin and Wood: An Acoustic evening at the Massry Center for the Arts

    This past Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of enjoying Medeski, Martin and Wood, or MMW for short, perform an acoustic show for a sold out audience of 400 fans at the Massry Center of the Arts at The College of Saint Rose. Having never before been to the Massy Center, I had only heard that it had possibly the best sounding room in Albany. I was excited  for MMW to let their brand of beautiful noise loose in this room. Oh and how they let it loose!! More on that however, first some history on the center itself.

    A subtle grace is bestowed upon Massry Center. It isn’t apparent how graceful it is until you dig deeper. Some 450 feet deeper to be exact, as it is heated and cooled by a geothermal system originating from 40 wells dug beneath the building and its adjacent parking lot. It gets greener yet with 35% of its electricity supplied by wind and water. Using no fossil fuels, it also is made of 78% recycled steel and 15% recycled concrete. Gorgeous American and Patagonian Cherry wood is used on the doors and floors in accordance with standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council. All of these attributes makes it almost 50% more efficient than a comparable building built conventionally.

    Arriving close to the 7:30 starting time, I met up with photographer Chris DeCotis. We assumed our seats on the top landing facing down the stairs for a great view of the stage. Due to the show being sold out we were relegated to chairs, but being a rather lanky fellow I was pleased to not be crammed into a theater seat. Most of the seats were filled and just after 7:35 MMW began.

    As DeCotis assumed his position near the floor, I sat back and prepared for the inevitable onslaught. Having seen MMW around 25 times previously, I knew how unpredictable and how completely mind blowing they can be. These Berkelee College of Music trained musicians began their career in 1991 playing acoustic together and can read each others every syncopated move like Jedi knights. I had not seen them perform acoustic before so I was in for a very special treat.

    They began with a short intro then blasted into “Piano/Bass Chase” a free wheeling number that had everyone’s attention; no easing into things tonight. Very smoothly sliding into a improvised jam, the trio was clearly at ease, when they decided to shake it up a bit. They moved into a “Melodiccordian Shuffle” where Medeski plays a melodica/accordian hybrid, both rollicking and funky, to the point where I’m having a hard time sitting still. The crowd is bobbing heads and tapping toes in time. It’s the third song before they take a short breather. After playing a bold “Truth or Suffering” and very tight “Down On Me” things get weird. Playing an instrument that looks like someone tried to make an Oboe out of a Didgeridoo, Medeski showed his versatility, while Chris Wood opted for the electric bass and Billy Martin played all manner of random percussion in his repertoire before settling on two handfuls of orange plastic clothes hangers.  To close the first set they play a chopped up and regurgitated “Suspicious Minds” which I recognized but could not place the original artist…thinking it was a Tom Jones song, I realized later it was originally Elvis.

    After taking a short stretch break, the theater filled back up and is ready for round two. A quick intro leads right into “Nostalgia in Times Square”, segueing into “Angel Race (I’ll Wait for You)”. Wood’s upright bass solo in the middle on an extended “Illmoan” is a moment of focus in a tribal fertility space funk. Following the completion of “Illmoan” was another jam with John Medeski on the Slovakian Bassoon (or in my mind the Obidgeridoe). Never compromising, they round out the second set with a more straight forward “Pocket Knife” followed by a Drum Solo from Billy. Finishing the set with “Olde Wyne”, the boys were really feeling it and swerved around the song with ease.

    They were lavished upon with a standing ovation from most of the crowd, cheering, whistling, hooting and screeching for more. The crowd loved it and wanted more. They take the stage and the usual mouthpiece, Billy, gives their collective appreciation for being able to play acoustic for us. They finish the night out by encoring with “Fall River Blues”. Again, I find it hard to sit down, and know that I’m not the only one.

    Download Andy Murray’s recording of Medeski, Martin and Wood Acoustic