NYS Music 20​12

Category: News Desk

  • Dopapod set to fire up Catskill Chill

    The third annual Catskill Chill Festival takes place this weekend, September 7th-9th in Hancock, New York and one of the bands that are not to be missed by festivalgoers this year is the ever growing Dopapod. This experimental funk rock group has collected a huge fan base since starting in 2007 and shows no sign of slowing down. Dopapod will play late Friday night at The Catskill Chill, promising to be a great start to the festival weekend. With their hectic summer shows finally over but on the brink of a full fall tour, Dopapod’s guitarist, Rob Compra was able to find time to answer a few questions.

    Susan Rice: You’ve spent much of 2012 playing festivals and shows all over the eastern half of the country, you played dozens of shows including StrangeCreek, Camp Bisco, Gathering of the Vibes, and even reached 10,000 fans of Facebook. How does it feel?

    Rob Compra: It feels great! This summer has felt like a bit of a breakthrough for us. I think right now is a very exciting time for us.

    SR: Your summer tour and this upcoming fall tour are all over the east coast.  Does networking with other bands helpful to promoting yourself?

    RC: I feel like every band in our scene supports one another very heavily. At this point, all the other bands that are in the same boat as us (i.e. touring and playing clubs/festivals) are our best friends, and we all look out for each other. I don’t think any of the bands in this scene would be very successful if we didn’t have that give and take attitude for one another. For groups like us who don’t have support from a record label, it really is essential to help one another.

    SR: You play an array of cover songs, what process do you use when you choose a new cover song to play? Which song that you cover is your favorite to perform live?

    RC: Whenever we’ve got a really big show coming up, everybody kind of splits off and thinks of some ideas, and then we decide which one we like best. There’s some covers that we’ve done that have deliberately been one time things. We want the crowd to be able to say that they were lucky enough to be there for something special that not everyone else was able to see. I think that really makes people rabid to come out to more shows. But as far as favorites go, we play an instrumental cover of “Microcuts” by Muse, which is pretty much in regular rotation. We never get tired of it. It’s funny; Muse is debatedly the biggest band in the world right now, yet when we play that song, it seems as if hardly anybody knows what it is or who wrote it.

    SR: This was your first time at Camp Bisco this year. Can you sum up in the experience in 11 words? Do you feel like this was good preparation for Vibes?

    RC: Well, to be honest, it was our second time at Bisco haha. We were there two years ago as well. Due to a lack of the math and grammar skills to construct a proper sentence in 11 words, Here’s my 11 adjectives to describe the experience: fun, exciting, challenging, inspiring, stressful, sweaty, loud, exhausting, fulfilling, smelly, & friendly. I think Bisco was indeed good preparation for Vibes but, I don’t think we were really conscious of that while it was happening.

    SR: What was the experience like at Gathering of the Vibes? Was that your biggest festival? I heard your performance brought people to their knees! You played a killer show and Eli sat in with Papadosio. Any musical highlights for you from the show and the festival?

    RC: Gathering of the Vibes was absolutely amazing. We couldn’t have had a better time. We’re pretty sure that was the biggest crowd we’ve played for to date, and it was an amazing feeling to see all those people in front of us in broad daylight. It meant so so much to us to have everybody there having a great time and showing their support. I had plenty of highlights. One was Kung Fu’s set. As a guitarist, anytime I get to see Tim Palmieri play is just unbelievable. I also really enjoyed Chris Michetti’s playing in Conspirator. Papadosio’s sunrise set was terrific. Twiddle’s set was great too. They played early in the day in the pouring rain and totally brought their A game. And aside from musical highlights, the night of Papadosio’s set we all stayed up until sunrise and went to a clambake on the water with all the Dosio guys, Stoops from Kung Fu, and a ton of other great friends. That was too much fun to put into words.

    SR: What do you want first time listeners to experience at your shows? Any big surprises for fans going to your fall tour shows?

    RC: We obviously want first timers to enjoy the music, but I think we also want to challenge the listener a little bit. We don’t want to play it safe and give them something they know they already like. As far as fall tour, our surprises are so good that we don’t even know what they’re gonna be yet. Expect cameos from washed up child stars from obscure 80’s sitcoms, effigies of unpopular politicians, door prizes, and expired fun size candy bars.

    SR: You got your start playing the major markets in the Northeast, and spent some time in Upstate New York. What appeals to you about playing in Upstate New York that you can’t find elsewhere?

    RC: I personally love Upstate New York because I grew up there, in Rochester. It’s great to see old friends whenever we’re up there, and my Mom and Dad usually make the drive to shows around there, and it’s always great to see them. Also, markets like Rochester, Albany, Ithaca, Buffalo and Oneonta are great because there isn’t much to do around there (at least that’s how I felt growing up there). So when a band comes to town, everybody gets really psyched to come out. People are super eager to have something exciting to do on any given night.

    SR: Can we expect any artist sit-ins at Catskill Chill? Who are you most excited to see perform?

    RC: I think that’s a fair assumption. There’s plenty of friends there, so sit-ins are extremely likely. I’m personally really excited for Rubblebucket, Kung Fu, Lotus, Heavy Pets, Zoogma, and Consider the Source. There’s really no weak point at that festival, in my opinion. Every single act is going to be a grand slam.

    For tour dates and music from Dopapod, visit their website at dopapod.com and for more information about The Catskill Chill, go to catskillchill.com.

  • An interview with Alan Evans of The Royal Family

    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.

    Alan EvansPM: 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.

  • Prepare for The Chill: Interviews with Catskill Chill performers Jeff Bujak, Particle and Timbre Coup

    The 3rd annual Catskill Chill Festival will return back to Camp Minglewood in Hancock, New York for September 7th-9th. This years lineup includes: Yonder Mountain String Band, Lotus, Conspirator, Soulive, Lettuce, EOTO, JGB with Melvin Seals, Rubblebucket, Cornmeal, Jeff Bujak, Timbre Coup and many more bands as well as DJs. With three stages consisting of jam bands, reggae music, funk, jazz, blue grass, electronica, and rock and roll, there’s something for everyone. Besides great music, the festival offers a fire show by SOPF, bonfire drum circle, an open mic stage and yoga classes.

    Festival goers have the option of free on-site camping or renting on site cabins. Cabins range in size with private cabins that sleep two to large double bunkhouses which sleep 32 people. The Catskill Chill Music Festival is also offering buses from New York City to Camp Minglewood for only $60 per person. The bus ticket gives city slickers a round trip ride from Bryant Park in Manhattan, straight to the front gate of the festival.

    For more information, go to catskillchill.com or like them on Facebook. Some of the artists attending The Chill this year spoke to about their music, upcoming shows and Upstate New York.

    Jeff Bujak

    Susan Rice: How do you perform differently during a silent disco vs. a “regular” non-headphone wearing show? Do you find yourself watching the crowd more during one over the other?

    Jeff Bujak: When I run my show audio through wireless headphones, I have the advantage of hearing exactly what the audience hears. Same mix. Same stereo audio feed. I’m able to mix in full stereo and have fun with panning and such. I can do more intricate progressions and get more complicated since everyone is paying attention. When I perform through a PA, everyone hears the audio differently, so I try to mix the audio for the best of the room and keep it intense to keep the audience’s attention. I’m up against other people’s friends talking to them; not the case with headphones. I can’t get as mellow or intricate. Being louder and bassier can get a crowd into a frenzy, but the audio quality usually suffers so I play more heavy and simple to keep that attention going. 2-different shows. I love them both. And I never really look at the crowd for either show. It disrupts my playing. As much as I want to, I try and mess up.

    SR: You have a busy schedule for the next few weeks from traveling all over the east coast. Do you think your tour will end with a completely different sound from when you originally started?

    JB: My sound varies from night to night. I’m pretty much a traveling experiment to see how far I can push myself; mentally and musically. I can always feel the rust coming on when I have a week off, and it takes a show to get moving again. But, once my mind is loosened up, I’ll try new things and see if I like it. By the end of a run, I usually have new parts and new things to practice with that week.

    SR: What is it about Upstate New York that keeps bringing you back to perform?

    JB: I grew up in Syracuse, NY so upstate NY has always been a hotspot for music in my world. All of the bands and clubs that have been in and out have created a great scene and I love being a part of it. There’s more clubs/bars down the Thruway to keep a band touring for a couple weeks. I hate tolls, though.

    Particle with Steve Moltiz

    Susan Rice: You have played multiple Phish After Party shows in New York, Massachusetts and soon California. Do you get to see the Phish shows often? What influence does the band hold for you?

    Steve Moltiz: Whenever Particle plays a Phish after party, we all go see the Phish show together. It’s an inspiring way to start the night, and it really opens our mind up to taking a more expansive approach to our improvisation…

    SR: After touring the west coast, what new skills and sounds are you bringing for the folks on the east coast, especially those attending your first show back, the Catskill Chill Festival?

    SM: We just incorporated a Pink Floyd theme into ou recent West Coast shows, so I’m sure we’ll work in some of the Floyd highlights into our Catskill Chill set. It’s really a blast for us to “Particlize” the Floyd tunes by merging their psychedelia with our funktronic rock…

    SR: What inspirations do you get when traveling and touring through Upstate New York that you can’t find anywhere else?

    SM: Upstate NY is a very peaceful place to get away from the usual distractions of technology, and allow yourself to reconnect with some of the more subtle rhythms in life (your breath, heartbeat, etc.). We love playing up there, and can’t wait to see you all at the Chill!

    Dan Gerken of Timbre Coup

    Susan Rice: You attended moe.down 13 this year for the first time as a performer. What were some of your favorite moments? What were your fans reactions?

    Dan Gerken: moe.down 13 was amazing from top to bottom from performers to organizers of the event. It was very special to us playing with such awesome national acts in our own region and we found that a lot of our core fan base came out to support us. Some of my favorite moments include the Saturday moe sets, hanging with the Umphreys Mcgee guys and being videotaped by multiple cameras at the same time. My pinnacle moment was chatting with Stanley Jordan after the Umphreys set and being able to talk music with such a legend and positive soul such as him.

    We feel as though we introduced ourselves to many new folks who hopefully become fans. Sometimes it’s difficult to put all your eggs in one basket and go catch a club show of a new band but at festivals you can get this introduction without having to go out of your way. I believe a lot more fans will be following us and we all feel as a band that we all put on a good performance in a key situation at moe.down. We were happy with our sets.

    SR: You have 13 shows lined up for your fall tour including The Catskill Chill festival. Where do you see your music branching out over the season?

    DG: We will be adding many more unannounced shows to our calendar in the next few weeks leading up to Catskill Chill but….. as far as what we have up as of yet we are excited to get down south again (10/18 Knoxville TN, 10/20 Savannah among others) and get invited back to a few spots as well. Look for us in the Northeast quite a bit too with stuff in MA and all over NY (September 20 Rochester, September 21 Buffalo). www.timbrecoup.com for details

    SR: Having grown up here in New York, what were some of your favorite events to attend in the Upstate region?

    DG: I personally have been in NY since I was 14. There are many things to do in the summertime tied in with nature and the Adirondacks as well as music and culture and we as a band have always enjoyed when the two came together. Mountain Jam, moe.down, Camp Bisco and Backwoods Pondfest are just some of the many events we have attended in NY and are some of the biggest festivals in the country as well so this is clearly a place where both nature and culture can come together as one entity.

    Gabriel Marin from Consider the Source.

    Susan Rice: You have a fall tour of 4 shows scheduled in Germany. What to you hope to learn most about while there?
    Gabriel Marin: We are also playing Israel for the 3rd year in a row too. This is also our second year doing Germany.We have a really big fan base in Israel, so that is always a blast, and we are excited to tour in Germany opening for Panzer Ballet, who is really amazing. God willing by the end of this tour we will have a sizeable following in Deutschland.

    SR: Which artists do you enjoy sharing the line up with at Upstate New York venues?
    GM: Upstate is the first region out of NYC we starting playing, so we have a ton of great friends from upstate. Timbre Coup, Arm Cannon, Peanut Brittle Satellite… Im sure I’m leaving some out by accident. Even though they aren’t from upstate, we play a lot of festivals and upstate gigs with our homies in Dopapod.

  • 51BassCamp Festival Review

    This past weekend, Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam, NY, held for the second time a one day, multi-stage, all night rager. 51BassCamp called the summer slopes home that day and night on Saturday August 25th. There was the main stage set up outside, under a tent at the foot of slope surrounded by artists doing live art. The lodge was transformed into a dark, dance cave complete with concession stand and the entertainment corner. With ice cold Magic Hats and hot bass music being pumped out all day, concert goers had it made in the shade. Starting early in the afternoon, a small crowd danced inside and under the main tent, while a number of people enjoyed laying on blankets all over the slopes, soaking up the scene outside.

    Besides, the main music attractions, there were plenty of other activities to keep the audiences happy. A hookah lounge was set up by Spiritual Haze from Worcester, Ma, providing multiple flavors and hookahs unlimited all evening. The infamous Tree Shurts had their iconic Winnibaker set up and ready to sell their tasty tee-shirts. One of the more popular booths was Beacon in the Dark Blacklight Collective. The small operation had two areas set up for face and body painting, with both Christian Diaz and Chris VanderEssen providing their creative paint brushes. Christian Diaz enjoys watching his art come to life on people and its a nice reward to see the art work evolve.

    Alan Claw Letko was the first act I was able to see on the outside main stage around 4. He is known for his heavy dupstep music with remixes inspired by hip-hop and rap. Together, Claw and Richie August form Hulk, a intense sound of bass and pure rage. It’s noise that fills you with an irresponsible anger you never knew you had and must be taken out on the dance floor. Heading inside, I was lucky to catch the ending set of Mikey Parkay, a DJ who has traveled coast to coast in the states as well as Canada. Parkay brings a variety of music to his performances, a great way to ease into the evenings festivities. Heavy on the funk and disco, Parkay mixes classic hits with a fast paced energetic sound.

    Everyone could feel the electricity in the air as the sun began to set, the universal sign that it’s party time. The slopes were light up by Dutch Masterson Designs and it was truly breathtaking to watch colors and shapes shoot across the hillside, almost like a multi-colored meteor shower. Horizon Wireless took the main stage at 7 and set the bar high for the evening. Horizon Wireless consists of DJ, Harrison Waxenberg, and Drummer, Sol Montoya who blend together a wide variety of sounds that grabs the listener by the chest as they get thrown into the music. A non stop thrill ride that Horizon Wireless can barely control themselves.

    As the mountains were laced with lasers, the ski lounge dripped with bright neon lights and paint, proving that the best was yet to come of the festival. Sweatpant$ Money, recently voted Best Name in Albany’s Metroland Best of Issue last month, performed to a packed glowing dance floor. Providing electronic music and noises that had the audience moving in a almost synchronized dance together, proving that Sweatpant$ Money is more than just a cool name. Cosmic strips, the one man producer from Pennsylvania, knows how to manipulate the crowd with his passionate spinning. Constantly pushing and pulling on the audiences heads and hearts with the sounds that lift you off the ground only to drop you.
    51BassCamp was a festival with an ideal location, small crowd and relaxed yet enthusiastic attitude, best described as “The Biggest VIP Party.” In such an intimate setting, fans had the chance to interact with their favorite DJs and producers, plus be introduced to up and coming new sounds. The event was also a great opportunity for everyone involved in the industry to come together and create friendly new networks. If concert goers are looking to experience the Bass-sensation without being fully submerged in the beat, 51BassCamp is worth every penny.

  • A Review of Backwoods Pondfest 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.

    Backwoods Pondfest 2012I 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.

  • Albany Bar Owners Protest Cabaret Law

    “Music anytime should never be a crime,” chanted Albany bar owners, musicians, and DJ’s Monday evening as they protested the Cabaret Law. The protesters marched through the streetscape beginning at Townsend Park and filed into Albany City Hall. (pictures from Pete Mason below)

    Last spring city council members passed the Cabaret Law requiring businesses seeking live entertainment to purchase a permit. However, once the permits were issued, business owners were outraged to learn there were restrictions. The Cabaret Law requires music to be shut down by midnight on weeknights and by 2 am on weekends. Patrons under the age of 21 must be off venue property by 11 pm. Bar owners fear this will drastically hurt business.

    Albany bar and restaurants, particularly in the live music business have been struggling. With the recent closures of Jillian’s and The Dublin Underground, protesters are distressed over losing their livelihood. The Albany bar scene has always been a late night town. Patrons do not usually start filing in until after 11PM. It is not uncommon that after party shows happen after midnight.

    The Common Council is reviewing the recommendations and will hold a special meeting in the future.

  • Utica Music and Arts Festival Enters 5th Year

    Utica Music and Arts Festival Enters 5th Year

    The 2012 Utica Music and Arts Festival marks 5 years strong!

    In less than one month, the 5th annual Utica Music and Arts Festival will hit the streets of Utica, NY.  September 13, 14 and 15th, headliners Badfish, Zach Deputy, XVSK, and Twiddle will be joined by returning favorites Hank & Cupcakes, My Pet Dragon, Shane Maux from Belikos (now in Duk Duk Goose), Randy Niles, j. Schnitt, The Rick Short Band, Brian Mulkerne, Brass Knuckle Intercourse, Autumn Fire, and The End Men, and more than 150 other artists!  In all, approximately 200 performers on 19 stages, the UMAF is CNY’s largest music festival.

    It is the mission of the Utica Music & Arts Fest to revitalize Utica’s historic appreciation of the musical arts while providing a stimulus to our local economy. The intention is to initiate the creation of a solid, growing, and eternal network of industry professionals, centered in Utica with local, national, and international expansion.

    Artists will exhibit their work in the Radisson which is also festival check in.  This year the hotel will venue not only performing artists and out of town bands and fans, but also two ‘firsts’ for the UMAF, an Industry Meet and Greet and a wine tasting event.

    Utica Greens Festival, sponsored by Price Chopper, takes place on Varick Street from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday the 15th.  The UGF is the part of the UMAF that highlights our families and community and will feature vendors, an exhibition by Bailey’s Karate, a pop-up skate park brought to us by Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, belly dancing, face painting, a community Zumba bash in the street, and many regional dishes to taste under the Greens Tent.     The UGF is a part of the UMAF and all bands on Varick Street during that time period are free to the public.  Access to the Greens Tent, however, requires a donation, a portion of which will benefit Pack A Back, a community organization that gathers school supplies for the Utica City School District students.

    The UMAF is thrilled to announce a relationship with this year’s San Gennaro Feast occurring at the Cathedral of the Theotokos of Great Grace during the weekend of the UMAF.  SGF attendees will benefit from musical acts which have been provided by the UMAF playing songs for all ages.  Performances begin on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and run until 11:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

    Strangers Helping Strangers is a charity organization gathering canned goods at the Radisson, the festival’s hub.  SHS encourages festival attendees to bring a nonperishable food item or personal toiletry with them to check in and these items will be donated to a local area charity.

    Additional information is available at the Official UMAF website with Official Venue Listing and 2012 Performing Artists.

    Tickets are available online, through contact with volunteers and organizers, and at the following locations.  A limited number of 3 Day All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $60.00 plus applicable fees.  After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $70.00 in advance and will go up to $80.00 day of show.

    A limited number of 3 Day VIP All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $80.00 plus applicable fees.  After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $90.00 in advance and will go up to $100.00 day of show.  Discounts are available for ticket bundles, as detailed on the website.  Individual shows may be attended without a weekend pass by paying a cover charge which will vary according to venue ($5-$15) or by purchasing a day pass which will only be available once the festival has begun.

    Ticket Outlets:
    The Brewery Giftshop –  830 Varick St. Utica
    Utica Coffee Roasting Company – 92 Genesee St. Utica
    Puff N Stuff – 333 Genesee St. Utica
    Big Apple Music – 8441 Seneca Turnpike New Hartford
    Cafe Domenico – 2011 Genesee St. Utica
    Lifted Boardshop – 709 East Dominick St. Rome
    Pizza Boys New York Mills – 9 Clinton St. New York Mills

    Thank you to our sponsors and participating venues:  Price Chopper, Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, Bank of Utica, Puff N Stuff, Pizza Boys New York Mills, Saranac, Mohawk Valley Promotions, United Auto Sales, Jagermeister, BLU, The Celtic Harp, The Nailcreek Pub & Brewery, The Stage at Saranac Thursdays, Piers & Blake, Shots Sports Bar, Dick Smith’s Tavern, The Radisson, O’Donnell’s Pub & Grill, Sickenberger Lane, The Cage, The Green Onion Pub, and the St. Gennaro Feast.

  • Lucinda Williams and John Prine at The Palace Theater

    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

    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.

    john prine

    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

  • moe.down 13: Home Again

    moe.down 13: Home Again

    The 13th edition of moe.’s annual summer party moe down saw the festival return to a very familiar place, Snow Ridge Resort in rural Turin, NY. The first 10 installments of this Upstate New York party were held here and everything seemed to be in their right place, with familiar faces once again inhabiting the familiar Lewis County ski mountain for a long weekend. The only difference this year other than the return home was the festival was held three weeks earlier than its customary Labor Day weekend slot. Festival organizers cited an effort to attract more college-aged kids by holding the event on a weekend other than one more typically associated with ‘back to school’ for college student. It remains to be seen if this tactic was as effective as hoped as the overall attendance and crowd seemed little lighter than in years past. Never the less, moe.down once again treated everyone who was present to a weekend of good times with friends along with the customary musical highlights.

    Grace Potter and the Nocturnals really seemed to ignite the fire that was moe.down 13. Their Friday early evening set could have easily served as a short late night set elsewhere as it was full of energy, stirring covers and powerful rock. The Burlington, VT based group entertained everyone with new songs from their latest album The Lion The Beast The Beat as well as a musical nod to Led Zeppelin and a well executed Neil Young cover; “Cortez the Killer” closed their set as a light rain began to saturate the grounds. All of this, combined with a “Happy Birthday” sing-a-long dedicated to a fan up front, made for a fun set overall and kicked off the festival in fine fashion.

    Another familiar name served up music on the second stage Friday night as Kyle Hollingsworth took his band out to the East Coast for some festival love. The String Cheese Incident keyboardist led his group through songs that incorporated elements of funk, jazz, improv and the like, with String Cheese songs “The Way That it Goes” and “Rosie” and Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome”. Talented for sure, this seems to be a group just getting their feet wet that could very well be on the regular music festival docket for years to come. Their sets, both with and without the rain, served as a great break between acts on the nearby main stage.

    As the rain began to lessen ever so slightly, it was time for moe.’s first set of the weekend. It opened with a rousing version of “Plane Crash” with Al Schnier flaunting a double neck guitar. This segued nicely into the popular musical combination of “Not Coming Down -> Wormwood->Okayalright” as the band showed it was clearly on its collective game early.

    Sit-ins with other bands and musicians are almost expected at moe.down as the hosts never seem to have a problem sharing the stage with their friends. Based on this, it was no surprise Grace Potter was invited on stage to join moe. during the first set; it was just a matter of what song they chose to do together. They chose to have Potter channel her inner Jagger and delivered a great version of “Gimme Shelter”. The rest of the first set was highlighted by a phenomenal “Puebla -> Timmy Tucker” segue that featured the bass playing and vocal prowess of Rob Derhak that moe.rons everywhere have grown to love. While some slight lyric flubs arose, the overall playing and demeanor of the band was on point. Although it was still early, there was already a prevailing sense of ‘there’s no place like home’ brewing throughout moe.down.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1BlZlr_5o&w=560&h=315]

    The second set of moe.’s Friday night performance opened with a rocking version of “Tailspin”, a song that had been shelved by the band for a little while. This was met with a great reception and the segue into “Head” only increased the energy. Kyle Hollingsworth filled the second set cover slot as he joined the band for their classic “Happy Hour Hero”. Perhaps the musical highlight of the night was the seamless “McBain->Skrunk->Brent Black” that closed out the second set as icing on the cake. Afterwards, soaked revelers either returned back to camp and sought rest or continued the party with The Everyone Orchestra which kept the music going until 2 a.m. The addition of late night musical acts was another slight new twist to the festival and one that made perfect sense.

    Saturday saw the temperatures increase a little with some drier ground on the hill for dancers. SOJA opened up things in the afternoon with a fun set on the main stage. The Arlington, VA band’s brand of reggae and folk music with soulful lyrics served as a great way to start the day. The band seemed truly honored to be playing at moe.down and undoubtedly made a few new fans with their performance.
    Other notable main stage acts on Saturday were The Wood Brothers and Galactic. There was a little difficulty setting up the stage at first for The Wood Brothers set, but this was the one of the few slight music delays all weekend. Otherwise, organizers did a fantastic job of keeping the music on schedule with no sets overlapping one another – a tradition of moe.down.

    Another tradition of sorts moe.down offers is a Kids Tent with its family friendly atmosphere. The band has always been cognizant of the growing family around themselves, their friends and festival attendees and they continue to do their best to make sure the festival is fun for all ages. This year, the band delivered a stealth performance of sorts in the Kids Tent for kids and their parents lucky enough to be present. A slower, bouncier version of “Crab Eyes” could be heard and, afterwards, band members hung around to talk and socialize which was nice to see. The next day, the kids returned the favor and kept another moe.down tradtion alive with a parade on stage during “Bring It Back Home”. Each child was wielding a photo of a different band member’s face with sizes ranging from mask size to extremely oversized (think of the ‘big’ heads popularized in college basketball these days.) All of this created a truly surreal, yet fun, scene that served as a testament to the family vibe that was alive and well.

    Saturday night brought perhaps the best moe.ments of the weekend with two memorable sets. The first set opened with another “Crab Eyes”, this one being in the more traditional style. There were no breathers early as this segued into “Down Boy” and then “Lazarus”. The second set was a tale of two sets, so to speak. Early highlights included an intricate “Zed Nought Zee->Don’t Fuck With Flo->Zed Nought Zee” that saw the band at its improvisational best. Crowd energy was riding high when the hosts decided to invite their friends from Galactic to the stage. They chose to cover “Up On Cripple Creek”, an odd choice considering some of the more funky and uptempo tunes in moe’s catalog. This seemed to halt some of the momentum that had been building all night. A partial band switch brought Galactic to the stage with Vinny Amico and Jim Loughlin still on percussion for a rousing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times”. moe. returned and dug deep and then some with a killer one-two punch of “George” and “Recreational Chemistry” to close out the night. These psychedelic staples were so intense and full of musical peaks the band was met with little argument from fans when no encore was played.

    Bright Light Social Hour filled the Saturday late night slot and even featured a sit in from moe. guitarist Chuck Garvey. Every festival seems to have a band that comes out of nowhere and steals the show a little, and this group may fit that role here. Their catchy rhythms and unique rock sound were well received by the late night crowd and surely won them some new fans as well.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vUpN6A9Xqc]

    Sunday had a more relaxed feel to it for sure as some people began to slowly pack up cars and take down camp sites. With no Labor Day Monday off this year, this was not a surprising development. Albany’s own Timbre Coup held court on the second stage throughout the afternoon and delivered their infectious and unique music spanning multiple genres and styles for which they have become known. They added to the cover total for the weekend with a fun take on Cake’s “Never There”. Elements of prog rock were heard throughout both of their sets which set the table nicely for a more prominent band later in the day that features something similar.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA-SI3uJ5rU]

    The relationship between moe. and Umphrey’s McGee goes back many years at this point and is fairly well known. Ever since the original Bonnaroo in 2002, when moe. invited a young guitarist named Brendan Bayliss to sit in on “Rebubula”, the two bands have been almost joined at the hip. Umphrey’s has been a part of multiple moe.down’s and the two bands also co-host another annual summer festival, SummerCamp in Chilicothe, IL.

    Umphrey’s treated the Sunday late afternoon crowd to a set full of intricate musicianship and telepathic improvisation. “Booth Love”, a hit off of their latest album Death by Stereo was well played and preceded a tight run through of one of their older songs, “Jajunk”. The Midwesterners then brought out guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan to join them on a version of “40’s Theme” that left mouths agape. Seeing Jordan trade guitar licks with Bayliss and Jake Cinninger was a true treat for both the eyes and ears.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plnBDlQtfro]

    moe. wrapped a bow around the weekend and the return to Turin with an elongated second set and double encore of sorts. Yet another well woven segue opened the final set as “Bullet -> Deep This Time” kicked things off. As expected, the hosts were later joined by their friends in Umphrey’s for, you guessed it, a cover song. They chose to do the Pink Floyd classic “Time” and as this wound down, members of moe. slowly started to leave the stage. Umphrey’s then once again had the stage to themselves and treated fans to a dub take on “Breathe” completing the Pink Floyd cover block.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-23I2BnuChM]

    Afterwards, moe. returned to the stage and there was one order of business left to take care of: the mayoral election. Although no candidate debates were scheduled this year, that didn’t stop people for running for the ‘unofficial’ mayor of the festival for 2012. In a heated race, Rex (a regular candidate who has been seeking the office for years now) lost a nail biter to GoldBond aka “the stuff people rub on their balls” as so deftly put by Derhak. With another moe.down tradition in the bag, there was time for just one more – a Sunday night “Rebubula”. The band busted out their classic hit that has all too often served as the final musical chapter of the weekend.

    This year, the band had a little trick up their sleeve. The final chords of “Rebubula” gave way to the customary fireworks set off from atop the giant hill that serves as the iconic landmark of the festival. Instead of shutting it down after the fireworks ended, the hosts decided to “play until they tell us to stop” and treated everyone to a final musical pairing of “Billy Goat -> Meat” that capped a weekend full of memorable sights and sounds.

    While the band never mentioned anything directly, it was clear after three days back in Turin , NY that was moe.down was back home where it belonged. Familiar faces were seen, traditions were upheld and it was almost as if the festival had never changed locations at all. Let’s hope moe.down is here to stay for good and that the traditions and great music continue.

  • Eastbound Jesus at Red Square, August 10th

    Local Americana group Eastbound Jesus played last Friday at Albany’s popular venue, Red Square. The band announced early in the day on their Facebook page that there would be no opening band and they were excited to play longer sets that night with plenty of music to spare.

    The crowd quickly rushed the stage once Eastbound Jesus had started tuning their instruments. To some disappointment, it was only the sound check. Even before their set, the band set the bar high with only warming up and the crowd had a to control their anticipation a bit longer. A quick “Sorry guys, we’ll start real soon” reassured the crowd. After a round of drinks, the boys were ready to rock, roll and ramble on.

    With Adam Brockway on acoustic guitar wearing his signature hat, Zack Infante rocking the lap steel in his chair, Dave Wright on bass and mandolin, Dylan Robinson playing electric guitar as well as Carl Anderson on drums and Luke Anderson on banjo, Eastbound Jesus has quickly become one of the Capital District’s most beloved bands. Each member contributed vocals and lyrics that almost break your heart, making it impossible not to enjoy a performance, with music that stirs your blood and makes you stomp your feet. It should come as no surprise the band was voted ‘Best Country Band’ in the Metroland’s “Best of 2012” issue this past July. Eastbound Jesus released their second album, Holy Smokes! last January and with such chemistry between them, there’s nothing but more great music to follow.

    Eastbound Jesus will be appearing at the Bella Terra Festival on August 19th in Stephentown, New York and 3rd annual Upstate Boogie Festival in Lyons, NY August 31st. They will also be making stops at Nectars in Burlington, Vermont on August 23rd and Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, New York on August 25th. For more tour dates, news and free tunes, head to their website, eastboundjesus.com