NYS Music 20​12

Category: Central NY

  • Saturday in Syracuse: Soul Risin’ Album release show at The Westcott (Ticket give away too)

    Saturday in Syracuse: Soul Risin’ Album release show at The Westcott (Ticket give away too)

    Syracuse’s music scene has always been vibrant and featured some incredible acts in the past and local favorites Soul Risin’ continue to make their mark as one of the best in the region. This Saturday at The Westcott Theater, Soul Risin’ releases their  third album Rise & Fall. Recorded in recorded in April at More Sound Recording Studio and engineered by Jason (Jocko) Randle and Andrew Greacen, the album is a fantastic effort (review here). You can pick download or stream the album at www.soulrisin.bandcamp.com or pick up a copy of the physical album and download MP3s at cdbaby.com

    soul risin'On Saturday at The Westcott Theater, Doors open at 7pm with Boots N’ Shorts on shortly after 8pm, then Brother Joscephus and The Love Revival Revolution Orchestra followed by Soul Risin’ taking the stage shortly after 10pm

    Adding to the release of the album is the cause behind the show. From ticket and album sales, Soul Risin’ is raising money to help a local  Syracuse woman who was recently diagnosed with cancer, has no health insurance, so as to help her family out with basic needs. Bryan Weinsztok, lead singer of the group lost his father a year ago on October 16th, hence the album release date this week. In order to help the family meet their needs with bills and groceries, Weinsztok is looking to raise $1000 or more to benefit the family. Keeping charity close to the cause is noble, especially on such an eventful night already.

    Take a listen to the free stream on Bandcamp and enjoy the music. Soul Risin’ is known for putting on a solid live performance with something for everyone, making for a great regional jam show.

    TICKET and ALBUM GIVEAWAY!

    is giving away a signed double LP Vinyl of Rise and Fall AND Two tickets to Saturday night’s CD release party at The Westcott Theater.

    To enter, follow @ on Twitter or Like us on Facebook – doing both increases the chances to win! Winners will be announced Saturday afternoon at 12pm.

  • Soul Risin’ produces a powerful third album in ‘Rise & Fall’

    Soul Risin’ produces a powerful third album in ‘Rise & Fall’

    I was introduced to Soul Risin’ in 2009 by my friend Greg who noted that Jon Fishman himself called himself a fan of the group. When Phish played the War Memorial in the fall of 2009, an indoor lot scene was created with vendors of food, beer and clothing, as well as a few bands, most notably, Soul Risin’. Their first two albums were in regular rotation on road trips and the third album will find a home in the mix very shortly.

    Soul Risin'The album kicks off with “Don Negativo (Fool Like You)”, a country/rock foot-tapper, including a Blues Traveler vibe in the vocals that push right to the edge of each peak, building up again to the refrain. Title track “Rise & Fall” has a “You Can Call Me Al” rhythm, very calypso in composition with evenly balanced horns in the back. This is a definite crowd pleaser of a tune. “Heavens Done” has funk and blaring horns from the start, scat style singing and large builds with the horns, giving the band it’s first rock anthem of the album. “Tidal Waves” has a rockabilly, hip shaker beat to it while “Leaving Train” is the first softer track on the album, growing to nearly a full band ballad.

    The next few tracks (“Worcester”->”Baby”) carry the theme of the passing of lead singer Bryan Weinsztok’s father last year through the birth of his child this spring. 

    The island jamming music of “Worcester” is a little Strangefolk-sounding mixed into the progressive jams and guitar work. This track opens up nicely with keywork from Mike D’Ambrosio before returning to the composition and Weinsztok’s impassioned lyrics. “The Door” gets started on a slow and steady path, but halfway through diverges and gets abruptly louder, with notable accents from Adam Fisher’s bass.  Another album highlight, “Part Two/Open the Door” showcases John Capozzolo’s drum work and Jim Dunham’s Percussion, providing the framework for the band to create a song with even greater depth; one cannot help but recall Dave Matthews efforts from a decade ago when hearing “Open the Door”, a compliment to this grand track.

    “The Greatest Advice” moves by at a breakneck pace but the lyrics chillingly stick out, notably the repeated “Love means more than madness, when we’re tossed off to life’s great abyss. Ours is the flame that burns in this insane world over.” A lullaby sung from father to child, “Baby” is the softest moment on the album. “Punk” takes the album out on a high note, with Weinsztok’s guitar tearing through the song.

    Key Tracks – Rise and Fall, Worcester, Part Two/Open the Door, The Greatest Advice

    Soul Risin’ plays Saturday at The Westcott Theater for the official album release party. You can win tickets via at the bottom of this page.

    Soul Risin’ on Facebook 

  • One World Concert at The Carrier Dome

    It’s hard to imagine a reason why thirty musicians from all corners of the world and all genres of music would be performing on a stage in Syracuse.  But if you can imagine the Dalai Lama being the combining force that brought them all to The Carrier Dome on Tuesday, October 9 for The One World Concert.

    Labeled as “a historic celebration of peace, music, and common ground,” was a fast paced variety show, exhibiting some of the world’s best musicians, in order to share the message of peace with the world.  As Whoopi Goldberg the emcee put it, we were all there for a “piece of the peace.”  And while that may have been true for a fair amount of the audience, the great majority was there for the star-studded line-up meant to perform after the Dalai Lama’s speech.

    Aside from a few technical issues, the speech given by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was both inspiring and entertaining.  Who would have expected one of the great spiritual leaders of the word to have such a great sense of humor and be taken seriously while wearing a Syracuse University visor?  He spoke of peace, tolerance, and leaving the past centuries of war and conflict behind us for a new one filled with peace and happiness.

    When Dave Matthews came on stage, everyone was filled with happiness to spare.  The renowned artist graced the crowd with a three-song set, a rarity for the evening and a privilege only granted to four of the thirty acts at the concert.  Without a doubt, Matthews was the headliner.  After his performance of “Mercy,” the crowd was ready for the rest of the concert to get underway.

    Natasha Bedingfield sang “Unwritten,” Nelly Furtado “Spirit Indestructible,” and Cyndi Lauper and Angelique Kidjo did a duet of “True Colors,” as everyone seemed to be having a great time, really paying attention to and enjoying the music.  That is, until Roberta Flack came on.  The audience seemed more interested in trying to keep a wave going, than actually listening to her perform.  Needless to say, the artist was upset and ended up leaving the stage without so much as a goodbye.

    The world music artists were expectedly unknown to most of the audience members, with the exception of AR Rahman.  However, Rahman didn’t even sing the song that made him famous by him and The Pussycat Dolls for SlumDog Millionaire, so most people were truly hearing his music for the first time.  There were also artists from Afghanistan, Iran, and Israel.  In fact, this concert marked the first time in history an Israeli artist and Iranian artist shared the stage.  The Israeli pop singer, Liel Kolet, was one of the few artists who got a three song set, and she seemed to impress the crowd.

    By the end of the show, the stadium had emptied out significantly.  Being a college campus on a week night right before mid-terms, it was to be expected.  The closing act was Counting Crows, and they had a straight-up jam session lasting several songs that was great to watch and a fantastic way to end the show.

    Review by Morgan Craig

    Previously known for his traditional Hasidic beard and fedora, reggae star Matisyahu proved the old cliché “you are your hair” to be true when he stepped out on stage at the One World concert freshly shaven and quaffed. New album, New man, and a handsome new man at that. During his performance a few rows behind me, someone shouted “You’re Hot!”, a phrase I have never heard used to describe Matisyahu before. On stage he seemed right at home, as Matisyahu grew up in Westchester County, New York about four hours away from Syracuse, where he attended White Plains High School.

    When the lyrics to the hit “One Day” off his 2010 album Light echoed throughout the dome it was clear why he chose to perform the older song.  “Sometimes I lay under the moon. I thank god I’m breathing.” The perfect compliment to the messages about cherishing life from the Dalai Lama. The words: “We don’t wanna fight no more, there’ll be no more wars and our children will play” gave me chills. I looked around the bleachers to find that the rest of the audience was just as moved, bobbing and swaying to the relaxed vibe. Inspired voices in the crowd sang along to the chorus repeating the words “One Day” and in that moment the possibility of one day having world peace really hindered in the air.

    After reading the names David Sanbourn, Cyndi Lauper, and Angelique Kidjo on the set-list for the One World Concert at Syracuse University last Wednesday. I had never imagined the three would collaborate so melodically. Nor should I have been surprised by anything at that point in the concert considering Whoopie Goldberg had  introduced the Dalai Lama (who later gave up the stage to Dave Matthews). Like an iPod on shuffle you never knew what would play at the One World Concert.

    The child in me gawked at the stage as the great Cyndi Lauper emerged in an edgy black and white suit jacket and loud pattern leggings. “We’re gonna do a song.” From the floor audience someone yelled “Girls Just Want To Have Fun!” to which Lauper replied with a smirk, “Not that one. I do wish you a lot of fun though.” She proceeded to pick the strings of a steel pedal guitar. David Sanbourn added to the sound with an aged-to-perfection-saxophone and then Angelique Kidjo let out her stunning vocals and the three produced a rendition of “True Colors” that left every soul rejuvenated.

    A tranquil sense of peace and oneness fell over the dome until Angelique Kidjo to an energetic bound back to center stage for a solo performance of “Afrika” off her sophomore album Spirit Rising. There was not a single booty in the arena that wasn’t shaking to the bongos. I’d be surprised if the Dalai Lama himself wasn’t moving his peace-maker backstage. In a shimmering blue suit jacket, Kidjo single-handedly turned the previously calm One World Concert into one big peace-party. My peers and I, as college students, saw Kidjo as just another obscure world-music artist on the set-list whose performance we would use as a chance to run to the bathroom before acts like Matisyahu or Swizz Beats. However, the instant we heard her booming, divalicious voice we were hooked. Her energy was contagious. From 30-year old men to high schoolers everyone in the Dome had caught the afro-fusion fever. Angelique Kidjo was the perfect example of how music can bring people together.

  • Dum Dum Girls at Schine Underground, October 11th

    The Dum Dum Girls are a band whose genre cannot be defined in a simple manner. When describing the group, fans of the Dum Dum Girls often use phrases like “dream pop,” “noise pop,” or “chill wave.” They use phrases that aren’t necessarily found on the iTunes “Music Categories” tab.

    This precise characterization associated with the Dum Dum Girls is a result of the band’s effort to create a musical style of their own, one that strays in the opposite direction of today’s exclusively female pop groups. In doing so, Dee Dee, Jules, Sandy, and Malia have pinpointed exactly how they want to present themselves, and on Thursday, October 11, this presentation was put on display at Syracuse University’s Schine Underground.

    Introducing themselves in lace tops and skirts significantly shorter form a proportional perspective than their complimentary tights, the Dum Dum Girls spoke first with “Mine Tonight,’” the opening track of their recently released EP, End of Daze.

    As their set progressed, the Girls continued to emphasize End of Daze, playing four of the EP’s five songs that earned the band “Best New Music” recognition from Pitchfork and a spot on this year’s CMJ lineup in New York City.

    Tracks from their two full-length albums, “I Will Be” and “Only in Dreams”, appeared in the eclectically put together set as well, along with the title track from 2011’s He Gets Me High.

    Throughout the show, the Dum Dum Girls also committed to communicating primarily through their music, deviating from any pre-song banter with the crowd. While many musicians take some type of conversational approach in an effort to connect with their audience, The Dum Dum Girls exhibited no such strategy. This lack of dialogue, however, by no means correlated with a disconnected audience. The venue’s guests found themselves dancing with the set’s more upbeat songs, driven by a snare drum that created a rhythmic version of sounds not unlike those of gunfire.

    The band’s mellower songs reflected lead-singer Kristen Gundred’s (A.K.A. Dee Dee) angelic stage presence. Standing out as the lone “Dum” blond, Gundred exemplified both a seraphic appearance and vocal ability. Her ethereal nature, however, fittingly contrasted with her punk-rock attitude.

    The Dum Dum Girls’ commitment to epitomizing rock lasted their entire set and peaked as they transitioned into their final song, covering the Smiths’ “There is a Light that Never Goes Out.” The Girls showed no fear in presenting one of Morrissey’s most popular songs to a surely Smiths-savvy crowd.

    This type of audacious behavior has resulted in burgeoning success for the Dum Dum Girls, putting Dee Dee and company exactly where they want to be.

  • New Riders of the Purple Sage – Live at The Westcott

    By Gauraa Shekhar

    Buddy Cage, the pedal steel guitarist, shoots an amused look in my direction. Standing in the front row, I can almost feel him say, “What are you doing here, kiddo?” I suppress the urge to stereotype as I scan the crowd—sixty-somethings men and women dressed in overalls, hippie dancing to “Where I Come From”. The old man in pigtails standing next to me flashes a huge grin and offers me a whiff of an aromatic something passing hands. “No, thanks!” I assure him I am good. I feel out of place. I am the only one with black XX’s stamped across the back of hand—evidently, the only seventeen year old in the room.

    photo by Frances Huang

    The New Riders of the Purple Sage chime into chorus. And I am pulled out of the background, zapped into the song. The group of seventy-year-olds with their twangy opening burst out more energy than the two young acts before them did—combined. Tonight, there is reason to celebrate. “It’s the 7th year anniversary of our renaissance!” screams David Nelson before cranking the intro to “Panama Red”. “We’ve been together for 45 years!” adds Falzarano. The crowd went berserk.

    As The New Riders of the Purple Sage jams to oldies like “Glendale Train”, “Last Lonely Eagle” and “Louisiana Lady” from their eponymous record, nostalgia billows over the crowd, overwhelms it. Lovers lock eyes, friends hold hands and you can almost feel the music transcending time. The band is playing “Down for the Ride”, when I witness a man jump out of his wheelchair. He holds onto the railing in the front row for support, sways along with the music as he lands on his feet. He catches me looking at him in awe. “Kid, do you know what music is?” he asks. “It’s knowledge. It’s how stories are shared from campfire to campfire and eventually brought to us today.” I nod, soaking in this bizarre experience before me.

    The show rollicks towards an end and as Nelson mentions a closer, the crowd begins to chant, “Dirty Business! Dirty Business!” And there you have it. The band plays the eight minute long hit single from their debut album and the crowd simply loses itself in it.

    I don’t quite know what I was doing there but I felt that no EDM show could measure up to this weirdly wonderful night. Tonight, this was a community: all as one. As they say, it’s always a freak show when the riders come to town.

    Download Steven Weld’s recording of the show

  • Dropkick Murphys, Saranac Brewery, September 20th

    Another chance arose last week for me to scratch a band off my ‘Must see before I croak’ list.  It’s always an extra treat when that happens in our own backyard and most especially with this show.  I absolutely love Dropkick Murphys but have some trepidation about plunging myself into a seething pit of jack booted ‘punk rawk’ fans lit up on whiskey, particularly in a place where I’m not familiar with the exits.  I was long overdue for some live Dropkick and not optimistic about my prospects.

    Then, a few weeks ago, I caught wind of some promotion about the fall line-up of shows at the Saranac Stage at the Brewery on Varick Street and lo and behold, score Utica some Dropkick Murphys!  Tickets were nabbed, a posse was assembled, and down to V Street we trekked on a lovely, temperate autumnal evening. I was a bit confused and unimpressed by the opening acts and from all I overheard, I wasn’t the only one.  They didn’t really make sense or fit cohesively with Dropkick’s style, and my friends and I stopped off at the Nailcreek first to wet our whistles and time our entry for the main event.  So worth the wait! Utica came out strong for this and with a perfect attitude!  High energy and joyful, and the band both fueled it and was fueled by it.

    Opening with a few well known favorites, including dropping “Boys On The Docks” into the early part of the set and taking a crowd request for “You’re a Rebel”, the band whipped the fans into a frenzy.  I saw huge smiling faces around me and my friends and I very quickly decided this was the opportunity to finally be up front at a Dropkick show.  Honestly, we sort of flanked up the side but if your elbows are on a speaker, that counts as up front to me!  Perfect vantage point to soak up the excitement rolling off everyone and to watch the most pleasant bunch of crowd surfers I’ve ever seen. I’d be remiss not to give a genuine kudos to the security from Westcott Events who did a fantastic job between the stage and the crowd barricades, gently but firmly plucking elevated bodies from simulated flight and placing them safely on the ground, their exits from stage front met with a gauntlet of high fives and fist pumps from their fellow fans.

    Everyone sang enthusiastically along, especially with “Forever” and Al Barr frequently jumped off the stage to interact with the throng, cumulative voices ringing out into the microphone he held to their faces. About half way in, the band announced they were about to play us some new songs whether we liked it or not, and delivered two new selections that will easily become new favorites.  The material on this most recent album is on par with or exceeds their current body of work!  I was feeling really grateful…and also a little full of Saranac Octoberfest so I dashed off to a bathroom that wasn’t freestanding in a parking lot, missing the closing number.  My timing sometimes is epic.  But I still heard it, even inside the bar bathroom!  The strong strains of “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” punched through the cool night air and the band invited fans to jump up on stage and help the song along, making everyone’s night.

    We rounded our evening out with another taste of Jameson and a Utica Club on the deck at the Nailcreek and were treated to an impromptu, pop up performance of some kilted bagpipers from the street.  Really.  Random bagpipes appeared out of seemingly nowhere.  Only in Utica!  Stellar times all the way around.

  • Mazza, Allanson and Lockwood at the Green Onion Pub

    Taking it back again to Thursday night of the Utica Music and Arts Festival for my final review of fest time;  a rundown of a local Utica, NY instrumental jazz jam fusion trio, Mazza, Allanson, and Lockwood at The Green Onion Pub.

    I like to round out my UMAF evenings at The Onion.  It’s cozy, close to my abode and the libations and service are always top notch.  I also am of the opinion that a lot of the acts that bust through this bar end up sinking deep into the psyche here.  Cozy also means small, and groups that can pump their energy out of a small space and command attention do well.  I seem to keep missing this particular act around town (formerly, Side Effect) and that problem had to go.  That night, the trio had wrapped up a set at The Radisson and dashed over to load in uptown.  Randy Niles, the infamous Pat the Cough, and myself extracted ourselves from O’Donnels and settled into a booth in the back in the middle of a kicking number.  The place was packed and lively and the band had no problem asserting themselves through the din.

    Anything to do with jazz styling is all about musicianship.  The free form structure and drift can seem deceptively magic, but while intuition does play a large role, if every player isn’t tight, the whole thing crumbles.  If blues is for the soul and reggae for the body, jazz is brain music.  Watching these three musicians in question throw down, it’s apparent that everyone is right on point and serious about what’s happening.

    Otto Allanson rides the kit with flair and style.  Heavy on the finesse, sharp snare stings and colorful cymbal splashes, he engages synapse connections, sometimes shuffling along as a steady spine for the meanderings of the tonal components beside him.  I like not knowing quite what to expect or where a percussive expert will set the down beat and accents, it keeps me on my toes while listening.  I also enjoy occasional departures from rock drumming’s bass pedal addiction and straight rhythms.  Allanson delivers.

    Gabe Lockwood’s bass is nice and present, well rounded and colorful.  When the group takes a turn into more proggy numbers, it’s the bass that drives them there, mixing elements of slap, injections of funk, and confident, heavy runs.  The syncopation is electric, rhythms and counter rhythms advancing and then stepping back to showcase the other elements of the music.  You can feel the rumble and pop deep in your core and I think you could get used to it.  He seems equally confident lending more subtle depth in the slower more laid back songs, illustrating complexity.

    Gary Mazza’s guitar style is very jazzy and he tickles melodies tactfully over the waves undulating from the bottom end.  Either hard or soft, the high end soars, showcases and compliments.  Clearly secure in his theory, Mazza exemplifies an intelligent nurture of obvious natural gifts.  Inside the structure of the songs, these musicians are weaving their individual expressions precisely without knocking the mix out of balance.  In this case, all the while crammed into a space about the size of a hall closet.  Right on!

    Fans of groups like Dopapod and Aqueous are sure to note some similarities between these bands and MA&L., but I think what sets them apart is a more solid commitment to the style of traditional jazz.  One could equally compare them to MMW in many ways as well.  I suggest it’s time for some larger venues and stages to work from, including the festival circuit!

    Already established on the scene here, I hope and expect to see the following of this trio continue to grow and expand as more people encounter them and catch the itch to have some again.  Walking away from a Mazza, Allanson and Lockwood performance, it is difficult not to feel impressed.  I’m looking very forward to the next time and hope you will also.

    Get out there and take in some music.  It’s everywhere in the Central New York!

  • Review: The Moho Collective at Utica Music and Arts Festival

    One thing I do not miss is an outdoor Moho Collective set.  I think it’s safe to say that nearly everyone I ran into all weekend knew this was one of my must see bands. I do a great deal of prattling on about Moho’s charms,  and I intended to see both their Greens Fest set as well as later in the evening at Piers & Blake.  Indoors, they are a delight, but something extra special happens when this band has a chance to do its thing in the sunshine and fresh air, and their first set this year was on the Utica Greens Festival Stage right on Varick Street on Saturday afternoon.

    I pried myself from the merch booth and ran up front to get a little much needed Rochester-style boogie on. The Moho Collective plays an innovative mix of instrumental jazz fusion with a strong world music representation.  There is a heavy taste of blues and even nods toward the grunge movement in their approach as they  truly use tones and styles as tools rather than definitive compartments.  Fans of funk and avant-garde,indie rock can also find many things to appreciate about the Moho and I really do encourage everyone who wasn’t drawn by the sound this weekend to go to the band’s website and check them out, pronto.

    From the opening strains of the first song, this band did indeed draw people.  My time in Rochester taught me well to run right up front and start grooving, however ridiculous I might look.  Some of the first souls to join me were the kids.  The tiny tot crowd, no older than 7, dug the hell out of this group, responding naturally to the evocative tonal arrangements and eternal rhythms and the sight of their innocent enjoyment heightened my experience for sure.   Some music sets the spirit free and Moho serves up a steady dose of just that sort.  May the youngest ones continue to remind us of this.  In no time at all, most of the people milling about the street had pushed up toward the stage to listen closer.

    Kurt G. Johnson wielded things with strings commandingly as usual, moving from his telecaster to a lap steel, tweaking knobs and adjusting tones all the while, including a small bit of sampling.  A slight feedback problem and a little unanticipated bleed over from the inside stage nearby proved challenging for the band’s on stage sound, but it’s safe to say the audience wasn’t phased.  Ryan Barclay is an  intuitive and intelligent percussionist.  The term ‘drummer’ just does not fit the bill here.  Shaking and rattling a wide array of noise making devices, Barclay layers brick by brick into the wall of sound.  Particularly worth noting, he taps out a great groove on a tambourine in Chikyu Hakken against the eastern tones of Johnson’s finger picking on the steel that adds a heady counterpoint and gets stuck, itself, in your head.  He frequently fuses percussion with tonality by employing gongs, what looks like brass meditation bowls, and chimes in choice moments of several numbers in addition to his work on his kit.  They are professionally trained, accomplished musicians and it plainly shows.  Justin Rister works both an upright and a Fender P Bass, switching as the situation calls for.  Also trained in percussion, Rister rounds out the trio’s sound both high and low and is constantly adding rhythm and color to each song.

    I’m intrigued and impressed by how often the band is able to weave spiritual sounds into their songs and notice that often the bass’ rumble is dancing close to or on top of chakra tones.  Like a puzzle, each member of this sonic team drops firmly into place and expresses to create the whole that is the collective. So, we smiled into the sunshine on a lovely Saturday afternoon, close friends and neighbors nearby, and we simply were joyful.  It was a beautiful thing.  A sign sat on the check in desk all weekend that sums up the experience of a Moho Collective show.  “The groove is here to lift you up.” Right on, right on.

  • Highlights of Utica Music and Arts Festival

    With a sprawling lineup spread out over a dozen venues and three nights, seeing all that Utica Music and Arts Festival (UMAF) has to offer is a daunting task. Contributing writers Pete Connors and Lindsay Jones, as well as Online Editor Pete Mason, went to a few shows this past weekend to see a small sample of UMAF 2012.

    Thursday September 13th – by Pete Connors and Lindsay Jones

    The 5th installment of Utica Music Fest kicked off on Thursday night with Pink Floyd tribute band Childhood’s End, a special Saranac Thursday at the Saranac Brewery. Leigh D’Agastino of Saranac Brewery said she was very happy with the turnout for the kick off party, a “much larger crowd than 2011.”  The crowd was a bit older but most were enjoying the set (and $3 Saranac’s) with some even breaking out their air guitars to play along. The band breezed through “Pigs” and more obscure Floyd tunes before taking on multiple selections from Dark Side of the Moon, including “Breathe”, “Time”, “Money”, “Us and Them” and “Eclipse”.   There were few lulls in the set as it was easy to tell that they had been covering Floyd for 30 years, as keyboardist Steve Schad pointed out while introducing his band mates before the end of their set.

    Post-Saranac, Nail Creek Pub was the place to be for UMAF headliner Zach Deputy. The Cleveland, Ohio based soul outfit Winslow got the crowd dancing while early arrival Zach Deputy mingled with the crowd andposed for pictures, and was generally happy to be part of the weekend.  Zach took the stage and it was going to be a special night. He kept the energy high from song one and the crowd was locked in and happy to go along for the ride, knowing that there were two more days of music to come.

    Friday September 14th – by Lindsay Jones

    Friday night started at Pier’s and Blake, an up and coming venue located in a turn of the century mill building, which had long been vacant and recently been turned into a restaurant as part of the effort to revitalize downtown Utica.  Slip Madigan, a hardworking band out of Buffalo was finishing up their set, and upon recommendation from a friend, there was no disappointment, with improvisational and original work both impressive. As they closed, a secondary stage was set up in the small anterior room, where smaller but very popular acts were playing setbreaks, including Syracuse bluegrass favorites, Boots and Shorts and Home Body,a crazy good, eclectic electronic duo out of Massachusetts.

    As Twiddle, a Vermont based band with a strong local following prepared to take the stage, the room filled with artists, locals and those looking for a solid dance party. Twiddle has a captivating organic style and was heavy on the funk. Their prog-rock feel, along with their solid hooks had the audience captivated and dancing long into the night.

    Saturday September 15th – by Pete Mason

    Nail Creek Pub was once again the start to the night, with Utica natives Sassafras Jenkins taking to the porch. their psychedelic The Doors-meets-Traffic sound and soaring guitar licks from Irwin Winkler made them a huge highlight right out of the gate. With the full band in sync, they sounded great and will surely benefit from a larger room to play in the future. A notable cover of “White Rabbit” and their original “Make it painless” were highlighted by Irwin’s guitar, Nikki on tambourine and vocals and Ryan on keys and vocals. Look for an interview with this group on before years end.

    Over at Swifty’s, Side Effect, a jazz trio made up of Mazza, Allanson and Lockwood took to the bar. Of note was “Waiting for the win”, a funky number with great guitar, as Mazza meandered around the bar thanks to cordless amp while bass and drums held down the fort.

    Ending the night at Pier’s and Blake with Aqueous was the right way to go. With many up and coming bands around the state, Aqueous has shown that they are one of the next to make the jump to a full touring act (see Jimkata, Timbre Coup). Precision tightness whether composed or mid-jam, clear communication as to the direction of the jam and most of all – They look like they are having the time of their lives on stage! Some bands miss this mark and get too serious, but Aqueous does it right. Following their set over in the smaller room, Birdseed Bandits roused the late night crowd with a cover of  Mumford and Sons “The Cave” that provided a late night jolt to a weary but happy crowd.

    Overall, Utica Music and Arts Festival was a fun, potpourri of music and fun, spread out around the city. A concentrated version for next years festival should prove to be beneficial to both bands, venues and fans, keeping the music local and everyone dancing throughout the night.

  • Live Free But Die Digital : An Interview with Jimkata Frontman Evan Friedell

    Live Free But Die Digital : An Interview with Jimkata Frontman Evan Friedell

    Nearly exactly four and half years ago, I drove up to Ithaca to interview four young musicians making local waves as an up and coming college band called Jimkata. They had barely released a 5-track LP and were playing Friday nights in Ithaca and Oneonta. Fast forward to today, that same foursome has caught the attention of more than just Ithacans or regional Upstate New York jam fans.

    Evan Friedell On the heels of releasing their 4th album Die Digital, due out September 18th, and a 10-week national fall tour, I caught up with Jimkata’s front man and guitarist Evan Friedell. The following is the transcript of our recent discussion covering everything from sharing the stage w/ Umphrey’s McGee, their new fan-funded album and how the uniquely infectious sound Jimkata has patented continues to evolve.

    Johnny Goff: so I believe it was 2008 when I came over to your house in Ithaca and sat down to interview you guys. You guys were just getting going. What’s changed in the past 4 and half years as a band?

    Evan Friedell:  We’ve come miles in those 4-5 years. No. 1,  we’ve all grown up and changed as individuals. And also, we’re just kind of starting to find our sound. When we started, our sound went many different directions. And now finally, the sound writing, the instrumentation, the use of technology w/ analog/synth and e-drums has really evolved our sound to what it is today. We’ve also started touring more extensively in the past several years and that has helped us grow a fan-base which is awesome. Also, the new record has been entirely fan-funded. So yeah, we’ve come a long way from a scrappy, little college bar band into you know what we are today.

    Evan FriedellJohnny:  So, in attempting to achieve a good fan base, how important is it that you guys, as a band play every night of the week and not just weekends in attempting to win over new fans?

    Evan: Well, you know, that’s something that has changed over time too. We’ve realized now that we can’t pick a day here or there and play those dates. We’ve realized that in order to get your name out there, you have to play every day of the week. For example, when we go out to Colorado, we decide to play Michigan on the way. And it’s funny, one of the bi-products we’ve found is when we leave our home area and venture away and then return to our home area, our local fans seem to be more energized and at the same time, we are building new grounds withnew fans.

    Johnny: So I’ve noticed that recently, you’ve shared the stage with some pretty notable bands. Can you talk about that?

    Evan: We’ve played a number of festivals on the same bill as some pretty big acts. And we’ve also had the chance to directly support Umphreys McGee for a few shows in Colorado and in Utah. I think as of right now, it’s pretty inspiring to see how bigger acts work from the inside. The professionalism is a totally different ballgame. Everything’s pretty regimented for them and they are on schedules, etc…and then there’s us…you know, we slept in the van and go on stage. We’d love to be there someday but right now, even though we’re growing, it feels like a different world.  The big ones are great too, but I love seeing bands we’ve built the comradery together over the years and seeing them at regional festivals and hanging out before or after our sets.

    Johnny: So, considering this interview is for NYS Music, I’d be remised if I didn’t touch on Upstate New York and its festivals and JImkata’s plans going forward. Also, if you could, discuss my home festival, Grassroots, in Trumansburg, NY and  how Jimkata has taken off there also. It seems like every year, you guys are jumping up to a bigger stage and a better timeslot.

    Evan: Yeah, yeah. We are very grateful for that. All of us are. It’s been great for me because I grew up a couple hours from there (Oneonta) and I used to go to Grassroots when I was 16 and I was like “Holy Shit, ya know, this would be sick to play at sometimes”, and then, well, we were. So it was a huge thrill to get that slot after midnight on a Friday and thinking about back when I was 16 and wondering if I was 16 and watching this, what would I be thinking about these guys? So, it’s pretty cool.

    Johnny: So the way your guys’ sound has morphed from album to album,  I’ve drawn some other comparisons besides just Umphreys McGee; the way your sound is headed with added synthesizers and e-drums, but how would you describe Jimkata’s evolution of sound?

    Evan: First of all, after seeing first-hand what and how Umphrey’s does what they do, I don’t think we would ever be as virtuosic doing what they do. Their skills are out of the park. But, I think, with this latest album, what we’re going for, is we’re simply trying to create songs that hit home for people. That hit home for people in two ways: 1) We’re trying to drop a beat that’s infectious and 2) bust out a melody and chorus that people can bring home with them in their daily lives. I mean that’s one thing I’ve always loved about watching jambands because of they’re playing, skills, and live improvisation but that’s one thing you miss by not putting out an album, the “Wow! Holy Shit!” Factor of a song where you wanna listen and relisten to the melody or chorus was our focus.

    Johnny: If you can, for readers who may not be all that familiar with Jimkata or reading about you for the first time, drop on us some chronological album history and how your sound has morphed from album to album up to your very latest release.

    Evan:  So our first album has some of our earliest songs and is way more guitar oriented and some has killer early rippage. And then, “Burn My Money” was after that and that is when we began to gain some of our earliest fans and has some of our songs that we had been working on for years and years and so we had a ton of available possible songs to choose from to put on that album and that had some of our core songs that we still play today and you can start to hear to some of those synths and e-drums begin to make some appearances and it really was the album where we began to hone a lot of our songwriting. And Next was “Ghosts & Killers” and that came after we had come into some analog synthesizers that we had been playing around with and That was recorded with very little being done to it afterwards post-production. Like with “Burn My Money” we did a lot in the studio to that album but with “Ghosts and Killers”, it was almost like it was simpler arrangements but more complicated instrumentation.

    Johnny: So, take “Ghosts and Killers” and that simpler approach to album making to this latest album Die Digital, I just listened to the other day, it’s obvious there’s a clear delineation now between your album creating philosophies from previous to this latest JImkata album. Is that fair to say?

    Evan:  Our songwriting process has morphed a little bit. The recording process was different also. We recorded w/ a different engineer, a different space and the song writing process, we all started writing music on a laptop to start. So, like If I had an idea, to start the process, I would immediately open the laptop and start putting something down. So, it was like instead of me walking up to see the band and saying I have this great idea for a song and they’re like, “What is it?” and I can’t describe it…I am able to say, “well, here ya go. Here’s an idea for a song,” and simply pull out my laptop and immediately give them an audio sample of where we can go with something. We are all were writing on our own and we were touring more too so it was actually an natural adaptation because it meant we had less practice time.  This album, there’s a couple songs that are straight up Packy (drums) which is a first for all of our records. There’s a couple songs from Aaron as always.

    Johnny: So with the help of technology, you are able to get a better picture of what a song could end up becoming?

    Evan: Exactly. And I think our song-writing skills have gotten a lot better also. You know, for example, when to add something or to cut something from a tune.  Knowing when to keep things simple is the key. Knowing when to keep things simple when you have a lot of different elements happening…that is key; and we had quite a few of these actually from this latest album. We had a million things going on in this album and we seemed better at knowing when and where to cut something.

    Another thing that was noticeable from this album is us as a band really embracing our electronica and hip-hop influences we’ve had. We’re children of the 90’s…ya know? We’ve listened to tons of 90’s hip-hop and electronica music and that’s been huge for us. BUT, we also all love our rock-n-roll. And not just classic rock and jambands but again, being a child of the 90’s, our grunge rock music…Nirvana, Weezer and Smashing Pumpkins and all of that stuff…. and I think finally, all of those influences, all of those factors are finally beginning to come together to form the sound we have on this album.

    Johnny: It’s ironic you mentioned you guys were ‘Children of the 90’s’ because a lot of the sounds coming off this new album is almost from the 80’s. The combination of the electro and synth-sounds just brings me back to when new-wave was really popular.

    Evan: Yeah, it’s funny. I thought “Ghosts & Killers” came out sounding like the 80’s too. So, I guess, you’re right, it’d be fair to say we’re products of our generation, whether it be the 90’s or the 80’s. Music on the radio, commercials on t.v., movie soundtracks, c.d.’s, etc…whatever it was, it apparently influenced us and how we’re making music.

    Johnny: So, there’s a track on your new album “Die Digital” called “Night Shade.” I fell in love with this track and the more I listened to the new album again and again in preparation to speak with you, I found myself going back again and again to this track “Night Shade” with its very infectious rhythm.

    Evan: So, the song is sort about ‘working through hard times and everything turning out all right in the end.’…and now that I’m saying that, I’m realizing I end up writing about that an awful lot. (laughs out loud). The synth hook was written and then the bass line came around and it took me a while to write some lyrics to it because I didn’t want to fuck it up. The track is so epic and fun to begin with so I wanted the hook to be fun and “We don’t give a shit” and not to be too serious.

    Johnny: So, let’s turn the attention to your upcoming tour, your travels in New York and what’s immediately ahead for Jimkata.

    Evan: We have like 10 straight weeks of touring. We’re going, pretty much everywhere but all the way to the west coast. We’re going out to Colorado again, the south. We’re hitting the Midwest and up to Minnesota so we’re basically hitting up everywhere. Finding a gig is not that hard anymore and we’re super thankful for all the work our new agent has put in to get us into some bigger festivals.

    Johnny: So, the new album Die Digital is about to be released. Tell readers how they can listen to this new Jimkata album.

    Evan: It comes out September 18th. A lot of people who donated are going to get a copy in advance. We’re going to have it on our website and I-tunes. I also think we’re going to have it streaming so I know it’s going to be around. We’re just about to head into album promotion mode now as a band.

    Catch Jimkata when they come through Upstate New York over the next three months.

    Thurs. 9/20 – Albany, NY – Red Square
    Fri. 9/21 – Ithaca, NY – The Haunt, with Manhattan Project
    Sat. 9/22 – Rochester, NY – Lovapalooza, with Lovin Cup
    Tues. 9/25 – Buffalo, NY – The Tralf, with Papadosio
    Fri. 10/26 – Jamestown, NY – MoJo’s
    Weds. 10/31 – Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater
    Thurs. 11/1 – Burlington, VT – Nectar’s
    Sat. 11/3 – New York, NY – Sullivan Hall