Category: Plattsburgh

End of the World Shows across Upstate NY on December 21st

It’s the end of the world as we know it, so let’s use that as an excuse to see some live music shows in Upstate New York! On Friday, December 21st, the Mayans, who couldn’t foresee the Spanish coming, have predicted 12/21/2012 as the end of something; probably autumn.

Terrible movies like 2012 have highlighted this and while mass hysteria is always fun to watch, it’s better to celebrate this event with a memorable night out and about. There are quite a few bands planning ‘End of the World’ shows across New York, so here’s a list and links to venues, compiled by Lindsay Jones.

Capital District

Albany

Red Square: Manhattan Project with Convolved

The Bayou Cafe: Conehead Buddha

Lake George

Towers Hall: Capital Zen, Cosmic Dust Bunnies, High Peaks Band, Indigo Sun

North Country

Monopole: Flabberghaster

Syracuse

The Westcott Theater: Project Weather Machine/Timbre Coup

Rochester

Sticky Lips BBQ Juke Joint: Moho Collective

Water Street Music Hall: Donna the Buffalo/Sim Redmond Band

Buffalo

Nietzsche’s: Family Funktion and the Sitar Jams

December 17, 2012
Ten Year Vamp Changes Directions

Albany band Ten Year Vamp has been together for a decade now, and with the end of these ten years comes a change of direction. Moving into their second decade, the club favorites around the Capital District and points north and south will be moving in a new direction, putting their cover songs behind them and focusing exclusively on original music. Debbie Gabrione, lead singer of Ten Year Vamp, talked to about this change by the band and what the future holds for them.

Pete Mason: What recent developments with the band led to the decision, after 10 years, to shift away from covers and focus exclusively on your original music?

Debbie Gabrione: After ten years of non stop gigging, we just reached a point where we’ve attained a decent level of success as an unsigned original band and realized we don’t need the cover band thing anymore to continue moving forward. The cover music was just a way for us to have an income so that we could invest that income into the original band; making CDs, merch, gas/hotel money, etc… Due largely to the income of the cover band, we’ve released six CD’s, with the last two getting us a significant amount of publicity, licensing and publishing opportunities. With those opportunities, we’ve been able to get an income as an original band (as opposed to the cover band income which we previously had to rely on). With the new found income, we don’t need the cover band. Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t suck to have the two incomes and we talked about keeping the cover shows going, even on a part time level, but after playing more then 800 shows, not having a weekend free to spend with friends/family for the past 10 years, playing the same cover songs over and over with excitement and energy, and being burnt out and sore and tired all the time, it’ll be nice to get a small break.

PM: How do you plan to spend the new found time?

DG: We plan to make good use of our break by writing tons of new originals. We’ve made connections in the industry and we now know how things work, so we feel as though it’s in our best interest to focus 100% on just putting out as much original music as possible. Because we all have full time jobs AND gig on the weekend AND practice one night a week, it’s been nearly impossible to find time to write, let alone feel inspired. We just really want to free ourselves up as much as possible to just write. Once we have some new material and possibly a new product to shop (a CD), we’ll resume playing shows.

PM: What were the conflicts surrounding the decision?

DG: There really weren’t many conflicts and it was pretty much an obvious decision. The fact is that we’re not the band we want to be. We want to be an original band, but we haven’t had the time to write a song in two years because we’ve been so busy.

PM: How did the band measure the pros and cons of the change?

DG: We could keep going as we are, but we’re not moving in the direction we want to go. It sucks and it’s sad to say goodbye to something we’ve been doing for 10 years with each other, but if what we want is more success as an original band, then this is the most ideal solution.

PM: Ten Year Vamp has always mixed in originals into their sets, so will there be more songwriting and song debuts in the future?

DG: The plan is to take a few months off and dive head first into writing, then hit up the studio and get everything recorded. When we have a bunch of new songs, we plan to resume gigging and pursue more licensing and publishing opportunities.

PM: Is this another Ten Year Vamp, and can we expect another change in 10 years?

DG: We don’t expect our hiatus to be longer then a few months to a year and we plan to come back bigger and better then ever. With new songs in tow, hopefully a bunch more licensing successes and having taken a year off, we expect our return to draw even crowds and attention.

Stay tuned to Ten Year Vamp’s Facebook page for upcoming shows in 2012.

December 4, 2012
A Taste of The Bloodroots Barter, Ausable Forks, October 5th

There is a certain feeling that a ‘traveling-through-town’ kind of band like The Bloodroots Barter gives you. They wander around, spreading their music; the kind of music that makes you stop and listen. You just can’t help but get entangled in their woodsy, worn, roots, southern vibe.

I experienced the casting of their spell this past summer and have made my way to meet them at their stops around the North Country ever since. I find myself, among other mountain-towners doing whatever it takes to make it back for more, much like they find themselves called to come back up north. We’re all craving good string music up here and they’re craving good people to play for.

The four-piece band traveled all the way up from Kentucky and hits every small-town with rusty whiskey drinkers on the way. They’d rather travel the back roads to get where they’re goin’ and their music tells that story. With a banjo, stand-up bass, accordion, guitar, fiddle, washboard, finger cymbals and a kazoo, these guys and gal bring a dusty old sound to your ears. They give out of the attic sights to your eyes and a one of a kind chemistry to the space you find yourself in. Their lyrics combined with their heavy southern accents take you to a place in the deep south and fill your ears with raspy verse. Who wouldn’t want that?

One might be tempted to call them bluegrass but they are certainly in a category of their own. They are Old Crow Whiskey fueled Kentucky bloodgrass. They strive to be more then a band, they put on a show. Lead vocalist Casey Papendieck says they “want to get into all the senses of their fans”. They’ve got costumes to match the music, props that play on their sound and home-made goods they bust out of an old trunk and lay across an antique table covered in lace.

I caught them in a little bar in the Adirondack Mountains on an eerie autumn night just this past week. The fiery season didn’t even prepare me for what was to come. Jack-o-lanterns were lit, whiskey was flowing and the wooden walls of the place were holding an array of characters with enough color to trick you into thinking you were in a dream. I felt like I stepped into a different time period as I watched them. I could not help but move in my boots; their creativity and madness inspires me to revel in my own. The company I brought along got their first taste of The Bloodroots Barter and did not stop dancing until too much drinkin’ happened upon them, even then there was toe-tappin’. But there is a balance in what they do. Just when you feel lost somewhere in the backwoods, they cover a song like “Freight Train” to get you feelin’ at home again.

The band travels with other merry music makers in which they seem to make appear on stage as if they pulled them out of their back pockets. When they all share that space together they make so much sound come off the stage, if there was a stage, for they do not require one, instead they share the floor with the crowd they create and we all blend as one big piece of constantly changing, colorful, moving art. We are all creating, we’re all a part of the show.

Then there is curiosity, and we wonder… where does such a name come from? What is it that they barter? I ask one of the music makers and find that it happens to be an herb, Bloodroot, a magical little herb of the south that blooms into a white flower and is traded for its healing powers much like music traded among musicians. And I realize, barters they are.

Learn more about this intriguing band at Bloodrootsbarter.com

October 9, 2012