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  • Binghamtronica III Electronic Music Arts Festival March 24th

    Binghamtronica III is a one day music and arts festival held on the Binghamton University campus. Binghamtronica is a completely not for profit event with all of the profits donated to HeadCount. This year’s line up includes: BoomBox, Archnemesis (special late night), Horizon Wireless, SOLARiS, Ink Line and ConArtist.

    This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, March 24. Tickets are available at our box office located on the Binghamton University campus but if you aren’t in the area, you can call the box office 12:30pm – 8pm for only a $1 extra fee. Tickets are only $20!

    Music will be played from 8 PM to 3 AM with a stage located in the Mandella Room. The lobby is a large open space which will hold a shakedown with vendors, student groups, art installations (which will be in both of the performance spaces as well) and interactive activities. In addition to art installations the art of Imaginationoverload will be displayed throughout the venue.

    Binghamtronica is a completely student and alumni run event. Various student groups will be working with Binghamtronica Productions Group to bring this festival to you.

    will be covering the festival on Saturday the 24th. Look for coverage and festival updates at .com and in Music Guide.

  • Brit Floyd – The World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Tribute Show

    Brit Floyd – The World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Tribute Show rolls into Syracuse on March 22nd at the newly remodeled Landmark Theater. Many fans will recognize members of the band from previous tours under a different moniker, especially Syracuse’s own Ian Cattell on bass and vocals. Cattell’s rise to the top of the tribute industry began right here in Syracuse as a founding member of local favorites, Childhood’s End. For the better part of seven years he has toured the world with Brit Floyd band director/guitarist/vocalist Damian Darlington, now, for the first time bringing their spectacular new tribute band to Ian’s hometown. From their stunning light show, impeccable sound design and note perfect renditions of the timeless Pink Floyd catalog, Brit Floyd brings the audience as close as it will ever get to see the legendary band in concert. This paired with the elegance and beauty of our downtown gem, The Landmark Theater makes for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of audio and visual delights. I’ll save my more in depth reflections on the band for after the interviews, so without further ado let’s get to that.

    First is Mr. Damian Darlington, a man whose talents will astound you onstage with his Gilmouresque guitar and lap steel sounds and his readings of the legendary songs vocally. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of sharing company with Damian several times over the last few years and as always it seems like it’s been too long since we last spoke.

    Greg Jackson: While you’ve toured North America many times previously, this must be extra special this time, yes?

    Damian Darlington: Yes, it definitely does feel more special this time around; it feels newly invigorated now that it’s become Brit Floyd.

    GJ: You’ve been in the tribute industry well over twenty years now, are you surprised at how large it’s become?

    DD: I suppose I am. When I first joined the Australian Pink Floyd Show back in 1994 the tribute thing was all still very new and on a much smaller scale than it is now. I had no notion that I’d still be here these many years later playing all around the world and in some of the venues and in front of some the crowds that I’ve gotten to play for, it’s pretty wild really when you think about it.

    GJ: I’ve seen the band in its former form several times, even without Ian present and in different configurations, what sets Brit Floyd apart from that and what do I have to look forward to?

    DD: I think all the guys in Brit Floyd now feel much more a part of what we’re doing and they feel that they have much more of steak in this band. There’s an even stronger commitment and passion for what we’re doing and I think this comes across in our stage performance and helps to hopefully recreate a full and authentic Pink Floyd concert experience for people to enjoy. We never become complacent about what we do; we’re always trying to improve our performances and the show as a whole. I think that the set list that we’re playing on this tour based around Pink Floyd’s new compilation album A Foot in the Door plus other Floyd gems such as Echoes and Pigs, is the best and most representative set list we’ve played to date and I’m sure that you and the rest of the folks in the crowd will enjoy it.

    GJ: Although you were musical director and more of your last band, having your name front and center of all things Brit Floyd is a huge accomplishment and responsibility. Do you feel your role is different now or does Chas (Cole – Managing Director of CMP Entertainment) do the real tedious mucking about? (I’m kidding Chas, I kid!)

    DD: My role while we’re out on tour is pretty much the same as it has been for some time now, because as the years have gone by I’ve increasingly become involved in all aspects of the show over and above my role as a musician and musical director. I guess I don’t feel like have to look over my shoulder anymore and think about what some other people might think of the choices that are made on how the show is presented, which is a very good feeling. I suppose I am more involved in a lot of the behind the scenes stuff now, but fortunately for me, Chas indeed is the one who has to worry about most of the really tedious day to day stuff.

    GJ: As a guitarist, where do you put David Gilmour’s skills on the mountain of all time guitarists?

    DD: David Gilmour is most definitely one of the best and most influential guitar players in the history of Rock music. He may not be the most technical of guitar players, but he has a sublime feel and gift for knowing what to play and when to play just the right thing that’s needed.

    GJ: Is Acoustic Unlimited still alive and well?

    DD: Yes, Acoustic Unlimited is still alive and well. I played a couple of gigs with it just before coming out on this tour. I enjoy it immensely, it’s a chance to play a wide variety of acoustic music which I love to do and it’s great to also get the chance to play some music with my brother Gareth, Brit Floyd’s sound engineer. Gareth is a fine Celtic fiddle player and acoustic guitarist and he also mixes all the audio for our CDs and DVDs. He’s really like another member of the Brit Floyd and as equally important to how we sound as any of the musicians on stage are.

    GJ: It’s been a pleasure to chat again and I’m looking forward to seeing the whole band in March, travel safely my friend.

    DD: It’s been a pleasure to talk with you too Greg. See you in March.

    Last, but certainly not least is my good friend, bassist/vocalist of Brit Floyd, Ian Cattell. Ian’s immaculate bass lines and startlingly accurate vocals have brought him to the pinnacle of the tribute world in Brit Floyd. Ian is a founding member and often time guest performer with Childhood’s End – A Tribute To Pink Floyd.

    GJ: Well my friend, you’re finally getting your home show, how great is it that it’s your “own band”?

    Ian Cattell: It’s a good feeling. With Brit Floyd, what you see is what you get. There are no unseen band members that will pop out of the woodwork at a later date claiming to be the real Brit Floyd.

    GJ: Now that some time and history has passed, tell us about receiving that fateful e-mail that took you away from Syracuse and the audition that followed.

    IC: Along with my extended Childhood’s End family, I was at the TAPFS performance at the Landmark in October of 2004. It must have been right at the end of that tour in that the Aussie bass player reached a decision to stay home on future North American tours. Damian then began the search for a replacement. He found videos of my Waters impression on the Childhood’s End website. I think Steve Mac’s response was “get him on a plane”. Shortly after that I received and email with the subject “TAPFS bass player”. I knew what it was without reading further and paced around my room all night. In the midst of their 2005 UK tour, I was to audition on stage during soundcheck in the Royal Albert Hall – no pressure there. As it happened, soundcheck ran long and I auditioned at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, the home town of Gilmour, Waters, and Barrett – no pressure there either.

    GJ: You have quite the Pink Floyd pedigree; please share a bit of that with our readers.

    IC: I began playing Pink Floyd in January of 1995 with Crazy Diamond and continued on until late 1997 with P.U.L.S.E..During those three years, we racked up around 300 shows in 35 states and most of Canada. We lived in a truck when we weren’t being crammed 3 to a hotel room, and often were on the road for 2 or 3 months at a time. We played to packed houses of 1000 or more, down to empty clubs with more employees than paid customers. After that, I took a break from full time Floyd, but it wasn’t long before I reunited with some of my favorite Syracuse musicians to form Childhood’s End.

    GJ: You have an uncanny ability to re-create the vocals of both Roger Waters and David Gilmour, have you ever screwed up and started a song in the wrong voice?

    IC: It’s funny you should ask that. It happened for my audition for TAPFS. I was used to singing Shine On You Crazy

    Diamond in as Gilmour (à la the PULSE CD), but TAPFS wanted me for Waters vocals. I realized this at the end of the first verse and tried to change gears, but I think the result was disastrous and sounded like neither. Between that and dropping my pick than having my in-ear monitors yanked out of my head while trying to recover the pick, I really thought I had bombed the audition. If it weren’t for a passable performance of Fletcher Memorial Home, I doubt I’d have the gig today.

    GJ: It’s been said that many tribute bands get too involved and start to believe they’re better than the original band. I can’t imagine that from any of your band mates, have you ever seen this behavior before.

    IC: One thing I can say for myself, and I’m sure I can speak for all of my Brit Floyd bandmates in this regard, we are all fans of Pink Floyd. While we are proud of the work we have done and continue to do, but in the end, we didn’t write the material. The genius of Floyd’s creative force and ability to produce such a body of work spanning over 2 decades is something of which we could only dream. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

    I have seen this in action though. Back in 1996, there was a Doors tribute opening up for P.U.L.S.E. The Jim Morrison character was in full costume including leather pants and wig, and completely plastered by 2 in the afternoon. I’m not sure if he thought he was better than Morrison, or if he thought he really WAS the Lizard King.

    GJ: Tell us a bit about the routine on the road. So many music fans have what I believe to be a distorted view of nice hotels and Lear Jets, tell the folks the real deal.

    IC: Well, what can I say, only that it’s a Gulf Stream these days… The reality is much more mundane. We usually play for one night in venue often on the outskirts of town. While we do get to see the sights on occasion, there’s little opportunity to take in any of the local scene. We usually just see the inside of the bus, the venue, and on days off, the hotel. On the whole, I really can’t complain. It’s a good gig.

    GJ: While it’s easy for casual fans to say, being in a tribute band can actually be more difficult than an original band I believe, your thoughts?

    IC: I don’t want to take anything away from an original band’s monumental task of writing, promoting, and performing their own music, often for very little fanfare or money. But at least when you are playing your own music, the people in the audience can’t say you’re doing it wrong. I’ll just say there are some very discerning Floyd fans out there.

    GJ: What is your favorite color?

    IC: Blue… No! GREEN!!… AAAAHHHHH!

    I was first introduced to the whole tribute band industry in early 2005 by my lifelong friend and musical director of Childhood’s End – A Tribute to Pink Floyd, Steve Schad. He was very anxious to show me his new project as we had been out of touch with each other for a while. I freely admit to scoffing at the idea my good friends Steve and guitarist extraordinaire Gregory John were “wasting their talents” in a tribute band. I had no idea what was in store when he put their promo dvd into the player. My first reaction was, “Does the singer always do that with his voice? It’s really irritating!” (meaning singing with a British accent). It didn’t take long to realize how close to the real thing this sounded and by the end of the videos Steve was asking me if I was in, the answer was a fast yes!

    Within the week I’d been introduced to bassist/vocalist Ian Cattell and drummer Eric Garboushian and my education in the depth of the tribute band industry began. I was absolutely astounded at the talent out there showing respect and admiration for the bands they pay tribute to besides the amazing production values they held. In order to appreciate where Childhood’s End stood in hierarchy I needed to learn who was on top and where we stood against that benchmark. I quickly found out that despite a fabulous light show, great sound and fantastic musicians we were well down the totem pole from others who had been in the game much longer. This path led me directly to The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS), at the time they were hands down the best in the world. It was and is remarkable how precise and authentic their readings of the songs are not to even mention the extensive production values they have, I dubbed them “Pink Floyd Lite” in jest, not knowing at the time just how much this band would effect and ultimately mean to me within a very short time. It was clear Childhood’s End had a long way to go, but musically I’d have pitted us against anyone with equal production. Our biggest advantage was Ian’s voice and the band’s overall musicianship, I said it before and I’ll say it again, “No one does it better than Ian, no one”. This leads us to the next chapter and I’m going to skim over a lot of what happened out of respect to the friends I’ve met through Ian’s rise to the top. I’ve been very fortunate to see him perform with TAPFS half a dozen times and have seen the band without him once. From here on out this will tell the story from my point of view with the help of Ian and guitarist/vocalist/musical director of Brit Floyd and former member of TAPFS, Damian Darlington. I apologize for any inaccuracies in the story, but I promise they’re unintentional and the guys will help me out later.

    Through the spring of ’05 and into the summer I studied and developed a great respect for most of the other tributes plying their trade around the world, little did I know just how much this would effect the future of Childhood’s End. This reality came to the forefront when Ian didn’t show one night for rehearsal, I’m not sure any of us would’ve believed him anyway, but here’s the first major twist to the story. As it turns out, after 20 years of touring worldwide a few members of TAPFS were finding their North American tours too long to be away from their families and other personal reasons. Not wanting to stop these tours the band went in search of some surrogate players so to speak and the first one they needed was a bassist/vocalist which led them to CE’s front door and Ian’s obvious talents. The night he missed rehearsal he was in London, auditioning for TAPFS at The Royal Albert Hall, quite the huge step-up from Syracuse. They had discovered Ian on the Childhood’s End website, internet good/internet bad! To trim the story Ian was offered the tour and we put CE on hold while he chased the dream. While there were certainly mixed emotions in our camp I immediately supported it, it could only mean good things for Ian and our band right? I quickly found out just how serious bands this large are about how information is shared and how secretive some members can be. CE went on practicing and refining production with the idea of Ian returning after this tour. It took some time to acclimate to his new position, but by the time the tour ended he had cemented himself into the role, eventually being brought on board with TAPFS for the bulk of their tours and in the early summer of ‘06 CE went on hiatus as Ian was off to tour the world with The Aussies. I quickly fell out of favor with several members of his new band due to my openness regarding what they were doing internally, but the bonus was that a few of them supported me and appreciated how Childhood’s End and I handled the situation. In the fall of ’06 I had the distinct pleasure of following the band for a couple of shows in Florida, they treated me like an old friend, especially Damian, Gareth Darlington (Sound Designer, F.O.H. engineer and purveyor of set lists, Brit Floyd ) and Jason Sawford (keyboards/TAPFS), Mike Kidson (sax/TAPFS), Paul Bonney (drums/TAPFS). Jason was the only original Australian still touring with TAPFS in North America by this time. The band was a spectacle to behold in performance, the note for note replications and stunning production was second only to the real thing. Something many have never had the chance to see and never will. I became one of their biggest fans. I know I’m leaving out some very important people in the story and certainly no disrespect is meant. Steve Mac and Colin Wilson from TAPFS and all of the former members of TAPFS who now constitute Brit Floyd, especially Ola, Jacquie, Amy and Emily, the brilliant ladies who’ve been so sweet to Sandra and I over the years. Within the next few years the only remaining TAPFS band members touring in the U.S. and Canada were Damian and the ladies, this led to the biggest change and the new band we’ll see here in Syracuse on March 22nd, Brit Floyd. I’ll leave the story blank here besides stating that a split occurred between management and the three Australian members of TAPFS which ended with former TAPFS manager Chas Cole of CMP Entertainment and Damian forming Brit Floyd along with the members of the former TAPFS North American touring band and crew, with The Aussies continuing on with new management, the original band members and a brilliant new production. To me personally it’s a double the pleasure situation although my loyalties fall firmly in the Brit Floyd camp. I still hold great respect for TAPFS and their members I consider friends to this day and I can’t wait for the chance to see them perform again. For TAPFS fans on our continent seeing Brit Floyd this is really not much more than a band changing names, but they could well go to a TAPFS show now and say, ”Who the hell are these guys!” If you’ve become a fan over the last five years or so not much will be different besides the name, it’s the same fantastic band performing the music of Pink Floyd in a way that places them firmly on top of the heap in the Floyd tribute world in my opinion. If you’ve never seen them and are even a casual fan of Pink Floyd, the show at The Landmark Theater on March 22nd and any other tour date near you is a must see for any Floyd fan.

    It’s been my abject pleasure getting to know the members of Brit Floyd over the years and I’m greatly looking forward to the show. It’s been quite a while since the fall of 2010 when I saw them last, there’s the new name and new production, but that same familiar fiery band of driven musicians eager to make their mark in the tribute industry, besides being one of the coolest bunch of folks I’ve ever met. It’s only three weeks away, go get your tickets at www.landmarktheatre.org and prepare yourselves for a magical evening of Floydian majesty!

    Keep up with Brit Floyd at www.britfloyd.com and find them on facebook as BritFloyd.

    [Words by Greg Jackson, Photos by Sandra Jackson]

  • I CALL FIVES Someone That’s Not You is catchy, listenable

    I CALL FIVES Someone That’s Not You is catchy, listenable


    Someone That’s Not You is a four song teaser for the upcoming full length release due in June by Washington Township, NJ’s I Call Fives. It’s often hard to get a good feel for a band based on a teaser, as it’s usually half typical offerings of the band’s songs and half hubris, and this is no exception.

    I Call Fives is pop punk in the vein of early 2000’s bands. I would place it post Pulley, pre My Chemical Romance. Talented, interactive, well played drum tracks all through the songs are a highlight from top to bottom. High production values always benefit this style of music, and the multiple layers of vocals and backing vocals go a long way toward keeping this a page turner. That is, until abruptly on the third track, the floor drops out. It’s not that Lakeview, an acoustic track, and the entirely unnecessary cover of Third Eye Blind’s How’s It Gonna Be are bad, it’s more of a matter that the momentum of the first two songs seemed to be leading in a completely different direction until that point. The idea of a teaser EP is to make you want to hear the full album, so I guess the point was made here…. I would definitely point an ear at the full length.

    Though I admittedly like my pop punk more like 30footFALL and less like Fenix TX, I find the overall product of I Call Fives ultimately engaging and guaranteed to be thoroughly enjoyed by any 14 year old girl into underground music who isn’t currently idolizing untalented breakdown bands. As well as a confirmed stint on Warped Tour,  I Call Fives will be headlining the last 5 shows of the Pure Noise Records tour, including a stop at Mirador in Binghamton 3/30 and a stop at Bogies in Albany on 3/20, which is coincedentally the day this teaser is released. So get out to the show, check these guys out and buy the E.P.!

    -Brian Lawrence

    For more on I Call Fives:

    www.facebook.com/icallfives

    http://purenoise.net

    Tour Dates:

    Mar 20 Bogies Albany, NY

    Mar 21 Minnehans w/ Forever Came Calling & The American Scene Lakeville, NY

    Mar 22 Hardluck Bar Toronto, Canada RSVP

    Mar 23 euro gyro Kent, OH

    Mar 24 Misfit Lab Fenton, MI

    Mar 25 Penny Road Pub w/ The Sheds Barrington, IL

    Mar 26 Bangarang S w/The Sheds Covington, KY

    Mar 28 Club Soda w/The Sheds London, OH

    Mar 28 The Smiling Moose w/The Sheds Pittsburgh, PA

    Mar 29 Whitman Sq Men S Club w/The Sheds Turnersville, NJ

    Mar 30 Mirador w/The Sheds Binghamton, NY

  • When the Circus Comes to Town: Jane’s Addiction, moe., Black Box Revelation and Floodwood, March 2-3, Albany, NY

    When the Circus Comes to Town: Jane’s Addiction, moe., Black Box Revelation and Floodwood, March 2-3, Albany, NY

    A weekend with two sell-out shows at the Palace Theater and interesting late nights that ensued made for a classic weekend of great music in Albany over the first weekend of March. Jane’s Addiction coupled with moe. to set up stellar weekend of music and revelry that ensued gave two bands that each started out more than 20 years ago but were far from nostalgia, instead rocking through marquee sets for hours each night.

    Jane's AddictionThe Black Box Revelation

    With a late start time of 8:30 for the opening act, I got a listen the day before of Black Box Revelation, a scortching garage band duo from Brussels, Belgium featuring a duo of Jan Paternoster on guitar and vocals and Dries Van Dijck on drums. I was impressed with a few songs on first listen and eagerly awaited the opening act. Guitarist Jan has some Jimmy Page chops when seeing him live, with a dose of the Black Keys but not necessarily the same band – the powerful rock and blues mix created negates the need for a bassist, almost. There were moments when Strange Times could have burst out a guitar jam. Drums were tight, harsh and crispy. Percent accent to guitarwork. Two songs of note, High on a Wire, a little-Silverchair-ish with gritty vocals, a clear break out song for this duo.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBA2vBFgCgc&

    I think I Like You was notable in concert and felt a little more bluesy than the rest of the night, but the video for the song has a nice production value and was running through my head while the song played.

    The final song of the 45 minute set, Sealed with Thorns was sincerely jammed out, rocked out is more like it, for a solid 10 minutes, greeting the arriving crowd with a nice segue into the main act. By far, they were the best opening act I’ve seen in years. Jan spoke to the crowd towards the end, ‘This is one of the most beautiful venues we’ve ever seen.” Later, upon asking him what he felt about the venue, he shared, “It’s beautiful, we have never played many venues like this in Europe.” On their first tour in America and playing perhaps their 10th or so show here and to play the Palace – an honor many bands take years to build up to. As for the tour, the pair simply said that “Jane’s tour is amazing, they’re really cool guys,” an understatement likely.

    Having played at Bonnaroo and The Hangout in 2011, Black Box returned for a full opening tour, withEuropegiving us a taste of what is in store for post-hipster musical imports. What a relief. Their sound right now is so strong and raw that their evolution will lead to a notable future. For now, the duo are always welcome in America.

    Jane’s Addiction

    A “Theatre of Escapists Tour” was the theme that Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell and his group of freaks conjured up for the evening’s visual performance taking place on the precipice of the crowd and all throughout the show on stage. Starting with an extended pre-show music of tracks from Pink Floyd’s Shine on Your Crazy Diamond (notably performed here not two weeks ago by The Pink Floyd Experience)

    A cavalcade of freaks, including limber ladies in lingerie, pierced and adorned dancers and an Alex, ala Clockwork Orange leading the way before Perry broke out into Underground off the new release The Great Escape Artist. With an elaborate stage, drums on a riser and Perry, a soundtrack remnant in all black like a Brandon Lee from The Crow. Two ladies swung in the air in big white dresses with a random dude in a peacock outfit off to the side and the band strutting around the stage , full on stage show with sick music.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PL1EE7234904FC0D06

    Mountain Song sprung some grunge era guitar from Dave Navarro who I had just noticed was playing on stage. In my defense, I sat far right orchestra and Dave played to a legion far left pit, but the sound was easily identifiable for one of Jane’s Addiction’s best known songs. Paired up with Been Caught Stealin’ started in typical fashion, Perry being friendly with the crowd, shaking the hands of everyone up against the rail, as he did all night long, spreading the rock but this time, taking a hat and wearing it in tribute to the song.

    Ted, Just Admit it… the creepiest of Jane’s songs, and that is saying a lot, still brought the cheers and throngs to the stage, as the freak show going on behind the band was garnering the divided attention of everyone. While Perry sang ‘Nothings shocking…Sex is Violent’, the performance art with Siamese twins in white lingerie and now Alex hanging a baby doll then tearing it apart. Far above the band, where he then mocked suicide with a straight razor and fake blood; it was enjoyably fucked up. Perry then captured what was on stage and told the crowd a secret: “What you’re experiencing is the result of some broken people.” This is the understatement of the year. This wasn’t a GG Allin level of creepiness, but then a video of kids molesting dolls and abusing them, and the crowd was hushed. But is it art?

    The stage was set under the dark of the video to bring out a chair or two and a light by which Navarro played a painful acoustic guitar for a slightly calypso Jane Says but it still shone thanks to the vocals. Chip Away got a light acoustic treatment before a stage shift with video interlude that brought three drums to the front of the stage for Navarro, Steven Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney took stage left to bang on the drums while Perry for the rest of the show that follows. Three Days got full Navarro shredding while Perry played the maracas and the Siamese twins danced one at a time on the stage. The level of rock guitar shredding that ensued to end the show was a combination of Van Halen and White Zombie for a huge number in Three Days followed by the equally enamoring Stop!, always a crowd pleaser.

    The encore wrapped up the night, starting with Perry asking the crowd “Are you ready to come yet?” as the band moved into Words Right Out of My Mouth followed by Ocean Size, just a monstrous number, their best performed song of the night.

    A nice look at the future of rock and the recent past of a rock era we continue to live in started the weekend right. Next up was moe., who brought it back home on Saturday night.

    moe.

    Having started out in the Albany area, a homecoming is always well-attended and received by a throng of fans who sell out the Palace for moe repeatedly, bringing with them a full day of musical energy. A great show with no holds barred rock, the crowd welcomed their local band to the big stage for three hours of blistering rock with extended jams that got deeper as the night went on.

    Set 1: Runaway Overlude > Chromatic Nightmare > Seat Of My Pants, New York City > George > Four > Downward Facing Dog

    Set 2: Money* > Billy Goat  > Skrunk, Time Again, Big World> Ricky Marten > The Bones of Lazarus > Rebubula

    Encore: Spine Of A Dog > Dr. Graffenberg

    *with Marley Amico on sax

    Starting with 17 minutes of two spooky, Zappa-esque songs, the tension was broken with Seat of My Pants, always a crowd favorite. George and Four, two of my favorite moe tunes of all time clocked in at a combined 38 minutes. The lack of a definitive starting or ending point is the hallmark of a great band; with only two breaks on stage all night and continuous segues nearly throughout both sets. A good jamband like moe. keeps you guessing, changing songs up without more than a guitar riff to play off of.

    Money opened up set 2 and brought out Marley Amico, daughter of drummer Vinny, to tear up the sax solo for the epic Floyd song. Not a note was missed, just like New Years Eve when she performed the same number with moe in Portland, Maine. Truly, the talent is in the blood and was nothing short of a great performance. The second set moved through a half dozen numbers, rocking in an out of new tunes Billy Goat into established rotation numbers like Big World and Lazarus before ending with the epic love song, Rebubula, giving the same powerful build up it has hundreds of times before, each version still different than the last.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cge3PsSUBiw&w=560&h=315]

    Some Al.nouncements preceded Spine of a Dog, the encore equivalent to Character Zero, able to be kept short or drawn out for a house shaking encore. The latter gave us a deep encore groove, extraordinary, spacing out into a fresh jam via a deep bass line groove via Rob. We were in the midst of Panty- melting 70s porn groove. An out of the blue smooth segue into Dr. Graffenberg was so exploratory that you had trouble remembering what song they were still tearing into. This was a great jam to lose yourself in, so the full 25 minutes of the encore.

    Floodwood

    With the show ending, the crowd dispersed, moving southward towards Pearl Street, local bars, watering holes, hotels and finally, Red Square, where Al and Vinny’s side-project Floodwood was performing latenight. A packed house sold out the show in advance (hint, get tickets early for these postshows) where moe. fans gathered to catch up with the extended moe.family that grows with each passing year. Rob Derhak stopped down to take in the show with friends, as did a nice chunk of the Palace crowd. Floodwood performed for two hours altogether, mixing Americana and bluegrass numbers, not unlike another side project of moe.’s, Al and the Transamericans. With Vinny behind the drums for both, this incarnation is more hill-country and less rocking than its predecessor, a nice cap to the evening. Featuring Zachary Fleitz, Nick Piccininni and Jason Barady from Woodenspoon on strings with Al on guitar and Vinny on drums, the group drove through originals, covers including an energetic Molly n Tenbrook. Called back for multiple encores over the final half hour, including Al’s Blue Eyed Son, the swarmed crowd dipped into each extension of the night eagerly. As the band finally wrapped the night up, the crowd slowly trickled into the streets, ready to greet 330am.

    These are the weekends that I look forward to months in advance, knowing how great the onslaught of music is over the course of two nights. Four great bands plus hundreds upon hundreds of live music fans makes for a great way to spend a weekend in Albany.

  • Galactic with The Soul Rebels at The Westcott Theater – 2/28/12

    Galactic with The Soul Rebels at The Westcott Theater – 2/28/12

    With 10 releases, a host of tours under their belt, and Stanton Moore hitting for them, you better believe Galactic are the real thing. The New Orleans Funk/Rock/Soul/Hip Hop extraordinaire have been getting crowds pumped up and bodies moving for close to 20 years! Their recent stop at Westcott Theatre was certainly no exception to the rule… These guys wail in concert!

    In between sips of The Westcott Theater’s fine ale, I scoped out the elaborate stage set up in anticipation of my first complete performance by the group. A full but comfortable crowd flooded the bar to stock up on drinks prior to show time… Ritual for any concert event. At 9:32 pm, the bass started thumping, the drums kicked in, and we were off!

    For those of you unaware… Let it be known that Galactic wastes no time getting to business. The sextet laid it down from the moment they hit the stage, and the crowd ate up every bit of it! Their set was chock full of rhythmic high and lows… Super thick, soulful, and heavy on the backbeat. The bass could be felt within the listener’s chest, and the richness of the melodies and pulse of the groove could make even the most obstinate of wallflowers bob their head along to the beat. This was 30 seconds into their first song.

    © Matthew Balch

    Then, to my gleeful amazement, they introduce Corey Glover to the stage on song 2! Though he was clearly listed as a guest performer, I had no idea they’d bring the legend onstage so quickly. Arguably one of the best front men ever, the Living Colour vocalist tore through the next 3 songs with the group, his distinctive high range vocals cutting through the music like a hot knife through soft butter. He would reappear often.

    © Matthew Balch

    The band kept it groovy throughout the entirety of their set. Each member was given ample time to showcase their well-honed style, yet always kept it in the context of the song. Robert Mercurio’s fat bass lines filled the venue with enough bottom end to keep Sir Mix-A-Lot drooling, Jeff Raines’ guitar and Richard Vogel’s keys adding the textural layers and catchy hooks, and Ben Ellman’s saxophone providing the sharpness to keep the groove edgy, completing the sound.

    © Matthew Balch

    But it is clearly drummer Stanton Moore’s show when Galactic performs. A well-known and highly respected guru behind the kit, Stanton proves, without a doubt, that white boys can groove. At center stage, his elaborate drum kit setup is the first thing you witness, with the exception of the large silver-glitter “G” directly behind it. And let’s face it, it’s a funk band… There ain’t no funk without a funky drummer. Stanton, living up to the name, undoubtedly has all the goods necessary to bring a smile to Clyde Stubblefield’s face.

    Opening act The Soul Rebels also made an appearance on stage with Galactic, adding to the already dense tone coming from the band. With a total of 13 players on stage, Syracuse caught a glimpse of New Orleans musical brotherhood at its finest. The group, who also call New Orleans home, were an excellent opening choice for this touring cycle. Playing a solid 45-minute set, the 8-piece (consisting of 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 2 drummers, 1 saxophone, and 1 sousaphone) played a funky, soulful batch of jams that were thick with groove. There sound was full and lush, offering excellent texture, harmony, and some solid solos by the horns.

    The crowd was mellow for the octet, but got into it when prompted from the stage. The punctuated call/response from horn players-turned-MC’s livened the atmosphere, and there was even a touch of rhyme at times.

    Towards the end of their set, 8 members turned into 11 when Stanton, Ben, and Corey from Galactic joined the party on stage for “I’m So Confused,” a cut from the Rebels’ latest album. Finishing up with a funked out Eurythmics medley to end their time on stage was a nice touch.

    © Matthew Balch

    Highlight of the show… A 13-man jam of “Cult of Personality,” Living Colour’s biggest hit, all funked up! With every member of Galactic and The Soul Rebels present on stage (Corey singing, of course), it will definitely stand out as my most memorable moment of the show… Just nasty! Though the cover lacked the angst of the original, the mob on stage owned the track and pulled it off well!

    If you did not make it to the show, I can’t help but think you missed out. If you ever need to cut loose, let off some steam, and shake your butt for an evening, Galactic is the act to see. And props to the venue, too… Westcott Theater is a great spot to see them perform. I am sure they will be having them back to the venue at some point after a turnout like this, so keep an eye out and a night free when they do!

    www.galacticfunk.com

    CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUM
    FROM MATTHEW BLACH ON FLICKR

  • KODIAK ISLAND BAND loses it’s meat and taters, calls it a day

    KODIAK ISLAND BAND loses it’s meat and taters, calls it a day

    Sad news from Watertown…. Kodiak Island Band is calling it quits. The band had this to say:

    “So after almost two years, Kodiak Island is going dark.  The meat and taters of the group is relocating to California, and sadly this brings the crushing end to the monster known as Kodiak Island.  We only wish the best for Peter Hatch, and hopefully get to pound these songs out again someday.

    We are really looking to book a show at the end of March (30th, 31st hopefully), so i…f anyone could help us out with that, we would appreciate it. Please get in contact with me if you know of a concrete place to do this.  The end of the month is fast approaching and we want to get the word out.

    We also want to thank all of our friends who supported us over our journey.  Maps of War, Like Trainwrecks, Cassidy has Cholera, Bruce Campbell, Greene Reveal…. and so many more. Thank you to Eli who recorded our EP.  We want to thanks all those dudes and ladies who came out and listened to us as we blasted bass, drum, and synth driven sonic booms into your ears for 25-30 minutes each set.  I know we are different, but we wanted to give everyone something you all may have never seen, and maybe will never see again.

    We love what we do.  We love the Watertown scene, but as we grow older we all walk new paths.  As I type these last words I find it a little hard to not shed a small single tear at the fact that maybe we could have pushed this to be more. Be bigger. But alas, times change, people change, and yet life continues to bloom.

    Support your local bands, and support each other. God bless America, and God Bless Kodiak Island.

    Sincerely, Pete, Matt, Mike, Josh. ♥”

    We wish the members of Kodiak Island Band the best in whatever it is they decide to do.

  • TAKING BACK SUNDAY lead singer Adam Lazzara hit by falling tree

    TAKING BACK SUNDAY lead singer Adam Lazzara hit by falling tree

    Adam LazzaraAdam Lazzara, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday, was taking a smoke break outside of a Michigan recording studio last weekend when a tree suddenly fell on him. Only his leg was broken, but this proves that smoking is indeed a dangerous habit. If you’re into blood and gore check out these pictures, and if you’re into Taking Back Sunday check out our newly posted interview in the story below!

    Adam LazzaraAdam Lazzara

  • INTERVIEW with Greg Bell from Guthrie/Bell Productions

    In April of 1992, Greg Bell promoted his first show in Albany, NY. Over the next few years, Greg Bell has brought to the Capital District the best up-and-coming bands and helped to develop Albany’s live music legacy. Next month, Greg Bell celebrates 20 years with two special shows at Valentine’s, combining the best of the past, present and future of live music in Albany.

    NYS Music sat down with Greg Bell at his home and discussed his memories of the past 20 years, how he got started in promoting shows, the evolution of the live music scene in Albany and the musicians and bands that have come up through Albany with the help of Guthrie/Bell Productions.

    Pete Mason: Where are you from?
    Greg Bell: I grew up on Long Island, in a town on the south shore called Bohemia.

    PM: What music did you listen to in high school?
    GB: I started listening to Top 40, The Monkees, moved to Jefferson Airplane and Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, a lot of different stuff.

    PM: What was the first concert you went to?
    GB: First concert I was to was Tommy James and the Shondells at the Ohio State Fair. They had several big hits – Mony Mony, Crimson and Clover, I Think We’re Alone Now…

    PM : Where did you go to college? What was music like at the time?
    GB: Siena; There were a lot of post-Woodstock bands who were touring. The bands we listened to most our senior year were The Grateful Dead, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen and Jerry Jeff Walker were the three biggest ones my friends and I were into. We listened to everything: Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane, Loggins and Messina, whatever was hot at the time. There were a lot of singer/songwriters: Neil Young, James Taylor, and Carole King were all big, that were coming out at that time.

    PM: Do you have a favorite concert memory from college years?
    GB: Nothing offhand, I think of high school more for concerts, when Stony Brook University was having a ton of concerts when I was a junior/senior, so I saw Miles Davis open up for Santana, The Allman Brothers Band on their first tour opening up for Mountain, The Dead with Jerry Garcia playing pedal steel with the New Riders of the Purple Sage in the opening set, playing two shows in one night and I got to see both shows. Those are big memories; at the Summer Festival for Peace (at Shea Stadium) I saw Janis Joplin, one of her last live performances before she died.

    PM: How did you first get started promoting shows?
    GB: Throughout college my friends and I would throw big parties and we always had music. After college whenever we had big outdoor parties we’d always have a lot of friends who were playing in bands. In terms of doing it professionally to make money, that would be April 3rd, 1992 when a friend of mine rented us the Black Masons Hall in downtown Albany (kitty-corner from Lombardo’s) and let us use the liquor license to serve beer. The lineup included The Sharks, Hard Times, Mother Judge and Bryan Kenny and Friends. The cost was $10 for four bands and all the beer you can drink and went extremely well. It was pretty much sold out and seemed like a pretty easy way to make money. I think that’s one of the downfalls promoters have is that the first couple of shows they do are successful and they think it’s always going to be like that. Then reality kicks in they find out that’s not true.

    PM: Who were these bands? All local acts?
    GB: The Sharks had been big in the 80s and they were just making a resurgence at the time; Hard Times was made up of Todd Nelson (Fear of Strangers) Kevin McKrell (McKrells), Rick Bedrosian (Hair of the Dog), it was sort of like a supergroup of Albany musicians who had been around for years. Mother Judge still runs the open mic night down at McGeary’s. Friends of ours were musicians at the time so we did it just for fun, see what it was like to put on a show. This is before Guthrie/Bell Productions. That company was called Two Fools Presents; that was me and my friend Dale Metzger, he was my first partner in the music business before Jeff Guthrie and Guthrie/Bell Productions.

    Greg Bell and Keller Williams

    PM: How did you go from Two Fools to Guthrie/Bell?
    GB: With Two Fools we did a few events, we did an outdoor festival in Rensselaerville at one point called ‘Summer Fool Fest’. When The Dead came to town we rented out the Black Masons Hall, put on afternoon shows and some aftershow parties there. Dale and I started getting into different musical things; I started managing a few bands in the area. We parted ways amicably. My friend Jeff Guthrie was also managing a couple bands, including The Sharks trying to get them to do a comeback. One day he called me and said “Hey, I found this room that would be really good for shows that they don’t use for anything. Do you want to start doing shows together?” We managed to find this upstairs room at Valentines that no one was using for anything and we convinced the owner to let us start putting on shows up there. We started renting out the upstairs at Valentines on a weekly basis doing shows. Each week we’d lose a little bit more money, so we kept doing more shows trying to make our money back. After a few months of doing shows together he said we should form a company together. That was the start of Guthrie/Bell Productions, around the spring of 1993. That’s how it started.

    PM: How long were you two promoting shows together?
    GB: Probably six years or so, maybe longer. He just got tired of doing it and I kind of liked the name, it had a nice ring to it, so instead of changing it I kept it.

    PM: When did you start teaching?
    GB: 1979

    PM: How did teaching and promoting shows conflict?
    GB: I just gave up sleep. I went from having one full time job and a family to having two full time jobs and a family. It gave me an excuse to be out, ‘Gotta go to work honey.’ (laughs)

    PM: When did promoting shows seem like it going to be a consistent thing?
    GB: One of the reasons I started doing this was because there were a ton of local bands who I felt were not getting treated fairly at other clubs, not getting paid what they were worth or not as much time to play. So I started out doing a lot of alternative rock in the area and then, doing shows with Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets and they introduced me to (Peter Prince and) MoonBoot Lover and those two bands were probably the reason I took off promoting the jamband scene. moe. opened up for Dr. Jah, The Disco Biscuits opened up for Dr. Jah, Yolk opened up for Dr. Jah – almost everyone opened up for Dr. Jah their first time because they had the hippie crowd. When I stopped working with Valentines and became more independent and booked more shows in different rooms, I stayed with the jamband scene. That’s kind of how I got pigeonholed with the jamband scene even though over the years I’ve done tons of other shows. I’ve booked Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Jeff Buckley, Los Straightjackets and a lot of shows that aren’t jamband related at all but I’ve always sort of been pigeonholed as the jamband promoter, but being a Deadhead I think its been pretty exciting because since I’ve started promoting shows I’ve done a show with every living member of the Grateful Dead at one point or another; I’ve done a show with every member of Phish except for Mike Gordon; I’ve met Jorma Kaukonen, Roger McGuinn, I’ve met many of the people who I listened to in my youth, a lot of my heroes. I’ve become fairly well known in the jamband scene, most bands like working with me, I like working with them. It’s been a fairly successful career, if not financially successful, it’s been fun. I think I’ve helped a lot of bands out. I think I was instrumental in getting that 2nd or 3rd wave of jambands going. At one point, Albany was one of the biggest jamband towns at least in New York and the Northeast. Everyone came through and played at Valentines at one time or another, or Bogie’s.

    PM: What was the worst night promoting music?
    GB: That’s easy, Bellstock 3 when we had 18 inches of rain in 24 hours and something like 18 bands showed up to play and 18 bands were sent home because there was just no way anyone could play in the amount of rain we were getting. That might be the worst.

    PM: How have you seen music evolve over the past 20 years in the Capital District?
    GB: I see it pretty much exactly the same: tons and tons of talent in Albany and a limited audience. You can listen to bands that say all the time ‘I remember when it was great and people were coming out’, but it’s been pretty much the same. Albany has always had a lot of talented musicians; there has just never been a central scene. You could never get the San Francisco sound or the Seattle sound because Albany is too eclectic, which is a good thing because you have a wide variety of stuff to see but you can never interest a wider audience that just what you have in Albany. There are bands from Albany who go outside the area and do well and spread the word. There are a select number of music fans in Albany who want to see new stuff. But even then, they don’t show up or pay attention to the opening act because they’re only there for the headliner. I think people need to broaden there horizons; when I put shows on I will put two bands together than seemingly don’t fit together purposefully so people can see bands they might not have ever seen, because a lot of music crosses over genres. Right now electronica and techno are really hot so musicians who play instruments and sing and harmonize are struggling and having a tough time because the young kids want to see the DJs and electronica shows. But I think Albany has always had a great music scene, its just always been separated into groups. You have the indie rock scene, the hard core scene, the jamband scene, something else over here. Albany has always needed one room that was doing everything, so you would have one place where people could go and see all different kinds of music and try and get a scene going better instead of having it spread out all over the city.

    PM: Do you think we ever had a place like that? The QE2?
    GB: They were pretty eclectic, they were seen as an all punk club; Bogie’s at one point was doing a lot of shows, as was JB Scott’s when it was open years ago, but nothing has stayed open throughout the years; Valentines has had its time when it was one of the top clubs in the area. In Albany right now, on any given night, you can see ten different bands play at different places, which splits the audience. When there are ten shows going on, it’s hard to get one of those shows to go really well. It’s just the nature of the business here.

    PM: How could that change?
    GB: I’ve been trying to make that change for a number of years; I just haven’t found a way to do it. When Revolution Hall closed, I felt that was a room that could do that and be the centralized spot for music, but it was in Troy and people in Albany didn’t want to go to Troy among other reasons. I think if Albany had a room like Rev Hall it would be successful. There’s a lot of good clubs in Albany, I don’t think there’s a great club in Albany. Red Square is good for some things, Jillian’s is good for some things, Valentines is good for some things, and Savannah’s is good for some things.

    Matt Abts, Vinnie Amico, and Greg Bell

    PM: What about venues like the Palace, The Armory and The Egg?
    GB: They are great places to see shows. At the Palace I’ve had Disco Biscuits, moe., Jimmy Cliff, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Gov’t Mule, Michael Franti, Black Crowes, Dark Star Orchestra, it’s a wonderful room to see shows in. It’s a theater and you need bands that can draw at least a couple thousand people. At The Armory I’ve had moe. a couple of times, Phil Lesh and Friends, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Matisyahu, The Roots. But it’s a tough room because you only have a few bands that can do 3-4,000 to fill the room. Bands that do less than 1,000 or more than 5,000 won’t cut it there, so it’s a tough room for that middle area of bands that draw 3-4,000 in a general admission room. For techno shows and DJs it’s a perfect room, like for Deadmau5 and Rusko. I love The Egg, it’s a sit down room, so a lot of the stuff that I do is tough there. I’ve had success there with Dark Star Orchestra and Keller Williams and Medeski, Martin and Wood. You have to have a certain kind of show on in a good room like that. People are easy to work with, the sound is great. All the places in the area that provide music are good for certain things; there’s no one place that’s good for everything.


    PM: What do you think of the past five years of music in the Albany area?
    GB: It’s hard to say, I’ve seen Rev Hall which was really starting to take off, go under. I’ve seen Jillian’s move from a disco-y place to a viable venue in the area; Red Square is doing a lot of shows and Valentines is starting to pick up again. The music scene in Albany is vibrant and things are picking up thanks to young enthusiastic bands that bring out people. One thing that I’m trying to do, especially since Rev Hall closed, is get back into going out and checking out a lot of younger bands that I’ve been missing for a while. One of my fortes has always been finding young bands and then building them up to the point where they have an audience.

    PM: Like Timbre Coup?
    GB: Timbre Coup, Formula 5, Eastbound Jesus, Dirty Paris are all great bands, The Sunny Side of the Street Band… there’s tons of bands out there right now that are starting to pick up some steam. I have a couple bands I’m checking out in the next few weeks that I’m interested in seeing how they are, The Greys and Digital Dharma, both seem to be pretty interesting. There are always great up and coming bands but its hard for them to keep it together because bands are making less money now than bands made in the 70s and 80s because there’s no money out there, the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 over that time. I see opening acts that have to drive 300 miles to make $100 which barely covers gas. You have to really be dedicated and really want to be in a band and be with the right people who have the same dreams and what you want to do. You see too many bands that are really talented that break up because it’s too much of a commitment to be a touring band anymore. You really have to be OK not making any money to get by till you start picking up a fan base. With gas prices now, I can’t really see how bands can open a show for $100. Unfortunately for promoters, expenses go up every year – club expenses, advertising expenses, national and regional touring bands with dwindling fanbases still expect to get paid like when they were drawing bigger numbers. People need to do a lot more cooperation between clubs, bands and promoters and work together so that no one gets hurt and at the least survive. I think that’s one of the things that I don’t see as much among bands; some genres have bands working together to get the scene going but certain genres of music have bands that are more cut-throat and expect more money and more fans to show up. If bands start cooperating and working together, that can make a difference. When I first did shows at Valentines, the audience would include band-members from bands that weren’t even playing and they would get up and jam with the bands on stage. I really don’t see that happening as much anymore, one band getting done at one venue and going to another to see a couple of tunes and maybe sit in, at least as much as I used to. Back when I first started doing Valentines, there were nights when we had to drag people off the stage at four in the morning while there were members of three different bands on the stage playing together. Back then, after midnight was the point where you would worry about breaking even. Now that’s around 11 or so. Part of it is due to DWI laws being enforced; part of it has to do with money. The economy being the toilet doesn’t help either, people aren’t going to be able to spend money on a Wednesday than on a weekend. They have to pick and choose more now.

    Soulive and Greg Bell

    PM: What is Albany’s role in the past 20 years in terms of live music in the greater Northeast?
    GB: When the 3rd wave of jambands were coming up, when moe, The (Disco) Biscuits, Deep Banana Blackout, Strangefolk and that whole group of bands were all starting out when I was starting out promoting shows, at some point I would get them. Albany was a major stop on jamband tours. In any given month I would have at least one night with Ominous Seapods, one night with moe., one night with Conehead Buddha and one night with Yolk; I mean those are four bands right there that are selling good numbers of tickets and anyone who is coming through would come to me. Max Creek when they started touring again, Schleigho and a lot of bands that were coming up at that time. Some of them didn’t go much further although I think some of them should have, such as Peter Prince from MoonBoot Lover should have been famous, I think he’s a talented man, I think Schliegho should have been famous; there’s a lot of talented bands that I’ve seen over the years that got beaten down by the road and record companies and everything else, and once they started getting older, having families and settling down, they couldn’t be on the road making no money. I met tons of great musicians; some of my closest friends are the ones I started promoting shows with in the 90s, I’m still in contact with a lot of them. Bands like moe. who could have stopped doing shows with me years ago and gone to Live Nation and bigger promoters have always stuck with me and remain loyal to me and that means a lot to me. That’s a great honor for a band that’s gone as far as moe. has gone to keep a local promoter involved with them. There’s not a lot of that loyalty going on right now.

    PM: What do you think the next five years of music is in the Albany area?
    GB: I think we’re on the verge of is, due to economic and social situations, I think Americana is going to get a lot bigger than it is, at some point, when things are typically going like this and things are getting stagnant… I respect what the DJs are doing with techno/electronica, but I think there’s going to be a lot of people who don’t want to see a DJ pushing buttons on a laptop on stage. I think that what’s going to happen at some point is like in the 70s and 80s all of a sudden you had Springsteen and then punk rock coming out to go against disco and arena rock. Then you had Nirvana come out against hair bands and glitter bands… I think we’re at a point now where you’ll see something in the next few years that will be totally different and save rock n roll again. But I think because of the economic situation right now and more people protesting I think you’re going to see more Americana type music where people are singing about what’s going on in the world and in people’s lives. You had Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and people like that when we were on the verge of/in the middle of the cold war, people coming out during the Vietnam War and protesting. I think you’ll see a lot more of that coming out, I think people tend to go towards that kind of music when things are down. All great music has come from people being down in poor economic situations; you’ve got blues, jazz, folk, all that came out of poor people basically; rap came out of the ghetto where people were economically disadvantaged. I think you’re going to see more of that music coming out and a mix of electronica and rock with The Disco Biscuits and The New Deal and even that’s starting to fade away and it’s getting more and more electronic equipment based more than people based. I think you’re gonna start seeing people start breaking away from that for something new, at least that’s what I’m hoping. I think that the jamband scene has been struggling recently because I don’t see a lot of young hippies coming up now; I see a lot of techno kids coming up. But in the past year or so, I’ve seen a lot more bands, young bands, that are more jamband based, more songs and more jamming, people who can really play their instruments, so I think there’s gonna be a little resurgence of that kind of music too.

    Greg Bell celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first show as a promoter celebration of the first weekend of April at Valentines on New Scotland Ave in Albany. On April 6, Conehead Buddha will reunite with The Sunny Side of the Street Band opening, while on April 7, Timbre Coup performs with Formula 5 opening. Come out and celebrate 20 years of great music and toast to 20 more.

  • TAKING BACK SUNDAY talks lineup changes, being influential

    TAKING BACK SUNDAY talks lineup changes, being influential

    Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday is a success story of a more traditional kind than is common today. The band was formed by Eddie Reyes in 1999. Reyes was already a veteran of such influential acts as Mind Over Matter and Inside, not to mention a founding member of the Movielife. The band recorded a demo and toured relentlessly before attempting to talk to labels, subsequently being signed by Victory Records. 5 full length albums, countless tours all over the world and even placing number 2 on the Billboard top 200 charts are just some of accomplishments Taking Back Sunday have since seen. Chris Stocking recently had a chance to speak with Reyes.

    taking back sunday

    Chris: Between reforming the Tell All Your Friends-era lineup in 2010, then writing and recording your eponymous album, did you find the overall process of writing and recording more natural?

    Eddie: It felt more natural and it flowed a lot better. It was nice that it wasn’t forced, it flowed perfectly just like before.

    Chris: What is your favorite song on the album?

    Eddie: I have two that I listen to a lot, Money (Let It Go) and Falling.

    Chris: How do you feel your musical style has changed over the years? Do you feel that the changes in line up have created experimentations within the bands composition?

    Eddie: I think we’ve grown a lot as a band and matured a lot as people. Playing with different sound and ideas would probably happen on every album regardless of membership changes.

    Chris: You guys played “Existentialism on Prom Night” at Bamboozle 2011. Have you considered playing more Straylight Run songs as part of your set?

    Eddie: Yes, when we get the chance we would love to rehearse a few more of their songs.

    Chris: As a band that tours all over the world, what’s your favorite and least favorite parts of touring?

    Eddie: I love touring, I love meeting people and playing shows, I just wish I could be with my kids at the same time because they are the ones I miss the most.

    Chris: What was your favorite part of the South America tour?

    Eddie: We loved being down there and the audiences were so enthusiastic. Outside of that, our tour manager Marc arranged a sightseeing day trip in Rio and that was incredible.

    Chris: What are you most excited for on the Australia tour?

    Eddie: It’s just exciting to be in Australia period! Australia is one of my favorite countries! It’s everything awesome about the UK, the rest of Europe and America rolled up into one!

    Chris: Being a stage setter for an ongoing trend of emotionally strong lyrically driven bands, how does it feel to be in part responsible for the eruption of bands within that concept?

    Eddie:The band I was influenced by was influenced by someone else so it’s definitely always present. The fact that someone may have wanted to start a band because of our music will always be an honor.

    Chris: What inspired you guys to be behind the December 27th food drive?

    Eddie:Someone asked for help and it was something we could do so we did it.

    Chris: As we all know, you featured Flavor Flav in your video, You’re So Last Summer. What was the concept behind this?

    Eddie: Since John wasn’t there we tried to think of the silliest person we could who could cover his part. At one point we said Flavor Flav and everyone laughed. He is a fellow long island musician after all. Then we asked him and he said yes. This was before all of the reality shows though.

    Chris: I’ve always loved the cover art for Louder Now. It reminds me of a photo by Joel Meyerowitz called ‘NYC, 1963’. Did you draw inspiration for the cover from that photo?

    Eddie: Good eye, check the credits!

    Chris: My first exposure to TBS was from Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland where you covered “Suburban Home” and “I Like Food”. Would you consider the Descendents an influence on your sound?

    Eddie: Definitely for some of us. Everyone in the band has different influences.

    Chris: What can we anticipate from Taking Back Sunday in 2012?

    Eddie: More music and more touring! Maybe something to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of our first album!

    Chris: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. We really appreciate it and look forward to what Taking Back Sunday has to offer in the future.

    Eddie: Thank you!

  • HUMAANA’s Comfort is laid back, confident

    HUMAANA’s Comfort is laid back, confident


    Humaana – Comfort (Panic Records)

    Comfortable atmospheres line the tracks of Comfort, the E.P. that marks the first release by Boston’s Humaana. Started as a studio project in 2009 by members of Late Nite Wars and Ryan Stack of Format Audio, Humaana tasked themselves with the “goal to write and record as much material as possible without any genre constraints.” The result is a solid, laid back effort heavy on lush effects and melodies. Somewhat like a modern day Police in sound, the songs are catchy and somehow manage to walk the tightrope of becoming familiar while not at all crossing the line into repetitive, a trap that has easily been fallen into by far longer running acts.

    I had no idea how refreshing it would be to hear effects on vocals and not have it be fucking autotune. But it was. Seriously. I can’t help but feel that currently there’s a giant hole in music overall that is just begging for strong, melodic acts to fill it, much like a horny cougar at a homecoming party. Too soon? No matter, Humaana is exactly the band to do the filling, so look out Demi Moore! While I admittedly pulled the Police comparison from the band’s press material, I feel it is the first thing that popped out at me upon listening and quite apt. If I had to pull a band I would compare these guys to from the murky depths of my own brain, I have to say I hear similar qualities to A Day At The Fair, though I am hard pressed to say exactly in what aspect.

    Featuring a very big sound for a three piece, strong recording quality and confident songwriting that suggests a much longer running band, this five song E.P. will absolutely get in your head and stay there, and I would suggest it for anyone looking for a warm, comfortable E.P. to get them through the remainder of winter.

    For more on Humaana:
    http://www.facebook.com/Humaana
    http://panicrecords.net

    This E.P. was released on 2/28/12 and is now available through the Panic Records website.
    http://www.panicrecords.net/estore/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=humaana

    -Brian Lawrence