NYS Music 20​12

Tag: Eastbound Jesus

  • North Mississippi Allstars, Missing Cats and Eastbound Jesus, Upstate Concert Hall, September 29th

    North Mississippi Allstars, Missing Cats and Eastbound Jesus, Upstate Concert Hall, September 29th

    With the arrival of southern rockers North Mississippi Allstars and Missing Cats heading up Upstate New York, I leaped at the chance to check out two bands that I was first enthralled by at the first Bonnaroo. While not exactly the same band lineup, with North Mississippi missing the recovering Chris Chew, and Missing Cats featuring Widespread Panic keyboardist JoJo Hermann, this was a pure treat, to see the musicians playing together for two sets, one Missing Cats and one North Mississippi. In a room like Upstate Concert Hall (formerly Northern Lights), the potential for an intimate and classic show was high.

    north mississippi allstarsThirty minutes of Eastbound Jesus got the crowd warmed up for the evening, and added some local flair to an otherwise southern lineup. Missing Cats took the stage with Sherman Ewing on acoustic guitar and JoJo on keyboard. Singing original songs with a rockabilly/Dixieland ring, the duo opened up with “Lazy Bones” and a few songs later were joined by Luther (guitar) and Cody Dickinson (drums) for the rest of the set. JoJo told stories in between some songs, including “Over Lovett”, which was written while flying over Buddy Holly’s hometown.”Follow me Down” had a Warren Zevon aspect to it, between both the lyrics and JoJo’s melody on the keys (see video below). This song stuck in my head for a day or two after, particularly because JoJo and I had discussed Zevon in our interview earlier that week, and lo and behold, the influence of the hairy-handed gent was present on stage. Some New Orleans infused tunes followed, along with “Halfway to the Top”, which JoJo mentioned was inspired by driving on a mountain highway through the Catskills during the change in foliage; the tune had a Jackson Browne/Early 80s feel, and was a perfect end to a great first set.

    Six song playlist – Missing Cats: “My Hideaway”, “Burn This Mission Down”, “Follow me Down”; North Mississippi Allstars: “Sugartown”, “Daisy Mae”, “All Night Long”

    North Mississippi Allstars brought the jukejoint blues of the land south of Memphis to the stage with Lightnin’ Malcolm on bass and JoJo on keys, the sound of generations past were updated as fluid jams developed from blues compositions into jazzy outlays of pure gold.

    Following the opener “Someday Baby”, after 10 years, I finally got to see “Sugartown” for the second time (first at Bonnaroo) and it was a pure treat, although the absense of Chris Chew’s thumping bass could be heard. “Never in all my Days” and “Mean old Wind Died Down” were foot stomping, head bobbing, thigh slapping numbers that roused a focused crowd. “Mississippi Boll Weevil”, “Shake ’em on Down” and “Shake What your Mama Gave You” provided a steady arc of upbeat, evenly paced songs that never let the momentum drop. “Moonshine” was more of a bridge, being somewhat more ballad-esque, and showcased Luther’s slight drawl-tinted voice. JoJo joined the band for “Bang Bang Lulu”, a machine-gun of a number, with Cody knocking each verse and refrain out of the park.

    The echo-laden blues guitar sound of “Po Black Maddie” was oddly complimented by a Dukes of Hazzard video on the screen behind the band. Cody took a moment to solo with his electric washboard, a classic aspect to any NoMiss set. Luther then took out a two string guitar made with an old microphone as the (limited) body, but still played strong on “Ho Down” and “Psychedelic Sex Machine”  The set ended shortly after midnight, and an encore of the Smiling Assassins tune “Daisy Mae” was sung by JoJo and received a warm reception from the Panic fans in the crowd who have heard this number played once or twice in the past. Being that is was Lightnin’ Malcolm’s birthday, he elected to play Junior Kimbrough’s “All Night Long”, which kept the audience dancing for an extended jam that drained every bit of energy from the band and fans alike.

    Post show, Luther and JoJo stopped into the crowd to talk to fans, remarking about the intimacy of the show and the tour as it was slowing creeping to a close. Later that week they played in Ithaca at The Haunt and brought the same high energy, southern rock show to a gathering of ardent fans of the blues.

    Download the North Mississippi Allstars show recorded by tapers John and Ed.

  • PearlPalooza 2012 Review

    Early afternoon is a tough time to get moving and grooving, but that didn’t stop the masses from arriving on Pearl St. in Albany. Once again for 2012, WEQX presented the day-long street festival, Pearlpalooza, with Cobblestone allies led into the downtown urban scape where high-rise brick and mortar buildings provided a periphery to the event. There were two stages located at each end of the street. The EQX Main stage was reserved for the national acts and the second stage was reserved for the popular local acts.

    On a breezy and sunny, but still warm autumn day, the music hit the walls of the buildings and fell to jovial ears. The time slots for the bands to play were balanced so that not one artist would be missed. I arrived just in time to grab a spot for Eastbound Jesus. In spite of the early time slot, they had amassed large crowd in front. Now becoming an Albany area staple, they have gained steam and a large following. Giving the shortened time, as most festivals require, their truncated set still allowed for the boys to weave in and out of a mix of new songs and familiar hits. Eastbound Jesus played crowd favorites, “Holy Smokes!” and “Gonna Go Down.”

    Mirk is a seven-piece outfit mostly composed of hip-hop songs that teased every other genre of music. Each song hit on just something a little different, with horns, a keyboardist and electric instruments; Mirk leaves room for a variety of sound. Wild Adriatic played a bit of rock and roll and closed out with a crowd sing-a-long,” With A Little Help From my Friends.”

    The EQX Main Stage included mostly pop artists that fit the bill of radio friendly electronic acts. Robert Delong takes his drum kit, gaming unit and laptops and fuses electro-beats with rock and roll. Most notable were his vocals. Local turned national artist, Phantogram enjoyed playing to their hometown fans with their electronic rock and roll beats. A rainstorm rolled in at around 6:30 pm when Conehead Buddha was set to play the small stage, but the rain began to saturate their equipment and they only made it through a few songs. Meanwhile, the rain delayed headliners, Matt & Kim, but that didn’t stop the busting-at-the-seems crowd from chanting, “Matt and Kim.” The duo catered to their crowd in big ways. The boy/girl team popped on stage to Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s, “Empire State of Mind,” wielding drumsticks like Kim was a ninja and elevating themselves above the crowd ramping up the fans. Much of their set included covers and sing-a-longs such as Biz Markie’s, “Just a Friend.” The duo incorporated their instrumental talents on drums and keys into fast tempo electronic beats with much gusto and energy. The team made their on stage workout seem effortless.

    Overall, there was a variety of music and therefore something for everyone. One fan in the crowd stated how she enjoyed that it wasn’t overly populated with the college kids. The most enjoyable aspect was the kid friendly atmosphere in spite of the bar-lined street.