NYS Music 20​12

Tag: saranac

  • moe. at Saranac Brewery, Saturday October 13th

    As we all know, time flies. Sometimes it is months before you and your favorite band cross paths again. For me that’s been the case as I’ve been going through withdrawal lately singin’ the mantra, “Gimme some moe.” Having only seen moe. once this past year,  my body and mind have been begging for some “Lazarus”, “Buster”, “Rebubula”… anything by the music-master-minds. One thing moe. is known for their annual shows at the Saranac Brewery in Utica, including one on Saturday, October 13. Their love for east coast fans, central New York venues and good beer makes the Saranac Brewery an essential stop on their seasonal tours.

    Saturday night’s show had the atmosphere of an autumn backyard party, complete with a decked out Jack-O-Lantern dressed as a viking, front and center on stage. There was a chill in the air and a forecast promising rain but the crowds came flooding in anyways. Everyone was bundled up and feelin’ fine; the weather quickly became a minor detail of the evening. The band opened with “Haze”, belting out the lyrics “I wanna do this with you… Hey! Let’s go! I don’t care as long as you are there!”. The crowd melted together at a rapid pace and the energy was high with the anticipation of yet another electrifying set. Anyone who has been to a moe. show knows that the crowd is made up of highly devoted fans and you can hear people’s debates from every direction about what song the band will bust out next.

    The first set had unique progression, as it certainly was not one of their jammier shows but flowed nicely. ”St. Augustine” was the highlight with it’s long gorgeous jam that is always so full of light. The first set had short renditions of a few favorites, “Wind It Up”->”Lost Along the Way” ->”Tambourine” and of course “Happy Hour Hero”, for tonight, a Saranac would do just fine! Some people around me seemed to be a little disappointed with the  “Happy Hour Hero”, practically the brewery’s anthem. Overall, it seemed as though the first set came and went, leaving us all thirsty for some heavier jams during the second part of the show.

    Sure enough they came back from break with a whole new attitude. The boys jammed “Billy Goat” into “Tailspin” and then pleased the crowd with an all-time favorite, “Kyle’s Song”.  Everyone was singing along with the lyrics and smiles were all around. The energy was taken to a whole new level, with even the light show changing into something spectacular and matching the more intense vibe of the second set jams.

    There was a lot of  love and light in this show; Cass, an eleven-year member of the crew took the stage and played heavy on the drums. He wanted to go out with a bang so drummer Vinnie Amico swapped seats with his beloved crew member and let him rock out. THIS is what sets moe. apart; a moe. show is never just about the music. The music is our common ground, and is what connects us and gives us collective roots.

    But moe. offers a whole other element to our shared reality. It is a wholesome, rich experience which earns them one of the most dedicated fan-bases around, not to mention the band’s political activism and the way in which they use their voice to spread messages. Towards the end of the show there were speeches given on hydro-fracking and information was offered in hopes of educating people on it’s negative impacts.  Bass player Rob Derhak took his usual cracks at guitarist Al Schnier as Chuck Garvey laughed on and the band’s freeing chemistry overflowed out into the audience. It felt just like home.

    Needless to say, the Saranac Show had a little bit of everything. As I made my way through the crowd bouncing around from “Chuck-side” to “Al-side” there was a common theme throughout. We’re all like old friends, supporting a band that supports us. So what could be a better encore then “Raise a Glass->Plane Crash”?! Might as well make a toast and say cheers to band that got us all tied up together inside this musical maze.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Haze, St. Augustine, Wind It Up, Lost Along The Way, Tambourine, Happy Hour Hero > Seat Of My Pants

    Set 2: Billy Goat > Tailspin > Kyle’s Song > Kids > Down Boy > Skrunk > Brent Black

    Encore: Raise A Glass, Plane Crash

    Download the show here: http://archive.org/details/moe2012-10-13.oktava.flac16

  • moe. at Saranac Brewery, Friday October 12, 2012

    moe. brought much needed heat to their return to Utica on October 12, 2012. The night was seasonably cold, with a hard frost forecast and temperatures in the thirties, but that did not stop the bundled fans from welcoming moe. back to Saranac Brewery in true Utica form. The weekend featured an auction benefiting Hydro Relief Web, a local Anti-Fracking group. Up for grabs were autographed merch and one of Al Schnier’s guitars, truly reinforcing how invested this band is in the local community.

    The night opened up with a standard “Spaz Medicine”, however moved quickly into a jammed out 15+ minute “Dr.Graffenberg” that got the crowd moving.  Heavy on the xylophone, it shaped up to be an impressive version of an awesome tune, topped off by a tight and high energy “Waiting for the Punchline”. It was a first set full of jams, and excellent flow, evidenced by “The Pit”> “Wormwood”> “OkayAlright” stopping briefly to fire into “Deep this Time”, and closing out with a dark “Downward Facing Dog”. The Saranac was flowing as the traditional brewery toast was bestowed upon the crowd, “To Great Friends, Great Beer and Great Music”, and there was more to come.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18KT1An821Y]

    Second set opened up with “Captain America”  as moe. brought the song far beyond the normal “sing along” that it has potential to be, instead thoughtfully jammed it out and stretched it to the limits and then transitioned seamlessly into a slowly building “Akimbo”. The thoughtfulness continued throughout the set, with a well balanced, and timed “Water”, a relatively mellow “Head”, and funky “George”.

    “Spine of a Dog” had a rough start, with some apparent lyric issues that were quickly rectified as the crowd was more than happy to fill in the gaps. Spine’s most notable feature was the underlying drum current, with each band member building on the base until again, they seamlessly segued into “Buster”. The night closed with “Threw It All Away”, and the xylophone was busted out again for “Crab Eyes”, a personal favorite.

    This show stands out for its well planned song placement, seamless segues, and overall high energy. Despite the cold weather, it was a scorching show with an amazing setlist to prove it.

    Set 1: Spaz Medicine > Dr. Graffenberg > Waiting For The Punchline, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Okayalright, Deep This Time > Downward Facing Dog

    Set 2: Captain America > Akimbo, Water > Head, George, Spine Of A Dog > Buster

    Encore: Threw It All Away > Crab Eyes

    Download the show here

  • 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.

  • 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.