NYS Music 20​12

Tag: UMAF

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Highlights of Utica Music and Arts Festival

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

    Thursday September 13th – by Pete Connors and Lindsay Jones

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

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

    Friday September 14th – by Lindsay Jones

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

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

    Saturday September 15th – by Pete Mason

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

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

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

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

  • The End Men, Sept 13th at O’Donnels in Utica

    Thursday night of Utica Music and Arts Festival was a wild one from inside the festival camp and as a result, I was fashionably (read: stressfully) late to the start of The End Men’s first show of the 2012 UMAF.  Not a smart move in O’Donnels, as an enthusiastic crowd will indeed surge forward (or back, according to your perspective), boxing the band into the end of the long hallway that is the bar’s layout and causing a truly standing room only vibe.  This crowd was absolutely nothing short of enthusiastic and well they should be.  The End Men, from Brooklyn, haven’t graced a Utica stage since earlier this year at Mardi Gras at The Uptown Theater and we were clamoring hungrily for their gritty, raw, deliciously grungy tunes and gravelly, passionate vocals.

    In keeping with the manifesto of the festival, music and art collided in the unobtrusive, wood paneled room, as a crush of local photographers strained in to get up close and personal shots of Liv and Matthew doing what they do best, hooking a crowd like a fish on a line.  The crowd was star studded by a few fellow musical types too, Randy Niles, and the crew from Ghost and Goblin.  I grabbed a beer and elbowed my way in up close, trapped between Randy, the pool table, and the band.

    This band just draws you in, particularly by their total commitment to what they’re doing.  They live and breathe this music, the rhythm and the lifestyle of creation and sharing and being as rock as possible.  It just is them, inseparable from their beings.  Matthew’s guitar is utterly relentless and there are few things in this life I enjoy more than watching Liv thrash the shit out of a set of drums.  She goes hard, pounding sticks into skins in swinging arcs of movement that catch the eye as much as the sounds catch the ear.  She is equally capable of swinging the eights and finessing around a verse like a jazz drummer as she is to suddenly raise her arms high into the air and pummel with intensity belied by her small frame.  She is one of my very favorite drummers, not only to listen to, but also to watch.

    Matthew himself is no slouch in the intensity department.  His demeanor is amusing, boyish, giving and joyful leaving little doubt that he is living his dream of entertaining people and doing so along side a companion he values and respects.  It’s a tongue in groove type lock down with these two and I think it’s safe to say you’ll not only like the music, but you’ll like the two of them personally an awful lot by the time the set’s done.

    We’ve had a lovely opportunity to watch this band grow over the course of the past couple of years and I’m continually impressed by their progress.  When we first met them as a trio, the music and show-person-ship was totally enjoyable, but what stood out m most was their individual personalities.  This is no longer the case, and I submit anyone passing by on a street or cornered by a friend and made to sit and listen would stop short and stick around, only later to be impressed by how freaking nice they are.  They’ve locked down deep into their niche, a drum and guitar duo unlike most of the rest on the scene.  The first thing setting them apart from the pack is just how talented Liv is on the drums.  So multifaceted and intelligent it’s stunning to watch her work.  Matthew’s vocal is also unique, hovering somewhere between Waits and Springsteen with the perfect amount of rumble and a cavalier attitude of fun and his approach on guitar is, well, it’s fantastic!  A carnival barker over a cacophony of merriment, sound in theory and practice.

    They mugged a little for the photogs, most of which have become personal friends of this duo, with Matt telling a joke or two between songs that amuse and coax the listener to relate.  A straight paparazzi outright flash mob, photographers literally crawled across the floor, over tables, and undulated themselves into spaces you’d not believe just to catch the perfect shot of this magic.  It was a seamless performance and I thought to myself more than once, ‘this is how it’s done.’  I felt gratitude to be able to round out my somewhat frenzied day with a little bit of groundedness.

    You bet I love this band, and I can’t get enough.  Call your local venues and promoters and suggest you cannot live without more of The End Men in your life.  They will recharge your batteries like a jump in a parking lot by the coolest vagabond you ever saw.

    Photos by NVP Photography

  • The Utica Music and Arts Festival explores new ways to bring the region together

    A little something extra at this year’s Utica Music and Arts Festival!  The 1st Annual Industry Meet and Greet will be held at The Radisson Hotel, Friday, September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

    Every year, the organizing committee of the Utica Music and Arts Festival strives to create an experience not only enjoyable, but valuable to the artists we call family and the environment that makes or breaks them.  This year we take the time, in our 5th turn around the sun, to remember a commitment we hold dear: networking.

    More than a festival experience, the UMAF has been structured from its inception to provide a plethora of opportunities for artists to meet and mingle with each other, make lasting connections with other artists they can continue to work with, form touring caravans, gig share, and join forces in a variety of ways.  We desire strongly that everyone cooperate and collaborate in an effort to become increasingly more self sustainable in a changing industry. The committee enthusiastically explores all options available to assist our family of artists in rebooking locally and attempts to place them in performance spaces most suited to that end.  Venturing further beyond that threshold, this year the team has conceptualized a pilot Industry Meet and Greet which will occur on Friday, September 14, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at festival headquarters, The Radisson.

    All performers are invited to attend and gain access to professionals who may be able to advance your presence in Central New York.  We are happy to provide them for perusal should you have them in a compatible format.  This includes demos, business cards, download cards and other materials linking to online content, press kits both digital and physical, and mailing list information.

    Members of the industry in the niches of booking, talent buying, press, and promotion have been invited to attend this two hour, informal gathering and to mingle with each other and our artist roster, exchange materials and contact information, and discuss strategies for continued success and experience in The Mohawk Valley and outlying points of New York State.  Invitations have are being sent out to specifically identified industry persons and these invitations will entitle their recipients to access any and all of the performances of over 200 artists over 3 days in Utica, NY and our first annual Industry Meet and Greet.  We mean to keep this informally structured, but are here to facilitate needs you may anticipate or encounter.  This even will foster increased cooperation between independent agencies operating in the Central and Upstate New York region so that we may all be successful in the endeavors that move us.

    Please remember to keep on the cutting edge of information regarding the UMAF by checking the official website, joining our Google Plus Circle, and ‘liking’ our Facebook Page.

    This embedded presentation will provide a few more details, as will the article available on the festival’s website.

    Let’s prove you can do business, earn your living, and have a great time all at the same time and let’s explore even more ways we can cooperate together at this year’s UMAF!

  • Utica Music and Arts Festival Enters 5th Year

    Utica Music and Arts Festival Enters 5th Year

    The 2012 Utica Music and Arts Festival marks 5 years strong!

    In less than one month, the 5th annual Utica Music and Arts Festival will hit the streets of Utica, NY.  September 13, 14 and 15th, headliners Badfish, Zach Deputy, XVSK, and Twiddle will be joined by returning favorites Hank & Cupcakes, My Pet Dragon, Shane Maux from Belikos (now in Duk Duk Goose), Randy Niles, j. Schnitt, The Rick Short Band, Brian Mulkerne, Brass Knuckle Intercourse, Autumn Fire, and The End Men, and more than 150 other artists!  In all, approximately 200 performers on 19 stages, the UMAF is CNY’s largest music festival.

    It is the mission of the Utica Music & Arts Fest to revitalize Utica’s historic appreciation of the musical arts while providing a stimulus to our local economy. The intention is to initiate the creation of a solid, growing, and eternal network of industry professionals, centered in Utica with local, national, and international expansion.

    Artists will exhibit their work in the Radisson which is also festival check in.  This year the hotel will venue not only performing artists and out of town bands and fans, but also two ‘firsts’ for the UMAF, an Industry Meet and Greet and a wine tasting event.

    Utica Greens Festival, sponsored by Price Chopper, takes place on Varick Street from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday the 15th.  The UGF is the part of the UMAF that highlights our families and community and will feature vendors, an exhibition by Bailey’s Karate, a pop-up skate park brought to us by Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, belly dancing, face painting, a community Zumba bash in the street, and many regional dishes to taste under the Greens Tent.     The UGF is a part of the UMAF and all bands on Varick Street during that time period are free to the public.  Access to the Greens Tent, however, requires a donation, a portion of which will benefit Pack A Back, a community organization that gathers school supplies for the Utica City School District students.

    The UMAF is thrilled to announce a relationship with this year’s San Gennaro Feast occurring at the Cathedral of the Theotokos of Great Grace during the weekend of the UMAF.  SGF attendees will benefit from musical acts which have been provided by the UMAF playing songs for all ages.  Performances begin on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and run until 11:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

    Strangers Helping Strangers is a charity organization gathering canned goods at the Radisson, the festival’s hub.  SHS encourages festival attendees to bring a nonperishable food item or personal toiletry with them to check in and these items will be donated to a local area charity.

    Additional information is available at the Official UMAF website with Official Venue Listing and 2012 Performing Artists.

    Tickets are available online, through contact with volunteers and organizers, and at the following locations.  A limited number of 3 Day All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $60.00 plus applicable fees.  After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $70.00 in advance and will go up to $80.00 day of show.

    A limited number of 3 Day VIP All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $80.00 plus applicable fees.  After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $90.00 in advance and will go up to $100.00 day of show.  Discounts are available for ticket bundles, as detailed on the website.  Individual shows may be attended without a weekend pass by paying a cover charge which will vary according to venue ($5-$15) or by purchasing a day pass which will only be available once the festival has begun.

    Ticket Outlets:
    The Brewery Giftshop –  830 Varick St. Utica
    Utica Coffee Roasting Company – 92 Genesee St. Utica
    Puff N Stuff – 333 Genesee St. Utica
    Big Apple Music – 8441 Seneca Turnpike New Hartford
    Cafe Domenico – 2011 Genesee St. Utica
    Lifted Boardshop – 709 East Dominick St. Rome
    Pizza Boys New York Mills – 9 Clinton St. New York Mills

    Thank you to our sponsors and participating venues:  Price Chopper, Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, Bank of Utica, Puff N Stuff, Pizza Boys New York Mills, Saranac, Mohawk Valley Promotions, United Auto Sales, Jagermeister, BLU, The Celtic Harp, The Nailcreek Pub & Brewery, The Stage at Saranac Thursdays, Piers & Blake, Shots Sports Bar, Dick Smith’s Tavern, The Radisson, O’Donnell’s Pub & Grill, Sickenberger Lane, The Cage, The Green Onion Pub, and the St. Gennaro Feast.