NYS Music 20​13

Author: NYS Music Staff

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Publisher Pete Mason

    Pete Mason is a teacher and writer living in Albany, NY. Pete started out as a Staff Writer, covering concerts and festivals in the Northeast, then became Online Editor and helped grow the staff from 10 to more than 40 as of today. As Publisher, Pete edits content, coordinates with staff for coverage of events, finds new staff from throughout New York State and the Northeast, and pushing forth the mission of NYS Music: to promote the music of up and coming artists from New York State and beyond.

    pete mason

    A graduate of three Upstate New York colleges – Syracuse University, Union Graduate College and The College of Saint Rose – Pete finds his home in Menands, halfway between Parish Public House in Albany and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy, living with his 5 year old pup Sky, and previously his dog Halley, both natives of Upstate New York. Pete is the author of PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish, and runs PhanArt.net, which provides a marketplace for Phish fans to sell their art to a wide audience both on and off tour, with proceeds benefiting The Mockingbird Foundation.

    Pete is also the co-author of PhanFood: From the Kitchen Pot to the Tour Lot, a cookbook compiling recipes for Phish fans, by Phish fans, with proceeds going to food banks in New York and Burlington. His latest book. The Evolution of the War Film: From Westerns and World War Two to Vietnam is available as an e-book and details the shift in war films throughout the 20th Century. When not teaching, editing or writing, Pete travels throughout the country, having visited all 50 states, and seeks out music festivals. He has written three children’s books, which can be found here. He has written for Huffington Post and Jambands.com. Pale ales, chicken wings and locally sourced produce are known to gain not only his curiosity, but his attention as well.

    pete mason

    Pete has been to over 200 Phish shows, 50+ music festivals and countless shows over the course of the past 20 years. His first concert was Huey Lewis and the News at SPAC in 1989, who he met at his third News show in May 2013 in Tarrytown. Some of his favorite musical experiences include Northwest String Summit at Hornings Hideout in 2011, Bonnaroo, Jamcruise, Big Cypress, seeing Patti Smith in Rome, Bloc Party at Paradiso in Amsterdam, Pearl Jam at The Gorge, Rock n Roll Resorts and any hometown show.

    Pete has seen a great deal of musicians in his life, but some acts still elude him. His musical bucketlist includes Stevie Wonder, Daft Punk, among others. Among venues to see musical performances in, concerts at Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, The Sydney Opera House in Australia, and Royal Albert Hall in London are at the top of his list.

    Email: Pete@NYSMusic.com

  • Southern Rock legends .38 Special Blows Away The Showroom at Turning Stone

    When .38 Special performed at Turning Stone’s Showroom on November 14, I remembered what made them great when their songs aired on the radio in the 1980’s. Their heartfelt lyrics powered by strong vocals on top of plain-old, good-quality Southern style rock is pretty much the definition of .38 Special. No surprises there – they lived up to expectations.

    What was surprising was the energy that went into their performance. .38 Special was formed the same year I was born. So, when I see performers who were in their peak when I was an infant, I’m pretty impressed when they rock it out. These guys took very few breaks all night, and the music may have stopped two or three times at most during their set. The sound simply rolled, Southern style, from one song to another.

    The other impressive thing was that these guys were happy on stage. More than once I saw a look of ecstasy on Don Barnes’ face during a particularly intense guitar riff. All the members of the band seemed to enjoy themselves; they offered genuine smiles to each other while performing and attempted sincere connections with the crowd. It was clear that the members of .38 Special were at home, at peace, and totally content on stage.

    Although they are currently (and likely permanently) performing without founding member Donnie Van Zant, I still felt that their music was very much together: the band worked well off each other. True to Southern Rock, the lack of competing instruments and vocals makes everything just flow together.

    As usual, the Showroom’s classy atmosphere allowed for great seating with a good view of the stage. This venue can handle a wide variety of performances, and while I love dramatic performances, what was refreshing about .38 Special was that their show was all about the music. I suppose that is what has kept this group together for 40 years.

  • Syracuse marks the end to Pop Evil’s headlining tour at the Westcott Theater

    Syracuse was the last stop on Pop Evil’s most recent tour, which ended on Sunday, November 24.

    95X turned the band’s final show into an all-day event that began with a private acoustic performance and finished with Pop Evil’s grand finale after a four-band rock show.

    Pop Evil’s lead, Leigh Kakaty, and guitarist, Nick Fuelling, arrived at Revolutions (Destiny USA) to meet, greet, and perform for a small group of lucky contest winners. 95X awarded 10 winners (plus their guests) the opportunity to watch Kakaty and Fuelling perform a couple acoustic songs. The quiet performance of “Torn to Pieces” and “Monster You Made” were enhanced by some light commentary. Leigh explained that he wrote “Torn to Pieces” after the death of his father. It was not intended to become a Pop Evil song, but according to Kakaty, the band was so supportive of it that they included it on their newest album, Onyx, and are now regularly performing it. Kakaty encouraged the small group to sing along to “Monster You Made”, from the 2010 album, War of Angels, sharing that it’s “amazing to see fans singing your songs back to you.”

    Kakaty and Fuelling accepted some questions from the group before food was served — and, given that it was football Sunday — most of the talk turned to sports. Kakaty referred to Sundays at home as “Michigan blue-collar brutality” because Detroit Lions fans have had to repeatedly endure constant losses.

    After Kakaty and Fuelling left the stage they socialized and had photos taken with the guests. The private affair culminated with a bowling match between the band members and the ultimate contest winner.

    After bowling, we sat down with Joshua “Chachi Riot” Marunde, Pop Evil’s energetic drummer, he is reminiscent of the famous Muppet drummer, Animal.  Marunde has contributed a lot to the band’s stage presence and attraction. It was Chachi’s “insane” drumming that kept my focus on the band at Rock on the Range back in May (2013). Unlike many other drummers, Chachi is not content sitting in the background. He is actively involved in the entire performance. He prefers to stand while drumming and only sits when he has to use his feet to work. He hammers his head as forcefully as he beats the drums, makes gestures, and (even though he doesn’t have a mic) sings along to every song. His madness is intoxicating and while all the members of Pop Evil are energetic performers, Chachi is a RIOT to watch. Needless to say, I was eager to meet him. In addition to being very down to earth, he is also very articulate and super motivated. He shared with us that the band is a very tight unit, working really hard to “make it” in the rock ‘n roll scene. Their hard work is paying off though; when “Trenches” hit #1 on the Rock Charts in June (2013) while they were touring in Nebraska, the band tour manager, Chris Iteen, suggested the band take an uncharacteristic break and celebrate with a night of karaoke. Upstate Metal asked about Pop Evil’s future and Chachi was about bursting at the seams because of their 2014 plans, but couldn’t share (yet). Instead, he encouraged us to keep a close eye out for an upcoming announcement.

    <Since the interview last week we found out the big news is an upcoming tour with Stone Sour.>

    After leaving Chachi and the rest of Pop Evil to get ready for their show, we went to The Westcott Theater near Syracuse University. Built in 1919 as a cinema, The Westcott was retrofitted into a live music venue in 2008. The small venue hosted four bands, starting with local band, Pacinello , followed by The Letter Black, then Eve To Adam and finally Black Oxygen before Pop Evil took the stage around 10:30.

    Despite the “late” hour on a snowy Sunday, the crowd was pumped up and ready to take in the Pop Evil experience. The fans who had been spread throughout the venue crunched in to the stage to get a closer look when Pop Evil opened with “Deal with the Devil”, currently playing on Sirius’s Octane and local rock stations like 95X. I loved their clean and simple stage set, which allowed us to focus on the performers (I especially loved that that drum kit was elevated to get a better view of Chachi Riot’s raving performance). Next up on the set list was the song that sold me in Ohio, “Hero”, then 12 more songs before they rejuvenated the group with a partial cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”.

    You might have expected after a long tour for the band to drag a little. Not Pop Evil. They gave the same energy and quality to the couple hundred at the Westcott in late November as they did to tens of thousands at Rock on the Range in May. The band has often said that their songs are meant to send a message to their fans; one of inspiration. Many of their songs deal with loss, failure and (here’s the message) working hard to overcome adversity. Their final song, “Trenches”, speaks to just that, and Pop Evil gave it everything they had. The band left the stage expressing gratitude to 95X for supporting them, and to the fans for being a part of the tour’s last show.

    After their short 10 day break, Pop Evil will pick up the pace once again with at least 11 shows scheduled in the Midwest in December.

    Set List: Deal with the Devil, Hero, Flawed, Somebody Like You, 100 in a 55, Torn to Pieces, Goodbye My Friend, Sick Sense, Boss’s Daughter, Divide, Behind Closed Doors, Monster You Made, Last Man Standing, partial cover of Eye of the Tiger, and Trenches

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Christopher McMullen

    Raised in the foothills of the Catskill mountains in Oneonta, New York Christopher McMullen was exposed to music at a young age. Dabbling in trombone and percussion, he also was a member of the school choir through high school. While in College at SUNY Oneonta, he traveled often around the country to see his favorite artists perform.

    Christopher McMullenAttending concerts and festivals while still in high school, Christopher’s first solo show was Marilyn Manson opening for Nine Inch Nails at the Knickerbocker Arena in 1994. The very next summer he saw Phish for the first time at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, NY on the 25th of June, 1995. He have seen Phish approximately 84 more times since then, along with a plethora of other artists at various festivals and venues. Included in the list of these festivals are Outside Lands in San Francisco, Spin Summit in Colorado Springs, Electric Forest in Michigan, Bear Creek in Florida, All Good in West Virginia, Gnarnia in North Carolina and Wakarusa in Arkansas, just to name a few. Having recently attended Burning Man in Nevada, it’s safe to say that he will travel as far as it takes to go back again. An avid juggler, Christopher performs with an Upstate NY Fire performance troupe Cosmic Karma Fire at festivals all over the country.

    He is hoping to travel the world as much as possible before its not an available option. He hopes to catch as many international festivals as possible while traveling. He would like to see some of the greats before they are no longer performing, including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, BB King, Weird Al Yankovic, Daft Punk, Roger Waters, Tom Petty & the Heart Breakers and Radiohead to name a few. Oh and Caravan Palace, Alt-J, De La Soul, and the Punch Brothers, yeah, them too.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Johnny Goff

    “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” It’s a philosophy that has often gotten music writer Johnny Goff into some very hard-to-get areas for coverage. While that rogue attitude has occasionally got him into some snares and scowls, that brazen approach has also yielded some great interviews with some of jam / jazz / Americana / electronica and Rock icons. Those including but not limited to: Warren Haynes, Avett Brothers, Lotus, Soulive, Michael Franti, Marco Benevento and Joe Russo, Medeski, Martin and Wood and countless other up and coming bands.

    Johnny GoffWhile pursuing a degree in public relations / marketing from Finger Lakes, NY’s private liberal arts college Keuka College, Johnny began his love for music writing in his backyard by covering the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival for several local newspapers. Later, Johnny would later work as a staff writer for Corning, NY’s The Leader newspaper for several years. When full-time journalism and his love for music combined with prose, the music-writing bug had become to blossom. In addition to local music columns and NYS Music Johnny has written for jambase.com, jambands.com, bandsthatjam.com and several other regional musical publications.

    When not writing about music, Johnny enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 daughters, attending as many Phish shows as he can manage around his full-time career as regional director of development (attended first show in 1995), hiking, fishing and golfing and counting his blessings for having so many great friends around this great country.

    Before the sandman knocks on his door, Johnny would like to attend the Isle of Wight Festival in England, get invited to Woody Harrelson’s, Willy Nelson’s and Owen Wilson’s private compound in Hawaii for a personal jam session, play guest perscussion for Donna the Buffalo at Grassroots Festival, get to see Trey Anastasio and David Byrne play together, see Rage Against the Machine play Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Colorado, and see the dubstep genre blown up in at a secret Nuclear Test Site in the South Pacific Ocean.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Susan Rice

    Susan Rice has been a staff writer for for a little over a year. Her love for music started at a young age from her parents who filled her childhood home with song, dance and love. They always encouraged her exploration of all things music, signing her up for chorus, piano/drum lessons, and attending many of her school musicals. Her first concert was with her family at Madison Square Garden to see Billy Joel and Elton John in 2002 on their “Face to Face” Tour, bringing to life all the classic hits she had loved on her many family road trips.

    susan riceBefore catching the bus to high school each morning, Susan had the morning ritual of enjoying breakfast in front of the television and watching the top 20 music videos of the week on VH1 or MTV. It was one morning when she saw/heard “No Such Thing” by John Mayer and became intrigued by the acoustic guitar. She quickly took up guitar lessons afterwards and joined the AV Club, where she learned about the history of music starting in the 60’s and 70s. Susan went through a diverse phase, as does everyone growing up, with a heavy influence from her peers in school and in college. Throughout the years, she attended a handful of Dave Matthews Band shows as well as John Mayer, Maroon 5 and O.A.R.

    After graduating college, Susan began working in a bakery with a kitchen staff that had a love for the jamband scene. A lifelong friend took her to her first Phish show on June 19th, 2010 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and a co-worker took to her first moe. show that December at the Washington Armory, introducing her to a massive network of dance crazed, thrill seeking friends. 2011 was a monumental year for Susan as she experienced a great love and an even greater loss of a dear loved one, who passed suddenly in late August. Desperate to “feel” again, she started attending local shows in the capital area more often, where lucky enough, you can find live music every night of the week. Since joining in 2012, Susan has covered everything from small shows to big name festivals all over the East Coast. It has given her a greater sense of self, redirecting Susan to the pursuit of happiness, which in her case turns out to be music.

    Susan’s Musical Bucketlist includes Huey Lewis and the News, Talking Heads, The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Pork Tornado, Eric Clapton, Dragonforce, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Alabama Shakes, Old Crow Medicine Show, U-Melt, Mumford & Sons, and Phil Lesh & Friends with Trey Anastasio.

  • Upstate’s Maria Brink of In This Moment headlining Hell Pop tour

    Maria Brink fronts In This Moment, and she’s a howler.

    That’s okay, man, ’cause what she and the boys are doing, they’re doing well.  And, they’re taking it home here in the next few days; home, being, Brink’s home. Yes, she’s a native of the Capital Region.  But, she high-tailed it out of “Smallbany” to go after her dreams in Los Angeles. (And, you so had a picture of Axl Rose walking off the bus ala Welcome to the Jungle.) But, that’s so nine years ago.

    This Saturday, November 9th, In This Moment will be rocking the set at Clifton Park’s Upstate Concert Hall, as they continue on their leg of the Hell Pop Tour. They’ll only wake up to do it all again down in New York City’s Best Buy Theater on Sunday, November 10th.

    The band is still riding the high from the 2012 release of their fourth studio album, Blood, which reached No 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, and No. 15 on the overall Top 200, back in February.  It’s the band’s biggest success, which came shortly after the band nearly fell apart, which Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel asked Brink in her June interview.

    “We (Brink and Chris Howorth) really just rallied together,” she said.  “We cannot let other people’s disbeliefs in our band and everything we’ve created, everything we’ve worked for, we’ve strived for, we’ve sacrificed for, hinder us from moving forward.”

    It was after the release of their third album in 2012 that founding members Jeff Fabb and Blake Bunzel quit the band. The nation was just taking notice.  Just the previous summer they had played alongside Korn, Rob Zombie, Five Finder Death Punch, and Hatebreed at the annual Mayhem Festival. This was followed up by the Hell Hath No Fury Tour.  Brink had also received personal recognition as she was named the Hottest Chick in metal by Revolver magazine.

    “This is our moment. (Pause).  No pun intended.  And we’re going to take everything and we’re going to take it into the next level, we’re going to take our live show, our songs, every single thing that has to do with us, we’re bringing it to the next level and we’re going to do this hard.”

    Despite their confidence, they ran into tough times.  With Fabb and Buzel gone, few managers wanted to give them the time of day, said Brink.  But, their producer, Kevin Churko, kept his patience and Brink said his commitment helped the band survive.

    “We went into the studio and we wrote the song Blood,” she said. “And right when we heard it back, we knew that everything was going to change right when we heard that song. We felt it, we knew it and we started setting it up with managers and we started having managers fly out from everywhere and everything shifted from then.” The band now consists of Tom Hane on drums, Travis Johnson on bass and Randy Weitzel on rhythm guitar, in addition to Brink’s vocals and Howorth’s lead guitar.

    The hardship inspired their song material, Brink said. And, In This Moment has been a soaring Phoenix ever since.

    “So kind of everything falling apart and then building it brand new, and all of these beautiful new things, is where all the inspirations from the album came from.”

    Oh, one more thing. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check out the acoustic version of Blood on YouTube. Just listen to Brink’s soulful vocals and you’ll see why, among other things, we like these guys.

  • Meet Your NYSMusic Staff: Editor Tim O’Shea

    Tim “T-Bone” O’Shea currently resides in Westfield, NJ where he was also raised. He attended St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen before studying Broadcast Journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in 2002. During his college years, he attended and reviewed many live shows in the Syracuse area at such venues like Armory High and Planet 505 amongst others.

    tim o'sheaHe currently works as a Paralegal at a large collections law firm in Morris County, NJ. Hobbies include reading, visiting the Jersey Shore and, of course, live music. This summer he celebrated his 100th Phish show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and has also seen acts like moe., The Disco Biscuits and Donna the Buffalo multiple times.

    Tim’s musical bucketlist includes Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers Band and Furthur

  • Phish Returns to Glens Falls in Grand Fashion

    When Phish announced their fall tour plans a few months back, the Glens Falls Civic Center date jumped right out at me. I was lucky enough to attend the Halloween ’94 show there that catapulted the band into the mainstream, and sent me from coast to coast the next two plus years following the band around. I was not going to miss it!

    After a rock solid show in Rochester the day before, and after picking up my friend Adam in Herkimer, we set off for Glens Falls. Arriving in town around 4:30, the Civic Center was in view and the crowd (and the police) were already surrounding the building. The ’94 show did have some bad moments as those shut out started to rush the gates and throw bottles at police. This time around, the police presence was beefed up around the venue, but the preshow crowd was mild mannered at best with most smiling and chatting among phriends.

    Several preshow parties were in effect, and after parking off Elm and South, I set off for 42 Degrees. Specializing in custom made glass works, 42 Degrees is one of the premier head shops in all of Upstate NY. With in-house glass blowing, and munchies and drinks available, 42 Degrees was packed by the time I arrived. My next stop was Aimee’s Dinner & Movie, which hosted an art show featuring some of the scene’s best artists, and the next door Wallabee’s Jazz Bar, where local favorites High Peaks Band were laying it down for the masses. Check them out when you can they deliver!

    From there I ventured over to the Downtown City Tavern to catch a set by Acoustically Speaking, featuring Mik Bondy and Kat Walkerson of The Garcia Project. This stripped down duo features Mik on guitar while both he and Kat share vocal duties. Their soulful renditions of Garcia Band favorites meshed perfectly with my Octoberfest preshow draft. After talking with Mik and Kat on their break, I headed over to the Civic Center to get my credentials and check in for the main event.

    Although I had a floor ticket for this one, I headed instead to the upper level behind the stage to snag some dancing space. Not surprisingly, I ran into some other ’94s up there looking for some space as well. It wasn’t long before I found a sweet spot as the lights lowered and the band appeared on stage. The energy was already amped up considerably, and when the opening notes of “Back in the USSR” started, it was like a flame to gasoline as the place erupted. It brought me back for sure, and the lyric “Gee it’s good to be back home” really nailed the moment. Phish left no doubt that this was not a total throwback, when the opening guitar licks of “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan” sent us all back to the future; Trey was on his game already.

    Next up was “Water in the Sky”, which gave me a chance to catch my breath and my second wind. I would need it as a seven minute “Undermind” showcasing Page’s funkiness led to a midset “David Bowie” reminiscent of a mid-90’s version, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. Old school favorites “Golgi Apparatus” and “Gumbo” were next, followed by Mike Gordon’s “Yarmouth Road”, which debuted at SPAC this summer. The old school feel continued with “Camel Walk” and “Horn”, and was followed by a decent but standard version of “Limb by Limb”.

    phish returns glens falls

    “I Didn’t Know” was next, which brought Fishman and his vacuum out behind his kit. Trey asked “For 19 years we’ve all been wondering, is he gonna do it again??”, referring to Fishman getting naked at Glens Falls Civic Center the last time they played. He replied: ” I can if you want, but I doubt you want that”. The set ended with a standard version of “Split Open and Melt” that did feature some Trey licks towards the end. On paper this was a decent set at best, but if you were there, the place was rocking and the energy was intense.

    After some random acts of kindness during the intermission, I headed down to the floor, just to the right of Chris Kuroda and the light board. “Rock and Roll” opened the set with a bounce and some ripping guitar from Trey. The groove slowed and “Seven Below” emerged, a standard version that gained momentum towards the end, which led to a spirited version of “Alaska”.

    The set’s highlight was the 14 minute “Twist”, complete with full band exploration for the first time all night. CK was on fire as well, and his new light rig was put to the test. A very soothing “Wading in the Velvet Sea” followed, one of the best versions I’ve seen or heard, which led to “Harry Hood”, featuring a glow stick war that wouldn’t quit. The place was going crazy for sure, and the “Chalkdust Torture” that followed continued the late set dance party proper.

    After a very loud and lengthy ovation, the band reappeared, and Trey spoke about how great it was to play near Burlington and in Upstate New York in particular, and that many friends and family from the past 30 years were there to help celebrate. The band then revisited their Halloween past with a fitting “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to wrap it up.

    Exiting the arena, everyone was smiling from ear to ear, all of us knowing we were a part of Phish history once again.  Fans ended their night at Hotshots, were Albany’s Mister F and Vermont’s Twiddle, or Touchpants, for the perfect nightcaps to an incredible day of live music in Upstate New York.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Kimberly Zesky

    Kimberly Zesky is a young writer from the Adirondack Mountains of New York who was introduced to music at a very young age, growing up with parents who were live DJ’s and a father who has always been an avid guitar player. Being introduced to a wide variety of genres, has allowed her to expand her musical horizons and build in depth knowledge and appreciation of all types of music. Seeking to explore music on all of its levels, Kimberly is especially interested in the history and progression of music, as well as its political role in society. But experiencing music live and in person is above all, her true passion.

    Kimberly ZeskyIn the summer of 2004, Kimberly was led to her first music festival and was deeply moved by its ability to unite, enliven, and inspire people. She felt motivated to write about it, and share her experience with others. Since then she has written multiple show reviews and in the winter of 2011 she wrote her first official review for UpstateLive. In the past year she has covered shows in the North Country region of the state and offers words on all different types of music.

    Some of her favorite bands include: Railroad Earth, moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, String Cheese Incident, Driftwood, Sim Redmond Band, Rubblebucket, Beats Antique, Widespread Panic, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, and Alison Krauss & Union Station. Kim’s musical bucketlist includes Bonobo, Mumford & Sons, Neil Young, Van Morrison and Crosby Stills & Nash.