NYS Music 20​13

Author: NYS Music Staff

  • SOULFLY Invades the Lost Horizon

    Syracuse Goes Back to the Primitive as SOULFLY Invades the Lost Horizon for the 2nd Time in 2 Years.”

    On Sunday, October 13 at the Lost Horizon in Syracuse got the treat of having Soulfly, who is coming off a brand new album Savages (which is a great album, better than the previous two in my opinion). With a whole new line-up featuring Max Cavalera, Marc Rizzo, (who is also in Cavalera Conspiracy), Prong’s Tony Campos, and new comer Zyon Cavalera, Max’s son on drums.  Openers Havok kickstarted the show with a very thrashy and political set to get the 200 plus crowd going.  Great set.  Everyone should check out Havok if they haven’t already.

    Soulfly opened their set “Bloodshed” and “Cannibal Holocaust” which are the first  two tracks off of “Savages” which really set the spark.  Max seemed more energetic and looked healthier than the last time Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy came to the Lost.  Soulfly then went into the set with some of the classics from the earlier Soulfly years with hits such as “Prophecy,” “Seek N Strike,” (my favorite) and “Back to the Primitive.”

    We were treated to more songs off “Savages” as Tony Campos took lead vocal midway through the set for “El Comegente.”  Anyone who is a fan of Tony with his work in Prong and Static X probably lost their shit during that song.

    Then we got to what I thought was the best part of the show. Soulfly then focused their set with some old school Sepultura with songs and medleys such as “Refuse Resist,” “Territory,” “Nailbomb,” “Arise,” and “Dead Embryonic Cells” (my personal favorite) which had the moshpits going hard.

    Tony Campos took lead vocals again for “Plata O Plomo” off the “Enslaved” album.   Soulfly then closed out the set with “Masters of Savagery,” “Rise of the Fallen,” and wrapped it up with Sepultura’s “Roots.”

    Max and the gang came back for an encore of 2 of Soulfly’s earliest hits “Jumpdafuck up” and “Eye for an Eye.”  Total of a 20 song set (including a number of medleys)

    Personally I would say Soulfly put on a fantastic show, although it is clear Max is well past his prime and can’t dish out the kind of energy he used to during the early years of Soulfly and Sepultura. However, it was still a kickass show.   Some may say that Soulfly should do full songs in their set instead of setlist consisting of a lot of medleys.  It was awesome to see Tony Campos presence on stage and I think Zyon will stick around in Soulfly for while. I would imagine Soulfly will return to the CNY area with a year or two. However Max Cavalera has a new band on the way, along with a new Cavalera Conspiracy album with his brother Igor.  Time will tell.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Gauraa Shekhar

    Gauraa Shekhar was born in Delhi, India, but grew up on the fringe of Bollywood in Mumbai.

    She spent her early years accompanying her father to television studios, reading comic books wrapped in dust-jackets of historical biographies. She has since, admittedly, been inclined to slight musical pretensions, not sure whether she likes Bob Dylan because of his music or because of his status as major poet loved by university professors and music writers.

    Gauraa ShekharShe moved to Jakarta, Indonesia when she was eight years old, where she drummed in several pop-punk cover bands to drown her parents’ love for Bollywood hits and Springsteen songs. Her stint as musician ended in her first year of college, shortly after she sang in a Hunky Dory cover band, which she joined solely because the bassist looked like the guy from Seether.

    Gauraa’s all-time, top 5 artists are Steely Dan, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Liz Phair and Big Star, but she will always have a ventricle reserved for Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance. Her impossible musical bucket list includes Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and other songwriters who, as Nick Hornby once wrote, “have ever had an inkling of what Jesus felt on a bad day.”

    She joined NYS Music a wide eyed freshman, her first month at Syracuse University, while studying in the Bandier Program for the Music and Entertainment Industries. Though she interned for several artist management firms, PR agencies, music publishing houses and record labels, she still considers her Valentine’s day themed interview with Aaron Carter for NYSMusic the highlight of her collegiate career. She currently divides her time between New York and Mumbai. She has released her first book, Notes. Pick up a copy here.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Greg Jackson

    Greg Jackson began writing for NYS Music in early 2008 and quickly rose to the additional position of Editor (With the immeasurable skills of his wife, Sandra, doing layout and cover design, the visual and professional image of a Music Guide was fast-forwarded toward it’s present stature) until 2012 when he resigned due to health conditions. Now, a cancer survivor, Greg has worked his way back onto the pages of NYS Music.

    Greg JacksonDuring his most active three years, Greg contributed some of our biggest “gets” including interviews with Steve Hackett and local luminary Dave Frisina, cover/feature articles on regional and national bands from UL favorites like AudioInflux, Roots Collider and Mark Doyle and The Maniacs, to Porcupine Tree, Renaissance, Todd Rundgren and world-touring Pink Floyd tribute, Brit Floyd. Pulling from his experience as manager/agent for Childhood’s End-A Tribute to Pink Floyd, he penned a series of interviews/concert reviews across the spectrum of Floyd tributes plus the mighty Kashmir-The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience.

    Greg’s love of music has been reflected in his nearly 40 years participating in the local Syracuse scene as a guitarist/singer with the Syracuse area bands U.S.S., Fable, The Max and Hasty Retreat, then as manager/agent of Animation in 1985. He returned to the scene in 2005 as manager/agent of Childhood’s End which he turned over to Sandra in 2012. During this time he also had stints with AudioInflux, The Heavenly Chillbillies, The Moho Collective, Mark Doyle and The Maniacs, Last Train Out and The Thin Line.

    Besides his large music collection and his musical endeavors, his concert attendance record since the ’70s gives Greg a depth of experience that he brings to each article he writes for NYSMusic.com . Greg’s contributions will remain centered on concert promotion, concert reviews and in-depth music reviews.

    Greg’s Musical Bucketlist is pretty short considering the volume of shows he’s attended, but Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, David Gilmour, Radiohead, Muse and David Bowie would be welcome additions to his live music cadre.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Kayla MacLachlan

    Kayla Lyn MacLachlan joined the family after Sterling Stage Folkfest back in 2009.  She first became interested in journalism while studying English at the State University of New York College at Fredonia, but it was writing for that truly helped her to hone in on her craft.  Kayla’s writing grows from the depths of her inspirations – and if you read her work, you’ll find that music is something in her life that truly runs deep.  In the four years since she has been writing for , she has been a bit of a wayfarer – living in California, and now currently residing in Virginia.  But at the end of the day, she always returns to her roots.  Writing for gives her a chance to culturally reclaim her New York self, even when living miles away.

    Kayla MacLachlanWhen she isn’t attending live shows, Kayla’s work is her life’s pleasure.  She is a teacher and program manager at the Allegheny Mountain School – a sustainable farming and food fellowship program located in the Allegheny Mountains, just outside of the West Virginia line.  Currently, she is living in the least populated county east of the Mississippi, but she entertains herself by noodling on her mandolin, weathering her djembe, clogging, and joyfully working in her expansive gardens, barefoot in the mountain air.  She has also taken up a keen interest in home brewing, with the intent of opening a farm brewery/live music venue someday.

    Much of Kayla’s musical bucketlist would require taking a step back in time, but out of all of her travels and all of the show’s she has attended, she still has yet to see The Wood Brothers, Paul Simon, Taj Mahal, The Deep Dark Woods, The Bridge, Jack White, and a private concert by Jackie Greene. Kayla would also like to catch an Umphrey’s McGee New Year’s run and spend some time hanging at Horning’s Hideout before it’s too late.

  • Voice of Generation X rings out with Lightning Bolt

    Twenty-two years have come and passed since the release of Pearl Jam’s Ten, eclipsing the career of former NBA point-guard Mookie Blaylock, to whose jersey number the band paid homage. But, unlike an aged athlete who fails to recognize the time to retire, Pearl Jam has retained their relevancy through a sound which has matured along with the generation it initially helped define.

    Pearl Jam was born out of the hot cauldron that was the Seattle grunge movement of the early ‘90s. It was a revolution in both music and image.  It revolted against the pop-synth sound that dominated the Top 40 with heavy bass and lyrics that told stories of depression and ostracism. And, where television’s Beverly Hills 90210 portrayed rich, preppy teenagers in the midst of decadence in sunny California, followers often times embraced a hippy look complete with long hair, Birkenstocks, baggy clothes and plaid. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard achieved success earlier as members of the band Mother Love Bone. However, the unfortunate death of their frontman, Andrew Wood, not only served as a harbinger for a heroine-infested scene that would also see the premature deaths of Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon), it created an opportunity to introduce wordsmith and vocalist,  Eddie Vedder.

    Through the years, Pearl Jam has captured listeners with existential lyrics and garage rock sound that continues to speak to members of Generation X, who grew up along with the band.

    Generation X, in general, is characterized by openly acknowledging and embracing social diversity in terms of  race, class, religion, ethnicity, culture, language, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Unlike their predecessors who challenged leaders with an intent to replace them, Gen X’ers are less likely to idolize leaders and are more inclined to work toward long-term institutional and systematic change through economic, media and consumer actions. Views, in which, coincide with those of Pearl Jam as well.

    Throughout its career, Pearl Jam has promoted wider social and political issues, from pro-choice sentiments to opposition to George W. Bush’s presidency. Vedder acts as the band’s spokesman on these issues. The band has promoted an array of causes, including awareness of Crohn’s disease, which McCready suffers from, and Ticketmaster venue monopolization. Gossard has also been active in environmental pursuits, and has been an advocate of Pearl Jam’s carbon neutral policy, offsetting the band’s environmental impact.

    In 2011, Pearl Jam was named Planet Defenders by Rock The Earth for their environmental activism and their large-scale efforts to decrease their own carbon emissions.

    To date, the band has sold more than 31.5 million records in the United States and an estimated 60 million worldwide.  Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries, and is one of the most influential bands. And, come October 14th, the band will be releasing their tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt, to an international audience (October 15thfor domestic release). The release will be followed by a two-leg tour in North America during October and November, then they will headline the Big Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

    This 12-song compilation is a signature Pearl Jam experience. Of which, the first three song, “Getaway”,” Mind Your Manners” and “My Father’s Son”, harkens to their garage punk influences. Most notably of this is Manners, a fast-paced, in your face , anthem which McCready has already professed to being influenced by the Dead Kennedys. It’s true to its influence, and comes off as a genuine piece of their own. It’s followed by “My Father’s Son” an introspective look at the narrator, with a foreboding and nostalgic sound that carries a similar fingerprint to Vs.   “Pendulum”, somber and haunting in tone, is yet another song that shares that same similarity that longtime fans will recognize.

    Aside from two ballads, which will be mentioned in a moment, the CD transitions from garage-punk to classic rock, which McCready recently described as having a “Pink Floyd vibe”.  Matt Cameron’s drum play does present a classic-rock presence throughout the majority of the album.  The title track “Lightning Bolt” is an arena rock piece, heavy on McCready’s guitar play, something that should be fun to hear live. The boys, however, seem to go farther back than Floyd on “Let the Records Play,” a piece played in a honkey-tonk style, made popular in the ‘50s, that showcases Ament’s rhythm guitar.

    In addition to honkey-tonk, “Sleeping By Myself” is yet another stretch from the expected.  It’s a song originally recorded for Vedder’s solo album, Ukulele Songs. As implied, the ukulele takes the forefront in this sweet, laidback piece on unrequited love.

    “Sirens”, which was just released last month, breaks us from the punk inspired songs of the first three tracks.  It’s a beautifully penned ballad by McCready, where the narrator, a “grateful man”, confesses his fears of possibly losing his lover due to poor choices he has made.  This is one of two noteworthy ballads; the other being “Future Days”, the twelfth track on the album.  Days opens with the elegant piano play of Boom Gaspar, but is predominately played on acoustic guitar. With touching lyrics – “I believe, ‘cause I can see, our future days. Days of you and me.”– Days is a love song that will certainly be played as the first dance for couples on their wedding day.

    Lightning Bolt is Pearl Jam’s first album in five years, and has been well worth the wait.  Producer Brendan O’Brien  masterfully facilitates transitions from one song to the next, each blending well in both tempo and style of play.  Longtime fans will embrace such songs as Manners, My Father’s Son, and Pendulum for nostalgic reasons.   But, overall, Pearl Jam has refined their sound, pushed out enough to make things fresh, that I believe there are plenty of gems here to make this CD a worthwhile purchase for even the casual fan. Each song has the potential to stay with you, long after you stopped playing it.

    For more information, visit Pearl Jam at www.pearljam.com.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer James Corbett

    James Corbett joined in early 2013. As a student at Syracuse University, he began reviewing shows at The Westcott Theater. He is also an alto saxophone player and loves funk and jazz music. He performs with his band, The Monk, which was started at Syracuse University. Raised on classic rock, he’s also a passionate vinyl collector. He likes to go all out on Record Store Day each year, purchasing as much new and exclusive vinyl releases as possible. His favorite acts to see live are Phish, Lettuce and Soulive. These three acts seem to always push the boundaries of both concert production and improvisation and that’s what makes them worth seeing time and time again.

    james corbettIn addition to his love for live music, he also enjoys all racquet sports, snowboarding, climbing and ultimate Frisbee. James is an aspiring music industry professional that is majoring in Music Business at Syracuse. He has previously worked at music festivals and venues in the tri-state area and hopes to continue to keep music at the forefront of his life. Traveling is also one of his favorite things to do, as he has spent college semesters in both London and Los Angeles studying music and the music industry. During his overseas excursion he visited The Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and France.

    Since he’s only been an avid concert goer for about five years, James has plenty of acts to see on his musical bucketlist. He hopes to get an opportunity to see Daft Punk, Radiohead, Phoenix, Shpongle’s full live set, Marcus Miller, Modest Mouse, Jamie xx, Mutemath and Nine Inch Nails. If he could turn back time, he’d want to see The Grateful Dead, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, The Meters original lineup, Gangstarr, Cannonball Adderley, The Ramones, Pink Floyd and Binary Star. As far as events go, James would like to attend Coachella, Bonnaroo, Bowlive at The Brooklyn Bowl and South By Southwest.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Photographer Andy Hill

    Andy Hill has been a working photographer for over 10 years. His arenas of photography have included commercial, architectural, catalog and most recently political photography. Being an avid music lover for much longer, following the likes of Phish, moe. and the assorted Grateful Dead projects to name a few, it did not take Andy very long to marry his two passions – live music and photography.

    andy hill
    Andy Hill

    Andy started grinding it out and honing his skills in local bars in Utica, NY, Boston, MA, and Albany, NY, where he now lives. He eventually gained the attention of editors of State of Mind Magazine and Hidden Track/Glide Magazine who ultimately gave Andy his first assignments with press credentials and with that, real access to exclusive shows in premier venues across the country. Since 2011 Andy has been working for which has allowed him to continue to highlight a bounty of local, regional, and international touring acts in his home, Upstate New York. Thus far he has had the pleasure of shooting amazing acts such as Phish, Trey Anastasio Band, Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Jane’s Addiction, Ween, Keller Williams, The Disco Biscuits, Lotus, Fishbone, Phil Lesh & Friends, Tim Bush, Bela Fleck, Yonder Mountain String Band, Levon Helm, and many, many more. Outside of his body of work with , you can find more of Andy’s work at his flickr page.

    While Andy has had the good fortune to see a great many bands doing their thing, bands on his bucket list that he has yet to cross off include David Byrne (if only the Talking Heads would reunite), B.B. King, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eric Clapton, and Medeski, Martin and Wood with John Scofield.

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Taper/Writer Lenny Stubbe

    Lenny Stubbe is a Deadhead, Phish Head, moe.ron, live music collector and taper from Buffalo, NY who first saw the light in 1993. After a couple years of collecting high gen cassettes, he decided to go digital and make his own tapes. Still collecting to this day, Lenny got back into taping shows when Phish returned in 2009 with a passion to get it done.

    lenny stubbeLenny likes German vehicles, Danish microphones, French and Swiss pre amps, American built high resolution decks, and recording from the mouth of the beast. Having written some reviews in the mid 90’s of Grateful Dead and Phish shows, some published and most scattered around the net, Lenny joined the team in 2012 to add a taper’s perspective.  You can check out Lenny’s website and follow him on Twitter.

    Among artists on Lenny’s bucketlist are the bands he wish he could have seen – Pigpen, early Genesis, Bob Marley and 89 Grateful Dead.  For current artists, a Peter Gabriel return with Genesis and a Phish cover of a Grateful Dead album rank high on the list of something I would love to see someday.

  • “User Correction” by Jeff Bujak is an Electronic Innovation

    User Correction by Jeff Bujak finds itself at the corner of fun and innovative. Like a well rounded student, his composing is intelligent and party worthy. On the album Jeff explores the world of electronica through the looking glass of a classical composer. His music makes the perfect argument to anyone who claims that electronica isn’t “real music”. As a five year old living in Syracuse, Jeff was already learning about real music through piano lessons which comes as no surprise after hearing his intricate work. Now all grown up and a resident of North Hampton, Massachusetts, he has a tour roster that would rival that of many successful musicians and quite the impressive online following.

    In addition to his talent on the piano, it is apparent that Bujak is a jack of all instruments and uses his widely versatile taste and skill sets to push the musical envelope. Bujak is the kind of musician with a great knack for keeping the listeners attention. There are no two tracks on this album that have the same feel. Each song has a different inspiration. The first track on the album titled “User” creatively samples snipits of “Everybody Rules the World” by Tears for Fears, but keeps you steady grooving without temptation to switch to the original song. The third track “Fiks” does this as well and almost takes you by surprise when you realize the cool vocals are from the song “Fix You” by Coldplay.

    Later in the album Jeff shows off his ability to challenge the electronic genre with the piano. I have never before heard an artist make classical piano so easy to rave to but Jeff seamlessly pulls this off multiple times in the album in the tracks “Cleen”, “Laylice” and “Abbeat”. He concludes the work with a hilarious electronic ode to hipster haters with a vibey drum pattern – ironically of course exactly the type of thing a hipster would jam to and finally ends it with a stunning stripped down piano showcase.

    Watch Bujak’s Live Performance at Mojo’s, Jamestown NY

    Check out Jeff’s tour dates HERE !

    To stay updated like Jeff Bujak on Facebook

  • Meet your NYS Music Staff: Writer Quinn Donnell

    Quinn Donnell started writing for in the fall of 2012 as a freshman at Syracuse University. Originally from Northwest Indiana, Quinn’s adjacency to the Chicago music scene allowed him to establish an appreciation for live music by exploring the city’s abundant venues and various festivals throughout his high school career. Quinn credits his dad for his early exposure to artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, who helped him develop a taste in current music that Editor Pete Mason warmly describes as “that hipster stuff.” (ed. note – I do call it that, but I enjoy it too)Quinn Donnell

    As a student at SU, Quinn studies in the Bandier Program for the Music and Entertainment Industries. With plans to pursue a career in the music industry after graduation, Quinn has also written for the Chicago-based music website windycityrock.net and interned for Miscreant Records and Chicago music venues Schubas and Lincoln Hall. He’s also involved in SU’s student-run radio station, WERW and works as a College Marketing Representative for Sony Music Entertainment.

    Quinn’s musical bucketlist includes Arcade Fire, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, and Paul McCartney. He also hopes to someday make it to Bonnaroo, Primavera Sound, Sasquatch, and Newport Folk music festivals.