Folk-rockers Assembly of Dust make a trip to the Capital Region with a visit to the Putnam Den on Saturday, June 22nd, bringing with them an extensive catalog that pulls upon the sounds of The Band, Traffic and Neil Young to form their unique blend of folk, rock and improvisation.
The early 1970’s are reflected in their music, tailored to their own stylings and a powerful show is the result. With melodies that hook you in, Reid’s poetic lyrics and a profound depth of musicianship, USA Today has said that Assembly of Dust has what it takes to “dazzle the Alt-Country universe.” Assembly of Dust recently released their new album Sun Shot, which is available for free download at Aodust.com.
Assembly of Dust features Reid Genauer on guitar and vocals, Adam Terrell on lead guitar, John Leccesse on bass and recent additions to the band Jason Crosby on piano and violin and Dave Diamond on drums.
This show is 18+ and tickets are $10 advance or $12 at the door. You can pick up tickets to Assembly of Dust through Putnam Den. Doors open at 8 pm and the show gets started at 9:30 with very special guest Capital Zen.
And then, the rain started. For the better part of the next two days, Summer Camp would have a middle finger extended by Mother Nature across this small town in Central Illinois – quite literally, see below. While it was on and off, when it was on, it felt like the off switch was broken, so things slowed things down a bit. Still, even though Saturday brought more rain, there was also more top notch electronic music, highlighted by Conspirator’s early afternoon set. This Disco Biscuits side project has reached a new level with the addition of Chris Michetti on guitar and KJ Sawka on drums. They delivered their own unique, high octane brand of ‘untz’ through a light drizzle that seemed to be very well received. Summer Camp has done an unbelievable job of integrating top notch electronica acts into a festival co-hosted by two of the premier jam bands in America.
Mother Nature’s Middle Finger, right over Summer Camp
The Moonshine stage also played host to two other notable electronica acts that afternoon. Diplo, an American DJ who has skyrocketed to fame in the last few years, displayed his usual repertoire of engrossing beats and dubstep stylings, augmented by ladies invited on stage to twerk for a song or two, grinding to the defeaning bass while a 2-3,000+ crowd that was rabid like no other fist pumped throughout the set. The crowd collectively grooved furiously and wanting more, yet they didn’t have to wait long to get their wish as the legendary DJ duo Thievery Corporation were next up on this stage. Although a bit more mellow in nature, this group uses mixes and samplings like no other to create unbelievable soundscapes that create an environment that’s both funky and ambient at the same time. It was a true treat to finally see this act in person years after getting hooked on their releases like ‘The Mirror Conspiracy’ and ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’.
Meanwhile, on the Sunshine Stage, Cornmeal held its final show with Allie Kral on fiddle. Leaving the band amicably was bittersweet for many diehard fans of this quite multi-talented jamgrass group. After tearful words from band members, a speedy, foot-stomping “Hillbilly Ride” was churned out in the unique Cornmeal sound that is unmistakable, one that will be a slightly different moving forward, but still loved.
After some solid electronic music and bluegrass, it was time to get back to some rock as done by the festival’s co-hosts moe. and Umphrey’s McGee who would each play two sets. Umphrey’s McGee led off their show with a stellar “Depth Charge” that seamlessly led into the classic “Hurt Bird Bath”. Later in their opening set, they brought out the horn section from Mad Dog & His Filthy Little Secret which turned out to be stroke of genius as they transformed ‘Booth Love’ into a jazzier, funkier version that many seemed to appreciate.
UM’s second set opened with another phenomenal segue of two classics as “Wappy Sprayberry” got stretched out and turned into “Ocean Billy”. The band took their time with each of these and it paid off as the Saturday night crowd ate this up. For good measure, they also threw in a cover of the Beck hit “Debra”, performed a monster “Der Bluten Kat > Final Word > Der Bluten Kat” and brought the horns back up for a rousing “Bridgeless” encore. Umphrey’s has become the master of infusing improvisational jams with elements of funk, metal and jazz and this weekend let them display their talents in a setting that truly seemed like home for them.
Before moe. took the stage Moonshine, Summer Camp promoters and musicians announced they were joining in the March Against Monsanto, a propitious moment as the worldwide March was going on around the world that weekend, tying a popular cause outside the festival atmosphere to a population that jubilantly supported the movement, one for the betterment of food and farmers around the world.
moe. then put on a set that blew the Moonshine Stage crowd away; even the most diehard fans were taken aback at the meaty choices given a full moe.-festival treatment. The debut of Rob Derhak’s “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes” was well received by the crowd, while the hot trio of “The Faker > Hector’s Pillow > Plane Crash” polished off the first set, the last tune with Allie Kral sitting in on fiddle and finding new levels in the song to explore. Second set started with “Rain Shine” and the newer “Silver Sun” lasting nearly 20 minutes, before finally segueing into “Happy Hour Hero”, a song revered Upstaters and for those who made the trek west cheered enthusiastically to the line “A Saranac will do just fine.”.
But the true heat of this evening was felt in the five song segue of “McBain > George > Spine of a Dog > Buster > McBain”, where only “Spine of a Dog” gave you a chance to breathe amid the incredible selection of huge moe. numbers. An encore of Umphrey’s “In the Kitchen” capped the trade off of covers between the two bands, but this one had stank on it in the vein of moe, especially on the lines “The TVs on too much and I don’t ever think enough about the things that matter most, or what would make me old (like Joel).” If your mind wasn’t blown away already that weekend, moe. took care of it with their performance this evening.
One of the true treats of the weekend was the late night performance of Floodwood on the Campfire Stage. This Upstate New York progressive string band displayed its version of Newgrass to a small but eager crowd on what was now early Sunday morning. There was something refreshing about seeing venerable rock icons Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico giving it their all with Jason Barady, Mick Piccininni and Zachary Fleitz in such an intimate setting. They rolled through song after song with a vigor and enthusiasm that was palpable and even treated all to a multi-song encore as the skies slowly began to turn lighter. The band seemed truly blown away by the reception they were getting at this hour. Banjo player and fiddler Piccininni may have summed it up by best by saying, “I’ve been waiting for this night for a long time.” It showed in their heartfelt performance that surely did upstate New York music proud.
Sunday
Waking up to a light rain storm meant it was time to pack up and get ready to leave later that day, but not before catching a trio of Upstate bands to start the day. Aqueous took to the Campfire Stage, playing “Bohemian Rhapsody > Warren in the Window> Bohemian Rhapsody” to the early risers. Timbre Coup made a huge sandwich out of “Arnold Schwarzenegger > June> Never There > Arnold Schwarzenegger” at the Camping Stage shortly after, then were followed by Project Weather Machine who shredded through a stellar “Sunset Soldiers”. Guitarist Dan Wafer was happy to be at Summer Camp, enjoying the chance to network and meet other musicians, a great opportunity for a young band. Shortly after the Upstate bands played, Brooklyn’s Tauk met up for an interview, where they expressed their appreciation for the more personal feel of the fest and the active crowd, creating an atmosphere where everyone wanted them to have as much fun as they could during the weekend. Stay tuned for our review of their latest album Homonculus, its an album of instrumental bliss.
Unfortunately, due to the continuous rain and inclement weather that turned Three Sisters Park into MudFest 2013, moe. was only able to play their opening afternoon set and not their final one later that evening. This set was of the acoustic variety as Rob Derhak played on an acoustic bass the whole time. As such, there were several numbers from their heavily acoustic album “Sticks and Stones” played including the title track itself. Perhaps the highlight of the set was a rousing “Shoot First”, sung beautifully as always by Chuck Garvey, and after an extended jam, it was segued perfectly into ‘Bring You Down’. This old school number was a treat to hear done in this acoustic style and was met with heavy applause and adulation at its completion. ‘Tambourine’ and ‘Four’ closed out the set which no one at the time knew would be the band’s last of the weekend. At this point, everyone just seemed to be hoping that the rain wouldn’t affect the appearance of one of the bigger acts appearing at Summer Camp, Trey Anastasio Band.
Prior to Anastasio’s headlining set that night, one more Upstate band was in order, that of Ithaca’s Jimkata, playing the Vibe Tent, with a excellent segue of “Die Digital> Lego Land” that had Peoria resident Erika Garcia remark “I ducked into a tent to get out of the rain & ended up dancing my ass off and finding a ridiculously awesome new band who I’ll seek out in the future.” Branching out into the Midwest is next for this venerable electronica infused rock band.
The majority of the festival slugged through the ankle deep mud strewn streets to get to Sunshine Stage for Trey Anastasio Band, one act that few would think to miss. Opening with “First Tube” and “Mozambique”, it was in “Last Tube” that Trey broke free to explore the song, as he seems to be more prone to do at music festivals. Feisty versions of “Cayman Review” and “Drifting” brought a smile to the face of many, while the skies threatened in the distance – a show of lightening accompanied the lights on stage, but gave pause to those looking to end the night on a dry note. Thus, after a 30 minute encore break, the second set started but was cut short due to rain after only 20 minutes, at which point got to packing up the car once and for all and got on the road as the skies opened up something ungodly on the Midwest.
Driving out, we took our time getting home – taking our time during 15 hours across five states, before we land safely back home in the confines of the Northeast. Summer Camp truly put on a great show, one that rivals some of the top festivals of comparable size. If you’re adventurous and enjoy a wide array of music, or roll of the dice weather, you’ll find a fantastic festival in the Midwest with Summer Camp.
We here in Upstate NY have more than our share of music festivals, from the large (Mountain Jam, Camp Bisco, moe.down) to the small (Great Heron, Backwoods Pondfest). There is little reason to venture out of Upstate when festival season rolls around. But when Upstate bands branch out and hit off festivals outside the region, we take note and follow them for an adventure. Summer Camp Music Festival, located in central Illinois, is one of the better produced festivals out there, with an enormous lineup that encompasses bands both big and small on seven stages, bringing together a wide variety of genres that broaden the experience for even the most die-hard music fan. Here’s our take on Summer Camp, simply the best festival in the Midwest.
moe. on the Moonshine Stage
After spending Wednesday night in Chicago, we ventured down I-55 to Peoria and arrived in Chillicothe, a small town on the Illinois River. The flat layout of the festival was immediately appealing. Anyone who has attended a festival in NY can attest – lugging your stuff up hills and through a menagerie of inclines can be off-putting. With a slight breeze in the air, camp was set up in the middle of four stages – Sunshine, Starshine, Camping and the Vibe Tent. This proved to be a number one reason why you arrive at a festival early – prime location for camping is hard to come by after Day One. The first band for the weekend was Chicago’s Family Groove Company, who kicked things off with “The Charmer”, invited up Allie Kral from Cornmeal for “One Eye Dreaming”, followed by a well-placed cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,”, quite apt for the talented Kral.
Around 8 p.m., one of the great staples of Summer Camp took the stage: Cornmeal. This Illinois-based blue collar band has seen their popularity rise slowly but surely over the years as they’ve vigorously delivered their own special blend of bluegrass and folk music throughout the country. This marks the band’s 11th appearance at Summer Camp and they did nothing to disappoint the revelers that were ready to go on this first day of the festival. This weekend was also a sendoff of sorts for the band who were saying good bye to their longtime and supremely talented fiddler, Allie Kral, who earned MVP honors this weekend by sitting in on multiple bands’ sets and blowing the house down each and every time.
Allie Kral with Floodwood
After Cornmeal’s initial set of the weekend, the musical mood on the Starshine stage shifted to electronica as Digital Tape Machine delivered a pulsating set that set the stage beautifully for some of the late night acts this weekend. Featuring Joel Cummins and Kris Myers from Umphrey’s McGee, it seems this side project of sorts is really starting to find its niche as they displayed a powerful cohesiveness that only comes after time and multiple gigs. Their unique version of IDM with elements of tech house, dance house and drum and bass kept the Thursday night crowd dancing and wanting more. Out in the Camping Stage was a band from Minnesota, Roster McCabe – the Midwest is heavily represented out in these parts, as one would suspect – and they showed some gravitas and fervor during a power-charged set of originals that brought to mind Umphrey’s McGee and Dopapod. A well played version of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” caught the crowd off guard and resulted in a dance party in the woods, making for the first of many covers of the popular disco/dance tune that we will all be hearing this summer.
In the Vibe Tent, UV Hippo from Michigan was laying down jams that built on top of each other, culminating in a breathtaking climax and showing mastery of their craft. A solid “Square Pegs, Round Holes” preceded Roster McCabe’s Alex Steele joining the group for Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish”, a well placed cover and one of those late night moments you love to catch.
Future Rock in the Red Barn
The dance party continued well into the night with Future Rock, a band that’s seemingly designed specifically for a late night time slot at any festival. The Chicago rockers kept the action fast and furious in the Red Barn which was open to everyone this evening. A unique aspect of the Summer Camp festival is that late night acts at this location required an extra ticket that had to be purchased ahead of time, and depending on your musical tastes, will compel you to plan ahead or seek out new and unknown acts amid the general late night sets.
Dopapod in the Vibe Tent
At the same time, Dopapod was throwing down more of the late night goodness this band has become known for at the Vibe Tent. There seemed to be an even bigger crowd here which speaks somewhat to the fact that not everyone knew the Red Barn was open tonight to the general public, but more to the reputation this band is developing within the jamband and festival circuits. As usual, they delivered a fun, high intensity set, punctuated by “Braindead” off their latest album Redivider, playing nearly until sunrise and sent Summer Campers home spent, but with smiles on their faces.
Friday
With good locations for stages and campground layout, plus an option for the forest, RVs and VIP experiences, Summer Camp felt a bit like Mountain Jam, and is about the same size, just… flatter. The grounds were laid out on a grid much like the Midwest and they offered regional foods and had a few carnival rides and the like, seemingly giving in to the universality of music festivals in the 21st Century. Friday’s action got underway with the help of two of the better band names currently out there. Cosby Sweater, another Umphrey’s side project of sorts featuring the ever busy Mr. Joel Cummins, played on the Camping stage and surely played a part in waking up nearby campers. This stage was literally located within woods containing tents and campsites in the general vicinity and it played host to some of the better ‘under the radar’ acts of the weekend (see: Roster McCabe). Over on the Starshine stage, Pimps of Joytime threw down a fun and memorable set that surely garnered them a few new fans. If you haven’t heard this group’s blend of funk, rock, afrobeats and electronic elements, you should really do so as soon as possible. It was nice to see this primarily East Coast band on the bill of one of the most successful Midwest musical festivals going right now.
Diplo crowd
Next, it was time for the opening salvo from one of the festival’s musical co-hosts, moe. Their set featured a blistering ‘Captain America” opener that segued nicely into ‘‘Recreational Chemistry”, a song that many felt wouldn’t appear until later in the weekend. The band seemed energetic and on point from the get go as they closed the set with the always entertaining ‘Seat of My Pants’ and the encore of “Okayalright” seemed to sum up the general sentiment that the 2013 version of Summer Camp was officially in full gear.
Over at the Media Center, located in the Church, Dumpstaphunk gave an interview to an attentive audience curious about a little bit of everything: their new album, Dirty Word, featuring Skerik, Flea, Trombone Shorty and Rebirth Brass Band, the experience of playing two festivals in the same weekend with each one a time zone away from the other (Summer Camp and StrangeCreek) and the importance of bassist Nick Daniels who quit the Neville Brothers to get Dumpstaphunk to where they are now.
moe. on the Moonshine Stage
After a quick trip to the Sunshine stage to catch some of the reggae music dished out by the legendary Wailers, it was back to the Moonshine stage for some heady jazz improv as only Medeski, Martin and Wood can deliver. Highlights included a fantastic Billy Martin drum solo that flowed right into “Night Marchers”. This trio never disappoints and John Medeski seemed extra energized towards the end of this hour long set and showed off his chops on the set closing “Heaven on Earth”. With any big music festival there inevitably comes a time when you have to make a tough decision on which act you see and which one you miss. Summer campers were now faced with such a decision as Keller Williams with More Than a Little played on the Sunshine Stage and Yonder Mountain String Band took the reigns back down on the Moonshine Stage. These two stages were pretty much at opposite ends of ThreeSistersPark so the chance of seeing significant portions of each was pretty slim.
Down at Moonshine, Yonder was in full form, tearing through “Pretty Daughter” midway into their set, and a hoe-down worth “Casualty”. Roosevelt Collier of The Lee Boys sat in with the Yonder boys for versions of “Kentucky Mandolin”, “Dear Prudence” and “Raleigh and Spencer,” playing on same level and adding a soulful slide guitar to each tune. A return for and encore of “Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown” had accents of that steel sound, and with Jeff Austin’s breakneck speed on mandolin, the crowd was kept dancing along to a phenomenal sit in.
Roosevelt Collier and Jeff Austin
On the other main stage, Sunshine, this was not your typical Keller Williams set. The ever evolving artist decided to get himself a backing 6-piece funk band for this go round and, just for good measure, added Victor Wooten as a second bass player. This group was tight, in tune and delivered some truly memorable versions of Keller classics like “Let’s Jam” and “Freeker by the Speaker”. Hearing these tunes with female backup singers and a tight rhythm section gave each a real different feel, in a good way. Perhaps more impressive was the covers they tackled as well. These included The Talking Heads’ classic “Once in a Lifetime” and Keller also invited Jake Cinninger from Umphrey’s McGee to join them on a truly remarkable take of The Grateful Dead’s “West L.A. Fadeaway”. This closed out the set and was met by a raucous crowd’s approval. There’s no reason to think Keller won’t continue to bring this outfit of funk and soul out on the road from the time to time.
Umphrey’s McGee kicked off their first set of the weekend with the walk-on instrumental “No Crying in Mexico,” a unique start to a show as the band arrives on stage to join pre-recorded music. “All in Time” kicked things off with the first half of the song, which later found its second half mid second set. Conversely, “Nothing Too Fancy” appeared midway through the first set and closed the set, after a dirty “Comma Later”. “Bright Lights, Big City” featured Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic, blowing the song up amid Jeff Waful’s light show. “Puppet String”, yet another true Umph-rocker, was split between the sets and closed out the evening, but not before Umphrey’s played a first in more than a decade version of moe.’s classic “Rebubula,”, leading many to speculate on what song moe. may cover of Umphrey’s that weekend.
Later on Friday night, things began to get electronic again as Sound Tribe Sector 9 took the stage and got the dance party started once again. A well-established act at this point, STS9 delivered 90 minutes of inventive and inspirational electronica. If you weren’t in the mood for this, over on the Campfire stage was Allie Kral and Friends who treated all to a fun set of bluegrass staples and covers. The set even included an impromptu version of “Friend of the Devil” with Chicago’s own Barry Brown sitting in on vocals, followed by spirited versions of “Graceland” and “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Over in the Vibe Tent, a pair of DJs known as Team Bayside High put on an incredibly fun set, utilizing house samples and remixes in the Belding style of late night while Alvin Risk took the tent past 4 a.m. Once you are up so close to dawn, it’s a simple task to make it to 5 a.m. Kickball, the official start of Field Day. Think Camp Bisco’s Color Wars with some slight variation. Team Purple was well represented during the game, led by Umphrey’s bassist Ryan Stasik, although Team Red pulled out the victory during the rain on Saturday afternoon. Purple will be back…
Stay tuned tomorrow for Pete and Tim’s recap of Saturday and Sunday at Summer Camp Music Festival!
Valentine’s Music Hall and Beer Joint is one of the most well known venues in Albany, hosting hundreds of bands throughout its history and leaving many memories behind after the shows are over. Now, a Kickstarter has been created to fund a Documentary on the classic venue. Titled No Pepper, after the sign at the bottom of the first floor stage, the movie will examine the history of the venue, the bands who played there and the significance it holds for live music fans in Albany.
Created by TG Branfalt Jr, he explains his reasoning behind the venue, “The story of Valentine’s has never been told and I think it’s time to tell it. If you’re an East Coast musician you have either heard of, or played at Valentine’s. If you’re a fan of underground or local music you have heard of or been to Valentine’s. As club after club closes it’s important to keep a record of the ones that played a role in shaping the city – no other club helped shape the musicians of Albany like V-Tines. Valentine’s is an incredible venue for budding musicians, run by awesome people. And places for musicians to play in Albany are dying.”
Summing it up as honestly as he can, “Valentine’s is important to Albany’s culture.” Indeed it is.
Keep in mind that the spread of a certain hospital complex and urban renewal are quickly threatening the location, so it is of the utmost importance to document the venue and its history before too long.
Robert Randolph introduced a generation of live music fans to the sound of Sacred Steel, that of the pedal steel guitar. Dating back to his performances at The Wetlands at the turn of the 21st Century and leading through the first two Bonnaroos and the rest of the past decade, through Randolph the legacy of a classic sound has found its way into the live music lexicon and numerous festivals at an increasing pace. With The Slide Brothers, presented by Robert Randolph, the sound of the Sacred Steel is brought to light by four impressive and iconic Sacred Steel players: Calvin Cooke, Aubrey Ghent, Chuck Campbell and Darick Campbell. On a balmy Friday night in Saratoga Springs, all but Darick took the stage for a rare treat; multiple pedal steel players rocking out on gospel and blues numbers dating back to the turn of the past century.
Opening for The Slide Brothers was Danielle Miraglia from Boston, a true Delta blues guitarist. With just an acoustic guitar and a hollow wooden riser nicknamed ‘Stompy’, she kicked her heel for the beat and played mesmerizing guitar on “Meet Me in the Morning”, a requisite off Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Later, two songs stood out among an enjoyable set, a soulful “It Hurts me Too” and “No One’s Listening.” The latter of the two had the opposite effect, as a rapt crowd focused on the gorgeous singer and her powerful vocals. She brought to mind an early Sheryl Crow, with potential for pop appeal based on her songwriting and performance. Check out one of her songs below.
After a spell of tuning, Ghent, Cooke and Chuck Campbell sat left to right in front of Phil Campbell on bass and Carlton Campbell on drums, both nephews of Chuck. The crowd moved closer to the stage as the band jammed out an instrumental “Jewel” with pace and patience. The night’s second version of “It Hurts Me Too” was soulful and layered. “Catch That Train” had deep guttural vocals from Ghent backed by middle Cooke along with Phil, whose bass was thick and Wooten-esque. While Aubrey Ghent’s steel guitar had a traditional sound, Calvin Cooke’s has a slight bit of reverb on it, making it stand out among the three; Chuck Campbell’s sound was so sharp it could slice right through the air with every slide of the left hand.
Calvin Cooke took the soulful blues route and sang a powerful “The Sky is Crying”, while Ghent and Campbell combined for a tandem duet as the two carried the beat as Cooke sang, hitting the high notes on the steel. The greatest moment of the night came with a base layer of “Green Onions” ilk, leading to a long, slow building instrumental of slide guitar jamming that extended for 20 minutes in the form of “Help me Make it Thru.”
A finale of “Don’t Let the Devil Ride” and “I’ll Just Wave my Hand” had truly deep bass to accompany the soul driven vocals of Aubrey Ghent. After a short walk off stage, the band returned for an encore initiated by oom-paa drum beats to work a jam into “When the Saints Go Marching in”, complete with a call and response as the crowd sang along with the band. To see a pedal steel player is one thing, to see three and dance to the layered rhythms is another. Great thanks goes out to Robert Randolph for assembling The Slide Brothers.
Setlist: Jewel, It Hurts me Too, Catch That Train, Don’t Keep Me Wondering, What Happen to Them, The Sky is Crying, Wade in the Water, Help Me Make it Thru, Don’t Let the Devil Ride, I’ll Just Wave My Hand
Albany native and Vermont resident Dan Johnson, along with his Expert Sidemen, has released his second album, Bound for Abiquiu, on the heels of a successful Kickstarter campaign. With the album release party occurring this Thursday at Valentine’s, along with Driftwood and The Grassroots Rebels, featuring members of Jerkwater Ruckus, Albany is in for a treat, as Dan showcases a classic country/bluegrass sound through superb songwriting and catchy melodies throughout Bound for Abiquiu.
Opening with “Adam and the Snake Oil Salesman”, Dan’s country-twinged voice showcases his story telling skills while being complemented nicely by the Sidemen, adding in guitar, banjo and steel pedal guitars. Words of wisdom pour from the chorus, “There’s a road that has no beginning, there’s a great big old place in the sky, there’s an up, there’ a down, there’s a middle ground and you don’t ever have to die.”
Named for a song and album of the same name by Albany band Knotworking, “The Garden Below” asks questions that lead to a confession, foreshadowing “Utica Blues” later in the album. “My Three Friends” is a truly traditional country tune, in the vein of Johnny Cash and Steve Earle, the way country music should sound, with lyrics on life’s laments and struggles, the sadness of these followed by the hope for better things around the corner. “Come on in my Kitchen” is not the classic blues number of the same name, but instead a pedal-steel accented plea to a lady to come over for dinner; a short, make you smile tune.
“Another Good Thing is Come and Gone” is a highlight of the album, played and sung in the Del McCoury-style, making it a most traditional bluegrass track. “Dancing Fool”, while not the Frank Zappa song (although Dan’s take on that would be great to hear) is a mellow tune painting a picture of a nervous guy working up the courage to ask a lady to dance, lacking confidence, even calling himself a dancing fool, yet still wanting a dance nonetheless. With a little klesmer intro and accordion adding a nice touch, “Off on the Tide” tells the story of a sailor heading out to sea, sick of the town he’s been at for a spell.
With a nod to Upstate NY, “Utica Blues” is a gambling song set in Utica, singing the blues about the life of a gambler who comes and goes as he wins and loses. “Riding into Utica on a dirty old train, when I leave Utica I’ll be riding high again.” For what it’s worth, Utica is the perfect location for this story. Finally, the title track “Bound for Abiquiu” brings a high note to the end of the album, telling the tale of a journey about to be embarked upon. The destination of Abiquiu is a mystery, left to the listener to draw their own conclusion.” Bound for Abiquiu is a perfect album for a sunny summer day or a drive to the Adirondacks or Southern Tier, while picking in the campgrounds at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival or casual listening to a classic country sound.
Key Tracks: Another Good Thing is Come and Gone, Come on in my Kitchen, Dancing Fool, Utica Blues
The soundtrack to the 1980s is full of Michael Jackson, Prince, The Cars, Poison and other hair metal bands, and countless one-hit wonders, among many others. Huey Lewis and the News belongs in the company of these acts for hits that ranged throughout the decade, most notably off the 1983 album Sports, which featured five Top 10 hits, sold over 10 million copies and contained songs most identified with the sound of Rock and Roll in the 80s. Thus, as we enter the summer music season of 2013, the 30th Anniversary tour to commemorate the release of Sports made its second stop at historic Tarrytown Music Hall as the band embarked on a cross country trip that returns to Western New York for the final show of the tour on August 31st at Alleghany Casino in Salamanca, NY.
The opening act, Bob Polding performed with keyboardist Billy Siegal of his larger band, bringing a touch of New Jersey to Southern New York. “My Streets”, the title track off his new album, was Springsteen-meets-Mellancamp and shook the audience early as they awaited the News. Polding got a shoutout and kind words from Huey later in the evening, having opened for Huey in the past and giving a nod of appreciation for him.
The crowd was comprised of many first timers seeing Huey Lewis and the News, even the older folks in the crowd who would have been fans in the 80’s yet still hadn’t seen the band perform previously, all while growing up with the music. Around the crowd was an usher holding an old-timey hand-held xylophone that signaled it was time to find seats and the show was about to begin, marking the historical nature of the venue and adding to the experience that is Tarrytown Music Hall.
The lights went down and the nine-piece band slowly took the stage, all but Huey, who waited till the drum beat that precedes “Heart of Rock and Roll’ reached a crescendo and ignited the song. As he walked to centerstage and began to sing, the elation of the crowd was let loose and the band was given a proper welcome. In kind, as Huey mentioned the names of the towns in America where the Heart of Rock and Roll is beating, he threw in Tarrytown, feeding the energy of the crowd even more.
“Heart and Soul” featured stellar guitar work from Johnny Colla, who performed triple duty while singing on most songs and playing a ripping sax solo on a variety of tunes. “Bad is Bad” brought Huey’s harmonica to centerstage, adding another layer of soul to the blues number along with John Pierce’s bass. However, it seemed that inflation was factored into “Bad is Bad”, because the Soul Stew that was once $1.99 is now $5.99, and this time around Huey could only stand to eat $2 worth, rather than $1; this may have been the only departure from the original songs this evening and a comical one for those who caught the lyrical shift.
When “I Want a New Drug” was torn into by Stef Burns, the crowd raised their voices in approval, cheering on yet another classic track off just the front side of Sports. Following the song, Huey took a moment to mention how back when the album first came out, there were “No cell phones, no files, no Internet,” and admired how things have changed, looking out into a crowd with shining rectangles glowing back on the faces of the fans. He continued, “That was the video side of Sports. We’re gonna rock a little harder on side two.” And with that, Huey dedicated “Walkin’ on a Thin Line” to veterans, with its memorable line, “Straight off the front line, take a look at my face, see what it’s doing to me.”
Holding the microphone stand low as he walked around the stage, Huey exuded stage presence like a boss, leaning down at one point to accept flowers from a young fan in between “Finally Found a Home” and “If This is It”. The horns, Marvin McFadden on trumpet, Rob Sudduth on tenor sax and Johnnie Bamont on baritone sax, took a short break for these numbers and “You Crack me Up”, before returning to the stage during “Honky Tonk Blues.”
Although Huey and the band have aged, their voices and performance haven’t one bit, even playing a new song “While We’re Young” for only the second time and nailing it, held down steadily by Bill Gibson on drums. The number has the same catchy riffs as past Huey hits and a hint of irony as he belted out the refrain, as seen in the video below.
After a taste of the new Huey song, we got a taste of the past, starting with “Perfect World”, off the Small World album from 1988, followed by the first song the group wrote together, “Trouble in Paradise”, a rarity that many in the crowd seemed to be hearing for the first time. Yet as the horns were fired up, the crowd stood up, clapping and dancing in their seats, and a few fans in the aisles as well; Sean Hopper’s keys rang out most notably in this number. With the hits cranking out, the band moved onto “It’s Alright”, leading a sing-along with the sold out audience, followed by another seemingly rare tune “Long Time, Good Time.”
After the band took a brief step offstage, and with a slight rasp in his voice, Huey remarked about the next tune, “Who knew when we wrote this song that we’d have to play it every night”, and queue the Back to the Future soundtrack highlight, “The Power of Love”, quite possibly the best non-Sports hit of the night, let alone throughout the band’s catalog. Going back to their first Top 10 hit with “Do You Believe in Love?” caught couples swooning and singing the chorus to each other. The finale, “Workin’ for a Livin’” was dedicated to ‘workin’ folks’ and led to the loudest cheers and singing along from the crowd of the entire evening, before Huey introduced the band.
The show ended at 10:10 with the band lining up for a final fist pump and Huey exclaiming “I’m Huey Lewis, and you just heard the News!” Speaking with a dad in the audience after the show, he mentioned seeing them open for The Doobie Brothers around 1982, only to have the News booed off stage; this time around he brought his son to see the band as the main act and they both loved it.
If this night is any indication of the full tour ahead, Huey Lewis and the News are not playing like a nostalgia act. People tend to criticize acts of the same ilk that are deemed past their prime as mere nostalgia, which is becoming a convenient go-to remark that ignores the talents of the band and their ability to perform continuously over a long period of time. Huey Lewis and the News still have the swagger and musicianship on-stage as they did 10, 15, 20 and 30 years ago. The band is older in looks and age, but their sound is just as young as you remember them.
Huey Lewis and the News put forth a unique show, highlighting a specific era of the band’s history and performing with panache and a solid effort, far more than just a band showing up for a paycheck. Don’t sleep on this cross-country tour; sing along, have fun and treat yourself to a quintessential 80s band still performing at the same level as they did 30 years ago.
Setlist: Heart of Rock & Roll, Heart & Soul, Bad is Bad, I Want a New Drug, Walking on a Thin Line, Finally Found a Home, If This is It, You Crack me Up, Honky Tonk Blues, While We’re Young*, Perfect World, Trouble in Paradise, But It’s Alright, We’re Not Here for a Long Time Encore: Power of Love, Do You Believe in Love, Workin’ for a Livin’
First 9 songs are from the Sports album
* Second time played live
Albany’s Alive at Five, featuring free music shows at the Corning Preserve overlooking the Hudson River, has announced their 2013 schedule and it looks to be the best one in recent memory. Featuring funk, blues, reggae, country, classic rock and a great deal of local bands, Albany is in for a treat starting June 6th!
2013 Alive at Five Schedule
June 6th: The Fabulous Thunderbirds with Super 400
June 13th: JT Taylor with The Ill Funk Ensemble
June 20th: The Refrigerators with Molly Durnin
June 27th:George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Funk Evolution
July 11th: Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Show with Chris Dukes Band
July 18th: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas with Wild Adriatic
July 25th: Local Blues Night: The Tom Healey Band and Blues Sanctuary
August 1st: The Original Wailers with MIRK
August 8th: Country Night! Skeeter Creek with Whiskey City
Remember, no coolers, alcohol or drinks allowed in. They’ll be plenty of vendors there to take care of you.
The Putnam Den is fortunate to have a quartet of legendary pedal steel musicians coming to town on Friday, as Robert Randolph Presents The Slide Brothers, four of the greatest living musicians who embody the Sacred Steel Tradition – Calvin Cooke, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent. The joyous music these legendary artists create extends far beyond scared steel to encompass blues, rock and soul all celebrated with a sound that is uniquely their own. Opening the show is a great Delta blues guitarist in her own right, Danielle Miraglia from Boston.
The pedal steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the 1930’s. His single-string passages, which imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices, remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. Robert Randolph rose to fame a decade or more ago playing Sacred Steel with his band at The Wetlands, Bonnaroo and venues throughout the Northeast and has become the most successful artist to emerge from the Sacred Steel tradition.
The Slide Brothers include one man who has been dubbed the “B.B. King of gospel steel guitar”, Calvin Cooke. Calvin was hails from Cleveland and performed the pedal steel at Church of the Living God in Jewell Dominion, known for it’s strong steel guitar tradition. He continues to use the same instrument on stage today as he had in 1955, as well as a ten string pedal steel instrument which he plays in a unique tuning that came to him in a vision.
Aubrey Ghent, a nephew of Willie Eason, has also become a celebrated steel guitarist, preserving the sacred steel tradition and instrumental in bringing it to a wider audience. Unlike Robert Randolph and the Family Band who have crossed over to doing more secular music, Aubrey Ghent has stayed closer to the gospel roots of tradition, as have many of the steel guitarists of the Jewell Dominion. In recent years, Ghent has performed and recorded with several top recording stars including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.
Chuck Campbell began playing the lap steel guitar at the age of eleven. At fifteen he became one of the first players to utilize the Pedal Steel guitar in the House of God Church, Keith Dominion. Chuck is renowned for his innovative approach to the instrument both technically and musically. His use of effects such as distortion, tone control pedals like the Wah-Wah and his picking techniques enable him to emulate the human voice in an uncanny fashion.
Darick Campbell first made his mark in music as a drummer. For several years Darick was the premier drummer of the General Assembly, the National Convocation of the House Of God Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His choice of the Lap Steel is a reflection of the influences he has blended to become the most emotional player of The Campbell Brothers musical tour d’ force. His renditions of “End of My Journey” have caused audiences throughout the world to weep in heartfelt response to his playing.
“My goal is to open the door for people in the same way that musical doors have been opened for me,” explains Randolph. “I want to take this musical history and make it relevant to give people a better idea of who we are and where this tradition came from. I think even though I’m a young guy who was born into the era of hip-hop and contemporary gospel, I can help bridge the cultural gap between people who are seventy-five years old and kids who are fifteen years old by reaching back into this history of music.”
Find out for yourself how deep this musical history sounds with The Slide Brothers on Friday night at The Putnam Den. Doors are at 8, show is at 9:30. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 in advance.
Dan Johnson, an Albany native now living in Vermont, has launched a Kickstarter for his second album, Bound for Abiquiu, alongside his Expert Sidemen.
Already halfway to the their $1000 goal, the album refers to a location in Northern New Mexico, where Dan has “Spent quite a bit of time up that way, and it’s a special and a spiritual place. The title song is about kind of laying down an old life and settling down, going within, returning, letting go, moving past and the process of transformation and how great forces kind of help us with our changes”
Support Dan’s Kickstarter and see him at the album release party on May 23rd at Valentine’s, with Driftwood and The Grassroots Rebels, feat. members of Jerkwater Ruckus.
The early 1970’s are reflected in their music, tailored to their own stylings and a powerful show is the result. With melodies that hook you in, Reid’s poetic lyrics and a profound depth of musicianship, USA Today has said that Assembly of Dust has what it takes to “dazzle the Alt-Country universe.” Assembly of Dust recently released their new album Sun Shot, which is available for free download at Aodust.com.
Created by 
Summing it up as honestly as he can, “Valentine’s is important to Albany’s culture.” Indeed it is.
The Kickstarter is only open until June 19th,
The crowd was comprised of many first timers seeing Huey Lewis and the News, even the older folks in the crowd who would have been fans in the 80’s yet still hadn’t seen the band perform previously, all while growing up with the music. Around the crowd was an usher holding an old-timey hand-held xylophone that signaled it was time to find seats and the show was about to begin, marking the historical nature of the venue and adding to the experience that is Tarrytown Music Hall.
When “I Want a New Drug” was torn into by Stef Burns, the crowd raised their voices in approval, cheering on yet another classic track off just the front side of Sports. Following the song, Huey took a moment to mention how back when the album first came out, there were “No cell phones, no files, no Internet,” and admired how things have changed, looking out into a crowd with shining rectangles glowing back on the faces of the fans. He continued, “That was the video side of Sports. We’re gonna rock a little harder on side two.” And with that, Huey dedicated “Walkin’ on a Thin Line” to veterans, with its memorable line, “Straight off the front line, take a look at my face, see what it’s doing to me.”
Holding the microphone stand low as he walked around the stage, Huey exuded stage presence like a boss, leaning down at one point to accept flowers from a young fan in between “Finally Found a Home” and “If This is It”. The horns, Marvin McFadden on trumpet, Rob Sudduth on tenor sax and Johnnie Bamont on baritone sax, took a short break for these numbers and “You Crack me Up”, before returning to the stage during “Honky Tonk Blues.”
After a taste of the new Huey song, we got a taste of the past, starting with “Perfect World”, off the Small World album from 1988, followed by the first song the group wrote together, “Trouble in Paradise”, a rarity that many in the crowd seemed to be hearing for the first time. Yet as the horns were fired up, the crowd stood up, clapping and dancing in their seats, and a few fans in the aisles as well; Sean Hopper’s keys rang out most notably in this number. With the hits cranking out, the band moved onto “It’s Alright”, leading a sing-along with the sold out audience, followed by another seemingly rare tune “Long Time, Good Time.”
2013 Alive at Five Schedule
The pedal steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the 1930’s. His single-string passages, which imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices, remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. Robert Randolph rose to fame a decade or more ago playing Sacred Steel with his band at The Wetlands, Bonnaroo and venues throughout the Northeast and has become the most successful artist to emerge from the Sacred Steel tradition.
Already halfway to the their $1000 goal