NYS Music 20​13

Author: Susan Rice

  • Album Review: George Kilby Jr. serves up a Six Pack

    George Kilby Jr., a singer-songwriter originally from Alabama, has released the album Six Pack, a collection of songs demonstrating his wide range of bluegrass, folk, blues and classic Americana music. He is accompanied by his long time band members, Neil Thomas (keyboard, accordion), Eric Halvorson (drums) and Arturo Baguer (bass). Kilby Jr. is also joined by Jono Manson on guitar and vocals for “When the People Sang” with Railroad Earth member Tim Carbone on fiddle. Andy Goessling, also of Railroad Earth, joins in on “Sunshine of Your Love.”

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    George Kilby Jr. credits Pinetop Perkins, the famous blues pianist, for teaching him almost everything he knows about playing the blues. With his influence, Kilby pours soul into his music and has his own rocker attitude of never regretting saying and playing it how it really is. The entire album is laid back and an easy listen. Each song carries lyrics meant to make you stop and think of the past, present and future. Kilby’s album reminded me that music can be used as one of the strongest weapons we have, more often than none; all you can do is sing and play.

    The album kicks off with “When the People Sang” a gentle, country vibe with simple strumming and soaring fiddle. The song is a helpful reminder that the 60’s are still alive and well.  The low, vocal notes Kilby Jr sings during “I Love You in Brooklyn”, a ballad in tribute to New York’s boroughs was sublime, plus it helps that I’m a sucker for love songs. Neil Thomas’ accordion gives the song a vintage charm. “Something I Can’t Find” is what Kilby describes as “bluesy rocker with a trippy side” and it’s easy to see why with all the strong, multiple guitar riffs. Kilby takes a break from his original songs to put a fresh bluegrass spin on Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. He delivers the lyrics with a smooth and slow croon while sharp guitar and banjo picking is added for a great pick me up. I hate to say it but I might love this version better than Cream’s. The final song on the album, “You Never See the Hand Throw the Stone”, a haunting, blues melody from Kilby and a killer harmonica thanks to Phil Wiggins.

    Key Tracks: When The People Sang, Sunshine of Your Love, Something I Can’t Find

  • Gathering of the Vibes Announces Festival Lineup

    Gathering of the Vibes, a four day music, arts and camping festival, will celebrate its 18th year with some serious music this summer. Vibes today announces a lineup with headliners that include: Phil Lesh and Friends featuring Jon Scofield, John Medeski, Joe Russo and John Kadlecik, The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Roots, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Dark Star Orchestra,  John Butler Trio, the funky METERS, Railroad Earth, John Scofield, Fishbone, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, Ryan Montbleau Band, Deep Banana Blackout, plus many more talented musicians and more artist announcements still to come. The festival will also feature late-night DJ sets from James Murphy and Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza as well as a Silent Disco.

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    Gathering of the Vibes has called Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT home for the past nine years and has become one of the leading music festivals in the Northeast. With roots inspired from the Grateful Dead era, Gathering of the Vibes continues to spread music, peace, and love to concert-goers year after year.

    “Our 2013 lineup is a result of sorting through thousands of comments and surveys responses; we hope to deliver an experience that keeps our core fans happy while remaining diverse and current,” commented Ken Hays, festival founder. “It’s a model and approach that works for us.”

    Tickets are still available at a discounted price for Way Advance Weekend Camping Passes, as well as Single Day, VIP, Kids and RV camping. Weekend, VIP and Kids Passes include the four days of music and three nights of camping from Thursday morning, July 25th until Sunday night, July 28th. For those who wish to get a head start for the weekend, there is a $20 Thursday Early-Entry Parking Fee if you plan on arriving on Thursday before midnight.

  • Snoe.down releases schedule for music and sports festival for March 22nd-24th

    Snoe.down has released their weekend schedule for the all ages Music and Sports Festival being held in Killington Resort in Killington, and Spartan Arena in neighboring Rutland, Vermont on March 22nd – 24th.

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    Concert goers will have the opportunity to choose between two different lodges on Friday the 22nd, all while enjoying great music and the scenery. Located at the bottom of Killington, the snoe.shed lodge will host progressive string band Floodwood and electro-rock band Jimkata, whereas further up the mountain, the K1 lodge will host, Brooklyn-based jazz/funk/pop quartet, Tauk and Brasstronica quintet, The Primate Fiasco. From my first snoe.down experience, it was surreal to be inside the lodge, dancing to music while watching snowboarders and skiers hurl down the mountain side.

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    Saturday afternoon guests get a treat of a show from Upstate bluegrass rockers Eastbound Jesus and moe. on the Bear Mountain outdoor stage, located on the other side of Killington. It’s remarkable to hear the music echo off the mountains and to have more than enough space to groove in. Another perk of the performances outside is for the winter sports fans, who after a great run down are rewarded with music at the bottom of the hill.

    For Friday and Saturday evening, the venue is located at the Spartan Arena in Rutland, Vermont, a 30 minute drive down the road from Killington. This venue reminds me much of the Washington Armory in Albany, NY, given its wide open space, wooden floors and surrounding bench seating. There will be a private viewing section for VIPs as well as an under 21 viewing area behind the sound board and the right side bleachers. Doors open both nights at 6pm with New Orleans funk band Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk performing on Friday and the reunion of Vermont’s Strangefolk on Saturday. Both evenings will feature moe. scheduled to start at 9pm.

    Sunday concludes the winter fun weekend for VIP ticket holders at the Wobbly barn for a brunch with an acoustic performance by moe. Plus a special performance by Sonic birds contest winners, The Mallet Brothers Band, at 1:30pm at the K1 Lodge.

    FRIDAY

    K1 Lodge: Tauk (12:30-2:00pm)

    K1 Lodge: The Primate Fiasco (3:30-5:00pm)

    Snoe.Shed Lodge: Floodwood (12:30-2:00pm)

    Snoe.Shed Lodge: Jimkata (3:30-5:00pm)

    Spartan Arena: 6pm doors, Dumpstaphunk (7:00pm), moe. (9pm)

    SATURDAY

    Bear Mtn outdoor stage: Eastbound Jesus (Noon-12:45pm), moe. (1pm)

    Spartan Arena: 6pm doors, Strangefolk (7:00pm), moe. (9pm)

    SUNDAY

    Wobbly Barn: VIP Brunch

    K1 Lodge: Sonicbids Contest Winner – The Mallett Brothers Band (1:30pm-3:30pm)

    Currently heading into its fifth season, snoe.down is one of the top winter music festivals to catch on the east coast. Taking place at Vermont’s most popular ski and snowboard resort, Killington offers festival goers a special Snoe.down Learn to Ski/Ride program. Fans can purchase reduced price lift tickets to Killington Resort with their Snoe.down ticket plus a variety of discounted lodging options. Weekend tickets are available as well as single day or for the serious concert goer, VIP.  All tickets are on sale and available at FlynnTix box office in Burlington, VT or by phone at 802.863.5966. A portion of all ticket purchases are being donated to Vermont Adaptive, the only year round sports and recreation organization in the state empowering individuals with disabilities.

    The Snoe.down VIP tickets include an official Snoe.down 2013 festival poster, private entrance and fast lane to both Spartan Arena shows on Friday and Saturday, admission to the Thursday night kickoff shows and more.

    The weekend starts early on Thursday evening, March 24th in Killington for the special, separately ticketed kick-off parties. The Wobbly Barn will host Marco Benevento with special guest Mike Pederson and the jam-heavy, Dead Sessions at the Pickle Barrel. Free admission is included in the VIP package for both shows.

    It doesn’t hurt to have a copy of the Killington Trail Guide handy so that fans can easily locate all their favorite bands without missing a musical beat.

  • Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival 2013 releases day-by-day lineup

    Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival, taking place June 21-23, 2013, at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA, has released the day-by-day lineup for the festival

    Friday, June 21: Wilco, The Relatives, White Denim, plus Yo La Tengo playing live to the film The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller

    Saturday, June 22: Wilco, Neko Case, Low, Yo La Tengo, Foxygen, The Dream Syndicate, Lucius, Mark Mulcahy, Sam Amidon plus John Hodgman’s Comedy Cabaret featuring Reggie Watts, Al Madrigal and Jen Kirkman

    Sunday, June 23: The Blisters, Mikael Jorgensen and Greg O’Keeffe, Nels Cline and Julian Lage, Glenn Kotche’s On Fillmore backing a live performance of the public radio show Radiolab, The Autumn Defense, Border Music featuring Mark Ribot and David Hidalgo, Os Mutantes and Medeski, Martin & Wood with special guests.

    ZeroStudio Photography
    ZeroStudio Photography

    Be sure to watch a new video release of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy discussing “the full picture” of Solid Sound.

    The weekend will host two headlining perfomances by Wilco, a comedy cabaret hosted by John Hodgman, four stages packed with various musical acts, kid-friendly activities plus plenty of world-class modern art. The festival is offering bus transportation to and from New York City as well as Boston. Reservations are required in advance for the tent camping sites which are within walking distance to the festival and museum.

    Single-day tickets available as well as three-day passes for the three-day jubilee of music, art, comedy and more can be purchased at the festival’s official website. Single day tickets range from $65 to $85 and the early bird three-day passes are only $124 but will soon increase to $149.

  • Start Making Sense: A Talking Heads Tribute at The Bayou in Albany, February 7th

    After what felt like eternity, Start Making Sense: A Talking Heads Tribute made their return to the Capital Region on Thursday, February 7th. The Bayou Café in Albany welcomed the musicians with open arms and fully packed the dance floor. Start Making Sense recreates the music of Talking Heads known for their funky and punk New Wave 80’s dance parties.

    The night opened up with “Thank You for Sending Me An Angel”, lots of whoops and hollers as the drums start to rally the crowd. One of the many things I love about the Talking Heads music is the constant roller coaster volume of the lyrics. Start Making Sense is always a loud show, with every word being screamed at the top of everyone’s lungs such as “Pulled Up” and “Slippery People.” At one moment, you are yelling and stomping, giving way to your rebellious urges. The next you are gently grooving to “And She Was” and being swayed by “Air.”

    Start Making Sense performs the vast music styling’s of the Talking Heads with skilled ease and pure appreciation.  Lead man Jon Braun recreating David Byrne is spot on, including his clothes, crazy facial expressions and legendary vocals. Braun and the band have great flow with their dance moves, always a crowd pleaser. Before set break, Braun announced how “Thankful and happy the band was to be back in Upstate New York” and listed a few of their upcoming shows.

    The crowd does its best to keep up with Start Making Sense’s nonstop fireball energy being hurled throughout the second set. It’s a treat to watch the musicians laughing to each other and having just as much fun as we are. I personally enjoyed the second set better because I knew more of the songs. “Nothing but Flowers” followed by “Cities” was the best way to resume the dance party. “Burning Down the House” was electrifying. The show ended with wild keyboard ranges from “Girlfriend Is Better” into a mellow yet enthusiastic “Crosseyed and Painless.” Start Making Sense will lightly tour around the east coast, making stops in Maine, Vermont and Delaware, before returning to their home state of Pennsylvania. As the lights came on and the band started to pack up, my friends and I already were planning our next show to see them.

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Thank You For Sending Me an Angel, Pulled Up, Slippery People, And She Was, Air, Uh Oh Love Comes to Town, Psycho Killer, Drugs, Born Under Punches, Animals, Found A Job, Mind, What A Day That Was, Naïve Melody

    Set 2: Nothing But Flowers, Cities, Life During Wartime, Not In Love, Stay Hungry, Big Business/I Zimbra, Once In A Lifetime, Making Flippy Floppy, Burning Down the House, Girlfriend Is Better, Crosseyed and Painless

  • Dopapod announces Winter/Spring Tour Dates

    Wasting no time in the new year, Dopapod follows the release of their new album Redivider with a 3 month winter spring tour.

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    Redivider is available as a free download at their website or you can purchase a physical copy, or even a hi-fi digital version. One of the many reasons Redivider stands out among their previous records is due to the fact that the band as added vocals for the first time to some of their tracks.  (Read Pete Mason’s CD review). The band has posted in-studio footage on their website from their most recent record making process.  Showing much appreciation for their fans, Dopapod recently announced a heavy jam packed Winter Spring tour, ranging all over the east coast, midwest and southeast.

    Winter Spring 2013 Tour Dates:
    1/29 Bloomington, IN: The Bluebird
    1/30 Urbana, IL: The Canopy Club
    1/31 Minneapolis, MN: The Cabooze
    2/1 Madison, WI: Majestic Theater
    2/2 Chicago, IL: House of Blues
    2/3 Detroit, MI: St. Andrews Hall
    2/6 Kent, OH: Kent Stage
    2/7 Cincinnati, OH: Mad Frog
    2/8 Pittsburgh, PA: Rex Theater
    2/9 Buffalo, NY: Nietzsche’s
    2/13 Wilmington, NC: The Soapbox
    2/14 Athens, GA: Georgia Theatre
    2/15 Charleston, SC: Music Farm
    2/16-17 Aura Music & Arts Festival, Live Oak, FL
    2/21 New York, NY: Highline Ballroom
    2/22 Boston, MA: The Paradise
    2/23 Philadelphia, PA: The Blockley
    2/28 Albany, NY: Red Square
    3/1 Syracuse, NY: Wescott Theater
    3/2 Rochester, NY:  Water Street Music Hall
    3/5 Evansville, IN: Lamasco Bar
    3/6 St. Louis, MO: 2720 Cherokee
    3/7 Carbondale, IL: Hangar 9
    3/8 Indianapolis, IN: Vogue Theatre
    3/9 Grand Rapids, MI: The Intersection
    3/16 Oneonta, NY: Oneonta Theater
    3/17 Williamsport, PA: Bullfrog Brewery
    3/20 Morgantown, WV: 123 Pleasant
    3/21 Muncie, IN: Be Here Now
    3/22 Lansing, MI: The Loft
    3/23 Columbus, OH: Woodlands Tavern
    3/24 Kalamazoo, MI: Shakespeare’s
    3/26 Louisville, KY: Gerstle’s
    3/27 Lexington, KY: Cosmic Charlies
    3/28 Boone, NC: Boone Saloon
    3/29 Asheville, NC: Asheville Music Hall
    3/30 Winston-Salem, NC: Ziggy’s
    4/2 Roanoke, VA: Martin’s Downtown
    4/3 Virginia Beach, VA: Jewish Mother
    4/4 Baltimore, MD: 8×10
    4/5 Vienna, VA: Jammin’ Java
    4/6 Richmond, VA: The Camel
    4/12 Greensboro, NC: Blind Tiger
    4/13 Raleigh, NC: Lincoln Theatre
    4/17 Stanhope, NJ: Stanhope House
    4/20 Northampton, MA: Pearl Street
    4/25Harrisburg, PA: ABC Brewery
    4/26 Ithaca, NY: The Haunt
    4/27 Burlington, VT: Higher Ground

    web: Dopapod.com
    fb: Facebook.com/dopapod