NYS Music 20​13

Category: Features

  • A not-so Tiny Rager: Rock N Roll Resort v 3.0 Kicks off Festival Season

    The moment I arrived at Rock N Roll Resort, Tiny Rager edition, in Kerhonkson, New York, I immediately felt like I was home. After a long and cold winter in New York, festival season seemed impossibly far away. The hotel lobby looked like a carnival filled with the smell of burnt sage, brightly colored vendor booths and patrons happy to be at the first festival of the year.

    Friday, April 12

    Check in was quick and easy compared to past years so we immediately dropped our bags off in our hotel room and went off to check out the venue. The hotel lobby was like a maze navigating the rows of vendor booths in attempts to find where each stage existed. Although I was given a map, I assumed it wouldn’t have been that difficult to figure out what was what. The entire venue had a strong sense of culture and art, setting each stage with a live painter to paint along side which ever artist was playing. To the back of the hotel in what they called “Overlook Gallery” was a small room covered in beautiful paintings from local and non local artists. I got a moment to meet and talk to Greg Dunn a local Albany artist who created most of the art at the Albany venue the Fuze Box and also has many pieces hanging in Prism Glassworks in Troy, New York.

    tiny ragerThe first stage we visited was “Blingin’ Beads stage” which had a large community canvas for anyone to add their piece of art to. The stage was beautifully decorated and has a phenomenal projection and light show. This stage was the home to many DJs for the weekend who played different arrays of music, as well as Capital Zen, who played a heated set, giving off a Primus vibe to their sound.  It seemed like the resort was relatively liberal with their rules as I walked outside and saw a large group of individuals spinning fire directly in front of the main doors. It was definitely an interesting thing to walk outside to.

    We popped in and out of each stage until it was time for Nigel Hall band. The entire room in main stage permeated soul music as Nigel Hall pounded on the keys. At one point during a song Hall stood up and stepped away from his keyboard, “I’m gonna go ahead and step away from the band and trust what they do. Make it FUNKY!”, he exclaimed receiving a loud response from the audience. Hall used many call and responses that kept the crowd cheering throughout the entire set. With the theme night of “Rager’s ball”, Nigel set the tone for the evening and gauges were set to rage.

    Then we went back to the lobby to check out the acoustic stage to the raging funk party that is Hornitz. Hornitz is a duo consisting of a trumpet, sax and a human beat box making for hip hop, jazz, funk hybrid. I was surprised to see them playing at the acoustic stage and blown away by the amount of energy they brought to the lobby in between shows.

    A highlight to Friday night came in the form of Nephrok! Allstars, a large, funky band fronted by Nephrok himself, giving a dose of James Brown, Prince and Bootsy all in one. The band kept the pace and wowed the crowd as the songs got progressively funkier and his onstage persona loosened up the crowd. A call and response to ‘What’s the name of this town?’ and a clean segue into “Standing on the Verge of Getting it on” got the name of the town (Kerhonksen) embedded into the mind of the room that had filled up by the end of the set.

    With music pushed back slightly off the main schedule, we hung out in the lobby and listened to the music from acoustic stage until it was time for Soulive. The crowd filtered in rapidly, as the two main rooms, The Empire Lounge and Manhattan Theater were back to back, making it easy to have a seamless music experience while at the festival. Soulive had an impressive light array and gave a soulful, jazzy performance. Joining the trio were Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom of the Shady Horns, but this was far from a typical sit-in. Zoidis and Bloom had played MSG only hours earlier at the Crossroads Music Festival at MadisonSquareGarden with guitar greats from around the country. The duo finished their gig and hightailed it to the Catskills for an otherwise unannounced sit in with Soulive. If there is an Ironman award at Rock N Roll Resort, these two are deserving. Two of the highlights of the night were an extended “Eleanor Rigby” off RubberSoulive  and a “Third Stone From the Sun” riff that worked its way into an incredible jam.

    Every once in a while throughout the weekend, Primate Fiasco would pop up in the lobby with their tuba, saxophone, drums and guitar and prance up and down the rows of vendors with a throng of people dancing along behind them. This was an awesome aspect to the festival – the spontaneous music that would surprise passersby at a moment’s notice, practically a flash mob but less organized, because it’s more fun that way.

    After 3am at a festival, only awesome music can be found, and after checking out the end of Dub Apocalypse’s set, Viral Sound took the main stage with some band-made electronic music, countering to DJs that were dropping the bass in the Blingin’ Beads Stage. The night was young, for some, but when it gets closer to 4am, rest is needed, if not required, so as to make it through the next day.

    Saturday, April 13

    It seemed Saturday morning that the lobby was twice as full as the night before. All of the check-in tables were once again swarmed by winding lines of excited patrons. Rather than succumb to the temptation to hang out in the hotel room before the music got kicking – the very spacious rooms mean that you can be inclined to spend more time in your room, but aside from some needed downtime and rest, most seemed to filter up, then back down again throughout the course of the weekend – we took in a round of mini golf on the outdoor course at the Hudson Valley Hotel and Spa. Rustic, but quaint, it was hard to top starting the day with a lively and competitive round of mini golf, won by Jeff Bujak, who had a monster hole in one on 18. His prize? A spiffy Magic Hat bike AND he got to throw it down twice that evening in the Empire Lounge.

    From our hotel room three stories up my friend said “Someone’s playing some Disco Biscuits.” “No” I Said, “I think that’s Digital Dharma.” We headed downstairs to start the night. Digital Dharma was in the Blingin’ Beads stage which was the home to pretty epic light projection and deco which only added to Digital Dharma’s set. The thing about Digital Dharma is that even when they’re off, they’re on. They seem to all be interconnected so that the moment that they get off track during a jam, they immediately snap back into their mind bending jams. Aaron stayed on point on the drums setting the fast tempo for the spacey synth, shattering guitar and booming bass. Before we stepped out they busted into a very deep sun, New Deal sounding jam. Overall a very impressive set from these Albany locals. I left before the set was over to make sure I didn’t miss Goosepimp Orchestra.

    Somehow this was my first time catching these guys, and I was absolutely blown away by the amount of energy they pervaded through the crowd and the amount of energy the crowd gave right back. The band was donned in the most ridiculously amazing attire ever, fully equipped with Viking helmets, furry pimp hats, and leopard hoods. I had seen the trumpet and saxophone player the night before at the acoustic stage in Hornitz so I was aware at how much energy they poured into each song. The rest of the band did not disappoint either. The stage pumped out heavy get downs of funk and soul as each member of the band moved ecstatically bopping from side to side in a pit of color, funk and viking helmets. It seemed like not a single person in the audience stood still throughout the entire set with waves of cheers and claps in response to every instrumental solo they introduced. Although the best part of these guys was clearly their talent and energy, it was still a huge added bonus to be able to just watch them have that much fun on a stage together.

    After Goosepimp I checked out Kung Fu, a serious fan favorite. Their extensive amount of touring in 2012 and 2013 has given me the pleasure of seeing them more than a handful of times, and I almost always seek them out at every festival I attend. These boys always take over when they step on stage. Their energy is incomparable and their fans love absolutely everything they do. Tim Palmieri brought a borderline metal guitar ensemble through many of the songs making their often light and funky jams into a much more hard hitting and heavier direction than usual. Todd Stoops (as always) blew everyone’s minds away with his unrealistic talent on the keys. At one point my friend turned to me and said, “He almost looks like he is kneading a pizza dough by the way he pounds on the keys,” and he really does. To the naked eye he looks as though he his sloppily pounding on his keyboard, but I think that is the brilliant nature of Stoops, is that he is creating such an unapologetic layer of funk amidst the chaos that is, Kung Fu. The connection on stage is unreal. Each individual slides into the next jam with intricacy that could only exist within a band that is mentally intertwined during their sets. The grooves they layout are organic and not over thought and they each allow the next to take the lead and never dwell in the spotlight, even though they are all such talented musicians. Later in the set they broke into a Blackbird cover set to an upbeat drum tempo with jammy guitar riffs. The entire band exudes so much talent and energy, but they are also having fun. At one point they began tossing their hat from person to person during a jam, laughing all the while. As a surprise guest Ryan Montbleau came out with his bongos to join in on the fun with the boys of Kung Fu. Overall it was a great set. I don’t think I have ever seen a set from Kung Fu that I was displeased with, but they continue to keep things funky and fresh.

    Saturday’s theme of Intergalactic Space Carnival led to some interesting costumes and a full on freak show at times. Ryan Montbleau’s set found the singer/songwriter/guitarist standing up and sans hat, a rare find that kept the attention of the crowd squarely on the crooner at stage right. Montbleau brought up Primate Fiasco for what proved to be the best sit-in of the weekend, combining the sound of two bands for a throwdown, as evidenced in the video below.

    After Ryan Montbleau I headed over to check out Normal Instruments. After our interview with Jules I was pumped to see what they guys would do. Normal Instruments is made up of pretty much a crazy concoction of unbelievably talented musicians. Mike Carter of Indobox on guitar, Jules Jenssen of Higher Organix on the drums, Matt Beckett from Cosmic Dust Bunnies on bass and Jeff Bujak on keys. It would seriously be a difficult feat to go wrong with this lineup of guys. Jules exclaimed mid set “I don’t think this resort has been rocked, but we’re gonna rock it tonight.” Each member individually poured everything they had into making this one of the most energetic shows of the weekend. Being that everything they do is 100% improvisational, it is a very organic and genuine jam every song. The entire room turned into a giant dance party and the air seemed to get hotter and thicker with every jam these guys ripped through. The guitar solos went from heavy to light and the drums stayed consistently mind blowing. It is clear that each member not only puts every ounce of energy into every jam, but also has fun doing it. They was absolutely nothing about this set that was “low key” and if you weren’t dancing, you weren’t paying attention.

    Soulive night two drew another packed crowd onto the floor for dancing until the wee hours of the morning. The Shady Horns once again joined Alan, Neal and Eric, breaking out some earlier cuts from the repertoire, a smoking “Come Together” with a must-be-heard extended jam that resurrected the improve as the song disappated. The huge grins on the faces of the band were evidence that they were loving the response from the fans and playing at such a unique resort.

    Next door, Jeff Bujak and laid down Elton John and Talking Heads remixes, personalizing each track while the crowd sang along, grinded on the dance floor and caught the performance of Jen Dulong as she spun glowing hoops in sync with the music, making the visual part of Bujak’s already impressive stage show that much better.

    Having spoken to UV Hippo earlier in the night, the intrigue level was high, as the band commented on their system of shared setlist writing as a way to keep things fresh, as well as their 3 am show being the end of their extensive two month tour that night. They picked a great place and excellent audience to play their brand of Zappa/Phish/NOFX/King Crimson influenced jam rock. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, the band has a Midwest base but has been stretching out into the Northeast and greater New England area more frequently and will likely be seen at one of their 15 music festival appearances this year, leading up to the release of their new album in the fall. The set was easy to dance to and great lyrics on “Square Pegs, Round Holes” gave a Phishy, funky, popping sound with broad appeal. UV Hippo combined the jams and each song nicely, not departing from one to neglect the other. Dedicated to ‘fake moustaches everywhere’, the anthem “North Coast” was a true hit for the 4:20 am crowd that was far from calling it a night.

    For those that needed a late night pick me up, the wompy/dubby JiggaWompz set in the DJ lounge created a plethora of electronic earthquakes and vibrations, rattling the room but not the late night revelers. The sun came up and it was time to get some sleep before the arduous trip home on Sunday.

    Sunday, April 14

    Although there was a great deal of music on Sunday – Newton Crosby, Leroy Justice, FiKus, Orange TV, Chali 2na and multiple Superjams, the crew had to get back home for jobs and school the next day, meaning that this two day rager was tiny, but only in terms of time, not the rage factor.

    Having been on Jamcruise, the only thing that is missing is the sway of the boat, and although the lineup is scaled down by comparison, Rock N Roll Resort is worth the price of admission and then some. This year’s installment felt much more accessible to the average fan. Picking up from past experience, the festival streamlined and brought food into the mix, a welcome addition, yet despite some bumps here and there, the creases are nearly ironed out. You had the freedom to go to and from your room as you wanted, but after 2am, security kept the wookery out of the hotel upstairs. There were plenty of new music experiences, good people and great staff all around. As the festival continues to get bigger names and fanbases to attract to the festival, Rock N Roll Resort is sure to become a premier destination on the map of Northeast music events.

    Update 4/27: Get your downloads of shows from Rock N Roll Resort here – we’ll update as more show up

    Nigel Hall Band, Kung Fu, Akahasic Record, The Nephrok! Allstars, Ryan Montbleau Band, Dub Apocalypse, Soulive, Turbine, Pimps of a Joytime, Alan Evans Trio, Primate Fiasco

  • Greensky Bluegrass Will Play the Westcott Theater April 24th

    Greensky Bluegrass will play the Westcott Theatre, with their own brand of Newgrass band that has helped to re-invent this newer genre reminiscent of the old-timey bluegrass of Bill Monroe, but with a fresh jammy sound.

    Photo Credit: Jamie VanBuhler
    Photo Credit: Jamie VanBuhler

    The band has recently announced performances at Delfest, Telluride Bluegrass and Northwest String Summit and several more. They are also offering fans 5 of the 10 songs on their new album ‘Handguns’; Stream it for Free below or available on the Greensky Bluegrass website for anyone who wants to listen.

    As their name might suggest, Greensky Bluegrass utilizes traditional bluegrass instruments – dobro, banjo, guitar, upright bass and mandolin. However, the music that they make is anything but reversionary and the new album, Handguns is a brave expression of what separates their original music from the rest of the bluegrass genre.

    Greensky has continued to gain national momentum since they won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s coveted Band Competition in 2006 and have sold-out dates across the country as well as played at Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, NPR’s Mountain Stage and many more. As these diverse festivals would suggest, they’re a bluegrass band but they’re not. Bluegrass doesn’t have distortion, or horns for that matter. Greensky does.

    Greensky Bluegrass will play April 24th at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY. Admission is $15 advance/$18 at the door. This is an all ages show, with 2 full sets by Greensky. Show starts at 7:00pm and you can get your tickets online or at the venue.

    Greensky Bluegrass is Anders Beck (dobro), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin).

    Stream Handguns Free!

    New Song/Video: Leap Year

  • The Manhattan Project release Atomic Bomb Party vol. 3

    The Manhattan Project, one of the northeast’s newest powerhouses, came on to the scene in 2010 and is further making a name for itself with the release of Atomic Bomb Party vol. 3.

    The album’s opening track, “Endless Nights,” builds from the start into an all out barrage of sonic output layered with tasteful precision. Deep tonal exploration collides with danceable grooves for a menacing yet satisfying start to the party. Police sirens scream out in the background as Shawn Drogan’s drums continue to build the track for one last explosion of sound. The synth-heavy “Full Bounce” eases its way in with Charlie Lindner at the helm before the beats hit. Enter a layer of dub bass that tactfully wobbles in the background and the track is in full swing with a plethora of hihat chops. The breakdown is soothing and reflects a great contrast and range in the duo’s highs and lows. Beautiful vocals come and go taking the mind with them and returning it to the track just in time for the beat. “Bitcrusher” welcomes powerful vocals, a couple of sizable builds and captivating melodies for a sonic ride that may be the album’s shortest track in length, but also may be its strongest in regards to fan appeal.

    What starts out as light percussion and spacey synth builds oh so slowly with a focus on effects, before the bass enters the picture and the listeners fins themselves in the full swing of “Hiroshima.” The combination of middle eastern and Asian influences is evident and reflects a well-round arsenal. The EP concludes with “Aftermath,” a piece that begins with an almost apocalyptic buzz, chirping birds and the eventual warning of an “emergency.” Heavy bass drops and the composition takes off with soaring highs, clashing with deep lows in the albums’ ultimate build and release. The Manhattan Project’s overall output far exceeds that of a typical duo, though nothing about this duo or their music is typical. They are the past in their utilization of worldly influences. They are the present in their tasteful innovation. Atomic Bomb Party vol. 3 offers listeners a fresh perspective on a constantly developing music.

    J-man’s Conversation With Shawn Drogan(Drums):

    J-man: What are your thoughts on the new album?

    Shawn: We’re really excited about this one for a couple reasons; It’s very different than the previous two EP’s. Not only are the BPM’s of each song slower than the last, we explore different rhythms and feels on this one. There’s still a lot of variety like the last and it still sounds like us, but I think people will hear some evolution in the music. Another reason, is that this was an important one to get right and I think we did it! It’s been two years since we’ve released a studio album and we felt like we had to take it up a level this time around. A lot of the music came together fairly quickly in the weeks going into the studio. We only had a certain amount of time to write songs we felt good about and I feel we ended up producing some of our best stuff to date.

    J-man: What is your thought of the direction of “mainstream” electronic music and where do you see TMP in relation to a lot of the mainstream music?

    Shawn: I think music in general is in a great place! Popular music is popular for a reason. Our music definitely hits on certain levels of mainstream, but also offers something more for people that want something deeper.

    J-man: Can you talk about why it is you gentleman opt out of utilizing laptops in your live performances?

    Shawn: We both come from a very instrumental background and wanted to utilize that element mainly when we started, but take it somewhere new. We never really planned it out that way, but as we started to develop our sound, we didn’t feel a need for laptops to perform. Now I guess it kind of sets us apart in a way.

    J-man: What does TMP have coming up this spring/summer that you guys are most exited about?

    Shawn: We’ll be hitting a lot of new cities in the next few months which is always fun, and we’ll be announcing some more festivals very soon.

    The Manhattan Project’s website: www.themanhattanprojectlive.com

  • Op-ed: A New Music Venue for Albany won’t open because of two local businessmen

    The city of Albany has a thriving arts scene, from The Palace to Capital Repertory Theater, from Alive at Five to the Albany Symphony, as well as the incredible art found on the Empire State Plaza and inside the concourse below. In recent studies, Albany ranks #9 in Top Metro Areas based on Musical Acts per 10,000 and Rochester and Albany both rank among top music scenes in country in Metro Music Index. But two local businessmen are opposed to the new music venue.

    We have the music, we have the population who go see live music in the Albany area (and beyond) but one thing we do not have is a music venue for acts to graduate to from the smaller clubs and bars, such as Valentine’s and Red Square. We had Revolution Hall, but that venue closed because Brown’s management felt it was better empty than having occasional shows. Musicians and music fans need a venue of comparable size and there has been a gap since the venue closed in 2010.

    music venue businessmen

    Currently, we have venues of 100-300 (Valentine’s, Red Square), of 1.000 (The Egg) up to 2,500 (The Palace) and of course, The Times Union Center (20,000). Note the size that is missing – between 300 and 1,000. Recently, that gap looked to be filled as local businessmen Chris Pratt andAlessio Depoli applied for a Zoning Variance to change the warehouse at 28 Thatcher Street, in the Warehouse District of Albany (one block north of Wolfe’s Biergarten), into a music venue. The venue would have held up to 800 patrons, only open for shows, one hour before and one hour after shows, shuttered otherwise but providing a venue for musicians, acts and bands that cannot fill The Egg or The Palace, but already grown out of Red Square and Valentine’s. This move was a wise one – a non-residential area with a couple bars nearby that would be open until the late hours of the night and give patrons a place to convene following a concert on Thatcher Street.

    This variance was recently denied because two local business owners, Mike Graney (owner of Stout) and Matt Baumgartner (owner of Wolfe’s, Scortino’s Olde English, and Bombers – soon to open a third location in Troy) voiced their concerns at the recent Zoning Board meeting in March (Graney in person, Baumgartner through his lawyer) citing two things – a lack of parking and the underage crowd that would be at these shows (the venue can have fans 16 and older). Baumgartner went further in his Friday Puppy blog, flat out saying “I don’t want this in my backyard”. Of course, it was Matt who decided to move to a Warehouse district with industries right around the corner and trucks driving in and out on a regular basis, rather than a residential area. So NIMBY has become half the battle cry for this owner. This is an industrial area, not a residential neighborhood and is the perfect place for a venue of this size, one that Albany desperately needs.

    It boggles the mind that an Albany business owner who has found success throughout the city, and now in Schenectady soon in Troy, will not allow others to find the same success with a new music venue. This is hypocrisy at its finest and stifles the music scene in Albany, which benefits all in the long run.

    Lets look at the two issues that were brought up in resistance to the new music venue, the underage crowd that will be at these shows, and parking.

    There is not a great deal of parking lots in this part of town, because it is an industrial district. Even though I have had trouble parking when I have gone to The Barrel, Baumgartner’s Wolfe’s or  Graney’s Stout, I find a spot on the street a block or two away and make a short walk – not the worst thing in the world. To have businessmen complain about there being too much traffic in their neck of the woods had shades of elitism. Traffic means patrons and patrons lead to good business for all. Graney and Baumgartner are essentially saying they don’t want anymore patrons beyond what they have already. When it rains, it pours, but only the amount they want it to pour.

    Consider this: 800 people are not going to drive to music venue singly. Double up each car and there may be 400 cars. Factor in some who take the bus (the 22+23 run right past these bars on Broadway), plus some will get dropped off or take a cab. Let’s round down to 250-300 cars. People will find a place to park. They find places now for Graney’s Stout, The Barrel and Baumgartner’s Wolfe’s, especially on the days the latter blocks off the street for Oktoberfest and recently, World Cup games, so how hard will it be to find parking? Not much more difficult, but it will also encourage people to get dropped off and picked up, staving off drunk driving as a side-effect, one that everyone can support.

    The 16-20  age group comprises five ages that cannot drink in bars. But what about the 21 and older crowd? Fans up to age 60 (and above, depending on the show) will be happy to stop by for a drink following a show on Thatcher. That’s a range of 40+ years that Graney and Baumgartner are shorting themselves on, all because they don’t want to deal with the risk of the younger crowd coming into their bars. Talk about missing the forest for the trees. Inform your doormen to keep an extra cautious eye on show nights and the problem is solved.

    Of course, there is the benefit these local bar owners would have, in that they will get business following shows for those looking to continue their night. I can think of many nights at Revolution Hall where I went to Brown’s, Jose Malone’s or Ryan’s Wake for a nightcap or two. The short-sightedness of these two businessmen is denying another businessman the ability to bring to Albany a music venue that is desperately needed and will give them a boost in the long run.

    With their continued opposition to the bar, it is selfish of these bar owners to put up such a resistance so that a fellow bar owner cannot open up a music venue because of a ‘not in my backyard’ attitude accompanied by a short-sighted view of business potential.

    There is no reason to support these businesses if they can’t support the music scene and fellow business owners in Albany.

  • Photo Gallery Part 1: Rock n Roll Resort v 3.0: Tiny Rager

    Rock n Roll Resort was a fantastic weekend once again and stands to be the kickoff for the summer festival season in the Northeast for many years to come. Check out the scene with this photo gallery by Staff Photographer Chelsea Valente.

    Stay tuned for full coverage of Rock n Roll Resort tomorrow from Pete Mason and Jenni Wilson!

  • Amy Lavere and Savannah King to play Abilene Bar and Lounge in Rochester

    Amy LavereMulti-talented entertainer Amy LaVere is a true crossover artist, able to bring exceptional skill and raw emotion into whatever she attempts. From movies (Black Snake Moan, Walk the Line) to music she pushes her ample capabilities to the max. Amy will be coming to Abilene Bar and Lounge (153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester NY) Wednesday April 24th in support of her latest release, the critically acclaimed Stranger Me. This will be her first appearance in Rochester since she blew away fans at the 2010 Jazz Fest. She will be supported by the jazzy folk of Buffalo’s Savannah King. will be on the scene and hope you will be too. The show starts at 8:30 and tickets are very limited.

    Cover charge – $15 in advance, $20 day of show. Tickets are available at Abilene and Metro Retro (1241 Park Avenue, Rochester).

  • Bovine Social Club: An Interview with Samuel Saint Thomas

    Surely seeing or hearing a name like Bovine Social Club would conjure up images of cattle gathering.  Is there a club for such a thing?  Well in a sense, yes.  In this case people are not coming together to discuss cows or any such variation.  Instead, this is a band with a unique and humorous outlook rich in Americana roots.  caught up with lead singer and guitarist, Samuel Saint Thomas and talked about his band co-founded by Jeff Barg (drummer).

    Tabitha Clancy: You and your bandmates have many years experience as musicians. How did Bovine Social Club come together?

    Samuel Saint Thomas:  I had taken some time of to study. To be honest, I burned out as a singer-songwriter.  During the time I was a singer-songwriter, I had worked with a lot of different people – almost all of the guys from Railroad Earth at one point. I was in the same bands in the same neighborhood.  One of the people in that scene was Jeff Barg, our drummer now.  I had seen him around a couple of times and every time I’d see him he’d say, “Why don’t we start a band?” We both ended up at the same table at Tim Carbone’s birthday party.  Jeff was pretty forceful at that time.  So I said, “I’m going to think about this.” And we put together a list of things, a guide as to how we were going to go about this.  We started planning that night.  Over the next year the band went into development. By that time I had graduated.  I had just completed my graduate education.  We were really inspired, as well, by what was going on with Railroad Earth (RRE).  Next thing I know, Johnny Grubb had left RRE and he came on board and helped to get us started.  I guess at the end of that year of development, Tim Carbone had heard about the project. I went to see him play somewhere and he came up to me and said, “Hey, I want to produce your record.” So that changed things drastically because we just thought we would put a band together and play around town.  Tim said he was going to produce the record, and then everything started falling into place.  We were off and running.

    bovine social clubTC:  Lets talk about your self-titled disc. What approach did you take going into the studio for the first time as a group?

    SST:  The approach was, “Tim, do whatever you want.”  We gave him a blank slate. I had produced records before and it was kind of hard to keep my mouth shut.  He came to our rehearsals and took notes on the songs.  He came back with a bunch of ideas about audio arrangements and tempo changes and things like that. We didn’t quite have all the songs we needed. Being put under the gun, I came up with two more songs.  This was very interesting because I was forced to come up with these two songs at the last minute. I always write songs over a period of a couple weeks and whatever came to mind is what ended up in a song. This time I did a little research. I picked up a book on gardening and went through the book.  I picked out the things that I thought was the most interesting about gardening and put it in the song. I just completed a song last night doing the same thing about the dust bowl. I did my research about the dust bowl and it’s the most interesting things that I try to express in a poetic way.

    TC:  How did working with producer, Tim Carbone help shape the disc?

    SST:  I think it first shaped the way that we played, that in turn made the disc what it was.  He took time with each one of us to work on specific things such as phrasings, or he would ask us questions; he would give us insight. For instance, for me, I have what Tim calls a “folk musician tick” with a very specific way that I finger the guitar when I’m playing chords. He said that really isn’t helping the song. That’s true from what I know about writing fiction or non-fiction. If it’s not helping the song, it doesn’t need to be there, it doesn’t matter how expressive or how creative. Tim was very focused on the song, so that in turn influenced the disc.

    TC:  Are there any future projects in mind?

    SST:  Yea, how to approach it is a difficult thing because the music business changes daily.  We’re probably going to have to wait until the fall to see what the climate is for what I would call music product, which is very different than playing music in the living room or a large concert hall.  I can’t imagine recording is going away.  We as human beings have this tendency to want to record everything for posterity or whatever reason.  I’m certainly not going to stop writing songs; I’m not going to stop recording them. It’s how we get them out there is the challenge.

    TC:  Speaking of projects, tell me a little about Chords4Carrots.

    SST:  The way we’ve marketed the band is quit unique because we’re really not a local band anywhere.  There is not a local scene per se where we live because we’re not a major metropolitan area for one thing and Americana music in the northeast is really in its baby stages once again.  We’re always trying to think of unique ways to go about this and one of the things that we’ve done is to produce our own shows.  If there is not a decent place to play, then we create one.  We create the whole show.  It’s labor intensive, of course. We partner with farming organizations, ones that stress local and organic.  We are partnering with a non-profit farming alliance in NJ to launch our first music festival this summer, which is part of Chords4Carrots.

    It’s an idea I had early on based in musicians getting asked to play a lot of benefits.  Why is it that the band doesn’t decide what they want to do rather than just wait for a phone call? Why don’t we have our own benefit program? What we found is not a lot of organizations know much about producing music events. If we’re going to put that kind of energy in, it should be successful. We put together Chords4Carrots and partner with organizations that want to raise money.  We teach them how to promote a music event. We have a complete twelve-week program.  From the inception, we name the event, find a venue with them and we walk them through the whole process. In the process, our arrangement with the organization is that we play for a percentage. They win and we win.

    TC:  What motivates your song writing?

    SST:  Well it changes over the years. I think that when your life is in turmoil then that’s probably going to come to the frontal lobe. The best songwriters write about what they’re experiencing. If you go back to my solo projects, a lot of my songs have to do with heartbreak and pain. For the last ten years or so, I’ve had none of that.  My life is quite nice.  I’ve started looking outside of myself for bigger things.  Such as the idea of unconditional love, or the idea of health.  That probably gave away to the song Picking Jamboree that is about how great it is to garden.  So, it doesn’t seem to be focused on my shortsightedness or just looking at myself.  Maybe my graduate education in writing has helped in some way to influence my song writing.  Things that concern me that is true for all is what is influencing my song writing these days.

    TC:  Your band mates have diverse and eclectic musical backgrounds.  Describe how your songs are created and shaped as a result.

    SST:  Of course that’s changing since we spent so much time with Tim last year.  We were under his guidance. We sort of grew our own legs so to speak. So as we go into rehearsal in developing a new song, we all ask ourselves about the song. The song dictates what sound the guitar should take, the sound the violin should have, the rhythm the drummer would use. People come with their own chops. For instance, Johnny (Smith) is a graduate of Berkley school in Boston. He has a lot of sensitivity to jazz and progressive rock. He tries to adapt that to something more organic.  They try to match my vocals so that it’s a cohesive thing.  The drummer can come up with a rhythm but it matches the way that I frame the words. I just come up with the skeleton of a song – it’s a rather organic process and if it’s works in the first 30 minutes or so, then it’s a keeper.

    TC:  Tell me about your musical upbringing.  How has that shaped you as a musician today?

    SST: I’ve tried to get a way from it, but I’ve come full circle and I feel like that I’ve embraced it now.  My father studied and played jazz in NY for several years until he met my mother. Through her, he became a minister. He took Jelly Roll Morton style into church. I didn’t have any idea that’s what that was until many years later. I discovered Jelly Roll Morton and realized it sounded exactly like my father. That surprised me.  This mix of people at my Dad’s church was African American and people from the south, so we had both influences of music.  I’m just wondering the connection where those two things have met.

    TC:  Do you have a fond musical memory of that time?

    SST: Oh yea, my sister playing her 45 rpms of bluegrass gospel constantly, one after the other.  She met a truck driver who played guitar. He used to come to the house a lot and I’d hear his southern twang.  Also listening to my mother and father rehearse their songs in the church. You could walk right through a door into the church from our living room. He had four pianos; he was always pretty close to one.  He had a radio show and recorded that every Sunday afternoon.  He recorded out in the church. He sat up there with his recorders, his microphones, and I sat next to him. Of course I couldn’t make a sound. He would record his one-hour radio show, my mother would sing, he would play the piano and then he would preach. It just seems to me that I heard music from morning until night without any break.

    TC:  Who are some of your current musical influences?

    SST:  The tried and true: Bill Monroe, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Hayes Carll, early Wilco and Johnny Cash.  I really like a lot of what is happening in the jam scene. It allows for creation in the moment right on stage. I really enjoy stretching out on stage and allowing that moment to speak to something new.

    TC:  What are the best and worst things about playing live?

    SST: I’m trying to understand the need the audience has to be social. I come from concert roots.  It seems now people are sick and tired of being on Facebook or Twitter.  When they see each other, they seem so happy to be there; they enjoy each other socially.  Musicians are going to have to address the need for people to be social. Maybe that means bands should take a couple of breaks instead. I know I don’t want to get angry on stage.  When a band hits the stage, they are there to work.  It’s my job to work to put on a great party for the audience. It’s not our party.  We’re serving someone else so they can have a great time.  With that in place, when you have support from the audience, you can give twice as much. I don’t think the audiences realize this; the more support you get from the audience, the better job the band is going to do.

    TC:  Describe what people should expect from the live Bovine experience.

    SST:  We come prepared.  We have an agenda. We also feel we are not just musicians, we’re entertainers.  We are there to put on a good show – a good time.  We’re there to work.  If I were to say anything to the fans, it would be, “this is your party.”

    TC:  How did you all decide on the band name?

    SST:  Well we were just being random one night.  Somebody in the room mentioned Bovine something, and then the word network got attached.  We had three or four names on a list. We (Jeff Barg) went for a beer and we weren’t going to stop until we had a name. I looked them up on my phone.  Nothing came up in Google for Bovine Social Club.

    TC:  Your band mate Seth Mandel has an extra talent as a nationally ranked Scrabble master.  Have you ever challenged him to a game?

    SST:  No (laughs)! I would surely lose.

    Members of the Bovine Social Club include Seth Mandel (multi-instrumentalist), Johnny Smith (banjo), Joe Borthwick (bass), Jeff Barg (drummer) and Samuel Saint Thomas (vocals, guitar).  They will be playing Olive’s in Nyack, NY on April 26th, as well as opening for Steep Canyon Rangers at Bethel Woods on May 3rd.

  • Aztec Two-Step brings folk-rock to The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on April 27th

    1409

    The Bearsville Theater is bringing a great evening of folk-rock to their stage on April 27th with Aztec Two-Step.

    Formed by Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman in 1971, they have been going strong ever since.  This acoustic duo has been the talk of the music community for over 40 years with their great harmonies always being the first thing that is spoken of.  There is a great documentary that was made in 1999 called No Hit Wonder that goes through in a depth history of the band and their amazing legacy.

    Their most recent collection “Cause and Effect” is a collection of re-worked and new material that has social and political themes throughout and celebrates Rex and Neal being a band for over 40 years.  If you’re looking for a great evening of wonderful acoustic guitar playing, rich harmonies, and fantastic songwriting, then make sure to get to Bearsville this coming Saturday.  You can get tickets now at The Bearsville Theater or at The Bearsville Theater box office.

  • Cabinet Brings Bluegrass to Upstate NY April 19th & 20th

    There just isn’t enough Bluegrass music here in Upstate NY. We do get a semi-acceptable amount of amazing bluegrass bands and small festivals in this area but acceptable amount to me would be relative to living in Nashville, TN.

    Cabinet

    Nestled somewhere in between Bill Monroe and John Hartford you will find Cabinet. A simple little name for a six-piece string band with deep roots in the old timey bluegrass tradition of story telling from our ancestors of the Appalachian Mountains.

    Their lyrics tell stories of family, love, and life; but most of all Cabinet has that gift of putting last night’s shenanigans and the morning afters repercussions into a neat little four minute package of an old timey moral lesson.

    “When we get drunk on wine and shine, we talk about the past and better times, I got drunk on wine and moonshine … Saturday night brings Sunday morn.”

    Tonight all my boot stompin, skirt twirrlin, bluegrass needs will be met and most likely surpassed. Cabinet is playing at Sticky Lips Juke Joint in Rochester, NY. The opening band will be the Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers. Doors are at 9:30pm and show starts at 10:30pm. Tickets: $12 advance, $15 at the door. You can also show your love in advance and RSVP to the FaceBook Event Here.

    The band is also playing at St Lawrence University’s Springfest on the Java Stage in Canton, NY the following night. Cabinet goes on at 4:00 pm and then heads to the Waterhole in Saranac Lake, NY. Admission is $10, ages 21+. Doors are at 9:00pm with opening band The Blind Owl Band. The show starts at 10:00pm.

    With the release of their most recent album Leap, Cabinet has toured most of the United States this past year. Things certainly continue to grow for these hard working musicians, this year will also be their inaugural Old Farmers Ball music festival being held Saturday May 11th featuring, Cabinet, Yarn, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Miz,  And The Moneynotes, Pappy, Kyle Morgan and also the Coal Town Rounders. A limited amount of tickets are still available through Live Nation.

    Hope ya’all come out for this band this weekend, you will not be disappointed, in fact you will probably end sore the next day from all the dancing you will do at the show.

  • Blues Legend B.B. King plays The Massry Center’s 5th Anniversary Gala, April 14th

    When the Massry Center for the Arts at The College of Saint Rose set out to plan their 5th anniversary gala on Sunday, April 14th 2013, they looked to go big and find an act that would fit the evening. After a brief search, the name of the greatest living blues guitarist was thrown into the mix. Ultimately, B.B. King was selected to play for a select crowd of 300 patrons, donors and students of Saint Rose, making for an intimate experience, one the crowd would not soon forget.B.B. King

    The Massry and Picotte families were honored for their donations towards the Massry Center and the Picotte Recital Hall, respectively. Starting sharply at 7:45 that evening, the band, minus B.B., came out on the stage and began 10 minutes of swinging jazz orchestration, warming up the toes of the crowd as they tapped and swayed them into the groove as each horn took a vibrant solo.

    The band beckoned the crowd for growing applause, as B.B. King walked out from stage right, with white tufts of hair covering his head and a signature purple jacket with a gold and silver pattern. King tossed out some guitar picks before sitting down gently, taking Lucille by the neck and plucked her strings to bring forth that signature sound, the one that every blues guitarist alive seeks to imitate, for that golden sound of blues guitar from B.B. King’s fingers is unmistakable to even the casual fan.

    B.B.’s band, all incredible individual musicians in their own right, took their own solos throughout the evening, including Charles Dennis on guitar, ‘Professor’ Stanley Abernathy on trumpet, Melvin Jackson on sax, James Sells Toney on keyboards, Robert Higgins on drums, Ron Torbensen on bass and B.B.’s nephew Walter Riley King on flute and baritone saxaphone. In every song, B.B. would defer to them, as they brought each tune to new heights, only to be accented by King’s own guitarwork.

    B.B. King

    With B.B. King out on stage, he sat down front and center and moved into “I Need You So,” with the keys eliciting symphonic strings for a soothing opener. “Everyday I Have the Blues,” one of many classics over the course of the evening, brought the voice of the King to the forefront, with a little plucking  as the band played and he strutted in his seat. The horns on “Rock me Baby” added so much to the sound of guitar, it created a perfect accent for the evening. “So Excited” started out with an extended instrumental before the lyrics of a love’s lament, “I’m so excited, think about you all the time, Yes I can’t wait to see you baby, You really messed up my mind.” About this time I noticed the incredible detail on B.B.s jacket, which stood out like a peacock showing off his feathers, enticing the audience to come in just a little bit more towards each song he sang. A high saxophone solo provided a great contribution to “So Excited”, while B.B. made it look so easy to play the blues, the notes just popping off his fingers.

    Audience participation was unexpected, but welcomed by all, with the classic tune “You are my Sunshine”, sans horns, just guitars, keys and drums. B.B. encourages the crowd to sing along early on in the tune with him, then solo, then the crowd reignited the singing without prompt. B.B. invited the women to sing a verse, then give a kiss to a guy near them, which led to humorous banter with the front row of the school’s dignitaries. Encouraging the ladies to sing and kiss a guy near them again, King counted off to 4 (at a slow pace – one, one and a half, two, two and a half…) and got the crowd kissing again. To extend the song just a bit longer, he remarked that “a few guys didn’t get kissed, so pucker up next time”, which elicited uproarious laughter from the crowd before another sing along of the refrain from the audience.

    Getting back to the classics, “The Thrill is Gone” bled from the strings, and with seats so close, I could hear each string plucked as B.B. King worked through the song. “Someone Really Loves You” was accompanied by flute and the delicate notes were enhanced by the Picotte Recital Hall’s incredible acoustics. “Love Came to Town” got progressively more toe-tappy and invigorating, leading to louder horns amid full swinging blues and an audience clap along.

    B.B. King

    For the finale of the night, B.B. mentioned a tune that he used to play with Willie Nelson at the end of shows when they toured together in 2008. “When the Saints go Marching in”, the ultimate song for New Orleans. B.B. grooved over the song, sang the memorable lyrics and then casually invited individuals from the audience to come up and get additional guitar picks, commemorative pendants or a handshake, as well as a beaming smile. This led to a true moment for many in the audience (this chance to meet the King lasted for well over 30 minutes) – to interact with a legend who has shared the gift of his music for nearly three quarters of his life. God bless B.B. King.

    Setlist: Intro 1, Intro 2, I Need You, Everyday I have the Blues, Rock me Baby, So Excited, You are my Sunshine, The Thrill is Gone, Someone Really Loves You, Love Came to Town, When the Saints go Marching In

    B.B. King