NYS Music 20​13

Category: Reviews

  • The Machine, April 6th, Westcott Theater

    This past Saturday Night I got the chance to experience The Machine at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse.

    The Machine started the set with thumping of a heart beat  from “Speak to me”, then segued into “Breathe”, followed by “Time”, just as on Dark Side of the Moon, drawing everyone to the front of the stage. The entire show was accompanied by a spectacular light and fog show that set the atmosphere for the entire evening. From there, the band played “What do you want from me” and “Happiest Days of our lives”, then took a short setbreak before returning with “Pigs on the Wing” and “Dogs”.

    Later in the show, renditions of “Wish you were Here” and “Comfortably Numb” led to the crowd singing along in unison. There was an eerie circus sound made when the band moved into “Waiting for the Worms” and the “Trial”, off the soundtrack to The Wall. The crowd reciprocated by holding up their arm’s in X’s, just as in The Wall.  The Machine finished with an encore of “Outside of the Wall”, a spectacular way to end the night.

    For more information on The Machine, visit their Facebook and MySpace pages

  • Review: OTHERWISE hits the Northeast

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    The crew began setting up the small stage before the crowd, as they began to pile in closer and closer. Band members, Corky Gainsford (drums) and Vassilios Metropoulos (bass) stepped on the stage, preparing their instruments for the exciting night ahead of us. The testing of the instruments and mics had the crowd itching for the band to start playing. Some of the girls cheered and squealed excitedly as Adrian Patrick (lead vocals) passed through the crowd, his hood up, darkening his face, heading towards the bar room, pacing, prepping himself to blow us away with his powerful pipes. Both the other Patrick brother, Ryan (lead guitar), and Andrew Pugh (guitar) stepped upon the testing his guitar, the anticipation rising with every waking second.

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    Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for, the lights to dim and the familiar sound of the very first track on their record, True Love Never Dies, filled the ears of the concertgoers, letting the crowd know the crazy night was to begin. Adrian made his way through the crowd yet again and used two fans (or in Otherwise terms, “Wise Onez”) as support as he stepped upon the stage. The familiar guitar riff began to the tune; “Die For You” got the whole crowd pumping their fists and bouncing to the rhythm, some whipping their hair in a wild manner. Adrian began to sing the lyrics with the voice the crowd all knew and loved. Needless to say, his primal scream blew everybody away. After the performance of the first song and “Lighthouse”, the crowd was really ready to rock to what Adrian said was their “party anthem”, “Vegas Girl”. The catchy guitar riffs played by the incredible Ryan bounced off the walls of the tiny venue, the some of the women in cheered drunkenly as they raised their drinks in the air and moved their bodies to the rhythm of the song. Adrian’s moves on the stage had the ladies cheering louder, whipping their hair crazily. The energy in the room whilst the song was playing was insane; this band knew how to get their fellow Wise Onez going. The next song to play was their latest single, “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)”, to which the whole crowd sang along to the words heard on the radio. Adrian moved closer to the fans, reached out to them, grabbing their hands, giving them a sense of the connection between the band and their ever-adoring fans.

    The setlist changed to a slower song off their album, dedicated to lost loved ones, “Heaven”. It definitely was a beautiful, heartfelt song that tugged the heartstrings. Some fans pulled out their phones, using the backlight as a lighter and some used their lighter app, they all waved them to the tempo of the song. What was really touching was the passion and emotion in Adrian’s eyes. He then proceeded to tell the fans about their songs coming from the heart, that their music speaks the truth. He also talked about very eerie topics that gave the crowd a bit of the chills including how they have been in car accidents that they shouldn’t have walked away from. The band then played two back-to-back songs, “Shapes of Metal” and “Stop, Drop, and Roll”, both amazing songs that will haunt the back of the fans minds for quite sometime; those songs brought the high-energy vibe. After playing “Crimson”, Adrian took the liberty in introducing his amazing band mates, then Adrian encouraged the fans to scream for the opening bands, to scream for Otherwise and to scream for themselves, introducing, “Scream Now”. His ever-chilling scream had the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand. The crowd jumped to the beat of the drums.

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    Soon enough, the crowd got the hint the final act was coming to a close. Adrian stood tall, as did the rest of the band, as he encouraged the Wise Onez to pound their heart with their fist to the following the recognizable beat that Corky was playing. The pounding turned to clapping as Adrian sang the lyrics to the song that helped them become well known, “Soldiers”. He harmonized with the fans and continued to reach out to them, grabbing a fan by the hair, bringing him close and brought the mic to his face for him to sing with him. The connection in the room as the crowd sang along was unbelievable; it was such a strong feeling of engagement, it was almost very chilling. Adrian then jumped into the crowd, continuing to perform and bond with the fans. It was then really shown that this is a band that is passionate about their music; this is a band that is passionate about their fans. The band before the Wise Onez, they are a band of brothers, they are soldiers.

    The night left the crowd in such a buzz. Wild, enthusiastic grins were plastered upon their faces. They got to meet the band, took pictures with them and received autographs. The brisk, cold air washed over the faces of the fans as they left the venue, their ears rang with the incredible setlist played before them. This was a night that will never be forgotten, a night where the spotlight revealed the true soldiers of music.

  • Another Fantastic snoe.down with moe., Strangefolk, Eastbound Jesus, Tauk and more, March 21st-24th, Rutland, VT

    Upstate New York favorite ‘local’ band, moe., hosted their 5th annual snoe.down Music Festival over March 21st-24th in Rutland, Vermont at both Killington Resort and Spartan Arena. The weekend was full of moe., who gave an outdoor performance at Bear Mountain on Saturday to fans and winter sports enthusiasts, while performing Friday and Saturday evening in Rutland, as well as a special acoustic Sunday show for the VIP crowd at the Wobbly Barn at Killington. Throughout the weekend, guests had a wide array of musical acts to enjoy such as Marco Benevento, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Strangefolk.

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    There was no better way to kick off the first weekend of Spring and the start of festival season than with a weekend dedicated to winter sports and talented musicians. The weekend started for me on Friday at the K1 lodge at Killington. The lodge was packed with tons of skiers and boarders, loading up on food and checking out the first act of the day, Tauk. The electronic rockin’ sound soon filled up the room and brought in plenty of people off the slopes. Matt Jalbert was on fire with funky guitar riffs and Charlie Dolan was unstoppable providing steady, groovy bass lines. Alric “A.C.” Carter went wild on his keys during “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)”, causing the audience to cheer while Isaac Teel kept the pop and jazzy rhythm going strong on drums. Throughout the entire set, the four-piece band was smiling and grooving just as much as the crowd was. My favorite part was how each song escalated into the next song, with great transitions. When asked about the show and weekend, Charlie Dolan reported, “We thought the set went very well! It was our first time playing a show since we finished up our CD, always refreshing to play in front of a good crowd. It was definitely our first time playing in a ski lodge, hopefully not the last. The rest of the weekend was great! Obviously, since we got to see moe. play.”

    Before their music even started, I was excited to see what would come out of The Primate Fiasco, just from the array of instruments they had. The band took the stage with a banjo, clarinet, sousaphone, saxophone and the classic drum set, all of which I have never seen together at one time on one stage. Best described as a psychedelic Dixieland jam band, The Primate Fiasco quickly drew a dance crowd just with their soundcheck alone. Their vast musical arrangements flowed from original works to covers such as Ween’s “Roses are Free”, John Williams’ great score from Star Wars and various genres of tunes that anyone can enjoy dancing to. The energy was at a constant high with each band member being a driving force of talent and sound. The lodge was turned into a Mardi Gras party from the bellowing of the brass section, the fast finger pickings of the banjo and jazzy beats. It was my favorite act of the entire snoe.down weekend.

    The scenic drive from Killington to Rutland wove around the mountain side and river’s edge, leading to the main drag in Rutland where there was plenty of food options as well as hotels, all a quick walk to the Spartan Arena. Inside the venue were multiple stands set up that you could find at any parking lot scene, offering shirts, stickers and various other merchandise. The ice-hockey-rink-turned-concert-hall provided great sound throughout the venue. Dumpstaphunk hit the stage and unleashed the groove as everybody started to get down. The New Orleans band plays with the great soul of classic funk and mixes it with modern twist. Ivan Neville, the master of the keys, wears a permanent smile while he pours his heart all over the organ. The wide range of vocals that the musicians sing propelled all to shout out in unison. The newest member of Dumpstaphunk, Nikki Glaspie, is a no joke and a true female drumming machine. I couldn’t get enough of the bass bombs being dropped by Nick Daniels and Tony Hall and the intense guitar jamming from Ian Neville

    Following the funk filled set, moe. started their set with “Captain America” creating an explosive response from the fans. The Upstate New York band eased into a flawless “Recreational Chemistry” and shared the stage with Ivan Neville for “Happy Hour Hero” and a cover of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut”. Said Al, “I can’t stop smiling. It’s fantastic” sharing his feelings during Al.nouncements at the conclusion of the set. The night ended with “St. Augustine”, a groovy, light-hearted song that left the crowd in anticipation for the rest of the weekend.

    moe. setlist:

    Set 1: Captain America > Recreational Chemistry, Bring It Back Home, Happy Hour Hero*, Cissy Strut*, Bullet >Kyle’s Song  (* w/ Ivan Neville on keys)

    Set 2: Billy Goat > Tailspin, Opium, Faker > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Wind It Up

    Encore: Augustine

    Saturday’s festival goers were greeted with sunshine and snow showers as they geared up for the outdoor shows at Bear Mountain in Killington. The stage was set up at the bottom of the slopes and right next to the lodge, whose massive outdoor deck was full of people lined up to watch the show.  The wooden deck was surrounded by snowboards and skis of all sizes and colors. Fans also had the option of standing in the beer tent area, located closer to the right of the stage. Bear Mountain was ablaze with all the brightly colored jackets, not to mention all the hats, scarfs, helmets and sunglasses. It was true sensory overload at its best.

    I was most excited to see Eastbound Jesus, one of my favorite local bands from Albany. Despite the chill in the air, EBJ easily heated up the crowd with their high energy, bluegrass rock songs that echoed off the ski slopes. Loaded with steady drum beats and fast guitar, as well as banjo strumming all fed the foot stomping fans, which made the entire mountain shake. It was so much fun to dance in the snow and sing along with everyone to “Here’s to You” and “Holy Smokes.” Eastbound Jesus was happy to play requests from the audience, who couldn’t get enough of the fast buildups that erupted into a pure hillbilly bash. Carl Anderson the drummer had this to say, “It was cool to play outside, especially with the snow coming down. The heaters worked well on the stage though and we’re pretty used to playing while cold. It was cool to open for moe.; it was a fun weekend.”

    moe. took the stage and wasted no time getting the party going by starting with “Stranger Than Fiction” straight into “Spaz Medicine.” The snow started to fall, and when mixed with the music, it created a whirlwind of sound that got stuck on my coat and melted into my beer.  “Waiting For The Punchline” provided serious drum banging with relentless guitar riffs.  As the snow fell harder and harder, the band joked at how ironic it was to have indoor shows cancelled from weather like this, yet we are all outside having a good time.  They ended the set with one of my favorite moe. songs, “Spine Of A Dog” known for its absurd lyrics and light hearted jamming.

    Setlist: Stranger Than Fiction >Spaz Medicine, Blue Jeans Pizza > Waiting For The Punchline, Jazz Wank > Akimbo, Okayalright

    Encore: Spine Of A Dog

    After fans drove back from the mountain, got some rest and food in them, the music continued at Spartan Arena with Strangefolk, formed in Burlington in the early 1990s and reunited as their original lineup only last year. Having only played 10 shows since last March, the quartet sounded like they had never stopped performing, moving through a set of classic tunes and rarities. Opening with “Elixer”, off Weightless in Water, the vibe became one that swayed hips and moved lips as fans sang along to the catchy tune, a common occurrence when you listen to Strangefolk’s combination of dual guitars and well written lyrics. “Dance” started out quiet and subdued, but slowly built up into a frenzy, compelling the crowd with lyrics such as “When you’re dancin’, dancin’, move your feet and lose your mind”, to which the arena obliged. A heavier “Chasing Away” had an edge to it, plus sandwiched inside of the song the rare “Pooh Bear’s Mistress”. Crowd favorite “Reuben’s Place” was supposed to close the set, but a misreading of time led Reid to conclude there were 25, then 10, minutes left in their set, leading to an onstage encore of “Stout Hearted Man”. Once again, Strangefolk were given a rousing ovation by a Vermont crowd, something the quartet were quite familiar with throughout the 1990s.

    moe.s sets this evening led to a great deal of potential, because aside from the acoustic VIP set on Sunday, this was going to be the last set most would see until the band’s next shows in May. Opening with a scorching  “32 things”, Chuck shredde guitar sections with Al, who was sporting one of the finest beards in the state (there are a lot of beards in Vermont). “Haze”, a relatively new song for moe. was a huge highlight of the night, with Al and Rob giving intense emotion to the refrain “Hey, Let’s go. I don’t care as long as you are there; Hey, Let’s go, Doesn’t really matter when or where”. Jon Trafton and Reid Genauer from Strangefolk joined the band for two extensive versions of The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek” and moe.’s “Mexico”; Jon stood near Chuck smiling ear to ear as they tore up the song while Reid stood centerstage, grinning and playing intensely on his acoustic. After the setbreak, moe. opeend with crowd favorite “Buster” and segued quickly into “Runaway Overlude”. After a 16 minute “Puebla”, the band moved into an extended sandwich: Brent Black > Mar-DeMa > Brent Black > Meat > Brent Black, an incredible combination of song after song that wrapped up more than the last 30 minutes of their set. “That Country Tune” and “Godzilla” wrapped up the encore and a huge Saturday of music.

    This weekend in Vermont with moe. and company was an incredible experience. Add in the skiing, beautiful scenery, late night revelry and sore muscles from dancing all weekend, and you know its the start of music festival season in the Northeast!

    moe. Setlist:

    Set 1: 32 Things, Shoot First, Haze, Y.O.Y., Up On Cripple Creek*^, Mexico* (* with Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton on guitar, ^Reid and Jon on vocals)

    Set 2: Buster > Runaway Overlude, Where Does The Time Go?, Puebla > Brent Black > Mar-DeMa > Brent Black > meat > Brent Black

    Encore: That Country Tune, Godzilla^ (^ Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin) teases)

  • Marco Benevento at the BSP Lounge in Kingston, March 30th

    To close out March, the BSP Lounge had a fantastic night of music filled with creativity and improvisation and Marco Benevento.

    The night started with Home Body, the wonderful music of Eric Hnatow and Haley Morgan. Their sound was just as unique as their look.  Eric has a way of looping his keys around Haley’s soaring vocals that fuse the two together into one beautiful wall of sound.  With dance moves that go along with the beat of their songs, Home Body is very entertaining.  Another interesting part of their show is that they have lights arranged around them that meld perfectly with their music.  It is one of the best do-it-yourself lightshows I have ever seen.  Home Body is not to be missed when they come to your area if you are looking for interesting, creative, and experimental music to dance to.

    Marco Benevento came to the stage next and slayed the crowd from the get-go with “Fireworks” that got the room moving immediately.  There is a freedom to how Marco moves up and down the keys that forces the audience to guess what is coming next.  He has become very comfortable leading the band into anything from his repertoire.  The recent addition of vocals has added another layer to his music adding a beautiful new instrument to the mix for him to play with.  The vocals are often manipulated by one of Marco’s toys on top of his piano and this makes it seem as if there is a hidden robot on stage that knows how to sing.  This is just the beginning of a new way for Marco to experiment on stage in broadening his sound.

    The talented Dave Dreiwitz on bass and Andy Borger on drums backed him throughout the evening and made it feel like a nonstop jam.  Since the release of Tigerface, these three have been touring hard and the way they play off one another shows how confident this band is right now.  All three are masters of their instruments and any song is possible for them, as was highlighted by the teases of The Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” and LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great,” both of which occurred as tangents in the middle of original music. The night also saw the debut of new music that the three of them have been collaborating on and the direction that Marco’s music is going is great.

    Though the crowd was not large, they were more than ready to show as much love as they could for what was happening on stage.  They helped count off the beginning to “The Real Morning Party” and danced and shouted throughout the songs as though nothing else in the world mattered.  The great “Limbs of a Pine” followed soon after and the jamming went wild as the tiger head Marco has on his piano was passed around for each musician to wear as they got their individual moment to shine.  This is a trio not to miss as they are the top of their game and constantly looking to improve by trying out new ideas.  They push one another to new musical heights that seem to have no limit.  Marco Benevento can be seen at the Brooklyn Bowl on April 20th.

  • Turkuaz and Giant Panda, Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, March 29th

    On Friday, March 29th, Turkuaz and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad jump-started the weekend playing at The Water Street Music Hall in Rochester. While the doors were said to open at 8 with a prompt show starting at 9, we found ourselves still waiting in a long stagnant line at 945. By the time it struck 10 an explosion of sound echoed through the venue as Turkuaz kicked off the night with “Chatte Lunatic”, a song from their new album Zerbert. The crowd danced their way inside and those there for Giant Panda were pleasantly surprised by an upbeat crowd-moving funk band with colorful jumpsuits and a boisterous sound.

    water street music hallI have only been afforded the opportunity to see Turkuaz twice before, once at Strangecreek in a late night cabin and once at Red Square in Albany, so seeing them in a venue this size did them much justice. The crowd exploded as guitarist Craig Brodhead went into an impressive jiving guitar solo during “Lookin’ Good Feelin’ Tough” which was equally matched by Michelangelo Carubba with a loud Bonham-strong drum solo.

    The set included some noteworthy covers such as Joe Crocker’s “Feelin’ Alright” sang by saxophonist Josh Schwartz whose soulful voice and killer moves encouraged many of the audience members to sing along, and “Trampled Underfoot” by Led Zepplin which was lead by vocalist Geneva Williams whose golden locks and bright yellow jumpsuit created a picturesque vision of soulful 70’s and keyboardist Stephen Malinowski wrapped it up and brought it home with an equally epic solo.

    The crowd applauded as Giant Panda took the stage, playing for the last time with keyboardist Aaron Lipp in their hometown. The energy shifted from upright funk to a low smooth reggae with a hard undertone and an untouchable beat. There was an emotional feel to the night as Giant Panda played crowd favorites such as “Missing You More”, “Undermove” and “Seasons Change”. Mixes of trance jam and low tempo groove carried the night away and the audience was dancing alongside of them every step of the way.

    As the band came back from the encore, guitarist James Searl referenced Aaron Lipp’s departure and they touched back to their acoustic routes and played a song from their newest album Country. Switching back, Giant Panda threw down another long set carrying the crowd into a sea of smooth beats and funky bass lines and ended the night of truly dance worthy music.

  • Meg and Laura Get Lost in Austin: Ego Tripping at the Gates of the Austin Convention Center

    There is something about SxSW that makes Meg and Laura want to hold hands and skip together and slide down a banister of razor blades into a pool of alcohol at the same time. By day three, the two of them were holding their heads in their hands, running on nothing but caffeine and two hours of sleep. After complaining about the nonexistence of cloning machines that would allow them to attend every amazing showcase at once over one, two, then three pots of coffee, they make peace with the fact that they just would have to prioritize.

    That been said, Meg and Laura headed on over to the VH1 Cafe and tried to keep it cool as they weave their way around tables of celebrities to make their way to minimalist rapper, Zebra Katz. Laura suppressed the urge to point out that David Guetta just walked in as they sit down for the interview. The fashion-forward Zebra Katz shared the experiences that got him where he is today. He talked about growing up in New York City and how working as a staff manager at a catering company helped him in his rapping career. The graceful rapper rose out of  the stereotype as he talked about the meaning behind the lyrics of “Ima Read” and the importance of education in society.

    After the interview, Laura rushed to the Austin Convention Center and charmed her way to the front of the line for the SxSW interactive interview with Clive Davis. Bill Werde opened the interview with the question, “What do you do as the head of Columbia?” to which Clive Davis subtly responds, “You watch and you listen”. Though this industry executive has made enough contributions to the music industry for his work to speak for itself, he graciously tells all the stories behind the music. Werde tucks in controversy in his questions, asking the music mogul about his bisexuality, the on-going conflict with Kelly Clarkson and his reaction to Whitney Houston’s death. In the words of Werde “when you interview Clive Davis, you’re kind of just along for the ride”. This statement really couldn’t hold more true.

    After the interview, Laura got her copy of “The Soundtrack to My Life” signed and lined up with Meg for the next panel.  The two were ready to check off one major to-do off their bucket lists: seeing Stevie Nicks in person. And as the black dress donned Bella Donna herself took the stage, every empty night the duo spent singing along on the top of their lungs to “Edge of Seventeen” felt suddenly redeemed. Stevie Nicks dished on her experience with Fleetwood Mac and her decision to pursue her solo career along the way. She claimed that she just had so much music inside of her that not expressing it was not an option. “Yeah, Lindsay can go ahead and lock himself in a room, recording songs that no one will ever listen to but I had to put mine out there”. The singer-songwriter certainly doesn’t hold herself back at any point throughout the interview. Just like her music, her voice is raw and uncensored but lovable to say the least. “Some moments in life are sad but they make for a beautiful song”, says Nicks. She injected a sense of humor as she comes clean about the origin of the title “Edge of Seventeen”; she heard her friends say, “age of seventeen” but heard it wrong. “It sounded great so I decided to go with it”, professed the poet. The two left the panel covered in goosebumps, fueled by inspiration.

    As the day turns into night, the girls decided to part their ways. Laura headed over to the Warner showcase at The Belmont to watch the incredible lineup of Joy Formidable, alt-J, and The Flaming Lips while Meg decided to head to Republic Live for Adrian Lux, Congorock and Benny Bennassi and then back to La Zona Rosa to catch Zedd, Krewella, and Wolfgang Gartner.

    As she waited in line outside the red bricked Republic Live, Meg is filled with awe as she’s taken back to the moment in 10th grade when she first fell in love with EDM upon hearing Benny Bennassi’s track “Come Fly Away”. She then realized that she is about to finally see him perform. She could already hear EDM star Congorock’s blasting his track “Ivory” from the street and when she finally got through the usual gang of bouncers, she was handed a pair of raver shades and a giant glow stick.  The nightclub is polarized by dueling stages where Congorock and Adrian Lux trade off their DJ sets, making the drunk music industry executives and geeks dance.

    As amazing as The Joy Formidable sounded, Laura was willing to bet that it would have been a far better experience from inside the venue, rather than waiting in line outside. However, alt-J and The Flaming Lips make the two-hour-long wait more than worthwhile with their stage presence. It is true, alt-J really makes indie rock feel sexy. Between all the neon balloons, glow sticks and the inexplicable monster mascots, the venue is ablaze with energy. Though the Flaming Lips do not play Laura’s favorite, “Chewin the Apple of My Eye”, the set consisted of all the songs from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. The opener, “Fight Test”, set in itself was a guarantee for the night, nothing bad could possibly happen at this show. Wayne Coyne talked about the story behind “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell”, mentioning how they lost the original demo but decided to write a new song for the title. Their lush performance was enough to get Laura successfully through the night.

    At a little past 2 AM, Laura casually witnesses a street fight as she marches past Lavaca and Colorado to catch the bus back to her hotel with Meg. Guess it’s just another night in Austin.

  • PIERCE THE VEIL, MMF, LETLIVE & ISSUES Rock Upstate Concert Hall on March 24th

    After playing the Upstate Concert Hall on Halloween of 2012, Pierce the Veil returned on Sunday, March 24th with a whole new lineup of supporting bands, and came back to rock with a vengeance. Lead singer Vic Fuentes said himself  during the show that the crowd was not only much rowdier than that of the Halloween show, but they were “the best crowd on the entire tour so far”. A statement like this leaves us to wonder: who’s responsible for that? Did PTV leave a good impression on the crowd last time, or are we Upstate metalheads just the best crowd in the world? I’d like to think it’s a little of both, and that Vic wasn’t just saying that.

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    Rapcore/postcore rising stars Issues opened the show, and got things moving to a quick and fun start. They played their new EP, Black Diamonds, in its entirety, which is a good enough length for an opening set, but left many of us dying for more. There were some minor flaws with the sound, including very dull and quiet guitars, but they played it off well with their charisma and rhythmic unity. Clean vocalist Tyler Carter and unclean vocalist Michael Bohn are like perfect alter egos of each other, and co-dominate the stage with a band that plays a unique blend of catchiness and heaviness.

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    Following them was letlive., Epitaph Records’ unstoppable postcore quintet. This band certainly kept the momentum going, and any audio troubles were certainly worked out by the time they took the stage. Frontman Jason Butler was bouncing all over the stage, and at a few points was singing hanging upside down from the rafters. Displaying high intensity and musical prowess, they served as a great segway for Memphis May Fire. These Rise Records veterans really brought the metal, and the crowd loved every minute of it. They played a fairly long set, and no one in the crowd was tired at all, it made it all the more exciting in anticipation for the headlining band. Of course, the excitement got to quite a few people, as the incessant mosh pits of each act caused numerous slight injuries. Props to the security at Upstate Concert Hall for being on top of things.

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    Pierce the Veil took the stage at approximately 9:45 with confetti cannons, light and sound effects, and a very appropriate chanting of “this is the Street Youth Rising Tour!” They played eleven songs, including many fan favorites, and most of their hit new record, Fearless Records’ 2012 smash Collide With the Sky. I, along with nearly every other person in the room, sang every lyric to every song, and the room seemed to be on fire with music and spirit. Vic conversed with the crowd, as did hyper-energetic bassist Jaime Preciado, and they were joined onstage by their good friend Jason Butler of letlive. for their collaboration song, “Tangled In the Great Escape”. The band and the crowd gave each other a continuous cycle of energy that blew the roof off the venue. It’s no wonder Vic said we were their greatest crowd of the tour.

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    In the weeks prior to the show, we attempted to contact PTV‘s management so I could do an interview with them, but we were never contacted back. This was very disappointing to me, as I had hoped to capture some of their famous friendliness and connection with their fans, and the fact that we were ignored made me feel quite the opposite. However, when I saw them live, I started to understand. Their connection with the fans is still strong through music, and they are out to help the fans, never hurt them. Anything could have gone wrong with the interview through the publicist, so I shouldn’t blame them for something that is possibly out of their control. I also came to realize that some bands do in fact think they’ve gotten too important and that is ridiculous. These bands would be nowhere without us (the fans), because everything in this scene stems back to the fans; we are its backbone. Pierce the Veil and friends played that night like they haven’t forgotten this, let’s hope they never do.

  • Musical Review: Hands on a Hardbody

    I had never before seen a Broadway musical prior to my trip to New York City’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see the new musical “Hands on a Hardbody.” The main draw was simple – Trey Anastasio wrote the music for the musical, which is based on a 1997 documentary about a contest in Texas to see who could keep their hands on a pickup truck the longest. Since this is Trey’s music, I knew what to expect, mainly because the transfer of talent from amphitheater (with Phish and TAB), to music halls (with Philharmonics across the country) showed his versatility and ability to branch out into other realms of the musical arts. With the combination of Trey, Amanda Green and a stellar cast, the experience was a top notch hit and I couldn’t recommend it any stronger to Phish fans to see.

    hands on a hardbodyStaged at the nearly 90 year old Brooks Atkinson Theatre in Manhattan, the intimate setting (~1000 seats) brought the stage close up to the audience, guaranteeing a good seat no matter where you were. From the start, the premise of the musical came out clear, particularly the rules, the 15 minutes breaks after 6 hours and the manually rotated truck all set the stage nicely, peppered with a strong Texas vibe best described by John Steinbeck in Travels with Charley. Trey’s influences in the songs are apparent, with the upbeat tempos, quick yet sharp transitions and, rubbing off on Amanda Green, some funny/Phishy lyrics. There is of course, “My Problem Right There,” one of the two songs Phish has performed live. This tune, sung by Jacob Ming-Trent (Ronald McCowan) has a serious soul injection while he raves about his problems of brains, women and sleep. A sexy “Burn That Bridge” is performed by Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone (Heather Stovall) and Jim Newman (Mike Ferris), giving a twist to the story and burning up the stage in the process.

    The Phish songs were played well, which, in my case, were an incentive to seeing the show – I knew a couple songs going in to this otherwise new musical; in a way it felt like my early days of going into Phish show and being excited to know a couple songs. Still, there were 17 songs in the musical that haven’t (yet?) been performed by Phish, including some reprises, but no ‘Tweeprises.’ “Joy of the Lord” gave out a gospel stomp courtesy of Keala Settle (Norma Valverde) that engaged the whole cast and elicited some of the largest applause of the night. The sweet and airy “I’m Gone,” a duet between Allison Case (Kelli Mangrum) and Jay Armstrong Johnson (Greg Wilhote) that captures Trey’s guitar tone (think a mix of “Sleep Again” and “Horn”), was a highlight for the emotional out pour of the song – the first point where I saw the true motivation for taking part in this contest – as well as the terrific pairing of Case and Johnson. Act One ended strong, with many hopeful contestants still in play.

    The vibe of “Hands on a Hardbody” changed in Act Two: exhaustion sets in on the characters, the sleepless nights and the searing Texas sun during the day. This was compounded with spats of racial profiling, deception and even accusations, culminating with “It’s a Fix.” This was an emotion-packed Act 2, most notably “God Answered My Prayers,” one of the most heartfelt tunes of the show thanks to Hunter Foster’s role as Benny Perkins; through him the audience could most strongly make an emotional investment in a contestant, so drawn into his case for winning the truck. The finale, a rousing and uplifting “Keep Your Hands on It” sang the moral of the story with the full cast: If you want something, keep your hands on it. I walked out on a buzz from the entire performance, less because it was my first musical but more because of the strong musical numbers and incredible acting and choreography. I would highly recommend this for Phish fans to check out, perhaps on a day off on Summer Tour this July?

    “Hands on a Hardbody” is written by Doug Wright with lyrics by Amanda Green and music by Trey Anastasio, directed by Neil Pepe and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo.

  • Hearing Aide: Alan Evans Trio travels through space on Merkaba

    Alan Evans, co-founder, writer and producer of Soulive has released his sophomore album, Merkaba, with his group Alan Evans Trio. The album demonstrates a mastery of the classic organ trio driving funk/soul groove. Alan Evans is accompanied by three extremely talented musicians: Beau Sasser (Melvin Sparks) on organ and Danny Mayer (On the Spot Trio) on guitar and special guest Mike Feingold (Jay-Z, Erykah Badu) on banjo, guitar and keyboard.

    Alan Evans is an experienced record engineer, producer, drummer and writer who has dedicated the last 15 years to honing his skills. He met Danny Mayer when On the Spot Trio came to record at Playonbrother Studios in Hatfield, MA and had Alan produce their record. Alan got the idea for the formation of the trio after re-locating from Playonbrother studios to his own home recording studio in South Deerfield, MA. Beau Sasser has played several shows with Alan Evans, exhibited a natural knack for the organ and is known as a guru of the instrument’s rich history.

    Merkaba was produced, recorded and mixed in its entirety by Alan Evans at his home recording studio. The album offers the listener a multitude of different aural pleasures spanning from the quality of the production to the atmospheric chord progressions. Merkaba is a cosmic-themed funk journey through decades of time and space.

    The album kicks off with “Thor”, a bright, up-beat funk groove that gets its foundation from Alan’s syncopated beat. This track has a lot of space, which allows the listener to appreciate the precision with which the instrument tones ring out or bleed into the space. The album slows down to a powerful bluesy soul track, “Life Is Harder To Live.” This track gives off a laid back, slow-grooving summertime vibe that is highlighted by the full-bodied organ tone and crunchy guitar strumming. The album then travels back in time to the ’60s for “They Call Me Velvet.” The organ tone on this one sounds like it’s straight off of a Doors studio album. The coordinated stab and stop approach is evident on this track and it reminds me of The Meters. “Biscuits” has a deep, dark progression and feel that brings out the listener’s funky, wince face. The album comes to a close with the ever-so-slowly moving R&B/soul track, “Givin’ to You.” This track is driven by the sultry and sexy acoustic guitar riff. I think this one serves its purpose as the finisher, sending the listener drifting away with its repeated phrases.

    A passionate Alan Evans says of Merkaba, “I can’t wait for everyone and anyone to hear this album. This album is all of me. This album is for the loves of my life and there are songs on here that I never thought would see the light of day but the timing was perfect.”

    Key Tracks: Thor, Life is Harder to Live, Givin’ to You

    Alan Evans Trio Website, Facebook, Twitter

  • Kung Fu, McLovins, Steve Broderick, and MazMyth at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, March 15

    On March 15th, The Chance was filled with funk all night long for a great night of music, with Kung Fu, McLovins, Steve Broderick and MazMyth. To start the night, Jordan Dummond of MazMyth stated that he would be playing solo material because the rest of the band was unable to perform.  He had some help from a guitarist and drummer, which added some extra texture to his looping baselines and overall Claypool-esque sound.  With some spacey jamming involved, Jordan’s material would be perfect for a late night spot at a fest for those looking to dance and groove into the wee hours of the morning.  Up next were Steve Broderick and his band.  While their set started out with songs reminiscent of The Band, they quickly changed into a full on funk/rock fusion that sounded like it could have come out of a club in the mid-70s.  Their cover of “Miss You” by The Rolling Stones had some edge to it that The Stones never put on it and it was welcomed by the crowd.  Although they only had a half hour to play, they made the most of it, wasting no time between songs and won over fans by the end of their set.

    McLovins were next and showed why they are on the rise in the community.  With fast beats and catchy choruses, along with quality jamming, they really know how to put on a show.  The McLovins not only can jam, but they like to show it off too, and it’s not a bad thing.  They can go from indie rock to 70s Grateful Dead in a matter of moments.  Ending their set with a funk laced “2001”, much to the crowd’s delight, they went out on a high note and got the crowd ready for what Kung Fu was about to throw down.

    Kung Fu came out of the gates hard and got the crowd, which had been only lively at times, up and dancing immediately.  Rob Somerville’s saxophone playing was a great partner to Tim Palmieri’s guitar playing.  Both of them used each other to push themselves and the music constantly forward.  Rob and Tim took turns taking the lead the whole night and then supporting the other.  Todd Stoops has a way of playing the keys that I have never seen.  He slaps away at them like a bass player would slap his bass.  It was an interesting way of playing and very fun to watch.  The sounds that came out of his keys were some of the funkiest sounds that I’ve ever heard.  The three of them made sure to not step on one another’s space during the evening, giving each ample time to shine and wow the crowd with their beautiful play of their respective instruments.

    By the third song Chris Deangelis and Adrian Tramontano were locked in with one another playing the bass and drums respectively.  These two laid down the foundation over which the others improvised.  They pushed the music without letting up for a moment throughout the show.  Chris dug deep a few times to really get the funk moving, pushing the whole band to meet up with him.  Adrian finally got time to shine with a drum solo and it made the crowd stop dancing and just watch as he demolished his set.  The whole band was having fun on stage and was obvious in the music.  The addition of having the sax in the band was something that should be seen more in music.  It added that extra layer to their music, making them stand out from other bands.  These guys are a must see when they come to a town near you.  Make sure you don’t forget to put your dancing shoes on before leaving your house.

    Kung Fu setlist: Do The Right Thing, Premium, Gung Ho, Steppin’ In It, Scrabb, Tsar Bomba, Standing on the Verge, S’all Good, Paragon, Hollywood Kisses, Hammer 

    Encore: Got To Get Your Own