NYS Music 20​13

Category: Show Reviews

  • Camp Bisco 12: Raising the Bar

    Over the past 12 years Camp Bisco has climbed the ranks of EDM festivals becoming a Mecca for electronic music lovers all over America. Camp Bisco is an annual event that I look forward to from the very first moment early bird tickets go on sale. Each year I meet friends, new and old, for a three day gathering of amazing music, art and people. This year certainly did not disappoint and was one of the best Camp Bisco experiences I’ve had. Every aspect of the festival contributes to the foundation of a phenomenally amazing experience, and it’s so close to home you really can’t go wrong.

    The past two years, I spent the extra money for a VIP ticket, so this year I left Wednesday night to ensure that my friends and I would miss traffic and have a full day of live music Thursday afternoon. What I have found in the past years is that there will always be traffic. I often like to think that I’m the only person in the world who is belligerently excited to be back at Camp, and I am always sadly mistaken when I hit that line of traffic miles from the Indian Lookout Country Club. Overall it wasn’t too bad and I was happy we made the trip up a day early so we had a full day of music on Thursday.

    Thursday afternoon started the weekend off right with a beautiful blue sky and some great daytime music. Although the day began a little rocky for my friends and I, as we ended up locking the keys in our car with the engine running and spending hours trying to break in with a bent hanger, we were lucky Camp Bisco has AAA on site, so clearly this fairly common predicament for campers was solved for us. Judging by the amount of people I ran into who had also locked their keys in the car throughout the weekend, it’s safe to say that AAA should be on site for every festival.

    With the release of Daft Punk’s new album Random Access Memories, it seemed to be a major trend within many sets throughout the weekend to sample or cover one of their new songs. Twiddle and Digital Tape Machine kicked it off with the first sets of the weekend mixing in a little Daft Punk, which the crowd certainly did not contest. The Manhattan Project took over the label tent with a phenomenally large crowd for an early set, which was no surprise. This was The Manhattan Project’s third year at Camp Bisco and it has been amazing to see their talent and fan base grow so immensely year to year. RubbleBucket Orchestra took the main stage in the late afternoon with the perfect upbeat, feel good music. One thing I can say about the sets at Camp Bisco is that they are almost always spot on with separating the beautiful and relaxing day time sets with the late night high energy sets. I, of course, had to check out a little bit of Macklemore’s set on main stage (“Thrift Shop” is quite possibly the most catchy song in the entire world.) I’m not really a huge fan of live rap shows simply because the sound is extremely difficult to emulate the quality of a studio recording, which sometimes make it difficult to hear the vocals. Still, it was an entertaining set with hilarious moments. Camp Bisco does a great job of bringing in different genres, and especially with their rap acts, getting the latest and greatest artists.

    Although I’ve never really been the biggest Umphrey’s McGee fan, I was definitely impressed by their set, despite bassist Ryan Stasik not being in attendance, as his daughter was born that weekend. Bryan Dohery of Digital Tape Machine, Dave Murphy of STS9 and Marc Brownstein of The Disco Biscuits filled in on bass during the set, with Brownstein stepping out to play on a cover of the Biscuit’s own “Home”, to welcome everyone back to the festival we have all grown to love so much year after year. Being a huge Sound Tribe Sector 9 fan, I went over to Main Stage 2 early so I could be front and center to see what they had in store for their sunset-set. Some of the craziest shows I have ever seen in my life have been at main stage of Camp Bisco during sunset (Shpongle live of Camp Bisco X was mind blowing). Sound Tribe certainly did not disappoint. Some highlights included “Scheme”, “Inspire Strikes Back” and “Vibyl”. They were also accompanied by live saxophone and trumpet who brought the level of energy and the complexities of each song to new levels.

    Overall all of the Biscuits sets were absolutely amazing and this year brought some of the best Disco Biscuits sets I have seen at Camp since Camp Bisco 8. The Disco Biscuits started their first set of the weekend on a very high note, including a 20 minute “Spaga” and a stellar 25 minute “I-Man”. All around, the Biscuits gave a great performance. Oh, and the new light show? C’mon. Insane.

    Late night in the Label tent consisted of Com Truise and Squarepusher, two highly anticipating artists. Com Truise had a lot of energy and was an all around feel good show. Squarepusher was quite possibly the most chaotic and amazing set I have ever seen at Camp Bisco, and having wanted to see him live for almost eight years, I was unbelievably floored that he was playing a festival in Upstate New York. His set, true to his nature, was insane. I think a lot of people expected something else and were very confused when they walked into the tent. Squarepusher focuses mostly around heavy drum and bass and electro-acoustic music, so often times the progressions are spastic and abrupt. He took the stage donning an intense mask that lit up in sync with the projections behind him, and to his music. It wasn’t until he stepped away from his table and picked up his bass that I was truly blown away. This set was certainly one of my highlights for the entire weekend. After Squarepusher, I walked down to the hill stage for some Silent Disco, but once the sun started coming up, I made the responsible decision of getting some sleep before the next long day of music.

    Friday was another beautiful day, and completely unlike the average Camp Bisco weekend, as there was absolutely no rain and it was not 100 degrees, making for absolutely perfect weather during daytime performances. If you’ve never been to Camp Bisco, or even if you have, one thing to do is ride the Ferris Wheel, which provides the most amazing view from the top and really puts into perspective how enormous this festival has become. I didn’t end up spending the money on the air bag dive, but it was entertaining enough watching other people jump off that I think it is a great addition to Camp Bisco’s tomfoolery. I popped in and out of the Label tent during Govinda which surprisingly packed for such an early set. Watching the crowd, I was very much blown away by the dedication some of these attendees have. I don’t understand how they have the energy to dance that hard for that long and not be passed out by 5 o’clock.

    Being clock-less via dead cellphone made it difficult to ever know what time it was. I was happy that I stumbled upon Toro Y Moi on the main stage, who I was very much looking forward to seeing. The set was very low key and an awesome way to spend a Friday afternoon. His music is very different from most of what’s around, which is why I was so excited to see what he would pull out in a live performance. This performance proves what I said about Camp Bisco’s set placements for each artist always being incredibly on point. The schedule for Friday was shifted around a bit due to issues with Animal Collective. In true Camp Bisco fashion, the moment Animal Collective couldn’t perform, they had the legendary Thievery Corporation on a flight from across the country to fill their slot. By shifting the set time an hour earlier, Thievery Corporation was a perfect cap to the day and beginning to the night. After Thievery Corporation I took a short break before hitting up the Bassnectar set, sandwiched by double Disco Biscuits sets. I didn’t stay for all of Bassnectar because the crowd was a little crazy, but nevertheless, it was a high energy show and the crowd clearly enjoyed themselves.

    Both sets from the Disco Biscuits were, once again, spectacular. Each set seemed to get better than the last. As a Biscuits fan, it can be easy to be cynical and walk away from some shows feeling a little let down, but there was none of that this weekend. Each set was absolute fire. The highlights of all of night two included “Lunar Pursuit”, “Helicopters” and a “Highwire” encore.

    Gigamesh, Aeroplane and Lotus were all awesome late night sets. Gigamesh and Aeroplane were so high energy I was physically exhausted when it was time to switch tents for Lotus. Luckily, Lotus was a little slower and more ambient which was a nice end to a long day of music.

    Saturday mornings are always the best and the worst at Camp Bisco. You know you have a whole day of music ahead of you, but there is still a looming reality of it all coming to an end. By the time I had gotten myself together to head down to the main stage for the noon Indobox set, it appeared there were some technical difficulties with the stage and music would be pushed back until it was figured out. Music was pushed back for a few hours so I popped into the label tent until the first Biscuits set. Everyone seemed to be having a great time despite the mishap at main stage. By the time The Disco Biscuits came on, the excitement level was high. The daytime Biscuits set is always something I look forward to. They’re often more low key than their usual sets and great to relax in the sun during. However, this set was high in energy and packed with gems. The main highlight of this set was the “Spy” although I am always a fan of a good “Magellan.” I quickly left from main stage so I could catch Break Science who had been moved to the label tent.

    Each time I have Break Science, the energy is high and the talent is mind blowing. Adam Deitch is the kind of drummer you need to see to believe. I almost always try to find my way to the front just to be able to see both artists work their magic in synchrony. I wish I had been able to catch more of their set, but I was definitely happy I didn’t miss it. The next act I caught was Passion Pit on the main stage, which was definitely a highlight of the weekend. Passion Pit is just the kind of feel-good, upbeat night time set you want to see on your last day of Camp Bisco. The crowd chimed in, singing each song and waving their rage sticks through the light show that stretched across the grounds. Immediately after Passion Pit left the stage, the Disco Biscuits quickly filled in for their last two sets of the weekend. It was a treat being able to see two Disco Biscuits sets back to back, giving the crowd a full Biscuits show on the last night of their festival. Highlights included, “Story of the World, “Run Like Hell,” and a personal favorite, “Little Shimmy in a Conga line.” This was a brilliant way to end a weekend of some of the best Biscuits sets I’ve seen in a long time. After the two sets I needed a long break to recollect myself and rest before late night. The last set I ended up catching was Boombox at the Label Tent. I have seen Boombox a handful of times and they never disappoint. They put on a psychedelic, funky, disco-esque set that kept us all dancing and put the close on a phenomenal weekend at Camp Bisco.

    Each year Camp Bisco stretches its potential and our expectations. The festival has branched out to include acts and artists that might not ever share the stage otherwise. Each year is an experience, and a mind blowing one at that. At one point during the weekend Marc Brownstein exclaimed, “It’s been 12 years! That means combined we’ve been at Camp Bisco for almost a month!” It’s crazy to look back at what the festival started as and what it has now become. It is so much bigger than anyone ever truly anticipated, but hey, Upstate New York knows how to party. Thank you Camp Bisco for another brilliant weekend.

  • Alice Cooper’s Extreme Theatrics Give Life to The Palace Theatre on July 19

    The Palace Theatre got schooled in Rock and Roll and theatrics from Alice Cooper on July 19th, as Alice put on a show that included his signature prop cane being thrown into the crowd along with money with his face on it, as well as strait jackets and a monstrous Alice-Frankenstein stalking the stage.  The faithful fans in the crowd got all the hits and screamed for more once he was done.

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    Coming out to the notes of “Hello Hooray” and following that up with hits “House of Fire,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” and “Under My Wheels”, the crowd got going right off the bat.  His band played hard every moment of the evening with all three guitarists absolutely slaying their instruments.  They each got their own moment in the spotlight with their section of solos and jamming after “Dirty Diamonds.”  Alice worked in songs from many of his albums throughout the night, but made sure to keep the focus on Welcome to My Nightmare and Billion Dollar Babies, much to the crowd’s delight.

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    During a one-two punch of “Devil’s Food” and “Feed My Frankenstein” Alice continued his theatrics by having a snake around his neck in the first and having a giant Frankenstein monster stalk the stage during the end of the second.  During “Killer”, the guillotine came out and Alice’s head was chopped off, much to the delight of the crowd.  There was then a four song medley where he paid tribute to what he called his “drunken dead friends” by covering “Break On Through (to the Other Side)”, “Revolution”, “Foxy Lady” and “My Generation.”

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    Cooper then played three of his biggest hits to close out the show: “I’m Eighteen” was followed by “Poison”, and had the entire crowd singing along with Alice.  To close out the show, “School’s Out” rang through the Palace Theater and sent everyone home with a smile on their faces.  Alice is still definitely a performer to go see if you have a chance, especially if you love a little theater mixed in with a lot of rock and roll.

    Setlist: Hello Hooray, House of Fire, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Under My Wheels, I’ll Bit Your Face Off, Billion Dollar Babies, Caffeine, Department of Youth, Hey Stoopid, Dirty Diamonds, Welcome to My Nightmare, Go to Hell, Devil’s Food, Feed My Frankenstein, Ballad of Dwight Dry, Killer, I Love the Dead, Break On Through (to the Other Side), Revolution, Foxy Lady, My Generation, I’m Eighteen, Poison

    Encore: School’s Out

  • Mister F Turns Up The Heat (Wave) at The Hollow, July 18

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    Newton Crosby got the night off on the right foot on July 18th at the Hollow Bar, (formerly known as Bayou Café) ahead of Mister F. In the middle of a five day heat wave, music enthusiasts were more than happy to sweat it out to the funky beats of two phenomenal bands. Each of Newton Crosby’s songs built energy from the song before and stayed very heavily focused around the saxophone. The keys and synth transformed the organic sounds of instruments into a beautiful blend of synthetic melodic funk jams. They were the perfect band to warm up the stage on a hot night in Albany.

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    Mister F took the Hollow stage with full force and high energy. The electronic blend immediately picked up within their first song and invigorated the crowd with energy. Matt Pickering belted into the microphone without missing a single beat while the rest of the band follows suit in synchrony. Their authenticity within each song develops complex layers that bounce between band members creating stellar building points for each member to work off of. Even more so, you can tell that each member is genuinely having a blast doing it so it makes it all that much better for the crowd. Halfway through their first set they busted out a seriously funky rendition of “Superstitions” by Stevie Wonder. Scott Hannay (keys) really brought that song to life with his powerful vocals and amazingly funky keys. The blend of pure instrumental talent mixed with the electronic elements really creates a new and fresh sound that is rare to find. Even in 98 degree heat these boys threw down, and turned the heat up. This was the only the second time I had seen these guys and even from just a few months ago you can see the growth of the band and their fan-base. There is obviously a huge buzz surrounding Mister F, so make sure you catch them at their upcoming shows and festivals.

    Set I: Jump the Shark, Everything You Say, Superstition > Answer the Dog, ‘Oasis Mood’, Buster’s Revenge, Hedgehog

    Set II: This One Goes to 11, Fancy Footwork, Deal Breaker, Treadmill, 1000 Cigarettes* > Vocoder^, Get Used to It

    *first time played, MSTRKRFT
    ^”Broke Odor” version

     http://archive.org/details/mrf2013-07-18.flac16

  • Review: ESCAPE THE FATE Conquers The Fillmore

    IMG_3830After the excitement that 3 Pill Morning provided for the fellow concert junkies, the adventure was not going to end there, it was Escape the Fate’s turn to take over the stage. The lights dimmed to a blue mixed with a red hue, a very ominous setting. As soon as the intro started to play, the fans went crazy as the band members, Craig Mabbitt (vocals), the Money brothers, Bryan “Monte” and Michael (both guitarists), Thomas “TJ” Bell (bass), and Robert Ortiz (drums), stepped into the light. The band then performed “Choose Your Fate” and the band’s current single, “You’re Insane”, from their latest album Ungrateful. After the performance of “10 Miles Wide”, the band took a brief break while Mabbitt took the chance to announce their release of their latest album and asked the crowd if they got it. A dedicated fan by the name of Trey Wellington shouted out louder than the others that he bought the record on its release day, and Mabbitt walked over to him, shook his hand as well as fist pumped it. He then dedicated the next song, “Ungrateful” to Wellington and proceeded to unleash his bloodcurdling screams. Following was “Issues” and a track from Ungrateful, “Until We Die”; the energy from the band and the ever-adoring fans were absolutely insane.

    IMG_3821After the performance of “Gorgeous Nightmare”, a pair of lacy purple underwear was thrown upon the stage. Mabbitt picked up and thanked the fan that threw them up there, a mystery it shall remain.  The band finished the set on a killer note with “Fire it Up” and “This War is Ours”.

    Overall, they put on one hell of a performance, Mabbitt’s screams continued to haunt the back of the fan’s minds as they left the venue in such a giddy mood…however, the evening was not about to end there, for it was then Hollywood Undead’s turn to rock the stage.

  • Review: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Brings the Undead to Life at The Fillmore

    No more waiting, the fans were ready for Hollywood Undead to take over, to bring the party to the stage. The mixed animated chatter died once the lights dimmed and a purple and white hue brightened the stage. An ominous introduction filled the eager ears of the fans, when all of the sudden the opening notes for “Undead” began to bounce off the walls of The Fillmore.hollywood undead

    All of Hollywood Undead came out with their masks; Charlie Scene wore black matte spectacles with a gray bandana that read CHARLIE SCENE; J-Dog wore a white mask with gas filters on the cheek and red glowing burned eyes; Johnny 3 Tears wore a mosaic mask with a 3 on the left side of his face as well as a butterfly pattern on the right side; Da Kurlzz had on a white mask with two different sides, the left, sad with the mouth open, and the right, burnt and evil, both features with great wrinkles; Funny Man wore a black cloth mask with a silver pattern on it, in the style of Mexican masked wrestlers Lucha Libre; and finally, Danny, a gold mask with strict features and a Latin cross made from the casings from bullets. The crowd lost it as soon as they began to perform the first song; some even began to crowd surf. Next song to play was “Tendencies”, the fans continuing to sing along whole-heartedly, and the band members pointing to a few of them and dancing around to the beat of the song. Following was “Been to Hell” then the band took of their masks to continue performing the next song, their current single, “Dead Bite”. Through the speedy setlist, the band played their classic songs including, “Up in Smoke”, “Kill Everyone”, and “City”. Very catchy tunes indeed and the vibe they created on the stage was definitely indescribable, one had to have been there to experience the party they had on stage. The fans danced along to the beat and rhythm of the songs “California” and “From the Ground”, as the crowd sang along to the killer lyrics Hollywood Undead was throwing at them.

    Oh, but the party does not end there, they continued with more of their fantastic classics, “Delish”, “Comin’ In Hot”, as well as the ridiculously cheery song, “Bullet”, and a song they dedicated to the troops, “Paradise Lost”. After the performance of “Another Way Out”, they carried on with “Young” to which their original backdrop of the cursive HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD on top of a white fading to gray background was suddenly dropped and revealed a black and white vertical striped backdrop with the band’s symbol, a dove carrying a grenade on each of the black stripes.

    Subsequent to the performance of “Hear Me Now”, the lights shut off and the band exited the stage, then the overhead lights began to turn on, causing the fans to chant for an encore. Then someone in the speakers above announced that the band was finished for the evening, and subsequently encouraged the fans to chant “everywhere I go”. As the fans continued to chant, the opening notes to “Everywhere I Go” played, causing the fans to cheer out with excitement as the band stepped out from the shadows to finish their set. The grand finale was “We Are”, to which Johnny 3 Tears had to stop it after singing the beginning chorus because he admitted to messing up, then the band started the song from the beginning and continued to play without any further flaws. They left the fans wanting more and in a crazed hype.

    Overall, Hollywood Undead knows how to bring the party to the stage and they brought the undead to life. Prior to the beginning of the evening, Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the opportunity to interview Johnny 3 Tears, which can be seen below. Be sure to check the band’s Facebook page to see if the party will be coming to a town near you, this is a band you will not want to miss out on.

  • Review: ALL HAIL THE YETI Crushes The Fillmore

    IMG_3676The excited mixed chatter from the concertgoers died down as soon as the overhead lights dimmed, hinting it was All Hail the Yeti’s time to rock the stage. The music playing above quietly turned into a swamp-sounding ambience, the lights shined blue, red, and a forest like green to set the heavy mood. One by one, the band members emerged from the shadows, Connor Garritty (vocals), Craw NeQuent (guitar), Nick Diltz (bass), and Steve White (drums). As soon as the band started to perform their first song, “Deep Creek”, Garritty unleashed an almighty, bone-chilling scream, one that would make the neck hairs stand up. Following was “When the Sky Falls” filled with intense beats provided by White, Garritty’s screams intensifying, and Craw released his killer guitar skills. By the third song, “Suicide Woods”, the crowd definitely got into the band enough to heighten their head banging. The band continued with the last few heavy songs “After the Great Fire”, “Bloodguilt” and “The Art of Mourning”.

    Hearing their set brought Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel back to when she interviewed Nick Diltz and Craw NeQuent on March 30th, when the band opened for In This Moment at Upstate Concert Hall, during sound check. To say the least, it ended up being an entertaining interview. “The band used to be called just ‘Yeti’, there was just the single word for a long time and we ended up having to change it a couple years ago ‘cause of some legal issues, there was another band called ‘Yeti’. So All Hail the Yeti was sort of like our battle cry anyway, we had it on a lot of our promotional stuff and all our URLs were ‘/AllHailTheYeti’ so it was kind of a pretty natural change,” said Diltz when asked about the history of the band name. He then proceeded to explain that a yeti is the Himalayan Nepalese term for “bigfoot.” “The singer and I are like real enthusiasts of all that kind of stuff…cryptozoology and bigfoot and all that kind of folklore and stuff and also we thought it fit the sound, just kind of heavy, slow moving, crushing kind of persona,” he continued. “Backwoods,” chimed in NeQuent. “Yeah, backwoods…mythical, larger than life all of that stuff we feel like applies to the sound and the band also.”

    IMG_3697The description of the band’s sound that Diltz and NeQuent provided can be heard throughout the set as well as the band’s influences including Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed, Robert Johnson, Dimes, Zakk Wylde, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Down, Crowbar, and many more. “I think that one of the greatest things about this band is that we all have kind of an eclectic musical taste; we’re all kind of different in what we listen to. We listen to so many different things, like there are so many metal bands that they listen to just metal and they live that metal life and they wear metal t-shirts and they go to metal shows…we’re just, I feel like we’re kind of…we just go so much further beyond that with our influences.” As for what their music reflects about the band, the answer to that question was briefly interrupted by banging drums. “Someone’s banging on the door let me go answer it…Hold on a minute!” shouted Craw. A moment of laughter was shared between the three before Nick proceeded to answer. “It’s the reason why I play metal, it’s so much more of the fact that I like it, obviously there’s more to my lifestyle than just making metal music but I choose to make metal because it’s fun, there’s something about it, just that energy, that pounding rush that you get from making it and the crowd response from the fan base so it’s…it’s such a unique style, it lets you get so much energy, you get to be all aggressive,” said Diltz. “It’s not formulated, we don’t go inside the studio and go ‘ok, we’re gonna sound just like this.’ It is what it is, whatever you feel that day. If you’re pissed off, cool…” added NeQuent. Before the next question could escape Drexel, the heavy banging of the drums commenced yet again. “I’ll be right there, girl! Shit!” shouted Craw, causing all three to bust out with laughter.

    IMG_3658Apparently, this tour with Hollywood Undead wasn’t All Hail the Yeti’s first cycle with them; previously, they did a Canadian tour with the rap/metal band. “We’re actually surprised at the fans, how they reacted to us because they’re kind of a metal hip-hop band, or whatever you wanna call them but their audiences go from like literally ten years old to the parents to everywhere in between, but honestly by the second or third song, you know, hitting the gas, everybody started moshing so it’s pretty damn cool to see that,” said Nick before the guitar riffs from the tech crew began to interfere with the interview plus the heavy banging of the drums. “I don’t know if you can hear us now! There’s a little bit of construction going on! It’s Van Halen, they’re fixing my yard!” yelled Craw over the noise. “Goddammit Eddie!” Both Drexel and Diltz got into a pretty big laughing fit before she could ask the last question as well as her favorite one: what does music mean to you? “Everything. I was born living and breathing and feeling music and from an early age, I was always just like this is something I need to do, it speaks to me and I understand it. Not everybody gets to do this and so I shouldn’t take it for granted. We’re all here for the same reason, we’re hear to make music because we love it and because this is something we’ve always dreamed of.” As for Craw’s response: “Absolutely everything! Sacrifice and adaptation are two words that I live by, because you have to sacrifice everything to do this and you have to adapt to whatever comes your way, and I’ve been doing this for a little while now and I love what I do. You have to love it.”

    Be sure to check out All Hail the Yeti’s self-titled album, available for digital download and check their Facebook for upcoming tour dates. This band can put on one HELL of a show.

  • Review: 3 PILL MORNING Suits Up at The Fillmore

    IMG_3699The crowd was still hyped from the performance that All Hail the Yeti put on for them but they were in for a treat as Minneapolis’s very own 3 Pill Morning was ready to hit the stage. The venue darkened once again and the music quieted as the band’s electronic-sounding introduction took its place, and one by one, the band members made their presence known; Jeff Stebbins, Ryan Welch (guitar), Ryan Lee (bass/vocals), and Trent Laugerman (drums), all wearing suits in support of their debut record released last year, Black Tie Love Affair. “It’s actually a lyric in one of our songs called ‘Skin’ and we pulled that out and we liked the Black Tie Love Affair concept and that’s even kind of come even further to our stage show and us wearing suits on stage and all that kind of stuff, so it’s become what this whole album is about and it’s been really cool,” explained Stebbins to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel, when asked about the album title.

    IMG_3747The band began to play their first song from the set, the one that really set the mood right, “Revolution”, followed by “Nothings Real”. The fans sang along to the lyrics passionately, some having a look on their faces as though they can relate to them. Earlier in the evening, Stebbins mentioned that the inspirations used to write the album were based on life experiences, “you know, stuff you see day in to day out, ranging from relationship stuff to stuff you see other people doing that drives you crazy to that sort of call to action kind of things, you know, life, just living.” The next to play was the band’s current killer single, “I Want That for You”; the crowd bounced to the beat and mouthed the words in an excited manner. “They evolve singing lyrics into a cell phone or typing some stuff out, a guitar riff or whatever just pops into the top of our heads. It really varies on every song. The cool part about it is you’ll never know where it’s going to come from or how you got there but it gets there eventually,” explained Stebbins when asked about the evolution of their song ideas. Subsequently the band played “Take Control” to which Stebbins encouraged the crowd to wave their arms from side to side, then “Rain” and the band’s first single, “Loser” played next. “We played a lot of amazing ones, you know, right now, I’d have to say The Fillmore in Detroit…it’s got some really cool architecture to it, a really awesome room. Same thing with the House of Blues in Boston, just massive, really cool vibe there. Those two are definitely at the top of my list,” said Jeff, explaining his favorite venues and why. The band’s vibe was through the roof, just absolutely intense and incredible; Lee and Welch rocking out hard to their bass and guitar, Laugerman beating the drums with such fierceness and Stebbins, filled with such energy, jumping as high as gravity allowed him.

    IMG_3739The last song on their set was “Skin”, and Jeff shared his answer to Drexel’s last question as well as her favorite: what does music mean to you?: “It’s changed so much over the years; I mean music to begin with was just a way that I could find a link to what I was going through and somebody I had written a song about and being able to sing about it and express myself about it. Now music has become more an opportunity to make a living and a career and something that’s a part of me every single day, you know, it’s what I do now, instead of being able to experience it as a listener or something like that. To begin with, it’s just what helps shape who you are and helps you get through those tough times or celebrate the good times, too, so it does a lot of different things for different emotions and experiences.”

    All in all, the band can put on a killer performance with such high energy. Be sure to check their Facebook to see when they hit a town near you. Black Tie Love Affair is available for digital download. If you want a good time, go see this band, they certainly know how to put on a show!

  • Slaughterhouse Chorus played a hard punk set in the middle of an alternative rock show

    The Slaughterhouse Chorus, local punk, played a wake up set — that is, everyone woke up – at The Hollow Bar in Albany on Saturday, July 6. The group of young men dared to bring their chaotic chords into a show featuring headliners Stellar Young, Davenport Cabinet, and Carl Daniels. Needless to say, the acoustic/alternative crowd received the band well.

    As the world ages, so does the sound of music; this is indisputable. The same is true for metal. As years pass, it seems as though more and more sounds have blended into the equation of what should and can be deemed metal; and more importantly, what a metal head will listen to.

    The Slaughterhouse Chorus, although largely seen as punk, exhibits this trend. Their music isn’t just one thing. It’s a blend. Fans of Danko Jones and Bayside will enjoy them, but if you bought the metalcore trend of the last decade, featuring bands like Unearth, you may enjoy the blend.

    The band performed some of their signatures – “Built for BBQ,” “Amber Waves of Cocaine,” “How Can You Put a Price on Refreshments?”, and more. Additionally, the crowd was excited and began to mosh.

    The band’s sound, as seen at The Hollow Bar concert is formed by four members, Chris Jordan on vocals and guitar, Jay Bonafide on guitar, Dale Nixon on bass, and Mark McKenna on Drums. The four played a set in Lake George earlier in the day, fulfilling their Facebook promise of “coming to a barbecue near you.”

    While the band is energetic, Jordan’s vocals sound like they may need some work. Sure, he can sing, but after one song, he was hoarse, which is uncommon for a technique – learned person. However, only he knows.

    Otherwise, the music was accessible and the lyrics were “relatable.” If this crossover band keeps chipping, they will eventually break through to the top.

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  • Turkuaz Lays Down the Funk on the Westcott Theater

    Brooklyn based power funk/soul/jam band Turkuaz dropped it hard on the Westcott Theater Saturday June 29th. Although a relatively smaller event in terms of attendance, Turkuaz fans and all the funky people in the house got down to the sound with no lack of soul.

    Turkuaz is a ten-piece band with a solid battalion of horns, rhythm, vocals and chords that round out a funky groove. Their compositions reflect an innovative and musically sophisticated take on the often repetitive funk sound – think James Brown telling you to “get on up” over and over again. Turkuaz has taken funk to a whole new level by composing multilayered, multi-movement funk orchestrations. If funk-opera were a thing, Turkuaz would be the originators. Their songs suggested a foundation built around tight and well-balanced vocal arrangements that utilized a number of band members. Slightly raspy and classically punchy guitarist Dave Brandwein traded off lead vocals with smoother, soulful, baritone sax player Josh Schwartz, while the team of midriff showing, short-skirt sporting, hip-shaking “back-up” vocalists Geneva Williams and Sammi Garett brought that unequivocal soul sister sound loud, proud and crystal clear. The band’s trumpet player, Chris Brouwers, even chimed in with some high harmonies on a number or two.

    But back to business folks…The backbone of any funk group is of course, the bass. Floppy-hat wearing, shadow-dwelling Taylor Shell played laser-accurate, complex lines while executing with an interesting muddy-thuddy sound (reminiscent of reggae bass). This was another funk contrast, as a lot of funk hits hard on the treble end, accenting the highly percussive slapping and popping innovated by Bootsy Collins of Parliament Funkadelic. This effect brings the baseline to the forefront as a lead instrument. While Shell’s bass lines provided a rhythmic and technically interesting platform to work off of, they somewhat melted into the heartbeat of the overall sound, sometimes drowned out a bit by the bass drum, delivered by the vigorous Michelangelo Carubba.

    Turkuaz continued this trend of funk-innovation and non-traditional experimentation throughout the night, as they demonstrated their ability to improvise well enough to hang with any jammin Jerry-Lovin’ audience. Worth noting is the  screaming saxophone solo by Greg Sanderson and a tripped-out, phaser-laden trumpet interlude by Chris Brouwers. Top the night off with a classic cover of “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave to get the crowd singing along and this one was the bag. Turkuaz was captivating and refreshing to listen to, sexy to watch, and as all good funk typically should be, a funkin heck of a good time.

    For up to date information on the band and tour dates please visit Turkazband.com

  • Jonesin’ for more Counting Crows at Turning Stone on 7/2

    When Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers came out to the cheering crowd at Turning Stone on July 2nd, the electricity was in the air – people were ready to dance and sway in their seats. The Wallflowers set included favorites like, “One Headlight” and “6th Avenue Heartache”.  They also covered a couple classics, first a Box Tops song, “The Letter”, early on in the set that the crowd really seemed to enjoy.

    Later in the set they performed a Rolling Stones tune, “Loving Cup”.  The sound was crisp and while Jakob seemed to be slightly on autopilot he interacted a few times with the crowd.  Mostly seated the whole set, he encouraged the over-30 concert goers to get up and move a little.  It took a little coaxing but by the time the last song of the set “The Difference” came around, most people were up and dancing.

    Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows on the other hand started off with a bang.  They came onstage and played one of their most famous songs to get things heated up in a hurry, “Mr. Jones”.  This led into one of Adam’s chats with the crowd while the band changed up instruments.  The music was flowing nicely and the crowd seemed to be on their feet for the whole set, except perhaps during the intimate “A Long December”, where Adam played piano under a warm spotlight. The Counting Crows also played a number of covers along with their big hits from the 90’s.  One of the covers during the main set was extra special, “Return of the Grievous Angel” by Gram Parsons, with co-writer Thomas Brown in the audience at Turning Stone.  The set ended with a long and powerful “A Murder of One” as seen in the video below.

    When the set ended, Adam didn’t want to get off the stage and was milking every last minute he could.  He talked about acting locally and the Greybird Foundation (greybirdfoundation.org).  The Greybird Foundation was founded because people feel small as the world expands and they need to feel like they can make a difference. So, the Greybird Foundation helps find the people down the street from you who are trying to do their part to help.  Typically at Counting Crows shows there are booths of local non-profits but the comfortable indoor seating that we were all thankful for wasn’t large enough or able to accommodate that part of the experience.

    The Counting Crows wanted to stay on stage so badly that they did two difference two-song encores.  The first included a cover of the Grateful Dead classic, “Friend of the Devil” and another well-known Crows tune “Hangin’ Around”.  The second encore was Bob Dylan‘s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” followed by “Holiday in Spain”.

    The festivities at Turning Stone didn’t stop when the show ended either.  As with most shows at the casino, there is a drawing that every ticket holder is eligible for to win a signed guitar.  This time it was autographed by the members of both bands, and the lucky winner was Cassie from Oneida (just down the road from Verona). It was a great night of music helping to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the casino.  Many more great shows are coming up, be sure to keep an eye out for them.

    Set: Mr. Jones, Untitled (Love Song) (The Romany Rye cover), St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream, Hanging Tree, Hospital (Coby Brown cover), Colorblind, Start Again (Teenage Fanclub cover), Anna Begins, Hard Candy, Meet on the Ledge, A Long December, Return of the Grievous Angel (Gram Parsons cover), A Murder of One

    Encore: Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover), Hanginaround

    Encore 2: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover), Holiday in Spain