The lights gracefully brighten the stage and the audience finds themselves looking at colorful scarves draped across the microphone. It was only last fall that this Brooklyn based band played a sold-out show here in Syracuse and tonight, the Westcott Theatre is packed with a returning jubilant crowd gathered to see one of their favorite jam bands play. To the right is a middle-aged woman in a wheelchair, circling around in anticipation as singer Kalmia Traver aligns her saxophone carefully next to the mic. To the left are a red plastic cup holding college students chanting, “Rubblebucket” repeatedly. It is evident this band appeals to more than just one social scene. Armed with their wide pallet of instruments, the eight-member band takes on the stage like a stirring of galloping ponies, ready to show the town how to have a good time.
The band opens with “Bikes”, which brings back the tootsie-rolling, toe tinkling feeling of the early Free Design records. Traver showers the crowd with glitter and pulls out crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser from her setlist. In the middle of the band’s performance of “L’homme”, she casually pulls off the bright yellow scarf from around her painted face, to reveal a clean-shaven head, with a heart shaped buzz cut in the center that she dyed red. One can leave it up to Traver to even turn her recovery from ovarian cancer into a fashion statement. Traver, who had to cancel her summer shows because of her sickness, seems to have emerged even better than before. Her humming-to-the-flowers melody in “Silly Fathers” makes that apparent.
By the end of the night, everyone left the show a little worn out from all the “silly” dancing encouraged by the band, but the huge smiles plastered on their faces said that the experience was worthwhile, even if that meant showing up to work a little hung-over the next morning.
The Fourth Annual Glamour Kills Tour with headliner Mayday Parade, along with Cartel, Man Overboard, and Stages and Stereo played to a sold out crowd this Thursday in Syracuse.
The night kicked off with Florida rockers, Stages and Stereo. After reading their story, I was eagerly anticipating their performance, and to say I was not disappointed is an understatement. Lead vocalist, Daniel Lancaster’s boundless energy and incredible stage presence easily won the audience over. Singing their hit “Small Town Favorites”, these guys make you feel like they could be your neighbors, people you have known all your life. Stages and Stereo was the perfect band to begin an exciting night of music. I have a feeling we willl be hearing a lot more from them.
Next up was Georgia natives Cartel, touring in support of their new album, Collider. The band kept the show energetic, playing songs like their hit “Honestly”. These guys have been together for ten years with four full lengths and two EPs. Cartel delivered a tight performance; they are a band who has truly found their groove.
Next was Man Overboard from New Jersey. They performed with a lot of passion. Although, it seemed that it took them a few songs to find their groove. By the end of their set they had pulled together and had the crowd rocking.
Finally comes the moment we had been waiting for. The crowd comes alive and begins to chant. Mayday Parade takes the stage and makes it their own. They begin their set with the first single, “Ghosts” of their latest album, Monsters in the Closet. The performance continues with a mixture of old and new songs, keeping the crowd engaged the entire time. Lead vocalist Derek Sanders is not only incredibly talented, but also inspiring, as he stops for a brief moment to talk to his fans about life and love.
Then the best part of the entire night comes when Mayday slows things down. The lights dim and Derek Sanders and drummer, Jake Bundrick, sit down and begin singing their hit “Miserable at Best”. Immediately the crowd begins to sing along, creating an intimate and memorable moment between the band and their adoring fans. They close their set with, “Three Cheers for Five Years” from their first album.
These guys put on an amazing show. I would recommend that anyone who gets the chance, to catch the Glamour Kills Tour before it ends this year. It was definitely a night to remember.
Few bands can maintain the longevity that Chicago has over the last 44 years and can still pack the house as they did November 5th at The Stanley Center for the Performing Arts in Utica along with the Utica Symphony Orchestra. It’s amazing how this band has stood the test of time and persevered in the beginning through tumultuous times that revolved around war, peace, equal rights, and continued throughout the next few decades evolving as artists and still connecting with audiences through generations to come. It is their innate ability to transcend us to a specific time and place the moment we hear them. Few bands have the ability to say they accomplished this throughout several generations.
This comes as no surprise though as their background outlines how cutting edge and unique that have always been. In 1969 a group of talented young men had a vision for music to combine rock and roll, swing, and jazz in a way that showcased these genres in a new edgy way. Radio did not know how to market them as their sound was so unique and different, It didn’t fit into any one genre; so airtime was limited. Still this didn’t hinder the group in continuing to write, record, and perform and soon an underground college scene had embraced them as the next best thing on the music scene. Even more unique was their first album debuted as a double album, due to the abundance of music they had to share. Even the graphics on each album indicate their continuance for quality and uniqueness, featuring their logo in new and different ways.
For Chicago is was always the music that was the focus. In the years following, Chicago continued to tour and record more than 34 award willing albums. Their sound as distinct as it is, evolved with the times and their flexibility and ability to remain creative has endured like few other bands have. Even through difficult times and loss of bandmates, this band continues forward, and to this date records and performs like no other. It is the individual talent that each member brings to the table, that makes this band work. They are truly great as a “whole” because of the sum of their talented parts.
James Pankow
It is under this umbrella that Munson Williams Proctor qualifies Chicago as “Great Artists”. For over 70 years, Proctor has brought the Central New York region the most talented artists in their Great Artist Series. Chicago exemplifies this designation. Founding band members Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow,, and Ray Hermann still see the vision of what they began, and new members Tris Imboden, Lou Pardini, Keith Howland, and Walfredo Reyes, Jr. continue to follow suit and bring audiences to their feet with favorites such “Saturday In the Park”, “25 or 6 to 4”, “Beginnings”, and/or “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is”. The magic however is their ability to reach audiences of multi-generations with both favorites and new music. In the studio recording, even while touring is not out of the norm for these talented musicians. However, pairing them with the Utica Symphony Orchestra definitely put an already amazing performance over the top and raised the bar for all over venues to follow during their 2013 tour.
Lee Loughnane, Walt Parazaider, James Pankow
Forty Four years is a long time to continue in any field of work. However, you can tell while experiencing their live show that to them this is not work. Their energy and love of what they do is apparent and infectious. Audiences worldwide thank you for sharing this love and your uniqueness for generations past and future. Central New York thanks you for joining forces with our very own Utica Symphony Orchestra to provide the most memorable performance ever.
Chris Cornell has been impressing audiences for decades and the Buffalo crowd on November 5th was no exception. Before singing the first note, the singer of Audioslave and Soundgarden fame walked right up to the front row and warmly greeted the eager audience with handshakes and hugs. The tone was set for an intimate evening with the legendary singer.
He started the solo acoustic performance with “Scar on the Sky” and treated the nearly sold out crowd to almost two and a half hours of musical talent spanning over 20 years of his musical career. Stripped down to just a voice and a guitar, Cornell’s raspy voice stood out and with power and emotion. Playing favorite tunes such as “Hunger Strike” and “Sunshower”, Cornell kept the crowds excitement at a high. In between songs, Cornell told stories behind the meaning of each tune. He explained, “Dandelion” was written for his unborn daughter while anticipating her arrival. He also remarked that “Can’t Change Me” was written when he was tired of worrying about others perceptions of him.
Cornell’s performance wasn’t without tribute to old friend Andy Wood from Cornell’s early days with his first band, Mother Love Bone. When a man in the crowd yelled, “Play something for Andy!” Cornell acknowledged his late band mate in playing, the Mother Love Bone song, “Man of Golden Words”.
With a heartfelt thank you to the audience, Cornell closed with a six song encore leaving the crowd on it’s feet in grateful applause.
Setlist: Scar on the Sky, Silence the Voices, You Know My Name, Dandelion, Original Fire, Sunshower, Halfway There, Fell on Black Days, Getaway Car, As Hope and Promise Fade, One, Seasons, The Day I Tried to Live, Two Drink Minimum, Can’t Change Me, When I’m Down, Man of Golden Words, Wooden Jesus, Hunger Strike
Encore: Cleaning My Gun, Doesn’t Remind Me, A Day in the Life, I Am the Highway, Imagine, Black Hole Sun
New York City’s Tauk and Buffalo’s Aqueous (TAUQ?) have a problem. The bands had teamed up for the second time of their seven appearances together this fall only to discover, that not one, but BOTH band’s vans are under duress. Luckily, after some quick warranty work, the Tauk-mobile was back in action, and in true musical brotherhood form, they escorted the Aqueous boys on time to Ithaca for their dual show at Lot 10 on October 25th.
The venue is new to the Ithaca scene and sits conveniently off the downtown Commons area on South Cayuga Street. Composed of a lower lounge area that features DJs and couches and an upper area with a bar and stage, it’s certainly a welcome addition to a city that has struggled to find a central place for musical gathering since the 2012 closing of Castaways.
Tauk kicked things off around 10:30 with their self described brand of rock fusion. Sounding like a prog-ified MMW with shades of Zappa and King Crimson thrown in, the bands buzz is well deserved. Virtual soundscapes abound between shifting rock-based tension and smooth jazzy ambiance throughout the set. The mostly instrumental songs enveloped the amassing crowd of Gorge-us Ithacans who appreciatively hollered for more. And more they were given in the form of a top notch outro cover of, in this reporters opinion anyway, the BEST Beatles song ever, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”.
Buffalo’s groove rock powerhouse Aqueous was up next, taking the stage shortly after midnight to a relatively packed house given the cold Southern Tier evening. Having hit the area heavily over the past few years, the band has gathered a local fan base who danced their asses off for seemingly every note of the set. Amongst the set of excellent original material the band still found time for a quick jam on P Diddy’s “Bad Boy’s For Life” with Tauk’s drummer Isaac Teel happily offering up some vocal offerings. After a quick and delicious encore of Radiohead’s “Just”, both bands disappeared into the cool Finger Lakes night.
Fear not if you missed this excellent band duo, as Upstate NY has two more chances to see Tauk and Aqueous team up. This Friday, Rochester gets the love at The DubLand Underground. (18+ 7$ 10pm). Saturday they are off to the legendary Nietzsche’s in Buffalo. (21+ 7$ 9:30PM)
Check out Tauk’s newest single “Sunshine Harry” here.
The crowd started to grow antsy while waiting for Prospect Hill‘s arrival. Clusters of costumed concertgoers inched in closer to the stage once the crew began to set up for the main event. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the band emerged from the shadows and without hesitation; Prospect Hill started their set with “Dirty Mother”, “S.O.E.”, and “A Patriots Theme”. They really brought Halloween to life with war painted faces and costumes. Because of the illumination of the stage, they looked fairly terrifying.
Horns were jumping, bodies were bouncing, and songs were sung along to or mouthed to. Prospect Hill knew how to get the crowd going as they continued with “Roller Coaster”, “Into the Light”, “Secret Me”, and “Super Hero”. Their performance was just so mesmerizing, their music filled with catchy lyrics and killer beats. Next, they played one of their recent singles, “Manchester”, followed by their new upcoming single, “Step Out of Line”. Prospect Hill then finished their set with “Townie” and “Come Alive” from their recent album, Impact.
All in all, Prospect Hill knew how to start the weekend right; they played a fantastic set and their energy was through the roof. Be sure to check out their Facebook for future tour dates and their next single, “Step Out of Line”, will be available for download on November 12th.
The mixed chatter of fans melted into cheers the lights in the Gramercy Theater dimmed. It was time for We As Human to take the stage. One by one, each band member emerged from the darkness, and not a moment was wasted as they began their set with “Sever,” “Dead Man” and “Zombie.” Horns were waving, fans were mouthing along passionately and giant grins spread across their faces as they felt the band’s incredible energy wash over them. Justin Cordle, the band’s front man, gave a brief introduction before performing a song they have never played live, “Take the Bullets Away.” Excited shrieks escaped from the fans as Jake Jones began to play the opening riff. Finally, We As Human finished their set with “I Stand,” and their first single, “Strike Back.”
Much later, after their fantastic performance, Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the incredible opportunity to interview Justin Cordle and Jones outside of the venue in the craziness of the New York City nightlife. Out of the various topics discussed, the first to come to light was the song writing process, where their ideas come from and how they evolve.
“All over the place,” Cordle said through the loud hisses from nearby machines. “Whenever you write a song, a lot of the times, you go in what we call ‘go in cold’. You don’t have any ideas, and sometimes you can come up with something, and that’s pretty rare. So what I do is I have my phone, and I’ll be watching a movie, or I’ll be driving, or I’ll be in conversation with anyone, or I’ll be eating, it doesn’t matter, any time in life, and all of the sudden an idea will pop into my head, or I’ll watch a part in the movie that’s emotional, and I’ll get this idea. So, I grab my phone and I’ll sing it into my phone, or I will write it down or whatever, and that way when I go in to write, and I have time to write, I can go through all of my muses.”
Cordle is not the only one who uses his phone to record his ideas. “My phone is full of some really funny…,” said Jones as he proceeded to make guitar noises and played air guitar. “Oh my God, it’s the worst! I remember… it was one of our songs. I think it was ‘Taking Life’… I wrote ‘Taking Life’ by myself on my couch, and I remember before I wrote it, grabbing my phone and being like…” Cordle then proceeded to sing a verse from the song and an entertaining imitation of a drumbeat. “So when you actually go to write, you got these goofy little ideas. Some of them work, but most of them don’t, so it comes from all over the place. There’s no right or wrong when you write a song, just as long as it’s good in the end.” For the ones that do not make the cut, Justin calls that song a “Shrek.” After Jones and Kate made some funny remarks about the name, Justin explained why they call it that. “You want to put it in the swamp and never see it again. Like I’m not proud of that one.” Then Drexel told Justin that out of the whole album, “Let Me Drown” was her favorite, saying that it was beautifully written and touching. Cordle then recited her favorite verse from the song: “There’s a time to be born and a time to die / and somewhere they collide.” A chilling line to both Drexel and Cordle and, according to Justin, one of his favorite lines written.
Following a few distractions from passing fans stopping briefly to say hi to both Jones and Cordle, as well as few laughs, Drexel moved onto the next topic, their favorite part about touring. “Right now, top of my head, hanging out with my band,”Cordle said. “I hate that they’re here to hear this… look they’re already getting all sappy and emotional.” Jones acted like he was on the verge of tears, touched by his answer. “I love these dudes, like I have brother, and I love my brothers, but these guys… they’re something special,” Cordle said “It takes a real unique person and a real special person to be able to go on the road and live the way we live, work the hours we work, do the traveling we do, go through what we go through, because it’s not easy on the road. I honestly think most people would hate it. It’s totally sporadic and everything is different every day. It’s completely inconsistent, it’s really hard to sleep… it’s just hard to do.”
As for the “easy” side, the music and meeting their fans or, as they call themselves, “Humanoids”, is part of that package. The hard part is in between it all. Cordle then proceeded to joke about his love for his bandmates and how they spend their time together. “We still hang out together, just go rummage through cities and pick through dumpsters, beat up homeless people… the regular tour stuff.”
Jones had a completely different answer, elaborating the easy part of touring: “…It gives you an opportunity to finally meet all of these people that we see and talk to through Facebook and Twitter, and they email us, write us letters and bring us things, and we actually get to show them and tell them face to face how much we appreciate them, and what they really mean to us. We kind of get a chance to see how our hard work is paying off, because you really don’t know.”
When asked about favorite song(s) to perform live, Cordle and Jones gave two different answers. Jones’s is “I Stand,” and Cordle’s is “Take the Bullets Away.” “We just started doing ‘Take the Bullets Away’ on this tour,” Cordle said. “We have never done it before live. It’s my favorite song on the album. When I sing that song, I’m transported in a mind/time machine back to the moment I was writing that song. To the moment the lyrics came into my head. It’s all I can do to keep it together on stage. Like, it’s so emotional for me, personally, and I know for the guys, too. It’s a strong connection for us, so doing it live is such an amazing feeling.”
Drexel then expressed her amazement when she first heard the track featuring ex-Flyleaf front woman, Lacey Sturm’s killer scream, and Cordle concurred. “I thought that I screamed good, then she goes in and makes me sound like the girl. That’s what she did. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me’?!” Cordle then admitted that he hopes that will be the next single.
Regarding We As Human‘s collaboration with Skillet‘s John Cooper on their track, “Zombie,” Cordle said, “He’s a really good friend of ours, and we were talking, the year before the album came out, about him coming in and doing a song with us. We didn’t know which one, and then when we had the album there, narrowed down to ten songs, he told us, ‘You guys pick the song, I’ll do whatever you want. You go make the arrangement, and I’ll go into the studio and make sure We As Human is represented here’. So we got the album. We were listening through all of the tracks, and when we got to ‘Zombie’, we were just like, ‘Oh, my God, of course!’ Skillet has a song called ‘Monster’, we have a song called ‘Zombie’, it was made to be!” Then Cordle, Jones and Drexel all conversed about the Carnival of Madness performance of the song.
Drexel then asked what We As Human have learned from being part of the Carnival of Madness tour that they would like to share. “I think it’s every band’s dream to play big arenas and stadiums, and now being one of those bands that has played huge arena shows, one thing that I didn’t realize, until we did it, was it is just as satisfying and fun to play the Gramercy Theater in New York for 500 people as it is to play for 25,000 people in Greensboro, N.C.. It is incredible!” exclaimed Cordle over the clunking of a piece of machinery a crew member was using to remove the letter tiles from the venue’s overhead board. “I didn’t realize until we really did it that. I thought it would be just this huge, euphoric experience, like ‘I can’t believe…’ like you’re doing a 360 and there’s people everywhere.” There was such an amazement and reminiscent look about Cordle as he continued to explain what he had learned from that tour. “I wish that I had realized that earlier on in our career when we were playing bars and clubs and things like that, music venues, because I think I wouldn’t have such an, ‘Oh, if we could only be in arenas’ kind of a feel. I feel like I would’ve been a lot more content to do what we’re doing. So we just really learned to enjoy all of the shows, big or small, and that’s what I would encourage these bands that are coming up to do.”
The interview was briefly interrupted as fans continued to say a quick hi/bye to Cordle and Jones. More of New York’s loud and lively ambiance continued through Cordle’s answer. “We have a few bands that have this kind of idealism. Are you playing for ten people or are you playing for 10,000 people? Just play the same show, they all pay the same amount of money to get there. So that’s what I’ve learned. Is just to appreciate the smaller shows, and you can have just as much fun, sometimes more. It’s just a whole ‘nother dynamic, trying to reach out and connect with the fan that’s forty feet away, past a railing, and then security guards, and then barriers, then seats, people you can’t even see in the back of the arena. You have to relearn how to get to that person who’s in the back, how to make them feel like you know they’re there.”
Drexel and Cordle then discussed how the bigger shows are not as intimate as the shows played in smaller venues like the Gramercy Theater.
Finally, Drexel wrapped up the interview with a random question: if you could be a fly on the wall in any room, where would you go? After hemming and hawing, Cordle eventually came up with the most entertaining answer. “I hate terrorists, so I think it would be cool to be a fly on their wall and then go back and tell our awesome armed forces, ‘Hey, guess what these fools are up to?’ and then just break it down. Fly single-handedly saving the world… boom! I just imagine me flying back to Washington and hitting a windshield on the way back. ‘No! I could’ve saved the world! And now I’m dead!’” A good moment of laughter was shared before Jones gave his answer, somewhat similar to what Cordle said. “The Oval Office. That was the first place that popped into my head. There are just so many secrets that you don’t know for good reason, and I’d like to know what they are.” Then Cordle and Jones joked that they could be the flies that stick together, and how they should have a secret handshake. They attempted to come up with said secret handshake. Definitely a great way to end the interview and the evening, to leave the city with a giant grin.
Be sure to check the band’s website for future tour dates. Their self-titled debut album is available for digital download and purchase at your nearest music store. This is a band worth checking out!
Jungle Boogie Music Carnival made its home for two days at Roaring Brooke Ranch in the heart of the Lake George region in Upstate, NY this past Halloween weekend. Guests checked in around 3pm on Friday, October 25th, and freely explored the grounds until the music on all three stages began just before sunset.
The resort has a 1970’s, vintage vibe to it, complete with cabin style hotel rooms scattered around the secluded property – this ranch is fit for an adventure. A large pond sits in the middle of the site, surrounded by weeping willow trees, it’s alive with wildlife and colorful autumn foliage. The festival attracted anyone who was into raging for a weekend in a beautiful resort area, and indulging in the Halloween spirit of the season.
The energy overall was full of curiosity – each space offering something completely different. At every turn there was something new to explore, some energetic realm to indulge in. In the main lodge, the Boogie Stage was set up along with local arts-n-crafts vendors and live painters. A large bar sat next to the stage serving classy drinks during all hours of the night. Just around the corner, guests could explore the Psy-trance Room – this space was decked out with multiple geometric cloth tapestries and black light fixtures. Everything was bright, radiating color, and the crowd was a true blend of every kind.
The Jungle Room with its electronic stage within a classy banquet hall, a perfect fit for a drum and bass get down. Lights, and fog filled the room, jungle flowers hung from the ceiling, and artists were selling their home-made t-shirts and glowing art pieces in the foyer.
Like the most famous festivals of Europe, the Psy-trance stage got everyone’s feet stomping, body’s swaying, and hearts pumping. After chatting with Psy-trance artist Meg from Xena Linguist, it became clear just how dedicated this genre’s group of artists actually are to their realm of music. She explained she had been introduced to this style of music only a few months ago and was “Deeply moved by its fast paced rhythms and dedicated following.” Its creativity and flowing art, makes psy-trance music and culture truly intriguing and appealing to anyone who is looking to soak up raw talent while connecting with people of all kinds.
In the Jungle Room electronic artists like Getter, Evac Protocol and JPHELPS, rocked the bodies of everyone who entered their domain Friday night. It was like walking into a European night-club with neon décor covering the space. Laser light shows kept things colorful and each artist had the finest beats to enliven the crowd and ignite some serious dancing. The rich design of decorating turned the industrial like space into a lively jungle, and had the most diverse group of people relishing in its sound all weekend long. With live dancers on stage, Saturday’s Jungle Room set was the most impressive with beats by Jennifer Haley, Trollphace, Megalodon, and of course the United Kingdom’s, Adam F.
Creators chose to call the Lodge stage, the “Boogie Stage” for a reason. Every band that played this stage knew how to get funky. Friday night the acoustic duo, Jake and Doug showed off their natural talent with seemingly effortless playing on the guitar and djembe. Their Reggae-esque style was a call to all and their Sublime covers did not disappoint.
High Peaks Band played an impressive set with a rich blend of originals and covers. The headliner of the fest, Twiddle, rocked out perfect phish-like jams. Formula 5 kept the crowd begging for more well into the early morning hours. Impressing even the most devoted Umphrey’s and moe. fans, this band proves themselves to be one of the best on the local jam band scene.
Joe Davis has just about mastered the guitar and Mike McDonald’s skills on keys are unmatched. Their killer set had people talking all weekend. Day two brought Digital Dharma, Flux Capacitor, Shwizz, lucid, and Capital Zen to the party. All of these bands rocked the place in their own unique way. With the crowd dressed in costume and ready to party, the music on the Boogie Stage just kept coming.
Flux Capacitor really impressed with their balanced blend of electronic and rock jams – a new up and coming band that is already taking the live music scene by storm. One could describe them as having a Lotus-like sound, but then when you least expect it they turn on the heavy, and you find yourself head banging.
As always lucid covered just about every genre there is to cover and had the crowd happy and feeling right at home within their sound. With their finely crafted songs and rootsy lyrics, this band always has the power to reel everyone in, while turning strangers into family in just one set.
Having been built on the premise of partying for a purpose through creating funds to educate and support wildlife, this event embodies the dedication it takes to create something with such meaning and truth. By booking local as well as international acts who are capable of exploring multiple genres. Scheduling allowed for the creation of music lasting until all hours of the night. This festival also employed some of the friendliest staff on the scene, welcoming all guests to after parties all weekend long, and offering safe cabins to retreat to, all while Halloween is heavy in the air. Jungle Boogie has it going on! Festivals of this kind are the way to go and the wide stretch of true talent is something to be celebrated – This event is one for the books!
World renowned mandolin master Chris Thile held a special solo performance for ‘Bachtober’ this past Sunday October 27th, at The College of Saint Rose’s Massry Center for the Arts. The venue is a 400 seat capacity recital hall, ranked high in the Capital Region for its energy efficiency and Earth-friendly structure. With such an intimate setting, Chris Thile was able to interact more closely with the audience, conveying his sense of humor and gifted story telling thru music.
When Thile isn’t performing solo, he is touring with his bluegrass band the Punch Brothers in addition to and most recently also performing with, pianist Brad Mehldau, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, guitarist Michael Daves and double bassist Edgar Meyer – to name a few. Thile paid tribute to one of his favorite musicians, Johann Sebastian Bach by performing pieces from Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 and by dubbing October as his personal Bachtober.
Chris Thile took the stage, singing aloud some scales as he tuned himself as well as his mandolin with the room grossly quiet. He laid out the agenda for the evening with explaining the layers of Bach, his “stuff”, Bach, more “stuff” and Bach in a friendly disposition. Thile was happy to celebrate the last Sunday of Bachtober in Upstate New York as he joked about the correct pronunciation of Albany. His Bach covers were observed in dead silence and a deep respect where as his original pieces caused rowdy outbursts from the crowd with delight and laughter.
The music brought out the best in Thile whether he was balancing on the tips of his toes, stomping the stage, or in a wide and strong stance. The audience could feel everything that he was feeling, just by watching the countless facial expressions with every note. Despite being seated the entire time, Thile made the room spin and soar as he jerked recklessly on the stage with complete control of his instrument.
Chris threw in a curveball when he covered Fiona Apple’s “Fast as You Can”, getting laughs as he sang, “And I’ll be your girl, if you say it’s a gift” and smiling at the crowd saying, “this is gonna be a fun night.” He took a moment to joke about how performers especially soloists must perform at least one but no more than three songs about the Civil War.
With that intro, he went into “Richmond is a hard road to travel”, an upbeat, catchy tune with fast spoken lyrics from Divided and United: The Songs of The Civil War, a collection of 32 Civil War era compositions with musicians from all generations. The audience was then asked to hunker down for the “Partita No. 1 in B minor”, a piece that Thile “absolutely adores” due the endless satisfaction he gets from how each movement has a double movement. He pushes himself to the limit with each note, occasionally wiping the sweat off his fingers onto his pants, receiving applause and a standing ovation that was deafening and well deserved.
Chris Thile concluded the evening with some light-hearted songs, “If You are Gonna Leave Me (Set Me Up with One of Your Friends)” also known as his campaign song if he were a politician and “Play You a Song on The Mandolin”. He commented on his love for the sound of the Massry Center, maybe due to its “waviness of things” noting on the protruding curved red wooden panels. Whether it’s Bach or bluegrass, Chris Thile is a spellbinding musician that brings life to contemporary and classic pieces as well as to his audiences around the globe.
A crisp late night in Saratoga began with DJ Leila and Jon Santolla (aka Mentally Ill) throwing down a heavy set to warm up the audience. Even from down the street it was obvious that this dynamic duo had taken the stage at Putnam Den with a vengeance. The set varied from hard drum and bass to more down-tempo trancy beats that layered into each other infiltrating the crowd with intensity. Leila and Santolla were the perfect opener to set the tone before Spencer and Bethany of Orchard Lounge took stage.
Orchard Lounge electrified the crowd into an all night dance party. The bar was pumping out glasses of water for all of the crowd, ragged form the hard dancing. Although the crowd was small, it left nothing to be desired in the way of energy. Bethany repeatedly looked up from her table and pointed out to the crowd mouthing “I love you guys,” clearly feeling the amount of energy the crowd was permeating out into the venue. A few times throughout the show, Bethany even jumped down off stage and let Spencer take charge while she fraternized and danced with her adoring fans. It is not very often that you see artists with as sizable a following that Orchard Lounge has being so down to earth and engaged with their fans. The entire set crossed so many boundaries and genres and took the night to levels of intricacy that are rarely seen from a set of DJs. One thing is for sure, when Spencer and Bethany take stage – there is no laziness and their stamina is impressive. Orchard Lounge took no breaks and continued the party well into the early hours of the morning, as the crowd lost no steam for the dance party that raged on. There was absolutely nothing lackluster about their entire set, which is why Orchard Lounge holds the following and fan base that they do. It is evident that all parties involved had a great time for O-Lounge’s first Saratoga experience.
He started the solo acoustic performance with “Scar on the Sky” and treated the nearly sold out crowd to almost two and a half hours of musical talent spanning over 20 years of his musical career. Stripped down to just a voice and a guitar, Cornell’s raspy voice stood out and with power and emotion. Playing favorite tunes such as “Hunger Strike” and “Sunshower”, Cornell kept the crowds excitement at a high. In between songs, Cornell told stories behind the meaning of each tune. He explained, “Dandelion” was written for his unborn daughter while anticipating her arrival. He also remarked that “Can’t Change Me” was written when he was tired of worrying about others perceptions of him.
The crowd started to grow antsy while waiting for Prospect Hill‘s arrival. Clusters of costumed concertgoers inched in closer to the stage once the crew began to set up for the main event. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the band emerged from the shadows and without hesitation; Prospect Hill started their set with “Dirty Mother”, “S.O.E.”, and “A Patriots Theme”. They really brought 
The mixed chatter of fans melted into cheers the lights in the 
When asked about favorite song(s) to perform live, Cordle and Jones gave two different answers. Jones’s is “I Stand,” and Cordle’s is “Take the Bullets Away.” “We just started doing ‘Take the Bullets Away’ on this tour,” Cordle said. “We have never done it before live. It’s my favorite song on the album. When I sing that song, I’m transported in a mind/time machine back to the moment I was writing that song. To the moment the lyrics came into my head. It’s all I can do to keep it together on stage. Like, it’s so emotional for me, personally, and I know for the guys, too. It’s a strong connection for us, so doing it live is such an amazing feeling.”
The interview was briefly interrupted as fans continued to say a quick hi/bye to Cordle and Jones. More of New York’s loud and lively ambiance continued through Cordle’s answer. “We have a few bands that have this kind of idealism. Are you playing for ten people or are you playing for 10,000 people? Just play the same show, they all pay the same amount of money to get there. So that’s what I’ve learned. Is just to appreciate the smaller shows, and you can have just as much fun, sometimes more. It’s just a whole ‘nother dynamic, trying to reach out and connect with the fan that’s forty feet away, past a railing, and then security guards, and then barriers, then seats, people you can’t even see in the back of the arena. You have to relearn how to get to that person who’s in the back, how to make them feel like you know they’re there.”
