NYS Music 20​13

Category: Special

  • Review: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Brings it to ROTR

    After the excitement of Love and Death, it was Hollywood Undead‘s turn to rock the stage. The crew began to clear the stage for Hollywood Undead‘s arrival: a synthesizer placed next to the drum kit, and with every checking of the microphones, the fans cheered loudly and drunkenly. The outdoor  music quieted down, hinting Hollywood Undead’s arrival.

    hollywood undeadThe first to make an appearance was J-Dog, who wore a white mask with gas filters on the cheek with a dollar sign drawn on the mouth, and on the forehead, God’s All Seeing Eye, as well as burned eyes that glowed red. With the synthesizer, he played the notes to the band’s first song, “Undead”. Next to appear was Da Kurlzz, wearing a theatrical mask with somewhat terrifying features; great wrinkles, and two half masks: one side sad with an open mouth and the other side, burnt and evil looking. He sat behind his drum kit and hit the beats to the song. Then the rest of the band members made their appearance. Charlie Scene walked out with his guitar wearing a gray bandana that said Charlie Scene and matte black specs. Johnny 3 Tears (vocals) wore a mask with elements of the mosaic with small parts: his signature 3 on the left side of the face and the pattern of butterflies to the right. Funny Man (vocals) wore a mask made of black cloth with a silver pattern on the face similar to the style of Mexican wrestler, Lucha Libre; on the right cheek were three white points and the initials FM on the forehead. Last but not least, Danny (vocals) came out with gold mask with strict features and a Latin cross on the left eye made from bullet casings. After the signature scream of “UNDEAD” by Johnny 3 Tears and Da Kurlzz, Danny sang the rest of the chorus clearly. The crowd began to move to the beat of the music, fist pumped and rocked the horns back and forth.

    They ripped through the next three songs from their 2011 record American Tragedy, “Tendencies”, “Been to Hell”, and “Comin’ in Hot”. At the end of “Been to Hell”, the band briefly went off stage to remove their masks for the remainder of the show. The same Spiderman crowd surfer from the Love and Death performance made his presence known yet again as other Rangers followed his example, one of them wearing a black body suit, and another fan holding a sign that read “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY SHOW ME YOUR TITS” while crowd surfing. Through the speedy setlist, Hollywood Undead ended their setlist with “Everywhere I Go”, where their drummer wore a horse head to try to follow the band’s footsteps, and the Rangers waved their arms from side to side to the rhythm of the song. The song was followed by the first single from their latest record, Notes from the Underground, “We Are”, where the fans, yet again, waved their arms from side to side.

    All in all, Hollywood Undead exceeded everyone’s expectations and gained new fans through their fantastic performance. The setlist was great, the vibe was unbelievable, and the tunes will be haunting the back of every Rangers’ minds.

  • Bound for Great Music: Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen Album Release Party

    Last Thursday night was filled with string picking, bow strumming and warm bluegrass music at Valentine’s in Albany in celebration of Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen second album, Bound for Abiquiu release party. The hosts were joined by their friends, The Grassroots Rebels and Driftwood, two Upstate New York bands that combine Americana and bluegrass with plenty of attitude and flair. With Memorial Day weekend upon us, the show was a great way to relax with simple songs and prepare for the sunny days ahead.

    Driftwood

    I have a good amount of friends that hail from Binghamton, who are obsessed with Driftwood and now I can understand why. The four piece stringed band took the stage and wasted no time by starting a musical ruckus. Claire Byrne is a furious fiddle player, who shakes the ground with heart as she played all night with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.  “Ooh keep it down for the banjo solo” yelled guitarist, Dan Forsyth, hushing the crowd and cranking up the banjo picking by Joe Kollar. The band has fantastic chemistry as there is constant communication on stage with words and instruments, everyone holding their own but still blending perfectly together. It isn’t until a few songs in that the crowd finally hears vocals and they were worth the wait. Driftwood has impeccable harmonies that give their melodies and lyrics a more heartfelt joy. The tunes had attention grabbing, sharp ends with steady, heart racing crescendos. Joey Arcuri brought out the bow on his standup bass giving the songs a new sound with darky, heavy notes.  As the set went on, Driftwood gave respects to Dan Johnson by repeatedly dedicating multiple songs to him as well as the venue.  Kollar joked that it was their best Albany crowd ever, considering they haven’t played the area in over a year and Claire added, “I like Valentine’s and Dan Johnson.”  My favorite song of the night was “Brother” which had a slight Celtic sound, complete with light, airy, long bow strokes.  Driftwood are touring all over the East Coast this summer and are most excited for a new album in the works, set to drop in this fall. Be sure to catch them at such festivals as Taste of Syracuse, The Great Blue Heron and Grassroots.

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    Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen gently opened their CD release party with their newest hit “Bound for Abiquiu,” and the venue was mesmerized. Johnson’s voice is mature and soothing, with a country twang that made the show feel like a warm summer night. “Garden Below” had some of my favorite lyrics of the night such as, “Sometimes I feel like an ocean looking for a river that I can’t find.” Brian Elsenbeck demonstrated his musical skills by alternating between the accordion and the banjo all night with great enthusiasm, and as Dan puts it, he is nicknamed “The Wizard of Accordion Mountain.”  Roger Noyes, on the pedal steel guitar, kept the crowd lingering on every easy going note with a laid back, southern vibe. Fans got a treat when Claire Byrne of Driftwood joined the boys on stage for their classic hit, “Baton Rouge,” adding an angelic vocal twist. One of my favorite moments of the night was during the song, “Dancing Fool,” a new romantic tune with guitar strumming so sweet it caused a few couples to slow dance around the venue.  Dan Johnson’s lyrics break your heart one moment and build you up with loving hope the next, a classic bluegrass rollercoaster. The former Albany local who now calls Vermont home, anticipates more visits to Upstate New York to share his newest album at such festivals as Rhythm on the Ridge on June 8th and Bellstock 20 on July 18th.

    Setlist: Bound for Abiquiu, Come on in My Kitchen, Adam and the Snake Oil Salesman, The Garden Below, My Three Friends, Baton Rouge*, Dancing Fool, Out of the Shade, Off on the Tide, Utica Blues, Another Good Thing is Come and Gone, Someone New, Sid Purple

    *with Claire Byrne of Driftwood

    Pick up Dan’s new album and great merch at his Bandcamp!

  • Album Review: ONYX by POP EVIL

    71evNyUBTsL._SL1425_Pop Evil released their fourth record, Onyx, earlier this week on May 14th, just before their performance this Saturday at Rock on the Range. This 12 track record is filled with the absolute right amount of explosive beats and killer guitar riffs, all very catchy. This record is one hell of a roller-coaster, so strap in, this is going to be a wild one.

    “Goodbye My Friend” was definitely a good way to start the album and it gives a feel of what the rest of the record is going to sound like, as Leigh Kakaty’s powerful and unique scream accompanies the killer tunes. “Deal with the Devil” carries on the dark, melodic torch that is Onyx, which was followed by the album’s leading single, “Trenches”. This track was the right choice to be made third on the album that way it can keep the listeners anticipating this amazing song; the mesmerizing guitar riffs fill the speakers, then once Chachi hits those drums rhythmically, you know it is time to start rocking out hard. “Torn to Pieces” slows everything down a little bit and it sounds very similar to “100 in a 55”. The pace is then picked up with the ever-empowering “Divide”, the kind of song that makes you bounce up and down as well as bang your head a little bit. The pace is continued with “Beautiful”, a great hard rock love song, with a chorus that will haunt the back of your mind. The record slows down a little yet again with the powerfully written ballad-like song, “Silence & Scars”. This roller-coaster of an album suddenly speeds up with “Sick Sense”, an electronic beat as an intro to the song and Kakaty’s powerful scream brings in the head-banging chorus. This was followed by “Fly Away”, a song with incredible guitar riffs yet it is a song that is a bit hard to describe. “Behind Closed Doors” slows everything down and sets a very dark, heart-breaking tune, especially with some of the lines from the chorus: “Mix a little bit of love and violence / mix a little bit of truth and lies / I see you, I feel you…”. A very love-hate relationship type of song, if you will. “Welcome to Reality” opens the eyes of the listener of the truth of a harsh reality and Kakaty, through his scream, emphasizes that once you enter that reality, “you can never go back”. The final track, “Flawed”, sums up the album through the darkness of the intro, sucking the listeners into the blackness that is Onyx. It is filled with incredible riffs and a powerful yet catchy chorus.

    All in all, Pop Evil did a kick-ass job with this record and they’ve come a long way. Onyx gets Pop Evil‘s fans ready for their upcoming tour and their show this Saturday at Rock on the Range. Onyx is available for digital download and you can pick it up at your local music store.

    Overall Rating: 5/5

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 3/3

    Editors note: This is part 3 of our 3 part Upstate Spring Revival coverage that features the music from the weekend. Take a look at coverage in Part 1 and Part 2.

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    What a fantastic weekend! Despite possibly the worst weather conditions imaginable from Friday evening through Saturday morning, the State Wide Music staff came through. Kudos to sound man Tim, who gave us one of the best sounding festivals ever; site manager Jeff for his tank-sturdy stages, cameramen Kevin and Brennan for braving torrential downpour conditions with expensive equipment, and most of all, to the bands and festival-goers for keeping an upbeat “We’re all friends” attitude throughout the fracas. Big thanks to Herby One and State Wide Music for yet again delivering the perfect regional festival experience.

    Didn’t have enough yet? State Wide Music has two more shindigs planned for the summer at Miller Hollow in Marion NY.  June 13th-16th will be the second annual Fiddlers Picnic. Spotlighting some of the region’s best bluegrass music,  the festival will include the moe. side project Floodwood, Dangermuffin, The Rumpke Mountain Boys, and many more. July 11th-14th is Upstate Boogie 4, featuring one of the funkiest lineups ever with Kung Fu, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Sophistafunk and more to be announced!

    Here are some of the featured setlists from some of the hottest sets over the weekend at Upstate Spring Revival:

    Flabberghaster

    View From The Mountain, Lies, Stone Free[Hendrix],Hangin’ On The Moss,The Crunge>Dazed and Confused[Zeppelin],Who Put This Spell On Me,Coming Up For Air, Lose Your Shoes, The Machine, Whipping Post[Allmans]

    Mister F

    Deal Breaker, Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11, Jump the Shark,  Treadmill, Bed Intruder Song >Vocoder, Answer the Dog, Hedgehog

    Ocupanther

    I Feel Love[Donna Summer], Pyromancer*, Misunderstanding Hugs, Naga Golokia, Ghostless, Fraktura, Stompgoat

    * Debut

    Formula 5

    Earthbound Tim, King Harvest[The Band], New Untitled Song, The Clear %-> Nu-Gen -> 3 Ring Circus -> The Ride Ending

    % Unfinished

    Dopapod

    Nuggy Jawson -> Priorities -> The National Anthem[Radiohead] -> Priorities, Weird Charlie > Cloud World, Donkey Kong Theme *€> Trapper Keeper*, Bats In The Cave^, Present Ghosts, French Bowling+

    *contained elements of “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” by Pink Floyd
    €debut
    ^w/ Mike Gantzer from Aqueous on guitar for the jam, Dr Dre teases
    +contained elements of “Hey Are You Going To Burning Man?” by Electric Apricot

    Timbre Coup

    Snoop Tiger, July, TheWay > Jam > Roland Opus, I didn’t know She had a Mustache, June, Arnold Schwarzeneggar

    Aqueous

    Skyway, Strange Times, Aldehyde > Uncle Phil’s Parachute >Fur Elise[Beethoven]* >Uncle Phil’s Parachute > Knights of Cydonia[Muse] > Warren in the Window > Timmy’s Blades > Regulators[Warren G]**, Pictures > Origami % > Uncle Phil’s Parachute ***

    * Linus and Lucy tease

    ** With Chuck [Dopapod] on bass, Evan on vocals

    *** Schism teases [Tool]

    % Unfinished

  • Nine Inch Nails Will Release A New Album in 2013

    Nine Inch Nails, a pioneer in the industrial music movement, has been signed by Columbia Records and will release a new studio album in 2013. Front-man Trent Reznor, who left Interscope Records in 2007 to become an independent recording artist says, he has been less than honest about what he’s been up to lately…

    “For the last year I’ve been secretly working non-stop with Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder on a new, full-length Nine Inch Nails record, which I am happy to say is finished and frankly fucking great.  This is the real impetus and motivation behind the decision to assemble a new band and tour again.  My forays into film, HTDA and other projects really stimulated me creatively and I decided to focus that energy on taking Nine Inch Nails to a new place.  Here we go!”

    The band is performing at a number of festivals this summer, including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Leeds, Reading, Made In America and the Voodoo Festival.  The new Nine Inch Nails lineup – Alessandro Cortini, Josh Eustis, Robin Finck, Trent Reznor and Ilan Rubin – will debut on July 26 at the Fuji Rock Festival in Naeba, Japan. The show will mark Nine Inch Nails’ first live performance in nearly four years.

    Links: www.NIN.com | FaceBook | Twitter

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 2/3: The Sounds

    Editors note: This is part 2 of our 3 part Upstate Spring Revival coverage that features the music from the weekend. Come back tomorrow for our final article, “The Skinny and The Setlists”

    The music started promptly at 7:30pm Thursday night with the combined forces of Carly Jane and Train Rat. The Cohocton, NY band’s melodic hypnotizing jazzy blues with a hidden fury was a great way to kick start the weekends musical expeditions. Along with a slew of originals, they offered up sexy versions of Peggy Lee’s “Fury” and The Devil Makes Three’s “Old Number 7”. Following Train Rat was Springwater’s White Woods with their own brand of Cake-esque alt-rock with extra frosting.  The two bands also collaborated on a song with some expert mandolin play and an audience chanting “Chugging down to New Orleans” right along with the musicians.

    Thursday’s closer was Vermont’s Flabberghaster. While hard to define given their unique flavor, one could imagine AC/DC mashed up with the Allman Brothers and get a sense of their sound. This was some rocking music and the crowd ate it up. Beyond the head banging, the band also went on a number of exploratory improvisations from bare bones hard rock to jazzy percussive clap-alongs. While their set was somewhat cover heavy, they made songs like Led Zeppelin’s “The Crunge” and the Allman Brothers “Whipping Post” their own with no fear of straying from the original song structure. Where’s that confounded bridge? Who cares! The crowd wandered back to their tents completely flabbergasted. True to rock and roll form the band slept overnight on the stage.  

    Friday started out early with Canandaigua’s Upstate. The bands blues based rock and roll with lots of experimentation and fierce peaks got people out of their tents and down to the stages. In the middle of the set they offered a fun mash-up of one of their originals with the new Daft Punk song “Get Lucky”. Following Upstate was Buffalo’s Slip Madigan. The band’s upbeat happy music with funky breakdowns and hints of electronica was a great match to the unexpected sun shining down on the crowd. The newly formed Mister F followed, composed of  3 members of Albany’s Timbre Coup and Scott Hannay from Capital Zen. The F maintains their own sound, which runs the gambits of influences from funk and rock to jazz and electronica. Their self-described genre of “Neat and Clean, Hard and Dangerous” is pretty much spot on.

    Rochester’s Ocupanther then laid its claws into the audience with their brand of instrumental funk-space-psychedelia featuring the juxtaposing styles of Berkeley schooled axeman Colin Jones and self taught shred wizard Mikey Pantano. They opened with an adventurous cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and the audience responded with much love of their own. Friday’s evening journey began with Albany’s Timbre Coup and their deep progressive rock influences, intertwining metal overtones and doses of electronic forays with top notch vocals. As the sprinkles started to turn to rain, true to their name, Project Weather Machine stormed the stage for an hour and a half of Grateful Dead and old school blues inspired improvisations with awesome names like “Nitrous Roxide”. As the rain progressed in intensity festival goers were treated to the first show by Buffalo’s Universe Shark in several months. Despite their hiatus they did nothing but deliver, keeping the crowd dancing in the mud. Closing out the evening was the return of the much revered Schleigho. Their set was nothing short of mind-numbingly brilliant, ranging from pure technical by-the-numbers wizardry to wide open “Space”-esque exploration. Musicians were buzzing about this set the rest of the weekend with phrases like “It was like going to jam clinic” and “I’m not worthy” being thrown about.  

    Saturday started later than anticipated. Stage equipment was all moved to the main stage due to the mud pit in front of the secondary stage. Thankfully the weather cleared, the sun came out, and Ithaca’s Solaris started things off with some excellent intense EDM. Albany’s Formula 5 proved quite the draw in the next spot with their genre-everywhere sound. Funk, rock, blues, jazz, electronic, it was all in the mix as well as a fun cover of The Bands “King Harvest”. The trio of Rochester’s Haewa filled the 5pm slot with some of the most extended jamming of the weekend, more of Colin Jones guitar-pyrotechnics, and a rock solid grooving core.

    The evening lineup of Vermont’s Twiddle, Buffalo’s Aqueous, and NYC’s exploding Dopapod was so hot people were wiring their doctors to re-up their heart medications. Twiddle started it off with a set filled with improv, explosive soaring peaks, and a jam of Phish’s “Contact” that ended up going from “Funkytown” to “Billy Jean”. The centerpiece of the show was a monster version of original “The Box” which simply went everywhere. Aqueous then one upped everyone with the biggest crowd of the weekend thus far, and a hot-as-fire set no amount of liquid could extinguish. Filled with effortless segues, memorable originals, a fun sit-in from Dopapod’s Chuck Jones on Warren G’s “Regulate”, and a brilliantly intense take on Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia”, Aqueous had the audience in the palm of their hand. Brooklyn’s Dopapod closed the evening set with an all out rager, effortlessly gliding from song to song with the best light show of the weekend by far. This band is on fire and should not be missed at any opportunity.  Aqueous’s Mike Gantzer sat in for original “Bats in the Cave” complete with some well placed Dr Dre “Xxplosive” teases.

    Those that survived the onslaught of Aquapod stayed up for the late night set of NYC’s Consider the Source, whose technical expertise may not be surpassed by anyone. Imagine a Primus that got all jammy and had three Les Claypools running the show. Pure intense perfection and an exquisite end to the fest. An incredible weekend of music, with each band bringing their A-games.

    Come back tomorrow for our weekend summation and an assortment of some of the weekends best setlists.

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 1/3: The Scene

    Family. No other word can describe a regional festival like Upstate Spring Revival festival better than family. Familiar faces from shows over the years. Passing by the same groups to and fro from the campsite, always with friendly salutations and wide smiles. Meeting new people spinning tails of their travels freely as if every soul they meet is an old friend. Sharing toasts and high fives with complete strangers, shyness abandoned. In our modern; smart-phone consumed; too busy to say hello world, this situational rarity is beyond refreshing. It’s a damn good feeling and a great way to spend a weekend in the woods. May 8-11 at The Whispering Pines Hideaway proved this concept beyond a shadow of doubt.

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    The Hideaway is typically an aviary hunting preserve and ATV adventure site, with trap towers, clay pigeon throwers, and rut filled off-roading trails throughout the area. While this may seem an ironic venue for a gathering of peace loving hippies, it proved itself perfect for the weekends experience. Car camping was available throughout the site with a plethora of settings, be it wooded, open field, or just a place to lay down in the grass. Musicians roamed freely through the crowd chatting with fans and fellow music makers. Both secondary and primary stages were located in a lower area, surrounded by trees, but still allowing a picturesque view of the sunset. The stages were minutes from each other with a variety of vending, drum circles and lessons, and glass blowing demonstrations all conveniently located within the main “Shakedown Street”.

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    Weather ended up being better than forecast. Thursday night through late Friday afternoon was beautiful. Friday night through Saturday was a bit rough with blowing rain but everyone kept in good spirits. Many huddled around campfires sharing jovial tales while others wandered the site in rain ponchos making new friends. Musicians plowed through the weather unscathed and everyone delivered excellent sets. Saturday night, between sets, Solar Flare and entourage offered up a spectacular display of pyrotechnic acrobatics.  Other activities included live glass blowing demonstrations, drum lessons and circles, face painting, and much more.

    Come back tomorrow to read our review of “The Sounds” featuring pictures by contributing photographer Kevin Burke.

    Photos by Darren Kemp

    Editors note: This is part one of our three part review of the Spring Revival festival. Each article will include a photo gallery from one of our three featured photographers.

  • Club D’Elf and Marco Benevento hit Syracuse and Albany this weekend!

    Syracuse’s Westcott Theater and Albany’s Red Square open their doors to a modern experimental supergroup Friday May 31st and Saturday June 1st as Club D’Elf is accompanied by organist and composer Marco Benevento, of the critically acclaimed Benevento/Russo Duo. Club D’Elf defies convention and classification, as they draw on influences from electronica, jazz, dub, progressive rock and traditional and world music.

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    Led by bassist/composer Mike Rivard, the Club D’Elf “club” is designed to be a constantly evolving and revolving musical brotherhood, regularly rotating members, hosting superb artists and incorporating new sounds.  Club guests have included legends John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood, the hip hop/jazz crossover artist DJ Logic, Marc Ribot, Skerik and of course Marco Benevento.  These uniquely gifted talents keep Club D’Elf fresh with new ideas and spontaneity.  This isn’t Mike Rivard’s first rodeo either; Mike brings his experience laying down grooves for big names such as Morphine, Aimee Mann, G Love and Jonathan Brooke among others.  Club D’Elf’s sound grows out of this rhythmic root, past tradition and custom, into the cosmos.  Who knows where listeners may end up when Marco Benevento’s graceful piano melodies dance over Mike Rivard’s deep, thuddy Morroccan trance bass lines?  No matter where you end up, this show is sure to keep your mind fed and your body grooving.

    Tickets are $15.00 at the Westcott Theater and the show starts at 10pm.  At the Red Square the show is $12 and $15 at the door, show starts at 8pm.

  • Album Review: Positive Mental Trip Releases ‘Change Your Mind’

    Luke Weiler is a busy man, between coordinating the annual Jam for Tots event to benefit the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots fund, hosting PMT Festival in Northville, New York every summer to support Solid Rock Rescue, and caring for his appropriately named dog, Ruckus, Weiler makes music under the moniker, Positive Mental Trip. Recording with guitar, hand drums, synthesizer and a number of other instruments; Weiler’s music is inspired by everyone from the Simpsons’ Disco Stu to Mozart, according to his FaceBook page.

    Positive Mental Trip

    Positive Mental Trip’s debut album, “Change Your Mind” exemplifies this diverse range of influence, featuring genres like reggae, funk, folk and southern rock. Touching on feel-good themes throughout its twelve tracks, Weiler’s songwriting approach reminds listeners of Jack Johnson’s positive lyricism.

    The album’s opening track, “Brand New Day” demonstrates this style with the lines, “So I put a smile on my face ‘Cause I’m livin’ a brand new day I’m not gonna be afraid of change” on top of smooth acoustic guitar riffs. Continuing the topic of leading life with a positive attitude, Change Your Mind includes two versions of the track, “Smile,” the second of which is titled “Smile (Hip-Hop).” Displaying Weiler’s ability to diversify his music, “Smile (Hip-Hop)” features a more electronic feel than its parallel track, “Smile (Reggae),” as well as a guest vocalist. Based on these tracks, along with the rest of the songs found on Change Your Mind, it’s safe to bet that Positive Mental Trip has a bright future ahead.

    Key Tracks: Brand New Day, Smile (hip-hop), Smile (Reggae)

    Follow Positive Mental Trip on Facebook  | Jambase | Myspace

  • Album Review: ‘My Streets’ from the Bob Polding Band

    99_EdpComing with a strong sound reminiscent of rock’s past is the newest album “My Streets” by the Bob Polding Band.  From the New Jersey, the influence of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, South Side Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and countless other shore acts is apparent right away.  The music screams of a new “Americana” that is a mix of country and rock.  The entire album is loaded with great guitar riffs and wonderful lyrics that keep the album in constant motion from beginning to end.

    The album opens up with the title track “My Streets” and it is easily seen why this was the name of the album as well.  The saxophone soars throughout the track and is always present in this upbeat number.  The song talks about love, life, and memories of things that have passed long ago.  Like some of the other artists who have come from Jersey and written about their home, Bob has shown how much he loves his home in this opener.  “One Dance” is another wonderful track with great violin work.  The song is about how, sometimes, just one dance can change everything in your life.  It is one of the slower tracks on the album, but maybe it is just a slow dance that you want with that person.  The country vibe to the track melds perfectly with the lyrics and shows the band is comfortable in switching up their music style.

    “Hey Jeni” comes on next with a very catchy guitar riff and is an upbeat country rocker.  The thumping drums keep the track moving along with the pedal steel getting to shine as well.  It’s one of the tracks on the album you’ll be nodding to without even noticing you’re doing it.   “Painted On Smile” is a song that continuously builds with the violin and fiddle going back and forth, almost fighting to see which will take the lead.  The ending of the song is great as the woman who was the focus of the whole song is asked to come take a final leap and go for a ride and have her cares disappear.  “Dam Good Day” is a great country rock song that erupts in the back half of the song with some great guitar work on display.  This will be another song that will get stuck in your head and have you nodding along.  The foreboding keys that introduce “War” let you know this will be one of the more serious songs on the album.  The track builds upon itself creating a daunting landscape that isn’t seen anywhere else on the album.

    The Bob Polding Band has tried to do something that is not seen from many acts that hail from New Jersey, mixing rock and country.  They have pulled it off well here and it will be interesting to see where this direction takes them in the future.

    Key Tracks: My Streets, Painted On Smile, War