Category: Special

Great News! Huey Lewis and the News ‘Sports’ Anniversary Tour Hit Tarrytown Music Hall on May 11th

The soundtrack to the 1980s is full of Michael Jackson, Prince, The Cars, Poison and other hair metal bands, and countless one-hit wonders, among many others. Huey Lewis and the News belongs in the company of these acts for hits that ranged throughout the decade, most notably off the 1983 album Sports, which featured five Top 10 hits, sold over 10 million copies and contained songs most identified with the sound of Rock and Roll in the 80s. Thus, as we enter the summer music season of 2013, the 30th Anniversary tour to commemorate the release of Sports made its second stop at historic Tarrytown Music Hall as the band embarked on a cross country trip that returns to Western New York for the final show of the tour on August 31st at Alleghany Casino in Salamanca, NY.

The opening act, Bob Polding performed with keyboardist Billy Siegal of his larger band, bringing a touch of New Jersey to Southern New York. “My Streets”, the title track off his new album, was Springsteen-meets-Mellancamp and shook the audience early as they awaited the News. Polding got a shoutout and kind words from Huey later in the evening, having opened for Huey in the past and giving a nod of appreciation for him.

The crowd was comprised of many first timers seeing Huey Lewis and the News, even the older folks in the crowd who would have been fans in the 80’s yet still hadn’t seen the band perform previously, all while growing up with the music. Around the crowd was an usher holding an old-timey hand-held xylophone that signaled it was time to find seats and the show was about to begin, marking the historical nature of the venue and adding to the experience that is Tarrytown Music Hall.

The lights went down and the nine-piece band slowly took the stage, all but Huey, who waited till the drum beat that precedes “Heart of Rock and Roll’ reached a crescendo and ignited the song. As he walked to centerstage and began to sing, the elation of the crowd was let loose and the band was given a proper welcome. In kind, as Huey mentioned the names of the towns in America where the Heart of Rock and Roll is beating, he threw in Tarrytown, feeding the energy of the crowd even more.

“Heart and Soul” featured stellar guitar work from Johnny Colla, who performed triple duty while singing on most songs and playing a ripping sax solo on a variety of tunes. “Bad is Bad” brought Huey’s harmonica to centerstage, adding another layer of soul to the blues number along with John Pierce’s bass. However, it seemed that inflation was factored into “Bad is Bad”, because the Soul Stew that was once $1.99 is now $5.99, and this time around Huey could only stand to eat $2 worth, rather than $1; this may have been the only departure from the original songs this evening and a comical one for those who caught the lyrical shift.

When “I Want a New Drug” was torn into by Stef Burns, the crowd raised their voices in approval, cheering on yet another classic track off just the front side of Sports. Following the song, Huey took a moment to mention how back when the album first came out, there were “No cell phones, no files, no Internet,” and admired how things have changed, looking out into a crowd with shining rectangles glowing back on the faces of the fans. He continued, “That was the video side of Sports. We’re gonna rock a little harder on side two.” And with that, Huey dedicated “Walkin’ on a Thin Line” to veterans, with its memorable line, “Straight off the front line, take a look at my face, see what it’s doing to me.”

Holding the microphone stand low as he walked around the stage, Huey exuded stage presence like a boss, leaning down at one point to accept flowers from a young fan in between “Finally Found a Home” and “If This is It”. The horns, Marvin McFadden on trumpet, Rob Sudduth on tenor sax and Johnnie Bamont on baritone sax, took a short break for these numbers and “You Crack me Up”, before returning to the stage during “Honky Tonk Blues.”

Although Huey and the band have aged, their voices and performance haven’t one bit, even playing a new song “While We’re Young” for only the second time and nailing it, held down steadily by Bill Gibson on drums. The number has the same catchy riffs as past Huey hits and a hint of irony as he belted out the refrain, as seen in the video below.

After a taste of the new Huey song, we got a taste of the past, starting with “Perfect World”, off the Small World album from 1988, followed by the first song the group wrote together, “Trouble in Paradise”, a rarity that many in the crowd seemed to be hearing for the first time. Yet as the horns were fired up, the crowd stood up, clapping and dancing in their seats, and a few fans in the aisles as well; Sean Hopper’s keys rang out most notably in this number. With the hits cranking out, the band moved onto “It’s Alright”, leading a sing-along with the sold out audience, followed by another seemingly rare tune “Long Time, Good Time.”

After the band took a brief step offstage, and with a slight rasp in his voice, Huey remarked about the next tune, “Who knew when we wrote this song that we’d have to play it every night”, and queue the Back to the Future soundtrack highlight, “The Power of Love”, quite possibly the best non-Sports hit of the night, let alone throughout the band’s catalog. Going back to their first Top 10 hit with “Do You Believe in Love?” caught couples swooning and singing the chorus to each other. The finale, “Workin’ for a Livin’” was dedicated to ‘workin’ folks’ and led to the loudest cheers and singing along from the crowd of the entire evening, before Huey introduced the band.

The show ended at 10:10 with the band lining up for a final fist pump and Huey exclaiming “I’m Huey Lewis, and you just heard the News!” Speaking with a dad in the audience after the show, he mentioned seeing them open for The Doobie Brothers around 1982, only to have the News booed off stage; this time around he brought his son to see the band as the main act and they both loved it.

If this night is any indication of the full tour ahead, Huey Lewis and the News are not playing like a nostalgia act. People tend to criticize acts of the same ilk that are deemed past their prime as mere nostalgia, which is becoming a convenient go-to remark that ignores the talents of the band and their ability to perform continuously over a long period of time. Huey Lewis and the News still have the swagger and musicianship on-stage as they did 10, 15, 20 and 30 years ago. The band is older in looks and age, but their sound is just as young as you remember them.

Huey Lewis and the News put forth a unique show, highlighting a specific era of the band’s history and performing with panache and a solid effort, far more than just a band showing up for a paycheck. Don’t sleep on this cross-country tour; sing along, have fun and treat yourself to a quintessential 80s band still performing at the same level as they did 30 years ago.

Setlist: Heart of Rock & Roll, Heart & Soul, Bad is Bad, I Want a New Drug, Walking on a Thin Line, Finally Found a Home, If This is It, You Crack me Up, Honky Tonk Blues, While We’re Young*, Perfect World, Trouble in Paradise, But It’s Alright, We’re Not Here for a Long Time
Encore: Power of Love, Do You Believe in Love, Workin’ for a Livin’

First 9 songs are from the Sports album
* Second time played live

May 16, 2013
Blind Owl Band | Kickstarter Project

The Blind Owl Band has set out to raise funds with Kickstarter to promote their new album and 2nd recorded effort. The band returned to Granary Studio in Morrisonville, NY in March and April 2013 and recorded 13 unreleased original tracks with Larry Dolan returning as producer.

The album features songs that were born within the walls of the Granary recording studio during the recording of “Rabble Rousing” in the fall of 2011 such as “Jazzy Magee”, “Christians Head”, “Cherry Tree” and new songs that have yet to be played live, such as “Rain On”.

Now as The Blind Owl Band gets ready for summer, they are looking for support to independently release this album. The recording is done, a release date of July 10th has been set. The band now needs the help of their fans to fund the mastering, printing and advertising of this album.The Kickstarter project has a goal of $5000 and we think these guys deserve the help!

The band is touring in support of their Kickstarter Project from May 16 to May 26, you can also Follow the release of the album via their Facebook page or at TheBlindOwlBand.com.

The Blind Owl Band

Arthur Buezo (Guitar, Vocals)

Christian Cardiello (Bass)

James Ford (Banjo, Vocals)

Eric Munley (Mandolin, Vocals)

Tour Dates:

May 16 – Atwoods Tavern, Cambridge, MA

May 17 – Pizza Stone, Chester, VT

May 18 – Strawberry Jam, Northville, NY

May 18 – Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, NY with Lucid

May 19 – The Wherehouse, Newburgh, NY
May 20 – The Living Room, NYC, NY
May 21 – Free Range Busking Day
May 22 – Underground Arts, Philly, PA with The Brummy Brothers
May 23 – The River St. Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre, PA
May 24 – Touch Fest 2013!! South ADK’s
May 25 – The Dutch Treat, Franconia, NH
May 26 – Rosa Flamingo’s, Bethlehem, NH
May 26 – Red Square, Burlington, VT

May 16, 2013
Former Members of ‘The Band’ to Play The Egg: Jim Weider and Garth Hudson in Project Percolator May 18th

Woodstock native Jim Weider heads up the Thruway to present Project Percolator featuring Garth Hudson at The Egg on Saturday, May 18th. Jim Weider talked with about his project, growing up in Woodstock and fondly recalls his time spent as a member of The Band. His resume is long, his music is well crafted and he aptly presents something that is uniquely him.

Tabitha (TC): Let’s start off by talking about Project Percolator. Describe what people can expect from a live show.

Jim (JW): It’s all groove instrumental with my Telecaster Guitar. It’s rock style and blues over the top. We have several albums out and it is structured songs. I like to write instrumentals that are structured just like vocal tunes. There will be verses, bridges and everything. Then we have sections in the songs where we stretch it out. We play them differently each time. We might go into a Led Zeppelin line so it’s as exciting for the audience as it is for the band. All the musicians are so great behind me; depending who takes off, we follow the other. We try and jam out on certain songs. We’ll do “The Weight” by The Band, with a reggae feel and then in the middle we’ll jam it out then go into double time. If Garth Hudson (The Band) takes off on the keyboard, we’ll all follow him. So we do everything differently each night. It’s kind of exciting for both of us – the audience and us. I always have a blast playing with these guys. Rodney Holmes is just an amazing drummer to be seen. Avi Bortnick (John Scofield Band) is on guitar and he plays much different than me. Of course having Garth is a true dream. We’ve been together for many, many years. Garth comes up with amazing sounds. You’ll hear Garth Hudson like nobody’s ever heard him before because the way this band opens it up and lets us play. Everybody has a blast.

TC: How did you determine with whom you would work with for Project Percolator?

JW: It started about seven years ago with Percolator. I wanted to branch out from my blues – rock records into something different. I just felt like I was cornering myself. I wanted to get into groove music. I started writing and came up with drum loops. I was lucky enough to get Rodney Holmes. He played with Santana and Brecker Brothers. He freed up and joined me. Once I got Rodney, we toured Europe and United States. Rodney’s been with me the whole time. The bass player, Steve Lucas (Bruce Cockburn) joined up on the Pulse record. We’ve been together for quite a while now. We’re going to play some new tunes, and we’ll bring in some Dylan stuff and some Band tunes also, which we do our own versions.

TC: You have worked with Garth Hudson for a number of years, most notably with The Band. How is working with Garth similar or different in Project Percolator than prior commitments?

JW: Garth does some shows with us. He just fits in because Garth always made all the great atmospheric sounds for The Band. He was always into effects and sounds so putting him in the midst of Project Percolator works out perfect. He goes with the flow. He uses his ears and comes up with some great stuff and then we’ll break it down, then it’ll just be Garth by himself. He just fits right in with this kind of music because it’s wide open and flowing. It’s like a glove and very entertaining. I get a kick out of it and so does the band. I think the audience will too.

TC: What sparked the idea for Project Percolator?

JW: I had done a couple of blues-rock records. There were a million blues bands and I had done the roots rock thing with The Band. I just wanted to stretch out more. Get more down to the R & B feel where it’s about the groove. So I started with loops. I started recording by myself. On the first record the drums were over-dubbed. We’ll do some songs with some loops still. I just wanted to get out of that corner write something totally unique that’s not your standard blues shuffle. I really felt like I needed to come up with something fresh and I just stayed with it. Of course I still played with Levon up until his time of passing.

TC: We just past the one-year anniversary of Levon Helm’s passing. Having worked closely with him for many years, how has his passing impacted you both professionally and personally?

JW: Well, you can’t put a finger on when you lose someone you’ve been with that long of a time. We played a lot of shows. It’s deep rooted and it’s a huge loss – as a friend and a musician. About four years ago, Jimmy Vivino went back to Conan on the left coast. When he did, I joined up. I still kept Percolator going but it was great to be back playing with Levon. We did a lot of shows. I never saw him happier. He was on top of his game. He was just very happy and it was great to be with him. He really inspired me. He had my back and looked over my shoulder since we started to work together.

TC: Do you have a favorite pastime or memory of Levon?

JW: Laughing across the country in the back of the bus at three or four in the morning. That’s what keeps coming up.

TC: How has being born and raised in Woodstock contributed becoming a musician?

JW: Everybody was playing music. One after another a new group would come out. Then The Band, from our hometown, came out and that was a huge inspiration. It was just one thing at a time that led to the fire burning to be a musician. All these great players were playing around town. I never went too far. I went down and saw Paul Butterfield playing at the local café. All these great musicians playing live and then I saw Sound Outs (impromptu concerts) before there was the Woodstock Festival. It was a big inspiration living around this area. It was a fantastic time to be alive for music. All the sounds were inspirational.

TC: When did you first begin to play for an audience?

JW: Early on we would play high school dances. We practiced in my grandmother’s garage. We had cookies and coffee and just practiced for a high school dance or a hippy party in some older person’s backyard barn until I was old enough to play in bars.

TC: What was your first band?

JW: It’s hard to remember. I think I came up with a brilliant idea smoking something other than cigarettes looking up at a bunch of trees laying in the woods going, “hey, I got a great idea for the band, Leaves of Green!”

TC: Your resume of musical endeavors is jam packed with various projects. You’ve done everything from session work, to production, touring, and even large telecast concerts. Is there and event or a project that stands out for you?

JW: Well I guess playing at Dylan’s 60^th Anniversary at Madison Square Garden. We were doing all Dylan tunes with The Band. Playing the Berlin Wall with Roger Waters when that went down. Just being able to play Carnegie Hall was fantastic.

TC: What was your most surprising, yet satisfying collaboration?

JW: Being able to produce tracks on a Mavis Staples disc and playing with her was fantastic. I also recorded with Scotty Moore, so that was full circle. I also got to lead The Band at South-by-Southwest in Austin.

TC: Is there a collaboration you have yet to do that you would like?

JW: I’m not quite sure. I have to think about that. People ask me that a lot. I am starting to write a new album and I have a new live CD that I’ll have at the show. I had Blues great, James Montgomery play with us.

TC: What do you believe was a defining moment in your career?

JW: I’d say when I joined The Band in 1985 changed everything. Levon getting me in the band was pretty amazing.

TC: Besides music, do you have another passion, hobby or activity that you enjoy?

JW: Yes! I like to be outside. I like to go fishing and talk a walk in the woods in stuff. There is a reservoir not far from me, which is where I like to relax.

TC: What is your secret to longevity in the music business?

JW: Keep listening, keep the glass half full and just stay at it, don’t give up. It’s harder now than it’s ever been, but you just have to keep an open mind. Play for the love of music because if you do it for any other reason, you should get out.

Preview the sounds in this video:

Squirrels in Paris

May 16, 2013
Paganfest IV: Ensiferum,Týr, Heidevolk, Trollfest, & Helsott/Pagan feast at Gramercy Theater

The last date of the fourth annual Paganfest hit the Big apple this last Sunday night at Gramercy Theater. It came as no surprise that the show was sold out weeks ahead of time, which of course added more to the hype of the great Pagan feast. This year’s line-up consisted of USA’s own Helsott,(who were the new comers of the the tour) also an angry colony of Norwegian wasps known as Trollfest, along with Heidenvolk from the Netherlands. Co-headlining, from the beautiful Faroe Islands, came the viking warriors known as Tyr, and finally, Finland’s finest warriors, Ensiferum, which made a triumphant return to the States.

Helsott

It’s safe to say that Helsott held our nation high up at the viking fest, showing that we Americans can also hear the call of the pagan gods. They moved the crowd more than expected, of course as only a few knew of them, which attest that they definetly left with new fans. Never the less they did not hesitate to demonstrate their gratitude towards the fans, promoters and others in the bill of supporting them during this tour. During the last songs of their set, the Norwegian band of Trolls, Trollfest felt the need to invade the stage, cheerfully running around, throwing paper around, and just plainly having fun with Helsott as they concluded their set, which of course was hilarious and fun to watch. Paganfest

Trollfest

As trollfest began their set, one could only wondered what was the deal with the bee outfits. Then it became apparent that it suited their music perfectly. Their last album release was “Brumlebassen” which is not surprisingly about bees, though these guys need to be given an A+ for creativity. Yet as hilarious as the theme may seem, the NYC crowd definitely was filled with fans of the band, and sure knew how to enjoy true Balkan metal. As they concluded their set, Helsott thought it was time to re pay the earlier visit of the Norwegian trolls. They snuck into stage, threw paper planes out into the crowd, and partied along side the members of Trollfest with hilarious party hats, and obviously booze. Though we cannot forget that one of the most memorable moments of the night was finely the perfectly executed wall of Death.

Heidevolk

Then they came… The dutch warriors known as hedeivolk to Paganfest. One cannot simply get over the mighty testosterone display on stage. They were supporting their latest album Batavi which is an ode to their Germanic ancestors and roots. It was simply amazing. The two singers tore it down, with powerful vocals that gave life to the beautiful Dutch lyrics accompanied by the band itself, which produced a perfect amalgam of real folk metal.

Týr

Hailing from the beauftiful Faroese Island came Tyr. It is not a surprise that they have a solid fan base here in the states. The crowd chanted along to songs with beautiful and meaningful lyrics; such as “Hold the Heathen Hammer High” & “Shadow of the Swastika” that were full of Pagan lore, along with their message of justice, tolerance and peace. Most certainly the female crowd had also their share of the fun on stage, as they were definetly enjoying the view of great looking Viking men.

NOTE: There was an issue with the uploader with certain TYR photos the rest can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassandra_k_carmona/sets/72157633466978129/

Ensiferum

The fourth chapter of the annual Paganfest marked the triumphant return of the Finnish sword-bearing warriors known as Ensiferum. Their lastest release: “Unsung Heroes”certainly left their fan base in the States anxiously awaiting their return. Not much can be explained about their performance as one would lack the words to describe it… the fans went mad, crazy, and dazed. This was certainly the way to finish a great night of feasting the way Vikings did, with lots of alcohol and dancing.

May 16, 2013
POP EVIL Ready to Blow the Crowd Away at ROTR

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pop Evil returns to Rock on the Range to make their mark for the third time since their last performance in 2011.

Pop Evil wasn’t always known as Pop Evil. Before in 2001, the band was called TenFive when Leigh Kakaty started it and they were formed through different Michigan bands. In the years 2004 and 2006, the band released two EPs independently, War of the Roses and Ready or Not. By November 2007, the band signed with G&G Entertainment and that same year, they lost their bassist, Jaime Nummer, and Matt DiRito joined as the band’s current bassist. Pop Evil’s debut album, Lipstick on the Mirror, was released August 2008, featuring the singles, “Hero”, “Somebody Like You”, “100 in a 55”, and “Stepping Stone”. In 2010, Pop Evil announced their third record was in the works then at a concert in Columbus, Ohio, the band symbolically ripped their contract with Universal Republic to work with eOne, and there, they announced the release date of the new album, War of Angels, which dropped in July 2011. During that year, former drummer, Dylan Allison suffered a neck injury and was forced to quit the band. Josh “Chachi Riot” Marunde filled in as the current drummer. On April 6, 2012, Pop Evil announced the departure of their former guitarist, Tony Greve, who was quickly replaced with Nick Fuelling. As of May 14, 2013, the band released their fourth record, Onyx, with the two leading singles, “Trenches” and “Goodbye My Friend”.

Check out the band’s latest record and this is one band you will not want to miss this weekend.

May 16, 2013
IN THIS MOMENT to Claim Their Throne at ROTR

Upstate New York’s very own Maria Brink and her kick-ass band, In This Moment, returns to Rock on the Range for the second time this Sunday, continuing to support their latest record, Blood.

Forming in 2005, lead vocalist, Maria Brink, and lead guitarist, Chris Howorth, started out with a small group, adding a third member, Jeff Fabb (former drummer), and named the band Dying Star. They eventually changed their music direction and the name to the one we all know, In This Moment, and added two more membersBlake Bunzel (former guitarist) and Josh Newell (former bassist). Later in 2005, Newell was replaced by Pascual Romero after leaving the band, who was immediately replaced by Jesse Landry. In 2009, Landry was replaced by Kyle Konkiel, who was replaced by their current bassist, Travis Johnson in 2010. By 2011, Fabb and Bunzel left the band and both were replaced by the current drummer, Tom Hane, and guitarist, Randy Weitzel.

Their first record, Beautiful Tragedy, was released in 2007 and the following year, their sophomore album, The Dream was dropped. In 2010, A Star-Crossed Wasteland was released with their well known singles, “The Gun Show” and “The Promise” featuring Otherwise’s singer, Adrian Patrick. In the summer of 2012, In This Moment successfully released their fourth album, Blood, with leading singles, “Blood” and “Adrenalize”.

In This Moment has featured in many festivals over the years such as Ozzfest in both 2007 and 2008, Warped Tour in 2009, Download Festival in 2009, Mayhem Festival in 2010, Music as a Weapon V tour in 2011, and Uproar Festival last summer as well as Rock on the Range last year.

It will be New York’s very own dark angel’s scream that will haunt everyone till the end of the festival. Be sure to catch them this Sunday, it will be one not to miss.

May 16, 2013
Halestorm taking the stage at Rock on the Range

Hailing from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, Grammy winning band Halestorm is always ready to hit the stage with their mind-blowing performance, giving all of their 110%. Started by the Hale siblings, Lzzy (vocals/guitar) and Arejay (drums/vocals) have been actively writing since then, taking music lessons at a very early age. In their teens, they released their first EP, Don’t Mess With the Time Man in 1999. Current members, Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass), joined the band between 2003-2004.

By 2005, the band signed with Atlantic Records and released their first official live EP, One and Done, featuring an early live version of their hit single, “It’s Not You”. April 28, 2009, the band released their self-titled debut record, the leading single, “I Get Off” and the second single being “It’s Not You”, which was released as a single in November 2009. “Familiar Taste of Poison” and “Love/Hate Heartbreak” were 2010’s singles, both accompanied by music videos. Halestorm released an EP, ReAnimate, featuring covers of “Out Ta Get Me”, “Bad Romance”, and “Slave to the Grind”.

By January 2012, Halestorm released their second EP, Hello, It’s Mz. Hyde, supporting the release of their second record, The Strange Case Of…, which was released on April 10, 2012. Because of their single, “Love Bites (So Do I)”, Halestorm became the first female fronted band to top the active rock charts. In 2013, the band won their first Grammy in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Category for their single “Love Bites (So Do I)”.

Halestorm has been known to tour with bands such as Shinedown, Papa Roach, Chevelle, Trapt, and Three Days. In the summer of 2012, they were part of the Carnival of Madness Tour, co-headlined by Chevelle and Evanescence. Lzzy’s powerful pipes can be heard in songs such as Shinedown’s “Breaking Inside”, and their unreleased version of “Shed Some Light”, Adrenaline Mob’s cover of “Come Undone”, and recently, a duet with David Draiman, “Close My Eyes Forever.”

Halestorm will be making their mark at Rock on the Range this year for the fourth time. This is a definite must-see performance.

May 15, 2013
The Slide Brothers, presented by Robert Randolph, slide into The Putnam Den this Friday, May 17th

The Putnam Den is fortunate to have a quartet of legendary pedal steel musicians coming to town on Friday, as Robert Randolph Presents The Slide Brothers, four of the greatest living musicians who embody the Sacred Steel Tradition – Calvin Cooke, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent. The joyous music these legendary artists create extends far beyond scared steel to encompass blues, rock and soul all celebrated with a sound that is uniquely their own. Opening the show is a great Delta blues guitarist in her own right, Danielle Miraglia from Boston.

The pedal steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the 1930’s. His single-string passages, which imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices, remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. Robert Randolph rose to fame a decade or more ago playing Sacred Steel with his band at The Wetlands, Bonnaroo and venues throughout the Northeast and has become the most successful artist to emerge from the Sacred Steel tradition.

The Slide Brothers include one man who has been dubbed the “B.B. King of gospel steel guitar”, Calvin Cooke. Calvin was hails from Cleveland and performed the pedal steel at Church of the Living God in Jewell Dominion, known for it’s strong steel guitar tradition. He continues to use the same instrument on stage today as he had in 1955, as well as a ten string pedal steel instrument which he plays in a unique tuning that came to him in a vision.

Aubrey Ghent, a nephew of Willie Eason, has also become a celebrated steel guitarist, preserving the sacred steel tradition and instrumental in bringing it to a wider audience. Unlike Robert Randolph and the Family Band who have crossed over to doing more secular music, Aubrey Ghent has stayed closer to the gospel roots of tradition, as have many of the steel guitarists of the Jewell Dominion. In recent years, Ghent has performed and recorded with several top recording stars including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

Chuck Campbell began playing the lap steel guitar at the age of eleven. At fifteen he became one of the first players to utilize the Pedal Steel guitar in the House of God Church, Keith Dominion. Chuck is renowned for his innovative approach to the instrument both technically and musically. His use of effects such as distortion, tone control pedals like the Wah-Wah and his picking techniques enable him to emulate the human voice in an uncanny fashion.

Darick Campbell first made his mark in music as a drummer. For several years Darick was the premier drummer of the General Assembly, the National Convocation of the House Of God Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His choice of the Lap Steel is a reflection of the influences he has blended to become the most emotional player of The Campbell Brothers musical tour d’ force. His renditions of “End of My Journey” have caused audiences throughout the world to weep in heartfelt response to his playing.

“My goal is to open the door for people in the same way that musical doors have been opened for me,” explains Randolph. “I want to take this musical history and make it relevant to give people a better idea of who we are and where this tradition came from. I think even though I’m a young guy who was born into the era of hip-hop and contemporary gospel, I can help bridge the cultural gap between people who are seventy-five years old and kids who are fifteen years old by reaching back into this history of music.”

Find out for yourself how deep this musical history sounds with The Slide Brothers on Friday night at The Putnam Den. Doors are at 8, show is at 9:30. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 in advance.

May 14, 2013
Albany’s Alive at Five schedule released, featuring George Clinton and P-Funk, The Original Wailers, The Refrigerators and more

Albany’s Alive at Five, featuring free music shows at the Corning Preserve overlooking the Hudson River, has announced their 2013 schedule and it looks to be the best one in recent memory. Featuring funk, blues, reggae, country, classic rock and a great deal of local bands, Albany is in for a treat starting June 6th!

2013 Alive at Five Schedule

June 6th: The Fabulous Thunderbirds with Super 400

June 13th: JT Taylor with The Ill Funk Ensemble

June 20th: The Refrigerators with Molly Durnin

June 27th: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Funk Evolution

July 11th: Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Show with Chris Dukes Band

July 18th: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas with Wild Adriatic

July 25th: Local Blues Night: The Tom Healey Band and Blues Sanctuary

August 1st: The Original Wailers with MIRK

August 8th: Country Night! Skeeter Creek with Whiskey City

Remember, no coolers, alcohol or drinks allowed in. They’ll be plenty of vendors there to take care of you.

May 14, 2013
moe.down 14 Announces Final Lineup for August Festival in Turin

moe.down 14 has announced their final lineup for their 3 day music festival in Turin, NY for August 9^th– 11^th, at Snow Ridge Ski Resort, located in Upstate New York’s beautiful north country. Joining moe this year will be Dr. Dog, Del McCoury Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, RAQ, Eastbound Jesus, Wolf! and The Stepkids. Earlier band announcements included Steve Kimock Band, Mike Dillon Band, Conehead Buddha, Pennyshine, Conspirator, Stanley Jordan Trio, Savoy and Floodwood.

Early bird tickets are still available for only $110 and for the first time, moe.down will be offering VIP tickets for $310. Guests can also purchase single day tickets for Sunday only. The festival offers camping, RV camping and a separate family-tenting area.

May 13, 2013