April 20th has evolved into a counterculture holiday, with ties to Deadheads and hippies and just about every person you probably know or will know. Music venues all over Upstate New York are using this as another reason to see live music! Here is our compiled list of 4/20 shows around the state.
Attention music lovers! Today, Surrender the Fall dropped the official music video for their latest single, “Some Kind of Perfect.” Watch it below.
Since the release of their debut record, Burn in the Spotlight, Surrender the Fall has developed a small fan base which continues to grow as the days pass. So far, the band has released two videos for their single – “Love Hate Masquerade” and now, “Some Kind of Perfect” – filled with a explosive riffs and fiery lyrics. Check it out below and let us know what you think!
DelFest announced their late night schedule recently, and if you know DelFest then you know these tickets are HOT items with limited quantities available. Do not get left outside the show during these moments in bluegrass history! These shows are a separate purchase and can ONLY be bought in addition to multi-day wristbands.
The pickin’ continues until the wee hours of the morning at DelFest and we’re excited to announce this year’s schedule. All artists performing in late night shows will also perform on the daytime stages. These are separately ticketed events, on-sale now.
These late performances will take place in the DelFest Music Hall and begin after music has ended on the Grandstand Stage. Doors open at Midnight and specific set times are TBA. Admission is $20/show. Get your tickets in advance here or at the Late Night Box Office which is located at the merchandise tent between 11a.m-10p.m Fri-Sun or at the DelFest Music Hall between 11:30p.m-2:00a.m Fri-Sun.
The crew began setting up the small stage before the crowd, as they began to pile in closer and closer. Band members, Corky Gainsford (drums) and Vassilios Metropoulos (bass) stepped on the stage, preparing their instruments for the exciting night ahead of us. The testing of the instruments and mics had the crowd itching for the band to start playing. Some of the girls cheered and squealed excitedly as Adrian Patrick (lead vocals) passed through the crowd, his hood up, darkening his face, heading towards the bar room, pacing, prepping himself to blow us away with his powerful pipes. Both the other Patrick brother, Ryan (lead guitar), and Andrew Pugh (guitar) stepped upon the testing his guitar, the anticipation rising with every waking second.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for, the lights to dim and the familiar sound of the very first track on their record, True Love Never Dies, filled the ears of the concertgoers, letting the crowd know the crazy night was to begin. Adrian made his way through the crowd yet again and used two fans (or in Otherwise terms, “Wise Onez”) as support as he stepped upon the stage. The familiar guitar riff began to the tune; “Die For You” got the whole crowd pumping their fists and bouncing to the rhythm, some whipping their hair in a wild manner. Adrian began to sing the lyrics with the voice the crowd all knew and loved. Needless to say, his primal scream blew everybody away. After the performance of the first song and “Lighthouse”, the crowd was really ready to rock to what Adrian said was their “party anthem”, “Vegas Girl”. The catchy guitar riffs played by the incredible Ryan bounced off the walls of the tiny venue, the some of the women in cheered drunkenly as they raised their drinks in the air and moved their bodies to the rhythm of the song. Adrian’s moves on the stage had the ladies cheering louder, whipping their hair crazily. The energy in the room whilst the song was playing was insane; this band knew how to get their fellow Wise Onez going. The next song to play was their latest single, “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)”, to which the whole crowd sang along to the words heard on the radio. Adrian moved closer to the fans, reached out to them, grabbing their hands, giving them a sense of the connection between the band and their ever-adoring fans.
The setlist changed to a slower song off their album, dedicated to lost loved ones, “Heaven”. It definitely was a beautiful, heartfelt song that tugged the heartstrings. Some fans pulled out their phones, using the backlight as a lighter and some used their lighter app, they all waved them to the tempo of the song. What was really touching was the passion and emotion in Adrian’s eyes. He then proceeded to tell the fans about their songs coming from the heart, that their music speaks the truth. He also talked about very eerie topics that gave the crowd a bit of the chills including how they have been in car accidents that they shouldn’t have walked away from. The band then played two back-to-back songs, “Shapes of Metal” and “Stop, Drop, and Roll”, both amazing songs that will haunt the back of the fans minds for quite sometime; those songs brought the high-energy vibe. After playing “Crimson”, Adrian took the liberty in introducing his amazing band mates, then Adrian encouraged the fans to scream for the opening bands, to scream for Otherwise and to scream for themselves, introducing, “Scream Now”. His ever-chilling scream had the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand. The crowd jumped to the beat of the drums.
Soon enough, the crowd got the hint the final act was coming to a close. Adrian stood tall, as did the rest of the band, as he encouraged the Wise Onez to pound their heart with their fist to the following the recognizable beat that Corky was playing. The pounding turned to clapping as Adrian sang the lyrics to the song that helped them become well known, “Soldiers”. He harmonized with the fans and continued to reach out to them, grabbing a fan by the hair, bringing him close and brought the mic to his face for him to sing with him. The connection in the room as the crowd sang along was unbelievable; it was such a strong feeling of engagement, it was almost very chilling. Adrian then jumped into the crowd, continuing to perform and bond with the fans. It was then really shown that this is a band that is passionate about their music; this is a band that is passionate about their fans. The band before the Wise Onez, they are a band of brothers, they are soldiers.
The night left the crowd in such a buzz. Wild, enthusiastic grins were plastered upon their faces. They got to meet the band, took pictures with them and received autographs. The brisk, cold air washed over the faces of the fans as they left the venue, their ears rang with the incredible setlist played before them. This was a night that will never be forgotten, a night where the spotlight revealed the true soldiers of music.
The Heavy Pets have their sight’s set on the North East in April, giving fans not one but five funky opportunities to boogie deep into the night whilst taking in the sounds of their unique blend of jazz-funk and rock-and-roll deliciousness.
In an interview by NYS Music’s Johnny Goff, with guitarist Jeff Lloyd and Syracuse University grad, Jeff explained why the Heavy Pets enjoy touring through the Upstate area while on tour,
“NY has always been our home and our home away from home at the same time. When we are here, we get to see our families and when we are on the road, it’s always nice to be able to look forward to our east coast swings where we know we’ll be able to see our families and friends.”
The band will first hit the famous Nectar’s in Burlington, VT on April 17th. Jamie Kent and the Options are the opening band that night. Admission is $7/$10 Ages:18+. The show starts at 9:00pm and tickets are available by visiting Nectar’s website here or calling 802-658-4771.
Next up is The Java Barn in Canton, N.Y. Show starts at 9:00pm, Admission is FREE and all ages are welcome. Check out their FaceBook page for more info and upcoming events.
The band is extra excited to be joining Conspirator & Break Science in taking over one of their favorite venues, The Westcott in Syracuse, NY April 19th! Doors open at 7:00pm and the show starts at 8:00pm. Admission is $20, all ages are welcome at this show too. Pick up your tickets online here.
An appearance at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo, NY will continue their journey through New York on April 20th. Special guests will be the Family Funktion and The Sitar Jams. Doors open at 8:00pm show starts at 9:00pm. Admission is $10/$12 ages 21+. You can get your tickets at the venue box office. View Nietzsche’s website for all their live music listings here.
The Pet’s will wrap up their travels through Upstate at the Bayou Cafe in Albany, N.Y. on April 23rd. Opening up for the night is the Kollectiv. Show starts at 9:00pm and admission is $10 ages 21+. Tickets can be purchased via the Bayou website here.
With so many opportunities to see this band you really have no excuses not to get out there and support live music!
Upstate New York favorite ‘local’ band, moe., hosted their 5th annual snoe.down Music Festival over March 21st-24th in Rutland, Vermont at both Killington Resort and Spartan Arena. The weekend was full of moe., who gave an outdoor performance at Bear Mountain on Saturday to fans and winter sports enthusiasts, while performing Friday and Saturday evening in Rutland, as well as a special acoustic Sunday show for the VIP crowd at the Wobbly Barn at Killington. Throughout the weekend, guests had a wide array of musical acts to enjoy such as Marco Benevento, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Strangefolk.
There was no better way to kick off the first weekend of Spring and the start of festival season than with a weekend dedicated to winter sports and talented musicians. The weekend started for me on Friday at the K1 lodge at Killington. The lodge was packed with tons of skiers and boarders, loading up on food and checking out the first act of the day, Tauk. The electronic rockin’ sound soon filled up the room and brought in plenty of people off the slopes. Matt Jalbert was on fire with funky guitar riffs and Charlie Dolan was unstoppable providing steady, groovy bass lines. Alric “A.C.” Carter went wild on his keys during “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)”, causing the audience to cheer while Isaac Teel kept the pop and jazzy rhythm going strong on drums. Throughout the entire set, the four-piece band was smiling and grooving just as much as the crowd was. My favorite part was how each song escalated into the next song, with great transitions. When asked about the show and weekend, Charlie Dolan reported, “We thought the set went very well! It was our first time playing a show since we finished up our CD, always refreshing to play in front of a good crowd. It was definitely our first time playing in a ski lodge, hopefully not the last. The rest of the weekend was great! Obviously, since we got to see moe. play.”
Before their music even started, I was excited to see what would come out of The Primate Fiasco, just from the array of instruments they had. The band took the stage with a banjo, clarinet, sousaphone, saxophone and the classic drum set, all of which I have never seen together at one time on one stage. Best described as a psychedelic Dixieland jam band, The Primate Fiasco quickly drew a dance crowd just with their soundcheck alone. Their vast musical arrangements flowed from original works to covers such as Ween’s “Roses are Free”, John Williams’ great score from Star Wars and various genres of tunes that anyone can enjoy dancing to. The energy was at a constant high with each band member being a driving force of talent and sound. The lodge was turned into a Mardi Gras party from the bellowing of the brass section, the fast finger pickings of the banjo and jazzy beats. It was my favorite act of the entire snoe.down weekend.
The scenic drive from Killington to Rutland wove around the mountain side and river’s edge, leading to the main drag in Rutland where there was plenty of food options as well as hotels, all a quick walk to the Spartan Arena. Inside the venue were multiple stands set up that you could find at any parking lot scene, offering shirts, stickers and various other merchandise. The ice-hockey-rink-turned-concert-hall provided great sound throughout the venue. Dumpstaphunk hit the stage and unleashed the groove as everybody started to get down. The New Orleans band plays with the great soul of classic funk and mixes it with modern twist. Ivan Neville, the master of the keys, wears a permanent smile while he pours his heart all over the organ. The wide range of vocals that the musicians sing propelled all to shout out in unison. The newest member of Dumpstaphunk, Nikki Glaspie, is a no joke and a true female drumming machine. I couldn’t get enough of the bass bombs being dropped by Nick Daniels and Tony Hall and the intense guitar jamming from IanNeville
Following the funk filled set, moe. started their set with “Captain America” creating an explosive response from the fans. The Upstate New York band eased into a flawless “Recreational Chemistry” and shared the stage with Ivan Neville for “Happy Hour Hero” and a cover of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut”. Said Al, “I can’t stop smiling. It’s fantastic” sharing his feelings during Al.nouncements at the conclusion of the set. The night ended with “St. Augustine”, a groovy, light-hearted song that left the crowd in anticipation for the rest of the weekend.
moe. setlist:
Set 1: Captain America > Recreational Chemistry, Bring It Back Home, Happy Hour Hero*, Cissy Strut*, Bullet >Kyle’s Song (* w/ Ivan Neville on keys)
Set 2: Billy Goat > Tailspin, Opium, Faker > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Wind It Up
Encore: Augustine
Saturday’s festival goers were greeted with sunshine and snow showers as they geared up for the outdoor shows at Bear Mountain in Killington. The stage was set up at the bottom of the slopes and right next to the lodge, whose massive outdoor deck was full of people lined up to watch the show. The wooden deck was surrounded by snowboards and skis of all sizes and colors. Fans also had the option of standing in the beer tent area, located closer to the right of the stage. Bear Mountain was ablaze with all the brightly colored jackets, not to mention all the hats, scarfs, helmets and sunglasses. It was true sensory overload at its best.
I was most excited to see Eastbound Jesus, one of my favorite local bands from Albany. Despite the chill in the air, EBJ easily heated up the crowd with their high energy, bluegrass rock songs that echoed off the ski slopes. Loaded with steady drum beats and fast guitar, as well as banjo strumming all fed the foot stomping fans, which made the entire mountain shake. It was so much fun to dance in the snow and sing along with everyone to “Here’s to You” and “Holy Smokes.” Eastbound Jesus was happy to play requests from the audience, who couldn’t get enough of the fast buildups that erupted into a pure hillbilly bash. Carl Anderson the drummer had this to say, “It was cool to play outside, especially with the snow coming down. The heaters worked well on the stage though and we’re pretty used to playing while cold. It was cool to open for moe.; it was a fun weekend.”
moe. took the stage and wasted no time getting the party going by starting with “Stranger Than Fiction” straight into “Spaz Medicine.” The snow started to fall, and when mixed with the music, it created a whirlwind of sound that got stuck on my coat and melted into my beer. “Waiting For The Punchline” provided serious drum banging with relentless guitar riffs. As the snow fell harder and harder, the band joked at how ironic it was to have indoor shows cancelled from weather like this, yet we are all outside having a good time. They ended the set with one of my favorite moe. songs, “Spine Of A Dog” known for its absurd lyrics and light hearted jamming.
Setlist: Stranger Than Fiction >Spaz Medicine, Blue Jeans Pizza > Waiting For The Punchline, Jazz Wank > Akimbo, Okayalright
Encore: Spine Of A Dog
After fans drove back from the mountain, got some rest and food in them, the music continued at Spartan Arena with Strangefolk, formed in Burlington in the early 1990s and reunited as their original lineup only last year. Having only played 10 shows since last March, the quartet sounded like they had never stopped performing, moving through a set of classic tunes and rarities. Opening with “Elixer”, off Weightless in Water, the vibe became one that swayed hips and moved lips as fans sang along to the catchy tune, a common occurrence when you listen to Strangefolk’s combination of dual guitars and well written lyrics. “Dance” started out quiet and subdued, but slowly built up into a frenzy, compelling the crowd with lyrics such as “When you’re dancin’, dancin’, move your feet and lose your mind”, to which the arena obliged. A heavier “Chasing Away” had an edge to it, plus sandwiched inside of the song the rare “Pooh Bear’s Mistress”. Crowd favorite “Reuben’s Place” was supposed to close the set, but a misreading of time led Reid to conclude there were 25, then 10, minutes left in their set, leading to an onstage encore of “Stout Hearted Man”. Once again, Strangefolk were given a rousing ovation by a Vermont crowd, something the quartet were quite familiar with throughout the 1990s.
moe.s sets this evening led to a great deal of potential, because aside from the acoustic VIP set on Sunday, this was going to be the last set most would see until the band’s next shows in May. Opening with a scorching “32 things”, Chuck shredde guitar sections with Al, who was sporting one of the finest beards in the state (there are a lot of beards in Vermont). “Haze”, a relatively new song for moe. was a huge highlight of the night, with Al and Rob giving intense emotion to the refrain “Hey, Let’s go. I don’t care as long as you are there; Hey, Let’s go, Doesn’t really matter when or where”. Jon Trafton and Reid Genauer from Strangefolk joined the band for two extensive versions of The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek” and moe.’s “Mexico”; Jon stood near Chuck smiling ear to ear as they tore up the song while Reid stood centerstage, grinning and playing intensely on his acoustic. After the setbreak, moe. opeend with crowd favorite “Buster” and segued quickly into “Runaway Overlude”. After a 16 minute “Puebla”, the band moved into an extended sandwich: Brent Black > Mar-DeMa > Brent Black > Meat > Brent Black, an incredible combination of song after song that wrapped up more than the last 30 minutes of their set. “That Country Tune” and “Godzilla” wrapped up the encore and a huge Saturday of music.
This weekend in Vermont with moe. and company was an incredible experience. Add in the skiing, beautiful scenery, late night revelry and sore muscles from dancing all weekend, and you know its the start of music festival season in the Northeast!
moe. Setlist:
Set 1: 32 Things, Shoot First, Haze, Y.O.Y., Up On Cripple Creek*^, Mexico* (* with Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton on guitar, ^Reid and Jon on vocals)
Set 2: Buster > Runaway Overlude, Where Does The Time Go?, Puebla > Brent Black > Mar-DeMa > Brent Black > meat > Brent Black
Encore: That Country Tune, Godzilla^ (^ Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin) teases)
Before taking on Day 4 of SxSW in Austin, Meg and Laura headed to the hotel cafe with the SxSW Bible and a highlighter. As they spent all the money they do not have on pancakes, they went over their plans for the day. They took their last sips of coffee and fought against time to make it to the Day Party at The Tap Room to interview David Wax Museum. To their annoyance , the venue turned out to be +21 and the band’s publicist did not put the eighteen year olds down for media passes.
Heads down low, the two marched down Colorado Street in an attempt to shake off their collective disappointment. They hailed a bus to the Hampton Inn for their next appointment, an interview with the Estonian singer-songwriter, Kerli. As the two reached the hotel, they were ushered up to Kerli’s hotel room by her manager, Bruce. “Kerli’s getting ready for her show, so if you girls don’t mind coming up for the interview, that would be great”. Meg and Laura happily agreed, knowing it would be a great experience actually watching the performer prep for her show. “Watching Kerli get dressed is sort of like watching a cartoon explode”, explained Bruce. Intrigued, the duo, stepped inside expecting to find the synthetic made up Kerli who could easily pass off as one of Gwen Stefani’s harajuku girls in her videos but instead found a real person: a barely 5’1″ blond girl with her face clear of makeup and her wet hair in a messy bun. Baroque shaped styrofoam cutouts outlined with neon shoelaces were strewn all around the couch and coffee table. A pair of astounding 7″ platform shoes with the same pattern stood on top of the bureau. On the floor was the singer herself, putting the outfit together as she answered their questions. The Estonian native came across little and belittled as she talked about her childhood experiences and her transition to the U.S.. She discussed how young love was nearly was the death of her and how she used it as a motivator to strive harder for her dreams. “You know how hard it is being 18”, to which the duo chimed in in response, “Oh yes, do we know.” Kerli then stepped out of her role as an interviewee and bonded with the girls over well, being girls. She commended them on their perseverance, giving them props for sticking together in the midst of a catty jungle where women hide behind their oversized shades and fake smiles stuck in lipstick. “Just wait till you turn 25 and hit the quarter-life crisis. You start examining all your accomplishments and wonder if you’re successful enough,” joked the singer. The duo wished her luck on her preparations for the show and made an exit.
As Meg and Laura watched the sun set on their bus ride back to the convention center, they agreed that this recent experience was one of the more interesting adventures they’ve had, and for those of you who don’t know, these two don’t embark on your average everyday adventures. Back on Chavez, the happening ladies were faced with the daily challenge: which show to go tonight? As they made their way across downtown Austin, en route to the venue walk-through before shows started, a distinctive synth-y noise surfaced in the air. They stopped and exchanged enchanted looks. Could it be? They crossed over to the Myspace Showcase and interrogated the bouncer; “Is that Sleigh Bells?” And of course, it was. There was no way these audiophiles could confuse the sound of Infinity Guitars for any other. The bouncer let them in on the fact that they were soundchecking and told them to be back at the venue to line up at 7pm if they wanted to get in. They took the tip but since it was still early they continued to venture around the wild Chavez until then.
Dodging drunk bullets and catching some talented street performers along the way, when the clock struck 6:30pm they headed back to the line outside the Myspace Showcase where they found that a swarm of Austin Sheriffs armed at the doors of the venue had replaced the friendly bouncer. Nervous that they wouldn’t be able to work their wits through this one and that they’d miss another great show in the process, the duo decided to resort to plan B: The Mass Appeal Ice Cream Official SXSW Social Showcase at the Austin Music Hall. Despite their doubts, this show was far less guarded and the two made it right in. In the day and age of incessant social media updates and overworked iPhones, the girls took some time to charge their cells while opening rappers Rockie Fresh and Roc Marciano took to the stage. With 100% battery they hit the floor and squeezed their way to the best spot in the house: The front of the stage near the VIP entrance where they caught glimpses of Hip Hop legend Pharrell while they waited for the one and only Kendrick Lamar to take the stage. When he finally appeared, the wild crowd he opened with “Hol’ Up” and followed with “ADHD” and kept up the energy with “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”. Just when everyone thought it couldn’t get better, he brought Ab-Soul onstage for the track “Terrorist Threats” and later blew minds when he brought out not only ScHoolboyQ but T.I. as well. The show ended with a performance by Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon and the duo walked home in a musical stupor. So out of their minds that Laura drew parallels between Destiny’s Child and Wu Tang.
There is something about SxSW that makes Meg and Laura want to hold hands and skip together and slide down a banister of razor blades into a pool of alcohol at the same time. By day three, the two of them were holding their heads in their hands, running on nothing but caffeine and two hours of sleep. After complaining about the nonexistence of cloning machines that would allow them to attend every amazing showcase at once over one, two, then three pots of coffee, they make peace with the fact that they just would have to prioritize.
That been said, Meg and Laura headed on over to the VH1 Cafe and tried to keep it cool as they weave their way around tables of celebrities to make their way to minimalist rapper, Zebra Katz. Laura suppressed the urge to point out that David Guetta just walked in as they sit down for the interview. The fashion-forward Zebra Katz shared the experiences that got him where he is today. He talked about growing up in New York City and how working as a staff manager at a catering company helped him in his rapping career. The graceful rapper rose out of the stereotype as he talked about the meaning behind the lyrics of “Ima Read” and the importance of education in society.
After the interview, Laura rushed to the Austin Convention Center and charmed her way to the front of the line for the SxSW interactive interview with Clive Davis. Bill Werde opened the interview with the question, “What do you do as the head of Columbia?” to which Clive Davis subtly responds, “You watch and you listen”. Though this industry executive has made enough contributions to the music industry for his work to speak for itself, he graciously tells all the stories behind the music. Werde tucks in controversy in his questions, asking the music mogul about his bisexuality, the on-going conflict with Kelly Clarkson and his reaction to Whitney Houston’s death. In the words of Werde “when you interview Clive Davis, you’re kind of just along for the ride”. This statement really couldn’t hold more true.
After the interview, Laura got her copy of “The Soundtrack to My Life” signed and lined up with Meg for the next panel. The two were ready to check off one major to-do off their bucket lists: seeing Stevie Nicks in person. And as the black dress donned Bella Donna herself took the stage, every empty night the duo spent singing along on the top of their lungs to “Edge of Seventeen” felt suddenly redeemed. Stevie Nicks dished on her experience with Fleetwood Mac and her decision to pursue her solo career along the way. She claimed that she just had so much music inside of her that not expressing it was not an option. “Yeah, Lindsay can go ahead and lock himself in a room, recording songs that no one will ever listen to but I had to put mine out there”. The singer-songwriter certainly doesn’t hold herself back at any point throughout the interview. Just like her music, her voice is raw and uncensored but lovable to say the least. “Some moments in life are sad but they make for a beautiful song”, says Nicks. She injected a sense of humor as she comes clean about the origin of the title “Edge of Seventeen”; she heard her friends say, “age of seventeen” but heard it wrong. “It sounded great so I decided to go with it”, professed the poet. The two left the panel covered in goosebumps, fueled by inspiration.
As the day turns into night, the girls decided to part their ways. Laura headed over to the Warner showcase at The Belmont to watch the incredible lineup of Joy Formidable, alt-J, and The Flaming Lips while Meg decided to head toRepublic Livefor Adrian Lux, Congorock and Benny Bennassi and then back to La Zona Rosa to catch Zedd, Krewella, and Wolfgang Gartner.
As she waited in line outside the red bricked Republic Live, Meg is filled with awe as she’s taken back to the moment in 10th grade when she first fell in love with EDM upon hearing Benny Bennassi’s track “Come Fly Away”. She then realized that she is about to finally see him perform. She could already hear EDM star Congorock’s blasting his track “Ivory” from the street and when she finally got through the usual gang of bouncers, she was handed a pair of raver shades and a giant glow stick. The nightclub is polarized by dueling stages where Congorock and Adrian Lux trade off their DJ sets, making the drunk music industry executives and geeks dance.
As amazing as The Joy Formidable sounded, Laura was willing to bet that it would have been a far better experience from inside the venue, rather than waiting in line outside. However, alt-J and The Flaming Lips make the two-hour-long wait more than worthwhile with their stage presence. It is true, alt-J really makes indie rock feel sexy. Between all the neon balloons, glow sticks and the inexplicable monster mascots, the venue is ablaze with energy. Though the Flaming Lips do not play Laura’s favorite, “Chewin the Apple of My Eye”, the set consisted of all the songs from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. The opener, “Fight Test”, set in itself was a guarantee for the night, nothing bad could possibly happen at this show. Wayne Coyne talked about the story behind “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell”, mentioning how they lost the original demo but decided to write a new song for the title. Their lush performance was enough to get Laura successfully through the night.
At a little past 2 AM, Laura casually witnesses a street fight as she marches past Lavaca and Colorado to catch the bus back to her hotel with Meg. Guess it’s just another night in Austin.
After touring with Papa Roach, Otherwise is playing at the Webster Theater Underground in Hartford, CT on Tuesday, April 2nd. This will be the band’s first time playing the venue since before the release of their debut record, True Love Never Dies. Opening for them is Girl on Fire. A night full of excitement, head banging, and killer guitar riffs await the rock lovers of Hartford, CT on April 2nd and then in Upstate New York at The Uptown Theater in Utica Wednesday night.
OTHERWISE:
Originally from sin city, Las Vegas, this four-pieced hard rock alternative band is one that has put their blood, sweat, and tears into their debut album, True Love Never Dies. The band consists of the Patrick brothers, Adrian (vocals) and Ryan (guitar/vocals), Vassilios Metropoulos (bass/vocals), and Corky Gainsford (drums/vocals). You may recognize Adrian’s voice from the metal duet done with In This Moment’s Maria Brink, “The Promise”, for their third record, A Star-Crossed Wasteland, accompanied by a steamy music video. The band first gained notice by having their leading single, “Soldiers” played nationally through Sirius XM’s Octane channel, yet they remained unsigned at the time. Finally, when they signed with Century Media, Otherwise was produced by Jay Baumgardner (Godsmack, Bush, Papa Roach, Seether, Sevendust, and P.O.D.). Most certainly, the band’s music will be haunting the back of your mind for quite some time.
All in all, a very great line up, one that will leave the crowd buzzing for a long while. Get ready for a rocking and kick-ass night! This will be an explosive experience that will leave your ears ringing for quite sometime!
This is the band that is not afraid to speak their mind and sing out what everybody in the venue is thinking. Their music has a very fresh rock sound, with catchy tunes that will haunt you for months, maybe more. This is the kind of music that loosens you up after a long day or week. The words that melodically leave their lips are very interpretive; their style is very edgy and rough, in a very good way. It’s that good-time feeling kind of rock, the kind that is also very blunt. Say hello to the hard-rockers of Memphis, Surrender the Fall.
Formed in 2005, band members consist of Jared Cole (vocals), Eddie Tyre (guitar), Anthony Pitts (guitar), Devin Hightower (bass), and Rick Anderson (drums). Surrender the Fall has been to hell and back; Tyre, being a lifelong resident of New Orleans, lost everything in Hurricane Katrina; Pitts was promised career in football until a knee injury. Of course, there was the case of their loved ones succumbing to sicknesses and passing away. Through all of the tragedy, Surrender the Fall strove for greatness. Before showing off their amazing talent, they took the necessary precautions to make sure everything sounded absolutely perfect. Eventually, they booked killer gigs such as in New Orleans, and with a great turn out, and they soon signed with Rum Bum Records. Rum Bum sent Surrender the Fall to Sonic Ranch in El Paso, TX (Taking Back Sunday, ZZ Top, Madonna, Devildriver) to record with producer/artist Lennon Murphy (Lennon, Devil’s Gift). After a five and a half week period, the band recorded what is now their debut 12 tracked record, Burn in the Spotlight, filled with songs on “love, hate, pain and everything in between.” The album was released September 18, 2012, with leading singles “Love Hate Masquerade” and currently, “Some Kind of Perfect.” Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the chance to interview the band’s front man, Jared Cole.
Media Credit – Kate Drexel
UM: How did you come up with your band name?
JC: Surrender the Fall…we sat down, and took paper and pen and started writing ideas about band names. It was the hardest thing in the world to do; meanwhile people come up with names like Alien Ant Farm or Butthole Surfers…we set out to figure out this name and, to be honest, we didn’t have the meaning right off the bat. We kind of put the words together that sounded good, and we sat down and thought about it for a while and it’s like “Surrender the Fall”…it’s liking giving up the fall. You don’t fall, you don’t fail; if you don’t fail, then you’re still going and that’s success, that’s following your dream, that’s doing it in a diligent way so that nothing and no one can tell you not to, like they can’t keep you from it. Giving up the option for failure. That’s what it means. And well, we’re five stubborn assholes who refuse to stop doing this…one way or another, we’re going to figure out how to piss everybody off with rock and roll music. I forget now who said it, somebody called us “The Bastard Stepchild of Rock ‘N’ Roll”…it was not in an interview, but it was something along those lines…The Bastard Stepchild…the Assholes That Refuse to Quit Playing.
UM: Who are your biggest influences?
JC: Biggest influences…Elvis, Michael Jackson, Prince, U2, Metallica, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash…again, we’re all about music without prejudice, we take influences from everything and everybody. Anybody that would do it, no matter what, anybody that would get behind the mic and say it, and didn’t give a fuck what anybody else thought. Those are our influences.
UM: How did you get to become a part of the My Darkest Days tour?
JC: I think it was a package deal; we sent some of our stuff to their management, kinda worked the details out on the business end and joined with them. Obviously we have never met before or anything like that but they’re some of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet. We love those guys…we actually saw Matt Walst not too long ago, they were…of course you know that he’s filling in for Three Days Grace right now, and we talked to him over at the Shinedown show out there, and they were playing a Battle Creek show same night we were.
UM: What’s the story behind “Some Kind of Perfect”?
JC: Well, I’ll answer that by saying this: “Some Kind of Perfect” and quite a few other songs that we have are very open to interpretation. Sometimes when I write, I draw from a couple of different scenarios to influence me to get me the vibe and “Some Kind of Perfect” is basically about having a goal and having dreams and then thinking this is what’s going to be perfect, which in this case, a band trying to make it and trying to make it in this music business and then they decided to leave it and expected me to go with them and I was at a crossroads in my life where I had to say “You know what? I can’t go” I believe in this enough to see it through and just to keep pushing on and we parted ways. I saw this movie…I forgot what they were talking about but the lady said to another person, “You need to update your fairy tale.” At that point, I had to update my idea of perfect and that it didn’t matter that it wasn’t the perfect that it began with, it was at least some kind of perfect. I think it’s all about following your heart and doing what you know you were born to do, regardless of anyone else in your life. That you can have the strength and the will and the determination to follow it through and see it through no matter what, and it can mess up along the way, get some scrapes and bruises along the way but it’s still perfect because it’s exactly what you set out to do and you didn’t let anyone push you away from that. Like I said, it’s very interpretive so people can pull their own feeling from it and relate to it in different ways and I think that’s the best thing about music in itself is that when people write, it’s not always what the listener thinks it is, and the listener can…I know I found myself growing up, hearing songs and then being able to meet the guy that wrote the song and I was like “I had no idea the way I felt about that situation in my life until I heard your song and that’s exactly how I felt about it.” I think it’s cool to be able to connect with people in that way.
UM: What does your music reflect about you guys?
JC: That we have a really good time on stage. Our live shows and our music go hand in hand. When we did this record, we wanted it to be big, we wanted it to be loud, and we wanted to write these songs that people could grab a hold of and sing with us, because it’s a party. When people pay money and spend the time to see us do something, they want the connection and that’s all about that for us, it’s all about connecting with the audience and connecting with each other on stage and everybody is looking at everybody having a good time. Our music, it reflects us as people; we’re the band that says what everybody else is thinking but they’re afraid to say it. All of our music is honest, it’s real, it’s not a over-fabrication of anything, and I think that’s why we’ve related so well on these tours that we’ve done so far, and the fact that our first major tour was with All That Remains and Nonpoint, they’re metal bands, and I’m sitting there going, “Holy shit, these guys are helping us with our launch…” And I love metal, my guitar player Ed was in a metal band and I used in a metal band, so I mean, it’s sort of blunt but we’re just rock ‘n’ roll. We got up there and every night after night after night, everybody got it, and everybody dug it. We never got a bad review, we always went up and gave it 110% every single night and I think people gravitated towards it because it was honest because we talk about it on stage and we get off stage and we live it. And it’s real and it’s…I think that’s what it is: it’s live, it’s loud, it’s honest, but hopefully it’s catchy enough to where it sticks in your head a little bit.
UM: Favorite venue and why?
JC: Oh, man! It’s a toss up, actually, and I’m not saying this because I’m biased but Rams Head is one and The Machine Shop is the other, and they’re for the exact same reasons: the stage, the sound, the atmosphere at both venues are incredible. The fans that come out and the people that come out are so ready to go. It’s not like they show any prejudice towards any other band, it’s not like the crowd that comes and sit in the back until the headliner comes on. These guys are fucking ready. Both places and we loved it; man, and we were…it’s actually the first time we played at both of those places on the My Darkest Days tour. We had five, six hundred people at Rams Head and I think The Machine Shop sold out, so it was amazing. Those are the two of the ones that stick out. I still watch YouTube videos of the Rams Head show; it was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played. It’s just the energy and the crowd, we got off stage and everybody was so cool, everybody wanted to hang out…it’s what we live for, it’s what we love to do.
UM: What do you guys do during your down time?
JC: I sit around and write a lot, plus seeing new cities, we’ll go and see different things. My drummer plans on seeing every capital of every city, we’ll go see the sites and what not, if we have time. A lot of times we’re hanging out at radio stations and going to get set up and…this and that, but a couple of the guys like to hit up the casinos and blow a little money, some of the other guys like to get a little bit of their drink on and hanging out, meeting some of the local people. We sit on the bus for long enough; you’re around everybody, all day so sometimes we like to split up; sometimes we go in pairs, sometimes we don’t go out. At the same time, it’s kind of like whatever; it depends on where we are. We’ll sit and write, we like to play Black Ops, I don’t ever play video games…I’m not good at it at all. I’ll sit around and play Black Ops and…I’m big into movies so just normal stuff. Stuff to pass the time when you don’t have anything going on.
UM: When composing a song, where do your ideas come from and how do they evolve?
JC: I just write about life…I write about my life and the things going on and things that I’ve learned, thing’s that I’m feeling; sometimes it’s in the past, sometimes it’s present, sometimes it’s things that I want later on in life and it’s a product of what that moment does to me right then. We sat down and said we were going to try and write good songs. We weren’t going to stick to any kind of genre or anything like that, and we were just going to write, to write good songs. I personally feel like that’s what we did. I don’t know what the rest of the world thinks, I hope they think the same thing but it’s just…I don’t know…it’s just life and stuff that we care about and stuff that happened to us. We’re musicians, we’re all artists and we’re all just a bunch of crazy fuckers.
UM: What does music mean to you?
JC: Ah, man…music…it’s a hard thing to say, you know, ‘cause I don’t know if there’s a word that…it’s a paramour, it’s a drug, an addiction; music is life and it’s a living and breathing thing. It’s the opiate of the masses. No one that I have ever met that does not connect with music in someway, you know, that it affects their life…it’s the energy. Sometimes it’s food, sometimes you get lost and that’s all you need is music. Sometimes you don’t need physical food; sometimes it quenches the thirst or solves your problem…I don’t know…it gives people hope. I mean it’s all the same things to us too. We got into this because we love music and we love the creative process of music…it’s the only thing we know. This is the most important thing to me, this is the only thing I know how to do and for me, it’s life.
Binghamton
