Albany is a great town for great live music, and we have our share of venues all over the city and Capital District. But we are missing one venue – the one that fits in between the clubs of Red Square, Bayou and Putnam Den, and one that houses the larger acts like The Egg and The Palace. That gap leaves out the bands that can fill 400-900 fans into a venue, such as Railroad Earth, Umphrey’s McGee, and countless other acts that are missing their perfect sized room in the capital of New York.
the front of the venue, for now
Finally, someone has stepped up to the plate with a potential location for a new venue. Chris Pratt and Alessio Depoli, owners of both Pearl Street Pub and The Barrel Saloon on Broadway in North Albany are in the process of gaining a zoning variance for a warehouse at 28 Thatcher Street, just off Broadway near The Barrel, into a music venue.
From the looks of it, the venue needs some work, but fear not, this venue is slated to hold local and national acts, country, rock, bluegrass and more styles. And since the club will only be open for shows, the hours wont stretch far beyond when the doors open and the end of the show, much like Revolution Hall was. (RIP) Even though the venue closes early, you’ll have Wolff’s Biergarten, Stout, The Barrel and Sciortino’s Pizzeria for post-show food and drinks. Capacity will be between 700-800 and have a full service bar inside.
One word of caution – Sneaky Pete’s, the infamous club, was denied an application for this same property in 2010. That could be a sign of things to come, or lead to two proven business owners in Albany bringing the city what it truly needs, that music venue to fill the gaps and keep the great music coming to Albany.
Update 3/7 – Support is needed on March 13th at 5:30 pm at City Hall in Albany for the Zoning Committee meeting that will determine the future of this potential venue. Come out and support live music in Albany and a couple of great businessmen looking to improve the downtown/warehouse area.
On Friday, March 1st, one of Albany’s oldest bands, Blotto, took the stage at Valentines for WCDB’s 35th anniversary show, celebrating the Capital Region’s best music from 90.9 at SUNY Albany. Across town at The Bayou Cafe, Mister F, a Timbre Coup/Capital Zen side-project took shape for the first time, debuting as the newest band in the Albany scene. When Blotto first debuted in the early 1980s, none of the members of Mister F were born yet. Catching both of these shows was quite an impressive display of musical talents ranging over a span of 33 years, with each giving a stellar performance in their own right.
Blotto, best known for their hits “I Wanna be a Lifeguard”, “I Quit” and “Metalhead”, play shows periodically in the Albany area, bringing their new wave/surf rock sound to the masses once again. There were plenty of hits to choose from and the crowd enthusiastically cheered on each song and laughed along with Broadway Blotto’s song exposition and Sarge Blotto’s story telling added a little extra to the songs, building up to “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” and “Lifeguard”.
Setlist: She’s Got a Big Boyfriend, When the Second Feature Starts, I Quit, My Baby’s the Star of a Drivers Ed movie, It’s Not You, (We Are) The Nowtones, Elevator Music, Goodbye, Mr. Bond, I Wanna be a Lifeguard
Meanwhile, at The Bayou, Mister F, made up of Andy, Ben and Matt from Timbre Coup and Scott from Capital Zen, took to the stage with “Vocodor” and from the start, this meeting of the musical minds came off as being a natural sounding act. A couple of covers thrown in – Hall and Oates’ “I can’t go for that”, White Town’s “Your Woman” and a fantastically done “Elevator”, a Particle song that moves at breakneck speeds at times, gave the night some familiarity and allowed the four to show off their chops. “Hedgehog” rounded out the night as the crowd gave big support in a debut performance for the group.
Setlist: Vocoder, No Can Do* > Treadmill, 11, Your Woman# > Improv > Don’t Lose Your Watch, Elevator^, Final Countdown Intro > Hedgehog
When Jeff Bujak comes to your town, you’re in for a treat. Taking his multiple keyboards and effects equipment, as well as self-made mixes, he lays down a tenacious beat that sets the tone for dancing and rocking out. Accompanied by Jen DuLong spinning her lit up hula hoops to the beat of the songs (an impressive feat), the multi-sensory experience is always worth it when Bujak comes to town. Check out some of his music on his website, including free downloads of albums, plus some footage from last week at Red Square in Albany.
A mostly instrumental exploration of various jazz concepts infused with hip-hop and funk, The Chronicles bring us a soul soup that hits the spot. All the spots. The Chronicles is a unique blend of highs and lows, sometimes frightening, sometimes joyful, sometimes serious and, at other times, playful. The Chronicles is a disc fitting for just about every occasion in the amalgamation of life.
The disc opens with someone flipping through the channels and lands on “Purple Diesel.” An attention grabbing blast of sassy horns gives way to a quieter rhythm, then back around to the horns. Throughout the disc, this six man ensemble successfully fuse their various artistic backgrounds into a tangible form that magically seeps into the mind, body and soul. Bryan Brundige (trombone), Jeff Nania (saxophonist), Andrae Surgick (drums), Daniel Lawson (bass), and Justin Henricks (guitar) marvelously compliment each other’s musical style ultimately playing out on an eight-song disc that will warm you from the inside out.
If that doesn’t hit the spot (yet it will) then surely occasional guest vocalist Kendra Jones will do just that in “Rain Drops.” Composed by trumpeter and guest player, Phil Chow, the song starts out one way but subtly changes over the duration of about eight minutes; it’s unrecognizable by the end. Jones’ vocals are layered and the horn is somewhere in the back, giving us a sense of a forlorn soul walking the beat of row houses in the rain. Jones shows up again on “I Wanna Sing,” and “Music Comes Alive.”
Closing the disc with New Orleans flavored wah-wah-wah and weighted down in an ironic and amusing song titled “Triumph.” One could only imagine trudging-down-the-street-ho-hum emotion this song provokes. No matter the pleasure (or the pain) there is a comfort brought about in listening from start to finish.
This past Friday, Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff of Lettuce brought his Expanded Consciousness to Red Square in Albany for what was a very-anticipated show for many, to say the least. The crowd was deep and focused on Smirnoff, Craig “Butter” Glanville on drums, bassist Chris Loftlin and Blind Boys of Alabama keyboardist Pete Levin, and got progressively louder as the jams grew and grew.
Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff
What started out as small aural-seedlings from the band grew in to fully formed jams that were mostly improvised pieces that lasted 10-15 minutes at times. This was a treat for 90 minutes or so, with Shmeeans leading the others into jazzy explorations that meandered all about the jam-session spectrum. Check out eight separate tracks from the night, and be sure to check out Shmeeans and The Expanded Consciousness at The Putnam Den on February 28th, plus an interview with Shmeeans.
Albany’s Formula 5 has hit the mark on their solid debut album, showcasing their sounds and skills in a tight seven tracks. Well produced and with fluid consistency, the album should be a must listen for Albany area fans, especially those who like Phish and Umphrey’s McGee – you’ll hear their influence intermittently on the album. The tracks are mostly six to eight minutes long and well worth it, giving you a clear idea of what to expect from live performances, polished songwriting skills and instrumentation that meshes together to create one solid debut album.
The opening track, “Hot Box”, is a perfect lead in, with all four on the ball for one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard lately. It reminded me of The Big Wu, UVHippo, early String Cheese Incident and a little bit Umphrey’s McGee. Joe Davis’ guitar has just the right amount of pedal to lead the song, with Mike McDonald’s keys building tension towards a change in tempo mid-way through, likely a launching point for jams when played live. The chorus “Hold fast, cooking on down, cooking on down the road” is a great crowd-friendly line that is sure to be an anthem with a little time. “Coming Home” has hints of Bruce Hornsby, a fair amount of Trey and a little Kang thrown in for good measure. The number develops into a well formed jam, with Mike McDonald’s keys giving a nice faux-reggae beat to the tune. “Paella” is a progressive instrumental and gets into a nice airy groove midway, this is another one that will excel when seen live.
“Sueno”, a minute long interlude on the album that splits the two halves of the album apart, and with “Mister Elixer”, the album picks up where it left off. This track is catchy and riffy, feeling more like Phish than any other tune on the album. You can hear Trey’s influence pouring through Joe Davis in the best way possible. “3 Ring Circus” starts with a long organ lead in, and McDonald shines on the track, establishing the groove before starting in with lyrics. The final track, “Houdini”, has a Pink Floyd-esque intro, before things get nice and funky. Bill Shattuck’s bass groove is a highlight and pairs well with Greg Marek’s drumming. An added bonus to the track are Jeff Nania on saxophone and Bryan Brundige on trombone, both from the Albany band, The Chronicles.
I first became aware of Dopapod when I downloaded a show of a band with the funny palindrome name. They had a good sound, a bit heavy for me at the time, but they also did a killer cover of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock,” a band I have been a fan of since college in the mid-90s. While that cover hooked me, it was the originals and the improv that kept bringing me back. When plans for a book release party for PhanFood came together in the fall of 2010, Nectar’s in Burlington was the venue and Dopapod just happened to be the main act of the night. A couple of emails between band manager Jason Gibbs and myself and the band was happy to help promote the book release, and led to a packed house for both the release and the show. At every festival since and every opportunity throughout, I’ve seen Dopapod continue to grow at an exponential pace. Nearly a studio album a year, plus a heavy touring and festival schedule has made Dopapod a sought after act that is spreading quickly from their Northeastern base. Upon the release of their most recent album, Redivider, we sat down with guitarist Rob Compa and drummer Neal ‘Fro’ Evans of Dopapod to talk about their roots, what lies ahead, and what’s up with the palindrome band name and album titles.
Pete Mason: How did the band first come together? Who knew each other and when and where was the first gig? Any memories of that first Dopapod moment?
Rob Compa: The band started with just Eli (Winderman) and our friend Michelangelo Carubba as a keys and drum duo. My first show was at a little sports bar in Boston called The Draft. I wasn’t in the band yet. I just came out and sat in because Eli and I knew each other from playing reggae gigs around town. The first moment when I really felt like we were on to something was at my first rehearsal in a basement in Allston. We had a jam and just trailed off harmonizing with each other and answering each other’s phrases. It was crazy, like we had the same musical vocabulary right off the bat. It took a while before we were comfortable enough to play off of each other like that on stage though.
Neal Evans: Before I was in the band, I asked Dopapod to play an after party that I was planning for my band Cashed Fools. The party never ended up happening, but Eli invited me to come to the festival that they were playing the next day (Heady Fest), and I asked if I could bring some percussion. Heady Fest was my first show with the band.
PM: You blend a wide degree of sounds among your catalog. What musicians have provided the major influences for each of you?
RC: I’ve been a huge Phish fan since I was a teenager. That’s the biggest one for me. I’m also really influenced by country guitarists, particularly Duke Levine and Jim Campilongo. And I studied a fair amount of jazz over the years; I don’t consider myself a jazz guitarist necessarily, but I learned enough of it to have some bebop vocabulary in my playing. I particularly love Django Reinhardt.
NE: I came from a heavy metal and progressive rock background; the first song I played on drums was Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. And Primus. Then I got into more funk and groovin’ stuff. I’ve always listened to a wide variety, but the heavy drums really got me started.
PM: Are there any new artists that you are listening to that are having an influence on you, or simply ones that you enjoy listening to?
RC: The Fleet Foxes have been a big influence over the last couple years. And Fro recently turned me on to Megadeth. Also, Tim Palmieri’s (Kung Fu/The Breakfast) playing has really had an impact on me.
NE: Jaga Jazzist and Snarky Puppy are my favorite new bands. They are musically amazing and very forward thinking. I’ve never heard anything like those two bands. Also Dub Trio is just super bad ass.
PM: What gear do you each use?
NE: I have a Yamaha Maple Custom drum kit, DW kick pedals, assorted hardware, cymbals from Sabain, Zildjian, Ufip, and Meinl, and Vater Fusion drumsticks.
RC: I use a Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II that I love the shit out of. I pretty much only use that live, although I used a Fender Strat and Tele on a lot of the new album. My amplifier is an old Fender Vibrolux that sounds great. For pedals, I use a maxon OD808 and an Analogman King of Tone for my overdriven sounds. I’ve also got a delay, phaser, and a octave pedal on my pedalboard
PM: How have you found the EDM and electronic environment to be, considering that the scene is becoming quite large and almost super-saturated with talent?
RC: I like bands that use computers and click tracks to do the electronic thing. And I think it’s cool that music is changing and evolving with the whole DJ thing, even though that way of making music doesn’t really resonate with me, personally.
NE: There are some that I like and some that I don’t care for. As long as its originality is clear, I’m usually into it. I love hearing sounds and grooves that I have never heard before.
PM: What do music festivals provide to bands as they are growing, and how do the fans benefit from acts like Dopapod playing festivals on a regular basis?
RC: Festivals are awesome because it gives bands a chance to to be heard by tons of new people who might not have ordinarily gone out of their way to take the chance on the band. And, it gives people the chance to discover new bands.
NE: Festivals are great for helping a band gain a following in the greater area of the festival. Most festivals have a large local attendance, so when we come back to the area, there will be a lot of people who first saw us at the fest. There is definitely a large growth of electronic music at festivals, and a lot of fans express their gratitude for keeping the live band element strong at festivals. And we like to do fun special things at festivals, because they feel like special gigs. Our festival sets usually have some fun surprises that may not happen at a club or venue.
PM: Branching out from the Northeast, you have recently dipped into the Southeast and Midwest. How have you found the experience entering new markets, with only word of mouth to precede you?
RC: It feels great to play a market for the first time and already have people there excited for the show. It’s encouraging. At the same time, going to different parts of the country and playing for smaller crowds is very humbling. It’s important for us to remember that we still have a lot of work to do.
NE: It’s always fun to go to a place you have never been before for the sake of playing music. Some new markets do well, some not so well, but we will just keep at it. We have seen steady growth just about everywhere, which is a great feeling.
PM: How has the reception been from fans in these parts of the country?
NE: So far so good! Gaining many fans and street teamers all the time, and getting a lot of support from people in the new areas.
RC: It’s been awesome, all around. Even if a show isn’t necessarily packed, people always seem to have a great time. Crowd size matters not.
photo by Andy Hill
PM: Was there a moment for each of you where you were playing a show or on the road, and the thought crossed your mind, “Wow, I can totally see myself doing this for a living!”
NE: I think that happened for me when the first time I played a drum set.
RC: I think we’ve all felt that way the whole time. None of us really have any doubt that this is what we want to do.
PM: One burning question that I’ve had is the use of palindromes, both the band’s name and each album title: I saw live Dopapod evil was I, Drawn Onward, Radar, and the latest, Redivider. Did the band name come first, then palindrome album titles, or was that sort of the plan all along? Can that well ever run dry?
NE& RC: ?yrd nur reve llew taht naC ?gnola lla nalp eht fo tros taht saw ro ,seltit mubla emordnilap neht ,tsrif emoc enam dnab eht diD .redivideR ,tsetal eht ,radaR , drawnO nwarD ,I saw livE dopapoD eviL waS I :eltit mubla hcae dna eman s’dnab eht htob , semordnilap fo esu eht si dah ev’I taht niotseuq gninrub enO
PM: Regarding Redivider, the album is a fantastic mark of growth in the band and your best album to date. “Braindead” has a hint of Oysterhead, while “Bubble Brain” gives off a hip-hop feel, “Trapper Keeper” has one of your catchiest lyrics – they make for a powerful start to the album. What was the process behind each of these songs?
NE: Each song came together differently. “Bubble Brain” and “Trapper Keeper” were ideas that Eli had, and “Braindead” was written completely off of a guitar riff that Rob wrote.
RC: They were all different. “Braindead” seriously took like a year to write. It started with just the intro riff, which I brought to the band to jam over in rehearsal. And it became a finished piece very slowly. Eli wrote Bubble Brain on his computer, and we all learned our parts on our own, then rehearsed it and made some arranging changes. We started working on “Trapper” right before the Redivider sessions, and basically finished it in the studio, which was a cool new method for us.
PM: One song of note, “Vol. 3, #86” is not only a stand out, Nintendo-esque track, but also one of the more unique titles. Where did this one come from and how were the pieces of the song composed and melded into one final tune?
RC: Eli wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics after the music was written. I’ll give 5 bucks to the first person who can figure out where the title comes from.
PM: You’ve played all over New England and Upstate New York. What stands out for you when you go through New York and hit off Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Ithaca and all points in between?
RC: Oneonta, NY is a standout. Some of our first shows were there, so we’ve got a lot of fans from there who’ve been with us from the beginning. That’s a really special place for us. Also I’m from Rochester, so I always enjoy playing there.
PM: Did growing up in Rochester influence your music playing in any way, either through school or the local music scene?
RC: Absolutely. While I was in high school, I did a bunch of musical extra-curricular things that challenged me as a musician, like pit bands and even an Irish band. I also played in a local cover band called the Earthtones, which taught me a lot about gigging and having a good attitude about playing with other people. After high school, I got really into an amazing local band called the Niche. Eventually, they sort of took me under their wing and let me sit in with them at shows. That was a huge influence for me and I still love their music to this day. Also, an early jazz based influence was a great local group called Doja. Their guitarist, Paul McCardle, is an amazing player and had a big impact on my playing early on.
PM: Got any favorite places to stop for food while in Upstate New York?
NE: Dinosaur BBQ, Alto Cinco in Syracuse and anything around Ithaca is great for hiking and chilling.
RC: Garbage Plates.
Dopapod plays Albany at Red Square on February 28th with special guest Big Something, March 1st at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse with special guests The Manhattan Project and The Greys, and March 2nd at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester with special guest Haewa. There will be Garbage Plates late night.
Upstate NY will be well represented at the 13th Annual Summer Camp Music Festival at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL on Memorial Day Weekend – May 24, 25 & 26, 2013.
Floodwood (Featuring Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico of moe.), Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Timbre Coup, Aqueous and Project Weather Machine will all be venturing to the MidWest to represent Upstate at this well attended event.
Summer Camp, which features moe. and Umphrey’s McGee as long standing host, has grown to the top tier of outdoor camping events. Besides the before mentioned acts, Summer Camp also includes Trey Anastasio Band, STS9, The Avett Brothers, Thievery Corporation, Big Gigantic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Cornmeal, Lettuce and more.
Floodwood
Floodwood, based in Utica, is a progressive string band featuring the combined talents of Schnier and Amico, plus Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Zachary Fleitz. Now in their second year of touring mostly local Upstate shows between moe. tours, Floodwood is ready to take their show to regional markets.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad calls Rochester home, but they have toured consistently the past 6 years with their highly acclaimed psychedelic roots reggae show. Panda guitarist/vocalist Dan Keller has come full circle. “This was the first music festival I ever attended…now I’m playing at it. Life is cool sometimes.”
Albany’s Timbre Coup is a progressive rock band often compared to groups like King Crimson or Umphrey’s McGee, but they also have a very danceable side. ”We want people to pay attention to the details and intricacies of our songs, but we love making people dance.” says drummer Matt Pickering.
Buffalo’s Aqueous is taking the northeast by storm as of late, constantly hitting new markets with their infectious jam/prog/rock improvisation. With a heavy focus on segues and ever changing set lists, Aqueous will keep you wanting more!
CNY’s Project Weather Machine has quickly gained an audience in the jam scene since their first show in February of 2012. Combining deep song writing, roaring guitar solos and floor shaking dance beats, PWM is sure to keep ya movin!
The University at Albany’s student run radio station, WCDB 90.9 FM, is celebrating their 35th Anniversary on March 1st at Valentines with a Festival Birthday Bash Extravaganza! Featuring acts both new and old, the night is sure to be memorable for those who worked at WCDB or attended SUNY Albany in the past three or more decades.
The doors open at 5:30pm with seven bands and alumni DJs to play in between sets. Upstairs will have The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Oberhofer and one of the biggest acts to come out of The Capital Region, Blotto! Downstairs will feature Summer People, Barons in the Attic, if Madrid and Dirty Face.
There will be prizes from local businesses and band merch giveaways. Tickets are $18 in advance and $23 at the door. Pick them up here and get them in advance! You can follow along for updates here or check out this blog that will keep things updated as the big night approaches.
The opening band, The Chronicles, are Albany natives and I arrived in time to catch the last four songs of their opening set. Their sound made me imagine Lettuce and The Roots, canoodling in a jazz bar, full and polished with energy to spare. I’ll be hoping to see them at a venue where the space is more dance friendly.
After a short intermission, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band took the stage. On tour promoting their newest album Twenty Dozen, they are not quite a dozen, but seven musicians. Original members Gregory Davis (trumpet/vocals), Roger Lewis (baritone sax), Kirk Joseph (sousaphone) and Kevin Harris (alto sax) were joined by three younger musicians, a trombonist, keyboardist and Terrence Higgins on drums. At 24 years old, Terrence may be younger than the band, but he holds the rhythm down.
Starting out with “Big Chief” and continuing on into “Burn Down the Levee” and “Oo-Poo-Pah-Doo” before returning to “Big Chief”, DDBB had me wishing Massry was better suited to let loose and dance. Through fiesty solos and a hot backbeat, most of the crowd remained seated, even after prompted by Davis to stand up. “Just for tonight, it’s Mardi Gras in this 20° weather” he instructed us. “You aren’t in Albany anymore.” He had us all clapping and singing along after demanding “When I call to you, you respond!” When the power failed in some mics, they powered through it, their sound saucy and resonating in the room. Davis kept us involved, shouting out over the crowd for us to sing a long.
During “Git Up”, again we were instructed to stand and dance, and this time it worked. Most of the audience complied and were clapping and dancing with the beat. Towards the end, Davis brought two audience members onstage to dance, which they did with enthusiasm, if nothing else.
Not to leave the crowd unsatisfied, DDBB stitched songs into a closing medley with “Big Mamou” followed by a favorite “When The Saints Go Marching In” reprised by “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now.” Leaving the stage to a standing ovation and much fanfare, we were graced with one last song, a duet by Davis and Lewis. They perform a very sweet and sultry “Saint James Infirmary Blues” which was a beautiful end to a very intimate show.
Listen to “Jook” from their new album Twenty Dozen
Blotto, best known for their hits “I Wanna be a Lifeguard”, “I Quit” and “Metalhead”, play shows periodically in the Albany area, bringing their new wave/surf rock sound to the masses once again. There were plenty of hits to choose from and the crowd enthusiastically cheered on each song and laughed along with Broadway Blotto’s song exposition and Sarge Blotto’s story telling added a little extra to the songs, building up to “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” and “Lifeguard”.
The opening track, “Hot Box”, is a perfect lead in, with all four on the ball for one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard lately. It reminded me of The Big Wu, UVHippo, early String Cheese Incident and a little bit Umphrey’s McGee. Joe Davis’ guitar has just the right amount of pedal to lead the song, with Mike McDonald’s keys building tension towards a change in tempo mid-way through, likely a launching point for jams when played live. The chorus “Hold fast, cooking on down, cooking on down the road” is a great crowd-friendly line that is sure to be an anthem with a little time. “Coming Home” has hints of Bruce Hornsby, a fair amount of Trey and a little Kang thrown in for good measure. The number develops into a well formed jam, with Mike McDonald’s keys giving a nice faux-reggae beat to the tune. “Paella” is a progressive instrumental and gets into a nice airy groove midway, this is another one that will excel when seen live.
Pete Mason: How did the band first come together? Who knew each other and when and where was the first gig? Any memories of that first Dopapod moment?
PM: What gear do you each use?
PM: What do music festivals provide to bands as they are growing, and how do the fans benefit from acts like Dopapod playing festivals on a regular basis?
The doors open at 5:30pm with seven bands and alumni DJs to play in between sets. Upstairs will have The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Oberhofer and one of the biggest acts to come out of The Capital Region, Blotto! Downstairs will feature Summer People, Barons in the Attic, if Madrid and Dirty Face.