NYS Music 20​13

Category: Capital Region

  • Albany Gets Ready to MOVE This Saturday April 27th

    Albany will be overrun with music this Saturday April 27th as the city hosts 100 bands at 10 venues for the annual MOVE Music Festival.  A fairly new event, MOVE aims to highlight the growing music scene in Albany by giving musician’s exposure as well as insight on conducting themselves in today’s independent music industry.

    Albany was recently ranked within the top 20 Metro Areas in the Nation in regards to musicians and music related business, making it the ideal location for the MOVE Music Festival. Concert goers can purchase wrist bands for $15 at any of the participating venues, which grants them all access to every show that day. The musical genres vary from Indie, Americana, Alternative, Rock, EDM and Fusion, catering to Albany’s widespread taste in music.

    moveflyer

    Besides the musical acts, the festival will host a merchandise trade show and interactive round table sessions with music professionals at the Hotel Albany lodging and convention complex in downtown Albany. Artists will be given the opportunity to meet with various companies that will offer guidelines, strategies and vital information about furthering their music careers.

    Some of the VIPs for the meet and greet  are Lou Plaia, (Co-Founder of ReverbNation), Benji Rogers (the Founder of Pledge Music), Craig Sala (Drummer for Paranoid Social Club), Veronica Grettonfrom (401K Music) and many more.

    Hotel Albany will be offering $5 parking all day in their garage and the city has free street parking on the weekends. Albany also had a solid public transportation system with CDTA offering multiple routes that make stops at the various locations.

    With the weather scheduled to be sunny and 60s, it’s not a bad idea to even bike or walk, giving folks time to take in the sights and sounds of Albany.

  • Op-ed: A New Music Venue for Albany won’t open because of two local businessmen

    The city of Albany has a thriving arts scene, from The Palace to Capital Repertory Theater, from Alive at Five to the Albany Symphony, as well as the incredible art found on the Empire State Plaza and inside the concourse below. In recent studies, Albany ranks #9 in Top Metro Areas based on Musical Acts per 10,000 and Rochester and Albany both rank among top music scenes in country in Metro Music Index. But two local businessmen are opposed to the new music venue.

    We have the music, we have the population who go see live music in the Albany area (and beyond) but one thing we do not have is a music venue for acts to graduate to from the smaller clubs and bars, such as Valentine’s and Red Square. We had Revolution Hall, but that venue closed because Brown’s management felt it was better empty than having occasional shows. Musicians and music fans need a venue of comparable size and there has been a gap since the venue closed in 2010.

    music venue businessmen

    Currently, we have venues of 100-300 (Valentine’s, Red Square), of 1.000 (The Egg) up to 2,500 (The Palace) and of course, The Times Union Center (20,000). Note the size that is missing – between 300 and 1,000. Recently, that gap looked to be filled as local businessmen Chris Pratt andAlessio Depoli applied for a Zoning Variance to change the warehouse at 28 Thatcher Street, in the Warehouse District of Albany (one block north of Wolfe’s Biergarten), into a music venue. The venue would have held up to 800 patrons, only open for shows, one hour before and one hour after shows, shuttered otherwise but providing a venue for musicians, acts and bands that cannot fill The Egg or The Palace, but already grown out of Red Square and Valentine’s. This move was a wise one – a non-residential area with a couple bars nearby that would be open until the late hours of the night and give patrons a place to convene following a concert on Thatcher Street.

    This variance was recently denied because two local business owners, Mike Graney (owner of Stout) and Matt Baumgartner (owner of Wolfe’s, Scortino’s Olde English, and Bombers – soon to open a third location in Troy) voiced their concerns at the recent Zoning Board meeting in March (Graney in person, Baumgartner through his lawyer) citing two things – a lack of parking and the underage crowd that would be at these shows (the venue can have fans 16 and older). Baumgartner went further in his Friday Puppy blog, flat out saying “I don’t want this in my backyard”. Of course, it was Matt who decided to move to a Warehouse district with industries right around the corner and trucks driving in and out on a regular basis, rather than a residential area. So NIMBY has become half the battle cry for this owner. This is an industrial area, not a residential neighborhood and is the perfect place for a venue of this size, one that Albany desperately needs.

    It boggles the mind that an Albany business owner who has found success throughout the city, and now in Schenectady soon in Troy, will not allow others to find the same success with a new music venue. This is hypocrisy at its finest and stifles the music scene in Albany, which benefits all in the long run.

    Lets look at the two issues that were brought up in resistance to the new music venue, the underage crowd that will be at these shows, and parking.

    There is not a great deal of parking lots in this part of town, because it is an industrial district. Even though I have had trouble parking when I have gone to The Barrel, Baumgartner’s Wolfe’s or  Graney’s Stout, I find a spot on the street a block or two away and make a short walk – not the worst thing in the world. To have businessmen complain about there being too much traffic in their neck of the woods had shades of elitism. Traffic means patrons and patrons lead to good business for all. Graney and Baumgartner are essentially saying they don’t want anymore patrons beyond what they have already. When it rains, it pours, but only the amount they want it to pour.

    Consider this: 800 people are not going to drive to music venue singly. Double up each car and there may be 400 cars. Factor in some who take the bus (the 22+23 run right past these bars on Broadway), plus some will get dropped off or take a cab. Let’s round down to 250-300 cars. People will find a place to park. They find places now for Graney’s Stout, The Barrel and Baumgartner’s Wolfe’s, especially on the days the latter blocks off the street for Oktoberfest and recently, World Cup games, so how hard will it be to find parking? Not much more difficult, but it will also encourage people to get dropped off and picked up, staving off drunk driving as a side-effect, one that everyone can support.

    The 16-20  age group comprises five ages that cannot drink in bars. But what about the 21 and older crowd? Fans up to age 60 (and above, depending on the show) will be happy to stop by for a drink following a show on Thatcher. That’s a range of 40+ years that Graney and Baumgartner are shorting themselves on, all because they don’t want to deal with the risk of the younger crowd coming into their bars. Talk about missing the forest for the trees. Inform your doormen to keep an extra cautious eye on show nights and the problem is solved.

    Of course, there is the benefit these local bar owners would have, in that they will get business following shows for those looking to continue their night. I can think of many nights at Revolution Hall where I went to Brown’s, Jose Malone’s or Ryan’s Wake for a nightcap or two. The short-sightedness of these two businessmen is denying another businessman the ability to bring to Albany a music venue that is desperately needed and will give them a boost in the long run.

    With their continued opposition to the bar, it is selfish of these bar owners to put up such a resistance so that a fellow bar owner cannot open up a music venue because of a ‘not in my backyard’ attitude accompanied by a short-sighted view of business potential.

    There is no reason to support these businesses if they can’t support the music scene and fellow business owners in Albany.

  • Blues Legend B.B. King plays The Massry Center’s 5th Anniversary Gala, April 14th

    When the Massry Center for the Arts at The College of Saint Rose set out to plan their 5th anniversary gala on Sunday, April 14th 2013, they looked to go big and find an act that would fit the evening. After a brief search, the name of the greatest living blues guitarist was thrown into the mix. Ultimately, B.B. King was selected to play for a select crowd of 300 patrons, donors and students of Saint Rose, making for an intimate experience, one the crowd would not soon forget.B.B. King

    The Massry and Picotte families were honored for their donations towards the Massry Center and the Picotte Recital Hall, respectively. Starting sharply at 7:45 that evening, the band, minus B.B., came out on the stage and began 10 minutes of swinging jazz orchestration, warming up the toes of the crowd as they tapped and swayed them into the groove as each horn took a vibrant solo.

    The band beckoned the crowd for growing applause, as B.B. King walked out from stage right, with white tufts of hair covering his head and a signature purple jacket with a gold and silver pattern. King tossed out some guitar picks before sitting down gently, taking Lucille by the neck and plucked her strings to bring forth that signature sound, the one that every blues guitarist alive seeks to imitate, for that golden sound of blues guitar from B.B. King’s fingers is unmistakable to even the casual fan.

    B.B.’s band, all incredible individual musicians in their own right, took their own solos throughout the evening, including Charles Dennis on guitar, ‘Professor’ Stanley Abernathy on trumpet, Melvin Jackson on sax, James Sells Toney on keyboards, Robert Higgins on drums, Ron Torbensen on bass and B.B.’s nephew Walter Riley King on flute and baritone saxaphone. In every song, B.B. would defer to them, as they brought each tune to new heights, only to be accented by King’s own guitarwork.

    B.B. King

    With B.B. King out on stage, he sat down front and center and moved into “I Need You So,” with the keys eliciting symphonic strings for a soothing opener. “Everyday I Have the Blues,” one of many classics over the course of the evening, brought the voice of the King to the forefront, with a little plucking  as the band played and he strutted in his seat. The horns on “Rock me Baby” added so much to the sound of guitar, it created a perfect accent for the evening. “So Excited” started out with an extended instrumental before the lyrics of a love’s lament, “I’m so excited, think about you all the time, Yes I can’t wait to see you baby, You really messed up my mind.” About this time I noticed the incredible detail on B.B.s jacket, which stood out like a peacock showing off his feathers, enticing the audience to come in just a little bit more towards each song he sang. A high saxophone solo provided a great contribution to “So Excited”, while B.B. made it look so easy to play the blues, the notes just popping off his fingers.

    Audience participation was unexpected, but welcomed by all, with the classic tune “You are my Sunshine”, sans horns, just guitars, keys and drums. B.B. encourages the crowd to sing along early on in the tune with him, then solo, then the crowd reignited the singing without prompt. B.B. invited the women to sing a verse, then give a kiss to a guy near them, which led to humorous banter with the front row of the school’s dignitaries. Encouraging the ladies to sing and kiss a guy near them again, King counted off to 4 (at a slow pace – one, one and a half, two, two and a half…) and got the crowd kissing again. To extend the song just a bit longer, he remarked that “a few guys didn’t get kissed, so pucker up next time”, which elicited uproarious laughter from the crowd before another sing along of the refrain from the audience.

    Getting back to the classics, “The Thrill is Gone” bled from the strings, and with seats so close, I could hear each string plucked as B.B. King worked through the song. “Someone Really Loves You” was accompanied by flute and the delicate notes were enhanced by the Picotte Recital Hall’s incredible acoustics. “Love Came to Town” got progressively more toe-tappy and invigorating, leading to louder horns amid full swinging blues and an audience clap along.

    B.B. King

    For the finale of the night, B.B. mentioned a tune that he used to play with Willie Nelson at the end of shows when they toured together in 2008. “When the Saints go Marching in”, the ultimate song for New Orleans. B.B. grooved over the song, sang the memorable lyrics and then casually invited individuals from the audience to come up and get additional guitar picks, commemorative pendants or a handshake, as well as a beaming smile. This led to a true moment for many in the audience (this chance to meet the King lasted for well over 30 minutes) – to interact with a legend who has shared the gift of his music for nearly three quarters of his life. God bless B.B. King.

    Setlist: Intro 1, Intro 2, I Need You, Everyday I have the Blues, Rock me Baby, So Excited, You are my Sunshine, The Thrill is Gone, Someone Really Loves You, Love Came to Town, When the Saints go Marching In

    B.B. King

  • One More Time: A Daft Punk Tribute, bringing Robot Rock to Upstate NY, April 20th in Syracuse and April 27th in Clifton Park

    With Daft Punk slowly leaking the collaborators of their upcoming album Random Access Memories, anticipation is at an all time high as fans await the release of the first single, “Get Lucky”, in the coming weeks. The reclusive French duo have no plans to tour just yet and even when they tour, tickets are likely to be impossible to get and in select cities throughout the country. Fortunately, the tribute act One More Time is filling a void with an incredible live show that mimics Daft Punk’s live act, to the best degree that one can imitate such a spectacular show.

    one more time

    With two shows coming to Upstate New York – Saturday April 20th at The Westcott Theater and Saturday April 27th at Upstate Concert Hall, lucky fans are going to be in for a huge treat. Not knowing what to expect beyond Youtube videos, an interview was in order with R and B, the guys behind One More Time.

    Pete Mason: For those who have never seen a Daft Punk tribute such as One More time, how closely, if at all, does your stage show replicate that of Daft Punk?

    R & B: Our show has been perfected and grown into a FULL scale LED pyramid stage show complete with a lot of the same equipment used during the Alive tour. There are even sections in the set that replicate the same lighting cues as Daft Punk’s Alive tour. From the chromed helmets, to the light suits, and finally the encore performance, our show is as close as your going to get to the actual band. This is a project heavily researched and perfected with the help of the hardcore Daft fanbase.

    PM: What makes Daft Punk continue to be the gold standard of Electronic Music, especially since the surge of dubstep in the past few years?

    R: Daft Punk are the pioneers of modern electronic music of our generation. In the 70’s, we had Kraftwerk, In the 90’s, it’s DP. Daft Punk’s show in ’07 was the very first large scale electronic production show that paved the way for such artists and their large stage shows, i.e. Deadmau5.

    N: It’s also in their sound. For instance, Daft Punk has grown to be a successful group because of their appreciation for a “true to time” quality which has been seen on each of their albums. We intend to model our sets around that same feel by using songs and samples which fit “that” mold, instead of pushing for a contemporary sound such as dubstep, or complextro.

    PM: Is there a particular Daft Punk album, or era, that you identify with in particular, or love to play more than any other album?

    R: Our set is heavily flourished with Human After All, Since it was this era that the band had premiered their full-scale light show for the first time.

    B: It’s this kind of inspiration we kept going back to while programming our current show with the likes of the Tron soundtrack and of course our fav, Homework. There’s a little bit of everything throughout the set.

    one more time

    PM: How has the lack of Daft Punk live shows necessitated the arrival of a band such as One More Time?

    R & B: There’s such a heavy fanbase that wants to see the band perform more live. We grew from researching the Daft fanbase and are simply a living and breathing interpretation of all that work put into one. After we started this show, Daft Punk fans have continuously come up to us and thanked us for bringing our interpretation to the local and theater venues that wouldn’t be able to accommodate the real band. Our show is a presentation of material and fan requests in a new and unique way.

    PM: Have you had any contact with the reclusive duo?

    R & B- We have not.

    PM: How eager are you anticipating the new album Random Access Memories?

    R & B: We are both very excited for the release. The 10 second clip that debuted on SNL, exhibited our favorite element and style of electronic music, Disco.

    PM: What other influences have had an impact on your musical education and brought you to play electronic music?

    R: While my main influences in EDM stem from Daft Punk itself, I regularly listen to a lot of classic and indie rock. My musical taste was heavily influenced from college radio back when I was in school. This is where I got my start at as DJ for the first time.

    B: I’d say an early love for electronic music, lent itself to loving the French house sound. Artists like Underworld and The Chemical Brothers led me into harder styles of music as a child. When I originally saw Daft Punk and their costumes, I immediately fell in love with the idea of electronic artists using stage presence in a more creative way. Everyone from Aphex Twin’s dancing bears to artists like Deadmau5 have pushed the scene into more entertaining dimensions; we’re just trying to pay tribute to the guys that started it all.

  • Acoustic Guitar legend Leo Kottke coming to The Egg on April 26th

    Acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke will perform at The Egg on Friday, April 26th at 8 PM as part of the American Roots & Branches concert series. Known as one of the fastest 6  and 12 string guitar players when he first emerged in the late 1960s, Leo Kottke has also become one of the most innovative and least musically classifiable artists of the 21st century. His one-of-a-kind picking style is matched in its uniqueness by his unusual, yet expressive vocal style and his stage shows mix instrumental virtuosity with a healthy dose of rambling stories, wit and humor.

    Tickets are $34.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza, by telephone – 518-473-1845 – or online at theegg.org.

    Read our review of the show here.

    acoustic guitar leo kottke

  • An Interview with Styx bassist Ricky Phillips

    Styx dominated the airwaves in the 70’s and 80’s with well-known hits such as, “Lady”, “Come Sail Away”, “Show Me The Way” and their only number one song, “Babe”.  The band did however have four consecutive multi-platinum albums and have a revolutionary sound comprised of a powerful guitars, theatrical performances and pioneering the prog-rock sound.  We were fortunate enough to interview Styx bassist and former Bad English founder, Ricky Phillips.

    The Glens Falls Civic Center is going to be host of three amazing acts on April 24th.  The “Midwest Rock ‘n Roll Express” tour featuring REO Speedwagon and Styx will be coming to the foothills of the Adirondacks to share their progressive rock stylings.

    REO Speedwagon will be sharing the headlining role of the tour with Styx.  REO Speedwagon has sold over 40 million records, including number one singles, “Keep On Loving You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling”.  Another incestuous connection is REO Speedwagon’s lead guitarist Dave Amato used to play with Nugent before joining the band in time for their 1990 release The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken.  That album featured the bands last top 100 hit “Lock Is a Rock”.  Since then they have had success as a live act playing virtually non-stop around the world, the last few years with Styx.

    Ted Nugent has been getting more press for his stance on guns and support of the NRA than he has for his music lately.  Don’t forget that the Motor City Madman was all rock ‘n roll before he got political.  In the 70’s, Nugent provided us with hits like, “Strangehold”, “Wango Tango”, “Great White Buffalo” and of course, “Cat Scratch Fever”.  How does Nugent fit in with the tour?  He played with Styx’s Tommy Shaw in the super group Damn Yankees.

    Did you know Ted Nugent evaded being drafted in the 1970s by covering himself in his own feces and not showering for a few weeks? It’s true – read here from the man himself!

    When asked what we could expect at the show in Glens Falls, he said we should be prepared to be amazed.  Their goal is “to make tonight’s show better than last night’s show.  We even put together a brand new set that we are debuting on this leg of the tour.  We’ve put thousands and thousands into it and we aren’t even sure if fans will notice it the difference, but the stage performance that we put off is so important to the show.”

    Ricky actually played on Ted’s Little Miss Dangerous album, “One day I came home and Ted had left a message that he needed me to play a song for a movie that ended up on the album. So, I went down and I also set Dave Amato and Ted up together.  Now Dave is with REO. Most of the guys that are still out there have done some recording or played for everyone else at some point. A lot of the guys who are still the survivors are still carrying the torch and we are all still friends.”

    The Styx line-up hasn’t changed in 10 years, and there is a lot of rumors about grief and animosity with Dennis DeYoung.  Ricky played it off saying that “The band has been focused on growing the band over the past 10 years and getting better and better and not dwelling on the past.  Dennis is incredibly talented and if people are a Dennis DeYoung fan, I encourage them to go see him.”  Styx has a lot of modern pop culture success as well, including being in Big Daddy and South Park.  “It is something to see that the fans know all the lyrics to the songs.  Styx has a unique sound and if you hear a Styx song on the radio, you can tell it’s a Styx song with the harmonies. I think that in the 70’s and 80’s there was a lot of cookie cutter format, and Styx always had their own sound.  It’s very impressive. When I was in The Babies and first came across Styx it was obvious that their sound was really unique.”  Three generations of fans will be at the show, and all three will know the lyrics, whether they are a Guitar Hero player, a South Park fan or remember them growing up 30 years ago.

    The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has also eluded Styx, as well as many of the progressive rock bands from that era.  You have to imagine that Styx will be inducted at some point.  Ricky’s perspective is that “When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame started is always had more of a New York connection.  The British rock bands that started it all were being overlooked and it killed me.  So, I haven’t taken it too seriously.  It would obviously be a great honor to be recognized by the fans.  But whoever controls or makes that call, it’s up to them.  I’ve actually never even have this discussion with the other guys in the band.  Our focus is so much on the fans and making our music better and better every night.”

    Progressive rock is back on the rise, just look at any festival line-up and you will see modern prog rockers.  Styx was influential in starting that sound.  You can hear their influences on newer bands. “It’s great to hear, there is a new band that sounds like a mix between Styx and Zeppelin and you can tell what albums influenced them.  It’s nice to be part of the influencer.  I was influenced first of all by the Beatles and the song writing and arrangement.  Thank god that was my first initial impact as a kid.  There was a strong sense of song structure and melodies.  Paul McCartney’s bass solos were a huge part of me picking up bass.  I have played guitar to this day, but there is something about bass that has spoke to me.  It’s a real challenge to be a good bass player and it’s a challenge that I will always be striving for.  Listen to Paul McCartney and you can tell the percussion aspects of bass.  It’s seemingly invisible but bass can control the tempo and swing in a song.”

    Be sure to get out to the Glens Falls Civic Center  on April 24th and catch these three great bands and celebrate over 30 years of music.

  • Hearing Aide: Eastbound Jesus “Northern Rock”

    Northern Rock is a bold title for an album – Eastbound Jesus define themselves with the release of their third album in as many years.

    Northern Rock not only gives rise to the sextet’s own sound, but perhaps defines something that had previously been elusive – a sub-genre of music pumping out of the northern region of this country.  It’s something a kin to southern rock, but not quite; Northern Rock encompasses a variety of musical elements from rock to alternative country to folk-like story telling lyrics neatly packaged within each strategically placed song for an album that redefines the boundaries of Americana in the north.

    Eastbound Jesus Northern Rock

    Gentle drops of rain and soft plucking in album opener, “Out Yonder,” breaks open into a welcoming harmonization of vocals and the listener is hooked. “54 Miles”, a clap along song, would surely have the masses marching to the beat of their own drummer, in this case, Carl Anderson.  Northerners are often known for their attitudes (albeit misperceived), which forlorn and edgy lead Adam Brockway captures by strumming his acoustic amid the electric instrumentation.  Dave Wright on bass provides the needed counterpoints for a smooth, rounded balance of sound while Dylan Robinson (electric guitar) pushes the limits on “Kate Belle.” Getting down to the nitty gritty, Luke Anderson takes lead vocals on “I Wouldn’t Know”, letting his punchy personality flow into his banjo, crafting character into Northern Rock.  But, the congealing medium throughout the disc is the intrinsic lap steel interjections of Zach Infante.

    Eastbound Jesus will be unraveling their disc for the masses at a release party open to the public at Revolution Hall on April 19th.  Northern Rock is an expression of what it’s like to experience the north. A style of catchy rhythms, contextual lyrics (relevant to the day in the life of a small town northerner), and a homogeneous blend of instrumentation, Eastbound Jesus established a foundation for the sound of northern rock music.

    Key Tracks: 54 Miles, North Country Girl, Where the Winter Goes

  • Record Store Day 2013: A Look at The Upsides and Downsides

    Record Store Day 2013 is upon us!!! On Saturday, April 20th, thousands will flock to their local independent record store in pursuit of exclusive, limited-quantity vinyl releases from their favorite artists. Record Store Day was started in 2007 by a coalition of independent record store owners as a “way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding over 700 independent record stores in the US and similar stores internationally.” Jack White is this year’s Record Store Day ambassador. He owns his own vinyl shop in Nashville and presses his own records, making him the perfect man for the position.

    “The List”, containing information about each and every Record Store Day exclusive release is up on RecordStoreDay.com. I took a look through and found some unbelievably awesome releases. These are the ones that caught my eye: Trey Anastasio Blue Ash and Other Suburbs” on a 7” Picture Vinyl, Dave Matthews Band Live Trax Vol. 1 4LP Blue Vinyl Box Set, Grateful Dead Rare Cuts & Oddities 1966 on 12” Vinyl, GZA/Genius Liquid Swords 12” Vinyl Chess Box Set, Page McConnell Unsung Cities and Movies Never Made on 12” Vinyl, Phish Lawn Boy Deluxe on 12” Vinyl, The xx Jamie xx edits on 12” Vinyl and The Roots Things Fall Apart on 12” Vinyl (2LP).

    Vinyl Record/LP sales have been on the rise over the last few years. From 2011 to 2012, Vinyl sales went up 17.7 percent, going from 3.9 million to 4.6 million respectively. These sales increases show that consumers are craving vinyl, and what better way to lure them into a record shop than with an exclusive day of vinyl-only releases. Record Store Day draws unbelievable support from artists, labels, record stores and passionate music fans and overall the day is in the good spirit of keeping music alive.

    However, Record Store Day isn’t all good. Not every independent record store can participate, and the ones that do aren’t always able to stock all of the releases. For example, Last Vestige is an independent record store in Albany, NY that has been around since 1986. Owner Jim Furlong has issues with getting some of the releases because he can’t compete with bigger stores that have major connections with distributors. Furlong says, “This has become a big deal where every year, a bunch of different labels, in conglomeration with Record Store Day, manufacture these limited edition pieces and the bigger chains that do business with these labels throughout the year or with the bigger distributors, get first crack or get the majority.” In addition, Furlong encounters problems with people complaining that he doesn’t stock enough of the Record Store Day releases. He adds, “It is annoying and if you don’t have enough, people start badmouthing you on Facebook. I’ve seen some other stores get grief because either they didn’t get it when they thought they would and somebody waited in line and they had to jump in their car and run to Newbury Comics and hope they could find it there. And it just seems that it takes away from the whole joy of it all, having this big friendly competition.” Furlong goes on to say, “The topper is, within a couple weeks after they’re sold, you see on eBay all of a sudden, this stuff’s going for crazy money.” Overall, Jim Furlong and Last Vestige have a frustrating time trying to make happy everyone that comes in to shop on Record Store Day. Without strong distributor relationships, small-scale independent shops don’t have the means to stock all the releases that people are looking for. If people can’t get they want, they get angry and take to the Internet, causing frustration and annoyance for owners.

    On the other hand, The Sound Garden in Syracuse, NY, really thrives on Record Store Day. The Sound Garden is an independent record store that has one other location in Baltimore, MD (this location was ranked #2 on Rolling Stone’s list of The Best Record Stores in the USA). When I asked Eric Brush, the General Manager of the Syracuse location, about what releases he stocks for Record Store Day, he said, “We stock at least one of every release on ‘The List.’” He goes on to add, “Since record store day started, we’ve almost doubled the quantity of releases we order.” Brush had mentioned earlier that The Sound Garden was part of the original group of independent record stores that banded together to start Record Store Day. When I asked Eric Brush about how a smaller store can get involved he responded, “They have to have a relationship with some of the vendors that are putting out the merchandise and we have a relationship with every single one. But [if you don’t], there are other avenues that you can get into throughout the industry. There are one-stop distributors that carry every release from every label and manufacturer all in one place, but they charge you a little bit more. They are a part of Record Store Day and they get a very limited quantity to offer to their customers. This works against smaller stores because they just don’t have access to the quantities that we do.” Brush also talked about criteria that you must follow to be a participating record store for Record Store Day. He said that stores must sign an agreement saying that they won’t sell the releases online at all (to prevent price gauging). Brush confirms, “One thing I do know is that if you get caught selling that stuff online, you’re exempt. They just don’t take kindly to that.” Overall, The Sound Garden does well with Record Store Day because they have the relationships to stock every release so that their customers can get exactly what they want.

    Overall, Record Store Day is a great event for some, in that it helps raise awareness about independent record stores and give recorded music sales a little bump. However, it is unfortunate that some independent record stores are too small to compete with larger stores for their desired quantity of titles. Whether it’s Record Store Day or not, these independent record stores will always have competition. This event advocates for people to go out to their local brick and mortar record store, which is a huge step in the right direction. There’s no doubt that Record Store Day is an awesome way to for these independent stores to gain customers and ultimately make record collecting cool again.

  • Furthur Announces Summer/Fall Tour 2013

    furthur_summer2013.jpgJust when we were beginning to think that All Good was actually going to be their only summer 2013 appearance, Furthur announced their East Coast heavy summer 2013 tour dates today! Looks like All Good is now just a midway point on a long strange trip between East and West coasts for this psychedelic troop.

    The Band will come through Upstate NY twice this summer, while also playing other popular North East venues like, home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center; and first time appearances at New Hampshire’s Meadow Brook. This tour will also be the first time the band has done a 4-day run, September 19-22, at Red Rocks!

    Personally I had my doubts too. Heads from Rochester to Toronto were legitimately almost convinced we wouldn’t see any Furthur. If we weren’t going to the Port Chester sold out shows or All Good, then we just might have our first summer in years without the sweet sounds to fill the air.

    Furthur is playing the Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY on July 14th. Mail order tickets will go on sale April 16th online Here. Internet Pre-Sales  are during April 16-18th, and regular on sale April 19th. They will return to CMAC in Canadaigua, NY on July 19th. Ticket info is the same for both venues as well as all dates on the tour schedule. For more information please visit the Furthur website Here.

    Furthur Tour Dates:

    July 11 – Brooklyn, NY
    July 12 – Holmdel, NJ
    July 14 – Cooperstown, NY
    July 16 – Gilford, NH
    July 17 & 18 – Boston, MA
    July 19 – Canandaigua, NY
    September 19, 20, 21 & 22 – Red Rocks, CO
    September 24 – Redmond, WA
    September 25 – Eugene, OR
    September 27, 28 & 29 – Berkeley, CA
    October 1 & 2 – Las Vegas, NV
    October 4, 5 & 6 – Los Angeles, CA

  • Johnny Mathis serenades fans at The Palace Theater in Albany on April 4th

    Legendary singer Johnny Mathis performed last Thursday April 4th at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY. I was originally told about this show by my parents, who grew up listening to his classic hits and were eager to see the crooner in action.

    The Palace Theater was the ideal setting for a Johnny Mathis concert, given its rich history and architecture. The crowd slowly shuffled in with most of the fans being no younger than 55. It was an unfamiliar feeling for me to be one of the youngest concert goers at a show. I was both thrilled and surprised to see a full orchestra set up on stage.  Knowing that The Palace Theater has plenty of space for the music to travel around in, I suddenly couldn’t wait for the show to start. Luckily for me and everyone else, Johnny Mathis started the show at 8pm on the dot and was greeted with a slow-rising standing ovation. Johnny_Mathis

    The opener was “When I Fall in Love”, to which I had never heard such utter silence from a crowd. Every set of eyes and ears were locked on Mr. Mathis, giving him his much deserved attention and respect. He stated how he was “thrilled to be at The Palace” and was going to play some songs that we’ve all heard before but he loved to sing them. After a few notes, it was easy to understand why Johnny Mathis has broken the Guinness World Record for selling over 350 million of his various gold and platinum albums worldwide. Despite being 78 years old, Johnny Mathis can still sing every word as crisp and clear as on his albums, and still with great gusto. Mathis sang his classic hits such as “It’s Not For Me to Say” and my favorite, “Chances Are.” The songs were filled with charming doo-wops and sincere, long sustained notes.

    Throughout the entire show, at the start of every song, the whole audience would sigh and swoon. Johnny Mathis would sing a few notes, the crowd would sigh in admiration and I could hear the folks around me gently singing the lyrics to each other.  As humorous as it was, it was still heartwarming to be included in a nostalgic evening for concert-goers. Mathis ended the first set with an emotional cover “Yesterday” by The Beatles. There was a brief intermission where comedian Brad Upton kept guests entertained with clean cut jokes about today’s youth and their obsession with technology, the humor of getting older plus plenty of marriage/relationship advice. Mr. Upton delivered each punch line with charm that it was no surprise that he won the crowd over in just a few laughs. Brad Upton recently was the winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and has appeared at Caesar’s Palace as part of the HBO Comedy Festival. bradupton2

    Johnny Mathis began the second set with the recognizable song “Pure Imagination” from the film Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. One of Mathis’ signature songs, “Misty”, received plenty of cheers due to the soaring string section and tender lyrics. The second set was mellow and easy going until Johnny Mathis brought up his fellow band mate and “Dear friend of 48 years”, Gil Reigers to center stage. The crowd got antsy as this was a sure sign that the two would play “12th of Never”, a warm ballad with gentle guitar strumming from Reigers. Johnny Mathis ended the evening by serenading the crowd with the classic song “You’ll Never Know” and thanking the talented orchestra, loyal band mates, his dedicated fans and of course, the beautiful venue, The Palace Theater.