NYS Music 20​13

Category: Capital Region

  • Kung Fu lights up Red Square for a knock out

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    Albany got a high dose of funk on October 3rd at Red Square thanks to the funk professionals in Kung Fu. The quintet packs a supergroup punch with talented musicians from various bands – Tim Palmieri (The Breakfast, guitar), Todd Stoops (RAQ, keyboards), Rob Somerville (Deep Banana Blackout, sax), David Livolsi (Jazz Is Dead, bass) and Adrian Tramontano (The Breakfast, drums). Needless to say, these guys have plenty of experience on how to start a killer party, even on a weekday night. Often booked for the late night slots on festival schedules, it was refreshing to watch Kung Fu perform at an earlier time (10pm), giving concertgoers a stirring chance to soak up the lethal levels of musical fusion.

    With no opening act, the fans went wild as Kung Fu took the stage, eager to feel the funk. The sound came blaring out of the speakers and the groove hit via highlights including “God Made Me Funky”, with its simple chorus which the grateful crowd sang back to the band. Somerville blasted his horn with great enthusiasm that almost chipped the paint off the walls. It was a unique treat for the Red Square venue to have the Kung Fu lighting rigs that heightened the musical experience with the nonstop waves of bright neon. Guests were given the warning from the band, “Just because we stop playing, doesn’t mean we want to stop partying.” One of the best things about playing in the Upstate New York area for Kung Fu is the late night cut off time, usually much earlier in Connecticut.

    The second set brought the crowd to the dark side of the funk, as the band displayed a captivating chemistry of Sly & the Family Stone meets The Funky Meters, turned upside down and mixed with harder electronic rock. Kung Fu created a heavier rock vibe mixed with a slow groove, resulting in a hair-raising boogie. Stoops surrendered to the keyboards as he played with his eyes closed, feeling the music that he was feeding to the crowd. Livolsi hit deep notes on his bass in a steady rhythm of sinister delight.

    Kung Fu has a jammed packed fall tour with stops at the New York Harvest Fest in Monticello, a Post Phish show at The Palladium in Worcester, MA, a Halloween show at The Gramercy Theater in NYC and the Bear Creek Festival in Live Oak, Florida.

  • Consider the Source says “F**k It, We’ll Do It Live”, Again

    Sci-Fi, Middle-Eastern fusion band Consider The Source has announced the release of their second live album. F**k it, We’ll Do It Live, Volume 2. The album will be a nine track release and the first official recording with new drummer Jeff Mann, alongside guitarist Gabriel Marin and bassist John Ferrara.

    Though officially releasing on Tuesday, October 22nd, the album will be pre-released to fans at the trio’s upcoming shows in Buffalo and Albany, NY on October 18th-19th.  A digital version will also be available for download on the band’s website, www.considerthesourcemusic.com

    Consider the Source is known for their improvisational fusion of jazz and progressive rock. The love that each member in the band has for the music they create, permeates through all of their performances. As a trio there is no missing link and no stone un-turned. They have made it an art form of blending the most polar opposite forms and styles of music and bringing them together on one stage, creating a completely unique experience. Their psychedelic blend of jazz, funk, heavy metal and Middle Eastern classical and folk music brings a musical intensity that has become the trade mark and driving force behind Consider The Source.

    Make sure to check Consider The Source out during their Fall tour  and grab their new album October 22nd here 

  • Jungle Boogie Carnival ~ Halloween Weekend Resort Party in Lake George, October 25-26

    Looking to party this Halloween? On October 25th and 26th Improv Records and Lock 42 will present Jungle Boogie Carnival, a Halloween weekend party at the Lake George resort, Roaring Brooke Ranch. Guests will enjoy over 50 musical acts hosted on three stages in a carnival themed atmosphere. There will be performance art, dancers, fire spinners, art vendors, a laser light show and a pina colada bar!

    The electronic stage will have performances by Adam F, Getter, Megalodon, Trollphace, Evac Protocol and more. The live stage will include Twiddle, Lucid, Aqueous, Capital Zen, and High Peaks Band. Radial Engine Tribe will host performances by Cosinus (Switzerland), Luis Campos, Brandon Adams, Izzy and many others on the Psy-Trance and Deep stage.

    There will be a light show outside fit to transform the forest surrounding the venue into quite a spooky show and a jungle lounge to boogie down in. Come rent a room for the weekend and get funky and wild for Halloween while raising money and awareness for endangered wildlife!

    Pre-Sale tickets are available for $50 while tickets day of the show will be $60. VIP passes are available and allow access to backstage after parties. For rooms & reservations call Roaring Brook Ranch @ 800-882-7665. Jungle Boogie Carnival on Eventbrite

  • In This Moment’s Maria Brink Talks to Upstate Metal

    On June 28th, Upstate Metal’s very own Kate Drexel had the opportunity to do a phone interview with In This Moment’s and Albany’s Maria Brink. Their phone call involved discussing her first band, Pulse, her current band In This Moment, and their recent album, Blood.

    In This Moment's Maria Brink“Oh god, that was like a million years ago…me and Chris [Howorth] were trying to pick a name and just going through all types of things for a few weeks, and then one day we were just laying around and one of us was reading in a book that somebody said like, ‘in this moment’…and I can’t remember if it was him or me and the other one was like ‘in this moment’, then we were like ‘in this moment!’ It fucking was like…for like three days we kept saying it, then we were like, ‘you know what? That’s it!’ we kind of fell in love with it. It’s about…our band is about kind of like seizing the day and living in the moment and try to be grateful for everything that is happening now, and not living in the past and not living in the future, kind of like being in the now, so it had to do a lot with our energy,” recalled Brink animatedly when explaining the history behind the band’s name. Towards the end of their third album cycle, everything changed fairly drastically for In This Moment.

    In This Moment's Maria BrinkOne by one, band members began to leave and their management at the time dropped them. For a short amount of time, Brink and Howorth felt defeated until a light was shed upon the path they were meant to take. “We really just rallied together and said that, ‘We cannot let other people’s disbeliefs in our band and everything we’ve created, everything we’ve worked for, we’ve strived for, we’ve sacrificed for, hinder us from moving forward,’ and we said to ourselves, ‘this is our moment’…no pun intended…‘and we’re going to take everything and we’re going to take it into the next level, we’re going to take our live show, our songs, every single thing that has to do with us, we’re bringing it to the next level and we’re going to do this hard.’

    In the beginning it was the challenging, managers weren’t really wanting to give us the time of day, things weren’t really happening that great but our producer was believing in us at the same time, Kevin Churko, we were absolutely adore and love, and we wrote Blood with him. We went into the studio and we wrote the song “Blood”, and right when we heard it back, we knew that everything was going to change right when we heard that song. We felt it, we knew it and we started setting it up with managers and we started having managers fly out from everywhere and everything shifted from then. So kind of everything falling apart and then building it brand new, and all of these beautiful new things, is where all the inspirations from the album came from.”

    Drexel chuckled lightly and admitted that out of all of the In This Moment albums, Blood is her favorite one. Maria then confessed that it’s her favorite as well. “I think we’re always striving with our music and kind of always trying to find… that one thing that I felt like was me; like I could find my own identity and I could find something with that ‘this is me’. But this album, I found it. This is it, I’ve been searching, I’ve been looking around and that’s what life’s about, I think. We’re all kind of searching and striving for something we can finally find…I related to it; it really expresses me in the perfect way and kind of all those things.”

    In This Moment's Maria BrinkAs for the hot first single from the record, “Blood”, it has an entirely different meaning and it does show the band’s true dark colors, giving a whole new meaning to metal in the band’s terms. When asked about the story behind “Blood”, Maria told Kate that through the lyrics, Brink was talking to herself. “It’s about struggling with the dark side of us, the light side of us, and learning that sometimes the darkest sides of us, the dirty sides of us and the filthy sides of us that I learn to fall in love with and realize that every part of me is what I want to embrace. And if it’s dirty and I am who I am for a reason, and all of my experiences brought me to who I am for a reason. It’s about learning to kind of fall in love with all of the sides and kind of learning to balance it all out.” Drexel told her that she understood what Brink meant and was able to relate to it.

    “That’s the beauty in music and songs, like no matter what message it has to me; it’s so great because songs can be like chameleons, everybody has their own experiences of where they are in life and a lot of people can relate their own experiences in their own life to the song in a completely different way than I do, like it’s interpreted completely different to them and I love that! I think it’s beautiful and I love the fact that people can apply it to their life however they want, and I think that that’s special. That’s why sometimes I don’t even like to tell people what it means to me in general only because I don’t want to take away from how it is that they relate to it.” Kate recounted when she first heard the song and the band at the Carnival of Madness when the music video was playing on an overhead screen at the venue. She told Brink that when she first heard the song, it was really different from most metal songs she has listened to.

    “I feel like we had barriers around us before and I feel like I used to get stuck in boring about, is it too heavy or is it not heavy enough? Am I screaming enough or am I singing enough? And the music would usually get kind of stuck in that and I realized I was only hindering myself and my art with all of that because I think that when I let go of all that, and we just said to ourselves, ‘Let’s do just whatever the hell we want to do and let’s create something special and let’s not worry about anybody else’s perception of what we’re supposed to sound like.’ Or is it heavy metal enough? Or if it’s poppy enough? And I think that’s where we found the true beauty in it all.”

    When asked about a favorite venue, Maria said that out of the various places In This Moment has played over the years, Madison Square Garden is her absolute favorite. “…Probably it’s because I’m from New York and the whole family was there…it’s beautiful and it’s in the heart of New York.” Kate then mentioned to Maria that she saw In This Moment for the first time March 30th at Upstate Concert Hall, and then told her that she will see them at the Carnival of Madness show this summer.

    In This Moment's Maria BrinkBefore In This Moment, Maria was in a band called Pulse, based in Albany. “Oh god that was the first band I was ever in, that was like forever ago. I stopped being in that band after I did my first gig ever. It was like…when I listened to it and I was like…it’s hilarious to me but it was my start, it was my beginning, it was my first time on stage but I love it. I stopped being in that band because I moved to California from Upstate New York, just because…you know, in Albany at the time, I felt like no matter how good we were doing or anything, I felt like we weren’t going to get recognized or we weren’t going to get on people’s radars, so that’s why I moved to California and I kept telling myself that if we could fill out the whiskey, that managers and people would start paying attention to us and we could kind of catch the eye of the industry, so that’s what I did. I winded up finding a band eventually, it took me five years but we did wind up selling it out.” Apparently there was a little story about Pulse circulating, that their guitarist accidently erased the entire album the band had just recorded, however it was a rumor.

    In This Moment's Maria Brink“I write from a really honest place, which is all of my experiences of my entire life,” Brink explained when asked what In This Moment’s music reflects about the band. “So it really just reflects everything that’s true in life and things that I’ve been through, things that I’ve experienced. I write all the lyrics, I write all the melodies, things like that. So literally, I just write about it all! It’s a good outlet.” As for ideas, the evolution of the song comes from the melodies that Maria, Chris or their producer will come up with while in the process of song writing. They will overlap the different instruments they use, the result; something truly amazing.

    “We really do approach it in all different ways. It’s a good way to send a different message in different ways and you never know what’s going to trigger you to write a song. If I’m by myself at home for a month, I’m really feeling like I want to write something, I’ll just write it by myself. Same thing with Chris, he’ll have something in his head and he’ll be home by himself and all of the sudden, he’ll come up with something…so it kind of just works into all of that.” Finally, Drexel asked her favorite question: what does music mean to you? “Oh my god…everything to me! Besides from my child, and my mother, it’s like my everything, music is my world, my career, love, life, it’s how I make money, how I have most memorable moments of life, so it’s everything to me. The whole nine yards.”

    If you haven’t already, be sure to check out In This Moment’s tour dates with Hell Pop to see when the craziness will hit a venue near you this Fall.

  • SPAC Hosts Farm Aid 2013

    Farm Aid, the annual concert founded by Willie Nelson in 1985 to focus on family farms in America, made its first ever stop at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2013, with nearly 20 musical acts and countless educational activities and farm-centric events that made Farm Aid stand out as the premiere musical event in Upstate New York as the summer drew to a close.

    But Farm Aid is FAR MORE than just a concert with tons of great acts – Dave Matthews, Neil Young and John Mellencamp among the headliners – it is a political movement for all to take part in, pushing the cause of the environment and growing the local farm movement, one that benefits everyone without having to take a side on the left or right.

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    Food is a universal need. Healthy food, even more so these days. Keeping in mind the ‘Act Local, Think Global’ mantra, Farm Aid is truly an educational event as much as it is musical, and when these are coupled together, the impact can be profound and lasting. Whether it was an informative diorama of how Sustainable Farming works (and quite efficiently I might add), the best seeds to use (non-Monsanto/GMO) or a look at the latest Farm Bill (which passed the House but cut Food Stamps and assistance for the poor), there was something to be learned throughout the array of tents and exhibitions near The Hall of Springs.

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    The crowd this day was bigger than any I had ever seen at SPAC – a sold out crowd plus a lawn chair for everyone sitting on the infamous SPAC lawn left little room for fans to dance, but for a 12-hour concert, you needed to pace yourself and sit while you had the opportunity. Fans sat far back towards The Hall of Springs, where speakers and monitors were set up so those set far back in the sprawled out crowd could enjoy the concert, regardless of distance from the stage. A crowd filled with older music lovers, local farmers, fans who traveled across the country for what seemed for some to be a yearly pilgrimage, as well as curious first timers and Rock n Roll fans comprised the crowd of more than 25,000. It was a festival-like atmosphere with 12 hours of music, a packed crowd and a wide array of food to sample; there was even a healthy amount of rain in the evening to give that almost-a-festival feeling, just without the camping option.

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    As for the music, there was plenty to be had for fans of folk and rock, but this was far from a ‘something for everybody’ lineup. No hip-hop, EDM, jam bands or the like. This was a concert of true American Rock n Roll: folk music on a rock level that was inspirational, but veered away from preachy (except for Neil Young, but more on him later). It was also a family affair, with Lukas Nelson (Willie’s son) and Carlene Carter (June’s daughter) bringing a generational aspect to an event that has spanned 28 years, roughly a generation itself. Carlene Carter performed a stirring rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” as the daylight shone down through the windows inside the SPAC pavilion to create a cathedral inside the amphitheater. Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real performed a solid set and kept the Nelson family name proud; Lukas later sat in with Willie on a cover of Eddie Vedder’s “Just Breathe.”

    Toad the Wet Sprocket, a blast from the past of the 90’s, performed in support of their new album New Constellation and performed hits including “Walk on the Ocean” and “All I Want”. Prior to their set, bassist Dean Dinning and guitarist/singer Glen Phillips sat down backstage to talk about Farm Aid, their new album and indie rock bands. Look for ‘s review of their new album next week. Jack Johnson played “Radiate” from his new album From Here to Now to You, as well as “Flake”, an interesting take on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and Jimi Hendrix’ “Crosstown Traffic”, all of which swayed the lawn as the sun shone its brightest of the day, giving the crowd one last glimpse of warmth before the cool autumn night set in.

    Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds gave every bro in the crowd something to cheer for, sing along to and yell the lyrics to anyone within earshot. It was an intimate performance and Dave continued to shower accolades on the venue – he loves SPAC in every way, shape and form. Having performed at the venue seemingly every year for the past 10 years, if not more, sitting on the familiar stage next to his old friend was a treat for him. The audience was treated in return with “Save Me”, “So Damn Lucky”, “Grace is Gone”, “Cornbread”, “If Only”, “#41” (something for fans of Under the Table and Dreaming) and “Two Step”. Just as Dave’s set ended, the rain began to fall, leading the first wave of fans to leave the show, but many stalwarts, especially the Neil Young and Willie Nelson fans, dug in their heels and prepared for the next three hours.

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    Prior to the Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson performances, videos looking at the historical impact of these artists, their relationship with Farm Aid and connection through music were broadcast on the main screen, in a style akin to the videos of Presidential candidates shown at Party Conventions prior to accepting the nomination. They showcased the cause, the artist and the music, all at once, and served to hype the crowd up and welcome each musician to the stage in grand fashion. They aren’t just performing for free, they are also doing their part to speak freely about the importance of farming and local farmers, as well as attach their name to a cause, something more artists should do, for if you aren’t using your fame to benefit others, what’s the point of fame?

    Mellencamp’s set featured a look back at his heyday of the 1980s, complete with “Check it Out”, “Small Town”, an acoustic solo performance of “Jack and Diane”, complete with crowd participation on the lyrics, especially ‘Hold onto 16 as long as you can.” There was a wonderful duet with violinist/accordionist Lisa Germano that resembled “Walk me Out in the Morning Dew”, followed by “Scarecrow” and “Walls”. It was good to see Mellencamp playing with the same drive as he had in the 80’s and 90’s, and he provided a segue into the biggest surprise of the night – Upstate New York’s greatest living musical legend, Pete Seeger.

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    A surprise for everyone, even the media who learned of his appearance not 30 minutes prior, Pete came to the stage with his banjo swinging across his 6’4″, 94 year old frame, soaked in a small amount of cheers from the crowd before beginning his original “If I Had a Hammer”, encouraging the crowd, saying “Here’s a song I think you know, and if you sing it, why, we’ll make a good sound.” The crowd sang along, many in awe that he was there standing on stage alone before a crowd, not six months after his wife of more than 70 years, Toshi, passed away.

    Having played with Woody Guthrie in the 1940s, Seeger has carried on his legacy of songs of freedom, making “This Land is Your Land” his most frequently performed number. Included in this version was the rarely sung “private property” verse, as well as a new verse:

    New York is my home, New York is your home.
    From the Upstate mountains to the ocean foam.
    With all kinds of people, yes, we’re poly-grown (sic)
    New York was meant to be frack-free.

    Pete Seeger’s alternate lyrics to “This Land is Your Land”

    With all kinds of people, yes, we’re poly-grown (sic), New York was meant to be frack-free.

    “This Land is Your Land” makes a good argument to be a second national anthem with its inspirational ‘we’re in this together’ message, and with an anti-fracking line, one that is uniting New Yorkers in greater numbers in recent years, the song had greater meaning for those in attendance, leading to a raucous cheer from the audience. It was at Farm Aid, and at recent rallies around the state, particularly at the state Capitol in Albany, where the anti-fracking movement has found a wider audience, as the issue hits closer to home and gained more media attention in the process.

    Neil Young started his set with Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind”, “Early Morning Rain” and “Old Man”, before taking some liberty and speaking off the cuff about Farm Aid and its mission – but not in the “We love the farmers, let’s hear it for them” style. Rather, Neil took issue with climate change, Monsanto, fossil fuel polluters and for a few minutes, he was yelling at them to get off our collective lawns. Angry Neil was not on anyone’s setlist expectations, but the response from the crowd was focused attention, hearing what they didn’t want to hear, and taking the bad with the good. Neil followed with “Heart of Gold”, “Since I Met ya Baby” and Phil Ochs’ “Changes”, referencing once again the impending climate change already upon us. 

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    Closing out the night was Willie Nelson, fresh off a sesh on his bus and ready to bring this show home. In less than an hour, Willie cranked out 15 songs and brought everyone up for one final sendoff of an encore. Classic hits Willie performed with his band included “Whiskey River”, “Will You Remember Mine”, Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman”, “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys’, “Crazy”, “Georgia on a Fast Train” and Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans”. The hilarious, and aptly titled “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” had the crowd laughing and singing along, but seriously, when Willie passes away, these are our instructions. Take note.

    The final tune of the night was “I Saw the Light”, bringing everyone onto the stage for one last tune, sending out the crowd into the rainy night. Leaving was bittersweet after a full day of music, education, good food and great camaraderie with fellow Farm Aid supporters. SPAC was an ideal setting for this traveling event, and while it will not be in the Upstate neck of the woods for a few years, it is by far an event to seek out whenever it is within a short drive of your hometown.

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  • Kid Rock and ZZ Top Deliver Good Ol’ Rock-n-Roll at SPAC

    With summer in the rear view mirror and autumn quickly approaching, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s concert season was winding down. Apparently, thousands of Kid Rock, ZZ Top, and Uncle Kracker fans didn’t get the memo.

    The mostly Gen- X crowd sported bandanas, faded blue jeans and American flag T-shirts. “Blue collar” was definitely the evening’s required dress code. Many stood in line to have their photo taken on a brand new Harley motorcycle while others waited to try free samples of good ole’ American whiskey. The crowd, though not one the summer’s largest, was certainly the most patriotic!

    Robert James Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, began his career as a hip hop and rap performer. Evidence of this was heard in his performance of the rap-rock single “Bawitdaba” which originally came out in 1998. Rock progressed through the evening, singing more of his gritty, in-your-face tunes including “Devil Without a Cause” and the hit single “American Bad Ass”. Other crowd favorites included “Cocky” and “All Summer Long” and the country ballad “Picture”.

    Southern blues-rock icons ZZ Top opened the show. With their infamous long beards (except for drummer, Frank Beard, ironically) and purple guitars, ZZ Top performed one hit after another. Among them were the classics “Sharp Dressed Men”, “Cheap Sunglasses”, “La Grange”, and “Legs”.

    American rocker Uncle Kracker also provided support performing an early 30-minute set. Highlights included “Follow Me” and “Drift Away”.

  • The Hollow welcomed back The Heavy Pets with Mister F on September 26th

    As the summer has finally come to an end, taking with it festival season, music lovers can settle into their favorite local venues. The popular bar and restaurant, The Hollow, in Albany, welcomed local newcomers to the stage, Mister F, and returning jam band The Heavy Pets on September 26th. Familiar faces were found on the dance floor as friends exchanged tales of the summer and plans for the upcoming fall shows.

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    The four piece band Mister F performed over an hour in a set of nonstop, high energetic fusion of electronic rock and futuristic jazz. Drummer Matt Pickering kept a fast tempo beat throughout the night, keeping the crowd on their toes and focused on the energy from the band. Scott Hannay wasted no hammering his keys, delivering the same intensity as he switched to the guitar and bass during the set. “This One Goes to 11” had an upbeat melody with heavy bass bombs raining in from Ben Pickering while Andrew Chamberlaine was congratulated for his beard and skillful guitar licks. The crowd cheered as Mister F briefly teased Phish’s “Stash” during the rollercoaster “Jump the Shark.” Mister F has a fresh sound with an unpredictable flow that keeps the audience eager for the surprise hiding inside each song. They have intertwined their individual talents and designed a powerful music machine that concert goers become programmed to dance to. Mister F has a busy Fall Tour lined up with stops in Plattsburgh, Syracuse, NYC, Glens Falls and Lake George’s Jungle Boogie Music Festival.

    Setlist: Intro, Answer the Dog, Deal Breaker, Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11, Treadmill, Jump the Shark, Eye Level
    Encore: Hedgehog w/Jim Wuest from The Heavy Pets on keys

    The show is available for free stream or download here.

    The Heavy Pets are an unexpected tropical storm, slowing starting out a song, then morphing into a rough, wavy mixture of funk and rock, then suddenly, you get a smooth reggae vibe to relax to. Jeff Lloyd and Mike Garulli both scale their guitars with intensity and mind melting solos. Their harmonies on “Last Babies” are eerie and hypnotizing as the music soon takes over to lift you up with a whirlwind of shredding beats. Drummer Jamie Newitt and bassist Tony D’Amato laid a thick groove over the evening, helping to spread the rhythm out for a dance heavy set. One of the highlights of the night was the quick cover of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis. Jim Wuest is a mastermind behind the keys as he electrifies the crowd with every key change of techno delight. They will tour around the southern states on their Fall Tour before returning to New York in November, showcasing their latest release of the A/B single Two Horses. The Heavy Pets bring a much needed change in longitude to Upstate with their hot and humid jams.

    Photos By Bryan Lasky

  • Flashback: Talking Heads at SPAC, August 5, 1983

    On August 5th, 1983, Talking Heads initiated the arena tour that would eventually take their popularity to new and unknown levels. We flashback to the group’s visit to Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) that particular summer 30 years ago. 1983 was a definitive and peak era for the band and this show documents the time with a crisp pre-FM line recording that exhibits professional release sound quality.

    The group featured founding members David Byrne (vocals, guitar), Chris Franz (Drums), Tina Weymouth (Bass), and Jerry Harrison (Keyboards) in addition to a number of added musicians who come and go when needed to supplement the bands theatrical performance. One of these musicians just happens to be magic keyboard man Bernie Worrell of ‘P-Funk’ fame. For those fans who love the 1984 concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’, this live recording makes a fitting addendum to that document, which also chronicles the 83 tour in support of the LP Speaking In Tongues.

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    The evening’s concert begins quietly with the differently arranged sparse acoustic chunk of ‘Psycho Killer’. Containing a pulsating drum machine beat and acoustic guitar, the tune meanders from its original incarnation with a drifting and patient groove. One hallmark of this concert is the way it expands, gaining energy, along with increasing instrumentation along the way. Each song climbs another step, reaching another level of intensity, adding another piece to the creation of the setlist story. Following the refurbished ‘Psycho Killer’ begins an emotionally dry but poignant version of ‘Heaven’ that contains only acoustic guitar and Weymouth’s tempo setting bass. A beautiful flower of a melody gently handled and preserved. Byrne plays master of emotion by following ‘Heaven’ with a galloping ‘Thank You for Sending Me An Angel’ that skips along on a Tennessee Three tempo. This early segment of the performance drifts coasting weightlessly through thoughtful melodies and intelligent, but always far out lyrics.

    The concert now becomes invigorated as electric guitar drops into the mix and the core band plays an emphatic version of their debut 1977 single ‘Love Goes to Building on Fire’ in which the crowd responds in positive fashion. Reaching cruising altitude the show now settles into a danceable summer evening groove. As ‘The Book I Read’ begins, the blend of summer evening segueing into dusk permeates the feel of the recording, eliciting the aroma of fresh cut grass, mossy earth, and the bouquet of live music in late summer New York State.

    ‘Book I Read’ opens on a very nervous Paul Simon like guitar riff, eventually settling into tempo setting vocals by Byrne that work in a tug of war against the shifting drums. Working in conjunction with breezy synth whistles and Weymouth’s hypnotic bass this one really swings, setting the stage for the first dynamic peak of the performance with a funky ‘Slippery People’. Based around a Morse code keyboard riff and some thick James Brown dance guitar licks, ‘Slippery People’ becomes a celebratory revival with joyous backing vocals that reach with arms raised to the deep navy sky.  ‘Slippery People’ hits a delicious groove with Byrne taking a tribal climb up a greased pole by free forming diverse mouth jams that rebound around the dynamic tune, increasing the intensity.

    Talking Heads SPAC

    Following ‘Slippery People’, the concert begins a segment of quick hitting, danceable and dizzying tunes. ‘Cities’ off of the 1979 LP Fear of Music, begins this middle segment of the concert that also encompasses ‘Eyes Wide Open’, the current and well known hit ‘Burning Down the House’, and the hot to the touch ‘Life During Wartime’. There is no let up here as Byrne steps on the gas harder than a truck driver on the Route 90 with ‘White Line Fever’. ‘Eyes Wide Open’ ricochets around the venue on jumpy percussion punctuated by Byrne’s falsetto interjections, eventually culminating in a stimulating journey brought on through celebratory vocals and airy instrumentation.

    ‘Burning Down the House’ receives a big response from the assembled crowd, quickly moving into the jumpy ‘Life During Wartime’ which is drizzled with ice cream keyboards that color between the lines with their colorful melt. The humid dancing bodies filling SPAC this evening translate to the recording due to the energy that emanates from my speakers as ‘Life During Wartime’ cooks like bacon in an iron skillet. What a performance and a perfect close to the end of the first set which Byrne announces at the songs conclusion.

    The second set begins in earnest and does let up as far as tempo and all out funkiness goes. ‘Making Flippy Floppy’ starts the second half of music, and regardless of its ‘light’ title, reaches deep with its intuitive commentary on living and this artists view of reality. This song is a fine example of Byrne’s musical and lyrical ability to comment on bigger issues in a clandestine fashion.  ‘Swamp’ follows quickly and falls into a quasi-Reggae groove which never strays to far from a straight rock beat interestingly enough.  Dancing on sponges, the squishy vibe of ‘Swamp’ contrasts its dark lyrical content. The collaborative ‘Hi Hi Hi Hi’ vocals elicit the image of a line of cheerful people being led to slaughter, singing their way to their eventual demise.

    Talking Heads SPAC

    A breathless sprint through ‘What a Day It Was’, leads to the pixilated ‘Naive Melody’ that rattles like change in a jar, soothed by the sweet harmonized vocals that spread across the jumpy instrumentation like butter on warm bread.  ‘Naïve Melody’ brings the vibe down slightly, hitting a hypnotizing, eyes closed tight groove, initiating dreamy sways. ‘Once In a Lifetime’ blows in on a wash of cymbals and spectral keyboard manipulation reaching its destination of a unique ethnic groove to which its instrumentation balances. Another one of the bands most well-known and popular songs; ‘Once in a Lifetime’ is also special due to its combination of Fela Kuti influence, Brian Eno production, and Byrne’s eclectic literary talents.

    One of my personal favorite segments of the performance comes next with the version of ‘Big Business/I Zimbra’. Brimming with synth manipulation that causes a disorientating storm of sound the song rides on Chris Franz’s popping kick drum and hi hat strikes. The middle segment of the track becomes a percussion workout, swirling, folding into itself, encasing the spacey guitar/synth interjections that segue into the earthy shouts of “I Zimbra”.  The song becomes a whirling dervish of fevered musical energy that culminates in a Shamanistic and blissful conclusion.

    The second half of the concert becomes decidedly more sensual, both rhythmically and in its melodic sensibilities.  ‘Houses in Motion’ slithers in slowly, eventually becoming all angles, shifting and extending through lush bass carpeted rooms decorated with drippy guitar chorused wall hangings.  Another top notch reading by the group as this one takes on numerous moods during the journey through its changes.

    A quick interlude is taken prior to a performance of ‘Genius of Love’ by ‘Tom Tom Club’, another name for the band shared by the husband and wife team of Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz. A fun and freaky performance and an opportunity for Byrne to step off stage and prepare for the closing blow out. Keen-eared music fans will recognize many of the songs components as being sampled by many hip hop and rock musicians through the years.  Byrne then returns to the stage for the final songs that make up the conclusion of the performance. ‘Girlfriend Is Better’, ‘Take Me To the River’, and ‘Crosseyed and Painless’ all contain fiery and concentrated readings.

    ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ is cutting edge, and compelling, the bass line a blend of shadings that pillow the after images of flashing keyboard squeaks and screams.  Byrne, a wellspring of unique diction and vocal expressions, soaks the crowd in his lyrical gospel. Beautiful. The crowd’s excitement bleeds loudly into the soundboard recording as the group stops briefly before slinking into a bubbly ‘Take Me to the River’. Involvement from the crowd in the form of hand claps and shouts can be picked up intermittently throughout the recording; a matrix of the show if available would be an amazing experience. ‘Take Me to the River’ extends long enough for Byrne to introduce the band and then builds to a party conclusion, bringing the performance to an end.

    The band returns for a schizophrenic encore of ‘Crosseyed and Painless’ that looks from the stage with shifty, busy eyes. The band moves quickly, wound tight, hallmark call and response vocals reverberate between the singers on stage, keyboards and guitars intertwine in a soulful embrace. The song is a break neck race toward the finish line that finally crashes through the ribbon and raises its hand in glory. A quick ‘Thank you’ and the show and recording conclude.

    This crisp board recording of the Talking Heads in our very own Upstate New York venue, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, finds the group peaking artistically, yet precariously close to their demise as a touring group.  The performance featured, never lets up, yet exhibits a musical control that balances the needs of the crowd with the wants of the band. For fans of Stop Making Sense, this recording offers a full and uncut performance from that very era. My recording exhibits very few recording flaws, but I do know that versions of this document circulate with some digital issues, so look out. Throw this one on, and remember a summer day dance party from thirty years ago that echoes through the famous venue to this very day, and is preserved for all to enjoy.

    Set 1: Psycho Killer, Heaven – Thank You for Sending Me an Angel, Love -> Buildings on Fire, The Book I Read, Slippery People, Cities, Eyes Wide Open, Burning Down the House, Life During Wartime

    Set 2: Making Flippy Floppy, Swamp, What a Day That Was, Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place), Once in a Lifetime, Big Business -> I Zimbra, Houses in Motion, Genius of Love (The Tom Tom Club), Girlfriend is Better, Take Me to the River

    Encore: Crosseyed & Painless

  • Michael Franti and Spearhead Bring Peace, Love and Music to Clifton Park

    On the same day a naval shipyard in our nation’s capital was ravaged by senseless violence, Michael Franti and Spearhead came to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on September, 16th to deliver their ongoing message of love, peace, harmony, and equality. Although for just a few hours, Franti was determined to help his fans escape the sometimes vicious world in which they live.

    As with most Michael Franti and Spearhead shows, the lead singer spent more time in the crowd than he did on the actual stage. Many songs were performed from the middle of the audience on a makeshift 4’x4’ “stage” including an energetic version of “Hey, Hey, Hey” which broke into a reggae version of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. Franti also performed a moving rendition of “Closer to You” while dancing with a wheelchair-bound fan and then allowing her to remain on yet another elevated platform for the remainder of the evening so that her view was unobstructed.

    Throughout the evening, Franti took his audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride. By way of both his unique style of storytelling and his moving vocal performance, Franti had them cheering and dancing one minute, and near tears the next. One particularly moving performance was “Goodbye”, sung mostly in a Nigerian dialectic by Spearhead drummer, Manas Itiene, which somehow crossed all language barriers and relayed a message of hopelessness and despair. A much brighter moment was a “crowd-participation” version of the hit single “Sound of Sunshine”, enhanced by giant yellow balloons volleyed through the air and Franti performing on top of the venue bar!

    Indie-rock band, The Kopecky Family Band, kicked off the evening. Highlights from their set included their hit single “Heartbeat” and a great rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”.

    Setlist: I Don’t Wanna Go, Yes I Will/Stay Human, Yell Fire, Do It for the Love, All I Want is You, Sound of Sunshine, 11.59, Closer to You, Life is Better with You, Gangsta Girl, Hey World, All People, Say Goodbye, Hey Hey Hey
    Encore: Let it Go, Long Ride Home, I’m Alive, Say Hey

  • Review: 95 X Fest

    Twenty Two bands for $20! What!!! With a lineup that consists of Sick Puppies, Adam Gontier, Nonpoint, Trapt, Otherwise and more, how can you go wrong for $20!!! Add eleven of some of the area’s best local talent and you have this year’s 95 X fest.

    Held at the F Shed in Syracuse N.Y., I was kind of skeptical of this venue until I got there. The F Shed is like a big warehouse or, like its name, a shed. A huge shed, in fact, but really nice inside. So, like me, don’t judge the place until you actually see it, because it’s actually a really good venue for a concert.

    There were eleven local area bands, and they all sounded pretty good. So all you concert promoters out there looking for some good opening acts for future shows, check out the list of local bands that kicked @$$ on this show. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.

    First on the main stage was Another Lost Year. This is a really good up-and-coming band. Their singles are getting a lot of airplay on XM Octane. Their sound check went a little longer than they wanted, so they had to cut their set a little short, but this band still rocked the place. They connected and played to the crowd really well.

    Next up was a band I knew nothing about, but now I know very well. Allele took the main stage second. Front man Wally Wood has endless energy. I think he stood on the rail and sang with the crowd for half his performance.

    Girl On Fire is now the third band to play on the main stage. Their current single, “The Takedown,” is really hot. These guys put on a great live performance. During one song, singer Austin Held’s mic went dead, which prompted him to slam it on the ground in frustration. He then grabbed another mic and hit the next note right on cue.

    Mindset Evolution was the fourth band to play the main stage. Their current single, “Burn It Down,” is also played a lot on XM Octane. These guys won Battle Of The Bands in 2012, and they have really grown since a year ago when they were on the Uproar Festival. ME put in a really good live performance.

    Devour The Day was the fifth band to grace the main stage. Former Egypt Central members Joey Chicago and Blake Allison make up half the band. Their current single, “Good Man,” is in heavy rotation on the radio. I forgot how much energy these guys have. Insane! They will be touring with Hinder later this year so make sure you go and check them out.

    One of my favorite up and coming bands that were a late addition to this show’s lineup were slated in the sixth spot on the main stage. Otherwise took the stage next and brought the house down. Otherwise is one of the best live bands you could see. I love watching Adrian and the boys rock it. If you have never seen Otherwise, all I can say is what the hell are you waiting for? Adrian just connects with the crowd and pulls you in. Bassist Vassilios and Guitarist Andrew were so energized, I think they drank a whole case of Red Bull or something before the show. Vassilios even jumped in the crowd and played bass around all the fans for an entire song, which prompted Adrian to say “please don’t kill our bassist”.

    Disturbed members Mike and Dan, along with Evans Blue Member and singer Dan, make up the next band that were in the seventh spot on the main stage. Fight Or Flight were up next and they were better than I thought. I wasn’t feeling their cd that much yet, and their single, “First Of The Last,” is OK, but their live performance is really good. In fact, they were so good live you would think that they were a band for many years performing together.

    Trapt gets the eighth spot on the show. Trapt played a good mix of old and new tracks. They always put in a great live performance, but I prefer them on a more intimate stage setting. Singer Chris Taylor Brown makes you feel his emotions as he sings and is a great performer. Their current single, “Eye Of The Storm,” is starting to get a lot of airplay on the radio.

    This next band is another must-see band if you have never seen them. In the ninth spot on the main stage was Nonpoint. Elias and the boys are so much fun to watch live. They just come out and Kick @$$ form start to finish. I had the chance to hang out with the boys for a little bit on their tour bus, and we had a really random discussion about mushrooms. We also had a debate on who has better pizza, New York or Chicago?

    Former front man for Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier, was slated in the tenth spot for this show. I haven’t ever seen 3DG with Adam. Matt is a great fill in, but when I heard Adam sing those songs I was blown away. Adam said to the crowd, “Isn’t it nice to hear the guy who wrote the songs, sing the songs?” Adam is just amazing live, and at one point near the end of his set he climbed the scaffolding all the way up to the lights and just hung there for a bit. I thought he was going to jump into the crowd, but after hanging for a couple of minutes he came back down.

    Sick Puppies is slated as the headliners for this event. Shimon and the gang always put on a great show. I was watching them pump each other up backstage before their performance. Shimon really likes talking to the crowd before every song, which can be a little overkill. When you have been at a festival all day and you’re the last act please keep the talking to a minimum. A large stage means more room for Emma to jump and spin around on stage. This girl is just amazing live, and I don’t think I would ever get tired of watching her play. Anzai is of the best bassists you could ever see live.

    This was a really good event and one of my favorite concerts of the year. This event was very fan-friendly with all of the bands signing autographs at different times under the autograph tent. That, to me, is what a music festival should have. It’s really nice to shoot the $#!t with your favorite artist for a couple of minutes and get something signed or take a picture with them.

    Photographer JT Gilbert took a lot of really nice pictures of this event, and his one of Nonpoint is f’in awesome. If Nonpoint ever makes a live dvd, that pic should be the cover.

    I also got to exchange a few words with Dan from Disturbed/Fight or Flight. He was drinking some really good red wine in a plastic solo cup. After I asked him what he was drinking, he told me, “Hey I have to switch it up from beer every now and then.” Funny.

    I also got to hold Adam Gontier’s Terminator-inspired mic stand which had to weigh about fifty pounds.

    Congrats to 95 X for putting on a really great event, despite the fact that a rival radio station that had their own event a week earlier pulled a classless move and held a free concert the same time and day of this event. I didn’t matter though, because on this day this was the place to be.