NYS Music 20​13

Category: Central NY

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 3/3

    Editors note: This is part 3 of our 3 part Upstate Spring Revival coverage that features the music from the weekend. Take a look at coverage in Part 1 and Part 2.

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    What a fantastic weekend! Despite possibly the worst weather conditions imaginable from Friday evening through Saturday morning, the State Wide Music staff came through. Kudos to sound man Tim, who gave us one of the best sounding festivals ever; site manager Jeff for his tank-sturdy stages, cameramen Kevin and Brennan for braving torrential downpour conditions with expensive equipment, and most of all, to the bands and festival-goers for keeping an upbeat “We’re all friends” attitude throughout the fracas. Big thanks to Herby One and State Wide Music for yet again delivering the perfect regional festival experience.

    Didn’t have enough yet? State Wide Music has two more shindigs planned for the summer at Miller Hollow in Marion NY.  June 13th-16th will be the second annual Fiddlers Picnic. Spotlighting some of the region’s best bluegrass music,  the festival will include the moe. side project Floodwood, Dangermuffin, The Rumpke Mountain Boys, and many more. July 11th-14th is Upstate Boogie 4, featuring one of the funkiest lineups ever with Kung Fu, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Sophistafunk and more to be announced!

    Here are some of the featured setlists from some of the hottest sets over the weekend at Upstate Spring Revival:

    Flabberghaster

    View From The Mountain, Lies, Stone Free[Hendrix],Hangin’ On The Moss,The Crunge>Dazed and Confused[Zeppelin],Who Put This Spell On Me,Coming Up For Air, Lose Your Shoes, The Machine, Whipping Post[Allmans]

    Mister F

    Deal Breaker, Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11, Jump the Shark,  Treadmill, Bed Intruder Song >Vocoder, Answer the Dog, Hedgehog

    Ocupanther

    I Feel Love[Donna Summer], Pyromancer*, Misunderstanding Hugs, Naga Golokia, Ghostless, Fraktura, Stompgoat

    * Debut

    Formula 5

    Earthbound Tim, King Harvest[The Band], New Untitled Song, The Clear %-> Nu-Gen -> 3 Ring Circus -> The Ride Ending

    % Unfinished

    Dopapod

    Nuggy Jawson -> Priorities -> The National Anthem[Radiohead] -> Priorities, Weird Charlie > Cloud World, Donkey Kong Theme *€> Trapper Keeper*, Bats In The Cave^, Present Ghosts, French Bowling+

    *contained elements of “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” by Pink Floyd
    €debut
    ^w/ Mike Gantzer from Aqueous on guitar for the jam, Dr Dre teases
    +contained elements of “Hey Are You Going To Burning Man?” by Electric Apricot

    Timbre Coup

    Snoop Tiger, July, TheWay > Jam > Roland Opus, I didn’t know She had a Mustache, June, Arnold Schwarzeneggar

    Aqueous

    Skyway, Strange Times, Aldehyde > Uncle Phil’s Parachute >Fur Elise[Beethoven]* >Uncle Phil’s Parachute > Knights of Cydonia[Muse] > Warren in the Window > Timmy’s Blades > Regulators[Warren G]**, Pictures > Origami % > Uncle Phil’s Parachute ***

    * Linus and Lucy tease

    ** With Chuck [Dopapod] on bass, Evan on vocals

    *** Schism teases [Tool]

    % Unfinished

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 2/3: The Sounds

    Editors note: This is part 2 of our 3 part Upstate Spring Revival coverage that features the music from the weekend. Come back tomorrow for our final article, “The Skinny and The Setlists”

    The music started promptly at 7:30pm Thursday night with the combined forces of Carly Jane and Train Rat. The Cohocton, NY band’s melodic hypnotizing jazzy blues with a hidden fury was a great way to kick start the weekends musical expeditions. Along with a slew of originals, they offered up sexy versions of Peggy Lee’s “Fury” and The Devil Makes Three’s “Old Number 7”. Following Train Rat was Springwater’s White Woods with their own brand of Cake-esque alt-rock with extra frosting.  The two bands also collaborated on a song with some expert mandolin play and an audience chanting “Chugging down to New Orleans” right along with the musicians.

    Thursday’s closer was Vermont’s Flabberghaster. While hard to define given their unique flavor, one could imagine AC/DC mashed up with the Allman Brothers and get a sense of their sound. This was some rocking music and the crowd ate it up. Beyond the head banging, the band also went on a number of exploratory improvisations from bare bones hard rock to jazzy percussive clap-alongs. While their set was somewhat cover heavy, they made songs like Led Zeppelin’s “The Crunge” and the Allman Brothers “Whipping Post” their own with no fear of straying from the original song structure. Where’s that confounded bridge? Who cares! The crowd wandered back to their tents completely flabbergasted. True to rock and roll form the band slept overnight on the stage.  

    Friday started out early with Canandaigua’s Upstate. The bands blues based rock and roll with lots of experimentation and fierce peaks got people out of their tents and down to the stages. In the middle of the set they offered a fun mash-up of one of their originals with the new Daft Punk song “Get Lucky”. Following Upstate was Buffalo’s Slip Madigan. The band’s upbeat happy music with funky breakdowns and hints of electronica was a great match to the unexpected sun shining down on the crowd. The newly formed Mister F followed, composed of  3 members of Albany’s Timbre Coup and Scott Hannay from Capital Zen. The F maintains their own sound, which runs the gambits of influences from funk and rock to jazz and electronica. Their self-described genre of “Neat and Clean, Hard and Dangerous” is pretty much spot on.

    Rochester’s Ocupanther then laid its claws into the audience with their brand of instrumental funk-space-psychedelia featuring the juxtaposing styles of Berkeley schooled axeman Colin Jones and self taught shred wizard Mikey Pantano. They opened with an adventurous cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and the audience responded with much love of their own. Friday’s evening journey began with Albany’s Timbre Coup and their deep progressive rock influences, intertwining metal overtones and doses of electronic forays with top notch vocals. As the sprinkles started to turn to rain, true to their name, Project Weather Machine stormed the stage for an hour and a half of Grateful Dead and old school blues inspired improvisations with awesome names like “Nitrous Roxide”. As the rain progressed in intensity festival goers were treated to the first show by Buffalo’s Universe Shark in several months. Despite their hiatus they did nothing but deliver, keeping the crowd dancing in the mud. Closing out the evening was the return of the much revered Schleigho. Their set was nothing short of mind-numbingly brilliant, ranging from pure technical by-the-numbers wizardry to wide open “Space”-esque exploration. Musicians were buzzing about this set the rest of the weekend with phrases like “It was like going to jam clinic” and “I’m not worthy” being thrown about.  

    Saturday started later than anticipated. Stage equipment was all moved to the main stage due to the mud pit in front of the secondary stage. Thankfully the weather cleared, the sun came out, and Ithaca’s Solaris started things off with some excellent intense EDM. Albany’s Formula 5 proved quite the draw in the next spot with their genre-everywhere sound. Funk, rock, blues, jazz, electronic, it was all in the mix as well as a fun cover of The Bands “King Harvest”. The trio of Rochester’s Haewa filled the 5pm slot with some of the most extended jamming of the weekend, more of Colin Jones guitar-pyrotechnics, and a rock solid grooving core.

    The evening lineup of Vermont’s Twiddle, Buffalo’s Aqueous, and NYC’s exploding Dopapod was so hot people were wiring their doctors to re-up their heart medications. Twiddle started it off with a set filled with improv, explosive soaring peaks, and a jam of Phish’s “Contact” that ended up going from “Funkytown” to “Billy Jean”. The centerpiece of the show was a monster version of original “The Box” which simply went everywhere. Aqueous then one upped everyone with the biggest crowd of the weekend thus far, and a hot-as-fire set no amount of liquid could extinguish. Filled with effortless segues, memorable originals, a fun sit-in from Dopapod’s Chuck Jones on Warren G’s “Regulate”, and a brilliantly intense take on Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia”, Aqueous had the audience in the palm of their hand. Brooklyn’s Dopapod closed the evening set with an all out rager, effortlessly gliding from song to song with the best light show of the weekend by far. This band is on fire and should not be missed at any opportunity.  Aqueous’s Mike Gantzer sat in for original “Bats in the Cave” complete with some well placed Dr Dre “Xxplosive” teases.

    Those that survived the onslaught of Aquapod stayed up for the late night set of NYC’s Consider the Source, whose technical expertise may not be surpassed by anyone. Imagine a Primus that got all jammy and had three Les Claypools running the show. Pure intense perfection and an exquisite end to the fest. An incredible weekend of music, with each band bringing their A-games.

    Come back tomorrow for our weekend summation and an assortment of some of the weekends best setlists.

  • Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 1/3: The Scene

    Family. No other word can describe a regional festival like Upstate Spring Revival festival better than family. Familiar faces from shows over the years. Passing by the same groups to and fro from the campsite, always with friendly salutations and wide smiles. Meeting new people spinning tails of their travels freely as if every soul they meet is an old friend. Sharing toasts and high fives with complete strangers, shyness abandoned. In our modern; smart-phone consumed; too busy to say hello world, this situational rarity is beyond refreshing. It’s a damn good feeling and a great way to spend a weekend in the woods. May 8-11 at The Whispering Pines Hideaway proved this concept beyond a shadow of doubt.

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    The Hideaway is typically an aviary hunting preserve and ATV adventure site, with trap towers, clay pigeon throwers, and rut filled off-roading trails throughout the area. While this may seem an ironic venue for a gathering of peace loving hippies, it proved itself perfect for the weekends experience. Car camping was available throughout the site with a plethora of settings, be it wooded, open field, or just a place to lay down in the grass. Musicians roamed freely through the crowd chatting with fans and fellow music makers. Both secondary and primary stages were located in a lower area, surrounded by trees, but still allowing a picturesque view of the sunset. The stages were minutes from each other with a variety of vending, drum circles and lessons, and glass blowing demonstrations all conveniently located within the main “Shakedown Street”.

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    Weather ended up being better than forecast. Thursday night through late Friday afternoon was beautiful. Friday night through Saturday was a bit rough with blowing rain but everyone kept in good spirits. Many huddled around campfires sharing jovial tales while others wandered the site in rain ponchos making new friends. Musicians plowed through the weather unscathed and everyone delivered excellent sets. Saturday night, between sets, Solar Flare and entourage offered up a spectacular display of pyrotechnic acrobatics.  Other activities included live glass blowing demonstrations, drum lessons and circles, face painting, and much more.

    Come back tomorrow to read our review of “The Sounds” featuring pictures by contributing photographer Kevin Burke.

    Photos by Darren Kemp

    Editors note: This is part one of our three part review of the Spring Revival festival. Each article will include a photo gallery from one of our three featured photographers.

  • Club D’Elf and Marco Benevento hit Syracuse and Albany this weekend!

    Syracuse’s Westcott Theater and Albany’s Red Square open their doors to a modern experimental supergroup Friday May 31st and Saturday June 1st as Club D’Elf is accompanied by organist and composer Marco Benevento, of the critically acclaimed Benevento/Russo Duo. Club D’Elf defies convention and classification, as they draw on influences from electronica, jazz, dub, progressive rock and traditional and world music.

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    Led by bassist/composer Mike Rivard, the Club D’Elf “club” is designed to be a constantly evolving and revolving musical brotherhood, regularly rotating members, hosting superb artists and incorporating new sounds.  Club guests have included legends John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood, the hip hop/jazz crossover artist DJ Logic, Marc Ribot, Skerik and of course Marco Benevento.  These uniquely gifted talents keep Club D’Elf fresh with new ideas and spontaneity.  This isn’t Mike Rivard’s first rodeo either; Mike brings his experience laying down grooves for big names such as Morphine, Aimee Mann, G Love and Jonathan Brooke among others.  Club D’Elf’s sound grows out of this rhythmic root, past tradition and custom, into the cosmos.  Who knows where listeners may end up when Marco Benevento’s graceful piano melodies dance over Mike Rivard’s deep, thuddy Morroccan trance bass lines?  No matter where you end up, this show is sure to keep your mind fed and your body grooving.

    Tickets are $15.00 at the Westcott Theater and the show starts at 10pm.  At the Red Square the show is $12 and $15 at the door, show starts at 8pm.

  • The Gaia Theory Interview

    Here’s another band who answered my call for a written interview on the 315 Street Team Page. The Gaia Theory a type of metal best called Electronicore hails from Massena NY.

    Nick was the front man for the short lived yet face melting band In Seven Days. Aleskey (Guitarist) also has a electronica side project called “Word Child” which you can find on sound cloud. The Gaia Theory is currently at a stand still since they’re looking for a guitarist, bassist and a keyboard/synth player so if you think this music is up your ally hit them up! They were also featured in my compilation video “Music For You EarHole” which is where you can give their music a listen or it up FB and listen to some tracks they have up on the music player.

    (Steve) First off is it ok if I asked what happened to In Seven Days?

    (Nick) haha yeah its fine… Uhh ya know we hit a standstill and things just weren’t going the way we wanted and we all wanted different things for the band.. After our last show I quit the band and it just died out after I left..

    (Steve) How did you get together with your new band mates after the split?

    (Nick) I actually gave up on music for a few weeks just needed time to myself…. But then I got off my ass and wanted to get back into playing because it’s my life. So I posted adds on Craigslist looking for people to fill the spots and that’s when I found Aleksey (guitarist) the and it went from there haha

    (Aleksey) Yea basically, I had a post on craigslist and so did he, it was like destiny haha. And the rest of the mates we just found over time.

    (Steve) Give a brief description on what The Gaia Theory is and why you decided to name your band this?
    (Aleksey) The Gaia Theory is a scientific theory that basically states, that all living and non-living organisms on earth, work together in a constant utopian method to form a self-regulating environment, that basically contributes to maintaining life on earth. The name Gaia derives from the Goddess Gaia, who was the Goddess of Earth, and as mythology states, the mother to all gods. We chose the name, because it seemed to work with the style of music were playing, this whole concept of everything working together harmoniously, to create a stable sound haha. Plus the name sounds cool as hell.

    (Steve) Does anything from this idea affect your lyrics?

    (Nick) umm not at all ya know each song I write has its own story. Like one will be about death and gore. And then another will be about hope and uprising… Each song has its certain sound and lyrics meant for each other.. I also listen to what the band has come up with and I close my eyes and vision what it makes me think of.. And then write the lyrics

    (Steve) How does the writing process go for you guys? Does each individual person bring their own pizazz to the band or is it directed as a whole?

    (Aleksey) I mean it’s hard to say, sometimes it’s just directed as a whole, and other times we all bring in something different. We all come from different musical backgrounds, for example I come from a pure classical background. Our drummer comes from more of a punk/hardcore background, and so on. For the most part, we try to write everything together, my last band I was in, I basically had to write all the music, and that tends to be a lot of unwanted pressure, because then I have to keep in mind what I like and what every single person in the band likes. So I for the most part am trying to avoid taking that type of responsibility again.

    (Steve) Who does your artwork?

    (Nick) Aleksey and I do the artwork for the band

    (Steve) Nick you told me that your guitarist was from Russia, Does he give you guys a….worldly sound haha just joking. What kind of influence does he bring to the band?

    (Aleksey) To start off I’m Ukrainian haha, and I don’t think I do, except for the occasional slip of my accent, and the random folk strumming, can’t say I bring much of an Slavic ethnic musical background to the mix, but it might be a good idea to try.

    (Steve) Do you guys do your own recording? If so could you give any tips on to do this as a band starting out?

    (Aleksey) Well our current tracks we have up, I did the recording for them, and this was the first time I’ve ever done this type of recording. I’m used to producing electronic style music, but live music was new to me. For the most part were going to be doing self-recordings. It’s cheaper and we have full control over the final sound. The only tips I got, is find the software you want to use, read up on it, or YouTube the shit out of it, and just get started on it, you’re not going to sound good at first, I guarantee it. A big tip I got when recording guitars, for each guitar part record it 4 times, pan one side all the way right, one all the way left, and the other two pan 75% in each direction. It will create a fuller sound, trust me on that, it’s the only reason our recordings sound half decent, and make sure in the mixing process you equalize everything and throw compressors on everything. Otherwise, the beauty of this age is that it is the information age, use the internet to your advantage, there isn’t anything you can’t learn online.

    (Steve) You said you’ll be ready for shows this summer, do you have any lined up already or are you just waiting till you get to that step?

    (Aleksey) We don’t have any lined up, but we have connects, Nick and our drummer have access to the whole upstate New York scene, and being from Brooklyn, I got a bunch of connects down there and other parts of the tri-state area. Plus, recently since the upload of our latest track, we have been offered shows left and right. So were not too worried about landing shows, were mostly concerned about finishing up our set, and being read

  • Blind Owl Band | Kickstarter Project

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

    blind owl band

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

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

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

    The Blind Owl Band

    Arthur Buezo (Guitar, Vocals)

    Christian Cardiello (Bass)

    James Ford (Banjo, Vocals)

    Eric Munley (Mandolin, Vocals)

    Tour Dates:

    May 16 – Atwoods Tavern, Cambridge, MA
    May 17 – Pizza Stone, Chester, VT
    May 18 – Strawberry Jam, Northville, NY
    May 18 – Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, NY with Lucid
    May 19 – The Wherehouse, Newburgh, NY
    May 20 – The Living Room, NYC, NY
    May 21 – Free Range Busking Day
    May 22 – Underground Arts, Philly, PA with The Brummy Brothers
    May 23 – The River St. Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre, PA
    May 24 – Touch Fest 2013!! South ADK’s
    May 25 – The Dutch Treat, Franconia, NH
    May 26 – Rosa Flamingo’s, Bethlehem, NH
    May 26 – Red Square, Burlington, VT

  • moe.down 14 Announces Final Lineup for August Festival in Turin

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

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

  • Mickey Hart, Approaching 70, Keeping the Spirit Alive with Evolving Group

    When Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast last year, drummer Mickey Hart sat around watching the news, saddened but inspired by the resiliency shown.

    “It was heart-wrenching,” Hart, one of the four living members of the Grateful Dead, said in a recent phone interview. “I saw Bon Jovi on NBC News and all of a sudden the song just popped into my head.”

    The song he is referring to is titled “JerseyShore,” and is available for free download at mickeyhart.net. Hart said he wanted to give back to the people affected by asking for donations from those who download the song. You can download it for free, but the site encourages you to donate whatever amount you can. Hart is giving 100 percent of the proceeds to the Sandy Relief Fund.

    mickey hartHart said that he and his group, the Mickey Hart Band, collaborated to come up with the song. He gave credit to bassist DaveSchools, also of Widespread Panic, in helping the song develop.

    “It was my idea for the song, but the entire band contributed,” Hart said. “It just popped out, but everyone in the band lent a voice to it. … To me, music is many things, and one of those is that it helps to heal, to sing about what hurts and to illuminate pain. It’s like medicine and it boosts confidence.”

    Hart’s band has been going strong for three years now, with an ever-changing cast of musicians. For a guy who is about to hit his 70th birthday, Hart said he is as inspired as ever to write new music – he disclosed that a new album should be released by the end of the summer – while keeping the Grateful Dead spirit alive by putting a new take on old classics. The album does not have a title yet, but Hart said that he and long-time Dead lyricist Robert Hunter have collaborated on it, and that Hunter is rejuvenated.

    “Hunter is writing at the top of his game,” Mickey Hart said. “He’s still chock-full of ideas for great songs, and we’re gonna play those songs on this tour.”

    Hart joined the Grateful Dead in 1967, right around the time Hunter moved into the famed house at 710 Ashbury St. in San Francisco. Hart said his relationship with Hunter is just as strong as it was 46 years ago.

    “There’s no one like him,” Hart said. “He has an egoless style.”

    The band recently wrapped up the first leg of the Worlds Within Tour and announced a second leg, which focuses mainly on the northeast. The tour starts May 8 in Charlotte, N.C., and concludes May 24 at the Dark Star Jubilee in Ohio. In between are stops in Virginia, New York City, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Boston and Burlington, Vt.

    On May 22, Hart brings his band, which comprises vocalist Crystal Monee Hall, keyboardist Joe Bagale, guitarist Gawain Matthews, percussionist Sikiru Adepoju, with whom Hart won a Grammy in their Planet Drum project in the 1990s, drummer Greg Schutte and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Sharp to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The following night, the band will perform at the WaterStreetMusic Hall in Rochester.

    Schools will not be involved with this tour, as he has previous commitments. Schools said he is prepping for Widespread Panic’s upcoming summer tour. Schools joined the band in late 2011, and has toured with band ever since.

    “He’s got a day job, man,” Mickey Hart said. “But I can say that ‘BassMountain’ is still a big part of the band. He and I have a great dynamic in working together.”

    Filling in for Schools on the Worlds Within Tour is Adam Theis, who will also play trombone, according to Hart.

    On Jan. 6, 2012, the band performed at the Westcott, throwing down some amazingly brilliant and completely different takes on the Dead’s repertoire. Hall’s voice adds a layer of depth the Dead didn’t have vocally. Prior to joining Hart’s team, Hall was a part of the Tony Award-winning musical RENT.

    Before that show, Hart talked about his plans for taking light waves captured from outer space by scientists from Lawrence Berkeley Labs in California and turning them into sound bytes. From there, Hart used those sounds as either inspiration, or built a song or rhythm around them.

    To Dead fans, this may bring up the “Drums>Space” segment that happened at almost every show, but Hart cautioned otherwise, saying: “This is not space like (the Dead) used to do; we’re not interpreting what space is. This is us using the source material, the sounds of space, to play with our sound. This band can do that.”

    The conversation then turned toward the obvious: Will the living members of the Dead ever tour again? Was 2009’s tour the last?

    “I can’t answer that,” Hart said. “I look forward to any reunion of any kind, but it has to feel good.”

    Hart concluded the conversation by connecting the fans and the band.

    “These shows are gonna throb,” he said. “Fans will experience it with us. We need the audience, and they need us. Each night will be three hours of powerful music, and I consider it a privilege that I continue to do this. I might not be able to do some of the things I was capable of in my 20s, but I can say I am focused. I’m almost 70 and I don’t see myself retiring.”

    For more information on the tour, please visit mickeyhart.net for shows and ticketing information.

  • DOOMSDAY DEVICE, Raw Local Hardcore Act with Promise

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    A fairly young hardcore act, Doomsday Device are some fresh new faces bringing their own style to the local hardcore scene. Based in true, heavy, hardcore roots, this band is not afraid to get as absolutely heavy as possible.

    These guys bring “getting low” to a whole new level, honing a brutal, down-tempo sound consisting of chugging guitars, deep screams, and powerful rhythm. Their Facebook Band Profile only has two rough demos of songs up to get the idea of how these guys sound. Now, when I say “rough demos”, I mean really rough. There’s no professionalism or gloss to it, and is often off-time and somewhat hard to distinguish instrumental tracks.

    However, this doesn’t detract from the sound they are going for. These raw recordings contain all the power and brutality they are trying to convey, and at this stage in their band’s existence, that’s fine. They are able to demonstrate some sizable talent among all the members of the band, and the rawness of the recordings demonstrates a certain carefree attitude that allows you to enjoy the music the way they must: purely and honestly. These guys are not afraid of showing flaws, they embrace it.

    As good as a professional record sounds, they seem to respect the human element of recording music just as much, and this attitude deserves respect. I’d say that they have some growing to do both as musicians and as a band on the whole, but they show promise to do so. Their demo songs “Curse of the Walkers” and “The Turning Point” dabble in vocal effects, acoustic guitar, sound effects, and other creative “spices”. This shows that as heavy as they’re trying to be, they also welcome different ideas and are willing to experiment.

    However, one thing is certain: no matter where they decide to go from here, Doomsday Device are going to improve and broaden their musical horizons, and will always keep things as heavy as you can imagine.

    You can check out Doomsday Device here and give them a “like”:

    https://www.facebook.com/DD315

  • Bela Fleck and The Marcus Roberts Trio Play The Westcott May 8th

    Tomorrow, May 8 at 7 p.m., banjo extraordinaire Bela Fleck will bring his masterful sound to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse with the Marcus Roberts Trio for an evening full of musical virtuosity. Except the four men will come together to display their sound together.

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    Chances are you know of Fleck as the man who revolutionized the banjo through relentless touring with his band the Flecktones, who are currently on hiatus. He has sat in with countless musicians spanning his career, which began when his father gifted him a banjo at age 15. The Marcus Roberts Trio is led by its namesake. The ever-changing cast of musicians currently features founder Roberts, who grew up in Florida with a gospel style background, on piano. Tennessee native Rodney Jordan will be playing the upright bass, while Jason Marsalis, nephew of legendary musician Wynton Marsalis, will be playing drums.
    The show is sure to be a fun, yet intimate, time. The Westcott has a history of hosting some of the most famous musical acts while providing fans with an up-close, and very personal view of the men and women on stage.
    Tickets for the show are on sale now at thewestcotttheater.com for $35 advance, and $40 the day of.