NYS Music 20​13

Category: Central NY

  • This Grass is Blue – Greensky Bluegrass at the Westcott Theater, April 27th

    Greensky Bluegrass’ return to the Westcott Theater on Wednesday April 24 brought fans and newcomers out of their weekday monotony and into the rich and colorful world of modern bluegrass music, one where tradition meets novelty and classic themes meet spontaneous virtuosity.  Greensky epitomizes this history-steeped and yet constantly evolving genre.  Their performances are deeply rooted in classic Americana, while their sound continues to push the experimental envelope, incorporating psychedelia, jamband and even classic rock themes.

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    The members of Greensky Bluegrass collaborate beautifully.  They fluidly trade off leadership roles, as each musician is a solid soloist in their own right.  Whether it was Michael Alren Bont twanging away in chord-driven, texturally tasty banjo or Paul Hoffman ripping through lightning fast licks on the mandolin, Greensky has no slackers in its ranks.  Their persistent boot-stomping groove, multi-layered composition and improvisational genius never failed to keep the crowd dancing, whooping with joy or contemplatively ‘tripping out’ on their spacier tunes.  Their self-effacing light show often lit the performers sparsely, while directing pattern and color primarily to the stage background and the walls of the theater.  This approach demonstrated the band’s submission to the collective sound, rather than focusing viewers’ attention on the artists themselves as individual performers.

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    The band’s set was long and diverse, complete with tracks from their newest and most critically acclaimed album 2001’s Handguns, cover songs including a “Whole Lotta Love” verse for the Zepp-heads out there and a guest appearance by one of the guitarists from Greensky’s opener, Fruition.  Overall, Greensky Bluegrass sustained a driving energy that held crowd attention and enjoyment throughout their performance.

  • Meg and Laura Interview Tyler Hilton this Monday!

    Oh, what’s that sound? That’s right. That’s the sound of my teenage hopes circa One Tree Hill Season 3 coming back knocking on the door. His raspy voice and seamless songwriting makes you wish every song with the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘her’ was written about you. Ring a bell?

    Yes, you’ve guessed it. It’s Tyler Hilton. Not only is he currently on tour with Ryan Cabrera and Teddy Geiger, but Syracuse’s Westcott Theater happens to be one of the venues he’s playing. And here’s the best part: the notorious Meg and Laura will be talking to this contemporary Howie Day this coming Monday about his latest record, “Forget the Storm” and will be broadcasting the interview on their SoundCloud at 3 PM EST, Monday May 6th. Details are available on Facebook.com/themegandlaurashow.

    Don’t miss the show! Buy tickets through the Westcott Theater.

    Here’s an exclusive new track Tyler Hilton sent our way and we hope you enjoy it.

    [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/90331428″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

  • Childhood’s End, The Uptown Theatre in Utica on 4/20

    The Uptown Theatre, in the midst of a large remodel, hosted Central New York’s own Childhood’s End for a celebration of 4/20. For most, it’s just like any other day, but for some it’s a holiday, one seemingly dedicated to smoking weed and if you’re lucky, listening to music. The crowd at the Uptown appeared to be down for both.

    Childhood's End
    Photo by Sandra Jackson for Sublunar Studios/Visual Design

    I arrived early and immediately noticed that many people were sitting down and the open section in the front was fairly empty. People did not seem to be there to dance but to get elevated a bit and expand their minds. A departure from ‘normal’ concerts for sure, but I completely understood and took a seat with the rest of the crowd.

    Childhood’s End, in a nod to the day, started their show with a clip from many stoner’s favorite show, The Family Guy, in which Brian the family dog and Stewie the talking baby, tout the wonders of pot, specifically a “Bag of Weed” in a catchy Broadway style number. After which, they went on to dedicate the show to Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind several of Pink Floyd‘s iconic album covers including Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, who died earlier that week.

    After opening with a few well-known tunes, including their namesake, the band broke out a David Gilmour solo tune that I wasn’t familiar with, “Murder”. Written about the death of John Lennon,  I found it to be both well placed, and well-played.

    The addition of Jerry More on saxophone was a crucial one and punched up the band’s overall offering, allowing for a full sound in crowd favorites like “Money”, “Us and Them” and others. The band of course hit on many songs that elicited cheers and fist pumps from the not-so young crowd, who conveniently brought their Air Guitars.

    Childhoods’ End show feels thoughtful and carefully planned, with attention to the lights as well as visuals. Semi-relevant movie clips (in the very best way possible) were played in time with their music and created an extra dimension for those looking to really expand their horizons. A truly multidimensional experience, and one that reflects dedication the original artist’s work, while still showing off the creativity and excellent musicianship of the band.

    Setlist: 

    Set 1: One Slip, Learning To Fly, Take It Back, Childhood’s End, Murder, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were Here, Speak To Me, Breathe, Time, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse

    Set 2: Dogs, In The Flesh?, The Thin Ice, Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1), The Happiest Days Of Our Lives, Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2), Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky, Empty Spaces, Young Lust, One Of My Turns, Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3), Goodbye Cruel World, Hey You

    Encore: Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell

  • Fitz and The Tantrums Rocked The Westcott Theater on April 21st

    Since releasing their debut album, Pickin’ Up the Pieces in 2010, Fitz and the Tantrums haven’t updated their discography. Instead, Michael Fitzpatrick and the band have been touring all over the world, providing fans with an opportunity to see live performances of what Fitzpatrick has described as their “soul-influenced indie pop.” On Sunday April 22, Fitz and the Tantrums made an appearance at the Westcott Theater for their first ever performance in Syracuse.

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    photo by Kevin McCallum

    For members of the Syracuse community, the show acted as an exciting conclusion to a mid-April weekend; for the students of nearby Syracuse University, however, the concert represented an end-of-the-year last hurrah as finals week approaches and summer awaits right around the corner.

    Fitz and the Tantrums proved to be the perfect band for such an occasion, as their celebratory soul pop encouraged all of the Westcott’s occupants to spend their Sunday evenings dancing and singing along to the Tantrums’ set composed of material from Picking’ Up the Pieces, their upcoming More Than Just a Dream LP, and several crowd-favorite covers.

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    photo by Kevin McCallum

    Throughout the show, Michael Fitzpatrick shared lead vocals with Noelle Scaggs. While each singer displayed their massive vocal talent, Scaggs’ dancing skills particularly encouraged the audience to groove to the band’s sixty-minute set. Not only was shoe-shufflin’ a common aspect of the show, but also crowd involvement. Between finishing Fitzpatrick’s lines and clapping to Scaggs’ percussion section, the audience became just as much part of the show as Fitz and the four Tantrums.

    Fitzpatrick did manage to demonstrate some moves of his own. At age 43, the singer often found himself jumping on John Wicks’ drum stand and imitating Scaggs’ dance moves beside her. Although not nearly as smooth as the younger Scaggs, Fitzpatrick’s style made up for any lack of lack of dance moves associated with having middle-aged bones.

    IMG_7374
    photo by Kevin McCallum

    It was Fitzpatrick’s style and effort that made the show. As he and the Tantrums finished their first encore song, Fitzpatrick took a quick, much needed breather before a rendition of “Steady As She Goes” from Jack White’s 2006 side project, The Raconteurs. “Steady As She Goes” was the second cover of the evening after an earlier version of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.” While the two songs weren’t originally performed with a horns section and two leading vocalists, Fitz and the Tantrums played them in a manner that made unaware concertgoers think they were written for their soul pop style.

    As Fitz and the Tantrums are set to release their sophomore album on May 7, they’re scheduled to continue touring throughout North America up until September 20.  Playing tour dates in support of artists like Dave Matthews Band and Bruno Mars, Fitz and the Tantrums will have an opportunity to gain exposure to new audiences and develop a wider fanbase. Although the upcoming tour dates don’t include another stop in Syracuse, a future appearance in Upstate New York isn’t unlikely, and when they come back, it will be surely be a cause for celebration.

  • The Westcott Theater: Syracuse’s Local Music Venue

    For nearly 100 years, students of Syracuse University and members of the Syracuse community have flocked to The Westcott Theater for countless evenings of entertainment. Located just outside of SU’s campus, the Westcott can be found in a neighborhood primarily occupied by upperclass students looking to catch a concert after spending time at Taps Bar & Restaurant, situated just across the street.

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    The Westcott hasn’t always hosted live music, however, and it was only in 2008 that the venue opened its doors as a location for musicians traveling through Upstate New York. Before its transformation, the building acted as an independent movie theater known as The Westcott Cinema.

    Today, the Westcott still holds the occasional film screening, most of which are music-related. In the summer of 2012, the venue screened LCD Soundsystem’s Shut Up And Play The Hits, a film chronicling the band’s final show at Madison Square Garden. Comedians have also appeared at the venue, including the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe, a group of actors best known for their work in Super Troopers and Beerfest, who performed at the Westcott in 2009.

    the westcott theater assembly of dust

    While special events usually occur at the venue several times throughout each year, live music is scheduled almost every night of the week. From show to show, performers represent an eclectic range of genres; at the Westcott, one night can be a country show and the next night a dance party.

    Some of today’s biggest EDM acts have come through the Westcott on their way to becoming internationally known artists whose tours consist of packed stadium after packed stadium. Between 2010’s Bassnectar performance and 2011’s Skrillex and Pretty Lights appearances, the Westcott has developed a history of catching electronic artists just before they break. Big name artists like the Avett Brothers and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals have also played the Westcott before becoming major festival headliners.

    New Riders of the Purple Sage, 10/5/12 - photo by Frances Huang the westcott theater
    New Riders of the Purple Sage, 10/5/12 – photo by Frances Huang

    It’s the venue’s cozy environment and well-equipped set-up that encourage such well-known acts to book the Westcott on their way to the east coast. With a spacious standing area and a high ceiling, the venue’s occupants can feel comfortable amongst 700 fellow concertgoers while experiencing an intimate performance.

    The venue’s slanted floor is helpful for those that are vertically challenged. Standing farther from the stage not only provides an unobstructed view, but also easy access to the bar. Located in the back of the room, getting a drink can be accomplished without missing a song.

    Although the Westcott has only offered live music since 2008, some of Syracuse’s most memorable shows have taken place at the off-campus venue. As emerging artists continue to play quality shows for crowds of Upstate music lovers, students and locals alike will spend their evenings at the Westcott Theater.

    Links: Website| Facebook | Twitter 

  • Bob Dylan’s ‘AmericanaramA’ Tickets on Sale April 30th for Upstate NY

    Bob Dylan recently announced he will be joined by My Morning Jacket, WILCO, Ryan Bingham and more, for the Bob Dylan_AmerricanaramaAmericanaramA tour this Summer. Presale tickets went on sale for select shows this morning through Dylan’s website, where the initial announcement was made. Details are few but we do know Upstate NY will host this event at both Darien Lake Performing Arts Center and Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) this July.

    AmericanaramA will be at Darien Lake on July 18th. Presale tickets go on sale through Dylan’s website April 30th at 10am and regular on sale is May 4th at 10am. July 21st is the SPAC  show. Get your presale tickets May 3rd at 10 am through the website and the regular on sale is also April 30th at 10 am.

    For more information on all tour dates please visit www.bobdylan.com.

  • Greensky Bluegrass Will Play the Westcott Theater April 24th

    Greensky Bluegrass will play the Westcott Theatre, with their own brand of Newgrass band that has helped to re-invent this newer genre reminiscent of the old-timey bluegrass of Bill Monroe, but with a fresh jammy sound.

    Photo Credit: Jamie VanBuhler
    Photo Credit: Jamie VanBuhler

    The band has recently announced performances at Delfest, Telluride Bluegrass and Northwest String Summit and several more. They are also offering fans 5 of the 10 songs on their new album ‘Handguns’; Stream it for Free below or available on the Greensky Bluegrass website for anyone who wants to listen.

    As their name might suggest, Greensky Bluegrass utilizes traditional bluegrass instruments – dobro, banjo, guitar, upright bass and mandolin. However, the music that they make is anything but reversionary and the new album, Handguns is a brave expression of what separates their original music from the rest of the bluegrass genre.

    Greensky has continued to gain national momentum since they won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s coveted Band Competition in 2006 and have sold-out dates across the country as well as played at Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, NPR’s Mountain Stage and many more. As these diverse festivals would suggest, they’re a bluegrass band but they’re not. Bluegrass doesn’t have distortion, or horns for that matter. Greensky does.

    Greensky Bluegrass will play April 24th at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY. Admission is $15 advance/$18 at the door. This is an all ages show, with 2 full sets by Greensky. Show starts at 7:00pm and you can get your tickets online or at the venue.

    Greensky Bluegrass is Anders Beck (dobro), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin).

    Stream Handguns Free!

    New Song/Video: Leap Year

  • Review: Assembly of Dust at The Westcott Theater, April 13th

    A content crowd of harmless hippies from all around the Finger Lakes region gathered at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater on Saturday night to watch Assembly of Dust. From a cloud of fragrant smoke, the band emerged on stage with their opener “Telling Sue”. Barely seconds into the song, the audience begins to mouth the lyrics to the song.

    With Reid Genauer’s organic, raspy vocals and Adam Terrell’s Chuck-Ragan-esque raw attitude, the duo share chemistry that injects energy in their set. After the upbeat performance of “Paul Henry”, the band included instrumental interludes to go along with their cosmic lighting backdrop. Between the high strung guitar solos and the shimmering tinkle of the keyboard, it was as if every note had diffused itself like a pleasant haze over the audience. Assembly of Dust then played the synthy title track of their new record, Sun Shot, which was received by the audience with a roar of applause.

    For someone who is not the biggest fan of the bluegrass-jam-band genre, this reviewed found it exhilarating to watch such a great band draw such a diverse crowd together.

    Setlist:

    Set 1:  Telling Sue, Man With a Plan, Whistle Creek, Myth of Mine, Paul Henry, Avenue of the Giants, Love Junkie, Arkansas Down, Truck Farm

    Set 2: Mama, Weekhawken Ferry, Speculator, Burned Down, Cluttered, Songbeard, Silver And Worn,
    Westerly, Sunshot

    Encore: Miss Ohio, Lost and Amazed

    Download the show here

  • EVERYONE DIES IN UTAH Kill the Lost Horizon on April 6th with Local Support

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    Last Saturday, April 6th, Everyone Dies In Utah came to the Lost Horizon in Syracuse on their Dark Hearts & Open Eyes tour with The Overseer and Bleach Blonde. To support them were some of the finest upstate metal acts: Redfield, Meira, and Turn the Tide. This show was exactly what it promised to be; a showcase for up-and-coming talent in the various forms of underground music. While the bands all did very well and had good energy, the crowd seemed less enthusiastic. I’m not sure why this is the case, but by the end of the night, EDIU most certainly made the crowd come alive.

    Local metalcore sextet Turn the Tide opened the show and did what they always do; they “kept it metal”. Their high-energy stage presence and tight stage-move choreography kept things interesting, on top of talented musicianship and vocals. Not even drummer Mike Hopper’s overhead microphone falling on top of his drum set could stop the flow of their musical onslaught. However, being the first band has some serious drawbacks, and the crowd didn’t really give these guys as much energy as they deserved.

    Following them was Meira, a metalcore quartet that sounds like there are way more people than that. Playing songs from last year’s debut EP, Closure, plus a new song, these guys brought their dark, brutal sound to the stage with full force. The crowd started to pick up a bit as they went on, and some dedicated fans revealed themselves and sang along with them. They showed a lot of promise and cohesiveness with just the four of them, and proved that they are not messing around.

    Redfield, a local fan favorite, was the last local band to play. This metalcore act has gone through some lineup changes to date, and I think some of it showed. The vocals and rhythm section were spot-on, and brought the familiar partying energy we’ve all come to know and love, but it seemed as though at least one of the guitarists were new to the band and still needed to learn parts of some songs. However, vocalist Travis Bartlett carried the energy they are known for and engaged the crowd well, and induced some singing along of their newest songs.

    Pop-punk band Bleach Blonde were next, and they created some mixed feelings. They have a light, fun sound, and the music itself was performed excellently. Their drummer truly stood out with his skill and fills, but the whole band kept it together very well. That is, except for the singer. I don’t know if he couldn’t hear himself or what, but I don’t think he sang one note on key the entire show. That wouldn’t be too big of a problem if he wasn’t also boring on stage. This may sound harsh, but I think this band would have a much more promising future with a different singer.

    The Overseer, the last supporting act, took the stage by storm and brought some life back to the crowd after the previous band had finished. With their engaging stage presence, musical skill, and varying effects, these guys most certainly made a good impression on the crowd. They proved to be nice guys too, hanging with the other bands and talking to the audience about Syracuse University in the Final Four between songs. This band is definitely one to watch, because as good as they already are, it can only go up from here.

    When Everyone Dies In Utah took the stage, it was like a tidal wave. Strobe lights, keyboard effects, and brutal postcore music seemed to completely revive the crowd. It seemed many of the people in the crowd came to support the local bands, which is good, but the ones that stuck around to see EDIU were most certainly impressed. Somehow, they are able to combine brutally heavy verses and breakdowns, super catchy choruses and riffs, and electronica all into one distinct sound. They also proved to be nice guys, taking the time to talk to me for an interview after taking down the massive amount of equipment they had.

    Here’s my interview with Everyone Dies In Utah:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogBYZeFC330

    My interview with Meira:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKIMvHpQvs

    My second interview with Turn the Tide:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0NRs6AyRvA

    (Here’s my first interview with TTT, just so you’re all caught up and learn everyone’s names…):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTaX0cJz_N0

    www.facebook.com/315MusicReviews

  • MushroomHead Comes to The Lost Horizion April 23rd!

    Cleveland bred group MushroomHead will be taking the stage April 23rd at the Lost Horizon. Forming back in ’93, they began as a side project of various other local musicians.

    Their over the top stage performance and wild, mind-tripping sound and masks they wear caught on so they decided to take it up another level by making it an official band. Throughout the years they’ve gone through line-up changes and have a solid group now, and even downsized a bit; I bet it’s easier on the roadies! 13 years in the underground, 6 amazing studio albums, how can you not want to witness these guys live? Local bands such as Elephant Mountain, Meira, Wagner 3000, and Dear Mr. Dead are playing in support.  Show some local support and get ahold of the bands for some pre-sales priced at $15. Show starts at 6pm and doors open at 7pm be there!

    Elephant Mountain:

    A stoner-rock Syracuse native band, Elephant Mountain formed back in ’09 in a practice space with the birth of two songs that night. They’ll be returning to the stage on this night to support MushroomHead and to showcase a new drummer. There also maybe a surprise in-store so let’s see what the night may bring.

    Meria:

    This Syracuse based metal-core band released an ep back in in September titled “Closure”. You can find a digital copy in their BandCamp for free but if your feeling not so cheap in these tough times throw ’em a dollar! They’re also competing to be on the Warped Tour in Buffalo, Ny. If you want to cast a vote go to this link and show some more love:

    http://www.battleofthebands.com/u/meiraofficial

    Wagner 3000:

    One man’s sick music dream on an acid trip is all I can say about these guys.

    Dear Mr. Dead:

    A 5 piece band hailing from the ‘cuse area also not classifying themselves as anything but rock ‘n’ roll! But if you wanted to place a title on them you could go with Godsmack meets Disturbed.