NYS Music 20​13

Category: Central NY

  • Interview: They Exist

    Funny yet with a serious appetite to make music,  They Exist is a three-piece progressive metal band hailing from the Syracuse/Oswego area.

    Once a quartet they came across line-up changes like most musicians; losing a drummer and a guitarist. Zach switched to bass then back to guitar. However, even with losing a few members they decided to stay strong and stick with it. Fortunately, the remaining three members came across Jarod.  Jarod joined the band after talking to one of the current member’s brothers and seeing them play. Upstate Metal’s Steve Strader was able to talk to Dan (bassist) a bit and he said they might be adding a keyboardist which will give them more opportunity to expand their sound.  When you go to a show expect your ear drums to explode cause they hit you from all angles with their diverse sound which ranges from jazz to jam – all in one song.  They Exist doesn’t let genre labels stop them, they have a fun, “can do” attitude, and the willingness to expand. You can find them on Facebook and they are currently accepting new bookings. You won’t be disappointed with their presence. The 315 Street Team will be out promoting them and other great local artists, too.  You can find upcoming local acts at their Facebook page (link below).

    They Exist Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheyExistTheBand?ref=ts&fref=ts

    315 Street Team Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/browse/page_fans/?page_id=179384965535463&ref=notif&notif_t=page_new_likes

    Steve Strader‘s Youtube account for live vids and other interviews: https://www.youtube.com/user/rundownmaggot666

  • Album Review – The Vanderbuilts ‘What We Forget’

    Every second of  The Vanderbuilts What We Forget is worth remembering. The Syracuse based baroque-rock band captures the warm, encompassing sound of early Velvet Underground and pairs it with the conceptual intricacy of The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain.

    the vanderbuiltsFrom the haunting intro “Sometime After 43” to the closer “Had A Hat”, it becomes evident that this album fits the description of an all-killer-no-filler, falling perfectly in line with their leading single, “I Wish I Was A Saber Toothed Tiger”. Entrancingly sincere songs like “Near and Far” suck the air out of the room when played. The album is produced by the Grammy Award Winning mixer and engineer Jay Newland, channeling a rather organic sound that pleads for the return of nature, capturing a vivid, live sound as a result.

    The Vanderbuilts are Sam Kogon, Dave Riddell, Max Newland, Aya Yamamoto and Grennan Milliken. What We Forget is engineered, mixed and produced by Jay Newland and features Finnegan Shanahan on Violin; string arrangements by Aya Yamamoto and Finnegan Shanahan.

    Key Tracks: I Wish I Was A Saber Toothed Tiger, Near and Far, Gypsy, Moscow

    The Vanderbuilts Website Twitter Facebook Youtube

  • Video: Tour of MUSICIANS PARADISE STUDIO in Dexter, NY

    Tucked away yet out in the open at the same time because you’ll never really know unless you go there, Musicians Paradise Studio is located in Dexter, New York on Crimson Creek Road.

    JP Voytko gave Upstate Metal’s Steve Strader a nice little tour. He provided a brief description and history on the layout and how the place came to be. It’s refreshing how they preserve the tradition of the land. The studio is a wonderful idea and a great future for the arts community which will need your help! Give the Musicians Paradise Studio a like on Facebook to learn more about it, and feel free to ask questions about this recording studio!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5mEC4LeTgU

    FB: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicians-Paradise-Studios/461226433918380?ref=ts&fref=ts

    315 Street Team: http://www.facebook.com/315StreetTeam?ref=ts&fref=ts

  • CIRCLE THE SUFFERING Destroys the Fusion Room on Live EP

    After hearing Circle The Suffering’s new live EP, Live at the Fusion Room, I now firmly believe that every single band should record a live EP. While many bands show excellence in the studio, where they are allowed to make a lot of mistakes until the final product sounds good, being able to show that kind of unison and tight performance as a band in a live recording is a whole different ballgame. Circle The Suffering does just this with their new EP, which is up for free download. It almost makes me wish that it had a price for download, because it would be worth every penny.

    CTS comes out swinging with their epic MMM (Melodic Metal Masterpiece), “Apollo”. In four and a half minutes, this song feels like three different songs in one, and takes you on a journey like an epic tale told through brutally melodic metalcore. The transition between songs is seamless, and each song shifts styles in a manner that is cohesive and exciting. “One Deceitful Day” keeps up the momentum, and is followed by the single, “Above All”, and the EP concludes with the onslaught that is “Quicksand”. Throughout all four songs are shifts in musical style, which include, but are not limited to, melodic metalcore, super heavy breakdowns, insane guitar riffs and drum fills, and quick bursts of rap-influenced vocals. The constant changes add variety to the sound of the band, but does not make them wishy-washy in any way. From the second they take the stage, you know who these guys are and how heavy it’s going to get.

    Since the last time I reviewed CTS, they have improved tremendously. They were never bad, but they had some room to grow and improve, and boy, did they ever. Their vocals have come a very long way, particularly in the screams. They were powerful and guttural, never faltering for a second. The clean vocals were also good, but not quite as much, getting drowned out once in a great while. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the music, as the whole band sounded tight and together the entire time. There was one instance where a guitar amp seemed to go out, but it was recovered quickly. The drums are in time, the riffs are shredding, and the rhythm is killer. Everything gels very well into one cohesive unit, which is no easy feat for a live recording.

    Overall, Circle The Suffering’s new live EP is melodic metalcore at its finest. If this is how good they sound live, then their studio recordings are going to blow us away. They’ve certainly stepped their game up, and have proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with in local metal. I couldn’t think of a better way for them to present themselves to the world than with Live at the Fusion Room.

    Go “like” Circle The Suffering and download their EP here: https://www.facebook.com/CircleTheSuffering

  • Interview: YOUNG BLOOD

    The lights begin to dim and the mixed chatter amongst the crowd turned into screams and cheers of excitement. A familiar drumbeat fills the room and the people begin to clap with the rhythm. Concert attendees sing along to the classic rock song “We Will Rock You”, famously performed by Queen. The new faces on the stage continue to encourage the audience to sing along. They then begin to play what they had in store for their elated fans. Entrancing melodies transfer from instruments to fans and fill ears and souls with the unique sound of Young Blood, a band that emerged from the shadows and captured the hearts of many music lovers. As fans surmounted, intrigue arose regarding the band and its origin. Who is this band? Where did it come from?young blood

    Young Blood is a rock/alternative band from Rochester, New York, that recently toured with pop punk/alternative band Yellowcard. Together the five members, Ben Dean (lead vocals), Joey Arena (guitar), Chris Klumpp (guitar), Corey Baiera (bass), and Bryan Struczewski (drums), have released two singles on their YouTube account (“Little Vices” and “Chemicals”).

    Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel had the opportunity to interview the band’s guitarist and founder of the band, Joey Arena.

    Upstate Metal: How did you come up with your band name?

    Joey Arena: I came up with the name years ago, actually. I’ve always been young at heart, you know, and everybody wants to live forever, and be young, and I think I fear may grow old, but I want to choose to stay young as possible on the inside…so kind of having that young blood.

    UM: How did you meet each other?

    JA: Chris [Klumpp] and I have played together before, and all the other kids were just people we kind of knew through friends of friends or in passing. We wanted to play with fresh faces that we’ve never played with before and everybody was a friend of a friend of each other, and we were kind of random about it, picked a bunch of random talented dudes.

    UM: How long have you been together?

    JA: Chris and I have been together for about five months of planning this and the approach we wanted to take on this, like having Ben [Dean] in the band. Bryan [Struczewski] got into it about three months ago and Ben got into it about two months ago, and Corey [Baiera] is the newest, he came in about a month ago. This is the original lineup so we kind of just pieced this puzzle together with no rush because we wanted to find the right people for the right job. As this lineup, I guess I would say a month and a half. The idea of the band had been brewing for about five months.

    UM: Who are your inspirations?

    JA: That’s such a difficult answer because we have tons of inspirations. We grew up from different backgrounds, which is cool. Ben is a very indie person; he likes a lot of weird music. Bryan used to play in a lot of hardcore bands, stuff like that. Chris is like…I don’t know…we all just come from really different backgrounds. Then we all come together and like the same bands, like we love, like stuff that we grew up on through high school heartbreak, like Garbage, Taking Back Sunday, Berlin, and 30 Seconds to Mars, and all of these awesome bands. But individually we come from different places. I love 80’s music; I’m a huge 80’s rock person. My mom raised me on Bruce Springsteen and stuff like that. I picked up a guitar because of Nirvana, because of Kurt Cobain. I have a sick obsession with Kurt Cobain.

    UM: How did you manage to be a part of the Yellowcard tour?

    JA: We knew they were going to be taking on another band and our manager is friends with their booking agent. We gave them our new music that was unreleased, and everybody dug it, and that was like, “yeah, come on tour with us.”

    UM: When do you think the album will be out?

    JA: We are currently in the studio, finishing up the rest of the tracks. We’re hoping to get it finalized no later than early summer but we are shooting for the spring, but that can go anytime because we just got bunch of choices that fell into our laps. We wanted to take the rest of February off to finish getting the demos organized so we can finish recording those. At the same time, we can’t pass up tours; we are a very tour hungry band, we love to live on the road.

    UM: Where do your song ideas come from?

    JA: Musically, I do most of the songwriting. Like I’ll structure out a song and the band will put like two sentences to it, like once we bring it into the studio. Whatever emotion I’m feeling, I will put it through the guitar, which is kind of weird to say that, like how; obviously, singers whatever they’re feeling emotionally will be put in lyrically. Well, I do that with guitar; if I want a more aggressive song because I’m feeling aggressive or I’m feeling anxious or if I feel like I want to write a love song. It goes as far as what I am feeling musically. Lyrically, like “Little Vices” is really cool as far as what Ben put out, like his experiences…he can explain it a lot better than I can because his lyrics are like crazy. Lyrically, its kind of like he wants to have this relationship with this girl no matter who can stop him, like if fate isn’t bringing them together, he’s not going to believe in fate- that type of thing. It’s not going to stop these two people from willing to be together. A lot of people blame the Devil or God for things not happening. This song is like “you control your own life, you control your own actions. If you want something bad enough, just do it yourself. You’re the only one who can get in the way.” Then there’s “Chemicals”…it’s along the same line as the other song but it’s really about this person who is possibly the worst individual we have ever met in our entire life. It makes for a good song.

    UM: What does your music reflect about you guys?

    JA: When we write how we want our music to portray us, we are all over the wall, we are rock and roll, no genre, no sub-genre, we are just music. We don’t want anyone to put a title on us or put us in a category. We push the envelope in certain spots but we bring it back, to common grounds, to the common listener. We are really just writing for ourselves, we play music because it’s what makes us happy. And if there are fans that understand that and there are fans that can relate to our lyrics, relate to that feeling because everybody feels love, hate, sadness, happiness, everything, and we just want to put that into our music so that when someone puts our record on its literally an emotional roller coaster. We want something for everybody and because not everybody wakes up happy, not everybody wakes up sad, not everybody wakes up angry, there’s some kind of feeling for everybody.

  • FORSWORN Continue Their Sound Evolution with “Repercussions”

    Over the years, Forsworn have gone through a lot of changes. Originally As The Sky Falls, they have underwent numerous shifts in the lineup, and have evolved in sound every time they’ve went into the studio. However, one thing has stayed the same throughout the years, and that is their undying anger, attitude, and passion. Honing a new sound on their latest single, “Repercussions”, Forsworn demonstrate that they are still as angsty as ever. This song definitely presents the band in a whole new light, and their style has adapted as well.Forsworn

    Rating: ***1/2

    This new single displays a transition into a slow, heavy, metalcore style with punk-metal influence. It is stripped down to basic power chords that ring out with dominance and power. They come out swinging with this song, delivering angry lyrics with powerful vocals. Just when you think it’s going to do one thing, it changes. In the middle of the song, the guitar comes in with some Tom Morello-style riffing. This was a very healthy addition to the song, adding some variety and even more excitement to the sound. The breakdowns in the song aren’t really breakdowns, but more of a slower run-through of the verse. In a sense, the whole song is almost like one big breakdown, but with more melody and even more anger.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bbZvrao5ypQ#!

    Some may be disappointed in their new sound, clinging to the sound of their popular sophomore EP, Here’s To Your Failure. Others are embracing this new sound and are welcoming the new stage of Forsworn’s growth as a band. Those who have gotten the chance to see them perform their new set live have given them positive feedback. I think some of their fans are having a hard time with this new style because they haven’t seen them perform it live yet. Having seen it twice, I can honestly say that these guys sell it up there and own the stage, as they always have. Of course, they’ve recently lost three of the original members of the band, and things must be very different now. However, they show no intention of stopping.

    Love it or hate it, Forsworn demonstrate with their new song that they are going to do what they want. If you like what they are doing, they can promise you a killer show. They are loyal to their fans, but will not be told what to do and what songs to play. They have shown, as they have many times, that they will not be stopped on their path of musical destruction. Whatever you think of their new style, you can’t deny that Forsworn are a passionate, talented band that will continue to drive themselves to greatness.

    Check out Forsworn here: https://www.facebook.com/forswornband

  • Review: MURDER BY DEATH in Ithaca

    Tuesday night at the The Haunt in Ithaca, NY saw two great bands play: Murder by Death opened up for headliner Man Man. I had seen Murder by Death play in Rochester about 7-8 years ago, and was now excited to hear where they’d taken their music. I was also looking forward to checking out what kind of sound Man Man were bringing to the table.

    Anyone that isn’t familiar with Murder by Death should know that they are more of a blend of alternative and indie rock music. Throw in the amazing talent of Sarah Balliet on the cello and you have yourself a force to be reckoned with! When he was up on stage singing, Adam Turla poured his heart and voice into the music and successfully drew everyone in the crowd into each note of every song. Murder by Death had a great list of music set up for us to enjoy, such as some of their early music like “Until Morale Improves”, “The Beatings Will Continue”, and “To My Hill” which is off of their most recent album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon.

    Coming up next was Man Man, and they instantly impressed me with their music. Man Man put on an interesting show, and all of the fans were loving every second of it. The vocalist, Honus Honus, put on an alien mask for the intro song and gave the audience everything they were expecting with his singing. The music was definitely intriguing and was reminiscent of Mars Volta in a way.Their music was very compelling and I am definitely looking forward to listening to more of their music! From start to finish, Man Man put on an amazing show; the audience had fun and had a great time, and I got to experience new music that I will definitely explore!

    Overall, the combination of Murder by Death and Man Man was an excellent experience. For anyone who has access in the near future to any of their shows, I highly recommend putting on hold any plans that you have and go see their shows! You will not be disappointed. If you have not experienced indie rock or experimental rock to the fullest and are looking to explore these two genres, go see these two great bands play and get immersed in their music!

  • Three Takes: Dopapod at Red Square in Albany, February 28th, The Westcott in Syracuse, March 1st and Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, March 2nd

    Dopapod is in the midst of a huge tour and made three stops in Upstate New York last weekend including at Red Square. Here are recaps, videos and photos of shows in Albany, Syracuse and Rochester.

    Red Square, Albany, February 28th

    Review by Pete Mason

    Red Square in Albany kicked off the first of three incredible nights of music as Dopapod swung through Upstate New York with Big Something from Burlington, NC in support. The opener was a new sextet to visit the region and slayed with a great cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” and uniquely incorporated an instrument I had never seen before, an EWI (an acronym for electric wind instrument), into the show without overshadowing the rest of the music. These guys are worth finding at a festival this summer or the next time they make it to Upstate NY.

    Having played with Dopapod at The Big What Festival in North Carolina, the two bands found solid support and kinship on the road. They have a good core sound and layer each instrument on top of one another, leading to thick and complicated jams that ignite the dance fuel in the crowd.

    It has been great to see Dopapod grow and develop in the past few years, exciting fanbase no matter where and when they play. With a new lighting setup, Dopapod played to a packed house, tearing through old songs and a pair of new tunes, including “Like a Ball”.

    “Braindead”, off Redivider ,was hit with the industrial stick and spiced up a notch. The crowd, 20s-30s for the most part, was full of folks getting down to the set, especially when songs meandered off into the oblivion of improvisational bliss. “Carolina”, a slow rumba if I ever heard one, filled in nicely before the debut of “Priorities”.

    Dopapod also announced that night that they would be playing Saturday May 11th at The Spring Revival in Lyons NY, hosted by ‘s own HerbyOne and State Wide Music. There are other area festival appearances this summer, some still yet to be named, but one that is announced is one of ’s favorite’s, Backwoods Pondfest, located in Peru, NY near the Ausable Chasm. Catching Dopapod is entering another world of jam music, one that combined the best of progressive rock and electronic beats for some heavy duty performances. They are one you don’t want to regret missing.

    Setlist: FABA, Like A Ball, French Bowling, New James, Sonic > Braindead, Off The Cuff, Ellemenno > The Chocolate Drum Machine > Carolina, Priorities > Tequila* > Priorities, Bahbi
    E: Nuggy Jawson, Trapper Keeper^
    *impromptu cover; Rob quoted the first Ninja Turtles movie twice
    ^dedicated to Jason Gibbs for becoming the new Pope… No one thought it was funny.

    Photos by Andy Hill

    The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, March 1st

    review by Quinn Donnell, photos by Kevin Burke

    As Dopapod spent their weekend touring through Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester, the four-piece experimental funk-rock group surely experienced a number of similarities associated with playing shows in Upstate New York. On Friday night in Syracuse, however, an audience dominated by Syracuse University students provided a unique experience for the band. Joined for the first time this tour by The Manhattan Project, a Rochester-based duo whose synth-led jams put the Westcott Theater’s crowd in the perfect mood for a night of groovin’, Dopapod headlined an evening of great jams and great times.

    As the Manhattan Project concluded their opening set, audience members who had spent the beginning portion of their evening either at the bar or hula hooping away from the dance-designated pit came together in front of the stage for a performance from their favorite electro-jam band. After a nearly ten minute intro involving beams of light and slow, monotonous bells, Dopapod took the Westcott’s stage. Juxtaposed with their mellow introduction, the band’s opening song, “Bubblebrain,” involved delay-heavy guitar riffs and a booming, tribal-like drumbeat. As Dopapod’s set progressed, their experience as performers who have played over 150 shows every year for the last three years, became apparent. The crowd found its groove and danced under flashing lights with glow-in-the-dark accessories. Playing a cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” Dopapod concluded their set to appreciative applause from the audience. As Dopapod continues to tour throughout the country, a future stop back in Syracuse would be greatly appreciated. Check them out in Ithaca on April 23rd.

    Setlist: Bubblebrain, Roid Rage, Present Ghosts, Jam > Onionhead, Turnin’ Knobs, Drum Machine > STADA, Trapper Keeper, Weird Charlie, Indian Grits > Psycho Nature

    Encore: You Oughta Know

    Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, March 2nd

    Review by Darren Kemp

    The Upstate NY Dopapod run continued Saturday with a nearly sold out show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester. Local band Haewa opened with a scorcher of a set that showed they would not be an opener for long. Dopapod hit the stage around 11 pm for a long two-hour set filled with a nicely selected mix of new material, old songs and a spot on cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun complete with organ vocals.

    Highlights included the aforementioned cover and an absolutely mind-bending “French Bowling” > “Brain Dead” pairing. The band left the stage around 1:15 am to an ear deafening roar and came back to reward the audience with a “Off the Cuff” cover with Fleet Foxes teases. An excellent performance by two bands with bright futures.

    Setlist: Priorities, Black and White. French Bowling > Braindead, Black Hole Sun* > Present Ghosts, Sonic > My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant, Vol. 3 #86^, We Are Not Alone > Give It A Name
    Encore: Off The Cuff%

    *Soundgarden,  ^contained “Rondo Alla Turka” tease (Mozart) %contained “Ragged Wood” tease (Fleet Foxes)

  • Dopapod and Schleigho announced as headliners for The Spring Revival

    Dopapod and Schleigho are your Friday and Saturday night headliners for The Spring Revival, a brand new live music with camping event May 9th – 12th at The Hideaway in Lyons, NY

    Taking the main stage Friday night will be the return of Schleigho, one of the northeast’s top touring bands of the late 1990’s / early 2000’s festival scene. Described best as “Music for the Minded”, Schleigho’s legendary jazz/fusion will no doubt educate a new generation of jam-prog fans, while reviving fond memories for the scene’s older generation. Also performing on Friday are current Upstate jam favorites Universe Shark, Timbre Coup, Project Weather Machine, Slip Madigan, Ocupanther, and more. Grateful Dead tribute Run For The Roses from Rochester will lead fans in the dark with a late night set under the stars (and projected light).

    Saturday night headliners Dopapod bring their experimental jazz funk fusion to the main stage with a high powered array of sound and light. Currently on a  3 month national tour, the band recently completed a 3 night dancing room only run through Upstate NY with packed shows at Red Square, The Westcott, and Water Street. Read the recent interview for more on Dopapod. Other regional face-melters on Saturday include  Twiddle, Aqueous, Lucid, Haewa, Formula 5,  Stereopticon, and more. Consider The Source gets the late night slot to cap off an incredible weekend of live music.

    A Weekend Pass at The Spring Revival includes:
    3 Days & Nights of Live Music, Wooded Tent and Near Your Vehicle Camping,
    Festival Food Court, Art & Soul Village with your host Stranger Things,
    Fire Show performances by Solar Flare and his Fire Family,
    Drum Workshops by Kodi Drummer, Kids Tent w/ Afternoon Workshops and Activities,
    Vending Village featuring Handcrafted, one of a kind pieces including Onsite Glass Blowing,
    Custom Made Hand Drums,  Handmade Clothes, Jewelry, Art, Music, and more!

    For more info visit: TheSpringRevival.com

  • The Monk, Conehead Buddha, and Turkuaz at The Westcott Theater – February 28th

    For those of you who aren’t quite familiar with The Westcott scene, it isn’t very often that a crowd musters up for the opening act The Monk at 8 o’clock sharp on a Thursday night. But then again, there was hardly anything prosaic about these smiling folks twirking their way through funk tunes.

    The Monk
    Maple Hill – Westcott Theater

    Though the bass-slapping groove and the smooth saxophone was more than enough to keep the crowd going, a sharply dressed lead singer appears on stage for the third song and brings the jam session to a whole new level with his velvety vocals.  “He wasn’t even in the band until a week before the show”, explains saxophonist James Corbett. “He literally just walked in and tailored his own songs to fit the band”.  As if the band wasn’t lovable enough on stage, they make a mutual admiration society in person. “It’s really Charlie who’s the hero of the band”, adds Corbett. “He literally picked up the guitar for the first time in London and started writing these amazing songs within a week”. Between the flawless guitar and drum trade-offs, I was left to notice only one pattern in their set: all of the songs were incredible.

    I could not, however, say the same for the awkwardly stiff, eight-membered Conehead Buddha whose pitch-perfect harmonies were soon outweighed by the band’s questionable aesthetic and outfits (sorry, but save the nighttime shades for Kanye).  I don’t know if it were the extravagant trumpets or bad mixing that tipped me off, but the bottom line is, their cold indifference slowed down the night.

    Thankfully, Turkuaz showed up at The Westcott right on time to save the show. With their colorful jumpsuits, the larger-than-life jam band brought to stage the sexual appeal of The Free Design, making the audience feel like a part of the family. Needless to say, Geneva Williams and Sami Garrett’s dance moves were cutesy enough to make you want to quit life and join a girl band.

    All in all, there was a warm, fuzzwah quality about the whole night that made you fall in love with funk music all over again.