NYS Music 20​13

Category: Regions

  • All That Remains headlines 95X Syracuse’s Nightmare Before Xmas

    All That Remains has been touring nonstop and riding the momentum of commercial success with albums like For We Are Many and last year’s A War You Can Not Win.  Returning to Syracuse for the second time this year for Nightmare Before Xmas, they brought in Chicago’s Soil, who reunited last year with original singer and ex-Drowning Pool singer, Ryan McCombs.  95X brought in local acts Era, from Oswego and Cry To The Blind, from Rochester, to complete the entire act.  The show was at the Wescott Theater, which may be the venue of choice for metal acts in Syracuse.

    Dealing with absolutely shitty weather for a December 14 night, the Metal Fans and 95X listeners proved that shitty weather does not stop anyone from catching a great show.  It was a packed house.

    Era opened the act.  I don’t know a whole lot about them; this was the first show they played with their new lineup.  They opened for Hatebreed back in December of last year.  They were more metal oriented than the other acts.  I would say they were a combo of Slayer and Clutch.  But they were solid and the crowd was very receptive to them.

    Cry To The Blind stormed the stage for their 20 minute set.  They have a more hard rock flavor to them and VERY energetic.  When it’s ball shrinking cold outside, it’s nice to have a band jumping around getting the crowd pumped up and having a great time.

    Soil, who was part of the tour, played a 30 minute set.  Keep in mind, Soil played Syracuse over the summer as well which I was in attendance for.  The first time they played, they actually played a couple of Drowning Pool songs.  This time, they didn’t.  Frontman Ryan McCombs made it clear to the crowd that he wasn’t feeling well. But that didn’t stop him from giving a stellar performance.  Opening with “Loaded Gun,” then the rest of their set consisted songs off their 2001 CD Scars.  And of course, they closed with “Halo”, with McCombs going into the middle of the crowd to get everyone into.  Hopefully Soil sticks around and comes back soon.  The rest of the band actually hung at the merch table after their set which is always nice to see.

    All That Remains made quite the entrance.  With House of Pain’s “Jump Around” playing over the PA before they got on stage and opened with “Down” and “Stand Up.”  I’ve seen All That Remains several times.  The first time I  saw them was back at Ozzfest in 2006; at the time they were relatively unknown.  Talk about progression (in a good way).  All That Remains did a good job of blending their heavier songs with their mellower hits and ballads.  Most of the Ballads were played in the middle of their set while their heavier stuff opened and ended their set.  One thing I was really impressed with in their overall performance is Jeanne Sagan’s backing vocals to harmonize with Phil.  And I personally think Phil is one of the best singers that can go from a death metal growl to singing clearly.  That’s always been the band’s strength.  Also this was the 3rd to last show of the tour and no one seemed worn down at all.  Some of the other songs that were played were “For Now We Tremble”, “Dead Wrong”, of course “What If I Was Nothing”, and their 2 closers were “Hold On” and “2 Weeks”, rounding out about a one hour set. No encore.  The crowd went nuts.  A good-sized mosh pit was in the middle of the entire venue.   Overall fantastic show. I would imagine All That Remains will return next year.

    According to ThePrp.com, All That Remains tour bus was in an accident on the NYS Thruway on the way to their next show at Clifton Park.  Luckily, no one was hurt.  It didn’t help the roads were shitty before and after the show.  Also I would imagine we will start seeing more metal shows at the Wescott than the Lost.

  • Candlebox at Oswego County Event Center (finally, Part 2!)

    I wrote that back in late September, talking about an incredible show at the Syracuse area’s newest big outdoor venue, the Oswego County Event Center.  A few months late but hopefully a way to remind everyone as they look out the window into fields of snow that summer is coming and live shows will be seen — often, and right here in Upstate New York. Candlebox
    Candlebox Oswego
    When the Syn City Cowboys took the stage, the crowd was mixed on who are these kids from Kansas City, and the women drooling over the fit bodies and refreshing look the band presents.  Once they started, the focus was on good ol’ rock and roll.  SCC has been around for a little over three years and continue their relentless tour schedule to bring their music to the fans.  Frontman Ethan Cole says his favorite lead signer is Metallica’s James Hatfield, but while Cole may rock out like Mr. Hatfield, you will find his vocals to be a little more youthful, clean and more reminiscent of strong 80’s frontmen like Sammy Hagar or David Coverdale.  If these young men stay together, keep writing pure rock tunes and stay on the road perfecting and promoting their craft – they will become a household name.  In rock ‘n roll households at least.
    The long summer day was just beginning to become a long summer night as Open Air Stereo walked out onto the brand new enclosed stage in Pennellville, New York.  Forty years ago you’d hear a band for the first time on the local radio station.  Twenty years ago it was either  MTV or VH-1, and you heard them and saw them at the same time.  More recently, with bands like Open Air Stereo, a band’s first exposure is often on reality television, they don’t hear the music until later (to be fair, OAS did get some decent play time on “Laguna Beach” but who was really listening?).  Nine times out of ten when you finally hear the music it is a huge disappointment.  OAS is that 1 out of 10 that you say to yourself, “oh damn, these guys are good!”  One of the reasons they are so good was due to a Craigslist ad.  Yes, you can find more on Craigslist than old tires and an escort for a lonely Friday night.  Open Air Stereo found guitarist, Scott Pounds on Craigslist.  This would be another time that you could safely say, “oh damn, these guys are good.”
    Behind the Pennellville Fire Station just 10 minutes north of Syracuse on this summer evening was no exception.  A smooth rock groove and strong beat supporting tunes like “Stuck on You” got the crowd bouncing up and down, or what some call “dancing”.  The set went up and down with intensity and it was obviously that the band has been fine tuning its stage presence.  Backstage, they were working on their own equipment, even fixing a snare that broke after the last gig and a night full of traveling didn’t give a lot of time to fix it.  Life on the road is tough and hopefully OAS has what it takes to stick it out.  There is a large market of 16-25 year old girls and the guys that follow them around that needs this music.  In the process the band will continue to mature and bring in a large fan base and move past the “Laguna Beach” name and into their own.  Something hard work and many miles over desolate highways can deliver.
    Rumors were flying that Syracuse natives, Crows Cage, were going to start their set with a little surprise.  I was eagerly awaiting by the stage to see what these hard rockers had in store for the audience.  Already local favorites with more fan adorned t-shirts in the crowd than any other band, including headliner, Candlebox – they didn’t need to do something gimmicky to get the crowds attention.  So, what could it be?
    Aaron Bellow busts out an incredible guitar solo to start the show.  The guitar whined and whimpered with delight of the fans and to the delight of my ears, too.  Aaron’s big surprise was using a bow to light up the solo… it was like a slide guitarist found his way into a haunted house and had to play for all the ghouls and boys.  It was actually pretty awesome.  While it could have easily been cheesy, it wasn’t overly hyped nor did it last too long.  It was short, to the point and therefore a powerful statement that Crows Cage was ready to make shit happen and as the sun slowly went down behind them, the energy of the festival type crowd was about to hit the next level.
    Fresh off the release of their CD Forgotten Sins the band busted out tunes from the new album that turned up the tempo. “Grindstone” or “Derivation” really highlights the intense pace set by Crows Cage rhythm section: Clint Greer on drums and Tommy Rose on bass.  A slick guitar lead-in allowed Eddie ‘EJ’ Carrara’s vocals to have the strong impact that was intended.  After seeing Crows Cage open for national acts Devour the Day and Saliva earlier in the summer, there was something special about the line-up.  Seeing them a month or two later on stage in the OCEC showed more development and a tight adhesive bond within the band.  The chemistry allowed the music to flow over the crowd and melt some faces and blow some minds.  With any direct support band they have one important job, above all others: get the crowd ready for the headliner.  Two words, “Mission Accomplished.”
    Earlier in the week leading up to the show I was able to talk to Candlebox’s Kevin Martin about the bands “comeback”, the purity of rock, how things have progressed since their peak in the 1990s, new material focused on a new message, and a new sound.  Candlebox can still delight the audience with classic favorites like “Far Behind” and “You”.  But even those classics now have a refreshing twist live, either through an acoustic set up or even a slight ska/dub influence.  The show at the Oswego County Event Center was no exception.  The crowd was pumped up and the band maintained that energy mixing in the old and the new.  Guitar licks from the legendary Peter Klett dropped more than one jaw as original Candlebox drummer, Scott Mercado, set the pace.
    From the V.I.P. poster signing to the dominant stage presence and command of the crowd, Candlebox did not lose their touch with their fans.  An openly supportive marijuana rights agenda influenced a few fans to light up and partake after the sun went down behind the stage.  That scene alone, sunset while the band lights grew in intensity gave me chills.  The photos could never do it justice.  My recommendation is to plan at least one or two shows there in 2014 so music fans can truly appreciate the new venue.

  • Best of 2013 – Part 5, Bands on the Rise and Jams of the Year!

    2013 has been a great year. We have expanded our staff and coverage to bring more bands and live acts to the attention of fans and readers, and are looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation as we focus on the music coming out of all corners of New York State. The best of 2013 Music festivals and incredible tours and jams pepper the Upstate New York music calendar, giving broad musical choices for the 8 million New Yorkers who call Upstate their home.

    Our staff writers and photographers were asked to look back at the full year of music in Upstate New York and beyond, and weigh in with their best of 2013. We looked at 10 categories – Best Upstate Show, Best Show, Best Upstate Album, Best Album, Best Upstate Festival, Best Festival, Best Upstate Venue, Best Venue, Best Band on the Rise and Jam of the Year –  and came up with the best music we have seen and heard this year. Here’s part 5 of 5, looking at the Bands on the Rise and our Jams of the Year

    Best Band on the Rise

    Top Picks

    Aqueous

    best of 2013 jamsEastbound Jesus

    Rest of the Best

    Consider the Source

    Conehead Buddha

    Driftwood

    Lucid

    The Blind Owl Band

    Mister F

    Solaris

    Floodwood

    Turkuaz

    Gusto

    MaryLeigh Roohan

    Sarah Jarosz

    Lucius

    GOASTT

    Tame Impala

    The Acid

    RY X

    Bad Cello

    Aminal

    Did we miss a band on the rise that should know about and you think is great? Sound off in the comments!

    Best Jams of the Year

    Phish, “Crosseyed & Painless > Harry Hood”, Holmdel, NJ, 7/10

    Phish, “Tweezer”, Lake Tahoe, 7/31

    The Kollectiv and The Heavy Pets, The Hollow, Albany, 4/23

    Aqueous, “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”, Buffalo, 6/21

    Rich Robinson and Jackie Greene dueling guitars with The Black Crowes at Lockn’ Music Festival, 9/7

    Disco Biscuits, “Basis for a Day”, City Bisco, Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA 9/27

    Vampire Weekend, “Hannah Hunt”

    23 ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J “Mike Will Made-It”

    Disco Biscuits,  “Tom Sawyer” City Bisco, Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA 9/28

    Keller Williams and Floodwood, Putnam Den 10/10

    Aqueous – “Uncle Phils Parachute”, The Dubland Underground, Rochester, 11/15

  • Best of 2013 – Part 4, Best Venues

    2013 has been a great year. We have expanded our staff and coverage to bring more bands and live acts to the attention of fans and readers, and are looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation as we focus on the music coming out of all corners of New York State. The best of 2013 Music festivals, venues and incredible tours pepper the Upstate New York music calendar, giving broad musical choices for the 8 million New Yorkers who call Upstate their home.

    Our staff writers and photographers were asked to look back at the full year of music in Upstate New York and beyond, and weigh in with their best of 2013. We looked at 10 categories – Best Upstate Show, Best Show, Best Upstate Album, Best Album, Best Upstate Festival, Best Festival, Best Upstate Venue, Best Venue, Best Band on the Rise and Jam of the Year –  and came up with the best music we have seen and heard this year.

    Here’s part 4 of 5, looking at the Best Venues of 2013

    Best Small Venue

    Town Ballroom, Buffalo

    Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs

    best of 2013 venuesBrewery Ommegang, Cooperstown

    Nietzsche’s, Buffalo

    The Purple Fiddle, Thomas, WV

    Bowery Ballroom, NYC

    Opus 40, Woodstock

    Red Square, Albany

    Club Helsinki, Hudson

    Schubas, Chicago, IL

    Massry Center at The College of Saint Rose, Albany

    The Crooked I, Erie, PA

    Fox Theater, Oakland, CA

    Glasslands, Brooklyn

    The Hollow Bar, Albany

    The Westcott Theater, Syracuse

    Best Medium Venue

    Turning Stone’s Showroom, Verona

    The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester

    Brooklyn Bowl

    Palace Theater, Albany

    Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo

    The Egg, Albany

    The Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

    Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ

    Best Large Venue

    Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    Red Rocks, Morrison, CO

    Bethel Woods, Bethel, NY

    Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

    Artpark in Lewiston, NY

    Molson Amphitheater, Toronto, Ontario

    Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at EncorePark, Alpharetta, Georgia

    Double J Ranch, Rothbury, Michigan

    The Gorge, George, Washington

    The Mann Music Center, Philadelphia

    Got a favorite venue that we didn’t mention? Sound off in the comments!

  • Enter the Haggis Perform at The Westcott Theater on December 28th

    On December 28th, The Westcott Theater will once again host fan favorites Enter The Haggis, an extraordinary group of musicians who never cease to amaze their fans through their inspirational music that captures current events in life and the world.

    Enter the Haggis’ latest release, The Modest Revolution, was born entirely of stories found in the  the March 30, 2012 edition of The Glove and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. From this album, many hit songs were born from the stories they read.  One single, “Blackout”, tells of the frustrations of Toronto Maple Leafs fans in their beloved team and their inability to win the cup.  The single is currently in the running to become Canada’s new hockey anthem and has made it to the next round of voting.

    IMG_4921-2

    With a busy touring schedule, they have once again embarked on a new and creative project, The Black Penny Project. This album will feature songs written entirely from stories submitted by fans. These stories can be of any topic and the only catch is that they must be written down on paper, the old fashioned way, and mailed in. Why write songs about the fans?  Because Haggis Heads are “some of the most diverse, eccentric, eclectic, and interesting people that they know.”

    We will be sitting down with Enter the Haggis before their performance at the Westcott this night, and fans have been asked to submit questions for the band. Questions should be unique and special, so we are turning to Haggis Heads to drive this interview in the same way the band is driving their next project.

  • Acoustic Magic: Ed McCain’s Trio

    Mohawk Valley Community College’s Rome campus was the perfect venue to showcase the Ed McCain Acoustic Trio and the sold out crowd was treated to an amazing performance.  Ed McCain, best known for his songs, “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More”, played these crowd favorites along with many more that spanned his 20+ year career.  Joined on stage by Craig Shields on saxophone and wind instruments and Larry Chaney on lead guitar, the three performed seamlessly together.

    IMG_0952

    Many times you see acts that sound awesome from the studio and their live show doesn’t live up to the hype. Not in this case with Ed McCain.  The live show sounded as good if not better than the recorded versions.  Ed’s strong voice and personal presence wins over the crowd immediately, and his personal narration of songs and their road to the studio makes the song more meaningful as though it was now a personal story for the listener.  When Ed shared stories of how the songs came about, the subjects they covered, or the people he introduced to you through the songs there was no way you could hear the song again and not reflect back on the story.

    Never again will I be able to hear Marvin Gay’s “What’s Going On” without thinking of RJ’s Barbecue and the story Ed told of this amazing man and his friendship.  Nor will I ever not think sax players have it going on since hearing the story behind the song “One Thing Left” and how no matter how charismatic Ed was that evening, it was Craig that had the pretty girls attention.  Then there was the song “Sign on the Door” that came about after Ed lent an ear to someone sitting next to him one night at the bar.  Songs are written by artists for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes they are to celebrate, sometimes to heal, but no matter how they came to be, we tend to apply to our personal lives.  It’s this gift of story telling that makes Ed McCain an amazing writer, performer, and entertainer.

    IMG_0396

    It was a pleasure sitting down and talking to Ed about music, life in Greenville, and his passions for every day life.  This passion that comes across in his music, as well as his genuine love of family, music, and surroundings are what makes his music so personal and loved by many.

  • Best of 2013 – Part 3, Best Festivals

    2013 has been a great year. We have expanded our staff and coverage to bring more bands and live acts to the attention of fans and readers, and are looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation as we focus on the music coming out of all corners of New York State. The best music festivals of 2013 and incredible tours pepper the Upstate New York music calendar, and give broad musical choices for the 8 million New Yorkers who call Upstate their home.

    Our staff writers and photographers were asked to look back at the full year of music in Upstate New York and beyond, and weigh in with their best of 2013. We looked at 10 categories – Best Upstate Show, Best Show, Best Upstate Album, Best Album, Best Upstate Festival, Best Festival, Best Upstate Venue, Best Venue, Best Band on the Rise and Jam of the Year –  and came up with the best music we have seen and heard this year.

    Here’s part 3 of 5, looking at the Best Festivals of 2013

    Best Upstate Music Festival

    Top Picks

    Catskill Chill

    Backwoods Pondfestbest of 2013 festivals

    Night Lights

    Camp Bisco

    Grassroots Festival

    Rest of the Best

    moe.down

    Mountain Jam

    Utica Music and Arts Festival

    The Big Up

    Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival

    Spring Revival

    Rock n Roll Resort

    Best Music Festival Overall

    Top Picks

    Equifunk

    Gathering of the Vibes

    City Bisco

    Rest of the Best

    Jam Cruise

    Rock on the Range

    Delfest

    Solid Sound

    Strangecreek

    The Festy Experience

    Pitchfork Music Festival

    Electric Forest

    Fledging Crow Fest

    Summer Camp

    Governor’s Ball

    Did we miss a festival this year that you thought was great? Sound off in the comments!

  • Completely Unchained – Completely Off the Hook

    Completely Unchained, one of the most well known and loved Van Halen tribute bands once again returned to the Central New York region to rock the house at the Turning Stone Showroom.  If looking to travel back to the 1980’s during the height of hair bands and rock and roll, all one had to do is close their eyes and they were be transported right back in time to a Van Halen concert as they played songs like “Jump”, “Hot For Teacher”, and “You Really Got Me Going” to name just a few.

    Completely Unchained - Turning Stone 2013
    Completely Unchained – Turning Stone 2013

    Talented musicians Eugene Henriksen on lead vocals, Johnny Roggio on guitar, Mason Swearingen on bass, and George Pagonis on drums have perfected not only the sound of Van Halen, but the look and energy that fans have loved for decades.  These accomplished musicians are true performers and a must see for tribute bands fans.

  • SOLARiS Will be Ringing in the Funk for New Year’s Eve in Ithaca

    SOLARiS announced its New Year’s Eve show on December 31st at The Gates in Ithaca, New York’s Collegetown. Come join SOLARiS for a three sets face melting New Year’s cheer that you wont soon forget. With special guest DJ Gundz spinning between sets, so the music will be bumping all night long. The Gates has extended its drinking hours meaning the party wont stop until 3:00 AM.

    The Gates – 301 Eddy Street, Ithaca, NY. Admission: $10 (Includes food – more details TBA) Age: 21+

    SOLARIS NYE

    [bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1607849065 size=medium bgcol=ffffff linkcol=de270f]

    Follow

    Twitter | Facebook | Web

  • The Chronicles Take a Winter Residency in January at Red Square in Albany

    The Chronicles will be holding a month long residency in January 2014 at Red Square, located at 388 Broadway in Albany. Each Thursday they will pay homage to a different musical icon including Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, John Coltrane and J. Dilla. Throughout the month the band will be accompanied by West End Blend, Mr. Breakdown, Cedric Burnside and Big Mean Sound Machine.

    The Chronicles is a six piece band that fuses a vast array of music genres including jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop into a unique and multi-faceted sound. The group is a local band from Albany and have had the opportunity to play many festivals and venues in the Northeast. Tickets for the residency will be $10 at the door or $20 pre-order for all four shows.

    @Chronicles_Band |Facebook| Website