NYS Music 20​13

Category: Regions

  • Candlebox 20th Anniversary Tour Stops in Oswego this Sunday

    The Seattle music scene in the autumn of 1990 was still the Pacific-Northwest’s best-kept secret. At the time, it was better known for Starbucks than for music and it would be another year before Nirvana’s Nevermind thrust the rainy town into the national spotlight. But in November of 1990, Candlebox was formed, ground their chops on the Seattle club scene and within three years had a quadruple-platinum self-titled album that launched the music career of Kevin Martin and company for years to come.  Following that success were two more releases, Lucy and Happy Pills, which both sold well.  But the relationship with the record company went sour in 2000 and the band took a six-year hiatus.

    In 2006 Rhino Records released a greatest hits album that led to a short tour that included all the original members of the band.  The tour led to a 2008 release, Into the Sun, that peaked at #4 on the Independent charts. Candlebox also released a live CD & DVD the same year, Alive in Seattle.

    Their fifth album, Love Stories and Other Musings, hit the stores in the spring of 2012 under Union Entertainment Group’s label Audionest.  Through some success and recent touring, Candlebox’s popularity has continued to rise back up enough to have the band scheduled for the ultimate rock cruise, “Ship-rocked” setting sail January of next year.  On the boat alongside Candlebox will be 5FDP, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace and Sevendust.

    This Sunday’s show at the new Oswego County Event Center will be Candlebox’s first time back in the Syracuse area since May 10, 2012 when they performed at the Westcott Theater. Prior to that they played the Lost Horizon in December of 2008 and have played other parts of Upstate New York every year since getting back together.

    We asked Candlebox front man, Kevin Martin, about the fans in Upstate New York and why the band seems to make New York a regular stop. “First and foremost, we sold one and a half million records in New York alone.  It has been our biggest market since day one.  New York fans have always been very supportive and purchased CDs, tickets and t-shirts.  The main reason we play New York so often is the fans and to keep the market alive.”

    Next year might be the first time in quite some time that we won’t be seeing Candlebox in New York, so the best chance for fans to see them on the 20th Anniversary tour is this week.  Kevin added that “next year we are going to take a break and work on being family members. We will be recording new material and when we do release a new album we will go back on tour and New York State will be one of those places.  New York State is where we have our best shows. But it probably won’t be until 2015.”

    A lot has changed in the 20 years since Candlebox released their quadruple platinum self-titled debut album.  The fans have gotten older and social media and the Internet have taken over the industry.  “Fortunately for us, the fans that started with us in 1994 had children. While their fathers and mothers listened to our music their children came to know every word and that is great for us.  Now we see the parents and their kids at our shows.  A lot of touring and large festivals [like Rockapalooza and Shiprocked] make it easier to reach those new fans.  Also, with Instagram we can immediately share pictures of guitars, our music, and what is happening on tour.  It’s been beneficial, yet a frustrating experience at times. People have opinions, people feel validation and an instant connection. In this day and age, it is also important to answer emails, Tweets and Instagram messages.  We do our best to let fans know you are listening to them.  Occasionally we cannot get back to everyone though.  You do get fans that don’t understand that we get between 150-200 emails a day. We try our best.”

    The Internet has also helped Candlebox reach other new markets, namely Europe.  While the band has only toured there three times, with social media and other ways of reaching out to fans, the European fan-base continues to grow and a Candlebox tour in Europe can be seen somewhere down the road.

    This Sunday at the Oswego County Event Center is a great chance for old and new fans alike to catch incredible musicians doing what they do best.  Some interesting discoveries that Upstate Metal also found when talking to Kevin Martin was that every song starts out acoustic.  Raw, unplugged, and from the ground up.  Kevin added that “shows like Unplugged was one of the best things for music. It showed what the music really sounded like, who had talent.  A lot of concert goers get used to hearing backing tracks, and live sets that are half ‘Pro Cuts’.”  With Candlebox you will get the real thing every time.  “Playing all live music is something special.”  We agree.

    Buy tickets by phone: (315) 668-1248 or Buy tickets online

    Visit Candlebox online and on Facebook

    Candlebox is Kevin Martin(vocals), Peter Klett (lead guitar), Scott Mercado (drums), Adam Kury (bass) and Sean “Memphis” Hennesy (guitar).

  • Candlebox: 20th Anniversary Tour in the Syracuse on Sunday

    The Seattle music scene in the autumn of 1990 was still the Pacific-Northwest’s best-kept secret. At the time, it was better known for Starbucks than for music, and it would be another year before Nirvana’s “Nevermind” thrust the rainy town into the national spotlight. But in November of 1990, Candlebox was formed, ground their chops on the Seattle club scene, and within three years had a quadruple-platinum album, and launched the music career of Kevin Martin and company for years to come.  Following that success were two more releases, “Lucy” and “Happy Pills” that both sold well.  But the relationship with the record company went sour in 2000 and the band took a six-year hiatus. Syracuse
    In 2006 Rhino released a greatest hits album that led to a short tour that included all the original members of the band.  The tour led to a 2008 release, “Into the Sun” that peaked at #4 on the Independent charts. Candlebox also released a live CD+DVD the same year, “Alive in Seattle”.Their fifth album, Love Stories and Other Musings hit the stores in the spring of 2012 under Union Entertainment Group’s label Audionest.   Through some success and recent touring, Candlebox’s popularity has continued to rise back up enough to have the band scheduled for the ultimate rock cruise, “Ship-rocked” setting sail January of next year.  On the boat alongside Candlebox will be 5FDP, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace and Sevendust.

    This Sunday’s show at the new Oswego County Event Center will be Candlebox’s first time back in the Syracuse area since May 10, 2012, when they performed at the Westcott Theater. Prior to that they played the Lost Horizon in December of 2008 and have played other parts of Upstate New York every year since getting back together.

    Upstate Metal Editor, Jim Gilbert, asked Candlebox front man, Kevin Martin, about the fans in Upstate New York and why the band seems to make New York a regular stop. “First and foremost, we sold one and a half million records in New York alone.  It has been our biggest market since day one.  New York fans have always been very supportive and purchased CDs, tickets and t-shirts.  The main reason we play New York so often is the fans and to keep the market alive.”

    Next year might be the first time in quite some time that we won’t be seeing Candlebox in New York, so fans’ chance to see them on the 20th Anniversary tour is this week.  Kevin added that “next year we are going to take a break and work on being family members. We will be recording new materials and when we do release a new album we will go back on tour and New York State will be one of those places.  New York State is where we have our best shows. But it probably won’t be until 2015.”

    A lot has changed in the 20 years since Candlebox released their quadruple platinum self-titled debut album.  The fans have gotten older and social media and the Internet have taken over the industry.  “Fortunately for us, the fans that started with us in 1994 had children. While their fathers and mothers listened to our music their children came to know every word and that is great for us.  Now we see the parents and their kids at our shows.  A lot of touring and large festivals [like Rockapalooza and Shiprocked] make it easier to reach those new fans.  Also, with Instagram we can immediately share pictures of guitars, our music, and what is happening on tour.  It’s been beneficial, yet a frustrating experience at times. People have opinions, people feel validation and an instant connection. In this day and age, it is also important to answer emails, Tweets and Instagram messages.  We do our best to let fans know you are listening to them.  Occasionally we cannot get back to everyone though.  You do get fans that don’t understand that we get between 150-200 emails a day. We try our best.”
    The Internet has also helped Candlebox reach other new markets, namely Europe.  While the band only toured there three times, with social media and other ways of reaching out to fans the European fan-base continues to grow.  A Candlebox tour in Europe can be seen somewhere down the road.This Sunday at the Oswego County Event Center ( https://www.facebook.com/OswegoCountyEventCenter)  is a great chance for old and new fans alike to catch incredible musicians doing what they do best.  Some interesting discoveries that Upstate Metal also found when talking to Kevin Martin was that every song starts out acoustic.  Raw, unplugged, and from the ground up.  Kevin added that “shows like Unplugged was one of the best things for music. It showed what the music really sounded like, who had talent.  A lot of concert goers get used to hearing backing tracks, and live sets that are half ‘Pro Cuts’.”  With Candlebox you will get the real thing every time.  “Playing all live music is something special.”  We agree.

  • It’s All Good in the Woods! A Review of Backwoods Pondfest 2013

    The city of Peru hosted one of the best kept secrets of Upstate New York on August 2nd and 3rd 2013 at the Twin Ponds Campsite with the music festival Backwoods Pondfest. The intimate music festival was set at the tip of the North Country, only a few exits short of Canada, making for a scenic ride from any direction for dedicated music lovers. Offering weekend tickets as well as single day passes, Friday’s guests were treated with a double rainbow in the early evening after a brief rain shower. Visitors were allowed to select their own campsites with car side camping. Whether in the far off quiet area, woods or grassy field camping, any spot on the festival grounds offered plenty of cool afternoon shade with a full sky view of the bright stars at night. Bands were located either on the Main Stage next to the bright blue school bus, named Lucy (belonging to host band Lucid) or on the Tent Stage, next to the wooded camping, with a soft sandy dance floor.

    Friday

    With a name like Backwoods Pondfest, it wasn’t a surprise that the bearded quartet Blind Owl Band was one of the first bands to start the weekend on the Tent Stage. The Saranac Lake locals consist of Arthur Buezo on guitar, Eric Munley on mandolin, James Ford on banjo and Christian Cardiello on bass. Their aggressive string music mixed with rowdy harmonies greeted festival goers to their neck of the woods with open arms and dancing feet. Spiritual Rez made everyone forget that they were even in New York with their heavy reggae dance music. Toft Willingham spit out rebellious lyrics to the crowd while thrashing about his long blonde hair as Rob O’Block shredded on the guitar. Kory Stanbury on saxophone and Quinn Carson on trombone provided a strong horn section throughout the set as Mohamed Araki surprised fans everywhere with his keytar. Ian Miller kept the party going with a constant quick rhythm and Jesse Shaternick’s lighthearted bass notes. The band has great chemistry as they provide an energetic performance with never ending reggae funk magnitude. Be on the lookout this fall for their new album release, Apocalypse Whenever and upcoming shows at The Catskill Chill and Wormtown Festival.

    For the past seven years, Backwoods Pondfest has been hosted by the Adirondack “Woods Rock” band known as Lucid. Their sound is unique as it varies from classic rock to blues to funky jazz to reggae and even doo-wop, a little something for everyone. With the festival set in their neck of the woods, Lucid has a dedicated fan base that overflowed from underneath the Tent Stage on Friday night. “Whiskey Dream”, with steady beats and cymbals from Kyle Murray was a crowd favorite as Andy Deller kept the keys at a playful tone. One of the highlights of the set was Kevin Sabourin repeatedly singing out the chorus line, “Friday is the best day of the week because I don’t have to work tomorrow” resulted in a massive tent-shaking sing along. Lowell Wurster blared off on his harmonica especially during “Backwoods”, a song meant for that weekend.

    Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad sent out a psychedelic reggae groove that made it easy for fans to dance all night. The band, hailing from Rochester, consists of James Searl on bass, Chris O’Brian playing drums, Dylan Savage and Dan Keller on guitar and Tony Gallicchio on keys who bring a laid back vibe that relaxes and recharges listeners at the same time. The night was set ablaze from the fire spinners and jugglers from Cosmic Karma Fire located to the left of the Main Stage.

    Jimkata lit up the Tent Stage with their electrifying rock that is similar to a Mario Bros. soundtrack for adults, complete with beeps, boops and mind melting instrumental jams. It’s no wonder this up and coming Upstate New York band from Ithaca has been building up fans on their busy summer tour with big performances at Summer Camp and Gathering of the Vibes. The end of the night performance at the Main Stage was from the experimental techno funk group, Dopapod. Keyboardist Eli Winderman, drummer Neal ‘Fro’ Evans, guitarist Rob Compa and Chuck Jones on bass swirled together a set that was full of funky melodies with robotic harmonies and pure reckless rock.

    Saturday

    Few things taste better than fresh music in the morning. The Chronicles from Albany opened up the Main Stage with set full of hot hip hop and sweet jazz served best for a Saturday morning after an all night rager. The Metroland, Albany’s alternative newsweekly, acknowledged them as “Best of Jazz” in 2012 and 2013, paying tribute to their unique blend of all things jazz, funk and gospel. Tyrone Hartzog displays a cascade of notes as he glides over the keys. One of the best things about The Chronicles is their unpredictable jams, especially with the horn section of Bryan Brundige on trombone and Jeff Nania on saxophone. Daniel Lawson sneaks in the heavy bass notes and with Justin Henricks strumming along gives the way to a rockin funk wave. Andrae Surgick keeps a steady and chill rhythm that sends plenty of cymbals sparks flying.

    Rack Em Let’s Go! definitely catches your attention with their band name alone but their music will stay with you way after their show. Exploding out of Boston, the rock and roll quartet gave a high energy performance, combining old school rock with a twist of modern soul and funk. Switching up the scene on the Main Stage was Fikus, delivering an electronic rock show with complete with funky harmonies and fast paced extraterrestrial melodies. Catch Fikus this coming weekend at Bella Terra Music Festival in Stephentown, NY. The Capital District’s top jam band Formula 5 steamed up the Tent Stage with their original dance heavy tunes plus a hot rendition of Phish’s “Sand” with guest appearance by Justin Henricks of The Chronicles on guitar.

    A music festival isn’t complete without a Grateful Dead cover band these days and Backwoods Pondfest booked the best one in Upstate New York, The Garcia Project. The Saratoga Springs locals provided fans with an easy listening afternoon full of their favorite Dead songs, especially a treasured version of “Tangled up in Blue” with haunting vocals from Mik Bondy and Kat Walkerson. Capital Zen played a hard hitting set under the tent with uncontrollable beats from Rye Wylie, reckless guitar from Terry Scoville and wild bass bombs from Tony Leombruno.

    Fans were left speechless from the first few soulful notes belted out from Jennifer Hartswick and especially during an extraordinary cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody)” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”. The Jennifer Hartswick Band overflows with musical energy that carries its own direction.

    Electronic hip hop trio Sophistafunk tore the Tent Stage to pieces with bass heavy notes from Adam Brown, groovy beats from Emanuel Washington and robust vocals from Jack Brown. Afterwards, one of the founding fathers of funk, Bernie Worrell, gave a thunderous performance on the Main Stage with his heart stopping piano solos. The Bernie Worrell Orchestra lays out the funk, one layer at time, each grooving into the next twilight zone. Later, the Vermont based quartet Twiddle carried out the party vibe onto the Tent Stage and through the crowd. Their improvisational jams can start with a heavy rock feel then blasting into a reggae melody all with a fiery passion. Keeping with tradition, Lucid ended the festival weekend with their annual second set to close the Main Stage. It was a true free for all as festival goers, staff members and musicians danced together to the unrelenting and lively music of Lucid.

    Throughout the weekend, musicians and fans alike had nothing but positive feedback about the festival given the wide range of musical talent and beautiful scenery. Amid a very chill environment where festival goers formed a close knit bond, dedicated music lovers reveled in their adventure up north to Backwoods Pondfest.

  • Fundraiser for Pat Tiernan Music Scholarship at Smokin’ Joe’s Barbeque in East Greenbush this Saturday

    Pat Tiernan was a 518 musician that performed often and sometimes for free.  He was a staple in the community and would even play during set breaks for other bands.  He loved music! Pat passed away suddenly last year and his legacy continues with a fundraiser in his name.

    The Pat Tiernan Music Scholarship was created to help students studying music achieve their goals.  In the spirit of live music, On Saturday, August 17, 2013, a fundraiser is scheduled at Smokin’ Joe’s Barbeque from noon until 7 pm.  There is a $10 donation fee for the outdoor event.  A shuttle bus is available from the parking lot of a nearby Hannaford.

    Local artists scheduled to perform include Molly Durnin, Cardiac Noose, Three Wheel Drive, Jet Crash Billy (acoustic), Brian Tiernan with Jeremy Buker and Kristen Kelly, Kevin Tiernan and Jeremy Walz, Joe Lowry, James Alanson Kirk and Pete Vumbacco, Mark Richardson and Friends, Grounds for Termination, and Sly Fox and the Hustlers.

    Please visit the Facebook event page for more information and complete band listing.

    Photo courtesy of Heather Marie Laughlin

  • Black and Blues: The Black Crowes and Tedeschi Trucks Band at CMAC

    The Black Crowes brought their long history of hits and booty shaking Rock n Roll to Canandaigua’s CMAC Amphitheater on a simply weather-tastic Wednesday, July 31st, along with Tedeschi Trucks Band. As the crowd made their way in from the lots and started to fill the pavilion and lawn, New York City’s London Souls provided some stupendous entrance music. The power guitar bass and drums trio formed in 2008 and has already climbed the touring ladder high enough to open for some major league acts. The band’s sound is largely based on a myriad of classic rock influences, with enough taste of jam to make a proper sandwich. Those that made it in early enough got themselves a treat and those that did not should make it a point to see these guys when they come back through. Catch them in upstate again October 22nd at Rochester’s Club at Water Street and October 26th with Umphrey’s McGee at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo.

    The Black Crowes
    The Black Crowes

    Next up was the husband and wife duo of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi with eight other top notch musicians to fill out the self monikered Tedeschi/Trucks Band. Trucks is well known for being a young guitar prodigy touring with The Allman Brothers as a teenager and spending years in his own band until joining forces (in more ways than one) with fellow shredder and top-notch vocalist Susan Tedeschi in 2010. They tour with a full horn section, extra vocalists, and plenty of percussion. It’s hard to call this band an opener, as it was very apparent in the crowd that many were in attendance for them as much as the headlining act. There’s nothing cooler than watching a husband and wife lovingly try and out-shred each other and the crowd ate it up and asked for seconds.

    Tedeschi/Trucks Band
    Tedeschi/Trucks Band

    The Crowes hit the stage after about a 30 minute break and wasted no time getting into it with their classic “Jealous Again”. Chris Robinson, who seems even taller in person, was adorned appropriately in a white Buffalo Dead t-shirt and “skinny” blue jeans. Mr. Robinson, of course, is a longtime proponent and activist for marijuana regulation, so this reporter was not surprised to smell an interesting skunky scent emanating from the stage. The band ripped through hit after hit and a decent enough collection of deep cuts to please any fan. For the encore, most of the Tedeschi/Trucks Band joined them onstage for an incredible moment of jamtastic virtuosity covering Eric Clapton’s “Don’t Know Why” and Joe Tex’s “Show Me”. Twelve musicians all at the top of their game melding in unison was the cherry on the top of a sundae of an evening.

    Setlist: Jealous Again, Thick N’ Thin, Blackberry, Another Roadside Tragedy, How Much for Your Wings?, Bring On, Bring On, Wiser Time, She Talks to Angels, Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (The Velvet Underground), Soul Singing, Thorn in My Pride, Remedy

    Encore: Don’t Know Why (Eric Clapton), Show Me (Joe Tex cover)

  • The All-Inclusive Preview of Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival Part 5

    Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival is happening from August 16 to 18 and we have brought you over the past few weeks a preview of the bands that will be playing the festival.  We are wrapping up our preview with the daily schedule announcement as well as a preview of one of the Sunday headliners, Pork Tornado.

    Pork Tornado is a band co-founded by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and Dan Archer, who is a record producer and engineer and helped record Phish’s album Lawn Boy.  The band plays blues, country and rock covers as well as original material.  First formed in 1997, the band never really got moving until Phish’s first hiatus in 2000.  By 2002 the band had an album out and was touring regularly until Phish got back together.  The band does not perform much anymore so it is always a pleasure to get a chance to see them.  This is their only announced date for the rest of the year, so if you are a fan of the band you do not want to miss out on this show.

    Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival has been setting up some amazing events for the weekend.  There will be a 3 on 3 basketball tournament with one lucky team getting a chance to take on the guys from The Main Squeeze.  Tennis, kickball and softball games will also be taking place at the festival with artists joining in from time to time.  All food and beer is covered from when you step on to the premises on Friday all the way through Sunday morning’s breakfast, with plenty of food available to buy throughout the remainder of the day.

    equifunk music festivalThe daily schedule was released yesterday and can be found here, but we would like to give you some of the highlights of each day. Friday kicks off at 3 PM with the Woody Brown Project and does not stop until 3:30 AM with a set by Boombox. Throughout Friday there are no sets scheduled to overlap with The New Mastersounds headlining the night.  Saturday is the most packed day of the festival with music starting at 11 AM and going all day until a little before 4 AM.  The afternoon is looking great with back to back to back sets by Keller Williams & More Than A Little, The Heavy Pets, and Marco Benevento.

    The night is looking great too with Nigel Hall Band going into Anders Osborne with John Medeski followed by Soulive & The Shady Horns with Maceo Parker.  A late night Marco Benevento campfire set goes into The New Mastersounds & Friends set to close the day.  This will be the first time in six years that there will be music all day Sunday and the line-up for the day is great.  Music will be starting a little before 11 AM and go 12 full hours until 11 PM with no sets overlapping.  The day ending back to backs see The Revivalists go into Pork Tornado and the festival will close with The M&M’s, a super group made for the festival that includes Stanton Moore, Maceo Parker, Papa Mali, John Medeski, Robert Mercurio, and Marco Benevento.

    This is definitely going to be a great festival that you do not want to miss.  The levels of funk that will be coming from the speakers all weekend is going to be intense.  Tickets are available now here.  Check out our full preview of the Equifunk festival here.

  • moe. to Play Albany on New Years Eve

    moe. has announced that they will be playing a 2-night New Years Eve run in Albany this year, December 30th and 31st at the Palace Theatre. On sale information is not available yet but you can stay up to date on all things moe. by visiting their website www.moe.org.

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  • The Road To Bella Terra: Bujak, Mentally Ill and DJ Leila Lay it Down at Red Square, July 27

    Bella Terra means “Beautiful Earth” and the location and site of the festival certainly capture just that. The festival takes places in Stephentown, NY at Gardner’s Farm at the base of the Berkshire Mountains. The site is beautiful, the artists are amazing and the festival is ever growing. The Albany Drum and Bass Coalition, Leila Harrison and Jon Santolla (or Bad Manners/DJ Leila and Mentally Ill) did their part in creating hype around the up and coming festival with their Bass Fix, “Road To Bella Terra” edition.

    The show this summer evening took place at Red Square, promising a great night of live music and awesome chances to win various Bella Terra merchandise and tickets. The night traded off with sets of Jeff Bujak, DJ Leila, Mentally Ill and the collaborative efforts of “Bad Manners.” As always, Jeff Bujak’s light installation wow’ed the crowd throughout his sets while he pounded on his keys sending the crowd into fits of dancing, hooping and personal glow-stick light shows. Bujak pulled out various samples from The Beastie Boys to 50 Cent turning The Red Square into a giant dance party. Jeff Bujak has always been a great set to catch at a festival. His energy alone is sure to lively up your Bella Terra weekend so make sure you make it to his set.

    DJ Leila and Mentally Ill traded off on their sets playing some solo tunes and some collaborations which they refer to as “Bad Manners.” Each song ranges from down-tempo, trancier sounds to very high tempo drum and bass that could walk the line of sounding metal. Both DJs are well known in the area for their hard, fast and dirty beats, as well as bringing underground Drum and Bass to a music scene in which it had previously gone unnoticed. They clearly both bring very influential and necessary aspects to the Albany music scene and “Bass Fix” has become a year long, monthly staple at Red Square.  All three acts certainly set the tone for the quickly approaching festival. Make sure you catch all three artists sets at Bella Terra Festial, August 15-18. Buy Tickets

  • Rochester Fringe Festival Announces Complete 2013 Schedule

    Moe. NYE 2013The lineup for the second annual First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, has been announced. The festival, now with double the amount of performers and double the number of days – will run from September 19-28, 2013.

    With nearly 120 free performances at this year’s Fringe Festival, City residents will have the opportunity to be a part of Rochester’s growing cultural experience.

    All tickets are now on sale at – rochesterfringe.com. Ticketed shows range from $5 to $16, and the $190 Fringe Fanatic pass includes entry to all except for the previously-announced Marc Maron ($20-$55), Dave Barry ($20-$65) and new Spiegeltent shows.

    This year’s multi-arts festival has divided its shows into seven genres: Children’s, Comedy, Cross-Genre, Dance, Music, Performance Art, Spoken Word, Theatre, and Visual Arts. A printed Fringe Guide will be distributed starting in August, but the complete schedule with prices, venues, photos and descriptions is now available at rochesterfringe.com.

    Venues This Year Are: Acanthus Café; Bernunzio Uptown Music; Blackfriars Theatre; Christ Church; Eastman School of Music’s Cominsky Promenade, Kilbourn   Hall, New Rehearsal Hall (Rm. 415),Sproull Atrium (by Max of Eastman Place) and Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (headliners); Gallery r; Garth Fagan Dance   Studio; Geva Theatre Center Nextstage; George Eastman House’s Curtis Theatre, Living Room and Terrace Garden; Java’s Café; The Little Theatre’s Little 1 and The Little Café; Manhattan Square Park; MuCCC; RAPA; Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo); Rochester Museum & Science Center; The Space; Spiegeltent; TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium, Writers & Books; and the UR Arts Bus.

  • All Good Music Festival was All Great

    This year I was able to experience one of the best music festivals this side of the country: All Good, which took place at Legend Valley in Thornville Ohio on July 18-21. I made the trek out to Ohio late Wednesday night and arrived early Thursday morning, when the madness began.

    Thursday

    I finally arrived in Hebron, Ohio after eight and a half hours of a musical journey. Ohio made me feel like I was in a long never ending cornfield infused tunnel. When finally arriving at the All Good grounds, only to find no one there, (the lights were on but no one was home), I sought out a spot to spend the night, and found people who were actually partying all night long in the Kroeger parking lot, which was a couple miles away from the grounds. I found a quiet spot was in the back parking lot of at the Comfort Inn, and I wasn’t the only one that had the idea, as there were about 20 other All Goodians crashing there for the night. Hebron is a quaint little farming town nestled in the heart of cornfields as far as the eye could see, the aforementioned hotel and grocery store seemed like sensible lodging, simply because I didn’t want to wake up to a reenactment of the Children of the Corn. Finally bedding down for the night, the waiting game began, which gave me some down time before the weekend festivities began. In the parking lots there was an electricity in the air, license plates from Ohio, Virginia , New York, Pennsylvania and even Colorado. Everyone traveled hundreds of miles for one of the bigger music festivals in the Midwest. I already knew that this festival would help me document some great bands, not to mention a bunch of new friends and stories. I was fortunate enough to partake in the modern melting pot of rainbow tye-dye and hoola hoops.

    At 8 am the temperature was already 81 degrees, the sun shining and haze from the humidity already on the fields. This was the first festival I have been to this year with the sun actually shining on the first day, and it was a nice change of pace.  Setting up camp and hanging out with all the new people I met on the way in All Good was pretty amazing, and I thought, ‘If the rest of the fest is anything like this, I am in for one hell of a time!” It was on a shady spot on a hill that I realized music festivals are an oasis for artwork and I was greatly inspired through this sensory stimuli overload. The lay of the land was pretty amazing as well, a giant hill forming a bowl shape where the stage is situated, although it offered little shade at the top which was prime real estate when the sun was out! Even though I was 500 miles away from home, I ran into people I see at local festivals in New York. Festivals are a giant family, creating bonds both with people you know and new faces you meet. Hoops and hacky sacks galore filled the natural amphitheater where everyone was waiting to see the opening act, John Scofield Uberjam Band, featuring the masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz and R & B. His set was a great opener for the stacked lineup of giants.

    Speaking of giants I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw coming down the hill a small army of people on stilts, dressed like characters from Aladdin. The music for the rest of the day included Toubab Krewe, Papadosio and Lettuce, followed by Yonder Mountain String Band and Beats Antique.  Lettuce started as the sun was going down, and from my perspective, funk and photography make an insane combo; it’s tough to take photos when my feet want to move to the beat. If that wasn’t enough, Yonder Mountain String Band kept the grooves coming in the name of bluegrass. Late night with Beats Antique, was sensory overload accompanied with a belly dancing mesmerizing performance by Zoe Jakes.

    Friday

    I awoke to the sounds of Cabinet, a bluegrass/country group, and what a way to wake up! Following Cabinet was a band from Columbus known as Mojoflo.  They definitely helped beat the heat with their soulful upbeat sounds and even had a dance off in the “Soul Train” line. Making my trek down to the Main Stage, I stumbled upon a drum circle where I saw a familiar face whom I had met in May at the Spring Revival.  Three states away and I saw someone from my own back yard, what a small world. Once I reached the main stage to hear the sounds of blues, Americana and hillbilly music fill the air from Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Rev. J. Peyton, his wife Breezy and cousin Aaron “Cuz” Persinger form the trio and got people moving around, playing as a thunder storm was brewing overhead that led to an hour-long delay in the music. The brief thunderstorm didn’t deter the hard core Dark Star Orchestra fans, as one girl said to me “A little rain isn’t gonna stop us, it’s All Good!”

    The Stepkids knocked it out of the park followed by legends Leftover Salmon. The surprise of the fest and one of my new favorites was Nahko and the Medicine, with a positive message in their lyrics that was truly for the people.

    After they warmed the crowd up and people were sharing the love, I saw a couple gazing into each other’s eyes. They mentioned that they met at a John Butler Trio show three years ago and were getting married in September. The trio from Australia put on an incredible performance, accompanied with slide guitarist Roosevelt Collier, making for a magical combination.  As the sun went down, Digital Tape Machine featuring Kris Meyers and Joel Cummins of Umphreys McGee gave a stellar light show that matched up with their video game sounding music, getting the crowd dancing to the 8-bit club jams.

    Primus Sucks and started their set off with “Groundhogs Day“ and “Fisticuffs“ which gave all the costumed spectators the chance to really get into the weirdness throughout the night.  There were pigs and bears and even a fan in a banana costume; it was a combination zoo and fruit salad that was welcomed by Primus. During this weirdness, cartoons were played will Primus rocked the stage. Primus ended with their popular hit “My Name is Mud”, and encored with “Tommy the Cat”, in which Les Claypool explained how he and Tom Waits became friends because he asked Tom to do the voice in the video. Primus definitely didn’t suck and gave everyone a show to remember. Making their once a year appearance at All Good was The Bridge, whose light show was complimented with fireworks galore. As if my eyes and camera lenses needed any more stimuli, STS9 gave not only a stellar musical production but a ridiculous visual offering.

    Saturday

    Just when you think you can’t take anymore, it’s Day Three of a festival and you soldier on. The day began on the Grassroots Stage with Three Legged Fox, which had a dub/reggae/ska/sound to them, a sweet way to start the day off right. On the Main Stage was a group from Africa called The African ShowBoyz, who were dressed in traditional African garb and played instruments made from gourds, and put on a pretty impressive show. One the bands who were the talk of the fest and awarded my personal best All Good Band name was Michigan’s Ultraviolet Hippotamus. 

    Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue gave me a reminder of what James Brown was once like when he led his band. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals gave a high energy performance, so much that I needed a cold shower to get my blood pressure back down. To cool things off a bit, Bob Weir of Furthur came out and did a duet with Grace Potter, singing “Friend of the Devil”.  The Infamous String Dusters put on one hell of a performance and were joined by Grace Potter for “Turn on your Lovelight”. Sticking to the Grateful Dead theme of the night, Pretty Lights dropped an electronic remix of “Shakedown Street”, leading to some sensory overload from the lights and lasers, prompting fans to get a better view of things from the hill. Rochester’s own Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad played for a packed field to cap off the late night.

    Sunday

    Sunday was a nice recovery day that allowed catching up with old and new friends alike. The Ragbirds were definitely worth a viewing. The lead singer Erin Zindle was playing her fiddle and joked about one of the camera men being a doctor; she mentioned this as she was eight and a half months pregnant, so the camera man could deliver the baby if she were to go into labor onstage. Even being pregnant she could play the fiddle like she beat the devil himself in a competition. Likewise with Keller Williams and The Traveling McCourys, Sunday’s acts had everyone jumping and dancing like they were at a good old fashioned hoedown; the only thing missing was the barn.

    Furthur featuring Bob Weir and Phil Lesh headlined All Good with an already extensive line up that topped off Saturday’s lineup. The all-stars opened their set with “Dancing in the Street”, which got everyone dancin’ on the grass. They played a double set and had a March Fourth Marching Band, complete with stilt walkers perform during setbreak. They came back playing “Feel Like a Stranger”, yet by this point there weren’t any strangers, only new friends in the crowd. They closed with “Scarlet Begonias”, and a surprise sit-in of Grace Potter on “Turn on Your Love Light”. Furthur took a bow after an encore of Phil’s “Donor Rap” and “BrokedownPalace”. Furthur paved way for producer Pretty Lights who laid down an EDM cover of “Shakedown Street” in a nice little nod to The Dead.

    Although I was met with a dreaded eight-hour drive home, All Good was by far the largest and most fun music festival I have been to and I can only look forward to the next. I am fortunate to have gone and even more fortunate that I got to document All Good for in words and photos.