Walking into MASS MoCA on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon were people of all ages and types. From teenagers and twenty-somethings to baby boomers and adults in their 30s and 40s with little kids, they all came in droves. The Wilco produced Solid Sound Festival is unlike any other festival in the country. MASS MoCA almost every other weekend of the year is just a place to go check out gigantic art installations and see special screenings of movies. For Solid Sound, you get this plus a concert curated by one of the best bands of the last 20 years.
Walking around to see all of the art was great, as there are massive installations throughout the site. One of the installations was Xu Bing’s “Phoenix,” two gigantic birds built out of scrap metal. Pop-up performances took place underneath them by some of the acts and every attendee at the festival had the same awe-struck reaction to the birds when first seeing them. There was also a record shop on site with artist signings and many albums on sale for those who felt the need to not only see music, but purchase some as well. Another great hidden gem inside of MASS MoCA was the interactive kid area for parents that wanted to see their kids create art at the festival as well as see art. All of this added to the uniqueness of the festival.
Xu Bing: Phoenix
Mark Mulcahy started the day of music off with some smooth rock and roll incorporating a small horn section beautifully. However, many people were getting ready inside the buildings for John Hodgman’s Comedy Cabaret. Jen Kirkman and Hodgman started the cabaret off by riffing back and forth on various news topics and then Jen took over for a 40 minute set that went every which way and had the audience rolling in the aisles. Later on, Reggie Watts took the stage to a standing room only crowd that saw him mix music and comedy to perfection like only he can. At the end of his 45 minute set ,Reggie drew one of the biggest ovations of the day and well deserved at that.
Reggie Watts
Lucius took to the Courtyard D stage where a large crowd saw the group destroy their 45 minute set in the midday heat. Dressed as though they were twins, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig blended their voices beautifully into soaring harmonies while being accompanied by a great band behind them. The audience wanted more as the band ended their set, but would have to wait until later in the day for what I was told was a great pop-up performance underneath the two phoenixes.
Lucius
Near the entrance of the festival, Gold Town from Manchester, VT, was playing an acoustic set of rocking bluegrass music to a tiny crowd. As people came and left the area, they were constantly stopping for a bit to see where this great music was coming from. The four piece band was clearly enjoying themselves and even taking requests from the crowd. Yo La Tengo hit Courtyard D next with the biggest crowd of the day to that point. Having performed for quite some time, it was great to see how easily all of the music came to them. Constantly switching instruments, all three members showed that they are in-tune with one another. “Ohm” and “Deeper Into Movies” were two of the better songs, but they really killed their entire hour long set.
Yo La Tengo
What came next was the most exciting set of the day: Foxygen took to Courtyard C and drew a crowd that was much bigger than that area of MASS MoCA could handle, and the band delivered. What you notice right away from Foxygen is the amount of energy every member of the band has. Lead singer Sam France had so much energy that he climbed part of the scaffolding of the stage, much to the dismay of the Solid Sound staff. Their mixture of rock and psychedelia was impressive. This is definitely a band that likes to have fun on stage and makes sure their audience is having just as much fun. Do not miss them if they come to Upstate New York in the near future.
Foxygen
Low took the stage next and was the exact opposite of Foxygen. Their hour long set seemed to drag a bit, but that is just because their style of rock is much slower. Although the music was great, especially “Dinosaur Act” and “Last Snowstorm of the Year,” it was a bit of a letdown after the raucous set Foxygen had just thrown down. Neko Case, who was the first performer to grace Joe’s Field on Saturday, was next and played a beautiful set of music mixing bluegrass, country, and rock. She also was very talkative to the crowd between each song, telling jokes and stories about each song. “That Teenage Feeling,” “I’m An Animal,” and “Train From Kansas City” stood out among her set.
Neko Case
The curators of the festival, Wilco, took to the stage next and played an amazing 28-song set. The previous night they had played an all request covers set and people I spoke with throughout the day remarked how amazing that set was. This set saw Wilco play a full set of original music and showed why they are so good at what they do. “I Got You At the End of the Century” kicked the set off in a rocking fashion and it seemed they never stopped from there. Jeff Tweedy joked with the crowd throughout the set and even brought a fan on stage to request a song, although the band really told her which song to pick, which turned into a small comedy routine on stage, before they jumped into a great version of “Candyfloss.” Kids could be seen on parent’s shoulders with headphones on enjoying the set, while the adults in their 20s and 30s were twirling and dancing around. With a four song encore that had Jeff continually saying how happy they were to be back at MASS MoCA after taking a year off, they capped the night with a triple shot of “California Stars,” “Just a Kid,” and “Dreamer in My Dreams.”
Wilco
Setlist: I Got You (At the End of the Century), Dawned on Me, Box Full of Letters, At My Window Sad and Lonely, Forget the Flowers, She’s a Jar, You Are My Face, One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend), Art of Almost, I Might, Summer Teeth, Candyfloss, I’m Always in Love, Sunken Treasure, Far Far Away, Via Chicago, Impossible Germany, Born Alone, Laminated Cat, Passenger Side, Whole Love, Can’t Stand It, Heavy Metal Drummer, I’m the Man Who Loves You
Encore: A Shot in the Arm, California Stars, Just a Kid, Dreamer in My Dreams
Solid Sound is one of the best festivals on this side of the country. Being only 45 minutes east of Albany in North Adams, MA, this is a festival you should be attending every year. The art that could be seen is worth the price of admission alone. There is camping in North Adams, MA, with bus services to and from the festival daily. There is also a great beer and food selection throughout the complex. The Solid Sound Festival is not to be missed for music lovers in the Capitol Region next year.
In this day and age where music festivals are popping up like a game of Whack-A-Mole, it’s nice to know there’s an oasis of musical and arts gatherings right in our own backyard, one that is celebrating its 23rd consecutive year. That festival is Grassroots and that backyard is Trumansburg, NY.
“The uniqueness of Grassroots really lies in the feeling where everyone who goes to Grassroots feels like a real part of the festival. You’re not being subject to an event, rather you’re part of it and creating your experience with everyone else, so everyone who comes to it is truly, a real part of it.” – Jeb Puryear, Donna the Buffalo
Spawned from the brainchild of Donna The Buffalo members in 1990, the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance has evolved in many ways, uniquely, by not evolving. The festival has always stayed true to its roots (no pun intended) by offering the widest array of genres, cultures, instruments, ethnicities, flavors, beats and personalities of any festival in Upstate, which, in many ways, defies the current model of genre-specific festivals that have become so recently prevalent. This year’s lineup remains on par with that informal mission: attract the total diversity of people Upstate NY has to offer by offering the most diverse lineup to new and veteran festival goers July 18-21.
“You know it’s really easy for a music festival to slide into that stereotypical niche of being hippie or whatever but I mean, yeah, sure I’m a hippie, but it’s a tough distinction to make. We get farmers and republicans to everyone. That’s one of our goals really is to make the masses of people, everyone from everywhere, to realize Grassroots can be a great event for everyone,” said Donna the Buffalo frontman Jeb Puryear in a recent interview. “The uniqueness of Grassroots really lies in the feeling where everyone who goes to Grassroots feels like a real part of the festival. You’re not being subject to an event, rather you’re part of it and creating your experience with everyone else, so everyone who comes to it is a truly, a real part of it.”
Fresh off their latest album release, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, roots/zydeco/jam icons Donna the Buffalo returns home to the Finger Lakes to highlight this year’s extensive lineup. In addition, other area acts include Sim Redmond Band, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, John Brown’s Body, Driftwood, Milkweed, Gunpoets, Thousands of One and Sophistifunk, among countless others. As always, some of the regulars will be making another appearance with Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band, and Preston Frank and His Family Zydeco Band keeping people kickin’ up their heels to ungodly hours each night in the infamous Grassroots Zydeco Tent. Other great acts include Rubblebucket, Rusted Root, Jim Lauderdale, The Town Pants and Chatham County Line but perhaps the largest draw of the festival (‘The Herd’ would contest) is expected to be for Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. Perhaps, however, most of Grassroots charm arrives from hearing music or artists you have never heard of or maybe never have consciously self-introduced: Genres spanning afrobeat to Cuban, bluegrass to soul or reggae to…dare I even say it, country music.
One of those said “acts”, if you can call their ensemble that, is called Festival Au Desert – a Caravan of Peace. Hailing from Mali, a nation currently torn in turmoil among recent throngs of Al Qaeda influence, the Festival Au Desert refers to themselves, comprised of several different Malian musical groups, as a ‘Festival in Exile’ and they will bring that mobile caravan of global rhythms to Trumansburg July 18-21. “The Festival of the Desert thing is gonna be pretty cool. It’s a product of when the forces of global politics invade something as pure as music,” said Puryear. “Al Qaeda is in the northern part of Mali, and getting unruly and next thing they did was start going into the villages and started outlawing music and outlawing something like music in Mali is a pretty heinous thing, so they have this festival in the desert every summer and they didn’t feel like they could hold it safely over there, so they decided to take their festival on the road and we were lucky enough to get ‘em.”
In addition to the non-stop music July 18-21 at the Trumansburg Fair Grounds, Grassroots also boasts eclectic mixes of art, dance, food and activities. Since 1990, the festival has appeared to really grow with some of its original attendees. In addition to growing up as a festival, Grassroots has also expanded to now include Grassroots Festivals in North Carolina and Florida. “First, in the beginning of it all, with some proceeds, we wanted to bring awareness to AIDS. We started as a musical event and we decided to make it to go towards helping some causes. We branched out to arts and education and essentially, by branching out to helping education and the arts, we are essentially furthering our original mission, which is music,” said Puryear.
Essentially, the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance promotes arts and education, provides family-friendly entertainment, on-site camping and food, a relaxed, friendly vibe, a diverse lineup of never-ending music and great Finger Lakes Scenery. Yet, despite all of this, Puryear said he knows there are music lovers in Upstate New York who still have not yet made it to one of the past 22 installments. “Everyone in this area is good people. People who come and finally get there after hearing about it for years just end up having an unbelievable time. I can even begin to recommend anything more assuredly than telling people to go to Grassroots festival. It really is special.”
‘s recommendations for this year’s lineup: Donna the Buffalo, The Horse Flies, Driftwood, Chatham County Line, The SPAM Allstars, The Speckers, Aurelio Martinez, The Campbell Brothers, Rubblebucket, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. For a complete listing of Grassroots artists: please visit www.grassrootsfest.org
It has been almost 200 days since my last Phish show, which thankfully will be cured soon with their summer tour starting this week. However, to fill this void throughout the year, I go see The Heavy Pets as often as I can so on June 27, I got a double dose of jam music when both bands performed at the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs.
One of the best feelings, and the start to a great night, is walking into the venue just as the first band takes the stage, in this case, it was the sound of Formula 5. Their first song had teases from Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” quickly grabbing the audience’s attention. They hit the crowd with a new single that had no name but didn’t need one, and ended up being called “No Name”, featuring a strong guitar presence thanks to Joe Davis, with lots of cymbals ringing from Greg Marek, creating a very spacey melody.
One of the best parts about watching Formula 5 perform is bassist Bill Shattuck. His feet barely touch the ground as he dances and tiptoes ever so carefully around the thick bass notes he leaves everywhere. The boys were on point that night with no slow build ups and blasting from one song to the next. Mike McDonald plays just about every note on his keyboard with great speed and simplicity. A great surprise was when Jeff Lloyd from the Heavy Pets joined the band for the song “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” by The Talking Heads, terrific energy and guitar shredding. Formula 5 will be hosting a Phish SPAC After Party on July 5th at The MINE nightclub on Broadway. The guys will also be making stops at this year’s Backwoods Pondfest and The Big UP music festivals.
The Heavy Pets hail from Florida but are no strangers to playing to a dedicated fan base in Upstate New York, particularly due to their early roots in Syracuse, where Jeff Lloyd calls himself an alumnus. Their sound is like a space station on a tropical vacation – you get the electronic mixes with a heavy dose of reggae that always catches you by surprise. “Spin Round”, a pop/electronic tune featured charming vocals and upbeat piano chords from Jim Wuest. “Chevrolet” was a harder rock song with reggae vibes radiating with sharp string playing from a combined Jeff Lloyd, Mike Garulli and Tony D’Amato.
Halfway through their set, the band announced the winner of the raffle contest with the prize being Phish SPAC pit tickets that were given to each attendee at the door. I don’t think I’ve ever seen people with so many raffle tickets before. Focusing back on The Heavy Pets, Jamie Newitt got the crowd amped up with a quick tempo start of “STYM” and laid down the rhythm strong all night. Putnam Den was filled with the echo of their simple yet powerful lyrics, “We are one. So thank you music.” The set ended with “Jackie Bones”, a steady beat with raising harmonies that made you wish the show wasn’t over yet.
“The Art of Dying comes from a longer sentence: ‘the art of dying is my life to live’,” explains Jonny Hetherington, frontman of Canadian rock band, Art of Dying, to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel, over their lengthy Skype interview. “And it was a real late night, kind of drunken conversation that kind of came to that exact sentence, ‘The art of dying is my life to live.’ But it kind of became just, between the members of the band, just became our motto, our theme of how we live, recognizing that life is precious and your time here is kind of limited or unpredictable at least so that’s it, that’s the band name.”
Media Credit – Travis Shinn
Formed in the streets of Vancouver, BC by Jonny and the band’s guitarist, Greg Bradley, over the years this band has grown in many ways since the beginning in 2004, making band member changes along the way. Originally, the band started with Jonny, Greg, Chris Witoski (guitarist from 2005 till 2008), Matt Rhode (bassist from 2005 till 2008), and Flavio Cirillo (drummer from 2005 till 2008). In 2008, Hetherington and Bradley met their current drummer, Jeff Brown, then the rest of the current members made their way into the band, Tavis Stanley (guitar), and Cale Gontier (bass). When asked about how the band met, Hetherington recounted the details of the formation. “Greg and I met in Vancouver, I actually just moved out here and I pretty much sucked at playing guitar and singing at the same time. So I decided the best thing to do was to play on the street a lot so I would go down to Gramble Street or a couple of little spots that I had in town and I would just sit there and play my heart out all day long and all night long sometimes. One night, some dudes were walking by and they were starting a band and heard my voice and kind of…I guess they followed my voice for a couple of blocks because I was singing pretty loud. And next thing you know, that was Greg, and the next thing you know, we never parted ways since, it was like we decided to start a band right away. After a few years, we met Jeffy, who’s also in Vancouver, a drummer here, who was in a different band just a couple of doors down from us, in our jam space, and when the time was right, we just knew that after having Jeffy out once, we knew he was our guy. Then he had ties to Cale and Tavis who were living in Toronto, which is like…I don’t know…2,000 miles away. But he’s from Ontario, so he knew Cale and Tavis and we were heading out there for Canadian Music Week, which is a festival they have every year. And the timing was just perfect, we all hooked up, the five of us literally had a couple of beers together and we got along like we had been friends our whole lives, and the timing was right in our band to have them come in and the timing was right in the band they were playing with, to step away, so it was just perfect, that was about five years ago now.” He then chuckled and added, “I always joke that it was love at first beer, I guess.”
Since 2007, the band has released a total of three albums; their self-titled debut, Vices and Virtues (2011), and an acoustic compilation Let the Fire Burn (2012), featuring songs from their sophomore album, “Completely” and “Get Thru This”. The band definitely has a unique sound, as some fans put it, “a mix of Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace”, particularly because of Hetherington’s voice. Of course, according to Jonny, various artists, going as far back as Led Zeppelin, broadly influence the band. “I know Tavis and Greg both hold the highest regard for those guys, I’m learning the Zeppelin catalog myself now a little bit, so I’m just kind of…I have saved that for this part of my life, which is kind of cool to be going through that,” explained Jonny. “But the thing that changed music for me the most was really the grunge years. Just when I heard Pearl Jam and Nirvana and Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains for the first time and Tool for the first time. A Perfect Circle, all that kind of stuff in the 90s just really resonated with me and the passion they were singing with and how good the bands were, the instrumentation, everyone seemed really great with what they did, it was a very real time in music… It was such a real movement, the closest thing our generation has to the 60s movement or whatever. So I feel really fortunate to be a part of that era and just to have grown up a little bit with those bands as an influence, because we try to follow the same rules in our music and if it’s not real, then we move on from it. So we try to be as real as we can in our recordings and as real as we can on stage, and what you see is what you get in an Art of Dying show. It’s really important to us to wave that flag of ‘we’re real people, making real music’.” Well, their fan base has grown greatly over the years, and these dedicated fans call themselves, Die Hards. On Facebook, Jonny created a group for the fan club called The Die Hards (Official Fan Club for Art of Dying), where the fellow fans post pictures of themselves with the band and/or pictures with videos from live shows, as well as their favorite lyrics, personal stories of discovering the band, and questions. This is a very successful way for the Die Hards to connect with each other and possibly meet each other at nearby shows. Since the creation of the group, the members of the club have become very close with one another.
As for touring, the band is very tour hungry. They have featured in various hard rock and heavy metal festivals throughout the country including the 1st and 2nd annual Avalanche Tours in 2011 and 2012, both tours headlined by Stone Sour and Shinedown. They were also a part of the 2011 tour of Rockstar’s Uproar Festival, headlined by Avenged Sevenfold. As for other festivals, they performed at Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion and the 48 Hours Fest, all in 2011. Art of Dying has been known to tour with Disturbed and Three Days Grace. Currently, they are on the road with Saving Abel, part of a beneficial acoustic tour called Rock4Revival. When asked about the band’s favorite part about touring, the enthusiasm in Jonny’s voice was evident. “Touring, you know, I always feel like it’s our home. We all have our homes, obviously at home, but it just feels like for us the road is…as soon as we get home, we want to get back out again, so fun. It’s a little sad because a lot of the bands we’ve toured with don’t feel the same way. A lot of the bands are dying to get home and…I guess the more bands I meet, the more I realize that true friendships within bands are pretty rare, and I think a lot of people on Facebook and Twitter ask me stuff like, ‘I’m starting a band, what should I do? Give me some advice!’ My first advice is always to make sure you’re doing it with people you really like and people you really love and hopefully it’s with your friends because it’s truly how you’re going to make it or get by or survive, the support of true friendship. If it’s just a common, ‘We want to start a band, but we barely know each other…’ I don’t know! It could last too but at the same time, I just think the friendship part is very important so to me. Being on the road is just about embracing that time as a musician, as a performer and as a friend, and just really…whether it’s writing a song unexpectedly at 9 in the morning on the tour bus or whether it’s that perfect moment on stage, that night, it’s all a real good time for us.”
Out of the three albums, the band has a total of six singles with catchy yet powerful lyrics and tones. These singles include “Get Through This” from their debut record, yet another version was released in 2011 from Vices and Virtues, “Get Thru This” along with “Die Trying”, the very first song from that album. In 2012, from the same album, “Sorry” and “Raining”, and this year, “I Will Be There”. These profound songs manage to touch the Die Hards’ hearts and those songs remain to play a big part in their lives. After Drexel asked about song ideas and their evolution, Jonny recalled how he had coincidentally wrote a song that morning. “So this is actually typical in some ways for me, I woke up this morning, and I was dreaming. In my dream, I was writing a song, which is kind of weird, but this actually happens to me all the time now. I’ll either be on stage in the dream or I’ll be writing in my dream or I’ll just be humming a melody in my dream or something and that’ll wake me up, and when I wake up, I try to force myself to get up and go work on the song. Because if you’re lazy and just sometimes like, ‘Fuck! I just want to go back to sleep!’ then you totally miss your chance because it’s gone. So like this morning, it was way too early to get up but I just forced myself to get up. I pressed ‘record’ on my voice recorder, and hummed the melody from the dream and then grabbed my guitar and started working on the melody for about an hour. Then I kind of made some coffee and set the guitar down for a bit, and I like to let the musical ideas kind of mix up a little bit in my head for a bit and then I sat down with my guitar again and kind of found…I don’t know what the word is but it just all of the sudden clicks. The ‘Oh yeah, there is where it has to go!’ and it feels good and it feels right so you just follow that and then about three hours later, I got some lyrics now and I’ve got what I really think is a strong chorus and the whole thing, just…I got the verse, pre-chorus, and the chorus, and I know the bridges, I’m going to finish that as soon as this interview is done,” said Jonny, both he and Drexel shared a hearty laugh. “It’s just like that are really, really fun ‘cause the song kind of comes really easily. I know this one is coming that way. Sometimes there’s a song that sits around for three years and it’s hard to finish it because it’s not an easy one, but yeah, that’s generally how it works, and if I don’t write lyrics, or if I get busy and if I don’t have time to finish the words, I’ll usually do that later…I love Cuban cigars, so I’ll just light up a two or three hour cigar and just finish all the words to a song or two. Actually, recently too, there’s this really awesome friend of mine in Vancouver that lent me his store at night. He owns an amazing coffee shop, but it closes at night so he lent me that place to go finish songs, so I’ve been doing that a lot recently, and it’s just great to be in this dark, closed coffee shop, alone with my ideas and I’ve been able to write lyrics for two songs a night when I do that, so yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
While talking about their songs, Drexel was eager to find out the story behind “Raining”, one of her favorite Art of Dying singles, featuring the former frontman of Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier. “That one’s weird, the lyrics for that one found me, and I think it’s all about fears and coming to terms with the fact that we’re all a little bit crazy, and we’re all a little bit messed up inside at times. Sometimes I feel like I have the best life on the planet, I’m in a rock band, I’m having fun, I have people in my life that are brilliant, and I love them, and so I often think, ‘Wow, I’m the luckiest guy in the world’. But then there are days when I feel like complete shit and just things inside are not right, and I hate those days, but I think I wrote ‘Raining’ to kind of say to myself that we’re all that way, and it’s ok and we’re all kind of…you know, it’s raining inside for all of us at different times and it’s ok. So it’s kind of like that comfort in numbers or something, just realizing that it’s a normal part of life.” Kate admitted that on rough days, she finds herself having the song on repeat at times, to help her get through them. “That’s actually how Adam Gontier wound up singing on it with us, he’s Cale’s cousin, and so we always bounced ideas off of him and stuff, just as a friend, and he always came back saying that song was his favorite in our group of songs that we were going to make the record with, so we just asked him if he wanted to sing on it, and he said yes, so I think that song runs deep for people, including Adam.”
Through all the madness of touring and recording, Hetherington admitted to not having a lot of downtime, trying to manage the band with various documents and preparations for upcoming tours, from work visas to union dues being paid. “I’m always trying to get through these crazy to-do lists of stuff. I don’t just play music in the band; I do a lot of the business in the band as well so I’m always just whittling away at different things on the list of what to get done…It gets a little crazy when you care about your band, you want everything to work all the time and I don’t know whether I’m a bit of a control freak or whether it’s just I care so much that I want things to work, just always busy with either music or band stuff or trying to cook some food.” However, there is one downtime activity that Jonny is very passionate about, cooking. On Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter, he tends to post recipes for fantastic looking dishes. “When I cook, I really love it. I put a lot of passion to that too because it is one of the things I enjoy, really good food and having a beer or wine or cocktail that goes with that food. I love the whole experience of mixology and dining and eating and cooking and I think that’s probably…it’s a necessity in life, you might as well enjoy it and make it a really fun moment every day.” A little chuckle escaped from him as he added, “Although this morning, I just had a fried egg sandwich and a pickle, so I guess that’s not much of a moment.”
As of mid-May, Art of Dying is on the Rock4Revival acoustic tour with Saving Abel, originally created by Kayla Riley, one of the DJs from Sirius XM Octane. It all started with a small benefit acoustic show, Rock 4 Recovery, in downtown New York at the Gramercy Theatre in January of this year. Bands included Smile Empty Soul, Hurt, Art of Dying, Adam Gontier, and Before the Curtain. Because of the show’s huge success, Riley wanted to continue this as a benefit tour. “They took the bands from that evening and split it up into two tours and Adam from Three Days Grace couldn’t do it, so they got Saving Abel to do it. So basically it’s just Saving Abel and a couple other bands, I know Hurt and Smile Empty Soul are doing one leg of the tour, we’re doing the other leg and it’s all acoustic, and we’ve only announced a few shows right now, but it’s going to be almost two months of touring, so it’s going to be really cool. So we’re going to be all over the place with our acoustic set and it’s a lot of fun for us to have those intimate, really lower volume but still really fun shows. So on our Facebook and our Twitter and our website, we will be announcing the shows over the next few days, so if you wanna know if it’s coming near your city, just find us online and we’ll be announcing stuff daily.”
Be sure to follow the band on their Twitter (@ArtofDying) and be on the look out for updates on their tour on Facebook. This is a band you will not want to miss out on!
Spotlight on this small metal band from Central California who gives off a certain indescribable vibe to their music. Ladies and gents, I give you Half8n! “It is a play on the phrase Half Eaten. The spelling is reflective of the age of technology. Shortened words and slang so to speak. Quietly, in the dark, the other half has been eaten, consumed by the world and by what has been created for us and by us. Reflecting the behaviors of the people within the world with our music. Half of me/us has already been eaten away, the other half that’s left here in this shell is the half that I/we keep for ourselves,” explained the band via email to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel. The band consists of Dalton Whitman (lead vocals, guitar), Eric Avila (guitar, backing vocals), James Ruiz (bass), and Justin Casselman (drums).
Bands such as System of a Down, Alice in Chains, Tool, Pantera, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, and Primus influence Half8n. “These are just some of the bands that influence our sound. What influences the topics, or subjects we touch on vary from: life, current events, love, sadness, the list goes on. There are so many emotions, and feelings, and things happening in the world, that we have influences coming from every direction. Having four separate band members, with their own lives, trials, and tribulations, gives us that much more to go off of.” When asked if the band had the opportunity to collaborate with another band, who would it be, they answered that it was a hard question to answer, but they ended up choosing Tool. “Every band has their own heros, but if we have to pick one, we agree it would be Tool. Tool – because the underground scene is still so original and pure. Fans are still about the music not the look or amount of money spent on advertising and costumes. All that aside, we believe that Tool could teach us a lot. Not just from a musical point of view, but a spiritual point of view as well.”
The topic then turned to their music, about the evolving of their song ideas. “Dalton usually comes to practice with a general idea for a song, it’s usually a catchy hook, or a basic melody. Then as the four of us come together, and put our own mark on it, the catchy hook or basic melody evolves into an entire song,” they explained. “And it doesn’t always stop evolving when we’ve recorded, mixed and mastered it. Some completed song will be shelved even after mastering is complete simply because we feel like the song has not finished evolving. Some of our current songs are actually excerpts from a handful of our unpublished songs. Proving that we are not in control of the evolution of any one song, and we do not decide when it is complete. The pen is doing all the writing and we are simply holding onto the pen.” The band then individually answered Drexel’s favorite question; what does music mean to you? To Dalton, “Music is a chance to create”; Eric: “Music is a voice, a voice to be heard by everyone”; Justin: “Music to me, is perfection”; and James: “Music is our battle cry.”
Be sure to follow the band on Twitter (@half8n), and check their music out on reverbnation.
Attention, Skillet Army, the band invites you to RISE with them in celebration of their newly released epic album Rise. Howard Benson produced Skillet’s ninth album and they recorded it in October 2012 through January 2013 at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California. This time, Skillet takes their music to a whole new level; Rise is filled with darker and heavier melodies, and the band’s drummer, Jen Ledger, features her vocals in most of the tracks. Riseis the band’s best album yet.
The album begins with its title track and third single, hinting to the fans what to expect throughout the album. Definitely a great way to start the record. Powerful lyrics sung by Ledger and John Cooper accompany the dark tones. Towards the end of the track, mixed recordings from a panicked phone call to 911, news reporting, to a disappointed father yelling at his child, perfectly connecting all of this to the next song, the leading single, “Sick of It”. The quiet catchy beats start the song off, followed by explosive beats, courtesy of Ledger, especially towards the end, her pounding rapid drumbeats. Cooper’s wife and the band’s keyboardist/rhythm guitarist, Korey, complements the beats with an electronic pulsing melody. The lyrics to the song are very profound and influential. “Good To Be Alive” has a very light tune, gives the album a mini break from the dark melodies. It has a very uplifting vibe, then in the end, it returns to the dark tones, mixed operatic vocals as well John and Jen’s voices providing a teaser of the next track and the album’s recent single, “Not Gonna Die”. This track’s strong and catchy lyrics express the perseverance of surviving, giving a dramatic effect with the rapid, catchy violin strokes accompanied by Ledger’s pipes. Song number five, “Circus for a Psycho” begins with the band’s lead guitarist Seth Morrison’s crazy guitar riffs, demonstrating the continuance of their change in their sound. The chorus has a catchy tone that will haunt the back of your mind after you listen to it. Next, the album’s second single, “American Noise”, slows Rise down with beautifully written lyrics. Following is “Madness in Me”, filled with explosive electronic beats and guitar riffs. Towards the end, Ledger can be heard singing a teaser of the lyrics to the next song, her voice electronically remixed. In “Salvation”, Jen sings most of the song with the exception of John singing the chorus, her voice perfectly matching the tone. Again, this song is beautifully written including a great solo performed by Morrison. However, that is not the end of the featuring of Ledger’s vocals. She and Cooper perform “Fire and Fury”, a fantastic, passionate duet with a haunting melody. The mood changes with the fun, swanky track, “My Religion”, providing a Gospel-like sound. Midway through the song, a remastered version of “Amazing Grace” is sung by Cooper. The last two songs, “Hard to Find” and “What I Believe” both have deep lyrics, complemented with beautifully composed melodies. “What I Believe” was a great way to end the album, however it left the listeners with a need to hear more of the sweet, intoxicating beats provided by Skillet.
All in all, this record is it, this is their best one yet. The lyrics and melodies will haunt the back of the listeners’ mind, to the point where they could be humming it in their sleep. Rise is available for purchase at a store near you and available for digital download. Be sure to check Skillet’s Facebook and website for tour dates. They are part of the Carnival of Madness tour this summer. Will you RISE in the madness with the band?
Restless Streets, Albany-based metal, delivered their full-length debut, Sincerely, on June 25. The record, produced by Landon Tewers (of The Plot in You), tells a lot about the band; their story, their ideals, and how far they’ve come: from being pipe dreamers playing at the smallest venues as youths, to becoming icons of the 518 music scene.
Sincerely has both strong and weak points, but will definitely leave listeners satisfied from the dramatic opening moments of “Young & Awake” to the climactic close of “Sincerely”, the title track. Let’s start with the strong suit.
Very few times does one go to a concert where each member of the audience is not only involved in singing and moving to every lyric, but also connecting to them. There is something to be said about a band whose lyrics are so “relatable” that they pull at the strings of every listener. Time Alone, a contemplative track which tells the story about life in the Capital Region, allows hometown fans to take a journey of memory with the band. For every other track, all listeners might say, “hey, these guys understand what I’m going through!”
Sound is equally as important as lyrics, no arguments. In fact, for this effort, Restless Streets have reeled in an air-tight sound; every instrumentalist is on top of his game and in synch with every other band member. Nick Dumar and John Alund have a clear idea of how to layer the backline to sound strong. Equally, along with Brian Nellis’ dynamic keyboard abilities, Brandon John and Kyle Carpenter deliver a nothing-but-energetic performance on guitars.
But that is not all! Over time, bands change how they sound. Rush added keyboards, the Police started playing around with reggae, and Black Flag was joined by Henry Rollins. To change sound over time is part of the normal evolution of any band, metal or not. However, Restless Streets has proved to listeners that on some of the best tracks of the album, they are both in touch with their old sound, which die-hard fans will love, and can easily evolve. Don’t take my word for it. Check out the re-vamped “Beautiful Friends,” or “Time Alone.” For their newer sound, “Peria” is one of the best cuts on the album.
Sure, as with any album, they have weaknesses. Some of the words Logan Carpenter, the vocalist, screams, are hard to understand. However, he is a gift when it comes to cleans. Additionally, Brandon John and Kyle “KCigs” Carpenter have written a few cliché “breakdowns” into the album, but on the other hand, the fact that they’re few in number keeps the album moving along smoothly.
Overall, this album is at the 7.5/10 range. It’s solid for a first effort and will leave fans wanting more. Check it out!
Thursday, June 13th: HARDCORE RULES! at Bogies with Agnostic Front, Lionheart, Brick by Brick and Aggressive Response.
by Jay Frost
Hardcore reigned supreme in Albany last Thursday night with a visit from the Godfathers themselves – NYC’s Agnostic Front. Along with Mediaskare recording artists Lionheart (CA), Troy-core staples Brick By Brick, and new local favorites Aggressive Response, this was an evening made of circle-pits and sing-alongs, stage-dives and dog piles; no egos, no attitude – just good times and that positive vibe you can really only find at a hardcore show.
Arriving at 8:30, I made it just in time to run through the door for openers Aggressive Response. With most weekday shows beginning at 7:30 sharp, I thought for sure that my shitty day job was going to prevent me from missing yet another opening act. Thankfully, Upstate Black ‘N’ Blue saw fit to push the start time up to 8:30, allowing for total coverage.
Aggressive Response is unlike any other band in the Albany scene right now. They draw on a much older and more diverse range of influences than their contemporaries to create a unique blend of punk and hardcore reminiscent of Fear and early Sheer Terror. With songs chock-full of high-speed virtuosic percussion, heavily-distorted buzz-saw guitars, clear and audible bass lines, and Jay Krak’s bulldog bark, there is nothing of the new-school to be found here. There is also a great deal of talent behind Aggressive Response. The guitar tandem of Kurt and Joe effortlessly kick out electrified surf-rock riffs and solid rhythms built on double-timed blues scales. Drummer Jared is a madman, and though he’s responsible for laying down a barrage of rapid-fire machine gun beats, he sacrifices neither skill nor technicality in the process. Additionally, they possess a passion rarely seen in modern hardcore that colors their performance. As the stage comes alive with leaping spin-kicks, Krak spends the majority of his time pacing the wide open dance floor, ranting and raving like a lunatic.
From the first note to the last, the dance floor was packed for Aggressive Response, who’ve built an impressive following since their live debut in March supporting punk rock pioneers Urban Waste and the FUs. Their set consisted of original material from their self-titled EP – a sleek, professionally-packaged six song affair with full liner notes – as well as two new songs and a cover of everyone’s favorite feel-good hardcore anthem – Sheer Terror’s “Just Can’t Hate Enough” – thrown in for posterity. This is a band to keep an eye on; stop by their BandCamp page to hear their EP in its entirety, and look for show announcements on their Facebook page.
Following Aggressive Response was yet another excellent performance by 518 wrecking crew Brick By Brick. For ten years now, this band has not only held down the Troy-Core style, but brought it to the next level with countless local and regional performances with acts as diverse as Rancid, Exodus, Sheer Terror, Sworn Enemy, and Madball. With all this and three albums to show for it, there is no denying that they are the hardest working band in the area.
B X B literally sounds better, tighter, and more crushing every time I see them. New drummer James Muller has not only mastered the band’s body of work with seemingly little difficulty, but has marked it with his own unique signature. Mike Valente has also progressed in his role as the group’s sole guitarist by adding dissonant, thrashy leads to his already solid repertoire of groove-oriented, break-down heavy rhythms. The 518 loves Brick By Brick, and tonight they showed their pride and appreciation with the customary chaotic flurry of fists and spin kicks.
Recent times has seen Brick By Brick’s live show consisting largely of material from their second and third albums – 2006’s Wings of Angels and 2010’s Severed Ties –and the occasional inclusion of classics like “Free For All” and “Demon Eyes”. This evening was much the same, only with a few surprises for the old-schoolers in the room: first, their rendition of Straight Jacket’s “Final Cry” followed by fan –favorite and unofficial B X B theme song “Tearing Down”. This crushing call to arms has been noticeably absent from their repertoire as of late, so the ensuing maelstrom that was the pit for those few moments in time came as no surprise; big props to Rich Roberts for mediating the front-stage brawl for the mic, and to the band as a whole for setting the bar for the pit so early in the night.
Northern Califronia’s Lionheart added a bit of contrast with their set. Hailing from the Bay Area and taking cues from the likes of Hoods, Machine Head, Madball and Hatebreed , Lionheart are currently on the road in support of their third album, Undisputed. They’ve toured Europe at least a half a dozen times and have shared the stage with Terror and at least three of the four above-mentioned bands. Though there’s no denying that Lionheart are from the new-school, to dismiss them as “another metal core band” is unjust. Low-tuned guitars and double-bass heavy drum work deal out punishing slabs of mosh-core fit to rival any of their peers.
Vocalist Rob Watson possesses a dynamic range that renders it nearly impossible to compare him to anyone else, achieving the perfect balance of guttural lows and scathing highs. His intense delivery locks in with the rhythm section, providing just as much of a foundation for Lionheart’s music as the drums and bass. This can be attributed to Watson’s role as their primary lyricist and the active part he takes in the development of Lionheart’s music. When asked in an interview about his contribution, Watson mentioned that as he pieces lyrics together, he develops ideas for how he wants each particular song to sound. This allows Watson to aid in the studio with arrangement and composition of the music itself.
Lionheart has been a regular visitor to the Albany area for years now, something that will likely never change. If you’ve never heard them – or just haven’t seen them live – do yourself a favor and catch them the next time around. I’m sure it won’t be long.
The change-over between Lionheart and tonight’s headliners ran a bit long, but as the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait”; and when you’re waiting on Agnostic Front, patience pays off double. A significant number of late-comers and stragglers arrived during the break, swelling Bogies to about half-capacity. Not bad for a Thursday night! Being that Black Flag had played the previous night, I’d imagine there were a great deal of sore scenesters reluctantly sitting this one out. I’m sure that some – like me – had to choose between one show or the other. Whatever the case, those who did make it were in for one hell of a performance.
Right out of the gate, Agnostic Front brought it back to the old-school with “Blind Justice” and “The Eliminator”. For a band that’s been at it since the early 80s, they had a wealth of energy to burn. Roger Miret had all the charisma of a carnival-barker as he stoked the crowd to a fever pitch and led the sing-alongs. Founding guitarist Vinnie Stigma provided a bit of comic relief with his on-stage antics, all the while remaining focused on the material. Much like the other older bands I’ve seen in recent years – Sheer Terror, DRI and Exodus, to name a few – Agnostic Front were tight as hell.
Agnostic Front draws a very diverse crowd, as evidenced by the punks, skins (not the scary, Neo-Nazi kind), longhairs and hardcore kids alike tearing it up. Mosh-pit hospitality rules applied: no head-hunting, mind your neighbor, and if someone goes down, help them up. There were no fights, no tough-guy posturing; just that sense of unity that so many preach but seldom actually achieve.
Along with early tunes like the two they opened their set with, Agnostic Front delighted us all with more recent favorites – most notably “For My Family”, Iron Cross cover and NYHC staple “Crucified”, and the colossal “Gotta Go” from their 1996 come-back Something’s Gotta Give. Chants of “Oi!” filled the room as Miret continued to stoke the crowd, telling us all to take one step forward and move around; he was startled a bit when an overly-enthusiastic slam-dancer drilled him in the chest while passing the stage, but continued without skipping a beat.
Shortly after midnight, Agnostic Front concluded with their cover of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”, the studio version of which can be found on the Respect Your Roots compilation. As the undisputed Godfathers of the New York Hardcore scene, it is only fitting that AF pay homage to the Godfathers of Punk Rock – and what a way to cap off the evening! Though I never had the pleasure of seeing The Ramones, I can now tell my children someday, when I’m old and completely bald and they’ve just discovered punk rock that their father once moshed to that song. Hopefully they won’t respond with: “What’s moshing?”
The Linda Theater provided the perfect setting for what turned out to be a very special and intimate evening with Billy Payne. Most people know Payne as one of the original founders of Little Feat. What some might not know is he is also an accomplished photographer, an amazing storyteller and a treasure-trove of musical history. Using all of these attributes, Payne presented “Tracing Footsteps”, a multimedia journal of music, photography, and stories from the road and from Billy Payne’s past.
Payne begins by explaining “I call this event ‘Tracing Footsteps’ because I have been down many paths in my life, from music to photography, and everyone I’ve met along the way have been a huge part of my life”. “Tracing Footsteps” is largely a tribute to Payne’s previous band mates. He performed “Feathers and a Smile” as a tribute to Little Feat co-founder Lowell George. Several songs were also played in honor of deceased Little Feat drummer, Richie Hayward. In addition, Payne played a few new tunes co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, including “A Thousand Nights” and “Wolfe in the Wilderness”.
For the second set, Payne was joined on stage by current Little Feat drummer, Gabe Ford, and teenage guitar sensation, Conor Kennedy. The guys played several tunes from Payne’s current side-project, the Hooligans, including “Blue Grass Pines”, “Louisiana”, and “If I had a Mind To”. It was also an evening of experimentation with Payne trying “Juble”, another new tune recently written with Robert Hunter. The intimate and very entertaining evening wrapped up with a Q & A session along with friendly conversation and autographs.
Red Square in Albany got a lesson in funk when George Porter, Jr and the Runnin’ Pardners performed on Saturday, June 21st with special guests The McLovins. The Connecticut kids of The McLovins are known for their improvisational tunes and four part harmonies. George Porter, Jr. is recognized as the bassist for The Meters, a funky New Orleans band that has recently nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The McLovins opened the night with light hearted songs that were easy for the crowd to groove to. The boys have great chemistry together; there is very little verbal communication on stage because they don’t really need it. There is a constant beautiful flow through the set, great build ups and come downs, one song straight into the next making for one serious jam session. The crowd was delighted to hear teases from The Doors and The Beatles, and with the tempo getting kicked up, everyone could lose a little control. It was interesting to watch Atticus Kelly switch from guitar to keyboard throughout the night, sometimes during the same song. Jake Huffman had a soothing voice for vocals despite rocking hard on the drums. Towards the end of the set, they played the Tom Marshall-penned “Cohesive”, resulting in a climax of guitar riffs glory. Be on the lookout for The McLovins new album Beautiful Lights, set to drop this August.
George Porter, Jr. took the stage with his four piece band the Runnin’ Pardners, comprised of Brint Anderson on guitar, Michael Lemmler on keyboards and Terrence Houston on drums. George Porter, Jr. opened the night by saying how he was going play some of his favorite Meters songs, much to the excitement of the crowd. The band wasted no time laying out the funk with an extreme melody which came at the crowd with full force. Porter, Jr. is a wizard on the bass, playing with quick fingers and delivering a wide array of smooth sounds. In between songs during the first set, Porter, Jr. was quite the story teller, talking about different shows from “back in the day” and the adventures his music brought him to, plus giving credit to The McLovins for “playing real music”. Michael Lemmler erupted out and over the key boards during “Same Old Thing” trying to keep up with Porter, Jr.’s slick bass playing.
There’s always some perks to see a big name act in a small venue in your hometown. Red Square gave the audience an opportunity to get close and personal with the jazzy blues of George Porter, Jr. and company. The musicians were causal and comfortable in the space, which made for a relaxed environment where they were constantly joking with the crowd. Another perk was being able to get a good look at George Porter, Jr. lose control of himself but never his instrument. One of the funniest things throughout the night was every time that Porter, Jr. started to dip into another bass solo, everyone around me could be heard saying, “Oh sh*t.” Terrence Houston stole the show during the second set when he lifted his shirt over his head, resulting in a blinded epic drum solo session lasting for a solid five minutes. This music brings out the best in people, with the first few rows of dancers totally lost to the band and mesmerized by Porter, Jr.’s fingers. I was personally stoked to hear their rendition of “Iko Iko” by Dr. John, leading to a big group sing-along.
The McLovins and George Porter Jr hung around after the show for pictures with fans and autographs. It was great to experience so much talented music with such a small crowd in a small venue. Both acts will appear this year at The Gathering of the Vibes and The Catskill Chill.
Walking into MASS MoCA on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon were people of all ages and types. From teenagers and twenty-somethings to baby boomers and adults in their 30s and 40s with little kids, they all came in droves. The Wilco produced Solid Sound Festival is unlike any other festival in the country. MASS MoCA almost every other weekend of the year is just a place to go check out gigantic art installations and see special screenings of movies. For Solid Sound, you get this plus a concert curated by one of the best bands of the last 20 years.
Payne begins by explaining “I call this event ‘Tracing Footsteps’ because I have been down many paths in my life, from music to photography, and everyone I’ve met along the way have been a huge part of my life”. “Tracing Footsteps” is largely a tribute to Payne’s previous band mates. He performed “Feathers and a Smile” as a tribute to Little Feat co-founder Lowell George. Several songs were also played in honor of deceased Little Feat drummer, Richie Hayward. In addition, Payne played a few new tunes co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, including “A Thousand Nights” and “Wolfe in the Wilderness”.