Tag: live music

Upstate Spring Revival in Review Part 1/3: The Scene

Family. No other word can describe a regional festival like Upstate Spring Revival festival better than family. Familiar faces from shows over the years. Passing by the same groups to and fro from the campsite, always with friendly salutations and wide smiles. Meeting new people spinning tails of their travels freely as if every soul they meet is an old friend. Sharing toasts and high fives with complete strangers, shyness abandoned. In our modern; smart-phone consumed; too busy to say hello world, this situational rarity is beyond refreshing. It’s a damn good feeling and a great way to spend a weekend in the woods. May 8-11 at The Whispering Pines Hideaway proved this concept beyond a shadow of doubt.

The Hideaway is typically an aviary hunting preserve and ATV adventure site, with trap towers, clay pigeon throwers, and rut filled off-roading trails throughout the area. While this may seem an ironic venue for a gathering of peace loving hippies, it proved itself perfect for the weekends experience. Car camping was available throughout the site with a plethora of settings, be it wooded, open field, or just a place to lay down in the grass. Musicians roamed freely through the crowd chatting with fans and fellow music makers. Both secondary and primary stages were located in a lower area, surrounded by trees, but still allowing a picturesque view of the sunset. The stages were minutes from each other with a variety of vending, drum circles and lessons, and glass blowing demonstrations all conveniently located within the main “Shakedown Street”.

Weather ended up being better than forecast. Thursday night through late Friday afternoon was beautiful. Friday night through Saturday was a bit rough with blowing rain but everyone kept in good spirits. Many huddled around campfires sharing jovial tales while others wandered the site in rain ponchos making new friends. Musicians plowed through the weather unscathed and everyone delivered excellent sets. Saturday night, between sets, Solar Flare and entourage offered up a spectacular display of pyrotechnic acrobatics. Other activities included live glass blowing demonstrations, drum lessons and circles, face painting, and much more.

Come back tomorrow to read our review of “The Sounds” featuring pictures by contributing photographer Kevin Burke.

Photos by Darren Kemp

Editors note: This is part one of our three part review of the Spring Revival festival. Each article will include a photo gallery from one of our three featured photographers.

May 28, 2013
Rochester Lilac Festival May 10-19, 2013

The 1,200 lilac bushes decorating the 22 acres of Highland Park
will put on a spectacular show May 10-19, 2013, exploding with color and fragrance during the Rochester Lilac Festival — showcasing the world’s largest collection of lilacs during the largest and oldest festival of its kind.

The 105-year-old festival this year has a new name, adding the word Rochester to the title, plus a new logo, new events and attractions, high-profile national music acts,  and a new producer, The Springut Group.

What’s new and notable for the Lilac Fest in 2013?

Wine & Chocolate Tasting:

Three evenings of a Wine & Chocolate Tasting under the big tent, where you can sample more
than 150 different local, regional, and national wines from more than 30 wineries — from 4
to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14; Wednesday, May 15; and Thursday, May 16.

Craft Beer Garden:

A Craft Beer Garden will offer more than 20 varieties of eclectic regional and national beers on
tap on a rotating schedule of five different beers per day, for sale alongside a variety of beers
from Genesee Brewery. The featured breweries are Ithaca, Victory, Long Trail, and Pyramid.

Kid Power!

Each year a portion of the park is transformed into a mini amusement park during the Lilac
Festival. And this year the children’s rides and entertainment will feature new mini rides and
several bounce houses and inflatable obstacle courses. The kids’ stage will offer a variety of acts
and is being relocated closer to the rides, in an area now being called “Kid Power!”

Demonstration Stages:

Along the paths, a variety of demonstrations will be taking place, from gardening tips to
woodworking.

Lilac 10K and Family 5K:

This annual event, sponsored by MedVed, is a picturesque run through city streets on the final
day of the festival, Sunday May 19. New high-tech additions help runners track their midway
and final times, while automatically sending texts to family and friends.

Art In the Park:

More than 130 artists will be exhibiting on the South Avenue Green in this year’s juried Arts
and Crafts Shows, open 10:30 a.m. to 6 pm. Saturdays and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Artists
from more than 10 different states are participating, with art ranging from ceramics and glass to
jewelry and metal/sculpture.

2013 Lilac Festival Event Schedule:

Friday, May 10th

Special Events
10:30 Opening Ceremonies

Center Stage
10:30am     Le Roy Jr. High School Swingin’ Knights Jazz Band
11:30am     Brockport 5th Grade Hilltop Singers & Top Brass Players
12:30pm     Dr. Charles T. Lunford School No. 19 School Band
4:00pm Mr. Mustard
5:30pm The Fat City Band
7:00pm Skycoasters

Children’s Stage
5:00pm     Joe Cappon
6:00pm     Joe Cappon

Saturday, May 11th

Special Events
10:30am YNN Lilac Parade
10:30am-6:00pm     Art In Bloom – Juried Art & Craft Show

Center Stage
12:30pm The Spanky Haschmann Swing Orchestra
1:30pm Zac Brown Tribute Band
2:30pm Deborah Mangone
4:00pm Mitty and The Followers
5:30pm Amanda Lee Peers and The Driftwood Sailors
7:00pm Spin Doctors

Children’s Stage
1:00pm         Dinner Dogs
2:00pm         Gary the Happy Pirate
3:00pm         Dinner Dogs
4:00pm         Gary the Happy Pirate5:00pm         The Magical John Show

Sunday, May 12th

Special Events
10:30am-5:00pm     Art in Bloom – Juried Art & Craft Show

Center Stage
10:30am Alysia Groth Band
11:30am Blue Jimmy
12:30pm The Dirty Bourbon Blues Band
2:30pm         Natalie B Band
4:00pm         My Plastic Sun
5:30pm         Teagan and the Tweeds
7:00pm         Eddie Money

Children’s Stage
1:00pm         Dinner Dogs
2:00pm         The Magical John Show
3:00pm         Mike Kornrich
4:00pm         Dinner Dogs
5:00pm         The Magical John Show

Monday, May 13th

Center Stage
10:30am Abraham Lincoln School 22 Choir
11:00am Cobblestone School Band
12:00am Our Lady of Mercy High School Orchestra
12:30pm Bishop Kearney – Murder of Crows Band
1:30pm Greece Olympia High School
4:00pm MoChester
5:30pm         Lake Street Dive
7:00pm         The English Beat

Children’s Stage
12:30pm “Farmer Tom” Walsh
6:00pm         “Farmer Tom” Walsh

Tuesday, May 14th

Special Events
4:00pm-8:00pm Wine & Chocolate Tasting

Center Stage
10:30am Paul Road Elementary School Band
11:30am Indian Landing School Band
12:30pm Palmyra-Macedon Middle School Honors Band, Jazz Band, Con Brio
1:30pm Spencerport High School Jazz band
4:00pm         Audio Influx
5:30pm         J.C. Brooks & the Uptown Sound
7:00pm         Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express

Children’s Stage
12:30pm        Mike Kornrich
6:00pm Mike Kornrich

Wednesday, May 15th

Special Events
10:30am-4pm        Seniors Day
4:00pm-8:00pm Wine & Chocolate Tasting

Center Stage
10:30am St. Joseph’s School Band
11:30am St. John’s Jam Band
12:30pm Twelve Corners Middle School Jazz Band & Select Choir
1:30pm Smugtown Stompers
4:00pm Meghan Koch and the Gentleman Callers
5:30pm Tommy Brunett Band
7:00pm The Marshall Tucker Band

Children’s Stage
12:30pm        “Farmer Tom” Walsh
6:00pm         “Farmer Tom” Walsh

Thursday, May 16th

Special Events
4:00pm-8:00pm     Wine & Chocolate Tasting

Center Stage
10:30am         Holly Elementary Chorus
11:00am         Gates Chili Middle School Jazz Ensemble & Spartan Original Singers
12:00pm         School #12 Concert Band and Hand Bell Choir
1:00pm North Christian Academy Concert Band and High School Choir
4:00pm The Moho Collective
5:30pm The Lawnmowers
7:00pm Rusted Root

Children’s Stage
12:30pm Mike Kornrich
6:00pm Mike Kornrich

Friday, May 17th

Center Stage
10:30am Cosgrove Middle School 7th Grade Chorus
11:00am Rochester City School District “Bloomin Arts”
4:00pm Mikaela Davis
5:30pm Brian Lindsay Band
7:00pm The Smithereens

Children’s Stage
12:30pm “Farmer Tom” Walsh
6:00pm         “Farmer Tom” Walsh

Saturday, May 18th

Special Events
10:30am-6:00pm Art In The Park -Juried Art & Craft Show

Center Stage
11:30am Teressa Wilcox Band
12:30am The Fools
2:00pm         The Crawdiddies
3:30pm         Driftwood
5:30pm         The Lone Bellow
7:00pm         The Prickers

Children’s Stage
1:00pm         Matt Episcopo
2:00pm         Gary the Happy Pirate
3:00pm         Matt Episcopo
4:00pm         Gary the Happy Pirate
5:00pm         Matt Episcopo

Sunday, May 19th

Special Events
8:00am         5K Family Fun Run
9:00am         10K Race
10:30am-5:00pm     Art In The Park – Juried Art & Craft Show

Center Stage
11:30am Flint Creek
1:00pm Dang!
2:30pm Big Sandy and his fly-rite boys
4:00pm The John Cole Blues Band
5:30pm Prime Time Funk
7:00pm The Campbell Brothers

Children’s Stage
1:00pm Matt Episcopo
2:00pm         Mike Kornrich
3:00pm         Matt Episcopo
4:00pm         Mike Kornrich
5:00pm         The Magical John Show

For more information and updates on Rochester Lilac Festival 2013, visit lilacfestival.com

May 4, 2013
Cinnamon Chasers, Digital Dharma and more energized Red Square in Albany on March 1st

Red Square began filling up the moment the doors opened, with people from all over the Northeast eager to see the legend that is Russ Davies (Cinnamon Chasers). The night began with a bang as DJ duo PartyHorn took the front stage at Red Square spinning some classic disco remixes. The vocal samples were perfectly entwined with the light and whimsical beats these guys pumped out. Halfway through their set they busted out a fun rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and the crowd couldn’t get enough. Partyhorn played in between every band to keep the energy high throughout the night.

Organik Time Machine took the stage back with a funky blend of jamtronic beats with the accompaniment of a female singer. It is very rare to see a female singer heading a band, especially for more that just a few vocal samples. It was definitely refreshing to see something different done so well. Each song created its own energy and permeated throughout the Red Square. The light show these guys brought with them was absolutely phenomenal and only further bettered their already amazing set. From the front of the bar I heard the opening chords to the Sound Tribe Sector 9 song, “Ramone and Emiglio.” I can honestly say this is the first time in my life I have ever seen a band cover a STS9 song and I was pleasantly surprised to see them do it so well. Then it was Digital Dharma’s time to shine. I was greatly impressed by how far these guys have come since the last time I had seen them live. The amount of energy and passion these boys pour into their music is evident the moment they take stage. Steve Mink tore up the heavy bass lines while Jess Radosti threw out some guitar riffs that were reminiscent to that of Jon Barber from The Disco Biscuits. Elliot Kershner used the synth as a vehicle to carry each song and jam to further and further depths. It was seriously flooring to see how far these boys have come since they first took stage two years ago.

At this point in the night Red Square was packed wall to wall and the excitement was eminent as Cinnamon Chasers got ready to take stage. Cinnamon Chasers is a side project of Abakus’ Russ Davies (son of legendary Dave Davies of The Kinks) infusing electronic and disco to make a master mix for a serious dance party. Cinnamon Chasers played well into the early hours of the morning with the high energy crowd doing their best to keep up. Some of the samples and remixes included Bill Withers’ “A Lovely Day” and The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.” He also pulled out many song from his album Dreams and Machines, including “Flash gun,” “Hyper waves” and “Have I Said Something” . The entire set was filled with an outrageous amount of energy from both Davies and the crowd. For the encore he played “Night Walker” and “Diametric.” I left Red Square almost delusional from the exhaustion of dancing for five hours straight but needless to say, completely content. Truly an amazing show by all artists involved.

March 6, 2013
An Interview with Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic

The first time I saw Big Gigantic, I was floored by the amount of energy exuding from the stage to the crowd. They have all the aspects of any amazing electronic show: the mind blowing light show, the high energy and the improv jams, but also the jazz stylings that you would only find in a classically trained saxophonist. Dominic Lalli (sax and production) and Jeremy Salken (drums) have pioneered their own genre of music fusing together electronic, bass-centered music with smooth jazz and acoustic drums. Their sound is truly one of a kind and they have made their presence well known in the electronic scene. I had the pleasure of chatting on the phone with Jeremy just days before their show in Clifton Park at Upstate Concert Hall.

Jenni Wilson: Alright, we’ll start off with a little history behind Big G. When and how did you two meet?

Jeremy Salken: We met through the Boulder, Colorado music scene. We both were playing in funk and jazz bands, any gig we could get and we kind of met through that and ended up moving in together. Dom found a computer and started making some beats and it all kind of progressed from there.

JW: Who would you say are some of your biggest influences?

JS: Everything. Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, all jazz music. Radiohead, a bunch of new stuff like Skrillex and Bassnectar. We get influences from everywhere. We are always looking to push ourselves. Dom’s always trying to push the way we make music and the angles its coming from.

JW: You have clearly forged your own path in the electronic music scene, but being that what you play is still so different from other acts, how would you go about defining your music to someone who has no connection to the electronic music scene?

JS: It’s really hard to explain, honestly. It’s one of those things were still kind of trying to figure out. Its really not jazz and electronic. We call it electronic dance music or live electronic music. We take so many different styles from drum and bass, hip hop, dubstep, sometimes moombahton.

JW: What exactly inspired you to blend live sax and live drums with electronic?

JS: Dom has been playing sax for a while he has his masters in jazz performance. I’ve been playing drums since I was a little kid, self-taught. Naturally we wanted to bring different instruments together and we wanted to find a way to fuse electronic beats. We wanted to be able to throw a party and keep everyone dancing but still get to play our instruments and improvise and build and drop.

JW: Your tour schedule looks jam packed. Is this busiest you guys have ever been?

JS: It’s pretty normal, we’ve stay relatively busy since we started so it feels very natural. We have more time coming up than we ever have. Things are kind of chillin out. We have a nine-week tour in the fall, so this five-week tour is a short one compared to that.

JW: The last time I saw you guys was main stage at Camp Bisco and I know you guys ended up playing some of the top U.S. festivals last year. What festivals do you think you’ll be leaning towards this summer?

JS: We’re on Summercamp and Snowball in March, but we played so many last year this year will be more mellow and we try not to repeat festivals. A lot of festivals don’t like to repeat. We’re working on our new album and doing a big tour in the fall. We’re also working on a Red Rocks gig. There are also a couple of other festivals that I can’t really announce yet.

JW: What is your favorite part about playing a festival, and how does that compare to playing a headlining tour?

JS: It’s definitely different. We love playing festivals because Dom and I have been going to festivals before we were in this band. We’re huge fans of the festival vibe. It’s awesome playing in front of so many people with a huge crowd and massive energy. But we also love getting indoors and containing all of that energy and playing with a more intimate crowd.

JW: You guys have put out an album almost every year since 2009, is there any new material planned for 2013?

JS: We’re working on an album for the fall now hopefully before our tour. And hopefully we’ll have that and ya know, that’s been kind of the main focus.

JW: Will your show at the Upstate Concert Hall be your first trip to the Albany area, aside from Camp Bisco? What can we expect from you guys at this show?

JS: No we’ve been to Albany a bunch, probably our third show. We played The Big Up Festival, and we’ve also played in Rochester. We played a sports bar (Jillian’s) about a year and a half ago in Albany. We try and hit that area (Buffalo, Rochester, Albany) because we love coming to the Northeast. It’s gonna be a party. I wouldn’t miss it if I were you guys. We have a new light rig that we dropped on New Years and we’re bringing that out. We’re playing a bunch of new music, Dom’s been working on some new stuff so it’s gonna be a non-stop party.

JW: Alright last question. There have been rumors floating around that you and Jennie Garth recently started dating. Is this true?

JS: True. I haven’t been asked that on an interview but I’ve been asked it more and more since Jam Cruise. Our story broke in the National Enquirer with a bunch of false information. It said I was 41, which I wouldn’t mind if it was true but it’s not. It was funny being in the National Enquirer because obviously they don’t have reputable news. They called every member of my family and Dom trying to get all of this information and obviously nobody gave them anything so they ended up making everything up. They said we met at Coachella and have been dating for a really long time. That isn’t true. We didn’t meet at Coachella, we met in October so it’s impossible. It’s pretty nuts what kind of information they’ll print. Even with no information they will print whatever they want.

You can catch Big Gigantic at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on February 12th and at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester on February 17th.

February 9, 2013