NYS Music 20​13

Tag: mister f

  • Electric Lineup: Conspirator, SOLARiS, Mister F at Westcott Theater, October 11th

    As summer fades and fall begins, the festival season comes to a close once again. The endless lineups of favorite bands, the coming together of masses of people and the weekend-long festivities will return in a number of months, but until then, we have shows like the one put on by Conspirator, SOLARiS, and Mister F at the Westcott Theater on October 11th. Located just outside Syracuse University’s campus, the Westcott Theater hosted an audience composed of both students and locals, bridging the gap between the University and its surrounding community.

    MRF

    Before fans could see headlining act Conspirator’s elaborate display of visuals , the crowd’s light-up hula-hoops provided aesthetic entertainment during the evening’s first act, Mister F.  Made up of members from Timbre Coup and Capital Zen, Mister F’s music fuses the progressive, funk, and rock elements found in the group members’ outside projects. Utilizing a five-string bass and a seven-string guitar, Mister F’s uncommon instrumentation set the dance-dominated tone for the rest of the evening..

    Solaris

    Following Mister F’s set, fellow Upstate New Yorkers SOLARiS continued the night’s electro instrumental theme with their 3-piece fusion tunes. Although SOLARiS played an opening set, the extendedness of their jams and the crowd’s participation created an environment reminiscent of any headlining act. Drummer Daniel Scott Lyons’ ability to direct tempo changes with his quick-paced clicks influenced smooth transitions and allowed the band to jam without pause for almost the entire set.

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    As Conspirator took the stage against a backdrop of sun and palm trees, bassist Marc Brownstein introduced the band’s newest member, known simply as Torch. Brownstein explained that while Conspirator has played in Syracuse more than almost any other city, Friday night marked the first time in town for the band’s most recent addition. Inexperience, however, played no role in their set. As Conspirator’s jams evolved from slow grooves to an all-involved dance scene, the togetherness exemplified in the crowd also showed in the band’s ability to flow from jam to jam.

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    Conspirator’s electronic backdrop altered with the band’s music. The sun and palm trees that once occupied the set’s beginnings transformed throughout the show, creating abstract patterns representative of the band’s psychedelic tunes. While the season most closely associated with sun and palm trees has transitioned into the recent past as well, experiencing a show like this is always a fine way to spend Friday night.

    Setlist: Right/Wrong -> Onamewa -> Flash Mob -> Velvet Red -> Up -> Dynasty ->Orch Theme -> Hellsling
    Encore: Caves of the East

    Photos by Lorenzo Cook

  • The Hollow welcomed back The Heavy Pets with Mister F on September 26th

    As the summer has finally come to an end, taking with it festival season, music lovers can settle into their favorite local venues. The popular bar and restaurant, The Hollow, in Albany, welcomed local newcomers to the stage, Mister F, and returning jam band The Heavy Pets on September 26th. Familiar faces were found on the dance floor as friends exchanged tales of the summer and plans for the upcoming fall shows.

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    The four piece band Mister F performed over an hour in a set of nonstop, high energetic fusion of electronic rock and futuristic jazz. Drummer Matt Pickering kept a fast tempo beat throughout the night, keeping the crowd on their toes and focused on the energy from the band. Scott Hannay wasted no hammering his keys, delivering the same intensity as he switched to the guitar and bass during the set. “This One Goes to 11” had an upbeat melody with heavy bass bombs raining in from Ben Pickering while Andrew Chamberlaine was congratulated for his beard and skillful guitar licks. The crowd cheered as Mister F briefly teased Phish’s “Stash” during the rollercoaster “Jump the Shark.” Mister F has a fresh sound with an unpredictable flow that keeps the audience eager for the surprise hiding inside each song. They have intertwined their individual talents and designed a powerful music machine that concert goers become programmed to dance to. Mister F has a busy Fall Tour lined up with stops in Plattsburgh, Syracuse, NYC, Glens Falls and Lake George’s Jungle Boogie Music Festival.

    Setlist: Intro, Answer the Dog, Deal Breaker, Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11, Treadmill, Jump the Shark, Eye Level
    Encore: Hedgehog w/Jim Wuest from The Heavy Pets on keys

    The show is available for free stream or download here.

    The Heavy Pets are an unexpected tropical storm, slowing starting out a song, then morphing into a rough, wavy mixture of funk and rock, then suddenly, you get a smooth reggae vibe to relax to. Jeff Lloyd and Mike Garulli both scale their guitars with intensity and mind melting solos. Their harmonies on “Last Babies” are eerie and hypnotizing as the music soon takes over to lift you up with a whirlwind of shredding beats. Drummer Jamie Newitt and bassist Tony D’Amato laid a thick groove over the evening, helping to spread the rhythm out for a dance heavy set. One of the highlights of the night was the quick cover of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis. Jim Wuest is a mastermind behind the keys as he electrifies the crowd with every key change of techno delight. They will tour around the southern states on their Fall Tour before returning to New York in November, showcasing their latest release of the A/B single Two Horses. The Heavy Pets bring a much needed change in longitude to Upstate with their hot and humid jams.

    Photos By Bryan Lasky

  • Mister F Turns Up The Heat (Wave) at The Hollow, July 18

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    Newton Crosby got the night off on the right foot on July 18th at the Hollow Bar, (formerly known as Bayou Café) ahead of Mister F. In the middle of a five day heat wave, music enthusiasts were more than happy to sweat it out to the funky beats of two phenomenal bands. Each of Newton Crosby’s songs built energy from the song before and stayed very heavily focused around the saxophone. The keys and synth transformed the organic sounds of instruments into a beautiful blend of synthetic melodic funk jams. They were the perfect band to warm up the stage on a hot night in Albany.

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    Mister F took the Hollow stage with full force and high energy. The electronic blend immediately picked up within their first song and invigorated the crowd with energy. Matt Pickering belted into the microphone without missing a single beat while the rest of the band follows suit in synchrony. Their authenticity within each song develops complex layers that bounce between band members creating stellar building points for each member to work off of. Even more so, you can tell that each member is genuinely having a blast doing it so it makes it all that much better for the crowd. Halfway through their first set they busted out a seriously funky rendition of “Superstitions” by Stevie Wonder. Scott Hannay (keys) really brought that song to life with his powerful vocals and amazingly funky keys. The blend of pure instrumental talent mixed with the electronic elements really creates a new and fresh sound that is rare to find. Even in 98 degree heat these boys threw down, and turned the heat up. This was the only the second time I had seen these guys and even from just a few months ago you can see the growth of the band and their fan-base. There is obviously a huge buzz surrounding Mister F, so make sure you catch them at their upcoming shows and festivals.

    Set I: Jump the Shark, Everything You Say, Superstition > Answer the Dog, ‘Oasis Mood’, Buster’s Revenge, Hedgehog

    Set II: This One Goes to 11, Fancy Footwork, Deal Breaker, Treadmill, 1000 Cigarettes* > Vocoder^, Get Used to It

    *first time played, MSTRKRFT
    ^”Broke Odor” version

     http://archive.org/details/mrf2013-07-18.flac16

  • Lake George’s Fridays At The Lake Free Concert Series Lineup 2013

    Living in NY State is heating up this month – add some sizzle to your summer nights while you are in Lake George with their 2013 Free Friday! Live Concert Series, every Friday At 7:00pm, Shepard Park Amphitheater in Lake George, NY. Raging Lake George for the fourth year with 7 shows.

    Come to Shepard Park on Canada Street in Lake George Village for free music concerts and fireworks during the summer months! Nearly every night during the summer, there is free entertainment in the park’s Amphitheater. For more info please visit: LakeGeorge.com

    The Lineup:

    June 28: Aqueous

    July 5: Wild Adriatic

    July 27: High Peaks Band

    August 2: Rev. Tor Band

    August 9: Capital Zen

    August 23: Stone Revival Band

    August 31: Mister F

  • Mister F and Fikus Electrified Red Square on May 4th

    The boys of Timbre Coup always bring a large crowd whenever they play Albany venues, and building off that following has led to a great reception for Mister F, the new project/collaboration of Ben Pickering, Andrew Chamberlaine and Matt Pickering of Timbre Coup and Scott Hannay of Capital Zen. They brought Fikus to Albany on May 4 at Red Square.

    It was a pleasant surprise to see that a band as collaborative in nature took on a new life outside of both respective bands. All members brought such a high level of talent and energy that it would be seriously difficult to go wrong with this mash up. Although there certainly exist hints of both Timbre Coup and Capital Zen, it was a completely different show and a completely different experience. This is clearly not just a side project for any of the boys, but instead an opportunity to try something outside of what we are all so accustomed to in Albany.

    Scott Hannay on the keys brought an electro feel to the organics of the bass and guitar. It is a perfect mix of organic and synthetic, man and machine. One of the highlights of the night was when Matt abruptly yelled into his microphone “Well, obviously we have a rapist in Lincoln Park,” in which the band responded which a hilarious rendition of Antoin Dobson’s “Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife.” I was truly unaware that you could actually turn such a ridiculous YouTube sensation into a well composed song. As always, Matt did not cease to impress on the drums with his fast paced beats; the rest of the band followed in step to create phenomenal jams.

    Although some of their past work has been faster paced with ripping guitar solos, it seemed they all shared the stage in an equilibrium within each jam. The experience was absolutely different than any band on the scene. There is certainly no single genre that Mister F would fall under, as they clearly have made it an art of incorporating all talents and reaches of music to compose hardwired songs that will keep you dancing from start to end. Each individual is so passionate about the music they create that each song reaches new highs and lows in every measure. You can catch Mister F at Upstate Spring Revival May 10-11, Strawberry Jam May 19th, Disc Jam June 14th, and The Big Up Music festival August 8-10th.

    Setlist: Deal Breaker, 11, Everything You Say, Bed Intruder> Vocoder, Busters Revenge, Hedgehog> J> Hedgehog, Canned Heat, Jump the Shark . Download the show from Archive.org

    Fikus, a Bergen County, New Jersey based band headlined the night, and although they were named after an obscure Phish song, their show rivaled Mister F’s set. For a nonstop 90 minutes, Fikus played a tremendous selection of songs, ranging across the prog-rock and electronic spectrum. The quintet produced incredible dance numbers, such as “Latin” that had a  distinct Latin-flair to it, before getting spacey in a Brian Eno-style of ambient jamming, before returning into a Moog-heavy shred fest, grinding through the jam and coming out the other side with an audience ecstatic at this distinct sound emanating from the confines of Red Square.

    Jams were stretched out from a prog-rock base that grew and developed into even deeper cuts, ala “Jim Jones”, as Fikus’ own plane of progressive jamming melded into “Nightwalker”. The audience were headbanging as the band cranked out fully synced rock that, bringing them into a wholly new section of improve with a distinct 80’s flair. “Cool Refrigerator” turned the tempo down as Pete Kozak sang acapella as Jon Schmarak provided a piano interlude, before the full band joined in for yet another slamming number that swayed the dancefloor, populated with a solid crowd of late-night revelers intent on bringing Cinco de Mayo in with cheers for mas y mas.  The swinging encore “Tempest” elevated the crowd past 2 a.m., building the anticipation for another return to Upstate New York later this summer, if not sooner.

    Tequila shots were requested and enjoyed during the night, making this twin-bill of fantastic improv-heavy bands a perfect highlight for the warm nights ahead this summer.

    Setlist: Somethin’ Stanky > Latin, Jim Jones > Nightwalker > Dingo , Cool Refrigerator

    Encore: Tempest in a Teapot

  • Blotto and Mister F, Albany’s oldest and newest bands, play rare shows on March 1st

    On Friday, March 1st, one of Albany’s oldest bands, Blotto, took the stage at Valentines for WCDB’s 35th anniversary show, celebrating the Capital Region’s best music from 90.9 at SUNY Albany. Across town at The Bayou Cafe, Mister F, a Timbre Coup/Capital Zen side-project took shape for the first time, debuting as the newest band in the Albany scene. When Blotto first debuted in the early 1980s, none of the members of Mister F were born yet. Catching both of these shows was quite an impressive display of musical talents ranging over a span of 33 years, with each giving a stellar performance in their own right.

    blotto mister fBlotto, best known for their hits “I Wanna be a Lifeguard”, “I Quit” and “Metalhead”, play shows periodically in the Albany area, bringing their new wave/surf rock sound to the masses once again. There were plenty of hits to choose from and the crowd enthusiastically cheered on each song and laughed along with Broadway Blotto’s song exposition and Sarge Blotto’s story telling added a little extra to the songs, building up to “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” and “Lifeguard”.

    Setlist: She’s Got a Big Boyfriend, When the Second Feature Starts, I Quit, My Baby’s the Star of a Drivers Ed movie, It’s Not You, (We Are) The Nowtones, Elevator Music, Goodbye, Mr. Bond, I Wanna be a Lifeguard

    Meanwhile, at The Bayou, Mister F, made up of Andy, Ben and Matt from Timbre Coup and Scott from Capital Zen, took to the stage with “Vocodor” and from the start, this meeting of the musical minds came off as being a natural sounding act. A couple of covers thrown in – Hall and Oates’ “I can’t go for that”, White Town’s “Your Woman” and a fantastically done “Elevator”, a Particle song that moves at breakneck speeds at times, gave the night some familiarity and allowed the four to show off their chops. “Hedgehog” rounded out the night as the crowd gave big support in a debut performance for the group.

    Setlist: Vocoder, No Can Do* > Treadmill, 11, Your Woman# > Improv > Don’t Lose Your Watch, Elevator^, Final Countdown Intro > Hedgehog

    Photos by Chelsea Valente

  • Timbre Coup side project ‘Mister F’ set to debut March 1st in Albany

    Branching out from one of Albany’s biggest bands, Mister F is set to debut on March 1st  in Albany as a side project of prog-rock group Timbre Coup. The band will be playing shows on a recurring basis, but by no means supplanting the current lineup. Musical growth is always welcome and stands to benefit all musicians from both bands in the long run.

    timbre coup mister f knuckles and valleysIncluded in Mister F are three members of Timbre Coup: Matt Pickering (drums), Ben Pickering (bass) and Andrew Chamberlaine (guitar) and Scott Hannay from Capital Zen (keys), although you can expect a fair amount of instrument switching from these talented musicians. Scott has been friends with Timbre Coup for many years now, having sat in with them, as well as playing with the likes of Umphrey’s McGee. Scott also created the Umphrey’s McNes stream of songs (Nintendo-style versions of Umphrey’s songs) which can be heard on MySpace. Matt Pickering remarked “I think we have great chemistry and he writes amazing music on all instruments. In fact, he writes and programs drum parts better than I can play them. It’s a challenge learning his drum parts and I know the other guys feel the same about his guitar and bass parts.”

    The name of the band, Mister F, is a nod to one of the best shows in American Television history, Arrested Development and all band members share an affinity for the program.

    The group’s debut show will be at The Bayou Cafe in Albany on March 1st with Cosmic Dust Bunnies slated to play the late night portion of the night, with an opening act set to be announced soon. Look for Mister F to play shows in April and into the summer.

    For now, check them out on Facebook and their website

    Listen to an exclusive track ‘Hedgehog’, featuring some instrument switching – Scott on bass, Ben and Andrew on guitar creating the key/synth sounds, and Matt on drums.