NYS Music 20​13

Tag: putnam den

  • Thanksgiving Eve in Upstate New York: Where the Party at?

    Thanksgiving Eve – in Upstate New York, as well as around the country – has become known as one of the biggest party nights of the year, with the day after being one that nearly everyone has off from work to enjoy and eat all day with loved ones. With the holiday season upon us, it’s that time of the year to reflect on all the people, places and things in your life that you are thankful for. Upstate New York is fortunate to have a diverse music scene across the state, with plenty of home grown talent as well as artists visiting from all over the world, to enjoy our beautiful scenery, unique concert halls and our states deep appreciate for good music.

    This Thanksgiving Eve go out and support our local venues and musicians because we can all be grateful for a good time!

    Rochester
    Sophistafunk with Subsoil at Sticky Lips BBQ Juke Joint, Rochester

    ThanksGivingEve.Paulys

    Albany/Capital Region

    Black Mountain Symphony at Paulys
    Timbre Coup with Solaris at Red Square
    Wild Adriatic at The Hollow with Titanics (free to first 100 people to RSVP on their Facebook event page)
    High Peaks Band at Bailey’s Café, Saratoga
    Eastbound Jesus with The North and South Dakotas, Putnam Den, Saratoga
    Hammell on Trial at 6pm and The DeadBeats at 10pm at Valentines, Albany

    ThanksGivingEve.EBJ.

    North Country
    Capital Zen 5 piece Reunion CD release party at GUGs in Glens Falls

    ThanksGivingEve.CapitalZen

    Oneonta
    John Scarpulla Band w/Hop City Hellcats at Oneonta Theater

    Binghamton
    InnerMission at Cyber Café West

    Syracuse
    95X & Music for the Mission Toys for Tots Benefit at The Lost Horizon
    Chuck Dorgan and Jess Novak at Trapper’s Pizza Pub, East Syracuse
    Los Blancos, Tim Herron Corporation, and Medicine Wheel, Charley Orlando and Mike Vincitore at Dinosaur BBQ

    Buffalo
    Lazlo HoLLyfeld at Hotel Lafayette
    Sin District at The Forvm
    Brian Setzer Orchestra at the University at Buffalo

    ThanksGivingEve.SinDistrict

  • Orchard Lounge Goes Late Night at The Putnam Den, October 25th

    A crisp late night in Saratoga began with DJ Leila and Jon Santolla (aka Mentally Ill) throwing down a heavy set to warm up the audience. Even from down the street it was obvious that this dynamic duo had taken the stage at Putnam Den with a vengeance. The set varied from hard drum and bass to more down-tempo trancy beats that layered into each other infiltrating the crowd with intensity. Leila and Santolla were the perfect opener to set the tone before Spencer and Bethany of Orchard Lounge took stage.

    OrchardLounge-14

    Orchard Lounge electrified the crowd into an all night dance party. The bar was pumping out glasses of water for all of the crowd, ragged form the hard dancing. Although the crowd was small, it left nothing to be desired in the way of energy. Bethany repeatedly looked up from her table and pointed out to the crowd mouthing “I love you guys,” clearly feeling the amount of energy the crowd was permeating out into the venue. A few times throughout the show, Bethany even jumped down off stage and let Spencer take charge while she fraternized and danced with her adoring fans. It is not very often that you see artists with as sizable a following that Orchard Lounge has being so down to earth and engaged with their fans. The entire set crossed so many boundaries and genres and took the night to levels of intricacy that are rarely seen from a set of DJs. One thing is for sure, when Spencer and Bethany take stage – there is no laziness and their stamina is impressive.  Orchard Lounge took no breaks and continued the party well into the early hours of the morning, as the crowd lost no steam for the dance party that raged on. There was absolutely nothing lackluster about their entire set, which is why Orchard Lounge holds the following and fan base that they do. It is evident that all parties involved had a great time for O-Lounge’s first Saratoga experience.

  • Orchard Lounge, Mentally Ill and Leila to Tear Up ‘The Den’, Friday October 25th

    Orchard Lounge, DJ Leila and Mentally Ill are all scheduled to perform what will be a fantastic show at The Putnam Den tonight,  October 25th. All three acts played a show earlier in the year at the formerly named Bayou Cafe, now the Hollow, in Albany, NY. With excellent feed back and a large draw, they will once again take stage, this time in Saratoga, NY.
    olounge

    Orchard Lounge is known for bringing their fusion of a wide variety of genres together to create unique sets that keep the masses coming back for more. O lounge is the collective of Bethany Lokken and Spencer Lokken who have set themselves apart from the typical club DJs we have all become accustomed to hearing night after night. The duo has toured festival to festival as a fan favorite, opening for major bands such as Sound Tribe Sector 9, The New Deal, The Disco Biscuits and Future Rock.
    Both Dj Leila (Leila Harrison) and Mentally Ill (Jon Santolla) bring high energy, hard hitting sets compiled primarily of Drum and Bass with gritty beats. Both artists run the Drum and Bass Coalition out of Albany and tour extensively on the East Coast festival circuit.

    This is going to be a show you definitely do not want to miss.
    This show is ages: 18+ and doors are at 8 pm, show starts at 9 pm.

  • Conspirator and Jeff Bujak Electrify Putnam Den

    Jeff Bujak was the perfect opener for a high energy act such as Conspirator at The Putnam Den on October 17th. He busted out new material from his album User Correction which stays upbeat in true Buj fashion, but has deeper and slower samples intertwined within heavy synth and upbeat drum tempos. Jeff Bujak has a way of pounding on his keys like the phantom of the opera with such passion and involvement that it is difficult to stand still during one of his sets. The crowd seemed to be loving it from start to finish keeping the energy at a constant high before Conspirator took stage.

    Conspirator took to the stage with impressive intensity as the crowd rushed back into the Putnam Den. The set started off slower with the down-tempo, heavy synthed “Velvet Red.” Starting slow and permeating the crowd with its groove, when the “Velvet” bass dropped, the entire venue came alive. Conspirator’s new drummer Torch left absolutely nothing to be desired. He brings a new sound and liveliness to the band and highlights aspects of each song that otherwise would go unnoticed. Watching Torch lay it down on the drums during “Liquid Handcuffs” proved that he was more than capable of keeping up with the rest of the guys in the band. Aaron Magner is more or less the Neil Pert of keyboardists and it is only a matter of time before he’s going to need to be airlifted into a full circle of his various keyboards. The intricacies he brings to each song is unparalleled by any other keyboardist in the electronic music scene. Chris Michetti shined throughout the entire set. Both Michetti and Marc Brownstein were completely in sync throughout each song, and where one took a step back the other took a step forward and the spotlight was equally shared by both.

    The hardest part for Conspirator is trying to shake the concept that they are trying to follow in the Disco Biscuits footsteps. Conspirator is comprised of four very talented musicians that all bring something new and fresh to the table that is new and different from the projects they have been a part of in the past. It is easy to be overly critical as a Biscuits fan of what Conspirator does, but as a true critic one needs to step back and recognize the talent and passion each member of the band brings to such a brilliant collaborative effort of music. Overall, the show was phenomenal and you can definitely tell each member of the band is truly passionate about the music they create.

    After the show Marc Brownstein stepped out from back stage to meet and snap photos with his fans. After a long, hot and tiring set, the last thing most musicians want to do is be swarmed by their adoring fans. It was definitely admirable too see a musician be so humble with his fanbase. At one point during the show, Brownstein mentioned that Saratoga held a special place for him because it was the place he saw his first Grateful Dead concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Sharing information like that with a crowd of people who are primarily from the Upstate region is what makes a show like this so personal and awesome. It was definitely an amazing experience to see this many talented musicians on stage together in such a small venue and it is evident that Upstate New York loves Conspirator.

    Setlist: Velvet Red ->Retrograde ->Liquid Handcuffs -> Bella’s Ball -> Up -> So Much More -> Legalize It-> Flash Mob -> Struts -> Fascinate -> Retrograde

    Encore: Oname-wa

  • Putnam Den is Hosting the Official Farm Aid After-Party with The Infamous Stringdusters

    Infamous-String-550If you’re going to be in Saratoga for Farm Aid on Saturday, swing by Putnam Den afterwards for the official post-show with The Infamous Stringdusters.  Following what is going to be an amazing day of music, they will take the stage with their take on bluegrass for everyone who has not had their fill yet.  If you didn’t get tickets to Farm Aid itself, Putnam Den will also be hosting a viewing party starting at 5PM until the show is over for free.  Once the show is over  doors will be open for the 11PM show for those who want to see The Infamous Stringdusters and tickets for that are available now here.  Get them early as this will almost certainly sell-out.  This is a special treat for the area to have along with Farm Aid and The Stringdusters have said the audience should be ready for “a performance, not a show.”

    Fan and critical favorites The Infamous Stringdusters are considered as the premier live act amongst the current crop of newgrass (or alternative bluegrass) bands. Their shows offer a complex, distinctive, and groove-friendly sound on top of a traditional bluegrass foundation.  Comparisons range all over the musical map, from Earl Scruggs Revue to Nickel Creek to Old And In The Way to Leftover Salmon to too-common “if Phish played bluegrass” quotes.

    Bonus! This show will be sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery!

  • Reggae Legend ‘Luciano’ Comes to Saratoga Springs July 19th

    Luciano056Nectar’s  Presents recently announced  that  The  Messenger,  Luciano  will  bring  his   brand  of  roots  reggae  to Putnam Den  on  July  19th.  Known  for  his  electrifying  epic  live performances,  he  will  be  backed  by  the  famed seven‐piece i-­KRONICK  band  for  his   much  anticipated  first  tour  of  North  America  in  years.  The  evening  will also  feature  selections  by  DJ  TRUMASTR  and  knomad.

    With  the  release  of  his  landmark  album  Where  There  Is  Life  in  1995,  Luciano   emerged  as  one  of  the  most important  reggae  singers  in  decades  and  the  greatest   hope  for  roots  reggae’s  survival  in  the  digital  dancehall  era. Since  then,  Luciano  has   released  over  45  albums  and  has  been  consistently  praised  for  imparting  conscious sentiments  of  spiritual  salvation,  Rastafarian  edification  and  African  repatriation.   Born  in  the  parish  of Manchester,  Jamaica,  he  has  influenced  countless  artists  from   Stevie  Wonder  to  the  “The  Crown  Prince  of Reggae”  the  late  great  Dennis  Brown.

    i-­Kronik  represents  the  future  of  the  ‘classic’  reggae  band.    Coming  from  the  lineage   of  the  Gumption  Band, they are  redefining  roots  reggae  with  years  of  experience   playing  on  the  world’s  largest  stages  backing  legends  such as Beres  Hammond,   Luciano,  Dennis  Brown,  Freddie  McGregor,  Barrington  Levy,  Ken  Boothe  and countless  others.

     Show  Details:  Nectar’s  Presents   Reggae  Legend   LUCIANO   “The  Messenger”   Backed  by  the  Seven-­‐Piece  Band:  i-­‐KRONIK   July  19,  2013   Putnam  Den   Downtown  Saratoga  Springs,  NY  (63  Putnam  Street)   (Across  from  library  and  behind  Uncommon  Ground  Coffee)

  • Phish After Party: Dead Sessions at Putnam Den, July 5th

    On July 5th, as the first night of Phish at Saratoga Performing Arts Center came to a close, the town streets came alive as those attending the three-night run fanned out to find after-parties to keep the vibe grooving. At the legendary Putnam Den in downtown Saratoga, those looking to keep their booties shaking found a pleasant surprise in the tucked away venue as Dead Sessions started off the night with a boisterous “Franklin’s Tower”.

    One of my personal favorite aspects of Putnam Den is when they put on a show, they never overcrowd the venue, so as the sound echoed into the street and more ticket holders entered the premises, we all had the perfect amount of room to get down.

    dead sessions putnamFor those who have never seen Dead Sessions, this band is the embodiment of  the timelessness of The Grateful Dead’s music. Although the band calls Vermont home, the band is composed of rotating members who are from various locations around the country. While they performed a plethora of old favorites including “Bertha”, “Peggy-O” and “He’s Gone”, they also added their own improvisational jams and gave each song a piece of their own musical personalities.

    During “Scarlet Begonias”, their first set closer, they went into an impressive improv streak that combined new age jam with old age style and an intertwining of spacey jams that tied it all together. Keyboardist Adam King’s playful melody danced around the crowd as guitar players Seth Yacavone and Adam Terrell (Assembly of Dusct / Ghosts of Jupiter/ Percy Hill), who was filling in for Tobe Kniffin dueled harmoniously with one another and the full sounded band, which included drummers Kevin Shapiro and Steve Hadeka (Seth Yacovone Band), supporting their beat every step of the way.

    Dead Sessions was a great way to end the night for any Phish-Dead lover. Before we knew any better, it was 4am and with our hip joints thoroughly greased up from a full night of music, the crowd dissipated with a buzz of anticipation for two more amazing nights of music.

    Also worth noting is that the show also doubled as a WaterWheel benefit and raised over $1,100 for the WaterWheel Foundation – which in turn donated it to the Saratoga Hospital Foundation which is working to build a community health center in Saratoga.

    Setlist

    Set 1: Feel Like a Stranger>Franklin’s Tower, Jack Straw, West L.A. Fadeaway, Bertha, Brown Eyed Women, Peggy-0, Alligator> He’s Gone> Scarlet Begonias

    Set 2: Playin’ in the Band> Visions of Johanna> Playin’ in the Band, Blow Away, China Cat Sunflower> At a Siding> I Know You Rider, Easy Wind

  • ‘Toga Thursdays – The Heavy Pets at Putnam Den

    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 Heavy Pets will be performing at this year’s Equifunk and The Night Lights Fall music festivals.

  • Summer Nights in Saratoga: Assembly of Dust at Putnam Den, June 22nd

    Saratoga Springs has so much music in the summer, particularly at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, it can be easy to overlook the local music that is found throughout the town nearly every night of the week. Whether you are looking for music to follow dinner, a free show in the park or a stand alone night of live music, there’s something for everyone in Saratoga. A fine example of Saratoga in the summer took place this past Saturday at Putnam Den with Assembly of Dust and opener Capital Zen.

    After a warmup from Capital Zen, the crowd filtered outside for some fresh air, then back inside once Assembly of Dust made their way to the stage shortly after 11 pm. Opening up with “Sometimes”, the Strangefolk original had a twist with a little jazz fusion added in from Adam Terrell, followed by a lengthy “Tavern Walker”, a nod to the band’s street team. Twenty minutes later, we had only heard two songs, a fantastic glimpse at a band who was relaxed and patient with their songs. “Arc of the Sun”, a track off Some Assembly Required and featuring Mike Gordon on the studio version, gave a mellow contrast to the previous songs, but “Samuel Aging” was where the band jumped right back into the thick of things, diving into the tune and finding plenty of space to stretch the song out.

    “Elixir” featured Jason Crosby on the keys; Crosby, who has played with both Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, gave a jazzier taste to normally rocked out songs, yet still played the fiddle on “Corpus Christi” , a very multi-talented member of Assembly of Dust. “Filter”  capped off the set with the ‘Funky Chicken’ dancing crowd and now-sweating band singing in unison the “Doo-doo-do-do-do” refrain, literally melting in the moment. The set kept getting more rocking as each song unfolded and progressed. With a great flow to the songs, the jams were built from within each individual song, a true jamband set.

    Among all this great music, it should be noted that the band and well lit audience were a great accent to the evening. Wes Rizzo’s lights had a 1960s Flower Power vibe that shone down on the band and crowd equally, using the walls to illuminate all. Speaking with Reid Genauer during setbreak, he spoke of the Putnam Den as “Great, it’s an awesome energy. We were in a small little theater and it was pristine and sort of quiet, and very resident, last night. Tonight it’s back into the bar brawl scene, not brawl literally, but you know, the gritty bar – as much as I love the serenity and acoustics of a nice theater, I’m just at home in the context of a bar, I’m a happy camper. And the vibe is awesome out there.”. Clearly enjoying the night and digging the vibe the crowd was putting off, the band was relaxed and took a well earned break between sets.

    Second set opened with “Truck Farm” and “Bus Driver”, leading up to a resounding version of “Roads”, a classic tune that any live music fan can identify with. The line “I don’t know where I’m going but I’ll get there, yeah! Sometimes I’m wondering where will it be?” has broad appeal and led to the crowd singing/shouting along with the refrain. A special treat, thanks in part to bassist John Leccesse, was Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Woodstock”, a perfect tune for AOD and leading to another sing-a-long amid sustained dancing in the crowd.

    “Mud Spring Draw” featured Crosby’s fiddle once again, while “Poland” included a “down down diggy diggy” vocal jam, and whether it was organic or rehearsed did not matter – the crowd was into it, the band was meshing and drummer Andy Herrick held down the beat to keep the jam progressing – this was the highlight of the night, among many other worthy candidates. The encore began with “Things That Fly” with just Reid and Adam on guitar, gentle and stretched out perfectly. “Fountain” and “Harrower” followed, both jammed out just as nearly the entire night was, closing in a three-song encore at nearly 25 minutes. The crowd cheered for more while catching their breath – the night was a non-stop rocker from start to finish, a great way to kick off the summer in Saratoga.

    Assembly of Dust is also playing at Gathering of the Vibes in Seaside Park, CT, in late July. Before then, you can catch them at  The Friendly Gathering in Windham, Vermont, this coming weekend, June 28-29. Reid mentioned, regarding Assembly of Dust playing, “Our good friend and longtime manager Bob Kennedy is involved with that in some way shape or form. And I think its BYOB which is nice.” AOD and BYOB at a festival – a great combo.

    Set 1: Sometimes, Tavern Walker, Arc of the Sun, Samuel Aging, Elixir, Vaulted Sky, Corpus Christi, Second Song, Filter

    Set 2: Truck Farm, Bus Driver, Roads, Mama, Woodstock, Poland, Mud Spring Draw, Honeycreeper

    Encore: Things That Fly*, Fountain, Harrower

    *just Reid and Adam

    Assembly of Dust on Facebook, Twitter and on the web

  • Don’t miss Assembly of Dust at Putnam Den, Saturday June 22nd

    Folk-rockers Assembly of Dust make a trip to the Capital Region with a visit to the Putnam Den on Saturday, June 22nd, bringing with them an extensive catalog that pulls upon the sounds of The Band, Traffic and Neil Young to form their unique blend of folk, rock and improvisation.

    assembly of dust putnam The early 1970’s are reflected in their music, tailored to their own stylings and a powerful show is the result. With melodies that hook you in, Reid’s poetic lyrics and a profound depth of musicianship, USA Today has said that Assembly of Dust has what it takes to “dazzle the Alt-Country universe.” Assembly of Dust recently released their new album Sun Shot, which is available for free download at Aodust.com.

    Assembly of Dust features Reid Genauer on guitar and vocals, Adam Terrell on lead guitar, John Leccesse on bass and recent additions to the band Jason Crosby on piano and violin and Dave Diamond on drums.

    This show is 18+ and tickets are $10 advance or $12 at the door. You can pick up tickets to Assembly of Dust through Putnam Den. Doors open at 8 pm and the show gets started at 9:30 with very special guest Capital Zen.