NYS Music 20​13

Tag: Rochester

  • Three Takes: Dopapod at Red Square in Albany, February 28th, The Westcott in Syracuse, March 1st and Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, March 2nd

    Dopapod is in the midst of a huge tour and made three stops in Upstate New York last weekend including at Red Square. Here are recaps, videos and photos of shows in Albany, Syracuse and Rochester.

    Red Square, Albany, February 28th

    Review by Pete Mason

    Red Square in Albany kicked off the first of three incredible nights of music as Dopapod swung through Upstate New York with Big Something from Burlington, NC in support. The opener was a new sextet to visit the region and slayed with a great cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” and uniquely incorporated an instrument I had never seen before, an EWI (an acronym for electric wind instrument), into the show without overshadowing the rest of the music. These guys are worth finding at a festival this summer or the next time they make it to Upstate NY.

    Having played with Dopapod at The Big What Festival in North Carolina, the two bands found solid support and kinship on the road. They have a good core sound and layer each instrument on top of one another, leading to thick and complicated jams that ignite the dance fuel in the crowd.

    It has been great to see Dopapod grow and develop in the past few years, exciting fanbase no matter where and when they play. With a new lighting setup, Dopapod played to a packed house, tearing through old songs and a pair of new tunes, including “Like a Ball”.

    “Braindead”, off Redivider ,was hit with the industrial stick and spiced up a notch. The crowd, 20s-30s for the most part, was full of folks getting down to the set, especially when songs meandered off into the oblivion of improvisational bliss. “Carolina”, a slow rumba if I ever heard one, filled in nicely before the debut of “Priorities”.

    Dopapod also announced that night that they would be playing Saturday May 11th at The Spring Revival in Lyons NY, hosted by ‘s own HerbyOne and State Wide Music. There are other area festival appearances this summer, some still yet to be named, but one that is announced is one of ’s favorite’s, Backwoods Pondfest, located in Peru, NY near the Ausable Chasm. Catching Dopapod is entering another world of jam music, one that combined the best of progressive rock and electronic beats for some heavy duty performances. They are one you don’t want to regret missing.

    Setlist: FABA, Like A Ball, French Bowling, New James, Sonic > Braindead, Off The Cuff, Ellemenno > The Chocolate Drum Machine > Carolina, Priorities > Tequila* > Priorities, Bahbi
    E: Nuggy Jawson, Trapper Keeper^
    *impromptu cover; Rob quoted the first Ninja Turtles movie twice
    ^dedicated to Jason Gibbs for becoming the new Pope… No one thought it was funny.

    Photos by Andy Hill

    The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, March 1st

    review by Quinn Donnell, photos by Kevin Burke

    As Dopapod spent their weekend touring through Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester, the four-piece experimental funk-rock group surely experienced a number of similarities associated with playing shows in Upstate New York. On Friday night in Syracuse, however, an audience dominated by Syracuse University students provided a unique experience for the band. Joined for the first time this tour by The Manhattan Project, a Rochester-based duo whose synth-led jams put the Westcott Theater’s crowd in the perfect mood for a night of groovin’, Dopapod headlined an evening of great jams and great times.

    As the Manhattan Project concluded their opening set, audience members who had spent the beginning portion of their evening either at the bar or hula hooping away from the dance-designated pit came together in front of the stage for a performance from their favorite electro-jam band. After a nearly ten minute intro involving beams of light and slow, monotonous bells, Dopapod took the Westcott’s stage. Juxtaposed with their mellow introduction, the band’s opening song, “Bubblebrain,” involved delay-heavy guitar riffs and a booming, tribal-like drumbeat. As Dopapod’s set progressed, their experience as performers who have played over 150 shows every year for the last three years, became apparent. The crowd found its groove and danced under flashing lights with glow-in-the-dark accessories. Playing a cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” Dopapod concluded their set to appreciative applause from the audience. As Dopapod continues to tour throughout the country, a future stop back in Syracuse would be greatly appreciated. Check them out in Ithaca on April 23rd.

    Setlist: Bubblebrain, Roid Rage, Present Ghosts, Jam > Onionhead, Turnin’ Knobs, Drum Machine > STADA, Trapper Keeper, Weird Charlie, Indian Grits > Psycho Nature

    Encore: You Oughta Know

    Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, March 2nd

    Review by Darren Kemp

    The Upstate NY Dopapod run continued Saturday with a nearly sold out show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester. Local band Haewa opened with a scorcher of a set that showed they would not be an opener for long. Dopapod hit the stage around 11 pm for a long two-hour set filled with a nicely selected mix of new material, old songs and a spot on cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun complete with organ vocals.

    Highlights included the aforementioned cover and an absolutely mind-bending “French Bowling” > “Brain Dead” pairing. The band left the stage around 1:15 am to an ear deafening roar and came back to reward the audience with a “Off the Cuff” cover with Fleet Foxes teases. An excellent performance by two bands with bright futures.

    Setlist: Priorities, Black and White. French Bowling > Braindead, Black Hole Sun* > Present Ghosts, Sonic > My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant, Vol. 3 #86^, We Are Not Alone > Give It A Name
    Encore: Off The Cuff%

    *Soundgarden,  ^contained “Rondo Alla Turka” tease (Mozart) %contained “Ragged Wood” tease (Fleet Foxes)

  • 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.

  • EP Review: HATE MACHINE “The Movement”

    405972_444534805577938_1470472091_nRochester New York’s very own “Original Metal Thugs” Hate Machine are back with this 5 song explosion- The Movement.  After dominating the Upstate NY metal scene in the late 90’s, the band has made a comeback and once again found themselves back at the top.

         The first track, Chainsaw Philosophy opens fast and furious.  The most refreshing element of this track is that after all these years, Hate Machine is sticking to their guns and not conforming to some of the terrible styles of “Metal” that make me wish I was deaf at times.  With lines like,”..Now, I’ve got a message for you. My knuckles pay the postage…”, the point of the song is clear.  Join the brotherhood or stay the fuck out of the way.
         While some might say that Track 3- Strings, steers off course a little bit.  This is the most catchy song on the EP and my personal favorite.  Vocalist, Jed Seaver demonstrates great ability to both sing and scream, while delivering passionate lyrics.  For any musician with a life outside of music, you can relate to the “Strings” that pull you in several directions and the sacrifice involved in following your heart.
         The overall sound is amazing.  There are crushing guitar riffs, tastefully done, and the overall mix is very clear. When a band goes away for while, the first thing that comes to my mind is whether or not the vocalist can still deliver.  Well, erase that thought from your head.  The cross over style of singing and aggression filled anger that made Hate Machine who they are is still in full effect.
         The only disappointing thing about this EP is that it is an EP.  I am eager to see Hate Machine put out a full length album.  If The Movement doesn’t get your head moving, you lack a pulse… and that’s another issue.
    For more information on Hate Machine –

    -Jason Acevedo