On Dec. 26 the Lost Horizon hosted 95X’s Local’s Only Winter Warmer. The spirit of the holidays was still in effect as entry was free when a donation of warm clothing for the needy was brought to the door. Closing out the six band lineup was Only the Chosen, a high energy hardcore band from Syracuse. The band is tight and the vocals show a dynamic range from melodic singing to guttural screams.
While formed in early 2014, Only the Chosen is earning a following for their kinetic stage performance. Their lead singer has been known to jump off of risers, throw kicks, and strip off his shirt. The group describes themselves as ‘Post Traumatic Hardcore’ but they deliver so much more. Always entertaining and more musical than their genre suggests, they are definitely worth checking out.
Clint Black is one of those good things in life that it was easy to recognize when it came along. Always a fan, I had never had the opportunity to see him live on stage. Hearing that he would be coming to the Turning Stone this year was a huge highlight, and one I knew I wanted to bring to the readers.
Growing up in the south you learn to appreciate the culture that surrounds you. It’s the driving force for everything they represent. Whether it’s culinary, historical, or musical, the culture becomes a part of who you are and how you think south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Times in the south seem as though they are in slow motion, or as they often joke, they just like to take their time. It’s this slow down, smell the roses attitude that keeps what’s important in life in perspective. This perspective also helps you to recognize and appreciate the good things in life when they come along.
Clint Black at The Turning Stone
Over the last 25 years, Clint has accumulated quite the playlist of hits (19 number one singles), shelves of awards (5 ACM’s, 1 AMA, 2 CMA’s), and carved out a name for himself in country music (member of Grand Ole Opry 1991). Clint’s traditional sound with a modern twist made him a crowd favorite since his first album Killing Time hit the airwaves back in 1989. Hitting number one with the songs first release, “A Better Man”, it was the first time in 14 years that a country musician had debuted and hit number one right out of the gate. That album went on to produce five top ten hits, with “A Better Man” and “Killing Time” taking spots one and two for best country songs for the year 1989. The CMA’s Horizon Award recipient in 1989, Clint continued his career over the next 25 years collecting hit after hit, the majority he penned himself. An accomplished songwriter, he continued in the music business establishing his own label, Equity Music Group, after he and wife, Lisa Hartman Black, welcomed their daughter Lily in 2001.
Clint Black at The Turning Stone
As Clint took the Showroom stage, it was his slowed down, back to basics acoustic sound that set the tone for the night, and told the story of what country music represents to him, and how he has become a representative in country music. As he sat there strumming the guitar, playing his harmonica, and singing to the crowd, the words and the melody resonated and transported you back to another time and place in country music. Still sporting his black cowboy hat and his charming smile, Clint reminisced about days gone by, musicians that inspired him, and paid homage through music to the basic country roots that motivated it all. He was simply amazing. His one on one rapport with the audience was genuine and really demonstrated his love of his music and sharing it with those lucky enough to sit and listen with him. Joined after the first few numbers by his road band, this show gave you a small taste of what you may experience on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry with the back woods Appalachian sound of the roots of country music, to a modern-day sound of country music with a full band twist. Clint Black, recognized with a star on the Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, is truly a country super star. With a non-stop touring schedule that hasn’t slowed down since his first release, it was certainly my pleasure to be able to catch his performance at The Turning Stone for our readers. Although it was my first Clint Black experience, it certainly won’t be my last.
Hot off the brand new EP Down 4 My Ninjas, released by Firepower Records, which can be streamed below, ninja themed EDM DJ DATSIK announced the Ninja Nation Tour last night with special guest LOUDPVCK to open on select dates. The tour kicks off in Boston, MA on January 22 and will be stopping at the Terminal 5 in New York City January 24, also at Buffalo’s Town Ballroom on January 28, and at the F-Shed in Syracuse on January 29.
After all the hype and controversy, Sony Pictures finally made the right decision to release their comedy The Interview. The past decade, we have found Seth Rogan dishing out many comedies, and this time through he’s reunited with his buddy James Franco in this bold new approach to comedy. Rogan and Franco seem to be the best stoner comedy duo since Cheech and Chong, but this time, they tackle politics. So after the whole North Korea debacle, how does the movie live up to the hype?
Yes, the comedy formula they use is similar to movies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End but they take a different approach as James Franco plays famous talk show host Dave Skylark of “Skylark Tonight” where they do intimate interviews with celebrities. Seth Rogan plays his best friend and producer Aaron Rapoport. After their ratings peak with an exclusive interview with rapper Eminem, which is possibly one of the funniest parts in the movie, (props to Eminem for making the appearance) Skylark is offered the opportunity to interview Kim Jong-un, played by Randall Park, in North Korea; it turns out Kim Jong-un is a huge fan of his show. A CIA agent played by Lizzy Caplan, approaches Skylark and Rapoport request that they assassinate Jong-un. During their whole mission, Skylark is torn over his mission because he bonded with Jong-un before their interview which adds a nice element to the story and conflict in the movie.
The humor in the movie is great and that alone would make this one of the best comedies of 2014. The story was a little predictable, but the charm of Rogan and Franco really carries throughout the movie. The real star of this film is James Franco, not only will you get plenty of laughs throughout the film, he also shows off his superb acting skills that we have seen in films like 127 Hours, and the sets and props to this movie is fascinating; if you were to do research on North Korea, some of the buildings, hotels, castles, statues, and monuments seen in this movie appear to be quite accurate.
After watching this movie, I honestly don’t see what the big deal for Sony Pictures to pull the movie; it should have been released as planned. You can’t let some crazy dictator affect our way of life and this movie is a prime example of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and art. Years back, the movie Team America: World Police had a similar story, but no controversy around the release of that film.
Bottom line, this movie is comedic genius, and directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan’s art for this movie should never be denied of a full fledged, proper release. I would highly recommend this movie, especially if you’re a fan of Seth Rogan’s previous work.
The Interview is now playing in select movie theaters, mainly independent cinemas, and now available on Video On Demand.
The weekend before Christmas marks the penultimate weekend to see live music, before New Years Eve festivities take the place of usual club shows. December 18-20 was no exception and in the Capital District, we had the benefit of three Upstate New York bands playing three local venues to crowds of revelers looking for that one last fix before the holidays arrive.
Starting with Thursday December 18 show at The Hollow, Ampervene opened the night for Aqueous with complimentary prog rock. Aqueous tore through “What’s the Connection”, leaving the song unfinished for later and segued into “All In”, which contained “Fuego” teases. The debut of “Underlyer” was well received, as was a cover of Hendrix’ “Bold As Love”. The encore was a special treat as Aqueous invited up Joe Davis from Formula 5 to play on a debut cover of “Bertha” by the Grateful Dead, which eventually into the end of “What’s the Connection”. As a bonus, guitarist Mike Gantzer revealed that this show is likely to be a live release in the near future, so stay tuned for a crisp soundboard recording of the night!
review by Adam Pensel
On Friday December 19,Formula 5 made a triumphant return to the stage at Dinosaur BBQ in Troy. The masterfully crafted two set show featured a number of covers layered nicely with some of the band’s most powerful original jam vehicles.
They began the night with a spirited cover of “The Music Never Stopped”, which featured a smooth segue into “Hot Box”, an upbeat and fan favorite track off of their first self titled album. The most impressive tracks of the first set were covers of Derek and the Dominoes’ “Why Does Love Got to be So Sad” and Warren Zevon’s “Night Time in the Switching Yard”. Lead guitarist went on endless runs in the jams of both songs that would have left Zevon and Clapton nodding in approval.
The second set featured a sit-in during John Scofield’s “Hottentot” by Kevin Hendricks on trumpet and former Formula 5 bassist Bill Shattuck right at home on vocals for a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” to close out the evening. The most impressive take away from the evening was the growth this band has shown over the course of this year. On any given night they have the ability to blow you away. Don’t miss your opportunity to see them in 2015 – this is a band on the rise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfWrJ1BEB1U
In what is an annual tradition, Marco Benevento played a December show at Parish Public House (formerly Red Square) on Saturday December 20, and in turn packed the house with patrons who drank the bar nearly dry until the wee hours of the morning while dancing to the contagious beats from this fantastic trio. Joining Marco was Andy Borger on drums and Dave Dreiwitz on bass, who was particularly on point all night and laid down greater bass grooves than had been heard in past shows – this was a standout performance from him alone. Marco sang more this night than in the past, something you can hear on his latest album Swift, a step in a great direction for Marco. The night was celebrated by all as evidenced by the enthusiastic revelers dancing away in full view of Marco, feeding off his energy and he doing the same.
moe. will ring in their 25th year as a band with a two-night run at the Palace Theatre in Albany.
This will be the second year in a row that Jim, Vinny, Rob, Al and Chuck will take the stage at the Palace Dec. 30 and 31. Fans are hoping for a special pair of shows to start moe.’s silver anniversary. Band members wore suits for every show in their 20th anniversary year.
Last year, moe. opened the New Year’s Eve show with the band rising out of the stage and playing five acoustic songs before a sweet segue into the electric part of the set. In their third set, after midnight, they were joined onstage by the horn section from Conehead Buddha, plus the Paul Simon cover “Late in the Evening” was aided by a few of the band members’ children on various instruments. The show included three debut covers, including an amazing version of “Spanish Moon” by Little Feat, plus two bust-outs that hadn’t been heard since 2012. Each of the moe. band members donned furry animal costumes for a set, some of which showed up again in other 2014 shows.
The Conehead Buddha horns are slated to join moe. again this year for the 12/31 show. That late announcement, coming two-and-a-half weeks before the run, has been a bit controversial among moe.rons. The horns were an exciting addition last New Year’s Eve, but they’ve joined the band for a number of New York shows in the last year including moe.down, Buffalo and the Saranac Brewery shows in Utica, all of which are considered hometown shows for moe. in one way or another and tend to be highly attended by regular fans. Some .rons who value the unpredictability of a moe. show have complained that the setlists are too similar when the CB horns join the band, but others have faith in moe. to bring the heat and continue to surprise their fans.
moe. formed at the University of Buffalo in 1989, and they moved to Albany in the ’90s to develop as a band. There they grew alongside Conehead Buddha on the Albany jam band scene.
On the 30th, the popular Vermont-based jam band Twiddle will open for moe.
It’s been too long for many moe.rons. The band has been taking a break from the road since they wrapped up a West Coast tour Nov. 8 and played at, One More for the Fans, a concert celebrating the songs of Lynyrd Skynyrd, in Georgia in mid-November. They haven’t played an East Coast show since September.
Singer-songwriter Joe Cocker passed away today at the age of 70. It is believed he succumbed to Lung Cancer in his Colorado residence.
Joe Cocker’s distinct voice will be forever missed and his influence will live on through the countless singers of our generation. Cocker’s rendition of The Beatles’ song “With a Little Help From My Friends” will forever be remembered as one the greatest moments in rock history.
Our 2014 ‘Band on the Rise’ Mister F, have released their first ever video for “This One Goes to 11”. As goofy as you would expect from them, Mister F takes to the dinner table and flips their song on its head with choice editing work. Keyboardist/Vocalist Scott Hannay shared his thoughts on the video:
The whole gist of the video was basically us saying, “Hey, let’s shoot a video” while we were on a break from tour at Mike Dean’s mom’s house in Charlotte, NC. We found a box of random Halloween/sports gear in the attic and wore a bunch of weird stuff we found in it. We made a kick drum out of a garbage can, a snare drum sans bottom head and duct tape. We then played “This One Goes to 11” sitting around the dinner table. This is a very live recording with only a microphone in the room, shot in one take, with some extra spliced-in camera angles. Mike Dean appears in this video numerous times, so we’re thinking of having a “Where’s Mister Manager?” spot-the-Deaner-type contest.
Some of the other guest on this tour will include 
After all the hype and controversy, Sony Pictures finally made the right decision to release their comedy The Interview. The past decade, we have found Seth Rogan dishing out many comedies, and this time through he’s reunited with his buddy James Franco in this bold new approach to comedy. Rogan and Franco seem to be the best stoner comedy duo since Cheech and Chong, but this time, they tackle politics. So after the whole North Korea debacle, how does the movie live up to the hype?
The whole gist of the video was basically us saying, “Hey, let’s shoot a video” while we were on a break from tour at Mike Dean’s mom’s house in