Sneaking into music festivals is a dick move. Artists and patrons pay to attend while vendors, staff and volunteers go to great lengths to make the festival run with as few preventable glitches as possible. And a (very) few try to attend without contributing either through money, performing or factoring into the machine that runs a music festival. No one wants to be glorified for sneaking into a festival, but James Marcus Haney thrusts himself into the spotlight in his documentary No Cameras Allowed.
Haney claims his film is “a love letter to these festivals, in a way. And it shows them in such a great light that my goal is that people will see my film and then go and experience live music on their own.” And while there might be some who are inspired to go to these festivals as a result, how many will follow his lead and sneak in, use old/fake wristbands and not support the artists by buying a ticket? It’s the hardest aspect of the film to get around – is Haney doing damage to future festivarians or is he just pointing out flaws that need to be patched?
Along the way he gets to see some incredible music – some of it onstage and in the huddle before the headlining set (with Mumford and Sons) – and later goes on tour at an age that makes you envious of his youth and jealous of his opportunities. Sure I went to festivals at his age but damn he makes it thrilling and with the added degree of difficulty of greater surveillance, with which he gets away with it, usually.
The film is a double-edged sword with breaking into festivals, and while it is not Almost Famous for 21st century, you do get some nods to the Cameron Crowe film. With a good soundtrack – Jay-Z, Young the Giant, Mumford – No Cameras Allowed follows a journey of a 20-something through the world of music festivals. Haney doesn’t set an example that anyone should follow, but it is interesting that only large festivals were the appeal. Sure, they have the big name, but smaller festivals not being shown is both a good thing and a snub. The best festivals aren’t always the largest names, and that is proved year in, year out. Yet showing how to sneak into festivals that live year to year on ticket sales and not extensive corporate sponsorships would have been a slap in the face. Overall Haney snuck into 50 festivals but we only see the large ones. It would be interesting to see what was left on the cutting room floor/recycle bin and what didn’t make the cut.
We get to see Haney make his way into 4 large festivals – Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury and Austin City Limits, documenting them along the way and getting his photos into Rolling Stone while blowing off his graduation from USC to follow Mumford and Sons on the Railroad Revival Tour. The thrill is palpable and you may end up rooting for Haney, or maybe just surprised he got through security so easily, so many times and caught just as well. The relationships back at home are tested between friend and girlfriend.
Is Haney a dick? Is he a millennial getting what he thinks he is owed? Is it just for the thrill or is it to show off on camera? Watch for yourself and decide.
Rubblebucket came to downtown Albany’s The Hollow Sunday night, infusing a typically low-key evening with high energy and a whole lot of funk. Accompanied by Brooklyn-based dance quartet Body Language, both bands had a hand in making sure that those who attended came out of their Sunday night football food comas.
Body Language kicked off the night at around 9pm and there were more people than one would expect for a Sunday. The front dance floor was packed pretty tightly, with people spilling out into the back portions of the bar. From the beginning, lead singer Angelica Bess emanated a really interesting stage presence. Sporting tie-dye leggings and a black crop top, her hair braided into long cables cascading to her waist, she pantomimed a lot of the lyrics as she sang. Bess, who also plays the glockenspiel (an instrument similar to a xylophone, but with higher pitched sounds) has a voice that ranges in style and possesses an ethereal quality. Body Language played an eclectic mix of instruments, including the tambourine and cowbell, and their musical style ranged from soul to pop. They also had a disco dance flare that had the crowd contorting themselves into dance moves that were as different as the instruments the band played. With Bess’ sultry voice and that R&B sound, if their music was truly translated into body language, they would be saying “come hither.” Body Language kept the mood light and upbeat and had everyone on their feet. They definitely set the stage for what was to come.
Rubblebucket who is on tour promoting their new album, Survival Sounds, played a slew of new songs including “My Life”, “On the Ground”, “Carousel Ride”, “Major Roxy”, and “Origami”. The new songs drift from the fun and fanciful aspect of Rubblebucket and delve a little deeper into real life and have a bit of a harder sound. They’re a little more hard rock and possess more electronic undertones with “Origami” being the most upbeat. Rubblebucket, whose shows are half concert half performance art, can sometimes border on gimmicky, but are ultimately fun and whimsical. While introducing “Origami”, the adoration of the fans was apparent as a fan yelled out “I love you Kal!” and she yelled back “I love you too!” The level of interactivity between the band and the crowd is interesting and something you don’t see at a lot of shows. During “Origami”, Traver requested that the crowd yell out the chorus, with her belting out the question “Why can’t it always be fun?” and the crowd yelling back, “always, always, always!” It definitely got people moving their feet, with Traver coming off stage and starting a soul train with the audience.
Although they are promoting their new album, they didn’t just stick to new songs. They played old favorite “Came Out of a Lady” off of Omega La La that saw the entire horn section coming down to play in the crowd, including Traver who was playing saxophone. That was definitely one of the highlights and had the audience jumping up and down with their hands in the air. They also played “Patriotic”, which is off their Save Charlie EP, and upon introducing it, Traver proclaimed that “it’s a song about being yourself.” From there, they played “Carousel Ride”, and with lyrics like “when all the strongest winds are blowing my way/and the reaper comes to take my breath away…I’ll dance in the fire and I’ll do it again,” it perfectly matched Traver’s hauntingly beautiful voice. “Carousel Ride” definitively showcased Rubblebucket’s penchant for art by having someone walk around in a faceless furry creature costume whose head was made out of pink fabric roses that had leaves and ivy running through it. This creature is featured on their album cover, as well as in the music video for the song, bringing a different aspect of their art to their concert.
Rubblebucket played straight through without a set break, ending in a superjam with Angela Bess from Body Language playing the glockenspiel. The entire band came onto the floor parading around the bar like a marching band gone rogue. The last couple of minutes of their set found trumpet player Alex Toth playing on tables by the merch booth along with Traver on saxophone. When it comes down to it, Rubblebucket is full of incredibly talented musicians whose sound works well together for being a larger band. Seeing them play is an experience in and of itself aside from the music. It can definitely get weird, but if you haven’t seen them before, they come highly recommended.
No stranger to bringing quality music to the area, Bogies in Albany is at it again on Sunday, September 21st. A co-headlining onslaught of heavy music in Rivers of Nihil and Black Crown Initiate, with some great local openers to round out the bill.
Rivers of Nihil and Black Crown Initiate at Bogies Albany
Forest of Remorse is a newly reformed project from Lyme, NY. Promising heavy riffs and brutal slam beats, it will be one of those rare times to see a show with a budding band, that could surprise you and blow up in the near future. King Pariah from Argyle, NY is another up and coming metal band, who have already shared the stage with some big names. They helped open the Summer Slaughter tour at The Palladium in Worcester, MA with Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus.
Troy locals The Final Sleep are playing just in their backyard and bring a progressive metal edge to the stage, and have just welcomed their new drummer, Mike VanDyne of Arsis. With a technical barrage of three guitars, this is an act not to be missed. Black Crown Initiate is just about to release their brand new record, The Wreckage of Stars, dropping September 30th. So you can expect them to bring all of their intricate epic metal to this show in support of that record. Making waves in the metal scene as of late, these guys might not be playing small clubs like Bogies for too much longer. Check out my review of their new album here.
Rivers of Nihil also comes from Reading, PA like Black Crown Initiate, and they also have a new record, The Conscious Seed of Light. After signing with Metal Blade Records in 2013, this is their debut album on that label, after a few years of hard work and relentless touring. The double bill of these two bands will be an incredible sight to see and an awesome show to hear. For any fan of death metal, hard, fast and heavy metal, this show is one of the few that has it all and is making it’s stop in Upstate NY.
Cannibal Corpse are nothing if not punishing and unrelenting, but since their career defining album Kill in 2006 they’ve also become complacent, yet at the same time they’re consistent. Cannibal Corpse has yet to put out a bad album but they also haven’t put out any material since Kill that pushes the band outside of their comfort zone, a zone they’ve been in since the band started.
Fans know what to expect with the band and on their 13th effort A Skeletal Domain they deliver the goods. The album is a great death metal record. Songs are heavy, dark, fast, and full of the slightly cheesy but oh so good twisted lyrics that the band is known for. A Skeletal Domain doesn’t have the same pop some of their other efforts do but there are a couple of songs here that will find a long stint on their live setlist.
Cannibal Corpse leave producer Erik Rutan, who did their last three releases, in favor of Mark Lewis. Lewis himself is becoming a go-to producer having been behind the boards for the fantastic Die Without Hope by Carnifex, Our Endless War by Whitechapel, and Battlecross’ War of Will in the past two years alone. Cannibal Corpse made a great choice because Lewis makes the band sound as heavy as ever with a great mix. Each instrument is fully represented and you don’t get that weird “where did the bass go?” feeling a lot of metal albums have.
Speaking of the bass player though, Alex Webster is a little less pronounced this time around. The legendary bassist has long been herald as one of the all time greats and usually has a few songs where you get a taste of his technical skills. But even without those moments, the musicianship on display here is at the same level it’s always been with Cannibal Corpse, at the highest of those in their genre.
Two of the songs on A Skeletal Remain rise above the rest. The opening salvo “High Velocity Impact Splatter” starts things off right. A relentless assault of guitars and blistering drums that lets you know that the kings of old school death metal are back with a new record. The highlight track of the album has to be “Kill or Become”, which will no doubt become a fan favorite when played live. Just picture a room full of metal junkies screaming along with vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher when he bellows “Fire up the chainsaw!”
However, that complacency does start to become apparent as the album moves through its middle stages. Few of the middle tracks have parts that stick with you. It isn’t until the final few songs that things pick up again. The album starts off great and finishes strong but songs like “Bloodstained Cement” sound like they’re using recycled riffs from albums past.
It’s hard to complain about sameness with a band like this; this is what they do. They make great death metal. They have a recipe and they stick to it. And after all these years it still isn’t old. Some bands can’t figure out what they want to sound like and go from album to album bouncing from gimmick to gimmick never finding their footing. Cannibal Corpse stuck their hooks into old school slamming death metal decades ago and they’ll never stop and they’ll never change. And to be honest, I don’t think anyone wants them to.
Key Tracks: Hight Velocity Impact Splatter, Kill or Become, Asphyxiate to Resuscitate
Gwar continues to keep things interesting. After the sudden passing of Oderous Urungus (Dave Brockie) this year, the band has been a little quiet about who would fill in. They have went on record saying that they asked many older characters from Gwar’s extensive former members list to help fill out the tour. But now, a new player emerges, and as a front woman, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Photo from Vulvatron’s Facebook Page
Vulvatron made her front woman debut at Riot Fest on September 12th, and the crowd response was altogether positive. From a recent press release from Wondering Sound:
“Vulvatron is not dancing, or breathing fire, or keeping the slaves in line (though one assumes she’ll be adept at all three). For the first time since the departure of dancer and backing singer Slymenstra Hymen (Danielle Stampe) in 2000, GWAR has a female member, and she’s the front woman.
To split hairs, she’s actually GWAR’s new co-frontperson, joining reinstated vocalist Blothar (Mike Bishop) whose Beefcake the Mighty character was introduced in 1988.”
Photo from Vulvatron’s Facebook Page
This promises to be an incredible addition to the line-up, so don’t miss out on your chance to witness Gwar History (Gwarstory?) this winter when the band embarks on the Gwar Eternal Tour 2014. The tour will make a stop in Upstate New York at Upstate Concert Hall on December 11th, with American Sharks and Corrosion of Conformity. Check out Vulvatron’s facebook page here.
Most major holidays have songs related to them, whether it be children’s classics like “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” for Easter or modern classics like “Monster Mash” or “Thriller” fer Halloween. Nevermind th’ endless annoyin’ Christmas carols that we have to endure startin’ in early November. But this day, this day be a shore leave, too.
International Talk Like a Pirate Day be gainin’ momentum, mostly due to social media’s massive cravin’ fer people look like absolute idiots. On ’tis day, we get to sound like an idiot, too. ‘Tis okay, ’tis all in jolly a ruckas ye blastin’ scalliwag.
At NYS Music we be more interested in th’ music that celebrates band ‘o pirates, them lost souls wanderin’ th’ sea fer a wee lovely booty. Not much has changed, we still wander around fer lovely booty, but not we don’t wear Arrr patches over our eye or have a trusty parrot on our shoulder. However, we have long beards again ‘n if ye be off to most music festivals, th’ wench be surely similar to a scurvy pirate’s ship after a few days at sea.
It wouldn’t be a scurvy pirate’s song list without th’ classic “Yo Ho (It’s a Pirate’s Life fer Me)”. While it was written in 1967 fer th’ band ‘o pirates ‘o th’ Caribbean, not th’ Johnny Depp version, it has become th’ most well-known ‘o th’ list, mostly because ‘o ’tis usage in multiple Disney movies. From th’ Mighty Ducks to th’ Black Pearl, even th’ Jonas Brothers did a cleaned up version ‘o th’ song. Instead ‘o sin’in’ “Drink up me hearties” they softened it by sin’in’ “Stand up me hearties”, not like we needed another reason to hate th’ Jonas Brothers, but ’tis be a jolly one to add to th’ list. Heartly enjoy, ‘n sin’ along. Even if ye be at set the sails, who cares, it be a shore leave after all.
Roger McGuinn be best known as th’ backbone ‘o th’ Byrds, servin’ as their lead guitarist ‘n vocalist fer th’ bands entire existence (1964-1973). After th’ Byrds, McGuinn did a few solo albums includin’ Cardiff Rose that contains th’ second song on me list ‘o scurvy pirate classics. ye can’t imagine a scurvy pirate ship without th’ Jolly Roger sailin’ sinisterly above. Therefore ye can’t have a list ‘o songs without th’ good ol’ “Jolly Roger” appearin’ at least once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbwi1r1Jq2w
A pirate’s life isn’t always an easy one. Th’ journey to Davy Jones’s locker isn’t ever extra far away. Tom Waits captured th’ solemnness ‘o th’ sailin’ away into th’ wind, in th’ 1974 ballad “Shiver Me Timbers”. Wit’ references to th’ crows’ nest ‘n Cap’n Ahab, Waits alludes to th’ metaphoric sea, while suggestin’ a different type ‘o scurvy pirate’s life. One ‘o leavin’ everythin’ to be off practicin’ his craft of writin’, perhaps even th’ lonely existence ‘o a musician on th’ road. A choice that many ‘o us struggle wit’ daily, do we leave everythin’ behind to follow our dreams, or stay at home ‘n constantly wonder, “what if?”
One ‘o th’ most recognizable names in scurvy pirate lore be Captain Kidd, tried ‘n executed fer piracy in 1701. A one time pirate hunter, Kidd turned coat ‘n became a pirate himself. Th’ tales ‘o Captain Kidd may be greatly overstated accordin’ to historians, but th’ allurement ‘o his hidden treasure propelled him to infamy. Th’ Newfy-band, A Great Big Sea, be known fer ’tis sea shanty-esque sound ‘n storytellin’ lyrics, often ‘o th’ sea. It makes sense considerin’ Newfoundland’s location ‘n Scotish, Irish ‘n Cornish heritage. ’tis be much more upliftin’ than th’ last tune, guaranteed to put a smile on ye face, however ye may want to sail off to ye Skull & Scuppers fer a Guinness afterward.
Pirates have been depicted in movies and theater for the past few centuries, from Shakespeare to Disney the role is often glamorized. However, Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” takes it to a whole new level and was an immediate smash hit in New York and London. If singing and dancing pirates weren’t enough to curl your whiskers, the famous opera was made into a ballet in the early 90s. The “Pirate King” is a jolly number that sings of a life dedicated to the life of plundering and pillaging.
In these tryin’ economic times wit’ unemployment bein’ high ‘n underemployment bein’ even higher, Tim Curry sin’s ‘o another option in th’ Muppet’s Treasure Island. Imagine bein’ a “Professional scurvy pirate” ‘n makin’ ye livin’ seekin’ out adventure wit’ buckos. Buccaneers aren’t just a football team in Florida, ’tis tune speaks how band ‘o pirates hated in Spain were sometimes rejoiced in England. Th’ Muppet’s franchise scored quite th’ lovely booty wit’ th’ movie as well, brin’in’ in over $34 million in th’ mid-90s.
Th’ Beatles’ George Harrison took th’ scurvy pirate tradition to a new level hijackin’ a stage ‘n confusin’ th’ band ‘n Eric Idle, th’ host ‘o Rutland shore leave Television show, in 1975. sin’in’ “The Pirate Song” a short spiritly ditty, wit’ a catchin’ chorus ‘o “wit’ a Yo-ho-ho, ‘n a ya-ha-ha”. Idle was part ‘o th’ joke, havin’ co-written th’ song wit’ Harrison, but played it straight fer th’ audience.
I ain’t likely makin’ a compilation ‘o music videos without includin’ at least one metal song. Quinton Stephenson ‘n Zakas collaborated on “Terror ‘o th’ Sea.” wit’ lyrics like, “We pledge allegiance one ‘n all, wit’ Ali Raja in th’ mornin’ sky. We rape ‘n we murder, we take what we gunna, we live by th’ sword ‘n by th’ sword we’ll die” it was a must have on th’ list. Th’ video highlights some epic scurvy pirate battles from well-known movies timed perfectly wit’ th’ music.
As I followed th’ treasure map carefully on ’tis adventure, I found th’ song that tells th’ story ‘o “Billy Bones” who met his fate ‘n be lyin’ in Davy Jones’ treasure chest on th’ beach. Nothin’ left but his bones, Billy be bein’ mocked out by his frienemy, a shipmate, that be makin’ light ‘o th’ trip to Davy Jones’ LockerSkip Henderson also composed a song used in band ‘o pirates ‘o th’ Carribean in Davy Jones’ treasure chest scurvy dog’s Chest, “a pair Hornpipes (Tortuga)”. Henderson’s compilation ‘o scurvy pirate songs, Billy Bones ‘n Other Ditties, can be found on th’ ship deck, or iTunes, ‘n be perhaps ye best choice fer a scurvy pirate themed parrrty, at 17 songs, ye can even put it on repeat ‘n be jolly fer a few hours.
That’s it fer me list ye scurvy dogs, i be needin’ to set sail ‘n find some grub ‘n spiced rum. ’tis be me day after all ‘n I don’t want to be wastin’ any more ‘o me precious the hour findin’ songs fer th’ likes ‘o ye. heartly enjoy th’ songs ‘n leave in th’ comments ye favorite scurvy pirate songs.
Good bands and fun times seem to come out of Texas a lot these days. American Sharks are a prime example of the type of music and tour ethos that can be attributed to bands like The Sword and The Black Angels.
After their head-turning set at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY opening up for Clutch, I got to sit down with Mike Hardin (bass/vocals) and Will Ellis (guitar) to talk about touring, the fast pace the band has been coming up in the music scene, and what it means to have a good time. This was also the second interview I got to do with local musician Dustin Alexander from Jesus Christ and the Hallucinogenic Allstars(JCHA), bringing a “in the trenches” point of view to this article. We hope to include more local musicians talking to touring musicians in subsequent articles at .
Interview with American Sharks. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert.
Jeff Ayers: So when did the band start? Where did the band come from?
Mike Hardin: Will and I started the band a while back in Houston, Texas.
JA: Are you originally from Houston?
MH: Sort of. We are kind of from a mish-mash of place, but we are all from Texas. The band kinda started when we were living in downtown Houston. Then we moved to Austin and that’s where we met Nick [Cornetti] our drummer. After that we went through a change and became a three piece, and that would be the actual beginning of the band. From then on we changed a lot.
JA: When was this?
Will Ellis: 2009
JA: How about musical influences? What influenced you to start this project?
MH: I listen to David Bowie. Only David Bowie. [laughs]. But, I’d say Roky Erickson was a huge influence. Roky Erickson and the Aliens, specifically, was a big influence on this band.
JA: Cool. First time I heard you guys, I thought I was listening to Motorhead and Red Fang fighting. I was instantly hooked.
WE: Awesome!
JA: You guys are already making waves. Speaking of Red Fang, you have done some tours with them, and you’ve played with The Sword, and now Clutch. How has the response for you on these tours been?
WE: Yeah, very positive. It’s been really awesome man. It’s slowly getting better and better, where we show up in cities we have never played before and people are there wearing out shirts and stuff.
MH: We were touring for a few years by ourselves, and you go to cities and no one knows who you are. Now we can come to cities and there are people coming out to see us play.
JA: Well that is the name of the game right? Specifically with this tour with Clutch, I think you guys are a great fit. How did that come about, for you guys to get on this tour?
MH: We toured with Clutch and The Sword last year. Basically, we are friends with The Sword, and Kyle[Shutt] is our manager, and he was trying for us.
WE: We asked him to nudge [Clutch] a bit, asked him to give them our music. He told them they needed to see us play, so when they came through Houston, they had us play one show with them. Next thing we knew we were going out on tour with them.
Jim Gilbert: Actually, the room we are in, The Sword once set off all the fire alarms and they claimed they were only using a vaporizer.
MH: [laughs] This has happened a couple of times being on tour with The Sword actually. Once, on tour with Clutch and The Sword, Clutch was playing and the fire alarms started going off–
WE: Yeah, that place was in Athens, Georgia (The Georgia Theatre), and it had burned down years before, so everyone in the place was freaking out thinking it was burning down again
JA: Thats hilarious, I’ve met those guys and they seem like fun dudes. Speaking of the future, you guys are coming back to Upstate Concert Hall opening up for GWAR. It’s the first tour without Dave [Brockie] too. How did that tour come about?
WE: I don’t really know! Our booking agent submitted us, and it just happened.
JA: Well that is going to be an awesome tour, and I’ll be back to see you guys then.
MH: Yeah, we can’t wait.
JA: So, right before this, you wrapped up a tour with The Whores, and now Clutch, and then GWAR. How many shows a year do you think you play?
WE: Probably over 200.
JA: That is living the dream. Are you predominantly touring the U.S.?
WE: Yes, just U.S. so far.
JA: Is there anything on the horizon for other countries?
MH: Nothing set in stone. We have things we are working on, but nothing we can talk about yet.
JA: What’s next for you guys after the GWAR tour?
WE: Take a nap. [laughs] We are going to start working on our next record. It’s tough touring in the winter, so we want to hunker down and start pushing through our second record.
American Sharks. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
JG: [speaking of Nick the drummer] I got to ask, what is like being onstage with Animal from The Muppets?
MH: Ha! No one has ever called him that before! Animal! [laughs] He does do the drums like that. That is so hilarious. I’m going to tell him that for sure.
JG: I had to look quick a couple times to see if he was using a stick or a hammer.
JA: You guys have a great stage presence.
WE: I think Animal might be his favorite drummer actually.
MH: Oh dude! I didn’t know that!
JA: Well it shows [laughs] I ask this of a lot of bands, are there any bands you just can’t stop listening to at this moment?
WE: I’ve been listening to a lot of Roedelius, Arthur Verocai, and a lot of different chill stuff. Helps keep everything nice and calm.
JA: So when you get on stage you can rage it!
MH: I almost exclusively listen to David Bowie all the time
JA: I have to ask the obligatory question: pre-Ziggy [Stardust], Ziggy, or post Ziggy?
MH: All of it. Well like late 80’s through the 90’s, there is some really terrible shit in there [laughs]. But also, there is this band called Midnight, which is a newish band and they shred. If you like Motorhead, they are like an even crazier Motorhead. They played in Austin the day we left for this tour and I was so pissed I had to miss them.
JG: Be honest, have you[Will] ever walked in on Mike in the bathroom painting a Bowie lightning bolt on his face?
MH: [laughs] Yea and we lock eyes in the mirror
WE: [laughs] No I haven’t!
JA: I am now going to throw the questions to Dusitn, a local musician from this area
Dustin Alexander: The first thing that always comes to mind is how do you toe the line between partying and having fun on tour, and feeling better the next day? Having to play night after night, how do you maintain that?
WE: I just smoke weed most of the time.
MH: Yeah. But also, to be honest, partying and playing can spiral out of control really fucking fast. People say that, and you go “Haha, VH1 Behind the Music”. It doesn’t seem real to you until you are in it, and you can see the effects [this lifestyle] can have on you. Personally, I had some very negative experiences with alcohol. Be responsible. All of the sudden you can realize that you haven’t been sober in a year, and that is not good. I feel like I’m going to die. Not in a “I’m tired” way, but in a real, I am dependent on getting drunk when I wake up until I fall asleep. That is now O.K. That happens and that’s real, and you don’t think about that [when you are starting out].
WE: You get on each other’s nerves and stuff, you are on edge because you are hungover, and you are cooped up with everyone. It’s best to choose your party nights wisely, and I mostly drink maybe a couple beers a night, and just smoke a lot of weed.
DA: I feel marijuana is almost a performance enhancing drug for touring anyways. I mean sore muscles, can’t get sleep, a little nervous? That will take care of it!
MH: [laughs] Yeah, yeah.
DA: You have pretty aggressive vocals, and to do that night after night, is there something you do to prep, or cool down?
MH: I try to drink at least a gallon of water a day. More if I can, but I am a notorious voice loser. Also, I need to get sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’ll lose my voice, and that sucks. Sleep is probably the most important thing in my opinion.
DA: How do you deal with that, when your voice kicks out and you are on tour?
MH: You get pissed off. It can be pretty embarrassing when you are playing in front of a packed house and you can’t sing. It can be a little frustrating.
WE: Usually whenever his voice does give out, we get to a place so he can get some sleep, and then it can come right back.
MH: I think people don’t put enough thought behind getting sleep. If I get a full night’s rest, I’m great. I normally do, I try for a full eight hours a night. I think it works wonders, because I rarely get sick.
JG: Where do you guys get sleep on tour? Do you get hotels, or the van?
WE: It depends on the tour usually. We try to get hotels, because when we crash at people’s houses, a lot of people want to hang out and talk to you all night. We might have an eight hour drive the next morning and we won’t get enough sleep. So we have to drop a little money [for a hotel] to make sure we get our rest.
MH: When you are on tour with a band like Clutch, they have a bus. So they route the tour based on that. All of us would rather spend money on a hotel than laying in a ditch because we flipped our van because we were so tired. It’s not worth it.
DA: A question about your bass rig. Are you running through and overdrive pedal or anything?
MH: Oh yeah! I use a pedal called the assmaster. [laughs]. It’s like B: assmaster. It’s made by Malekko. It’s 250 dollars, so it’s a little pricey, but it’s totally worth it. It’s the best thing I’ve found.
DA: Yeah it sounds thick, and you weren’t losing anything in the mix. It sounded gnarly.
MH: It has a really great bass boost on it, and you can make a lot of adjustments on it too.
DA: I play bass and sing at the same time like yourself. Do you find that singing sometimes gets in your way, because you might want to play a heavier bass line, but you have to worry about singing too?
MH: Oh for sure. But most of the time, the way we try and write music, it by simplifying and making it a little more accessible. Especially being a three piece, I don’t have to be [so busy]. As long as the bass is driving and thick, I can leave the other stuff to Will, because he has magic fingers. But I know what you mean, because sometimes there is a part in my head that I want to play, but I can’t because I’m doing a lot of singing there as well.
JG: Where did the idea for short songs come about, most of your songs top out around two or three minutes.
MH: The thoughts complete at that point. We don’t have to keep dragging on.
WE: We try to cut all the bullshit out of the writing.
MH: The Beatles, they were writing two minute songs, and they were great. The Ramones as well. Why should we try for more if we can get out what we want in that timeframe.
American Sharks at Upstate Concert Hall. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
JG: You guys are on tour 200+ days a year, can you give us one hilarious story from the road?
MH: We were on tour with The Sword one time, and we were going through Albuquerque, but we weren’t playing there, so we all stayed there for the night. I don’t know if you have ever been there, but it is a crazy kind of city, there is definitely something in the air or the water. We get a hotel and all get rooms on the same floor right next to each other, and we are going to party all night. So we go to this strip club, and get kicked out. [laughs]. Well first Kyle from The Sword gets kicked out of a bar, in the beginning of the night. We were already loaded and they wouldn’t serve him and they are like “Get out of here!” So we show up and Kyle is in the streets so mad, screaming “Let me back in” and another dude from the bar is apologizing profusely because he knows he is in The Sword. So we go down to this strip club, and we are hanging out, doing strip club stuff, you know, and how does the rest of this go?
WE: We had a guy on tour, our camera guy, and I was gone at another bar when they first got to the strip club. When I showed up, there was this woman trying to stab our camera guy with her stiletto, and everybody’s holding her back and she’s screaming about money. Apparently he got one dance, and she said it was like five dance, and the bouncers are telling everyone to get out. So I acted like I wasn’t friends with any of them, and sat down at this other chair and finished my drink.
MH: So we were pretty wasted and we met all these people from Albuquerque and we all went back to our rooms on the top floor and had a raging party. All the classics that you would do if you were, say Van Halen, we did all of those things. I literally fell to the carpet at one point and passed out.
Folk and Blues band Andy Suzuki & The Method will be hitting the road with Marc Broussard for a three-week tour. “Marc Broussard has been an idol of mine for years, so traveling with him in his tour bus is going to be a dream comes true. We are gonna have a mobile slumber party on the highway” Suzuki said, on his website. The first half of the tour will only feature Suzuki playing a solo set and the full band will play starting on Oct. 8 at the Highline Ballroom in NYC. Tour kicks off in Columbia, S.C. and ends in Chester, N.Y.
You can purchase Andy Suzuki & The Method’s Born out of Mischief on iTunes and Marc Brossard on iTunes.
Not that anyone needs a reason to visit the great Upstate, NY in the Fall but in case you need one, The American Music Festival for the Lake takes place this weekend, Sept. 20 and 21, 2014 at Lake George. The two-day event will offer plenty of crafts, activities, food and live music from both regional and national acts.
Tickets are still available online at their site or at the gate with prices set at $ 15 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday with children under 14 free each day with an adult. There are VIP tickets available for $25 on Saturday and $20 on Sunday that offers guaranteed seats with a special viewing section. Ticket admission includes the music, block party and the arts and crafts fair.
The festival will take place at the new Charles R Wood Park in the West Brook enviro-park project on Beach Road in Lake George. The park offers 2.5 acres of festival space out of the 12.5 acre park with big plans for the rest of the area such as a playground, skate park, water feature and environmental interpretive area. The event will raise funds and awareness for S.A.V.E. (Stop Aquatic inVasives from Entering) LAKE GEORGE- a partnership which was created in hopes of removing an invasive species that is currently threatening the lake.
The rain or shine event begins at 11AM with music themes set – Saturday is rock and Sunday is country; supplying a little something for everyone. Saturday’s headliners include local big shots Wild Adriatic and rock legends Robert Randolph & The Family Band with fireworks to follow. Sunday’s main acts include Boston’s country rock band, Girls Guns and Glory with American jammers, New Riders of the Purple Sage. The schedule below includes the weekend lineup:
On Thursday Sept. 11, Oneonta received a hefty dose of folk with Slaid Cleaves’ performance at the B Side Ballroom and Supper Club, the city’s classiest joint. With one of the most extensive bars in town, along with a delectable menu consisting of fresh seasonal foods and exotic nightly specials, those lucky enough to have made reservations or arrived early to B Side were greeted with pleasant aromas and tasty meals coming from the kitchen. By the time show time rolled around, the place had filled up quite nicely with lots of fans, as well as newcomers to the classic folk sounds and storytelling they were about to be treated to over the course of the evening. Slaid Cleaves surely did not disappoint in that department.
Getting off to an abrupt start, Slaid was joined on stage by Chojo Jacques on alternating fiddle and mandolin. While Slaid is traditionally a solo performer, Chojo truly rounded out the sound, adding nice touches of sometimes Appalachian-style sometimes haunting-sounding fiddle and mandolin accompaniments. Opening with one of his more popular tunes, “Horseshoe Lounge” Slaid effectively warmed up the crowd with this mellow tune. One element that you must make note of when listening to Slaid is that it is extremely important to pay attention to his lyrics, as each song has a story to tell. Following his next tune “Drinkin’ Days” with a chorus of “My drinking days are over, but I’m still troublebound,” Slaid took the opportunity to compliment Oneonta for the hotel he is staying at that he can walk to from the venue, having a liquor store that he can also walk to that stays open until 10:00PM, the music store across the parking lot where he was able to procure a new capo for this evening’s performance, and its residents being so friendly and welcoming.
After spouting all these positive accounts, Slaid explained that he was going to move on to some sad tunes that will still make the audience feel good and threw in a Woody Guthrie quote to further emphasize his point: “A folk musician’s job is to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.” That sentiment definitely seemed to resonate throughout the rest of his set. Intermixing stories in between his tunes had the effect of making the audience feel like they were sitting around the campfire devotedly listening to the wonderful stories Slaid had to tell and the songs he wanted to share. Touring in support of his new album Still Fighting the War, Slaid jokingly warned everyone not to listen to the album more than once a week since it will be at least another year until he puts out his next album. Yet of course he shared some material off that new album with the audience including “Whim of Iron” about his Aunt Prudence who had married his 92-year-old uncle, a strong lady ahead of her time living in New York City in the 1960’s; and “Texas Love Song” about how much pride Texans have in their own state. He also threw in some classics, including “Broke Down” which he wrote along with his buddy with whom he used to play in a garage band (the band was called The Magic Rats) and “Wishbones” which was actually a request from a group who had traveled three hours to see this show, so in an effort to not send the group back home feeling disappointed, Slaid obliged. Ending with his signature yodel, Slaid took a break before settling in to the second set.
Again starting kind of nonchalantly without any announcement or fanfare, the audience quickly stopped their conversations when he started with “No Angel Knows”. Segueing from one relatively melancholy tune to another, the next song entitled “Cry” really hit a nerve. With a chorus of “Cry for your mama, Cry for your dad, Cry for everything you know they never had,” tears actually came to my eyes, as I used to see Slaid Cleaves with my mom every time he came into town, as my mom absolutely adored him. She has since passed away, so I took a hiatus from seeing Slaid for a bit myself, not wanting to deal with getting all choked up and emotional at his shows, but this song made me realize it’s OK to listen to his music and feel these emotions.
Honoring an audience request he got for “Everette” during the break, Slaid asked for complete silence before he began, and prayed that he would remember all the words, as this song is extremely lyric-intensive, written by his friend Steve Brooks, about “what poets do”. At one point during this song, someone must have ordered a mixed drink that required shaking, which might have otherwise been distracting to a musician, but thankfully the bartender/owner of B Side, Wayne Carrington, happens to be a drummer, so he just started shaking along to the rhythm of the song. Soliciting any last-minute requests before he began the final portion of his show one fan asked him to play “Sinner’s Prayer” for which he said he might need help with the lyrics, so the fan ended up shouting out the lines that Slaid couldn’t remember.
The last several songs of the second set consisted of songs taking us from Slaid’s humble beginnings in Maine to his instant rise to stardom in Texas. Singing about his childhood neighbor Willie in “Horses” letting us know that “If it weren’t for horses and divorces, I’d be a lot better off today,” the audience was treated to a much-needed chuckle, as this song followed the much sadder number “Green Mountains and Me” about a soldier’s wife missing her husband. Paying tribute to the Texas family who had taken him and his wife under their wings when they first moved to Texas, Slaid sang his well-known tune “New Years Day” which he had written about and dedicated to one of the members of his Texas family. Finishing off the set with his popular “One Good Year” Slaid graciously thanked the audience for coming out on a school night, but rather than bothering to leave the stage before the encore, he made the choice to bypass that process and went right into it. This encore was quite special though, as he and Chojo decided to play acoustically and actually walked through the audience while playing a gospel tune off his new album called “Go for the Gold”. Being a small and intimate venue they were able to walk through the entire place and give everyone a good view and opportunity to hear what they were preaching.
It is rare to see a musician and an audience have such an intimate connection, but it was very enjoyable to see that happening. It was almost as if the boundary between the band and the crowd was nonexistent. From the woman in the front of the venue singing along to every lyric, to the man at the next table over who had never before seen Slaid but kept smiling and saying “Sweet!” Slaid more than satisfied his loyal fans, and gained new ones at the same time. Be sure not to miss Slaid Cleaves the next time he comes to your town.
Haney claims his film is “a love letter to these festivals, in a way. And it shows them in such a great light that my goal is that people will see my film and then go and experience live music on their own.” And while there might be some who are inspired to go to these festivals as a result, how many will follow his lead and sneak in, use old/fake wristbands and not support the artists by buying a ticket? It’s the hardest aspect of the film to get around – is Haney doing damage to future festivarians or is he just pointing out flaws that need to be patched?
Fans know what to expect with the band and on their 13th effort A Skeletal Domain they deliver the goods. The album is a great death metal record. Songs are heavy, dark, fast, and full of the slightly cheesy but oh so good twisted lyrics that the band is known for. A Skeletal Domain doesn’t have the same pop some of their other efforts do but there are a couple of songs here that will find a long stint on their live setlist.
