The picturesque venue of Canandaigua Music and Arts Center, CMAC, located about 20 minutes outside of Rochester N.Y. was the setting for Don Felder, Styx and headliner Foreigner.
What stole the show was when Foreigner brought the Canandaigua Academy Jazz Choir on stage with them for a song. The Choir had been asked by Lou Gramm to sing with him at the Rochester Jazz Fest and later was asked by a representative from Foreigner to be the choir vocals in the hit 90’s ballad song “I Want to Know What Love Is”, which was gladly accepted by Amy Story, Academy Choral Director.
The stage is set under the shell with seating. Typically, no one is allowed to stand in the aisle that is in front the first row seating; an exception was made for this special occasion. Both supporters of the choir and fans of Foreigner crowded up to the front to get an up close, personal view and experience. The second to last song in Foreigner’s set, the choir came on the stage. The facial expressions and radiant glow from the smile of the choir member faces was contagious. The voices of the inspired younger generations seemed to exude the emotions of appreciation for the opportunity Foreigner had given them.
Sounds of voices quickly filled the air and were received with an energetic welcoming enthusiasm from Foreigner. The audience was feeding off the energy from everyone on the stage. By the looks from one gentleman in the front row, he had enough energy for the entire audience. He was proudly looking with a twinkle in his eyes at the stage as he stretched one arm out in front of him, singing with all his heart. This gentleman could only have been a proud Papa bear by the amount emotion that he was watching someone up on stage. The choir was professional the entire evening and did a tremendous job and were truly wonderful ambassadors for their school.
Kelly Hansen (Foreigner) and the Canandaigua Academy Jazz Choir
Although the choir stole the show, Foreigner was a class act and there is more to be said than just a great performance by these guys. They covered the stage like they were 16 years old still. Running from one side to the next, playing up to the audience. The interacted with the choir and made sure the focus was about them. Foreigner is a group of musicians that are quality people. They gave to a community; to a group of young adults by providing an incredible opportunity to perform with such a large act, instilling a memory that so many more than just the choir will never forget, impacted lives by just being able to experience and see that performance. If only more musicians and people could be like this the world would be a better place. Photo credit: Tony DeLeo
The 2014 summer tour from Phish continues to be an ever-unravelling adventure in setlist construction and jam sequences. The show at Canandaigua on Tuesday was no exception. Launching into the rarity “Buried Alive” right out of the gates, the foursome then segued into an oddly placed but adventurous first-set “Twist”, clocking in just over 8 minutes. From there, Phish went right into straight-forward versions of “Heavy Things”, “555” (the first of 4 tracks off the new album Fuego) and “Halley’s Comet” before really finding their stride for what was potentially the most focused closing 2nd half of a first-set the band has played this summer tour. Starting at 8:06 p.m., When they started Bathtub Gin and really not letting up until the closing notes of David Bowie at 9 p.m., the band painted a melodic canvas for 54 minutes straight swaying in an out of intensity and exploration until the set finished.
Harkening back to the aforementioned adventurous setlists, this writer can assuredly say pre summer-tour, he would not be clamoring to ooze compliments over a “Bathtub Gin”, “Wingsuit”, “Divided Sky”, “Wombat”, “David Bowie” First set closer. However, it as if Phish, whether it be intentionally or serendipitously, is beginning to find their footing for the new Fuego tracks. The Canandaigua setlist did not contain one cover and had a ton of new material, so it could be argued the band is carefully, and strategically trying to integrate the new material into their setlists, that in many ways in recent years, had become very predictable.
Of note from the end of this first set, was the 17 minute “Divided Sky”, which seemed to perfectly jive with the divided sky and piercing sunset over Canandaigua Lake at the same time. This version is definitely a top-3 version from the 3.0 era. Another impressive showing also came from “Wombat” (clocking in at over 7 minutes) which has quickly risen to be a ridiculously fun dance number with bassist Gordon and keyboardist McConnell having enjoyable interplay. This has got to be one of the silliest, yet funkiest phish songs to come out of the barn in the past decade with the chorus “Cuddly, but muscular.” The entire pavilion inside of CMAC was getting down with many observed to be thrusting their Wombat wings in almost mock Chicken-dance and shadowing the original Wombat strut from Abe Vigoda from last year’s Halloween set. The jam was shorter than many of us would have liked but was a tight little package of funk. Definitely: one of the “jammiest” highlights of the night.
The second set began with a monstrous “Down With Disease” that ebbed and flowed from a laid back sonic sound scape to an intense funky jam with Page McConnell crushing several sections of the arrangement with powerful keystrokes. All told, the DWD clocked in just over 20 minutes and was truly a playground of emotions. It perfectly summarized where this band is at on this summer tour installment. Seemingly firing on all cylinders, Phish has is leaving predictability aside and blazing new trails, especially in the song selection and placement in the second set, specifically the previously notable 2nd set, 2nd song which had previously been “thee slot” to expect an exploration. That continued Tuesday at CMAC when the band, coming off the heels of the raucous DWD, eased into a shortened “Back on the Train”.
The second set continued in this quick-hitting fashion but never officially stopping and starting an arrangement and seguing set start to finish. Albeit short affairs with a 6 minute “Back on the Train”, a 5 min “NICU” (first one of summer tour), an 8-min “Theme from the Bottom” and a 5 minute “Meatstick”, the set truly felt like one big melodic jam with a 9-minute “Gotta Jiboo” and a 10+ minute “Fuego” taking center stage before a longer than 2014 summer-tour standard “Run Like an Antelope” brought what was one, very cohesive set and show to a close. The encore was “Character Zero” and the band quickly exited the stage to hit the long overnight trip to Detroit for next show on the tour.
Frost Ridge and other parties are embroiled in a legal battle over amplified music hosted at Le Roy campground are awaiting a decision to reverse a preliminary injunction levied by the State Supreme Court back in May.
State Supreme Court Justice Robert Noonan was expected to release a written decision last week, but reportedly needs more information.
No date for a follow-up hearing has been announced.
Attorneys for Frost Ridge Campgrounds asked the court to reverse the decision because the owners want to hold their annual concert series at the campground. Since the injunction, they have organized shows at alternative sites.
The injunction issued in May was in response to lawsuits from the Town of Le Roy. New information presented the court shows the Zoning Board of Appeals determined that Frost Ridge was being operated in 2013 within the bounds of its use.
Ownership of the grounds has changed hands the past several years. The Luetticke-Archbell family purchased the grounds in 2008. In doing so, there was no apparent confusion over how the land could be used, due in part to a 1998 decision by the town’s zoning board of appeals. As the land was being sold then the ZBA was asked to clarify how it was zoned. The board supposedly responded by viewing the activities on the grounds as “preexisting nonconforming”, as the nature of their business was established before the town devised a master plan in 1967.
Since 2012, Luetticke-Archbell have established a healthy summer music festival, luring music talents from across the country. According to the campground’s website, music has been played there since it was known primarily as a ski lodge. The campgrounds, according to the two brothers, were established in 1963.
The town, citing from their records, see only the ski lodge as being grandfathered into their zoning plans. Everything else, after 1967, would require a use variance, which would ultimately be granted through a review of the town board.
In addition to the on-going lawsuit, the Luetticke-Archbell family suffered the loss of their home by fire over the July 4th holiday weekend. The cause of the fire is reportedly undetermined.
Featured photo: The Farm, as they performed at the Frost Ridge Campgrounds in 2013. The picture was shared on the campgrounds’ Facebook page.
The streets you know come to define you, especially if you’re Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who lived in a house on Bishop Allen Dr. The two met in an English class during their sophomore year at Harvard, and have come a long way from making music in their dorms. In 2008, they were featured in the generational cult movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist which amassed them a sizable fan-base, but surprisingly enough, the band went on a hiatus after releasing their third studio album Grrr…, leaving fans to wonder if they’ll ever hear from them again. Five years later, Bishop Allen is finally back with a new “sad party record.”
When I spoke with Justin over the phone (after staying up the night before trying to remember the password to my YouTube account so I could take down my graduation montage set to “Click, Click, Click, Click“), he was humble, honest, and witty. I got the scoop on Lights Out and moving to Kingston (where “Start Again” was shot). We also talked about collecting vinyl and the return of the cassette.
Gauraa Shekhar: You guys have definitely moved around a lot. Starting in Cambridge, where you guys went to college, then Brooklyn, followed by the big move Upstate to Kingston in 2009. Would you say that each city you’ve lived in has influenced your sound?
Justin Rice: In addition to those places, we’ve also lived in Virginia and Austin. In each environment, there were different interactions with people and different ways musicians interacted with each other. In New York City, there were a million bands and it was an environment where everyone was just really competitive. As a band, you’re always trying to figure out how to be as good as you can be in order to stand out from all the other bands around. Whereas in Kingston, it’s a very cooperative environment and it’s easy to collaborate with people. I think those different relationships affect the way that you sound.
GS: I know in Syracuse, besides the random assortment of touring artists (ranging from EDM to jam bands to Aaron Carter), there’s quite a local scene. What is the music scene like in Kingston?
JR: There’s a place here called BSP—I don’t know how long it’s been open—we’ve lived in Kingston for maybe four years now and in the past year and a half to two years it’s grown into a really vibrant hub for local music here. Not only is it great for local bands, but it has also turned into a real stop for a lot of touring bands so there are good shows every night. It just always seems like a community supported space and a very engaged and active group of people show up to a lot of shows. It’s almost like a normal social event as opposed to in the City where there’s so much stuff going on that you’d only go to a show if you were really interested. In Kingston, people are more open and supportive of the space and bands that are playing here.
GS: Eight years ago, Bishop Allen recorded and released an EP every month for a year. You did the same thing with The Last Names—where you and your wife Darbie released one cover a week for a year. Would you say designating yourself a time frame is more effective when it comes to the creative process rather than sitting around waiting for a muse?
JR: Yes. For me, having a structure and a set of goals is definitely an effective way to write and record songs. When moments of inspiration come to you, you have to make sure to grab a bunch of them. You have to grab on to a song idea, a lyric idea, a melodic idea and somehow make a record of it whenever the “muse” speaks to you, but to actually take some sort of fleeting inspiration and turn into a finished product is a matter of sitting down with whatever thought you had and seeing it through. A good way is to sit down every day and work with the material that you have and grow it into a finished product. It’s nice because when you’re working on a daily basis, you’re basically taking the whole giant process of creating a record and turning it into a series of tiny, tiny decisions — it’s a lot easier to deal with than giant overall decisions.
GS: Were you working on Bishop Allen material simultaneously along with the Last Names and other projects?
JR: No, not really, which is part of why it took so long to put out this record. For me, it’s really hard to do two things at once. So it’s always like—focus on one thing and put it down, then focus on the next thing, then put it down.
GS: Rumor has it that Bishop Allen finished recording Lights Out last December. What led you guys to wait almost a year before releasing it?
JR: We finished recording it last September, and we finished mixing it around January and then we turned it into the label and they chose this release date for us. They have to schedule our release date—they have a lot of other releases that they’re dealing with and they don’t want to put them all out on once—there’s almost like a queue that you wait until it’s your turn. They already had releases scheduled all the way up until August basically on the day that we turned the record in.
GS: You guys originally started out without a label and/or publicist. What made you change your mind about the DIY aesthetic?
JR: I feel like we still do a lot ourselves—we’re very engaged in every single part of the process—from recording the music, mixing the music, releasing the music, making videos, all of the stuff—we’re still very hands on. That said, when we first started out, we didn’t have a choice. It’s not like you wake up one day and start a band and automatically get all of the support that you want—you have to earn it—go and tour and make people want to work with you. We worked on our own for so long that we found a way of doing it that we were really happy with—we weren’t actively seeking labels, but at some point in the middle of the EP project in 2006 that you mentioned, people started coming to us. We’d meet with most of them and we could tell that the relationship wouldn’t be perfect, and since we’re happy doing it on our own, we were planning to stay that way. Eventually the label that we did sign with, Dead Oceans, approached us, and the impression they made was different from any other label made—they were very forthright, very clear, had a good vision, and seemed to proceed from a simple common sense point of view, so it seemed like they would be good people to work with specifically. The reason why we signed with them was because they seem to be doing things right. Dead Oceans is a part of the whole group of labels—Dead Oceans, Secretly Canadian, and Jag Jaguwar—they’re doing great—they’re putting out great records and getting them out in a way that artists couldn’t do themselves. Finding a good relationship and knowing that the people you’re working with can help you exceed beyond what you’re doing on your own.
GS: Is there any other band on the label you can say you’re particularly a fan of?
JR: The last record that just came out on Dead Oceans—it just came out last Tuesday—Strand of Oaks—that record is amazing!
GS: Would you say the recording process is more laid back in Kingston than it is in Brooklyn?
JR: A lot of times, we’re just tinkering in the recording studio and whether that studio is in Kingston or in Brooklyn, it doesn’t really matter because it’s not like we’re booking studio time and hearing the pressure of a ticking clock. That being said, life up here in general is a little easier, so it does spill over into the recording process. For instance, when we’re in the middle of recording, and trying a bunch of stuff on computers, preamps and microphones, the process is kind of the same in both places. But when we take a break from that process here in Kingston, we stroll outside and we’re in the woods, and it’s more peaceful and much more relaxed.
GS: As former math majors, do you guys have a tendency to look at your music from a very technical standpoint—like focusing on cadences and all?
JR: Well, I was not the math major—Chris Rudder was; To me, though, there is a lot of mathematics in music—and a lot of songs on this record, for instance, have a lot of synthesizers on them—and synthesizers are all based on frequency modulations and sound wave forms. There’s a physics to taking two oscillating sine waves and running them through the parameters to make a sound wave that has the shape that you want. Definitely in learning how to use those synthesizers, there was an understanding of the physics of the sound—that’s very helpful in terms of being able to craft the actual sound.
GS: Lights Out has a very cool packaging—it’s a thoughtful collectible without being overpriced and gimmicky. The deluxe bundle pack comes with the CD, a white vinyl and a glow in the dark custom print poster (which definitely highlights the theme)—all under $23. What made you choose this layout rather than, say, pressing the album on vinyl mixed with blood and tying it together with custom art prints, like a lot of artists are doing these days?
JR: I feel like at this point there are a lot more people who are interested in vinyl as an artifact—as something that you can collect, and I think that the urge to collect is a little more pragmatic than it used to be—the idea of making something that’s really expensive appeals to a very, very small segment of people who can afford the luxury of buying it—it’s an approach that I understand. But we wanted to make a collectible item that’s really just accessible to everyone—that feels special and limited but what makes it limited is not necessarily the price point—it’s an easy collectible that you can reach and doesn’t feel insane. Part of that is, I think, that we want to make cool things that you can enjoy—like a cool poster on your wall? Great. But I just don’t feel precious about it—it’s not something that should be put in a museum.
GS: I know you’re vinyl collector yourself. What are a few of your most prized records?
JR: I would say, “Wanna Buy A Bridge?” which is a compilation of early Rough Trade singles. “No New York”, which I have on vinyl, which is the Brian Eno produced compilation of early no wave dance in New York. A lot of the records I have, I listen to them, love them, but I don’t set aside the most expensive, rarest records. I love Astrud Gilberto, but there are not that many records that she put out, but those are like the records I listen to all the time; or like every Bob Dylan record, but I don’t necessarily own the most premium, first edition unless I accidentally stumble on them. I collect records to listen to more than anything else. That said, those two records that I mentioned initially are pretty hard to find. They’re really, really good.
GS: A lot of the newer indie bands are now coming out with eight-track cassettes—what are your thoughts on that? Do you think cassettes are going to make a comeback too and hit—dare I say—the shelves of all the Urban Outfitter/Hot Topic stores?
JR: (Laughs) I doubt it. The thing about it is that an eight-track player is a hard thing to find. I think before they actually make a comeback, there has to be someone who decides to manufacture eight-track players. But it’s kind of the chicken-and-egg thing—I think that there are definitely downsides to the eight-track format that prevent it from lasting—I think it’s an outdated technology. Any tape format wears out faster than vinyl—you listen to it too many times and you’re degrading it till it eventually stretches out and it won’t last generations. Secondly, with an eight-track, there is a problem when it plays—you can’t fast forward. So if you have your favorite song on an eight-track on one side and you want to listen to it, you have to flip the tape and listen to the other side an equal amount so it rewinds the tape back, and then you can hear your favorite song again. It’s practically because you can’t choose your entry point—you’re forced to listen to it from A to B without having much control over basically where you drop the needle or where you skip to track-wise. It’s a really difficult format to actually listen to.
GS: Hey, as long as it looks good on your shelf, right?
JR: (Laughs) Hey, definitely, it’s cool. I’m not opposed to eight-tracks, I just don’t really see them coming back.
GS: A lot of the indie bands today have signed hefty sync deals with publishing companies. Would you guys consider trusting a company to place your songs in other media?
JR: I doubt it. I guess it would depend on the company and what offer it was, but it would really depend on the company as it’s hard to imagine giving away the rights of something that you create. It’s hard for me to picture that as a good idea. Historically, it’s been a bad idea for a lot of people. In the music industry, a lot of corporates took advantage of artists who didn’t understand that they were signing away their rights to songs and they turned those into giant mega corporations and left the actual creator. I mean, I obviously wouldn’t sign a deal like that but that is sort of the idea—you’re taking something that you’re creating and selling it to someone without ever knowing what the value of it might end up being. On an economic level, it might make more sense, but on a spiritual level, it doesn’t feel great to know that you no longer are in possession of the actual publishing of this thing you wrote and someone who doesn’t even write music is.
GS: “Click, Click, Click, Click” has been featured in a lot of movies. Did you have a say in all of that?
JR: Yeah! There is a company that handles licensing for us—Bank Robber Music—they handle licensing for thirty labels—hundreds and hundreds of bands. They try to pitch songs for placement in movies where they think they’ll be appropriate, but they’re always working with the artist they’re representing so they’ll check in and say, “hey, this TV show is interested in licensing your song—would you want to do it?”. It’s always done very knowingly with both sides being very, very clear about what it is that is going on.
GS: You’ve actually licensed that song for a Sony ad before. If you could pick an ad to have your new songs featured in, what would it be for?
JR: I feel like a lot of the times when you’re licensing your song for a commercial, it does lessen the value of your song. You usually do it out of necessity—it’s more about the money than the exposure. It’s a way to keep making what you make—also, most of the songs that I write, for instance, I don’t think they need to be protected—they’re not some sort of treasure that you hoard or put a moat around to make sure that you never diminish their value by licensing them to some corporation. But at the same time, I don’t know that there’s an ideal ad. There are terrible ads and then there are ads that are okay. The two places that I’ve seen have a cooler take on music and use it in ways that seem interesting and seem to actually appeal to me for instance are Volkswagen ads and Apple ads. They seem pretty smart about what they use and how they use it—but even then, it’s not that different.
GS: Yeah, the other day I just saw Elliott Smith being used in a diaper commercial and I was cringing as I was watching it.
JR: Anytime I feel like, “I can’t believe they’re using Elliott Smith to market diapers”, it’s also like, I’m the person in front of this TV being marketed to by this diaper commercial. It feels bad, but that’s part of the point, I guess.
GS: The release party for the new album will be held at Brooklyn venue Glasslands on August 21st. Any specific reason you guys chose to kick off with a 21+ show?
JR: No, we just wanted a venue we were happy with in New York City and I feel like 21+ in New York City is a different animal than 21+ in a lot of places because, honestly, if you want to get into the show, you can get in no matter what the age is.
GS: Actually, Glasslands happens to be one of the strictest venues in Brooklyn where age policy is concerned. They’ve been hosting a lot more 18+ shows this year, though.
JR: I wasn’t aware of that! Definitely, I’d like for all of our shows to not be 21+, and whenever possible, we try to make that happen but sometimes by mistake, or because of the lack of suitable options, we have to go with a 21+ show. I didn’t realize that 18+ shows were an option. Maybe I can look into it and see if we can get that changed. Thanks for letting me know!
GS: What can we tell our readers to look forward to in the upcoming album?
JR: I think the new record is kind of a little different from anything we’ve done before. This record was done altogether at once, so I think it’s rather coherent. Mood-wise, I think there’s a certain sadness to a lot of it, but it’s sort of a party record—it’s a sad party record.
GS: A sad party record?
JR: Yeah, in a good way. That sounds weird, but what I mean is that a lot of it is pretty upbeat and dance-y and it’s fun, but it acknowledges a certain sadness at its core. It’s a melancholic dace record I guess. Definitely, there are some different sounds—some synths that we had never explored before and I think that it’s kind of hard for me to pinpoint.
Lights Out will be out August 19th on Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.
The Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, NY in its 23rd year brings out friends and family every year right around our Nation’s birthday for great music and much more. The cars, trucks and campers were lining the streets a day before the gates opened to get that perfect spot come Friday morning. As soon as 9AM came they all began beeping their horns signaling the start of what was going to be an incredible weekend. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful and the music was the perfect pairing for the event. Friday’s music started promptly at 3:45PM and was timed to when all the campers had their tents up, campers parked and anticipation was at its peak.
Tiger Maple String Band started the event off and from then on music seemed to flow seamlessly through the next three days. Smackdab entertained the crowd with their soul driven jam that seemed to get everyone up and moving for the evening with Plastic Nebraska following suit. The Town Pants and The Horse Flies finishing the night strong – both bands that were welcomed back to GBH with rave reviews. Friday night tends to be the longest night and for good reason, Donna The Buffalo packs the dance tent at 1AM with their alter ego Buffalo Zydeco, which over the years seems to have strayed away from straight zydeco, to an impromptu jam session that will last until the breakfast hours or in this case 8AM. I spoke with DTB keyboard player, Dave McCracken before the show and he told me how the band lives for this Friday night/Saturday morning slot. He said, when he joined 8 years ago he remembered going in blindly to play, thinking it was going to be a normal set, little did he know that he would be playing until the sun came up, but he loved it and continues to do so.
Photos By: Thomas Sgroi
As Heron-goers shook off the first night’s remaining hangovers and got their dancing shoes back on, Saturday afternoon brought a steady lineup of traditional and world-music influenced bands that kept fans out on the field of the Main Stage, in the Dance Tent, and back in the woods at the Tiger Maple Stage. The Ragbirds out of Ann Arbor, MI brought a very eclectic sound to the stage, with influences from West Africa, Spain (played a saucy tango), Ireland, Romania, and all over the globe. They describe their style as “infectious global groove.” The adorably petite, flower-wearing lead singer, Erin Zindle, seamlessly transitioned musical modes from Celtic to Roma (Gypsy), and back to American grassroots fiddle, with nothing left wanting in terms of passion, power, or fluency in these diverse musical languages. The Ragbirds are very unique group in that all members play percussion (in addition to their primary instruments), which made the them the ideal mid-afternoon opener to get the audience hyped and moving their feet again. Percussionist Randall, “the Hitman” Moore got the crowd jumping and dancing with an amazing conga solo. Add to this formula a killer cover of the Talking Heads’ “Nothing but Flowers,” and you’ve got yourself a great start to day two of the Great Blue Heron.
Overlapping time with the Ragbirds in the Dance Tent was the Celtic-folk/rock favorite Town Pants, by way of Vancouver, Canada (those Celts are everywhere!). Town Pants struck me as a seemingly odd name for a group wherein two of the band’s five members wear kilts and one was wearing a skirt. Regardless, this band owned the stage and pulled listeners right into the alcohol, fun, and folk induced-frenzy that they embodied on stage. Brothers Duane and Dave Keough toasted with the audience (multiple times), told jokes, and kept that whiskey-fire burning with an energy unparalleled at the Heron. Enthusiastic percussion, a solid string section, and an infectious stage presence were hallmarks of their delivery. Band frontman Dave Keough announced mid-set, “I’m officially a Heron lover,” much to the audience’s chagrin. Fans sang along with the simultaneously sweet and touching, yet funny, “Sailor Song”, whose chorus was – “When I said that I loved you I was drunk but I meant It anyway,” you gotta love sailor romance. The Town Pants held audience attention and kept them shouting “Oi!” throughout the set as the band pleased the crowd, with covers of modern rock songs, played Celtic-style. Featured were “Sorrow,” by Bad Religion and a KISS original, “I Was Made for Loving You”. In a heartwarming gesture near the end of their set, the two brothers even brought their aging father on stage to sing a traditional folk song…a lovely nod to the classic Celtic lust for life nostalgia and familial adoration.
Driftwood was nextt on the must-see lineup for the festival – a strings-only quintet of bluegrass/folk/americana musicians that just keep evolving their sound with increased sophistication. Driftwood has always wielded the power to get crowds jumping and stomping with fiery bluegrass passion – especially during fiddle solos by the much beloved and talented Claire Byrne. But at Blue Heron, Driftwood proved that they can just as easily fill the air with a soft, tranquil, and beautifully sad sound, and fully utilize the powers of simplicity and silence. The minimalistic bass tapping, and lovely guitar picking on songs like “The Carburetor and the Steam Engine” invoked bittersweet images of sadness. Their fade-outs on songs like “Goldmine” were so moody and sweet you could hear the hairs on the audience’s necks stand up. Bravo indeed.
Back at the Dance Tent, positive, inspirational, and groovy roots rock reggae poured out of the tent like a sweet melody. The culprit was Mosaic Foundation, a group of ethnically diverse and talented musicians based in Rochester, NY and formed in the Finger Lakes region. This band played last year at Great Blue Heron with a warm reception and once again, they did not disappoint. Listeners couldn’t help but follow suit as lead singer Yao Foli, or “Cha Cha” sang about music and love-making in “put on my dancing shoes”. Cha Cha, a native Ghanian, used Mosaic’s deep groove and funky rhythm to extol his virtues of peace, education, cooperation, community, and spiritual unity. The highly animated Cha-Cha spoke and sang of lending a helping hand, how “education is the most powerful weapon,” and reflected on the profound wisdom that someone else’s struggles and pain are not external, because in a spiritual sense, “someone else is me.” Of special note were the sharp, precise, and paradoxically energetic and laid-back percussion parts provided by Bryan Davis. His interplay with drummer John-Paul Nawn and the droning chords provided by the rest of the band kept the audience swaying and bouncing throughout the set.
As the sun drew near to the horizon on Saturday evening, Big Leg Emma brought their big sound to the Main Stage. Big Leg Emma is a rock/country/folk/bluegrass outfit, hailing from Western NY. Their sound blends a full, rhythm driven backbone with a country-style vocal sweetness and soul (courtesy of vocalist Charity Nuse) that stir up thoughts of sweet tea and back porches in summer. While Big Leg Emma plays definitively structured songs, they also weren’t afraid to jam out. Solid, funky, double-stopped bass lines by Miguel Morales and an anticipatory, super-fast rock drum solo by Corey Kertzie were especially memorable. This group employed elements of popular (in contrast to traditional) music, and expounded on this talent of making songs catchy and danceable by covering songs people know and love. “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles, “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd and “Papa Was a Rollin Stone” by the Temptations, all made it hard not to join right in and love Big Leg Emma. And, this is just what Claire Byrne of Driftwood decided to do when she sat in and shredded her fiddle right along with this good-time band. Also, in keeping with the family-friendly nature of the Great Blue Heron festival, Charity brought her pre-teen son on stage to play the djembe for the last few songs of their set. It’s a family affair at Great Blue Heron!
Once darkness fell, the glowing electronic lights and digitized sounds of Jimkata drew listeners away from their campsites and into a world where nature and technology fuse. Jimkata is one of the very few bands that successfully blend analog, live instrumentation with trippy electronic effects and synthesized beats. Especially impressive was how drummer Packy Lunn perfectly balanced his live drumming with simultaneous synth drum tracks and sounds, creating a unique percussive texture that was neither electronic dance music nor rock, but somewhere in between. Although Jimkata could definitely be considered psychadelic, their melodies and solos (especially those played by guitarist and keyboard player Dave Rossi) were always pretty and pleasant, and never discordant. Now that Jimkata has been on the national touring festival circuit, the young (circa 2012) Ithaca-based band has proven that they will only get better with time. Jimkata’s greatly improved cohesiveness and increasingly polished and definitive sound, will carry them on the cultural wave of electronic music until it just isn’t cool anymore.
At the peak of the evening’s euphoria arose Donna the Buffalo, the legendary folk/country/zydeco/jam group that helped birth festivals like Great Blue Heron and Grassroots Music Festival in Ithaca. Donna is both reliable and prolific. With a performing history spanning over two decades, a massive compendium of songs both original and traditional, a dedicated and growing fan base known as “the herd,” and a busy national tour schedule, Donna the Buffalo does what they do well, and they keep on doing it. Their music is the ideal for family festivals for many reasons. Their songs are deeply steeped in the timeless sounds of the American vernacular, yet they manage to remain fun, danceable, and relevant (never old-timey). Their clear and tasteful tones are always smooth and easy on the ears, and their music conveys an especially unique energy that always makes people feel good. This vibe could be described as happy with a twinge of sorrowful wisdom. This seems best expressed through the mellifluous voice and stoic presence of Tara Nevins, and the mournful and reflective lyrics of Jeb Puryear.
Photos By: Brennan Fischer
Sunday is typically reserved for the older crowd and seems a lot more laid back then the previous days. With most of the crowd cleaning up their campsites and leaving throughout the day its more of a quieter time. The day also seems to have a great ending with some perfect groups closing it out. The Hindu Cowboys asked to come back after their successful Sunday last year and bring a great stage presence with great music and a fun and entertaining wit. Last year they played alongside a 2-foot tall Batman figure which at times would play the theme song too and Jam with, this year the same Batman figure presented itself from the crowd and again joined the group on stage as part of the groups band mates.
The Hindu Cowboys really make sunday a fun day and are very talented musicians. Big Leg Emma played a for a second time in as many days, bringing their jamming and the fans who wanted more the previous day got what they were looking for. Donna The Buffalo closed out the day and the festival and you wouldn’t want it any other way, the group has taken this festival and really let it evolve into something magical over the years. The group and the festival go hand in hand in bringing friends together for a good time filled with great music. It was bittersweet for the festival to come to an end and I’m sure that along with the entire audience, I left feeling thankful that this great band, and its friends and family helped found such an enjoyable and feel-good festival. Happy Heron everyone.
Scott Harris is a music photojournalist as well as a street, landscape and fine art photographer and an avid member of the Instagram community. Originally from southwestern Connecticut, Scott attended college and lived for the better part of a decade in Upstate and Western New York regions. Scott currently resides in Westchester County and serves as a house photographer for the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Scott’s musical tastes include jam, electronica, EDM, hip hop, blues, bluegrass, funk, folk and pretty much everything in between.
As a rabid Phish phan, Scott originally began taking concert photos with a little point & shoot camera at the band’s Bader Field run in June 2012 just for fun. Scott quickly caught the photography bug and though he’s entirely self-taught, almost a year to the day later officially shot his first concert. In his first year as a music photojournalist, Scott had the opportunity to photograph a wide variety of artists/projects, including: Elton John, Jack White, Phish, Umphrey’s McGee, The Avett Brothers, Lotus, The Disco Biscuits, Skrillex, Widespread Panic, The Black Crowes, Phil Lesh & Friends, RatDog, Primus, Mastodon, Pixies, Elvis Costello & The Roots, Tegan + Sara, Beats Antique, John Butler Trio, moe., Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Lettuce, Yonder Mountain String Band, Strangefolk, White Denim and Kung Fu, just to name a few.
Aside from his work at The Capitol Theatre and for NYSMusic, Scott is a frequent contributor to Relix and JamBase. Scott’s work has recently been featured on RollingStone.com and he’s appeared as a guest host on SiriusXM Jam ON. On the rare occasion Scott is not attending a concert, he’s often found exploring the world of craft beer or engrossed in sports. Scott is infatuated with imperial IPAs and is a diehard Syracuse basketball/football and RIT hockey fan, and he also loves (in no particular order) the Yankees, Rangers, Giants and Knicks.
While Scott’s live music bucket list has been rapidly dwindling over the past year (including trips for the first time in 2014 to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo), he has his sights set on attending and photographing Coachella, Electric Forest and Jam Cruise, as well as Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, the Foo Fighters, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruce Springsteen, among others in the near future.
Once again Hip Hop superstars Drake and Lil Wayne will hit some of their usual spots this summer as they bring their “Vs” tour to New York State.
Drake performing at the Sound Academy in Toronto in 2011. (Shot by Drew: Drake (The Come Up Show))
The unique tour was named “Vs” because both artists will not only play their hits, but at different points of the show, the artist will join each other on stage and collaborate with one another.
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y will get the first show of the tour on Friday August 8th. Other N.Y dates will include Tuesday, August 12th at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, N.Y and Tuesday, August 19th at the Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, N.Y.
Grammy award winners, Halestorm recently announced they would be playing at Buffalo’s Town Ballroom on November 24th.
Halestorm has toured with rock and metal’s biggest bands, Shinedown, Stone Sour, Disturbed, Megadeth, Papa Roach and Godsmack. This year, they have stretched out their sphere of influence, having played a few selected dates with country singer, Eric Church.
The band scored two Top 10 singles from their debut, self-titled album, “I Get Off” and “It’s Not You”.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 18 at noon at TicketFly and Town Ballroom box office.
Check out Halestorm on their 2014 North American Tour:
7/18 — Oshkosh, Wis. — Rock USA
8/1 — Clearfield, Pa. — Clearfield County Fair
8/2 — Syracuse, N.Y. — KRockathon
8/3 — Mescalero, N.M. — Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino
8/15 — Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa State Fair Grandstand
8/16 — Sedalia, Mo. — Missouri State Fair
8/28 — Comstock Park, Mich. — Fifth Third Ballpark (w/ Theory of a Deadman)
9/27 — Baltimore, Md. — Shindig Festival
9/29 — New York, N.Y. — Terminal 5
9/30 — Watertown, N.Y. — McVean Gymnasium @ Jefferson
11/11 — Chattanooga, Tenn. — Track 29
11/12 — Knoxville, Tenn. — The International
11/14 — St. Petersburg, Fla. — Mahaffey Theater
11/15 — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — Revolution
11/16 — Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — House of Blues Orlando
11/18 — Louisville, Ky. — Mercury Ballroom
11/20 — Green Bay, Wis. — Resch Center**
11/21 — Peoria, Ill. — Civic Center**
11/22 — Evansville, Ind. — Ford Center**
11/24 — Buffalo, N.Y. — Town Ballroom
11/25 — Westbury, N.Y. — The Space at Westbury
11/28 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom
11/29 — Worcester, Mass. — The Palladium
12/1 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Bogart’s
12/4 — Wichita, Kan. — INTRUST Bank Arena**
12/5 — Kansas City, Mo. — Sprint Center**
12/6 — Sioux Falls, S.D. — Denny Sanford Premier Center**
12/8 — Memphis, Tenn. — Minglewood Hall
12/9 — Baton Rouge, La. — Varsity Theatre
12/11 — Duluth, Ga. — Arena at Gwinnett Center**
12/12 — Greenville, S.C. — Bon Secours Wellness Arena**
12/13 — Birmingham, Ala. –BJCC Arena**
Last summer, made the mid-July trek to Chicago to cover Pitchfork Music Festival for the first time ever. This upcoming weekend, New York State’s favorite music-based website will be heading to the Windy City once again.
Pitchfork Music Fest will be held in Union Park from Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20. Three-day passes – along with single-day passes for Saturday and Sunday – have already sold out. Tickets for Friday, however, are still available through Ticketfly.
Pitchfork’s schedule offers an even scattering of fantastic acts throughout its extended weekend, and Friday’s yet-to-be-sold-out lineup is no weak spot in the festival’s overall roster.
Headlining Friday’s lineup is Beck, whose recently released Morning Phase is the twelfth album in an excellently diverse discography. Morning Phase displays Beck’s skills as a songwriter, with most of its tracks rooted in folk-style recordings. While his Pitchfork set will likely feature a good deal of material from Morning Phase, songs from Beck’s funk-influenced Midnight Vultures, his indie giant Guero, and his 1996 breakout Odelay will hopefully make their way into the performance as well.
One of Friday’s most intriguing acts is Sharon Van Etten, a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn who released her latest LP, Are We There in May. The album shows Van Etten’s songwriting as strong and genuine, and her performances follow the candid nature that often presents itself in her recordings.
Saturday’s lineup is led by Twin Peaks, a group of young Chicagoans whose melody-driven garage rock is categorized with Windy City acts like The Orwells and Smith Westerns.
Cloud Nothings play Saturday afternoon as well, offering a more veteran take on indie rock. Their April-released Here And Nowhere Else is a record full of energy and grit, which will likely translate to a festival setting very well.
Frontwomen will be a major theme as Saturday closes. Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus – who will be performing on Pitchfork’s Red Stage at 5:15 – is responsible for the eccentrically beautiful Nikki Nack, released through 4AD earlier this summer. And St. Vincent, whose recent appearance on SNL exhibited her art-rock performance style, will be next in line at the Red Stage.
Female solo projects Kelela and FKA Twigs will also perform Saturday evening, followed by headliner Neutral Milk Hotel. had the opportunity to cover Mangum and his band in Ithaca in January. Their performance was the first in Upstate New York in nearly two decades, but the effects of their extended hiatus went unnoticed at the State Theater. After touring for several more months, it’s safe to assume their set at Pitchfork will be an even more ambitious performance than Ithaca’s.
Sunday’s lineup features Syracuse-based noise rock act, Perfect Pussy. After receiving praise from Pitchfork’s staff writers for their debut album, Say Yes To Love, the Upstate five-piece has become one of the most anticipated acts at this year’s festival.
Other notable acts in Sunday’s lineup include shoe-gaze standouts Diiv and Jordan Lee’s folk-inspired Mutual Benefit, along with Real Estate, whose spring performance at the Higher Ground in Burlington spurred a trip north for .
Between Beck’s performance on Friday and Kendrick Lamar’s closing performance Sunday night, the Pitchfork 2014 lineup is set to consistently provide fans with incredible performances. And if 2013 is any indication, Phish won’t be the only reason to head west this weekend.
Harkening back to the aforementioned adventurous setlists, this writer can assuredly say pre summer-tour, he would not be clamoring to ooze compliments over a “Bathtub Gin”, “Wingsuit”, “Divided Sky”, “Wombat”, “David Bowie” First set closer. However, it as if Phish, whether it be intentionally or serendipitously, is beginning to find their footing for the new Fuego tracks. The Canandaigua setlist did not contain one cover and had a ton of new material, so it could be argued the band is carefully, and strategically trying to integrate the new material into their setlists, that in many ways in recent years, had become very predictable.
Of note from the end of this first set, was the 17 minute “Divided Sky”, which seemed to perfectly jive with the divided sky and piercing sunset over Canandaigua Lake at the same time. This version is definitely a top-3 version from the 3.0 era. Another impressive showing also came from “Wombat” (clocking in at over 7 minutes) which has quickly risen to be a ridiculously fun dance number with bassist Gordon and keyboardist McConnell having enjoyable interplay. This has got to be one of the silliest, yet funkiest phish songs to come out of the barn in the past decade with the chorus “Cuddly, but muscular.” The entire pavilion inside of CMAC was getting down with many observed to be thrusting their Wombat wings in almost mock Chicken-dance and shadowing the original Wombat strut from Abe Vigoda from last year’s Halloween set. The jam was shorter than many of us would have liked but was a tight little package of funk. Definitely: one of the “jammiest” highlights of the night.
The second set began with a monstrous “Down With Disease” that ebbed and flowed from a laid back sonic sound scape to an intense funky jam with Page McConnell crushing several sections of the arrangement with powerful keystrokes. All told, the DWD clocked in just over 20 minutes and was truly a playground of emotions. It perfectly summarized where this band is at on this summer tour installment. Seemingly firing on all cylinders, Phish has is leaving predictability aside and blazing new trails, especially in the song selection and placement in the second set, specifically the previously notable 2nd set, 2nd song which had previously been “thee slot” to expect an exploration. That continued Tuesday at CMAC when the band, coming off the heels of the raucous DWD, eased into a shortened “Back on the Train”.
The second set continued in this quick-hitting fashion but never officially stopping and starting an arrangement and seguing set start to finish. Albeit short affairs with a 6 minute “Back on the Train”, a 5 min “NICU” (first one of summer tour), an 8-min “Theme from the Bottom” and a 5 minute “Meatstick”, the set truly felt like one big melodic jam with a 9-minute “Gotta Jiboo” and a 10+ minute “Fuego” taking center stage before a longer than 2014 summer-tour standard “Run Like an Antelope” brought what was one, very cohesive set and show to a close. The encore was “Character Zero” and the band quickly exited the stage to hit the long overnight trip to Detroit for next show on the tour.
When I spoke with Justin over the phone (after staying up the night before trying to remember the password to my YouTube account so I could take down my graduation montage set to “
As a rabid 
