As they make their way to Buffalo, the talk right now is about the stellar show Dave Matthews Band just put on with their two-night run at SPAC. The Dave Matthews Band will play Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on June 11th. DMB never seems to disappoint their loyal fan base in Western NY, and with the new two set format that includes an acoustic set and a full band, electric set, it will surely be an unforgettable experience. The band has been playing songs throughout their extensive catalog, making every show more unique and exciting night in and night out.
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center is the perfect backdrop to a summer concert and with the amusement park connected, you can enjoy some fun during the day before catching a great show at night. With the venue being a consistent stop over the years for DMB, the show is always the perfect start to the summer concert season for many fans in the WNY region.
Tickets can be purchased through Live Nation here.
To get you ready for the show, check out these highlights from SPAC:
Donna the Buffalo debuted their first studio album in five years, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, on June 18, 2013 via Sugar Hill Records. They have been touring the country in support of that album feverishly throughout the past year and they are bringing their Americana music to Naples, NY on Friday June 20th at Inspire Moore Winery at 197 North Main Street, Naples, NY 14512. This is an all ages show, tickets are $15 adv; $20 dos.
Closing in on the quarter-century mark, Donna the Buffalo has proven itself a consistent purveyor of Americana music. What’s the recipe? To be sure, it’s infused with more spices than you’ll find at a Cajun cookout by way of a southern-fried, country old-time jamboree.
The group draws its inspiration from a cherished part of the American heritage: the old-time music festivals of the south that drew entire towns and counties together. “Those festivals were so explosive, and the community and the feeling of people being with each other, that’s the feeling we were shooting for in our music,” Puryear says. “Donna the Buffalo is an extension of the joy we’ve found.”
Donna the Buffalo has toured the nation for nearly twenty five years with an ever-evolving grassroots sound and plans to keep on doing so for many years to come.
Corinth, Mississippi rockers Saving Abel return to CNY this Friday night at Monirae’s in Pennellville, NY. Saving Abel is now fronted by Scotty Austin who has replaced singer Jared Weeks as of last year. Kansas City, Missouri rockers Syn City Cowboys are set to open. 95X (WAQX) is the main sponsor of the show. Saving Abel will also be playing at the Washington Avenue Armory with rapper Immortal Technique this Saturday.
Tickets can be purchased for Syracuse here. Tickets for Albany can be purchased here.
Woodstock has gone through two major official reincarnations since the original fest changed the musical landscape forever. With the 45th anniversary this year, many have wondered whether the third installment of this epic music festival would be in the works. While this appears to not be happening, original promoter and co-creator Michael Lang appears to be in the early planning stages of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, an event that launched so many careers into the stratosphere.
Details are minimal at this point: the site will likely be near the original Bethel site, and it’s anyone’s guess which bands will be present. Considering the past two were fraught with issues (Mud, fires, crime etc.), one would hope they go back to the original mindset: hippies, peace and love. NYS Music will be monitoring this story and keep you abreast of any changes. Who would you like to see at Woodstock’s 50th?
With so many great festivals right in our backyard, we are lucky in the Upstate region to be able to pick and choose what we attend every summer. One gem that calls the North Country home and always has a solid lineup is Backwoods Pondfest. Now in its 8th year, this years fest will be headlined by Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na with his project Chali 2na and the House of Vibe. Other acts include bands like Twiddle, Spiritual Rez, Turkuaz, Alan Evans’ Playonbrother, Conehead Buddha, and of course, the gracious hosts, Lucid. With it still being two months away though, there’s still a lot of great music to catch in the near future before even thinking about that.
Welcome to ‘s “Road to Backwoods Pondfest” series. Through this, we plan on highlighting some of the shows in the region that we are sponsoring that feature Pondfest bands before its August kick off. Being that it’s our first installation, it made sense to tell you about the guys who host Pondfest every year, Lucid. The band hails from the Plattsburgh region and have been a gracious host over the years to the many bands that make the trip in August. As the winner of ‘s March Madness tournament, Lucid is gaining popularity throughout the region as one of the premier up and coming bands to catch.
On Friday, June 6th Lucid will be taking the stage at Olive Ridley’s in Plattsburgh. Joining them that night are two bands from the area that are local favorites in Doomf*ck and Trinity Park Radio. The following night, Lucid is making the short trip south to Saranac Lake to play Waterhole. Opening the night will be The Royal Noise whose powerful funk sound is a great fit for the show.
Lucid (Photo by Laura Carbone)
For both shows, doors open at 9pm with music beginning at 10, so head out and get a taste for what’s to come this August when Backwoods Pondfest kicks off its 8th year. And if you still haven’t picked up your Pondfest ticket quite yet, hit the link and grab yours now! There’s a reason why this is one of our favorites in New York.
In a day where digital music is more common for the everyday consumer than owning an album, that doesn’t necessarily hold true when it comes to Yes.
Yes, the iconic progressive rock band that has sold 40 million albums over the past 40 years, announced their latest release, Heaven & Earth, will drop on July 22nd. Bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, keyboardist Geoff Downes and singer Jon Davison, in conjunction with the release of their latest studio album, will proceed with a 35-date, summer tour throughout the United States starting July 8th.
The artwork of Roger Dean has become synonymous with Yes, making each of the band’s album covers unmistakably theirs. As has been in the past, Dean is back to provide the artwork for Heaven & Earth. This latest release will contain eight original tracks produced by Grammy Award winner, Roy Thomas Baker.
Heaven & Earth is available now for pre-order on Amazon .
Above: Album cover art for Heaven & Earth by Roger Dean
The first of 35 nights starts off July 8th at the Blue Hills Bank Pavillion in Boston, MA. From there, the band will meander throughout the Northeast with stops in New York City (July 9th – Radio City Music Hall), Wallingford, CT (July 11th – Toyota Oakdale Theatre), Westbury, NY (July 12th – NYCB Theatre at Westbury) and Newport, RI (July 13th – Newport Yachting Center). After a stop in Washington, DC, the band will come back north for a stop at Hampton, NH (July 16th – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom), and Salamanca, NY (July 18th – Seneca Allegany Casino).
The tour promises to feature, in their entirety, 1971’s groundbreaking album Fragile for the first-time ever and a repeat performance from last year’s tour of 1972’s Close to the Edge, followed by an encore of the band’s greatest hits. Tickets can be purchased at the band’s website.
Despite the conflict-laden name, Rebelution has a way of coloring everything with positivity. The band has always led with that feel, both lyrically and musically. Now in their tenth year, Rebelution is releasing their fourth studio album in Count Me In with many of their fans eager to hear what the Cali-based foursome have been working on as of late. While I’ll say that they certainly delivered, there were still a few surprises in there along the way and a few that were close to instant classics for me.
The album opens on the title track, featuring a rolling bass line that almost has a swing to it and full of upbeat the band is known for. When I asked drummer Wesley Finley about how they decided to open with this one, he said, “I do have to admit that we struggled with the track order quite a bit this time, all the way until we were going to print! Since we titled the album after the track, it eventually made sense to put “Count Me In” first. Besides that, the track really embodies the general sound the band represents so we figured it would be a good introduction.” These guys haven’t made it to their tenth year missing the mark and the opener is no different.
With all that said, the first song is merely a setup for the album standout “De-Stress.” That might’ve been by design though as Finley says, “We followed that up with “De-Stress” because it’s up-tempo and keeps the momentum building.” The opening one-two punch is a great start to the album and a possible set opener we might see this summer. The driving intro of “De-Stress” in and of itself makes the song, but singer Eric Rachmany hops around the rhythm with his delivery and adds another dimension to this track. The chorus of “And I might stress/Yes I might stress/ Too blessed to be stressed” are some nuggets we could all live by. In the world we live in today, a little de-stressing could do everyone some good.
As the album progresses through the tracks, two stand out in back-to-back fashion once again: “Lost in Dreams” and “Fade Away” showed some growth and experimentation from the band. In some cases it felt and sounded great, like the soothing close of “Fade Away”, but something held these two back. That being said, young bands could learn from these guys as Rebelution knows exactly where to push the boundaries; these two tracks weren’t far off. When asked about the creative deviation, Finley said, “We produced “Lost in Dreams” with a friend of ours named AmpLive, who is half of the hip-hop group Zion I and a beat maker for other hip-hop artists. We tour with them every once in a while and are mutual fans of each other’s music, so it was inevitable that collaboration would happen.”
On that collaboration note, the album features two guest appearances in the form of “Hate to Be the One” (Collie Buddz) and “Roots Reggae Music” (Don Carlos). Both guests are great fits for their respective tracks. When asked about how they chose the two, Finley said, “Collie Buddz we knew from touring together. He had come up on a song or two of ours live onstage over the years and the band is a fan of his voice, which is distinct from him being Bermudan. We sent “Hate to Be the One” to him and he came back with a whopping verse that we were very impressed with and knew we had to use. Eric’s main vocal inspiration has always been the reggae veteran Don Carlos so we instantly thought of him for “Roots Reggae Music”. He too has come onstage to sing with us for years, mostly to his own song we covered called “Johnny Big Mouth”, so we thought it would be great for him to sing something new for us. Our sound engineer is the infamous Errol Brown, who worked closely with the Marley family for many years, so when we mentioned we were thinking of asking Don to be on the track he said, “Call him up and pass me the phone. I’ll get him to do it!” We all listened as they caught up over the phone in a thick Jamaican patois. It was a classic moment.”
Left to Right: Marley D. Williams (bass), Wesley Finley (drums), Eric Rachmany (vocals/guitar), Rory Carey (keyboards) Photo Credit: Kurt Hudson
The album wraps up on two songs that take a darker twist. “Against the Grain” starts off with a mesmerizing horn phrase that transitions to a vocal rally cry to whoever might be listening. The empowering words come with a hint of attitude and grit. The title is the perfect fit as it stands on its own compared to the rest of the album’s sunny positivity. It has almost a “Bad Boys,” fist in the air, fighting-for-your-beliefs feel with Marley Williams running a darker line to color the song. “Invasion” closes the album and keeps the rebel feel going. The last two songs are my favorite combo on the album and feature a darker, more serious tone for the band.
It’s funny to think, now, that they struggled with the order of the tracks as they couldn’t have decided upon a better layout in my opinion. In flawless fashion, the band has woven together a cohesive, yet varied album that features what they’ve built their careers on while still progressing forward.
The album drops Tuesday, June 10th, with preorders being taken here. If you’ve been a fan of the band, or even looking to hear some new reggae, you’re going to want to check this one out.
Key Tracks: Against the Grain, De-Stress, Invasion
The Oneonta Theatre, located at 47 Chestnut Street, just 100 yards away from Oneonta’s vibrant Main Street, is a true gem of a venue. Being situated in a college town, the theatre is just a hop, skip, and jump away from a wide array of dining options, as well as a plethora of bars. Consisting of two separate concert spaces, the larger of which can accommodate 900 people, and the smaller 200, the Oneonta Theatre is a unique and charming place to check out a show. The larger downstairs theater has a deep, tall stage, one that can accommodate a large band or the cast of a play, and the sloped floor typically has seats up to about two-thirds of the way down towards the stage, leaving the front of the floor open for boogieing down. The smaller upstairs theater features a stage that is not very much higher than the dance floor area, with seats sloping upwards towards the back of this space, and is slightly rounder than the space downstairs. An amazing sound engineer works with the theatre, making sure the sound is stellar in both of the differently configured theaters.
Designated as a historically significant building on the National Register of Historic Places, the Oneonta Theatre was originally built as a vaudeville theater in 1897, during a particularly happening time in Oneonta’s history, when the railroad ran through town. From its lavish first production of The Sporting Duchess (at a production cost of $50,000!) on February 28, 1898, to silent and talking films throughout the 19-teens and Roaring ‘20s, to the site of countless Oneonta High School graduations, this theater was a definite draw for both area residents and travelers from afar. Then, in the mid-1960s, the theater was slated to be wiped out as part of an urban renewal program planned for Oneonta, but fortunately a gentleman by the name of Harold DeGraw bought it and saved it from being destroyed, and invested his own private funds to rehabilitate the theater and storefronts. In 1979-80, the upper balconies were separated from the main theater, turning it into a two-theater “multiplex.” Live plays continued to be performed here, as the Orpheus Theatre group used the downstairs performance space for their plays and musicals. That is how the Oneonta Theatre operated until about 1992, at which point the stage was actually abandoned, and the theater started to deteriorate, becoming more and more dilapidated with each passing year.
In 2009, the current owner, Tom Cormier, took ownership of the Oneonta Theatre. Interestingly, the theater was actually not what motivated him to buy the building. He became interested in the property for the front part of the building, which consists of three storefronts and six apartments, but when he looked more closely into purchasing the property, he discovered that it actually contained two buildings, one of which was the dilapidated theater. Initially, Cormier said the theater was in such bad shape that it was impossible to stand inside it for more than a half hour without having respiratory issues from all the mold and pigeon poop that had built up over the years, but thankfully, the non-profit group Friends of the Oneonta Theatre, to whom Cormier rents the theater for $50/month, were able to convince him to fall in love with the theater and put in the time, money, and effort to rehabilitate it. During the renovations, Cormier came across numerous hidden treasures, including a collection of signatures on the walls backstage from actors who had performed there over the years, and a complete newspaper found between the first and second stories from the day after a World Series game that took place sometime in the 1950s during which a perfect game was pitched! (He even mentioned that he and several of the employees have encountered ghosts, but he assured me they were all friendly.)
Having gone through extensive repair work, it can now once again be said that the Oneonta Theatre has truly lived up to its motto of “Showing Oneonta A Good Time Since 1897.” Some of the bigger acts who have been booked here since Cormier took ownership include Steve Earle, Arlo Guthrie, Chris Robinson, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas, McGuinn & Sebastian, Little Feat, The Radiators, and the Zombies – quite the assortment! Cormier also likes to feature more local and regional acts, and has in fact helped out some local acts by booking them as openers for bigger names, and as a result of that, a couple of bands (including Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds) have landed national touring gigs! In addition to live music, the occasional cult classic movie can be viewed at the Oneonta Theatre. In the past few years, The Big Lebowski and The Rocky Horror Picture Show have been shown on the big screen, and the audience has come out in full garb. The Theatre has even provided suitable goodies during these movies, such as serving up White Russians (normally, only beer, wine, and a limited selection of bottled cocktail drinks are available at the bar located inside the lobby area of the Theatre) during The Big Lebowski, and handing out prop bags including rice, noisemakers, and toilet paper to encourage audience participation during The Rocky Horror Picture Show! The theatre also rents out its space for the occasional college event, and as such has hosted a few foam parties, the first of which completely trashed the floors of the theater due to the chemical composition of the foam, and which resulted in a scene reminiscent of a slaughterhouse afterwards, as the floors of the theater were red, and the red paint was streaming down the entrance hallway before heading out the door and down the sidewalks! But Cormier just turned what could have been a bad situation into good, and used the opportunity to strip the floors, since the job was already halfway done!
When asked about plans to expand or renovate the theatre, Cormier mentioned that he does have some changes in mind for this summer, but it’s too early to reveal those changes. He is in the process of looking for investors for this project, so if anyone is interested, please get in touch with Tom Cormier through the theatre’s website! Upcoming shows that have been confirmed at the Oneonta Theatre this summer include Rusted Root on June 27, Start Making Sense (a Talking Heads tribute band) on June 28, and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds on August 22, but continue to check their website, as they are always booking new bands. And now, to quote theatre owner Tom Cormier, “We’re not the shiniest nickel around, but there’s a good vibe in this place! And the sound’s incredible. So, come to Oneonta, come visit us!”
Singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson was taken by surprise by the fully packed and excitable crowd at Upstate Concert Hall on Tuesday May 27th. “You hear Clifton Park, you think small quiet town but damn!”, she said with a sly smile in her dark framed glasses. Ingrid Michaelson has been touring in support of her sixth album Lights Out, with fellow musicians and friends from Storyman and Sugar and the Hi Lows. The Storyman was a charming celtic duo that serenaded the crowd with their acoustic harmonies and defined their band name with their intricate story telling.
The first few tunes from Ingrid were upbeat and energetic with a complete band to which she had to compliment the audience on being the only crowd to sing the instrumental parts. The night swayed into a mellow mood with the charming melody of “Unbreakable” followed by a song in which for a few awkward moments Michaelson forgot how it started. Luckily for everyone, one of her front row fans handed her their smart phone with a copy of the song on it. The night progressed with beautiful covers of her infamous solo piano work of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love”, performed in a trio of feminine grace.
The band came back out to perform some of her more popular hits such as the roundabout chorus from “The Chain” and “Be Ok”. Michaelson notes the next song was a fan favorite but with not wanting to hate the song and never playing it, the musicians put a genre twist on it to keep it fresh and enjoyable for everyone. They began the romantic pop tune of “You & I” but to a polka styling which still received cheers and applause. The show ended with Michaelson’s newest breakup anthem hit, “Girls Chase Boys”. The night felt like a wooden rollercoaster ride of up tempo, catchy pop highs seguing to geeky stories and indie slow ballads. Michaelson will return to the NY area at the end of July to The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett and Summer Stage in Central Park NYC.
Michaelson dances to her own drum with creative compositions that reflects her emotions that anyone can relate to. Ingrid Michaelson continues to share her songwriting in a quirky manner and wants fans to remember that “Different is always a good thing.”
Designated as a historically significant building on the 
In 2009, the current owner, Tom Cormier, took ownership of the Oneonta Theatre. Interestingly, the theater was actually not what motivated him to buy the building. He became interested in the property for the front part of the building, which consists of three storefronts and six apartments, but when he looked more closely into purchasing the property, he discovered that it actually contained two buildings, one of which was the dilapidated theater. Initially, Cormier said the theater was in such bad shape that it was impossible to stand inside it for more than a half hour without having respiratory issues from all the mold and pigeon poop that had built up over the years, but thankfully, the non-profit group 
Having gone through extensive repair work, it can now once again be said that the Oneonta Theatre has truly lived up to its motto of “Showing Oneonta A Good Time Since 1897.” Some of the bigger acts who have been booked here since Cormier took ownership include 
When asked about plans to expand or renovate the theatre, Cormier mentioned that he does have some changes in mind for this summer, but it’s too early to reveal those changes. He is in the process of looking for investors for this project, so if anyone is interested, please get in touch with Tom Cormier through the theatre’s website! Upcoming shows that have been confirmed at the Oneonta Theatre this summer include 