We are proud to present a new feature on – Editor’s Playlists. Each week, one of our staff members will take the helm and create a playlist of their own choosing, featuring music from upcoming shows, favorite bands, Upstate artists, music festivals and more. You’ll get a nice sampling of music you should know about, bands you may not have discovered and some local favorites from across The Empire State.
Our inaugural Editor’s Playlist comes from Pete Mason and focuses on this weekend’s Rock n Roll Resort, v4: The Dream Machine, at Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, located in Kerhonksen, NY. With dozens of great bands, it’s hard to choose which ones to feature,but we settled on funk from The Motet, Turkuaz and Dumpstafunk, progressive/electronic rock from Tauk and SOLARiS, and the reggae-tinged ska of Conehead Buddha. If you aren’t going to Rock n Roll Resort, hopefully this changes your mind – it is a unique music festival experience that you just cannot miss!
Stay tuned for next weeks playlist, including some choice live Aqueous recordings, new studio efforts from favorites Mister F, and more!
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At 77 years old, Charlie Daniels is a true road warrior. He is presently touring with over 60 scheduled stops throughout the United States until the end of the year, including two more stops in NY on May 31 and June 1 in Albany and Rochester. Daniel’s genre defining Southern rock anthems and his award winning country hits have left an in indelible mark on America’s musical landscape and is sure to make a mark on the Paramount this Saturday. The Charlie Daniels Band is set to release Off The Grid – Doin’ It Dylan, a studio album featuring covers of 10 Bob Dylan songs, shortly after this show on April 1.
Five-time Grammy Award winner Robert Cray will be joined by his band for an evening of blues. Cray is set to release his 21st studio album, In My Soul, on April 1, just two days after his appearance at the Paramount. With his performance near the release date, one could speculate that he may debut a few songs from In My Soul. There’s no April Fool’s about this weekend’s shows at the Paramount Hudson Valley.
The result of a successful 
Taking the stage quickly after Assortment of Crayons, The Jauntee started with “I Wanna Love You > J.M.O”, the latter of which was short and goofy, always a plus when a band doesn’t take the music too serious. “Mr. Murderin’ Man” had some early jam potential that built up with hypnotic guitar and keys, to the point where it was hard to tell which instrument was making what sound. Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut” wedged inside what later turned out to be the not-always-jammed “Gravity of Thought” was impressive, not just for matching the complexity of the Beck song, but putting a little twist on the song, dropping it down a tempo to create a signature sound. “My Shadow” had a dash of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” inside, an example of great band chemistry on stage – even when bassist John Loland bolted off the stage for the bathroom, the other three never missed a beat, and he was back on stage a half a minute later to fall right back into place. Impressive, but another show or two might convince me further. The Jauntee are certainly talented musicians and put on an impressive show; I’d expect their festival appearances this summer raise their bar even higher, for they are still young but the talent is already apparent to many, including myself.
