Category: Reviews

DelFest 2014: A DEL of a Good Time

In its largest attended event, the seventh annual DelFest of 2014 kicked off with host The Del McCoury Band breaking wide open the second observation: that music would achieve excellence whether it be felt by the souls of the listeners or performed by the masters. Music would take on a leading role in the senses of the receiver’s mind, body and soul.

A community of music aficionados amassed Memorial Day weekend below the ridges of the Allegheny Mountains. Location is the first noticeable observation. Two mountain ridges overlap to form a V shape and an enormous American flag proudly waved in the tender breeze in the forefront. The natural and vast stonewall embedded into the mountainside provided a sense of security. The trees lining that same stone ridge were so green summer dripped off the stems of the distant leaves but ever so gently whispered “love,” from, earth. One could sense that something great would happen.

“Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven.” ~Henri Frederic Amiel

The identity of DelFest is defined through lack. It lacks the mainstream energy in spite of approximate 10,000 gatherers. DelFest lacked in a garbage strewn concert field, instead a lush green lawn cushioned dancing feet (thanks to Clean Vibes). DelFest lacked individuality dictated by ego of its guests but rather like-minded strangers embraced diversity and co-creation was encouraged. DelFest lacks in standardized instruction but rather affords educational mind expansion by offering guests The DelFest Academy. Chosen student musicians were given the opportunity to perform on stage Thursday night. Cheaper by the Half Dozen played the traditional version of “CC Rider” and Caterpillars on the Bow rocked a bluegrass version of Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” DelFest lacks in providing popular genre yet nurtures niche music with roots so deep only those that know it, understand it.

As the long weekend began to take shape, the third observation began to unfold – a sense of community. If music had the sun, community had the moon and under puffy white clouds by day and a billion stars by night, those elements co-mingled in harmony. Nothing and everything mattered at the same time. Acceptance was immediate and therefore fear of everyday life dissipated into the distant forests. Whether it was hula hooping or dancing or arts or picking at a campsite, ancient tribal rituals were called into play giving birth to a spiritual movement.

Every community develops its own tradition and DelFest is no exception. Although the DelFest dictionary has not been written, a spoken language has emerged. A rather simple collection of phrases, words and actions gave rise to an even greater sense of community and Del McCoury himself was not only center stage, but often interacted as well. The “Delfie” (think Del selfie) was an added goal of festival attendees. The “Delbow,” the act of touching elbows was another way of giving love (unless a hug was otherwise expected). Del is a prefix for any exclamation of excitement such as “Delmazing” or the first and most common term of absolute joy, “Del Yeah!” A group of men gathered together and wore “Delmets,” grey and white wigs to honor Del McCoury. Photographer Pati Bobeck was present when the “Delmet” boys were able to reach Mr. Bluegrass himself backstage for the most honorable “Delfie” of the weekend. Onlooker and wife of a “Delmet” boy proclaimed, “Del has the best hair in bluegrass!” The photo, turned Internet meme, captivated the unspoken kinship.

Kinship was celebrated on stage as well. Multiple guest sit-ins, collaborations, and honorable song covers sprinkled throughout artists’ sets for the duration of the weekend. Emcee and musician, Joe Craven introduced each band with eloquent words. The moment the newly rearranged Yonder Mountain String Band appeared, no one could have expected the exceptional delivery. Famed dobro artist, Jerry Douglas, John Frazier on mandolin and The Traveling McCoury’s packed a wallop to a receptive and appreciative crowd.

Headlining Friday and a late night set Saturday, Railroad Earth is the true embodiment of colliding energy defying the natural. Opening with “Seven Story Mountain”, with its mystic middle jam immediately secured the enchantment of the dream. The set was bolstered with songs of distinction attracting more of the same brilliance the weekend was offering. Mysteriously appearing out of the fog of the late night stage, mandolin maestro’s Ronnie McCoury and artist at large Jeff Austin collaborated for an extraordinary version of “Head.” Fiddler Timothy Carbone could not hold back his excitement and bellowed out mid song, “Look who!” Download the show here.

First time to the DelFest stage, Ricky Skaggs and fellow bluegrass hero brought his Kentucky Thunder and a special partnership with piano virtuoso, Bruce Hornsby for an unfathomable combination of artists that astonishingly flourished. Community was the thriving theme of the weekend. The Del McCoury Band often fielded song requests from audience members. After performing late night and then again for the wake up slot the very next morning, Cabinet was not alone with bloodshot eyes hidden behind sunglasses. The crowd and Cabinet supported each other like the hazing initiation into the bluegrass club had been successful.

Both Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band equally embodied the unrestricted communal ideal, which interpreted into major crowd participation. Creatively, Carolina Chocolate Drops, a traditional African-American string band included historical facts with talk sets between songs. The anomaly of a black man and a banjo was quickly erased when Rhiannon Giddens factually tutored the crowd. She expunged racial inequality by speaking truths such as that of the history of the banjo; initially the picking instrument was traditionally a black instrument until the mid-nineteenth century. Whites integrated the instrument into the mainstream to what is now known as modern country and bluegrass. Download their show here.

The most poignant performance was also a most tranquil and comfortable release of any emotion that may have been left over. Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott dug deep, a subterranean level reaching the core of human emotion. At any moment during the duo’s set, a stream of consciousness could be attained and catharsis being the end result. O’Brien opened with “Walk Beside Me,” a song made known by Railroad Earth and anyone familiar with their setlists would know it as “TOB” – Tim O’Brien’s initials. O’Brien is the place where songs begin and just as his webpage states, “things come together.”

For the grand finale, The String Cheese Incident took the stage Sunday night opening with “Song in my Head,” the title track from their first release in nine years. String Cheese fused bluegrass, rock and slight elements of electronic, reaching in and pulling out the inner child, squeezing the last ounce of time left together at DelFest. The crowd was particularly receptive to an orchestra of players, including Tim O’Brien, Nick Forster, and Jeff Austin during a rendition of Grateful Dead’s, “I Know You Rider.” Included in the second set was a nod to album producer Jerry Harrison, with a cover of “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).” Download the show here.

Indeed, it was the place. An adjacent railroad on one side and a river yonder provided the texture reminiscent of Americana sustaining the essence and the very music heard at DelFest. Everything came together with great success as though the collective whole swallowed the Divine and breathed it out onto the fairgrounds. Music provided harmony, the harmonization was perfect, the dream was attained and heaven was found on earth.

Download more music from this weekend from etree!

The Travelin’ McCourys
Greensky Bluegrass
The Del McCoury Band
Rev Payton’s Big Damn Band
Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Devil Makes Three
Greensky Bluegrass – latenight

June 4, 2014
Hearing Aide: Rebelution ‘Count Me In’

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 10^th, 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

June 4, 2014
Upstate was into Ingrid Michaelson at UCH on May 27th

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.”

June 3, 2014
Rock On the Range 2014: Day Three

On day three of Rock on the Range, rangers traded in their ponchos for T-shirts and bikinis. Already a step ahead of the first two days before it had even begun, a karaoke version of “Sweet Caroline” had everyone singing at the top of their lungs. The music faded out, replaced by the heavy guitar intro to “Pleasure and Pain”. Rather than waste time with small talk, they made the most of the short set, packing in as many songs as possible.

An opening slot on the main stage didn’t seem to do Trivium justice. Following the recent departure of drummer Nick Augusto, the band was still on point, getting everyone moving on their latest single “Strife” and setting the bar high for the bands that followed, with a contagious energy on closing song “In Waves”. Australia’s Twelve Foot Ninja brought the Jäger Stage a quirky and refreshing fusion of rock and reggae before it was time to return to the main stage for Adelitas Way. Lineup changes and some time off the road served the band well. Frontman Rick DeJesus never stood still, promising to join whichever side of the stadium gave him the most energy. The closing notes of “Invincible” came, and DeJesus made good on his promise, crowd surfing from the front of the pit to the back, and then back again. Asking Alexandria’s lead singer Danny Worsnop is working his way up again in new project We Are Harlot, featuring members of Silvertide and Sebastian Bach. The new group were obviously no stranger to big crowds, delivering an impressive and fast paced set. Wolfmother seemed to be an unusual choice with this years metal heavy lineup. Donning short shorts, guitarist and singer Andrew Stockdale hit every note without hesitation throughout a set that seemed to flow together like one long guitar solo.

Mastodon hit the main stage next, fueling the crowd with melodic metal. Each song had it’s own character with each member of the band singing a song or two to keep things fresh. Over at the Ernie Ball Stage, Of Mice and Men were playing to perhaps the most insane crowd of the weekend. A circle pit that looked more like a running track moved nonstop amidst an insane sea of bodies flying through the air.Impeccable skill from guitarist Mark Tremonti combined with the powerful vocals of Myles Kennedy made for an unforgettable set from Alter Bridge. The new single “Addicted to Pain” marked the first sighting of Spider-Man crowd surfing his way to the front, and the classically inspired guitar played against heavy riffs throughout the too short set.

The general consensus at past years of Rock on the Range appeared to be that Five Finger Death Punch brought a performance far bigger than their opening set times. This year the band was second to last on the main stage, and security had doubled in size in preparation. A traffic jam of crowd surfers rolled above the crowd the instant “Under and Over It” began. Each and every member did their part to entertain and interact with the crowd as they sped through a hit filled set list. Guitarist Jason Hook sat down with an acoustic guitar midway through the set, accompanying singer Ivan Moody on “Remember Everything”. The lighter ballad was the calm before the storm, which picked back up for the duration of the set.

Just a few short minutes after 9 pm, the lights on the Main Stage dimmed for the last time as headliner Kid Rock slowly made his way out onto the stage. Before he walked out, a clip of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”” was played from the speakers and cut off appropriately during “born and raised in south Detroit” leaving the audience to scream the lyrics from the top of their lungs and officially introduce Kid Rock. He spoke a small prayer from behind the stage getting the crowd riled up in anticipation and finally emerged onto the stage accompanied by sparklers going off in the background. Kid Rock took into account that it was a rock show so he kept the energy high by jumping up and down across the stage and doing cool little mic tosses during “You Never Met a Motherf***er Quite Like Me.” Other songs included in the setlist were “American Badass,” “Cocky,” and of course, “All Summer Long.”

June 3, 2014
The Strange Came and Conquered at StrangeCreek Campout 12 – 2014 Festival Review

The 12th annual StrangeCreek Campout took place at their traditional location that is Camp Kee-Wanee in Greenfield, MA over the 2014 Memorial Day holiday weekend. Hosted by Wormtown Trading Co, this music festival has become a yearly tradition for dedicated fans, also known as “worms” or “creek freaks”, to enjoy a few days of “good times, great music and each other”. The 33 acres of woods and open areas left plenty of room for folks to explore and play for the weekend, while the three stages and cabin sets supplied a never-ending musical soundtrack.

Friday started with Eaturaura kicking off the main stage with their electronic dance music while B.A. Dario got the groove flowing on the River Worm stage with their heavy jams. The River Worm stage was the farthest, but worth the walk for it was located right by the Green River that saw festival goers consistently enjoying the rocky beach throughout the weekend. Wild Adriatic had great stage presence on the main stage as they threw themselves into their set of pure rock and roll and Consider the Source beckoned to the masses with their Middle Eastern hard jams. Turkuaz proved that you can’t stop the funk with the heavy rain that fell that evening as they still blasted apart the main stage, while Upstate’s Eastbound Jesus performed on a soggy Vernville stage with a sincere “North Country Girl” set closer. The Vernville stage was just on the outskirts of the woods in a clearing, in between the main and River Worm Stages, next to a graffiti tent of colorful weekend memories that were drawn. Donna the Buffalo sang out easy-going folk tunes to a sea of fans in rain jackets as Primate Fiasco was sheltered by the trees; their fans were deep into the mud and into their psychedelic Dixieland. The big headliner of the night was Zach Deputy, a one man band of funky soul with loops of spitting beats and contagious rhythm. Deputy recalls the fond memories he’s made at StrangeCreek, reminiscing of his first sets played there and how it “popped his festival cherry”. The late night music was held in the three cabins setup near the community bonfire and in the craft vendor village. Jeff Bujak held his Silent Disco set known as Silent Bujak with dance crazed techno and a stand out remix of Talking Head’s “Naïve Melody”.

Gabriel Marin of Consider the Source

Saturday brought sunshine and Hot Day at the Zoo to start the day off with their unique acoustic bluegrass blend that they have named zoograss . Combining progressive folk with rock and roll, the quartet put a new spin on classic favorites as they went from the Grateful Dead’s “Cumberland Blues” into a funky “Foxy Lady”. Domino Theory won hearts with their Americana light rock jams like “Everybody Love My Mary Jane” and guests were treated when Scott Murawski, guitarist from Max Creek, sat in for a few songs. The Lee Boys performed the always needed slide guitar soul saving for the festival. The Jiggle the Handle reunion brought together New England jam band fans for Max Creek drummer, Greg Vasso, and company for a set of improvisational rock and a wicked rendition of Paul Simon’s “I Know What I Know”.

The big act of the night, and for who the festival is partly named after, was Max Creek who shared the stage with a large inflatable duck mascot. The set started with some light plucking and bounce from “Windows” followed by Mark Mercier whispering out Paul Simon’s “Diamond’s on the Soles of Her Shoes” as the whole band brought out the upbeat island rhythm. They covered The Beatles “Come Together” with a serious jam that came marching out of it before ending the set with “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” a traditional folk sing-along. As Silent Bujak took over the Holistic Cabin again, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong bounced in your face funk right next door around the Wormtown Cabin.

Sunday’s weather emphasized everyone’s gratitude and love for the StrangeCreek festival. With love in the air, the day started with a wedding on the main stage during the acoustic and adorable duo of Flagship Romance. They have smooth sailing ahead of them with their gentle love ballads as they serenaded the newlyweds and other festival goers who were treated to a full on reception with hot buffet. Plenty of guests were still arriving with day passes still available, and with a blue sky forecast, the last day of StrangeCreek was shaping up to be beautiful. Rev Tor Band filled the air with a light reggae gospel spell with their jazzy guitar riffs as Ryan Montebleau stood tall and solo with “75 and Sunny” being a great representation of the festival itself.

Alan Evans of Playonbrother

One of the most talked about tribute bands on the scene, Z3 is a Frank Zappa tribute trio and were joined with original Zappa band member, Ed Mann, on the main stage for an extra dose of authenticity. The Juicy Grapes squeezed out some soulful funk and sensual female vocals while Alan Evans Playonbrother rocked out with fresh material and a solid Cream cover of “Sunshine of Your Love”. Be on the lookout for Playonbrother at this year’s Catskill Chill as they will dedicate one of two sets entirely to Cream. The main stage came to an end with an all-out bust out from Rusted Root, as they celebrated their 25th anniversary with a set of world rock and percussion of all shapes. StrangeCreek continues to be a special gathering of first timers and longtime wormers in a family friendly environment full of music and good times. With a successful 12th year under their belt, StrangeCreek only has the best to look forward to.

If you’d like to hear some music from the festival, check out these free downloads from a few sets over the weekend:

Bay Road – Zach Deputy – Lee Boys – Jiggle the Handle

Max Creek – The Alchemystics – The Main Squeeze

June 3, 2014
Dave Matthews Band Springs SPAC Into Summer

It’s summer time again in Upstate New York which means a couple of things: the weather is gorgeous, people are hiking in our state parks, and another season of concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is underway. Jack Johnson may have had the first major show of the season, but on Friday May 30th, Dave Matthews Band kicked off a two night stand at the venue. A regular stop on the band’s summer tour, the nearly-sold out crowd was ravenous all evening, standing, singing, and swaying along to every song the band played through two sets.

To start the show, Dave Matthews came on stage solo for a special acoustic set that is starting every show this tour. Stating how “It’s always nice to spend a weekend here in Saratoga” and that SPAC is one of his favorite venues to play, he went right into a cover of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” for the first time since July 20th, 2012. After the song finished, the rest of the band took the stage and they went into a rousing rendition of “Two Step.” Ending the set with “Stay (Wasting Time)”, Dave stated that they would be back shortly for the electric portion of the evening.

After about a half hour break, the band retook the stage with a full light show and everyone plugged in for what would be a great two hour set of music that spanned his whole career. The one-two punch of “Don’t Drink the Water” and “American Baby” had the crowd loud and engaged right off the bat. One thing that cannot be understated is the relationship the crowd has with the band. There are few other crowds that have the devotion and love for the Dave Matthews Band that his fans do. The double encore of “The Space Between” and “All Along the Watchtower” capped off a great evening of music. Now that the annual weekend of Dave Matthews has come and gone, summer is here and it’s looking to be a great one in Upstate New York.

Set One (Acoustic): A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Two Step, Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd, What Would You Say, I’ll Back You Up, Tripping Billies, Sugar Man, Stay (Wasting Time)

Set Two (Electric): Don’t Drink The Water, American Baby, #27, Belly Belly Nice, Lie In Our Graves, Rooftop, So Much To Say > Anyone Seen The Bridge > Too Much, Proudest Monkey > Warehouse, #41 > Granny, Grey Street

Encore: The Space Between, All Along The Watchtower

June 2, 2014
Hearing Aide: Tommy Alexander’s ‘Basement Soul’

Jenke Records is a Vermont-based record label started by Tommy Alexander in 2011. For many artists, self-releasing music on a personal label is a matter of maintaining complete creative control. For Alexander, however, the opportunity to run the business side of his music seems to be just as important as the influence that his Burlington label has on its community.

By providing over one hundred donation-based classes per month, a communal recording studio, and a youth outreach program through Jenke, Alexander prioritizes his philanthropic efforts as highly as he does his music.

In his latest release, Basement Soul, the first full-length in Alexander’s solo discography since 2012’s Bogart the Ghost, Alexander focuses on the societal outlook he has developed over the years. Dominated by acoustic guitar and genuine lyricism, the album is filled with a stirring sense of experience and passion.

“Dreams to Dance” opens with a hauntingly fitting musical saw. It sings before two guitars enter the track, followed by Alexander’s vocals. It’s an emotional song, and Alexander delivers the lines, “I’m gonna be your fire / I’m gonna be your flame” as a percussion section builds in the song’s conclusion.

The tracks “Another Man’s Story” and “Nobody’s Cryin’” deal with absent relationships, using string sections and intricate guitar picking to highlight Alexander’s themes.

Basement Soul is truly a solo album. It’s an album that characterizes Alexander’s travels and his past, crafted with the creativity and the control that results in twelve of his finest tracks yet.

Key Tracks:

June 2, 2014
Rock On the Range 2014: Day Two

Columbus, Ohio promised sunshine for Day Two of Rock on the Range, and by early Saturday morning it was pretty evident that we had no such luck. Sponsors and staff manned each and every entrance to Crew Stadium, armed with ponchos to hand out to already wet and weary rangers. What looked like a sea of garbage bags was really a dedicated horde of music revelers who stuck it out right from the start, filling the Ernie Ball Stage up in preparation for some Christian rock.

Kicking off the festivities was female fronted Stars In Stereo. With everyone’s ears still ringing from the night before, the melodic tone of front woman Bec Hollcraft’s vocals were a great way to ease into the harsher male dominated lineup to follow. Fellow Christian rockers We As Human hopped on next, wowing the crowd with their nonstop antics. Between climbing the scaffolding, towering high above the stage, and jumping into the pit for some crowd participation, the set was anything but dull.

The Main Stage didn’t get off to quite as energetic of a start, with opener Rev Theory clearly growing frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm. As the rain poured down for the worst storm of the day, the band did their best to distract the crowd and finally succeeded when they broke into “Hell Yeah”, during which it was nearly impossible not to crack a smile.

The Jägermeister Stage hosted one of the biggest breakout acts of the weekend next. Pennsylvania’s Crobot reminded rangers what true rock ‘n’ roll is all about – dirty, grungy hooks to bring the genre back to its purest form.

The sun finally started to “Shimmer” when Fuel took the stage to rock out to some newer tracks followed by the old favorites. The second half of their set was a welcome throwback for twenty-something’s to reminisce their glory days.

Winning the award for quirkiest band of the day was Sweden’s Avatar. The metal band’s short Jägermeister Stage set provided some unique entertainment while the main stage was set up for Pop Evil.

With a recent string of #1 singles under their belts, it was no surprise that the main stage was packed when Pop Evil arrived. Drummer Joshua “Chachi” Marunde moved around more than most singers do, and frontman Leigh Kakaty made sure the crowd was awake by jumping in for “Last Man Standing”. The real show began, however, when members of the armed forces joined the band on stage to close the set with “Trenches”, featuring a jaw dropping collaboration with Run DMC that had everyone talking for the rest of the day.

Another new act hit the Ernie Ball Stage next, Texas natives Nothing More. They incorporated some unique elements, including a separate small drum at the front of the stage that frontman Jonny Hawkins would drum and jump on throughout the set.

Theory of a Deadman lit up the main stage with some entertaining singalong tracks, including “B***h Came Back” and “Bad Girlfriend”, as well as throwing in a more serious ballad, “Not Meant to Be”. With everyone bouncing and singing along to each of the songs, it was clear that the band was a Rock on the Range favorite.

The Pretty Reckless, the second of two female fronted bands slotted for Day Two, hit the Ernie Ball Stage. Lead singer Taylor Momsen’s voice was a force to be reckoned with, and the overall charismatic nature of the band shone through throughout their set. Chevelle began what was to be a heavy night to follow, building up the energy level that would remain until the final band left the stage with nonstop crowd surfing and moshing. The band may be a trio, but lead guitarist/singer Pete Loeffler had no problem amping up the crowd on his own.

With the side stages closed for the evening, it was finally time for Slayer.

The pit suddenly transformed into a hulking mass of muscles and bald heads, scaring away the younger crowd for the duration of their hour long set. Holding nothing back, the band powered through an intense set, clearly unaffected by recent lineup changes. Closing out with “Raining Blood”, Crew Stadium exploded into a frenzy of bodies flying in every imaginable direction.

Not to be outdone, Avenged Sevenfold brought their spectacularly haunting stage set up to close out Day Two. With too many hits to choose from, the band did their best to please everyone from the most diehard fans to brand new ones, making sure to include a few from each album. Without the addition of fireworks and pyrotechnics, the set would arguably be one of the best of the day. With them, it was a no brainer.

Midway through the set, lighters filled the sky as the band slowed things down a bit to honor the band’s late drummer, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan. Frontman M. Shadows took a moment to let the crowd know that they are not a band to usually use tracks in their live show, but revealed that that the vocals we had been hearing in the background all night, in fact, belonged to Sullivan. An impressive guitar solo preceded the final few songs of the night, wrapping up with “Unholy Confessions”.

Stay Tuned for Day 3 coverage tomorrow!

June 1, 2014
Spectacular Average Boys Bring Good Times to The Dev

Good times are abound anywhere and anytime the Spectacular Average Boys hit a venue. Members, Ned Brower on vocals, guitar, and banjo, Joel Shue on vocals and bass, Jeff Landry on drums, and Justin Ploutz on guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, bring to the audience a spectacular show of folk, rock, and Americana tunes that are sure to get you up and moving.

Performing April 25th at the Dev in Utica, the Spectacular Average Boys shared their special blend of music with a full night of original tunes, including “The Devil In Winter”, “What You Did”, “Parting Words” and “Fire, Copper, & Gold.” To balance that out, the band employed an eclectic mix of covers, including Uncle Tupelo’s “Acuff Rose” , The Black Keys’ “Stack Shot Billy”, “Jesse James”, Tom Waits’ “Make It Rain” , and the Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush”.

Currently working on new music, their fans will be happy to hear the heavy flavor of banjo in the new releases. Keep an eye on their website for the completed recordings, and check out their Facebook site to catch them the next time they rock your neighborhood and see why they truly are “Spectacular”

June 1, 2014
Jack Johnson Owns SPAC

The crowd at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was treated to a fantastic season opener with Jack Johnson headlining the show while Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros handled the opening duties. This was the perfect pairing for a great summertime kickoff party. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros conveyed their abnormal, genre bending sound to the masses which was very well received. Everyone was very into the 10+ piece band and were unable to stop themselves from dancing to the exotic fun sound.

This set the table perfectly for the man of the hour: Jack Johnson. He too has a sound in which bends genres. Early on in his career Johnson was an acoustic surfer dude from Hawai’i who just played his guitar and recorded albums, while laying in the sun, enjoying a nice warm breeze. This, however was not the man who played SPAC on Saturday night. There was a full band, which is his steady touring band, and they jammed hard. Highlighting the evening was Johnson playing his lively “Bubble Toes” and segueing it into Buddy Holly’s classic “Not Fade Away,” a well-received surprise to any fan of any type of music. Johnson had the crowd in his hands the whole night, even as the rain began to fall. If this show is any indication of how the rest of the SPAC summer will be, we are all in for some good times.

May 31, 2014