NYS Music 20​14

Category: Reviews

  • Into It. Over It. and A Great Big Pile of Leaves at The Waiting Room Buffalo

    On Tuesday, February 25th, three bands all sharing pretty interesting names: A Great Big Pile of Leaves, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, and Into It. Over It, performed at Waiting Room in Buffalo, NY. Opening for their tour was a local band based only a couple hours out of Buffalo called Taking Meds, who started off with a tight and powerful set.

    The quartet admitted that this was their biggest show yet since they started playing together but that didn’t seem to worry them as they brought their explosive tunes into the Waiting Room. The lead guitarist, Ben Kotin could definitely shred, bringing in various metal influences into the group’s set along with drummer Matt Battle and bassist Steel Wolf. Frontman/guitarist Skylar Sarkis displayed an adequate screaming ability, adding to the energy and emotions of the songs.

    great big pile of leavesA Great Big Pile of Leaves took to the stage shortly after, kicking things off with their newest single “Snack Attack,” which is off their 2013 album You’re Always On My Mind. The band’s live sound was so similar to their recorded sound that if it wasn’t being heard twenty times louder it would probably be a little difficult to tell the difference between the two, which is a really good thing considering how well-recorded they sound. After the grand first tune, A Great Big Pile of Leaves broke into “Alligator Bop”, probably their best-known song, which gives a great expression and feeling of weekend adventures as a teenager. Of note was their lead guitar which could have been a little quieter to fit in with the overall sound of the band, but other than that A Great Big Pile of Leaves brought a solid and entertaining performance.

    The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, for the sake of brevity will be referred to as The World Is… They definitely played the most interesting songs compared to the other bands, featuring spoken word. However it was difficult to hear what was being said much of the time and the fact that there are eight members creating a large and expansive sound probably didn’t help. Altogether their show maybe could have been a little stronger but Buffalo is tough in the winter so maybe it was just a seasonal thing.  

    Roughly around 10 pm Into It. Over It. (a band lead by Evan Weiss, who writes all the songs) came on. He’s put out a lot of music over the years and has a big and committed following. Evan told the crowd that he’s actually friends with members of Taking Meds, which is pretty cool to see a band that’s just starting out having a connection with one that’s been around for some time now.

    Altogether the night was a solid showcase of four bands all connected and clearly in support of each other as musicians and as friends.

  • Lucid Lights Up The Hollow

    Lucid swung by The Hollow on February 22nd and turned the venue into a dance floor. Openers Way Down, a local three-piece jazz rock band, started the show with a mix of covers and originals to the crowd’s delight. A fun take on Ween’s “Roses Are Free” had more of a Phish vibe to it than Ween, much to the crowd’s enjoyment. All three members are fantastic on their instruments, showing high skill levels on all of the songs, but vocals could use some improvement. Don’t let that stop you from seeing them though, as their musicianship is fantastic.

    20140222 - Lucid 9

    Lucid barely fit the whole band on the small stage of The Hollow and broke out the funk right away. Jaime Armstrong’s saxophone and Lowell Wurster’s percussion-work continuously pushed the band throughout the night. The songs came at a blazing pace, seamlessly never stopping. They introduced a new drummer in Chris English, and even though it was his first show, he did a fantastic job of keeping things interesting behind the kit.  They played late into the night with nothing but smiles on stage and throughout the crowd. Make sure to catch Lucid out on tour as they regularly play throughout Upstate New York.

  • The Brummy Brothers at Red Square, February 14th

    Upcoming bluegrass stompers and folk artists, The Brummy Brothers played a special gig in Albany on February 14.  It might have been the collective whole, grasping at that bubble of love that Valentine’s Day captures but the vocal harmonies pulled especially tight on the heartstrings, bass and guitar strings too. Kicking the evening off with “Cruisin,” a lovely melodic display of the harmonization and getting right to the point, “Music fills the air”, making it evident that The Brummy Brothers are serious musicians ready to be known by a wider fan base.

    02.03.14BBP (3 of 1)

    These banjo playing, bass beating, gee-tar slappers and singers have taken on some pretty big endeavors recently. The old adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” holds true and while The Brummy Brothers know a lot, the network of musical friends has helped them push forward in recording their first studio album. Over the course of two years, The Brummy’s have toured the Northeast incessantly, getting their music out and forging a reputation. They recently went behind the scenes and recorded their first album, aptly titled On Our Way. After witnessing their stage prowess in Albany, they are very clearly “on [their] way,” if not already there. Evidenced by their work with fiddler and producer, Timothy Carbone, The Brummy’s proclaimed the recording was a “musical boot camp!”

    Andrew Morris (guitar) and Russell Gottlieb (banjo) and brothers Dave (stand up bass) and Eric Brumberg (mandolin) are currently fundraising, offering album presales and special packages through a grassroots campaign on Indiegogo. The Brummy Brothers tour locations across the Northeast beginning March 11.

  • Dweezil Zappa and Zappa Plays Zappa Play Roxy & Elsewhere at The Egg

    One of Frank Zappa’s classic albums, Roxy & Elsewhere, was on display for a packed house on Tuesday, February 25th at The Egg in Albany. Dweezil Zappa noted after “The Torture Never Stops” that the album is “40 years old and it’s still from the future”, a bold statement and reflection on Frank’s influence that has hardly ceased since his untimely death in 1993. Tonight, it would be a look at the past and a glance into the future of Zappa’s music through the lens of the band that is keeping the sound alive and fresh for the next generations.

    dweezil zappa

    Leading off Roxy with “Penguin in Bondage”, baritone Ben Thomas channeled Frank’s voice greater than expected – it was almost spooky how much he sounded like him. “Pygmy Twylyte” was almost too short but provided an aire of familiarity for some of the uninitiated audience members who are familiar only with certain covers provided by Zappa’s jamband descendants. During “Dummy Up”, there was a fair amount of “Albany-style twerking” between Thomas and saxophonist/flutist Scheila Gonzalez, who rolled up and mimed smoking a high school diploma. Chris Norton played daredevil during “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?”, standing on his swivel chair and juggling, with moderate success. He returned to playing the xylophone parts of the song on his keys, doubling as a percussionist, a role he shared with drummer Ryan Brown.

    The horror movie inspired “Cheepnis” had Dweezil a little chatty while “More Trouble Everyday” received a standing ovation from the crowd. Prior to “Be-Bop Tango”, Dweezil remarked “If this is The Egg… then the stage must be the yolk”, and delved into the long exploration that to the untrained ear would be considered a musical mess when it was easily the highlight of the night. “Tango”, from which Phish’s “Reba” could have been conceived in the dorms at UVM, was accompanied by Thomas dancing while playing trombone, with Dweezil noting about this jazz, “It’s not dead, just very smooth.” And with that, the album was complete and anything else that was to come was gravy.

    The rest of the show had varying tempos, a few familiar hits (“Baby Snakes”, “Florentine Pogen”) and found deeper, longer compositions, specifically “The Black Page” (#1 & #2) as well as the stand alone, stripped down trio performing “Apostrophe”, and Peter Jones coming out for the vocals on “Debra Kadabra”. By the time the band came out for the encore, fans knew to expect even more familiarity in fan favorites that were nowhere to be found in the main set. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and “Cosmik Debris” segued into each other, eliciting huge applause from the crowd. Dweezil then went democratic and asked the fans to vote on the last song of the evening, with the two most popular choices being “Whipping Post” and “Muffin Man”. Naturally, the original, “Muffin Man”, took top honors and closed out the night with great fanfare and a buzz in the crowd as they slowly departed into the Swyer Theater lobby. Frank Zappa may be dead, but his legacy and music will never fade away with son Dweezil heading up Zappa Plays Zappa.

    Setlist: The Torture Never Stops, {Roxy & Elsewhere} Penguin in Bondage, Pygmy Twylyte, Dummy Up, Village of the Sun, Echidna’s Arf (Of You), Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? Cheepnis, Song of Orange County, More Trouble Everyday, Be-Bop Tango {Roxy and Elsewhere} I’m So Cute, Baby Snakes, Teenage Wind > Teenage Prostitute, Apostrophe, Debra Kadabra > The Black Page #1 > The Black Page #2 > Florentine Pogen

    Encore: Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow > Cosmik Debris, Muffin Man

  • Railroad Earth Takes Manhattan

    The pantheon of New Jersey music legends is pretty well established with stars like Sinatra and Springsteen, but slowly making their way into the discussion is a band that hails from Stillwater Township in Sussex County and has a style all its own. On Saturday, Railroad Earth delivered a full serving of their popular brand of rootsy Americana rock to an eager audience at everyone’s favorite Manhattan movie theater turned upscale music venue, Best Buy Theater. With a dance floor packed full of the group’s faithful following and an energy only the Big Apple can produce, the band treated everyone to two full sets of music and an encore that put their craftsmanship and versatility on full display.

    The Garden State troubadours sauntered onstage shortly after 9:00 pm and kicked things off with ‘Saddle of the Sun’, a selection from the group’s second album Bird in a House. This song and the ‘Chasin’ a Rainbow’ which followed saw Railroad Earth in its default setting, so to speak, with acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass all up front and center. This combination seemed to give the music its deepest and fullest sound of the night which allowed the band to maneuver in a lot of different directions all night. Bassist Andrew Altman then switched over to an electric bass which still kept the rhythm, but certainly gave it a little bit more rock and roll feel on songs like ‘Lovin’ You’ and ‘Hunting Song’; the latter saw instrumentalist extraordinaire Andy Goessling join Todd Sheaffer on acoustic guitar. This middle portion of the first set featured intricate interplay between band members but also seemed to temper some of the high energy that was present early on. This was fixed with a fine version of ‘Crossing the Gap’ which gave a nod to the band’s home state and “crossing the river from the Jersey side”. For set closer, the band treated everyone to a stellar version of ‘Head’ which was highlighted by phenomenal solos and interplay between John Skehan on mandolin and fiddle master Tim Carbone. By the end of this classic hit, the entire dance floor was dancing and screaming along in harmony with the refrain before things came to a momentary end.

    RRE (5 of 26)

    After a first set that both started and ended strong, hopes were high that the second set would continue to trend in the right direction. ‘Long Way to Go’ kicked things off and got people on the floor moving again slowly but surely. As the set progressed, Railroad Earth continued to prove that it can create its signature sound in a variety of different instrument combinations. Skehan moved over to an electric piano for a beautiful harmony driven song called ‘Grandfather Mountain’. His delicate work on keys worked as great backdrop and extra layer of sound on this soulful number. Not to be outdone, Goessling then picked up not one but two saxophones for ‘Hard Livin’’ which followed and also featured Skehan on banjo and Tim Carbone on electric guitar. This was truly an impressive musical display as the instruments continued to rotate, but the rootsy signature sound of the band never wavered. A side effect of all the switching, unfortunately, was that the second set didn’t seem to have a lot of flow between songs and with the exception of a thirteen minute plus ‘Warhead Boogie’, no songs were really explored or stretched out beyond their normal boundaries. ‘Dandelion Wine’ served as the set closer this evening before a two song encore featuring ‘Elko’, the namesake of perhaps the band’s most iconic album, sent everyone home and back outside to the reality of winter.

    For a few hours, however, Best Buy Theater was anything but frigid as Railroad Earth and their trademark hybrid of roots rock and bluegrass warmed up a room full of devoted followers and new fans. No matter what combination of instruments or band personnel that’s used, they continue to churn out songs that seem to genuinely come from the heart which makes for a fun and easy listen. As they continue to hone their sound and perfect their craft, there’s no telling where this band will fall in the esteemed line of Garden State musical exports.

  • Hearing Aide: Spiritual Rez ‘Apocalypse Whenever’

    Spiritual Rez, the reggae party machine from Boston, has released their latest album Apocalypse Whenever and have been hitting cities with it all over the East Coast. The 14 track album is a broad, multi-genre mecca of music and is a great representation of today’s generation. The lyrics are powerful with their relatable, modern day messages of love, music, struggle and how everyday can feel like the end of the world but screw it, bring it on! Their shows are unforgettable because each one is a powerhouse of tropical reggae funk, a little bit of Bob Marley with Sublime and Streetlight Manifesto. Spiritual Rez will return to Upstate NY at the end of March to Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs.

    Spiritual Rez 'Apocalypse Whenever'
    The album starts with “Man’s Hands”, one of the best songs to sum up Spiritual Rez, in an explosively reggae groove of rebellion built on sharp horns. “Don’t Be Afraid” is an enduring love song that stands through the test of time with a mash up of all things jazz, rock and hope thanks to 80’s-ish guitar riffs. “Decisions” is a light summer breeze as smooth bass notes and hip hop vocals. “Let’s Go Out With a Bang” could possibly be the most romantic song on the album with an erotic surfer rock melody. You get half way through the album when suddenly there’s a stormy, all instrumental and dark “March of the Reptoids!” A New Orleans jazz emerges from “Agapoula Mou, Pt. 2” before heading into heavy metal haven. “Worker Bee” is the riot starter with intense repetitive, reckless guitar riffs and angry, spinning harmonies. The entire album showcases how Spiritual Rez is unique, with the each song being completely different from the other whether it’s a gentle sway or thrashing and kicking.

    Key Tracks: Bring It On, Don’t Be Afraid, Agapoula Mou Pt. 1

    Prepare yourself with the new album from Spiritual Rez, Apocalypse Whenever, by downloading it from Itunes or you can order a physical copy from CD Baby. 

  • 3 Doors Down Plays Sold Out “Basement Party” at Albany’s Hart Theater

    Over 900 fans filed into Albany’s sold-out Hart Theater at The Egg to view Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down perform their ‘Songs from the Basement’ acoustic tour. To provide an intimate atmosphere the stage was cleverly converted into a cozy basement complete with couches, pillows, and various lamps and décor. The band’s laid-back attitude and humorous banter along with encouraged crowd participation made the evening feel more like a house party than a concert.

    3DD_4

    The single 90-minute set was filled with hit songs spanning over the group’s 17-year existence. Lead singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down displayed both power and emotion as he opened with “Father’s Son” and “Let Me Be Myself”. An obvious crowd favorite was a stirring rendition of Garth Brooks’ “The Dance”, which had the audience silent and lost in the magic of the song. Guitarist Chet Roberts not only played Abbott to Arnold’s Costello during several episodes of comic relief throughout the evening, but also supplied the perfect compliment of acoustic guitar to each tune. This was most evident in “Not Enough” and “Landing in London”, both featuring Robert’s vast musical talent. At the request of the band, audience members shouted out requests to hear their favorite songs. The boys from Mississippi were happy to oblige by performing the hit singles “Away From the Sun”, “Loser” and “Kryptonite”. The show concluded with an encore of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” and the groups 2003 hit single “Here Without You”.

    Queensbury native Frank Palangi opened the show. Displaying impressive pure rock-n-roll vocals Palangi performed classic rock tunes, several originals, as well as an entertaining version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.

    Setlist: Father’s Son, Let Me Be Myself, Be Like That, Landing in London, The Dance (Garth Brooks cover), When You’re Young, Let Me Go, Pages, Away From the Sun, It’s Not My Time, Duck and Run, Loser, Kryptonite

    Encore: Nothing Else Matters (Metallic cover), Here Without You

  • Lettin’ Us Have It: Lettuce’s First Trip to Buffalo

    Lettuce is one of those bands that just have some kind of inexplicable X factor. Whether it’s their tight rhythm section, funky melodies, or combined personalities, there’s just something that sets them apart from everyone else. As I waited in line at The Tralf  in Buffalo for the doors to open, I realized that you’d never be able to guess who was in town judging solely by the people waiting.

    There was such an eclectic mix and every single one of them was visibly excited and anxious to get inside.  There was a collective buzz in the air as the three-month build up from the time the concert was announced was finally over.

    Lettuce (34)

    The night started slow as doors opened at 7 and people began to fill in the Tralf. It would be three long hours before the Lettuce show would start, but everyone was more than willing to wait. DJ Kraz kicked things off, blending old school funk, hip-hop, and jazz into a danceable mix to get the crowd ready for what was to come. The anticipation grew at the same rate the crowd did. Before long, the floor was filling up as Kraz was finishing up. The thirty minutes of anticipation in-between sets was only amplified by the fact that Lettuce had never played Buffalo. As our seven fearless funk leaders stepped onstage, the crowd lost it. The Tralf was as packed as I’ve ever seen and Buffalo came to rage.

    After a brief intro, the opening riff to “Sam Huff’s Flying Raging Machine” began playing and the band dove into their set. Buffalo’s own Neil Evans and the horn section of Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom were dialed in right from the start. The three controlled the first song, dictating exactly when the beat would drop and forcing the change in tempo. The crowd’s energy really pushed the band early on, causing trumpeter Eric Bloom to break out some dance moves and drummer Adam Deitch to smile from ear to ear through the first few songs. As the set progressed, the band touched on classics “Fly” and “Outta Here” before testing a new track out titled, “Phyllis.” The recent creation had an emotional groove to it and the crowd not only felt it, but gave the love right back. There’s just something about the way this band constructs their songs that just hits you. Whatever it is that they do was resonating with everyone Friday night.

    Lettuce (1)

    In the middle of the set, bassist Jesus Coomes took the lead laying down his fat bass line on top of a rich texture of beats that drummer Adam Deitch provided. Jesus even teased “Rapper’s Delight” as the hype reached its peak. To the crowd’s surprise, the band brought out singer Alecia Chakour who was expected to keep up. Her vocals lit the place up as her powerful bluesy voice was the perfect complement to Lettuce’s funk train. Alecia sang three songs with the guys, including the favorite “Do It Like You Do.”

    As the singer thanked the crowd for the love and stepped off stage, the band dove into another favorite in “Ziggowatt.”  The potent riff that runs through the song was highlighted by Eric Krasno with one of the best solos of the night. As the band met up on beat, Krasno attacked the rhythm of the song and caused a swelling tension that only added fuel to the fire. It might have been February, but the concert could’ve been held outside with how much heat Lettuce was packing.

    The band closed out the night with a three song encore, ending on “Madison Square.” In my years of attending concerts, I have never felt the same collective high I felt that night. It was said before, but there’s something these guys have and do with their instruments that few else can even replicate. Their music can stand up on its on, but they take it to the next level when they rage it live. The entire night went by in one fast-paced, funky minute and I can only hope it feels that long until they return.

    Setlist: Intro, Sam Huff’s Flying Raging Machine, Salute, The Last Suppit, Fly, Outta Here>Let It GOGO, Phyllis, Afraid to Try*, Do It Like You Do*, The Sun*, Ziggowatt, Bowler, Ghost of Jupiter, Lettsanity, Slippin’ Into Darkness

    Encore: Do Your Thing, Love You Left Behind, Madison Square

    * with Alecia Chakour

  • Future Rocked at Red Square

    Future Rock returned to Albany courtesy of Zen Rose Productions with their impressive light show and livetronica trio on Saturday, February 22nd at Red Square. Chicago is lucky to have such a stellar trio of musicians performing live electronic music in the caliber of Disco Biscuits, STS9 and Lotus, with less members and just as much punch. Over the course of a two hour, 15 minute performance that went well past 2 am, Mickey Kellerman (keys), Darren Heitz (drums) and Felix Moreno (bass) took the crowd through many strata of electronica with four-on-the-floor beats throughout the night.

    The set was chock full of dancing, solid originals including “Reach Your Heitz”, “Ce Jeu” and “Pathfinder” as well as a few choice covers in Gorillaz’ “Glitter Freeze” and a slight remix of Daft Punk’s “Contact”, spliced with “One More Time” samples. The fast tempo “FM 1000”, remixed by DJ Thibault (who also opened up the night as a perfect warmup for Future Rock), is well worth a listen (check out his side project with Felix, Autobody.) After running through the setlist, Darren asked the crowd if they wanted some more and the still thriving crowd was treated to “Pathfinder” and “Romantic Rights”.

    The lights were phenomenal, if not overpowering in the intimate setting, but made the appeal of the show that much greater. Future Rock is a multi-faceted band with deep connection between the three members that creates electronica that is of a higher echelon in the genre. They can come back to Albany anytime after a performance like this.

    Setlist: Droid, Majestic, Reach Your Heitz, $$$$$, Tranzmission, Spark, Midnight Madness, One day, Tremble, Milky Way, Ce Jeu, FM 1000, Glitter Freeze, Contact, Pathfinder, Romantic Rights

  • The McLovins Shine ‘Beautiful Lights’ on Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre

    The marquee at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester may not have been lit but the lights were shining on stage at Garcia’s as Hartford-based improv/rock quartet The McLovins hosted a CD release party for their newest (and fourth) album, Beautiful Lights.

    The somewhat mild weather didn’t bring out a large crowd on that Thursday evening, which worked to create a more intimate feel to the show. Despite this, the band didn’t fall back on treating it as a rehearsal and brought a decent amount of energy to their performance, especially during their second set.

    mclovins The first set kicked off with the 2010 single “Cohesive,” a collaboration The McLovins wrote and recorded with Tom Marshall (Phish lyricist) and Ant Krizan (of Spin Doctors fame). After getting the room warmed up the band gained more momentum and gave the crowd a good taste of their new album, which made up a significant portion of this set. Unlike McLovins shows of the past the first half of the show was less jam-and-shred heavy and focused more on the straight ahead performance of the new material close to how it was recorded – an intentional move by the band to explore new creative areas. A highlight of this was the title track (an instrumental piece) off the album that features a few simple, yet beautiful ideas that could serve as a conduit for a much longer live performance as the band grows with it.

    mclovinsAfter a set break with time to gaze at the numerous photos of Jerry Garcia cladding the walls of the venue, The McLovins started with more energy reflected both on stage and in the crowd. Early on in the set a little sampling of head candy was dished out with a tease of the Grateful Dead’s “St. Stephen.” About mid-set the band broke out one of their staple earlier tracks, “Tokyo Tea,” which guitarist Justin Berger channeled a few of the familiar guitar tones of Trey Anastasio during many of his improvised riffs directly leading into a refreshing jam on “2001.” More songs from Beautiful Lights were featured including “Birthday,” which was the strongest live performance from the new album as they worked in the cohesive improv they have established their name with. To wrap up the show, The McLovins gave a nice rendition of “The Weight” with each band member taking a turn on one of the verses.

    For a young band whose members are still in college, The McLovins can pull together strong performances while showing they are eager to explore new areas and make their next show better than the last. The band has been in its current lineup for roughly two years now – Jake Huffman (drums/vocals), Jason Ott (bass/vocals), Justin Berger (guitar/vocals), and Atticus Kelly (keys/guitar/vocals). With this amount of time together and the release of Beautiful Lights the band is making a new statement about their determination to make it to bigger places. The McLovins have been able to generate a lot of energy with larger festival audiences in the past and it is worth anticipating their next festival stop after the release of Beautiful Lights.

    Photos courtesy Greg Horowitz