NYS Music 20​14

Category: News Desk

  • 518 Drummers Union Clinic at Trick Shot

    Trick Shot Billiards and Music Hall in Clifton Park host the 2nd Annual 518 Drummers Union clinic Tuesday, August 26.

    The clinic features John Glassbrenner and Brian Zink. Proceeds from the clinic goes towards a benefit for Zink’s behalf.

    Zink, drummer for the local band Fort Rooster, suffered considerable losses from a resent fire. The promotional poster described it as a “total loss.”

    “As for how we got the idea for the clinic, it first started off as a brainstorm of mine because I saw a lot of articles about drum clinics and said, ‘I can do that right at Trick Shot featuring local talent.’,” said Greg Gamache, head audio and production engineer at Trick Shot. “I have all the resources. So I contacted Brian and John and they were in. We got the backing from Parkway Music to help with sponsorship also.”

    Zink has won multiple Guitar Center Drum Offs in recent years.

    Glassbrenner is the drummer for the death metal band Incontinence. The band that hails out of Schenectady is finalizing their latest album, Infecting Paranoid Minds.

    “Jason Bittner (of Shadows Fall) graciously donated an autographed ride cymbal to be raffled off during the clinic,” said Gamache. “The cymbal was used exclusively on the Dimebag tribute song ‘Leave It Alone”, written by Tristan Grigsby and also features Dave Ellefson and Tim Ripper Owens.”

    Trick Shot is located at 1602 Rte 9 in Clifton Park. 518 Drummers Union event starts at 6 p.m. and scheduled to last until 9:30 p.m. A $5 cover gets you into the show, along with food and drink specials, and a 50/50 raffle. Donations are also accepted.

  • ‘World War Trio’ Starts With Consider the Source

    Marin (L) and Ferrara (R) jamming together.
    Marin (L) and Ferrara (R) jamming together.

    New York-based Consider the Source has announced the first installment of their new studio project, World War Trio.  On October 31st, they will release the first disc, an EP entitled “Put Another Rock In That Bag”.  The Halloween treat features Jeff Mann playing drums in the studio with CTS for the first time alongside incredibly unique stunt-guitarist Gabriel Marin and virtuosic bassist John Ferrara. The Middle Eastern/Sci-Fi fusion trio will release the rest of World War Trio as a full, double-album in the Spring of 2015.

    Fans have grown accustomed to face-melting, heavy improvisational shows from the improg group, but “Another Rock” will demonstrate some of their other tricks. “We felt this piece needed its own release,” says bassist John Ferrara. “It is our longest and most in-depth composition to date. It is going to have six distinct movements, about 25 minutes in length.”  The epic piece showcases the band’s compositional prowess and features one movement composed by Jan Zehrfeld, guitarist of Munich-based Panzerballet.  The EP will also include a Making of World War Trio documentary.

    “Another Rock”, marks the band’s first studio release since 2010’s That’s What’s Up.  The band has been playing since Marin and Ferrara met in 2004 and has two other studio releases: 2007’s Esperanto and 2009’s Are You Watching Closely?  Since finding Mann on Craigslist in 2012, the group has released two live albums, but this is their first studio venture as the current Consider the Source.  Yesterday, exactly two years after playing his first show with the band, Mann wrote: “It feels like we’re just getting started. I am so grateful to be able to play with the best musicians in the world for the best fans in the world.”    

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    Upstate New York will be treated to the first live version of “Put Another Rock In That Bag”, as the Sourcerors will play the EP in its entirety at the Parish Public House in Albany on Halloween night. The band recently played The Hollow in Albany and has plenty of Upstate dates planned this fall. They will be playing the Catskill Chill and Night Light festivals in Hancock and Sherman, NY, respectively. Canton, NY, gets two free sets on September 11th, and Dopapod will join them for shows at Saratoga Springs’ Putnam Den on September 27th and Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall on October 2nd.

    Check out a trailer of the new material here.

  • Allen Toussaint & Preservation Hall Jazz Band Bring Dixieland to New York

    Allen Toussaint and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be teaming up for a joint tour of the United States this fall and the Northeast is getting a full docket of shows. The tour promises to see plenty of interaction between the acts, with each band sitting in with one another throughout the show. Ben Jaffe, the Preservation Hall band leader released a statment for the tour saying “After all these years of playing together in New Orleans and coming to the same festivals here and there around the world, it is amazing that we never hit the road as a package before. It was almost as if we’ve always just assumed it had already happened, and then one day it was like ‘Oh yeah, WE need to do this thing’ and the Oh Yeah! Tour was born.”

    Allen Toussaint and Preservation Hall

    “I’ve been playing with the guys in Preservation Hall around New Orleans since the 1960’s, so I’m really excited to finally get out on the road and perform together with them every night on a tour,” said Mr. Toussaint, “we’re going to have a lot of fun, and so will the audience.”

    The first show of note will occur on Oct. 15 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. This will be closely followed by a stop at MASS MoCA on Oct. 23 and SUNY Purchase’s Pepsico Theatre on Oct. 24. The tour then goes to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Nov. 1.

  • Changes Made to Conehead Buddha Lineup

    Conehead Buddha recently announced major changes to their lineup as they head into moe.down on August 30.

    conehead buddha
    Conehead Buddha

    Newcomers Suke Cerulo (guitarist of Schleigho fame), Colin Almquist (bass) and Amit Shamir (drums) are each identified as family, according to the band’s recent press release, and join Chris Fisher (lead vocals, percussion, guitar), Terry Lynch (trumpet, vocals, hand percussion), Shannon Lynch (saxophone, flute, vocals), Shaun Bazylewicz (trombone), and Mike Dunn (keyboard). The perceived familiarity among them all lends the band confidence that their sound will “tighten up” and “rock harder” as they prepare to hit the studio with new tunes.

    The first official set for this raging eight-piece is on August 30 at moe.down music festival in Turin, N.Y.

    One of the original genre-blending bands to grace the jam scene. Conehead Buddha plays songs you can dance to. Sometimes they’re in a trance-like jam, sometimes they’ve got a salsa pulse and sometimes they rock it out with a taste of ska. Whatever the groove, CB is an exciting band to see live and get down to.

  • Billy Idol Album and Book Out Soon

    British punk rock legend, Billy Idol is busy putting the finishing touches on what will be his eighth studio release.

    Once released later this year, Kings & Queens of the Underground will be Idol’s first release in eight years.   The album features Steve Stevens, his long-time lead guitarist, Stephen McGrath on bass and Billy Morrison on guitar, with Eric Eldenius on drums and Paul Trudeau on keyboards.

    The 58-year old has kept his fans abreast of his on-going plans on his Twitter page.  Such plans not only include the upcoming album, but an autobiography as well.

    The autobiography, Dancing With Myself, promises to discuss his early days as front man of Generation X, to his life on top of the world during the 1980s.

    “I am hopelessly divided between the dark and the good,  the rebel and the saint, the sex maniac and the monk, the poet and the priest, the demagogue and the populist.” stated Idol, through a press release posted on his official website. “Pen to paper, I am putting it all down, every bit from the heart. I am going out on a limb here, so watch my back.”

    Release dates have not been announced as of date.  But, unofficial word through sources in the United Kingdom suggest that both the album and book will hit the shelves shortly before Idol tours Europe in November. His website also alludes to the possibility of a larger world tour.

    This is the latest Billy Idol album since Happy Holidays in 2006.

  • No Takers for Glens Falls Civic Center Sale

    Since its opening in 1979, the Glens Falls Civic Center has never turned in a profit, as said by the city’s mayor John Diamond at a Common Council meeting in July and it is now for sale.

    The Glens Falls Civic Center as represented on the city's property map. (Photo Credit: City of Glens Falls)
    The Glens Falls Civic Center as represented on the city’s property map. (Photo Credit: City of Glens Falls)

    Not exactly a shining endorsement to prospective buyers of the 35-year old sports and entertainment arena.

    The city had placed the property up for auction yesterday, and according to several news sources, no buyers showed.

    “We have discussed openly for several years about options on a regional basis,” said Diamond on July 22. “We, in City government, are about to engage in the budget process for next year. Since 1979 the building has never made any positive revenue. I look at it as more of a destination/quality of life initiative, but the economy of scale has changed since 1979. In order for us to be competitive within ideas of a tax cap, we have to make sacrifices. In order to continue to provide services that City residents are accustomed to or improving on, something has to change. I have come to the conclusion that the only option is to sell the Civic Center and put it into private sector, with the idea that whoever buys it will continue on as a recreational arena.”

    The city had placed a minimum bid of $1.5 million. Attached to the prospective sale were two contracts; a three-year lease with the Flames minor league hockey team and a management contract with Global Spectrum. According to Wikipedia, the Civic Center was built with $3 million. When factoring in the rate of inflation, it cost $9.75 million in today’s money, representing a near 85 percent loss that the city was willing to lose on the property.

    Former ESPN radio personality and present real estate agent, Brian Sinkoff, said the expected asking price just doesn’t meet present demand.

    According to the Albany Business Review, the minimum asking price at yesterday’s failed auction is equal to an offer the city had received from a local developer just a few years ago.  That same developer said, after now doing his due diligence, opted not to purchase.

    For ten years, the arena held a virtual monopoly in attracting larger musical acts for the Capital Region – Aerosmith, Metallica, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Rush, Motley Crew, Boston and 38 Special all headlined acts at the approximately 4,700-seat indoor venue.

    In 1989, The Who rehearsed there over a two-week period. And, The Grateful Dead played there three times during that decade.

    More recently, Phish performed The Beatles White Album in its entirety on Halloween in 1994.

    The seating capacity is no longer ideal for today’s demands, and the monopoly it once held was revoked when Albany opened a 15,000-plus seat arena of its own in 1990, now known as the Times Union Center.

    Prospective buyers were required to present 10 percent of the minimum asking price, or $150,000, to attend yesterday’s auction.

  • Bernie Williams and his All Star Band Friday at Paramount Hudson Valley

    Bernie WilliamsClassically trained in music from an early age, Bernie Williams kept his passion for music alive throughout his better known career. His first album, The Journey Within, was released in 2003 to critical acclaim – while he was still hitting home runs at Yankee Stadium. His even more acclaimed Latin jazz album Moving Forward, released in 2009 and featured guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Secada, and Dave Koz. From center field to center stage, Bernie Williams brings his music to the Paramount Hudson Valley this Friday with his All Star Band.

    To quote Bruce Springsteen when Williams joined him on stage for an acoustic version of “Glory Days”: “He may be over it for baseball, but he’s a spring chicken for rock ‘n roll!”

    The Paramount is offering premium meet-and-greet tickets for the show. All tickets are available from the Paramount’s website here. Don’t miss this one – his only other currently scheduled performance is September 20th  in Connecticut.

    Check out this clip of Bernie Williams performing at the House of Blues in 2004:

  • Aqueous Announce 2014 Fall Tour and Album Release Party

    AQ-PRESSPICBuffalo’s Aqueous just announced their 2014 Fall tour schedule and, even with losing long-time drummer Nick Sonricker, the band refuses to take their foot off of the proverbial pedal. Locked and loaded with the newest member, Ryan Nogle, the band made a solid showing at The Peach Music Festival this past weekend with a sizeable crowd that latched on to the band’s infectious sound. With summer still not exactly over, the band will head to moe.down next weekend for a prime slot and two sets on Sunday night opposite of moe..

    Getting back to the announcement, the band will embark on a heavy rotation throughout the Northeast on tour this Fall, touching down in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania among other states. The band will travel as far south though as North Carolina and as far west as Indiana, ultimately wrapping up at Nectar’s in Vermont. Along the way, Aqueous will be joined by their friends in The Mantras, The McLovin’s, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Knowing that the band has a great relationship with each, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw some fun guest sit-ins.

    If the tour itself doesn’t have you excited, the band will be debuting their newest album on October 25th in their hometown of Buffalo at Iron Works and will be joined by The Mantras. With their last album being almost two years old, this has been long-overdue and overly anticipated by fans.

    Check out the dates below and make sure to mark one down on your calendar as the new lineup has the band full of energy and ready to bring it to your hometown.

    AQ fall

  • New Music Releases To Be Moved From Tuesdays To Fridays?

    How do you defend yourself against pirates? By moving to Friday apparently. According to sources, in order to reduce illegal downloading of music, leaks, and pirating, Billboard is looking to set a global release day to Friday for all new music releases worldwide.

    The whole idea came about when Australia saw success by moving new releases to Friday. In recent years, music has already hit torrent sites before albums even reach their street release dates. Especially in the U.S.

    According to Consequence of Sound and Ultimate Guitar, sources say the policy could go into effect as early as July 2015, but others suggest that it hasn’t been agreed upon completely by everyone in the industry. But there can be setbacks.

    “This global streetdate is necessary for the industry but unfortunately it will be awkward for the physical retailers to change their ways of doing business,” one label executive told Billboard.

    Personally, this makes Fridays even better. Not only is it payday for most hardworking Americans, now they can have something to look forward to investing to when they get paid.   I’m sure there will be plenty people who would much prefer to keep it on Tuesdays.

    What do you think? Keep it Tuesdays or embrace the change for Friday? Comment below.

    get-excited-its-friday-

  • Pink Talking Fish Swimming Through Northeast This Fall

    Pink Talking Fish, with the wonderful combination of musical influences from Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads, and Phish, will once again make their way around New York and the rest of the Northeast this fall.

    The band loves to weave in and out of all three bands’ repertoires without a pause, making this band one of the most interesting tribute acts out there today. It’s no secret how much New York loves all three of these bands, and the band is playing the most shows in that state to satisfy the crowds. The first New York date is on October 18 at New York City’s The Cutting Room. The following Thursday and Friday will see the band tackle The Wescott Theatre and Putnam Den respectively.

    “There’s some serious energy when it comes to live music in Upstate New York,” said Eric Gould, the band’s bassist. “I went to college in Ithaca so, between attending shows all around the region during my time there and touring with Particle, I have a special place in my soul for this music scene. So psyched about late night Bella Terra and the 1-2 punch of Syracuse/Saratoga. We are going to have no repeats between those 2 shows so that people have an opportunity for a multiple show run PTF experience and catch a bit of the “tour fever”.”

    The last time they were at Putnam Den was a great show and it sounds like this time will be more of the same. The full tour can be seen below.

    pink talking fish 2014