This coming Saturday, May 31st, The Strokes are kicking off Governors Ball festivities at The Capitol Theatre. The show sold out in mere minutes of going on sale a couple of weeks ago, as the band last played together in November of 2011, and haven’t hit the New York tri-state area since April of that year. The band was a big influence to the early 2000 rock scene and still have an influence on bands today. While the band has been on hiatus, both Julian Casablancas and Albert Hammond Jr. have enjoyed success as solo artists, but fans have been clamoring for the band to get back together and have rejoiced with the announcement of these two shows.
Governors Ball is going to be gearing up to hyper speed starting with this show. One week after wards The Strokes will be playing to a much bigger audience as the sun sets on June 7th.
The Capitol Theatre is going to be a great stage for The Strokes to come back to and get their feet wet before taking over the main stage at the festival.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Mountain Jam, a festival produced by Mountain Jam, LLC, in association with Woodstock, NY’s legendary independent radio station Radio Woodstock 100.1, and none other than guitar and vocals virtuoso Warren Haynes. You know if Warren Haynes is involved, it’s going to be good! The festival will take place at Hunter Mountain, a world-class ski resort nestled in the heart of the Catskill Mountains in Upstate NY, from June 5-8. Located just over two hours from New York City, it is definitely worth the trip up the mountain to check out this festival, which features approximately 40 bands on 3 stages.
Having started out as a one-day festival to celebrate Radio Woodstock’s 25th anniversary, it has grown to what it is today, a festival that has been consistently rated as one of the top music festivals in the country by magazines such as Rolling Stone. Over the years, Mountain Jam is honored to have hosted some incredible talent, from internationally touring bands, including Widespread Panic and Primus, to some local favorites from right here in Upstate New York, including John Medeski and Simone Felice, and this year is sure not to disappoint. Not really knowing where to begin, as there are so many spectacular musicians who will making appearances over the course of this four-day festival, just a few of the bands that will be playing include: Bob Weir and Ratdog, the Allman Brothers Band, Government Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Pretty Lights, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jackie Greene, and The Avett Brothers. And these are just a fraction of all the huge acts that will be there! The two main stages are set up right next to each other, which maximizes the amount of time there is to play/see music, as while one band is playing on one stage, the stage next to it is being set up for the next band. (It is also much easier on the knees, for fans at least, who don’t have to trek across fields to make it from one band to the next.)
The third stage is located in Healey Brothers Hall, inside the Main Lodge. It is always worth heading indoors to check out this more intimate concert space, and to escape from the elements, if necessary. This year, in honor of Mountain Jam’s 10th anniversary, a series of workshops will be taking place in Healey Brothers Hall throughout the weekend. Stop by to participate in these workshops, which are being led by various authors, photographers, painters, dancers, and musicians, including Michael Franti, who has become quite the fixture at Mountain Jam, and who will be performing a very special acoustic set! Another cool act to perform on this stage will be Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, who will be joining the Paul Green Rock Academy – another collaboration that promises to be exceptional. Other workshop topics include songwriting, led by Eric Earley (of Blitzen Trapper), Valerie June, and Connor Kennedy; and a reading and discussion with Duane Allman’s daughter Galadrielle Allman.
Hunter Mountain has become quite the year-round attraction. For those daring enough, between sets, be sure to squeeze in enough time to experience North America’s longest and highest Zipline, right there at Hunter! For a unique way to be able to take in the spectacular mountain views while not having to miss a beat of music, take a ride on the Sky Ride, which allows you to view the two main stages from above on the mountain’s ski lifts. There are plenty of other activities that can provide a brief hiatus from all the rockin’ music being channeled out to you, including yoga and sound healing classes, drum circles, and a live interactive version of Farmville 2! In addition, Ash Street Puppetworks will be strutting their fantastic puppets around the festival site throughout the weekend, and you can’t really miss them, so be sure to snap some photos when they pass by – they are quite the sight to see! Another act that has become a staple of Mountain Jam who will be back again this year is the Shilly Shally Fire Troupe, who jumps from place to place around the festival site to captivate the audience with their unique interactive fire act. The Fire Troupe will even be giving workshops this year for those who have always been curious as to how they do all their remarkable tricks!
For the wee ones, there are plenty of activities to keep them entertained (an important note: children 10 and under are admitted to the festival for free with a ticket-holding adult, limit two children per adult): children’s music and entertainment will be performed on Saturday and Sunday mornings; there will be a “cozy kids corner” complete with arts and crafts, hammocks, and a sandbox, and even its own potty; the well-known Wormtown tent, where kids can get their faces painted and participate in team games (there is a child registration area located at the Wormtown tent, in case your child gets lost during the festival); and the “Wayfinder Experience” interactive game. None of these activities should be treated as babysitting services, but they definitely provide some much-needed distractions for the kiddies, and they do so in such a way that encourages the children’s teamwork and creativity.
While you are enjoying all the music and activities, it will be hard to avoid reveling at the beauty of the scenery surrounding you. To demonstrate the festival producers’ awareness of that fact, and the forward thinking that went into the planning of this festival, Awareness Village will once again host exhibits from not-for-profit organizations and environmental groups, in addition to children’s entertainment, performance and sculpture art, physical and spiritual healing, a beer and wine garden, and much more. On top of all that, Awareness Village is the spot to be if you are itching to meet some of your favorite artists, as you will be able to find many of them signing merchandise in the Radio Woodstock Artist Signing Tent throughout the weekend! The Festival will also be continuing its greening efforts with recycling, carbon offsets, and $1 water refills to reduce the usage of plastic water bottles. So be sure to stop by the Awareness Village to see the many positive impacts that are being made by local environmental groups, and to learn more about how you can help move this planet in a more positive direction.
It would be foolish not to mention the extraordinarily wide range of food options from which to choose at Mountain Jam. Many of the food vendors are located right along both sides of the concert field, so you don’t even have to miss any music while scoring some grub to sustain you through the rest of your dance-filled days! From New Orleans-influenced cuisine to Asian-style stir-fried noodle dishes, from tacos to pizza, you will find all that and more at the Festival. Some of the more unique food options available this year include How We Roll, described as serving comfort food in an egg roll, and Meltdown Gourmet, where they serve up a variety of creative grilled cheese creations, including a BBQ chicken mac and cheese sandwich!
Tickets are available on the Mountain Jam Festival website, with a variety of ticket options available, ranging from single-day tickets ($69 for Thursday only; $99 for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), to 3- or 4-day passes with or without camping (if you buy at the “It’s About Time!” price, a 4-day pass with camping would cost $269). In addition, there are designated “car camping”, “lot car camping”, and “near-car camping” passes available, if lugging all your gear up to a camping spot on the mountainside isn’t your thing. RV passes are also available, with several designated areas to choose from as far as where to park your home for the weekend. One can also purchase one of several “Jammer” packages, which provide VIP amenities such as early access to the festival, private camping areas, a special viewing area in front of the stage, access to shaded hospitality tents stocked with hors d’oeuvres and discounted drinks, and 24-hour access to air-conditioned bathrooms (which can be key, especially when it gets hot and sticky outside, which often happens at Mountain Jam). Jammer pass holders are eligible to reserve lodging in the on-site Kaatskill Mountain Club, which provides swanky accommodations during the festival right there on the outskirts of Awareness Village. (These rooms are sold out for this year, but be sure to reserve your spot for next year’s festival if you are looking for a more luxurious festival experience!) This year, you can also purchase an on-site parking pass; your other option would be to park for free at one of the festival’s off-site parking lots and take a shuttle to the festival entrance (or you could always utilize the many parking lots that seem to pop up on people’s front yards for such events, for a small fee, of course). Please see the Festival’s website for more detailed information on ticket pricing and to purchase tickets and RV/car camping/parking passes. The Festival website also has a list of hotels in the vicinity of Hunter Mountain, many of which will be serviced by a hotel shuttle being offered by the Festival for a $20 fee, allowing you to leave your car behind at the hotel and not even have to worry about looking for parking at or near the Festival.
Whether you decide to come for the day, or for the entire four days, you will discover that you don’t have to travel very far (that is, if you live in Upstate NY) to find world-famous, as well as locally known and loved, musicians playing in a pristine mountaintop setting. Mountain Jam is a place where you can just let loose and enjoy yourselves to the fullest, where you will come to see familiar faces year after year – and meet plenty of new ones, and where you can get your karma washed by a team of “Bliss Facilitators” right there on the concert field! Come on out to Mountain Jam in the heart of the Catskills for a thoroughly enjoyable four days of music, art, and community from June 5-8! In the meantime, here’s a preview of what’s to come at this year’s Mountain Jam Festival!
Having played many shows in the area over the past couple of months, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead will be playing his first shows in the park. The friends for these two shows are a great mix of past friends rolled into what should be an amazing band. Joining Phil will be Warren Haynes, John Scofield, John Medeski, and Joe Russo. This is one of the stronger lineups in recent memory for Phil.
Tickets for the shows have sold out, but there are still tickets available for his shows on Thursday and Friday at The Capitol Theatre with a different lineup of friends. Phil Lesh’s deal with Peter Shapiro have lets New Yorkers reap the rewards, continuously getting chances at seeing the 74 year old bass player with varying lineups at venues with a mix of sizes. These are being billed as the last shows in the area until the fall, so if you can make it to this run of shows, don’t think twice about it, just hop on board the train.
Metalcore as a genre has seen better days; the peak has come and gone, leaving cornerstones in evolution’s wake. From one of the foundational areas for the genre in Massachusetts, Unearth came up during the New Wave of American Heavy Metal alongside other genre-definers like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and The Acacia Strain. It wasn’t until the mid-2000’s where those bands really started to hone in on the sound that would come to define metalcore. Of those founding fathers, Unearth was one of the most clearly definable with a sound and heaviness that was uniquely their own.
In 2004, the band released The Oncoming Storm. I still remember hearing it for the first time and thinking how truly ahead of its time it felt. The only thing that went deeper than the melodic hook was the tenacity at which the band played. Despite having a sound that was as large and powerful as an orchestra of metal, the band at the time was just a five-piece, consisting of Trevor Phipps (vocals), Buz McGrath (guitar), Ken Susi (guitar and backing vocals), John Maggard (bass), and Mike Justian (drums). The melodies captured on that record were some of the most beautifully written, exploiting harmonies for every tonal drop they were worth. Every one of the forty-plus minutes on that album served a purpose and it helped to elevate not only them, but this style of music as a whole to a certain level of visibility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of8Ob0xjSGU
This Saturday (May 31st), in celebration of the album’s ten year anniversary, Unearth will be playing it for the first time, from start to finish at the Montage Music Hall in Rochester. Opening the night will be Texas in July, Cruel Hand, and Armed for Apocalypse. If it wasn’t hinted enough above, these guys defined heaviness for a generation of metal fans and set the bar for their peers. The Oncoming Storm is the band’s legacy and they’re giving fans a chance to witness its significance and weight as a whole.
The quaint village of Millbrook, nestled in the geographic middle of Dutchess County, is no stranger to celebrities. Located no furthur than a 90-minute drive from New York City, it also boasts a population of less than 1,500 neighborly residents. Actor Matthew Modine and music artist Daryl Hall – both local residents – can often be seen visiting the local farm market, and do so with an apparent confidence they won’t be approached. As is life in the quiet village of Millbrook.
But, it wasn’t so placid in 1964 when Timothy Leary established residency at one of the local estates. The Dietrich Estate, its gatehouse can be viewed by those traveling NYS Route 44A, briefly served as headquarters to promote his “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out” philosophy. What happened at the estate is recorded in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 novel Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which recounts the cross-country trip Wolfe took along with Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, aboard the technocolored bus named Further .
The Dietrich Estate in Millbrook, NY, was a stop for Ken Kesey and his bus “Further” back in 1968. (Photo Credit: Steve Ainsley)
Now, Kesey’s family is planning on furthering the patriarch’s legacy.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kesey’s cross-country journey, a Kickstarter venture is underway to bring the iconic bus back to life and tour the country again.
As of today, May 23rd, the initial goal of $27,500 has been surpassed. Part of the money is being used to refurbish the original 1947 bus, which will also serve as a “rolling recording studio with live FM broadcasting,” as stated on the family’s fund raising page. The rest, well, it looks as if they will be doing their best to recapture the “magic” from the ’60s. Their intentions are printed on Kickstarter, in bold face.
We expect a huge turnout in 2014 as we, with your financial help, show up in full Prankster style in various cities, parties, and the vibrant festival scene.
To which towns, cities, parties and festivals we will be able to bring the Bus and the Pranksters is entirely contingent on your generosity. The trip could be a few short weeks, or a few months, covering countless miles and many parties: it all depends on your contributions.
The more we raise over our target, the longer Furthur and the the Pranksters will be able to be on the road and recording the fun at every stop!
– Furthur Bus 50th Anniversary “Trip”
Zane Kesey and Derek Stevens
Unlike 1964, this 8,500-mile tour promises a multi-media experience that will include video streaming, Internet updates, along with the aforementioned audio recording. Pranksters will be hired as “extras” to star in the videos throughout the journey.
The original cross-country trek did involve filming, but the intent of releasing the footage as a feature film never came to fruition. Nonetheless, the bus trip, and the events surrounding it, became the stuff of legend. The Who released “Magic Bus” in the summer of 1968, in reference to Kesey’s bus. The Grateful Dead did the same in 1971 with their release of “The Other One”.
As magical and whimsical the eyes of the “Baby-Boom Generation” may view Kesey’s journey, it’s not shared by all. Decades after Kesey and Leary finally left Millbook in 1970, residents still talk about the past as if speaking of their own misguided, adolescent children.
The psychedelic parties at the Dietrich Estate came to an end, thanks in large part to then-Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney G. Gordon Liddy.
Before his involvement with the Watergate burglaries, Liddy made a name for himself for his unrelenting pursuit of Leary. He initiated numerous busts on the estate, leading to arrests for narcotics, public nudity, and lewd and lascivious behavior.
It is assumed with great confidence that Kesey will not be approached by the residents of Millbrook to be added as a stop on the latest tour.
For the past several years the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District, in conjunction with the City of Troy, has presented the “Rockin’ on the River” concert series, and they recently announced the list of acts for 2014.
2014 “Rockin’ on the River” Schedule
June 18: Aquanett (With: Jet Crash Bill)
June 25: Blues for Breakfast
July 2: Super 400 (With: Wild Adriatic)
July 9: Adrenalize (With: Second Heat)
July 16: HmfO (With: Start Making Sense)
July 23: ZBTB (With: Molly Durnin)
July 30: Eastbound Jesus (With: The Blind Owl Band)
August 6: Fleetwood Macked (With: Brian & Kevin Tiernan)
August 13: Who’s Bad (With: GoodSir)
August 20: Almost Queen (With: Vito 3)
August 27: ZOSO (With: The Troy Music Academy All-Stars)
Each night headlines a popular tribute band, starting with Aquanett, who pays homage to the hair metal scene most popular in the ‘80s. The Grateful Dead (Blues for Breakfast), Def Leppard (Adrenalize), Michael Jackson (Who’s Bad) and other greats are immortalized.
Concerts are scheduled for Wednesday nights, and are free to the public.
Each show takes place downtown, in the Green Island Bridge Parking lot, north of the bridge. August shows, however, will be moved to Riverfront Park.
For more information, please visit the Business Improvement District’s website.
The Summer music season is in full swing with the start of the Memorial Day weekend upon us and is your #1 source for music in NY State. As part of a 3-part series we are running this week and next, we are showcasing the concerts coming to town at the three major concert venues – Darien Lake, CMAC and SPAC – for 2014.
If you’re looking for things to do in Maryland this weekend, the 7th annual DelFest is set to take place over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend in Cumberland, Maryland. The Del McCoury Band welcomes String Cheese Incident, a natural fit as Bill Nershi has performed in some capacity years prior. In addition, there will be stage sets from Railroad Earth, in support of their latest release, Last of the Outlaws, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder. Other performances include Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Greensky Bluegrass, Carolina Chocolate Drops and of course, The Traveling McCoury’s.
Delfest is once again located at the Allegany Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD, along the Potomac River. As a festival that thrives on the family-friendly ideal, the musical collaborations are potentially limitless given this year’s line-up. Attendees can expect intimate appearances of various artists during workshops, late night shows and informal picking sessions. In keeping with tradition, the Music Academy, hosted by The Traveling McCoury’s, will precede the festival.
Included in the lineup is Hot Rize feat. Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers, The Gibson Brothers, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, Sierra Hull, The Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band, Kruger Brothers, The Duhks, Joe Craven, The Deadly Gentlemen, Spirit Family Reunion, Cabinet, California Honeydrops, The Unseen Strangers and more.
Don’t miss the late night shows located in the DelFest Music Hall, as these are separately sold tickets. Friday night will blow the roof off the barn with performances from Greensky Bluegrass and Cabinet. Railroad Earth and Shook Twins are scheduled to rock the late night stage on Saturday and Sunday night is a special Bluegrass Ball with The Traveling McCoury’s and The California Honeydrops.
DelFest also offers a variety of activities. The Kidzone has fun events scheduled such as tie-dying and an “ARTs BUS.” Playshops include: Yoga, meditation, learning to dance with hoops, sacred geometry, and fire performances. Food venders and crafters will line the Grandstand music meadow providing a unique shopping experience.
Four day, three day and single day festival tickets are currently available on line. Two day and all RV passes with hook ups are sold out. Download the Eventbrite app for ticket scanning at DelFest.
What better way to kick off Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer, than at an idyllic venue in Cooperstown, NY, with none other than indie rock legends Modest Mouse! Brewery Ommegang, known for producing a rich (and strong!) Belgian-style of beer in a part of the state that has traditionally been a large producer of hops, has also gotten into the concert business, and hosts bands on a stage in the field behind the brewery itself. There is always ample space to move around, and lots of tasty food options from local vendors available on the edges of the field during the concerts. Continuing its tradition of hosting bands that don’t typically tour as often as many other jam bands, but that you’ve secretly always wanted to check out (like Cake and Wilco, to name just a couple of bands who have played there in recent years), Brewery Ommegang is proud to be presenting Modest Mouse on Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24!
An American indie rock band, founded in 1993 in Washington State, Modest Mouse’s sound has often been likened to bands ranging from the Pixies to Built to Spill. While Modest Mouse’s line-up is constantly evolving, two of the band’s founding members, singer/guitarist Isaac Brock and drummer Jeremiah Green, seem to be mainstays, having gotten their start rehearsing in a shed next to Brock’s mother’s trailer home. The band’s current line-up, in addition to Brock and Green, includes percussionist Joe Plummer, guitarist/keyboardist/bassist Tom Peloso, guitarist/vocalist Jim Fairchild, and bassist Russell Higbee. Continuing in their tradition of playing eclectic venues, having played in such a unique venue as the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn (which has since gone back to being used as a public pool!), and about to play a show later in the summer (on August 9, to be exact) at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, Modest Mouse is nice enough to include Cooperstown’s own gem of a venue on their roster.
Both shows will be starting at 7PM, with the gates opening at 5. On May 23, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls will be opening the show, and on May 24, the opening band will be Brand New. Camping is available onsite as an option for those who are planning to partake in the tasty goodness of Ommegang beer. Tickets for this event cost $45 in advance, or $60 with camping pass included, although both shows are sold out. Visit www.ommegang.com for information. (If you are lucky enough to be seeing both Friday and Saturday nights’ shows, and are looking for something fun to do during the day on the Saturday in between, it happens to be the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 75th anniversary this year, and they are kicking off the celebration this weekend, which includes a Game Day Parade and the Hall of Fame Classic baseball game going on on May 24! Check out their website, www.baseballhall.org, for more information.)
Modest Mouse will be back in our area in the not-too-distant future, when they return as part of The Hudson Project, which will be taking place on Winston Farm, home of the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, in beautiful Saugerties, NY, from July 11-13. For more information on the rest of this summer’s Modest Mouse tour dates, check out the band’s website at www.modestmouse.com.
Tonight in Albany, The Low Beat on Central Ave will host a night dedicated to the familiar sound of the 90s, Weezer. Members of the neighborhood B3nson Recording Company will come together to form B3nson does Blue: a tribute to Weezer. The cover fee is $5 with the show set to start at 9pm with The Pistol Whips. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Weezer’s Blue Album released on May 10th, 1994. This album helped launch their career with such songs as “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So.” The age of music videos was also still alive then, and with help from director Spike Jones, Weezer became a mainstream success. So get ready to get jiggy with it, crimp your hair, throw on a slap bracelet, and grab your homies for a night of the nineties.Dan Maddalone, singer and guitarist for Barons in the Attic, was and still is a proud Weezer fanatic. He had time to chat about tonight’s show and all things Weezer related.
Susan Rice: How has Weezer’s music influenced your music? They are classified as “unashamed nerd rockers.” Can you relate to this? Dan Maddalone: I listened to Weezer a ton during High School. Their album Pinkerton made me feel feelings I didn’t know existed and I always loved their songs and videos. I am a nerd and I feel no shame ever so I guess I can relate to that. Also, everyone covering them this Friday are nerds too, so I’m sure they relate as well. They’ve personally influenced my music by helping me love pop melodies and heavy guitars.
SR: The name of the band you are playing with is named after The Benson Recording Company/Family. Which members belong to which band? DM: The B3nson Recording Collective is an entity that has existed since 2009. It’s a group of friends that help each other out, make records (60+ so far!), and put on shows. We also do RestFest, which is a big concert that happens every August. This band is comprised of members from bands within the collective. Matt Ferguson from Rival Galaxies, Steve Stanley from Careers and Bear Grass, Adam Zurbregg as curator and former Sgt. Dunbar bassist, Eric Krans from The Parlor, and Tim Koch from Dunbar and the Parlor.
SR: Have you seen Weezer live before? DM: I saw Weezer live in 2010. It was in Massachusetts somewhere outside of Boston. They crushed it. I know they’ve gotten “lame” as time has gone on, but I suppose that happens to most bands. They’ve lost their “cred” according to everyone and yet it’s funny, as you talk to people and the older they get, the earlier they got shitty. Brian Bell (guitarist for Weezer) once said “you can’t truly be a Weezer fan unless you are disappointed in what the band’s currently doing”. But if you go see them, you will not be disappointed.
SR: There are multiple ways that artists pay tribute to other musicians. Do you plan on playing the album note for note or improving a bit? Are you more celebrating the album itself turning 20 or you are just that big of a Weezer fan? DM: Anything from listening, to singing karaoke, to playing, or recording a band’s music can pay tribute. We’re attempting note for note, but these songs are quite tough. The dudes shred and we’re just using this as an excuse to crank our guitars real loud and party. 20 years is just a good reason to book a show and hangout at The Low Beat.
