NYS Music 20​14

Category: Upcoming Shows

  • Lucid 10th Anniversary Celebration at Olive Ridley’s Friday March 28th

    20140327-135056.jpgLucid will take the stage at Plattsburgh’s Olive Ridley’s Friday, March 28th to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

    The show kicks off at 9 pm, and is for those 21 and over only. Admission is $5 and will feature special guest Chromatropic.

    A full decade of progress and development has established Lucid as one of the most dynamic, hard working, finely tuned bands in the North Country. Lucid is also featured among the surviving Top 16 bands in this year’s March Madness tournament.

    Recently, Chris “Hollywood” English left his hometown of Rochester, NY to join his long-time friends and colleagues in Adirondack-rock, blues-fusion outfit, Lucid. Hollywood is a welcomed addition to this hard working and veracious group of dynamic, respected musicians. The addition of Chris only solidifies the growth and forward momentum of Lucid.

  • The Carolina Chocolate Drops to Perform at The Egg on April 2nd

    The Carolina Chocolate Drops will perform at The Egg on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:30 PM as part of the American Roots & Branches concert series. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a string and jug band, bringing back a sound from the 1920s and 1930s,  recalling the dirt-floor dance electricity of the Mississippi Sheiks and Cannon’s Jug Stompers. The band features Rhiannon Giddens (fiddle, banjo, vocals), Hubby Jenkins (guitar, mandolin, vocals), cellist Malcolm Parson and multi-instrumentalist Rowan Corbett.

    The Birds of Chicago will open for Carolina Chocolate Drops. Tickets are $34.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza, by telephone 518-473-1845.

  • Turkuaz and Alan Evans Playonbrother Celebrate Album Release at Putnum Den

    Turkuaz and Alan Evans’ Playonbrother (formerly known as the Alan Evans Trio) will each hold a CD release party at the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, Thursday, March 27 at 9 pm. The party is organized through Nectars and tickets are available to those 18-years old and older for $8 (and $12 the day of the show) through Ticketfly.com or at the Putnam Den. Turkuaz launches their latest with Zerbert  at the double-CD release party.  While Alan Evans Trio sets out to release their Woodstock Sessions in tandem.

    Alan Evans TrioAlan Evans recently announced that the group would drop “Trio” from their name, despite remaining a three-piece band.  Evans supplies the drums and vocals, Beau Sasser is still on organ and Danny Mayer is on guitar. Though they have now adopted Playonbrother as part of their moniker, Alan Evans Trio will still appear on their latest album.  Please don’t refer to them as a jazz trio.  In fact, don’t try to put your thumb on them at all.  They are three musicians, who happen to play for other bands, but don’t dare call this a side project either.  In fact, they would just rather you just tune in and enjoy.

    Influenced by the funky ’70s groove and R&B of Sly & The Family Stone, Rick James, Parliament and Bohannon, Turkuaz take their self-described “jittery, world-pop-power groove” to the streets.  They just recently finished supporting Future 86, and will continue on the road for this latest installment.  Sporting a line-up of nine musicians, Turkuaz throws everything from percussion to brass to guitars in a live performance that can invoke the ghosts of rockers past. Don’t miss them and Alan Evans Playonbrother and check out our coverage of their show at Drom in NYC on December 30th.

  • Preview: Rock and Roll Resort: v4, The Dream Machine

    The Hudson Valley Resort & Spa in Kerhonkson, NY will greet festival goers once again to host Rock n Roll Resort: v4 The Dream Machine on April 4th-6th. A unique and intimate music experience produced by Wicked Cool Productions offers a weekend full of music, art installations, fun activities and workshops plus much more. Perfectly located between Albany and New York City in the heart of the Catskills, The Hudson Valley Resort is the ideal festival retreat offering plenty of space to unwind, recharge and enjoy the beauty of Upstate NY.

    Besides the nonstop music, Rock n Roll Resort offers multiple activities that include a mini-golf tournament, the first annual Disc Golf tournament, daily yoga as well as various instructional classes in the Holistic Village. Plus each night will have different theme night with costumes encouraged. The themes are Friday: Decades of Decadence, Saturday: Superheroes vs. Villain’s and Sunday: Pajama Party. The most creative characters for each night will be gifted a Rock n Roll Resort T-shirt and Event Poster.

    The 2014 lineup features a variety of musicals performances offering something different for everyone throughout the weekend. Big acts include Dumpstaphunk, The Motet, and The Everyone Orchestra featuring Steve Kimock, John Morgan Kimock, Reed Mathis, Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman. The music will start on Friday around 4pm and go until 4am Sunday night for the dedicated ragers with more than enough music in between.

    has dissected the lineup and has come up with the Top 5 acts to catch at Rock n Roll Resort v4, The Dream Machine: Solaris, Bobby Paltauf, Tauk, Mister F and The Motet.

    Mister F combines members of Upstate’s own Timbre Coup and Capital Zen for a quartet of high energetic, dark rock that thrills and urges you to keep dancing.
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arlC0BUwcH0]

    Bobby Paltauf is a artist on the rise in that he has played with a long list of notable musicians and is only 14 years old. Do not miss him on Friday as he is one of the starting acts and is sure to set the bar high for the weekend.
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dchgTntthfA]

    Solaris is an all instrumental trio from Ithaca that creates original compositions fusing electronica with jazz and funk with plenty of improvisation making each show unique for new and old fans alike.

    Tauk is a four piece experimental rock band that breathes music into their shows with an intensity of all instrumental jamming. They have performed at a number of festivals and recently worked with Grammy-winning producer Robert Carranza on their newest album.
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTrdwUNtU6c]

    The Motet is THE improvisational funk band of today. The seven piece band from Colorado is always a special treat when they travel out to the East Coast with their reputation for throwing the funkiest dance parties.
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUHOTiPPQC4?list=UUB40I1T1eQDV7YpOGcJrW7w]

    There are multiple ticket packagesavailable from single day passes to Rock star VIP status. For $125, you get a 3 day pass, not including meals or lodging plus you can only stay as late as 2 am. Single day Friday or Saturday go for $68 and single day Sunday goes for $37. But your best bet is to get a standard room package and split it up with your festy friends. The standard room package includes a 2 night stay, 2 event tickets, plus first class food. The more people you have in a room, the cheaper the package but with a 5 person maximum brings it to only $230 a person. Guests are encouraged to carpool, those with groups of 3 or more will have free parking, any less and it’s a $5 parking fee. There will be food vendors available 24 hours a day and reasonably priced alcohol for the adults. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this growing festival that continues to combine all the fun of a summer music spectacle within a historic and luxurious resort.

  • Groovestick with The Jauntee & The Assortment of Crayons TONIGHT at Red Square

    Tonight in Albany, Red Square and Guthrie Bell Productions will host a trifecta of bands to make one helluva dance party. Albany’s own Groovestick and New Paltz natives The Assortment of Crayons will be joined by The Jauntee from Boston, MA. Each band overflows with an intense energy during their live performances that you will still be buzzing the next day. Do not miss these bands as they are on the rise and your best bet for a good time in Albany. Doors open at 8pm with a $10 cover charge and The Assortment of Crayons set to start at 9:30pm.

    groovestick at red square
    Groovestick at Red Square

    The Assortment of Crayons is a multi-genre band that isn’t afraid to color outside the lines as their unique arrangements are endlessly entertaining and surprising. With an eagerness to experiment, the Crayons pool together their musical influences to create a sound that has a little something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors but not strangers to Upstate New York, The Jauntee return to the Capital District to once again melt faces with their original improvisational jams. The four piece band has been gaining attention across the East Coast for their psychedelic, welcoming music often being compared to Phish, a comparison that should not be thrown around lightly but regardless, The Jauntee has a growing fan base in Albany that is eager to get the show on the road. Groovestick is one of Albany’s newest bands, a trio just under a year old with heavy organ melodies and a new age funk. Their fusion of progressive jazz with a touch of rock is brilliant as their rhythms are contagious and undeniable for all dancing feet.

  • ‘Let it Go’ with The Infamous Stringdusters, The Conservation Alliance and Upstate NY

    “If you think you can make a difference and the fire is in your soul, go ahead and take your stand and if you can’t, let it go.” – The Infamous Stringdusters

    Words of wisdom and truth sung in five-part, heartfelt harmony isn’t preached, but instead, practiced. The Infamous Stringdusters make good on their own philosophy as proceeds from each album sold and every ticket for the Let it Go Album Release Tour is donated, in part, to The Conservation Alliance. According to their website, the mission of The Conservation Alliance “is to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values.” The Stringdusters know they can make a difference and creatively found a way to help their fans recognize and contribute to environmental issues brought into awareness by The Conservation Alliance. New Yorkers have two opportunities to see a performance as well as purchase an advanced copy of Let it Go at The Wescott in Syracuse and Club Helsinki in Hudson on March 22 and 23 respectively.

    Official album release is slated for April 1 on High Country Recordings. The title track appears last on the disc perhaps making a larger impact of the lyrical stanzas and driving home the philosophical stand point of being true to oneself – a theme weaved throughout Let it Go. Disc opener, “I’ll Get Away” gently nudges the listener in the direction of soothing folk instrumentation and humming the “ohhhh’s” slightly hints at the cohesive as well as expansive string explosions presented within the eleven-track disc.

    A naturalistic approach to life themes told in tune using the imagery and temperament of Mother Nature present a dynamic dichotomy. “Where the Rivers Run Cold,” symbolically declaring never giving up in the refrain and “Winds of Change,” where moving on is encouraged, are contrasting emotions just as life and death exists in nature. Gentle picking and soft fiddle bowing add to the sweetly sorrowful ballad of “Rainbows” communicating a simple naivety in daydreaming.

    Let it Go Infamous StringdustersAndy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle) and Travis Book (upright bass) are no strangers to raising awareness and making a difference. In 2013, the band invited fans, affectionately known as Jamily, on a six-day float trip through the wilderness. The excursion brought water sustainability issues to the forefront in partnership with Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, and Osprey Packs. “Middlefork” was created paying homage to the location of the trip in an instrumental dominated by a fiddle and dobro composition matching music with nature’s soundscapes.  Likely brushing off the dust the great outdoors can kick up, surely these boys were left yearning a bit for the Colorado country flare proclaiming “I wanna get mile high/touch the sky/get lost in mountain time.”

    The album was recorded at White Star Sound boasting a rustic farm off a dirt road in Virginia. The seclusion and natural surroundings offered an opportunity for The Stringdusters to be present in the music making process; enabling a more focused song crafting and musical stylings seemingly contradictory to their live performances and periodic improvisation, though airy nuances throughout whisper like Father Time plays tricks on the mind.

    The Stringdusters have evolved personally and musically. They continue to host  The Festy Experience.  The fan favorite festival is in its fifth year and will be held October 10-12, 2014. The annual event is held at The Devil’s Backbone Brewery in Nelson County, Virginia. Tickets for the event go on sale coinciding with the album release on April 1 and various package deals will be available.

    The self-explanatory, “Light & Love” hits a high note of positive thinking on the metaphorical Universal energy that runs through nature and human emotion. Tales are told in these Infamous Stringdusters tunes of evolving sounds of folk, bluegrass and country jam. Most certainly, the first step in being true to oneself is to Let it Go.

  • Improv Supergroup Meddling Kids to Perform at Silk City in Philadelphia March 19th

    Appearing at the Silk City Dinner Bar & Lounge on Wednesday, March 19th is Philadelphia electronic improvisational super group “Meddling Kids”, comprised of Mike Greenfield from Lotus on drums, Clay Parnell from Particle and Brothers Past on electric bass, and Ian McGuire from Sonic Spank on keyboards.

    meddling kidsFeaturing special guest guitarist Clay Sears, who has toured and recorded with Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Pharrell Williams, Brittany Spears, and Janet Jackson, among others, this show is sure to be a great night of electronic music improvisation

    This show is 21+, with admission $10. Doors open at 9 pm.

  • Bobaflex with Tantric at Bogie’s

    Named after the iconic bounty hunter from the original Star Wars arch, Bobaflex and the music it plays is just as keenly adept to bad-assery.

    bobaflex tantric
    Bobaflex to play Bogies in Albany on Thursday, along with Tantric. The boys travel to Syracuse the following night. (Photo Credit: New Ocean Media)

    Those familiar with George Lucas’ mythology are also aware of the lack of respect bestowed upon the anti-hero, Boba Fett.  That lack of respect, is an unfortunate fate also familiar to the band. The introduction to their latest release, Charlatan’s Way, is a dramatization of an actual voice message the band received several years ago from an agent.

    “You know out West, they have a name for your kind: Working Class Trash. You don’t come from shit.  You ain’t never gonna be shit…  You think because cause you pissed in Gatorade bottles, lived off the Dollar Menu and played the dirt circuit, that it’s your time?  Heh. It’s over. It never began. An intelligent person would just give up!”

    Bassist Jerod Mankin said, the monologue is taken “pretty much at verbatim.”

    Mankin was not asked to reveal a name, as he said, it’s not worth dwelling on the negative. Today, married and still touring, he considers himself successful. “If you can say you are happy and personally satisfied, I consider that a success.”. 

    On Thursday, March 20th, this five-piece nu-metal band out of West Virginia travels well north of the Mason-Dixon line to share a playbill with Tantric at Bogie’s in Albany, and venture off to Syracuse to play Monirae’s the following night.

    The band has a reputation for relentlessly touring throughout a career that has spanned for the better part of two decades.  Hitting the road gets the needed face time with fans.  And, while on stage, they are one of the liveliest performers in music.

    They are currently on a promotional tour that has included more than 100 stops.  Charlatan’s Way, their sixth studio album, was released last September. The first single, “Bad Man,” charted at No. 33 on the Active Rock Radio charts in the United States and has since been followed by “I’m Glad Your Dead.”

     Bobaflex advertises as a Nu Metal band, akin to Korn and Limp Bizkit.  But, this release comes across as good ‘ol fashion rock, complete with an edgy bass, a generous supply of drums, and racy lyrics that Mankin nearly sounds apologetic. “It’s a little bit racy for what people care,” he said. “It didn’t come out purposely, it just came out that way.”  What immediately comes to mind is the track “School for Young Ladies,” providing the description of a young woman in traditional schoolgirl outfit, and the events that surround her.

     In its entirety, Charlatan’s Way is the kind of CD you throw in and don’t take out until the last few notes of “Rogue” are done playing. From beginning to end, Bobaflex announces what it is, and is unashamed about it. Machismo lyrics always have a place in Rock – it’s what I grew up on, listening to Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Warrant, and there will always be a place for it.  If that’s wrong than I don’t want to be right. 

  • Floodwood to Heat Up Waiting Room in Buffalo on Saturday March 8th

    Floodwood waiting room

    Floodwood takes the stage on Saturday, March 8th at The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo. Floodwood, who call Upstate New York home is one of the region’s hottest bluegrass bands to date. Comprised from of Al Schnier (guitar) and Vinnie Amico (drums) and Woodenspoon’s Jason Barady (mandolin), Nick Piccininni (fiddle, banjo) and Zachary Fleitz (bass), the band really knows how to jam. Floodwood has been constantly touring when moe. is not and has been playing all over including some of the biggest festivals over the past few years.

    Big Leg Emma will be opening the show, an American roots rock band from Western, NY. Big Leg Emma is known to get everyone up and moving with their dance vibe which is driven from traditional folk, bluegrass and country.

    Funktional Flow, a local funky jam band will be special guest as well and we encourage everyone to make sure they get there early enough to catch them, as they are one of the freshest and up and coming bands in the Western, NY area.

    Tickets for Floodwood can be purchased through the Waiting Room. $15- $18. Doors 8pm

  • Deer Tick Coming to The Hollow This Friday

    Deer TickDeer Tick will be coming to the Capital Region this Friday, March 7th to The Hollow. Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, their music is made up of a mixture of rock, country, blues, rock, and folk. Their many influences include Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon, The Replacements and Nirvana, whom they all have covered in concert. On special occasions they have played as Deervana, paying tribute to Nirvana by only playing their music throughout the evening. They are touring behind their latest album Negativity that came out last fall that has garnered rave reviews around the country. Their live show is full of energy and the crowd on Friday should be ready for an intimate evening. Deer Tick has been on the rise so this could be the last chance to see the band in such a small space.