NYS Music 20​14

Category: Albany

  • BIG Something proves they are a BIG deal at Parish Public House

    North Carolina’s BIG Something made the trek to Albany’s Parish Public House formally known as Red Square, for a night of alternative rock with some original groove. The Capital District was greeted with the first sight of snow that night on the 13th as BIG Something prepared to heat up Broadway. The 6 piece band began the night with some Pink Floyd and a Edgar Winter “Frankenstein”, definitely a solid start.

    big something parishThe BIG Something has a bigger than life sound, as they rock out loud with a fusion improv of funk, jazz and hip hop. Casey Cranford is a double threat with his captivating EWI (electronic wind instrument) as well as saxophone playing. Josh Kagel has an ear for hitting all the right notes whether it’s alternating reality on his keyboard/synth or on trumpet. Jesse Hensley surges vibrating psychedelic rifts as Doug Marshall’s steady bass notes heighten the trip.

    After a wide and diverse sampling of their musical influences, BIG Something performed some of their original work off their latest album, Truth Serum which was released at the beginning of the month. Click here to listen and download the album. “Megalodon” a slamming funk of a hip hop song with collaborations from DJ logic on their latest album had high voltage guitar, blaring horns and ear catching album scratching. “Capt. D” is like discovering a heavy punk rock club with a tropical Caribbean theme, refreshingly rebellious and alarmingly inviting. “Sirens” had each instrument screaming for attention with psychedelic echoes coming from all angles. The evening ended with their amped up rock rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” followed by an all-out jamgrass encore of “Amanda Lynn” with front man, Nick MacDaniels strumming the life out of a mandolin. BIG Something is the next big thing! As BIG Something continues to spread their highly energetic unique sound, be on the lookout for tour dates and their 4th annual festival, The BIG What?! June 25-27th in North Carolina.

    Setlist: Welcome to the Machine > Saturday Night Zombie > Frankenstein > Pinky’s Ride, UFOs are Real, A Simple Vision > Mr. Roboto, Megalodon, Capt. D Sirens > Love Generator > Baba O’Riley
    Encore: Amanda Lynn

  • Touré-Raichel Collective will bring Mali and Israel Stars to The Egg

    November 22 at The Egg brings The Touré-Raichel Collective to the Swyer Theater, part of the Rhythm International concert series. Featuring Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli superstar pianist  Idan Raichel, both of whom have developed an inspirational collaboration and artistic kinship that creates an intercultural free-form acoustic masterpiece, crossing boundaries of country, culture and tradition.

    toure raichelOften referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Toure is known for  his speed and dexterity on the guitar, and is considered one of world music’s true stars.  Idan Raichel is a keyboardist, producer and composer known around the world for his ambitious cross-cultural collaborations that changed the face of Israeli popular music.  Vieux Farka Touré and Idan Raichel met by chance, in 2008 at the Berlin airport, where they expressed mutual admiration and a desire to work together. Touré’s father, the legendary Ali Farka Touré, was one of Raichel’s musical heroes and the two went to Israel and recorded The Tel Aviv Session, which found musically beautiful common ground between the artist’s cultures.  This was followed by The Paris Session and international touring.

    Tickets are $29.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza, by telephone– 518-473-1845 – or online.

  • Like a Boss: Gov’t Mule Returns to the Palace Theatre

    Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule returned to the Palace Theatre Friday, Nov. 14 amid their 20th anniversary tour. “World Boss” opened the show on a strong note, seguing into “Steppin’ Lightly”, a song of pure heartache.  “Gameface” stretched into a jam of “Mountain Jam”, a nod to the fest Warren lent his name on for many years. A deep rocker emerged in “Which Way Do We Run” followed by the highlight of the set, “I’m a Ram”, full of Haynes turning his vocals up to 11. Danny Louis played the keys with the sound of a second guitar, a latter day Ray Manzarek. The set ended with “Railroad Boy”, which makes for good fightin’ music.

    govt mule palace(Before Set 2 started, a proud grandparent mentioned to me that this show was his grandson’s first concert ever. Grandpa picked a good one too. Hope you enjoyed the show Chris!)

    A spooky wind machine sound preceded the Set 2 opener, “Fearless”, by Pink Floyd, with Danny Louis joining on second guitar. Mule will release an album of Floyd covers, Dark Side of the Mule, on Dec. 9. “Beautifully Broken” let loose a cover of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown”, jammed out quite nicely before returning to “Beautifully Broken”. A Doors cover, “People are Strange” roused the crowd once again as the set ended on a high note, closing with “Soulshine” and “Slackjaw Jezebel”. The encore “Bring on the Music” off 2013’s Shout! capped a solid rock performance from veterans Gov’t Mule who blended rock and jam perfectly – not too much rock and not too little jam.

    Download the show at Mule Tracks.

    Set 1: World Boss > Steppin’ Lightly, Gameface, Which way do we Run, I’m a Ram, Child of the Earth, Stratus, Railroad Boy

    Set 2: Fearless > Stoop So Low, Beautifully Broken > Breakdown > Beautifully Broken, Larger Than Life > Drums, People Are Strange, Soulshine, Slackjaw Jezebel

    Encore: Bring on The Music

  • Hearing Aide: In This Moment ‘Black Widow’

    In This Moment has come a long way in their colorful music career. On November 18, Black Widow, the band’s fifth studio effort will be released. Each album from 2007’s debut Beautiful Tragedy, to their breakthrough 2012 album Blood have all been very different from one another. So what direction did Black Widow take?

    in this moment black widowThe album starts off with a short little intro track called “The Infection” then goes into the recently released single “Sex Metal Barbie.” This track is a very awkward track. The combination of riffs, popish-like sound, dubstep beats, and silly lyrics do not blend well at all. It’s hard to grasp to hear In This Moment release this kind of sound. When Blood was released, the combination of Metal and Dubstep was done very well. On “Sex Metal Barbie” it doesn’t work. Producer Kevin Churko did not do a good job with this track at all.

    The next track “Big Bad Wolf” is great track. It has a heavy, Nu Metal sound to it. This is definitely a track that finally got me hooked on this album. This has frontwoman Maria Brink going back to the more angry, heartfelt vocals we used to. And “Dirty Pretty” is a decent track.

    The title track “Black Widow” again goes back to the similar poppy overproduced sound that “Sex Metal Barbie” had. It’s a shame. Maria Brink is just oozing with talent, her vocals shouldn’t have to be produced at all. Makes you miss her raw singing and screaming vocals on Beautiful Tragedy.

    Brent Smith of Shinedown makes a guest appearance on the track “Sexual Hallucination” Hearing them sing together is absolutely mesmerizing, so another high point on this album. It has a pop beat to it still, but the vocals of Maria Brink and Brent Smith mesh so well that it doesn’t matter.

    Lead single “Sick Like Me” is a pretty solid track. One of the heavier tracks of the album, this track reminds us how talented In This Moment is when the band is clicking on all cylinders. “Blood Creature Poster Girl” is a charming track as well.

    “The Fighter” is an absolutely beautiful track. It features Maria Brink using her powerful voice over piano and string arrangements. Definitely the best track. It takes you back to the days of 2008’s The Dream.

    The album continues with some good tracks with “Bones” and “Natural Born Sinner” then it segues with “Into The Darkness” which serves as an intro to another great piano ballad “Out Of Hell.” At the end, Black Widow finishes heavy with “Turn You” before closing track “Rib Cage” kicks in to end it on a high note.

    Overall, the album has some very low points from the band. It’s clear in some tracks they’re trying to move toward a more poppy sound. It is also disappointing that there are no guitar solos from Chris Howorth. Chris is a brilliant guitarist and a hell of a song writer. It’s a damn shame this album did not highlight his talent more. However, it is still an, In This Moment album, and there are some fantastic songs mixed into the album. So it seems lop-sided. It’s a blend of great songs and some head scratching songs mixed throughout the album.   That falls clearly on producer Kevin Churko and the band making the switch from Century Media Records (who have been a staple of some great metal bands) to the mainstream Atlantic Records may have played a key role in the output of the sound of Black Widow. Moving forward it will be nice to see the song writing process return solely to Maria Brink and Chris Howorth like it was during the time of their earlier albums and away from Kevin Churko. People who are expecting the old In This Moment sound will be in for quite a shock when listening to this album. Even people who are expecting Blood Part 2 may have their hopes too high. But nonetheless, a fair album from In This Moment which would make this easily the weakest entry. This album could have done so much better if you take out some of the “pop” tracks that are infused in it. Take those out, and you have a solid album.

    You can purchase the album here.

    Key Tracks: Big Bad Wolf, Sexual Hallucination, The Fighter

  • Ray LaMontagne Turns the Palace Into a Supernova

    Words by Lauren Byrnes

    On Sunday night, Albany’s Palace Theatre was given a real treat: The Belle Brigade opening for Ray LaMontagne. LaMontagne’s new album, Supernova, was produced by The Black Keys’s Dan Auerbach and promised a new sound from the singer/songwriter.

    The opening act, The Belle Brigade, was a traditional four piece rock band with a brother and sister duo at its heart. Barbara and Ethan Gruska play the drums and guitar, respectively, and both do the vocals for the band. Their set at the Palace ran about 45 minutes and was excellent. Their sound was reminiscent of the pop rock sound that predominated in the 1990s without ever truly giving in to it. They have been touring with Ray for the past 6-7 months and were even part of his band during the singer/songwriter’s set.

    Bryan-Lasky-Ray-LaMontagne-2

    Ray came on about half an hour after The Belle Brigade had finished to an eager crowd. The sound was different from his earlier works as Mr. Auerbach’s influence was well evident from the first song on. Four out of the first five songs came from the new album where the new rock influences were heavy. The first song, “Lavender”, had an incredible trippy feel to it. The use of the synth/keyboard contributed heavily to this. The four acoustic songs toward the end of his set were a nice call back to his days with The Pariah Dogs and much appreciated by the crowd. Throughout the performance, the lighting for him was very reminiscent of the old Joshua Light Shows from the Fillmore East and West of the 60’s and 70’s. LaMontagne’s lighting is usually subdued to fit his folksy background, but with this new direction, the lighting fit perfectly along the vein of his musical supernova.

    Overall, the combination of the two bands was unmatched in compatibility. The pop rock sound of The Bell Brigade matched with the folk and newfound psychedelic sound of Ray LaMontagne made for a truly magical evening of music.

  • It’s A Strange And Mysterious Thing: An Interview With Peter Rowan

    In referencing how music becomes something tangible to the world, Peter Rowan describes in a new interview how the transient process as “a strange and mysterious thing.” The words mirror his spiritual and philosophical existence on this plane. Peter Rowan has traveled near and far and with him, the adventures of playing music and the lessons of deep spiritual focus which have become interconnected within him on a cellular level. He is the commander-in-chief, the leader of contemporaries, the principle musician, the Buddhist guide and the forerunner of song compositions. He has collaborated with legends, he’s made albums with icons, he has written songs that are often covered by others and album’s that impacted musical direction.

    peter rowan interviewTabitha Clancy: Lets begin with your most recent works, of which two were released this year. Can you tell me about Dharma Blues?

    Peter Rowan: I wrote that material while I was on pilgrimage to Nepal and India while doing concert dates in Japan. It was a mid-life journey. To have purgatory, paradise and hell – those are states of mind. To go on pilgrimage you actually leave behind your own world and engage in spiritual energy. Once I got to India and Nepal, my mind was open and songs started coming intensely. It was as if I was waiting my whole life to go on this journey. You surrender your baggage.

    TC: When did you travel to Nepal and India?

    PR: Well the first time in 1992, then I went back 1996, 2002, well, every decade. I would combine it with my Japanese dates.

    TC: As musician you seem to create from the heart. How do your songs come together for you?

    PR: On Dharma Blues there is a song called “Arise.” It is sort of a vow. It is the first vow someone on a spiritual path would make by sacrificing your own suffering and enlightenment for the enhancement of others. It begins by realizing all beings have been your parents. So in a way, that’s the prayers I was saying. I rehearsed different ways of playing. It’s been six years before I recorded it. I lived with those songs for a long time until I could be really comfortable with them. That’s one way of looking at it. It’s a strange and mysterious thing how any kind of music will see the light of day.

    peter rowan interviewTC: What do you think about the progression of the bluegrass genre?

    PR: I think it’s all great. My whole thing is I’ve been wrapped up in my own stuff. Basically I’m a songwriter whereas these other bands are about entertainment value and instrumental work. To me bluegrass has great potential for extended instrumental solos. All these bands tip their hats to Old In And The Way. I was a Bluegrass Boy; there is a self-imposed idea that I have to bring the tradition. You can draw a line and say bluegrass begins and ends at this certain traditional sound, beyond that it’s a progression of bluegrass. Right now, I don’t fit the category anymore.

    TC: Can you tell me what those early years were like for you?

    PR: Both my parents were musicians. My uncle Jimmy came back from World War II and brought back grass skirts and coconut bras and we all put them on and danced in living room while he played a ukulele he won in a poker game.

    There was a big music scene Cambridge, MA and bluegrass was a part of it and I started playing bluegrass with different folks. Then Bill Monroe came to town and hired me to join his band.

    TC: What was that like for you?

    PR: Oh, it was scary! By the time I was 24, I was on the road with Bill Monroe. That is a big subject. I can tell you, when you share a mic with another, you do learn to project your voice. Ok, here’s the difference, to be really bluegrass it has to be acoustic instruments over a microphone. The point is, what I learned from Bill Monroe is projecting voice and projection of your instrument to cut the mic. And you call it “cut the mic.”

    TC: You have countless collaborations and creative projects under your belt. Is there any project that stands out for you, the one album, show or musical adventure that you are proud of that you felt set you on you on your path?

    PR: I’d say Old In And The Way, and the fact that I put out “In The Land of Navajo,” “Panama Red” and “Midnight Moonlight” on the same record was me finding my voice. It wasn’t that to me at that time; it was just exciting. Of course, playing with incredible greats. I’ll just give you dates and names: 1965, Bill Monroe; 1970, Jerry Garcia and Vassar Clements; all along there’s David Grisman; 1975, Flaco Jimenez. To my enjoyment, I played with these greats. In the 1980’s, Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush – you know these are contemporaries. Into the nineties, we were becoming iconic. I ended up playing with Tony Rice for twelve years. He was a huge inspiration to me.

    It’s been a wonderful evolution. I have my own bluegrass band now. I started writing in the first person six years ago. I feel like I’m able to share more. I like to tell stories. I like to pass on what I know.

    TC: Last year you toured with Yungchen Lhamo who is someone whose musical presentation is quite different from Western style music. Where did you meet Yungchen?

    PR: Years ago I was complaining that bluegrass seems limiting. So, Charles Sawtelle (Hot Rize) gave me Yungchen’s record. I listened to it for a long time both critically and joyfully. Years went by and two years ago I played a festival and saw she was on the bill. We kind of started connecting and so I invited her out to Rocky Grass in Colorado. So, I did a traditional bluegrass set and then I had Yungchen come out. We never really solidified what we do together. She did an opening prayer and then sang several of my Dharma songs with me. It was the first time we tried it on stage and it really worked. She’s an inspiration for me. She’s so direct in her approach. She made me realize that you don’t have to shy away. If you do it, just do it!

    TC: You are currently touring the Northeast. What can we expect from the show at The Egg in Albany? Are you touring solo?

    PR: I’m solo, that way I can tell the stories. The challenge is bringing it down to one person and let those influences be there.

    Peter Rowan will be at The Egg, Saturday, November 15. Tickets available at the box office or online.

  • Albany Native Dani Moz to Launch New LP This Month

    Dani MozDani Moz, a fan favorite of last year’s installment of NBC’s music talent show The Voice, took to social media to announce her latest EP, When It Comes To Love, will drop on November 18.

    “I’ll be posting some other goodies for sale in addition to the digital EP,” stated Moz, “so be sure to stay locked into my website and all of my social media channels for all the scoop – I can’t WAIT for you to finally get your hands these tunes!”

    Moz, born Danielle Mozeleski, was an aspiring musician from Albany, New York when her career took off with her appearance on NBC’s hit television show. She is best known for performing Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” during the playoff round. She was ultimately eliminated in the first round of live shows.

    In an interview, Dani Moz talked about her preparations for this EP.

    She already has one EP, titled Untamed, under her belt.

  • Lettuce Funks up Upstate Concert Hall

    Lettuce spent a funky Tuesday night in Clifton Park on their fall tour through New York and the rest of the Northeast.

    The Upstate Concert Hall gig started out with a fun set from Exmag, a three-piece electronic act from Brooklyn that likes to call their music things like “future-funk” and “future-soul.” They included samples from songs like Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” in their act and had heads bobbing.

    Then Lettuce took the stage, and the crowd really started to get down. The Brooklyn-based funk group tore through a setlist full of old favorites and new jams that forced everyone in the venue to get up and dance.

    lettuce upstate concert hall

    Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff and Erick “Jesus” Coomes lead the band on guitar and bass, respectively, but the horn duo of Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom really laid down the funk. Neal Evans’ keys and Adam Deitch’s drums tied the sound together. A highlight was when a female vocalist with a crazy set of pipes joined the band on stage for a few songs, giving the tunes an extra edge and power.

    Catch Lettuce November 15 at Bear Creek Music Festival in Florida, at Brooklyn Bowl in early December, or hit up one of their shows on their recently announced January-February tour across the country.

    • lettuce upstate concert hall

  • Consider the Source Drops EP Stream Before Stops in Albany and Buffalo

    WWtrioSplashTake2This past Wednesday, the instrumental wizards in Consider the Source dropped a bomb as they released a stream of the first installation off their new EP World War Trio, titled “Put Another Rock in That Bag”. The release is a six-part, 25-minute impeccable composition that showcases that band’s talent in new and interesting ways. The overall vision and thought-out structure shines in the smooth transitions and its careful ebb and flow of energy. At the risk of sounding cliché, this is a prog-opera with hints of jam, metal, Middle Eastern, and a fusion of other genres into an emotional and dramatic epic. If this band wasn’t unique enough, this album puts them in a category all their own and pushes some serious musical boundaries.

    These three gentlemen have stepped outside of the songwriting box and are delving into composer-level status with their vision. The juxtaposition of beauty and fierce aggression propels at the same time it slows down for the view. This tease, and I use that loosely as it is still 25 minutes in length, will lead to a huge anticipation for parts two and three of this album series.

    The ONLY way to listen to this album is from start to finish as it tells a tonal story through vivid language, rife with patient punctuation. If you liked this band before, you’re going to love this direction as they’ve found their calling and have created something truly beautiful. If you’re going to cheat your ears out of this masterpiece though, at least take the time to listen to “Put Another Rock in That Bag IV,” which is simply powerful and moving. No band in the jam scene has ever had the balls to step outside the circle like this album does and this song is the climax.

    IMG_6046

    As the album comes to a close, the band circles back to the opening theme. How else would you close something of this magnitude? By tying it all back to the origin and closing the circle, the band leaves you wanting to start the journey again. Absolutely beautiful.

    The album can be streamed in its entirety right here and I would strongly recommend taking a listen. Additionally, I got the chance to sit down with the group at Night Lights Music Festival back in September and we talked about the upcoming release, their influences, and a few other things. Check out the video below from our friends at Buffalo.fm.

    The band is set to play the new album in its entirety tonight  in Albany at their album release party. Tomorrow night they’ll be making their way across the state to play a show in Buffalo at Waiting Room. If you still need tickets, you can grab some for Albany here and Buffalo here.

  • TU Center to get $13.1M Upgrade

    Albany’s Times Union Center (TUCenter) is set to undergo a major renovation after a plan was announced by Albany County Executive Dan McCoy today that would potentially bring national sporting events back to the area, as reported by The Times Union.

    TUCenterSynthesis Architects proposal would take away the open-air terraces in the entrance area facing South Pearl Street and enclose them to create a gathering space for concertgoers, sports fans and area workers during the winter.

    McCoy said in a statement, “This is going to be a transformative project that will change the face of the Times Union Center and will perfectly complement the new Civic Center, which will be an integral part of revitalization downtown.”

    Much of the reason for the renovation plans stems from the shift in the Albany Convention Center to the area behind the Times Union Center, and the need for more space to attract, in particular, NCAA basketball events. Included in the renovations are LED screens that would face out onto South Pearl Street, streaming images of events inside the arena, potentially.

    Enclosing the TUCenter atrium could potentially change the environment before and after events at the Times Union Center, giving fans a reason to mingle in the venue’s open space, rather than hustling inside to avoid the elements and unwelcoming nature of the staircase-laden entrance way, as it stands now.