Rubblebucket came to downtown Albany’s The Hollow Sunday night, infusing a typically low-key evening with high energy and a whole lot of funk. Accompanied by Brooklyn-based dance quartet Body Language, both bands had a hand in making sure that those who attended came out of their Sunday night football food comas.
Body Language kicked off the night at around 9pm and there were more people than one would expect for a Sunday. The front dance floor was packed pretty tightly, with people spilling out into the back portions of the bar. From the beginning, lead singer Angelica Bess emanated a really interesting stage presence. Sporting tie-dye leggings and a black crop top, her hair braided into long cables cascading to her waist, she pantomimed a lot of the lyrics as she sang. Bess, who also plays the glockenspiel (an instrument similar to a xylophone, but with higher pitched sounds) has a voice that ranges in style and possesses an ethereal quality. Body Language played an eclectic mix of instruments, including the tambourine and cowbell, and their musical style ranged from soul to pop. They also had a disco dance flare that had the crowd contorting themselves into dance moves that were as different as the instruments the band played. With Bess’ sultry voice and that R&B sound, if their music was truly translated into body language, they would be saying “come hither.” Body Language kept the mood light and upbeat and had everyone on their feet. They definitely set the stage for what was to come.
Rubblebucket who is on tour promoting their new album, Survival Sounds, played a slew of new songs including “My Life”, “On the Ground”, “Carousel Ride”, “Major Roxy”, and “Origami”. The new songs drift from the fun and fanciful aspect of Rubblebucket and delve a little deeper into real life and have a bit of a harder sound. They’re a little more hard rock and possess more electronic undertones with “Origami” being the most upbeat. Rubblebucket, whose shows are half concert half performance art, can sometimes border on gimmicky, but are ultimately fun and whimsical. While introducing “Origami”, the adoration of the fans was apparent as a fan yelled out “I love you Kal!” and she yelled back “I love you too!” The level of interactivity between the band and the crowd is interesting and something you don’t see at a lot of shows. During “Origami”, Traver requested that the crowd yell out the chorus, with her belting out the question “Why can’t it always be fun?” and the crowd yelling back, “always, always, always!” It definitely got people moving their feet, with Traver coming off stage and starting a soul train with the audience.
Although they are promoting their new album, they didn’t just stick to new songs. They played old favorite “Came Out of a Lady” off of Omega La La that saw the entire horn section coming down to play in the crowd, including Traver who was playing saxophone. That was definitely one of the highlights and had the audience jumping up and down with their hands in the air. They also played “Patriotic”, which is off their Save Charlie EP, and upon introducing it, Traver proclaimed that “it’s a song about being yourself.” From there, they played “Carousel Ride”, and with lyrics like “when all the strongest winds are blowing my way/and the reaper comes to take my breath away…I’ll dance in the fire and I’ll do it again,” it perfectly matched Traver’s hauntingly beautiful voice. “Carousel Ride” definitively showcased Rubblebucket’s penchant for art by having someone walk around in a faceless furry creature costume whose head was made out of pink fabric roses that had leaves and ivy running through it. This creature is featured on their album cover, as well as in the music video for the song, bringing a different aspect of their art to their concert.
Rubblebucket played straight through without a set break, ending in a superjam with Angela Bess from Body Language playing the glockenspiel. The entire band came onto the floor parading around the bar like a marching band gone rogue. The last couple of minutes of their set found trumpet player Alex Toth playing on tables by the merch booth along with Traver on saxophone. When it comes down to it, Rubblebucket is full of incredibly talented musicians whose sound works well together for being a larger band. Seeing them play is an experience in and of itself aside from the music. It can definitely get weird, but if you haven’t seen them before, they come highly recommended.
No stranger to bringing quality music to the area, Bogies in Albany is at it again on Sunday, September 21st. A co-headlining onslaught of heavy music in Rivers of Nihil and Black Crown Initiate, with some great local openers to round out the bill.
Rivers of Nihil and Black Crown Initiate at Bogies Albany
Forest of Remorse is a newly reformed project from Lyme, NY. Promising heavy riffs and brutal slam beats, it will be one of those rare times to see a show with a budding band, that could surprise you and blow up in the near future. King Pariah from Argyle, NY is another up and coming metal band, who have already shared the stage with some big names. They helped open the Summer Slaughter tour at The Palladium in Worcester, MA with Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus.
Troy locals The Final Sleep are playing just in their backyard and bring a progressive metal edge to the stage, and have just welcomed their new drummer, Mike VanDyne of Arsis. With a technical barrage of three guitars, this is an act not to be missed. Black Crown Initiate is just about to release their brand new record, The Wreckage of Stars, dropping September 30th. So you can expect them to bring all of their intricate epic metal to this show in support of that record. Making waves in the metal scene as of late, these guys might not be playing small clubs like Bogies for too much longer. Check out my review of their new album here.
Rivers of Nihil also comes from Reading, PA like Black Crown Initiate, and they also have a new record, The Conscious Seed of Light. After signing with Metal Blade Records in 2013, this is their debut album on that label, after a few years of hard work and relentless touring. The double bill of these two bands will be an incredible sight to see and an awesome show to hear. For any fan of death metal, hard, fast and heavy metal, this show is one of the few that has it all and is making it’s stop in Upstate NY.
Good bands and fun times seem to come out of Texas a lot these days. American Sharks are a prime example of the type of music and tour ethos that can be attributed to bands like The Sword and The Black Angels.
After their head-turning set at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY opening up for Clutch, I got to sit down with Mike Hardin (bass/vocals) and Will Ellis (guitar) to talk about touring, the fast pace the band has been coming up in the music scene, and what it means to have a good time. This was also the second interview I got to do with local musician Dustin Alexander from Jesus Christ and the Hallucinogenic Allstars(JCHA), bringing a “in the trenches” point of view to this article. We hope to include more local musicians talking to touring musicians in subsequent articles at .
Interview with American Sharks. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert.
Jeff Ayers: So when did the band start? Where did the band come from?
Mike Hardin: Will and I started the band a while back in Houston, Texas.
JA: Are you originally from Houston?
MH: Sort of. We are kind of from a mish-mash of place, but we are all from Texas. The band kinda started when we were living in downtown Houston. Then we moved to Austin and that’s where we met Nick [Cornetti] our drummer. After that we went through a change and became a three piece, and that would be the actual beginning of the band. From then on we changed a lot.
JA: When was this?
Will Ellis: 2009
JA: How about musical influences? What influenced you to start this project?
MH: I listen to David Bowie. Only David Bowie. [laughs]. But, I’d say Roky Erickson was a huge influence. Roky Erickson and the Aliens, specifically, was a big influence on this band.
JA: Cool. First time I heard you guys, I thought I was listening to Motorhead and Red Fang fighting. I was instantly hooked.
WE: Awesome!
JA: You guys are already making waves. Speaking of Red Fang, you have done some tours with them, and you’ve played with The Sword, and now Clutch. How has the response for you on these tours been?
WE: Yeah, very positive. It’s been really awesome man. It’s slowly getting better and better, where we show up in cities we have never played before and people are there wearing out shirts and stuff.
MH: We were touring for a few years by ourselves, and you go to cities and no one knows who you are. Now we can come to cities and there are people coming out to see us play.
JA: Well that is the name of the game right? Specifically with this tour with Clutch, I think you guys are a great fit. How did that come about, for you guys to get on this tour?
MH: We toured with Clutch and The Sword last year. Basically, we are friends with The Sword, and Kyle[Shutt] is our manager, and he was trying for us.
WE: We asked him to nudge [Clutch] a bit, asked him to give them our music. He told them they needed to see us play, so when they came through Houston, they had us play one show with them. Next thing we knew we were going out on tour with them.
Jim Gilbert: Actually, the room we are in, The Sword once set off all the fire alarms and they claimed they were only using a vaporizer.
MH: [laughs] This has happened a couple of times being on tour with The Sword actually. Once, on tour with Clutch and The Sword, Clutch was playing and the fire alarms started going off–
WE: Yeah, that place was in Athens, Georgia (The Georgia Theatre), and it had burned down years before, so everyone in the place was freaking out thinking it was burning down again
JA: Thats hilarious, I’ve met those guys and they seem like fun dudes. Speaking of the future, you guys are coming back to Upstate Concert Hall opening up for GWAR. It’s the first tour without Dave [Brockie] too. How did that tour come about?
WE: I don’t really know! Our booking agent submitted us, and it just happened.
JA: Well that is going to be an awesome tour, and I’ll be back to see you guys then.
MH: Yeah, we can’t wait.
JA: So, right before this, you wrapped up a tour with The Whores, and now Clutch, and then GWAR. How many shows a year do you think you play?
WE: Probably over 200.
JA: That is living the dream. Are you predominantly touring the U.S.?
WE: Yes, just U.S. so far.
JA: Is there anything on the horizon for other countries?
MH: Nothing set in stone. We have things we are working on, but nothing we can talk about yet.
JA: What’s next for you guys after the GWAR tour?
WE: Take a nap. [laughs] We are going to start working on our next record. It’s tough touring in the winter, so we want to hunker down and start pushing through our second record.
American Sharks. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
JG: [speaking of Nick the drummer] I got to ask, what is like being onstage with Animal from The Muppets?
MH: Ha! No one has ever called him that before! Animal! [laughs] He does do the drums like that. That is so hilarious. I’m going to tell him that for sure.
JG: I had to look quick a couple times to see if he was using a stick or a hammer.
JA: You guys have a great stage presence.
WE: I think Animal might be his favorite drummer actually.
MH: Oh dude! I didn’t know that!
JA: Well it shows [laughs] I ask this of a lot of bands, are there any bands you just can’t stop listening to at this moment?
WE: I’ve been listening to a lot of Roedelius, Arthur Verocai, and a lot of different chill stuff. Helps keep everything nice and calm.
JA: So when you get on stage you can rage it!
MH: I almost exclusively listen to David Bowie all the time
JA: I have to ask the obligatory question: pre-Ziggy [Stardust], Ziggy, or post Ziggy?
MH: All of it. Well like late 80’s through the 90’s, there is some really terrible shit in there [laughs]. But also, there is this band called Midnight, which is a newish band and they shred. If you like Motorhead, they are like an even crazier Motorhead. They played in Austin the day we left for this tour and I was so pissed I had to miss them.
JG: Be honest, have you[Will] ever walked in on Mike in the bathroom painting a Bowie lightning bolt on his face?
MH: [laughs] Yea and we lock eyes in the mirror
WE: [laughs] No I haven’t!
JA: I am now going to throw the questions to Dusitn, a local musician from this area
Dustin Alexander: The first thing that always comes to mind is how do you toe the line between partying and having fun on tour, and feeling better the next day? Having to play night after night, how do you maintain that?
WE: I just smoke weed most of the time.
MH: Yeah. But also, to be honest, partying and playing can spiral out of control really fucking fast. People say that, and you go “Haha, VH1 Behind the Music”. It doesn’t seem real to you until you are in it, and you can see the effects [this lifestyle] can have on you. Personally, I had some very negative experiences with alcohol. Be responsible. All of the sudden you can realize that you haven’t been sober in a year, and that is not good. I feel like I’m going to die. Not in a “I’m tired” way, but in a real, I am dependent on getting drunk when I wake up until I fall asleep. That is now O.K. That happens and that’s real, and you don’t think about that [when you are starting out].
WE: You get on each other’s nerves and stuff, you are on edge because you are hungover, and you are cooped up with everyone. It’s best to choose your party nights wisely, and I mostly drink maybe a couple beers a night, and just smoke a lot of weed.
DA: I feel marijuana is almost a performance enhancing drug for touring anyways. I mean sore muscles, can’t get sleep, a little nervous? That will take care of it!
MH: [laughs] Yeah, yeah.
DA: You have pretty aggressive vocals, and to do that night after night, is there something you do to prep, or cool down?
MH: I try to drink at least a gallon of water a day. More if I can, but I am a notorious voice loser. Also, I need to get sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’ll lose my voice, and that sucks. Sleep is probably the most important thing in my opinion.
DA: How do you deal with that, when your voice kicks out and you are on tour?
MH: You get pissed off. It can be pretty embarrassing when you are playing in front of a packed house and you can’t sing. It can be a little frustrating.
WE: Usually whenever his voice does give out, we get to a place so he can get some sleep, and then it can come right back.
MH: I think people don’t put enough thought behind getting sleep. If I get a full night’s rest, I’m great. I normally do, I try for a full eight hours a night. I think it works wonders, because I rarely get sick.
JG: Where do you guys get sleep on tour? Do you get hotels, or the van?
WE: It depends on the tour usually. We try to get hotels, because when we crash at people’s houses, a lot of people want to hang out and talk to you all night. We might have an eight hour drive the next morning and we won’t get enough sleep. So we have to drop a little money [for a hotel] to make sure we get our rest.
MH: When you are on tour with a band like Clutch, they have a bus. So they route the tour based on that. All of us would rather spend money on a hotel than laying in a ditch because we flipped our van because we were so tired. It’s not worth it.
DA: A question about your bass rig. Are you running through and overdrive pedal or anything?
MH: Oh yeah! I use a pedal called the assmaster. [laughs]. It’s like B: assmaster. It’s made by Malekko. It’s 250 dollars, so it’s a little pricey, but it’s totally worth it. It’s the best thing I’ve found.
DA: Yeah it sounds thick, and you weren’t losing anything in the mix. It sounded gnarly.
MH: It has a really great bass boost on it, and you can make a lot of adjustments on it too.
DA: I play bass and sing at the same time like yourself. Do you find that singing sometimes gets in your way, because you might want to play a heavier bass line, but you have to worry about singing too?
MH: Oh for sure. But most of the time, the way we try and write music, it by simplifying and making it a little more accessible. Especially being a three piece, I don’t have to be [so busy]. As long as the bass is driving and thick, I can leave the other stuff to Will, because he has magic fingers. But I know what you mean, because sometimes there is a part in my head that I want to play, but I can’t because I’m doing a lot of singing there as well.
JG: Where did the idea for short songs come about, most of your songs top out around two or three minutes.
MH: The thoughts complete at that point. We don’t have to keep dragging on.
WE: We try to cut all the bullshit out of the writing.
MH: The Beatles, they were writing two minute songs, and they were great. The Ramones as well. Why should we try for more if we can get out what we want in that timeframe.
American Sharks at Upstate Concert Hall. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
JG: You guys are on tour 200+ days a year, can you give us one hilarious story from the road?
MH: We were on tour with The Sword one time, and we were going through Albuquerque, but we weren’t playing there, so we all stayed there for the night. I don’t know if you have ever been there, but it is a crazy kind of city, there is definitely something in the air or the water. We get a hotel and all get rooms on the same floor right next to each other, and we are going to party all night. So we go to this strip club, and get kicked out. [laughs]. Well first Kyle from The Sword gets kicked out of a bar, in the beginning of the night. We were already loaded and they wouldn’t serve him and they are like “Get out of here!” So we show up and Kyle is in the streets so mad, screaming “Let me back in” and another dude from the bar is apologizing profusely because he knows he is in The Sword. So we go down to this strip club, and we are hanging out, doing strip club stuff, you know, and how does the rest of this go?
WE: We had a guy on tour, our camera guy, and I was gone at another bar when they first got to the strip club. When I showed up, there was this woman trying to stab our camera guy with her stiletto, and everybody’s holding her back and she’s screaming about money. Apparently he got one dance, and she said it was like five dance, and the bouncers are telling everyone to get out. So I acted like I wasn’t friends with any of them, and sat down at this other chair and finished my drink.
MH: So we were pretty wasted and we met all these people from Albuquerque and we all went back to our rooms on the top floor and had a raging party. All the classics that you would do if you were, say Van Halen, we did all of those things. I literally fell to the carpet at one point and passed out.
This fall marks one of the most sought after tours in recent memory. The incredible co-lining onslaught of Five Finger Death Punch and Volbeat has been an idea in the works for some time, with both bands finally hitting the road together after countless scheduling issues, stopping in Albany. The timing could not be better, as both bands are the premier heavy metal bands on mainstream rock radio.
Nothing More. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
Joining them on tour will be Nothing More, the fast rising heavy groove metal project out of San Antonio, Texas. Chipping away at the game with their relentless barrage of work they finally have broken out with their single, “This is the Time(Ballast)” hitting #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in 2014. As they self proclaim with the inherent question, “Nothing more?”, they immediately answer back, “Accept nothing less.”
Hellyeah have recently dropped their most defining album to date. Blood for Blood allows the average listener to really get the best interpretation of this ‘supergroup’, and gives the die hard fan a new outlook on this incredible band. Made up of seasoned veterans of the stage Chad Gray (Mudvane), Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan), Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) and Kyle Saunders (Bloodsimple), they are poised to bring the hard hitting heavy rock to this tour.
Volbeat. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
Hailing from Denmark, Volbeat is no stranger to the United States. The three-piece continues to tear up stages all over the world, and are primed and ready to co-headline this tour in support of their most recent album, Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies. Epic riffs and catchy melodies make each show an experience, and with new second guitarist Rob Caggiano (Anthrax) will have the entire crowd banging their heads and singing along.
Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) has been wanting to do this tour for sometime, and scheduling has always gotten in the way, as is the case with hard working bands that tour constantly. But the planets aligned and this tour can finally be a reality. 5FPD are riding high off their two releases last year, The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell, parts 1 and 2. The combined sales of those records made the band the highest selling rock band in America. Their live show is one of pure intesity and heavy metal chaos, and one not to be missed when it rolls into the OnCenter War Memorial Arena in Syracuse NY on Setptember 23rd. Then, on September 27th, the tour will hit the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. This, like so many other amazing shows in the Albany area, is being brought to this area thanks to the tireless efforts of Step Up Presents.
Five Finger Death Punch. Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert / JTGphoto.com
The tour kicks off in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 16 and goes until it’s Las Vegas on October 24th. Tickets and tour dates can be found on the bands websites or through TicketMaster.
Music lovers at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park got a taste of homegrown, world-class music Thursday Sept 11th with performances by Mister F and Snarky Puppy.
The livetronica four piece band, Mister F calls the Capital District home and was surrounded by familiar faces as they celebrated their 100th show of the year. Mister F played multiple songs off their debut album released this year, The F Stands Fourand has been touring heavily to share their electric dark funk sound. Opening the night with “Vocoder” featured Scott Hannay demonstrating his wild keyboard playing skills and vocals on the talk box with upbeat flair. Ben Pickering laid down major bass rhythm as he grooved to the steady tempo for “On and On” while Andrew Chamberlaine stretched out his strings for a hard-hitting melody. The jams got dark as Matt Pickering clashed cymbals and struck drums with seriously focused energy that spread across the venue. Don’t miss Mister F as they will be all over the Upstate area this week, making stops in Oneonta, Ithaca and Albany performing their electric fusion with force.
Snarky Puppy is one of the biggest bumps under the radar; you either have no idea who they are or were losing your mind that you got to see them in the intimate setting of Upstate Concert Hall. This year, Snarky Puppy won a Grammy Award in the Best R&B Performance category for their rendition of “Something” by Brenda Russell from their album Family Dinner – Volume 1 and have been catching the main stream ear ever since. The all instrumental band was a 7-headed monster that night as they kicked off their World Tour here in Upstate with hypnotizing tight jams. Bassist and pack leader, Michael League joked that it feels like they have been on a nonstop tour since 2006. League is everything you would want in a band leader, with friendly crowd engagement and strong transition assists, encouraging the band to always take it to the next peak. They have nonstop buildups with tremendous horn solos stretching out mellow jazz notes before leaping right back into the jams. They have a foreign yet universal sound that speaks to everyone with a fusion of pop, funk and futuristic jazz. The drummer and percussionist had an all-out dizzying solo session of salsa rock as jazz flute was introduced for a circus melody. The show ended with a celebratory all out blast of an encore that left the crowd still wanting more. Here’s wishing Snarky Puppy a safe and awesome tour with a fast return to Upstate NY!
The Bots Albany debut at The Hollow on Sept. 10 and made sure to leave a mark on the venue. Hailing from California, brothers Anaiah and Mikaiah Lei brought all of their energy to the stage for their one hour performance. Mikaiah’s guitar playing can only be described as watching a man who is possessed by his instrument. Dancing all over the stage and completely letting go of himself throughout most songs, Mikaiah tore up the fret boards on both of the guitars he used during the show. With all of the moving he does on stage, one would think that his play would be sloppy, but it was anything but. Every song was played beautifully with ripping solos that his body and guitar produced – making The Bots Albany debut one to remember.
Over on the drums all night, Anaiah sat there moving his arms like lightning all over his kit. Putting his full body into the music as well, Anaiah set the pace for the evening and it was fast and furious. The amount of music that these two produce together is astounding. “Dinosaurs” was a great song and closer “5:17” was powerful. Both of these songs mixed a lot of punk and hard rock into them, making an interesting blend to listen to. A great cover of The Ramones “I Wanna Be Well” was played straight forward and let The Bots honor one of their major influences. The small crowd loved every second of the show wanting the band to continue, but it was not meant to be on this night. For all of you who were not at this show, do not sleep on this band the next time they are near you. The Lei brothers have a lot of talent and are just starting on their journey to bigger and better things. Seeing talented bands in smaller rooms doesn’t last forever, and The Bots should be moving on up in no time. Their debut album Pink Palms is out Oct. 14 and you should look into getting yourself a copy to hear what you missed.
Johnny Marr, known best for being a founding member of The Smiths, is about to release his second solo album Playland on Oct. 6 and is supporting the release with a nationwide tour.
Most notable for Upstate New York is the Tuesday Nov. 18 show at Upstate Concert Hall. Tickets are going to go on sale on Saturday Sept. 13 at 10AM and are only going to run you $20. This show is part of WEQX‘s 30th anniversary celebrations being the voice of independent music in the Capitol Region.
The only other Johnny Marr in New York shows will take place on November 12th at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City and Nov.15 at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Other shows in the area include Nov. 14 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ and Nov. 16 at The Paradise in Boston, MA. Tickets for these shows will be going on sale Friday Sept. 12. Johnny is a tremendous guitarist and song-writer and all of these venues are a great way to see a talent such as his in such intimate venues. The first single from the album, “Easy Money” can be seen below.
Thursday, September 11th, the rock will invade Albany at The Low Beat. From the ashes of Valentines, this new venue over on Central Avenue has risen, and has already brought some great live acts to the area. This night aims to be no different, as some locals and some out of town bands will help send off The End Men on their two week tour of america.
Photo by The End Men
Henry’s Rifle, straight out of Albany, will bring his one man, dirty rocking banjo music to the stage. Fresh of of the Muddy Roots festival in Tennessee, and poised to drop his brand new album, “Barroom Weather” very soon, his rackus, infectious sounds will surely brighten your day and get you ready for the night.
Sun Voyager, out of Orange County New York, will be slinging psychedelic garage rock licks at the audience in full helpings. Usually hitting the Brooklyn scene, it will be a treat to see them in Albany, alongside such luminaries of local rock and roll. They are part of King Pizza Records, and definitely check out their Bandcamp if you haven’t already.
Charmboy, another Albany based band, are a product of the no nonsense rock and roll of the 70’s and they are proud to produce guitar laden rock without gimmick or pretense. Tight riffs and tasty jams will feed the hole in your soul where rock and roll lives. They will be sure to do what they do best; melt faces and hearts alike with their pure inspiring music.
The End Men Fall Tour
The End Men, from Brooklyn New York, definitely call Albany their home away from home at this point. Joining up with the fine collective of musical folks at Built4BBQ, they have made the pilgrimage upstate a number of times to great crowd response. The two piece, though rumoured to be rounded out by a mysterious saxaphone player for this tour, bring an incredibly huge sound with them wherever they set up shop. They have been tearing up stages in America as well as Europe for over four years now, and they show no signs of taking a break. Each time they come to this area they try out new material, engage the crowd on and off the stage, and make for an immersive experience full of their own brand of psycho dirty blues laden rock and roll.
Show starts at 8PM at The Low Beat, for only 5 dollars. Check out the Facebook event.
It’s that time of year again. Heavy Earth Rockers, Clutch, are returning to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, New York on Saturday, Sept. 6. The band will likely hold court to a packed house, as they seem to bring out fans from all corners of the state and beyond every time they grace the stage at UCH.
Joining them on this tour will be Lionize, a tight, riff heavy outfit from Maryland. Their new album, Jetpack Soundtrack, is full of their usual sci-fi metaphors coupled with intense hard rock. But this album is a little different, as the band and their sound have matured over the last ten years. It was also co-produced by Jean-Paul Gaster, the drummer of Clutch, adding to the explosive percussive energy this album emits.
Also opening up is American Sharks, a driving heavy rock band, reminiscent of the glory days of Motorhead. Both American Sharks and Lionize round out a night of guitar-heavy, full on rock that is sure to be a show not to miss. Upstate Concert Hall brings quality entertainment to the area, and a Clutch show is one that many faithful patrons frequent every single year.
Clutch continues to return because of the overwhelming response they have gotten from this area. Blues driven, heavy rock riffs coupled with a stunning vocal assault are what make these shows so much fun. If you are a fan of heavy music, or music that moves you, this is the show for you. If you are already a fan of Clutch, both openers promise to deliver in a big way, and might make you fans of them as well. Thanks to Step Up Presents for bringing this band back again and again.
Tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster or through the Upstate Concert Hall box office.
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly, aka MGK, may be on tour with Limp Bizkit, but that isn’t stopping him from taking a night that the tour has off to stop up to Albany to play the Washington Avenue Armory. The 24-year old is no stranger to Albany fans who have packed the place last year to see this dynamic young star. MGK released his second full album last year, Black Flag, and is perhaps best known for his many mixed tapes that he released leading up to being signed by Diddy three years ago to Bad Boy Records.
“I got the name Machine Gun Kelly because of my rapid-fire delivery when I was 15 and started doing shows,” says MGK. That rapid delivery is still there mixed with the maturity of time. Fans relate to his lyrics, coming from a broken home and being an outcast in tough neighborhoods with no brothers or sisters to look out for him. Colson Baker moved around as a child and was essentially raised simultaneously by his father and the streets after his mother left him at a young age. Ready for the prime time, MGK is on a shooting star and passengers should hop aboard now.
Mark your calendars for an Oct. 4 date with openers to be announced soon. Tickets are available now at Ticketfly. Avid Entertainment has promised an exciting fall line-up for the second largest venue in the city, and this, along with other fall dates previously announced such as, Masquerave, Pierce the Veil, Slayer, it is a good indication that they holding true to their word.
A hint at a big announcement yesterday by Washington Avenue Armory’s Michael Corts gave us a hint as to whom may be announced. His partner at Avid Entertainment, Darren Sparato, all but confirmed my educated guess this morning.
Early tour releases already showcased a New York City date on October 8 and a Boston date on October 10, with a few off dates in October as the only viable option. The big hint in the clue was 19XX. Did it mean the band 1975, a reference to Van Halen’s famous album 1984, or Prince’s party anthem, “1999”? No, I think it paid reference to Machine Gun Kelly’s chest tattoo, Est. 19XX.
