The Hollow was alive with energy in the early hours of Wednesday night for Break Science with special guest Paul Basic on January 22nd. Paul Basic took the stage first with a seemingly packed house full of adoring fans.
The crowd was flooded with fans plastered in “Pretty Lights Fam” pins, hats and shirts and it was certainly evident that these artists have a significant amount of love and respect within the music scene. The moment Basic began to play it was evident why he had attracted so much hype straight out of the gate. His music fused hip hop, dub step, glitch-hop, funk, hard samples and a variety of different techniques and genres to create a unique sound that fits perfectly within the various artists that combine to make up the Pretty Lights music label. Basic played in a band with both Pretty Light’s Derek Vincent Smith and Michael Menert. Eventually the three went on their separate ways and it wasn’t until years later that they synced back up to create the music they play today. Basic played many songs off his LP Transient Horizons and put on an overall excellent performance and showed an astounding amount of talent for an up and coming DJ.
Break Science came on shortly after Paul Basic left the stage and delivered a performance with such a ridiculous amount of energy and intensity. Borahm Lee and Adam Deitch unite to make such a new and different sound with such epic complexities. The samples they utilize encompass the old school, underground Brooklyn music scene layered with a new current sound that seems almost impossible to blend so perfectly. When asked about the influences of the samples they choose and music they play, Deitch spoke about the influences his father, who is also a musician, had on his musical palette. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, etc. were just some of the artists that he wanted to bring into his work to introduce to his fans. He stated, “I grew up on Funk, I got into hip-hop as a teen, and right now it’s about electronic is now.” It is evident that both Lee and Deitch are both extremely passionate about the music they create, and because of that drive they are given the platform to perform with such intensity.
When asked about playing New York, which is both Lee and Deitch’s home state, they both spoke so highly Albany and the devotion all of their fans have for the music they create. Both artists were surprised that even with the freezing cold weather of upstate, the turnout was phenomenal and the energy was at a high. Due to the layout of the Hollow this was also a much more intimate experience for both the fans and the artists. It is obvious that both Break Science and Paul Basic have a lot of love in the Albany music scene and they will be looking forward to their return.
Tabitha Clancy: Lets start with where you were born and raised.
Troy Andrews is a new breed of musician and bandleader. An accomplished trombone and trumpet player, I first noticed Trombone Shorty on the NBC show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 
Twice during the 80 minute set, bassist Michael “Bass” Ballard, Oestreicher and McFatter left the stage to make way for a stripped down trio that brought out blues tunes, with just light drums from Joey Peebles and Pete Murano’s killer guitar work, while Andrews sang the blues. A jam off of “Voodoo Chile” and later, a segment of Louis Armstrong’s “Sunny Side of the Street” were some of the highest points of the night, the crowd full of energy and singing along. “Craziest Things” and “I’ve Got a Woman” gave a nod to the roots of turn of the 20th century music with Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher” and mid-century Ray Charles’ “I’ve Got a Woman”, effectively working in the early music into a composition for the 21st century. Murano’s long and wonderful solos shined and make a name for himself – there is definitely more than one featured player in Orleans Avenue.
Setlist: Buckjump, American Woman, Mrs. Orleans, One Night Only, Dumaine Street, On Your Way Down, For True, Backatown, Craziest Things, I’ve got a Woman
When The Chronicles took the stage at 10:30, they opened with the Stevie Wonder instrumental “Contusion”, then invited Mike Thomas, lead singer of Albany’s Funk Evolution, to join the band as the featured vocalist this evening. Channeling Stevie Wonder for the next hour, Thomas was a firebrand, raging through the uptempo “Sir Duke”, the soulful “Livin for the City”, nailing “Boogie on Reggae Woman” and mastering the wordplay of “Do I Do”. Throughout, the horn section, led by Bryan Brundige and Jeff Nania, blared in and out of each Stevie tune, adding a layer to the songs that no jamband can equal. Tyrone Hartzog sat in to sing “Bad Bad Bad” and revved up the crowd for the final songs of the night, all originals from The Chronicles. The music was spot on from all in the band and got the year of music at Red Square started on the right notes.
Catch The Chronicles January 16th when they will pay tribute to John Coltrane, January 23rd with a full show of songs by Earth Wind and Fire (with opener Cedric Burnside) and January 30th with a tribute to the music of J. Dilla.