NYS Music 20​14

Category: Capital Region

  • Celebrating the New Year with Twiddle

    New Year’s Eve is not just a day that people reflect on the past twelve months and make goals for the new year, it is perhaps the single greatest live music night of the year.  The first signs of the holiday season means different things to different people. Holiday shoppers imagine Black Friday super sales, kids think of the presents under the tree, but diehard music fans start to salivate over New Years Eve shows in there area.  For Saratoga Springs, it was an easy decision – Putnam Den was hosting the jam party of the year with local favorites, Twiddle from Vermont and Albany’s own Way Down.

    Way Down lays down a funky, progressive jam with influences throughout the musical spectrum.  There were times that you could close your eyes and imagine guitarist Justin Hendricks being center stage jamming along side Jimmy Herring or Derek Trucks.  There was a hint of southern jam in the long jams and upbeat progressions that got the crowd dancing early in the night.  The dance floor was packed a couple songs into the set and stayed that way for the entire evening. While Way Down may be fighting popular appeal because of lack of singing (only two vocal numbers for the entire set), they make up for it in mastery of their instruments.  It is no surprise to discover that bassist Dylan Perrillo and drummer Kevin Urvalek graduated from the Crane School of Music.  Just before the end of the set Mihali (Twiddle) hopped on stage and jammed with the young trio.

    By the time headliner Twiddle took the stage, the Putnam Den was already packed.  The usual crowd that hangs outside for cigarettes or fresh air were hiding inside because of the subzero temperatures lingering around.  Inside it was nice and toasty and the drinks were refreshing.  The New Years party was in full swing and owners Tiffany and John Albert were behind the bar.  Twiddle’s jams build up and develop throughout the song.  Whether you are a jam fanatic or a jazz purist, you can rest assure you will be delighted by the complex nature of the band’s music.  While the crowd at the Putnam Den was geared toward twenty-somethings out for a night of gold skirts and gold shirts and gold shoes and any other gold accessory that you can imagine, the slightly older fans hanging out in the back or on the sides appreciating that these four artists are the real deal.  Delighting fans with favorites like  “The Box”, “When It Rains It Pours” and finishing with a special encore of “Frankenfoote”

    Thirty years ago another band formed in Vermont with adept control over their instruments and the understanding and appreciate on how to build a jam to the point that it quite literally split open and melts.  Mihali Savoulidis (lead vocals/guitar), Ryan Dempsey (keys), Brook Jordan, (drums) and Zdenek Gubb (bass) are equipped with the talent and state of mind to take the reins and start their own legacy.  New Year’s Eve at the Putnam Den is just the beginning of Twiddle’s journey in 2014.  Twiddle’s upcoming shows include a couple in New York and Vermont in January before traveling south to Florida to start the festival season off at AURA.

    Putnam Den is no stranger to incredible shows like the one they offered patrons on NYE. Look for these great shows coming up: Mallett Brothers (1/10), Ghosts of Jupiter (1/24), Particle (2/5), and Donna the Buffalo (2/6), and more giving way to an exciting new year.

    Setlist
    Set 1: Doinkinbonk!, Hattibagen McRat, Apples, Countdown-> Auld Lang Syne->  Mamunes the Faun, Wasabi Eruption, The Box -> Too Many Puppies -> The Box
    Set 2: Syncopated Healing, Polluted Beauty, Wildfire, Tiberius, Cabbage, Hattis Jam > When It Rains It Pours > Somewhere Over the Rainbow > WIRIP, Theme to “Friends”, Earth Mama
    Encore: Frankenfoote

  • Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Will Funk out The Egg on January 12th

    Dust the confetti off your dancin’ shoes folks! New Orleans comes to Albany this Sunday, January 12th when Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue perform at The Egg as part of the American Roots & Branches concert series.

    trombone shorty orleansSince the release of their Grammy nominated debut album Backatown and their chart-topping sophomore effort, For True, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue have continued their natural musical evolution while winning hordes of new fans and refining their signature sound – a mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop, New Orleans and soul that Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews has dubbed “Supafunkrock.”

    On top of performing nonstop on five continents and releasing his new album Say That To Say This, Andrews has also appeared on recent recordings by artists ranging from Zac Brown to Eric Clapton to Rod Stewart to Cee Lo Green and Janelle Monáe, and has a recurring role on the hit HBO series Treme.

    Tickets are $29.50-$39.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza. The show starts at 7:30 pm.

  • moe. Years Eve in Albany

    The vibe headed into moe. New Years Eve at The Palace Theatre was naturally festive, with moe.rons dressed up in an array of different attire, from tutus and wigs to tuxedos. This was bound to be a special evening in Albany.

    moe. Years Eve in Albanymoe. played a second night at the historic Palace Theatre to close out the year. Starting in rare form with a small stage set up in front of the main stage, the band played a short, fun and very well received acoustic set.Although the music itself was quiet it still captured the crowd’s attention. Highlighting this short set was the rarely played “Backwoods”, a song that long time moe. fans were quiet pleased to hear. In return, people who may not have been privy to that song were treated to a rendition of the Tom Petty classic,”Wildflowers”, the last acoustic song of the set, leaving Al Schnier, Chuck Garvey and Rob Derhak on the small stage while the other members Jim Loughlin and Vinnie Amico dispersed.

    When the main stage curtains opened, a clock on the back drop of the stage was counting down the minutes until 2014. Drummer Amico furiously hit the drums, ensuring the acoustic set was not going to be the evening’s vibe. The rest of the band joined in at this point playing “Water”. This transitioned into the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon classic “Time”, slowing things down yet bringing the crowd into the fold. Going into the immense “Recreational Chemistry”, showcased the ability moe. has to fiercely jam, with wailing guitar solos and hard drum beats the set concluded on a high note.

    “Mar-Dema”, an instrumental song highlighting Amico’s drumming talents transitioned into the fan favorite “Meat”. A heavy song with a slow beginning, Al and Chuck, the groups two guitarists, traded psychedelic guitar licks while Rob held it together with the bass. This lasted for a minute or two then broke down into a colossal jam verging on heavy metal. The intense electricity in the room was palpable. Percussionist Jim Loughlin took a xylophone sol, a highlight that raised the bar for the rest of the jam, hitting each note yet emphasizing the other instruments, putting him in a class of his own. “White Lightning Turpentine”, a transitional bluesy instrumental gave the crowd a rest after the velocity that ensued previously. This transitioned into a segue of songs, consisting of “Four”, “Spaz Medicine”, “Spine of the Dog and ending with a huge rendition of “Buster”, a staple in the moe. universe and one of their tightest and most danceable numbers. The tightness and patience the band possessed was outstanding as they were right on point for every note as the set closed.

    moe new years eve albanymoe. has never been know for their serious side and they proved this by coming out in animal costumes and playing “Sensory Separation Bank.” The New Years countdown began as balloons filled the room and the audience went nuts. The band sang “Auld Lang Syne”, a staple of any New Years Eve show, as per tradition. This cliché was easily forgotten when local heroes Shannon Lynch (saxophone), Terry lynch (trumpet) and Shaun Bazylewicz (trombone) from Conehead Buddha joined the band for Paul Simon’s classic “Late in the Evening” to kick off the first set of 2014. Terry Lynch not only played the trumpet throughout the set, he also took lead vocals on the Black Sabbath tune “The Wizard”  which added to the fun. The set closed with a fantastic version of “Plane Crash”, where the horns took control and all the ranges imaginable were conquered, ending the set on a very high note.

    moe new years eve albanyThe encore started with Al thanking all the moe. family for being there, and announced that lighting designer, Jason Huffer, would be leaving his five year stint with moe. This left the the crowd with a mixed reaction, as the moe. lights are a large part of the show. Playing “Bearsong”, the first of two encores, led to an ensuing jam that was heavy and dirty with a guitar jam bordering trance. “Wind it Up” followed suit nicely, continuing with the trance vibe as the guitars began to shred, moving the crowd towards the show’s finale. The end of a show is never easy, but when done like this it is, without a doubt, easier. Happy moe. Year to all!

    moe. setlist

    Set I: Shoot First^, Blue Eyed Son^@, Willin’, Backwoods, Wildflowers^^, Water > Time > Recreational Chemistry

    Set II: Mar-DeMa > Meat, White Lightning Turpentine, Four > Jazz Wank > Spine Of A Dog > Buster

    Set III: Sensory Deprivation Bank , Auld Lang Syne > Late In The Evening$+, Spaz Medicine$ > Not Coming Down$, The Wizard$+, Nebraska$, Spanish Moon$+ > Threw It All Away$, Plane Crash$

    Encore: Bearsong, Wind It Up

    Notes
    ^Acoustic, band on small stage
    @Al on mandolin
    ^^Only Rob, Al and Chuck (on acoustics)
    $ with Conehead Buddha Horns: Shannon Lynch (sax), Shaun Bazylewicz (trombone), Terry Lynch (trumpet, trumpet & vocals on Wizard)
    +debut

  • Normal Instruments to Play the Hollow, January 11th

    Normal Instruments will play Albany’s The Hollow on January 11th, performing two sets and will be accompanied by Albany’s own DJ Leila and Mentally Ill.

    Normal Instruments
    Normal Instruments, created in 2011, is a powerhouse collaboration of Jules Jenssen of Higher Organix, Michael Carter of the Indobox, Matt Beckett of the Cosmic Dust Bunnies and Jeff Bujak. Anyone who has seen these guys live knows this is a show you will not want to miss. Normal Instruments has been seen at many of the east coast summer festivals and will be doing an east coast tour kicking off in Providence, Rhode Island the day before the Albany show. As a relatively new band, Normal Instruments has taken the live music scene by storm and will clearly continue doing so, all while having a ton of fun on stage. Definitely don’t miss this amazing show.

    The show is 21+, with ID and will begin at 10 pm.

    Facebook| Event Page |Sound Cloud

  • moe. head Eastbound to take over Albany

    Standing out in the cold is rarely a good time, but this did not stop the masses from waiting outside the Palace Theatre in Albany for moe. and Eastbound Jesus to kick off two nights to close the year out in Albany. The doors didn’t open until 7 pm, yet there were plenty of people waiting to get in, standing around, mingling, and talking about what songs would be played, how excited they were to get in and see two of the hottest bands around.

    Eastbound Jesus, from Greenwich, New York, had the crowd’s attention from the moment they took the stage at The Palace Theater, opening up for moe.’s first of two nights to cap off 2013. ”Waiting for the Sun” off Northern Rock was not your typical bluegrass, mixed with electric guitar solos. This is one of separating factors Eastbound from the mainframe of bluegrass. This jam could have gone on infinitely, but as they were the opening act, time restriction definitely brought this jam of endless possibilities to a halt. “Where the Winter goes” focused on harmonizing echoing the sound of Fleet Foxes, Crosby, Stills & Nash, among others, giving fans a chance to see this band for their many instruments, but also having a genuine good time on the stage, with the overflow engulfing the crowd. The multiple instruments played was very impressive, and although the lead guitarist Adam Brockway handled most of the solos and banjo player Luke Anderson filling a key role in many of the band’s extended runs. Closing the set with “The Ballad of Eastbound Jesus”, the crowd started to clap their hands to the beat, leaving the band and crowd mutually happy. Eastbound Jesus played their songs tight and had the crowd in the palm of their hand in an opportunity to showcase their sound to a wide audience.

    There are umpteen jam bands in the music scene today, mostly sounding very similar and almost having no identity. moe. is not one of these bands. With a unique sound spanning many musical horizons from psychedelic to hard rock, moe. covers it all. The set opener, “Paper Dragon”, had these aspects. Starting out slow with the emphasis on Jim Loughlin’s percussion playing, he was busy on his many instruments to keep the rhythm going. This was not the case for long as the song sped up and guitarist Al Schnier began to shred, a recurring theme for the evening. The drums, led by Vinnie Amico and anchored by Loughlin transitioned into the forgettable “Y.O.Y”, just a lot of sound over more sounds, doing very little for the crowd. This would’ve become a problem if the band stayed on this course, however the mess known as “Y.O.Y” shifted into one of the nights highlights, “George”, which had the crowd going utterly nuts as they sang along to the line “It’s not my problem!”, followed with a tremendous jam led by Schnier . The first set was very much a set based around the guitar playing of Al, although the vocals of Rob Derhak and the guitar playing of Chuck Garvey were very apparent in helping them come together.

    The second set opened with “Zed Naught Z”, rocking the fans right out of their seats, with nary an individual sitting down. Loughlin had a tremendous xylophone solo that sounded like a carousel ride, transitioning into a spacey Grateful Dead-style jam, almost losing the crowd. “Timmy Tucker” hooked the crowd back in, and quickly. The jam that ensued showed patience and timing, particularly as Amico’s drums and Loughlin’s percussion complimented Derhak’s bass and vocals and the rhythm became tight. Garvey and Schnier were able to duel guitars, creating a unifying sound between them, jamming another fan favorite, “Akimbo”. A straight forward song, “Akimbo” was fun but nothing special, and segued right back into Timmy Tucker”, with fury from the wailing guitars. This five song palindrome of the set was finished with “Zed Naught Z”, seeing everything come full circle. The patience to get from point A and go all over the place and ending at point A is a talent very few bands possess. “Opium” segued into another favored moe. classic, “32 Things”. The crowd sang along, everyone cheering for more moe. when it was finished.

    The band came back out and played a cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla”, a heavy number which did just as an encore should do: left the crowd wanting more. They would get more later that night, as it was already New Years Eve. As the doors opened and fans dispersed onto Pearl Street, the cheers and claps were proof to patrons on the street that a very good time was had at the Palace.

    EastBound Jesus setlist
    Set: Waitin on the sun, Beat The Brakes, Where The Winter Goes, Katie Belle, Doors Open, 54 Miles, Ballad Of Eastbound Jesus

    moe. setlist
    Set 1: Paper Dragon > Y.O.Y. > George > Skrunk, Blue Jeans Pizza, Puebla > The Pit
    Set 2: Zed Naught Z > Timmy Tucker > Akimbo > Timmy Tucker > Zed Naught Z, Opium, 32 Things
    Encore: Godzilla

    Stay tuned for a review of moe.’s New Years Eve show on Wednesday, January 8th.

  • Distances and Threads Move Us Emotionally

    Distances and Threads headlined a stacked deck at Albany’s Bogies, Saturday, Dec. 28.

    20140105-013432.jpg

    Other performers included Echoes, Before the Betrayer, and Dust and Ashes. The night before also saw a pregame performance from Dark Matter, Eden’s Lost Misfits, and Teenage Shred.

    The nature of the show brought up a widely debated topic in metal: Among listeners of metal, one complaint is that bands are often emotionless; that bands produce their songs to be brash, angry, violent, or just to incite a fight.

    However, anyone who has seen that famous video of Nergal tearing pages out of a Bible on stage — a crime punishable by jail time in Poland, where the performance took place — knows that a singer willing to risk freedom is clearly emotionally involved in the music.

    When it comes to bands like Distances and Threads, who both performed in front of crowds of twenty people or less at Bogies a few days ago, emotions ran high. It is clear that every note played, every word spoken, or every beat struck, the bands meant what they played.

    Threads, whose set was first following a number of local acts, such as Before the Betrayer and Echoes, delivered a full set of songs about loss, love, relationships, and life. While it may have been easy to dismiss their lyrics as teenaged angst, a few moments with the band — who sound like a hybrid of early Underoath, Being as an Ocean, and Vessels — show a depth that few others have accomplished.

    Performance wise, the band was on point in every way. Since their guitar style – riffs courtesy of Levi Miller — calls from fast changes between plucked acoustics to fast, distorted riffs, the band has little room for error. Their musical feel perfectly encases the raw powerhouse that is vocalist Tyler Priola. In fact, in one moment, Priola knelt on the ground — this was not theatrics, it was simply the most honest expression of the song.

    Distances, too, held the small audience’s gaze. Their music is faster and heavier by brand. It sounds something like a melodic version — a bit like the night’s opening band, echoes. The singer, Adam Meadors, bares an uncanny resemblance to Falling Up’s Jessy Ribordy.

    What should have been midway through the set, drummer Matt Full’s bass pedal broke, nearly causing the band to have to end their set, but thanks to help from another drummer, they played on. But with songs like “Guilt” in the mix, this might just be inevitable.

    The crowd’s reaction – less than twenty people, mostly not part of any of the opening bands — however, was less than exciting.

    Distances singer Meadors addressed the issue. “(In the end), we’re just here to play music. That’s all we want to do. It doesn’t matter how many people show up.”

    In conclusion, the show was stacked. Both bands showed that they cared about each word they said. Threads’ and Distances’ EPs are both available online.