Category: Capital Region

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.

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.
November 6, 2014
Consider the Source Drops EP Stream Before Stops in Albany and Buffalo

This 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.

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.

October 31, 2014
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.

Synthesis 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.

October 28, 2014
Banjo Banjo: Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

“You ready Fleck? ‘I hope so’ ” and with that, Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck began their show at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on October 24 each alternating between six banjo throughout the night, the married duo of Fleck and Washburn embarked on a night of beautifully crafted duets, murder ballads and songs from their new album Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn. An Irish meets Appalachia “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” opened the night, the resonance of the banjo head echoing through the room. “Banjo Banjo” jokingly explained to the audience as the one song they wrote all summer, the simplicity of the title a nod to the toils of a married musical duo, the tune sounded as though it could be the soundtrack to one of those ‘traveling down the road’ montages in a movie.

“Ride to You,” a song of longing, off their new album was a true highlight. Washburn’s voice and intonation adding gravity to the composition. Béla then stepped off to the side of the stage and performed a solo, captivating the audience and treating those left of center.

The old-timey murder ballad from Appalachia, “Pretty Polly” was introduced by Washburn, not surprisingly the chattier of the pair, and she told the story of a girl murdered and buried in a shallow grave, only to haunt her murderer – romantic stuff. From deep in the mountains of Western China, thick cloud cover experienced by Washburn over an extended visit spawned “The Sun is Out” a translated title sung in the original tongue, an uplifting antidote to the previous number. A porch song from 1936, “Keys to the Kingdom” had a ‘You give me Fever’ sing along component complete with audience participation on chorus and snapping. The set ended on a high note, a buzz about the show growing steadily as many shuffled to the merchandise table, as 100% of sales would benefit The Clearwater Foundation, a cause near to the hearts of many in the audience.

Fleck came out alone to start the second set, dedicating a medley improv including portions of “Caravan” and “Big Country,” to his teachers who were in the audience; Marc Horowitz and Bill Keith, of whom Fleck added, “Without them, I’d be nothing.” Washburn joined shortly after, the two speaking to their individual banjo playing styles – Washburn, utilizing the clawhammer style with its African roots and Fleck with the three-finger style honed by Earl Scruggs and many others – combining for a truly pleasant binary-banjo sound. “Bring me my Queen” with lyrics “She takes all my love, all my notions, tears them all down to the ground. Oh, bring me my queen,” shared the dual nature of love, the pains and needs that come with territory.

An original by Béla featured simple lyrics “What’cha gonna do when the land goes under the water” at an urgent pace and echoing the sing-along style of Pete Seeger, who Fleck remarked “is why a lot of us are good at singing along.” Another murder ballad/revenge song followed, this one a self-infused, more passionate number from Washburn, the reverberating head of the banjos contributing to the foreboding nature of the tune. An encore of “New South Africa” was preceded with the history of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones performing in South Africa upon Nelson Mandela becoming president of the ‘new’ country. With an encore of “I Sing I’m Happy, I Sing because I’m Free,” recalled by Washburn as her grandmother June’s favorite song, the crowd was enlivened as they set out into the crisp autumn night in Troy.

October 27, 2014
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes at The Egg

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes played a rocking two hour set at The Egg on October 18. Although the venue wasn’t sold-out, everyone who was in attendance was either dancing in the aisles or dancing in their chairs. Southside played songs spanning his whole career and even took requests from the crowd. He was in a joking mood, mentioning how Buffalo has the worst snow in the world, New Jersey will transform Ebola into lobster like creatures because of their pollution, and how it’s impossible to find your way into The Egg itself. With more than 40 years under their belt, Southside and The Jukes show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes at The Egg – Albany, NY

Set 1: Angel Eyes, Forever, This Time Baby’s Gone for Good, Walk Away Renee, Harder Than it Looks, Key to the Highway, Strange Strange Feeling, Take it Inside, Rhumba & Coke, Got Me Where She Wants, This Time It’s For Real, Without Love, Some Things Just Don’t Change, On The Beach, Talk to Me, Working Too Hard, Passion Street, Fever, Trapped Again, Havin’ A Party

Encore: Ooh Poo Pah Doo, I Don’t Want To Go Home, Hearts of Stone

October 23, 2014
Southern Fried Rock at The Egg with Drive by Truckers

It’s been eight years or so since I last saw Drive by Truckers, the Athens, Georgia rockers led by Patterson Hood, and while they stood out at my last experience seeing them, Sunday Oct. 19 at The Egg Performing Arts Center was a different case. While the band was louder than expected, the vocals kept the focus on the instruments.

Drive by Truckers play both kinds of southern rock – ballads and straight fire rockers. They flip-flopped between the two throughout the night, notably played a Franz Ferdinand-esque “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” followed by “The Opening Act” a slow number that found Hood channeling Van Morrison’s vocals. The at times feisty crowd cheered for “The Opening Act” which Hood previewed as a ‘different kind of song for a different kind of room,’ this being their first time at The Egg.

Keyboardist Jay Gonzalez shone throughout the night, a steady highlight in every way, especially on a song that could have been pulled from Tom Waits’ catalog. A honky-tonk song became story time/spoken word with Hood carrying on a ramble like Jerry Joseph or Arlo Guthrie on an extended “Alice’s Restaurant”.

The encore break resulted in four additional songs – Hood channeling Janis Joplin followed by “Bulldozers and Dirt” the song that garnered the most approval from fans and the most recognizable song of the evening. A ballad/rocker followed, then a fair amount of extended jamming ensued on the finale; each band member looping their instrument as they walked off stage, one at a time. By the time the house lights came up, a lackluster performance was the main takeaway this evening

October 22, 2014
Married with Music: Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall October 24

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn arent just virtuoso banjo players – they’re also husband and wife. Together, Fleck and Washburn employ the relatively rare 3-finger and clawhammer banjo duet to create an explosion of musical white heat. Add in Washburn’s voice and you have a night of musical magic waiting for you at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Friday, October 24.

These two banjoists have mastered the deceptively intricate art of the duet. Their performances embrace a diversity almost unthinkable – coming from just two banjos and one voice. Washburn’s beguiling composing, playing and singing blend with Fleck’s riveting and virtuosic musicianship to create music both unique yet familiar in texture.

Fleck is a 15-time Grammy winner who has collaborated with Chick Corea, Oumou Sangare, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Dave Mathews, Earl Scruggs, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for his Banjo Concert ‘The Impostor’. Washburn’s banjo has taken her far beyond the usual old-timey comfort zone, musically and geographically. An alumnus of Uncle Earl, the powerhouse all-female stringband, Abby’s adopted second homeland is China, and her music resounds with echoes of Appalachia and the tidal wave of emerging Chinese cultural influence.

Tickets for Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall are $25-42 and can be purchased at the box office or online.

Listen to Fleck and Washburn on NPR discuss finally teaming up together, and watch Washburn’s TED Talk below.

October 22, 2014
Aqueous and Formula 5 join forces for Saturday Night fun in Saratoga

Two of Upstate’s own, Aqueous and Formula 5, took the stage October 11 for a night of tight improvisational jams with covers and original music at The Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs. Both bands brought their dance groove to festivals all over Upstate this year such as Catskill Chill and Peach Music Fest with both appearing at Backwoods Pondfest.

Formula 5 kicked off the night with their classic energetic “Excalibur” before gearing straight into a funky rocking “Earthbound Tim” from their new latet album Edging on Catastrophe. Bringing up Aqueous guitarist Dave Loss for the Talking Heads cover “Uh Oh Love Comes to Town” brought out the best in the band as they helped stretch the melody. “Nu-Gen” showcased psychedelic spacey keys from Mike McDonald, astounding guitar work from Joe Davis on “Coming Home” before going straight back into “Nu-Gen”. Formula 5 will be headed up to the North Country of Plattsburgh on Nov 15th and The Hollow in Albany on Nov 28th with The Heavy Pets.

Setlist: Excalibur -> Earthbound Tim, Uh Oh Love Comes to Town*, Nu-Gen -> Coming Home -> Nu-Gen, Catch Me, Music Never Stopped

* w/ Dave Loss of Aqueous on guitar, Talking Heads cover, “Strange Times” (Aqueous) teases

The four piece groove rock band Aqueous has been getting fans excited for their new album Cycles, coming out October 25, making the crowd eager to hear some fresh and original tunes. The soft keys from Dave Loss of “Staring into the Sun” started the set before the song took a dark turn with strong rifts from Mike Gantzer and wailing in sync vocals before diving into a psychedelic “Origami”. As the night progressed, so did the music with nonstop segues of climactic buildups and genre fusion. Drummer and newest member to the group Ryan Nogle proved to be a great fit as he put a unique touch to the familiar rhythm of Aqueous. Evan McPhaden dropped steady deep bass notes during The Police’s “Synchronicity II” and the night ended with guitarist Joe Davis of Formula 5 joining in for extra rock voltage on “The Median”. Catch Aqueous all over Upstate this week with The Mantras in Ithaca, Rochester and Buffalo for their official album release party on the 25th at Iron Works.

Setlist: Staring into the Sun > Origami, 20/20, Random Company > Synchronicity II > The Median*

Encore: Uncle Phil’s Parachute

*with Joe Davis from Formula 5

October 21, 2014
A Day with Wild Adriatic, Triumphantly Conquering the Capital Region

Pulling up to my house in their touring van with nothing but smiles, Wild Adriatic took me in for a day in the life in Upstate New York. We headed up the Northway to a Red Robin in Clifton Park to enjoy lunch and talk about their tour that just finished up. A wild week in Texas, New Orleans, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania had just ended, and Mateo Vosganian, Rich Derbyshine, and Travis Gray had stories to share from the road. From a night or two of smaller crowds to sing-a-longs in the car to a stop off in Maryland at an open mic that proved to be a great night of music for the band, Wild Adriatic had plenty of stories to tell over burgers and fries.

Pulling into Charles R. Wood Festival Space for Rocktoberfest in Lake George, the sounds of AM Bodega could be heard over the speakers. As the band unloaded the van and set up shop, AM Bodega were playing a solid set of music including some nice jams and a good take on Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”. When it was time for Wild Adriatic to take the stage, the audience, although not large, all came close to the stage to watch the band take over for an hour and a half. Despite the tour and the long drives, the bands energy on stage was tremendous. Travis’s voice was in fine form, belting out his signatures wails and hitting every note. Rich was bouncing and dancing all around the stage non-stop throughout the set. Finally Mateo was hitting his drums with all his might and even at times was shaking the stage he was going so hard.

The set saw more covers than I am used to seeing from the band, but since they had a long set to play, they delved deep into their repertoire and busted out “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk. Both were done beautifully, as was expected when upon the opening riffs. When the three of them decided to play covers, they do so as close to the original as they can. Travis was in a talkative mood as well from the stage, happy to be home seeing familiar faces after being on tour. The band was also very comfortable with one another on stage letting themselves get lost in a ten minute rendition of “Mess Around”. Having been touring so extensively lately the band has acquired this jamming skill to add to their live show and it suits them great. Locking into the song, they moved through three separate phases in their jam and brought it all back home, returning to the chorus of the song to close out the set.

After the set and packing up their gear, Wild Adriatic hung out, signed merchandise and talked with fans. As Black Mountain Symphony started up their country-rock, the van was finally packed up and we drove back down the Northway to Albany for the night show and tour capper at The Hollow Bar. The night’s setlist was written and the radio was on loud as we headed down the road listening to Joe Walsh, Mountain, and Led Zeppelin. Another load in and another soundcheck later, everyone was hanging in the basement of The Hollow when Titanics came down to hang out as well after finishing up their own soundcheck. Soon Party Boat was also down there waiting for the show to start, and three bands from Upstate New York were all trading touring stories and having a good time. Another meal was eaten at The Hollow with more stories from the road before Party Boat started the show. Their garage and surf infused rock was a great start to the evening. The laid back vibe won the crowd over with jokes and new music from the Albany band and are definitely worth catching the next time they are on the bill at a show.

Titanics came on next after a short break and the duo played a great set of indie-rock music. The music turned spacey at times, which was great to see. The blend of loops, keys, guitar, and vocals had the crowd take notice to not sleep on them either. With new music just out recently, these guys are really starting to become a local Albany fixture with bigger things to come. Taking the stage for the second time of the day, Wild Adriatic stormed on with “Lonely” and the crowd responded with dancing and chanting and singing the song right back at them. Some more left field covers for the band happened in The Darkness’s “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and MGMT’s “Electric Feel”, and both went over great with the crowd. I was amazed at how much energy Travis, Mateo, and Rich all still had from earlier in the day. Everything sounded and looked as if it was their first performance of the day. Wild Adriatic are road warriors and just want to be on stage all of the time. The packed house at The Hollow gave just enough room for everyone to dance and have a good time. There was some more jamming from the band as well, showing the Albany crowd that touring gets a band tighter and lets the songs shine even more than you remember from the last time you saw them.

Closing down the tour with Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll” was a perfect tour-capper. Smiles, hugs, and drinks were shared among all the familiar local faces after the show was over. Wild Adriatic loves to remind audiences they are from Upstate New York and like to keep everything done with the “family” they have built up here. It was no coincidence that the last shows they are playing before heading to Europe are in the Capital Region of New York. The band has a lot to look forward to coming up really soon, but they also like to take a second and enjoy the moment. The Hollow provided them with a home town show to celebrate how great this year has been to them and they will be playing one more night at the venue before going abroad. That night is Halloween evening and the band is planning some great things for night. Be sure to get there for the fun that is going to take place and wish them safe travels before they head onto a plane across the Atlantic to conquer some new territory.

October 17, 2014
Ready, Set, OK Go! Celebrate Album Release at Upstate Concert Hall on Oct 14

OK Go, the American alternative rock group, performed in Upstate New York on Tuesday Oct 14th in support of their new album, Hungry Ghosts. Upstate Concert Hall was their only stop in New York and was lucky enough to host their unofficial release party as their new album launched that same day. The Capital District crowd was eager to hear the alternative rock pop group as cheers started with the lights dimming on two huge screens on stage. Short video clips of famous pop culture scenes were cast on the screens with the only words being said: ‘OK’, ‘Go’ and the musicians names, frontman and guitarist Damian Kulash, bassist Tim Nordwind, drummer Dan Konopka and keyboardist/guitarist Andy Ross.

The quartet started the night with “Upside Down & Inside Out”, a slamming song that channels everyone’s inner Miley Cyrus with screaming lyrics “Can’t stop, won’t stop” with a massive rainstorm of confetti and smoke. Tuning into their classic surfer punk song, “You’re So Damn Hot” before smashing into “Writings on the Wall”, an upbeat groove with a build up of explosive laser sounds and steady vocals. OK Go celebrated hosts WEQX on their 30th anniversary and gave thanks by performing the electrifying cosmic funky song “I Won’t Let You Down” which can often be heard on their station. New song, “Obsession”, is more of a dark pop with hushed vocals, deep bass and lighthearted cowbell. The bright and colorful melody of “This Too Shall Pass” caused a crowd singalong reminding those of their past performance at Tulip Fest 2010.

“This next song requires my phone cause we are nerds like that” Kulash said as he began to record the crowds various orchestrated stomps and claps to create a unique beat box breakdown. OK Go and guests didn’t prepare to blow out the PA system but that didn’t stop Kulash from diving into the middle of the crowd with his acoustic guitar for a cutesy ballad surrounded by the glow of cell phones. With everything back up and running, OK Go wasted no time gearing up the crowd again with “Get Over It” and “Skyscraper”. The set ended with sincere harmonies and classic rock guitar solos from “Turn Up The Radio”. The crowd demanded more and OK Go quickly returned for a humorous acoustic performance of “The Confrontation” from Les Miserables. The night ended with their original hit and climactic “Here We Go Again”, aka ‘The Treadmill Song’ as fans were invited on stage for a organized mess of a closer.

An OK Go show is just as entertaining and unpredictable as their music videos if not more. My new dream job is to be the person controlling the nonstop confetti storm throughout the entire night, which is also biodegradable. These musicians are scientists of sound, using every physical object to create original and fresh music. They are very personable, taking breaks between each song to tell jokes, stories, beard advice, pose for pictures, etc… OK Go put a tremendous amount of effort into their show performances with big smiles on their faces. You can stream their new album, Hungry Ghosts for free on YouTube, Spotify or Soundcloud. CD’s are $13 and vinyl is $25 on their website, with instant MP3 downloads included.

Check out OK Go’s latest music video, “The Writings On The Wall” from their new album, Hungry Ghosts.

October 16, 2014