NYS Music 20​14

Category: Capital Region

  • Bella Terra, Back and Better Than Ever for 2014

    The beautifully scenic back drop of Upstate New York, art, music, and vendors means it must be time for another year of Bella Terra. Since 2009 Bella Terra has made its mark on the Upstate festival scene bringing a collaboration of multi-genre artists that span from Hip Hop, EDM, drum and bass, jam, bluegrass and much more. Since its start, Bella Terra has made its reputation known as a small town, tight knit festival with the capacity for major acts and artists.

    The festival will be held this weekend, August 21-24 on Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown, New York. Get your tickets for Bella Terra Music Festival now! Here is a look at the MUST SEE acts this weekend at Bella Terra.

    BT1
    Thursday

    Break Science (8:15-10): A Brooklyn based electronic duo who, since their first arrival on the scene has took the EDM scene on full force making themselves known as one of the best. Borahm Lee spinning and Adam Deitch (Lettuce) on the drums have quickly been acknowledged as one of the must see acts for any music festival.

    Indobox (10-11:30): Indobox is an energy packed electronic-dance-rock collaboration of Joey Zarick on guitar, bass and vocals, Mike Carter on guitar and vocals, Steve Learson on keyboards and synth bass, and Jules Jenssen on drums. These guys always bring a solid set of dancing and energy.

    BT2
    Friday

    Conspirator (8:30-11): A side project of Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits, Conspirator has attracted attention since their start on the music scene as an electronic-music power house. While their sound differs greatly from their roots in the Biscuits, Conspirator has done a phenomenal job of setting themselves apart and creating a new sound.

    Abakus (11-12:15): Russ Davies is a British electronic musician who goes by the alias Abakus as well as Cinnamon Chasers (He will be playing under the alias Cinnamon Chasers on Friday night, 7:30-8:30). Russ Davies separates the two aliases with very separate styles and sounds so it will definitely be interesting to see both acts and see the versatility of this artist.
    BT3
    Saturday

    Digital Dharma (4:30-5:30): Digital Dharma is an Upstate New York native band focusing primarily on improvisational electronic music. Deriving influences from the likes of the Disco Biscuits, The New Deal and Lotus, you will see the similarities in instrumental technique as well as the exponential talent from each member of the band.

    DJ Leila (5:15-6): Leila has taken on the drum and bass scene as perhaps one of the most well known female DJs in the Capital District. Don’t get it twisted: the fact that she is female doesn’t set her apart from the male dominated DJ world, it is her raw and unbridled talent and love for the dirty bass and beats that makes her one of the best. Make sure you check her out at the Red Bull Truck.

    Dr. Fameus(5:30-7:30): Dr. Fameus is Allen Aucoin, drummer of the Disco Biscuits, with a side project as an outlet to delve further into the melding of drums and electronic music. Obviously it is very drum-centered and it may throw you off to see that the only person on stage is sitting behind a drum set, nonetheless it is not an act you want to miss.
    BT4

    Sunday

    Jimkata  (4:30-5:30): A staple of the Northeast jam-scene since as early as 2006, Jimkata has made their mark in the world of music. With a devoted following and a unique sound this is one Sunday act you certainly do not want to miss.

    Mentally Ill (5:45-6:30): Mentally Ill takes the stage with vengeance and his sets are certainly not for the weak of heart. Leading the Albany drum and bass scene for years Mentally Ill (along with his counterpart Leila) have single-handedly introduced the Upstate music scene to a world of heavy bass and shattering beats. Make sure you get down to his Sunday set for some day-time dNb.

  • No Takers for Glens Falls Civic Center Sale

    Since its opening in 1979, the Glens Falls Civic Center has never turned in a profit, as said by the city’s mayor John Diamond at a Common Council meeting in July and it is now for sale.

    The Glens Falls Civic Center as represented on the city's property map. (Photo Credit: City of Glens Falls)
    The Glens Falls Civic Center as represented on the city’s property map. (Photo Credit: City of Glens Falls)

    Not exactly a shining endorsement to prospective buyers of the 35-year old sports and entertainment arena.

    The city had placed the property up for auction yesterday, and according to several news sources, no buyers showed.

    “We have discussed openly for several years about options on a regional basis,” said Diamond on July 22. “We, in City government, are about to engage in the budget process for next year. Since 1979 the building has never made any positive revenue. I look at it as more of a destination/quality of life initiative, but the economy of scale has changed since 1979. In order for us to be competitive within ideas of a tax cap, we have to make sacrifices. In order to continue to provide services that City residents are accustomed to or improving on, something has to change. I have come to the conclusion that the only option is to sell the Civic Center and put it into private sector, with the idea that whoever buys it will continue on as a recreational arena.”

    The city had placed a minimum bid of $1.5 million. Attached to the prospective sale were two contracts; a three-year lease with the Flames minor league hockey team and a management contract with Global Spectrum. According to Wikipedia, the Civic Center was built with $3 million. When factoring in the rate of inflation, it cost $9.75 million in today’s money, representing a near 85 percent loss that the city was willing to lose on the property.

    Former ESPN radio personality and present real estate agent, Brian Sinkoff, said the expected asking price just doesn’t meet present demand.

    According to the Albany Business Review, the minimum asking price at yesterday’s failed auction is equal to an offer the city had received from a local developer just a few years ago.  That same developer said, after now doing his due diligence, opted not to purchase.

    For ten years, the arena held a virtual monopoly in attracting larger musical acts for the Capital Region – Aerosmith, Metallica, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Rush, Motley Crew, Boston and 38 Special all headlined acts at the approximately 4,700-seat indoor venue.

    In 1989, The Who rehearsed there over a two-week period. And, The Grateful Dead played there three times during that decade.

    More recently, Phish performed The Beatles White Album in its entirety on Halloween in 1994.

    The seating capacity is no longer ideal for today’s demands, and the monopoly it once held was revoked when Albany opened a 15,000-plus seat arena of its own in 1990, now known as the Times Union Center.

    Prospective buyers were required to present 10 percent of the minimum asking price, or $150,000, to attend yesterday’s auction.

  • Pink Talking Fish Swimming Through Northeast This Fall

    Pink Talking Fish, with the wonderful combination of musical influences from Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads, and Phish, will once again make their way around New York and the rest of the Northeast this fall.

    The band loves to weave in and out of all three bands’ repertoires without a pause, making this band one of the most interesting tribute acts out there today. It’s no secret how much New York loves all three of these bands, and the band is playing the most shows in that state to satisfy the crowds. The first New York date is on October 18 at New York City’s The Cutting Room. The following Thursday and Friday will see the band tackle The Wescott Theatre and Putnam Den respectively.

    “There’s some serious energy when it comes to live music in Upstate New York,” said Eric Gould, the band’s bassist. “I went to college in Ithaca so, between attending shows all around the region during my time there and touring with Particle, I have a special place in my soul for this music scene. So psyched about late night Bella Terra and the 1-2 punch of Syracuse/Saratoga. We are going to have no repeats between those 2 shows so that people have an opportunity for a multiple show run PTF experience and catch a bit of the “tour fever”.”

    The last time they were at Putnam Den was a great show and it sounds like this time will be more of the same. The full tour can be seen below.

    pink talking fish 2014

  • Lionel Richie Brings the Party to Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    As one of the final stops on the All The Hits, All Night Long Tour, a tour that spanned the world from North America to Asia, India, and down under, it was certainly an extreme honor to be able to cover Lionel Richie for NYS Music at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 25.

    lionel richie saratoga
    Lionel Richie – Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    Lionel Richie truly needs no introduction, but humor me as his career deservedly should be applauded.  Throughout his years as both a member of the Commodores and as a solo artist, Lionel Richie is and has achieved….

    • 100 million albums sold worldwide
    • Oscar winner
    • 5 time Grammy winner
    • 16-time American Music Award winner
    • Golden Globe winner
    • 5 time People’s Choice Award winner
    • A World Music Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
    • A Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
    • An ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
    • A United Negro College Fund Achievement Award recipient
    • A Goldene Kamera Award winner. Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee
    • Tuskegee Institute Honorary Doctor of Music Degree
    • Germany’s ECHO Award for Lifetime Achievement
    • TV Land Icon Award recipient
    • Hong Kong’s Rojo Award winner
    • Alabama Music Hall of Fame Inductee
    • Italy’s San Remo Festival Lifetime Achievement Award winner
    • World Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
    • National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Governors Award winner
    • One on only two songwriters to achieve #1 records for 9 straight years.  The other accomplished songwriter?  Irving Berlin

    Opening the evening clad in red and hot, hot, hot was CeeLo Green and his amazing band.  Belting out tunes, performing and dancing as hot as their costumes, this group of entertainers sure turned up the heat to prepare the audience for the main event on this summer evening. Not that Lionel needed any warm up, but just the same Ceelo definitely provided an audience geared up to go and ready to dance all night long.

    This tour was named appropriately, All the Hits, All Night Long, as Lionel took the stage and commanded the love and admiration of fans that span generations belting out hit after hit and inciting the audience into dancing all night long.  Just saying, ‘He was spectacular’ doesn’t begin to describe what I witnessed on July 25th at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  He took the stage and from the moment he began interacting with the audience I witnessed a tidal wave of sheer enjoyment from VIP fans in the front rows of the pit to the those seated in the balcony and out on the lawn.  He forewarned the audience that as he performed throughout the evening, memories would flood back to a place you were when you first heard the song; a time you recalled that marked special meanings in your life, and perhaps install the courage of karaoke as each member in the audience became a singer, singing along with each and every song.

    It was true.  It happened.  As he belted out his ballads, I was back in high school at the prom dancing to “There Times A Lady” and on the dance floor taking my first dance as a wife to “Truly” and back in my first car with the windows rolled down singing at the top of my lungs to “Brick House” –  as I thought I was the best backup singer ever.  He did transform me back to those moments, the audience did sing along with each and every song, and I must admit, I did too.  What’s amazing is although I aged, he didn’t age a bit.  His voice was pure, his performance agile and tireless, and his ability to connect with his audience spot on.  Perhaps he drank some of that mineral water years ago from the springs in Saratoga, giving him the ability to share his music forever with his fans.  His secret I wish to know, because Lionel is timeless, his music timeless, and his energy tireless.

    Also requiring applause is Lionel’s band.  Lionel is such an amazing performer, he could take a microphone out to the middle of a stage and just sing acoustically without any problems and rock the house.  However, with Ben Mauro on lead guitar, Ethan Farmer on Bass, Dino Soldo on Saxophone and Harmonica, Oscar Seaton on Drums, and Chuckii Booker on Keyboards, these five powerhouses turn up the volume on this show and bring the party all night long with Lionel.  Shredding alongside Lionel throughout the night, hanging upside down off the piano, and rocking all over the stage the band truly were the cherry on top of this amazing sundae performance – okay it was Friday, but you know what I mean.

    With a few new dates being announced on Lionel’s website, please take a moment to see if and when you have the opportunity to see his next show, I give it an 11 on a scale of one to 10, and 6 out of 5 stars.  That’s allowed, right?  Nonetheless, I think you get my point, if the opportunity presents itself to take in one of his shows, I highly recommend it.  Tell them NYS Music sent you.

  • Cassadee Pope to play Upstate Concert Hall

    Cassadee Pope
    Cassadee Pope

    Country newcomer, Cassadee Pope, will make two stops in New York state at the end of the summer.

    The 24-year-old singer and songwriter was in the area earlier this spring as part of WGNA’s Secret Star Acoustic Jam at Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady.

    Pope’s biggest claim to fame so far in her young career is that she won the third season of the singing competition show “The Voice,” as part of Blake Shelton’s team. She became the first woman to win the competition.

    As part of last year’s Live and Loud tour with Rascal Flatts and The Band Perry, Cassadee’s fame started to really stand out while she opened for the tour with some amazing performances last summer.

    Her debut solo album Frame By Frame, was released in the fall of 2013. Pope is also the vocalist for the pop punk band, Hey Monday, who are currently on hiatus.

    Cassadee’s single “Wasting All These Tears,” is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Pope has also won a CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of  the Year for “Wasting All These Tears.”

    First stop in New York will be Thursday September 11 at the Irving Plaza in New York City. Show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $25. More information can be found online through Live Nation. Opening the show will be Joel Crouse.

    WGNA will sponsor the show on Sunday September 14 at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park. Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 8pm. Advanced tickets are $17.50 and $20 day of show. You can purchase tickets at all Ticketmaster locations, the club box office 371-0012 and Northern Lights Smoke Shop. Special Guest still TBA.

    Tickets go on sale Friday August 15 at 10 a.m.

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  • Nas Kicking off Illmatic’s 20th Anniversary in New York

    nas 2014 tour

    This year marked the 20th anniversary of Illmatic by Nas and he has dedicated the entire year to this landmark album. This fall he will be touring in support of not only the album, but also the documentary film Nas: Time is Illmatic. This film follows the making of the album to how it is seen and heard today. The film will open theatrically via the Tribeca Film Festival on October 1st followed by a nationwide expansion to follow. At these shows not only will Nas play the album from front to back, but at most stops the documentary will be shown as well.

    “I want to thank Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and the Tribeca Film family for all of the love and support they’ve given Time Is Illmatic,” said Nas. “It is an honor to be in partnership with them, and I feel there is a cultural kinship bonded by the city of New York.”

    “When we started this project, Erik Parker and I couldn’t imagine that audiences would one day be able to experience the film with a live performance of Illmatic, the album that started it all. It will make each night a truly special moment for the culture. We are sure people of all generations will be inspired by the story of Nas, the Jones family, and electrified by a live performance,” said One9.

    The tour kicks off at Rochester’s Main Street Armory on October 2 and stops at Albany’s Palace Theatre on October 3. Unfortunately Rochester will not have a screening of the documentary, but Albany will. These shows are sure to be special and tickets go on sale this Friday August 15th.

  • Amsterslam to Rock Carpet City

    Sharpshooters Billiards and Sports Pub promises it will get pretty loud in the Carpet City this Saturday. The Amsterdam venue plays host to “Amsterslam”, an outdoor, heavy metal event boasting ten acts for ten dollars.

    As of date, the playbill includes the following bands – The Power, Renewal Of Faith, Seven Year Silence, Accusations of the Insane, Built For Battle, Totally Gnarly, Declension, Widowed, Autumns Shroud, and CHOKE on your TEETH.

    The event is sponsored locally by Joelggernaut Productions, Needlewurks CP, and Revenge Tattoo.

    Attendance requires patrons to be at least 18-years old, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Gates to the show open at 3 p.m., with the first act scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

    Sharpshooters Billiards and Sports Pub is located at 35 E. Main Street in Amsterdam.

    amsterslam

  • Triumph to Invoke The Disco Biscuits at The Parish Public House

    This coming Friday, August 15, will be a pretty heady evening at the newly revamped Parish Public House in downtown Albany. People will come from all over to see what has changed at the historic venue once know as Red Square. Last weekend in Washington, DC and at the Gathering of the Vibes, the Disco Biscuits put on some of their most historic shows, playing with Grateful Dead drummers, Billy Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart. This was a rare appearance for all involved, as the rhythm devils, Hart and Kreutzmann have not played together since 2009, and the Disco Biscuits have played sporadically over the last few years, leaving songs that fans love to fall into a “Great Abyss”. This is where Triumph: a Tribute to the Disco Biscuits comes in.

    Forming out of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, members of B.A Dario and Resident Frequency have come together to bring these adored songs out of obscurity. They will be bringing their take on these songs to Parish Public House 8 pm on Friday, August 15th, with special guests, the very experimental and abstract Squid Parade. This is a night any fan of transfusion should not miss. Take a listen for yourself below to these great live versions of both bands.

    Tickets for the show are $10 the door.

    Triumph on Archive.org

    Squid Parade

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4IyHg2IT5M

  • Origin and King Parrot Start National Tour in Clifton Park

    On Wednesday August 13, Origin and King Parrot start their month-long adventure of bringing crushing metal to the masses of America. This first show is also a homecoming, of sorts, for  some members of Origin, as it is close to their stomping grounds and is the only East Coast date on the entire tour. Playing within the intimate confines of Trickshot Billards in Clifton Park, N.Y., all the bands featured on this bill will be in rare form, showcasing metal all night long.

    Origin
    ORIGIN. Photo provided.

    Starting at 6 p.m., Declension, and then The Killing Condition, will bring serious hometown metal to the stage and should not be missed. Origin cut their teeth on stages much like this one, and it is always a treat to see what the local music pool has to offer. Brutal local flavor, served right up front.

    Following them is Abolishment of Flesh, on loan from Texas, who aim to bring the full performance of their combo of black, thrash and death metal to the stage. Beyond Creation from Quebec, Canada unleash their relentless assault of progressive death metal next, and by then the show will be almost ready to hit its boiling point. King Parrot will surely tip the scale right over with their heavy Australian brand of thrash metal tearing the final pieces off the roof, and setting the stage for the headliner.

    Origin, hailing first from Kansas, the band was the incredible brain child of Paul Ryan (guitar) and former member Jeremy Turner (bass), later eventually replaced by Mike Flores (bass/vocals). Through different line-up changes, the four piece now features Jason Keyser (vocals) and John Longstreth (drums). Jason and John both call Upstate New York home, and seeing this powerhouse band come to this area is a rare treat. Their new album, Omnipresent, has been getting great reviews since it’s release on Nuclear Blast and Agonia Records in July. A mix of the great grind and death metal tropes that Origin is known for, along with fresh melodic and majestic musical ideas, songs like the tour title ‘All Things Dead’ will be a high point in a night of great metal moments.

    King Parrot. Photo Provided.
    King Parrot. Photo Provided.

    This show is a product of the ever-growing Joelggernaut Productions and champions of the local scene Needlewurks Tattoo and Body Piercing in Clifton Park. The crowd attending Trickshots August 13 will be in for a night of awesome metal, savage brutality, and the chance to tell others that they were there to witness it all. Doors at 5pm. Hail Space.

    Ticket and Show info at:

    https://www.facebook.com/events/245691705627410/

    Declension

    https://www.facebook.com/DeclensionNY

    The Killing Condition

    https://www.facebook.com/thekillingcondition

    Abolishment of Flesh

    https://www.facebook.com/abolishmentoffleshofficial

    Beyond Creation

    https://www.facebook.com/BeyondCreationOfficial/info

    King Parrot

    https://www.facebook.com/kingparrotband/info

    ORIGIN

    http://media.nuclearblast.de/shoplanding/2014/origin/index.html

    Needlewurks CP

    http://needlewurkstattoo.com/home.html

    Joelggernaut Production

    https://www.facebook.com/JoelggernautProductions

  • The Moody Blues takes SPAC off on a Timeless Flight

    Where better to watch a half century’s worth of one band’s music than Saratoga Springs, where history ranks with horses and health? Formed in the mid 1960s, the Moody Blues are sometimes classified in the ‘psychedelic rock’ genre, holding space in the same category as Pink Floyd, but many of the elements one would expect at a psychedelic rock show were not present at SPAC on August 4. Most of the fans were over 60 — the musicians themselves are hovering around 70 — and there was a distinct absence of the substances that occupy the air and space during rock shows attended by younger crowds.

    What was present though was a very sincere love, appreciation, and enthusiasm for the music. Performers and fans alike were very much ‘into it.’ The band members played like they were in their 30s, with expressions of ecstasy held during intense guitar riffs and the occasional wink at the ladies in the front row. Fans were singing along, trying hard to capture the magic on their handheld cameras, and even dancing in the aisles — which was definitely a pleasure to see. After all, those of us in the X and younger generations learned how to celebrate music from the very people who were at the Moody Blues show.

    The subject of aging was merrily acknowledged. John Lodge (bassist) congratulated his fans, saying “All you old hippies, you made it after all!” Graeme Edge (drummer) stepped down from his elevated set on the stage to address the crowd at the front mic, and quipped, “Back then I had brown hair, white teeth, and this [forming a V with his index and middle fingers] meant ‘peace.’ Now, I have white hair, brown teeth, and this [the V] means Viagra.”

    But of all the ways in which the aging process was celebrated by the Moody Blues and their fans, the most significant was the music. The evolution of the band’s 50 year history was traced with songs like “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Nights in White Satin,” and “In Your Wildest Dreams.” One of the fans shared that the music of the Moody Blues is ‘poetry set to music.’ And it is. It’s also worth noting that the band (Lodge, Edge and vocalist/guitarist Justin Hayward) share the stage with some pretty talented people: Norda Mullen (flute & vocals), Gordon Marshall (drums), Julie Ragins (sax,  keyboard, and vocals), and Alan Hewitt (keyboard & vocals).

    The Moody Blues, promoting their 2013 compilation album, Timeless Flight, are on tour through this summer.