Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll will perform at Club Helsinki on May 15th with alt-country performer Caroline Rose opening. Carll, known for his outspoken politically infused rockers and his self-described “degenerate love songs”, brings to mind Todd Snider with a hint of Dylan and John Prine added in.
His “KMAG YOYO” was the Americana Music Association’s #1 Album in 2011 and made year-end Best Of lists in Rolling Stone, SPIN and the New York Times. A mix of rock and honky-tonk, Hayes Carll bring his well-respected sound to Upstate New York just as the summer is approaching, a perfect time for his brand of music.
Caroline Rose will open the night, bringing a sound that recalls Norah Jones, her sweet folk/Americana sound just scraping the surface of her deep talent. Give a listen to “Here Comes the Rain” for a taste of what she has to offer.
Inside one of the Capital District’s oldest music venues, the Glenn Miller Orchestra brought back the RCA Records sound of the 1930s and 40s amid the pastel pink, green and white interior of Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. While there are no original members, an observation bandleader Nick Hilscher made, eliciting a ripple of laughter from the crowd, they are workhorses, performing 48 weeks a year on tour with typically five shows each week. Honed and polished, the band was the sound of perfection in their extensive catalog of hits from the Big Band era of American music.
With conductor/singer Hilscher, who was classy and decked out in a suit, the 16-piece band played a brief “Moonlight Serenade” to open the show, establishing the most notable Glenn Miller song’s smooth jazz as the theme of the evening. “Caribbean Clipper” and “Tuxedo Junction” followed, with intermittent applause after each orchestra member’s solo. Derbys, plungers, wah-wah and solo-tone mutes were used at various times by the four trombonists – George Reinert, John Tyler, Joe Zeigenfus and Jason Bennett – altering the sound to that of big bands from the pre-World War II era. Following “Serenade in Blue” from the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade, featured singer Natalie Angst came out to sing “String of Pearls” and “Church on Time”, a golden voice that sounded like it had lept from the movie musicals from the same era.
Glenn Miller, having enlisted in the war effort, he formed a band in the Army Air Force, from which the classic “Begin the Beguine” originated. Alternating brass and woodwinds were featured on “The White Cliffs of Dover”, particularly by Christopher Hearld and Kevin Sheehan whose clarinet was a soothing presence.
Recalling the Modernaires, a vocal group who performed with Glenn Miller in the 30s and 40s, today’s Glenn Miller Orchestra has the Moonlight Serenaders, including Natalie Angst and band members Joe Zeigenfus, Kevin Sheehan and Ian O’Beirne, along with Nick Hilscher. Singing “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, (the first ever gold record with 1.2 million sales), the audience was moved to sway and sing along with the American classic. A unique comedy/parody tune, “Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita Lopez” from the movie Priorities on Parade, fit the Moonlight Serenaders perfectly. The first set ended with “The American Patrol”, dedicated to the veterans in the audience, who stood up at Hilscher’s request, making up roughly 10% of the men in the audience.
After a short break, the band returned to continue the night with a “Pennsylvania 6-5000”, “Pennies from Heaven” and “The Lady is a Tramp”. These three familiar numbers put the Music Hall’s incredible acoustics front and center, which have been experienced by thousands since opening in 1875. With big bands having played the room since over the past 140 years, the Glenn Miller Orchestra was well aware of the fabled legends that had preceded them. Closing with “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”, “In the Mood” and a full version of “Moonlight Serenade”, as well as an encore of Eddie Durham’s “The Tiger Rag”, a speedy club jazz number, featuring piano from James Navan, the current incarnation of the Glenn Miller Orchestra brought a sound from the 20th century and reintroduced it into the American music catalog of the 21st century.
Brace yourselves… Mysteryland 2014 is coming. Over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26, “The festival that started the worldwide electronic music phenomenon” is making its U.S. debut. The first Mysteryland festival was held in the Netherlands in 1993, and was an annual event until 2009. Three festivals occurred in 1997. Without an event in 2010, Mysteryland was presented in Chile in 2011. In 2012 and 2013 Mysteryland was presented to audiences in both the Netherlands and Chile.
This is not a concert. It is not a show. It is not a nightclub. It is an event. There will be more than 200 DJs performing on seven stages on Saturday and Sunday.
Kaskade. Steve Aoki. Nicky Romero, Showtek, NERVO, Fedde Le Grand. Moby. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. Dillon Francis. Flosstradamus. That’s just the main stage. Kaskade is performing as a headliner for the first time here.
The Sunday School Mini-Fest features three stages of underground talent. Check out The Big Top Tent for techno, Spiegeltent for the Visionquest showcase, and the Vinyl-Only stage for a B2B set with Carl Craig and Dimitri.
Big Gigantic. Chase & Status. Zomboy. Paper Diamond. Bro Safari. These acts are being featured on The Boat (the kids call these sounds ‘bass’ and ‘trap’). Dillon Francis + Flosstradamus, performing together for the first time as Dillstradamus, will close The Boat at Mysteryland USA 2014.
Q-Dance is an indoor tent featuring higher BPM dance music.
Mysteryland USA 2014 is being held at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, in Bethel Woods, New York. This was the site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival. Limited camping space was made available at the venue, and the Holy Ground Camping Circus-stage will host a pre-party on Friday night featuring Nicky Romero’s Protocol music label. Mysteryland participants will also be allowed to camp offsite or stay at local hotels. Those staying offsite are only allowed to enter and leave the festival once per day.
In addition to the music, Mysteryland presents “experiential environments”, featuring art installations, theatrical performances, a rodeo, the Love Chapel, a library, a Confessional, live painting, yoga, and more. This is a world-class festival that is sure to feature elaborate stage settings, awesome sound and visuals, and a great environment to find yourself in a spontaneous community of people ready to listen to music and dance like there is no other place on earth. ID&T and SFX Entertainment are the production companies presenting Mysteryland at Bethel Woods, and they are the same groups that produce the Sensation festivals, Life in Color, and Tomorrowland.
More information about Mysteryland USA 2014 can be found at www.Mysteryland.us
Buffalo’s annual Canalside summer music venue announced their concert line-up for the 2014 summer this week.
Local favorites (moe., BPO and Conehead Buddha) are sprinkled in along the names of headliners from the past (Shaggy, George Thorogood and Extreme) and more.
The final date, August 14th, is left to be announced at a later time.
This will be the first Canalside since The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation Board of Directors voted in January to enter into a contract with Global Spectrum.
Global Spectrum is one of the world’s largest and most respected venue management companies, and is now responsible for public space management at Canalside in Buffalo.
June 12: Shaggy with DJ Milk and Soul Rebels
June 19: Moe. with Conehead Buddhs
June 21: Tedeschi Trucks Band
June 26: Sam Roberts Band with July Talk
June 27: George Thorogood and the Destroyers
July 3: Gord Downie and the Sadies with Hey Rosetta! and Boy & Bear
July 10: Fitz and the Tantrums
July 17: Lake Street Dive and the Oh Hellos
July 24: Extreme
July 31: Sheila E.
August 7: BPO Rock Show: Earth Wind & Fire and Michael Jackson
August 8: Girl Talk
August 14: TBA
Thursday events are free, otherwise presale prices run at $15 and Day of Show at $25.
The Capital District welcomed the newest addition to the music community on Friday, May 2nd, with the grand opening of Grandma’s Studio at The Albany Barn.
The recently renovated St. Joseph’s Academy building was turned into a 22 low-cost live/work residence for artists in the area with the concept of creating affordable living and wide open, creative work space. The idea for bringing a community together to work towards the goal of building art, music and relationships gifted the appropriate title, The Barn. Within the walls of the new venue, Bryan Brundige owns and operates the multi-track recording studio, Grandma’s, dedicated to the creation and capturing of music in comfort.
The fresh new venue has bright, white walls that were lit up with multi-colored changing bulbs and were the perfect highlight for the local art on display throughout the two floored area. The first concert at the new performance space kicked off with Palatypus, Kimono Dragons, Le Rubb and PJ Katz & the Fat Buckle Band. Guests could enjoy the music from the main floor in front of the grand stage or with the open aired, walkway of the second floor. New to the scene and already set to perform at this year’s Tulipfest, the Kimono Dragons bring a much need surfer rock vibe to land lovers in Albany with fast riding riffs and rhythmic swells. Le Rubb is a unique quintet that brilliantly fuses electronica and jazz creating their own sound with echoes of digital turntables, horns and wind instruments with the classic percussion set up and bass. PJ Katz, multi-instrumentalist and producer, joined forces with the Fat Buckle Band for a high energy rocking set to close out the event.
There’s nothing like the thrill of a new venue opening that can send the heart racing with hope and imagination. Just think of all the new show possibilities that are now plausible. is a strong supporter for the growth of music in Upstate New York and beyond. We congratulate and thank Grandma’s Studio and The Albany Barn on their opening and efforts to create a space for artists to “live, work and inspire.”
One of California’s finest exports, The Sycamore Slough String Band is coming to Albany NY for one night only, tonight, Friday May 9th, at Franklin’s Tower. These musicians share an affinity for the music of the Grateful Dead, and came together in an Oakland recording studio in January 2012 to see what they could conjure. Featuring David Gans on guitar, David Thom on mandolin and guitar, and Roger Sideman on upright bass, these three musicians represent a wide history of performances with other acts, and now bring their sound to Albany.
Acoustically Speaking, featuring Kat Walkerson and Mik Bondy of The Garcia Project as an Acoustic Duo, will open the show.
Stop in for dinner and catch the show. Music starts at 8pm
Bryan Brundige is a man who wears many hats. He is a producer, musician, band manager, Grandma’s Studio owner and songwriter. He is most prominently known as a horn player in The Chronicles, but suffice to say, he is well versed in all things music. Brundige is not only cultivating his own dream of running a studio, but his efforts are inadvertently bringing a music scene to Albany. He is perhaps, the gatekeeper as well.
Brundige has planned, developed and now executing his business of music. He has a multi-room studio with digital and analog recording options. He has a number of various instruments if needed from a baby grand piano to drums, providing accessibility for band-client options. Through the concept of the Albany Barn – a live and work-space dynamic – he is also able to give music fans a little something too.
Bryan Brundige: It is a multi-faceted recording studio. I can multi-track record. I specialize in songwriting and arranging. I have a lot of connections with musicians so if somebody comes in and needed a horn section or a string section or a keyboard player or a guitar player, I can locate all those musicians. We’re not only a recording studio but also a production house in that we output music all the time. We have bands for hire, a rehearsal space, I can do voice-over work, I can mix audio to film, I can produce albums – I’ve done four at this point.
TC: Where did this idea come from?
BB: My Grandma’s house. It’s the idea of the whole aesthetic of being comfortable while creating. You know, like when you go to your Grandmother’s house on a Sunday afternoon, and everything seems to be fine and dandy – chocolate chip cookies everywhere, that kind of thing.
TC: As far as recording rooms, what do you have?
BB: I have three rooms: I have an isolation booth, a live room and a control room as well as another closet in the control room for more isolation options. There is a venue out the front door in case I have to record an orchestra or something like that. I can do anything from a solo artist up to a 65 to 75-person orchestra.
TC: The Albany area has been anxious for a new live venue. Is the bigger space available for booking shows?
BB: Yes to a certain degree. The only hiccup is that it is attached to a residential suite, so it’s an interesting situation. Right now there is a curfew at 11pm; we’re trying to change that. This first show went really well and they are interested in having a concert series. I don’t think it will be a Thursday, Friday, Saturday night venue, but more of a concert space. For instance, once or twice a month. It is such a creative zone but the venue is also common space for every commercial tenant that’s there – all of our front doors go out to that space. It’s an interesting dynamic – a live-work-event space, and I’m excited to see what is going to happen.
TC: Will alcohol be provided during live events?
BB: There is not a bar attached and the Barn does not have a liquor license. The promoter is responsible for that kind of thing. It will have to be non-alcoholic events or it will have to be catered. Basically at all of our events will be local, probably Brown’s Brewery and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
TC: What are the stage dimensions and venue capacity?
BB: 30 feet wide by 20 feet deep. It holds 400 people. Shows will typically be from 6pm – 11pm.
TC: What types of bands are you looking to get in Grandma’s performance space?
BB: Some bands that have been discussed are Chris Thile, Dumpstafunk, Marco Benevento, Railroad Earth, Soulive – medium sized regional and national bands.
TC: Is the live space recording area separate from the venue area?
BB: Yes, yes. My suite is about 700 square feet. It is a little tight, but it does the job. I have about a 20 foot by 16-foot room for the live room.
BB: The entire building is The Albany Barn. Part of it is residential and part of it is commercial. There are 22 artist lofts and about 11 commercial tenants. They are all artists of some sort, and the idea is to all feed off and work with one another.
Brundige is looking forward to a potential concert series in the works for the 2014 summer. The Chronicles have a few upcoming dates including a Sunday performance at the Albany Tulip Festival. Please follow links for more information.
Another weekend for live music revelers is at hand for those who will be in Plattsburgh this weekend.
The Monopole
The Monopole will play host to two live acts this weekend, starting with Capital Zen tonight at 10 pm.
Zen has developed a reputation as a hard-working group, having performed more than 100 shows last year. The jam band out of Glens Falls weaves nearly every assortment of genre into their playlist – everything from Jazz to Punk, Prog to Classical, Metal to Blues. As they state on their Facebook Page, “Zen creates a feel and tone unlike any other.”
They are to appear at the Backwoods Pondfest in Peru this August, an event they have not missed since their first appearance in 2009.
Tomorrow, the music will start up again with a little R&B funk flair introduced by Burlington’s Funkwagon at 10 pm.
The nine-piece band formed in 2005, and describes their funk sound as atypical. For one, they introduce themselves as a “gospel infused funk band.”
“Well for one thing it’s very vocal oriented,” band founder Aaron Burroughs is quoted on the band’s Facebook Page. “We pay attention to our lyrics… so it really does feel kind of like a choir.”
Next Thursday, May 15, Lowell & Sabo of Lucid will take to the bar’s stage.
The Monopole is located on 7 Protection Ave, in downtown Plattsburgh. For more information, call 518-563-2222.
Olive Ridley’s
Olive Ridley’s is advertising the arrival of Catfish and Bodega to their stage tonight at 6 pm (The Facebook Event advertises a time of 6:30 pm)
They promise a smooth blend of jazz and funk for all their music loving friends.
Tomorrow, DJ Jon is scheduled to make his regular appearance to entertain the masses.
On April 26th, SUNY Fredonia Professor Elmer Ploetz, myself and another volunteer made our way towards the back entrance of the Town Ballroom in downtown Buffalo on April 26th. It was to play host to the second annual Continental Reunion Show and I had volunteered to help Prof. Ploetz record and interview people. At this year’s reunion, 11 bands were set to perform. I thought it would be like any other rock show. I was dead wrong.
The Continental, located on 212 Franklin Street, was Buffalo’s largest goth and punk scene in the late ’80s before ultimately closing down in 2005. Last year’s reunion had nearly 1,000 people showing up for the event.
The clock on the wall struck seven and the doors opened with a wave of people in leather, fishnets, heavy make up, corsets. Soon after, the slight smell of cannabis filled the arena. I stayed behind my set up tripod on the upper level of the venue while I waited for the bands to take stage.
Bob James’ band started out the night with his first single “Lorraine.” The crowd bobbed their heads to the music as they came in with drink in hand to prepare for the rest of the evening. Each band was set to play for approximately 20 minutes. Even between the short amounts of time, the atmosphere was great and the fans cheered and rooted as bands brought up old memories.
The band that caught my attention was The Kevin K Band. With my camera, I zoomed in on the singer who wore purple glasses with a bright vest. The band rocked out one song after another and I found myself singing along to the chorus of each song, cheering loudly as they finished. With their loud and hard guitars and fast beats, they were the definition of an old school punk band.
I was told the bands that everyone was looking forward to were Tension and The Enemies. That night was the first time that Tension played in 25 years and I heard non-stop talk about them performing. The Enemies caused an equal amount of buzz between fans, as they were to perform with two of the original members.
Between sets, I got the opportunity to take a break behind the camera and venture out into the bar area to interview people. For an older, edgier crowd, people had smiles on their faces and were hugging one another in remembrance of The Continental.
I heard stories about The Continental being a safe haven and a place where misfits went and felt like they belonged. A person from our crew sparked a conversation with a man, who as he spoke, painted an image of young, goth girls looking in the mirror, fixing their make up. The interview turned quite a loop when be mentioned that he was blind, something I failed to initially observe. In an instant, he pulled on a leash he had in his hand and a woman immediately came to his side. She had a collar around her neck and my eyes could not stop looking at her golden eye make up. She introduced herself as his “Seeing-eye Bitch.” I was thrown off guard at the sight of the two of them but that gave me a realization that The Continental was all about the strange and the unusual.
And, I was part of it.
Tension and The Enemies took the stage toward the end of the night, and that was the most I heard the crowd cheer. Some people starred in awe since it was years since they saw the bands play. My professor was even rocking out to the music along with the people who waited for the reunion to happen. I, along with two other girls from our crew, went to the front of the stage to watch the two bands perform. From our vantage point, I saw older faces light up and young rock ‘n’ roll hearts unleashed again. We then just let everything loose, threw up the classic horns with our hands and screamed after each song. We didn’t know the words, but the excitement and the feeling of the drums rocking our bodies made us want to be part of the crowd. After their sets, we took our sweaty selves up near the tripods and cameras. We all babbled about how awesome the bands were and almost forgot that two more bands were set to perform.
We watched as the stage was prepared for the next act. A black banner with red, bloody letters read, “SKINBOUND.” We knew the next band was not going to be some classic punk band. The lights dimmed and a red light surrounded the stage. Everyone looked confused when over the speakers they heard the sound of eerie church music and suddenly, the band came out with rough guitars and pounding drums. The singer came out with harsh growls and screams.
At first, I was taken back by the band. I was like, ‘Who would have a heavy metal band at a punk show?’ But, in a heartbeat, the three of us made our way to the stage again and we followed suit with the crowd, heads banging to the beat of the guitars. We yelled and once more threw up the horns. I gasped a few times as I watched the keyboard player do backflips while he stood on stage. “We are going to play Coldplay’s, ‘Viva La Vida’ because we like to piss them off,” the singer announced, and the band proceeded into a metal version, complete with deep growls. It made a lasting impression as I knew I would never listen to the original song without the image of a band dressed in black, a keyboard player doing backflips, and a tattooed covered singer doing intense vocals. As much as the band was intimidating on stage, I met them after the show and observed young guys with humbled hearts as they were asked to take pictures and sign autographs.
Progressively fewer people made their way towards the stage as the last band started to play, which was not until after midnight. Industry of Life Divine took the stage with pink and black balloons filling the stage. We made our way back to the camera and video area and watched as the stage filled with half-naked women in leather, carrying whips. The scene distracted from the music, the music that came through the band sounded like a poppy version of Marilyn Manson, with a psychedelic rock. On the corner of the stage was a girl who twirled around a light up, rainbow hula-hoop and I mentally gave her props for being able to twirl it around her neck, legs and hips. But, that was the only real entertainment on the stage.
All our equipment was packed and our crew got out of the venue before the total chaos of traffic could happen. My ears rang, my throat was dry and the back of my neck sore. I came in there not knowing what to expect and I came out with a real acceptance of what The Continental was: it was a home for the people who were told they did not belong anywhere else. It was a place for the misfits to show their true colors. It was a true punk rock family.
Rochester rarely sees a bluegrass show, let alone a sold out bluegrass show. The April 23rd Devil Makes Three show at the Zeppa Auditorium was a welcomed oddity to that norm but they did wrong right. A 9 PM arrival to a show almost usually results in a few people at the bar, enjoying a drink before the party starts. Count this show as an oddity in that realm too then – the house was packed and pensively listening to the opening band, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons, an Americana band from Providence, RI with a bluesy sound.
The Devil Makes Three hit the stage strong with “Stranger, a song off the new album” I’m a Stranger Here. They wasted no time with playing house favorites when they slid smoothly into, “Beneath The Piano > Bullet” – the energy level was building with each song. With a look around the room, most knew every word to these songs, which played to the feel of the night, a room full of friends. The setlist was a fantastic combination of new songs and well-known songs from all their albums. Some of the highlights for this girl were, “Old Number 7” and “Gracefully Face Down” and by the sounds of it, I wasn’t the only one there whom had memorized nearly every word to every song. Most notably though, I was thrilled to hear upright bassist Lucia Turino sing a swanky tune. She rarely sings and seeing her play that bass and sing was a definite treat.
Quite possibly the greatest oddity of the night was the “bluegrass moshpit” that ensued and consumed every person anywhere near the stage. Maybe it was the fast paced “Do Right Wrong > Black Irish” that created the frenzy, or possibly it was the energy of the sold out room on another chilly Upstate, NY night, either way the moshpit was a new experience for this gal. A friend advised I take it all in and enjoy, “because it puts hair on your chest,” he said. But I digress, I prefer not to be tackled whilst dancing my heart out.
If this show was any indication of the things to come for this band, I will say that they are on their way up and already have a strong fan base in just about every city they play. Look for The Devil Makes Three this summer at festivals across the country.
Big Gigantic. Chase & Status. Zomboy. Paper Diamond. Bro Safari. These acts are being featured on The Boat (the kids call these sounds ‘bass’ and ‘trap’). Dillon Francis + Flosstradamus, performing together for the first time as Dillstradamus, will close The Boat at Mysteryland USA 2014.
Bob James’ 
I was told the bands that everyone was looking forward to were Tension and The Enemies. That night was the first time that Tension played in 25 years and I heard non-stop talk about them performing. The Enemies caused an equal amount of buzz between fans, as they were to perform with two of the original members.
