NYS Music 20​14

Blog

  • Turning Stone Showroom Rocks Out with Bret Michaels Life Rocks Tour

    The Bret Michaels Life Rocks Tour rocked Central NY to a sold out crowd April 30th at the Turning Stone Casino Showroom.  Currently touring across America, Bret Michaels Band took the stage with an energy level of high-octane and continued as the crowd fed the momentum.

    Bret Michaels - Turning Stone
    Bret Michaels – Turning Stone

    Bret Michaels Life Rocks Tour, formerly of the band Poison and well-known musician and reality star, is touring the country raising awareness while rocking audiences. A community-oriented performer, Bret Michaels is well-known for his support in causes such as American Diabetes Association, Operation Homefront, and PetSmart Charities. His appreciation of his fans was apparent as he reached out to touch, smile, and point to the audience as he performed. I was pleasantly surprised at this rock stars behavior as I learned about how he dedicates so much time to helping others. Although it wasn’t necessary, it definitely upped his sexy level which was already pretty high. Check out Bret’s new single “A Beautiful Soul” which sums up this rock star’s heart when it comes to his audiences and his dedication to helping others.

  • Caustic Method Returns to Syracuse at Mac’s Bad Art Bar

    New York natives Caustic Method, performed in Syracuse to promote their new album The Virus. They joined RUINATION, Killaton, Elevator Death Squad, Diamond Plate, and East of the Wall, at Mac’s Bad Art Bar on April 6th.

    caustic methodCaustic’s long awaited return brought new members as well as new material. The new lineup has been working well for the guys with the production of the bands third album and their very first video for the single, “The Virus”. The latest album is the first with the new members and speaks volumes to the bands dedication to their music. When they were unimpressed with the first cut of this album, after several hours and money spent, they threw it out and started fresh. The band decided to do things their way the second time around. The whole album, with the exception of “The Virus”, is improvised. Said Matt Caustic, “Everyone was like, ‘Caustic is back’, I didn’t know we went anywhere.”

    caustic methodPerforming songs like “12 Step Suicide” and “The Virus”, the band brings new life to metal music. In a genre that makes it difficult to stand out, Caustic is not a band you can forget, and Matt will argue that point. “You can’t try to sound like anyone, you just have to do your own thing”, and they are doing just that. Matt Caustic’s years of experience shine through while he is on stage. He is powerful while still being understood. Darrin Scott on the guitar brings a rock star quality that few metal bands have. He is a seasoned artist whose value to this band is very clear as soon as he begins to play. Angel Rivera on the drums is incredibly talented with his unique style. Bass player and newest member, Eric Maliszewski, plays flawlessly with the band as if he has been playing with these guys for years. I have been a Caustic Method fan for years and have seen several different members in this band. Something clicks when these guys are on stage. This is it – they have finally found the perfect combination of talent. Matt Caustic being the only original member believes they have finally made the band he has been looking for. “When I look to my right I know he has my back, to my left, he has my back. That was missing before.”

    These guys are not only talented but they are also the kind of musicians you can respect. Their dedication to the music they play is inspiring. At the end of the night, before performing “Anti-hero”, Matt proclaims, “The world needs more metal heroes”. I think he is right, and I think the members of Caustic Method are the perfect candidates. They sure have my vote.

    Check out Caustic this summer and look them up on Facebook!

    May 11th The Cove. Geneva, OH

    June 6th Trishstock 2014. Locke, NY

    June 15th Montage Music Hall. Rochester,NY

    June 19th Three Fat Guys Bar. Syracuse, NY

    June 28th Macs Bad Art Bar. Mattydale, NY

    July 6th American Legion Post 80. Binghamton, NY

  • Trace’s Closes Out In Style

    Trace’s Bar and Grill in Rome, New York has been one of the single sources of live entertainment for Romans for the past three years. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Trace’s will be closing their doors. Heathre and Phillip Price, owners, have been supportive of local musicians over the years and in true form decided to celebrate by hosting a “Farewell Party” on April 25th and 26th.

    Dark Passenger - Trace's

    With a full lineup planned for both evenings, patrons packed the pub to say their farewells to the establishment as well as show their support for live music in the area. Friday’s line up included local bands Turn the Tide, Armed with Valor, After the Clearing, Mole and the Level Antz, Enemy Down, and Omnipresent.  The Last Tree - Trace's

    While Saturday’s shows included Wet Bread, Dark Passenger, The Last Tree, Item 6, Fight for Rome, and last but not least, No Complyance.

    No Complyance - Trace's first and last band to grace the stage at the venue
    No Complyance – Trace’s first and last band to grace the stage at the venue

    It was bittersweet for No Complyance to be the final band to play the venue after three years, but fitting as they were also the very first to ever play the venue. We thank Trace’s for always supporting the local music scene, and urge our readers to continue to go out and support your local musicians in these venues to keep them flourishing for years to come.

    FIGHT FOR ROME - Trace's Item 6 - Trace's

  • The New Mastersounds Announce First Show in Buffalo with Orgone

    Just announced today, The New Mastersounds will be playing their first ever show in Buffalo, NY later this year on Wednesday, September 3rd with Orgone. Calling England home, it’s understandable why this funky four-piece hasn’t played the area, but The Tralf will welcome them with open arms as the group has always had a great following due to their unique blend of music.  Their most recent album, Therapy, was released earlier this year in March to great reviews and adds to an impressive catalog of music since their inception in 1999.

    Joining them is another band who’s rarely played Buffalo in Orgone.  The L.A.-based band is well-known on the West Coast, but has rarely done any extensive touring on this side of the country.  Like The New Mastersounds, Orgone has its roots in funk, but stretches the boundaries in many directions as they touch on soul, boogie, disco, and afrobeat.

    The combination of the two bands is going to make for one incredible night of music as they compliment each other well and likely won’t be back again for quite some time.  Stay tuned for ticket info this Friday, and make sure to grab them fast to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

  • Hearing Aide: The Blurry Nights Bend Musical Boundaries in New EP

    Picture if you will, early 90’s Alice in Chains, mixed with the hipster sound possessed by The Strokes, covered over with Henry Rollins singing while Marc Brownstein throws in a couple of electronic beats just to keep it hip. You follow that? Not many would. Somehow however The Blurry Nights, formerly, Sonic Spank, have taken this sound and made it theirs.

    The opening track “Beekeeper”, off their self titled debut EP, is a a hard ripping track where the lyrics are not that clear, but yet the tune gets stuck in the listeners head, and the droning sound lingers all day. Trying to make sense out of it however, may be a struggle. A shredding guitar solo in the middle by Benjamin Karp, brings the song a White Lion feel, while going right back into Ian McGuire singing about the “Beekeeper.” A catchy opening track, for the right reason? You can be the judge.

    “Checked Out”, the next track has a groovy beach vibe, with lyrics about being, well, checked out. A feeling that many rock stars claim to have known, or felt at some point during their career, but with this laid back chill tune you can feel vocalist McGuire, really has checked out and does not want anyone to harsh his mellow. This is a song for any hipster who just wants to be cool, have his day in the sun and chill.  “Hours to Kill”, the next track is similar to “Beekeeper”, catchy, heavy making little sense, but all and all good hard rocking fun. The track of the EP is “Don’t Need 3”, with the drums at the beginning of the song, played by new comer Jeremy Worthington, set off a sweet beat that leads to great things. A fast beat layered with a sweet high pitched guitar gets the listeners attention for the story about to be told. The songs tells the tale of a guy trying to get comfortable with his lady friend and all of a sudden she wants to bring another dude into the mix! Not for this guy! He may be singing this song as if he’s Julian Casablancas, but he is not down for the swingster way of life; that’s not for him. (not that Julian is, but, who knows).

    The EP ends with “Cant Have a Fun Alone”, showing more of the Sonic Spank sound than the previous songs did. With extended jams and build ups that would transfer quite well in a live setting. Which can be seen as the band has their offical EP release party on Saturday May, 17 at Bourbon and Branch in Philadelphia. This is a time of experimental rock that should not be missed by anyone into any type of music.

    Key Tracks: Checked out, Don’t Need 3, Can’t Have Fun Alone

  • Brace Yourselves… Mysteryland USA 2014 is Coming

    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.

    Mysteryland 2014Big 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

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  • Glenn Miller Orchestra Turns the Clock Back at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

    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.

    glenn miller orchestra

    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.

  • Hayes Carll Visits Club Helsinki on May 15th with Caroline Rose

    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.

    Pick up tickets for the show at Club Helsinki’s website. 

  • Canalside 2014 Summer Schedule Nearly Complete

    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.

  • Plattsburgh is for live music this weekend

    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.

    Plattsburgh_monument

    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.

    Cosmic Dust Bunnies and Gang of Thieves are both going to be on hand next Friday, May 16th.

    For more information, call Olive Ridley’s at 518-324-2200.