Tag: syracuse

Lacuna Coil, Kyng, Eve to Adam, and Cilver Rocked the Westcott Theater in Syracuse

Approximately 300 people swarmed to see Lacuna Coil headline the Westcott Theater in Syracuse on Tuesday night. It marked the first time in five years since Lacuna Coil was in town, and the sound and overall production was fantastic at the Westcott Theater.

The doors opened at 6PM and alternative rockers Cilver started right at 7PM. The band rocked a 30 minute set that consisted of their upcoming EP, In My Head. Frontwoman Uliana Preotu is a talented singer who could really wail on the mic. Lead guitarist Gerry Soman also stood out as he could really shred through their material, similar to Zakk Wylde. This band has a bright future and I would expect them to be touring with bigger names in the very near future.

Eve to Adam began their chaotic set at 7:40PM and really set a high tempo. They opened with “Bender” and stormed into the song “Fortune Teller” before playing the title track to their new release, Locked & Loaded. One thing I think that makes the band stand out is their high energy and use of vocal harmonies. In an attempt to really get the crowd active, they played a cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” before closing their set with “Straight Jacket Supermodel.” Eve to Adam continues to tour relentlessly and is really making a name for themselves.

Kyng came into their set as the most metal band of the night, and for a three-piece band, they really make it look easy. The band had a few intimate and hilarious moments with the crowd throughout their set. It all started with a few good-natured hecklers screaming out “Slayer!” to bassist Tony Castaneda, who does, in fact, resemble Tom Araya of Slayer. On top of that, guitarist/vocalist Eddie Veliz kept picking on this one bearded gentleman (who was standing right next to me) in an Iced Earth shirt, telling him to lighten up throughout the entire set. The band’s humor was a much-needed element for the night. Two highlights from Kyng’s set was their cover of Van Halen’s “Hot for the Teacher” and their closer “Falling Down.” For anyone who missed Kyng, they will be back in Upstate New York in Rochester on May 8^th with Fozzy and Buckcherry and in Poughkeepsie on May 9^th with Fozzy and Jamie Jasta.

Lacuna Coil finally graced the stage at 9:20PM by opening with “Trip The Darkness.” The band still sounds as terrific as they always did, even with Guitarist Cris “Pizza” Migliore and drummer Christiano “Criz” Mozzati no longer in the lineup. Singers Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro pack an awesome one-two punch and have such a great and unique stage presence. Lacuna Coil played classic songs like “Swamped,” “Heaven’s a Lie,” and “Fragments of Faith,” as well as new songs from their latest release, Broken Crown Halo, which they are currently promoting. The main highlight of their set would have to be “My Spirit,” which they dedicated to late and great Peter Steele of Type O Negative before diving into their trademark song “Spellbound.” For the very last song, they closed with (my personal favorite) “Our Truth,” which is a really high tempo, energetic song. Lacuna Coil was well received by their performance, and although they didn’t do an encore, they came and signed merchandise after the show.

Overall, it was a fantastic night with every band coming through in the clutch. Lacuna Coil wraps up their U.S. tour in early May before heading out to tour the rest of world. Even though there aren’t any additional Upstate NY stops, I would imagine that after a night like that, it won’t be too long before they make another run this way.

April 25, 2014
Hearing Aide: Perfect Pussy Debut ‘Say Yes to Love’

Perfect Pussy’s full length debut Say Yes to Love is the core definition of hardcore punk. An album that is very loud, fast, noisy, and with a much-needed raw attitude that most punk bands are lacking nowadays.

My initial reaction when I start playing the album was “WTF?” because I didn’t see it coming. Once the opening track “Driver” started, I knew I was in for a punch in the nose. My favorite track is easily “Work” because of the eerie opening guitar riff from Ray McAndrew mixed with the quick trippy bass line from Greg Ambler. Vocalist Meredith Graves spits out punk-like poetry throughout the entire album over muffled noise that adds a very unorthodox flavor to their sound.

Another fun track is “Advance Upon the Real,” which is very muffled and very fast. The drums from Garrett Koloski really stand out on this one. Keyboardist Shaun Sutkus’ talent is on full display with the closing track “VII” which seems to be slightly subliminal.

Overall, Say Yes to Love is a very fast-paced and trippy punk record that can be played from front to back in less than a half hour. It’s definitely a fun listen and a breath of fresh air, but, most important, the element that stands out the most is the attitude. Perfect Pussy has a bright future and Say Yes to Love is a must own for any hardcore punk fan. The album can be purchased here.

April 23, 2014
Bobaflex with Tantric at Bogie’s

Named after the iconic bounty hunter from the original Star Wars arch, Bobaflex and the music it plays is just as keenly adept to bad-assery.

Bobaflex to play Bogies in Albany on Thursday, along with Tantric. The boys travel to Syracuse the following night. (Photo Credit: New Ocean Media)

Those familiar with George Lucas’ mythology are also aware of the lack of respect bestowed upon the anti-hero, Boba Fett. That lack of respect, is an unfortunate fate also familiar to the band. The introduction to their latest release, Charlatan’s Way, is a dramatization of an actual voice message the band received several years ago from an agent.

“You know out West, they have a name for your kind: Working Class Trash. You don’t come from shit. You ain’t never gonna be shit… You think because cause you pissed in Gatorade bottles, lived off the Dollar Menu and played the dirt circuit, that it’s your time? Heh. It’s over. It never began. An intelligent person would just give up!”

Bassist Jerod Mankin said, the monologue is taken “pretty much at verbatim.”

Mankin was not asked to reveal a name, as he said, it’s not worth dwelling on the negative. Today, married and still touring, he considers himself successful. “If you can say you are happy and personally satisfied, I consider that a success.”.

On Thursday, March 20th, this five-piece nu-metal band out of West Virginia travels well north of the Mason-Dixon line to share a playbill with Tantric at Bogie’s in Albany, and venture off to Syracuse to play Monirae’s the following night.

The band has a reputation for relentlessly touring throughout a career that has spanned for the better part of two decades. Hitting the road gets the needed face time with fans. And, while on stage, they are one of the liveliest performers in music.

They are currently on a promotional tour that has included more than 100 stops. Charlatan’s Way, their sixth studio album, was released last September. The first single, “Bad Man,” charted at No. 33 on the Active Rock Radio charts in the United States and has since been followed by “I’m Glad Your Dead.”

Bobaflex advertises as a Nu Metal band, akin to Korn and Limp Bizkit. But, this release comes across as good ‘ol fashion rock, complete with an edgy bass, a generous supply of drums, and racy lyrics that Mankin nearly sounds apologetic. “It’s a little bit racy for what people care,” he said. “It didn’t come out purposely, it just came out that way.” What immediately comes to mind is the track “School for Young Ladies,” providing the description of a young woman in traditional schoolgirl outfit, and the events that surround her.

In its entirety, Charlatan’s Way is the kind of CD you throw in and don’t take out until the last few notes of “Rogue” are done playing. From beginning to end, Bobaflex announces what it is, and is unashamed about it. Machismo lyrics always have a place in Rock – it’s what I grew up on, listening to Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Warrant, and there will always be a place for it. If that’s wrong than I don’t want to be right.

March 18, 2014
Oversteppin’ Out: Mike Gordon Band Kicks off National Tour in Syracuse

While we wait for Phish tour dates to be announced, the most pleasant of distractions, Mike Gordon, is making stops around the country over the next 5 weeks, an extensive tour to support Mike’s latest solo album Overstep. Starting in Syracuse on February 28th and ending in Burlington in early April, Mike Gordon Band has more than enough time to test out his recent studio tracks before live audiences and delve into his deep solo catalog. Featuring Scott Murawski on guitar, Tom Cleary on keys, Craig Myers on percussion and Todd Isler on drums, the first show of the tour was a solid one, giving a taste of what’s to come over the next 20 or so shows.

A tightly packed crowd in the darkened confines of the Westcott Theater was shifting about and settling in throughout the first set, with fans craning their necks for a better view of the band, who many were seeing for the first time. Mike Gordon Band does not tour as extensively as Trey Anastasio Band, the more popular and familiar of the Phish side-projects, and as such the chances of seeing Mike Gordon’s band is limited to tours in support of new albums, or the occasional short run, as he played in December 2011. Thus, the show was sold out earlier in the week and those in attendance were lively in spirit and properly clad in Orange.

“Face”, one of the half dozen songs from new album Overstep, opened the night, followed by the more familiar “Say Something”, which has been played by Phish twice in 2013 and beckons the crowd to screech the title “sAAAAy Something!” The ambiance in the jam that developed from “Traveled Too Far” is a hallmark of Mike’s band – they aren’t there to play standard versions or the same old jam each time – they have an affluence of patience when it comes to the unscripted portion of the songs, making nearly any song a jam-vehicle, even if just for one night. “Dig Further Down” wowed the audience when Mike’s bass and Scott’s guitar lit up in LED fashion; when placed against the silhouette of the backdrops, the visual took on an Anglerfish-vibe, where your attention is drawn to the light, while unable to see the full behemoth lurking in the darkness. The first set ended with “Jumping”, a solid calypso-infused number that was ripe for jamming and jumping. Ninety minutes of music to start the tour? This could bode well for the next month or more.

A fair opener of “Paint” and an ethereal “Ether” led into more spacious jamming between Mike and Scott, with the rest of the band following suit as a well-oiled machine. “Jones” had repeating vocals that were akin to Bowie’s “Fame” refrain, while “Fire From a Stick” had Mike and Scott bouncing back and forth on stage. “Peel”, not my favorite track on Overstep by any measure is miles better live, complete with Mike performing yoga sun salutes before the song began.

The slow build into “Peel” featured Mike on an acoustic guitar, plucking away while percussionist Craig Myers broke out a Kamel N’goni during “Angatta”, drawing the attention of the chatty crowd. Mike spoke to the crowd briefly during the night, but unless you were close the acoustics were muffling his words like Charlie Brown’s teacher’s voice. He commented that he was so busy getting ready for tour, but he felt so much more relaxed just being there, and commented on his espresso vegan milkshake from earlier in the day. “Hap-Nappy”, a familiar tune from the GRAB/Mike & The Italians days of 2006, found its way back into “Peel” to close the set. The encore of “Andelman’s Yard” had a mossy lightscape with more stellar percussion from Myers and added another dose of familiarity to the setlist.

Altogether, it was a great start to the tour and warmed up a cold winter chill that can only be fully thawed with Summer Tour plans in place. Mike still has a couple shows in the area, including dates in Woodstock, Tarrytown, Mass MoCA and Burlington in late March/Early April. Get your tickets early – these shows are already selling out.

Set One: Face, Say Something, Cruel World, Sugar Shack, Mississippi, Traveled Too Far, Crumblin’ Bones, Dig Further Down, Jumping
Set Two: Paint, Ether, Jones, Fire From a Stick, Peel > Mrs. Peel > Angatta, Hap Nappy > Peel
Encore: Andelman’s Yard

March 3, 2014
Dio Tribute Album to Release April 1

Earlier this week, the announcement was made that This Is Your Life, a tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio, is set for an April 1 release.

This Is Your Life will include heavy weights in today’s metal, lead by Metallica, Anthrax, Motorhead, Corey Taylor of Slipknot and more.

Born in Cortland, NY, Dio is famous for fronting various metal juggernauts such as Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell before making a major breakthrough with his own group Dio. Beloved and considered by many as possessing the most powerful voice in Heavy Metal, Dio left us all way too early as he sadly lost his battle with stomach cancer back in 2010.

To celebrate Dio’s achievements, This Is Your Life will raise funds for The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

This Is Your Life is produced by Wendy Dio, his longtime manger and wife and will be released by Rhino Records.

The track listing and lineup:

01. “Neon Knights” – ANTHRAX
02. “The Last In Line” – TENACIOUS D
03. “The Mob Rules” – ADRENALINE MOB
04. “Rainbow In The Dark” – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher *
05. “Straight Through The Heart” – HALESTORM
06. “Starstruck” – MOTÖRHEAD with Biff Byford
07. “Temple Of The King” – SCORPIONS
08. “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” – DORO
09. “Holy Diver” – KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
10. “Catch The Rainbow” – Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren
11. “I” – Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy
12. “Man On The Silver Mountain” – Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren
13. “Ronnie Rising Medley” (featuring “A Light In The Black”, “Tarot Woman”, “Stargazer”, “Kill The King”) – METALLICA
14. “This Is Your Life” – DIO (previously unreleased)

Next month, Dio is expected the posthumous honor of The Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s SAMMYS Award Show in Syracuse.

The SAMMYS will be held at The Palace Theater in Syracuse on Friday, March 7th and tickets can be purchased at www.syracuseareamusic.com.

For more Metal News, Concerts, and more keep visiting Upstate Metal and be sure to follow me on twitter @SaintGOfficial where you are free to share your thoughts with me.

February 7, 2014
Umphstate: An Interview with Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee

The hype from all of the New Year’s runs has finally died down and right on its heels come the first announcements of the festival season. Sandwiched right in between though, and largely overlooked, is the winter tour where bands often times debut new material and dig deep for old fan favorites. Umphrey’s McGee tour has begun and the band is set to blaze a trail right through the heart of Upstate New York, all within the first week of February. The band will make stops in Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester among many other dates across the U.S. The Chicago-natives recently finished a two-night standalone set at the famous Beacon Theater in New York City which has only led to more anticipation for these upcoming dates.

Writer Jeremiah Shea had a chance to interview with keyboardist Joel Cummins about the upcoming tour and their new album that is due to come out in the coming months.

Jeremiah Shea: What are your thoughts on the recent two-night run at The Beacon Theater?
Joel Cummins: It was a pretty awesome weekend. Being able to play the Beacon last year and then doing two nights this year really let us soak it in a little more. The Beacon is one of the greatest venues in the country, if not the world. There’s been so many great shows there and amazing performances that when you play there, you really feel like you have to step up and not just bring your A game, but your A+ game. You have to wow people in New York.

JS: Last year in January you guys played Buffalo and Syracuse on back to back nights before making a stop at The Beacon Theater; this year you’re hitting Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester. Is there a reason you show Upstate New York so much love?
JC: A lot of it has to do with two things: where people are and how far you can travel between cities. Logistically, our typical limit is about 450 miles before you make touring increasingly more expensive. Coincidentally, there are a lot of good places in New York to play between Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. There are a lot of good mid-size cities that we’ve been trying to build over the years. Since we played Buffalo in the Fall, it made sense for us to come to Rochester this time. We played the Harro East Ballroom one other time and had a great time there, so we’re psyched to come back. We haven’t played the F Shed in Syracuse before, so that’ll be a really fun night and we’re pumped to have Kung Fu out with us on that one.

JS: Are you guys doing anything special on this run of shows to celebrate the band’s 16th birthday?
JC: Every show is a special night to be honest; you know how we do it. We try to mix it up and play as many different things as possible. We have this website called All Things Umphrey’s where everything is in a database that we’ve played in the past. We can use that to go back and see what we’ve played and haven’t played in an area and continue to shred as much of the catalog as we can to keep it fresh for people. Once somebody has seen 8-10 shows, they start to hone in on what they haven’t seen yet; every city is different. We’ll go in and see that we haven’t played “Booth Love” or “Hurt Bird Bath” at a particular place in four years. It’s a really helpful tool for us to keep mixing things up. This is our typical biggest tour of the year between January and April and we try to hit every corner of the US. Our new album will be coming out in the first half of 2014, probably sometime in May, so this will kind of be the warm-up for that. My guess is that one or two of the songs that didn’t make the new album will probably get played on this winter tour.

JS: You made some mentions of the new album on your Twitter account. What’s on tap and is there anything you can share?
JC: Ya know, not too much at this point as we’re trying to keep it under wraps right now. I can tell you that we started by recording 16 tunes, 7 of which were brand new and 9 of which we’ve played live before. I think we’re going to end up with probably 10 or 11 tunes on the new album with some bonus material. There’s at least 5 new tracks on the album, I’d say, that we haven’t played live previously. I think that’s always exciting for the fans when you can kind of inject the set list with some brand new stuff for people. We also have a couple of newer ones that we’ve been playing pretty consistently for the past couple of years and a couple of classic Umphrey’s McGee tunes that we previously haven’t been able to hit perfectly with the studio takes. We finally got a couple of these where we really feel like we nailed the essence of the song and they fit the overall vibe of the new album which is definitely heading in a more hard rock direction; there are tons of great guitar riffs on this album.

JS: Does the band’s approach vary nightly depending on the venue or city? If so, how?
JC: It’s different every night and we mix up who writes the set list. On a typical day, we make a list of songs in the morning and people can add or subtract things depending on what they’re feeling. By the afternoon, somebody will pick it up and try to make a set list out of everything that’s been suggested. I think that really keeps it fresh, especially when you have different people writing the set list who think about it and approach it differently. We’ll typically try to always do a mix of newer and older material so that it’s fresh for everyone.

JS: How do you guys interject teasers into your songs live? Are they planned or discovered during your set?
JC: Most of the time if we’re teasing something, it’s happening in the moment. It’s very rare that it’s something that’s planned. I think one of the things that we all thrive on is that stuff in the moment where nobody’s really sure what’s going to happen, but you kind of try to pick up a song. That actually happened at The Beacon. We started teasing the Eminem song “Lose Yourself” and then it ended up kind of morphing into “Kashmir”. That was an example from this weekend where we ended up hitting a cool little patch of teases there, but it was certainly not planned.

JS: What do you like about touring compared to the festival circuit in the summer?
JC: I feel like when we do our own shows, we’re playing to our people; everybody who’s there is there for us. That’s always a really special thing when you can do these tours and really feel the excitement from the fan base. That’s the fun thing about the beginning of the year. With the festivals now, it’s such a great time getting to see so many of our friends all around the country. That’s kind of the highlight of the summer festival season whenever we get to do that. That’s also the time when we try to convert some new fans, so we definitely approach the shows a little bit differently. We’ll still try to throw in a few rarities or things that you might not expect to see us play at a festival, but when we play for the hardcore fans, I’d say that these winter tours definitely have the biggest variety of our catalog that you’ll see. I looked on All Things Umphrey’s the other day and in 2013 we played 329 different songs, so there really is a lot of room for variety. It’s really nice at this point to have that catalog selection where we can play so many different things.

JS: Does Jefferson Waful have any new tricks up his sleeve this year?
JC: He does! He’s actually in the process of transitioning from the grandMA console, which we’ve been using, to the grandMA2. I’m not totally sure if he’s going to have it up yet for these shows as it’s probably about a month-long process to make that transition and learn everything that needs to be learned. That is definitely new though and in the works for 2014, so it’s only going to promise to make the production and light show that much stronger. We’re always tweaking our light show and playing different things out depending on what the venues allow. This most recent run at The Beacon we definitely had our biggest light rig that we’ve ever brought to New York. We’re definitely trending in that direction of bigger and better, which is a nice way to trend. We’ve been really lucky with Jefferson that he’s such a passionate, driven, and really great artist behind the light console. There are plenty of moments during the night when the fans get excited about the music, but you know you have somebody who has a really great eye for art and a way to connect that to music when the lighting designer can elicit cheers from the crowd.

February 3, 2014
Sophistafunk Hosts Landmark Theater’s New Year’s Eve Bash

The Landmark Theater in Syracuse was the place to be to ring in 2014. Sophistafunk hosted 40 Below’s B(e)LOW-OUT New Year’s Eve Bash and tickets were sold out almost as soon as the show was announced. Everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines for the classiest party in the city that included an open bar, VIP lounge with private DJ, hors d’oeuvres, photo booth, and a silent auction with items from local vendors. Sophistafunk’s keyboarder Adam Gold started the party as DJ, playing tunes ranging from new hip-hop to some old funk and soul standards.

photo by Wesley Feuz

Shortly after 10pm, Jack Brown and crew took the stage to start off the show. The first set was a mix of new songs and old, including crowd favorites, “Gimme Some Space” and “Gotta Walk” featuring keyboard solos by Adam Gold. For the majority of the first set, the third story stage and dance floor stayed mostly empty. The party’s guests were enjoying gourmet food and deserts and bidding on local goods downstairs until just before midnight, when everyone amassed upstairs for complimentary champagne to bring in the New Year with the band and dance the night away.

photo by Wesley Feuz

After a short break, Sophistafunk turned it up to a new level, bringing the funk they’ve become notorious for. Jack Brown’s progressive lyrics backed by a solid rhythm section, keys, and effects were the perfect vessel for the band’s positive message. “Hard Enough,” from their new album Freedom Is, also seemed to be a fan favorite. Sophistafunk also included some older hip-hop classics from Notorious B.I.G. and “So Fresh and So Clean” by Outkast. The Landmark Theater was home to what proved to be the best party in upstate New York and had the best hip-hop funk trio in existence to make it truly epic.

photo by Wesley Feuz

January 20, 2014