Johnny Marr, known best for being a founding member of The Smiths, is about to release his second solo album Playland on Oct. 6 and is supporting the release with a nationwide tour.
Most notable for Upstate New York is the Tuesday Nov. 18 show at Upstate Concert Hall. Tickets are going to go on sale on Saturday Sept. 13 at 10AM and are only going to run you $20. This show is part of WEQX‘s 30th anniversary celebrations being the voice of independent music in the Capitol Region.
The only other Johnny Marr in New York shows will take place on November 12th at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City and Nov.15 at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Other shows in the area include Nov. 14 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ and Nov. 16 at The Paradise in Boston, MA. Tickets for these shows will be going on sale Friday Sept. 12. Johnny is a tremendous guitarist and song-writer and all of these venues are a great way to see a talent such as his in such intimate venues. The first single from the album, “Easy Money” can be seen below.
It’s that time of year again. Heavy Earth Rockers, Clutch, are returning to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, New York on Saturday, Sept. 6. The band will likely hold court to a packed house, as they seem to bring out fans from all corners of the state and beyond every time they grace the stage at UCH.
Joining them on this tour will be Lionize, a tight, riff heavy outfit from Maryland. Their new album, Jetpack Soundtrack, is full of their usual sci-fi metaphors coupled with intense hard rock. But this album is a little different, as the band and their sound have matured over the last ten years. It was also co-produced by Jean-Paul Gaster, the drummer of Clutch, adding to the explosive percussive energy this album emits.
Also opening up is American Sharks, a driving heavy rock band, reminiscent of the glory days of Motorhead. Both American Sharks and Lionize round out a night of guitar-heavy, full on rock that is sure to be a show not to miss. Upstate Concert Hall brings quality entertainment to the area, and a Clutch show is one that many faithful patrons frequent every single year.
Clutch continues to return because of the overwhelming response they have gotten from this area. Blues driven, heavy rock riffs coupled with a stunning vocal assault are what make these shows so much fun. If you are a fan of heavy music, or music that moves you, this is the show for you. If you are already a fan of Clutch, both openers promise to deliver in a big way, and might make you fans of them as well. Thanks to Step Up Presents for bringing this band back again and again.
Tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster or through the Upstate Concert Hall box office.
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.
Lacuna Coilwill bring their Broken Crown Halo Tour dates to New York state this fall for two shows. Along for the tour will be Devil You Know and Starset. A lot of different rock genre’s are on display for this tour as all three bands have their own unique style of rock music.
From Milano, Italy, Lacuna Coil is fronted by dual vocalist Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. The tour is named after their current studio release Broken Crown Halo, which is their seventh studio album. Coil was also one of the headliners for the Revolver Hottest Chicks Tour earlier this year. Lacuna Coil, meaning “empty spiral,” will bring a gothic hard rock sound to tour with melodic vocals.
Metal new comers Devil You Know, will be on the tour to support their debut album The Beauty of Destruction. Former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones fronts for the band.
Cinematic rockers Starset, just seem to pop up on every show this summer. Starset has just released their debut studio album titled Transmissions. Their two singles “My Demons” and “Carnivore” are in constant rotation on Sirius/XM Octane.
The first stop in New York for the tour will be Saturday, October 11 at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park. Doors open at 6 p.m. and showtime is at 7 p.m. Advanced tickets are $18 and $20 the day of show. Patrons 16-years old are welcome and require ID or parent/legal guardian and must be 21 and over to drink. Tickets are on sale at the club box office (518-371-0012), all Ticketmaster outlets and also at The Northern Lights Smoke Shop. Tickets on sale Saturday August 9 at 10 am.
The second stop on the tour will be Sunday October 12 at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Doors open at 6pm. 16 years and up with ID or parent/legal guardian. 21 and over to drink. Tickets are $24 and are available through Ticketmaster . Tickets go on sale Friday, August 8 at 10 a.m.
Clifton Park, N.Y. will be the last stop on Killswitch Engage’s 3-date tour titled “Monster’s Mosh.” The tour will no doubt, rock out, Upstate New York this Fall.
Jesse and the rest of the boys from Killswitch return to Tri-State area for the first time in almost two years. The band is currently on their sixth studio album “Disarm the Descent” which was released in April of 2013.
Support for Halloween tour will be heavy metal rockers All That Remains. ATR is currently working on their seventh studio album. They will also play Krockathon for the second year in a row this year in Syracuse, N.Y.
The tour will also see new comers Death Ray Vision. The band is fronted by Shadows Fall singer Brian Fair. They are set to release their debut 12 song album this September.
Upstarts, City Of Homes will seize this great opportunity and open the tour. Interestingly all four band’s origins, are from the state of Massachusetts.
The Tour will kick off on Thursday October 30 at the The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. Doors and showtime is 6:30 pm. This is an all ages event. 21 and over to drink. Advanced tickets are $27.50 and $30.00 day of show. Tickets can be purchased through AXS. Tickets to Starland Ballroom events are also available through Jack’s Music Shoppe and via phone at 1-888-9-AXS-TIX (1-888-929-7849).
The hometown tour will come to Worcester, MA on Halloween night Friday October 31 at The Palladium. Doors and showtime is 6:30 pm. This is an all ages event. 21 and over to drink. Advanced tickets are $27.50 and $30.00 day of show. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketfly.com or call 1-877-987-6487.
The tour will wrap up on Saturday night November 1 in Clifton Park, N.Y. at Upstate Concert Hall. Doors open at 6:30pm and show time is 7:30pm. 16 years and up with ID or parent/legal guardian. 21 and over to drink. Tickets are on sale at the club box office (518-371-0012), all Ticketmaster outlets and also at The Northern Lights Smoke Shop.
A small congregation of people waited outside of Upstate Concert Hall on Tuesday, July 22nd. Much smaller than one might suspect, on a night helmed by gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. But, more people did show for the performance as the night went on, possibly in part for the ‘Upstate Common Sense’ on tap behind the bar, instilling in the 500 plus crowd a feeling of liquid camaraderie. Gogol Bordello has a reputation for bringing a combo platter of life together for an all-inclusive party atmosphere, and by the end of the night, this was exactly the case. The gypsy punk band, with members from all over the world, brought quite the spectacle to Clifton Park once again.
The show opened with the raucous energy of Man Man from Philadelphia. Experimental rockers at their core, they descended onto the stage with a wall of sound and main singer/keyboardist Honus Honus presiding over the crowd in a sparkling hooded cape and his trademark mustache. With a hurried explosion of notes, Man Man started their set with what sounded like the middle of it. Cheering along at full intensity immediately, the crowd fell right in step. The four-piece switched instruments constantly, and between horns, strings and percussion, they welcomed the masses into their chaos. Pow Pow the drummer acted as de-facto conductor for the band and the audience, keeping the White Stripes meets Frank Zappa vibe at peak energy the entire set. By the end, the crowd was hungry for more.
The crowd exemplified the feeling of the night — the idea that no matter who you are, you would belong, here, at this show. People shirtless with multicolored LED gloves, or fedoras over dreadlocks, or metal shirts and ripped jeans, all were welcomed and more. The lights dimmed and the crowd coalesced into one singular being, eager and willing as Eugene Hutz, the leader of Gogol Bordello, took the stage. He vocalized the feeling of the night and asked the audience, “Where did we leave off last time? Let’s pick it up right there.” He started the show alone, with a single spotlight for the aptly titled “Illumination”, with the entire band joining him by the end. They played their dirty, infectious gypsy grooves in expert fashion, from a band honed by constant touring.
The sound was great, allowing the crowd to pick out all the intricacies of the band, from the extra percussion, to the accordion and violin solos, to the subtle, but powerful, five-part vocal harmonies. The presence of Pedro Erazo and Elizabeth Sun, the band’s MCs, extra percussionists, and hype man and woman, add to the deliberate crowd control that Gogol emits. At one point, Hutz anointed the congregation with a bottle of wine as he sang “Immigraniada” and brought the audience to a fever pitch. They left the stage, and not a soul moved, waiting for instruction to proceed. The show had stripped the audience down to it’s innocence, and the band came back to emulate this, starting their three song encore with “Lost Innocent World”.
One thing can always be certain of a Gogol Bordello performance: it will be an experience to remember. One of the hardest working bands in the business, and it shows, they continue to enthrall audiences and provide tasty morsels of world-class rock, punk and folk to keep the audience eating right out of their hands.
Photo by Jim ‘JT’ Gilbert
Set List: Illumination, Ultimate, Rise Again, Wonderlust King, Dig Deep Enough, Other Side of the Rainbow, Companjera, TC Hustle, Immigraniada, Mishto, Rise the Knowledge, Malandrino, Purple, Pala Tute, Sun Is On My Side, Not a Crime.
Encore: Lost Innocent World, Alcohol, Think Locally.
Hollywood, California glam-metal rockers, the Black Veil Brides, will bring their 2014 U.S fall tour to New York State with support for the tour still needing to be determined. Black Veil Brides will be releasing their follow-up album to Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones in late October, so look for some new tunes from the boys on this tour.
Niagara Falls is the first date on the upcoming fall tour at the Rapids Theatre on Tuesday, October 21. The doors open at 6PM and this is an all ages show. Pick up your tickets in advance online for $25 through Ticket Fly.
The band then continues on to Best Buy Theater in New York City, November 23. The doors will open at 6PM, this show is ages 16+, ticket prices range $27-$30 and can be purchased online in advance or at the venue box office.
The band’s last stop in New York will be, Friday November 28 at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, N.Y. Ticket information and show time can be found on the venue website.
Singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson was taken by surprise by the fully packed and excitable crowd at Upstate Concert Hall on Tuesday May 27th. “You hear Clifton Park, you think small quiet town but damn!”, she said with a sly smile in her dark framed glasses. Ingrid Michaelson has been touring in support of her sixth album Lights Out, with fellow musicians and friends from Storyman and Sugar and the Hi Lows. The Storyman was a charming celtic duo that serenaded the crowd with their acoustic harmonies and defined their band name with their intricate story telling.
The first few tunes from Ingrid were upbeat and energetic with a complete band to which she had to compliment the audience on being the only crowd to sing the instrumental parts. The night swayed into a mellow mood with the charming melody of “Unbreakable” followed by a song in which for a few awkward moments Michaelson forgot how it started. Luckily for everyone, one of her front row fans handed her their smart phone with a copy of the song on it. The night progressed with beautiful covers of her infamous solo piano work of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love”, performed in a trio of feminine grace.
The band came back out to perform some of her more popular hits such as the roundabout chorus from “The Chain” and “Be Ok”. Michaelson notes the next song was a fan favorite but with not wanting to hate the song and never playing it, the musicians put a genre twist on it to keep it fresh and enjoyable for everyone. They began the romantic pop tune of “You & I” but to a polka styling which still received cheers and applause. The show ended with Michaelson’s newest breakup anthem hit, “Girls Chase Boys”. The night felt like a wooden rollercoaster ride of up tempo, catchy pop highs seguing to geeky stories and indie slow ballads. Michaelson will return to the NY area at the end of July to The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett and Summer Stage in Central Park NYC.
Michaelson dances to her own drum with creative compositions that reflects her emotions that anyone can relate to. Ingrid Michaelson continues to share her songwriting in a quirky manner and wants fans to remember that “Different is always a good thing.”
It’s clear that metal is not dead in Upstate New York as Black Label Society lead the Revolver Golden Gods Tour along with Down, Devil You Know, and Butcher Babies leveled Upstate Concert Hall to a sold out crowd this past Monday night. This would mark the first time in roughly a decade that Black Label Society played at Upstate Concert Hall. The overall production was fantastic. The sound was incredible. The insanity was nonstop. And the concert security brought their A game as the old school metal fans unleashed their energy right back to the bands.
Doors opened a little late which may have hurt the opening set from Butcher Babies. Butcher Babies started their set at 7:23 as there still was a long line out the door. They played a 30 minute set with an overall positive crowd response and did a meet and greet at their merch table after their set.
Devil You Know graced the stage a little after 8. Devil You Know features former Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones, who made his return to the stage after retiring from music a few years back. Jones has never sounded better with his brutal vocals and charismatic stage presence. On top of that, Jones has rediscovered his passion for metal music and he made that clear to the crowd. Three songs into their set the mosh pit opened up the floor. The rest of the band was tight, brutal, and clearly having a good time on stage together. Their 30 minute set contained songs off their newly released debut album TheBeauty of Destruction. No Killswitch material at all. I don’t think the crowd had a problem with that which proved how great the band was. Devil You Know is out to prove they are a force to reckon with.
Down started their heavy and hostile set that caused the floor to erupt. Mosh pits and body surfers galore. Phil Anselmo at his veteran status is clearly STILL the best frontman in metal. Still has the intimidating stage presence and brutal vocals that are always imitated but NEVER duplicated. New guitarist Pat Bruders replaced longtime guitarist Kirk Windstein, however, his guitar style and backing vocals were so clutch. If you were blind, you never would have known Down had a different lineup. The crowd erupted before Down got to their first song “Eyes of the South.” Most of their set consisted of songs from NOLA, with a very little newer material sprinkled into their set. They didn’t play anything from their upcoming EP Down IV Part Two. I would say “Lifer,” which the band dedicated to the late and great Dimebag Darrell was the highlight of the set. Down closed their set with the melodic “Stone the Crows” and the heavy trademark anthem “Bury Me in Smoke.” It was a damn shame that Down only played for 45 minutes. If you were present at this show, some may argue that Down could have headlined.
Zakk Wylde and the newly revamped line up of Black Label Society swarmed the stage around 10:30 opening with their latest single “My Dying Time.” Wylde, one of the best guitarist in music and the king of pinch harmonics used many different guitars throughout the set including his trademark Bullseye Les Paul, the Randy Rhoads Flying V, Hybrid Flying V/Les Paul, and Gibson EDS 1275 double neck guitar. The production of their set was amazing with use of laser lights and smoke machines to really make the experience a huge spectacle which captured everyone’s attention because there were no more mosh pits. Half way through the set, Wylde unleashed a powerful seven minute long guitar solo that really showcased his fast shredding ability. A couple of songs later, they went into the mellower songs starting with “Angel of Mercy” with new guitarist (who Wylde jokingly claimed to the crowd that they traded 3 first round draft picks to Lizzy Borden to get him) Dario Lorina hopped on the piano that really showcased the entire bands talent. Soon after, Lorina switched to lead guitar and Wylde sat behind the piano for a really powerful rendition of Black Label Society’s most iconic ballad “In This River.” It was really moving to hear both of those ballads back to back. Then Wylde unleashed the Gibson EDS 1275 double neck guitar to play the fan favorite “The Blessed Hellride.” Black Label Society unleashed a swarm of Black Label beach balls into the crowd during the super-heavy “Suicide Messiah” and “Concrete Jungle” before closing the entire set with “Stillborn.” Overall, one of the best shows from Black Label Society. There was no encore or a Pantera jam with Phil Anselmo.
This concert was by far one of the best metal tours of the year. Hopefully the capital region won’t have to wait another decade for Black Label Society to slay the Upstate Concert Hall again.
Supporting the release of the well received new album Catacombs of the Black Vatican, Black Label Society returns to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park for the first time in over a decade with Revolver Golden Gods Tour. Black Label Society returns with a new lineup with Zakk Wylde leading the way along with new drummer Jeff Fabb, (ex In This Moment) and new guitarist Dario Lorina (Lizzy Borden) and long time bassist John DeServio.
New Orleans metal supergroup Down take the co-headlining slot in support of their upcoming EP Down IV Part II. Longtime guitarist Kirk Windstein left Down to focus on Crowbar fulltime and was replaced by their guitar tech Pat Bruders. This would mark the first time in five years Down invaded Upstate Concert Hall.
In a radio interview conducted back in February, Joe D of 95X, (WAQX) spoke with Zakk Wylde he confirmed that there may be a Pantera jam with Down’s Phil Anselmo on this tour. Check out the interview here.
Devil You Know, which features former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, makes their Upstate New York debut on this tour. Devil You Know is supporting their debut album TheBeauty of Destruction which is out now. Butcher Babies are slated to open the show in support of their debut album Goliath which was released last summer.
Doors will open at 6:30PM and show starts at 7:30PM. This show is expected to sell out so pick up your tickets here.
