NYS Music 20​15

Author: Chantal Vacher

  • Holly Bowling Puts New Spin on Phish

    Though she plays their music, it was not your typical Phish crowd Wednesday night at the Massry Center for an intimate performance by Holly Bowling. While the theater was dotted with flatbrims, the crowd looked to be more NPR listener than lot vagabond. The majority of the crowd was nicely dressed and seemed to be over 40.

    The Massry Center has a true orchestral feel complete with ushers clad in black directing people to their seats and 10 minute intermissions between sets. The stage was sparsely furnished with only a Steinway & Sons piano, an old fashioned reading lamp, microphone, and iPad on which Bowling used to read her music.

    When Bowling came out to applause, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The classically trained pianist transcribes the music of Phish and arranges it for solo piano and the end result is quite moving. The first set opened with “The Curtain With,” a slow and pretty introduction to this new take on Phish’s music.

    The highlights included “Silent in the Morning,” ethereal sounds with teal lights glowing behind Bowling, making it seem as though she were playing underwater.

    holly bowling phishThe first set also saw the first jam transcription arranged for piano. A local pick, she chose “Twist” from October 23, 2013 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. This song displayed Bowling’s range from her slower tempo into a funky jam that had the audience shouting out “Woo!” amidst giggles of laughter.

    holly bowling phishAt some points during the performance Bowling would roll her body back and forth like she was in a trance. Between songs Bowling would speak, injecting her bubbly personality into her act. She dedicated several songs to her friends, one for a friends’ anniversary (“Waste”) another for a friend who had just lost someone (“Dirt”).

    For the second set Bowling played a stripped down version of “Fire on the Mountain” by the Grateful Dead, amid a inside of a sequence that featured “It’s Ice” and “Steam”, which really highlighted the compositional nature of the song. In true Phish fashion she closed the second set with “Squirming Coil” which was truly impressive.

    holly bowling phishThough it wasn’t the typical Phish crowd at Bowling’s performance, it was certainly the length of a typical jam band show. Her performance consisted of three sets and an encore, the last set being a transcription of the infamous “Tahoe Tweezer.”

    Bowling seamlessly blends the worlds of improvisation and careful composition together into something truly thought provoking. Whether or not you call yourself a Phish fan, Bowling’s unique approach to this type of music is a sight to be seen.

    holly bowling phishSet 1: The Curtain With, Talk, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Glens Falls Twist, Tela, Wingsuit > Randall’s Chalkdust jam > Wingsuit, Waste*
    Set 2: Scents & Subtle Sounds, Cassidy** > Dirt > Cassidy*** > If I Could, The Inlaw Josie Wales, It’s Ice > Fire on the Mountain# > Steam > It’s Ice, Horn, Squirming Coil
    Set 3: Tahoe Tweezer
    Encore: Harry Hood****

    # first time performed by Holly
    * Dedicated to Bryon & Holly
    ** Dedicated to a friend who recently lost someone
    *** w/ Dirt mashup ending
    ****w/ Lizards, Cassidy, Tweezer Reprise teases

  • Bob Weir Making Album of Cowboy Songs

    Although Bob Weir may be done playing with the “core four,” his musical aspirations aren’t over yet. Bob Weir wants to be a cowboy… or at least make songs about them.

    He has a new album in the works that will feature an array of different musicians such as Joe Russo, Josh Ritter, Josh Kauffman, and Walter Martin.

    In an interview with Relix magazine, Weir said he wanted to focus on the narrative aspect of the music saying, “we’re going to downplay the emphasis on the playing and play up the emphasis on the storytelling.”

    So far, no release date has been announced.

    Following the legendary Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead run in Santa Clara and Chicago, Bobby is making several festival appearances this summer. He’ll play alongside Grateful Dead drummer Billy Kreutzmann with Kreutzmann’s band Billy and the Kids at the Peach Music Festival, and it was just announced that he’ll join Dead bassist Phil Lesh at Lock’n Music Festival in September.

  • Rock On: Neil Young Endorses Bernie Sanders

    Watch out guys, Bernie Sanders is coming in hot. The Vermont senator who is vying for a democratic party nomination for the 2016 election, pulled an unexpectedly large turnout in Colorado recently. According to a press release, it was one of the biggest crowds for any presidential candidate so far.

    As Sanders was introduced Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” was playing, fully sanctioned by the musician himself. Neil Young previously had beef with Donald Trump over unauthorized use of his music at a campaign event in June.

    Neil Young, who is Canadian, said that he supports Bernie Sanders for president.

  • Hearing Aide: ET Rhino ‘Outersphere’

    Contrary to what their name suggests, ET Rhino is more jazz than psychedelic, more happy-go-lucky than deep dark space. Hailing from a couple of hours north of Toronto, Extra Terrestrial Rhinoceros, (or ET Rhino for short) has put out their debut album called Outersphere. It will be available to the public this summer. They are planning a U.S tour in the fall.

    ET Rhino OutersphereThe band’s name was the first indication of a goofiness that borders on juvenile. This sentiment is pervasive throughout album, considering they have an entire song dedicated to a hat. “Opps There Goes My Hat” which sounds like a jazz rendition of a children’s song, follows a man running down the street trying to find (you guessed it) his hat. Half the album sounds like a soundtrack to The Price is Right which is to say artificially upbeat. The other sounds like a funky take on the background music to Mario Bros. More often than not, many of their songs on this album sound the same.

    Yet the chemistry between the band members can not be denied. It’s the songs where the lyrics have a little more depth that keep this album afloat. For instance on “Don’t Know What to Do” a tune about trying to figure out the next move in life, the interplay between the keyboardist and guitarist is the highlight of the track. “Back to the Way We Were” expounds on a myriad of existential ideas. The lyrics are idealistic and the song is in fact, quite catchy. It has a grooviness that falls in line with the cheery outlook the lyrics present.

    ET Rhino Outersphere is tinged with these moments of band cohesion. Moments where their jams seem to go somewhere. It’s an album that explores a rose-colored universe, not the next frontier. Yet goofiness aside, this band could have some real potential if they just took themselves, or their audience, a little more seriously.

    Key Tracks: “Waiting on You” “Don’t Know What to Do” “Back to the Way We Were”

  • Camp Bisco Permits Denied, Festival Moves to Scranton, PA

    It’s official. After much speculation about the future of Camp Bisco this summer, the verdict is in. The festival is happening, just not in Mariaville.The festival plans to move to Pennsylvania for this year.

    Frank Potter, who owns the grounds expressed his frustration with the county’s decision in an interview with CBS Albany saying,

    “For five years we never had a problem…suddenly we had a couple of bad years and then we tried to rectify them.”

    Camp Bisco has taken place at Mariaville for the past 7 years successively but has garnered a lot of negative press in recent years due to safety concerns. The efforts at reconciliation, which included a hefty insurance policy and a rise in police presence failed to persuade Schenectady County. The permits were denied earlier in the week.

    The festival’s new location is on Montage Mountain and will take place July 16-18.

  • Hearing Aide: Turkuaz ‘Stereochrome’

    Short and sweet, this newly released four track EP Stereochrome is full of the uplifting soulful sounds that we’ve come to expect from Turkuaz. A self proclaimed “funk army” it’s obvious from the get-go that their mission is to get you on your feet.

    The first track, “The Fader” is high energy and completely instumental, reminicent of a stripped down James Brown song. The other three songs are full of meaningful lyrics and well-timed harmonies. The two female vocalists Sammi Garet and Shira Elias really shine throughout the EP, especially on “Tiptoe Through The Crypto” where Elias’sultry voice adds an authentic richness.

    Sterochrome is like a revival of the ghost of funktown’s past. With their influences varying from Sly and the Family Stone to Parliament, Turkuaz excels at adding a refreshing take on an older, homegrown style. If you want to catch them live, they’re playing various dates around the Northeast in the coming weeks.

    Key Track: The Fader

  • Hearing Aide: A Troop of Echoes ‘The Longest Year on Record’

    Heavily influenced by The Slip and Bela Fleck, A Troop of Echoes is aptly named for their style. Inherently emotional, pensive, and sometimes haunting, this album sounds like a melancholy rendition of a faraway memory. Recorded in a former brewery in Providence, RI and mixed by a producer specializing in metal bands, and mastered in Chicago, this album has passed through many hands to form a unique sound. The Longest Year on Record is all instrumental, and with nine songs that are mostly over six minutes long, it’s experimental rock fusion that still retains a composed sensibility.

    The first song, “Manifest and Legion” sets the tone for the rest of the album. It starts off slow and a little introspective, then unexpectedly delves into rock. Simultaneously intense and sweet like eating a Sour Patch Kid, this song holds a certain charm ending with a slightly militaristic sounding drum roll.

    Next is “Small Fires” where the opening notes sound like they could be from The Pixies. The song begins with a psychedelic sounding saxophone which carries throughout. The saxophone is especially prevalent in this song and adds an upbeat, even triumphant sentiment. “Small Fires” has the kind of melody that you could easily find yourself humming along to.

    In the beginning of “Acrecibo” the drums retain a bit of a militaristic sound, following in line with “Manifest and Legion”. The beginning of this song in particular sounds very methodic like a nostalgic slow dance. It unfurls itself into something quite pretty, the bass line leading the way.

    “Kerosene”, the halfway point of The Longest Year on Record is the first song on the album that features string instruments. The glockenspiel really shines on this track in its mixture with the strings. “Kerosene” is a song that is rife with its own personality. It holds an intrinsic curiosity, and sounds like it could be lifted from a movie soundtrack.

    “Constellation” and “The Longest Year on Record” are two of the strongest tracks on this record. Both are skillfully composed, delicate, and slightly wistful. “Constellation” resembles its title, both contemplative and poignant. Perfect for stargazing, its smooth amalgamation of sounds. This song has great transitions, each instrument coalescing together to create something larger. “The Longest Year on Record”, is the title track and represents what the crux of this album is all about. The softness of this song is highlighted by the saxophone’s trilling notes. The subtle bass line and the complex layering of sounds gives this song a slightly redemptive feel. It features a great buildup into a slightly angelic ending.

    The pinnacle of instrumental music is that it’s so conducive to different interpretations. That is what is so great about this album. Musically, it’s dynamic and the production value is evident in the fact that it just sounds good. The Longest Year on Record seems like it could even be one continuous song that just happened to be broken into parts. This is A Troop of Echoes second record, and after listening to this, I’m looking forward to their next release.

    Key Tracks: Small Fires, Kerosene, Constellation

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