NYS Music 20​15

Author: Pete Mason

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 6: Mister F and ELM at The Hollow

    It’s Day 6 of this Music Marathon and for the first time this week, I am seeing a band that I have seen before and am quite familiar with – Mister F. It’s roughly Mile 20 of this marathon and I hit a smooth flat stretch this evening with excellent new music from ELM and Mister F’s themed ‘White Lightning’ show.

    mister f ELMThe idea for the show was hatched in the van while Mister F thought of a theme for their first hometown show since February. Keyboardist Scott Hannay explained that the theme for the show arose from band members tossing out colors and words to see what would stick to develop a theme for the evening, and based on the propensity of songs with ‘white’ and ‘lightning’ in the band name or song title, ‘White Lightning’ turned the show into a unique event. The band even wore white shirts and had pictures of Whitey Ford, Barry White, Vanna White, White Chicks (the movie), Betty White, Jaleel White and the White Power Ranger around the venue, but alas, no Golden Girls theme song teases. (A complaint has been lodged with management.)

    Opening the night was ELM (Electric Love Machine) from Baltimore, an electro-jam band with truly impressive drumming from Steve Gorsuch who lead the way for the one of the best discoveries of the week. How has ELM skirted the radar thus far? This is beyond the formulaic jamband I have grown accustomed to seeing and one with intense potential. A cover of “When the Levee Breaks” was an extended highlight that rolled into a well crafted jam, followed by Scott Hannay sitting in with ELM on “Dance Floor Politics.” This was ELM’s second trip to Albany and a must see at any festival this summer.

    Mister F’s ‘White Lightning’ set began with “Lightning Strikes” with a clean segue into original “On and On”. The first real treat of the night was a mashup of “Everything You Say” and The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”, a true test of playing one song while singing another, then switching those two up without missing a beat. I guessed early that “White Room” would be included in the show simply because of the familiarity and general excellence of the song, and was rewarded with a fantastic version that hopefully isn’t the only performance for the band. Hannay’s vocals and Andrew Chamberlaine’s guitar didn’t copy the original – they made it their own, which gets far more mileage than a straight cover of a song. I did not expect “White Wedding” to work into the setlist, but given that fans and band alike were wearing white clothing, it was a perfect fit. An encore of “Octo-Puss-E” by Rock Candy Funk Party ended the night around 2am and a well planned and received theme show from Mister F.

    Setlist: Lightning Strikes* > On and On, Don’t Lose Your Watch, Everything You Say/Seven Nation Army^ mashup, ‘New Song’, The Machine, Keep Your Pimp Hand Strong& > Hedgehog, Answer the Dog, Oasis > White Pickle# > Oasis > White Pickle > Oasis > White Room@, Inside, Vocoder, White Wedding$ > Unisex Collider, White Lightning§ > Greased Lightning¶ > This One Goes to 11µ
    E: Octopus-E
    * first time played, Cypress Hill, intro only
    ^ first time played, The White Stripes/Mister F song mashup
    & first time played, Consider the Source, intro only
    # first time played, Umphrey’s McGee, unfinished
    @ first time played, Cream
    $ first time played, Billy Idol, unfinished
    § first time played, George Jones
    ¶ first time played, Grease
    µ w/First Tube (Phish) and Gone Gone Gone (The New Deal) teases

    Next up: The musical equivalent of Heartbreak Hill. Why see one show when I can see three? Tulip Fest this afternoon in Washington Part, followed by Dark Matter, Adhara, Volumes and Crown the Empire at Upstate Concert Hall, and finally Kopecky at The Hollow.

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 5: Hal Ketchum at The Egg

    During a week of seeing music both new and old, I opted for something Ole, specifically Grand Ole Opry member Hal Ketchum, performing at the Lewis A. Swyer Theater at The Egg Performing Arts Center. Not being too deep into country music (short of Johnny Cash and his peers) Hal Ketchum is a new name to me, but the voice was familiar from the few songs I listened to beforehand, retaining a Warren Haynes solo quality to his seated performance.

    hal ketchum the egg
    Hal Ketchum – The Egg

    Forget the pop country that has ruined the genre for the past 20 years – this was the real deal, with a Texas twang from a local boy – Ketchum grew up in Greenwich, NY, a short drive north from Albany. The mighty fine Kenny Grimes accompanied Ketchum and provided the lead for a variety of old-country tunes. “The Continental” was a hilarious song based on the “Saturday Night Live” skit featuring Christopher Walken, explained by Ketchum with a story before the song, as he did nearly all songs this evening.

    The Continental – Hal Ketchum @theeggpac #country #snl #musicmarathon #nysmusic =yourmoneyisonthedresser

    A video posted by pete mason (@phanart) on

    This was soft country at its finest, but at times the tempo picked up to a good foot tapping and head bobbing and that was the only workout the audience was getting tonight. “Small Town Saturday Night” was one of these songs, a pure American song through and through, full of twang and Mellencamp lyrics and guitar. Meanwhile a chatty crowd began to throw song titles out to him left and right, and while his setlist addressed some of these requests he was clearly growing frustrated, chiding the crowd with “What am I, a jukebox?” He shook his head and an audience member said “Play what you want!” with a bit of applause in favor. “Chickadee” was dedicated to his five grandchildren, and “Mama Knows the Highway” was played despite not being practiced, but came off perfect. Hal said afterwards, “Good country music will never steer you wrong.”

    hal ketchum egg
    Hal Ketchum – The Egg

    The encore, “Trail of Tears” was a sad song to end the night on, but Hal wasn’t looking to go out on a high note. He had played a wide range of songs and appeased some of the audience’s requests while giving a long-awaited performance at The Egg.

    With the show at The Egg ending by 9:15 PM, I made my way down to Parish Public House to catch Dangermuffin, a South Carolina jamgrass band that I have waited a long time to see. Local band Hawbuckees opened the quiet night on Broadway, while Dangermuffin gave a set alternating between covers and originals with mild bluegrass and reggae jamming throughout. Nothing too adventurous, Dangermuffin worked through “Quinn the Eskimo”, “Franklin’s Tower”, Seal’s “Crazy” and a combo of Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line>Iko Iko”, all of which had good jams in the outros. What was most surprising was the lack of a bass guitar, but you would never know it due to guitarist Dan Lotti doing something to produce the bass sound, something you have to see live to believe. An acoustic set in front of the stage with upright bass and acoustic guitars featured the original “Banjo Love” followed by the bluegrass staple “Midnight Moonlight”. Dangermuffin was a perfect musical compliment to Hal Ketchum and drew Day five of this Music Marathon to a close.

    Next up: Mister F with ELM at The Hollow

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 4: Masters of Nostaglia in Saratoga Springs

    1. Halfway through this week-long Music Marathon, I opted to stay local and see Masters of Nostalgia at One Caroline Street at the suggestion of bassist Tony Markellis, who was sitting in with the group this evening. Set up in a semi-formal dining restaurant that hosts live music nightly, One Caroline Street Bistro provides great music, ambiance and fantastic gumbo that paired well with a smooth Malbec.

    Masters of nostalgiaAnd the music was as local as you can get, with area musicians Dave Pedinotti (guitar, harmonica), Andy Hearn (drums) and skillful session guitarist James Gascoyne joined by bassist Tony Markellis (Trey Anastasio Band). The bass and drums combo made their presence known in each song, not relegated to the background and stood out to keep a solid beat going while Dave led the group through a smattering of covers – some well-known and some not so well-known – with Pedinotti’s soulful voice accompanied by his great harmonica playing.

    The set included “House of the Rising Sun”, “Into the Mystic”, “Ain’t no Sunshine”, “Born on the Bayou”, Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Get Back”, “Take it Easy”, “Free Fallin”, “Wild Nights” and two stand out highlights of the night – John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” and Merle Travis’ “Nine Pound Hammer”. The selections played were all surefire hits and drew a crowd in over the course of the evening. As the audience got lubricated over the course of the night, they began to dance and take up space on the dance floor, which was my cue to head back to Albany, full of delicious gumbo and experiencing a fresh venue for live music.

    Next up: Grand Ole Opry legend Hal Ketchum at The Egg

  • Phish to Release Amsterdam 97 Box Set

    Much like World War veteran grandfathers in the 1940s, Phish completed two tours of Europe in 1997, including three shows at the famed Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The three shows from February 17, July 1 and July 2, 1997, will be featured in an 8-disc box set to be released in June through JEMP Records.

    Amazon notes on the show include: An all new 8-CD Box Set from Phish’s infrequent European shows. Full shows from 2/17/97, 7/1/97 and 7/2/97 at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. On February 17, 1997 Phish first played Paradiso, a converted former church turned rock-club/cultural center with a capacity of about 1500. Over the next four months, Phish logged three breakthrough shows at this historic venue where the intimate setting pushed the music to new heights again and again. From the Soul Shakedown party opener and fluid, psychedelic improvisation-clinic-of-a-set II (Down With Disease > Carini > Taste > Down With Disease) on 2/17/97 to the “back of the worm” Ghost opener, Reba and another peak transcendent Set II [Fish Keyboard Jam > Timber (Jerry) > Bathtub Gin > Cities] on 7/1/97 through the Mike’s Groove Sandwich and must-hear Stash > Llama > Wormtown Jam plus the double encore of 7/2/97, these three shows spread over 8 CD’s comprise some of the most experimental music Phish ever played. The three shows on the Amsterdam box, the only Phish shows to-date at Paradiso, combine to deliver the full impact of a shared peak experience in an exotic locale seamlessly integrated and sizzling with creative intensity. The shows were recorded by Paul Languedoc to multitrack tape, mixed by Jon Altschiller and mastered by Fred Kevorkian. Pick up this set and prepare for transport to the canals of Amsterdam…to the back of the worm.

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 3: Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless and Starset at The Palace

    Working into Day 3 of this Music Marathon, I found myself once again seeing music I was unfamiliar with and had little knowledge of beforehand so I had no expectations. The only thing that made tonight’s show different was the venue – The Palace Theatre, where I would see a vastly different crowd take in the great music Albany has to offer compared to the usual shows I attended, with a lineup of Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless And Starset.

    Halestorm The Pretty RecklessUnfortunately, I walked into this show with Nickelback on my mind, but only for the most hilarious reasons. Starset snapped me out of it with symphonic sounds brought about by lead singer/keyboardist Dustin Bates, who spoke to me later citing Hans Zimmer, Nine Inch Nails and Sigur Ros as influences on their sound. I was impressed, and reminded of Stabbing Westward amid the intensity of the show. The band wore light up masks which added depth to the pageantry, capped off by mentioning the “Starset Society”, a latter day KISS Army or nonpoint Nation. The concept of a band-driven community instead of a community-driven band intrigues me – its the opposite of what I’m used to, but if it keeps the fan base strong, go for it.

    The audience for the three bands was such a mix of rock fans, young and old, kids with parents and parents without kids. I knew nothing about these bands but couldn’t help but remark on the diversity of the crowd, the metal heads and rock stars lightly thrashing to the music throughout the night. It was a nice break from the usual for me and The Pretty Reckless were the stand out set of the night. With a “For Whom the Bell Tolls” intro followed by sounds of a woman moaning, this female fronted band was heavy, but not metal. Taylor Momsen has great stage presence and an incredible voice, while drummer Jamie Perkins looks like Mick Foley. They have a good ‘rock god’ motif down, and has an edge of Pantera influence to the music, especially on “Going to Hell.” Overall I found The Pretty Reckless to be like Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, but from the wrong side of the tracks, and by wrong I mean the hard rocking side. They were great.

    Halestorm, fronted by Lzzy Hale made this night into a rarity – two female-fronted rock bands, and I could only count four off the top of my head upon Halestorm taking the stage (Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Hole, L7). Encouraging fans to raise their devil horns high, I heard Whitesnake through the guitar work of Joe Hottinger and an altogether more polished sound than The Pretty Reckless.

    The set seemed to mellow about halfway through – the first seven or eight songs were straight fire, but the drum solo and all that followed were underwhelming. They could have thrown in a Def Leppard cover or something – the lack of covers this night surprised me greatly – but instead it was all originals. “Apocalyptic” was pretty solid, and the three encores were good and catchy, especially “Like a Reckoning”, but it was pushing on soft rock at that point. To cap the night, the band had the crowd serenade bassist Josh with “Happy Birthday” while toasting shots of Jagermeister. Halestorm is solid and has a rightful following, but I’m thinking that The Pretty Reckless could lap them in a few years time, with Starset showing strong potential if the fans can dig it.

    Next up for Seven Day Music Marathon: I head to Saratoga Springs for Dave Pedinotti and the Masters of Nostalgia at One Caroline Street.

  • Arlo Guthrie to Perform in Lake George this August

    Famed folk musician Arlo Guthrie will perform this summer at the new Festival Space at Charles R. Wood Park in Lake George on Sunday, August 23.

    Guthrie, best known for “Alice’s Restaurant” and his 1969 Woodstock performance, plays the Capital Region on a semi-regular basis, last performing at Bardovan Opera House in Poughkeepsie.

    The currently under construction venue holds 3,000 people and is located on the site of the former Gaslight Village. The park is expected to be open by the beginning of the summer. Tickets for Arlo Guthrie’s performance are now available online.

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 2: Knuckle Puck, Firestarter and more at Bogies

    I don’t go to Bogies often, because that was the high school/early college venue for me, with few bands sparking my interest to bring me to Albany’s famed dive venue; Nietzsche’s, eat your heart out.

    I found out about this show through Jambase and was surprised to learn the only band listed on the lineup, Firestarter, was not the headliner. In fact there were three bands that played prior to Firestarter – Broken Field Runner (Albany), Coldfront (Canada) and Routine (Albany, playing their first ever show), all who had 20 minute sets. Knuckle Puck, out of Chicago and drawing the majority of the crowd, headlined the night.

    Firestarter is an Albany based band with influences from Blink 182, New Found Glory, Silverstein and Starting Line. I was thrown back to the late ’90s and my pre-jamband heyday with the influences ringing loud and clear, and it was alright. Matt Bliss, Firestarter’s lead guitar/vocalist spoke to me about the two year old band, who have done four cross-country tours and four regional tours, generating solid fanbases in pockets around the country, as well as a few Warped Tour shows. For a band this young and with an audience that is flocking to shows and singing every word, their potential is limitless. A new EP, A Life Inconsistent, is due out this summer.

    Firestarter at Bogies. All I hear is Blink 182 #musicmarathon #nysmusic

    A video posted by pete mason (@phanart) on

    Knuckle Puck, a great rock n roll band name if there ever was one, had a similar sound to Firestarter, but their audience was not just singing/shouting every single word of every single song alongside the band, they were more raucous and lively than before. Crowd-surfing and moshing was the norm for most of the night, just without the flying fists. Being Star Wars night (May the Fourth be with you), the crowd also had lightsabers worked into their fist-pumping action. The dudes in the front row were singing the words right into the face of the lead singer, pushing ever closer towards the lip of the stage, with surfers falling into the pit. I still don’t get moshing, but the crowd was welcoming and full of energy all night.

    .@knucklepuckil at Bogies #maythefourthbewithyou #punk #blink182 #moshing #nysmusic #musicmarathon

    A video posted by pete mason (@phanart) on

    The band has a vast following and an intense crowd at that, and while Knuckle Puck is far from my usual listening, it was a treat to see a thriving fan base for a completely different genre pack 200 people into Bogies, one of the last four shows at the venue, which is closing on May 31.

    Next up in this Music Marathon: Halestorm and Pretty Reckless at the Palace Theatre.

  • Strawberries & Song, Live on the Lawn at Judson Meadows in Glenville

    Strawberries and Song, with music on the last Tuesday of each month this summer, is a new music series coming to Glenville, NY, outside of Schenectady. Events are held at Judson Meadows Assisted Living home from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., with vendors onsite for each show.

    The lineup:

    Tuesday, June 30th — The Nellies (Bluegrass/Alt Country Night)
    Tuesday, July 28th — The Hot Club of Saratoga (Jazz Night)
    Tuesday, August 25th — The Tichy Boys (Oldies Rock & Roll Night) feat. John Tichy of Commander Cody

  • Seven Day Music Marathon, Day 1: Black Mountain Symphony

    Throughout this week, I’ll be seeing one show a night in the Albany area, aiming for seven shows in seven days. Here is Night one of a marathon week of music.

    Black Mountain SymphonyStarting the night at The Low Beat was Dylan Jane, a singer/songwriter with Liz Phair lyrics and a slightly raspy voice. She brought up a mandolin and fiddle player for her last three songs which were the strongest of the night – the mix of string instruments and Dylan’s voice are a natural combination. Looking forward to seeing her down the road.

    Cobblestone, a folk/Americana band with a touch of Lumineers worked in, picked up the energy with a dialed back version of Bob Dylan and Old Crowe Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” and a great cover of “Uptown Funk.”

    Black Mountain Symphony, a six-piece folk group with a strong jam edge were consistent and had crazy energy in a Railroad Earth style. The songs built up in tempo with a Appalachian/Hackensaw Boys vibe, including a very danceable version of “Rhiannon” and a big closer with the original “We the People,” off their recently released album. All together, a lively start to a week of music.

  • Buffalo Philharmonic and more to Perform Grateful Dead at Artpark

    On July 12 at Artpark in Lewiston, NY to celebrate 50 Years of the Grateful Dead, The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the music of the Grateful Dead, including performances by bands Crazy Fingers, The Grass is Dead, The Maniacs, Hayden Fogle and the Ambassadors, The Growlers Blues Band, and Savannah and the Kings. Food, drink and memorabilia will be available for sale.

    Tickets are $12 for the all day affair, with VIP passes $39.