Category: Features

Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for New York State Festivals

Nothing compares to experiencing live music. But when it comes to packing up and leaving the world behind to immerse in a weekend of musical debauchery with a community of like-minded souls, well, that’s the stuff that dreams are made of for music festival fans.

From one-band to multi-artist events and crowd sizes from 2,000 to 50,000, New York State hosts a bevy of festivals annually in some of the most beautiful settings imaginable, and let’s face it, our state knows how to throw a proper fest, as it is ingrained in New York’s rich musical history having put on one of the biggest rock festivals of all time, Woodstock. Here we’ve rounded up our favorites from NYS Music 2015, so sit back, relax and relive some of the festival magic that happened throughout the Empire State this year, because we all know what it’s like to experience those post-fest blues.

Best Small Festival: Buffalove and Disc Jam

The third installment of Buffalove Music Festival saw a venue change from Cole Farm, Panama, NY, to North Fork Music Park, Warsaw, NY, with the new location offering four stages, a private beach, disc golf and wooded-area camping, and a record attendance that doubled previous years. With an impressive lineup including Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Funktional Flow, Particle, Formula 5, Mister F, Space Junk, Dopapod, Aqueous and Aquapod, the three-day June 2015 festival created to celebrate Western New York’s emerging music scene was one for the books, according to Jen Foster and Thomas Sgroi:

Buffalove came through. Co-founder of Buffalive Productions and Founder of Buffalove Cody Conway clearly had one goal in mind: keep the energy as high as possible. Every single band had heads turning and jaws on the ground. There was never a lull, never a band that just played to fill space. Every minute was dance-worthy. If you missed out this year, we can highly recommend you don’t make that mistake next year. Without any problems or unruly attendees, this festival made its mark at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw, NY. The amount of talent coming out of Upstate New York is only paving the road for more incredible shows. Buffalove, you certainly were lovely.”

Another summer fest that saw a venue change was the fifth annual Disc Jam Music Festival, which moved from Massachusetts to New York State—and promoters recently announced that the event will return to Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown for its sixth year in June. Throughout four days of music, camping, disc golf and Flow Tribe, festivalgoers experienced live performances from more than 50 acts, including Lettuce, Electron, Dopapod, Aqueous, Brightside, Kung Fu, Consider the Source, Cabinet, Soule Monde, Roots of Creation, Formula 5, The Hornitz, Soul Rebel Project, Broccoli Samurai, Krewe de Groove and Relative Souls. According to Dave DeCrescente, the festival’s last day culminated with a “healthy dose of guest sit-ins” with jamband Twiddle, noting that:

One of the highlights of the set was the massive guest sit in with DJ Honeycomb, James Woods, and Joe Davis from Formula 5, Scott Hannay of Mister F and Todd Stoops for the ultimate mega jam on “Apples.” The Disc Jam Flow Tribe was out in full force with fire spinners and hooping entertainers that were almost as mesmerizing as the music. The weekend ended just as it started, with mind blowing music and a close knit community who continue to make the Disc Jam Festival special. Tony Scavone and crew did a suburb job of organizing the 5th annual Disc Jam with a new location but still the same friendly, loving festival experience that keeps fans coming back each year.”

Best Mid-Size Festival: Catskill Chill

While Catskill Chill is speculated to make a move to Lake George in 2016, the festival’s last waltz at bucolic Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY, this September was a success, selling 5,000 tickets, according to Chill promoter Dave Marzollo. Headlined by moe. who kicked off their fall tour at the festival and including other bands like Lotus, Zappa Plays Zappa, Lettuce, Twiddle, Turkuaz, Dopakuaz plays Studio 54 and The Motet, the sixth annual installment of Catskill Chill featured on-site cabin rentals, daily yoga, live art, a farmer’s market, craft and food vendors, a communal bonfire nightly and an open mic. The three-day event was packed with guest sit-ins and collaborations like Dopapod and Turkuaz joining forces to play as Dopakuaz, which Chill organizer Josh Cohen noted is the type of community mindset that sets this festival apart from others its size or larger by creating an environment where rising bands can experiment and grow in a unique setting:

Point is that when comparing us to larger festivals, we’re at this cool stage attendance-wise where in many band’s cases we have the best ‘music’ out there in our prime slots. I love tons of bands who’ve been around since the ’90s or earlier but there’s nothing like seeing musicians in their youthful stages, when creativity is just exploding and you can feel it dripping off the stage as opposed to later-in-their career bands who are playing mostly songs they first wrote and fell in love with decades earlier.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R6Uk03HW9k&feature=youtu.be

Best Large Festival: Magnaball

It’s no surprise that Magnaball takes the cake for this category. During late August more than 30,000 phans invaded Watkins Glen International race track for Phish Festival 10. And while the three-day event took place at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival, this time around the setup featured many upgrades, including local and regional food vendors, the five-course restaurant Festival Ate, MagnaWater Program, speciality Phish-themed cocktails and coveted craft beer from Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Hill Farmstead. (And let’s not forget to mention the interactive Glurt Institute, Drive-In movie theater, JEMP Record Store and cornhole tournament.) The Vermont quartet majorly delivered throughout the weekend’s eight sets busting out rare tunes like “Mock Song” and jamming out typical breather ballads such as “Prince Caspian” to uncharted territory, but perhaps one of the highlights was the Saturday festival tradition of performing a late-night set, which according to Pete Mason raised expectations for future secret sets:

Magnaball’s foray into the history of Phish’s special festival sets was the Drive-In Jam and it raised the bar while putting forth a performance on par with the ‘Storage Jam,’ if not exceeded this established upper echelon of improvisation. On a 183-foot movie screen, a wide array of visual treats combined with a progressively growing ambient jam that eclipsed the Lemonwheel by a longshot and morphed into a full on jam for 50 minutes. The Drive-In Set raised the bar for surprise performances and gave fans a treat after the music on the main stage ended an hour prior.”

December 23, 2015
Local Limelight: Let’s be Leonard is the new ‘It Girl’ of Saratoga Springs

If you aren’t from the Capital Region of New York, there’s a good chance you’re missing out on a little gem called Let’s Be Leonard, a five piece rock, jazz, fusion from Saratoga Springs. Hell, even if you live in Albany there’s a chance they’ve slipped under your radar as they’ve only officially formed in March 2015. This was the case for me, although I’m not sure how this happened given their surge in popularity in the spa city and rapidly growing fan base. They have even played Albany street fests Pearlpalooza and Lark Fest.

Regardless of my own lack of exposure, I recently wised up and sat down to listen to their debut album, Cow, just released on November 29. The album is really quite enjoyable, with a few mellow and romantic tunes sprinkled among a largely high energy and up-beat selection of original songs.

According to guitarist Karl Bertrand, he and Matt Griffin, also on guitar, met saxophonist Connor Dunn at Schenectady County Community College just last year. They added drummer Paul Guay and bassist Chris Cronin in March to complete their ensemble. While the album provides a chance for all members to shine to different degrees, it is Dunn whose impressive and smooth notes serve as the lead in most songs.

The strongest tracks on the album include “Rocky Road,” and “Kindergarten Blues,” which, not surprisingly, blend rock and blues. “Young Sprite” is blues heavy with velvet smooth layers of jazz. Listeners are sure to find themselves wrapped up in the groove with a good head bob – the universal body language for “I’m digging this!” The young band has gone beyond having just potential, they sound like the real thing.

Another sign of Let’s Be Leonard’s sudden, yet warranted, rise in popularity is their inclusion on upcoming bills with other local and better known favorites. They’re scheduled to open for Mister F on December 26, and for Wild Adriatic on New Year’s Eve. Both shows are at Grizzly’s Bar and Kitchen, just over the border in Stratton, Vermont. They’re also opening for Lucid at the Putnam Den on January 1. But for the hard evidence, check them out on their own turf at Café Lena in Saratoga Springs on December 22. Based on both rumors and, now, my own listening experience, I would bet it will be one of many packed shows to come.

Check out their Facebook page for information, music, photos and more

Erin Clary: What or who inspires your music?
Karl Bertrand: We definitely draw influences from the Grateful Dead and Dave Matthews Band in terms of song form and arrangement, we also are influenced a good deal by use of jazz harmony from a variety of artists.

EC: What is the ultimate goal of “Let’s Be Leonard?”
KB: To throw a killer show on the Moon.

EC: How did LBL come to be?
KB: Our three founding members, Karl Bertrand, Matt Griffin, and Connor Dunn met while studying music at Schenectady County Community College close to two years ago and we met our current bassist, Chris Cronin, and drummer, Paul Guay, through the Saratoga/Glens Falls music scene in Winter/Spring of this past year

EC: How old are you guys?
KB: We range in ages 21-23

EC: Is there a theme to your debut album, Cow?
KB: We’d probably have to say the theme to Cow is kind of like a day in the life of a kindergartner. A lot of the songs are generated by feelings you have at the best time in your life: childhood.

EC: Do you play all originals at your shows?
KB: We do play mostly originals, we do a number of Dead covers though and a few others as well.

EC: Where does the name “Let’s Be Leonard” come from?
KB: The name comes from a couple of our members having a convo about possible band names, someone said “let’s be ‘Leonard’” as in just Leonard and someone realized “Let’s Be Leonard” had a pretty little ring to it.

December 22, 2015
Hearing Aide: Gary Clark Jr. “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim”

In his recently released sophomore studio album, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, Texas blues man Gary Clark, Jr. shows the world the true extent of his versatility. With a mix of blues, funk, and soul, Clark proves, more than we’ve seen from him so far, his ability to produce a multifaceted sound.

The album’s second single, “Grinder,” prominently features screaming guitar solos wrought with a Hendrix influence. On the other hand, “Star” and “Cold Blooded” dial back on the licks and show off a funk-soul combo reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield. Clark brings “Church” in a direction we’ve had yet to see from him: Clark, his guitar, and his harmonica combine to create a beautifully written acoustic track with just the right mix of gospel and soul.

Clark has always shown a natural ability to mix modern soul themes in with more traditional blues themes, but perfects this ability in The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. For example, “Wings” and “Can’t Sleep” contain lyrics appealing to the listener interested in a more modern “party” sound, a la John Legend, but also incorporate classic funk and blues guitar.

The Story of Sonny Boy Slim is an album that can be enjoyed by young and old due to its masterful fusion of classic blues with neo-soul. In addition to the fact that Clark produced the album, true music lovers can appreciate that he also played many of the instruments. As the album is surely his best studio work so far, fans can look forward to a very bright future for Gary Clark, Jr.

Key Tracks: Grinder, Church, Cold Blooded

December 22, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Best Venues in New York State

Most bands and performers have goals to play their music, record albums, have fun, and entertain thousands of fans in the largest of venues that host our favorite bands. It takes years of dedication, hard work, and constant creativity to pursue these dreams and goals. For almost every performer, they have to start their careers in the smaller clubs and work their way to the large venues. Here we have our Top NYS Music Staff Picks for the Best venues in New York State for 2015.

Best Club in New York State – Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, NY)

This bowling alley and live-music venue fully embraces the bowl-a-rama theme park idea. This is a great place to kill a few hours by your-self or with a group of friends. You can down a pitcher of Brooklyn Brews, chew your way through the food menu from the Blue Ribbon team (delicious fatty brisket, Old Bay–fried chicken) lane-side between frames, while listening to/watching some the best music from around the world on their music stage. This establishment is also certified L.E.E.D Green with use of 100% wind energy, all beverages being on-tap only (No cans and bottles), cork and recycled truck tire flooring, and energy efficient electronics and appliances. There’s no wonder why this was voted the best club.

“Basically, Brooklyn Bowl is the Pimp My Ride of music venues. It has a 16-lane bowling alley with big-ass HD TV screens situated above the pins. “Rock. And Roll. Fries” and the “Really Sloppy Joe” are on the Blue Ribbon-supplied menu. And they book wonderfully odd and unexpected novelty shows such as Lebowski Fest, the Regional Air Guitar Championships, and Snoop Dogg. Most of the time, however, the Bowl brings out the latest in indie rock, punctuated by seasonal specialties like Questlove’s weekly DJ residency. Their couches are really comfortable, too.” – The Village Voice

Best Theatre in New York State – Palace Theatre (Albany, NY)

The top pick by our staff for best theatre turned out to be a good one. The Palace Performing Arts Center is a Baroque-style theater dating to 1931 hosts concerts, classic movies & the Albany Symphony Orchestra. This theatre is a favorite among many bands and performers visiting the capital region with its 2,800 person capacity, beautifully carved moldings, and painted ceilings. It holds events that spawn from broadways the Nutcracker to celebrating New Years Eve with the progressive jam-band Moe. The theater has also been profiting tremendously for the last 4 years straight since under new management.

Best Arena/Amphitheater in New York State – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Springs, NY)

With a close race in this category, SPAC came out on top for our staff pick of the best large venue in New York State. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a complex with a large Amphitheatre and smaller theatre that hosts every single kind of music known from around the world and also hosts banquets and events for local high schools and companies. This year of 2016, SPAC is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is also up for its contract renewal with New York State.

Best NEW Venue in New York State – Lakeview Amphitheater & Funk ‘N’ Waffles Downtown (Syracuse, NY)

Tied for Top Pick of the best NEW venue in New York State by our staff are two venues located in Syracuse, NY. The Lakeview Amphitheater was built this year and opened to the public in late summer, hosting one of Country music’s biggest stars, Miranda Lambert. The all-new state of the art venue seats over 17,000 people and has a picturesque view of Onondaga Lake.

Funk ‘N’ Waffles Downtown was established in late 2014 and is located near Armory Square in downtown Syracuse. The 2^nd location is an offshoot of the original restaurant-slash-club located on Marshall St, near the University. The downtown spot is set up to hold 100+ people and divided into two sections (Coffee shop and Bar with live music). They serve a wonderful selection of local and popular NYS beers, have state of the art technology for their visiting musicians, and have an original tasty concoction of waffles to choose from. NYS Music is also co-sponsoring Wednesday Nights with live music every week in December.

December 22, 2015
Hearing Aide: Alison and Zoë ‘Home Is…’

Sister songwriters Alison and Zoë have assembled a handful of heartfelt folk songs for their debut Ep Home Is… The five song collection released Aug. 19, exudes a nostalgic sentimentality fit to be wrapped in brown paper and tenderly tied together with twine. Their music is less about perfecting instrumentation or inventing a new sound, instead focusing on shaping a familiarity and sharing honest, human stories to connect with listeners. The album was recorded, mixed, & mastered by Jeremy Johnson at Subcat Studios. Ryan B. Curtis cultivated the design and layout of the album cover and CD art, using a photo provided by Elisha Stasko.

Alison and Zoë’s songs act as melodic vehicles, taking the listener on a journey of relatable experience. As is often the case with traditional folk music, various elemental strands are weaved into their lyrics, rooted in the sisters’ adventures or borrowed from other folk songs gathered during their travels through Ireland and Great Britain. The album is an audible patchwork quilt of memories.

“Following That Star” showcases Alison’s rich, sturdy voice with support from Zoë’s delicate harmonizations, accompanied by simple guitar picking. Alison sings: “Our father’s mother said one day she’d get discovered/ And you know they say she sang just like me/ But she crossed to the other side and so she passed it down the line/ Now generations live vicariously through me.” The song centers on the theme of following a star, where the star could be a metaphor for a life path or the intuition to help guide someone down a particular life path. This metaphor would ring true for Alison and Zoë, whose song writing has become an intimately important foothold grounding them to their own individual yet entwined life paths.

The title track “Home Is…” begins with a straightforward guitar rhythm before both sisters chime in. They harmonize about singing together on a train, adding a meta layer to a song seeking to interpret the concept of home. Their lyrics suggest home not as a structural entity, but rather a feeling that can manifest through engaging with others, even in faraway landscapes. “This Song I Wrote” offers the notion of music as a healing mechanism. Alison and Zoë sing in unison: “I saved my marriage with this song I wrote/ I plucked the words out of my chest and I said darlin’ that’s the best I can do for you/ Then we got drunk on honesty and we fell back towards each other/ Remembering all the ways we fell in love in the first place.” The tender lyrics dance through a spectrum of emotions, intimately touching on feelings of love and heartache so accessibly that any listener can identify in some way.

Key Tracks: Following That Star, Home Is…, This Song I Wrote

December 21, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Best Shows by Region

A lot of great shows and festivals took place around New York over the course of 2015, from big festivals to small club shows and everything in between. The team at NYS Music loves live music. You can always catch us out and about at live music happenings. Here are what we considered the best concerts of 2015, sorted by region of the state.

Best Show in Western New York: Aqueous Halloween
When Aqueous announced they were going to pay tribute to “Dark Side of Oz,” the legendary mashup of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the cinematic classic The Wizard of Oz, their fans were pumped. However, this was a multi-night run, and it wouldn’t be fun without a theme for the first night. Back to the Future was chosen, and the band covered many of the hits off the soundtrack.

Best Show in Central New York: moe. at Saranac Brewery and K-Rockathon 20
Two anniversaries were celebrated in Central New York, and they brought the crowds and rave reviews. New York’s favorite jamband, moe., celebrated their 25 years in Utica at the FX Matt Brewery, home to Saranac beer. The multi-day celebration had a festival vibe with multiple bands performing each day. New York’s biggest rock radio station, K-Rock, celebrated their 20th annual K-Rockathon with headliners Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown.

Best Show in the Capital District: Dead & Company at Times Union Center
2015 was a big year for the music of the Grateful Dead. The much anticipated Fare Thee Well shows in Santa Clara, California and Chicago celebrated the 50th anniversary of the originators of the jam scene. Following the shows, billed as the last shows the remaining four members would play together, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann announced they would go on tour as Dead & Company with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. They kicked off their fall tour at Albany’s Times Union Center.

Best Show in the North Country: The Waterhole’s final show with EMEFE
The Waterhole, a mainstay in Saranac Lake, shut its doors after over 20 years of providing live music to the residents of the North Country. The venue will be missed by many. EMEFE played on the last night, dedicating the song “Good Future” to the Waterhole staff.

Best Show in the Mid-Hudson: Twiddle at the Rock n Roll Resort
The Rock n Roll Resort festival is always a favorite. It takes the best parts of a music festival and brings them to a chic resort hotel. Rising stars from Vermont, Twiddle, took the resort by storm with their headlining set.

Twiddle – Rock N Roll Resort

Best Show in the Finger Lakes: Phish’s Magnaball
A lot can be written about Phish’s 10th festival. A lot has already been written about it. Tens of thousands of Phish fans returned to Watkins Glen International, the fabled NASCAR track that was home to 1973’s Summer Jam. Not one fan that attended Magnaball had negative comments. That should say it all.

Best Show in the Southern Tier: Rob Zombie at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena
Rob Zombie brought in the Halloween season with his nightmarish heavy metal show. Fans arrived dressed in costume for the show that was opened by Zombie’s drummer, DJ Ginger Fish. Chris Besaw had the opportunity to sit down and speak with guitarist John 5 before the show about his inspiration and favorite horror films.

Best Show in New York City
It’s difficult to pick just one or two shows in a city that has several amazing shows on a nightly basis. Here are some of what we thought were the best shows in New York City in 2015.

Ghost at Terminal 5
L7 at The Warsaw
Faith No More at Webster Hall
Vulfpeck at Brooklyn Bowl
Soulive’s Bowlive VI (and more here and here and here and here and here)

Best Show on Long Island: Biohazard, Sworn Enemy and Zire’s War at Revolution Music Hall
In a night of hardcore music that rocked Revolution Music Hall, Biohazard and Sworn Enemy co-headlined what was practically a homecoming for them. Life of Agony’s guitarist Joey Zampella started a new band, Zire’s War, that kicked things off.

December 21, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Albums, Overall

The past year has been a great year for music. In addition to the great albums released by New York artists, there have been some excellent albums released around the world. The NYS Music team picked their favorite albums of 2015. This is just a sampling of those albums.

Courtney Barnett released her critically acclaimed debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit back in March. The 27 year old Australian singer/songwriter has received nothing but praise. Will Hermes, reviewing it for NPR, says:

Barnett’s facility for wordplay and compressed narrative has more in common with great rappers than pop songwriters, and her debut is the best rock record I’ve heard this year. She’s a poet of panic attacks and short attention spans and the kind of heartbreak that always seems to be following right in your blind spot.

In his five-star review for The Guardian, Everett True writes “listening to most – if not all – of Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is a richly rewarding experience, one that increases with each listen.” Rolling Stone’s Jon Dolan gave the album 4.5 stars and said “wherever Barnett ends up, we’re going to want to go with her.”

Holly Bowling has been getting the attention of Phish fans around the nation with her solo piano covers of their repertoire, the most well-know of which being the “Tahoe Tweezer.” The release of her crowd-funded album, Distillation of a Dream, was much anticipated. Bringing a fresh look at the music of Phish, it’s no wonder everyone who gave it a listen fell instantly in love. The first disc of the double album offers her interpretation of studio tracks, while the second disc covers live jams as performed by Phish. Bowling “does justice to the variety of songs she chose for the album.” Reviewing the album, I wrote:

Overall, Distillation of a Dream is a solid, creative tribute to Phish. The album reflects the difference between studio Phish as heard on disc one, and live Phish as heard on disc two. Bowling’s musicality, experience and talent are in full display on this album. The creativity and effort put into the re-creation of these Phish songs and jams make for a fun and interesting listen.

Many great albums were released in 2015, and while we can’t review all of them, some other picks by our staff include Todd Rundgren’s Global, Trey Anastasio’s Paper Wheels, Fear Factory’s Genexus, Circles Around the Sun Interludes for the Dead and Faith No More’s Sol Invictus. From debut albums to comeback albums, 2015 had some great releases that are not to be missed!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKP98hDBJ8w&list=PLZnIUmBPJGRmDbnrtHd00eybNRXHLieC_[/embedyt]

December 20, 2015
Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Albums by New York Artists

The NYS Music team has voted and these are what we chose as the best albums released in 2015 by New York artists. Turkuaz’s Digitonium, Lettuce’s Crush and Consider the Source’s World War Trio Parts II & III each received multiple votes from the staff.

Turkuaz’s Digitonium is “the future of retro pop funk.” Turkuaz has been quite busy lately, having recently completed an extensive fall tour that spanned the continental U.S. Featuring great tracks like “Nightswimming,” “Percy Thrills the Moon Dog” and “Doktor Jazz,” the album is “the ideal listen for any pre-party or when you are just ready to share in the groove.”

From our review:

The 23 track album is a mature testament to the bands growing sound that continues to push the boundaries of funk with heavy ’80s influences. The album is full of instrumental segues of experimental melodies that set the stage for evolutionary funk tunes with classic, raw Turkuaz energy. Digitonium is built upon layers of exploratory themes, characters and repetitive lyrics that get the listener to pause, rewind and think outside the album.

The latest release from Lettuce, Crush, is the first album in three years from the seasoned funk band. Jeremiah Shea calls it their “most aggressive, ambitious, and funkiest album to date.” With highlights, such as “Phyllis,” “Trilogy” and “Pockets of Change,” this is a must-hear album.

From Shea’s album review:

If you’ve never had the opportunity to dive into some Lettuce head first, now might be a better time than ever. Crush is the convergence of road tested and polished material, musical exploration, deep pockets of groove, and a band that is simply on top of their game. With a discography full of hits, this album somehow stands above them all.

Sticking to the funk theme of the other albums is Consider the Source and their latest effort, World War Trio Parts II & III, the follow-up double album to last year’s World War Trio Part I. In reviewing the album, Shea says “If pop music is reading at an elementary level, World War Trio Part II + III, is at least a 400 level college course.” The Middle Eastern sci-fi psychedelic funk fusion trio has been quite active in recent years. This album was no small undertaking. Of its 20 tracks, “This Dubious Honor,” “Up to, But Not to Exceed… Whoa,” “I’ll fight for the Imp” and “You are Disappearing.”

Of the album, Shea says:

Never before though has the band done it this masterfully and with such vision. This isn’t just food for thought, but a feast, with such lush sonic depth that can’t simply be explored in one pass. This is music that commands focus in a time when fans are more flippant than ever. You could say the band is fighting a natural progression, but I applaud the effort and what they force a willing listener to listen to. The continuity between songs is beautifully orchestrated and only possible with an overall delivery being kept in perspective from the onset.

Among the many albums released by New York bands this year, others receiving additional accolades included Johnny Cummings’ Radiate, Misery Kills’ My Ugly Insides, ShwizZ’s My Good Side/My Bad Side, Sean Rowe’s Her Songs EP and Stellar Young’s Vessels. It’s been a good year for New York artists. These were just a sampling of all the great music released in 2015. Here’s to an even better 2016!

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OayMa_Qzfk[/embedyt]

December 19, 2015
Otis Live Debuts Two New Wild Adriatic Songs

Video of two unreleased Wild Adriatic songs were released today from Otis Live. The tracks, “The One” and “Cruel Lovin,” are from Wild Adriatic’s debut performance at Otis Mountain Get Down from this past September. Performed on September 11, 2015 (also drummer Mateo Vosganian’s birthday), this video is part of Otis Live’s new series of videos, directed and edited by George Watts and produced by Watts and Quillan George.

Since Otis Live started, they have sought to create a platform for artists to gain exposure. The fall of 2015 marked the beginning of bringing this goal to life in a digital realm, with bi-weekly releases of diverse live performances from on and off the mountain. An interview with Wild Adriatic here.

Otis Mountain Get Down is an independently & cooperatively produced festival in the heart of the Adirondacks in Elizabethtown, NY. Otis is an open, intimate and affordable festival, offering an eclectic and unique mix of artists and genres. Otis Mountain encourages new and meaningful interactions with art, music, the outdoors and each other, while embracing and supporting our local communities, music and culture. The festival is held each September and was named one of the “Top 5 Lesser Known (But Incredible) festivals for artists to play” in 2015 by Sonic Bids.

December 18, 2015
Formula 5 Ends Year in Troy: Mike McDonald’s Final Show

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy played host to a very special event this past Saturday for a band near and dear to the local music community. Nestled next to the Green Island Bridge on the riverfront, the famous barbecue joint’s back end was teeming with excitement as the Albany-based Formula 5 shuffled onstage for what would be their final performance of 2015. Perhaps more significantly, though, as the event’s poster artwork indicated, it was “Mike’s Farewell Show,” the last hoorah of keyboardist Mike McDonald with the band he helped start.

The band broke through the anticipatory bustle with the dark and searching prelude that introduced Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam.” The tune set the tone for the evening with a texture that was thick and blissful with melodious playing from guitarist Joe Davis. The music seamlessly morphed into the reggae-bounce and staccato hooks of “Coming Home.” Here the lyrical themes were appropriately reflective. With impressive precision in the rhythm section, the band jammed this one to an exuberant peak, McDonald banging passionately on the piano. A verse from the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” was subtly dropped in the transition to Phish’s “Sand.”

Tucker Callander joined the band onstage to contribute energetic fiddle playing, helping bring “Mister Elixir” to a frenzied peak. Next up founding bassist Bill Shattuck was brought onstage, reassembling the original Formula 5 lineup. Stepping outside of time, where past and future merge into the eternal now, Shattuck led the band through the deep funk of “3 Ring Circus,” which gave way to a jam featuring F5’s new keyboardist Matt Richards. The first set ended with a poignant “Floating,” again featuring Callander’s fiddle and McDonald slicing it up on synth.

The second set opened with a twofer of guest vocals. First Brian LaPoint provided an authentic delivery of the Allman Brothers’ “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More.” Then Bill Shattuck was summoned back to the stage, where after professing his love for and gratitude to the band, he danced and shouted his way through an uproarious version of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.” A string of original songs was then triumphantly delivered. The rubbery but rhythmically exact style of James Woods’ bass playing supported and propelled the soaring jam on signature original “Hot Box.” Drummer Graig could be seen with eyes locked on any of his band mates, playing with nuance and finesse to bolster and compliment their contributions to the improv, or at times would play with eyes closed, engrossed in the tight aural soundscape F5 has increasingly mastered in recent years. Glittering guitar phrases from Davis scampered around in “The Clear,” and a “Little Drummer Boy” tease reminded the audience of the festive time of year despite unseasonably warm weather. The set culminated with a nod to the band’s full set of Phish covers performed at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que this past summer, this time uniting the crowd in celebration by debuting their version of “Run Like An Antelope.”

Mike’s Farewell Show was an even mix of Formula 5’s most memorable originals and heartfelt tributes to the band’s roots. Influence from Phish could be sensed in the texture and pacing of the group’s improvisations. Years of hard work were evident in the coherence of a band sounding tighter than ever. At one point departing keyboardist Mike McDonald took a moment to assure the crowd that “Formula 5 is going nowhere,” but not in that sense. Though the void at the end of the show was filled with chants of “Mike! Mike! Mike!” and McDonald will be moving on to life’s next adventure, Formula 5 demonstrated themselves to be a band with some staying power. Expect great things from this band in 2016 with keyboardist Matt Richards in the mix.

Setlist:
Set 1: Freeway Jam* -> Coming Home -> Sand# -> Coming Home, Mister Elixir+, 3 Ring Circus%, Floating+
Set 2: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More^, Sledgehammer@, Hot Box, The Clear -> Ride -> Run Like An Antelope#

*Jeff Beck cover
# Phish cover
+ feat Tucker Callander on violin
% feat Bill Shattuck on bass/vocals & Matt Richards on keys
@ feat. Bill Shattuck on vocals
^ Allman Brothers Band cover feat. Brian LaPoint on vocals

December 18, 2015