Category: Features

Celebrating the Kings of Blues with Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa has been playing guitar seemingly since the day he was born. In fact I first saw Joey B play when we were both prepubescent growing up in Upstate New York’s Mohawk Valley. Even then he had a natural knack for the blues. There is no real explanation for his innate emotional response to a genre so filled with passion, heartache, pureness, and an ability to make people both remember and forget the shit happening in their own world. Perhaps someone sold their soul at the Robert Johnson’s Crossroads to become the greatest blues guitarist of this generation and they were reincarnated in this young kid from “the city that God forgot.”

On this particular evening JB played tribute to the three Kings of the blues, Freddie, Albert, and B.B. Starting out with six Freddie King numbers including a Bonamassa favorites, “Going Down” and “See See Baby”.

It was a cool night and the amphitheater that was recently voted the #1 outdoor venue by USA Today was as full as I could have ever imagined for a blues performance with no openers. Though Joe Bonamassa is possibly one of the best marketing minds in the music industry and chose a Monday night in Saratoga, in August. For those that don’t know, August in Saratoga means track season, the thoroughbred horse track is a major attraction and Tuesdays the track is closed. Therefore Monday night IS the weekend night where people can let loose and sleep in the next day. Even though the show ended at 10pm, it was a smart move on the tour’s part.

After Freddie’s set, JB and company focused on Albert King, playing one of my favorites “Cadillac Assembly Line” and “Angel of Mercy” that was cause for a standing ovation of nearly every one of the 4000+ in attendance. After the ovation Joe took the time to introduce his band, and if you’ve ever been to one of his shows he always brings along an all-star cast. The SPAC show was no exception. Anton Fig was up on the kit, and has played with JB before. At least on one occasion in 2009, Eric Clapton joined Bonamassa and Fig onstage to sit in. The Saratoga crowd also had the pleasure of hearing the amazing Reese Wyans on the black and whites. Reese was recently inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame from his time with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. Mahalia Barnes was one of the three backup singers for the evening, and Syracuse locals, Paulie Cerra and Lee Thornberg were joined by Nick Lane to round out the horn section.

The night went from Albert King to B.B. King. Starting out with “Let the Good Times Roll” the over 50 crowd were dancing in the aisles, in their seats, or even up on the lawn in the light drizzling rain that cooled the air to make for a very comfortable night in August. Highlights of B.B.’s set were an Anton Fig solo, and Bonamassa’s incredible rendition of the black spiritual “Ole Time Religion”.

The night ended after two solid hours of inspired music with a three set encore of the Kings’ most notable tunes. Freddie’s “Hideaway”, Albert’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”, and B.B.’s version of the Roy Hawkins song, “The Thrill Is Gone”.

As people filed out to their cars to go home, there was that emotional aura in the air that only a live concert can conjure. People were smiling, couples were walking arm in arm, there was a little spring to the step of even the oldest fans. While the blues can be heartfelt and convey a message of hard times, it can also give people hope that tomorrow will be a better day. Bonamassa gave people a gift, a rare look at three legends, on his own path to become a legend in the blues community. Filling a venue as large as SPAC less than a year from playing Albany’s Palace Theater, a short distance away, shows the dedicated following Joe Bonamassa has amassed over the years. While Joe might not be a King of the blues, because honestly Joe King wouldn’t work, he is definitely a prince of the genre that he fell in love with over three decades ago.

August 12, 2015
A Chat With Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon, Part 1

As the CMAC Summer Concert Series continues, the remaining lineup proves to keep the momentum building for Central New Yorker’s to enjoy the best of the best this summer. This week’s featured band, REO Speedwagon, has proven to be one of the crowds favorites for many years, and personally they are my favorite. So please accept this disclaimer right up front that if you’re looking for an unbiased interview from this editor, this will not be one as it was almost impossible for me not to gush like a school girl as I spoke with Neal Doughty about the band, their careers and personal life. Yep, just call me Madden on this as I blatantly show my favoritism for this band. How can you not?

A southern Illinois gal myself, I feel a kindred connection with these guys as they began their careers only 114 miles north of my home town of Flora. While attending University of Illinois in Champaign, IL, Neal and classmate Alan Gratzer formed a band and after a few gigs on campus, found a strong following of fans. Traveling all over campus and the local region, it took REO Speedwagon (named after a flatbed truck built by Ranson E. Olds) no time at all to be recognized by the powers that be with a record deal. The rest? Well, I’ll let Neal fill you in.

Kathy Stockbridge (KS): Hi Neal, thank you so very much for agreeing to talk with us today at NYS Music. I have to say I’m a huge fan. I’ve been listening to you folks since eight-tracks were around. I can recall cruising Main Street on a Friday and Saturday night with the windows down blasting the music. Yep, I’m a diehard fan.

Neal Doughty (ND): Wow, you don’t sound old enough to be listening to eight-tracks.

KS: Already Neal, you are my favorite person!

ND: Well we are off to a great start then.

KS: When you guys started out, you started out in college. Talk to my readers that might not have been around as long as I have, about the experience of how you came together and formed REO Speedwagon.

ND: Well this band started off strictly for fun. The original four members back in the dormitory at the University of Illinois, well we were all engineering students; like scientific types, and totally planning on becoming some sort of engineers, as the University of Illinois is a very respected school for that. Across the hall from me in the dormitory happened to live a guy named Alan Gratzer. He was our first original drummer, and he and I became really good friends in the dorms. I had never even played in a band. He was in a little campus band that was just playing radio hits and I started following them around and became friends with them. Their keyboard player just wanted to stick with what they were doing but the other three guys wanted to explore some newer music coming out of the west coast, Europe, and England; so we just kinda started a new band with me playing keyboards instead of him. Really strictly for fun, playing on weekends, making enough money to buy doughnuts. And that original group was called REO Speedwagon. That’s the name of an old truck I had read about in engineer class. This was 1967, there was no MTV, there was no satellite radio, or video.

There were bands out in California like The Doors and Hendrix the people in the Midwest had not even heard of when we started doing their songs. Since we seemed to have more of an alternative set list and things that people hadn’t heard before, we quickly became the most popular band on campus and we got busier and busier until eventually we didn’t have time to go to class any more. The University of Illinois is not a place you can get away with that, it’s a tough school, so we just went with it. We thought, well we can always go back to school if this doesn’t work out. But slowly over a period of ten years we just got more and more serious about it until we woke up one day realizing this is what we did. We’re never going to become engineers, we’re just going to keep doing this. This was just totally an accident and the farthest thing of what I thought would happen in my career. Now here we are, almost 50 years later.

KS: It was meant to be. Were you from a musical background, and I read that you saved up to purchase your own keyboard and taught yourself how to play. Is that accurate?

ND: Yes, that is. My parents had a piano at home and my mom played it. Eventually it ended up in the basement. I started sneaking down there messing around on the thing. That’s about the time that The Beatles hit, and I would try to play their songs by ear on the piano, at my high school parties. I played it a lot at home but I never even thought it would be something I would do professionally. I had always been interested in some sort of entertainment. I looked at some colleges that had good theater departments, even some radio and television. So that was in the back of my head, but what at the time I was good at was engineering. I had a scholarship to the University of Illinois based on how well I scored on the scientific parts of the pre-college testing. I was pretty sure that’s what I was going to do. I probably would have really liked it as I still keep up with development with physics and science in general. But, this has worked out just fine.

KS: Yep, I’m pretty sure this was the path you were meant to take. I read that your first gig was at a fraternity house. Share with our readers about your first gig experience.

ND: We had been rehearsing in the dorm and one of the members that lived off campus had his own townhouse so we rehearsed there a lot. We just rehearsed all the time and we figured sooner or later we’re going to have to actually play a show and see what happens. So we put an ad in the campus newspaper with a picture of us saying ‘we’d love to play at your event, we’re a new band on campus’, so yeah, it was a fraternity party where the fraternity invited a sorority over for dinner, but the thing was the dinner was going to turn into a food fight that they had planned in advance. We got paid $40 and we set up on top of a bunch of tables that were shoved together. When we got there, there was brown wrapping paper on all of the walls. We wondered what that was about, and it turned out because of the food fight that the sorority did not know about.

KS: Oh, so you guys did not know about it either?

ND: No, we did not know about it. We were suspicious of why they had covered up all the walls with brown paper, but it was our first show ever and we were kinda excited actually. We were doing just fine then the big food fight broke out as we were finishing up and there was just food all over our stuff. Mashed potatoes in the drum hardware, and that’s not easy to get out. We kinda thought it was funny and actually we were not mad. This is what happens when you are in show business.

KS: Whoa, so please tell me this is not what show business is all about, and it’s not happened again?

ND: No, this has never happened again. There have been a few instances where people have thrown things at us, but they were not planned in advance. No, we’ve been pretty lucky, none of us have ever been hit with mashed potatoes again in our entire careers. So it’s working out okay.

KS: After you played gigs in town and started traveling out to the surrounding area did you start performing original songs or were you strictly covers? When did you start writing and performing your own music?

ND: The first little four piece band, two of the guys left after the one semester because they graduated. So it was just Alan and myself so we were in search of a singer and a guitar player. That’s the record we made with Terry Luttrell, he had originally brought a guitar player with him who left because he was more of a jazz player and didn’t think there was any future in rock and roll. So then is when we got Gary Richrath, the guitar player on all of our records we did for EPIC, and he played guitar on all the hits. Shortly after that we got Kevin, our singer who is still with us to this day. Kevin and Gary were song writers. They very quickly started bringing in original material and that’s when we went to a whole different phase. We stayed popular, but it was with our own original music. We still played some songs by The Doors and The Beatles but we interspersed pretty well with our own material.

Actually, we got our record contract because a producer from NY, our management talked him into coming to one of our shows in the Midwest and a couple of thousand people at an outdoor show. We were playing all of our original stuff and a terrible thunderstorm came along. We had to cover up all the equipment with plastic and run for cover to the side of the stage but the people were standing there in the rain still cheering for like half an hour, hoping we could come back. So we went over to the, his name was Paul Leka, he wrote “Green Tambourine” and “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Good” which were huge hits from that time period, e had his own studio and I said “wow that’s too bad you didn’t even get to hear our best material” and he pointed to the screaming crowd and said “that’s all I need to hear”. And literally, that’s really what happened. So he had a studio in Connecticut and we made our first record there. He shopped it around and eventually found some people at EPIC that really liked it. We had some big fans there at that record label. So that’s how we went from campus band to as soon as we got our own material we got some interest. Took us forever to get a hit, but..

KS: I disagree. It was your earlier material that drew me to you guys. In 1977 when you put out your Live – You Get What You Play For album, because you definitely are a Live Band. Your energy levels you create at a live performance is off the charts. When you recorded that “Live..” album, especially the song “157 Riverside Avenue”, you hooked me then. And that was way before your commercial success with Hi Infidelity.

ND: Yeah that was our first really successful album. That album went Gold, and eventually Platinum. EPIC was so happy about that one that they flew us out to London for their big convention and presented us with the Gold Album there in front of record people from all over the world. But our first hit single on the radio didn’t happen till 80 or 81. That Hi Infidelity record that really put us on the map worldwide. That was our 11th album.

KS: My favorite album, besides the Live album was You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish.

ND: Those were all popular as albums, but we had never had a number one song and EPIC was really wanting us to getting around to doing that. That all just all came together on Hi Infidelity. I really have to give credit to the people at EPIC Records, and they still handle our older records and we still have a good relationship with them, but they don’t think we need to make any new records. They aren’t really interested in that. We’ve made a couple that we’ve basically produced ourselves; financially and artistically. They had their own audience. They haven’ t been as successful as the ones before, but it just let’s people know that we haven’t stopped thinking. But a group now a days isn’t going to get eleven chances on making a hit record. The label will say, you get one shot. So we were lucky to be in that era when a record company would nurture a band for years instead of giving up on them. And we sold it door to door all over the country. You just played EVERYWHERE. Still to this day we are known best and most respected for our live shows. Even critics who don’t really like our “pop”songs from the 80’s they will still begrudgingly admit that our true strength is as a live band. We’ve always done that. People who only know us by the power ballads that we played in the 80’s are shocked when they see who we are live.

KS: It’s funny that you bring that up because I wanted to ask you; there was a completely different sound to Hi Infidelity from your earlier albums. You were more rock-based with strong instrumentals, whereas Hi Infidelity was more pop based. Did you find yourselves gradually moving towards that direction and sound or was it conscious choice to mix it up a bit with a new sound?

ND: It was not a purposeful choice. Kevin who wrote those two big number one power ballads, he wasn’t really, they were just songs he wrote like all his other songs and came from an honest place somewhere inside of him. They just happened to click as radio hits. He didn’t go about them any other way than all the songs before. Those songs are probably why we are still able to fill up shows. You have to have a couple of things like that at some point in your career, but our live show isn’t based around power ballads. Yes, there is a couple of them in there, but many others are just rock and roll.

KS: Yes and you definitely are a rock and roll band.

ND: Yeah, and when you’re hearing those power ballads live and you hear those guitars crunching, maybe the tempo slows down but not the energy level. Especially with those songs because everyone in the audience is singing along. So that adds a lot of energy right there. The show does not slow down when we do those power ballads, if anything it kinda comes up a notch. You feel a new energy because everyone in the world has heard those songs so that’s a big moment in the show, but we’re not an hour and a half of just power ballads.

KS: Since the ’80s you’ve been touring non-stop. How do you explain that and your audiences have new generations added to them.

ND: We’ve been able to tour this long because generations have passed this music down to their kids. We have people of every age in our audience. There a people there in their 70’s and there are people there that are pre-teens. I saw a little 10-year-old girl singing along with every song in the front row. That happens a lot of times. Before The Beatles came along, it hardly ever happened that you and your parents would like the same band. In fact it never happened. But my parents liked The Beatles. They first kinda established that hey there is nothing wrong with two generations going to the same concert. We see that all the time now. People in their 20’s say that they grew up with our music playing in the house all the time, because their parents were constantly playing our music and others of that time frame. We are best buddies with Pat Benatar, Styx, Journey, and Foreigner. They have had the same kind of career where it’s been passed down, and they still get big crowds at all their shows.

KS: You are on the road a lot. That’s had to be difficult with families and getting along with each other being on the road all the time together. What’s your secret?

ND: Especially when it comes to making a new record or writing new songs, things can get a little touchy, but it’s almost like a family where you get into a big fight and then be okay the next day. We’ve definitely had our spats in the band, some of them bad, but you still have each other and you work it out. I’d say we’re not as bad as a lot of groups and things have really mellowed out in the last couple years where we seldom disagree on anything. I guess we’re like an old married couple where you get to know each others behaviors and you don’t fight about anything any more. We’ve never stopped touring, where there’s never been a year that we don’t tour, but we do take some years where we play less.

This year is actually one of them. We’ve done twice as many shows in a year as we’re doing this year. We’re just picking out special spots where people like us. I’m finally after turmoil throughout my life in relationships, I am finally in the happiest personal life I can possibly imagine. I think a lot of the other guys would say the same thing. So we just don’t want to be gone all the time so we’re playing fewer shows, but there’s still not going to be a year where we don’t play any.So we’re balancing being on the road and being home, because everyone is happy at home. But when people are going to let you be a rock star when you’re pushing 70, you don’t turn that down.

Read Part two of our interview with Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon.

So as I wrap up part one of this interview I need to share my excitement with what an awesome conversation Neal and I had. We spoke for almost a full hour. It was as though we were old friends swapping old times from long ago, and in a sense we were. Both from the Midwest, we shared a common understanding of the way of life of the area, and the importance music played for our generation and the culture. Like many of that generation, music was our thing. Yes, we had Atari but seriously, we didn’t have the video games we do today, or the social media, cell phones, or even MTV right away (and I’m referring to the music video television with the veejays; not that stuff we see today). We spent hours listening to it in our cars, on the radios, and on our turn tables and these bands and performers were larger than life to us. We couldn’t imagine ever seeing them in person, let alone interviewing them. Concerts were few and far between for most, and so our only connection to music was through albums, cassettes, and vinyl and with this diehard fans were created. My love as a fan was the fuel that propelled Neal and his band mates to a career far from the University of Illinois goals they began with, and the same fuel that propels this photojournalist to bring you music through the lens and pen each and every week.

It was a pleasure to hear the story from Neal’s perspective. As I was cruising Main Street in Flora with the windows rolled down and blasting my music, he and the rest of the band were going to college and through a love of music themselves, found the course of their lives moving in new directions. Whether it was playing fraternity houses, outdoor venues in Midwest during torrential storms (which until you live there you cannot fathom their power), or traveling the world ranging crowds that were small, medium, and then huge arenas, they knew it was what was meant to be and followed their dreams to a career that has spanned almost 50 years. Creatively they started out to bring new music to their classmates and within a few years began writing some of today’s most legendary rock and roll tunes of the days.

As I reflected on the first part of our conversation I couldn’t help wonder what magnificent feats of architecture these men could have achieved had they not followed the path they did. However the lives their music touched couldn’t have compared. So very glad they too took the chance and played as mashed potatoes were thrown at them and continued despite the fact that some felt that there wasn’t a future in rock and roll.

Join NYS Music as they cover the upcoming show on August 13 at CMAC where REO Speedwagon will be joined by locals Teagan and the Tweeds. Gates open at 7pm and show begins at 8pm. Hope to see you all there.

August 12, 2015
Non-Point & 10 Years at The Montage Music Hall

There was a semi full house at the Montage Music Hall for Non-Point this evening, with a very diverse crowd of men and woman from 20 to 50 year olds. There were even a few teenagers in the crowd. There was an exciting vibe inside the venue. There was a certain level of anticipation in the air on this warm summer Wednesday evening. School or work in the morning was not a worry to those who were in attendance for this show.

The night kicked off right at 7:00 p.m. sharp with Rochester local support from a newly formed band rock band called A Vintage Year (Played a 25 minute set). The band was well received by the crowd that was now starting to fill up with a lot of familiar local faces from members of other Rochester bands. They had a fun sharp set with their witty riffed, catchy melodies and upbeat pace. A Vintage year is composed of Joe Williams (Vocals), Jordan Barney (Guitars/Vocals), David Pelletrier (Bass) and Nick Manka (Drums). Currently, A Vintage Year are touring in support of their self-titled EP that was released late January of this year – recorded at GRC in Buffalo, NY – which some of you may recognize as the Goo Goo Dolls’ recording studio. They have current air play Rochester stations, The Zone 94.1, WITR 89.7 and the Local Down in Fredonia. Their music can also be found on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube, and Bandcamp.com The evening continued to stay fueled with the grungy energy of special guest: Awaken the Empire (7:40-810 p.m.). An Alternative rock band righteous to their rooted sounds, hailing in from Seattle, WA. Currently in support of their debut album Aurora released on July, 24 2015, as a follow up from their 2011 EP The Awakening The band is composed of Damien Lawson (Vocals), Romina Fronti (Bass/Vocals), Daryl Falconor (Drums) and Shivan Somaratne (Guitar).

The band’s set was a tight one and Frontman Damien had a youthful Kurt Cobain mist about him, while watching drummer Daryl was like a flashback of a young Dave Ghrol. Meant to be that way or not the musical spirit was definitely there and appreciated. They introduced the third song which is a current single “Cross My Heart.” They even called a shot out to the local opener A Vintage Year –Damien announced: “I don’t remember the band’s name that opened the show but I fucking liked you,” then proceeded to ask the crowed what the name of the band was. By this point in their set they had the crowed engaged before their set was though.

The Family Ruin (8:25-8:50) kept the energy high as they ripped right into their set, showing no mercy with their heaviness. They are also a special guest on this tour. A Metal/ Alternative band hailing from across the pond in York, England. Currently in support of their debut Dearly Departed, released on September 26, 2014. Johnny Mennell (Vocals), Craig Robinson (Guitar/Vocals), James Langley (Guitar), Dom White (Drums) and Josh Adamson (Bass). Lead vox Johnny Mennell yells to the now almost packed house: “Wednesday night? Well fuck that. Tonight is FRIDAY night- now jump with me to this next song.” These guys had the crowd in the palm of their hands as they thrashed through the rest of their set.

The high anticipated Nonpoint (9:15-10:05) was very on point tonight. Coming right out with highly energetic aggressive pace for the night. The Montage Music hall that was now a packed house had a crowd that was singing along with these guys loud and proud through their set. Nonpoint, no stranger to the music scene, are a heavy rock band with a hard core twist. With members coming from various parts of the country: Ft. Lauderdale FL, Chicago and Cleavleand. Currently supporting their current album The Return and the new single “Breaking Skin.” The band is composed of Elias Soriano (Vocals), Rob Rivera (Drums), Rahseed Thomas (Guitar/Vocals), Adam Woloszyn (Bass) and BC Kochmit (Lead Guitar/Vocals). The band was chummy with the crowd and poking a little fun at their mostly dreadlocked sporting band members when leader of the pack Elias busted out with some banter: “Some of you might recognize us as a band called ‘Korn’ while the band played a few Korn riffs and beats for a brief second. This was leading the crowd into thinking they were going to cover a Korn tune — instead they surprised everyone with a Jay Z cover of “99 Problems.” The masses ate it up and chanted along. The band took this in stride and went into their 2005 single “Bullet with a Name.” As Elias duely noted that it was everyone’s job in the place to move around and make the person next to you jump along with you. He also made a shout out to the local support and their special guests.

The headlining act was 10 Years. And it has been almost a decade since some people hear might have had a chance to see these guys live. The band got right down to business as they assembled on stage with mood lighting setting to a cool mellow ambiance. 10 Years is an alternative rock band from Knockville consisting of Jesse Hasek (Vocals), Ryan “Tater” Johnson (Guitar/Vocals), Ryan Collier (Bass), Chad Huff (Guitar), and Kyle Mayer (Drums/Keyboards). On the road to showcase their latest and greatest release From Birth To Burial that was introduced to the fans with the first single “Miscellana” released on Feb. 13, 2015. The band had an ambient jam band artsy vibe for their set, the crowd seemed euphoric as a reaction to what they were witnessing. The set was very intimate, until they kicked up the mood a notch with their 2005 single “Wasteland,” that got everyone back into a upbeat gear just about everyone sang along. Jesse was expressing much depth in this set while he narrated thoughts that candidly addressed the muse for certain songs.

Overall it was a great night for music, fans were reconnected with the more familiar bands Nonpoint and 10 Years. New fans were gained for special guests Awaken the Empire and The Family Ruin. And much new love was and respect was built for local support A Vintage Year. If anyone is able to catch any of these bands on any bill. Do yourself a big favor and check out then out live or stop over to their social media and band pages.

[FinalTilesGallery id=’336′]

August 11, 2015
Foreigner Brings the Classics to Darien Lake

Taking the Darien Lake stage promptly at 7:30 p.m. was Foreigner. For those who are unaware of who these legends are – Foreigner is an arsenal of rock spanning five decades with 10 multi-platinum albums including 16 Top 30 hits. The crowd roared as Chris Frazier came out and took his prominent position behind the drum kit first followed by Bruce Watson on guitar, Michael Bluestein on keyboards/piano and Jeff Pilson on the bass. Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar/keyboards/saxophone), walked on the stage next just moments before frontman and vocalist Kelly Hansen walked up to the center microphone stand. The crowd was worked into a frenzy by the time everyone was in place and it was time to blow the roof off!

Kelly and company started off with “Double Vision” as the fans started rising to their feet in excitement. After the first song couple songs Kelly made some pretty racy remarks. He started mocking people who were in the front row that were sitting down while everyone else was standing up. He called out people that were on their cell phones the entire time and used some profanity. I was in disbelief and I think my colleague had to pick my jaw up from the floor.

The ever-classic radio favorite, “Cold As Ice” was performed next. Towards the end of “Cold As Ice,” Kelly Hansen jumped down to the floor to sing with the audience as he walked around several sections before returning to the stage to finish the song.

What was pleasing to see was Foreigner included a little local touch to the show. He had the Attica High School Choir come out to the stage and sing “I Wanna Know What Love Is.” The crowd cheered ferociously as the kids walked to the stage. The performance by the choir was spectacular and it couldn’t have gone any better. To close out the night they played the classic “Hot Blooded.” This was my first time seeing Foreigner and mark my words I will go again every time they come to town, they have won over the younger generation.

[FinalTilesGallery id=’362′]

August 11, 2015
Fox Fest 2015: Festival Review and Gallery

Fox Fest 2015 held a few special things in store this year, the first being their SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Awards) Award for People’s Choice: Best Festival for 2014 and the next being a live marriage proposal on stage (she said, yes) This is only the beginning of what the day-long annual event had to share.

Fox Fest merch booth by Sandra Jackson/Sublunar Studios for NYS Music and Fox Fest 2015

The event is organized and held at the home of George Ryan and Kelly Nichols, next door to their primary cohorts, his sister Kelly Ryan and brother-in-law Mike Spaiches in southern Onondaga County. It’s a beautiful piece of nature, surrounded by corn fields, it has a valley view to the east and plenty of room for a backyard party.

This isn’t your average backyard party though, not by any stretch of the imagination. Wizzard Sound Corp. rolls in a full pro-stage, roof, p.a. and light show, well large enough for just about any outdoor show or festival. Their crew comes in on Thursday and with the help of several volunteers, build the stage and roof structure, Friday brings the p.a. and lights, all ready for show-day on Saturday. They not only do the job, they are ahead of the game and are ready for any curveball they have thrown at them. They sure got at least one, but we’ll get to that later.

Plenty of vendors serving food and drinks, festival merch., tattoos, massages and much more. The weather was “Chamber of Commerce” perfect, sunny, breezy and not too warm. Mix this up with 1800 or so fans whose t-shirt donations pay for the show and the annual donations the festival gives out. This year’s recipients were the CNY SPCA and ‘Cuse Pit Crew, two of the most worthy organizations Fox Fest has chosen so far. Last, but not least, the bands, the life of the party and the annual balancing act for the producers. Fox Fest has always been focused on local bands, a blend of rock and “country” for the most part, selected by the organizers after seeing them live, yes, that’s how they do it. They actually go see the bands, several times each. No submissions, just invitations to bands noted as current and worthy in the local scene.

Opening the show was Seeking Monte from Rochester, notably the only “out-of-towners” to play Fox Fest (FF) and their guitarist, Lee Heberger has done it twice. In both instances Lee brought in a tight, original rock and roll band, this time fronted by dynamic vocalist Sara Passamonte and joined by Mike Guarino (guitar), Bob Besley (drums), with Stacy Krebbeks (bass). Unfortunately, someone has to open, but Seeking Monte is all about opportunity and they gave a solid performance, receiving lots of love from the growing audience on hand. Then comes the “country” section of the show with four in a row that heated the audience up as the ambient temperature rose. I’ll qualify using quotes for “country”, at my level of experience what is labeled as “country” today, isn’t. Nu Country? Perhaps. Country Rock? Closer to the what it is actually, or pop with a twang. Either way, the best word for it is popular and the crowd goes nuts for it. Beginning with Dirtroad Ruckus (DR) the crowd filled in up to the barricades, singing along and dancing all afternoon. DR’s front man Eric DeTota paused at the start of their set to play the National Anthem, which is a traditional part of their performances, then George Ryan cut loose a huge American flag that was carried over the audience. DR quickly had the audience in their hands, instrumentally solid with plenty of stage presence to boot, an excellent set. DeTota on acoustic/vocals, Tom Fava (bass), Ken Duquette (guitar), Jack Chappell (bass) and Scott Sheridan (guitar) showed their licks to the pleasure of the attendees and left the stage toasty for the next band.

The Chris Taylor Band (Custom Taylor Band) came up next, he’s know as one of the first performers to follow this track with success in Central New York, his polish and stage personality, backed by his long-term band, Brett Nelson (acoustic/vocals), Rob Spagnoletti (drums/vocals), Joey Beccheria (guitar), Amy Doan (fiddle/vocals), and Jake Capozzolo (bass) moved through their set hitting on all cylinders. If Chris doesn’t get you up and dancing, there’s always the TJ Sacco Band (TJSB) to follow him. These two may well be the hardest working men in the country biz locally. Each has a very healthy fan-base and when you combine them with DR’s and Country Swagg’s, it’s gonna be a party. Each of these bands are well-known and regularly get prime opening spots for tours visiting the area. The one thing about having four country bands is a couple of songs may get a few airings. but the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit. TJSB is strong, really strong, TJ leading the way on acoustic/vocals, with lefty Chad Mac ripping up the leads, Bill Shank (drums), Marcus Larabee (bass) and newcomer (first show actually) Chrissy Alexander (vocals), much like CTB, this is a well rehearsed and polished outfit. They provided one of the musical surprises of the day covering ‘Plush’ by Stone Temple Pilots, well!

Finishing this segment of the show was Country Swagg (CS), fronted by Mike Johnson (vocals/acoustic), with Tim Horst (guitar), Gabe Infantino (bass) and Rob Trout (drums). CS gets a bit rockier per say. They’re heavier and more aggressive in a Blackberry Smoke kinda way. They’re hometown boys, so their crew was out full-force, cheering them on through a very enthusiastic set. Their fans even bought them a sponsorship so their band name would appear on the event t-shirts, pretty cool stuff. Another staple of FF is not allowing the music to stop, so between each band, an acoustic performer takes the stage to fill during change-over. First timer Tommy Connors kept things moving during the first two breaks, Mike Schickling the next three, then JP Shaggy the final two. Each brought their own flavor and vibe, more than enough to hold the crowd’s attention, nicely done by all, especially Schickling who was in on the surprise marriage proposal. Russ Lee was steadfast in his emcee role, not hesitating to give way to Mr. John Halko to introduce “his” band, Redline. John has been battling health issues and it was fantastic to see him onstage despite the absence of his trademark cigar. Redline is straight 70s/80s/90s party rock with Earl (The Pearl) Hamilton doing his best Tommy Lee (drums/vocals), Joe McSweeney (guitar/vocals), Mike Marzullo (bass/vocals) and Tony Campione (guitar/vocals). Hamilton and McSweeney are FF veterans having played with their former band Emerald City twice before. They rock, hard, have the chops and balls to cover Foreigner, Motorhead and Alice In Chains in their non-stop set. They were a bit “stripped-down” from their usual big production and special effects, but none were needed as the crowd ate up their performance.

The Barndogs Plus (TBP) came next with their Allman Brothers tribute show, something they’ve performed several times at big local festivals, this time with an extra twist. The “Plus” portion of The Barndogs pulls in several local luminaries to fill the A-Bros parts, Tim Robinson (acoustic/vocals), Jerry (JT) Tarolli (guitar), Chad Mac (guitar) and Susan Royal (drums). Here is where the biggest joy of the evening came in. Prior to FF, Susan had announced that due to illness she wouldn’t be able to participate, it was heart-breaking as the second drummer is key to the A-Bros and most importantly, it’s her, her soul, her spirit, her skills. Now just about the last thing a stage manager wants to hear the night before the show is that a big change is being requested, in this case, a message from Susan asking if there was any way she could play. She was feeling better and didn’t want to miss it as there’s no telling when or if they’d do this show again. A few phone calls, texts and Facebook messages later it was on, many thanks to Jon Arrigo and his guys, Sean (Doughnuts) Sterling, Dylan Spencer and Mike (The Terrorist) Fadel (so sorry for calling you Brian all day!) for making it happen. The Barndogs core group, Andy Comstock (bass/vocals), John Kapusniak (keys), Pete Szymanski (drums/vocals) and Mark Westers (guitar/vocals) have been together for years building a regional following through great rock and roll music, whether it be a Doors tribute, performances with Vinyl Albums: Live or their club shows, these Dogs can run. In this expanded version, they were downright magical, striding through the A-Bros catalog as if it were their own. Andy’s commanding voice and stature lead them through the big hits, ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’, ‘Soulshine’, ‘Whipping Post’ and ‘Jessica’ to name a few. They brought the crowd to a fever-pitch in anticipation of the headliners.

SAMMY Award winning Scars N Stripes (SnS) are one of Syracuse’s heaviest rock bands, hands down, led by Bill Ali (vocals) prowling the stage and risers, Todd Stiles (guitar/vocals), Kevin Brennan (guitar), Joel Exline (bass/vocals) and Mike Waite (drums), they are indeed the premier modern rock band in our area. Each position overflows with skills, they balance and counter each other fluidly, steaming from song to song. The talent level oozes and Todd has become one of my favorite local six-string slingers. Their covers of Tool’s ‘Sober’ and Queensryche’s ‘Jet City Woman” were highlights, but the whole set was crushing and they left the crowd wanting more. Always the way to go if you can. I highly recommend seeing all of these FF artists out whenever you can, they bring it big time. Check them out online through social media and their websites, you won’t be sorry.

Congrats to everyone involved with Fox Fest 2015. The whole event ran on time with only a few bumps in the road, the weather held out and the crowd was remarkable. Thanks to all of the people who donated their time to make it all happen and to our own Onondaga County Sheriffs who kept the grounds safe for everyone. When all is said and done, Fox Fest has evolved into one of the area’s best summer events and is clearly, “the biggest backyard party” of the summer.

August 9, 2015
Dark Star Orchestra Holds First Stadium Show at Rochester’s Frontier Field

Dark Star Orchestra celebrated a milestone playing their first stadium show while also setting an attendance record for themselves July 28, when they played Rochester’s Frontier Field. Set up on the third base line and facing the seats with no access to the field, DSO recreated the 1987 Dead show played at Rochester’s Silver Stadium on July 2, 1987.

Fans of the band took to social media shortly before the show began to spread the word that Frontier Field had announced they were not allowing concert goers on the field. Word spread quickly and people wondered how the stage would be set up.

All anybody had to do to squelch that concern was enter the venue and see the stage facing the third base seats. Concerns fell to the way side, the crowd was a cohesive body of dancing and celebration.

The unique set up allowed for an intimate feel of an indoor show, in a stadium, accompanied by a beautiful summer night with clear skies. They were dancing in their seats, on the grass and at the concession stands – ‘The music never stopped.’

As at all DSO shows, concertgoers scrambled to figure out which set list the band would choose to play at their first stadium show. Once “Bertha” began just after a rockin’ “Hell In A Bucket,” we all knew they had chosen the July 7, 1987 Silver Stadium show. A show that was near and dear to the Rochester Deadhead community, as it was part of a pair of shows played here by the Grateful Dead in 87′ and 88′.

Rochester couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful night of music and Dead tunes. The show was a family event for many in attendance with babies and big kids dancing and hula hooping by the sides of their mamas and papas, all glowing with happiness. DSO not only recreates the shows of the Grateful Dead but they embody the energy of the band and the community that surrounds them. Dark Star Orchestra is no cover band, they are an extension of the ones who played before them.

Dark Star Orchestra, recereating 7/2/87 Silver Stadium, at Frontier Field – Rochester, NY

Set 1: Hell In A Bucket > Bertha, Walkin’ Blues, Dire Wolf, My Brother Esau, When Push Comes To Shove, Tons Of Steel, Me & My Uncle > Mexicali Blues, Brown Eyed Women, Cassidy, Deal

Set 2: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Samson & Delilah, Looks Like Rain, He’s Gone > Jam > Drums > Space > Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad > All Along The Watchtower > Stella Blue > Sugar Magnolia, E: Black Muddy River

August 9, 2015
20 years in 4 days: A Gathering of the Vibes 2015 Recap

The 20th annual Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival made quite the statement this past weekend, bringing upwards of 20,000 people from all over the world to gather along the shores of Seaside Park in Bridgeport. Starting out as nothing more than a Jerry Garcia memorial, Gathering of the Vibes has blown up beyond the tri-state area over the past 20 years, providing attendees with a weekend of memories, meditation, and music. In celebration of Vibes’ past, here’s the breakdown of Gathering of the Vibes 2015, in a more present setting.

Thursday, July 30

Along with a powerful spirit, the opening day of Vibes brought a heavy amount of rain. Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air, thousands of musical inhabitants set up camp and made their way towards Main Stage to experience the jazzy timbre of Ryan Montbleau’s voice. After a torrential (but brief) downpour, the sun made a rather profound return throughout Seaside Park, drying up tent flys and restoring the sunny disposition of each festival-goer. Max Creek took to the stage after Ryan Montbleau, performing several of their hits, including “Blood Red Roses” as well as a cover of “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens. It was also quite surprising to see a Max Creek band member rap suddenly, but boy was he good.

As bright stage lights, glowing hula hoops, and light up bracelets illuminated the audience, Dark Star Orchestra played around 9pm with an intensity only understood by those who have seen them live. Featuring tunes like “Franklin’s Tower,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “Fire on the Mountain,” each audience member spun with delight, dancing with their friends as well as strangers to the triumphant anthems of the Grateful Dead. While most Dark Star Orchestra shows throw in a few surprises, no one in the audience was prepared for the intensity coming from DSO member Lisa Mackey’s diaphragm as she belted out her soul throughout their set. As audience members begged for more before closing out the evening, DSO also threw in a dash of Bob Dylan, putting their own spin on “Tangled Up In Blue” and “Forever Young.” After an already packed night of great music, and a continuation of music featuring some late night jammers, campers slowly drifted off to sleep to recharge for another dawn of music, and of course, good vibes.

Friday, July 31

As the morning mist lay across Seaside’s waters, Twiddle brought an amplified alarm to sleeping campers around 11am from the Main Stage. Though their set time was much shorter than it should have been, adoring fans were pleased to hear a selection of songs from their 2011 album, entitled Somewhere On the Mountain, including its title track. Shortly after Twiddle finished their set, many fled to the food area for some decent breakfast food. However, before returning to the Main Stage to see The Word around noon, a vibrant new sound came from the School of Rock tent, known as the Funky Dawgz Brass Band. Whether they crowded dozens of fans in the performance tent or into the streets of the main drag as they played in between artist sets, many Vibers were grateful to experience a new and lively group to be added to the Vibes family, especially one that channeled a college frat.

For those who wanted a slight change of pace, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings graced the stage around 2:45pm, bringing a jazzier breath of air to the cloud of funk left behind from The Word and Funky Dawgz. With great enthusiasm to their latest release, entitled Give the People What They Want, Sharon and the Dap-Kings didn’t play many of their more notable tunes, and not many people from the crowd could recite the lyrics back to them. Still, the diverse spectrum of musical style changed from song to song, bringing the audience members from a steady sway to a jumping jive within a matter of minutes, which was definitely a treat to witness.

Following shortly after, blues enthusiasts filled the front of Main Stage in preparation for the Tedesci Trucks Band. Joe Cocker as well as Sly & the Family Stone fans were quite pleased by the Tedeschi Trucks set, after they performed covers of both “The Letter” and “Sing a Simple Song/I Want to Take You Higher.” To top it all off, they also covered “Let’s Go Get Stoned” by the Coasters, which both surprised and excited many audience members. Their set was also a great segway into Greg Allman’s set, where Derek Trucks himself was invited up to play “Southbound,” an Allman Brothers Band classic. Other songs included in Greg Allman’s set included “Come and Go Blues,” “Stand Back,” “Melissa,” and the great “Midnight Rider.” Though many would have been satisfied ending the night there, it was the String Cheese Incident that closed out Friday night, with one of the most impressive light shows to date. Having featured guests like David Grisman and Peter Rowan, the amount of white beards, yodeling, and intense mandolin playing was astronomical. Even if the music was too fast to dance to, let’s just say everyone tried anyway.

Saturday, August 1

Despite being three days into the festival, there didn’t seem to be any loss of energy whatsoever from Saturday morning’s crowds. After a warming up from Kung Fu, Deep Banana Blackout and Moon Hooch graced the Main and Green stage for equally memorable performances. As a veteran as well as a newbie to the Gathering of the Vibes family, Deep Banana Blackout and Moon Hooch’s sets showed great stage presence, as well as unbelievable musicianship. Upon hearing Moon Hooch’s “Number 9,” everyone who was once sitting rose to their feet, and anyone who was stopping around the Green Vibes area moved immediately to the stage to listen in. After an electric performance of jazzy house by Moon Hooch and the soulful growl of Jen Durkin, the Gaslight Anthem secured a spot as one of the first punk/heartland rock bands to take the Main Stage. Though many Deadheads may have left the scene, the crowd that was left certainly greeted the Gaslight Anthem with opening arms, singing along to their songs “Mulholland Drive,” “Sweet Morphine,” and “The ’59 Sound.” Despite being the odd band of the bunch, the Gaslight Anthem brought even more artistic diversity to the festival, provided some musical contrast, and more importantly, got everyone ready for Wilco.

In between set changes, it’s really hard not to notice music from the opposite stage, and sometimes following it will lead you to a brilliant discovery. In the case of Vibes, that discovery was known as Turkuaz. Before heading back to see Wilco, many jazz and funk fans perused over to check out this 9-piece ensemble. After the release of their EP Stereochrome, Turkuaz rallied all the audience dancers for their tune “Tiptoe Through the Crypto” and included their hit song “Bubba Slide.” The energy this group brings to the stage is unmatched, and whether each audience member was an adoring fan or a passer-by, there was heads bopping all over the Green Vibes area. If you don’t know these cats already, you should.

Wilco opened their set around 9:15pm on the Main Stage, opening with a selection of songs from their 2015 release, entitled Star Wars. Songs such as “EKG, “”Random Name Generator,” and “More…” were played surprisingly early in the set, which left room for earlier repertoire later in the set, including “Jesus, etc.” and “California Stars.” It was also quite a surprise to see Warren Haynes join in on their final number, along with Joe Russo on drums.

Though they should have just stayed on stage, Warren Haynes was sure to make a grand entrance for his set featuring the Seaside All-Stars: George Porter Jr., Branford Marsalis, Jackie Greene, Joe Russo, and Marco Benevento. Along with adding Eric Krasno from Soulive to the mix of musicians, the ensemble did a variety of cover songs, including “Karma Police” by Radiohead, “Tough Mama” by Bob Dylan, “Dreams” by the Allman Brothers Band, and “King Solomon’s Marbles” by the Grateful Dead. Not only did this large ensemble attract fans of every genre, but each song was a new puzzle to be unraveled, with their tricky interludes and extensive solos to mask the melody. With such a unique group of musicians, there’s no doubt that this performance was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was a great way to close out Saturday night.

Sunday, August 2

As Gathering of the Vibes came to a close on Sunday, many people took advantage of the single day ticket, making it a rather crowded atmosphere. It was odd seeing excited arrivals of people mixed in with dirty, tuckered out campers in one last attempt to rally for the great sets scheduled that day. After a long night of music by Lettuce and a visit to the beach for Silent Disco (it’s exactly what you think: music being projected through wireless headphones so no one on the outside of the listeners can hear it), it was not hard to notice the slow pace of Sunday. Luckily, the announcement of Weezer coming to the Main Stage around 3:45pm brought enough spark to pump that last bit of energy. Along with performing their new songs, including “Back to the Shack,” they also made plenty of room for their best throwbacks, including “Hash Pipe,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Pork and Beans,” and “Beverly Hills.” For their encore, they even remembered to play “Buddy Holly,” which completed the list of songs Weezer fans wanted to hear.

For one of the final bands of the night, singer-songwriter Ben Harper teamed up with a large ensemble to create Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals. As people packed up their campsites and finished their final beers, Ben Harper kept the positive vibes through the full band versions of hit songs, including “Steal My Kisses” and “Ground On Down.”

As the sun set over Vibes for the last time, Harper closed out with his song “Better Way,” and it was finally time to head home. Seeing so many bands perform was both enticing and overwhelming at the same time, making leaving Vibes even more bittersweet. The range of genre, popularity, age, and background is what makes Gathering of the Vibes separate from other festivals. After 20 years, Gathering of the Vibes has remained one of Connecticut’s most well-known festivals, and it’s attention to bringing about change while discovering your own inner peace is what will bring success for future gatherings to come. Until next time, thank you vibes for a real good time.

August 8, 2015
Primus, Dinosaur Jr. and Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger Serenade Ommegang Under a Blue Moon

Beautiful weather, a beautiful venue and a blue moon all worked in harmony Friday night to provide the perfect setting for Primus and their Cooperstown stop. Brewery Ommegang, snuggled in among the southern hills near Cooperstown, has proven itself as a premier upstate concert venue over the past several years, attracting such artists as The Pixies, TV on the Radio, The Decemberists, Bonnie Raitt, Old Crow Medicine Show and Sturgill Simpson just this season. Primus and Dinosaur Jr. added to that stellar lineup this past Friday, packing the grounds yet again.

Primus has enlisted the talents of 90s alt-rock brethren Dinosaur Jr. and newcomers, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger to accompany them on this summer-long shed tour.

The night began interestingly enough as we pulled into the lot. There, with his unmistakable gray locks barely being tamed by a hat, was Mr. J Mascis riding a bicycle along the road fronting Brewery Ommegang. This sighting established the night as one that will be remembered.

John and Yoko Ono Lennon’s son, Sean, fronts The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger and the sounds the band produces are like those of his old man’s band but with a touch of psychedelic flair not similar to The Flaming Lips. The band breezed through a brief set of six songs while Lennon paused to enthusiastically thank Primus for the opportunity to be a part of this tour. Opening slots on this tour as well as for Beck previously will prove this band has the chops to be a headliner soon and the crowd reaction to the band’s set seemed to confirm that.

Dinosaur Jr., much like the headliner Primus, is very difficult to categorize and as such, can be an acquired taste. During the course of one set, the sound can go from classic rock riffs to punk rage to shoe-gazing pop. Thus is the intrigue of this band and why it is a perfect compliment to tour with Primus.

Dinosaur Jr’s set was composed of many of their biggest hits, which included “Start Choppin,’” “Out There,” “Feel the Pain” and one of its more recent singles, “Watch the Corners.” Of particular interest was the fact that the “frontman” of the band wasn’t the one in the spotlight the majority of the set. Drummer Murph was the recipient of the lighting love while Mascis worked his quiet-loud riffage in darkness.

The set’s high point was a loping distorted cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” which Dinosaur Jr originally recorded for a compilation album in 1989 but decided to release itself. The highlight for me was when my ten-year old daughter grabbed my hands, stood on my feet and proceeded to lead me in a daddy-daughter dance. And while it may be an unorthodox song to have as a father-daughter dance at a wedding, if my daughter’s reaction to it on this night is any indication, this may just be the one we dance to someday.

Some Young Primus Fans

Sentimentality aside, the Boston-bred crew ripped through their final number, the Bug-era “Budge” and then quietly slipped into the night, making way for the evening’s headliners.

Primus is just coming off touring their “Primus and the Chocolate Factory,” which had the band running through their own version of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack, released last October. Much of the stage set remains from that tour and the merchandise tent was heavy on the Chocolate Factory theme, however, scant attention was paid to that album on this night. Instead, Primus rolled through a lengthy set of their best-known tunes.

The trio entered stage right to the familiar refrain of “Primus Sucks!” from the adoring crowd. Primus is the type of band where there is rarely a middle ground. It is either loved or hated. That being said, the large crowd on hand this night made no bones about which side of the fence they strode. Primus is who they came to see and Primus delivered.

Opening with the lead single from its debut album, “John the Fisherman,” Les Claypool, Larry “Ler” LaLonde and Tim “Herb” Alexander, who appears to be fully recovered from a 2014 heart attack, set the bar high for the remainder of the night.

While remaining true to set lists from previous shows on this tour, Primus still managed to keep the feel fresh while pulling out old classics such as “Harold of the Rocks,” “Mr. Krinkle” and “Spegetti Western.”

In his intro to “Over the Falls”, Claypool, motioning to the hop bines at the back edge of the venue, likened the hops necessary in the brewing of beer to that of grapes to wine, something the experienced vintner knows a thing or two about. Claypool also noted the beautiful blue moon that was hovering behind the hills and broke into an impromptu “Blue Moon” to the crowd’s amusement. Claypool was in comedic form this night.

Recent Green Naugahyde track “Jilly’s on Smack” began with a King Crimson-style swirling guitar intro and turned into an extended jam vehicle for LaLonde to display his unique fretwork while Alexander added some tribal beats. This segued into the “Drums and Whamola” portion of the set where Alexander and Claypool (donning his pig-face mask) dueled as psychedelic images displayed on the backstage screen.

No show at Ommegang is complete without the requisite fireworks display over the enormous illuminated fermenters. The soundtrack to the display was provided by an extended version of “Southbound Pachyderm” to tremendous effect. To me, this was the highlight of the long night.

Forgoing a normal encore, the band continued playing until the house lights came up, finishing strongly with “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” “My Name is Mud,” “Electric Grapevine” and “Too Many Puppies,” which also included a “Hello Skinny” tease.

Primus is playing with a renewed vigor these days. This is a trio of excellent musicians who complement each other perfectly. They may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but when I witness them perform, I’m reminded of another trio of excellent musicians with a quirky lead vocalist who were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

August 8, 2015
Photo Gallery: 9th Annual Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival

Peekskill’s 9th annual Jazz & Blues Festival brought a phenomenal lineup of NY artists to satisfy the ears of northern Westchester’s little melting pot of culture.

The afternoon started off with The Lagond All-Stars, a crew of students from the Lagond School of Music from Elmsford, NY playing mostly cover tunes of various styles with a stage presence unlike what you might expect from a group of younger musicians. Before this show, they played a few shows down in the Nashville area. Local saxophonist and NY Blues Hall of Fame member Ray Blue and his quartet took on more traditional jazz stylings, providing some nice music for those enjoying dinner in the shade of the nearby restaurants.

The evening’s pace heated up as the Latin jazz style of NYC’s all-female Cocomama, with members from all over the world, drew several dancing feet near the stage. The day was capped off by incredible performances by two NY Blues Hall of Fame artists, Johnny Feds & Friends and Slam Allen. Slam Allen’s version of Prince’s “Purple Rain” is one not to be missed.

Slam Allen and Cocomama both have new albums released this year.

Lagond All-Stars
[FinalTilesGallery id=’348′]

Ray Blue
[FinalTilesGallery id=’349′]

Cocomama
[FinalTilesGallery id=’350′]

Johnny Feds & Friends
[FinalTilesGallery id=’351′]

Slam Allen
[FinalTilesGallery id=’352′]

August 5, 2015
Interview with Steve Molitz

The 9th annual Backwoods Pondfest is set to take place this coming weekend, August 7 and 8 in beautiful Upstate New York at Twin Ponds Campsite in Peru. Tickets are still available online via their website (click here) and include two nights of car camping and live music. The intimate festival gathers local and regional acts as well as nationally recognized bands such as this year’s headliner Particle featuring keyboardist Steve Molitz, guitarist Ben Combe, bassist Clay Parnell and Allen Aucion on drums. The four piece livetronica funk band lays out hard hitting, improvisational jams with energetic, spacey melodies that create contagious dance grooves. I was lucky to have Steve Molitz answer a few questions for me about his July 4 weekend, new music and Backwoods Pondfest.

Susan Rice: Talk about epic holiday memory. How did it feel to perform on July 4th in Chicago as part of the Grateful Dead post show late night series? Were the Grateful Dead a major influence on your music?

Steve Molitz: “Epic holiday memory” pretty much sums it up! Our post-Dead show on 7/4 was sold out in advance, and the energy in the venue was off the charts. It was just one of those nights where everything clicked and there was a very tight feedback loop between the musicians, the music, and the fans. There was a magic in the air that the Dead created at their show, and the fans bottled it up and brought it with them to our late night. It was an absolute honor and a thrill to be a part of such a special weekend of music.

The Grateful Dead have definitely been an influence on my music, but in sort of an abstract way. Stylistically, Particle and the Dead sound very different, but thematically there’s a lot of overlap. I learned a lot from them about how to approach improvisational music with an open mind and an open heart. You really have to have faith in the unknown, and you have to be willing to place all your trust in the hands of your band members. Only then can you truly lose yourself in the moment and become an interwoven fabric of the improvisational tapestry.

I’ve been touring on and off with Phil Lesh for the past eleven years, and one cool thing that he tells his band members is that we just have to give ourselves permission to try new things. He encourages us to reach beyond our comfort level into an unknown realm, and that is always where the most profound musical discoveries occur. I have really tried to incorporate that ethos into Particle’s approach to improvisation, so in that way I suppose the Dead have been a huge influence on us …

SR: This will be your first time performing at Backwoods Pondfest. What are you most excited about for headlining this North Country festival?

SM: I’m most excited to check out some of the other bands on the festival. It’s always such a treat at these summer fests to experience so many different types of music all in one place. Off the top of my head, a handful of Backwoods Pondfest bands that I’m excited to see are Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Sophistafunk, Normal Instruments, Lucid, Mister F, and The Heavy Pets…

SR: What new music have you been listening to on your road trips?

SM: I guess the newest music I’ve been listening to is Particle because we are in the middle of recording a new studio album right now so I’ve been completely immersing myself in those songs. That music is so new it’s not even out yet! I can’t wait for people to hear these songs, and I can’t wait to tour with all this new material…

I also listen to a lot of podcasts on the road like the Joe Rogan Experience, I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast, Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, etc..

Also, Prof’s new album Liability drops on 10/16, and that’s right in the middle of Particle’s big Accelerator Tour (tickets here), so I’m sure I’ll be bumping Prof almost exclusively come October.

SR: How have you been able to keep up with the nonstop, crazed momentum of Particle?

SM: Love is all you need …

… and coffee 🙂

August 5, 2015