NYS Music 20​15

Category: Features

  • 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.

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    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 …

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    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 🙂

  • Road to Backwoods: Lucid — Gracious Host and Headliner

    This “Road to Backwoods” piece will focus on Backwoods Pondfest repeating act and gracious host, Lucid. Known as the Pride of Plattsburgh, Lucid has made a name for themselves in the North Country as well as all over the Empire State for their music that combines Adirondack blues, high altitude funk and reckless rock for a unique sound of soul and love.

    Earlier this spring, Lucid released “Dirt” an album of smooth jazz, light reggae and feel good rock with uplifting grooves and charming harmonies that beautiful captures the Backwoods Pondfest vibe and growth of Lucid. Keeping up with the tradition of two sets, Lucid will perform Friday night on the Woods Stage at 11:45 p.m. and Saturday evening at 7 p.m. on the Main Stage. Being the host at Backwoods, Lucid participates in every aspect of the festival from prepping the campgrounds, organizing the crew and production setup. Their hard work continues to pay off each year with returning fans eager to share in the good times and intimate party atmosphere, making for an ideal festival experience.

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    The 9th annual Backwoods Pondfest will take place at Twin Ponds Campsite in Peru, N.Y. on August 7 and 8. Tickets are still available via their website (click here) at $75 for two nights of camping and live music. This year’s lineup includes Particle, Ex Presidents (Todd Stoops, Eric Gould, Neal “Fro” Evans and Andrew Block), The Heavy Pets, Spiritual Rez, Sophistafunk, Mihali Savouliois of Twiddle and much more. Be sure to get your tickets now and meet us in the Backwoods!

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  • Grace Potter Proves She’s “Got The Medicine That Everybody Wants” In Canandaigua

    After the very first verse of the very first song, there is no doubt that Grace Potter is the real deal. I have seen some female fronted bands where the incredibly pretty woman is scantily clad, she barely sings, she strums the same open note on her guitar over and over again and struts around the stage much to the delight of the men in the audience.

    Take that pathetic image and reverse it completely and you have Grace Potter. Potter is beautiful in a tasteful, sultry way, when she opens up her lungs, it’s similar to a pipe organ filling a church with flawlessly designed acoustics, she absolutely rocks her Gibson Flying V guitar and she dances in her heels or barefoot in a delightful free spirited way that evokes the crowd to join her. Did I mention she has the best rock n roll howl in the business?

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    I enjoyed every minute of the two hour set that Potter and her current back-up band performed Sunday night at the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC). Potter took the stage to a roar of applause despite a rather light crowd. The amazing thing about Potter is the amount of time she spends singing with no break. She ripped right through a sixteen song set list with little reprieve. When she wasn’t singing her heart out, she was wailing on her guitar, hammering away on the piano, shaking her tambourine or shaking her booty. She was working hard up on the stage but managed to make it look effortless.

    Potter and company played a variety of genres of music from what sounded like modern country, a bit of blues, love ballads and good old rock and roll. I am convinced that with Potter’s range and vocal ability that she can pull off just about anything. She showcased her vocals in “Timekeeper,” “Stars” and “Delirious” a cut off of her upcoming release Midnight. My favorite song of the evening was “Loneliest Soul” off The Lion The Beast The Beat. With its unusual riffs and almost whiney beats combined with Potters melancholy, symphonic voice, it created almost a spiritual effect. It gave me goosebumps.

    Other highlights of the evening included fast paced “Medicine” “Hot Summer Night” and a moving version of “Nothing But the Water.” Grace Potter is known for throwing in a hodge podge of cover songs in her live performances. She has run the gamut from Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” to Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” The crowd at CMAC was graced with Potter’s version of The Rolling Stone’s “Gimme Shelter” that was sure to make Mick Jagger proud. Potter ended the evening with fan favorite “Paris (Ooh La La).”

    I don’t often make recommendations when it comes to music, but if you have not listened to Grace Potter, please take a moment to go check out some of her live stuff. There’s plenty on YouTube. I was blown away by everything about her. Also, don’t forget she has her new solo album titled Midnight being released at midnight on August 14, 2015.

  • Breaking Benjamin Continue Strong String Of Live Shows At K-Rockathon

    For Central New York music fans who have been attending since the 90s, it feels hard to believe that the K-Rockathon celebrated its’ 20th anniversary show at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fairgrounds this past weekend. Over the years, the K-Rockathon has been billed as one of the most anticipated shows of the year and with good reason.Past lineups have included mega acts the Violent Femmes, Goo Goo Dolls, Staind, Black Label Society, Social Distortion, Seether, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Temple Pilots, Korn, Public Enemy and more . This year’s roster included K-Rockathon veterans Trapt, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin.

    It was, for the most part, a beautiful day. In what seems to be becoming a K-Rockathon tradition, there was a short-lived, light rain in the morning and a torrential downpour that sent fans scrambling for cover right before headliner Shinedown was set to take the stage.

    Here are some highlights from the day:

    Early in the day, Bad Seed Rising, led by frontwoman Francheska performed their set with an intense energy that got the early concert goers revved up. Bad Seed Rising is currently the youngest band signed with Road Runner Records. Even though they are a young band, their stage presence and performance looked like that have been at it for 20 years.

    Johnny Hawkins and the gang from Nothing More took the stage a bit later in the afternoon. Despite a few technical difficulties, Johnny was jumping and spinning all over the stage like the Tasmanian devil. The band played a notably high energy set and kept the increasingly growing crowd engaged.

    Rick DeJesus of Adelitas Way was so in love with the crowd’s energy, that he leaped off the stage and crowd surfed not once, but twice during the band’s set. Halfway through their set, Rick stopped to thank K-Rock for having them on the show. He also said “I want to thank K-Rock for playing real f^@#!ng rock music. Rick also stated to fans, “This is your Woodstock.”

    Trapt took the stage and came right out of the gate with their hit song “Headstrong.” Front man, Chris Brown, left the stage and stood on the rail of the barrier to get up close and personal with the Syracuse fans. Crowd surfers started flying everywhere during the song “Love/Hate Relationship.” The band ended the set with “Still Frame.”

    In This Moment, fronted by Upstate New York’s own Maria Brink, made their last tour stop at K-Rockathon 20. In This Moment had a distinct theatrical element to their onstage performance that included multiple costume changes, minor set changes and varied themes to go along with each song. The band is not just playing music, they are telling a story. It reminded me of a more modernized version of an Alice Cooper show.

    Breaking Benjamin, who has been on a short hiatus, makes a celebratory return to the scene after their new release “Dark Before Dawn” debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #1; Quite a feat for any rock band these days. The stage lights slowly start to glow and the first notes begin to ring from the stage. Ben Burnley charges out and tears right into their hit “So Cold.” Ben threw out a bunch of guitar pics to fans while the band played the intro. Ben then shouted into the mic “Syracuse are you ready?” A thunderous scream of approval  was the response from fans as Ben started playing. During the third line of the first verse, Ben yelled out to the crowd to “sing it” and held the mic over the front row of fans. Fans screamed every word right on cue. Ben Burnley and company didn’t waste any time before ripping right into the next song “Follow.” The band took the stage with such force that for a moment, the crowd didn’t know what had hit them.

    Breaking Benjamin has always had an appreciation for their Central New York fans. Between songs Ben shared laughs and interacted with the crowd, repeatedly thanking Syracuse fans for their continued support.  One thing that caught this fan by surprise was their cover of the classic Queen tune, “Who Wants To Live Forever.” Even though Ben is no Freddy Mercury, I thought that the band did a great job capturing the spirit of the song and from the crowd’s reaction I think they felt the same. It was an unusual choice of cover tune by them but none the less a good one.

    The band tore through their newest radio single “Failure” and the classic “Breathe.” The fans sang along to “Breathe” and at times even over powered Ben’s voice. Ben could have just stood there, played, and not said a word because everyone in the venue knew the song by heart. After Breathe, Ben stepped away from center stage allowing bassist Aaron Bruch to step up. I don’t think the crowd or myself was prepared for the song Aaron started to play; it was another cover song and this time it was “Aenima” by Tool! Mosh pits and bodies erupted everywhere! Truly a rare treat considering I have not heard them cover this in many years. When the song ended, Ben didn’t waste any time rushing right back to center stage and shredding into what I can best describe as one of the best live versions of the band’s very first hit “Polyamorous” that I have heard to date. Ben paused for a moment to state “You got four pits out there and that’s how you know you’re doing things right!”

    Like all good things, they unfortunately must come to an end and Ben prepared to depart from the stage leaving this message to the fans: “Syracuse until we meet again, thank you, rock is not dead, thank you for helping us debt at number one on the billboard charts” and he sent the masses into a frenzy with “Diary of Jane.” This is one band I am looking forward to seeing again in Upstate NY very soon. Stay tuned for announcements about their upcoming tour with Godsmack and Sevendust.

    Immediately after Breaking Benjamin left the stage, the sky opened up and it started to pour. After an hour rain delay, Shinedown finally came out to close the show. Brent Smith is one of the best live performers in rock. His voice is hypnotizing and he gives off loads of energy and positive vibes. Before Shinedown played their third song, Smith addressed the crowd, “look to the person in front of you, behind you, to your left and to your right. You may, or may not know who they are but I want everyone to shake or slap hands with that person.”  Smith does this at every concert. It creates such a memorable feel good ritual and is something I look forward to at their shows.

    Halfway through the band’s set, technical difficulties brought the music to a halt. Smith, being a true professional, used the time to thank the fans for their patience. During the delay, Smith noticed a sign in the crowd that said “It’s my birthday and I’m seven years old.” Fans started shouting, “sing Happy Birthday.” Smith replied, “You want me to sing Happy Birthday?” The band filled the down time by singing happy birthday to a very excited seven-year old named Britany.

    The equipment was back up and running and Shinedown had the whole crowd jumping during the song “Enemies.” Smith stated that they usually don’t play this song live. Shinedown ended the night with fan favorite, “The Sound of Madness.” Smith closed the show with his trademark line, “It’s never goodbye, it’s just til’ next time.”

  • Despite Mayhem Fest in Town, Cro-Mags Brought The Ruckus

    After catching a few shows in the Long Island area earlier in the spring, I was eager to travel from Syracuse and back. All because Club Loaded keeps bringing exciting shows to Revolution Music Hall. It was only appropriate to catch New York’s most legendary hardcore band Cro-Mags last Sunday, July 26.

    I was kind of shocked at the lack of attendance at this show, but as I sat at the bar and enjoyed some fried food that likely took a few years of my life span (totally worth it). Someone had mentioned to me that the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival was in Long Island the same night. But on a positive note, it was a very intimate show. Crazy mosh pits and the explosive energy that Cro-Mags brought on stage made this a very memorable night.

    Local openers Demon Racer and Johnny Booth graced the crowed with brief sets before what felt like an eternity wait before Cro-Mags just leveled the stage. You couldn’t have asked for a better opening song than “We Gotta Know” followed by “World Peace” and “Show You No Mercy” all off the classic Age Of Quarrel album. Basically…they played almost the whole album with a couple of other songs lightly sprinkled into their set.

    Guitarist A.J. Novello was missing in action due to family obligations, so Black Anvil guitarist Gary Bennett stepped in and did one hell of a job filling in. It was actually a nice surprise. Despite years of line-up changes, Cro-Mags are veterans of their genre and have showed absolutely no sign of slowing down. Their sound as tight and precise as ever with an energy on stage that is unmatched by most bands. Frontman John Joseph McGowan, looks like a mad man on stage dancing between lyrics and encouraging the crowd to mosh and stage dive. Although that sounds dangerous, but everyone was having fun and looking out for each other.

    Cro-Mags closed their set with “Don’t Trend On Me” and playfully stormed off the stage before doing an encore with their trademark hit “Hard Times.”

    Afterwards, the band came out to hang with the crowd which is always nice and most other bands of all genres should take note.

    Overall, it was a fun night, the sound of the venue was crystal clear and loud, and the Cro-Mags proved they’re still the leaders in New York City hardcore.

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  • Frankie Ballard and Eric Paslay Show Binghamton a ‘Helluva’ Good Time

    Frankie Ballard took a break from his tour with Florida Georgia Line to headline Binghamton’s inaugural Country Music Lights Fest on July 10. Ballard is currently one of Nashville’s hottest rising stars so it was no surprise he was selected to headline the festival.

    Eric Paslay was direct support for Ballard on this tour stop. Paslay may still be considered a fresh face in country music, but people have been listening to his songs for years. He has written many number 1 hits for artists such as Rascall Flats, Lady Antebellum, Eli Young Band, Love and Theft, and Jake Owen.

    Paslay began his set with songs from his self-titled album including “Song About A Girl,” “Never Really Wanted” and “Like A Song.” During the second half of his set he performed a few of his number 1 hits that he wrote including “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” which was made famous by the Eli Young Band. His version of the song had the crowd jumping up and down while shouting the chorus at the top of their lungs.

    He brought his set to a close with “Friday Night” his most notorious single to date. This song also had the crowd jumping up and down with excitement creating a perfect segue into Frankie Ballard’s set.

    Side note: I recommend following Paslay on social media. You get to peek into his personal life and see his funny and unique personality. He puts on an incredible sounding live show and as time goes on I personally cannot wait to see him evolve as an artist and see him let more of that part of him bubble out into his live performances.

    When the lights went out for headliner Frankie Ballard, his band trickled out onto the stage and started the intro to “I Came To Get Down”. Ballard then flooded out on stage  while playing his guitar, immediately seizing the audience’s attention and showing them he was indeed in town to get down.  His energetic stage presence and guitar playing rivals the best artists of both current country and rock music genres.

    Ballard kept the momentum going with the fan favorite “Thinkin’ Country” and hit single “Sunshine & Whiskey.” Halfway through his set he mixed it up with a cover of ZZ Tops “La Grange” along with Johnny Cash’s “Boy Named Sue”. He took the audience on a trip back to his college days by doing a cover of The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight.” On this song Ballard took over the drum kit and appointed his guitar player Eddie Robinson take the lead on vocals. Throughout his entire set Ballard’s enthusiasm and love for his music shined through. You could tell by the smile on his face and the little things he did on stage that he was truly in his element and having the time of his life.

    Ballard rounded out his set with his first number one hit “Helluva Life”  a cover of Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Drinky Drink.” Each song had the crowd swaying and dancing the remainder of the night away.

    Frankie Ballard might not be a top name in country music yet, but if he keeps pouring his personality and heart into each show like he did in Binghamton, it is only a matter of time before he’s on everyone’s radar. He is tour with Florida Georgia Line through the end of 2015. Get tour dates and ticket information on his website here.

    The festival lineup also included  Sunday Best, Austin Webb, and Craig Campbell.

    Frankie Ballard Set List: I Came To Get Down, Thinkin’ Country, Sunshine & Whiskey, It Don’t Take Much, Young & Crazy, La Grange, TMYGL (Tell Me You Get Lonley), Boy Named Sue, Wallflowers (One Headlight), Frankie On Drums, Helluva Life, Old Time R&R, Drinky Drink

  • The Indie Pop Scene Takes Over Cooperstown

    Cooperstown was the place to be on July 26, for baseball aficionados and indie pop fans alike. In addition to it being the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Induction Weekend, just a few miles south, Brewery Ommegang was proud to present The Decemberists with very special guests Lucius. Having been lucky enough to catch a set by Lucius at last year’s Mountain Jam, and hearing stories of the wacky stage antics and audience interactions for which The Decemberists are known, there was no doubt that this show was going to be fabulous.

    To get everyone pumped for the evening’s main act, Lucius was a force to be reckoned with, with the two leading ladies Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig being played in by multi-instrumentalists Andrew Burri, Peter Lalish, and Dan Molad. Donning identical outfits and hairdos, Wolfe and Laessig do much more than dress in unison.

    Whether singing the same notes together sounding as one, or harmonizing blending together the most unlikely but simultaneously striking notes, Lucius is definitely a band worth watching. The ladies’ shorter and less-blonde-than-usual ‘dos added a more punkish feel initially to the set, but they turned towards their more folk side later on, having just returned from the Newport Folk Festival where they had the privilege of playing with Roger Waters (and none other than The Decemberists).

    Sandwiched in the middle of their set, Lucius covered three folk tunes, including Paul Anka’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” and Ian and Sylvia’s “You Were On My Mind”. I don’t believe a crowd has ever danced that hard to those old favorites! Giving Burris, Lalish, and Molad chances to demonstrate their expert capabilities, the girls left the stage a couple of times to let them shine, treating the audience to an almost classical sounding guitar duet at one point. Graciously thanking The Decemberists for the opportunity to go on tour with them, and even giving a shout-out to the Hall of Fame Inductees, Lucius adequately prepped the audience for the rest of what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

    With the clouds looking awfully threatening to the south, I quickly grabbed some tasty local grub from the famous Origins Café food truck, fully expecting to be hunkering down in my rain gear for the duration, but thankfully the weather cooperated (at least over Ommegang – who knows what it was doing two miles up the road?). With as dramatic an entrance as to be expected from a band known for their fun live show experiences, The Decemberists walked out onto a dark stage, with a backdrop of the band’s latest album cover, after a classic soundtrack which sounded like music from the 1920s was being played on an old record player blasted over the speakers. The quirkiness of simply having its roots in Portland, Oregon, shined through immediately in The Decemberists’ set, with the first song “The Singer Addresses His Audience,” giving off the feeling of a king addressing his court. Next up was “July July!”, played in an almost Who/Tommy style, featuring Nate Query on the stand-up bass using a bow, which always adds a haunting quality to a tune. After lead vocalist Colin Meloy announced that some of their songs will be good, and some will just be “eh,” the band went into “Down By the Water”. The Decemberists showed off its versatility by switching seamlessly between what Meloy classified as coal miner material with “Rox in a Box”, featuring Jenny Conlee prominently on the accordion, to French Legionnaire material with “The Legionnaire’s Lament”.

    At this point in the set, Meloy took the opportunity to promote the band’s new album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, playing a poppier catchier than usual “Make Me Better.” Getting a bit more emotional, Meloy confessed that he decided to write this next forward-marching song, which featured a lovely piano solo by Conlee, during a tough time he was going through with his family.

    Settling back into some of their older more familiar tunes for a bit, The Decemberists demonstrated just how dedicated a fan base they have generated, with people of all ages who had come out of the woodworks for this show singing along with each and every word of this band’s eccentric lyrics.

    The band also showed how multi-talented each and every musician in the band is, featuring some swirly Hammond sounds from Conlee, and some fancy pedal steel action from guitarist Chris Funk, on top of more beautiful bowed bass playing by Query on “The Island”. After telling the entire audience how beautiful each and everyone looked, Meloy led the band into their famous “Anti-Summer Song.”

    Playing perhaps their most patriotic number, “16 Military Wives”, Meloy enlisted the audience in a sing-along, but not just your typical sing-along: he even went so far as to scold someone for singing when it was supposed to be his solo! After getting back on track from that distraction, Meloy introduced the next tune “Dracula’s Daughter” as being the worst most grievous song he has ever written, and then went straight into the band’s more popular “O Valencia!” The band ironically ended their set with “The Beginning Song”.

    After hearing a comment from an audience member that The Decemberists “make just the right amount of noise,” we were left wanting more, after a seemingly short set. They sure did make up for it with their double encore, the first of which consisted of five songs. Giving the guest background singers a chance to shine through, the first encore “The Hazards of Love” started out with just Conlee rocking out on keys and the two background singers truly belting it out.

    Still not getting enough, the Decemberists caved to the audience’s pressure and came out for a second encore, consisting of perhaps the band’s silliest songs, starting with “Red Right Ankle” and ending with a rousing rendition of “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”, during which the audience was instructed to scream like they’re being swallowed by a whale. I wasn’t quite sure what that would sound like, but the audience did quite a good job, garnering inspiration from the absurdness of the lyrics and stage antics.

    The Decemberists’ members sure did use their time wisely during their hiatus. They have come back with new more personal yet still characteristically fun tunes, and they have added renewed energy and inspiration to their older numbers. Touring throughout the US and Canada, with dates scheduled through October, and more being added every day, the Decemberists are a must see on this tour.

  • Kelly Clarkson Dazzles at Darien Lake

    On Tuesday, July 21, the fans at Darien Lake Center for the Performing Arts were treated to a great performance by none other than original “American Idol” winner, Kelly Clarkson. Kelly was in town promoting her latest album “Piece by Piece.” I remember being a little girl watching the deciding factor between her and Justin Guarini. Ever since that night in June, 2002, America has watched the songstress grow into a superstar.DSC_2859

    I feel Kelly could have had better choices in her line up, but they each brought their own flavor to the mix. To kick the show off was Abi Ann, a country-esque vocalist, the highlight of the act was her back up singer Jennifer Waris, who is a Buffalo native which I thought was a nice treat. Abi was a delight to have on stage and she had great energy on stage and decent vocal range. She dazzled the crowd for the 20 minutes she was on stage.

    Following right behind her was Eric Hutchinson, who did not impress me in the slightest. I went into his set with high hopes because I heard some good feedback from my previous research. I felt Eric may have been having an off day. It looked as if he was trying to give it his all but his voice didn’t want to match the body language. He was falling flat and seemed very out of key but had some moments that made my ears perk up and smile. For an encore he covered Taylor Swift`s “Shake it Off.” He made it his own in a good way and put a little twist to it but unfortunately it was not received well from the crowd.

    Pentatonix opened up for Kelly and I had never heard of them until then. I must say I am hooked! They are an a capella group that covers songs from Ariana Grande to Christmas songs like “Silent Night.” They have such chemistry on stage and I was nothing but impressed by them. The notes the tenor Mitch Grassi hits are out of this world, he left my jaw dropped to the floor.DSC_3062

    Then, as they left the stage and about a half hour past, then the lights dimmed and fans screamed. We knew exactly what was coming. Once Kelly got on staged and started singing you can almost see she was slightly uncomfortable in her own skin. She danced around barefoot on stage and seemed so full of energy. She didn’t seem like she knew what to do or where she fit in.

    Past the body language Kelly interacted with her fans in an adoring manner and had this spunky personality that I couldn’t get enough of. There were a few highlights of the night that really stood out to me.DSC_3195
    Kelly had one lucky YouTube winner perform a song of their choosing. A young Jamie Grace came to the stage and covered Taylor Swift’s “Trouble.” She was talented in her own right and made that song her own. I thought this particular things was a great idea and it showed some humbleness on Kelly`s part. The show became about Grace and not solely about Kelly for those four minutes.

    Another special treat was Pentatonix cam and joined Clarkson for “Hearbeat Song,” which had wonderful harmonies and the crowd couldn’t get enough. Kelly had eventually opened up toward the end of the night and became more comfortable with herself. She put on such a strong performance and we can only see her grow from here.

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  • Dark Star Orchestra Plays a Collection of JGB Songs at the Saranac Brewery

    Dark Star Orchestra nixed their usual routine of recreating Grateful Dead shows and played a fantastic mix of Jerry Garcia Band tunes Sunday night at the Saranac Brewery in Utica NY. This deviation of the norm was prompted by the absence of guitarist Rob Eaton who was attending his son’s wedding.

    The enthusiastic crowd jammed for four hours to such classics as — “Evangeline” and “Sugaree” and a Beatle cover thrown in as well. Halfway through the second set they performed an excellent version of Shining Star with the audience chiming in on the chorus to the end.

    This was my first Dark Star Orchestra show and I certainly hope it will not be the last. They certainly knew how to channel the vibe of the Jerry Garcia Band and I hope to catch one of the recreated Grateful Dead shows in the future.

    Set List:
    One: Let It Rock, Dear Prudence, Evangeline, It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry, You Never Can Tell (C’est La Vie), Who Was John, I Shall Be Released, Don’t Let Go, Mystery Train

    Set Two: The Set Harder They Come, Sugaree, Think, Shining Star, Tough Mama, That Lucky Old Sun, Lonesome And A Long Way From Home, Rubin and Cherise

    Encore: That’s Alright Mama

  • Country Star Miranda Lambert Tabbed as First Act for New Lakeview Amphiteater in Syracuse

    The brand new Lakeview Amphitheater, along the shores of Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, will be christened on Sept. 3 by country star Miranda Lambert, local officials announced Wednesday.

    Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show will be sold through the usual outlets beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, July 31. Lawn seats will cost $35 and pavilion seats range from $75 to $95. The show occurs during the New York State Fair, and as such, ticket purchase also includes admission to the fair.

    Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, flanked by Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, Acting New York State Fair Director Tony Waffner and County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon, made the highly anticipated announcement from the New York State Fairgrounds, the site that is home to the State Fair Grandstand, host to many high-profile concerts in its 33-year history. The grandstand has seen a decline in marquee artists in recent years and will be torn down as part of a major renovation project at the fairgrounds next year. Mahoney hopes to host 20 concerts at the new venue next year as the amphitheater replaces the grandstand as the location for State Fair concerts.

    Miranda Lambert, who recently made headlines with the announcement of her divorce from country star and “The Voice” judge Blake Shelton, has been a mainstay on the country charts and at country music awards shows since her debut album Kerosene in 2004. Her most recent album, Platinum, was released in January 2014, with the latest single, “Little Red Wagon,” being the third to chart from this release.

    While the venue’s construction is still incomplete, an aggressive finish date has been set for Aug. 24. Controversy has arisen with the booking of a concert at the new venue while the current one has had difficulty attracting marquee acts this year. Lambert’s show coincides with the last-ever grandstand show featuring Patti LaBelle and Meghan Trainor’s free show at Chevrolet Court during the fair. The booking has drawn criticism in a year when only four grandstand concerts have been booked during the 12-day fair run. Lambert’s only available date was the third and officials are confident the conflict will not have a major affect on overall attendance.

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