NYS Music 20​15

Category: Features

  • Seven Day Music Marathon Day 7: Tulip Fest, Upstate Concert Hall and The Hollow

    Why see one show to end a week-long Music Marathon when you can see three? That was the plan on this final day of seeing music of all varieties across the Capital District over the course of a week. And being Tulip Fest weekend, what a better way to start things out than music in the sun with hundreds of fans in Washington Park?

    tulip fest the hollowShow 1: Even though I didn’t really have intentions to go to Tulip Fest this year, you couldn’t beat the weather today and I was in need of some fresh live music that I had been introduced to by 102.7 WEQX. If I’m doing a Music Marathon, I may as well hit the first free city-wide music event of the year.

    Hitting the WEQX stage, I missed Flagship but caught Joywave and The Kooks. Even though the Kooks were the headliner, I found Joywave to be way more intriguing and appealing overall. Joywave has a bassist who sounds like and has an on stage persona akin to Flea, a keyboardist and drummer who give a Pet Shop Boys meets Duran Duran base for guitarist Joseph Morinelli and singer Daniel Armbruster (who sounds like Bono) to build a song from. It was Nine Inch Nails with post-hipster vocals, especially on “In Clover”. Joywave is one of the best discoveries this week and being from Rochester doesn’t hurt either.

    The Kooks, from England, took the stage at 4pm with what passes for pop rock in the UK, and while I’ve heard it on the radio and enjoyed it, hearing them live was just like listening to the radio. Maybe we all had too much sun, but it felt like snooze rock for the first half hour, then picked up quite a bit with “Westside” and “Junk of the Heart”. The first track off their latest album Listen, “Around Town” was the highlight of the set, coming late when it should have led. Hints of Beck, INXS, Talking Heads and even Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz and the Tantrums) were found throughout, but overall it felt like good but not great inspirational pop rock.

    Show 2: Flat tire and car issues = drove back home after only making it 2 miles towards Upstate Concert Hall. I was pissed to be missing this show, especially a metal show with 4 bands would really round out the music I saw this week. Bummed to miss Dark Matter and Crown the Empire in particular. Ah well, something was bound to go wrong.

    Show 3: Taking the bus to The Hollow for Kopecky, the post-Tulip Fest show was good poppy American rock from Nashville, but the real draw tonight was the second show from Best Good Frends, a group made up of Mihali Savoulidis (guitar) and Zdenek Gubb (bass) from Twiddle, Kenny Brooks (sax) from Ratdog, Ryan Clausen (drums) and John Dobbs (keys). This is a new side-project of Twiddle and the venue was packed with great anticipation. Best Good Frends took a song to launch a jam from, explored that jam without rushing before returning to the original number. Kenny Brooks took the lead on an early funk jam that kicked off the night, while Justin Henricks (Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan, Groovestick) joined on guitar for “Boogie on Reggae Woman” and the jam that ensued. Sublime’s “What I Got” started the second set and Mihali and Kenny went back and forth to build the jam to a head. “Folsom Prison Blues” led into a weird circus calliope like jam with many asking “What was the name of that song?” yet it was all improv, right down to the really weird lyrics that seemed to come out of nowhere. The encore of “Brown Eyed Woman” found more fun inside the framework of the song and continued the dancing that had only paused for setbreak. This was a real treat and hopefully more shows are planned in the future in the Northeast.

    Final tally: Nine shows at eight venues seeing a total of 17 bands, all in seven days time. There’s a ton of music in the greater Albany area, and some very pleasant surprises in store if you just go out and see live music!

  • Hearing Aide: Lucid ‘Dirt’

    Lucid’s newest release, Dirt, could not be released at a more ideal time. As we emerge from a winter that destroyed many of our spirits, to warm weather that has seemed like a great reward in recent weeks, this is the perfect soundtrack. This north country sextet, from Plattsburgh, NY, brings a smooth blend of jazz, reggae, soul-filled rock with tastes of different flavors of world music together on a record that shines with overwhelming positive hope and all around feel-good vibes. This will surely be the summertime soundtrack to many sunrises, afternoons in the outdoors with a cold beverage and warm nights fireside with friends.

    The opening track “Cuerpo” is warm and inviting, a perfect start to the album. With beautiful harmonies from not only the voices of Lucid but a guest female voice as well. This song feels a bit lighter for the band as it’s soothing and beautiful with only small hints of the horns that will fill the rest of the album. A great introduction to what is going to be a ride through genres and styles that feels as good as sipping a cup of coffee on a north country morning with a mountain view.

    From there the album kicks up the tempo a bit, reminding us why Lucid has been found on so many festival lineups throughout the past few years, they know how to get people moving. On the fourth track “Skippin’,” an uplifting song with great grooves accented by saxophone lines in all the right places, they sing such memorable lines in the chorus’ that you’ll be singing along by the song’s end. These guys can jam in a live setting but on record the longer tracks are just long enough. They move along to a new sound and a new track when the time is right, likely keeping those less accustomed to extended songs feeling good without getting bored. Though you will likely get lost in many of these tracks and feel an appreciation for Lucid’s musicianship and message, giving you time to appreciate the sounds and also your surroundings. As mentioned before, this is truly a perfect soundtrack for this hot spring that Upstate NY is enjoying right now. Some of the songs have a strong island feel and who doesn’t want that when sitting lakeside, or cruising around with the windows down a summer day?

    The only downside to the record is perhaps a song or two where lyrics get a bit repetitive, or a part is carried on only just a bit too long. Even on the third track “People” when the words may lean a bit cheesy. They do it in a way that is quirky and and adorable, think a troop of Muppets jamming out, heads bobbing along. This is a band that knows how to make a listener smile. Especially on goofy interludes where they find themselves in a mess of clucking chickens, yes, that’s a real thing on this album, and it’s a perfect reminder that even with a sometimes more thoughtful message that this band never takes themselves too seriously for their own good.

    Later in the album they incorporate a bit of blues harmonica on “Break A Man,” that is followed by big soulful vocals. Then the harmonica drops out, letting the keys and saxophone take charge with melodies that dance with one another,  this is a track that will surely bring on hoots and howls in the live setting. Throughout the record the combination of smooth yet strong vocal harmonies, great musicianship and their ability to sway from style to style so naturally makes this a great listen start to finish. Lucid has been doing what they do for years, and it shows, growing their sound from the dirt up to places that are inspirational, uplifting, and also all around feel-good fun.

    Bottom line, get this album as soon as you can and it will naturally weave itself into the fabric of your summer.

    Key tracks: “Skippin’” “Psychedelic Circus” “Simmer on Down”

    For tour dates and information on the album’s release, follow Lucid online at: rulucid.com and facebook.com/RuLucid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    hal ketchum the egg
    Hal Ketchum – The Egg

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

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

    A video posted by pete mason (@phanart) on

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

    hal ketchum egg
    Hal Ketchum – The Egg

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

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

    Next up: Mister F with ELM at The Hollow

  • From Stagecoach to Toby Keith’s, Central NY Welcomes Parmalee

    On Thursday, May 14, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill will be welcoming one of country music’s hottest new groups, Parmalee, to their Syracuse location. Just off of the stage at 2015’s Stagecoach Festival, Parmalee will return to upstate New York to bring the rocking country music party to Central New York.

    Parmalee - Stagecoach 2015 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
    Parmalee – Stagecoach 2015 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

    Touring now with their debut album with Stoney Creek Records, Feels Like Carolina, and just finishing up a sound check at the Stagecoach Festival, Matt Thomas took a moment to say hi to NYSMusic.com readers and talk with me about the journey, and what it means to the group to be so loved by fans.

    Kathy Stockbridge (KS): Hi Matt, so nice to speak with you. You guys have a huge following up here in Central NY and we are so excited to welcome you to Toby Keith’s in Syracuse.

    Matt Thomas (MT): We can’t wait! It’s always fun up there seeing the crowds and all.

    KS: Every band has a story on how they’ve made their way in the music business. Yours has been rather exciting along the way. Starting from the beginning, you hail from a small two-light-town in North Carolina where I read that when you guys practiced, the town was so small everyone knew it and you would have to end practices by 11pm.

    MT: Yeah, everybody like us had to get up and go to work so we’d make sure we’d stop by 11pm.

    KS: Now growing up in a musical family did your father and mother encourage your musical education?

    MT: Oh yeah. I played with my dad in his band growing up. He was the kind of guy you always looked up to, and my mom played piano at church. They were always encouraging to us to play.

    K. Stockbridge - Parmalee-660
    Photo Credit Unknown

    KS: And when you were younger, what kinda places did you play? What was it like to finally get that moment up on stage?

    MT: We would play anywhere anyone would have ya. That was the deal. We played back porches, trailers, private parties until we could get to where we could play the clubs. People would hire ya but pretty much starting out on the back porches though.

    KS: Then your cousin, Barry, and friend, Josh, joined in. Were they with you both during those garage band days and joining your father on stage?

    MT: Yeah, we were going out there doing what we could to get our name out there. You kinda just play for people that’ll have ya, then you start getting paid for it..and you move on up from there…take gigs and start writing music and I think most people start off like that in little hole in the wall places.

    KS: Have you always been country, blues, and rock or did the sound you have today kinda evolve into your distinctive sound as you guys played together more?

    MT: That’s what we were all brought up on, and we were influenced by everything. But that was the first stuff we heard; the country, soul, blues, sound while we were growing up. There’s a lot of stuff I love though, we listened to everything. Being a guitar player I was influenced by the great guitar players Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, and all those guys. Classic guitar players; I listened to a lot of those guys to learn how to play.

    KS: Yeah, Stevie Ray Vaughn, that’s one musician I would have loved to see play. What an amazing musician.

    MT: Yeah, me too.

    KS: You’ve had a tumultuous time getting your music out there. Many artists take on a long and winding road trip, but your road was way bumpier than most. Take us on a road trip leaving Parmale, NC and tell us where it took ya

    MT: Being based out of Parmale, we played regionally as much as we could. We played a lot up and down the east coast over the years tying to catch on and developing a fan base. Did a lot of shows up in New York. We never had an opportunity to play out west at all until we got signed and put out our first single to country radio.  We never really had the chance till then to tour the country. Thankful for that hit that allowed us to go everywhere. We just took all the opportunities that we could at that time trying to make something happen. But mostly the southeast region where we would just burn it up.  It was our top market. A lot of times we would play the weekends because we were working all week too.  So we would only play three nights a week for a long time.

    KS: While out on the road playing gigs, a horrible event occurred when two men decided to rob you one night after a gig at gunpoint. Briefly tell our readers that may no know the story, what happened that evening.

    MT: We played a show and as we were leaving two guys tried to rob us by basically pulling us into our RV and wanting cash money. They fired on us, and Scott who has a license to carry, returned fire and we had a gun fight in the RV. Scott was shot three times and spent 40 days in the hospital . It was a bad deal. But we came out of it, and four months later we did our showcase for Broken Bow Records which got us our record deal.

    KS: I read how your fans and the music community rallied around you and were very supportive. What did that mean to you guys?

    MT: Oh it was great. We realized that we had connected with people on another level and that we meant something to them so much that they would get together and help us out. It was awesome. They helped pay for all our medical expenses, daily expenses, and really helped get us back on our feet. It was pretty awesome.

    KS: Now that you have those dark times behind you share some highlights with our readers.

    MT: We’ve been able to travel the country, number one single, and we’ve had four top 40 singles now, two are top five.  It’s been great being able to achieve our life long dreams out here. Then there’s those cool things like traveling the country and going to the awards shows, just being a part of the whole experience.

    KS: Well I’m so happy for you guys, and yes, talk to me a little about the ACM’s you attended.

    MT: Oh my it was amazing, it was the biggest show.  It was unbelievable how many people who were inside that arena, it was crazy. It was a spectacle to see, was great seeing all the other artists play and hang out…was such fun walking the red carpet. We had some good times.

    KS: You excited about Stagecoach this weekend? Is this your first time performing there?

    MT: Oh yeah, that’s gonna be off the hook. We actually just got done with our sound check. We’ve been wanting to get out here the last few years, and it just worked out that. But it’s going to be great.

    KS: I will be front row watching you guys this weekend on AXS.TV. Where else will we see you guys at this year?

    MT: Oh we’re playing all over the place this year…fans can just check out our schedule online. It’s hard to keep the schedule in our heads.

    KS: It must be so hard on your guys trying to keep your bearings at where you ‘re at all the time as your touring everywhere. You guys are really fan oriented. I notice you are constantly retweeting and scheduling YouTube chats with fans. I think that’s amazing how you do that. How do you fit it all in?

    MT: We make sure we put it on our schedule.  We have a media team that helps too.

    KS:  It’s so good to have people. Well at each interview I try to give the fans an insight into the personalities of their favorite musicians with a social speed round…mind playing along?

    MT: Yeah sure.

    KS: You’re on the road…you’re super hungry…you see this and you make the bus pull off every times!!!

    MT: Chick-fil-A

    KS: You all get a day off and decide to go to the movies. The town you’re in is so small that I only has a Dairy Queen and movie theater that plays previously released movies. After discussion ensues..you all decide on a) National Lampoons European Vacation b)Godfather c)Die Hard or d)The Notebook

    MT: National Lampoons European Vacation

    KS: What’s on your playlist right now?

    MT: I like to listen to Pandora so my playlists have the Frank Sinatra Radio on, Today’s Top Hits, Country, just about everything.

    KS: ____________reminds me of home

    MT: Smell of pine trees

    KS: As a writer I need to describe each of you in one word only…What one word/adjective describes…
    Matt: Scatterbrained
    Scott: Neat
    Barry: Messy
    Josh: Prompt

    As we completed our conversation I couldn’t help but be in awe of their determination and drive to achieve what they loved, music.  I could totally relate to the working the 9 to 5 job to support their passion of music.  By traveling countless hours, playing anywhere they could get an audience, these four men only had one goal in mind, reaching the country  music fans worldwide and living their dreams. So happy to see that although a bumpy road, they’ve finally found the path that brings them to all country fans.

    Hope to see everyone May 14, at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, at Destiny in Syracuse.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Seether and Mark Tremonti Come to Rapids Theatre

    Rapids Theatre was treated to a spectacular night of some top notch hard rock music last night with Seether and Mark Tremonti. I pleasantly surprised by the line when I arrived an hour and a half before the show started, it was wrapped around the building and down the street. The skies looked dark and gray as it was about to down pour any minute, but luckily it held out for all the patiently waiting fans.

    Alternative rock band, Red Sun Rising, kicked things off with their intricate guitar playing and captivating vocalist Mike Protich. This was the first time I have ever heard of them and I have to say I am now a fan!

    They brought the most energy to the stage that night and kept everyone on their toes. Their catchy riffs and dynamics in his voice reminded you of a mix between Foo Fighters and Myles Kennedy. The fans were eating up every inch of what Red Sun Rising was putting out. These guys were a solid opener and I expect one day that they will be headlining shows.

    Afterwards, the ever Famous Mark Tremonti and his self-titled band Tremonti took the stage. The crowd roared as he and his band walked out onto the stage. Mark Tremonti is known widely for being the lead guitarist in the bands Creed and Alter Bridge. Tremonti and his band had a strong solid performance with his famous guitar playing and a strong vocal performance. The fans reacted wildly to the song “Decay” and sang along the entire time. Though as the set progressed guitars were turned up too loud and the sound became quite poor. Tanner Keegan had replaced Wolfgang Van Halen for this tour due to Wolfgang’s commitment to his main band Van Halen. Tanner had brought the most energy to the stage that night with his quick spin moves and facial expressions. He in my opinion was an excellent replacement.

    Then the band the whole theatre was waiting for, Seether. I have seen them on several occasions over the years all at different venues and have never been disappointed, until last night. It seemed like the beginning was all smoke and mirrors. Their light performance was great and entrancing but it sound itself was poorly done. I had gone everywhere in the theatre to see if I could get a different perspective but no matter where I went it was poor. Shaun’s vocals were lacking in the mix for the first few songs. That did not stop the fans from showing Seether all the love. They had played their classics such as “Fine Again”, “Rise Above This”, “Remedy” and their newest single “Words as Weapons”.

    Overall the show was good and it seemed that everyone had a great time in one fashion or another.

  • Interview: Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein

    From the deep dark recesses of the little sleepy town of Lodi, NJ, something hulking and monstrous emerged, and it’s called Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein!

    Starting his musical rampage as the most notorious axe-man for the horror punk legends the Misfits in 1980, Doyle’s reign of terror has spanned the last 35 years with recently unleashing upon the masses his newest project simply titled Doyle. The “Abominator” tour made a brief stop at Syracuse’s famed Lost Horizon on Friday May 1, 2015.

    I was fortunate enough to get a brief interview with the monster himself. Despite his hulking and terrifying appearance, Doyle is actually a really down to earth and fun guy to chat with. We spoke briefly about the “Abominator” tour, hot sauce, his favorite Ramone and the follow-up to “Abominator”.

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

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

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

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

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

  • Flashback: Aquarium Rescue Unit at the Pump House, May 6, 1993

    May 6, 1993. I was a high school junior, two weeks out from my 17th birthday. It was a Thursday night and Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit were playing a gig in Syracuse at the Pump House, a semi-dive bar in a semi-seedy area of town. I had been introduced to ARU through their association with the first H.O.R.D.E tour the summer prior. I was already a Phish fan at the time, having been to seven shows already.

    I missed the H.O.R.D.E. tour, however, so had not seen any of the other bands, but probably owned all of their CDs at the time. Somehow I was alerted to this ARU show in town (pre-Internet I can’t even recall how that might have been), and somehow I convinced my parents to let my friend and I go out to a bar on a school night. Just the “bar” part of that equation alone was enough to warrant a solid “no,” so not sure how I managed that, but I am forever thankful.

    Aquarium Rescue Unit

    So my friend and I headed down to the Pump House with no idea of what we were getting into, musically or physically. We got there probably earlier than even the listed time, completely unaware how bar shows operate. We had no fake IDs. The bouncer understandably balked. We pleaded with him to let us in, promising we wouldn’t try to drink, we just wanted to see the band… which was true. I don’t remember it being all that hard, a little convincing and he let us through. We got in the bar, and it was empty. Completely dead. We took a seat at a table and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited for what felt like an eternity, and likely was well over an hour. Finally a band appeared on stage. But it wasn’t ARU. It was the (unlisted) opening band. Ugh. We were restless. Lucky for us, the opening band was pretty freaking great. They were a band from Syracuse University named Sons of Papaya. I would end up being one of their biggest fans, seeing them quite often a year later, when I went to school there. But that is a story for another time.

    Finally the Aquarium Rescue Unit would take the stage. Jimmy Herring (guitar) Oteil Burbridge (bass) Apt. Q258 (on Earth known as Jeff Sipe (drums)), Matt Mundy (mandolin), and Count Mbutu (percussion), played a short intro jam before their unkempt leader, Col. Bruce Hampton, ambled on and led the band into “Payday,” off their then new release, Mirrors of Embarrassment. At this time there was still just about 20 in attendance, four of which were the opening band and two of which were my friend and I.

    Listening back to the show now, I can’t even imagine what the younger me was thinking. It still sounds fresh and mind-blowing different today. They were an all-star band in reverse. We all now know their names, and know them to be some of the best at their respective instruments, but at the time they were just a young rag-tag bunch being led around by this eccentric uncle-type. It was most certainly a mind and taste-expanding experience for me. Their unique blend of bluegrass, blues, lounge, rock, jazz and everything in between filtered through the bizzaro lens of Hampton’s vision was enough to send even the most educated music fan’s head spinning.

    The Colonel wasted no time getting into his antics. “Jimmy Herring, born right here in Syracuse, returning for the 2nd time to his hometown!” (Every stop on tour was his hometown…) My friend and I, none the wiser, ate it right up. Amazing! He’s from here?! “Oteil, from Egypt!” (Again, not true…) He does look kind of mysterious… “Apt. Q258!” OK, that’s just weird. (After the show they handed out signed promo posters promoting the new album, and Jeff Sipe’s signature was a drawing of a house with Q258 written on the door.)

    Aquarium Rescue Unit

    Toward the end of the set, Hampton beckoned for Bela Fleck. Out walked the dorkiest looking musician I had ever seen, playing an electric banjo, what the?! Sadly I had no idea who he was, and as such, had no clue how great he could make the banjo sound. Meanwhile, we couldn’t quite hear what his name was and my friend continually joked how great it was that we saw Roberta Flack. I don’t even remember when it was I realized that I had seen Bela Fleck then.

    Over a year later, my tape trading buddy (that was such a thing back then) re-introduced me to him when he sent me a recording of the Flecktones (which I would eventually wear thin) and was forever hooked. But at the here and now of this particular story, I was still completely clueless. Through the beauty of the internet I can now confirm that the Flecktones had a show in Syracuse that same night as well. If only I knew. Fleck would join them from Trondossa through the end of the set. On memory alone, I would say my impressions were that he was surprisingly good considering he was, I had assumed, a local musician. But listening back now, I was a fool to think that he was anything short of spectacular, shining on a solo in “Too Many Guitars” and completely owning ARU’s tribute to Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place” in particular.

    The band would come back for a rather lengthy encore, as the “Aquarium Flecktones Unit” with Fleck and Futureman joining the band. Futureman would play the real drums as opposed to his usual Drumitar. But I was none the wiser.  Hampton said it best, “that’s one hell of a drum section there” with Futureman, Apt. Q258 and Mbutu all together. He also called out Victor Wooten before the night closing “Jack the Rabbit,” though he was just hanging out on the side of the stage, not playing, unfortunately. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bId4TxH5Q2U

    This was one of those out-of-the-way random-weekday playing-in-front-of-no-one special shows. And I was there. But in this case, I was the “unsuspecting crowd”; unknowing and under-appreciating of just how unusual it was. Ending the night “past curfew” according to the stage announcement, leaves me wondering again exactly how I pulled this trick off on a school night and underage, not even a year of driving under my belt.

    After the show I headed for the bathroom. Who was that at the urinal next to me? None other than Jimmy Herring. He washed up and headed out. He left the water running and I went to wash my hands. Yow! Just like his guitar playing, the water was scorching hot. My soft unworked 16-year-old skin was nearly burned. In addition to his wizardry on guitar, the fact that he could wash his hands so casually under boiling hot water had me shaking my head. Was he of this earth? No, he was from Zambi, just like the rest of them.

    The show was like nothing I had seen. The Aquarium Rescue Unit put on one hell of a unique live performance, unmatched in its combination of musicianship, utter disregard for convention, and creation of its own alternate universe, without the use of over the top theatrics… pretty much on attitude alone. This original lineup would soon after dissolve, first losing Mundy and later Hampton. The band would never be the same. But with their impending reunion, the magic may be reignited.

    I gave the one taper there my information in hopes of hearing that amazing music again someday. I never heard back from him, or got the tapes, but thanks once again to this internet thing, I can listen at the touch of a button now. The recording is very high quality, and as stated the music is quite incredible. I definitely recommend giving this one a listen. Take a trip to Zambi-land.

    Setlist: Intro> Payday, Compared To What, Time Flack, Dead Presidents. Same Old Thing. Basically Frightened, Lost My Mule In Texas, No Egos Underwater. No Reason To Complain, Time Is Free, Yield Not To Temptation, New River Train, Trondossa*, Too Many Guitars*, Two Truckloads*, Zambi*> Space Is The Place* > Drums > Rocket #9/Space Is The Place*, Workin’ On A Building*

    Encore: Swing**, I’ll Go Crazy**, Fixin’ To Die**, Shoeless Joe**, Jack The Rabbit**

    * with Bela Fleck, ** with Future Man