Category: UpstateLIVE Archives

Hearing Aide: New Savant Album ‘Invasion’

Norwegian musician, Savant has been on an upward spiral since his career started four-years ago. Since his debut album, Ninur, was released, Savant has continued to top the charts of Beatport in multiple genres of EDM. This year should be no different. 2015 begins for Savant with the release of a new album called Invasion, which has killed it so far among fans. The 18-song album covers a wide spectrum of musical styles but each and every song is made for dancing.

The album opens up with a playful love song called “Orphan”. In the beginning the notes have a buzz type quality while the song jumps around a scale like a video game. This lighthearted type of love song maybe not purposefully pokes some fun into the sappiness that comes along with missing a lover. A lot of the album is fast paced. It is easy to recognize that the strong pursuit of exploration Savant is taking in EDM. Everything takes a turn when trumpets sound in the song “Innocence” which is funk. It is not free form, which makes it grooveable.

Part of what makes this music appealing is it gives a taste of aspects of many different styles of EDM music and makes it assessable. In one of the key songs on Invasion, “1997,” Savant revisits the style of techno that thrived at that time in the ’90s.

Key Tracks: Orphan, Innocence, 1997.

February 12, 2015
Jeff Austin Band at the Fox Theatre
Like the in-lawsâ hungry cat gnawing on the end of an electric cord of the family Christmas tree lights, Jeff Austin ravenously rips into the shiny surfaces of his bluegrass melodies till he and his audience are zapped with a thousand volts of raw music. Nearly one year has passed since Austin parted ways with Yonder Mountain String Band, and when he took the stage at the Fox Theatre in Boulder last week, he seemed anxious to throw some sparks.

Fronting his new band, Austin assembled a small collection of talented, seasoned musicians, including Eric Thorin on the stand-up bass, Ross Martin on guitar, and Danny Barnes on banjo. Barnes traded licks with Austin with the pan-seared sizzle of a fire department fish fry. Lead-in performer, Sarah Siskind opened with a bluesy, easygoing set before the Jeff Austin band joined to close her set.
February 12, 2015
The Original Stuck Mojo Lineup Reunites, New Album on the Way

Atlanta, Georgia rap metal pioneers Stuck Mojo, who recently played in their hometown back in December, announced last week they are working on new material. This marks the first time since 1998’s Rising that the original lineup of Rich Ward (guitar), Frank Fontsere (drums), Bonz (vocals), and Corey Lowery (bass) have worked together.

Ward, who has kept busy with Fozzy with Fontsere has stated:

“[Bonz is] doing great, he looks great, we’re getting along great, and so far, knock on wood, he seems like he’s dealt with all his demons and he’s sorted that part of his life out that [he needed to take care of in order] for me to move forward with him. So I’m feeling good about it. And I also have four other partners in FOZZY that, obviously, are wanting to tour and stuff, so I need to be mindful and respectful to everything — not only the guys in STUCK MOJO, but also to my FOZZY family — and make sure that if I’m working on STUCK MOJO, it’s because Chris (Jericho) is back in the WWE doing a little, short run, which he does from time to time. And that works out good for me. That way he’s working on something else, and I can do the same.”

On Saturday, Stuck Mojo announced their second reunion show at the Amos’ Southend in Charlotte, NC on Friday April 17. No further shows announced as of yet.

February 11, 2015
Machine Head Tears Apart Town Ballroom In Buffalo

Going against the grain on what most metal bands are doing as far as touring these days, Machine Head is currently taking the bold approach and doing an “Evening With” headlining with no openers whatsoever, in support of their latest album Bloodstone & Diamonds, arguably one of their best to date, and easily the best metal album of 2014. Rob Flynn and the boys stopped at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo last Thursday night for the second time in three years, setting for what was an unforgettable night.

The bodies piled into the venue long before Machine Head hit the stage. By showtime, the crowd kept chanting “Machine Fucking Head! Machine Fucking Head” was nonstop during the whole show, The band stormed the stage opening with “Imperium.” Machine Head, although are getting up there in age, were performing like if they were in their prime – hungry and vicious. Their stage presence and energy have NEVER been better. They are giving their fans their money’s worth and putting other bands on notice.

Machine Head has gone through a slight lineup change since they appeared at the Town Ballroom back in February 2012. New bassist Jared MacEachern replaced Adam Duce this past year, so the big question is, does MacEachern fill the void? Adam Duce was a monster on the bass, but also had remarkable backing vocals to go with Flynn’s vocals. So when Duce was fired, I was saddened, and wondered how MacEachern could pull this gig off. And I will say I was blown away by MacEachern’s stage presence, skill, backing vocals were amazing! He has much more range than Duce had (although Duce does sound a lot like Flynn) but he pulled off vocal harmonies, grunts, growls, and sings VERY well, so he adds such a new and killer dynamic to Machine Head’s live show that they never had before. Dave McClain was a fiend behind the kit, and playing all those songs in a long set is no easy task. And lead guitarist Phil Demmel rifts and solos are unmatched. And his flying v Randy Rhoades black polka-dot guitar was gorgeous to look at. But vocalist guitarist Rob Flynn is the unquestionable all-star and leader of the band and no one anchors the band better, or gets the crowd psyched like no other. The most fascinating thing to watch on stage is watching Flynn and Demmel exchange guitar solos, as well as their harmonizing guitar solos…. it is such a spectacle to behold on stage.

As far as their set, they gave the fans what they deserved with a two-hour and fifteen minute set – with no intermission. We heard new songs like “Now We Die” and “Sail Into The Black” and were also treated to classics like ”Old” and “Ten Ton Hammer.” But really gave me a pleasant shock, early into their set, Machine Head played their nu-metal anthem “From This Day” for the first time in 13 years and the crowd went absolutely bananas. They managed to play at least one song from every album from their 20 year catalog. Closing with the unforgettable song “Halo” afterwards, not one person left this show disappointed. Machine Head told the crowd they will come back and said that they will do “evening with” again. It’s safe to say that Machine Head gave the fans their money’s worth and are truly a force to be reckoned with.

February 11, 2015
Photo Review: Wild Adriatic and Conehead Buddha at Montage

Saratoga Spring’s Wild Adriatic enjoyed a 2014 chock full of press and band milestones. Their blues-funk-rock jams are full of pop potential without being emblematic of anything today’s pop scene contains. While shades of The Black Keys and The Strokes may exhibit themselves to a casual listeners ears – what we truly have here is an original sounding trio full of fire, emotion and quite possibly eternal hell fire. Wild Adriatic rocked the Montage on Saturday night with Conehead Buddha and will continue to rock Upstate with upcoming shows April 16 at Buffalo’s Ironworks and a hometown gig April 18 at Vapor.

moe. fans have come to know the horn section of Coxsackie NY’s Conehead Buddha well over the past year with the two collaborating on multiple occasions. Those fans should get their butts down to see the full experience of the ska/world music based band who has toured for years. If the moe. connection isn’t enough, consider they also recently added Suke Cerulo, former guitarist for the down right epic defunct jazz/psych/funk trio Schleigho. Upstate will have another chances to run Buddha’s belly Feb 13 at Syracuse’s Funk n Waffles.

February 11, 2015
Hearing Aide: Tyler Smilo ‘Dust In a Grave’

Singing the songs of a true wanderer, traveling throughout the country before settling in Erie, PA, Tyler Smilo has numerous stories to share that are more than worthy of a listen. On top of his deep lyrics, Smilo’s shockingly powerful voice featuring incredible vibrato definitely hits a nerve right from the start of his second and latest album Dust in a Grave.

It’s hard not to get sucked right in to the intense emotions of this tremendously talented singer-songwriter. Spouting lyrics about love – and love lost – on “These Will Be the Days” memories of the good old days before technology took over on “Rescue the Radio” and death of a loved one on “Dust in a Grave.” This musician seems to have experienced a great deal of trials and tribulations for someone so young. Let’s hope he continues to have many more adventures that he is willing to sing about for years to come, as after listening to this album, I was left wanting more.

Because his thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics are so compelling, it is easy to overlook the fact that this musician has mad guitar talent too. Able to change rhythms on a dime, and switch between minor and major chords several times within just one measure, it is certainly worth honing in on his guitar licks while listening through his album.

In advance of his album, Smilo put out a series Rooftop Session videos recorded on the roof of the Renaissance Centre in his hometown of Erie, PA. Once you watch these videos, you’re going to find it hard not to delve deeper into Smilo’s music by checking out an upcoming show or purchasing one of his albums.

Key Tracks: Blood In the Water, Dust In a Grave, These Will Be the Days

February 11, 2015
Hearing Aide: Mosh along with Blacklisted’s ‘When People Grow, People Go’

What better way to start off the year with a strong dose of strong raw hardcore. Philly based Blacklisted have crafted another dose of feedback driven, groove based, punk infused hardcore with their fourth record When People Grow, People Go. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, the album wastes no time getting its point across. The record is almost trapped in time with a sound that sounds straight out of the late ’90s early 2000’s era hardcore that got me into the scene. This is stuff you would have heard any given Saturday night at a VFW or community rec center. Songs that force you to bob your head along and say to yourself “man, this is good stuff”. The riffs are strong, the drums push the beat forward, and the whole thing is begging for a pit to open up.

The song “Riptide” in particular sounds exactly like the Syracuse hardcore scene I loved so much through my teenager years and every song on the record has a really stripped down approach that doesn’t rely on production gimmicks. It’s really refreshing in 2015 to hear a record that hasn’t been overproduced to the point of sounding like a robot recorded it. While I do wish there was a little more punch with the drums it feels authentic. This sounds like they just went into a room, banged out some songs, and recorded them. Nothing fancy about it. Just pure energy.

The signature sound on the record has to be the guitar layering. Traditional hardcore punk riffs with a nice mixture of chaotic feedback that blends to radical harmony. They also know how to speed things up when needed and add a little edge of aggression but at the same time when they slow it down a little and lock into a groove it’s beyond good. Opening track “Insularized” is a great example of them being able to shift gears from fast to slow and back again. Sometimes this causes a song to come off disjointed but they were able to keep it together without sounding like they cut and pasted two different songs together.

Blacklisted has become one of those bands that has started to really cultivate a strong catalog of releases. Some bands start their career off with a bang and slowly go downhill from there trying to chase after what they once had. And some bands just never get that light bulb moment where everything clicks together and they put out something really special. But Blacklisted have been able to be consistently good. Few bands can lay claim to being able to say that they haven’t put out a bad or disappointing record. While When People Grow, People Go doesn’t go outside of the box, it also doesn’t feel like they’re playing it safe. They made a record that has a very distinct sound that doesn’t bend to any trends. That should be applauded when more and more bands are slowly getting away from the things that made people fall in love with them in the first place.

Blacklisted have long been viewed as one of the best in their genre. They put on a live show full of energy with crowds that get whipped into a fury and now they’ve added to their legacy with a great all around record. While it doesn’t pack the punch of their previous releases it’ll please their fans for sure and they remain at the top of their class.

Key Tracks – Insularized, Deeper King, Riptide

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKKYYzIMHhA&w=560&h=315]

February 10, 2015
The Lawn Boys at Lovin’ Cup: What a Beautiful Buzz

Tribute bands come and go and many jam fans – especially those of the Phish-y variety, tend to turn their noses up at them. But like most of life every rule has its exceptions. Band’s such as Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead) and Start Making Sense (Talking Heads) have generated ample buzz and following, dedicating their lives representing musical heroes with great respect and talent. The Lawn Boys seem perfectly poised to join this upper tier with their spot-on recreations of composition-based Phish pieces and their own fiery originality within improvisational jam sections that scream “Phish 1.0”.

After a nicely executed sound check “Possum” and a short break, the Boys took the stage and wasted no time getting into the fan favorite and relative rarity “Curtain With”. Featuring shreddy lead passages from TLB’s resident “Trey” Darren Rodney – this rendition could easily stand up among the tops of those of the phab phour themselves. After a fan requested a well done Funky Bitch, came one of the best duo’s of the night: “46 Day’s” into Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley”. The filled venue with fans of all ages did their part, bouncing all around the room dancing. The jam itself contained many hints at an impending “2001” funk-fest but ended up back into the main Sally theme. At least for this night, the band seemed completely focused on pre-hiatus material with the set ending on a peaktastic goose bump inducing “Slave to the Traffic Light”.

After a “we’ll be back in 10 minutes” break we all took a journey through the “Maze” before the second set got a phabulous anchor with a “Mike’s->Reba->Weekapaug” sequence with bassist Miguel Lantigua dropping soul shaking bombs all over the place and keys man David Kaufman making Page proud. Mid set the band showed their appreciation for Phish’s humorous side with the resident Fishman – drummer Andrew Mega – whipping out the vacuum for a hilarious take on “I Didn’t Know”. A well oiled “Harry Hood” would finish the set, but the packed Lovin’ Cup floor wouldn’t let them end quite yet so they came back out for a triple encore of “Chalk Dust,” “Fuego” (The only new era song for the night) and the obligatory “YEM” to finish it off. Boy Man God Awesome! Keep an eye on The Lawn Boys tour – and don’t miss your next chance to see them.

Set 1

Curtain With, Funky Bitch, 46 Days->Sneaking Sally, Split Open and Melt, Axilla, Wolfmans Brother, Slave to the Traffic Light

Set 2

Maze, Mikes->Reba->Weekapaug (unfinished)->Cities->I Didn’t Know, Theme from the bottom->Weekapaug, Harry Hood

Encore

Chalkdust Torture, Fuego, YEM

February 10, 2015
Tool and Mastodon Members Unite to Form The Legend of the Seagullmen

For those fans waiting for the upcoming Tool album who haven’t disintegrated into dust yet – here’s some good news to tide you over: “Best drummer ever” candidate Danny Carey and Mastodon lead axe man Brent Hinds (Whom also recently awesomely got himself booted out of the Grammy’s) are joining forces with OFF!’s Dimitri Coats and producer Jimmy Hayward for the nautically themed super group The Legend of the Seagullmen.

While no touring, album release, or additional information has yet to be provided, the band did drop two new tunes on their website: “The Deep Sea Driver” and “Ships Wreck”. Check em out below.

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February 10, 2015
Faith No More Announce Release Date For New Album: Sol Invictus

Finally! After years and years – fans waiting for the San Francisco CA hard rock band to put out some new material can finally rest happy knowing Sol Invictus is coming May 19.

This will be the 7th release for Faith No More since their inception way back in 1981. The band has released a few singles in advance on YouTube – check them out below. While Upstate will miss out on any local dates – those that “care a lot” can make a road trip to Toronto May 9 or hit NYC May 13-14 for a weekend FNM experience.

February 10, 2015