NYS Music 20​15

Category: Blues/Jazz

  • Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Out-of-State Festivals

    While most might dream of tropical getaways when it comes to vacation time, music fans accrue their days to travel across the country—or world—for weekends jam-packed with live performances, indulgent food and experimental fun. From the east to the west coasts to the Midwest, NYSMusic staffers traveled near and far throughout the year to see their favorite groups in action. Here we give you our top picks for out-of-state festivals of 2015.

    2015 festivalsBest Small Festival: Arise Music Festival, East Coast Tsunami Festival, Grand Point North Festival and The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival

    With the growing number of small-scale festivals that seem to pop up each year, it’s no wonder that our team could not pick just one or two as their favorite—so we decided to include the ones we felt deserved an honorable mention. First up is Arise Music Festival, an event in Loveland, CO, that according to Andrew Wyatt “offers a spicy jambalaya of multi-cultural live music, electronic performances, art presentations, along with numerous workshops centered around eco-activism, social justice, and spirituality practice.” With nearly 100 musical acts, the three-day festival now in its third year featured the likes of the Polish Ambassador, Rising Appalachia, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Lukas Nelson, Turkuaz, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Trevor Hall, Emancipator Ensemble, Ozomatli and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, among others.

    Headlined by Wu-Tang Clan and Life Of Agony, the East Coast Tsunami Festival held in Reading, PA, treated hip hop, hardcore and metal fans to two full days of shows, including favorited groups Body Count, Mobb Deep, Murphy’s Law, Madball and more. And despite sound issues during day one, Jay Saint G. still dubbed the festival as “a wave of brutality that every music lover should experience.”

    Up next is the Grand Point North Festival held in Burlington’s Waterfront Park with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Headlined by Vermont’s sweetheart Grace Potter, the fifth annual installment boasted two nights of music featuring Phish’s Mike Gordon, the Flaming Lips, Shakey Graves, Greensky Bluegrass, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers, among others, and special guests like Kenny Chesney who joined Potter to perform their single, “Wild Child.” Alexandra Provost and Laura Carbone noted that “as Potter walked onto the stage, her skin glistening from raindrops, the audience went wild” and that she “put on an astounding performance, showing off her piano, guitar and bluesy vocal skills.”

    And finally the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival at Legend Valley, a venue favorited by the Grateful Dead in the ’80s. With a stacked lineup featuring the Werks, Papadosio, Dopapod, Lettuce, Umphrey’s McGee, the Floozies, Consider The Source, Break Science and Tauk, the sixth year for the Thornville, OH, festival “was as always a ridiculously good time for all who made the journey,” according to Ben Landsman. With three stages, a silent disco and one fan wedding,Landsman noted that “between the beauty of Legend Valley, the bright spirit of the fans, the innovative music, this festival is one of the treasures of the Midwest.”

    Best Midsize Festival: Green River Festival
    Honorable Mention: Aura Music and Arts Festival, Boston Calling, Camp Bisco, DelFest, McDowell Mountain Music Festival

    Held at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA, the sold-out 29th annual Green River Festival was “fresh, exciting and invigorating,” according to Eli Stein. Featuring four hot air balloon launches, the family-friendly July event pulled out all the stops with a craft tent, Frisbee dog show, acrobats, karate demonstrations, swimming, a Mardi Gras-style parade and exotic local fare like elk, boar and venison burgers, a Korean food truck and kabob vendors. Throughout the three-day weekend, more than 40 performers ranging from Americana to dance, blues and jam graced the event’s three stages nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, including Eilen Jewell, the Wood Brothers, Rubblebucket, Marco Benevento, MAKU Sound System, Langhorne Slim and the Law, the Punch Brothers and tUnE-yArDs, which Stein noted was the perfect mixture:

    Musically, the festival served up a heaping slab of New England comfort food. The rest aforementioned activity, as they say, was just the gravy. Not only were the band selections great, they were clearly hand-picked and not just pulled off the nearest passing festival train. The music flowed wonderfully from set to set, and built to a nice peak at the perfect times. There was an evenness to the passion and approach of the musicians that made for a smooth transition no matter where you went.”

    Best Large Festival: Gathering of the Vibes and Summer Camp
    Honorable Mention: Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Hangout Music Fest, Lockn’ Music Festival, Peach Festival, Rock Allegiance, Rock On the Range

    Celebrating its 20th year, Gathering of the Vibes offered up an impressive lineup with headliners Wilco, Weezer, Tedeschi/Trucks Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Ben Harper, Greg Allman and the String Cheese Incident. The late summer festival returned to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, and treated fans to a super jam called Vibes 20th Anniversary Spectacular featuring Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Meters founding bassist George Porter Jr., Marco Benevento on keys and Joe Russo behind the drum kit, plus Jackie Greene on guitar. Although the four-day festival will take a break in 2016, VibeTribers Julia Wolfe and Steve Olker recounted the last day of the 2015 event and dubbed this run as one that would set the pace going forward:

    As the sun set over Vibes for the last time, [Ben] 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.”

    With more than 100 bands over four days on seven stages, this year’s installment of Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL, saw a stacked lineup of bands like moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Steve Miller Band, Widespread Panic, STS9, Big Gigantic, John Butler Trio, Krewella, Trampled by Turtles, Keller Williams and Grateful Grass, Yonder Mountain String Band, Violent Femmes and many, many more. Festivalgoers also had access to on-site camping, the infamous late night Red Barn Shows, musician workshops, a nonprofit village, arts and crafts and unique food vendors, plus some impressive improvements. In Pete Mason’s review of the festival’s final day, he detailed what made the perfect ending to the much celebrated event:

    The final set of the night to check out was North American Scum, an LCD Soundsystem cover band who might be the best band to close out Summer Camp. Members of the group are formerly of This Must be the Band, a Talking Heads band from Chicago, who have traditionally played one of the final sets at Summer Camp. This incredible two hour set featured the entire Sound of Silver album and, because everyone else was playing Grateful Dead songs, a spirited version of “Scarlet Begonias” to cap the night.”

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

  • Local Limelight: Let’s be Leonard is the new ‘It Girl’ of Saratoga Springs

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

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

    lbl1According to guitarist Karl Bertrand, he and Matt Griffin, also on guitar, met saxophonist Connor Dunn at Schenectady County Community College just last year. They added drummer Paul Guay and bassist Chris Cronin in March to complete their ensemble. While the album provides a chance for all members to shine to different degrees, it is Dunn whose impressive and smooth notes serve as the lead in most songs.

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

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

    Check out their Facebook page for information, music, photos and morelbl2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Hearing Aide: Gary Clark Jr. “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim”

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

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

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

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

    Key Tracks: Grinder, Church, Cold Blooded

  • Unknown Blues Band Not so Unknown

    Nectar’s, the mecca of Vermont’s music scene celebrated it’s 40th birthday with a re-union of the Unknown Blues Band which also marked the tenth anniversary of the passing of bandleader Big Joe Burrell. This famed band reunited with it’s crack Kilimanjaro brilliant core of Paul Asbell on guitar, Chas Eller on organ, Tony Markellis on bass, Lucas Adler on drums with Terry Younk and Dave Grippo on saxophone. They were joined vocally by soul man Dave Keller and the stellar Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson as well as honored harmonica hosts Charlie Frazier and Bob Stannard. It was a night of great music recalling the past songs of Big Joe Burrell with shakes and solos to a crowd that swung to the groove and called for more.

    unknown blues bandBig Joe and the Unknown Blues Band first performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and then toured the world in the 1990’s as well as backing up the legendary bluesman Paul Butterfield. Musical celebrities passing through Burlington would frequently join the band such as B.B. King and Betty Carter.

    An association formed with Phish guitarist’s Trey Anastasio, who said he moved to Burlington largely because of the Unknown Blues Band and the quality of live music they put out. Paul Asbell, the UBB guitarist’s became Trey’s guitar teacher, and later on bassist Tony Markellis began playing with Trey in Trey Anastasio Band and keyboardist Chas Eller partnered with Trey at his personal recording studio, The Barn.

    After this great show, people are hoping that the UBB will be back on the scene and bringing the blues back to Burlington and beyond.

  • On ★, is the Thin White Duke Channeling Duke (Ellington)?

    Set for a Jan. 8 release, David Bowie’s new album ★ (pronounced Blackstar) takes the rock and roll chameleon in a completely different direction. The Thin White Duke enlisted a backing band of jazz musicians in a conscious effort to prevent dipping back into his old rock convictions.

    Bowie’s 25th release was recorded in New York earlier this year and boasts a heavyweight cast of jazz musicians. Joining Bowie on Blackstar are saxophonist Donny McCaslin — who also performed on the 2014 single, “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” — guitarist Ben Monder, drummer Mark Guiliana, pianist Jason Lindner and bassist Tim LeFebrve.

    Mojo describes the album as “jazz informed but rock intense.” Take a look at his creepy video for the title song, directed by Breaking Bad alum Johan Renck, released Friday:

    Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti explained to MOJO Magazine the thought process in choosing an all jazz band to back Bowie:

    If we’d used David’s former musicians they would be rock people playing jazz. Having jazz guys play rock music turns it upside down.  Their approach to the music was so refreshing, I looked forward to every day in the studio. Nothing was done recalling the past.

    Bowie’s career has been built on making his listeners expect the unexpected, and at the age of 68, his new album certainly shows no signs of those expectations changing.

  • Stephane Wrembel Records Live Album in Rochester

    Guitarist Stephane Wrembel reached some level of notoriety when he was the man behind Woody Allen’s Gypsy-jazz-inspired film Sweet and Lowdown. He has gone on to do a few more soundtracks for Allen, as well as others. It is easy to see why he makes such a good choice for matching music to movies. His compositions, though completely instrumental, tell vivid stories all on their own.Stephane Wrembel - Loving Cup 2

    Some artists write lyrics to tell their stories. Some leave their song’s meanings up to the interpretation of the listener. But for Wrembel, each of his compositions had a specific inspiration that he communicated in detail to the audience. The evening started, however, with a meditation on the Universe. Before the band got started, Wrembel wanted everyone to have a clear mind. To arrive at that point we followed his train of thought, pondering how the Universe came to be, and what was there before. ‘Nothing’ is just a concept, so there must have been something. We are a part of the everything forever. With that out of the way, the dining and drinking crowd was primed for Wrembel and his band: Kells Nollenberger on double bass, Thor Jensen on guitar, and drummer Nick Anderson.

    Since they were recording the evening (and the evening prior) for a possible future live release, he warned, “Everything can be held against you.” This night they concentrated on material from his two most recent albums Origins and Dreamers of Dreams. The band took the crowd on a journey. A journey around the world, and beyond, through the eyes, mind and sounds of Stephane Wrembel. They started in the desert of the American Southwest with “Devices from the Desert,” a place they would return to later on with “Minuit Aux Batignolles” and second set opener “Let There Be Light.” Wrembel “loves the desert.”

    But every destination wasn’t a sun-drenched sand dune. “Tsunami” brought us to a Wrembel-envisioned version of Japan inspired by the movies of Kurosawa. A pleasant airy tune, that was disrupted by a violent second half, representing the tsunami that hit the area of more recent times. “Road to Jos” told of the time the band traveled to Nigeria and had a military transport across the beautiful but war-ridden countryside between gigs. “Lasco” took a trip to one of the oldest caves in France, in which Wrembel pondered if people didn’t actually live there, but in fact just entered for ritual singing. “Orion” finally lifted us from our world and into the cosmos, back where the evening began. He started with the explanations, and the music then captured the scene perfectly. Musically, the band was top-notch. Wrembel’s solos were mystifying. In the moments when the band, Anderson on drums in particular, clicked together with him, the peaks were astounding.

    Later in the evening, they played “Big Brother” and “Bistro Fava” from Woody Allen’s Vikki Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris, respectively. Wrembel told a story of how he was cast in a small role for one of the films, but that the one scene he was in got cut. So he joked, if Woody played a song while they were recording this album tonight, maybe he would cut it.

  • Interview: Popa Chubby – Go for the Raw Sound and Crank It Up

    Popa Chubby, the long-time stage name for Ted Horowitz, has been playing a mean guitar for over 25 years. Fresh off of playing shows in Europe this past month, he returns state side starting off a winter tour this Friday Nov. 13 at 8pm at The Hangar in Troy with several other New York appearances on the schedule. Tickets for his show at The Hangar are on sale here.

    His other New York shows include: Nov, 28 at Daryl’s House (Pawling), Dec. 12 (Christmas Concert) at Roulette Theater (Brooklyn), Dec. 31 at The Turning Point (Piermont), and Jan. 16 at Treme Blues & Jazz (Islip). Check out his full tour schedule here.

    In anticipation for his appearance at The Hangar on Friday, Popa Chubby chatted with NYS Music about his music, playing guitar and his new double-live album, Big, Bad and Beautiful.

    Popa Chubby Big Bad Beautiful

    Steve Malinski: You’ve got a sound that’s quite your own, sort of a cross roads of blues, rock and roll with quite a level of musicianship.

    Popa Chubby: Yeah man, I appreciate that. I started off playing rock and roll, metal, punk rock and speed metal before I got into the blues.

    SM: And I’m sure growing up in New York City had and impact on your sound –

    PC: – NY Hardcore! –

    SM: – So what lead you to find the groove you have today?

    PC: It was like 1980 – no, the late 1980’s and the hardcore scene had kind of dried up by that point. There was a lot going on and I just wanted to play. Somebody gave me a Muddy Waters record and I heard it and was like holy cow this is awesome. So I put a little band together. We started playing in bars around NY and it just took off. A couple of years later I had a big record deal with Sony/Okeh, made a record with Tom Dowd, then went to Europe and it’s just been going on ever since, for 25 years.

    SM: I’ve kind of pinned your sound as a version of Blue Cheer with a big guitar sound.

    PC: Well, I will take that as a huge compliment. I like to rock, man, you know. I like to crank it up. I’m into the raw sound so it’s definitely got a healthy aspect of rock and roll and punk in it for sure.

    SM: Kind of like how Ted Nugent plugs directly into his amps and rips from there.

    PC: (laughter) Yeah, the Nuge! Luckily he and I are nothing alike politically.

    SM: I recently came across a video of you jamming out with Johnny Winter at his 70th birthday celebration at B.B. King’s in NYC last year. How awesome was that for you?

    PC: That was just a legendary night. Johnny’s 70th birthday. He asked me to play with him. Ironically the first concert I ever saw was Johnny Winter. So it was a real monumental night for me.

    SM: Was that the big highlight of your career so far?

    S Malinski - Leslie West - Bethel Woods-1
    One of Popa Chubby’s idols, Leslie West, at Bethel Woods (Woodstock 40th Anniversay) Aug. 15, 2009. photo: Steve Malinski/The Polytechnic

    PC: One of them. There have been a lot of high points and that’s definitely one of them, on stage with one of my idols. I was really lucky too because he passed away shortly after that. It’s been quite a year. I’ve gotten to play with a lot of the guys I grew up listening to. Johnny Winter, Leslie West, just great stuff. It’s been awesome.

    SM: You just returned from a Eurpoean tour that spanned five countries. What was that experience like?

    PC: We did a month long European tour, myself and a band I’m working with called the Balkun Brothers out of Hartford, CT, a duo along the lines of the Black Keys…Blue Cheer, MC5, like the heavier side of blues rock. So we just killed it in Europe and now we’re coming back. It starts this weekend in Troy and I’m really psyched to be up there, I love the area. I’ve played I the Albany area for a long time and it’s gonna be great.

    SM: Are the crowds over there in Europe much different than what they are like here?

    PC: I wouldn’t say they’re different. It’s just… it’s just been awesome, so great. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing, man. I’m sitting in my studio right now and I’m looking at my wall with poster of a lot of my heroes. People like Hubert Humlin, and Leslie West is up there, and of course Johhny’s up there, Jimi Hendrix. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing. Really just happy to be playing music and guitar.

    SM: So I’ve counted 24 releases that you’ve had in your career and you’ll soon be adding a 25th – a live album. What can you tell us about that?

    PC: A double live record, Big, Bad and Beautiful. I think in a large sense this is a career-defining record for me. It really sums up 25 years of work and it really came together, man. We recorded it last spring in France when we were on tour and I’m really proud of it. It’s 27 songs and it reflects a lot of my stuff  – old, new, and in between. So I’m really happy about this record and it’s been great. It’s coming out on Cleopatra in January.

    SM: I’ve never had a chance yet to see you live but from what I’ve heard of you since I first stumbled on you music at my college radio station
    back in 2007 and from videos I’ve seen it seems like you have a deep passion for music. What’s so special about the blues and rock and roll to you?

    PC: You know what, I can’t really speak for the blues and rock and roll, but I can speak about my music. It’s hard and it’s raw. It’s like…my music reflects what I grew up listening to. For me, like when punk rock came around, seeing bands like The Ramones and Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Damned, and The Deadboys and stuff like that. There was an immediacy, that and the guitars would just rip your face off. And even seeing bands like Motörhead, Metallica and Black Sabbath, then going back to listen to people like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, it’s all got the same element to it. It’s like, no bullshit, man. It’s like, straight up.

    Popa Chubby photo

    SM: You’ve got a lot of shows coming up, including the one this Friday at The Hangar in Troy, Daryl’s House, Roulette Theater –

    PC: – Yeah we do, man, it’s non-stop. We’ve got a lot, and in January we’re going back to Europe again. Business is just really kickin’ for me. We just got an offer for a festival in Juno, AK, then back to the west coast in the summer.

    SM: With all these shows in your home state, do you have anything special lined up?

    PC: I’m always happy to play in New York, man. Especially this time of the year – November, December – is when I’m local and get to play all my favorite shows. And definitely Troy/Albany is a hotspot for me. I’ve recorded a lot of records there, also in Saratoga back in the 90’s…oh man, I can’t even remember the name of the club! It might have been Metronome or something like that [The Metro]. But anyway we recorded Hit the High Hard One up there. So that region has always been really great for me and I’m really excited to get back up there to play. So it’s gonna be a great show. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciate it.

    SM: Same to you, it’s been a pleasure.

  • Allen Toussaint, New Orleans Royalty, Dies at 77

    Legendary New Orleans composer and pianist Allen Toussaint has died from an apparent heart attack at his hotel following a performance in Madrid, Spain early Tuesday morning. Toussaint’s daughter, Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux confirmed her father‘s death to the The New York Times Tuesday.

    Mr. Toussaint was scheduled to perform in London and Belgium following his Madrid performance.

    Toussaint McCartney

    Mr. Toussaint frequently collaborated with his fellow New Orleans musicians as well as rock luminaries such as Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello. Costello recently said of him, “There was no one on the planet who cared more about New Orleans than this man.”

    Born in 1938 in the working class section of New Orleans known as Gert Town, Mr. Toussaint taught himself to play the piano and released his first album in 1958.

    His songs were recorded by many, including the Rolling Stones and The Who, both taking turns at his song “Fortune Teller.” The song was posted on the Rolling Stones Twitter feed Tuesday morning. Phish has often covered his “On Your Way Down.”

    Other musicians have also posted messages celebrating the life of Mr. Toussaint:

    Forced to relocate to New York due to Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Toussaint was a frequent perfomer at Joe’s Pub. The move rejuvenated his career and he eventually returned to New Orleans, performing often at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

    Mr. Toussaint gained fame outside of his home town with his 1975 solo album Southern Nights. Glen Campbell also had a hit with the title song.  He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and received the National Medal of the Arts from President Obama.

    Mr. Toussaint, humbly stated on his website, “I’m not accustomed to talking about myself, I talk in the studio with musicians. Or through my songs.”

  • Third Annual Hulaween Reigns as Largest Festival Ever at Suwanee

    There are moments in one’s life that will stay with them long after the music has stopped. The third and 2015 edition of Hulaween once again curated a festival experience for the ages. One that will be stuck in festival goers minds for a long time to come, until next year that is.

    third hulaweenThe third installment of Suwannee’s Hulaween Music and Arts Festival brought many new faces to Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Having grown to over 21,000 attendees this year, it was the largest festival ever thrown at the site since it began hosting. Not without some slight growing pains, long lines on Friday for ticketing and entrance into the event quickly gave way to smiles and wide eyed amazement of what was in store for the weekend.

    Hosted once again by The String Cheese Incident, Hulaween brought many other big name musical acts to the party, some for their first appearance at Suwannee. With a total of seven sets over the course of the weekend, including their Halloween “Ghoul Train” cover set featuring Wu Tang’s Gza acting as Don Cornelius, plowing through crowd favorites such as “Brick House,” “Boogie Man,” “Car Wash,” and “Dance to the Music,” SCI held nothing back, whipping revelers into a dancing frenzy at every opportunity.

    A highlight at the Amphitheater Stage Friday was undoubtedly Primus, getting the crowd started with “Those Damn Blue Collar Tweakers,” they left it all on stage with favorites like “Mr. Krinkle,” “American Life” and the coveted “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver.” Their set was not without Les Claypool’s usual witty banter with the crowd, as well as some less usual songs like “Jilly’s on Smack” and “Salmon Man.”

    Pretty Lights played to a majority of the attendees Friday night interspersing some new music into a set chock full of his trademark energetic glitch hop, with horns and keys aplenty. A highlight at the Amphitheater Stage on Saturday was Suwanee virgins Odesza who harnessed the crowd’s energy and magnified it into an incredible set of danceable electropop and chillwave grooves leaving everyone in a breathless sweaty heap by the end of their set. With many festivals opting for a relaxed schedule on Sunday’s to encourage a relaxed crowd, Hulaween had other plans.

    After a tight bluegrass set by SCI on the main stage, the skyrocketing Griz took the amphitheater by storm announcing that it was the “Funkiest party in the galaxy until Lettuce takes the stage.” Hit after hit had a packed amphitheater crowd bouncing and gyrating until it appeared to form into one massive dancing organism. After String Cheese played their final set, Lettuce indeed brought the funkiest set of the weekend, playing new material off of their fourth studio album Crush. Many were seen looking for their jaws on the ground afterwards.

    Closing Hulaween down were none other than livetronica pioneers Sound Tribe Sector 9. Once again the main concert field was packed with fans drawing from energy reserves to dance their hearts out for one finale set of music.

    The expansion of Spirit Lake brought many new art exhibits and interactive sculptures, as well as the return of exhibits from previous years. With some stellar performances by Manic Science (Manic Focus X Break Science) and The New Mastersounds at the Spirit Lake Stage, the art wasn’t the only selling point.

    Silver Wrapper Productions and The Spirit Of Suwanee Music Park have outdone themselves, once again. Time will tell if it’s possible to bring together a more impressive line up, a more perfect lay out, or a more incredible all around music and art experience together in one gorgeous package.

  • Joe Louis Walker and Jay Geils’ B.B. King Tribute Impresses Hudson Valley Crowd

    One of the Hudson Valley’s hottest nights for blues in 2015 took place this last week as Joe Louis Walker paid special tribute to the King with the help of Jay Geils and some newly inducted members of the NY Blues Hall of Fame at Paramount Hudson Valley.

    S Malinski - Joe Louis Walker - Paramount Hudson Valley-1

    A different kind of induction ceremony kicked off the evening, one far from a yawn-filled series of speeches. With Michael Packer at the helm, an all-star cast joined together on stage to do a five-song opening set with members of this group inducted into the NY Blues Hall of Fame between songs. For a group of musicians who may have only had limited time rehearsing with each other, the sound was solid and energizing. The inductees this year included Michael Falzarano (guitarist for Hot Tuna and New Riders of the Purple Sage), Rick Knapp (bassist for Walter Trout and Jimmy Thackery), Juma Sultan (percussionist for Jimi Hendrix), and producer Osten Harvey Jr. (a.k.a. Easy Mo Bee).

    S Malinski - Joe Louis Walker - Paramount Hudson Valley-7

    If the roof of the Paramount wasn’t smoldering after Joe Louis Walker’s first song it wasn’t long before it was on fire. As a tribute to the late B.B. King, the setlist included several of King’s songs along with some of Walker’s originals. The set started off with “Friends” and included “Let Your Hair Down,” “She’s Got Eyes Like A Cat” and “Come Back Baby.” Aside from Walker’s incredible mastery of the blues guitar whether screaming at the 24th fret or playing slow and heavy, the rest of the talent on stage combined for an even compliment, especially Vanessa Collier’s sax solos received by standing ovations.

    About halfway through the set Jay Geils joined the set, a guitarist well-rooted in the blues despite his more well-known musical persona with the J. Geils Band. Educated as an engineer, Geils took up a career in music instead and had plenty of stories to share about his start in the blues after accepting his award in a surprise induction into the NY Blues Hall of Fame including some anecdotes about Buddy Guy. In the spirit of the tribute to B.B. King, Geils did not hesitate in saying that the way today’s blues is played can be attributed to King’s style.

    S Malinski - Joe Louis Walker - Paramount Hudson Valley-20

    Before an encore, all of the performers from the induction ceremony set joined Walker and Geils for a call-and-response shuffle tune. It was a true display on stage of what lies at the base of being a musician, getting together with a bunch of others and having nothing but fun in making music. The encore brought just Walker and his band along with Geils back. Reeling on the power of the end of the set, the crowd took advantage of the Paramount’s coziness and gathered on their feet close to the stage. Possibly an unplanned encore, Walker and Geils took a moment to discuss the structure of what they were about to play. Planned or unplanned, it closed out the night with a strong finish.

    As one of only four of these B.B. King tribute shows Walker and Geils were touring with, it was truly a treat to have one of their stops in the lower Hudson Valley.

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