NYS Music 20​15

Category: Genres

  • UPDATED: Toby Keith’s – We Loved That Bar & Grill – Closes Door Under Blanket of Darkness

    Waking up to the news that our favorite country music venue in Syracuse, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, located in Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, packed up and moved out under a cloud of darkness was sad news for sure.

    Parmalee - Toby Keith's Syracuse
    Parmalee – Toby Keith’s Syracuse

    Covering the show Thursday night with Parmalee, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary, as the venue was packed to the gills to enjoy one of country music’s favorite groups.  Wait staff was busily serving drinks and meals while patrons crowded the stage ready to party.  Then again last night, country music star Chris Cagle was in town to perform to yet another packed bar.  NYSMusic staff present covering the show were scooted out upon completion, raising red flags, while ladders littered the venue as signed guitars and memorabilia were beginning to be taken off the walls.

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    Chris Cagle – Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill 5/16/15

    Opening in 2013, the national chain who is named after one of country music’s legends, welcomed several national acts each month while featuring local country music artists throughout the years.  Rumors of financial difficulties here and nationwide swirled around the venue. However, after the business caught up on local taxes last year, patrons thought those issues were behind them.

    Although it’s named after country music’s Toby Keith, other than his name the country music star has no interest in the chain.  Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill was truly one we “loved” to work with, and it will be surely missed by all.  We raise our red solo cups to a great run and bid farewell to one of our favorite venues.

    UPDATE:  

    After a few days of letting the news sink in, I couldn’t help but feel that there was so much more to be said about the clandestine closing of Toby Keith’s over the weekend.  NYSMusic.com worked closely with the corporate office over the course of the last year so I wanted to reach out to get their side of the story.

    John Thomas, Vice President of Marketing for Boomtown Entertainment, parent company to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill’s graciously spoke with me today regarding the closing. He explained that it was a financial decision surrounded by tense relations with Destiny USA.  Assuring me that all questions about past due taxes had been taken care of, he was confident in stating that through litigation all questions will be answered and patrons will understand the decision more so at that time.

    I asked him, why so secretive?  Why not tell patrons and let them celebrate by raising a red solo cup at a farewell party?  He stated that after eight years in the business, there really is never an easy way of doing this.  I can see this point of view.  If Toby’s announced, there would be backlash, if they didn’t announce, there would be backlash.  Either way it’s a no win situation for all involved.  John Thomas took this particular closing difficult as he had spent several years up in our area (Rochester) in radio programming, so this location was one he had a personal interest in seeing succeed.  The market itself was very receptive, and the shows and crowds outstanding.  In fact they had some amazing shows lined up for the remainder of the year for this location, so the closing of the location was not a decision they took lightly when making their decision.

    John Thomas asked me to please relay this message to all that frequented the establishment.  “It’s a sad day. We are upset that we’ve had to cease operations in Syracuse. We thank everyone in Upstate and Central NY, all of guests, patrons, staff, musicians, country music lovers, and our partner B104.7.  It’s an unfortunately situation that we had to make that business decision, but we felt it was in our best interest, and we hope to announce something new in the near future.”

    Leaving me wondering what that “something new in the near future” would be, I truly will miss the great times and good music I shared with my readers from Toby’s, and hold out hope that soon a new country music venue to will come to town that I once again can bring my readers all the latest and greatest from Nashville.

  • Get Ready for MMJ, Beck and More at Boston Calling 2015

    Forget trudging out to a field in the middle of nowhere to see a string of your favorite musicians at a festival. Boston Calling 2015 has all the music you want, and in an easy-to-reach urban setting that also lets you explore one of the best cities in the Northeast while you’re at it.

    And oh, by the way, it’s got a sweet lineup including My Morning Jacket, Beck, the Pixies, Tenacious D and TV on the Radio.

    Boston Calling 2015 will be held for the third time at City Hall Plaza – in the center of Boston – this Memorial Day weekend. The festival allows for re-entry, so festival-goers can hang out in downtown Boston while taking breaks from some great music.

    On Friday, May 22, Sharon Van Etten takes the stage at 6:30. Tame Impala will play at 7:45, and Beck starts at 9:25. All acts will appear on the same stage.

    Saturday will be headlined by My Morning Jacket and also includes Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, St. Vincent, Marina and the Diamonds, Gerard Way, Tove Lo, Run the Jewels, Mo, DMA’s and Krill.

    Sunday’s lineup is headlined by the Pixies, and they will be joined by Tenacious D, TV on the Radio, Vance Joy, Jason Isbell, Chet Faker, The Lone Below, Ilovemakonnen, Halsey, and the Ballroom Thieves.

    On Saturday and Sunday, the sets shift between two stages, and sets don’t overlap, so attendees can catch every minute of music.

    Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday. Music ends each day promptly at 11 p.m. Organizers recommend taking the T to Haymarket or State Street stations, then entering at the main entrance on Congress Street. For those who choose to drive, organizers offer a discount to the Government Center parking garage at 50 New Sudbury St.

    Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes for lots of dancing and walking. Dress in layers, and be prepared for any weather — the event is rain or shine.

    A variety of Sam Adams beers,  Angry Orchard hard cider and Wicked Wines will be for sale. Food and non-alcoholic drink vendors will consist of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Tasty Burger, The Chicken and Rice Guys, Arancini Bros, Dean’s Concessions, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese and Burgers, Alltown and Polar Beverages. Concession booths are spread throughout the festival.

    Tickets, including a few VIP options, are still available online. All ages are welcome, with children aged 10 and younger getting in free.

    Organizers recommend those who don’t have accommodations arranged yet should check out Ames Boston Hotel. It’s steps away from the festival and is an award-winning, chic boutique hotel that attracts artists and celebrities.

    There will be another fall Boston Calling Sept. 25-27, and organizers will announce the lineup at the May festival. Those who attend the spring edition will get a discount on a pre-sale for the fall fest starting May 26. Last year’s fall festival included The National, The Hold Steady, Lorde, Nas and the Roots, among others.

    Boston Calling is also hosting block parties every Thursday until Sept. 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. in Dewey Square, on Summer Street at Downtown Crossing.

  • RIP Blues Legend B.B. King

    Blues legend B.B. King, who influenced generations of blues musicians with his signature guitar sound, has died at age 89. Having recently been hospitalized for diabeted-related dehydration, King took a break from the road in early April and passed away in his sleep in Las Vegas last night.

    A member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, King performed most recently at The Palace Theatre in April 2014 and at The Massry Center for the Arts in April 2013. While his health was deteriorating and his stage performance less than crisp, King still drew crowds wherever he went, a living legend with fans across the globe.

  • Show Number One: The Legendary Fishbone at Westcott

    The best moments in life are often those that come with little planning – so when my buddy hit me up last Wednesday about making a last-minute trip to see ska/punk/funk legends Fishbone at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater  – I said “Funk ya!” California’s Fishbone has been touring since 1979 and still features three original members – lead vocalist Angelo Moore, bassist John Norwood Fisher and “Dirty” Walter A Kibby II on trumpet. Add in Rocky George of Suicidal Tendencies fame on guitar, John Steward on drums, Jay Armant on trombone, and Paul Hampton on the keys and they become a force to be reckoned with. This is no watered down state fair nostalgia act, this is the real deal.

    Street Rock Mafia – a rap/funk/rock group from Utica. The Mafia’s genre is well stated as their sound lay somewhere in between Limp Bizkit, Ludacris and Syracuse’s own Sophistafunk. With ample guitar to go with the eloquent hip hop and subtle funk undertones – this band should have no trouble finding a varied audience as they continue to grow.

    Finally it was time to grab one of the Westcott’s micro brews and get a spot up front for Fishbone. The audience was a bit sparse considering the history of this band, but that took little from the experience. The band came out to play one of their most well-known tunes “Party at Ground Zero” and immediately set the dance floor on fire. Showing no signs of age – vocalist/multi instrumentalist Moore was bouncing around the stage like an eighteen year old – and the rest of the band followed suit. The set featured a mix of old and new material and a spot on cover of the Sublime classic “Date Rape.” The band even managed to give a shout out to guitarist George’s old band – Suicidal Tendencies – with an extended head bang worthy jam around the tune “Institutionalized”. I, of course, immediately asked the bartender for a Pepsi, but he wouldn’t give me one.

    Fishbone is touring heavily this year and was just announced as a headliner for September’s Last Daze of Summer festival at Sterling Stage in Sterling, NY. Put this band on your bucket list and find a way to see them. The last-minute journey to funkytown was well worth the five hours of sleep and the groggy morning after. And I finally got my Pepsi.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Eastbound Jesus Release “Better Things”, Second Track off “Hollerin”

    With their second album Hollerin due out this summer, Eastbound Jesus has released exclusively with NYSMusic the second track off the album. We love where this album is headed…

    [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/205485703″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

  • Hearing Aide: The Pandemics ‘Hard Headed’ EP

    The PandemicsThe Pandemics just released a new EP called Hard Headed. This band of musicians is a relatively new force in New York. Debuting in 2010 and having previously released another EP and an album, The Pandemics are an eight piece band spreading through New York State with a recognizably robust sound.  The sounds of trumpets and drums open up the EP with an initial jam that is slower and one of the key songs on the EP to check out. The second song to be check out is “Change Your Mind.” This song is a head full of upbeat punk music with sarcastic humor on one shoulder and the combination of bad words on the other shoulder.

    “Stop and Get Frisky” is a very relevant tune. This number is all about police violence. This past year the murder of Mike Brown and Eric Garner as well as other murders received a lot of well deserved attention and sparked a movement called Black Lives Matter.  Cops are recurring themes in Ska and punk music, however, the lyrics in “Stop and Get Frisky,” – “The stopping for white is nearly six times for blacks,” make it clear that the song is specifically addressing the issue of racial profiling.

    The Pandemics are bringing up important issues of police profiling in their new EP Hard Headed. Check it out and catch The Pandemics on tour in New York State this summer! 

    Key Tracks: Change Your Mind, Stop and Get Frisky

  • Kacey Musgraves: Following Her Own Arrow to the Top

    Today’s Nashville is quickly becoming a mecca for artists of all genres. No longer is country and bluegrass music the only sounds coming from the recording studios in music city. With cross over artists writing, singing, and performing unique blends of country, bluegrass, rock, pop, R&B, reggae, and jazz melodies, we are trending towards a new millennium of country music. Kacey Musgraves is my kind of different good.

    Personal preference makes me tend to gravitate towards unique artists that shine a little differently than the rest. There’s something alluring about those artists that go against the grain and march to the beat of their own drum. Different has always been better to me. While all the other artists are swimming downstream singing of solo cups and dirt roads, however catchy it is, it’s becoming boring. And before you all get your knickers in a twist, I’m a country gal and that was no slight towards solo cups and dirt roads. Heck, I’m as country as a gal can get growing up in southern Illinois and Murfreesboro, TN. I have been known to drink from a red solo cup on the tailgate of a pickup, out on some ole dirt road in cut off shorts and a flannel shirt tied at the middle. I am the definition of country. Subject matter is not the issue.

    Kacey Musgraves - MVCC Jorgensen Athletic Center
    Kacey Musgraves – MVCC Jorgensen Athletic Center

    Hailing from Golden, Texas, this lovely young lady demonstrates a quiet strength to me. Listening to the words of “Follow Your Arrow” and “Biscuits”, and “The Trailer Song”, it became crystal clear that Kacey tells it like it is.  She paints you a mental image with the music.  She sings of being your own person, makes no excuses for who she is, and definitely puts it straight to those who feel it’s their business to butt their noses in where they don’t belong.  From the moment I heard the first line few lines of The Trailer Song, I knew I liked her. “You say that you’re watching the birds out your window, I’ve got a bird you can watch”. It’s her no-nonsense straight forward lyrics, combined with the twangy sound of classic country, that makes this new age young lady one of my all time favorites.

    Opening for Kacey were John & Jacob, a unique band fronted by John Davidson and Jacob Bryan, with Jake Thrasher, Trevor Davis, and Austin Smith rounding out this dynamic group of young men. Bringing their own unique style to the stage I was pleasantly surprised with their catchy early 60’s suited look reminiscent of The Hollies or early Fab Four. Mix in a bit of their rocking Buddy Holly style of upbeat late 60’s rock, add a splash of backwoods country spice and you have John and Jacob. I was literally giddy when they began playing.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’173′]

    As Kacey took the stage, this gal definitely walks her own walk and talks her own talk.  With a sound of country mixed with a bit of 60’s rock, this young lady writes and sings of life as she knows it from her small town roots in the trailer park to the great big world as she travels.  Surrounded on stage by neon cacti and one of Nashville’s premier bands clad in classic country rhinestone suits, she lights up her band and the stage in such a way she makes trailers and neon lights classy.  Coming off the heals of controversy, Kacey sang Little Big Town’s new controversial song “Girl Crush” and nailed it, and her rendition of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” was one of my favorites of the evening.

    This CMA, ACM, and Grammy Award winning artist has just begun to make her mark in country music, and as long as she continues to shoot her own arrow, she’s hit the mark for me and without a doubt this young lady will be a name that goes down in the history books.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’168′]

  • Hearing Aide: The McLovins ‘Beautiful Lights’ and ‘Funk No. Uno EP’

    New lineup, expanded sound, refined digs. 2014 was a big year for Hartford-based jam band The McLovins, releasing their fourth full length studio album Beautiful Lights earlier in the year, with a CD release party at Garcia’s shortly after. A coming-of-age album for The McLovins, Beautiful Lights gives us sounds that are an entry into the mid-leagues of regional jam bands with followings in various reaches of the country. To top off Beautiful Lights, The McLovins have released a funky four-song EP this past summer, Funk No. Uno.

    mclovins beautiful lightsThe McLovins had already released three full-length albums prior to Beautiful Lights, which are good listens and made for awesome live sets but were largely based off the jam-and-shred platform which made for a better live presentation. On their newest full-length album, the band steeped the tea for just the right amount of time and built off their foundation to refine their sound and focus on the songwriting aspect. One of the great things The McLovins have demonstrated with this album is their ability to write and record a solid four to six minute studio track that can render into a longer jam when performed live.

    After guitarist Jeff Howard left the band in late 2011, founding members Jake Huffman (drums, vocals) and Jason Ott (bass) welcomed Justin Berger on guitar and added Atticus Kelly on keys. Not only did the urge to record new material fall into place after that, according to Huffman, but the change-up also brought in some new ideas and influences which possibly drove some of the tighter song structure we see on Beautiful Lights.

    With twelve songs totaling a little more than what would fit on a typical LP record, the album is laid out in a way that gives it that feel of an A and B side. As far as influences, Jake Huffman attributes them in two takes, which shapes that album-side feel. Huffman told NYS Music, “There are two different vibes, this really old school Grateful Dead-y type sound, and then you have this other type of sound like Lotus or Disco Biscuits. The first half of the album and the second half of the album have two totally different types of vibes.”

    The difference is pretty clear too, listening to the album from start to finish. The first five tracks fit well with a summer party groove and the flip side renders, for the most part, an Americana-rock experience. Several of The McLovins’ influences shine through as well with occasional Trey Anastasio style licks that sing, soar and don’t snore and other throwbacks to The Band (particularly on “Yankee Rose”) and The Grateful Dead, with a very brief, maybe accidental, tease of the start of a verse from “St. Stephen” on “Shivers.”

    mclovins beautiful lightsInstrumentals can sometimes make or break a record, or might just be there like too much water added to a can of condensed soup. The title track and only instrumental track off Beautiful Lights particularly caught our attention. A cohesive, open-to-interpretation instrumental, this song is in some ways like an aural Rorschach test. Dim the lights, close your eyes and let it take you to your city’s evening star-lit overlook or in a sunny field running toward the next big thing on your horizon. If the jam band world had its version of “Eye of the Tiger” it would be this song. Paired with the following a capella tune “Cold Cold Iron” these two songs jet up as the divider between the two halves of the album.

    The Funk No. Uno EP also marks a new strut for the McLovins. It is, after all, only an EP but features four tracks built off their native style blended and molded with an added horn section and heavy influences of jazz, fusion, R&B and plenty of funk. Unlike the complete 360 in sound Mumford & Sons pulled on their latest Wilder Mind, the sounds of Funk No. Uno are like a side of sriracha to kick up the main course – there’s no ditching the old here. It would certainly be awesome to hear more of this from the band down the road.

    Beautiful Lights and Funk No. Uno are a far cry from a disappointment to the ears and worth adding to your library. If you’re not familiar with The McLovins, we’d suggest checking out their earlier releases and bootleg soundboard/live recordings as well.

    Key Tracks: Beautiful Lights, Yankee Rose, Birthday

  • Dylan Birthday Celebration to be Held in Woodstock

    For the seventh year in a row, Bob Dylan’s birthday will be celebrated with a benefit concert in Woodstock Memorial Day weekend.

    A group of Hudson Valley-based artists will perform Dylan’s hits at the Bearsville Theater at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 24.

    The current lineup features Happy Traum, Cindy Cashdollar, Jules Shear & Pal Shazar, The Stacks, Sara Fimm, Marc Black, Lindsey Webster, Eric Redd, Jerry Marotta, Zach Djanikian, Tim Moore, Kyle Esposito, Sin City, and The Saturday Night Bluegrass Band. More artists are to be announced.

    DylanSquareThe concert will benefit the Family of Woodstock’s Crisis Hotline and the John Herald Fund for musicians in need.

    Those looking to attend have the option of buying $45 non-premium seats, $65 premium seats, or $100 premium seats that also include raffle tickets to win a photo and signed poster of Bob Dylan.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbc3PSiHu6I]

  • 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!