Dean Ween Group came to Port Chester with a mixed bag of originals and Ween tunes. The energy was palpable as the band and audience interacted as one traversing through a rare cigarette smoke-filled Garcia’s. A Monster Transdermal Celebration opened the nights festivities setting the mood for one of the loudest shows played at this young venue.
Category: Genres
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Dropkick Murphys Sell Out Upstate Concert Hall
It was a typical cold night in Clifton Park, NY at the Upstate Concert Hall. The event was completely sold out and packed with people from all over the Northeast. Eager for what was certain to be an entertaining night with the rowdy Irish punk rockers, Dropkick Murphys, the flock of fans gathered around opener Brian McPherson. He kept them calmly charmed with acoustic Irish Folk music. Fast strumming guitar paired with a whaling tenor voice and harmonica solos laced in proved that McPherson is a formidable one man Irish music army.
Blood or Whiskey came out to a crowd so thick that raising a drink to your mouth without accidentally molesting the strangers around you becomes a task. Angry irish chanting aimed at semi-sober thick blooded upstate New Yorkers did little to budge the people, though undoubtedly entertained. The front man calls for a circle pit but the crowd disobeys for fear that the silverback gorilla sized bouncer standing on the bar may come down atop them.
The Mahones were proceeded with Celtic jig music and a stuffed terrier atop the bass amp. All dressed in black, the group raged on and the people warmed up. Most intriguing was the accordion player. Heavily tattooed and highly attractive, she pumped her instrument with the intensity of a cage fighter. From time to time she leaned into her microphone to let out a blood-curdling scream that gave power to the lead vocals. With no room to fight or care or breath, the night moved on without a hitch.
Enter Dropkick Murphys with energy easily matched by the fans that somehow found room to smash against each other amicably enough. Juggling instruments like street performers, the band shuffled through instruments such as: an accordion, a small flute like object, bagpipes, a plethora of guitars, mandolins and other different small flute-like objects. The whole group tactfully traded vocals, or just all yelled together like the were celebrating at a pub. How could the Dropkick Murphys have this much fun every night!? After a few fights were stifled by criticisms from the Murphys and some more top-notch performances, including bringing up opener Brian McPherson for an amazing rendition of an old tune, the band “finished” their set. The entirety of the sold out crowd demanded an encore which was not only appeased but they were invited onstage to close out the night alongside their idols.
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Dear Jerry Merriweather Show Features Dead Members and More
Fear not, ye Deadheads who failed to get tickets to Chicago. Another event to celebrate 50 years of the Grateful Dead is in the works, and it’s going to be one hell of a show. Dear Jerry: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia will be held Thursday, May 14, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Former Dead members and bands that were influenced by the Dead will gather to pay tribute to the legendary frontman.
The bill is currently comprised of the following acts: Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & the Kids, Bob Weir, Bruce Hornsby, Buddy Miller, David Grisman, Eric Church, Greensky Bluegrass, Jimmy Cliff, Jorma Kaukonen, Los Lobos, Moe., O.A.R., Railroad Earth, The Disco Biscuits, Trampled By Turtles, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band and Communion featuring Phil Lesh, Stu Allen, Grahame Lesh, Ross James, Alex Koford, and Jason Crosby. And if that’s not enough – even more performers are slated to be added.
The venue parking lot will open at 3:30 p.m., doors will open at 5:30 p.m, and the show is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Keith Wortman and Don Was – who are responsible for large-scale concert events to honor other musical greats like Johnny Cash, Levon Helm, Dr. John, Gregg Allman, Mavis Staples and Emmylou Harris – are putting together the concert. Wortman is the executive producer, and Was is the musical director, and he’ll lead an all-star band that will back the performers. The Jerry Garcia family is co-producing.
“It’s exciting to have so many phenomenal artists performing in this special musical tribute to my dad, Jerry Garcia!” Trixie Garcia said in a press release announcing the event. “‘DEAR JERRY: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia’ speaks volumes to Jerry’s lasting influence in the ears and hearts of his fans and fellow musicians. Join us in celebrating the legacy that inspired so many.”
The concert will be filmed and recorded for distribution on both traditional and digital media.
There’s merch available already and the concert organizers are encouraging people to tweet “Jerry moments” using the hashtag #dearjerryconcert.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 13, via Ticketfly.com or by calling 877-4FLY-TIX. They can also be purchased in person at the venue box office. Those who have a Citi card will have access to a presale that will run from noon March 10 to 10 pm. March 12.
A percentage of the proceeds will go to the Rex Foundation, which has a broad mission to help underprivileged and indigenous people as well as promote a healthy environment and the arts. The nonprofit organization was formed in 1983 by members of the band with help from family and friends.
http://youtu.be/idUIhfmOkfI
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Asleep at The Wheel Coming to The Egg This Sunday
Asleep at The Wheel will be bringing their tour celebrating the music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys to The Egg this Sunday, March 8. Their tribute album, Still The King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys came out this past week and included guest appearances from Willie Nelson, Del McCoury, George Strait, Amos Lee, The Avett Brothers, and many more. Asleep at The Wheel has been going strong for over 40 years and show no signs of slowing down.
Bob Wills is of course one of the originators of Western Swing and is considered “The King” of it. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s Wills and his Texas Playboys toured throughout the country becoming early stars of American country music. They were a dance band with a country string section that played pop songs as if they were jazz numbers. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ray Benson has said that he is still amazed me how well this music, born in the 1920s and ‘30s, thrives in the present day.
This is the only Upstate New York show before the band heads south and west for the remainder of the spring. Tickets are still available at The Egg’s box office and online. The show has a 7 PM start time, so don’t be late for this great Sunday show to finish up your weekend.
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EXCLUSIVE: Ocular Panther Premiere Obtuse Snoot and Add Drummer
A few months back the band nicknamed as Ocupanther reverted to their full name Ocular Panther and started touring as a three piece with multi-instrumentalist Collin Jones handling guitar and keys. The all instrumental electro-prog-space-funk band has been gathering larger and larger crowds regionally and writing tons of new material. NYSMusic is elated to offer fans the first look at “Obtuse Snoot” from Ocu’s 2014 release Data Stretching. Ocupanther is the aforementioned Jones, Jason Gilly on Bass, and Mikey Pantano on guitar.
Ocu fans will also be psyched to know the band has expanded their lineup to include the mega-talented Jimmy Grillo on the skins. Grillo played for years on the NY scene in the now defunct Roots Collider and will debut as drummer March 26 at Flour City Station in Rochester with NYC’s hottest also-instrumental trio – Consider the Source. Grillo is also currently in The Younger Gang. Obtuse Snoot.
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Local Limelight: I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help
By now, anyone who frequents local metal shows in Buffalo has heard of I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help. Having seen these guys live many times myself, I wanted to give the dedicated metal show goers of our town a behind-the-scenes look at this particular band, and why I think they’re worth a listen to anyone who isn’t familiar with them. Personally, I’d recommend these guys to any fan of any kind of metal, because I think they have something for everyone in the metal world. Their performances are energetic, their songs are incredibly catchy, and they stay just as brutally heavy as they do honest and melody driven, for the duration of their tunes.
Recently, I had an opportunity to catch up with Tom Bieler (vocals), Robby Warren (guitar) and Steve Keicher (drums), and ask them a few important questions about their project. Here’s what they had to say.
Mike Marlinski: Where does the name I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help come from and how would you describe your music to new listeners?
Robby Warren: The name comes from the famous words said by President Reagan during a speech as “the 9 most terrifying words in the English language”. He couldn’t have been more right and those words still hold value today.
Tom Bieler: I almost wanted to name the band, I’m a Firefighter and I’m Here to Help You, but the government quote was a lot better. I would describe our sound to new listeners as metal. Too many people focus on sub-genres nowadays and it isn’t helping local scene unity at all.
Steve Keicher: For new listeners, I would describe our sound as being heavy with some underlying melody, whether it be vocals or guitars, with influences ranging from hard rock, heavy metal and hardcore. Modern American Heavy!
MM: What kind of music were you raised on? Who are your musical influences?
RW: I was raised on a lot of classic rock, ‘80s hair metal and country from being raised by my mom. Once I found Megadeth at 10 or 11, it was all metal there on out. My guitar influences range from Dimebag Darrell to Ted Nugent to Marty Friedman.
TB: I was raised on mostly rock in the same vein as Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Tom Petty, Billy Joel and stuff like that. Once I hit high school, it was all Wu-tang and skate punk music like Millencolin and Bad Religion.
SK: I was raised on a wide variety of things. My parents listened to everything from The Doors and The Beatles to Alabama and Charlie Daniels. I grew up with some older cousins who were always jamming the heavy stuff so Sepultura, Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer and Metallica invaded my ears when I was in like 4th grade.
Everyone was always skating and blasting thrash! MTV was huge while I was growing up too. Pop music was everywhere, then I saw that first Nirvana video. Pantera wasn’t far behind either. I’m constantly trying to discover new bands and things to listen to. Lately it’s been old psyche rock bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s, bands like Blue Cheer, The Nice, Joshua and a ton more.MM: Who do you typically listen to on the way to a performance?
RW: On my way to a show, I’m usually listening to something very heavy to get me psyched up. As I Lay Dying is a regular to get me pumped.
TB: Just whatever’s in the CD player. Lately it’s been Seplophile and Makhai, both Buffalo locals.
SK: Since a show night tends to be filled with a lot of loud and heavy music, I tend to listen to hip hop to get pumped or old classic rock to just chill out and focus.
MM: Do you have future touring plans? Where are you hoping to tour?
RW: I hope we are able to tour in the near future, but who knows how realistic that is. These days it’s tough to do it with bills and such at home, while making next to nothing being on the road. It is a dream of mine though and I hope to at least tour the east coast.
TB: If the demand for a tour comes and we’re able to do it then that would be really rad. The truth is we’re all hardworking American men and have jobs and we can’t just leave our responsibilities at a moment’s notice.
SK: I would love to travel with this band. I’d love to see the west coast, and from there, possibly some European cities. I’ve always loved to travel, so any place outside of the norm would be fine with me.
MM: Do the five of you have a common major musical influence? Who would you collectively love to open for one day?
RW: We all have our own style we bring to the band to create what you hear. I can’t say we all have a common musical influence, but that makes for something truly special having that many different influences coming together. We would love to open for any major band out there in the metal world. It is always very exciting to share the stage with a band you listen to. I personally would be able to die a happy man if we got to open for Megadeth.
TB: Collectively, we have a really wide range of influences, so I don’t know if we would agree on one band between us. I would love to open for a classic metal band like Iron Maiden or Megadeth.
SK: I can’t say if we all collectively have a common influence. The age range (23?-33?) in this band is funny, but I feel that’s what brings all sorts of different influences to the table. We all want to write heavy, memorable songs that connect with the listener on some level. Musical, lyrical, emotional, spiritual, whatever.
MM: Can you recall a specific news story or personal experience that first motivated you to take the band’s lyrics in a political direction?
RW: Tom, that’s all you. (laughs)
TB: I think it’s important to have meaningful song lyrics. We sing songs about things that matter to everyday Americans like you and me. We worry about drones, we worry about politics and religion and we worry about getting through the day and taking care of our business.
MM: Does the band have an overall message you all wish to convey to your audience with each performance and studio release? If so, what is that message?
RW: The overall message we try to give our audience, whether it’s live or in the studio, is that we must unite and stand for what we believe in, whether it’s against a shaky government or uniting with our brothers and sisters in the metal scene.
TB: Musically speaking, I think the one thing we try to convey in everything that we put out is the importance of riffs. We’re lucky to have some tremendous guitarists. At the end of the day metal is all about the riffs!
MM: What can we expect from the next EP?
SK: New songs. (smiles)
RW: The next EP is going to have lots of exciting guitar work, pummeling drums, sick bass ripping, and of course lots of hard truth.
TB: The next EP is going to be a step up. I think we set a pretty high standard with “Hard Truth/Forced Unity” and now we have to meet and exceed that standard. It’s a challenge but I think we have the right songs to do it.
Below is a full stream of their debut EP, “Hard Truth/Forced Unity”:
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Badfish drops 40 oz. on the Westcott Theater in Syracuse
On the first night of their spring break tour, Badfish started the weekend off right, at the Westcott Theater on Feb, 27. Bringing all of Sublime’s greatest hits, which included the album 40 oz. to Freedom in its entirety, the band was clearly seeking to entertain and have a great time. Before they brought their nostalgic summer rock to the stage, they welcomed two local bands to share the evening with.
Street Rock Mafia Street Rock Mafia, an energetic funk/rock band from Utica, NY, was the foolproof start to the night. They laid down the groove and set out to put some boogie in your butt. The drums and bass mounted the framework of each song while the guitar and vocals brought captivating melodies and lyrics. Not a pair of ears were disappointed with the energy that the mafia was giving.
The second outfit was Lucky 33, a punk/indie rock band from Syracuse. This four piece, old school, punk driving, band of rockers formed in late 2011 and were more than ready to tackle the anxious crowd. With enormous confidence, they stormed the stage bringing their own distinct brand of original songs to a new gallery of ears. With no luck at all, viewers and admirers soon turned into fans, and the crowd greatly applauded their performance as it came to a close.
Lucky 33 Just before Badfish was set to hit the stage, the crew raised a vibrant backdrop of a koi fish smoking a cigar and holding some alcohol, which charged the audience with excitement. A moment after, the band members entered the stage to the opening voice track of “Waiting for my Ruca” and persisted to play the full album with other great hits including “Santeria” and “Summertime.” The memorable punk and reggae songs of Sublime brought back the urge to dance and jump around like a teenager again.
Badfish Each song was beautifully matched with vocals and guitar by Pat Downes, who cultivated the same soul and passion of the late Sublime singer, Brad Knowles. Bassist Joel Hanks and drummer Scott Begin played mercifully through the two sets, though Scott had become injured a few hours prior to the show, from loading in equipment. Injury or none, their dedication to entertaining fans was nothing short of spectacular. Rhode Island based Badfish is currently traveling down the east coast on this leg of their tour and are expected to break in early July. Their next visit to upstate New York will be at the Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on May 1, 2015.
http://www.badfish.com/tour/
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Lucky 33 Gallery:
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Street Rock Mafia Gallery:
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Mumford and Sons Announce ‘Gentlemen of the Road’ Stopover Tour Dates and New CD Release Date
Two big announcements came this week from our favorite stage-stomping folk quartet. Mumford & Sons let the good news roll announcing this year’s Gentlemen of the Road Stopover dates as well as a release date for their forthcoming studio album Wilder Mind.
Since 2012 Mumford & Sons have hosted a handful of festivals in small towns throughout the United States. This year they’ll be kicking it off with a nearby stop in Seaside Heights, NJ on June 5 and 6 just a week before their set at Bonnaroo. Other U.S. dates include Waverly, IA June 19-20, Walla Walla, WA August 14-15 and Salida, CO August 21-22.
The lineup for the Seaside Heights, NJ Stopover will include Mumford & Sons joined by Alabama Shakes, Blake Mills, Dawes, Jeff the Brotherhood, Jenny Lewis, Little May, The Flaming Lips, The Maccabees, and The Very Best. Tickets for this one go on sale March 6.
The other big announcement was that of the release of the band’s forthcoming third studio album Wilder Mind. The album is set to be released on May 4 with the first single, “Believe,” released a week ahead on April 27. Some new – and different – sounds will be coming from Mumford & Sons on Wilder Mind.
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Hearing Aide: JJ Grey and Mofro ‘Ol’ Glory’
From the former farmlands of Jacksonville, JJ Grey and his band Mofro have made a sweep of the northeast, bringing a funky sizzle that can only come from down south. In their most recent release, entitled Ol’ Glory, this seven piece ensemble brings listeners an eccentric mix of Earth Wind & Fire, James Brown, and Al Greene sensibilities.
There’s no doubt that Grey has a bluesy roughness to his vocal tone, and with the combination of a brass section, tight harmony lines, and gnarly bass parts, this is guaranteed to be the soundtrack of your (hopefully soon) spring barbecue.
Despite the underlying groove ringing throughout Ol’ Glory, there are 12 unique tracks that make up this record. Tracks like “Hold On Tight” set the scene for your candlelight dinner, while the incorporation of the guitar slide on “The Island” brings you to an outdoor tailgate scene. As the songwriter, JJ Grey also incorporates his coffeehouse roots with a country sensibility in songs like “Tic Tac Toe” and “The Hurricane.”For those with motown-colored ears, tracks like “Everything is a Song” and “Brave Lil’ Fighter” are sure to be right up your alley. While those may be great warming up tunes, however, the real dance jams come later in the album, like my personal favorite, “Turn Loose.” I try not to use the slang term ‘phat’ often, but if you hear the rhythm of this tune, you’ll be sure to understand my reasoning.
While JJ & Mofro may not be stopping in on New York this festival season, they will be headlining several national festivals and playing alongside bands like No Doubt and Zac Brown Band. In the meantime, you can learn every song on their Soundcloud and keep up to date with their tour via Facebook and their website.Key Tracks: Ol’ Glory, Turn Loose, Brave Lil’ Fighter
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Love and Theft Coming to Syracuse
Country duo Love and Theft will be will be performing at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, Destiny USA on Thursday March 5. The show is for all ages and tickets are just $10.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door.
Love and Theft is sure to bring down the house with songs such as “Whiskey on My Breathe” and “Night That You’ll Never Forget”. What a better way to start your weekend than a night out with friends enjoying this duo’s love for country music!
Music starts at 8:00pm and tickets can be purchased on line here.
