The New York Times reported that two gunmen attacked the crowd at Eagles Of Death Metal concert in Paris from the balcony using shotguns shooting down at the crowd killing many concert goers. This was one site out of a so far reported seven areas of Paris attacked Friday night.
The country of France is currently under lockdown until further notice. All the borders closed with a curfew on the streets. The first curfew since 1944 during World War II.
All four members of Eagles Of Death Metal have confirmed to have escaped the attack and confirmed to be unharmed.
More updates to come. Prayers to everyone in Paris.
UPDATED 10:53 p.m.
French President François Hollande addresses the media outside the Bataclan. Confirms terrorists who attacked concert have been killed.
UPDATED 10:35 p.m.
Via Slate, an eyewitness account from a concert attendee at the Bataclan to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “They were not wearing masks.”
UPDATED 9:49 p.m.
U2 has canceled its scheduled live HBO performance from Paris scheduled November 14. From the U2 website:
As a result of the ongoing state of emergency across France, the U2 Paris concert scheduled for 14th November will not be going ahead as planned. U2 and Live Nation, along with HBO who were due to live broadcast the Saturday concert, are fully resolved to go ahead with this show at an appropriate time.
Speaking from Paris the band said:
“We watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families across the city tonight.
We are devastated at the loss of life at the Eagles of Death Metal concert and our thoughts and prayers are with the band and their fans.
And we hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.”
UPDATED 9:45 p.m.
The New York Times has reported that Eagles of Death Metal had been performing before a sold out crowd at Paris’ Bataclan for about an hour when three gunmen charged into the venue shooting.
UPDATED 9:07 p.m.
From Billboard:
“The whole band heard the gunshots and went backstage and exited as fast as they could” https://t.co/pBhtt1A3OA
UPDATED 8:54 p.m. The Washington Post is reportingthat they have spoken to the Eagles of Death Metal’s drummer Julian Doro, who confirmed that her son and the rest of the band members are safe. The band members managed to flee the venue as the attacks began, however several crew members remain unaccounted for.
With details still being released every few minutes, dozens of innocent people were killed in Paris including at an Eagles Of Death Metal concert at Bataclan Arena in Paris.
In anticipation of their upcoming show on November 14 at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, Dopapod’s drummer Scotty Zwang took some time to chat with NYS Music about summer tour highlights, Woodstock, and pranking Papadosio.
This weekend’s stop is part of the progressive groove quartet’s extensive fall and winter tour with soul-funk quintet, the Nth Power. The tour follows an action packed summer, with appearances at Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Red Rocks, Peach Fest, Electric Forest, Disc Jam, High Sierra and more. Dopapod refuses to stay within the boundaries of one distinct sound. Show-goers will get a taste of prog rock, synthesized keys, and even some country inspired songs, all that have aided in their ever growing and loyal fan base.
Tickets are available for $18 through Ticketmaster, or at the Bearsville Theater box office. Doors at 8, show at 9. Other upcoming dates include:
Nov 14 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
Nov 18 – Buffalo, NY – Tralf Music Hall
Nov 20 – Brooklyn, NY – The Hall at MP
Nov 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Art
Erin Clary: Even though you’re touring, do you ever get a chance to go to shows yourself? And if so, who do you go see?
Scotty Zwang: Yes. That can range. I mean I’ve been off for about ten days since the last show. The day after I got home on Halloween I went to see Ben Folds with yMusic which was really awesome. All things can vary. I try to go to as many shows especially bands that really influence me and bands I don’t necessarily get to see all the time. I like to go see friends, like the Disco Biscuits are playing in New York the day after New Year’s so I am going to go see them after seeing Phish. I try to go to as many shows, not necessarily just jam band ones, but different ones as often as I can, not as often as I would like. Frankly, by the time I get home from tour sometimes the last thing I want to do is go see live music.
EC: It’s been a year since your last album release, do you have another one in the making or are you focusing on touring and improvisation?
SZ: We’ve been focusing a lot on touring for the last year since the album (Never Odd or Even) came out and yeah, usually in general we’re pretty busy with touring. We are actually planning on taking a good chunk of time off in the beginning of the year to finish songs that we’ve been working on on the road and also to write some songs from scratch so that hopefully by next year at some point, or maybe beginning of the following year, we will have an album finished. But we are going to take some time off first and see where that all goes and hopefully take some time to get in the studio shortly after that.
EC: Dopapod crosses a range of musical styles, some are sort of hard, others are a little twangy, others sound more like video games. What is your personal favorite?
SZ: I guess I really do love the darker and proggier kind of stuff. Although the video gamey kind of stuff when Eli synthesizes the sound I think is the more quirkier writing that the band does. I do enjoy all of that. And even some of the twangy… I mean we have a song that is pretty much country, bluegrass, more of an up-tempo kind of feel. As a drummer, I do have to say some of the proggier stuff, when I play correctly on stage, I do feel very good about myself like I’ve accomplished something. Even though we wrote the songs, sometimes I do end up still messing things up live. When something is that challenging it’s definitely rewarding and I still feel good about being able to pull that off live. I would like to say it’s done correctly every time, but sometimes people do mess up. I know Neil Peart from Rush said that anytime he played a song like “YYZ” or “Tom Sawyer,” he wrote it and spent a lot of time focusing on difficult drum parts, and he still gets that excitement when he actually pulls it off live and I would say the same goes for me.
Dopapod, Mountain Jam, 2015
EC: You guys have had some pretty interesting profile pictures on Facebook recently. Who is the creative genius behind those graphics?
SZ: They’re usually fan based. We have a fan page created by fans on Facebook. It’s our top fans around the country or wherever else and they call themselves “Dopafam.” There’s usually some weird stuff that goes around in there (laughs) and every once in a while there is a picture that is just gold. The one you’re talking about is Chuck in his underwear riding a razor scooter on the rainbow road from Mario Cart. That was created by a fan and I’m not even sure exactly who did it. We have some super creative fans I guess because sometimes they strike gold. If anyone in the band likes it, (it’s) usually Chuck and not just because he happens to be in this photo, but usually he will put it up. Chuck has kind of realized throughout the year – well we all have – that people don’t necessarily want to see or have the time and patience to watch a video, or read a long, thought out and touching thing. They just want to see pictures of whatever. Chuck always says that when he goes on Facebook if he doesn’t see a picture of a dog within 10 seconds then he just signs off.
EC: Was that picture from Jam on the River in Philly?
SZ: (laughs) So yeah, there was a bet that happened with Papadosio that was betting Chuck to go out on stage and ride the razor scooter in his underwear. I kind of pushed him to do it because I think those things are funny and that is what people will remember…
EC: Oh I remember it quite clearly!
SZ: I kind of pushed him to do it and I kind of had this thought of how funny this with be if this was an ongoing prank with Papadosio because we play so many festivals with them and they truly are some of our best friends. So at High Sierra, once again I egged Rob, our guitarist to do it and he went out in his underwear on the razor scooter. It was just hilarious and no one expected it. It kind of opened up a whole can of worms since I kept making people do it, I had to do it myself. So I finally did it at The Werk Out. We’ve all done it except for Eli but at this point I don’t want Papadosio to think that every time we play together that one of us is going to appear on stage in his underwear, so I’m not sure that trend is still alive.
EC: Do they ever prank you guys?
SZ: They tried to prank us at the same festival when I did it but because they had to get out of there and go to another show they didn’t have enough time. So it was passed onto the Werks and Dino, their bassist, came out in his underwear wearing…I got this poop mask, it’s a mask that looks like the emoji of the pile of poop with a smiley face. It’s essentially that exact thing. So he came out in his underwear wearing the mask because no one had a razor scooter I guess.
EC: “Nerds” from Never Odd or Even – what’s the story behind this? Are you guys mocking someone in the very beginning?
SZ: No…well kind of. It was Chuck’s idea when we were in the studio and we had a lot of empty space and build up before the lyrics kicked in, which aren’t really a lot of lyrics it’s just “no words.” But it was kind of a nod to Frank Zappa because in…I forget which song, maybe it was “Catholic Girl,” he kind of does a ‘Valley Girl’ impersonation, kind of making fun of people in the California area that he is from. Chuck just thought it would be funny. We came up with this song and originally the band just had a lot of instrumentals. Jam bands are kind of known for not having the best voices at times. We were kind of just mocking the same kind of valley girl and if she was at a jam band show, and all these songs are long and they don’t have any words. So Chuck, after we recorded all the instrumentals and everything was done, we just had a night at the studio where maybe we drank a little too much or something, and he went in there and gave it his all.
EC: I saw you a few times this summer at Disc Jam, and at Mountain Jam where you played two sets, one was on that outdoor main stage. Isn’t it huge?!
SZ: It was the biggest stage I think we’ve ever played on. I am trying to think back because we did have some big performances this summer, but I do remember getting to Mountain Jam and thinking, “this is definitely the biggest stage this band has ever performed on. It’s just massive.”
EC: Massive! I’ve been going there a lot of years and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger. I’ve seen you guys on plenty of regular sized stages so to see you on something like this was really impressive!
SZ: Thank you! It’s funny because that stage next to it is a pretty nice stage and you could have a regular production on it, but it is just dwarfed by how big that main stage is.
EC: What was your favorite festival this summer? You guys really went after it.
SZ: Yeah there were a lot of them. They start pretty early. Obviously we do have random festivals that go into the fall or destination ones in the winter, or musical festival in the end of February or beginning of march this year. So they just go all year long now. Summer Camp is a real great one as far as “real festival” season in summertime, its kind of the first weekend. Bonnaroo was a dream ours and the biggest audience we’ve ever played for. It was broadcasted over the Internet for RedBull.com and we were interviewed by Sal Masekela, who I’ve been watching as the host for the X Games since back in the day when I was a little kid and loved flinging myself off of stairs and other things, whether it was a bike or skateboard or whatever. It was just a really crazy experience to just look and someone is powdering his face and asking us if we want water, and actions like que cards in order to sync with the video. So that was definitely one of the most mind blowing experiences of the summer. There was just so many great ones. I mentioned The Werk Out is a lot of fun. High Sierra in California is great. It has a really nice family vibe and is one of those festivals that has survived two decades. It’s a festival that is almost as old as all of us in the band. It’s really cool to be a part of stuff like that.
EC: Now that the season has changed in the Northeast, it’s time to go inside. What are you looking forward to and what can we expect from your show at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Saturday.
SZ: It’s our first time playing in Woodstock. Although my family has a house in West Saugerties, it’s actually on the same road as the house where The Band lived, ‘Big Pink.’ So I have a lot of experience in Woodstock and when I joined the band we actually went up to my family’s house and did videos of songs like “Nerds” and “Picture in Picture” for the first time. That was all shot in Woodstock. So really excited. I’ve actually never seen a show at “the bears,” and my family really loves it there. They’re excited that we’re finally there, we get to have dinner next door at the café. It’s going to be a great time. It’s got such a great vibe, especially with music and especially this time of year, it’s just very beautiful.
EC: Will your family and friends be coming to the show?
SZ: Oh yeah, I know I have my brother-in-law, my sister, my mom and dad, in-laws and my girlfriend, everyone is coming up. It’s going to be quite the weekend. I hope I don’t disappoint them.
Better news for fans of Bad Brains. Gary “Dr. Know” Miller, guitarist for the seminal D.C. hardcore band, was admitted to the hospital on November 3 in critical condition and placed on life support. On Tuesday, the band announced through its Facebook page that Miller is no longer considered critical but remains under the watchful eye of doctors. The nature of Miller’s illness has not been disclosed and the family has asked for privacy as he heals.
The Family of Gary (Dr. Know) Miller and the entire Bad Brains family would like to thank everyone for their well…
Good will and PMA (Positive Mental Attitude, a mantra of Bad Brains) are flooding social media for Miller’s continued improvement. Mickey Melchiondo of Ween posted on his Facebook: “Pray for him, or at least smoke a huge spliff and keep him in your thoughts.” And Corey Glover, lead singer of Living Colour and devotee of Bad Brains, wrote, “Sending #PMA healing vibes, and positive energy to #DrKnow of #BadBrains — I urge you to do the same.”
Bad Brains was formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977 and quickly rose to prominence in the hardcore scene. The band incorporated elements of punk, hardcore, jazz and reggae into their sound to create a unique style of music that became hugely influential to not only black musicians looking to break into the hardcore scene, but all punk in general. The band was prominently featured in Dave Grohl’s HBO documentary Sonic Highwaysalongside Fugazi/Minor Threat leader Ian MacKaye.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Two of New York’s big names in music are no stranger to each other. Back in 2009, Paul Simon joined long-time friend Dion onstage at Madison Square Garden to help sing Dion’s “The Wanderer” as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary concerts.
Dion DiMucci, better known simply as Dion, first became popular in the wave of early 1960s pop (as Dion and the Belmonts) and later adopted more mature aspects in his music giving him another boost in the music world. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 by Lou Reed.
“New York Is My Home” is the title track off of an album Dion is set to release in February, marking his 29th studio album. The song features fellow New York City musician Paul Simon and is dedicated to the fullness of life in New York.
The single “New York Is My Home” can be ordered and downloaded online through iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
Aside from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concert, Dion and Simon performed together at Radio City Music Hall in 1987 and recorded “Written On The Subway Walls/Little Star” on Dion’s 1989 release Yo Frankie. Check out the video of that below, featuring both Dion and Simon.
The Belmonts still perform today as a doo-wop trio.
Hey Albany area rock fans, are you in the holiday spirit? If so, guitar virtuoso Mike Campese will bring his heavy shredding style of hero holiday guitar playing to The Madison Theater in Albany on Saturday, December 5.
Campese and his band will play rock-themed holiday favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “Grinch,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Auld Lang Syne” and “Silent Night,” to name a few.
Show time starts at 8:30 and tickets cost $10.
Campese has released eight studio albums in his solo career, but the holiday-inspired show will see Campese perform songs from his sixth studio album The Meaning of Christmas, along with some other releases. The well-received album was released in 2008.
Campese is a guitar virtuoso and composer. He is best known for his time as a member of the symphonic speed metal group Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Campese was chosen over several guitarists in 2004. In his first album with the band, Campese received a gold record for his work on TSO’s fourth album, The Lost Christmas Eve.
Campese is no stranger to the Albany area, born right in the New York capital and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham. Campese is an honors graduate from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. Growing up around musicians, Campese started playing guitar at the age of 13. His father was a virtuoso violinist and his brother also played guitar.
Fans can also catch Campese in a solo performance at this year’s First Night 2016 in Saratoga Springs at Empire State College’s meeting room #1 – 103 starting at 7 p.m. At midnight, Campese will play to the First Night fireworks inside Congress Park to “rock” in the New Year.
The Solid Soul Tour pulled through Proctors in Schenectady this past week and it was surprising to see the show not as highly attended as one would hope. Mavis Staples and Joan Osborne were both in fine form though and played as if the Solid Soul show was a complete sellout. Both artists of course are no stranger to the stage, as Mavis has been going since the 50’s and Joan the early 90’s, but this is the first time these wonderful leading women have gone out together. The pairing is perfect as both of them at heart are blues based artists and share a love for the genre.
The Solid Soul show was about two hours long and had no set break as Joan used Mavis’s band for her set. Rick Holmstrom played some impressive guitar during both sets and was clearly in control of where the music went. He shined bright during Joan’s set on the Bill Withers song “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh” and during Mavis’s set on “Can You Get to That.” Stephen Hodges, who has toured with so many amazing artists, held down the drums with such ease all night and was complimented by Jeff Turmes on the bass, who also has an impressive resume of artists he has toured with.
Both sets were short, but Mavis and Joan included many funny stories and put their great voice on full display. Joan noted how happy she was to be back in the area, as she used to play The Capital District when she was a nobody playing in tiny little clubs. Before Bonnie Raitt’s “Angel of Montgomery,” Joan talked about how she was nervous to do one of her songs, but after seeing her friend Susan Tedeschi do it at Jones Beach this past summer, she thought to herself “Why not give it a shot?” She also couldn’t hold in how happy she was to be sharing the stage with Mavis, as she was a major influence when she was younger and a major part of music history. During “One of Us” you could hear a pin drop in the theater and after that a rousing set ending “I Can’t Let It Get Me Down” with a “Rolling on the River” tease brought the crowd to their feet.
Mavis soon strode onto the stage with a smile on her face, after being introduced by backup singers Donny Gerrard and Vicki Randle, and gave the crowd a one two punch of “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)” and “Slippery People.” Mavis welcomed the crowd and talked about her love of The Talking Heads and David Byrne in general. Mavis seemed to be battling a cold all night, but her voice was still just as strong as ever. She was happy to be in Schenectady, though she had trouble saying the city’s name all night, and told the crowd as much many times. The band turned Proctors into a church for the gospel ending of “We’re Gonna Make It” and had people finally get out of their seats and dancing. She also noted that though she continues to get older and can’t do the moves Joan does on stage, while proceeding to try, she will never “be old.”
As the show was winding down, Mavis brought Joan back out for a great roll through “Down By the Riverside” that had the two singers trading verses, smiles, and hugs. A short break before everyone came out for the encore let the audience get up out of their seats and applaud in utter appreciation for the legendary member of The Staples Singers. After everyone came back out she made sure the band got their appreciation and introduced each member before going into “I’ll Take You There.” The entire audience sang right back to Mavis throughout the extended version that ended the evening. With smiles on the faces of each person in the building, Mavis, Joan and the band left the stage to a thunderous applause.
What was supposed to be an eight-week break from a relentless touring and recording cycle since 2008 has now turned into a permanent hiatus for Swedish rockers Sister Sin.
The band released a statement on social media about calling it quits:
We have been touring and recording in a relentless schedule since 2008 and I guess we burned the candle in both ends and hit a wall. When we finally had the opportunity to step back and get some perspective, the motivation for some members in the band just wasn’t there anymore.
Sister Sin then went on to thank everyone who helped their journey over the past seven years as a professional touring act including their beloved road crew, Danger Music, Victory Rec, Artery Foundation TKO and all the companies that they have worked with.
Sister Sin also thanked the fans for their loyalty:
Most of all we would like thank YOU; Our dedicated, devoted, loving and caring fans around the globe! We’ve truly been blessed to be able to travel the world and meet so very many of you Sinners. Together we managed to sell tens of thousands of albums and achieve what most young bands only can dream of in this day in age. You truly are the sole reason we pushed on for as long as we did and we will cherish the memories forever and never forget your unconditional love!
Sister Sin has left the door open for a possible return someday as the band stated:
It is our hope that the flame will burn once again and hopefully resurrect this Swedish bastard sometime in the future. Time will tell. For now; Au Revoir, Sincerely, Dave, Liv, Jimmy, Strand.
Halloween parties at Putnam Den are often some of the best gatherings of the year, with enthusiastic audiences & bands wearing their favorite character costumes, decorative rooms, grotesque drink mixes, and supreme music selections. The theme of every party is to dance, celebrate, enjoy the visuals, and celebrate.
This year, hosted a social event like no other at the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, with the help from Albany based Mister F and Plattsburgh’s own Lucid. As the holiday fell on a saturday with clear skies, Saratoga was open for menace.
Mister F kicked off the evening with their eclectic mix of funk, rock, and sophisticated rhythms which attracted many ghouls and goblins right from the start. This local four piece hit the stage dressed as characters from the movie Spaceballs and ripped up an hour performance from out of this world. Their set highlights were an original “Answer the Dog,” featuring members from Lucid and Formula 5 and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones cover, “Sinister Minister.”
Lucid brought an inspiring set with their north woods folk rock grooves that made all the skeletons shake their bones. These handsome devils attired the Village People and busted out their set with a greatest hits medley. Highlights from their set were “Backwoods” featuring George Wurster and “I Kill People” with Scott Hannay of Mister F.
Formula 5 raucously hit the stage running with a Jay & Silent Bob skit featuring Scott Hannay of Mister F and the contagious cover of “Jungle Love” by Morris Day and the Time, a tune long favored by their chosen characters. Highlights from their the Formulaic set was the Huey Lewis and Ray Parker Jr. mix, “I Want a New Drug” > “Ghostbusters” > “I Want a New Drug.”
Formula 5 Set:
Jay & Silent Bob Skit@ > Jungle Love^ > Excalibur, Perch Above the Earth$* -> I Want A New Drug* -> Ghostbusters -> I Want A New Drug -> Mister Elixir* -> Perch Above the Earth > Mister Elixir, Low Rider!, Catch Me, Nu-GEN#* -> Pedro* -> Night Time In The Switching Yard, Epiphany
Encore: Magic Carpet Ride
@ – featuring Scott Hannay (Mister F)
^ – featuring Matt Pickering and Scott Hannay (Mister F), Lowell Wurster (Lucid),
$ – Thriller Jam
* – Unfinished
! – Featuring Jamie Armstrong, Chris Shacklett and Lowell Wurster (Lucid), Scott Hannay (Mister F)
# – Featuring Andrew Chamberlaine and Scott Hannay (Mister F)
‘Jungle Love’ – Morris Day and The Time (1st time played)
‘I Need a New Drug’ – Huey Lewis & The News (1st time played with James and Joe)
‘Ghostbusters’ – Ray Parker Jr. (1st time played with James)
‘Low Rider’ – War
‘Night Time In The Switching Yard’ – Warren Zevon
‘Magic Carpet Ride’ – Steppenwolf (1st time played)
Mister F
Mister F Setlist:
Vocoder > Everything You Say, This One Goes to 11@, See Level > Answer the Dog#, Inside, Eye Level > The Machine, Do It Again%, Sinister Minister^, On and On, Don’t Lose Your Watch
@ – w/ The Munsters Theme Tease
# – w/ Joe Davis (Formula 5) & Lowell Wurster(Lucid)
% – Original, First Time Played
^ – Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Cover
Lucid
Lucid Setlist:
Village People Medley (YMCA > In the Navy > Macho Man > YMCA), 4 Bangers and Hash (Styles of the Smooth > Yanomamo Lullaby > R.L. > The Russian), Gemini Eye > Surf Side Rock Side, Black Smoke, Came and Went > Silhouettes, Backwoods*, Dirt Whiskey Dreams > Shinbones, Blessed and Cursed, I Kill People ^
* with George Wurster
^ – (Andrew James Deller) w/ Scott Hannay of Mister F
The Utica Music and Arts Festival has quickly become a must-do summer ending activity in Central New York. The 8th Annual version of UMAF, was held at various venues throughout Utica the weekend of September 11-13. The biggest problem involved with attending this festival is being able to fit in all the great music available throughout the weekend.
Going in without a plan is probably the best way to attack this weekend. Doing it this way, one can experience such pleasant surprises as the young brother and sister combo of Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, who played a Saturday mid-afternoon set at Nail Creek Pub, in the process winning over those in attendance.
Jocelyn Arndt
Joceyln is slight in stature, yet huge in vocal talent. She has a soulful, bluesy voice backed up with power; think Bonnie Raitt channeled through Grace Potter with a visit from PJ Harvey. Jocelyn’s animated vocal delivery commands attention. Her brother Chris, who is also her co-writer, delivers a solid and crisp sounding blues-rock style guitar that is the perfect accompaniment to Jocelyn’s voice.
The band’s tour itinerary is scant during the school year, as both are students at Harvard, but they will be hitting stages across New York in the coming weeks. Check here for dates.
Spending the weekend bouncing between Lukin’s and Nail Creek Pub seemed to be what many people were doing but to do so is to miss out on many of the other acts. Tiny’s hosted several jazz influenced bands, including Notified and the Carmen Caramanica Jazz Trio, while D.A. Bentley’s entertained the EDM crowd with sets from DJ D.A., Vongel and Phungeye among others. Harlee’s Pub & Grille was geared towards the metal. Local favorites Nineball and Street Rock Mafia provided Friday crowds with high energy entertainment at Harlee’s. Nineball is also festival producer, Joe Sweet’s main project.
Lukin’s hosted Conehead Buddha on Friday night. The Albany-area band has been on the jamband circuit for twenty years and showed no signs of wear this weekend. While the band has taken a hiatus here or there within that time, on this night it provided a sharp mix of reggae, ska and jam that has endeared Conehead Buddha to the northeast scene all these years. Also saxophonist Shannon Lynch provided much of the theatrics throughout the set, anchoring the big horn sound Conehead Buddha is known for.
Conehead Buddha
Female artists took ownership of this year’s Utica Music and Arts Festival. In addition to Lynch and Arndt’s performances; on Saturday, the festival faithful were treated to the eclectic mix of jangle pop of Sirsy. Lead singer and stand-up drummer, Melanie Khramer and her partner, guitarist Rich Libutti, had the Nail Creek crowd, the biggest one of the weekend to this point, dancing and singing along. Khramer has the uncanny ability to engage the crowd with humor and powerful vocals with lyrics that may take you to a darker place. The fact that the music is typically so upbeat and Khramer so quick-witted with her banter, may disguise some of the darkness in the lyrics but it also gives the listener pause. Krahmer’s Ella-like voice and stage presence added a terrific touch to the band’s final song of the night, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
Melanie Khramer of SIRSY belting it out.
Sirsy will be in Utica again on Dec. 8, performing an all-ages show at The Tramontane (known familiarly as The Tram). The show begins at 8:00 p.m. and will be a celebration of the band’s new EP to be released the week prior.
Exploding onto the Nail Creek stage after Sirsy’s set was Brooklyn’s Shinobi Ninja. With an elaborate and energetic stage show led by lead singer, Baby G, clad in an Iron Maiden t-shirt. It was clear from the start that this wouldn’t be your typical rock show. The band’s uniqueness has been described as being “like the Beastie Boys, Slayer and Lauryn Hill all mixed together.” After witnessing the band’s performance, that is an appropriate description. The following video gives a good impression of a Shinobi Ninja experience. Mix in some metal, reggae, rap, a little punk and a whole lot of jumping and you get this.
The uninitiated looked on in puzzling disbelief once the Ninjas took the stage, however in the short time they performed for the UMAF crowd, most of the leery were won over. The true venue to witness Shinobi Ninja is a live one. If this band doesn’t make some noise on the national scene in short order it will be a surprise.
UMAF faves Hank and Cupcakes followed Shinobi Ninja to a welcoming reception. Also based in Brooklyn, this duo is all about the performance. The husband and wife duo originally began performing together while serving in the Israeli Army at the age of 19. Colorfully dressed and highly animated, lead singer Sagit “Cupcakes” Shir isn’t afraid to get into the face of the audience while performing. In addition to pulling off vocal duties, Shir also drums and plays piano while bassist Ariel “Hank” Scherbacovsky keeps the beat and uses samples while safely tucked away stage right.
Hank and Cupcakes deliver a performance that begs to be seen and the elbow to elbow crowd in front of the Nail Creek’s outdoor staage proved that on a rainy Saturday night in Utica.
Hank and Cupcakes rockin’ the Nail Creek
The other Saturday night headliners performed nearly simultaneously up the street at Lukin’s. Floodwood, a bluegrass based band comprised of moe. bandmates Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico, as well as Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni and Zachary Fleitz, put together a two set show that, unbeknownst to all in attendance, would turn out to be one of the band’s final performances with this lineup. Schnier and Fleitz announced their departure from Floodwood in a release just a few weeks ago.
Floodwood
The band packed the house at Lukin’s, playing right up to the 2:00 a.m. hour, performing Floodwood originals mixed with some moe. covers, Dead covers and other bluegrass. A Floodwood show is always a good time. Varick Street Legend, Rainbow Young even made an appearance opening the set with a rousing version of the “Star Spangled Banner” that included maximum audience participation. Rainbow’s presence was seen at Lukin’s throughout the weekend, cementing the festival as a true Utica tradition.
Rainbow Young, Varick Street Legend, performing the National Anthem prior to Floodwood’s set.
If you’re in a music glut and looking for something new to listen to, the Utica Music and Arts Festival is the perfect venue to get you out of that funk. Festival organizer Joe Sweet and his booking crew go out of their way to include a huge variety of music to the festival each year. The 2015 edition was no different. And at a cost of $10 for a weekend bracelet, the music lover in you simply cannot go wrong attending this destination festival.
This weekend’s stop is part of the progressive groove quartet’s extensive fall and winter tour with soul-funk quintet, 
EC: It’s been a year since your last album release, do you have another one in the making or are you focusing on touring and improvisation?
EC: I saw you a few times this summer at Disc Jam, and at Mountain Jam where you played two sets, one was on that outdoor main stage. Isn’t it huge?!
Campese and his band will play rock-themed holiday favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “Grinch,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Auld Lang Syne” and “Silent Night,” to name a few.
