One of the most popular musical events in Western New York is the annual Windstream Party in the Park 2015 series in Rochester. The concerts moved back to the picturesque Manhattan Square Park last year – saving people from the infamous “Party in the Parking Lot” downtown.
Tickets are a wallet friendly $5. Party Packs (for the general public) are available for $35 for tickets to all 9 shows and access to an express entry line – available at the Blue Cross Arena box office. Food trucks, local beer selections, and vendors will be on site every week. Regional bands will be featured on the lower Genesee Brewery “bowl” stage while the headlining acts will play on the ESL main stage in the field next to the skating rink.
Things kick off this year with Buffalo’s own moe. coming to town June 18. Jazz legend Taj Mahal comes in on June 25 George Clinton will funk up the place on July 9. Another Buffalo act – Aqueous – will open for the legendary Victor Wooten on July 30. Hometown heroes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will close things out on Aug 13. Some top notch regional acts such as Subsoil and Uptown Groove will debut on the big stage as well.
The Genesee Brewery stage in the lower bowl area will feature some of Rochester’s best up and coming acts such as Danielle Ponder, Mochester, and Personal Blend.
PITP is held every Thursday from June 18 to Aug. 13 5-10PM. All ages. Parking available at several nearby garages and the Strong National Museum of Play. Check the website for more info.
UPDATE: Due to health reasons Taj Mahal had to bow out of this years festivities, replacing him will be Boston’s funkiest band Lettuce!
PARTY IN THE PARK MAIN STAGE 2015
June 18
ESL Main Stage: moe. w/ Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Genesee Brewery Stage: Violet Mary
June 25
ESL Main Stage: Lettuce w/ Spirit Family Reunion & Uptown Groove
Genesee Brewery Stage: Dang! wsg/ Stay the Plow
July 2
ESL Main Stage: Fastball w/ Zac Brown Tribute Band & Jumbo Shrimp
Genesee Brewery Stage: Something Else
July 9
ESL Main Stage: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic w/ Subsoil
Genesee Brewery Stage: Danielle Ponder & the Tomorrow People
July 16
ESL Main Stage: Get the Led Out – The Led Zeppelin Experience w/ Cosco Gladstone and Cosco
Genesee Brewery Stage: Personal Blend
July 23
ESL Main Stage: Jonny Lang w/ The Coup DeVilles & Matthew Correy
Genesee Brewery Stage: Anonymous Willpower
July 30
ESL Main Stage: Victor Wooten w/ Aqueous & Amanda Lee Peers
Genesee Brewery Stage: Tre Son
Aug 6
ESL Main Stage: Dylan Scott w/ The Lacs & Flint Creek
Genesee Brewery Stage: Kid Kurry
Aug 13
ESL Main Stage: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad w/ Driftwood & Noble Vibes
Genesee Brewery Stage: Mochester
Saratoga Springs bassist Tony Markellis has a busy summer ahead of him, and you can catch him performing with a wide variety of local and regional musicians across Upstate New York in the Hudson Valley. Notable is Tony’s residency at Saratoga’s Mouzon House, a comfortable family-owned fine dining and drinking establishment. Tony will be playing with different trios each Wednesday night from mid-May thru mid-October from 7-10 PM. More info can be found here.
Full Tony Markellis Summer Dates
Wednesday 5/13 Jo Henley Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 5/20 Sam Whedon Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Thursday 5/21 Dead2Me – Food Truck Festival, Saugerties, NY (6)
Wednesday 5/27 No Outlet – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 6/3 Sam Whedon Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Thursday 6/4 Bob Warren Trio – Crandall Library, Glens Falls, NY (7)
Saturday 6/6 Michael Jerling Trio ¬– 70 Main, Greenwich, NY (7:30)
Wednesday 6/10 Sam Whedon Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Saturday 6/13 Jeanne O’Connor & the New Standard – One Caroline, Saratoga Springs (9)
Wednesday 6/17 TBA – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Saturday 6/20 Michael Jerling ¬– Six on the Square, Oxford, NY (7)
Wednesday 6/24 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Friday 6/26 Mike McMann Band, Black Cat, Cohoes, NY (9)
Wednesday 7/1 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 7/8 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 7/15 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 7/22 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Saturday 7/25 Mike McMann Band, Black Cat, Cohoes, NY (9)
Wednesday 8/5 Bob Warren & Joy MacKenzie – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Friday 8/7 Mississippi Hot Dogs – The Track (12-4)
Wednesday 8/12 TBA – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Wednesday 8/19 TBA – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Saturday 8/22 Mike McMann Band, Dorset, VT
Wednesday 8/26 TBA – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs (7)
Legendary underground music venue, Bogie’s, in Albany, will be shutting its doors for business at the end of May. Upstate Black N Blue – who partly run and hold shows through multiple venues in the Capital Region – announced via Facebook that they are no longer able to able to keep the place running.
Bogie’s officials cited financial problems as a cause for closing. Not enough people have come to shows to support costs between upkeep and regular bills. Bogie’s recently had a $10,000 crowd funded overhaul which covered a new roof, flooring, and other much-needed equipment.
However, after a ‘state of our scene’ type meeting at the venue, attendees were given the down to earth truth: Bogies was not making ends meet, and the lack of support had become a strain for a while.
Representatives of Upstate Black N Blue say that they will continue to hold live shows for underground musicians at nearby venues such as Upstate Concert Hall and Trickshots, as well as Fuze Box, which is just blocks away from Bogie’s.
Bogie’s, which saw bands like Blink 182, Black Flag, as well as The Acacia Strain, and many more, will have its last show in Albany on May 31. Show lineup will include Recon, GhostXShip, Vice, Artisan, Before I Had Wings, and Towers.
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.
The concert will benefit the Family of Woodstock’s Crisis Hotline and the John Herald Fund for musicians in need.
On Thursday, May 14, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill will be welcoming one of country music’s hottest new groups, Parmalee, to their Syracuse location. Just off of the stage at 2015’s Stagecoach Festival, Parmalee will return to upstate New York to bring the rocking country music party to Central New York.
Parmalee – Stagecoach 2015 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
Touring now with their debut album with Stoney Creek Records, Feels Like Carolina, and just finishing up a sound check at the Stagecoach Festival, Matt Thomas took a moment to say hi to NYSMusic.com readers and talk with me about the journey, and what it means to the group to be so loved by fans.
Kathy Stockbridge (KS): Hi Matt, so nice to speak with you. You guys have a huge following up here in Central NY and we are so excited to welcome you to Toby Keith’s in Syracuse.
Matt Thomas (MT): We can’t wait! It’s always fun up there seeing the crowds and all.
KS: Every band has a story on how they’ve made their way in the music business. Yours has been rather exciting along the way. Starting from the beginning, you hail from a small two-light-town in North Carolina where I read that when you guys practiced, the town was so small everyone knew it and you would have to end practices by 11pm.
MT: Yeah, everybody like us had to get up and go to work so we’d make sure we’d stop by 11pm.
KS: Now growing up in a musical family did your father and mother encourage your musical education?
MT: Oh yeah. I played with my dad in his band growing up. He was the kind of guy you always looked up to, and my mom played piano at church. They were always encouraging to us to play.
Photo Credit Unknown
KS: And when you were younger, what kinda places did you play? What was it like to finally get that moment up on stage?
MT: We would play anywhere anyone would have ya. That was the deal. We played back porches, trailers, private parties until we could get to where we could play the clubs. People would hire ya but pretty much starting out on the back porches though.
KS: Then your cousin, Barry, and friend, Josh, joined in. Were they with you both during those garage band days and joining your father on stage?
MT: Yeah, we were going out there doing what we could to get our name out there. You kinda just play for people that’ll have ya, then you start getting paid for it..and you move on up from there…take gigs and start writing music and I think most people start off like that in little hole in the wall places.
KS: Have you always been country, blues, and rock or did the sound you have today kinda evolve into your distinctive sound as you guys played together more?
MT: That’s what we were all brought up on, and we were influenced by everything. But that was the first stuff we heard; the country, soul, blues, sound while we were growing up. There’s a lot of stuff I love though, we listened to everything. Being a guitar player I was influenced by the great guitar players Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, and all those guys. Classic guitar players; I listened to a lot of those guys to learn how to play.
KS: Yeah, Stevie Ray Vaughn, that’s one musician I would have loved to see play. What an amazing musician.
MT: Yeah, me too.
KS: You’ve had a tumultuous time getting your music out there. Many artists take on a long and winding road trip, but your road was way bumpier than most. Take us on a road trip leaving Parmale, NC and tell us where it took ya
MT: Being based out of Parmale, we played regionally as much as we could. We played a lot up and down the east coast over the years tying to catch on and developing a fan base. Did a lot of shows up in New York. We never had an opportunity to play out west at all until we got signed and put out our first single to country radio. We never really had the chance till then to tour the country. Thankful for that hit that allowed us to go everywhere. We just took all the opportunities that we could at that time trying to make something happen. But mostly the southeast region where we would just burn it up. It was our top market. A lot of times we would play the weekends because we were working all week too. So we would only play three nights a week for a long time.
KS: While out on the road playing gigs, a horrible event occurred when two men decided to rob you one night after a gig at gunpoint. Briefly tell our readers that may no know the story, what happened that evening.
MT: We played a show and as we were leaving two guys tried to rob us by basically pulling us into our RV and wanting cash money. They fired on us, and Scott who has a license to carry, returned fire and we had a gun fight in the RV. Scott was shot three times and spent 40 days in the hospital . It was a bad deal. But we came out of it, and four months later we did our showcase for Broken Bow Records which got us our record deal.
KS: I read how your fans and the music community rallied around you and were very supportive. What did that mean to you guys?
MT: Oh it was great. We realized that we had connected with people on another level and that we meant something to them so much that they would get together and help us out. It was awesome. They helped pay for all our medical expenses, daily expenses, and really helped get us back on our feet. It was pretty awesome.
KS: Now that you have those dark times behind you share some highlights with our readers.
MT: We’ve been able to travel the country, number one single, and we’ve had four top 40 singles now, two are top five. It’s been great being able to achieve our life long dreams out here. Then there’s those cool things like traveling the country and going to the awards shows, just being a part of the whole experience.
KS: Well I’m so happy for you guys, and yes, talk to me a little about the ACM’s you attended.
MT: Oh my it was amazing, it was the biggest show. It was unbelievable how many people who were inside that arena, it was crazy. It was a spectacle to see, was great seeing all the other artists play and hang out…was such fun walking the red carpet. We had some good times.
KS: You excited about Stagecoach this weekend? Is this your first time performing there?
MT: Oh yeah, that’s gonna be off the hook. We actually just got done with our sound check. We’ve been wanting to get out here the last few years, and it just worked out that. But it’s going to be great.
KS: I will be front row watching you guys this weekend on AXS.TV. Where else will we see you guys at this year?
MT: Oh we’re playing all over the place this year…fans can just check out our schedule online. It’s hard to keep the schedule in our heads.
KS: It must be so hard on your guys trying to keep your bearings at where you ‘re at all the time as your touring everywhere. You guys are really fan oriented. I notice you are constantly retweeting and scheduling YouTube chats with fans. I think that’s amazing how you do that. How do you fit it all in?
MT: We make sure we put it on our schedule. We have a media team that helps too.
KS: It’s so good to have people. Well at each interview I try to give the fans an insight into the personalities of their favorite musicians with a social speed round…mind playing along?
MT: Yeah sure.
KS: You’re on the road…you’re super hungry…you see this and you make the bus pull off every times!!!
MT:Chick-fil-A
KS: You all get a day off and decide to go to the movies. The town you’re in is so small that I only has a Dairy Queen and movie theater that plays previously released movies. After discussion ensues..you all decide on a) National Lampoons European Vacation b)Godfather c)Die Hard or d)The Notebook
MT:National Lampoons European Vacation
KS: What’s on your playlist right now?
MT: I like to listen to Pandora so my playlists have the Frank Sinatra Radio on, Today’s Top Hits, Country, just about everything.
KS: ____________reminds me of home
MT:Smell of pine trees
KS: As a writer I need to describe each of you in one word only…What one word/adjective describes… Matt:Scatterbrained Scott:Neat Barry:Messy Josh:Prompt
As we completed our conversation I couldn’t help but be in awe of their determination and drive to achieve what they loved, music. I could totally relate to the working the 9 to 5 job to support their passion of music. By traveling countless hours, playing anywhere they could get an audience, these four men only had one goal in mind, reaching the country music fans worldwide and living their dreams. So happy to see that although a bumpy road, they’ve finally found the path that brings them to all country fans.
Hope to see everyone May 14, at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, at Destiny in Syracuse.
The guitarist/vocalist Sean Danielsen will be stopping at The Forvm May 12 in Amherst, NY for an intimate acoustic performance. Joining him will be Opus, Lost Elysium, Seven Faces, Avius Me, and Letterbox. All these bands normally play as full rock bands but that night they will all strip down their sets and perform acoustically. I’ve seen all these bands at least once and to see them acoustically is going to be a spectacular treat.
Danielsen is primarily best known as the lead vocalist/guitarist of three-piece band Smile Empty Soul. They saw much success after releasing their self titled debut album in 2003. The song “Bottom of the Bottle” is the song that they are widely recognized for. Smile Empty Soul has been active ever since and shows no signs of stopping. Their recent album, Chemicals, released in 2013 has gotten rave reviews and Ultimeateguitar.com said, “Chemicals is filled to the brim with what fans would now consider classic Smile Empty Soul elements and crunching distortion.”
When Smile isn’t on the road Sean Danielsen has devoted his time to writing and recording his own solo projects. His latest EP is titled Food Chain and was released in November of 2014. I had the pleasure of listening to this album recently and I was blown away by the lyrics and composition of the album. He creates an immediate connection to the listener in songs such as “Rescue Me” and “Beautiful Things”. Sean kicks off his second round of touring on May 6, in Newport, Kentucky and ends June 4 at Emporium Blues and Rock bar in Jackson, Tennessee.
While Sean isn’t writing and touring for two musical projects he is painting in the comfort of his own home. His painting can be found on his Facebook page Sean Danielsen . When you purchase his painting you also receive his two solo EP`s Food Chain and Enjoy The Process signed.
Doors open at 6pm the first band is on at 7. Tickets can be purchased right at the door. Hope to see you for an intimate night of acoustic music.
Popular music streaming service Grooveshark has shut down, leaving only a heartfelt message of apology on a dark gray screen on their homepage – but a new Grooveshark has surfaced elsewhere on the Internet boasting nearly all the content the original site offered.
“Despite best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes,” the message reads on Grooveshark.com. “We failed to secure licenses from rights holders for the vast amount of music on the service. That was wrong. We apologize. Without reservation.”
The message, dated April 30 and addressed to “music fans,” states that as part of a settlement with major music companies, the company is closing down the site and handing over ownership of it and its related apps and intellectual property.
It also suggests that music lovers use a licensed service that pays artists and other people have rights to the music.
Then Tuesday, a new website popped up with the domain name .io, rather than .com, which is the top-level domain for the British Indian Ocean Territory.
The anonymous person who started the new site claimed to have backed up 90 percent of the Grooveshark library, but the new version of the site is missing many of the social and playlist functions that made the original popular. The site appears to be a rebranded version of an existing website called MP3Juices.se, or at least very similar to it.
The new site includes information for people who believe one of the site’s sources has infringed upon their intellectual rights, plus the following disclaimer:
It also includes on its “Terms of use” page the term that you will only download a song to preview it, then you’ll delete it, and if you liked it, you’ll buy the song or album.
Famed folk musician Arlo Guthrie will perform this summer at the new Festival Space at Charles R. Wood Park in Lake George on Sunday, August 23.
Guthrie, best known for “Alice’s Restaurant” and his 1969 Woodstock performance, plays the Capital Region on a semi-regular basis, last performing at Bardovan Opera House in Poughkeepsie.
The currently under construction venue holds 3,000 people and is located on the site of the former Gaslight Village. The park is expected to be open by the beginning of the summer. Tickets for Arlo Guthrie’s performance are now available online.
Much like World War veteran grandfathers in the 1940s, Phish completed two tours of Europe in 1997, including three shows at the famed Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The three shows from February 17, July 1 and July 2, 1997, will be featured in an 8-disc box set to be released in June through JEMP Records.
Amazon notes on the show include: An all new 8-CD Box Set from Phish’s infrequent European shows. Full shows from 2/17/97, 7/1/97 and 7/2/97 at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. On February 17, 1997 Phish first played Paradiso, a converted former church turned rock-club/cultural center with a capacity of about 1500. Over the next four months, Phish logged three breakthrough shows at this historic venue where the intimate setting pushed the music to new heights again and again. From the Soul Shakedown party opener and fluid, psychedelic improvisation-clinic-of-a-set II (Down With Disease > Carini > Taste > Down With Disease) on 2/17/97 to the “back of the worm” Ghost opener, Reba and another peak transcendent Set II [Fish Keyboard Jam > Timber (Jerry) > Bathtub Gin > Cities] on 7/1/97 through the Mike’s Groove Sandwich and must-hear Stash > Llama > Wormtown Jam plus the double encore of 7/2/97, these three shows spread over 8 CD’s comprise some of the most experimental music Phish ever played. The three shows on the Amsterdam box, the only Phish shows to-date at Paradiso, combine to deliver the full impact of a shared peak experience in an exotic locale seamlessly integrated and sizzling with creative intensity. The shows were recorded by Paul Languedoc to multitrack tape, mixed by Jon Altschiller and mastered by Fred Kevorkian. Pick up this set and prepare for transport to the canals of Amsterdam…to the back of the worm.
In and around Syracuse, Jess Novak has made quite a name for herself. She is one of the strongest voices in music Journalism with her work for the Syracuse New Times, but it’s her passion for performing music that is bringing the 28-year-old notoriety.
Brian Golden, left, and Jess Novak bring their unique sound to Albany on Saturday.
So many musicians and bands are often labeled as eclectic, but Novak, who is half of the Golden Novak Band, truly fits that billing, melding blues, rock and roll, pop and rhythm and blues with hints of improvisation to form something that you need to experience to understand.
“There’s a lot of great musicians in Central New York,” Novak said on April 28. “We try not to stick to just pop or blues; we play everything. And we’re weird! I sing boy songs; Golden plays his heart out. I just think we’re different.”
Novak plays her violin on many songs, and busts out her acoustic Alvarez on others, while taking the share of lead vocal duties. Brian Golden, the fleet-fingered fret master who has been playing guitar for 24 years, provides a bluesy sound with his instrument and gritty voice.
The pair will be joined by pianist Mark Nanni (of popular Syracuse blues outfit Los Blancos) and drummer Phil Leone this Saturday, May 9 – when the group comes to Crossgates Mall for a gig at the World of Beer. It’s a free show that begins at 7 p.m.
In late 2013, Novak released her first album, titled Bad Habit, and it consists of 11 original songs that feature her powerful voice, ability to craft emotive songs and her chops on the violin. Songs such as Haven’t Found You Yet and Bad Habit translate well to the live setting, where Golden tends to display his talent as a soloist.
Novak said the band has an IndieGoGo campaign out to help fund a new recording, tentatively titled Rodeo. You can help the group get to its $5,000 goal here.
Last August, the pair released their first album, titled The Golden Novak Duo. In support of the release, the pair packed up an SUV, and toured from Vermont to Florida, opening eyes and pleasing ears on an exhaustive tour. Because of this tenacious touring schedule, the band has been booked for a five-night New Year’s run at Margaritaville in Key West after auditioning for the Jimmy Buffet-owned string of clubs.
“We have been really well-received,” Novak said. “There were a lot of bands who didn’t get it, but they seemed to love us. It really has opened up a lot of doors for us and it feels good.”
The band has been playing World of Beer up and down the coast, and Novak said that has helped them grow and become more visible, but won’t pat herself on the back too much.
When asked if the combination of an attractive young singer with a powerful voice mixed with a seasoned guitarist makes the band an easy sell, Novak did not agree.
“No, I don’t think we’re just an easy sell,” she said. “I think people are still trying to figure us out.”
I met Novak when I first moved to Syracuse in 2011. She got me some assignments with the newspaper, and we started jamming together with a mutual friend. We used to play on my front porch for hours at a time, repeating “Friend of the Devil,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and even Phish’s “Waste” among other songs. What struck me the most about Novak was her enthusiasm to keep playing and honing her skills
What I recall from that time was seeing Novak develop a passion for making music that has grown into an obsession. She’s played in Syracuse group Master Thieves and Jess and the Beards in the last few years, and the evolution of her as a musician is easily visible. If you ever take advice from a music writer, take this: Get out and see Novak and Golden on Saturday, before they get really big and popular. Because that will happen.
The group’s dedication may just set the band ahead of others, as they are constantly announcing new shows or hosting open mics in Syracuse or jamming with other local musicians. It shows in Novak’s smile, and Golden’s soloing face.
“For Golden and I especially, we’re always going, meeting new people,” Novak said. “We’re always trying to promote new shows, and that’s a lot of the fun in this. Our live show if fun; it’s just different.
“There are a lot of great musicians around here, but not all of them travel like we do. In the near future, I would like to be opening for a huge act!”
Things kick off this year with Buffalo’s own moe. coming to town June 18. Jazz legend Taj Mahal comes in on June 25 George Clinton will funk up the place on July 9. Another Buffalo act – Aqueous – will open for the legendary Victor Wooten on July 30. Hometown heroes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will close things out on Aug 13. Some top notch regional acts such as Subsoil and Uptown Groove will debut on the big stage as well.
Full Tony Markellis Summer Dates
Bogie’s officials cited financial problems as a cause for closing. Not enough people have come to shows to support costs between upkeep and regular bills. Bogie’s recently had a $10,000 crowd funded overhaul which covered a new roof, flooring, and other much-needed equipment.
The concert will benefit the Family of Woodstock’s Crisis Hotline and the John Herald Fund for musicians in need.
