Amidst a seemingly non-stop tour, Nashville 4-piece psych rockers All Them Witches make a stop at Rochester’s Bug Jar on Saturday night. The band is touring in support of Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, released somewhat appropriately the day before Halloween, and it’s scary good. Dig this video they released for “Dirt Preachers” that looks something from a far dark corner of the Adventure Time universe. Then come dig them live on Saturday night.
It’s a full bill of quality rock jams, with Rochester’s own King Buffalo getting the night started at 9pm, followed by New Madrid out of Athens, GA. As if that weren’t enough to sate your heavy riff fix, DJ Professor will be spinning more stoner rock before, after and in between sets.
It’s all going down this Saturday, December 12 at the Bug Jar. Tickets are available now at their site for $10, with prices increasing at the door to $12 for the over crowd and $14 for the younger set.
Ampevene, a refreshing new band coming out of Albany, NY embarks on their inaugural Winter Tour, starting this Saturday, December 12 at Parish Public House in Albany. Ampevene has been making a name for themselves combining elements of rock, jazz, metal, funk and the avant-garde, hypnotizing and painting pictures though the wild musical ride that it creates.
Previously sharing the stage with acclaimed nationally touring acts such as Moon Hooch, Consider The Source, and Aqueous, as well as playing popular festivals Larkfest and Bellstock, Ampevene draws influence from artists including The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, Primus, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fusion-era Miles Davis.
Featuring Gabe Stallman (Guitar/Vocals/Keys), Bob Morris (Drums), Ava Smith (Keyboard), Mack Hogan (Bass), they have been called “Improv trippy jazz fusion Pink Floyd on acid” (Ralph Renna, Capital Underground), this young and funky quartet find their groove quickly and are a local talent to keep an eye on, and are a live show not to be missed.
Ampevene Winter Tour 2016 Dates
December 12 Albany, NY Parish Public House December 20 New York, NY The Delancey December 23 Syracuse, NY Funk N Waffles December 27 New York, NY Pianos January 24 Burlington, VT Radio Bean January 27 Providence, RI The Spot February 12 Oneonta, NY Black Oak Tavern February 20 Troy, NY Dinosaur BBQ February 25 Winooski, VT Monkey House
The 58th Grammy Award nominations were announced. While big-name artists Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd received the most nominations, many New York artists were nominated for awards.
The most well-known residents of the Empire State to receive nominations are Tony Bennett, Elle King, Béla Fleck and Barry Manilow. Bennett received a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his album with Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Manilow was nominated in the same category for his album My Dream Duets. King, the rising star and daughter of actor Rob Schneider, received two nominations for her song “Ex’s & Oh’s” in the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance categories. Her producer, Jeff Bhasker, was also nominated in part for his work on her songs “Last Damn Night” and “Ain’t Gonna Drown.” Fleck also received two nominations, both with his wife Abigail Washburn. The first is for the song “And am I Born to Die” for Best American Roots Performance, and the second was for Best Folk Album for Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn.
Taylor Swift, the newest New Yorker on the list having recently purchased an apartment in Manhattan, received seven nominations. Her song “Blank Space” was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance. The album 1989 received the nod for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. “Bad Blood,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, is a contender for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.
The Albany Symphony Orchestra received its second Grammy nomination, having won the award two years ago for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for their recording of composer John Corigliano’s “Concerto for Percussionist & String Orchestra.” This time around, they were nominated for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Rouse: Seeing; Kabir Padavali.
Blues artist Shamekia Copeland received her first Grammy nomination for her album Outskirts of Love for Best Blues Album. Copeland is a frequent performer at the Chenango Blues Fest and at Dinosaur BBQ.
Several bands who now call New York home also received nominations. The Punch Brothers received three nominations. “Julep” was nominated for Best American Roots Song and goes up against Béla Fleck for Best American Roots Performance. The Punch Brothers’ latest album, The Phosphorescent Blues, received the nod for Best Americana Album. Jazz-fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy is a contender for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Sylva.
Bob Dylan, who was a big part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in his early career, was nominated for his album Shadows in the Night for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. He was also nominated along with The Band for Best Historical Album for The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 11. The Basement Tapes, which were recorded in upstate New York while The Band lived at “Big Pink,” the storied house in West Saugerties.
The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will air at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 on CBS.
Disturbed has released the third music video off their sixth studio album, Immortalized. The leviathan that is Disturbed has released their cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “The Sound of Silence.” Disturbed premiered the new music video on Yahoo. It’s the second music video Disturbed has released in less than three weeks.
Disturbed’s arrangement puts a more powerful take on the classic original.
Directed by Matt Mahurin, the video starts with what looks like a landfill for musical instruments. Broken piano keys on fire lead into a close up of frontman David Draiman as he starts to sing the first verse. Draiman does an amazing job as he tests his own vocal capabilities and takes himself out of his own comfort zone to sing the classic track.
Immortalized is the band’s fifth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Metallica is the only other band in the rock/metal genre who can claim that achievement. Immortalized has already saw two No. 1 singles released from the album: in “The Vengeful One” and “The Light.”
Disturbed will hit the road and tour for the first time in more than four years in 2016. The band will play its first show in 2016 at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center in Springfield, Illinois on Jan. 14, and close the first half of the 2016 calendar at the 10th anniversary one of biggest rock festivals of the year at Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio on May 20. Disturbed will also headline other majors rock festivals including Fort Rock and Welcome to Rockville in Florida and Carolina Rebellion in Charlotte.
The rock world is sad, shocked, heartbroken, but not entirely surprised by the news that Scott Weiland, former singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver and most recently frontman for Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, was found dead on the band’s tour bus in Minnesota.
According to the announcement on his Facebook page, Weiland died in his sleep :
Scott Weiland, best known as the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, passed away in his sleep while…
Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro first tweeted the news around midnight eastern time. Navarro has since deleted his tweet.
TMZ and radio station KNAC reported that the band was scheduled to play a 9 p.m. gig at the Medina Ballroom in Medina, Minnesota tonight but was canceled when Weiland was found unresponsive on the band’s tour bus by his manager.
Wildabouts guitarist Jeremy Brown died earlier this year at the age of 34
Smoky Mountain News reporter Garret K. Woodward interviewed Weiland two weeks ago in one of the singer’s final interviews. He ominously opened his article:
Catch him if you can. For the better part of the last 25 years, Scott Weiland has been a moving target within the music industry. Lightning struck twice for the singer, as a front man for both Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, two of the most successful rock acts in the modern era. And yet, with success, comes a price.
Apparently, the ultimate price came tonight. Cause of death has not been confirmed, but Weiland has had a long history of substance abuse problems.
Weiland, whose deep vocals were often compared to those of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the ’90s grunge band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland formed the band with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo. STP saw much success with Weiland at the helm, including radio hits like “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty” and “Vasoline.” STP’s debut album, Core, rose to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and in 1994, their album Purple, reached No. 1.
After a tumultuous departure from Stone Temple Pilots, he went on to front the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which included former Guns N’ Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan and former Cult and GnR drummer Matt Sorum. Weiland released two albums with the band.
Weiland had long suffered from substance abuse issues. In 1995 Weiland was sentenced to probation after being arrested for buying crack cocaine. Weiland was also arrested in 2003 and 2007 for D.U.I. Weiland was also known to use heroin as well and checked into a rehabilitation center, but reports say that Weiland left the program early.
The singer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was open about it in interviews, to the extent that it made him a better songwriter. He told Smoky Mountain News in an interview that ran on Nov. 18:
I’m bi-polar and I have to take medication for that. Sometimes I fall into stark places, and I think I write better music when I’m in those places. And sometimes I write better music when I’m on a high, not a narcotic high, but an actual high, a bi-polar high.
Weiland is survived by his wife, photographer Jamie Wachtel, whom he married in 2013, and two children: Noah, age 15, and Lucy, age 13. Both children were born to his second wife, model Mary Forsberg, whom he married in 2000. He was first married to Janina Castaneda in 1994. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2000.
Catskill Chill may soon become “Adirondack Chill” with plans to move the festival to Lake George.
The Post-Star of Glens Falls reported today that Chill promoter Dave Marzollo met with the Warren County committee that allocates money raised through the county’s bed tax and told them, “We really think this is the perfect home for our festival.”
The festival is set to be held Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at Charles Wood Park in Lake George, and will receive $15,000 for marketing from Warren County via the county’s occupancy tax. If it moves to Lake George, Marzollo told county officials that “Catskill” will be removed from the festival’s name.
Marzollo told the county that he sold 5,000 tickets to this year’s Chill, the sixth annual edition, which was held at Camp Minglewood in Hancock. Marzollo didn’t want the festival to leave Camp Minglewood, but he announced last year that he had to move it for reasons beyond his control.
This year’s Chill was headlined by moe. and included bands like Lotus, Zappa Plays Zappa, Lettuce, Twiddle and The Motet, among many others.
As the long awaited 11th album from Anthrax For All Kings is set for a February 26, 2016 release via Megaforce Records, fans in the Hudson Valley area can get excited for a one-off spoken word appearance from guitarist Scott Ian, who did a successful spoken word tour last year.
Scheduled for Dec. 30 at BSP in Kingston, Ian will share tour stories, crazy encounters and other highlights over his three decade-plus career.
Ian wrote when announcing the show on his website:
It’s my birthday party! Come hear some crazy stories and killer music from me and the Paul Green Rock Academy rippers. It’s your New Year’s Eve warmup!
In related news, Anthrax recently announced they will be touring with Lamb Of God. Tour dates are below:
Jan. 15 – Pittsburgh, PA@ Stage AE (Indoor)
Jan. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Jan. 17 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
Jan. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Jan. 22 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center
Jan. 23 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Jan. 24 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Presents Oakdale
Jan. 28 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Jan. 29 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
Jan. 30 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
Jan. 31 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
Feb. 02 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
Feb. 04 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
Feb. 05 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
Feb. 06 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion –
Feb. 08 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
Feb. 09 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Feb. 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
Feb. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
The lineup for the So What?! Music Festival has been announced, and it includes Albany’s State Champs, New York City’s Bayside and Long Island’s Stray From The Path.
So What?! Music Festival (formerly South By So What?!), now in its ninth year, will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20, at Quiktrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. The initial lineup for the 2016 festival was announced this week: New Found Glory and Underoath will headline the festival on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. State Champs and Bayside will play Saturday, while Stray From The Path will play Sunday. Other artists include Neck Deep, Real Friends, The Devil Wears Prada, Saosin and Beartooth.
From the press release:
Different from other music festivals, So What?! is a “festival made by fans for fans,” stated founder and promoter Mike Ziemer. Opening its doors in 2008, Ziemer and his company Third String Festivals had a vision to create an alternative music festival where fans could get away from the massively growing South by Southwest. The festival was designed for a more intimate ambiance for fans at a reasonable price. Located just a few hours shy of Austin, So What?! Music Festival delivers an array of musical acts including rock, metal, folk, dance, pop, pop-punk, and this year an all new acoustic stage (artists yet to be announced). Previous artists include Asking Alexandria, The Early November, Motion City Soundtrack, G-Eazy, Pierce The Veil, Cartel, Sleeping With Sirens, A Day To Remember, Taking Back Sunday, and more.
Tickets for So What?! Music Festival are available now. Single-day passes can be purchased for $50. Two-day weekend passes are available for $75. VIP packages are also available, starting at $150.
It might get cold in Syracuse this December, but things are going to get hot at Funk n Waffles Downtown when NYS Music presents bands from around New York State, every Wednesday throughout December.
Major Player with special guest The Nudes perform on December 9, while the folk-pop of Black Mountain Symphony brings guest Steve Scuteri on December 16. Just before Christmas, Albany’s Ampevene make their debut at Funk n Waffles, alongside Chris Eves. New Years Eve-Eve will be celebrated with the roots stylings of Grayak with Michelle Renee in support.
Doors open at 7pm each night with music starting at 8pm. Enjoy a variety of bands that call New York State home every Wednesday night at Funk n Waffles (and some great food too!)
Jamgrass legends Leftover Salmon make their return to The Egg on December 2. Bassist Greg Garrison spoke with NYSMusic about the group’s first time back in Albany since the 2003, the group’s influence on the jamgrass scene, their songwriting process and release of the live album 25.
For fans of bluegrass and its speedier cousin, jamgrass, the welcoming atmosphere can be felt as “a happy, fun festival vibe,” as Garrison describes it. The upbeat, progressive improv nature of Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass can trace itself back to Leftover Salmon, whose unique genre of Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass is an instant jolt of energy to audiences around the country. Bringing the audience to their feet at The Egg will be thanks in part to drummer Alwyn Robinson, a role often not filled in typical bluegrass acts. “The fact we have always had a drummer and looked to find a well-versed and good drummer, and with our current drummer Alwyn Robinson from Brooklyn, kept up with the tradition of energetic drummers that we’ve had,” noted Garrison.
There are of course other bands who preceded Leftover Salmon in their contributions to the jamgrass scene. Hot Rize, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Newgrass Revival paved the way for Leftover, marking a lineage that dates back to the early 1980s, connecting current jamgrass-descendants with their predecessors. Over the years, Garrison has seen bands come and go, and the sound changed ever so slightly over time. “The faces and names of the bands have changed, and some have done better than others, like Railroad Earth and String Cheese Incident, who are paving the way for how far you can push the genre as far as crowd and sound. The ones who stay a little truer to roots – Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass and the like, you could listen to them 10 years ago and now, while the material might change and playing has gotten better, it has matured, it’s still the same.”
Greg Garrison, photo by Andrew Wyatt
The evolved newgrass sound can be found within their recorded albums as well. On their albums High Country and Aquatic Hitchhiker, listeners can find songs that change as they are performed live, whereas Garrison notes, “some will stretch out a little bit and we see where it takes us, and take a simple arrangement and continually use it as a vehicle live.”
Songwriting on recent studio albums has been fresh songs that had not been road-tested. Songs were written individually outside the studio and once in the studio, arranged as a band and lyrics edited to polish the final product. “Andy Thorn (banjo) was a live player since before he joined us. He used to see us when he was 15 years old. Now, he’ll come up with a tune that is a fully formed Leftover Salmon tune before we get a hold of it.”
25, a celebration of Leftover Salmon’s 25 years of music, was released over Thanksgiving weekend. Selecting the tracks was a feat, taking three years’ worth of shows and trimming the list down to 50-60 recordings to choose from. “It took a better part of a year to dig through it all and get what we wanted. Mario Casilio (sound engineer) spent time in the studio together mixing it and making sure it sounded good enough as a representation of the band. It’s the first album I’ve been able to produce for the band. I feel like we picked some interesting tunes that don’t get played very often, like an old version of “Blister in the Sun,” which we play once a year, so to capture a good one of those is great.
“Bill Payne (Little Feat) playing with us for the past couple years (all but one track features Bill) has helped us move in the direction of filling some spaces in a collective improvisation kind of way. We had a horn section with us at the Boulder Theater last year – it sounds like Leftover Salmon but the stuff is definitely unexpected and made it sound really good, and much better than just pulling something off of archive.org, but there’s nothing wrong with that, I do it too.”
Back in the Northwest for New Year Eve, Leftover Salmon will be joined by Skerik and Bill Payne in Portland, followed by shows in Alaska, Fort Collins, CO, a three week run in March and April, as well as the annual Ski Tour, which will include a mini-festival at The Stanley Park Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Unique to the Rocky Mountain-based band are events like Winter Wondergrass in Lake Tahoe, NV and Colorado, an outdoor bluegrass fest in the winter. “Everyone braves it and has a good time, plus we have a few shows in Chicago at The Vic Theater. We’ll be out and about doing our thing.”
Leftover Salmon continue their Northeast run with stops at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT on December 3, Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA on December 4 and The Wolf Den in Uncasville, CT on December 5.
It’s a full bill of quality rock jams, with Rochester’s own King Buffalo getting the night started at 9pm, followed by New Madrid out of Athens, GA. As if that weren’t enough to sate your heavy riff fix, DJ Professor will be spinning more stoner rock before, after and in between sets.
The festival is set to be held Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at Charles Wood Park in Lake George, and will receive $15,000 for marketing from Warren County via the county’s occupancy tax. If it moves to Lake George, Marzollo told county officials that “Catskill” will be removed from the festival’s name.
