NYS Music 20​15

Category: Beyond NYS

  • The Milkman Cometh: An Interview with Ray Paczkowski

    Ray Paczkowski, the bearded, bespectacled Vermonter behind the keys in Trey Anastasio Band, and is a hard man to track down. Having first played with TAB in the summer of 2001, ‘The Milkman” has been a staple of Stage Left, holding down the organ, clavinet and keys and adding funk to the well-rounded sound of Anastasio’s side-project.

    Paczkowski is also one half of the duo Soule Monde, alongside drummer Russ Lawton, whose funk blend infuses jazz elements and Brazilian and World music themes for a full bodied sound.

    Ray Paczkowski

    Currently on Fall Tour with Trey Anastasio Band, Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton recently released a new EP, Smashed World. This June at a music festival in the Berkshires, Ray found time to sit down and have a conversation with NYS Music about his music.

    Pete Mason: How did you get your name “Milkman?”

    Ray Paczkowski: I worked on a dairy farm for 10-12 years when I was first in Vermont, doing gigs and milking cows. Trey always thought that was funny.

    PM: When did you first start playing piano?

    RP: I took piano lessons as a kid and started playing out in various projects. I always wanted to just play piano but you can’t haul a piano around, and digital pianos I just hated. Then I started hearing Jimmy Smith, (John) Medeski, and those guys and the sounds that they were getting out of that instrument, it was just so cool and I found that the Hammond has the same quality as a piano and everyone is different and every night there’s some kid of sound that pops out and that’s when I started doing it. A guy I worked with had a Hammond and just said take it.

    PM: When was this?

    RP: Early ’90s

    Ray Paczkowski

    PM: How did you get on Trey’s radar along with the Vermont musicians that have made up Trey Anastasio Band, particularly on your first tour in Summer 2001 with fellow Vermonters Jennifer Hartswick, Dave Grippo and Andy Moroz?

    RP: I was in a band for a long time called Viperhouse and the lead singer, Heloise Williams, did some work with Trey, and we were kind of on a similar circuit, Phish had just started taking off, like we would be playing a club and they’d be next door in the arena. We would see them all the time, it’s Burlington, it’s a small musical community. I would play with Vorcza, a jazz trio and Trey would come listen to it and when he decided to put a band together, he asked me to do it.

    PM: What was that first meeting like?

    RP: We were doing a gig with Viperhouse in Winston-Salem, NC at Ziggy’s and they were playing next door in the arena. We went over to their show, they came over afterwards and he mentioned that he was thinking of putting a band together and said if I was ever interested and I said ‘Yeah’, but never really thought about it after that. A year later he showed up at a gig I was playing and asked me to do it. I thought about it for like five minutes and said ‘yes’ (laughs).

    Ray Paczkowski

    PM: What were those first shows like for you on the Summer 2001 TAB tour?

    RP: It was at a whole other level with bigger shows, a full crew, and it was kind of bewildering going from just driving around in a van to a full scale operation. It was really fun with such a big band, and at that time I was playing in a trio and they had a much smaller sound, so fitting into that thing (with TAB) it was interesting, it was really cool. It was more orchestrated, I don’t know what the word would be exactly. I liked everyone and the music was great.

    PM: Did you and drummer Russ Lawton know each other before playing together in Trey Anastasio Band?

    RP: We had met here and there but I only knew him as a drummer. I didn’t meet him until we were playing together.

    PM: So Soule Monde formed directly out of TAB?

    RP: Yup.

    PM: What were you seeking to create with the side project?

    RP: I live in Vermont and Russ and his family had just moved here, and they were in the next town over. He called me up one day and said “I know this place that has a Hammond organ, let’s go there and make some shit up.” So we did, just kind of went from there. That was maybe 2008 or so.

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    PM: One of your first shows was a late night show in a cabin at StrangeCreek Campout. It was an unknown performance, knowing that two musicians in TAB were performing under the name Soule Monde, making for an intimate performance.

    RP: I remember that, that was one of the first shows. We would just play at this place in Vermont and just make shit up.

    PM: And now you’ve gotten to the point where you have songs and a wide array of compositions, have released one self-titled album and plan to release a new album this fall (the recently released Smashed World)

    RP: Yeah we’re at a ‘one album every three years’ pace these days.

    PM: How did Trey come to sit in with Soule Monde at Iridium Club in New York in May of 2014?

    RP: It was just kind of random, we were driving to New York and I thought ‘Let’s call Trey, see if he’s around and wants to come to the show.’ We thought maybe we’d see him and hang out a little bit. He said “Mind if I bring my guitar?” I’m never one to ask, ‘Hey, come sit in with us?’ so he came down and played the whole second set. It was great!

    PM: How has Soule Monde been on tour and the audience response over the past few years?

    RP: We don’t travel much, do a lot of local stuff, like Disc Jam, that has a close range to Vermont, but the response has been good all around. With the new album, we’re trying to push it up to the next level, whatever that might be. It’s been really good and people are coming out. I think that not many people know the name Soule Monde, who or what it is. It’s really a factor of just hammering on the name even though we’re not on the road a lot, months out of the year.

    PM: You and Russ being out of Vermont and knowing the local scene, and even the more rural areas, are there any musicians in Vermont that people should know about?

    RP: I know a lot of players that are involved in various things, from folk type stuff to soul. I know a lot of musicians, but not so much the bands they are in. There’s a lot of good shit coming out of Vermont.

    PM: Is there any music that you are listening to right now that is catching your ear?

    RP: I have a 15 year old daughter and she turns me onto all this electronic type stuff.

    PM: There must be an interesting connection between that genre and playing keys.

    RP: It’s a cool genre, I don’t know that much about it. As far as listening to music, I’m a radio guy. When I’m traveling around, I’ll scan through things and if you’re in any area with college radio, you’ll get this weird stuff and find some new music.

  • Camp Bisco Permit Saga Continues

    Well, Disco Biscuit fans, it looks like Camp Bisco will for sure not be returning to Schenectady County anytime soon as the permit saga drags on.

    DaveDeCrescente - DiscoBiscuits - Camp Bisco 2015 -17

    On Oct. 28, state Supreme Court Justice Vincent Reilly Jr. deemed the county’s ruling and safety issues raised as valid reasons for permit denial, as reported by Times Union. The summer event had been planned for a July 15 through 19 revival at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, where the three-day festival was held for seven consecutive years; however, the application for a mass-gathering permit was rejected by the county with major opposition from its sheriff.

    This news continues a chain of events that has plagued Bisco since its 2014 hiatus, regarding safety concerns with transportation, emergency plans and insurance coverage, plus the festival’s failure to create a zero-tolerance drug policy. But the EDM-focused concert did return this summer with a venue change; Bisco 13 went off without a hitch at Montage Mountain in Scranton last July, and NYS Music contributor Jimmy Chambers reported on its success in his glowing review of the festival (revisit Camp Bisco here).

    While the Philadelphia-based band has yet to announce plans for Bisco 2016, hang tight and take a look back at Camp Bisco 13 with the recently released aftermovie.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zT1SazqseQ&feature=youtu.be

  • Smashed Face: Cannibal Corpse Collaborates on Craft Beer Release

    If pop-culture critic Chuck Klosterman taught us anything from his memoir Fargo Rock City, it’s that Midwesterners love their metal. And one Munster, Indiana, company has been making new noise for the hard-fast-and-heavy genre by crafting special-release beers in concert with favorite metal groups.

    Smashed FaceThree Floyds Brewing Company, whose coveted Citra-forward American Pale Ale Zombie Dust holds a steady Top 20 Beer Advocate rating, started hosting its annual beer-and-metal festival 12 years ago to showcase rising bands and release its “demonic” Russian imperial stout bearing the same moniker as the once-a-year event, Dark Lord Day. And in 2010, the metal-friendly brewery began collaborating with groups like Pelican (The Creeper Doppelbock), Pig Destroyer (Permanent Funeral Pale Ale) and Municipal Waste (Toxic Revolution Stout) to create limited-batch brews; Three Floyds‘ latest victim is Buffalo-spawned death metal vets Cannibal Corpse.

    On Oct. 14, the brewing company announced through its Facebook page that Amber Smashed Face—a play on the band’s Hammer Smashed Face (1993) album—would soon be released. The brewery describes the beer as “an aggressively hopped American Amber Ale sure to crush your skull and liquefy your brain.” Sounds like every metalhead and beer nerd’s wet-hopped dream.

    Smashed FaceFor a brewery that aims to cook up “intense” beer labeled with Vince Locke’s gore-obsessed artwork and a band whose graphic lyrics of blood and carnage spill across its 27-year catalog, one can only believe it’s the perfect pairing—plus, it’s fun to fantasize about the grotesque tasting notes if life were to truly imitate art. Think: a malty base of crushed bone and blood broth with juicy notes of worm and maggot pulp that finishes with a heavy mouth feel and the nose smells a bit of dead flesh, like a “Rotting Head,” a “brain turned to soup, ears are dripping goop” for fans—err, zombies—to drink up.

    Vince Locke gave fans a sneak peak of the label art on his Instagram account:

    Cannibal Corpse is currently on tour in support of A Skeletal Domain—the bands’ lucky-number-13 studio release—with one nearby stop in Pittsburgh on Nov. 3. The 12-track album, produced by Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, DevilDriver) at Audio Hammer Studios in Florida, where Cannibal Corpse is now based, debuted at number 32 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart during its first week, and ASD remains as the band’s highest-charting record to date. We’ll raise our skull chalice to that.

  • Hearing Aide: Soule Monde ‘Smashed World’

    Soule Monde 'Smashed WorldThe latest from keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton‘s funk duo Soule Monde is a short, but well worth your time, EP, Smashed World, with five tracks to cover a wide range of funk.

    Smashed World features two live tracks. “Allah Uya” breaks from Soule Monde’s usual drum/organ duo featuring Mihali Savoulidis (Twiddle) on guitar. The song starts out with a light, bouncy feel that gradually gets heavier as the three play it out. “Tango,” the other live track, starts out very organ heavy, reminiscent of Garth Hudson’s organ work with The Band. It then moves into a steady groove with an Eastern European feel to it.

    The three studio tracks couldn’t be more different from each other. “Influence” is a jazzy number that features some great interplay between Paczkowski and Lawton with both taking the lead at various points. “Must Be Nice” starts out with a slow funk tempo that gradually evolves into a dirty, danceable groove, keeping that slow funk. Finally, their funky cover of ZZ Top’s “La Grange” closes out the EP.

    The theme behind Smashed World, as with much of Soule Monde’s work, is funk and more funk. The close relationship between Paczkowski and Lawton is evident throughout. They are masters at listening to each other and then building off the other’s work. Paczkowski’s organ fills out the sound, giving the songs a full band feel, while Lawton’s drumming is not simply there to keep the rhythm. Fans of funk and jazz would enjoy this EP.

    Paczkowski and Lawton are currently on tour with the Trey Anastasio Band. Soule Monde will be opening for Twiddle on New Year’s Eve at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont. Tickets are still available.

    Key Tracks: Must Be Nice, Tango, La Grange

    Find Soule Monde on Facebook.

  • Young the Giant Tour Kickoff; Keeping Their Word to Burlington, VT

    Thursday night in Burlington, Young the Giant healed some broken hearts by more than making up for their February 12 show cancellation at Higher Ground. Their sold out October 22 show was not only their tour kick-off show, but also their make up date for that cancellation in February. Much to the delight of many, all tickets from the previous date were honored. This was one crowd that were elated to find out that Young the Giant are good for their word.

    young the giantWildling opened up the night with a solid set and jubilant tone. Talking to the crowd about their excitement to be on the road with Young the Giant, after only being a band themselves for a year’s time, before launching into a unique cover of Neil Young’s classic, “Heart of Gold.” Their sound is easy to digest but interesting enough to keep you actively listening. “Hummingbird”, an early single,  is especially catchy with a powerful tribal beat. Overall, I was reminded of bands like Band of Horses and Kings of Leon, neither of which is a bad thing for a young band to be compared to. Gauging by the audience’s response throughout their set, Wildling was the perfect choice for support on this tour.

    The electricity that could be felt in the crowd right before Young the Giant took the stage was palpable. Anticipation gave way to euphoria as the band exploded onto the stage, with fans transfixed on the band from the first note. Never has there been a more welcomed sequined jacket in the lives of concert goers, than the one worn by frontman, Sameer Gadhia. He was a literal light on stage; a bouncing ball of reflective kinetic energy, with a voice that became the heartbeats of hundreds of people.  Sameer spoke to the audience between songs more than once, about the bands gratitude and appreciation of their fans, thanking them for their support and reiterating that he really means it, from his soul. He even encouraged fans to stop them and talk to them after the show because, as he put it, “we’re all just people”. Those moments really seem to set the tone for the show, making it feel less like indie rock band royalty and their fans, but more like a community of music lovers, all in it for the same thing.

    Over their roughly 90 minute set, Young the Giant covered a wide range of material from both their self titled album, and Mind Over Matter, with their monstrously successful 2011 single, “Cough Syrup”, the clear crowd favorite. During that song, everyone in Higher Ground was singing outloud, and can you blame them? That song launched a brightly defined career for 5 gracious musicians from Irvine, California.

     

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  • Trace Adkins Back and Better Than Ever at Harford Fair

    Trace Adkins Live At The Harford, PA FairTrace Adkins brought country music back to the Harford Fair in New Milford, PA, after the Fair’s year hiatus of having a national act headline the main stage. Not even the steady downpour of rain could dampen anyone’s excitement at the Fairgrounds.

    Fair attendants were on hand giving paper towels to the crowd as they entered the venue so their seats could be a little less soggy. The drab weather had the majority of people decked out in ponchos, rain coats and rain boots instead of the normal cowboy hat and boot attire. But the harder it rained the more excited the crowd seemed to get before Trace took the stage.

    With a slight break in the short rain the house lights went out and Adkins took the stage slightly ahead of schedule and came singing his hit “No Thinking Thing”. His presence on stage seemed to make everyone, especially the ladies in the audience forget about how soggy their shoes and socks were from the wet ground beneath them. Some people were worried that Adkins rough past few months would reflect at his show but as soon as he hit the stage you could tell that Adkins was back and happy as ever. Adkins face wore nothing but a bright smile and had a genuinely happy light in his eyes. Once people saw this they knew he wouldn’t disappoint.

    Adkins kept going and went straight into the meat of his setlist performing “Songs About Me,” “This Ain’t No Love Song,” “Marry For Money” and “Chrome.” He then slowed it down and took a minute to tell a story about his hit “You’re Going To Miss This.” He explained that he had to buy a new suit because of the song to wear to the Grammy’s and jokingly said unfortunately some ‘Swift girl’ won instead of him. Adkins kept the stories going with his 20 year old song “There’s A Girl In Texas.” He explained that he just had started rotating the song back into shows again and that it was the first writing assignment he ever did with a label.

    Before going back into his setlist of hits, Adkins sang a new song called “Between Jesus and Jones” from his upcoming album. This song was fantastic and is hopefully an example of the direction his new album will go in.

    Renee-Clark-Adkins-5986

    Adkins rounded out his setlist with “Every Light In The House,” “Big Time,” “One Hot Momma” and “Ladies Love Country Boys.” Before departing he let his hair down from his ponytail and sang a cover of “Every Time You Go Away” with his backup singer Mary Ann Grace. He then proceeded to end his set with his notorious number one single “Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk.”

    Trace Adkins didn’t leave one unsatisfied person in the audience. Everyone from the front row all the way back to the grandstand seemed happy with his performance.

    His tour continues through the fall and includes another visit to NEPA on November 13, 2015 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

  • Hulaween 2015: All Aboard the Ghoul Train

    NYSMusic is excited to announce our coverage of the third annual Hulaween, a three-day music and camping festival held at Spirit of Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. Presented by Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat Productions, Hulaween 2015 is headlined by Colorado’s very own String Cheese Incident, who will be playing seven sets over the weekend.

    hulaween 2015The festival hosts more than 50 artists over three days, including Pretty Lights, Primus, Odesza, and STS9. For those looking to start their weekend early Hulaween is throwing a pre-party on Thursday, Oct. 29 — including New York’s esteemed Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, the eclectic electronic improv duo Eoto, as well as funk stalwarts Dumpstaphunk. Other notable New York acts include surging funk legends Lettuce, who’s looming album release is highly anticipated, the tight dance grooves of Dopapod, Brooklyn’s own Break Science in collaboration with Manic Focus to create “Manic Science” and the soulful funky licks of Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds.

    As north easterners hunker down and prep for winters onslaught, Spirit of the Suwanee is bustling with activity in October, beckoning to the north to flee south and join the Southerners for one last hurrah in the sunshine. Often touted as a magical, even mystical place, Suwanee boasts a devoted fan base that borders on extended family from its ability to bring people together and cultivate an atmosphere of unfettered fun in a temporary communal setting.

    Festival goers should be excited for an extended version of “Spirit Lake,” an experimental collage of multimedia metalwork, paintings, sculpture, light projections and live performances that transforms the primal forest into a vivid psychedelic dreamscape. Held on Halloween weekend means costumes. Hulaween’s costume theme is “Ghoul Train” a blend of the late ’70s hit show “Soul Train” and “Monsters” or “The Addams Family”. Be sure to get in the spirit and dress to impress.

    There aren’t many places that cultivate a communal feel quite like Suwanee. To celebrate that, Hulaween is once again hosting an Ultimate Campsite Contest. Giving fans and their #HULACREW a chance to build their own theme based campsite, a celebrity committee of judges will scope the campsites Friday evening and choose their favorite site. The entire campsite will receive Werewolf VIP upgrades on the spot (up to 8 people per campsite). The upgrade includes discounted beer and liquor drinks, VIP indoor bathrooms, VIP viewing areas at the main stage, VIP swag bag, complimentary massages and complimentary golf cart shuttle service throughout the park at designated VIP stops.

    For a sneak peek at the full schedule go here and don’t forget to pace yourself and make it to the Silent Disco, which will run from 2am to 5am on Friday and Saturday, featuring a variety of  electronic  artists  including Vlad the Inhaler, Prophet Massive (aka Jason Hann of SCI), MZG and Unlimited  Aspect among others.

    For Hulaween goers traveling from out-of-state, keep in mind a brand spanking new program will offer Scoobie Shuttle Buses to and from Jacksonville International Airport. One way tickets are $35 and include all taxes and fees, on-sale through Elevate at suwanneehulaween.com.

    Tickets & Ultimate Incident VIP Packages are on-sale now. To join the wait list for cabins, golf cart rentals and RV hook-ups, please contact SOSMP at +1 (386) 364-1683.

  • Rock Allegiance Festival Sells Out PPL Park

    On Saturday, October 10, metal-heads from all over the Northeast made PPL Park in Chester, Pa., its final destination. PPL Park was host of this year’s Rock Allegiance festival which was sponsored by Monster Energy. Since the festival only lasted one day, it needed to have a lineup that would draw fans from all across the Northeast. The festival promoters couldn’t have done a better job at putting the lineup together because weeks before the event, PPL Park was sold out. With a lineup consisting of numerous bands that could have headlined, Rock Allegiance was set to be a success from the start.

    Saturday’s forecast was perfect for the event, consisting of warm weather and sunshine. The beautiful day definitely helped fans get to the stadium early to get things started right after 11 a.m. With three stages going all day, there was something for everyone. The bands that opened the morning and early afternoon were no amateurs. Bands such as Unlocking The Truth who are still in their teens, took the Rock Allegiance Tent Stage and immediately demanded the circle pits to be started. That type of crowd control and confidence will definitely keep those youngsters going for a long time. Other bands such as Devour The Day and Red Sun Rising, kept the early afternoon rocking on the two stages set up inside the stadium.

    From Ashes To New
                                                   From Ashes To New

    The 3rd band of the day to take the Tent Stage was From Ashes To New. This band has been on the road with Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach and In This Moment, all who were also at the festival. From Ashes To New drew a huge crowd for their set time and they were phenomenal. It’s no surprise now why they were on the road with those other bands. The energy and style this rap-rock band was very refreshing because many new bands today go toward the scream vocals and heavy riffs.

    Shifting to the main stages afterward, The Glorious Sons took the stage for a quick set of hard-rocking blues rock. They were definitely the band that stuck out the most, but not in a bad way. Although many fans weren’t there to see them specifically, The Glorious Sons got love from the respectful crowd. After they were done, all the attention shifted to Stage East for Nothing More. At this point, if someone hasn’t heard of Nothing More or hasn’t at least heard “Jenny” or “Mr. MTV”, they’re living under a rock. There hasn’t been a band moving up the ladder this fast in quite a long time. Lead singer Jonny Hawkins and the rest of the band put on one of the best live performances today. They’ve been on the road for quite some time now and are taking cities by storm. The crowd at PPL Park definitely could have gone for a longer set because 30 minutes was certainly not enough. The next band that played inside on Stage West was Atreyu, who just released Long Live on September, 18. This was their first album in six years and these guys got a huge welcome. This band may have been overlooked on the lineup due to all of the other big names, but Atreyu proved they still have what it takes to be on the main stage. Lead singer Alex Varkatzas spent most of the set down in the crowd getting up close and personal with people in the front row.

    DSC_5256
                                                         Nothing More

    In the meantime while Nothing More and Atreyu were rocking the main stages inside, the Charm City Devils and Superheaven were playing over in the Tent Stage. After their short sets were done, Pop Evil took over back inside the stadium. Touring on behalf of their recent album Up, Pop Evil played a mix of material from their newest album and Onyx. Pop Evil is a band that works off of the crowds energy and they shined on Saturday. The band looked like they were having fun on stage and they sounded great. As soon as Pop Evil ended, the crowd ran over to the Tent Stage to catch a set from the Butcher Babies. The Butcher Babies are a heavy metal band fronted by Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, two of the most metal chicks in the music industry today. These two ladies take control of the stage and put on an unforgettable performance. The girls jump all over the stage and get down on the crowd to sing with the audience. Anyone who decided to skip out on seeing their set missed an awesome show, but luckily the Butcher Babies are always on the road. Their newest release Take It Like A Man will surely keep them on the road for some time. Speaking of girls in metal, right after the Butcher Babies were done, In This Moment took over PPL Park. With a full stage production with costume changes, choreography and more, Maria Brink and the rest of the band proved why they are one of the top metal bands in the scene today. Although the band has a handful of albums now, their two most recent releases Blood and Black Widow have given them radio play and mainstream success. The crowd sang every word with Maria throughout the entire set. In This Moment seem to get better and better every time around and their performance at Rock Allegiance is proof.

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                                                   Bring Me The Horizon

    One of the craziest crowds of the day had to be for Bring Me The Horizon. Even with a throat infection, singer Oliver Sykes made sure the crowd was left bloody with broken bones just as he demanded. The infection didn’t seem to affect Oliver one bit. The band was spot on and had the crowd in their control before they even took the stage. The fans waiting in front of the East Stage were definitely waiting for BMTH all afternoon. Touring in support of their latest release That’s The Spirit, Bring Me The Horizon has been packing venues left and right the last few weeks in the States. All of the momentum they’ve gained at the smaller shows seemed to explode at Rock Allegiance on Saturday. While Bring Me The Horizon played, new “supergroup” Saint Asonia played over in the tent. Fans of Three Days Grace and Staind were surely over in the tent watching Adam Gontier and Mike Mushok. Their self-titled album has been all over the radio since the announcement of the group and debut at Rock on the Range earlier this year. The original voice of Three Days Grace and axe man of Staind seem to blend perfectly together and have created something nobody expected. Their setlist was mixed with singles off their album and covers of Three Days Grace and Staind.

    Even with all of the bands mentioned so far, Rock Allegiance was not even half over. After Saint Asonia, Jacoby Shaddix and the rest of Papa Roach took over PPL Park. There’s never a Papa Roach show were Jacoby leaves the crowd disappointed. The crowd for Papa Roach was definitely the most so far out of the day. The highlight of the set was when singer Maria Brink of In This Moment came on stage to join Jacoby in singing “Gravity”. Fans who caught the tour with FFDP, Papa Roach, In This Moment and From Ashes To Knew were definitely expecting this duet because they have been doing it nightly. Watching Jacoby and Maria sing the song together was one of the top moments of the day. During Papa Roach’s set, Hollywood Undead competed for audience in the Tent Stage. It was a hard decision to make for fans to pick one or the other. Papa Roach easily had the majority of the crowd, but the tent was still packed for the rap-rock band. The guys came out in their signature masks and carried on their performance like they weren’t competing with anyone.

    Papa Roach
                                       Papa Roach

    As the sun went down and the night grew cold, Five Finger Death Punch took the East Stage and got the crowd on their feet and moving. Even with a shorter then normal set, Ivan and the rest of FFDP put on a great performance with a mix of material from their catalog. Unfortunately, the band only played 2 new songs off their latest album, Got Your Six which were “Got Your Six” and “Jekyll and Hyde”. With such success on the charts, many fans were hoping for more of the new material then some of the older. FFDP has always been a band that supported the country’s armed forces and they showed their appreciation Saturday night. Ivan took one fan’s sign that read he had been deployed and had the entire band sign it. As usual, Ivan invited some youngsters on stage to rock out to their song “Burn MF.” During the song, Ivan high-fived the kids and gave them energy drinks, guitar picks and arm bands. What Five Finger Death Punch does for their fans and the troops is a prime example of how every band should be.

    One of the best crowds of the day, hands down, belonged to Boston rockers Godsmack. Sully Erna is one of the best in the business when it comes to putting on a rock show. Sully makes sure the crowd is into the performance and if they’re not, he’s going to change that. The band recorded the song “Something Different” which is going to be used for a new documentary. During the song the crowd reaction was amazing to watch from the stands.  Every person was jumping up and down singing along with Sully. Another highlight of the set was the usual “Batalla de los Tambores” with Sully and Shannon. For those unfamiliar with that song, it’s the dual drum instrumental where Sully and Shannon both play on their own drum kits and Robbie and Tony rock the bass and guitar. They play their own song while mixing in riffs from Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC and more. The night was closed out with a cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” and then their classic hit, “I Stand Alone”. Godsmack could have easily closed out the entire night, but there were still two more bands to go.

    While Godsmack was rocking the stage on the right, the stage on the left was empty with the iconic Korn album backdrop from 1994. With the 20th anniversary shows being common recently, many fans were expecting Korn to play the entire debut album. The set started off in that direction with “Blind”, “Ball Tongue”, “Need To”, “Clown” and “Faget”. But once the band dove into the riff for “Here To Stay”, the crowd knew they weren’t getting the full album. Which for many seemed okay because at a festival there’s typically a mix of fans who want to hear more of the hits. Korn seemed to put on the best setlist of the night. The material they picked kept the crowd moving and it didn’t let up. The highlight was when “Shoots and Ladders” went into the ending for “Somebody Someone” and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Surprisingly Korn ended the night with “Freak On A Leash” and then announced that was their last song instead of announcing it ahead of time. Ending the set like that left fans begging for more as Jonathan Davis brought his wife on stage sharing with the crowd that it was their anniversary.

    Korn
                                                 Korn

    Once Korn ended, the entire Stage East crowd shifted to the right to be in front of the stage for Rob Zombie. Even though it was apparent some of the crowd had filed out after Korn, Zombie still had a huge crowd. Unfortunately due to smaller main stages, Zombie didn’t have the stage production some people expected. Even without his signature stage production, Rob Zombie and his band put on a hell of a show. The band came out with different costumes and instruments all night long. Guitarist John 5 was a crowd favorite because of his costumes and unique guitars.The night opened up with a White Zombie cover of “More Human Than Human”, which set the pace for the night. During the song “Sick Bubble-Gum” the band had huge balloons for the crowd to amuse themselves with while they chose sides with either Piggy D. or John 5 by chanting “Rock” or “Mother Fucker”. Rob Zombie always has and will continue to be one of the best entertainers in the music industry. Fortunately for fans in Chester, they got to see one of Rob Zombie’s last shows for a while. The band has been on the road for quite some time now and are ready to take a break from the road. Fans ended the night in Zombie style with fan-favorite “Dragula”.

    Just as fans thought the night was over with a closing fireworks display alongside the Delaware River, Steel Panther was ready for the after-party under the tent. Three albums in, Steel Panther continue to have success with their parody style 80s hair metal. Not only did fans stick around for the after party, but many band members came out to watch Steel Panther. Watching side stage were members of Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Nothing More, From Ashes To New and even more. Unfortunately, none of those guys got on stage to do any covers, which was surprising due to all of the guest musicians they usually get on stage. Regardless of whether they had guests on stage, Steel Panther put on a show that was perfect to end the day. The band had the entire tent rockin’ and laughing for the entire hour.

    Rob Zombie
                                                          Rob Zombie

    Not only did Rock Allegiance have an awesome day of music, it had some great choices for food and drink. Labeled as having “Gourmet Man Food” and craft beers on top of that, PPL Park had it all on Saturday. Throughout the stadium, there were your basic food vendors as there would be at any event there. On top of that were all the food trucks that the festival brought in. The best part about all of the options was that none of the lines got ridiculously long like they do at other festivals. The prices for everything were fair which helped keep concert goers wallet’s happy. Most of all, having options besides your typical hot dogs, hamburgers, etc was a relief. The same goes for the basic festival overpriced beer, Rock Allegiance made sure there were plenty of options. The festival was filled with plastic canning jars which were being used for a variance of alcoholic beverages. Considering the price of tickets and the experience festival attendees got in return, Rock Allegiance was an absolute steal. It was no surprise at all that this event sold out ahead of time and hopefully it will return again next year.

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  • Jake Owen Brought the Days of Gold Tour to the Mann Center

    On Oct. 8, Jake Owen, Dan + Shay, and Kelsea Ballerini made their way to the Mann Center in Philadelphia to continue their run on their Days of Gold tour. It was a gorgeous, mild fall night for a concert at unique inside/outside venue, and fans took advantage of nice weather, streaming in for what would be an exciting night of country music.

    First to take the stage was newcomer Kelsea Ballerini who has recently burst onto the scene in country music as a talented up-and-coming female artist to watch. The 22-year-old from Tennessee performed a blend of her own songs and several entertaining covers. One of the first songs she played was her current and second single from her debut album The First Time called “Dibs,” an upbeat and catchy track that should do well following her first release.

    Ballerini has substantial vocal ability, and sounded great live no matter what she was singing. She proved her vocal and musical diversity with a cover medley of 90’s hits that had fans feeling nostalgic, including portions of Brittany Spears’ “Oops, I Did It Again,” NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” Beyonce’s “Bootylicious”, Christina Agulara’s “Genie In A Bottle,” and TLC’s “No Scrubs”.
    Ballerini displayed her vibrant and playful personality, and plenty of charisma while on stage, as well as an ability to connect to fans and get them involved in the show.

    Other songs Ballerini performed from her debut album included “Yeah Boy”, an infectious, mid-tempo jam that sounds as though it could be a future single choice; “Peter Pan,” which she dedicated to boys she has known that seem to refuse to grow up, and the edgy; and vivacious “XO.” She closed her set with her debut single and first #1 song at country radio, the irresistible “Love Me Like You Mean It,” thanking fans for helping to make the song so successful for her.

    Dan + Shay were up next, providing direct support for headliner Jake Owen. The young duo, capable of gorgeous harmonies and hook-laden, anthemic tracks are also known for being one of the more energetic and upbeat live acts in country. They lived up to their reputation, keeping fans on their feet for the entire set and proving their vocal abilities time and time again.

    The duo, comprised of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney began their set with “Somewhere Only We Know,” an album track from their debut record Where It All Began. The song is an infectious one about escaping reality by running away to your favorite secret spot. Next came a performance of their current (and 3rd) single from their debut “Nothin’ Like You,” an incredibly catchy and sweet track that is on its way to becoming the duo’s first top ten hit at country radio.

    The pair also incorporated a surprising number of well-known covers of varying genre into their set, including classic rock gems like Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” that had the crowd engaged and singing along. Other notable covers included Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boys To Men, Tyo Cruise’s “Dynamite,” and Maroon 5’s “Move Like Jagger”. While the classic rock covers had the older audience members on their feet, the pop ones helped the duo connect even further with the younger members in the crowd who are familiar with an abundance of mainstream music.

    Also from their debut, Dan + Shay performed the hook driven “Stop Drop and Roll,” perfect for blasting in your car on a long drive with the windows down, and romantic, heavily pop leaning second single “Show You Off” which was a top 25 hit at country radio for the pair. They closed their set with their first ever single, “Summer of 19 You + Me,” the track that truly put them on the map in the country music world. With slick melodies and pop influenced production, paired with honey smooth vocal harmonies and an undeniably catchy singalong chorus, it is no surprise that this was the song that helped to launch Dan + Say’s career. The crowd knew all the words and sang along until the last-minute. By the end of their set it was apparent why the duo is viewed as one of the most exciting young acts in country music.

    Headliner and country heart-throb Jake Owen finally took the stage to a frenzied crowd who were undoubtedly ready for a party. Since 2011 his album, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, has garnered four consecutive number one hits, making Owen one of country music’s biggest stars. Known for his laid back personality, easygoing charm, and overflowing abundance of charisma, the 34-year-old from Florida is the ultimate performer. Thursday, he brought his stylish new haircut along with a plethora of hits and beach themed stage setup to Philadelphia with every intention of providing fans with an incredible night of music. His set this night was appropriately decked out with a beachy style, complete with stage decorations featuring Christmas lights encircling Palm trees, a wood and rope boardwalk , hula skirts for much of his band equipment, and fully stocked beach bars on each side of the stage. The production and lighting used during his set was also top-notch, with five enormous HD flat-screens bedecking the stage behind Owen, and dozens of multi-colored strobe lights bathing the performers with bright blues, reds, purples, and oranges.

    Owen opened his set with his most recent #1 hit from his 2013 album Days Of Gold, the sun drenched, reggae influenced “Beachin.’” The feel-good, romantic “Anywhere With You,” the fourth and final #1 single from Barefoot Blue Jean Night had fans singing along enthusiastically, while fellow #1 smash hit from the same album “Alone With You” soon followed. The latter featured Owen sporting a guitar strung liberally with bright blue Christmas lights and the fans chanting the chorus out loudly and in-synch on their own when prompted. Towards the end of his set, he played yet another #1 single from Barefoot Blue Jean Night, the nostalgic “The One That Got Away,” a fan favorite with a rocking guitar solo, and impromptu freestyle lyrics during the bridge.

    The laid back vocalist threw it back to 2006 and 2009 respectively with performances of debut top 20 single “Yee Haw,” off his first album Startin’ With Me, and the hard rocking, fast paced “8 Second Ride,” a top 15 single from his album Easy Does It. He also included the heartfelt “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” a song that supports the sentiment that love is more important in life than money or possessions. From old right back to new, Owen broke out his current single “Real Life” with a cameo from David from the viral YouTube “David After the Dentist.” The song is a definite departure from both Owen’s usual sound and the sounds prevalent in modern, mainstream country music, making it a polarizing one within the genre. From his 2012 Endless Summer EP, Owen performed the spirited, rock leaning track “Surefire Feeling.” The song features thrashing electric guitars and an uptempo pace that makes it perfect for a live setting.

    Days Of Gold featured prominently in his set, with performances of album tracks “Tall Glass of Something” and “1972,” in addition to singles “What We Aint Got” and “Days Of Gold.” The two aforementioned singles happen to be polar opposites, with the former allowing Owen to slow it down a bit and allow the focus to shift to his vocals and the profoundness of the lyrics, while the former is loud and intense, hurtling along at a frenetic, breakneck pace from beginning to end. Owen also covered Garth Brooks song “Unanswered Prayers” in celebration of Brooks’ recent signing with Owen’s longtime label RCA.

    Throughout the night, he also made a concerted effort to include all the fans in the venue, even those way in the back. The best way he made this happen was intermittently inviting fans from the back to come up and watch from side stage, as he did mid-way through his set with fans who he saw holding up a sign saying “Is this real life?”. Owen also took time out of his set to thank the American troops for their service, and express gratitude to his fans for always lifting him up. He ended the night with the biggest song of his career to date, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” the first #1 single off of his album of the same name. Kelsea Ballerini rejoined Owen on stage for the song. With laid back vibe and an atmospheric, sing-a-long chorus, mixed with a little bit of banjo and a touch of Owen’s twangy vocals “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” had the crowd bellowing the lyrics into the stadium. In the middle of the song, they cut seamlessly into a “Fresh Prince of Bellaire” cover, playing on the fact that they were performing for a Philly crowd before jumping back to BBJN and finishing out the show on a high note.

    Jake Owen, Dan + Shay and Kelsea Ballerini successfully brought a night of county music fun to Philadelphia on a Thursday night. They provided fans with a lineup that highlighted an inclusive blend of several prominent styles of country music and put on a show that the crowd won’t soon forget.

  • No Fake Pearl Tears: Nashville Newcomer Lilly Hiatt is the Real Gem

    Rather than shaking things off through catchy choruses and lip-gloss beats, Lilly Hiatt heals old wounds with poetic confession and shadowy synths on her second record, Royal Blue, released in March.

    Photography by Gregg Roth

    Hiatt, as the sole writer on the album, conjures grim daydreams of soured love and self discovery that float through 12 tracks rooted in traditional folk and alt-country, but draw on Hiatt’s favorite 80s and 90s influences (think The Pixies, the Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.). Hiatt’s sweet, soft voice sings of a starry-eyed woman scorned and she slays through the wreckage with clever lyrics, because that’s what any good woman with her musical lineage would do—she’d move on and write a song or two, as she proclaims in the title track.

    It’s Wednesday afternoon and Hiatt dials in from East Nashville; she’s down-to-earth and speaks with the same girlish honesty that’s reflected in her songs. At the moment, she and band mates—Beth Finney on lead guitar, Jake Bradley on bass, Luke Schneider on pedal steel guitar, and Jon Radford on drums—are rehearsing for a 10-date tour. Several of her east coast shows, including an October 8 stop at the Bell House in Brooklyn, are in support of Austin musician Bob Schneider who Hiatt has never shared the bill with but admires for his similar sense of songwriting humor. “Although, I’m getting tired of writing about my struggles,” she quips. But capturing a perfect Polaroid of real life just comes natural to the rising singer-songwriter whose father is iconic musician John Hiatt. “The biggest thrill of all is the initial coming up with the words; it’s some sort of relief for me,” she says. Hiatt confesses that she’s actually staring at her acoustic guitar, a hand-me-down Martin from her father that is her songwriting muse and never leaves home. “I’ll pick up my guitar and start strumming, or I’ll think about something I want to write about or think of a line that I want to put somewhere,” she says of her method. “I’ll sing something that I don’t know where it comes from; it’s decided, well, OK this is how you’re starting it clearly because I can’t stop singing that one thing, and then this helps me navigate where the rest of it goes.”

    And when it comes to laying down tracks and playing them live, Hiatt doesn’t shy away from giving her band the creative rein to guide her songs to places she never imagined, she says. Case in point: “Far Away” had a more folk element before the band’s influence evolved it into a riff-y power-pop piece. “We’re in this singer-songwriter twang-y world and there’s sometimes an unspoken feeling of things you’re not allowed to do for this kind of music, but the band finally felt the green light from me that said screw that,” she says. As for Royal Blue in particular, a progressive follow-up to 2012’s more loosely country-rooted Let Down, Hiatt says the record’s sound is a result of working with analog studio producer Adam Landry (Deer Tick, Diamond Rugs) and a natural gravitation to exploring the darker more dissonant sounds. “We’re a four-piece band of all rockers and we have a similar mentality, but we’re not rough around edges,” she says. “My drummer now totally grew up on punk rock and my guitar player is into psych-rock. When you get the right people together and let them do their own thing you hear that come out a little and I like to encourage that.”

    As for her own favorite band, Hiatt says without hesitation, Pearl Jam (she even recently guest hosted on the band’s Sirius XM radio channel). “They have been a band for so long and have been a part of my life for so long. I just have this immense admiration for them and it awakens something in me that I can’t even, it just feels like home when I hear them,” she says. “They have such a base of hardcore fans, and I know because I text with some of them; we’re giggly texting about Pearl Jam and it’s so funny because I think they’re really good to their fans and they make you feel like you’re part of something.” Hiatt is also influenced by other modern-day front women taking risks in their music like Bully’s Alicia Bognanno and Jenny Lewis. “I really look up to Jenny [Lewis]; she always takes chances and she’s so honest in her writing,” she says. “I just love her, and I freaked out for her album [Voyager]; it just brought out something different, and it was awesome.” And Hiatt plans to continue forging her way and not feeling limited in her work. “Records are records. For me, an album isn’t so much a massive representation of this is me the artist, but more of a snapshot of a period of time of what I’m doing right now because there are so many components of being a creative person. It’s hard to hone in on what you do best no matter what profession, but if you’re genuine about things and you work hard it’s going to pay off, or maybe I’m just naive,” she laughs.

    Photography by Gregg Roth

    Although she’s only three years into her professional career under Athens, Georgia-based label Normaltown records (and still held her supermarket chain day job until last year), Hiatt says she always had this “weird understanding” that she’d end up in music. “In the back of my head I knew this is what I’m going to do, but I didn’t know how because I’m shy,” she says. “I would write in my room and sing and record, but I never performed until toward the end of college… Some people can shake a tambourine and work it and that just doesn’t come natural to me; I’d literally crawl out of my skin before every show and it was excruciating, but I knew I was going to go through with it and that’s now dissipated into a more OK-let’s-go energy that is fun to channel into the show… I think it’s important to be humble.” After graduating from Denver, Hiatt returned to her Music City roots and admits she is still “building my thing” and searching for ways to tap into her creative rhythm. “Writing, or just growing as a human, is an ever-evolving thing, so the goal is to find a spot where the process is effortless,” she says, noting that she admires writers like John Prine and Guy Clark. “When I’m in vulnerable open thought is when the best stuff happens, but I’m trying to write new stuff right now, and I feel like Royal Blue went in a specific territory, a little self indulgent, which is fine, but I’ve gotten so accustomed to writing about painful things and changes and now I’m not so much in that spot. I used to wait until I’m feeling it, but you have to generate that for yourself sometimes; there’s a discipline involved, and I’m trying to look out a little more and figure out how to find the inspiration from all the positive things.” While Hiatt may ponder about getting things right, it’s clear she’s going to be just fine in this “mean machine, this lonely world,” regardless that she’s somebody’s daughter.

    Lilly Hiatt Tour Dates
    10/8 The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY*
    10/9 Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA*
    10/10 Mr. Small’s Theatre, Millvale, PA*
    10/11 Culture Center Theater, Charleston, WV
    10/17 Hill Country DC, Washington, DC
    10/22 Southgate House, Newport, KY**
    10/23 Rumba Cafe, Columbus, GA**
    10/24 Musica, Akron, OH**
    11/11 Old Town School of Music, Chicago, IL***
    *Bob Schneider Music
    **Patrick Sweany
    ***Del Barber