Category: Albany

Update: The Year of Sittin’ In with Scott Hannay

When NYS Music caught up with Mister F’s Scott Hannay earlier this year, we talked about what it’s like to sit-in with a band, the preparation (often none) and coordination that goes into a guest spot, and his goal of jamming out with Turkuaz.

Fast forward to the end of 2015 and Scott Hannay has sat in with over 50 bands, performed with Mister F in Colorado and stretched his music experience even further. Wrapping up 2015, NYSMusic followed up with Scott on the year he had and what lies ahead for him and Mister F.

Pete Mason: What have you learned over the course of the year, regarding guest appearances and overall musicianship?

Scott Hannay: It’s hard to properly put into a paragraph what I’ve learned from this year compared to other years, but I can certainly tell a marked difference in my own musicianship after this one. Throwing oneself into so many different styles and situations has a way of broadening horizons. I’ve gotten to shred Middle Eastern scales with Consider the Source, travel into outer space jamming with Formula 5, make a run on all the instruments (except drums) with The Werks, tickled keytar with After Funk and The Magic Beans, and those are just a small few of many. It’s been incredibly humbling. I’ve always said you can learn something from everyone, but I’ve been really, really spoiled with the ‘everyone’ that I get to learn from!

PM: What has the year in music been like, for both Mister F and yourself?

SH: This year has been exciting for a lot of reasons. We’ve had some very high-profile musicians play with us this year, and I have also gotten to play with many very incredible players. As a band, Mister F played over 150 shows this year throughout over 20 states, providing many opportunities for collaborations. We even found ourselves in Colorado for the first time, where I took my only night off to go play more music at a jam night in Boulder and got together with Jaden Carlson Band for a session. It’s been a very immersive year in terms of music for me, and will continue to be until 2016!

PM: So with how this year went, what do you set your sights on for sit-ins? That Turkuaz happened pretty fast after we last chatted…

SH: Turkuaz happened pretty quickly, yes – the day after the last article came out! We’re playing with Particle on January 1 at The Hollow. I’ve gotten to play with them before, and Steve Molitz has sat in with Mister F, so, who knows what will happen! We’ve got a string of official Umphrey’s afterparties coming up, too, so hopefully some of them can come out and throw down with us. Either way, 2016 is already looking great!

This video is from Buffalove, the night I played all three stages – the ‘hat trick’, if you will. Mister F played the 2nd stage, then I hopped up with PTF on the main stage after breaking down and packing up. Rick (from PTF) and I then traded keytar solos latenight with After Funk at the woods stage. Buffalove was recently tied with Disc Jam for best small festival in your NYS Music article – it was definitely one of the most memorable nights of my summer!

December 30, 2015
New Year’s Eve Across New York State

Don’t have plans yet for New Year’s Eve? Music fans across New York State have got plenty of choices this Thursday. NYS Music helps you get there with the short list of NYE activities.

Albany

Moe. at the Palace Theatre. Tickets start at $42 in advance/$50 day of show

Rustic Overtones at the Hollow with Special Guests Mirk. $10.27 in advance/$15 at the door

Buffalo

Funktional Flow at Buffalo Iron Works with special guests Adam Bronstein’s Freehand Band. Tickets are $10 in advance/$15 day of show.

Lazlo Hollyfeld, Rhubarb, Intrepid Travelers, and Folkfaces at Nietzsche’s. $5 at the door only.

Ithaca

Big Mean Sound Machine and Grey Gary at Upstairs at Lot 10, DJ ha-MEEN and Weazildust Downstairs at Lot 10. $20 in advance

New York City

DIIV at the Bowery Ballroom with special guest Tamaryn. $40

Macy Gray at the Iridium Jazz Club. Tiered pricing tickets are currently available.

Snarky Puppy at the Irving Plaza with special guests Breastfist. Tickets start at $50

The Disco Biscuits and Consider the Source at the Playstation Theatre. Tickets starting at $69.50

Port Chester

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at the Capitol Theatre with Soulive. Tickets range between $59.50 to $160

Rochester

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad at the Historic German House with special guests Danielle Ponder & Tomorrow People and Funknut. Three Heads Brewing Tasting Party start at 7pm with an acoustic jam featuring members of GPGDS and Extended Family. Late night the party continues with Subsoil and Level 7 Hip Hop DJ Set. $20 in advance/$30 day of show.

Mikaela Davis at the Bug Jar with Harmonica Lewinski and The Temptators. $10 in advance/$12 day of show

Saratoga Springs

Eastbound Jesus and Lucid at the Putnam Den. $15 in advance/$20 day of show.

Turning Stone Casino in Verona

Showtime, Gridley Paige, and Last Left at The Gig

Ryan Brooks Kelly, The Beadle Brothers, and DVDJ Biggie at the Tin Rooster

DJ Dread, Caroline D’Amore, and Joe Maz at Lava

Isreal Hagan and Stroke and The Swooners at the Turquoise Tiger

Syracuse

Sophistafunk & Root Shock at Funk ‘n Waffles – Downtown. $20 in advance/$25 day of show.

Erie

Aqueous at the Kings Rook Club. Two sets. $10 at the door only.

Burlington

Gang of Thieves at Nectar’s with The Tenderbellies. Gang of Thieves will be performing Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in its entirety. $10 in advance/day of show

December 30, 2015
Guitarist Andrew Chamberlaine to Leave Mister F

Mister F guitarist Andrew Chamberlaine is leaving the band.

Chamberlaine, also known as Mister A, announced the news on his Facebook page today. “Making music with my best friends Ben, Matt, Scott, and Mike while visiting at least 20 new states will always be one of the best memories I’ll ever have, however it is something I will not be continuing in 2016,” he wrote in the announcement.

He notes that he will continue his involvement with music, writing songs and playing as much as possible while building his student base at Parkway Music in Clifton Park.

The Albany-based jam band, which formed in 2013 with members of Timbre Coup (including Chamberlain) and Capital Zen, has two New Year’s shows lined up — Dec. 31 at the Monopole in Plattsburgh and a post-moe. show Jan. 1 at Albany’s The Hollow. They will be Chamberlain’s last two shows with the band. The band has an extensive tour schedule for January and February, but there is no news yet from the band as to whether Chamberlain will be replaced for those dates.

The full announcement from Chamberlaine’s Facebook page:

Dear Friends, Family, And Fans of Mister F, I’d like to start off by saying that this last 3 years has been one…

Posted by Andrew Chamberlaine on Monday, December 28, 2015

Here’s Mister F playing “Don’t Lose Your Watch”:

December 28, 2015
Elise Testone and Brian LaPoint and the Joints at The Hollow

Elise Testone has a voice to be reckoned with and she showed it off beautifully at The Hollow in Albany on the 17th of December. Her all-star band consisting of Todd Stoops, Eric Kalb, Jed Lingat, and Brad Williams played great funk, soul, and rock and roll behind her booming voice.

Unlike other recent shows they have done, Elise Testone stuck to playing mostly all original material. The songs were great and show that she has the “it” factor that is needed to succeed in the music industry. Only bigger and better things can be coming for her as we roll into 2016.

Opening the evening was Brian LaPoint & the Joints with set that mixed covers and originals. The Joints are always a rotating cast of Albany musicians and on this night included members of School Bus Yellow, and MONK. Brian is a great band leader and made sure each member got their moment to shine brightly in the various jams that occurred throughout the set.

December 24, 2015
Otis Live Debuts Two New Wild Adriatic Songs

Video of two unreleased Wild Adriatic songs were released today from Otis Live. The tracks, “The One” and “Cruel Lovin,” are from Wild Adriatic’s debut performance at Otis Mountain Get Down from this past September. Performed on September 11, 2015 (also drummer Mateo Vosganian’s birthday), this video is part of Otis Live’s new series of videos, directed and edited by George Watts and produced by Watts and Quillan George.

Since Otis Live started, they have sought to create a platform for artists to gain exposure. The fall of 2015 marked the beginning of bringing this goal to life in a digital realm, with bi-weekly releases of diverse live performances from on and off the mountain. An interview with Wild Adriatic here.

Otis Mountain Get Down is an independently & cooperatively produced festival in the heart of the Adirondacks in Elizabethtown, NY. Otis is an open, intimate and affordable festival, offering an eclectic and unique mix of artists and genres. Otis Mountain encourages new and meaningful interactions with art, music, the outdoors and each other, while embracing and supporting our local communities, music and culture. The festival is held each September and was named one of the “Top 5 Lesser Known (But Incredible) festivals for artists to play” in 2015 by Sonic Bids.

December 18, 2015
Blinded By The Price: New York Questions Springsteen Ticket Reselling

Every music fan has endured the online ticketing rush; when the clock strikes on-sale time, it’s a frustrating game of repeatedly hitting refresh, chancing each click until that next one successfully unfreezes the screen to show items in your cart. But in truth, most concertgoers stick it out to avoid being forced to pay for high-priced resale tickets, or missing out on the show entirely.

While the secondary market has improved with the creation of fan-based campaigns and startups on a mission to embrace the face value, professional ticket brokering is still finding a way to flood the resale market. And New Jersey’s blue-jean boss Bruce Springsteen is the latest artist to fall victim (again) in the never-ending battle against ticket scalping.

Tickets for Springsteen‘s 2016 tour will be released at 10 a.m. today through Ticketmaster and Live Nation, but the New York Times reported Tuesday that hundreds of seats were already listed by resellers online with single-ticket prices beginning at $5,000.

Thankfully, these eyebrow-raising listings led New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to send the involved sites letters that questioned the act of false advertising under state general business law, since sellers could not yet have the tickets in possession.

The NYT also said that the sites in question — StubHub, TicketNetwork, Vivid Seats — either remained confident in their refund policy for invalid tickets or removed listings for concerts in New York until the public on-sale date. Schneiderman’s office called the removal of listings a victory for consumers and pledged to continue to work on the issue.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to tour the country, making stops for two nights in New York City (Jan. 24 and 27), Albany (Feb. 8), Buffalo (Feb. 25) and Rochester (Feb. 27). Springsteen is touring in support of the box-set release of “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection,” and this run is a nod to the Boss’ career-making 1980 “The River” tour.

December 11, 2015
Ampevene Announces Winter Tour

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

December 9, 2015
Recap: Space Carnival and Lucid at The Hollow, December 4

As the year begins to draw to a close, local and regional acts may stick closer to home, bringing out friends and fans to end of the year celebrations and final shows before a break around the holidays. December in Upstate New York in particular leads to a great number of bands playing club shows for one last hurrah before starting anew in January.

Starting out this evening was Space Carnival, a four piece band from Oneonta. With a flowing vibe through their set and command of the audience’s energy, they wove in and out of originals and covers with smooth transitions and improvisation with a balanced approach. Opening with a flowing and spacey “2001”, the segue into original “Filth” made it tough to discern where “2001” began and “Filth” began, as the songs crossed over musically with finesse. Bassist Chris Meier is a next generation Jesse Miller (Lotus) even though he admits to not having drawn any influence from him; the high pluck of his bass marked the start of a transition into four-on-the-floor dance propulsion at multiple occurrances throughout the set

“Uh Oh I Slipped My Disco” found guitarist Jeremy Kraus and keyboardist Cameron Fitch syncing up for a deep groove that transitioned smoothly into “Shakedown Street”, a choice cover on the 50th anniversary of the first ever Grateful Dead show. “Moonboots” had a feel of Ominous Seapods mixed with a dash of Disco Biscuits as they shifted seamlessly into progressive sections. “Entre the Giants” features a Talking Heads vibe, which aided in the build towards the Heads’ “Stay Hungry”, where Meier set the tone with assurance, Kraus dropped an “Inspector Gadget” tease, with various eruptions out of each shift, using the bursts of energy towards a strong build. With an IndieGoGo campaign for their first studio album, Space Carnival is an exciting live show from start to finish.

Setlist: 2001 -> Filth, Uh Oh I Slipped My Disco > Shakedown Street > Moonboots, Entre the Giants > Stay Hungry > Regal Krad

Kings of the North Country, Lucid, gave The Hollow crowd two musical cornucopia sets that covered all the bases of blues, rock, jam, soul and funk. “Bangers and Hash” kicked the night off with speedy soul and dips of reggae, followed by “San Pedro,” with Lowell Wurster’s vocals driven in step by the beat from the wooden blocks. Meadow Eliz, who has performed with Lucid on a few occasions, and is quite an accomplished artist, joined the group for a pair of songs, “Despots” and “Gemini Eye,” adding quite impressive vocals to familiar tunes.

“Po Man’s Blues” kicked off Set 2 and things kept rocking with “Blessed and Cursed” and the fan favorite “Whisky Dreams.” A cover of the Clash’s “Clampdown” took a few by surprise, while “Dirt”, off their latest album of the same name balanced out the Brit Rock. Among the many highlights in this set was the stand out performance of “Silhouettes,” featuring Jamie Armstrong on saxaphone, a full rocker with strong keys. Bassist Chris Shacklett took to the mic for the penultimate song of the evening, the always enjoyable “Debra,” with Chris hitting every high note seemingly effortlessly. There was little left to ask for on this incredible evening of music from New York bands both new and old.

Set 1: 4 Bangers and Hash, San Pedro, Miles Deep, Psychedelic Circus, Lucky Dice, Mind Trippin, Despots*, Gemini Eye* > Ancient Incantations, Ground on up, Whoa Mamma, On My Knees

Set 2: Po Man’s Blues, Blessed and Cursed, Whiskey Dreams, Black Smoke, Clampdown (Clash Cover), Dirt, Came and Went > Silhouettes, Boats, Backwoods, ***Debra (Beck Cover), Crazy Fucked up World***
* with Meadow Eliz

December 7, 2015
Conversation With Mike Campese, Albany Guitar Virtuoso Performing at the Madison Theater

Albany area-based guitarist Mike Campese has an incredible resume built off of a talent he has perfected from an early age. Guitar was his academic pursuit, one that has served him well and opened doors both in opportunity and experience. Of the several big acts he has opened for or worked with, the most familiar of the Christmas season is Trans Siberian Orchestra whom he recorded and toured with for a short time.

This Saturday, Dec. 5, Campese is performing at The Madison Theater in Albany at 8:30 pm. With a lot to talk about, Campese chatted with NYSMusic about some of his influences and experiences and about what’s in store for this Saturday’s show.

Steve Malinski: How did you get started on the professional musician track?

Mike Campese: My brother played acoustic guitar and my dad had been a violinist but went into engineering. My early influences were Black Sabbath and the guitar-driven bands. It went from there. I took lessons as a kid and would hang out at the music store at the mall, see all the guitars hanging up. I’d always ask the guy what the price is and they’d be so expensive. He didn’t think I’d buy it but my mom came up to the mall and helped me out. My sister and her boyfriend had gotten me a bass but I didn’t want to play bass so I traded it in the next day. But yeah, I was really into Black Sabbath and they influenced me as a kid. I moved to Los Angeles for the Guitar Institute (GIT) at the Musicians Institute (MI). It was a great experience, great school. I was exposed to all kinds of music. My teacher was a jazz guitar player. Before I went there I had already known a lot of theory but it opened a lot of doors musically for me.

SM: You mention Black Sabbath as an influence, so I see why you went for that guitar driven style. But you really have a playing style along the lines of Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Buckethead, and so on. How’d you ultimately settle into that groove?

MC: As you advance as a player… even though I love Black Sabbath, their stuff was easy. Catchy, but easy. I got more into – my brother was into Al Di Meola. I would listen to his stuff, and brought some of that to my teacher. Then Yngwie [Malmsteen] came around too. So they’re the ones who started it for me. I started listening to more of the classical stuff. My dad and I were driving in the car to school one day and I said “Why don’t you put on the rock station?” He replied with “Oh, like classical stuff?” I told him I didn’t want to listen to classical stuff but he said I should. So I started listening to Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi. The shred stuff – Paul Gilbert was teaching at GIT and I was in his classes. Eric Johnson – I first heard him play at MI. I remember hearing “Cliffs of Dover” and our teacher had shown us how to play the riffs. I love Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare.

I’m glad I grew up in the time that I did because nowadays there are so many different genres to sort through. But yeah, I’ve always been a fast guitar player after my first year of playing. And now I’m better at composing and am more well-rounded than I was as a teenager. It does take a lot of maintenance playing every day – really have to keep up with it.

SM: Can you talk about your experience working with Trans Siberian Orchestra?

MC: I was part of the band in 2004/2005, around the time when Lost Christmas Eve was out. I got a call from them and auditioned. Paul O’Neill – I was down in the city and auditioned and they were really happy when I played. About a week later I got a call from their manager and he said they’d like to hire me for the band. It was really cool. I wasn’t in the band for a really long time, just a couple of years, and I hope to get back to them again sometime. It was a great experience traveling and playing the music, covering both the left and right guitar parts. It was really amazing experience, incredible band. Just being picked for that, I was amazed. It was a great accomplishment – a band like that, multi-platinum band. I still talk to them. We’re on good terms and I see the guys in the band all the time. A lot of guys in the band have their own groups so I support their bands. I play a trade show in California every year and always run into them there. So at some point – you never know with these bands – there are so many musicians they work with. There’s a full east coast and west coast touring band. So we’ll see.

After that I put out a Christmas album of my own, The Meaning of Christmas. It’s similar to Trans Siberian Orchestra but its more guitar driven and there’s some acoustic and vocal work on it. So it was right after and I thought that maybe I should do my own Christmas stuff. So I’ve been promoting that recently since it’s Christmas season and it’s really the only chance I get the chance to do that. I like Christmas music but did change it up and wrote new sections of the pieces and did a few of my own original Christmas tunes. So it wasn’t like the same traditional tune but a re-written version to basically get it out of my system.

SM: Aside from Trans Siberian Orchestra, you’ve gotten to play with or open for some pretty big names?

MC: Yeah, a bunch. Joe Bonamassa. B-52’s were my first opening act. Spin Doctors –

SM: Cruefest?

MC: Yeah! My own band, my original band played. It was Mötley Crüe, Godsmack, Drowning Pool… That was an awesome show, a great experience playing at SPAC. The cool thing is that my stuff is different that all those guys. My stuff was exposed to people who don’t normally dig into that type of sound.

I try to play music for the crowds. I have acoustic material too, so I mix it up at my shows. And this Saturday I’m going to be doing a little acoustic segment in the middle of the show. It’s going to be mostly an electric show though, with that in the middle. We’ll be playing a variety of stuff, things off the Christmas album and the others as well. So I’m looking forward to that. At the Madison Theater, being a movie theater, they’ve got a screen behind us. I was there recently and asked the sound guy and he said we could use the screen if we want. Se we’ve got some videos and backdrops that we’ll have behind us. I’m looking forward to it because people are coming to see us whereas at a bar people are just hanging out and we’d be more of just a background sound.

December 4, 2015
Leftover Salmon Lays it Down at The Egg

Twelve years after last appearing at The Egg, Leftover Salmon returned to Albany for a nearly two-hour set in the intimate Swyer Theater. Fans danced in the periphery, while others remained seated, tapping their feet to the rhythm and mouthing the words to familiar lyrics, yet rarely seen live in these parts. Going in with no expectations, this marked my first opportunity to see Leftover Salmon after 14 years of patient listening.

Drummer Alwyn Robinson stood out immediately, not only because of his presence behind the kit in a bluegrass band, but especially because he did not overshadow his bandmates. He was not driving the songs nor was he reserved to the point of a feigned presence on stage. Robinson is the ideal bluegrass drummer.

Giving a nod to recent corruption news from the nearby Capitol, Vince Herman introduced “Hey Woody Guthrie,” calling on the fabled folk legend to return as the good fight is still being fought. “Flight of the Durban,” led by Andy Thorn on banjo, was upbeat and a long journey through a composition that could double as a soundtrack for a travel video. “Troubled Times” and “High Country” were on the country side of things, while an upbeat version of Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate” was a refreshing take on a classic folk tune.

Drew Emmitt showed masterful prowess on the mandolin and switched to electric guitar during an extended jam, following the same style of Robinson—not taking an overpowering Warren Haynes-esque solo, but augmenting the existing jam. Herman introduced “Two Highways,” a song he dedicated to his wife to-be (as of next week) in Mexico during Strings n Sol festival prior to band intros, capping off the set with a lively cover of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get it On).” The band returned to the stage with a standing ovation from the audience and performed “Gold Hill Line” for an encore, prior to signing autographs in the lobby for the ardent fans.

Leftover Salmon performs tonight at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA, on Dec. 4 and The Wolf Den in Uncasville, CT, on Dec. 5.

December 3, 2015