NYS Music 20​15

Category: Albany

  • Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin and Sevendust U.S Fall Tour Heads to Albany

    Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin have stunned the rock world when the bands announced that they will pack up the gear and hit the road together for a co-headlining, two-month, 27-date U.S coast-to-coast fall tour. If those two bands were not enough for you, add Sevendust and Nothing More on select dates to round out one hell of a rock tour.

    Bands will load their tour buses and hit the road starting in Wichita, Kansas on Oct. 16 at the Intrust Arena and close the curtains Nov. 24 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.

    Albany and the Times Union Center will see the second to last stop, and the only New York date, on this star-studded tour on Monday, Nov. 23.

    Recently, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin shared the stage in Central New York this summer at the 20th anniversary show for Syracuse rock radio station K Rock, giving rock fans that day an amazing showing and, as we know now, giving them a glimpse into the future. The bands will also share the stage at this year’s Monster Energy Drink Aftershock Festival in California.

    Shinedown recently released a music video for lead #1 hit single “Cut The Cord,” off their upcoming fifth studio album Threat To Survive, which the band announced will be released on Sept. 18 and available for pre-order everywhere.

    Shinedown has released 19 singles, with all six singles from the band’s breakthrough album The Sound Of Madness reaching #1 on the rock charts. Follow-up album Amaryllis saw three more #1 singles and two top-five hits.

    Shinedown’s highly energetic performances, mixed with frontman Brent Smith’s emotional theatrical performances and positive vibe he commands over the crowd, make for many memorable concert moments.

    Breaking Benjamin released their fifth studio album, but first to debut at #1, this past June titled Dark Before Dawn. The album has already released two hit singles in the songs “Failure” and “Angels Fall.”

    After a hiatus, Ben returned with a new lineup and played a string of limited, sold-out acoustic shows before hitting the road on an electric touring cycle. This eventually brought the band through every major rock festival this summer, playing amazing, unforgettable performances at Rock on the Range, Rocklahoma and Carolina Rebellion.

    Nothing More will add their high-powered, energetic, must-see performance to the lineup during October, the first month of the tour.

    Sevendust will hit the road with the boys for the month of November to support their 11th studio album, Kill The Flaw, which will be released on Oct. 2.

    Shinedown / Breaking Benjamin Tour Cycle:

    10-16-2015 – Intrust Arena – Wichita, KS

    10-18-2015 – Lonestar Amphitheater – Lubbock, TX       

    10-20-2015 – Santa Ana Star Center – Rio Rancho, NM

    10-21-2015 – KUPD Festival @ Mesa Amphitheater – Pheonix, AZ

    10-22-2015 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV

    10-24-2015 – Monster Energy Aftershock 2015 – Sacramento, CA

    10-26-2015 – Xfinity Center – Everett, WA

    10-27-2015 – Toyota Center – Kennewick, WA

    10-29-2015 – Brick Breedan Fieldhouse – Bozeman, MT

    10-30-2015 – Maverick Center – Salt Lake City, UT

    10-31-2015 – 1st Bank Events Center – Broomfield, CO

    11-02-2015 – Denny Sanford Premier Center – Sioux Falls, SD

    11-04-2015 – US Cellular Center – Cedar Rapids, IA

    11-06-2015 – Peoria Civic Center – Peoria, IL

    11-07-2015 – Covelli Center – Youngstown, OH

    11-08-2015 – Salem Center – Salem, VA

    11-10-2015 – Knoxville Coliseum – Knoxville, TN

    11-11-2015 – Von Braun Center – Huntsville, AL

    11-13-2015 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

    11-14-2015 – Verizon Center – Little Rock, AR

    11-15-2015 – Show Me Center – Cape Girardeau, MO

    11-17-2015 – Crown Center Coliseum – Fayetteville, NC

    11-19-2015 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT

    11-20-2015 – Bryce Jordan Center – St. College, PA

    11-21-2015 – Big Sandy Arena – Huntington, WV

    11-23-2015 – Time Union Center – Albany, NY

    11-24-2015 – Cross Insurance Arena – Portland, ME

  • Interpol Underwhelms in Last U.S. Show of Tour

    Have you ever fallen for an artist so badly that you couldn’t wait to see them live? That was me with Interpol, and over the past few albums I couldn’t wait to see them live, expecting the same magic that goes into albums like El Pintor and Turn on the Bright Lights. Then I attended the show on July 29 at Upstate Concert Hall and was underwhelmed, having seen the equivalent of their studio work performed live with flashy visual projections drawing more of my attention at times.

    interpolI don’t know what it was about this melancholy post punk shoe gaze rock. There was no onstage chemistry between the band members, who barely seemed to look in the direction of the others while they played their instruments quite masterfully, but I didn’t come to see Paul Banks play guitar and sing, I wanted to see what kind of performance the group would give in a live setting. Live performances of studio songs led to a textbook no frills show where we heard the hits and little else to write home about.

    Granted, Interpol is a band where knowing the discography is a key component to enjoying the live performance, and middle aged post-hipster crowd was certainly into hearing the hits and more, but this was ultimately music to sway to and hardly conducive to dancing. “Narc” had the first good beat of the night with a Modest Mouse feel, “Rest my Chemistry” could have found a spot on the soundtrack to The Crow, while the popular “Everything is Wrong” definitely had some fire to cure it. Generally, the bass and drums highlighted the larger, more danceable numbers, such as “Take You on a Cruise”, but some songs, including “My Blue Supreme”, “Pioneer to the Falls” and “Slow Hands” were downright depressing. I began to wonder what I liked in the albums Interpol put out over the last decade.

    I still like Interpol, but until their live performance gets some balls, I’ll enjoy them from the comforts of home.

    Setlist: Say Hello to the Angels, Anywhere, Narc, My Blue Supreme, Evil, C’mere, Rest my Chemistry, Everything is Wrong, The New, Take You on a Cruise, Not Even Jail, Pioneer to the Falls, Slow Hands, PDA

    Encore: Untitled, Obstacle, All the Rage

  • Hearing Aide: Brian LaPoint and the Joints ‘Pick Me Up’

    11411991_898268020218742_7742425979889739458_oThe music of Brian LaPoint & the Joints seems to go quite well with summertime. It’s the type of music you can throw on and let play out over a summer night of hanging about and enjoying the simple treasures in life. It has strong lyrics with strong female and male singing to accompany all the tracks.

    “Pick Me Up,” the first song off their album Pick Me Up, opens with a thick and velvety guitar that wails until being met with accompanying harmonies of a strong horn section. Lyrically, the song discusses concepts about the circle of life going down in a spiral and while help to rise up and stand amidst living with this struggle.

    “Love and Inspiration” starts with a guitar part featuring muted strumming, reminiscent of something Nirvana may have done in the 1990s. But then the song takes a move towards a duet of singing between a man and a woman proclaiming their love for each other.

    An abundance of different instruments can be heard across the album. Both a saxophone and trumpet solo soar through “Say Hello To Me” — a laid back groovy song that opens with a funk style bass riff.

    In fact the strongest aspect of Brian LaPoint & the Joints may be the horn section. The trumpets and saxophones are recorded with great quality that ups the listening of the overall band. Across their album Pick Me Up, the band is able to cross musical genres and call upon various influences to create a unique sound of underwater (and sometimes reggae style) guitar, country-rock style vocals, and crisp drums matched with necessary keyboards and horns.

    Instrumentally, this band seems like the kind to be able to have some fun live jams. They’re certainly a group that can stay true to their own sound, as the twelve songs flow effortlessly between each other without straying far from the vibe of the entire album.

    Key Tracks:  Pick Me Up, Love & Inspiration, Say Hello To Me

    Listen Here:  Bandcamp  Facebook  SoundCloud

  • Interpol to Play Penultimate Show of North American Tour at Upstate Concert Hall

    Back with a trimmed lineup on the heels of the critically acclaimed 2014 album El Pintor, Interpol brings the a darker, deeper sound to Upstate Concert Hall. July 29, the penultimate stop on their North American tour.

    interpolThe indie rockers combine Depeche Mode sound with smooth electronica that is evenly spliced, just proper enough to establish but not kill a mood. Interpol is a consistent upper, the yerba mate to Tame Impala’s oolong tea. Steady, not too strong but certainly not too weak.

    Home in New York City for a July 21 performance at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, they performed many songs off their debut Turn on the Bright Lights, as well as the recent El Pintor. They recently spent some time in Buffalo during a November 2014 snow storm, stranded on their tour bus for 48 hours. They will find much better weather as they head north to Clifton Park, one night before wrapping up in Montreal and a month long tour in Europe before taking a break. 

    Interpol takes the stage at Upstate Concert Hall on July 29, with opener Cosmicide playing at 8pm.

  • Just Announced: PearlPalooza 2015 To Bring Matisyahu and Local Talent To Free Street Fest

    Before the summer is over there, is a time and place for an awesome mix of live music on the street and that time and place is Sept. 12 in Albany. The sixth annual 2015 PearlPalooza just announced the lineup for the street festival with national and local acts:

    Matisyahu, the hasidic reggae rapper from Brooklyn who rose to fame with his 2005 hit single “King Without a Crown.”
    The Moth & The Flame, an alternative rock band originally from Utah but now based in Los Angeles.
    Until the Ribbon Breaks, a three-piece British group that blends “electronic, pop, rock, hip-hop, alternative, avant-garde, R&B.”
    Turbo Fruits, a garage rock band from Nashville, Tennessee.
    Wild Adriatic, an Albany-based band that plays a bluesy, soul-infused kind of rock.
    Better By Morning, an alternative group from Saratoga Springs.
    …and another band TBA

    PearlPalooza 2015 Speaking of local acts, Wild Adriatic got a bit of attention this year as they performed a set at Bonnaroo after winning a bracket-style battle of the bands.

    PearlPalooza 2015 is free and takes place on Pearl Street in Albany from 1 to 8 p.m. Tickets for special viewing areas and meet-and-greets with the bands are available for a reasonable price online.

  • An Evening With The Lone Bellow

    On a warm Friday night in June, a fairly packed house at The Egg‘s smaller room, The Swyer Theatre, The Lone Bellow were just as excited to be in Albany as Albany was excited to see them.

    The Lone BellowWith lots of smiles, jokes, and music, the five piece band based out of Brooklyn wowed the crowd for close to two hours. Starting the evening off Zach Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin, and Brian Elmquist came to the stage and surrounded a mic to deliver three songs with just acoustic guitars and beautiful harmonies. This would happen again near the end of the show in the crowd and for the encore. The way the three of their voices blend together is gorgeous and needs to be heard by people who love music.

    After Jason Pipkin and Justin Glasco, Bass and drums respectively came out, the evening turned from a folk vibe to full on rock and roll. The band played much of the material from the two albums they have released so far and many in the audience knew every word. Zach has a lot of energy and engages the crowd at all times, almost like a preacher making sure his sermon is heard while Brian plays the guitar like there is nothing else in the world for him to do. Kanene, when she was not switching instruments be it keys, mandolin, or bass, soothed the souls of the crowd with her fantastic voice.

    The band had to restart parts of songs a couple of times, but they took it in stride and joked with the crowd about it, giving the evening a relaxed feeling and that it’s all part of the show. The Lone Bellow was on fire all evening and when they come back to Albany, which hopefully will be sooner than later, it would not be surprising to see them playing to bigger audiences once word gets out about what people missed out on.

  • Yonder Mountain String Band Performs at Albany’s Alive at 5

    The Blind Owl Band played a great opening set, highlighted by a bluegrass take on The Allman Brothers Band classic “Whipping Post.” The Saranac Lake based band had a small contingent of devotees in the front at the beginning of the set, but by set’s end the whole crowd was won over. Yonder Mountain took the stage to a packed Alive at 5 house under the overpass of I-787 and presented classic YMSB numbers, covers and tracks off their new album Black Sheep.

    Bryan-Lasky-Yonder-Mountain-String-Band-12

    “On the Run” opened the night, part of the celebrated ‘Bolton Stretch’ saga that weaves in and out of Yonder’s setlists. A pair of tracks from Black Sheep, “Insult and an Elbow,” and the Colorado inspired “Drawing a Melody.” The highlight of the high energy 90 minute set was a pair of sandwiches. The first combined Springsteen and Dylan with “Saint in the City” > “Spanish Harlem Incident” > “Saint in the City,” perking the ears of many Bruce fans in the audience, as Albany has more than a fair share. The second appeared in the encore, taking Yonder’s “Troubled Mind” and seguing into the punk number “20 Eyes” by The Misfits, making the tune seemingly inocuous in the process, before moving back into the end of “Troubled Mind,” capping another successful Alive at Five in Albany.

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    Next week, stay tuned for Rival Galaxies and Atlas Genius as Albany’s Alive at Five summer concert series continues.

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  • Photo Gallery: J. Roddy Walston and The Business, Avers at Alive at 5

    J. Roddy Walston & The Business brought its spectacular brand of rock and roll to Albany’s Alive at 5 summer concert series.

    The last time the band came through the Capitol Region, it played a sold out, hot and sweaty show at The Hollow in January, 2014, and expectations were high for their return. The four-piece band out of Baltimore didn’t disappoint and showed the crowd for almost an hour-and-a-half that rock and roll is still alive and well in today’s world of music.

    “Sweat Shock,” “Take It As It Comes” and “Marigold” had the crowd fully engaged, dancing and jumping all over Jennings Landing. J. Roddy constantly swung his long hair violently as he played some old boogie-woogie style piano. With a quick wave of the hand to the crowd, the band exited the stage while the crowd chanted for more. Opening the evening was Avers, a six-piece band who shared singing duties among their members and jumped around the stage as if they were playing in front of thousands of people, instead of the couple of hundred that were there. The band tore through their dreamy indie rock sound for a quick 45-minute set that felt over far quicker. Both bands were absolutely fantastic and the free show was just mind blowing. The Alive at 5 concert series continues this week with Yonder Mountain String Band.

  • David Crosby Captivates Egg Audience With Timeless Acoustic Prowess and Free Spirit

    Amid a barren, intimate stage at The Egg stood a wily old man, alone with his acoustic guitar, serenading the audience with his raspy, seasoned folk-style voice for nearly three hours on Tuesday night. David Crosby, the singer-songwriter best known for his work with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, impressed with his ageless tone, playing songs across six different decades. His banter with the audience was terrific, as he made wise cracks about music reviewers and politicians, and reminisced about working with Neil Young.

    david crosbyCrosby made his general distaste for Young well known. When audience members cried out the name of Crosby’s former acquaintance and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, he’d mock them, comparing their cries of “Neil” to the sound a peacock makes. Towards the end of the show when informally taking requests from the crowd, someone shouted “For What It’s Worth,” the iconic song of Young’s band Buffalo Springfield. Crosby didn’t let the teasing of his former nemesis get to him, as he scoffed, chuckled, and candidly replied, “You do know whose show you bought a ticket for, right?”

    The 73-year-old Clausian figure spoke about how he thought history would remember music’s greatest songwriters as “crazy old Bob [Dylan] and Joni [Mitchell],” two of his heroes that he regarded as “poets.” After poking fun at Bob Dylan’s lackluster singing ability, he performed “For Free,” a cover of Mitchell’s. Crosby demonstrated his own lyrical prowess, however, singing songs about his 1982 stint in Texas prison and the corruption he sees in today’s politics.

    At one point during his second set, David Crosby said, “I don’t like politics. Actually, that’s not true. I don’t like politicians.” Crosby went on to discuss how he felt like big business and corruption had overrun the government and threatened American democracy. One politician he claimed to be an exception to his general political stance, however, was the populist senator from Vermont and presidential nominee Bernie Sanders. “I like Bernie,” Crosby professed, drawing applause from the capacity crowd of about 1,400.

    Crosby played two consecutive songs from his newest album, Croz, towards the end of his show. The music from his new album, produced by his son, were more upbeat than some of his older tunes, but had a similar kind of lyrical genius and the sophisticated strumming technique that Crosby has become almost synonymous with. Several of the songs he played during the show had an irregular string tuning, some of which gave the timbre of the piece a majestic or creepy aspect to it.

    While Crosby may still be the same old, free-spirited, anti-establishment hippie that rose to stardom in music festivals in the 60’s, he also demonstrated that he can still captivate an audience in an acoustic environment–a difficult task for someone on the wrong side of 70. When he concluded his encore tune, his 1971 outlaw country ballad “Cowboy Movie,” he belted some of the final notes in his gritty upper register, nailing the notes in every definition of the word. While some artists’ voices deteriorate in their elder age, Crosby proved again that he has yet to reach that point.

  • Cohoes Canal Square Hosts Summer Concerts

    The Cohoes Public Market and Canal Square in Cohoes, NY will host free outdoor concerts on Fridays throughout the summer at 72 Remsen St.

    Canal Square Concerts

    6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays

    July 10 – Rusty Old Guys
    July 17 – Georgie Wonders Orchestra
    July 24 – Back 40 Band
    July 31 – Welcome home night
    August 7 – Harmony Rocks
    August 14 – Switch Band
    August 21 – Three Quarter North
    August 28 – Rymanowski Brothers
    Sept. 11 – Al Bruno
    Sept. 18 – Halfway to St Patty’s Day

    Concerts on the Market

    5 to 7 p.m. Fridays
    June 12 – Frankie Lessard
    June 19 – 2 Broads with Alotta Sound
    June 26 – Double D
    Sept. 18 – Fall Festival
    Oct. 2 — Frankie Lessard

    The rain location for all shows is Cohoes Music Hall. Stop down early for the Cohoes Farmer Market for an excellent selection of local foods and gifts starting at 4:00 p.m.

    canal square concert