Category: Capital Region

It’s an Upstate Halloween Throwdown at Putnam Den with Formula 5, Lucid and Mister F

Halloween in Saratoga means the Putnam Den will be rockin’, this year with three of Upstate New York’s biggest names: Mister F, Lucid and Formula 5.

All three bands have performed throughout New York and Putnam Den is one spot they call home. Formula 5’s Joe Davis: “I’ve really been looking forward to this show for a while. Putnam Den is one of my favorite venues to play in the Northeast and probably my favorite in the Capital Region. Add in Formula 5, Mister F and Lucid and it should equate to quite the rager. We have a lot of surprises in store and you know Mister F and Lucid will be pulling out all the stops.”

When it comes to Halloween, fans can expect a special set from each of the three bands, with music getting started around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and going until early Sunday morning. Taking the stage first is Mister F, the prog-rocking quartet who recently debuted FTV Cribs. “I’m so glad we’re all on this bill together. The 518 rolls deep with incredible talent, and this is one hell of a sampler platter of that. I’m excited to see some collaborations between these bands – we’re all good friends, and it’s really gonna show on Halloween,” said Mister F keyboardist Scott Hannay.

Lucid takes the stage after Mister F, ready for a night of costumed originals and that Northern New York sound Lucid is best known for. Lucid’s Lowell Wurster: “We are very excited to be sharing the stage with our super great friends this Halloween. These are two bands that we’ve known since their creation and couldn’t be more excited to jam with them. It will be a night filled with great music and lots of laughs.”

Formula 5 closes out the night with a late night set for the Halloween ragers that will bring a cap a truly memorable night. More info, as well as costume contest details, can be found in the event. For fans who can’t make the show and want to tune in, ShowtheShow will be providing a free audio stream for the night.

October 28, 2015
Holly Bowling: Venue Variety, Pushing Boundaries and Peak Moments

Pete Mason: As you start your east coast fall tour, you are playing a variety of venues – larger rooms such as Higher Ground in Burlington, 8×10 Club in Baltimore, Gypsy Sally’s in Washington D.C., and more intimate rooms like The Lily Pad in Cambridge, MA, and Underground Arts in Philadelphia. How do the listening experiences for the audiences compare in different environments?

Holly Bowling: The rooms I’m playing this tour definitely have a lot of variety! It’s less about size though and more about the feel of the venue. I’m playing some spots where it’s unusual to see a solo piano act – places where you’re more likely to see a full band and spend most of the night dancing – and then I’m playing some spots that are more of a mellow environment, places where you might usually see jazz or classical music.

The contrast between them is something I’m really looking forward to. They both have their strengths. Sometimes I think the setting that classical or jazz music is played in can be hard for people to get into. It can be a little restrictive, a little stifling – you can’t move around during the show and there’s a pretty strict concert etiquette. The freedom in clubs that usually play host to rock music can be really refreshing – for the audience but also for the performer. I think it encourages you to play a little looser, to take chances.

But at the same time, there’s something really special about a room full of people sitting down and intently focused on the music together like what you get in a concert hall or a quiet jazz club. No distractions, no socializing, just a really intense inner musical experience. It can be really powerful even though people don’t really express the emotions the music inspires in them as outwardly in a place like a symphony hall the way they would at a club or an arena show.

You can really get lost in the music in a different way and just get swept away. Especially with as many distractions as there are at music events these days, and in life in general, it’s pretty great to find a space to just completely immerse yourself in experiencing music for a few hours and give yourself over to that entirely. So I’m excited to be playing both types of venues on this tour. I think the contrast will be really interesting and each setting will take the music in a different direction.

Pete Mason: Are you viewing these venues as offering a balance between rock club and jazz club?

Holly Bowling: There are definitely some venues out there that have one foot in each world and I’m always on the hunt for those. They’re few and far between but really lend themselves well to the music I’m playing. I mean it’s not really classical and its not really rock, so where do you put it? I think it can be enjoyed in a lot of different settings – and actually, pushing the boundaries and expectations of what you can do in each venue setting is something that’s really interesting to me – but the rooms that are a crossover between the two are really a great fit.

I love to see music in places where you can be comfortable and have some freedom but the focus is also 100% on the music and there aren’t a lot of distractions. It can be a delicate balance to strike but those rooms and crowds are the best. It’s where I most like to see music when I’m on the audience side, and where I like to play best too.

Pete Mason: How have you found yourself pushing the boundaries so far in your performances this year, and in what way, if at all, do you tailor your performance to setting?

Holly Bowling: This year has been interesting because it’s been kind of a whirlwind of experiences. My first album just came out a few months ago and I spent a lot of time leading up to recording it working out arrangements very carefully and doing a lot of meticulous detail work. Then I started playing shows in support of the album and it took a little while for the arrangements to settle and have a little more room to breathe. Whether it’s pushing boundaries or just allowing things to progress and evolve naturally at this point, I’ve enjoyed letting things open up more as the year has gone on. Allowing myself the freedom for improvisation during shows and even letting the arrangements stray further from where the jams usually go and letting them go off the rails a little… that’s been really fun.

Also, I’ve been playing around with segues in the setlists and a different incarnation of the “jam transcriptions” like what I did with the Tahoe Tweezer. I saw a bunch of Phish shows this summer and it was such a spectacular tour musically that, by the end, there were more memorable jams that I really wanted to study than I could possibly ever tackle if I was transcribing and arranging them all from start to finish. So I started playing around with the idea of just pulling out a peak moment from the jam – the theme that you get stuck in your head for a week and can’t stop listening to – and transcribing and arranging just that part. And then I’ve been weaving those into the setlists. It’s sort of an homage and a thanks for the music we got to enjoy this summer, and also a bit of a retrospective of some of the transcendent musical moments from this tour.

Pete Mason: Can you give a few examples of the ‘peak moment from the jam’ that you have transcribed?

Holly Bowling: Sure, here’s a story of how you know what the peak moment of a jam is. I came back from Phish’s summer tour and woke up in the middle of the night with a fragment of music stuck in my head. Clearly Phish, and clearly from a recent show, but I couldn’t place it. Couldn’t sleep. I sang the melody to my (attempting to sleep) husband and he knew it instantly and finished the phrase. The next morning (with the melody still stuck in both of our heads) we figured it out – 17:00 – 18:00 in the Mann Twist. I’ve listened to that jam a lot since then. Peak moment for sure.

Another one is the G major section of the “Down With Disease” from Colorado this year, the build from the 12 minute mark on. I mean the whole jam is great, but from 12 minutes on it just blasts off into bliss.

It’s the parts of the jams that you can sing or play a little fragment of and a good portion of Phish fans will recognize it even though it sounds nothing like the original song. I mean, it’s pretty nuts really… I really don’t know of another band where you could play 30 seconds worth of one particular live version of one of their songs, on another instrument, in a different key, several years after the fact, and people in the crowd would instantly recognize the theme. Every time I’ve teased a theme from one of Phish’s jams, people come up to me and know what it was. It’s just nuts. I think it’s the coolest thing what Phish inspires.

Pete Mason: Regarding your recent setlists – you are playing more Phish songs and transcriptions, have been interspersing a few teases and even a few Grateful Dead songs in the mix. Is this a sign of increased comfort as a performer?

Holly Bowling: Definitely. A lot of the material I was playing earlier this year was very new at the time. It’s hard to be playful and creative with something you’ve just gotten a handle on. Now that the songs I arranged for the album are old friends, I can explore new things to do with them. It gives you a more solid footing to launch into whatever else you want to do.

The Grateful Dead songs made their way into my shows by accident. I was planning on doing one show, the last show of my fall tour (in Pittsburgh) that would be Phish and Dead songs interwoven with each other, just as kind of a one-off thing. But when I started working on learning the songs, I fell in love with them and kept finding myself ending up there no matter what I was playing. And there was no reason to fight it. They’re beautiful compositions and very different from some of the more technically intense and high energy Phish songs. I like the contrast and the ebb and flow.

Pete Mason: If the songs on the album are ‘old friends’, what ‘new friends’ can fans expect to hear this fall, on Jamcruise and into 2016? Surely you’ve had your share of suggestions from fans

Holly Bowling: I like surprises so I won’t reveal much but I have been working on some new Phish arrangements that have been both challenging and rewarding. I just finished learning “It’s Ice” and it was the toughest Phish composition I’ve learned for sure. There’s a lot of different rhythmic patterns and cycles superimposed on each other which is tricky enough when you’re locking several instruments into sync together, but having them split between two hands was really tough at first! I actually ended up color-coding the score I wrote to help keep the patterns straight. My score for the middle section (the part that’s sort of percussive and dissonant and full of repeating rhythms) is full of purple notes, blue notes, green notes… that part took forever to work out but was incredibly interesting to study and analyze. And there’s definitely some other new arrangements I’ve been working on. Albany will have some debuts for sure!

I am especially excited about playing The Massry Center because it’s so different from the venues where most of us often see music. The acoustics are incredible and they have a Steinway concert grand that is going to be just amazing to play. I think they may have to pull me away from it at the end of the night! I’m actually going to play three sets at the Albany show because I’m so excited to play this music on a piano that really expresses the full range of what the instrument can do. The Tahoe Tweezer jam transcription is really meant for a piano like this – where you can unleash a dark tone from the instrument in the heavy sections but you can also find a sweet, delicate sound and create an ethereal resonance in the middle part of the jam. I can’t wait.

See Holly this fall at venues across the Northeast, kicking off with her performance at The Massry Center for the Arts on Wednesday, October 28 at 7pm.

October 25, 2015
Strange Machines and Broccoli Samurai hit Putnam Den October 24

Two of the jamtronica scene’s rising stars, Broccoli Samurai (Cleveland) and Strange Machines (Boston) will bring a powerhouse show to the Putnam Den on Saturday, October 24.

Broccoli Samurai, with a progressive electronic complemented by a powerful drum/bass combo that has energized audiences in the Midwest for five years. They’re making their way out east and pack an incredible punch. Check out their performance at this year’s Summer Dance for a taste of what to expect.

Strange Machines is no stranger to Albany and have developed a solid following throughout the Northeast with a blend of funk, rock, jazz and livetronica, creating a powerfully danceable live show. If you’re looking for tight improvisation wrapped around well crafted songs, Strange Machines is the fix you’re looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UvOpDGaV7s

October 21, 2015
Floodwood Announces Lineup Change

Floodwood has announced via Facebook that Al Schnier and Zachary Fleitz have left the band.

Floodwood, commonly known as a bluegrass side project for New York’s jam champions moe., will carry on without Schnier, with fellow moe.ron Vinnie Amico remaining in the band. They are currently seeking new members.

While not an audition (or is it?), Floodwood also announced they would be performing a Dec. 5 Holiday concert at the Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton NY with special guest bassist Tony Markellis (Trey Anastasio Band). Ticketing information has yet to be released.

Check out the full announcement below:

Hi Folks,

We know things have been quiet for the last couple of months and there some big changes we want to share with you…

Due to shifts in various life circumstances, both Al and Zach have made the decision to move on from Floodwood. This is a huge change and we will certainly miss their presence on and off stage. Our hope is that occasionally when they have time that one or both of them will be able to make appearances with us.

That said, Vin, Jay and Nick have decided to carry on Floodwood in some fashion or another. You may be wondering what the new band will look like, who will be involved, what it will sound like, etc….. So do we. We have started the process/brainstorming but it may take a little time. What we do know is that we absolutely love to play, love to have fun and of course we love the interaction with our amazing fans. In the upcoming months, we will be making decisions about who we want to be in the band. We are going to be trying some different combinations of musicians/friends until we get that “fit” we are looking for. We hope that you all will come see some of these shows as we try out different things… Please get involved! Let us know what you think about what you hear; we want your input!

To get it all going, we are going to start with a holiday concert at the Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton, NY. We’re excited to have special guest, Tony Markellis from Trey Anastasio Band on bass! Show is December 5, more details to follow!

Thank you all for your incredible support of the band for these past 5 yrs. We’ve had so many great times with you all and look forward to many, many more.

Thanks!
Vin, Jay & Nick

October 21, 2015
Josh Groban Delivers Heavenly Performance in Albany

Josh Groban graced the stage at The Palace Theatre in Albany, as the multi-platinum recording artist brought his Stages World Tour to the tri-state area with an incredible vocal performance. The North American tour, set for an intimate atmosphere, is in support of Groban’s seventh studio album Stages, which showcases many famous renditions of some of the greatest musical theater songs of all time.

Groban’s vocal brilliance shines on stage as he sings all-time greats like “Pure Imagination,” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “What I Did for Love,” from “A Chorus Line,” “Bring Him Home,” from “Les Miserables” and “Over the Rainbow,” from “The Wizard of Oz” to name a few.

The sold-out Palace Theatre fans excitedly sat in suspense, awaiting for dashing, charming, funny and vocally graceful Groban, to adorn the theater stage.

As the theater lights dimmed to darkness, the crowd applauded with anticipation as the 75-piece orchestra started the musical journey with the song “Pure Imagination” from the movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory“. The crowd’s applause turned to admiration and joy as Josh made himself visible on stage to sing the song made famous by Gene Wilder.

After the song “Try To Remember” from the “Fantasticks,” Groban asked for the fog machine to be turned off, as it was making him choke, not that it bothered his performance at all. Groban sang the song with such emotion and passion.

Josh thanked his parents for taking away the Super Nintendo, and help steer him towards the arts.

Groban relived a childhood moment after the song “What I Did for Love,” from “A Chorus Line”. He reminisced about singing that song at a school show, and then being approached by the jock of the school afterward. Groban jokingly explained, that he thought he was going to get beat up, but instead, the classmate told Groban that had a voice of an angel. Groban while impersonating his young self in a high pitch voice to the laughter of fans replied, “Oh Biff thank you so much.” Josh then switched to Biff’s deep voice and said “If you tell anybody I told you that, I will kick the $#!t out of you next week,” which made the crowd laugh again.

Groban then went on to say, it was that moment that he realized that he could do this. It was a moment he developed his confidence as a human being and realized how important Arts education is to young people whether they go into it professionally or not, and as programs are being cut across the country, it so important to define these moments. Groban then talked about his Find Your Light Foundation to help support the arts and how people could help donate to the cause.

Josh then explained before the song “Old Devil Moon,” from “Finian’s Rainbow,” that this was his first lead role in high school. Groban said he played Woody Mahoney and that they painted a beard on him. Groban then joked to more laughter to the crowd “High five again I can do it myself.” He then said, careful what you wish for and that he is basically a head-to-toe chia pet now.

Groban stated to the crowd that he was very excited for their ears right now. “I’m very excited for your ah, your ah, your ah, after stumbling then blurted out — canals,” to laughter from the crowd and himself. Josh went on to say not because of him, but because of who he is about to bring out to the stage.

Groban then introduced Lena Hall to the stage for a beautiful duet, after he touted some of her accolades, to help him with the next song from “The Phantom of the Opera,” “All I Ask of You.” Groban joked that he was kind of regretting turning the fog off now, because they were about to do something from Phantom of the Opera, and said he feels like he can’t do something from Phantom without fog. Then joked again “It’s ok. We’ll be fine but our sinuses thank us. Groban then said that he wanted to be the Phantom so bad, that he made a paper mache mask in art class.

Lena stayed on stage after the duet to sing the first of her two solo covers the Queen song “Save Me,” which can be found on Hall’s new Sin and Salvation live album. Lena stated that the album consist of all songs that inspired her or by people who inspire her as a vocalist and performer. Lena then said that one of those main people is Freddy Mercury, and that she connects with the song itself so much.

After Hall’s performance, a giant painting of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” by artist Georges Seurat, was placed on the far right of the stage.

Groban then returned to the stage to explain the painting. He said one of his first theatrical experiences, is when he was nine years old, and his parents took away the Nickelodeon, popped in a VHS of “Sunday in the Park with George” by Steven Sondheim. Josh further explained that Sondheim uses interesting stories like the one about the painting. Groban joked that the painting on the stage is not the original and that they didn’t steal it from the Chicago Art Museum. Groban explained that Sondheim chose George Seurat to tell a story of those universal human emotions we have that drives us to passion, and drives us in ours lives, and sometimes the sacrifices we have to make for that passion. Groban then introduced the song that was influenced by the painting, “Finishing the Hat.”

Groban introduced the Nazareth College Choir to the stage for the next song. From the show “Chess,” Groban then sang the song that finishes the first act called “Anthem.” Groban said as a book, the show still hasn’t found its way as a full on Broadway production, but the music and the lyrics have been absolutely brilliant. Groban than gave another amazing vocal performance, as the crowd stood and applauded with overwhelming admiration.

After a small intermission and an outfit change, Groban returned to the stage for the second half of the show.

Before he got started, Josh joked over the mic “I hope you are sufficiently empty.” Josh then noted that his manager busted into his dressing room during the break and told him that he was mispronouncing Albany. Groban responded with a deep slow “Oh $#!t.” Groban then joked that fans didn’t seem to care that he said their city wrong and then apologized for what he called a terrible, terrible mistake. Then he made fun of himself by calling himself an idiot and jokingly mispronouncing the word along with apologies and the next town of Syracuse to the laughter of fans.

Josh explained, as a singer you get awesome opportunities to pick songs from all facets from the musical theater world, not just nationally. France is one of those places.

While introducing his next song “Le temps des cathedrals,” from “Notre Dame de Paris,” Groban said that other countries also love musicals as many of you tonight who love musicals, then joked “If you don’t, then your probably not back after the intermission.” Groban then kept to original form by masterfully singing the song elegantly in French, to another standing ovation.

After thanking the crowd in French, Groban’s next song is not from the Stages album. Josh then talked about a song from a show he saw called “Nine,” with Antonio Banderas. Groban then did some Banderas impersonations before getting serious again. Groban the sung “Unusual Way”.

Once again, Groban brought out the lovely Lena Hall for their second duet of the evening. Hall came out in a sparking dress which prompted Groban to say “You look sparkly and wonderful, I would hug you but I would get sparkles all over me…and I would like it too much,” which made everyone chuckle. Josh then said that he and Lena are going to sing a beautiful duet together, also from “Sunday in the Park with George” called “Move On.”

This then led into Hall’s second solo performance. Hall said that her parents are huge Beatles fans, and therefore she is a huge Beatles fan. Lena then added that her father’s favorite Beatle, was Paul McCartney, and that she wanted to do something for her dad cause he is very special to her. Then quickly reiterated, “so is my mom,” which made her and the crowd laugh. Hall then performed “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

Groban returned to the stage and executed another amazing vocal rendition. This time he delighted fans with “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables,” to a third standing ovation.

Groban the introduced and thanked the musicians on stage before welcoming back the Nazareth College Choir. Groban the joked with the choir “You look good, smelling good. You guys ready for this? It’s a hard one. I need your help.” Groban then went on to say that the next song is very uplifting to him, from the Carousel, Josh dedicated “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” to the victims and families from the recent tragedies in Oregon.

The Albany crowd gave yet again, another standing ovation, as they applauded and whistled until Groban made his way out for an encore song.

The admiration and love from the crowd prompted the overwhelmed Groban to say “Albany, you tremendously hospitable, generous city, thank you so much for all of this. Thank you for the warmth you thrown our way all night. It truly means so much to us.”

The final song of the evening Groban said he loved since he could breathe basically. Groban then went on to say that when making the Stages record, they were going to originally make it a double album with one being film songs, and the other being Broadway tunes. He said with so many songs over lapping, that they decided to go with a Broadway album. Josh then stated if there was one song that it was ok to cheat with, it was this next song because it is so wonderful.

Groban than ended an amazing night of music with “Over The Rainbow,” from “The Wizard of Oz”.

Setlist: Pure Imagination, Try to Remember, What I Did for Love, Old Devil Moon, All I Ask of You, Save Me (Lena Hall), Finishing the Hat, Anthem, Children Will Listen, Le temps des cathedrals, Unusual Way, Move On, Maybe I’m Amazed(Lena Hall), Bring Him Home, You’ll Never Walk Alone

Encore: Over The Rainbow

October 19, 2015
Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach Tour Shows Rock is Not Dead in Glens Falls

Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, In This Moment and From Ashes To New, drove their tour buses into Glens Falls on the last stop on their current tour, and showed the fans that packed the Civic Center why rock music is not dead, but fully alive kicking. All the bands will head off to play the Rock Allegiance Festival in Chester, PA.

The Monster Energy Drink fueled tour had everything you need in a rock show minus the pyro, as the venue does not allow it, but with the connection the fans had with this great lineup of rock stars, it wasn’t needed or missed as the chemistry between the bands and the crowd created enough sparks to burn the house down. This show had combinations of heart, passion, emotion, theatrics, charisma and of course, tons of energy.

From Ashes To New excelled as the opening band on this show. FATN set the tone for the night with a very energetic interactive set. Right out of the gate FATN had the fans engaged. As opener’s, FATN wasted no time talking and just played all their hits made popular on Sirius/XM Octane among other singles of their two Ep’s.

Concert goers who were not familiar with the band were instantly hooked by the bands energy, look and catchy style of rap-rock metal songs. Dual singers Matt Brandyberry and Chris Musser, flow off each other and have great chemistry. Brandyberry’s raps mixed with Musser’s screams and melodic hardcore hooks were spot on. After a fascinating all out performance, I’m sure FATN’s Facebook and Twitter pages jumped in likes and followers after their incredible set.

You can see From Ashes To New on tour this November when the hit the road with Like A Strom.

FATN Setlist: Downfall, My Fight, Land of Make Believe, Lost and Alone, I Will Show You, Through It All, Stay This Way

In This Moment’s home town girl, Schenectady native Maria Brink brought her theatrical style of live performing to the stage. Fans sang in unison to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” which introduced Brink and the boys to the stage.

Maria stood front and center in her black widow outfit for the first song of the night “Sick Like Me.” This would be the first of many costume changes through the night as Brink has an outfit and theme for every song on the set list.

Besides theatrics, Brink sort of brings a pop element to the stage as she has two back up dancers who dress in full costume, with a choreographed routine for each song. Brink stated that its feels great to be home and talked about performing her first show at the QE2 and at Bogies in Albany.

In a different but cool way, Brink goes into full theater mode during the song “Sex Metal Barbie.” She stands at a pink podium dressed and sings the song as if she’s giving a speech to the crowd, which only someone like Brink can pull off.

The last song of the night “Whore,” Brink dresses like a school girl and sits on a stool with a dunce cap on her head. The word whore is painted to look like blood in red on the front of the cap. Brink described the meaning behind the song, as taking something negative and turning it into a positive and the taking that into something bigger.

In This Moment Setlist: Sick Like Me, Black Widow, Blood, Sex Metal Barbie, Big Bad Wolf, Whore

Papa Roach took the stage first as part of the co-headline tour. The black curtain hiding the stage dropped to the first song of the night “Face Everything and Rise (F.E.A.R).” Right after, fans erupted when the first note of “Between Angels and Insects” started. Papa Roach was all about business from the start and blazed through the first three songs.

Frontman Jacoby Shaddix said to the crowd “You love that $#!t,” to a huge crowd response after singing “Getting Away With Murder.

The ultra charismatic Shaddix, then asked the crowd how they were doing by saying “Motherf***ers in Glens Falls, NY how you f**king livin’ tonight?” The crowd responded with a deafening roar which prompted the hyped up Shaddix to say “That’s what I’m f**king talkin’ about, Friday night baby, you guys f**king partying tonight?” Fans were eating up everything Shaddix was saying.

Shaddix then said “Yo check this out we are Papa Roach, and we are f**king grateful to f**king be here tonight. We f**king love you guys, but what I want to see on this f**king next song y’all check it out. I wanna see this f**king whole place jumpin’.” Shaddix then asked fans , “Are you with me?” The more than over willing fans screamed with readiness . Shaddix now wanting to get more involved with the crowd then said “lets see what your made of but only when I say go.” Shaddix then introduced the next song Warriors.

Shaddix got up close and personal with the crowd during Warriors. Shaddix walked throughout the lower half of the arena slapping hands with fans before returning back to the stage. After the song Shaddix said “Now we have a f**king rock and roll show on our hands.”

The next song Forever, Shaddix dedicated to all the ladies in the crowd. While the intro played, Shaddix asked the crowd if they were having a good time. Shaddix then pointed to some fans up close and said that he knows they are having a good time cause he can see the fire in their eyes.

Shaddix introduced the band one by one during the intro to Hollywood Whore. He started with guitarist Jerry Horton. Shaddix looked to what he called his main motherf***ing man back there on drums Tony Palermo. Shaddix then told Palermo he was a bad motherf***er, as Palermo laughed. Shaddix then said over on bass we have monster, his name is Tobin Esperance. Shaddix then said who the fuck cares what my name is, lets push some rock and roll. Shaddix and the crowd then sung the intro to Hollywood Whore together.

Before Falling Apart, Shaddix had to acknowledge the fans up in the seats by saying “F**k yeah, I’m felling you up there, how you guys up there?” Shaddix then added “I see we have some P Roach fans up there, nice fucking t-shirt homie f**k yeah thanks for representing tonight.”

Shaddix then stated that this was the last show and it has been an awesome tour. Shaddix then stated “In This Moment, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch what the f**k, best tour ever man its been f***ing awesome. It’s an honor to share the stage with those guys.”

Shaddix gave a speech how the band came about. He talked about how they started in high school as a garage band when Shaddix was sixteen. Shaddix then went on to say next thing you know Papa Roach doing this s**t f***ing world-wide twenty-two f***ing years later. Shaddix then added “So anybody who’s f***ing got big dreams, keep f***ing chasing them if you know what im f***ing saying.”

In Shaddix’s attempt to be Moses, he wanted to bring it back to old school Papa Roach days and asked each side of the floor to part in the middle for what he call the Braveheart or the Wall of Death. Shaddix then said when he says go, he wants each side to bum rush each other to create one huge mosh pit. The band then played “Blood Brothers.”

Shaddix and Horton sat on a small elevated stage in the middle of the arena floor and played an acoustic version of “Scars.”

In a scene fans have been waiting for all night, Maria Brink joined Shaddix on stage for a historic moment as they sang their collaboration of “Gravity,” before ending their high-energy set with “…To Be Loved.”

Papa Roach Setlist: Face Everything and Rise, Between Angels and Insects, Getting Away With Murder, Warriors, Forever, Hollywood Whore, Kick in the Teeth, Falling Apart, Blood Brothers, Broken as Me, Scars, Gravity, Where Did the Angels Go?, Still Swingin’, Last Resort, …To Be Loved

You think fans would be spent by the energy this show has displayed thus far but fans also must have been fueled by Monster Energy as well. Fans were now ready to explode for Five Finger Death Punch waiting for them to hit the stage. As the venue turned to black, fans started a FFDP chant.

Once again the black curtain fell to Five Finger Death Punch and the first song in the setlist “Lift Me Up.” FFDP kept the trend going by getting straight to the point ripping off song after song to start the night. Frontman Ivan Moody had a red handprint painted on his face to resemble their mascot Knucklehead.

FFDP put all the rumors to bed, as the band looked like a tight-knit band of brothers who were having fun on stage and showing no signs of animosity between them. These five amazing musicians may be five totally different personalities, but together as a unit FFDP has endless chemistry and talent and raw emotion.

In normal Five Finger fashion, the band paid tribute to all the men and women in the armed forces by playing their cover version of Bad Company.

Before the song, Ivan Moody asked fans in the crowd who have served, or are currently serving, to put their hands up. Moody the said “Keep your hands up. Everybody else see those hands? You shake them, you thank them and you buy them a beer for our fucking freedoms.” The crowd reacted with a thunderous roar and even louder U.S.A chant.

As Moody looked for Jason Hook to start things off, Hook teased Enter Sandman as Moody played to and sang with the crowd until drummer Jeremy Spencer purposely stopped the song as the fans kept singing on cue despite him stopping the music. This prompted Moody to tell the crowd to say “F**k you Jeremy,” the crowd obliged. Spencer respond with a 5 second drum solo, stood up and gave the crowd two middle finger’s.

Moody then asked Hook to give him something. Hook then started playing Crazy Train only to have Zoltan take away Moody’s mic after the fist line of the song.

Hook showed off his incredible guitar playing skills. Moody then jokingly said to Hook “Jason stop flirting, lets play the song that we dedicated to the armed fucking forces.” The band then played Bad Company.

Before FFDP got into “Jekyll and Hyde” from their new album Got You Six, Moody asked for some of the lights to be turned down because he couldn’t see a thing. Moody the said “Turn off that spotlight I’m not Axel Rose.”

Moody then asked how many fans had their new album. The crowd went nuts which made Moody stop and say “Wow, you guys are rowdy.” Moody then reiterated and asked the crowd how many of you actually bought the f***ing thing? Then asked how many downloaded it to a small amount of cheers. Moody then said “Oh so proud, you cheap son of a b***h,” which made the crowd laugh. Moody then said “It’s alright though. It’s only like fifteen bucks, so you can like work at McDonald’s for like an hour and a half and you got it,” to more laughter from fans.

After a top-notch drum solo by Jeremy Spencer, It was now that part of the show where FFDP looks for the next generation of metal fans to bring onto the stage for the next song “Burn MF.”

Moody though was looking for a certain someone that he wanted on stage he met while he was walking his dog before the show. Moody not realizing the girl made it up to the stage, said thank you for making his day as he turned around to notice the girl was behind him. Moody then said “There you are,” and stated that she looked so much like his own daughter. Moody asked her for a hug and if she wanted a Monster (Energy Drink). Now Moody was back to business as he said “So now were gonna show them how the big kids do this.” Moody then violently screamed into the mic “Open it up,” then said “If you don’t wanna get hurt, now is the right time to get the fuck out of the way.”

Moody and Hook slowed it down a bit as they played an acoustic arrangement of “Wrong Side of Heaven.” They continued acoustically through to the song “Battle Born.” The rest of FFDP joined them on stage to finish the song electric.

Before FFDP played “Burn it Down,” Moody said that Zoltan keeps stopping him cause he wants to play something heavy. Moody the dedicated the song to all the crazy motherf***ers in the mosh pit. After the song ended Moody’s love for the crowds energy said “You guys are f***ing nuts.” FFDP ended the set with “Coming Down.”

Fans chanted for the band to come back out for an encore. Fans didn’t have to wait long as the band came back out and played “Under and Over It.”

Moody then wanted to get something off his chest that he said would only take a second. Moody stated “Social media sucks d**k. I don’t have a Facebook page, I don’t have a Twitter, I don’t give a fuck about any of that shit. So if you ever see one that says Ivan L. Moody, fuck that shit. Here’s the reason. Anybody on the internet can say anything at any given time, and immediately it’s considered true. Eighty percent of my life is you guys, this band and my family and that’s it. The other twenty percent belongs to my dog.” Moody then thanked the fans for coming out and not believing the B.S. Moody asked for everyone to put their lighters and cell phones in the air to light the venue then introduced the last song of the night, The Bleeding.”

Five Finger Death Punch Setlist: Lift Me Up, Hard to See, Never Enough, Got Your Six, Bad Company, Jekyll and Hyde, Drum Solo, Burn MF, Wrong Side of Heaven, Battle Born, Coming Down Encore: Under and Over It, The Bleeding

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October 16, 2015
Darius Rucker Following his Heart to Where the Music Leads

Sometimes a conversation enlightens you and broadens your ability to appreciate things even more so than you already do. This was the case after speaking with Darius Rucker. Known to most as the lead singer to the Grammy Award winning group Hootie and The Blowfish, Darius Rucker had already made his mark on music lovers nationally in the genre of rock/pop.

Why in the world would an artist of his caliber decide to switch genres and “go country?” How would the country genre accept him? What was the motivation behind this need to follow his musical journey down a new road?

I had an opportunity to speak with Rucker about his career, his beloved Charleston, South Carolina, and what motivated him to make this move towards what has become his true calling.

Kathy Stockbridge (KS): Hi Darius, thank you so much for speaking with us at NYSMusic. We are really looking forward to your shows here in New York and want to give you a warm welcome.

Darius Rucker (DR): Thank you.

KS: You were born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. Were you raised in a musical household?

DR: Well everyone in our house sang. We sang a lot. Especially my mom. She sang all the time. And my sister as well. There was always music being played whether it was the radio or the big ol hi-fi we had. So yes, I would say it was a musical household.

KS: What are a few of your earliest influences in music?

DR: Early on for me Al Green was just everything. I can remember being a little kid (around 4 or 5) and hearing his voice and hearing him hit those notes. I remember thinking ‘that’s what I want to do. I want to do what Al Green’s doing’. He, as well as Gladys Knight and the Pips. Then when I got a little older, like 6, 7, 8, or 9 I started really getting into AM radio and that’s when it just went across the board. The Opry shows, Kenny Rogers, or Cheap Trick. Anything I could hear (influenced me), literally anything.

KS: I, like many others, have followed your career since Hootie & The Blowfish days. You are one of those artists that have been able to successfully cross over from rock to country and you did it so seamlessly. Talk to me a little about that transition, and what made you decide to go from a very successful rock career into a new genre such as country music.

DR: You know, we had been touring for a while. We had been on the road pretty much every summer since we all got out of college. One of the band members mentioned that they didn’t want to do it every year any more. Ever since the late 80’s I was big into Foster and Lloyd. Then Radney Foster came out with his solo record Del Rio TX 1859, and I just remember hearing that record for the first time and after hearing that record I would tell anyone who would listen, that I was going to make a country record some day. I had never thought of singing it, until I heard that record. I just wanted to sing that record. I wanted to sound like that. I wanted to be that. So I said, someday when I get the chance I’m going to make a country album. When we decided to take a break, I was like, I’m going to make my country record. And to be honest with you I didn’t think I could get a record deal.

KS: Really?

DR: I wouldn’t have given me a record deal. I mean why? There was this African-American guy that just came from a very successful rock band, they had a great run and are out touring, so why would some country guy go ‘yeah I’ll give you a shot’? I wasn’t even looking for a record deal to be honest with ya. I was going to do it here in Charleston with my buddies. And then my manager got me a record deal with Capitol. It was fun making the record and then all the hard work started with the tour; going to 10o something radios stations, shaking hands, saying hey, and playing for six people in the cafeteria or the conference room, a lot of work but all in all it was fun. I had a great time and I’ve made some great friends who are still great friends on that tour. And finally we convinced them (the radio stations) that “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” was a song that they should play, so they did.

KS: I have to tell you, to me it seemed very seamless. It was one of those things that just seemed like it was meant to be.

DR: I think so.

KS: So right now you’re touring with your new Southern Style album, which is your fourth solo album. Talk to me a little about this new album and what you hope listeners will take away from it.

DR: I hope they take away how much fun I’m having in country music. The songs are always important to me, that’s why I write so many, and to come down to such a small number of thirteen when you write 50 something, it tough to decide but you want great songs on it. You can expect great country music on it because it’s a lot of fun,this album. And it’s been great playing it live and seeing the crowds singing along with the songs.

KS: Is it tough to choose which you decided to put on an album? And the others, do you say I’ll put these back here because I’ll put those on another album.

DR: We keep a lot of them, but some of them we try to get cut by other folks. Every record there are 50 songs I think are great, that I love, but I just can’t cut an album with thirty songs.

KS: Right, exactly. Now I have to say, for several years I lived in Charleston and it became “my happy place”. When you live there it becomes something very special to you. It’s rich with history, culture, architecture, and has a peace that is tough to put into words. When listening to “You Can Have Charleston”, I think you captured some of that emotion I feel towards the city. Talk to me a little about that song and some of the others from that album that focus on that area.

DR: Yeah, Charleston, that’s a great way to say it. It’s “my happy place” That’s a wonderful thing you just said because I think it’s the most wonderful place in the world. I’ve been a lot of places and this is where I want to be. I choose to live here. I can live anywhere in the world I want, but I choose to live here, because this is where I want to be. “You Can Have Charleston”, is such a great song. I love it. When Frank Rogers brought it to me, I thought to myself I wish it was a little more positive but the positiveness of the song for me is how much he loves the city and can’t believe he is leaving it. He loves her and he just can’t stand it, as that’s the last thing in the world he wants to do. That beginning verse with the topsails and the Clydesdale, that’s my life. That’s my city.

KS: In 2012 you had an experience where you joined Old Crow Medicine Show on the stage at The Grand Ole Opry where you sang a little song that was originally sketched by Bob Dylan and modified by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show — Talk to me a little bit about that experience.

DR: Oh that was so great. Those guys have been so great to me. We had played the Opry two or three times together where we played “Wagon Wheel”. I can remember after I cut it and started hanging with those guys, I was talking to Ketch and he said ‘I heard your version of it and I love it’. I was like ‘thank you, that means a lot’. Their version is just perfect. And he was like ‘I realized when I wrote that song a long time ago I was going to have to play that song for the rest of my life. So you better look out, because you are going to have to play that song for the rest of your life’. Sure enough, he’s right. Every time I play a country show, I play that song. It’s so cool to have a song that iconic, and to just be a part of that song and the greatness of that song, it deserves to be in the Library of Congress. It will always be one of those american classics. Long before I remade it, it was just a perfectly great song. Written by two guys at two different times of their lives, and is just a wonderful piece of work.

KS: The interesting part of this is that the original lyrics were just a few lines jotted down by Bob Dylan and then Ketch Secor picked up and expanded upon it making it the iconic tune we know today. That song has actually taken you on quite a journey. Talk to me a little about when that song hit and what happened afterwards.

DR: We released it, and then all of a sudden it took off. It took off. You know, we play it everywhere and people love it, my fans just love it. It was one of those songs that you stand out of the way and let it happen.

KS: I can remember the night you received the Grammy for it. It was an amazing evening for you and the song. That same year you were invited to become a member of The Grand Ole Opry. Talk to me a little about that evening.

DR: When I first met with Mike Duncan to sign my record deal I told my management I want to play The Opry as much as I can because it’s important to me to some day be a member of The Grand Ole Opry. I want to be a part of that family. And we did, and we worked hard and when they asked me to be a member of The Grand Ole Opry that was probably the first moment that I thought ‘okay, this is really happening. I’m really a part of country music’, and it was a great feeling. It is truly amazing to me that they kept that from me for a month. My kids knew for like six weeks and didn’t tell me that.

KS: How did they do that? That’s so impressive.

DR: Yeah, they were like 8 and 12 back then, and they didn’t tell me. You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m there and I’m singing my song, and Brad (Paisley) comes up and he says that to me, and I look over and all my friends and family are there. I was like ‘wow, how did you pull this off?’ It was great!

KS: That’s wonderful. And speaking of wonderful, for some that may not know, each year you get back together with the guys from Hootie & The Blowfish to reunite to perform. Tell my readers why this is so special.

DR: Oh it’s a big thing for Charleston. There are people who have seen us for years around the country, some may live here, some even plan vacations around it. They come down to Charleston for the week, see our shows, and in turn we get to help our community. The great things we get to do, for example, the roundup where we get kids and give them haircuts, and dental exams, and eye exams, shoes, backpacks, and all the school supplies they need. And all of this comes from that show. So we keep doing it so that we can help out.

KS: Now you’ve done a Christmas album, Home For The Holidays. What prompted that particular album?

DR: Well I’ve been asked several times by people if I had thought of doing a Christmas record. I had thought about it, but didn’t think it was time. So last year when it was brought up, I thought it was time. So we sat around and we said ‘let’s make something old school’ like those Christmas records we used to listen to. So we tried to make something cool and laid back, and great cool arrangement. I’m so proud of that record, so proud of it.

KS: As a journalist I have this long list of people I’ve always wanted to interview, such as yourself. Who is on your bucket list, what is something you still would like to accomplish?

DR: Ohhh…good question. Lots of crazy stuff. I still want to be on the big screen at The Superbowl, I still want to meet Sir Paul McCartney, I still would love to be in a Martin Scorsese movie, see I want crazy stuff.

KS: Seems doable to me and I hope you can do all of those things! Thank you again so much for speaking with us and we can’t wait to welcome you to our area this October.

As I hung up the phone, I couldn’t help but feel like I had just made a new friend. What a great guy. What an honestly true human being. I had already felt a kindred spirit with him being that he’s from “my happy place”, Charleston, South Carolina. After our conversation though and learning so much about him as a person, as well as an artist, I truly admired his spunk, his vision for his life, dedication to achieving his dreams – TWICE, and his overall genuine demeanor.

It was a few weeks later after I conducted this phone interview that I had the chance to watch another interview Darius Rucker did with Dan Rather for his show, The Big Interview. I saw once again the same genuinely decent person speak of his journey, sharing intimate parts of his struggles, his losses, and victories. When asked by Dan “Why do you think it’s working for you in country?” Darius replies, “..I think the main reason is that people realized how real it was for me. It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about trying to be a superstar. I was going to do this in the basement with my buddies. It was about the music. I wanted to be country. I wanted to play country music”.

Personally, I can’t wait to see his upcoming show and see my new Charlestonian friend rock the country music as he has rocked all the music he’s performed all these years. I strongly urge you to take in one of two shows he will be playing here this month in New York to see what I’ve seen. He will play Oct. 22, at the Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse. Then he will trek on down the road to Albany on the Oct. 23 where he’ll play once again at the Times Union Center. Joining him on his Southern Style Tour are newcomers David Nail, and Cam. Both amazing artists that are blazing up the charts with hits.

If I had to describe Darius Rucker I would tell someone he’s a musician that is truly a risk taker, a trail blazer, a door opener, an odds beater, a hard worker, and a genuinely kind man. It was my pleasure interviewing him, and I can’t wait to see this low country fella tear up the stage living the dreams he always wanted and playing the music that was always in his heart.

October 14, 2015
Listen to Holly Bowling at The Cutting Room

Exclusive to NYS Music, enjoy a soundboard recording of Holly Bowling from her August 18 show at New York City’s The Cutting Room. Check out photos and a recap of her swing through New York State, including video from Relix and audio of her campground set at Magnaball. Don’t miss Holly when she heads to Albany on October 28 for a very special performance at The Massry Center at The College of Saint Rose.

October 13, 2015
Former Jillian’s Building Purchased at Steep Discount

The former Albany home of sports bar and adult arcade Jillian’s from 1999 to 2012 was purchased last month by two locally established bar and restaurant owners who have a vision of turning the space into a bar and music hall on the first floor, with a dance club upstairs.

The 34,000-square foot building at 59 North Pearl St. is located not far from the Palace Theatre and the Times Union Center, and it’s right in the middle of many bars and clubs in Albany’s downtown area.

Chris Pratt and Alessio Depoli own the Pearl Street Pub, Barrel Saloon, The Capital American Eatery and Public House in Albany. The duo bought the Jillian’s building for just $855,000, a big discount from the more than $2 million the former owner, New York Business Development Corp., had reportedly been seeking. The NYBDC is a nonprofit that uses its sway to work with banks to help local economic growth by facilitating deals. In 2010, it acquired the building for $2.3 million.

“We see this as an investment in downtown Albany,” Pratt told the Times Union last month. “The building cost far less than (Spillenger) paid for it, and it hasn’t deteriorated very much at all.”

He also said that he has had offers to make similar moves in Schenectady and Troy, but he cited Albany’s recent growth as the reason he chose the city.

Pratt added that he will need to invest more than $100,000 into the building’s infrastructure, and he’s hopeful he can have the doors opened before the end of the year.

The building has a few apartments on the top floor. Pratt said he’s looking into making the basement, where the arcade used to be, into a fully functional workout center.

October 2, 2015
Capital Region Punk Scene Hits Rough Patch

The Capital Region hardcore, metal, and punk scene is currently in a state of distress. Over the past few months attendance at shows has been much lower than normal, thereby contributing to some major losses for the promoters and the decision by many bands to skip the once-hotbed region on their touring routes.

On Sept. 13 Dan Asylum and Mike Valente, the owners of Upstate Black N’ Blue- Albany’s chief booking and promotion agency for hardcore, punk, and metal shows- hosted an open meeting to discuss the state of the scene and to exchange ideas on how to improve attendance. The meeting was held at The Fuze Box on Central Ave. in downtown Albany which has become the primary venue for shows since the closing of the beloved Bogies on Ontario St. last May.

“This year has been really rough,” Asylum said to the crowd of 30-40 people. “It seems that after Bogies closed a lot of people were displaced.”

The 34-year-old has been booking shows in Albany for ten years which has given him insight to the fluctuations of the scene as well as what’s needed to fix it. When he began booking shows the internet wasn’t a feasible option for promoting. Instead, the seemingly abandoned method of “flyering,” the distribution of mass amounts of paper event flyers outside of venues and around the city, is what fueled the strong attendance.

“Social media isn’t the answer to everything. Facebook is letting us down now,” he said. According to Asylum, Facebook is making it increasingly difficult for Upstate Black N’ Blue to promote their events. Facebook now caps the number of people one can “invite” to an “event” at 1000 regardless of how many “friends” said person has. Therefore, Asylum and Valente are only able to invite roughly one-fifth of their potential customer base to their Facebook event pages.

Asylum said that many people come to him after a show has already happened and tell him that he/she wasn’t even aware it was taking place. He and Valente both agree that going back to the old fashioned way of flyering is the solution to this problem.

“If you’re in a band, flyer,” Valente said. “Fuck Facebook. It’s nothing but bullshit.”

Valente, who refuses to reveal his actual age, has been involved with booking and promotion since the 80’s. He’s also a member of the local metallic-hardcore band Brick By Brick. He spoke numerous times at the meeting about the importance of local bands promoting their own shows.

“I’d rather have bands flyering than selling tickets. I think that having bands sell tickets is borderline insulting,” he said, referring to a practice many other promoters utilize in which local bands are forced to sell a certain amount of tickets in order to play the show.

Asylum and Valente embody the true spirit of hardcore and punk music in that neither of them is in this business to make money. Rather, the two of them often lose money on shows. However, this scene is what’s given them, and most of the other frequent attendees, a sense of purpose

“I don’t mind losing. I expect to lose,” Valente said. “I do it ‘cause I love the music. It makes it so I can sleep at night.”

“Booking shows brought me out of my shell,” Asylum said. “I used to be so anti-social that people thought I was mute.”

Nevertheless, neither of them can afford to take $1,500 losses on shows that flop because no one comes out. Last month Valente booked the metalcore band Unearth to play Upstate Concert Hall. However, not nearly enough people showed up to cover the costs.

“I do my research. I was looking at how many kids Unearth was drawing on every other date of the tour and it was averaging between 300-400 each night. I thought I’d be able to get 200 kids easy,” Valente said. “There were barely 100 people in there.”

According to Asylum, metal shows cost roughly double what any hardcore show costs to put on. He said that the average cost for a hardcore show is about $1,000. However, with the recent lack of attendance even the smallest shows can be risky to put on. Therefore, Asylum and Valente have been passing on many offers solely because they don’t think they’ll be able to draw enough kids.

“We can put it together, but it’s up to you guys to decide what you want it to be,” Asylum said, addressing the room of intent listeners. He said that if people don’t come out then there’s going to continue to be less and less shows.

Taylor Blake, a 17-year-old show-goer and a freshman at UAlbany, was encouraging every member of the scene to share events and flyers just as much as Asylum and Valente do.

“It’s not fair to put it all on Dan and Mike. It’s up to us to promote as well,” she said. “We all have thousands and thousands of Facebook friends. We should be sharing all the events that we can in order to reach the people that Dan and Mike can’t.”

By the end of the meeting, the most agreed-upon ideas were that everyone should be flyering and sharing events on social media, trying their hardest to bring new people into the scene and make them feel welcome, and for there to be more shows consisting of only local bands. Valente, Asylum and the rest of the group were all hopeful that if those techniques were employed, the scene would begin to flourish once again.

“Albany always had the reputation for having a great scene. We need to bring that back and live up to that,” Asylum said.

“The scene doesn’t need to be saved,” Valente said. “Just educated.”

This article originally ran in Empire State Noise

October 1, 2015