NYS Music 20​15

Category: Capital Region

  • 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.

  • Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival: A Solid Way to Kick off Summer

    In the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, lies the quaint town of North Adams, Massachusetts. In a town known for its fine dining, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a plethora of museums, one of its finest landmarks is Mass MOCA, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. With its unique design and set up, this museum is one of a kind. Making it even more special is the Solid Sound Festival, where every other summer is a home of Wilco’s.

    A festival unlike any other, Solid Sound features a very family friendly atmosphere as well as some of the best musical acts, both known (NRBQ) and on the rise (Parquet Courts). Run like a well-oiled machine, there are parking lots set up across town and school buses running shuttles. There are many different performance venues set up throughout the museum. Joe’s field, the largest, is a beautiful field with a river running on one side of it and a train chugging along on the other.

    The sign has moved!!!#solidsoundfest

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    On Friday night, Real Estate, a band hailing from New Jersey, started things off on Joes Field. Their melodic shoe gazer sound captivated the audience. Next up were Solid Sound curators, Wilco. Making this night particularly unique, Wilco would go unplugged – a undertaking the 20 year old band had never taken on before. The band opened their set with “Misunderstood,” a sing a long classic from the Wilco archives. Much of the set would follow suit. As Wilco front man, Jeff Tweedy said “they’ll bring the rock tomorrow night.” This caused a mighty stir from the audience. As they raised their arms and sang along to “She’s a Jar,” I’m always in love” and “Kamera,” the audience was left to wonder: What would be left for the next night? There was plenty and the festivities were just beginning. As the fresh morning air blew over North Adams Saturday morning, there was a feeling of togetherness throughout the town. As we first walked into the museum courtyard there was a blue grass group playing freely, unfettered by equipment or speakers. It was a sight to see.

    Walking into the museum lobby, it was hard to decide in which direction to explore first. The comedy group, Superego, was performing in the Hunter Center – it was a mixture of funny and not so funny. The act was peppered with corny improvisation that seemingly only make sense to the performers, because they were the only ones laughing. They tried though, and it is possible a select portion of the crowd enjoyed this – there is something for everyone! Ryley Walker, a Chicago native, started off Saturday’s music program. With his Nick Drake-like voice and harmonies, Walker was the perfect way to musically kick off the Day’s festivities. His passion infused every word, captivating the crowd from the depths of his soul. The audience could not turn away as they knew they were in for a great day of music. LULUC, an Australian duo made up of Zoe Randell and Steve Hassett, occupied Courtyard D, a midsized viewing area. Their sound was quite unquiet, with strong soothing lyrics coming from Randall’s beautiful voice. The peaceful guitar on top of melodic vocals just had the audience in awe. They hit their stride and stayed there throughout their set.

    LULUC harmoniously welcome the afternoon. #solidsoundfest

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    NRBQ, a band who has been around nearly fifty years, put on a party in the late afternoon. Courtyard D went from melodic to Mayhem. With wailing saxophones and screaming guitars, NRBQ brought the ingredients to have a a good time.

    NRBQ#solidsoundfest

    A photo posted by NYS Music (@nystatemusic) on

    The Parquet Courts, led by the voice of A. Savage, were the stand out surprise of the festival. People were bopping to the music at this special treat, swaying back and forth. The audience embraced the sound wholeheartedly, agog that this act was exceeding all expectations. By the end of the set, Savage’s vocals screaming through the air had the whole front of the stage jumping up and down, while the rest of the crowd was all smiles.

    As the clouds thickened overhead, Wilco decided to move up their set times by an hour, not wanting to have a repeat of their second Solid Sound festival – it rained, it rained a lot. So Mac Demarco and crew took stage on Joes field. Cultivating a rocking sound that held the audience, Mac got the saturated crowd ready for Wilco.

    With rain making a steadier presence and the temperature beginning to drop, Wilco fans, ponchos and all, came out in droves to see the men of the hour. After promising a rocking evening the night, Jeff Tweedy delivered and “Art of almost,” “Impossible Germany” and “Ashes of American Flags” were prime examples. With soaring solos from guitarist Nels Cline, and a whole aura of musicianship, Wilco showcased a tight band. There seemed very little they could do to make the audience any happier, unless, of course, they could have stopped the rain!

    Sunday was a very relaxing day. The vibe throughout the museum was satisfaction and amazement at some of the galleries displayed. The Hunter Center was very happy to play host to The Autumn Defense and the Windy hills, featuring Johns Straitt and Pat Sansone of Wilco, who dedicated a set to the cult surfer classic Spirit of Akasha. This highlighted creativity and style that a fan may not have seen just watching a Wilco show.

    Upstate New Yorkers,The Felice Brothers took the staged at Courtyard C to play a set of their unique style. Their storytelling was just that – telling. It was as if you were following them through their journey as they paved the way with their lyrics. People bobbed and waved, and exuded genuine happiness.

    The final act of the festival was Tweedy, and Friends. The first half of the set featured the band Tweedy, highlighting Jeff and his son, Spencer. The second half of the set included almost every musician who played over the weekend – Ryley Walker, LULUC, Cibbo Matto, The Feelice Brothers, and all of the members of Wilco in one form of another. This collaboration was a great way to close out the festivities. Seeing the family on stage mirrored by the family-focused vibe of the whole weekend, this set brought everything full circle and it was done delightfully.

  • 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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  • Monahan Vocals Impress at Train SPAC Show

    On a brisk Friday night at SPAC featuring nearly four hours of music, including The Fray and Matt Nathanson, it was the vocal ability of Pat Monahan, lead singer of Train, that stole the show.

    monohan trainFrom the moment the stage went black, smoke filled the stage, and train whistles filled the venues, symbolic of the band about to take the stage, the audience was hooked. Monahan captivated the crowd in a packed pavilion with his endless range and unique ability to participate with an audience. While singing their 2012 mariachi-style hit “50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” he borrowed phones from front-row audience members to take selfies with them. Later on, Monahan, walked out to the fence in front of the lawn, paying his respect to his patrons in the grass.

    Monahan’s upper range was on full display during a back-and-forth banter with the audience singing the words “so high” during the outro of one of his songs. His shrill, but full, falsettos were exceptional–a level of singing rarely seen on recordings, and virtually never seen live. When Train played Aerosmith’s “Dream On” during their encore, Monahan’s singing was chill-inducing. The audience was left to decide for themselves how his voice compared to Steven Tyler’s. My personal verdict was that Tyler was the champion, but it was by a smaller margin than I would have thought.

    The Bay Area band pays homage to San Francisco in several of their songs, but not the only part of the country that Monahan respects. He made it clear at one point that he agreed with the recent USA Today assessment that SPAC was the best outdoor venue in the United States, prompting a roar from the thousands of people attending the show.

    monahan trainJimmy Stafford, the Train guitarist, and the band’s only other active original member other than Monahan, demonstrated his chops on the strings with intense solos on “Meet Virginia” and “Dream On.” For someone who plays in a pop rock band like Train, Stafford can shred it on a guitar neck like someone from a classic 70’s rock group. Stafford wowed the crowd with some of his melodic runs and his rhythmic strum patterns.

    Much of Train’s performance was very much like a Kidz Bop album, with everyone singing along. Being perhaps the second most popular active band on pop radio, trailing Maroon 5, everyone in attendance knew all the words to all the songs. The pinnacle of the sing-along nature of the concert was during “Drops of Jupiter,” the 2001 Grammy winner for rock song of the year. Monahan sang the band’s classic hit as the final encore song, prompting thousands to sing in chorus the cool parts of the song, the “plain old Jane” and “soy latte” lines of the song.

    monahan trainThe Fray immediately preceded Train, and was headlined by dual lead vocalists Isaac Slade and Joe King, two original members that helped to form the band in 2002 after attending Christian school in Denver, Colorado together.

    The best performances by The Fray were with Slade on the piano, enchanting the crowd as he tickled the ivories. He may not be Elton John or Billy Joel, but he can hold his own in front of a piano, adding some pizazz to the basic chord progressions. The band’s ballad and most famous song “How to Save a Life” came towards the middle of the performance and Slade dedicated the song to the victims of the Charleston, South Carolina shooting.

    King’s vocal prowess was on its best display during The Fray’s cover of “Take on Me” the A-Ha hit from the 80’s. A noteworthy test of any singer’s vocal ability, the high falsettos of the chorus section made famous by Morten Harket were done justice by King on Friday night, as the band nailed an unlikely cover song, coming out of their shell as a mellow pop rock band.

    monahan train

    The show’s introductory act was Matt Nathanson, the 42-year old Massachusetts folk singer best known for his 2007 hit “Come on Get Higher”. Nathanson’s mellow acoustic sound was the perfect background noise to folks entering the venue for the bigger acts coming later on, but the music was impressive in its own right to those you listened.

    Nathanson had a boyish enthusiasm on the stage, always smiling, with hand gestures to correspond to the song he was singing. His sense of humor was on point Friday night, as he encouraged the audience to buy some of the SPAC beers because “the more you drink, the more I sound like Led Zeppelin”.

    During the Train set, Nathanson was invited back to the stage to sing with Monahan a cover of Joe Cocker’s rendition of “With a Little Help from My Friends,” honoring the late rock star, in which Nathanson took on some of the more challenging vocal runs in the song, emulating Cocker with a gritty and soulful voice.

  • 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