Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the masterminded songwriters behind the new wave rock band, Squeeze, rolled out of two makeshift beds in pajamas and instantly pulled in the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall crowd on December 16, as part of the “At Odds Couple” tour. The duo proceeded to rip through two hours of classics mixed in with a few new tunes and works from each singer’s solo careers.
After a brief visit to a set up kitchen table to have a beverage, the dynamic duo kicked off the first set with “Take Me I’m Yours” from their 1978 self-titled release “Squeeze.” Tilbrook briefly exited the stage afterward, to change out of his wrinkled jammies while Difford tackled “Cool For Cats,” one of only two occasions in Squeeze’s grand career where Difford provided lead vocals. Exit Difford, enter Tilbrook for “Black Coffee In Bed,” the only release from 1982’s “Sweets From a Stranger” to chart. The classic tune also featured Elvis Costello and Paul Young on vocal backups. The two ventured back together onstage for six more songs before Difford getting the opportunity to play three solo songs: “Fit As A Fiddle,” “Wrecked” followed by Tilbrook backing on “Cowboys Are My Weakness” providing one of the night’s more memorable moments. “Cowboys,” a tune said to be written for and soon rejected by K.D. Lang, was perfectly accompanied by a video montage of homo-erotic, silly string ejaculate spraying toy cowboys.
The second set featured three solo performances from Tilbrook including “Still,” a beautiful track from his time with The Fluffers and off the release Pandemonium Ensues in 2009. Beside the obvious highlighted classic tracks like “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Tempted, ” the duo lit up the hall with a brand new track, “Cradle To The Grave” from the band’s 2015 album of the same title. “Cradle” featured an official video on the big screen behind the musicians synced perfectly with Difford and Tilbrook. There was an obvious passion in Tilbrook’s voice during “Cradle” that proves the duo still has what it takes to write a catchy, melody driven pop-rock song. It’s hard to believe that the work on the “Cradle” album features a new batch of songwriting that we have not seen since 1998. The night was finished off with the 1978 single, “Goodbye Girl.” A fitting tune for two stellar songwriters who were saying goodbye the Music Hall crowd but will not soon be forgotten.
Setlist: Take Me I’m Yours, Cool For Cats (Difford only), Black Coffee in Bed (Tilbrook only), Nirvana, Electric Trains, Some Fantastic Place, Beautiful Game, Love’s Crashing Waves, Slap and Tickle, Fit As A Fiddle (Difford solo), Wrecked (Difford solo), Cowboys Are My Weakness (Difford solo), Up The Junction. Second set: Still (Tilbrook solo), Ice Cream (Tilbrook solo), The Elephant Ride (Tilbrook solo), Annie Get Your Gun, Truth, Happy Days, Cradle To The Grave, Pulling Mussels, Is That Love, Tempted, Another Nail In My Heart, If I Didn’t Love You, Goodbye Girl.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy played host to a very special event this past Saturday for a band near and dear to the local music community. Nestled next to the Green Island Bridge on the riverfront, the famous barbecue joint’s back end was teeming with excitement as the Albany-based Formula 5 shuffled onstage for what would be their final performance of 2015. Perhaps more significantly, though, as the event’s poster artwork indicated, it was “Mike’s Farewell Show,” the last hoorah of keyboardist Mike McDonald with the band he helped start.
The band broke through the anticipatory bustle with the dark and searching prelude that introduced Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam.” The tune set the tone for the evening with a texture that was thick and blissful with melodious playing from guitarist Joe Davis. The music seamlessly morphed into the reggae-bounce and staccato hooks of “Coming Home.” Here the lyrical themes were appropriately reflective. With impressive precision in the rhythm section, the band jammed this one to an exuberant peak, McDonald banging passionately on the piano. A verse from the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” was subtly dropped in the transition to Phish’s “Sand.”
Tucker Callander joined the band onstage to contribute energetic fiddle playing, helping bring “Mister Elixir” to a frenzied peak. Next up founding bassist Bill Shattuck was brought onstage, reassembling the original Formula 5 lineup. Stepping outside of time, where past and future merge into the eternal now, Shattuck led the band through the deep funk of “3 Ring Circus,” which gave way to a jam featuring F5’s new keyboardist Matt Richards. The first set ended with a poignant “Floating,” again featuring Callander’s fiddle and McDonald slicing it up on synth.
The second set opened with a twofer of guest vocals. First Brian LaPoint provided an authentic delivery of the Allman Brothers’ “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More.” Then Bill Shattuck was summoned back to the stage, where after professing his love for and gratitude to the band, he danced and shouted his way through an uproarious version of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.” A string of original songs was then triumphantly delivered. The rubbery but rhythmically exact style of James Woods’ bass playing supported and propelled the soaring jam on signature original “Hot Box.” Drummer Graig could be seen with eyes locked on any of his band mates, playing with nuance and finesse to bolster and compliment their contributions to the improv, or at times would play with eyes closed, engrossed in the tight aural soundscape F5 has increasingly mastered in recent years. Glittering guitar phrases from Davis scampered around in “The Clear,” and a “Little Drummer Boy” tease reminded the audience of the festive time of year despite unseasonably warm weather. The set culminated with a nod to the band’s full set of Phish covers performed at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que this past summer, this time uniting the crowd in celebration by debuting their version of “Run Like An Antelope.”
Mike’s Farewell Show was an even mix of Formula 5’s most memorable originals and heartfelt tributes to the band’s roots. Influence from Phish could be sensed in the texture and pacing of the group’s improvisations. Years of hard work were evident in the coherence of a band sounding tighter than ever. At one point departing keyboardist Mike McDonald took a moment to assure the crowd that “Formula 5 is going nowhere,” but not in that sense. Though the void at the end of the show was filled with chants of “Mike! Mike! Mike!” and McDonald will be moving on to life’s next adventure, Formula 5 demonstrated themselves to be a band with some staying power. Expect great things from this band in 2016 with keyboardist Matt Richards in the mix.
Setlist:
Set 1: Freeway Jam* -> Coming Home -> Sand# -> Coming Home, Mister Elixir+, 3 Ring Circus%, Floating+
Set 2: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More^, Sledgehammer@, Hot Box, The Clear -> Ride -> Run Like An Antelope#
*Jeff Beck cover
# Phish cover
+ feat Tucker Callander on violin
% feat Bill Shattuck on bass/vocals & Matt Richards on keys
@ feat. Bill Shattuck on vocals
^ Allman Brothers Band cover feat. Brian LaPoint on vocals
Ampevene, a refreshing new band coming out of Albany, NY embarks on their inaugural Winter Tour, starting this Saturday, December 12 at Parish Public House in Albany. Ampevene has been making a name for themselves combining elements of rock, jazz, metal, funk and the avant-garde, hypnotizing and painting pictures though the wild musical ride that it creates.
Previously sharing the stage with acclaimed nationally touring acts such as Moon Hooch, Consider The Source, and Aqueous, as well as playing popular festivals Larkfest and Bellstock, Ampevene draws influence from artists including The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, Primus, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fusion-era Miles Davis.
Featuring Gabe Stallman (Guitar/Vocals/Keys), Bob Morris (Drums), Ava Smith (Keyboard), Mack Hogan (Bass), they have been called “Improv trippy jazz fusion Pink Floyd on acid” (Ralph Renna, Capital Underground), this young and funky quartet find their groove quickly and are a local talent to keep an eye on, and are a live show not to be missed.
Ampevene Winter Tour 2016 Dates
December 12 Albany, NY Parish Public House December 20 New York, NY The Delancey December 23 Syracuse, NY Funk N Waffles December 27 New York, NY Pianos January 24 Burlington, VT Radio Bean January 27 Providence, RI The Spot February 12 Oneonta, NY Black Oak Tavern February 20 Troy, NY Dinosaur BBQ February 25 Winooski, VT Monkey House
Popa Chubby, the long-time stage name for Ted Horowitz, has been playing a mean guitar for over 25 years. Fresh off of playing shows in Europe this past month, he returns state side starting off a winter tour this Friday Nov. 13 at 8pm at The Hangar in Troy with several other New York appearances on the schedule. Tickets for his show at The Hangar are on sale here.
His other New York shows include: Nov, 28 at Daryl’s House (Pawling), Dec. 12 (Christmas Concert) at Roulette Theater (Brooklyn), Dec. 31 at The Turning Point (Piermont), and Jan. 16 at Treme Blues & Jazz (Islip). Check out his full tour schedule here.
In anticipation for his appearance at The Hangar on Friday, Popa Chubby chatted with NYS Music about his music, playing guitar and his new double-live album, Big, Bad and Beautiful.
Steve Malinski: You’ve got a sound that’s quite your own, sort of a cross roads of blues, rock and roll with quite a level of musicianship.
Popa Chubby: Yeah man, I appreciate that. I started off playing rock and roll, metal, punk rock and speed metal before I got into the blues.
SM: And I’m sure growing up in New York City had and impact on your sound –
PC: – NY Hardcore! –
SM: – So what lead you to find the groove you have today?
PC: It was like 1980 – no, the late 1980’s and the hardcore scene had kind of dried up by that point. There was a lot going on and I just wanted to play. Somebody gave me a Muddy Waters record and I heard it and was like holy cow this is awesome. So I put a little band together. We started playing in bars around NY and it just took off. A couple of years later I had a big record deal with Sony/Okeh, made a record with Tom Dowd, then went to Europe and it’s just been going on ever since, for 25 years.
SM: I’ve kind of pinned your sound as a version of Blue Cheer with a big guitar sound.
PC: Well, I will take that as a huge compliment. I like to rock, man, you know. I like to crank it up. I’m into the raw sound so it’s definitely got a healthy aspect of rock and roll and punk in it for sure.
SM: Kind of like how Ted Nugent plugs directly into his amps and rips from there.
PC: (laughter) Yeah, the Nuge! Luckily he and I are nothing alike politically.
SM: I recently came across a video of you jamming out with Johnny Winter at his 70th birthday celebration at B.B. King’s in NYC last year. How awesome was that for you?
PC: That was just a legendary night. Johnny’s 70th birthday. He asked me to play with him. Ironically the first concert I ever saw was Johnny Winter. So it was a real monumental night for me.
SM: Was that the big highlight of your career so far?
One of Popa Chubby’s idols, Leslie West, at Bethel Woods (Woodstock 40th Anniversay) Aug. 15, 2009. photo: Steve Malinski/The Polytechnic
PC: One of them. There have been a lot of high points and that’s definitely one of them, on stage with one of my idols. I was really lucky too because he passed away shortly after that. It’s been quite a year. I’ve gotten to play with a lot of the guys I grew up listening to. Johnny Winter, Leslie West, just great stuff. It’s been awesome.
SM: You just returned from a Eurpoean tour that spanned five countries. What was that experience like?
PC: We did a month long European tour, myself and a band I’m working with called the Balkun Brothers out of Hartford, CT, a duo along the lines of the Black Keys…Blue Cheer, MC5, like the heavier side of blues rock. So we just killed it in Europe and now we’re coming back. It starts this weekend in Troy and I’m really psyched to be up there, I love the area. I’ve played I the Albany area for a long time and it’s gonna be great.
SM: Are the crowds over there in Europe much different than what they are like here?
PC: I wouldn’t say they’re different. It’s just… it’s just been awesome, so great. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing, man. I’m sitting in my studio right now and I’m looking at my wall with poster of a lot of my heroes. People like Hubert Humlin, and Leslie West is up there, and of course Johhny’s up there, Jimi Hendrix. I’m just so lucky to be doing what I’m doing. Really just happy to be playing music and guitar.
SM: So I’ve counted 24 releases that you’ve had in your career and you’ll soon be adding a 25th – a live album. What can you tell us about that?
PC: A double live record, Big, Bad and Beautiful. I think in a large sense this is a career-defining record for me. It really sums up 25 years of work and it really came together, man. We recorded it last spring in France when we were on tour and I’m really proud of it. It’s 27 songs and it reflects a lot of my stuff – old, new, and in between. So I’m really happy about this record and it’s been great. It’s coming out on Cleopatra in January.
SM: I’ve never had a chance yet to see you live but from what I’ve heard of you since I first stumbled on you music at my college radio station
back in 2007 and from videos I’ve seen it seems like you have a deep passion for music. What’s so special about the blues and rock and roll to you?
PC: You know what, I can’t really speak for the blues and rock and roll, but I can speak about my music. It’s hard and it’s raw. It’s like…my music reflects what I grew up listening to. For me, like when punk rock came around, seeing bands like The Ramones and Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Damned, and The Deadboys and stuff like that. There was an immediacy, that and the guitars would just rip your face off. And even seeing bands like Motörhead, Metallica and Black Sabbath, then going back to listen to people like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, it’s all got the same element to it. It’s like, no bullshit, man. It’s like, straight up.
SM: You’ve got a lot of shows coming up, including the one this Friday at The Hangar in Troy, Daryl’s House, Roulette Theater –
PC: – Yeah we do, man, it’s non-stop. We’ve got a lot, and in January we’re going back to Europe again. Business is just really kickin’ for me. We just got an offer for a festival in Juno, AK, then back to the west coast in the summer.
SM: With all these shows in your home state, do you have anything special lined up?
PC: I’m always happy to play in New York, man. Especially this time of the year – November, December – is when I’m local and get to play all my favorite shows. And definitely Troy/Albany is a hotspot for me. I’ve recorded a lot of records there, also in Saratoga back in the 90’s…oh man, I can’t even remember the name of the club! It might have been Metronome or something like that [The Metro]. But anyway we recorded Hit the High Hard One up there. So that region has always been really great for me and I’m really excited to get back up there to play. So it’s gonna be a great show. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciate it.
Laver is an instructor at Syracuse University‘s Eastman School of Music, where she also acts as coordinator of Organ Outreach Programs and Events for the Department of Organ, Sacred Music, and Historical Keyboards, which included running the annual Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative Festival, as well as directing summer organ institutes for high school students and a retreat for Eastman organ alumni.
She frequently performs solo organ recitals in the United States and Europe.
Annie Laver will perform music from Bach, Mozart, Judith Bingham, Pärt and Vierne at the First Presbyterian Church located on 1915 Fifth Ave. in Troy this Friday, Oct. 2, starting at 7:30 p.m. The church’s pipe organ was originally a 1907 Hutchings & Votey (Boston) instrument, though it has seen substantial rebuilding in 1962, 1981 and 2001.
Admission is free, though the Syracuse Alumni Club of the Capital District will be gladly accepting donations.
The Bellfuries are bringing their unique music from Austin, Texas, across New York state to support their new album, Workingman’s Bellfuries. They plan to make stops in Rochester, Troy and New York City.
The Bellfuries music tends to get put into the rockabilly genre. Others disagree and describe their sound as having melodies from ’60s pop mixed with R&B rhythms and soul. Band members reject other labels for their music and opt for the simple description of rock ‘n’ roll.
Even though no one can seem to agree on how to label The Bellfuries music, one thing people can agree on is that their sound is unique and a breathe of fresh air in the polluted rock scene. The Bellfuries aren’t trying to be like their retro inspirations, they are just trying to be themselves, and their originality shines throughout their music.
You do not want to miss this band when they travel through your town. Go check them out at the dates below:
September 24, 2015 at Mercury Lounge, NY, NY
September 26, 2015 at Union Hall, NY, NY
September 27, 2015 at Ale House, Troy, NY
September 29, 2015 at Abiline Bar, Rochester, NY
The Bellfuries are: Joey Simeone–vocals, rhythm guitar
Mike Molnar–lead guitar
Jeff “Shecky” Seaver–upright and electric bass
Chris Sensat–drums, percussion and harmony vocals
On Friday night, Troy’s Rustic Barn saw a great show put on by two up and coming northeast bands, including Spiritual Rez.
Annie in the Water started the evening off with a beautiful mix of rock and folk by the three-piece band. For their whole set they were joined by Mister F’s Scott Hannay. Spiritual Rez then came on stage with their reggae horn infused rock and played to an enthusiastic crowd. The show ended with another sit in from Scott and a cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”
