NYS Music 20​15

Category: Regions

  • Rochester’s 2015 Lilac Festival, Best Ever?

    The 117th annual edition of Rochester’s Lilac Festival was nothing short of a resounding success. Blessed by near perfect weather, a killer musical lineup, and actual flowers in bloom for once – it was a far cry from the past few years that were plagued by rain and unseasonably cold temperatures.

    DSC_2335

    The Lilac Festival always has all the typical amenities one would expect in a festival atmosphere – beer tents, kid activities, face painting, fake tatts, deep fried freaking everything, and of course, the ubiquitous barricaded off 100 person deep line for kettle corn. Seriously, do they sprinkle crack on that stuff or what?

    However, what makes Lilac Fest truly special are the little extras. The giant food tent filled with local vendors offering everything from “Bacon Bomb” sandwiches to Rochester’s own heartburn special – The Garbage Plate. The brand new “big top” tent that offered a string of activities throughout the week including a wine and chocolate tasting and a brew fest. The weekend based arts and crafts exhibit that moved a block over to Reservoir Drive this year – a great idea that truly helped the traffic patterns. And of course, lots of lilacs!

    This years music lineup, brought to you by the Springut Group, had a little bit of everything from country to reggae to bluegrass to good old shreddy rock and roll. Monday brought in a (too) rare appearance from Pennsylvania’s Dr Dog. Wednesday’s headliner, Blues Traveler, seemingly had the biggest crowd in Lilac Fest history with a virtual sea of people watching harmonica master Jon Popper giving them the “Run Around.”

    Friday brought Austin’s Mingo Fishtrap back to town for their third visit in the past year. The last day featured one of Rochester’s hottest up and coming bands – Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People. Like a musical super hero, Danielle is a lawyer by day and a stunning soul singer by night. Surrounding herself with some of the areas best musicians, The Tomorrow People are started to grab some huge crowds and will continue to grow.

    Sunday’s festival closer, Ana Popavic, seemed to be unknown to most I spoke to that day, but will now be implanted in their brains as the sexy lady in the red dress who also happens to be a female master of the blues. This girl simply melted every face on the lawn ending a close to perfect week with mouths agape.

    Props to this years organizers and all who put together such an amazing free time for the good people of Rochester. NYSMusic will be back next year – check out several photo galleries from the week below.

    Adam Ezra, Dr Dog and Lilacs

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’198′]

    Davina and the Vagabonds, Blues Traveler

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’199′]

    Mingo Fishtrap

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’200′]

    Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People, Ana Popavic

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’201′]

  • Adam Ezra to Make Syracuse Debut at RUNapalooza

    I can’t think of a better way to end this short week than with a short run filled with music along the way, and welcoming The Adam Ezra Group to Syracuse in true rock and run style.  Making their debut performance here in Central NY, The Adam Ezra Group will welcome all runners at the finish line of the Fleet Feet Sport Runapalooza this Friday May 29 at 7:00pm at the Onondaga Community College.

    Adam Ezra Group
    Adam Ezra Group

    The Fleet Feet Sports ‘s 2015 Runapalooza 5k Run/Walk will begin at 7:00pm and runners will enjoy four local bands along the 3.1 mile course with New England Music Awards Band of the 2013 Year, The Adam Ezra Group at the finish line waiting to celebrate this event around 7:45pm.

    RUNapalooza 2015
    RUNapalooza 2015

    Register for 5k Race and Post Race Party for only $30-which includes: 5k Race, Runapalooza Rock Shirt, concert, pizza, beer, etc. online through Wednesday afternoon or in person Friday. For those that just want to enjoy the finish line?  Register for Party Only for $10 which includes concert, pizza, beer, etc. through Wednesday Afternoon online or in person on Friday.

    Playing along the course we are excited to see locals Urban Knight Punks, Hold The Air, The Causeway Giants, and some of Syracuse’s finest drummers in The Drum Runners.

    Where else can you possibly get your exercise, awesome music without an iPod, free t-shirt, good eats, and some amazing Adam Ezra Group?  See you all there Friday, May 29.

    IMG_8995-2

  • Michael Arnone Brings NOLA to NJ Crawfish Fest for a 26th Time

    This weekend New Jersey will put on its party beads and partake in some New Orleans themed eats while dancing to some of the southern music capitol’s greatest sounds. Michael Arnone alongside his Crawfish Krewe has been putting on the Crawfish Fest in New Jersey for a soon-to-be 26 years. Sussex County’s fairgrounds span 130 acres and will play host to four stages of funk, RnB, brass, rock and zydeco music.

    Michael ArnoneThe lineup is topped with legends like Dr. John, George Porter Jr. and Kermit Ruffins, but also has newer artists like Marc Broussard, Anders Osborne, and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds that keeps a variety of sounds churning out of this yearly melting pot. Local boys From Good Homes will play the festival for the second time since reuniting in 2009 after a 10-year hiatus and will be sure to pack some heat with their hick-pop sound. Campers will get private Friday performances from the Stooges Brass Band, The Lost Bayou Ramblers and the New Orleans suspects, while on Saturday they will enjoy late-night performances from Samantha Fish, John Papa Gros Band and The Heard.

    Aside from the mouth-watering lineup, the food at Crawfish Fest is just as important. Every meal is under $10, and spans choices of boiled crawfish, (oyster, shrimp, catfish and hot roast beef Po-Boys), crawfish bread, jambalaya, crawfish etouffee and red beans and rice. When you’re inside the gates, you’ll be busy filling your stomach with food and ears with music you may or may not have encountered before. If you’re looking for an authentic New Orleans music and food experience in the North, there’s no competition.

    Visit http://www.crawfishfest.com/ for more information

  • Steely Dan To Play Eight Shows at NYC’s Beacon Theatre

    Steely Dan has announced their latest Beacon Theatre residency  which will take place for eight nights.  The shows start on Oct. 6 and ends on the 17.

    These nights will include Steely Dan performing their whole 1977 album Aja and 1980 album Gaucho with a few select hits. There will also be two nights focusing on their greatest hits such as “Do it Again”, “Reelin In The Years”, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Fans will be able to help pick the set list on October 16.

    steely-dan-4e3964bcbca76An AMEX pre-sale runs May 28 – June 4 before tickets go on sale to the general public June 5. Multi-night ticket packages will be available.

    Steely Dan Beacon Residency 2015

    10/6 – Aja – Plus Selected Hits
    10/7 – Greatest Hits
    10/9 – Gaucho – Plus Selected Hits
    10/10 – Royal Scam – Plus Selected Hits
    10/13 – Aja – Plus Selected Hits
    10/14 – Greatest Hits
    10/16 – By Popular Demand
    10/17 – “The Most Unforgettable Night of Whatever – Featuring Spectacular Musical Guests, Glorious Tunes and Riffage, and Whatever the Party Calls for! Parking Validated for First Dozen Diehard Fans”

  • Summer Camp 2015 Day 4: Dance Yourself Clean, All Night Long

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3

    The final day of Summer Camp featured some of the largest acts on the lineup and two regular contributors to the festival: Rain and wind. Even with the beautiful weather the past few days a little rain was expected, if not needed. A strong storm cell blew through around 1pm, causing minor delays in the music while cooling down the festival grounds and erasing the dust that had been ever present during the weekend. Strong winds tested the strength of tents and EZ-Ups, with gusts barely ceasing until fans began to load out on Monday. After three days of near-perfect weather, it was a refreshing change of pace.

    moe.’s rain-delayed set with Bruce Hornsby featured “New York City” and five Grateful Dead songs: “Sugaree,” “Loser” and the trio “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot” > “Franklin’s Tower.” Bruce then came out with The Noisemakers for his own set of originals and classics. Steve Miller Band treated an enormous crowd to a slew of hits, including “Jungle Love,” “Abracabadra” and the less well known “Sugar Babe.” It was hard to find anyone not singing along to or bobbing their head to these classics.

    On the Sunshine Stage, Yonder Mountain String Band treated fans to a set that highlighted new member Allie Kral (Cornmeal) who sang lead on “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Jolene” before closing with an enthusiastic “Casualty.”

    Widespread Panic’s eagerly anticipated sets were nothing short of fantastic and treated first-timers to impressive jamming of songs that typically got a more standard treatment. Opening up with a jam that worked into “Little Kin” and represented tighter segues than in past years, especially from “Action Man” > “Pleas”. The second set opened with “Junior” > “Second Skin” and a monster jam during “Rebirtha” and the newer song “Honky Red.” Widespread Panic could be in the middle of a band renaissance, due in part to Duane Trucks’ presence behind the drum kit for the past year. John Bell thanks the rain gods for holding off during their set, which may have tipped the gods off because shortly afterwards, the skies opened up once again to cool the hot night down.

    The Starshine Stage featured the progressive jamgrass of Greensky Bluegrass, who tore through Traffic’s “Light up or Leave me Alone” with a jam of “Tweezer Reprise” in the middle. Meanwhile at the Moonshine Stage, Big Gigantic brought the house down with an impressively loud set, similar to Griz’s set on the Sunshine Stage. If you needed a bit more moe., there was plenty to be had during their final set from 12:30 am to 2 am, highlighted by “Do or Die” featuring breakout group Here Come the Mummies joining the band onstage.

    On the VIP stage, Twiddle invited Scott Hannay of Mister F to sit in during “Apples,” to which keyboardist Ryan Dempsey cartwheeled off stage. Hannay sat in later that night with Twiddle, along with Dan Shaw from The Werks on keys at the Campfire Stage during “Mamunes the Faun”.

    The final set of the night to check out was North American Scum, an LCD Soundsystem cover band who might be the best band to close out Summer Camp. Members of the group are formerly of This Must be the Band, a Talking Heads band from Chicago, who have traditionally played one of the final sets at Summer Camp. This incredible two hour set featured the entire Sound of Silver album and, because everyone else was playing Grateful Dead songs, a spirited version of “Scarlet Begonias” to cap the night.

    Monday morning came and the campgrounds were half abandoned with dreary and exhausted looking fans milling about their sites, packing up tents, deciding what property would be left behind to make the trip to the parking lots easier. By late Monday, Three Sisters Park was vacated and the cleanup beginning in earnest. With all the memories from this year’s festival, one full year until Summer Camp 16 doesn’t seem too far away.

    Check out our coverage of all four days of Summer Camp 2015

    Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

  • Summer Camp 2015 Day 3: The Saturday Chronicles

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 2 and Day 4

    It is now Sunday morning and to recap what went down on Saturday at Summer Camp, here’s a play-by-play morning until late night.

    10am: wake up after three hours of sleep and sunrise kickball. Feel refreshed, not exhausted. Breakfast of banana, yogurt, life cereal and yerba mate and I am ready to roll.

    11am: Head to the church (media area) and get writing my review of Friday.

    12pm: Review submitted. I head over to the Camping Stage with camp counselor Nick Stock and catch American Babies. Good stuff, somehow I don’t see them often enough despite playing back in Albany somewhat frequently. Good catching up with Nick too – sometimes you have to meet halfway across the country to hang with your friends.

    1:00pm: Field Day. Team Purple with Mer, Mitch, Lisa and two guys from Miami (Ohio) among others. Listened to Orphic during Capture the Flag, Floodwood during Spelling Bee.

    3:30pm: Back to the Sunshine Stage for The Floozies. My friend Carrie was talking about them for weeks and for some reason I felt like they were some local/regional band playing hokey rock. This couldn’t have been farther from reality. A drummer and guitarist manning a laptop made for a sick duo ala Big Gigantic. The crowd was in love and rage sticks were everywhere.

    4:00pm: Amazeballs Mini-golf! Jason K has an awesome addition to Summer Camp and many other music festivals. In addition to 15 holes you have an opportunity to Make a Difference and win a pair of VIP tickets for Summer Camp 2016. This was a lot of fun.

    5:00pm: Back over to Vibe Tent to see how Field Day ended – Red and Yellow were neck and neck, Purple was out of the running but we did clean up the most cigarette butts. Milk n Cookies were playing on the Vibe stage – this is easily the best tent to discover brand new music, especially if you like DJs and EDM.

    5:30pm: I meet up with John and head backstage for Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD). Despite numerous opportunities over the past year, I still haven’t seen them. By 7:00pm I’ll understand the hype. Choice covers of “Viola Lee Blues” and “The Eleven” stood out, with Russo leading the charge on drums. This was phenomenal. Stopped and chatted with Scott Hannay from Mister F and Evan from Aqueous before heading up to the Relix tent with Stephen.

    8:00pm: Finally back to the site for a short break, time to decompress and change for the night’s music. Washed my face and got some food to prepare for the next six to eight hours. Listened to Victor Wooten’s set from the Starshine Stage (central camping location is perfect for not missing music on four of the seven stages). Wooten’s set seemed a little soft, but then he dropped a few Sly and the Family Stone songs to close it out. I still think his sit-in with STS9 Friday night was a highlight of the fest.

    9:00pm: I head to the pit for Umphrey’s. Lighting designer Jeff Waful clears rage sticks from his sightline. There is dude about four rows deep front row keeps singing ‘Party with my dick out’ and no one thinks this is out-of-place. He keeps it up until the lights go down. Umphrey’s opens with “Plunger,” “Pay the Snucka” and “Higgins”. I head backstage for a few, enjoy a couple of beers and catch up with Chicago friends.

    10:15pm: Head to pick up my charger at the Relix tent (thank you guys) and try to make it back for The Werks. This band still eludes me. Meet up with Erika, Drew and Phil at the site and head back over for the final set of Umphrey’s.

    11:00pm: A “Wappy Sprayberry” opener sets the tone for the rest of the night, “Divisions” has great build and peaks upon peaks, but the encore was the highlight of the night – “Glory > Divisions > ‘Jam for Jesus’/A Love Supreme (for a dude in the crowd) > Divisions”.

    12:30am: Beers at the site and then down to Moonshine Stage for moe. I remember a big segue into “Meat”. Saw a few familiar faces from New York in the crowd. The crowd for moe. at Summer Camp is larger than any moe.down I attended. Midwest moe. fans are a fun bunch.

    2:00am: I walk to my car to get my rain gear with a forecast of showers during the day on Sunday and Monday. This proved to be a great choice since, as I write this review, a thirty-minute downpour passed by. At least the dust won’t be an issue.

    3:00am: Back to the site, I lay down on a bench and listen to a brief shower pass by. This was the perfect way to relax after a long, long day. I am exhausted but beyond excited for Bruce Hornsby, Yonder Mountain String Band and Widespread Panic.

  • Summer Camp 2015 Day 2: Rage, Rest, and Sunrise Kickball

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 3 and Day 4

    Friday at Summer Camp was a day to reconfigure, reassess and prepare for the onslaught of music that was ripe for the choosing. Now that your on site presence was established and something resembling a campsite had been formed among friends and neighbors. The weather was pristine: sunny skies, a passing cloud, a little dusty but it definitely felt like summer had arrived.

    Music wise, it was a day long effort to see as much music as possible. Highlights included moe. getting things going and filling the bowl on the Moonshine Stage with “Buster” and “Captain America,” Oteil Burbridge and Roosevelt Collier making for a fantastic groovy duo. Deep bassy trance from Citizun; high energy bluegrass via Old Shoe, in the Soulshine Tent, and Xavier Rudd and the United Nations combining funk and world music for the highlight of the day.

    But wait, there’s more!

    Umphrey’s opened their first set of the weekend with “Mulche’s Odyssey”. Debuted a new song from UMBowl VI, “Remind Me” and a raging “Bad Friday”; Bassist Ryan Stasik effortlessly posing and strutting on the stage. For the second set, Umphrey’s brought up Gene Ween for GODBONER, with Gener singing “Spinal Meningitis,” “Baby Bitch,” “Voodoo Lady” and a surprisingly awesome cover of Billy Joel’s “The Stranger”. Set three was highlighted by “Phil’s Farm > Upwards > Phil’s Farm” and an encore of “Slacker”.

    But if you weren’t at Umphrey’s, there were still some hidden gems to catch. While I was bummed to miss Krewella’s set, so were the fans who complained about the high energy duo on the lineup. Aqueous played to a more intimate crowd for the diehards compared to Thursday at the Camping Stage, blasting off a “Master of Puppets” cover to close the set. Dopapod played a tweener set on Starshine stage, raging a “Vol. 3 #86”.

    Then the night got late. EOTO was a lot of noise and lasers, so STS9 was the preferred destination for the night. This band with new bassist Alana Rocklin, played one of the best all around sets, and is an improvement on the musical priapism that was sts9 of old. An unexpected Victor Wooten sit in was the icing on the cake.

    Daft Rock – Future Rock performing a full set of Daft Punk made the Soulshine Stage a dusty haven for ‘A’ game dancing. With hits and a few deep cuts, Future Rock curated a set that was more than cursory covers of the legendary EDM duo. It felt like a club show with accelerated live mixes of Random Access Memories tracks. The Midwest has some hidden gems that are hard to compete with.

    The annual tradition of sunrise kickball began with Ryan Stasik hosting a who’s who of who’s still awake. It was worth the spectacle if you were still awake, but after a day like Friday, it understandable if you caught rest while you could.

    Time to get some sleep and prepare for what awaits on Saturday – Field Day, more moe., Umphrey’s, JRAD, The New Deal, The Motet and late night from Pink Talking Fish.

  • Thanks, Dave: A Musical Tribute to the Legendary Late Night Show Host

    Self deprecating, awkward, obtuse, David Letterman. I grew up with this man. His short-lived show on NBC mornings following the Today Show was something I looked forward to more than the Price is Right on days off from school. My sense of humor was formed by this man. He combined the legacy of Johnny Carson and the lunacy of Looney Tunes and mixed it with a smidge of humanity. Dave changed the game.

    letterman zevon
    David Letterman with Warren Zevon

    May 20, 2015 was a sad day for me. My man Letterman was heading off into the sunset. After tonight the television world will be much less funny. He has influenced me in more ways than I really considered until he announced his retirement.

    There have been many tributes to David Letterman in the past few weeks. Most of them have focused on his comedy. The man is a natural in that department. I owe a lot of my sense of humor to this legendary performer. Thanks, Dave.

    That said, Letterman did more for music on television than many realize. Prior to Dave, musical guests were primarily the hit makers of the day.

    Letterman brought in the fringe artists. Dave gave R.E.M. their network debut. Dave convinced legends like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to appear on television despite their reluctance to do so. He had Rage Against the Machine perform on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater.

    David Letterman gave artists such as Tom Waits and Warren Zevon a stage — he was a fan and a champion of Zevon and his work.

    A friend of mine, Lisa,  gave me a true fan’s perspective of the relationship between David Letterman and Warren Zevon. Lisa said of Zevon, “For anyone other than Letterman, I don’t know that he’d have set foot on the TV stage. Dave had a genuine respect for the musical genius and general intelligence of Zevon and it grew into a warm personal friendship.

    letterman zevon
    Photo courtesy http://warrenzevon.wikia.com/

    Among Warren Zevon devotees, the TV spots are treasured because we can look back and watch those to see a thumbnail of Zevon’s evolution into revealing himself to the public. Without David Letterman, we’d have only the music, the shows, and the chance encounters. He allowed more people to become familiar with the human behind the legend so the focus could be on the music, the product, rather than the legend.”

    Letterman thought so highly of Zevon that when his musical director, Paul Schaffer took time off, he made him the musical director for the show. He cared so much for him that he dedicated the entire hour of his show on October 30, 2002 to Zevon, in what would prove to be Zevon’s last appearance on network television before succumbing to lung cancer.

    Above all else, Letterman is a big fan of music, as evidenced by his Live on Letterman: Music From the Late Show series of albums produced by the show.

    What tribute to Letterman would be complete without the ubiquitous Top Ten List, so with that, here is tonight’s Top Ten List, Warren Zevon’s Top Ten Appearances on David Letterman.

    #10. Zevon sat in for Shaffer as music director on a couple of occasions. Letterman is giving Zevon some on the job training in this clip.

    #9. “Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)”. From WZ’s last studio recording. Shaffer plays Letterman’s role in this version of a song about a Canadian farm boy looking to make it to the NHL as a goon.

    #8. “Mr. Bad Example” Pony-tailed Zevon delivering his trademark lyrical genius in this Letterman clip from 1993.

    #7. “Excitable Boy” and “The Overdraft” from Zevon’s first appearance with Letterman. He is championing Zevon right from the beginning. The interview piece shows how their sardonic wit jived.

    #6. “Trouble” and “Lawyers, Guns & Money.” This is a classic performance with Shaffer’s late ’80s version of The World’s Most Dangerous Band

    #5. “Boom Boom Mancini.” Being a boxing fan, this song re-introduced me to Zevon’s work outside of the FM radio staples. Tells the tragic story of professional boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEuSTy5VRwQ

    #4. “Porcelain Monkey.” This is a late-era Zevon song that would fit comfortably on “Excitable Boy”. Take note of Sid McGinnis completely making this song his own on the guitar. Shaffer’s bands are always a great compliment to whomever they are backing but when Zevon was on the show, they truly gelled.

    #3. “Splendid Isolation.” From a 1995 appearance. This clip also contains some interview footage showing their admiration for each other. Letterman goes fanboy.

    #2. “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.” My favorite Zevon song and his final ever public appearance.

    #1. “The Mutineer.” Letterman announcing Zevon’s death and his tribute to his good friend. He ends this piece with a clip from Zevon’s final appearance on the show a year earlier.

    Letterman had Zevon as his only guest on his October 30, 2002 show, describing Zevon as, “the real deal. He’s not one of these pretty faced, phony rock and roll guys, he’s the real deal — a poet and a singer and a songwriter. It doesn’t get any better.” Zevon, despite the dire prognosis of inoperable lung cancer, kept his typical cynical sense of humor, stating, “Dave is the best friend my music has ever had.” Letterman brought Zevon’s music to the masses, even when Zevon showed resistance.

    This appearance proved to be Zevon’s final public performance. You’d never know he was suffering from inoperable lung cancer from his performance and humor on this show. I highly recommend checking out the entire episode available on YouTube. It’s strange. It’s funny. It’s hearwarming. It’s pure Letterman and Zevon.

    Letterman may have retired, but his legacy to music on late night television will continue. Thanks, Dave.

  • Tedeschi Trucks Band at Central Park Summerstage ‘Summer is Coming’

    Nestled away in Central Park lays a bastion for music lovers, a musical oasis in the midst of Gotham. A serene evening with Tedeschi Trucks Band rang in the unofficial beginning of summer with the opening night of Summerstage. Rock ‘n’ Roll royalty Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi orchestrate an amazingly talented ensemble of musicians.

    Kofi Burbridge (keyboard, flute), Tim Lefebvre (bass), Tyler Greenwell (drums), J.J. Johnson (drums), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Maurice “Mo’ Betta” Brown (Trumpet), Saunders Sermons (trombone), Mike Mattison (vocals), and Mark Rivers (vocals). All got the opportunity to showcase their individual talents throughout the evening.

    Tedeschi led the way out of the gate with her exceptional blues guitar and booming vocals on “Made Up Mind” and “Do I Look Worried” both off of their 2013 release Made Up Mind. Trucks’ slow and deliberate guitar started off “Midnight in Harlem” off of TTB’s 2012 Grammy award-winning, best blues album, Revelator followed with raucous applause from the audience before Tedeschi’s crooning sent them into a blissful trance.

    After The Derek Trucks Band’s fast paced and raucous “Get What You Deserve” the first guest of the evening was invited out on stage, with Doyle Bramhall II (guitar) joining the group. Fans had the rare occurrence of having two former Eric Clapton guitarists on the same stage.

    Next up came The Beatles “I’ve Got A Feeling” from Let It Be then Bramhall and Trucks traded off guitar licks on Derek & The Dominoes’ “Keep On Growing”. Bramhall stayed on for “Key To The Highway,” a tribute to the recently passed B.B. King. King recorded the song with Eric Clapton on 2000’s Riding With The King. Bramhall stepped off stage for the gospel “Break In The Road” which featured another shredding guitar solo from the prodigy Trucks.

    Bramhall returned to join the band with the second guest of the evening Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Trading harmonies and smiles with Tedeschi on Sam Cooke’s soulful “Bring It On Home To Me” and Etta James “Tell Mama”.

    Bramhall and Jones left Susan and Derek in capable hands as Burbridge led the band into Made Up Mind’s “Idle Wind” leaving the keys for his flute to start off the tune before the band gave way for Johnson and Greenwell to show off their drumming talents and convening to bring the song to a close.

    TTB busted out a rendition of Bobby Bland’s 1960 R&B classic “I Pity The Fool” before bringing the two-hour plus set to a close with the original, “The Storm”. Tedeschi reached down deep and soothed the audience one last time with her mesmerizing vocals for the encore of  Revelator’s “Bound For Glory”. If this night was a precursor to TTB’s upcoming ‘Wheels of Soul’ tour, fans will be in for a treat with welcomed collaboration between TTB, Bramhall, and Jones.

    The Wheels of Soul tour will be in Rochester, NY as a headliner at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (XRIJF) at Kodak Hall June 25. Followed by a stop at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, on July 29. The band will make one final stop in New York this year for a four night residency at the famed Beacon Theater, September 25-26 and October 2-3. Tickets go on sale on May 21 through Ticketmaster.

    Setlist: 
    Made Up Mind, Do I Look Worried, Midnight In Harlem, Get What You Deserve, I’ve Got A Feeling*, Keep On Growing*, Key To The Highway*, Break In The Road, Bring It On Home To Me#*, Tell Mama#*, Idle Wind>Drums>Idle Wind, I Pity The Fool, The Storm
    E: Bound For Glory
    * – Doyle Bramhall II
    # – Sharon Jones
    [FinalTilesGallery id=’187′]

  • Summer Camp 2015 Day 1: Arrival, Setup and Thursday Pre-Party

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4

    The 15th annual Summer Camp is off to a great start amid beautiful albeit chilly weather in Central Illinois. Thousands arrived late Wednesday night and throughout the day on Thursday for the unofficial start to summer music festival season throughout the country.

    Arrival to Chillicothe, just north of Peoria, IL, took 16 hours from Albany, and while the drive may seem daunting, it wasn’t that tough of a trip. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, if you wanted to go to a music festival or travel to see a band, you had to drive out of your comfort zone for the experience. What has become common place, seeing festivals within an hour or two of where you live, used to be far from reality. This may sound like a ‘back in my day’ mantra, but making this drive brings back the allure of the destination driving the journey, something that has become less frequent with the rise of music festivals and cost of travel.

    The only issue with arrival at a festival such as Summer Camp is that once you arrive, you still have to get your gear searched and set up camp, adding to any exhaustion and surfeit crankiness. The line to get into Summer Camp involves a thorough search for alcohol, among other contraband items; while the check-in was expanded, we stood in line for six hours before our gear was finally given the thumbs up. There wasn’t much music we missed as a
    result but the exhaustion took a toll, especially without shade from the bright sunny day. Chicago Funk Mafia performed on a stage near the check-in area to entertain the thousands in line.

    Once inside and setup between the Sunshine Stage, Starshine Stage, Vibe Tent and Camping Stage. A money location. We caught Capital District rockers Wild Adriatic on the Starshine Stage who had the attention of the crowd with “Strange Persuasions” and a cover of Bill Withers’ “Use Me”. Family Groove Company, one of Chicago’s finest jam acts for over a decade, opened their set with an extended instrumental jam on “Thriller” bringing up the Third Coast Horns for much of the set. If you missed them on Thursday, see them Saturday on Starshine Stage at Noon for a perfect wake up to the day.

    Floodwood performed a Grateful Dead set, including “Cumberland Blues,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Casey Jones,” and others. Vinny Amico and Al Schnier mixed things up and swapped roles with Al on drums and Vinny on vocals. I had to miss some of the set in order to catch yet another New York State act, Aqueous, on the Camping Stage. The handful of fans I talked to seemed to enjoy a band they were seeing for the first time, and were treated to a set of “Underlyer, Complex Pt. 1, Fame > Origami > Don’t Do It”.

    Back at the Starshine Stage, Future Rock, one of the best livetronica trios you’ll ever see, closed out the Starshine Stage for the night, pounding out incredible dance music with no chill. Late night had options for The Red Barn: Dopapod, Turbo Suit & Friends, and Manic Science. I rested up and got ready for DJ no DJ, a Daft Punk cover band made up of members of This Must be the Band, among others. You won’t see Daft Punk touring these days, and this might be the next best thing to a local band covering “Get Lucky”. Name a Daft Punk hit and they have it covered and covered WELL. The Soulshine Tent was the place to be latenight for one of the true treats of Summer Camp.

    More music is planned for Friday, starting with moe. kicking off the Moonshine Stage and Umphrey’s McGee on Sunshine Stage, among many, many other options. Stay tuned for more updates via NYSMusic’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.