On a picturesque day in New York City, tens of thousands of visitors flock from all around the world to Central Park. Some are row boating on the Lake, some come for lunch at Tavern On The Green, and many came for hometown funk band Lettuce. As the crowds filtered in to Summerstage one of New Orleans finest brass ensembles, The Soul Rebels, serenaded them with their powerful horns. For Brooklyn based Lettuce headlining Summerstage is a monumental accomplishment and coming off their sold-out show at Red Rocks they had set the bar high.
With Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bass) straddling his usual center stage position he lead Lettuce, consisting of Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Adam Deitch (drums), Neal Evans (keys), Ryan Zoidis (sax), and Eric Bloom (trumpet) on a funk filled journey in the park. The band was joined on stage by The Soul Rebels for an ensemble performance of “Sam Huff” and Nigel Hall stopped by as well. As the set got moving Central Park Summerstage shut the gates as the capacity crowd reveled away in the sun and the deep funk grooves.
Lettuce will be back on the East Coast opening for Umphreys McGee in Boston, Asbury Park, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. You can find tickets here.
Setlist: Lettuce at Central Park Summerstage, 06/13/2015
Reunion, Big Anthem, Chief, Blast Off, Lettsanity, Phyllis, Get Greasy, Sam Huff*, Hip Hop Odyssey, Madison, New Reel,
Lett Gogo, Makin My Way, Hang Out and Hustle, Do It Like You Do
With many rock bands touring with each other throughout the years, one can only expect that some of these guys will in fact become friends with each other from their common bond of music, among other things.
Something that could arise from these situations, and seems to happen more than ever these days, is that “supergroups” form through these friendships.
Allegiance was formed in 2011 by Mark Menghi, who is a creative marketing director in New York. The band started with Alex Skolnick and Mike Portnoy from Testament and Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson as the core members. Since then, some of metal’s biggest names are throwing their hat in the ring for the self-titled debut studio album with all original material on Sept. 18.
Go to MetalHammer to see full Metal Allegiance track listing and appearing guest stars.
This summer at the Jay Street Arcade in Downtown Schenectady, catch free music at Jazz on Jay each Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m. In the event of rain, performances are held in Robb Alley at Proctors. Come see this eclectic lineup of music throughout the summer on Jay Street!
June 4 – Colleen Pratt and Friends
June 11 – Joshua Nelson Quintet
June 18 – Nat Phipps Trio with Antonia Brown
June 25 – Wee-B3
July 2 – Peg Delaney Trio
July 9 – Bopitude
July 16 – ElectriCity AfroCuband
July 23 – Hot Club of Saratoga
July 30 – The Dadtet
August 6 – The Rob Lindquist Project
August 13 – Teri Roiger Trio
August 20 – Jim Wilson Quartet
August 27 – Music by McIntosh
Ginger Baker brought his new band Jazz Confusion to The Egg for a grand evening of music for a packed audience. Playing two sets, though the second was a little shorter, and an encore, Ginger and his band had the crowd sitting on the edge of their seats to see what they would perform next. Ginger Baker is of course known most famously for being in the super groups Cream and Blind Faith, but at the heart of his playing has always been jazz. He was just getting over a bout with pneumonia, but the only time you would have know he had been sick was when he talked to the audience or stood up from his drum kit. When he was sitting behind the kit, his hands still flew all over the kit with ease. After all these years and problems he has gone through in life, it is a joy to be able to see him still be able to play the drums so effortlessly.
The band that Ginger put together displayed their power during the show, seamlessly weaving in and out of one anothe. Pee Wee Ellis, formerly James Brown’s band leader, played beautiful solos and dotted the songs with intricate melodies on his saxophone, while Alec Dankworth’s bass playing kept the music steamrolling forward. Abass Dodoo, a tremendous percussionist from Ghana, added a flair of Afrobeat to the music of the others and complimented Ginger’s playing perfectly. Anytime one of the members had the chance to take a solo, it was great to see the other three members of the band watch as if they were in the audience and seeing the other member play for the only time on the short tour the band is on. Though there may not have been any “famous songs” played by the group, the crowd at The Egg got their moneys worth and then some from the four virtuoso musicians.
The legendary Tony Bennett will grace the stage of The Palace Theatre in Albany on Sunday, October 18 at 7pm, with special guest Antonia Bennett. Tony Bennett’s artistry and accomplishments are applauded here at home and all over the world from people from 11 to 90 years old.
In the past 10 years alone, Bennett has sold over ten million records, a testament to his longevity and artistic achievement that has long been a part of his life since growing up in Astoria, NY. Upon being discovered by Bob Hope, his career took off and the rest is history. Among the honors Bennett has received are 17 Grammy awards, including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his MTV Unplugged album, which introduced his music to new generation, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has had 24 songs in the Top 40, including “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” and the signature, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” garnering him two Grammy Awards.
One of the few artists to have new albums charting in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s, he has recently collaborated with pop star Lady Gaga on Cheek to Cheek, a collection of jazz standards. Having toured the world to sold out audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs, Bennett was recently observed by former President Bill Clinton as, “Now in his seventh decade of singing, Tony Bennett has somehow kept his unique voice, with its beauty and range, its strength and style, and still in perfect pitch. But as talented as he is, Tony’s most impressive quality is his giving spirit!”
Tickets for this special performance range from $60.50 – $128 and go on sale Friday, June 26 at 10am at The Palace Theatre.
Fox Fest, the 2015 SAMMY winner for best festival in Central New York, returns for its 6th year. The not-for-profit festival will support the CNYSPCA this year.
Music at the festival runs from 12pm-12am and includes sets from Scars n Stripes, Barndogs Plus, Country Swagg, Redline, TJ Sacco, Dirtroad Ruckus, Chris Taylor and Seeking Monte. Fox Fest boasts plenty of room for campers , motorhomes and tents with a variety of food sold at the event. Alcohol may be brought by patrons.
To buy tickets, Fox Fest sells t-shirts as admission. To order a shirt and gain admission to the festival, you may order online or fill out a form at one of the following locations: Limp Lizard on Onondaga Blvd., Tanner Valley Golf Course, Frank’s Moondance on Rt 20, Amber Inn in Marietta, and the CNYSPCA on Malloy Rd. in North Syracuse. Patrons may also call to order a shirt via 315-382-5896 or 315-256-7005.
With over 2000 attendees in 2014, Fox Fest 2015 will be an immensely popular event with great music, all supporting a good cause.
The CNY SPCA is open for viewing Monday – Saturday from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. All adoptable animals are on our website www.cnyspca.org. If you are interested in one of our available animals please fill out an application and get pre-approved.
The third event at CMAC’s 2015 Summer Concert Series, Ed Sheeran was what I would refer to as a winning musical trifecta wrapped in a “Lego House.” With the combination of stellar weather + stellar crowd + stellar music, CMAC couldn’t have planned it any better. This show sold out it’s 15,000 capacity within a 24 hour period of time as just one of several great shows planned for the series, the summer sure has kicked off with a bang.
Ed Sheeran – CMAC
As the long and winding crowds made their way in to take their seats, it was apparent that Ed Sheeran’s music held mass appeal to multiple generations. In a matter of minutes the green grassy area up above on the lawn filled in that you couldn’t see a blade of grass anywhere. Yes there were crazed teenagers everywhere sporting “X” t-shirts, carrying signs, and even letters to spell out ED! There were also adults of all kinds, and trust me they were not there just because their daughters needed rides. They too danced and sang along the entire night.
Opening the evening was the UK sensation Rixton. The energy level of these four young men blew me away. Was totally impressed by their musical talent and their showmanship. They had the crowd at hello. I’ve seen numerous opening acts prime an audience for the main show over the course of my career, however they were one song in and the audience was on their feet dancing and singing along. Amazing. With Jake Roche on vocals, Charley Bagnall on lead guitar and vocals, Danny Wilkin on keyboards, bass, and vocals and Lewi Morgan laying down the beat on drums, their energy levels were contagious. Singing hits from their recently released album, Let The Road, they engaged the audience by pitting section vs. section, pointing out audience members, and just rousing everyone out of the seats. It was fun to watch and even more fun to photograph.
Ed Sheeran – CMAC
With a quick set change, Ed Sheeran took the stage. A man, a guitar, some platforms, two mics, and a loop pedal. That’s all this amazing musician needed to put on a show that blew the roof off the place. This young man’s musical abilities astound me. He played non-stop, gave more than 110% on each song and was the whole band rolled into one. His writing ability and ability to mesh melodies together and sing/rap them seamlessly blew my mind.
Ed Sheeran – CMAC
As he sang, his eyes were closed feeling everything from within and projecting out to the audience where they took hold of it and became part of the show. The entire audience sang along, waved their arms, flashed their cell phones and became as immersed as he was in each and every number. One audience member was so emerged she stormed the stage to see him. Ed so graciously agreed to take a selfie prior to her being escorted out. His kindness and love for his fans is well known as he takes the time to join one fan recently on stage at a local mall while she performed his cover of “Thinking Out Loud.”
In addition to his outstanding performance, his visual production was top notch projecting animations and videography of Ed (with some amazing special effects) as he performed behind him on stage side screens. The moments matched the music perfectly and the show was an auditory and visual celebration. So glad I was there to celebrate with him. Okay CMAC, this show will be a hard one to follow. Can’t wait to see what’s in store next. Stay tune readers for our next show from CMAC.
Setlist: I’m a Mess, Lego House, Don’t/Loyal/No Diggity/Nina, Drunk, Take It Back/Superstition/Ain’t No Sunshine, Photograph, Bloodstream, Tenerife Sea, Thinking Out Loud, Feeling Good/I See Fire, I Was Made to Love Her (Stevie Wonder cover), The A Team, Give Me Love
Close out festival season with Meeting of the Minds 8,presented by Jibberjazz Productions and taking place Sept. 25-27, 2015, in Schuylkill Haven, PA. This full weekend of music and camping will showcase 30 eclectic musical acts across three stages along with numerous workshops and scheduled activities.
The 2015 lineup for Meeting of the Minds features Ozric Tentacles, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Skerik’s Bandalabra, Head for the Hills, The Big Dirty, Polyrhythmics, Deaf Scene, Dirty Streets, Genome, Formula 5, and many more notable acts. Jibberjazz unleashes a vast array of musical styles including jam, funk, folk, bluegrass, Americana, rock n roll, blues, world, reggae and more. Jibberjazz artists are drawn from various pockets of the USA. Tickets are $75 presale and are on-sale now through Jibberjazz.
Meeting of the Minds takes place on a beautiful 60-acre rustic fairground, featuring outdoor and indoor stages, plenty of camping space, permanent restrooms and showers, nature trails, trout fishing waters, and electricity access for RV’s. A great deal of both food and craft vendors will be on-site for the weekend. Additionally, a full slate of festival activities is scheduled for both adults and children.
Todd Rundgren released his 25th album, Global, on April 7 and immediately set out on a 34 date North American tour. Having had the pleasure of seeing Todd in concert several times, reading some of the early reviews didn’t surprise me at all. If you expect to hear “I Saw The Light,” “Can We Still Be Friends” and “Hello, It’s Me,” TR never disappoints, but, he may make you wait and tease you a few times before giving in. I grabbed a couple of quotes from a good friend’s Facebook posting post-show, before delving deeper.
“Todd always brings his own cutting edge and set his own parameters, very few artists are this talented and confident. If fans struggle with change and evolution, they should choose another artist to follow.”
“It takes a lot of courage as a fan to follow him with an open-mind, but the rewards are worth the effort”, Tommy Allen.
“Just a killer show, filled with positive energy from the girls (The Global Singers) and the DJ (DaM FunK). Todd was in fantastic voice and delivered all of the songs with passion. The choreography and light show turned the whole thing into a very immersive experience. Don’t listen to the bad reviews on the internet, this is a very unique and futuristic show,” said Mark Doyle.
Honestly, it took several spins of Global to get the feel, but being familiar with his previous release, State, it warmed me quicker to the work. The opener, “Evrybody” sounds like a slap in the face to the entitled or a call to arms for the populace. Either way it sets the tone for the album. As on most albums, it’s all Todd, all of the time. Almost exactly the way he would take it on tour. “Flesh & Blood,” another EDM-like tome that pokes fun at DJs while showing what really can be done electronically with real lyrics that have something to say. The verses sting, the chorus, “You’ve got free will, but you’re flesh and blood” simplifies and drives the message. Keep in mind this man is one of the fathers of multi-media, usually several steps ahead of the game, ultimately disenfranchising some. A pity really. “Rise” is right to the heart of the state of things, yes, globally. He speaks directly to the Romanesque status of civilization, “Time’s ticking away, time keeps ticking away. If we don’t rise, then we will fall.” Pretty simple and right on the point. This leads into “Holyland,” a rhythmic adventure into the definition of what that is exactly. Everything. If this track doesn’t hit home, you’re simply not paying attention.
“Blind” slows the pace a blue-eyed, soulful bit and illuminates the false-flag of media. “I’m not a scientist, everybody likes to brag these days. And yet they still insist, twisting all the facts their way.” Directly aimed at climate-change deniers, god-trusting book wavers, that believe all will be taken care of for them, perhaps still on the entitled ones. Shielding their eyes from the reality in front of them. “You have to be blind, blind, blind. Eyes that will not see it. (Writing’s on the wall.)” “Earth Mother” kicks back into EDM as a anthemic call to action, from a Rosa Parks reference to the choruses repeated message, “Can I get a shout-out from my sisters, a shout out from my girls. Now go out there and change the world. “Global Nation” flows right into the theme of one world, one cause, one solution. “Calling out to the planet, calling out to the world. (Global Nation) I wanna wrap my arms around the world, wrap my arms around the world and dance.”
TR always has his moment when his heart bleeds out, “Soothe” is this record’s example. His lyrical emotions move you, the timbre of his wavering voice speaks directly to the listener, whomever it may be. Something TR does exquisitely. This is chicken-skin arms material. “Maybe I can’t make gray skies turn blue, but I can soothe you. When your lovers are untrue. And the whole world seems out to hurt you. Know that I would try, everything I knew, to soothe you. I will soothe you.” “Terra Firma” sequences forward analogously as a tale of the intrepid explorer casting-off to someplace unknown. With solid ground being the love and home he left behind, “I am off to great adventures, leaving you behind. Far beyond the border and I have no clue what I will find. But the thought of home never leaves my mind, no. Though the minutes stretch to hours and the hours stretch to days. With the trials and tribulations, well it seems like I’m so far away. And it’s just too high a price to pay. There’s one thing I can always say. Whenever I feel the rain I put my faith in terra firma. And I’m never far away, because you’re my terra firma. (terra firma) Whenever I feel alone, I go home to terra firma. (terra firma) The place I can call my own, because you’re my terra firma (terra firma).”
“Fate” poses destiny as a card game and addiction that everyone seemingly has. The future being out of our hands like a roulette wheel spinning out of control. No one wants to face up to the realities of our time, it’s easier to rely on fate than make an effort to change. Manifest destiny, worldwide. “Skyscraper” shines the light on the trappings of civilization. Buildings and cars, partying with friends, living in the moment with no regard for what’s ahead. “This Island Earth” closes and wraps it all up, neatly exposing what needs to be for change to happen, allowing the future a chance to exist beyond man’s current course. “There is no other place in this universe, like this island earth. We fantasize about this spoiling other planets, like this island earth.”
When taken as a whole, this album is yet another message from a very old soul, living on the cutting edge of technology. Drawing distinct lines between reality and fantasy, fate and destiny, what can and cannot be. A statement from one of the bravest, deepest songwriters of our time that is not to be ignored.
Of course TR has multiple platforms to read and learn from. Check out more on facebook and his website.
Key Tracks: They’re all key tracks, it’s Todd Rundgren! Check out “Terra Firma” and “Soothe,” they crush.
On the eve of summer, three Capital District bands will come together to bring in the change of the seasons a benefit concert WEXT – Exit 97.7 FM. The show, with doors opening at 7 pm, will feature Accents, SubSlab, and Stockade Kids.
Accents, a folk-rock quartet to whom writing music has always been about sincerity. Featuring two husband and wife duos, the group showcases lush harmonies, soaring guitars and a unique show highlighted by the multi-instrumental abilities of the band. SubSlab is a rock quintet that writes songs with an upbeat ear tuned to stories of love and loss, redemption and hope. Influences span time and genre, creating powerful tunes with melodic hooks, thundering bass lines, harmonious guitars and rock-steady drumming. Stockade Kids present a fusion of Hip-Hop, Rock, and Jazz. With a unique duo-horn section, a heavy-grooving rhythm section, a lead singer with a powerful voice and passionate lyrics, and a rapper with a direct delivery and distinct point of view, Stockade Kids offers something for everyone, with unlimited possibilities.
Celtic Hall is located at 430 New Karner Rd., Albany, NY. Tickets $10 before June 15thonline and $15 at the door.
Music at the festival runs from 12pm-12am and includes sets from Scars n Stripes, Barndogs Plus, Country Swagg, Redline, TJ Sacco, Dirtroad Ruckus, Chris Taylor and Seeking Monte. Fox Fest boasts plenty of room for campers , motorhomes and tents with a variety of food sold at the event. Alcohol may be brought by patrons.
