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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
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May 22, 2015
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.

May 22, 2015
The Church and The Psychedelic Furs Announce 2015 Tour

Post-punk romantics The Church released their 21st studio album album, Further/Deeper late last year and are bringing 35 years of recordings to North America on a co-headlining tour with art rock stalwarts The Psychedelic Furs. The Church recently premiered the first video from their newest album, Laurel Canyon , it’s thick and lush with layered acoustics, synths and harmonies, reminiscent of their huge hit, “Under The Milky Way” from 1988.

photo by Malcolm Viles

The Psychedelic Furs are practically a perfect match for the tour and will be joining The Church on many of the dates. They’re also touring the east coast in May by themselves. Richard Butler, along with his brother Tim, still maintain their uncanny ability to write songs pleasing to the ear, while questioning their subject. Surfacing in the wake of punk rock, their melodious and thoughtful material sometimes put them in the category of a synth band, but don’t be confused – even if you still love “Love My Way”, don’t forget “Pretty In Pink” – that was inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film of the same name.

Much more on the upcoming tours on their websites – The Church, The Psychedelic Furs.

Here is the northeast leg of The Church’s upcoming itinerary. Dates with an asterisk indicate The Psychedelic Furs will also play.

Aug. 7: Toronto, Ontario (The Danforth)
Aug. 8: Buffalo, NY (Town Ballroom) *
Aug. 9: Silver Springs, MD (The Fillmore) *
Aug. 11: New Haven, CT (College Street Music Hall) *
Aug. 12: Albany, NY (Northern Lights) *
Aug. 13: Hampton Beach, NH (Hampton Beach Casino) *
Aug. 14: Portland, ME (The Asylum)
Aug. 15: Philadelphia, PA (Keswick Theater) *
Aug. 16: Hyannis, MA (Cape Cod Melody Tent) *
Aug. 18: New York, NY (Irving Plaza) *
Aug. 19: Westbury, NY (Theater at Westbury) *
Aug. 21: Pittsburgh, PA (Altar Bar)

May 21, 2015
In This Moment Tears the Roof off Rapids Theatre

Rapids Theatre was treated to one of the best performance I have ever seen there to date, as In This Moment was here Friday on tour promoting their latest album Black Widow. They had brought some heavy hitters with them this time around. I was a little shocked as the line was not as long as I thought it would be. But never the less people filed in closer to the second bands performance.

First up was a five piece rock band The Nearly Deads from Nashville, Tennessee. They were a decent opener with some catchy melodies and she brought a lot of energy to the stage. The crowd did not respond to them very well, I think it had something to do that they were a spitting imagine of Paramore band. Her vocals were a bit weak, and she didn’t seem to have much range in her voice.

Second band up was Butcher Babies, I have never heard this band until that night. This band has all the elements of a metal band. Two scandalously dressed women who sang metal, a guitarist and bassist that had extreme amounts of energy on stage. Topped by a drummer whose double bass is one to compete with.

Towards the end of their set they forewarned the security guards to be ready. They look slightly baffled but soon enough realized what was about to happen. The music got heavier and the crowd surfing began to turn up. What I loved about this was as the fans were thrown over the barrier by security. The girls took the time to shake every fans hand or give them a fist bump. You don’t see this happen very often, kudos to them

Next up was the band I had been looking forward to seeing all night, Upon A Burning Body. I had previously listened to this band and loved everything about them. They originate from my birth state, Texas. Not one thing was out-of-place this entire performance. They had the crowd screaming and on their feet the entire time. Then Singer Danny Leal told the crowd he wanted to see some pits and mashing, the crowd listened and did just that. I witnessed several mash pits throughout the crowd for several songs. Then they proceeded to do a song tribute to Texas called “Texas Blood Money”. To finish off the night they sang “Turn Down For What” which for many know as a rap song sang by Lil Jon and DJ Snake. The crowd went absolutely crazy. Men put women on their shoulders, and it turned into a bit of a club scene. Their rendition of it was great and I prefer that over the original.

Last but certainly not least was the band most people where there to see, In This Moment. They took approximately a half hour to set up but it was definitely worth the wait. This is the second time I have seen them and every time I do it’s extremely theatrical. She is entrancing and with all her disappearances and reappearances after songs coming out in a completely different outfit. She keeps you guessing. They sang songs off their new album Black Widow. The choreography for her and her two dancing-girls who always remain faceless were done perfectly to a T.

Maria also took time to talk about how we are all united together by music, and how we must all take care of one another and change the world for the better. In my opinion the best part of the night was when I caught In This Moment Drummer Tom Hane`s drumstick. He threw it, what seemed like directly to me and I was floating on air. It now resides on my music memorabilia wall snugly between signed Shinedown CD and a painting done by Smile Empty Souls own Sean Danielsen.

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May 21, 2015
Coal Chamber And Fear Factory Join Forces For Tour

Hot off their brand new album Rivals, there is no rest for the wicked as Coal Chamber continue its next tour on US soil, and this time, industrial metallers Fear Factory will co-headline with them. Special guest on this tour will be Devil You Know (featuring Howard Jones former singer of Killswitch Engage) on select dates. On other select dates Jasta, the solo project of Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta (which he rarely brings on the road) will be given a slot to play. Saint Ridley and Madlife will be opening every date. The tour starts in Tucson, AZ on July 24 and ends in Santa Ana, CA on Aug. 22. The tour includes three stops in New York State including Aug. 8 at Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall, Aug. 11 at New York City’s Irving Plaza, and Aug. 12 at Poughkeepsie’s The Chance Theater. On those dates Jasta will be the select band appearing.

In other related news, bassist Tony Campos (Soulfly, Prong, Attika 7, Static-X, etc.) has joined Fear Factory and exited Soulfly earlier this month. Fear Factory’s full lineup has not been revealed.

Tickets for these shows are expected to be on sale May 22.

Coal Chamber/Fear Factory 2015 Tour

Jul. 24 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Jul. 25 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Jul. 26 – El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
Jul. 28 – San Antonio, TX – Alamo City Music Hall
Jul. 29 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey
Jul. 30 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Jul. 31 – Sauget, IL – Pop’s
Aug. 01 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Aug. 02 – Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
Aug. 03 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
Aug. 04 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm
Aug. 06 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
Aug. 08 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall
Aug. 10 – London, ON – London Music Hall
Aug. 11 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Aug. 12 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
Aug. 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Aug. 16 – Cleveland, OH – Agora
Aug. 18 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
Aug. 19 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
Aug. 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Aug. 21 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
Aug. 22 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory

May 21, 2015
ROC City Rib Fest Serves Up Hot Local Music This Weekend

It’s Memorial Day weekend, the official opening of barbecue season. In Rochester, the land of festivals, what better way to celebrate then with a barbecue festival? Enter the ROC City Rib Fest. Local barbecue enthusiasts will gather in Genesee Valley Park to compete for the best smoked meats in the land.

The festival opens 5pm Friday night and runs through Monday at 7pm. In addition to the ongoing barbecue competition, there will also of course be barbecue eating, food trucks, kids’ activities and a full slate of some of the best bands Rochester has to offer. Across two stages, the lineup includes top-notch tunes from Grand Canyon Rescue Episode and String Theory, smoking blues from Tommy Brunett and Fred Vine, soulful R&B from Mitty and the Followers, the return of world-influenced jammers John Payton Project and so much more.

Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a weekend pass. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong and the Genesee Valley Park. Find the full music schedule below.

Friday, May 22

River Stage

5:30pm Spacelords
7:30pm Jumbo Shrimp

Roundhouse Stage

6:30pm Grand Canyon Rescue Episode

Saturday, May 23

River Stage

11:00am Two Tone Jazz Duo
12:30pm Uncle Ralph’s BBQ Blues Band
2:30pm The Deep Blue Dream
4:30pm Dan Eaton
6:00pm World Bacon Championship Awards
7:30pm Mick Hayes

Roundhouse Stage

1:30pm 3 mile
5:30pm Jeff Riales and Friends

Sunday, May 24

River Stage

12:00pm The Fools
2:00pm Televisionaries
4:00pm KCBS Barbecue Awards
5:00pm The Dirty Bourbon Blues Band
7:00pm Jon Payton Project

Roundhouse Stage

1:30pm Fred Vine
5:30pm Tommy Brunett

Monday, May 25

River Stage

12:00pm Alyssa Trahan Trio
2:00pm Cold Sweat
4:00pm Mitty and the Followers
6:00pm Into the Now

Roundhouse Stage

1:30pm Amanda Ashley
4:00pm String Theory

May 21, 2015
Jason Bonham Serves The Capital Region Some ‘Rock And Roll’

Tribute and legacy acts are big business for concerts in today’s industry. The baby boomer generation has gotten older and wants that feeling they had growing up listening to the music that was the soundtrack to their lives.

You also have the newer generation who may not have had the chance to experience the great music, and are interested in seeing what their parents got to see.

In the case of Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience you get the best of both worlds. Jason, son of Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham, celebrates the music that he did not have much of an opportunity to see. Performing to audiences who are starving to see it in person.

“The Song Remains The Same” starts the concert with a bang, and the energy never left the Palace Theatre for the next two hours. Stringing together both hits and rarities, Jason and his band kept the crowd in their palms with ease. Jason told funny stories about his father and the feeling he got playing in London with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin in 2007.

He also spoke about how the band is never trying to act as if they are Led Zeppelin. For most of the evening that last part was true, but about three-quarters of the way through the show the audience was invited to crowd the aisles and to have a “fucking good time.” After this request and for most of the rest of the evening lead singer James Dylan began to channel more than just Robert Plant’s vocals. Lead guitarist Tony Catania similarly did more than evoke Jimmy Page’s guitar work. Moving about the stage like two legends for the rest of the evening. James and Tony had been doing just fine with their great vocal and guitar playing respectively and did not need to change what they had been doing.

During “Thank You” video screens showed videos of John, receiving some of the loudest cheers of the night. An acoustic “Going to California” had the loudest sing along. “Kashmir” ended the set to a standing ovation and the band came out for a one-two punch of “Rock And Roll” and “Black Dog” to end the evening.

There is a fine line for a tribute or legacy act to walk on, so as not to become a caricature of the band they are paying their respect to.

For most of the night the musicianship on stage during Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience spoke for itself, but for a small part of the show the line became a little too blurred.

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May 21, 2015
moe. to Play Children’s Benefit

moe. will be the featured artist at an annual benefit for the Children’s Health Fund at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.

The June 1 benefit features tickets that range from $1,250 to $100,000, but a limited number of $75 balcony tickets are available for moe.rons who want to attend. Concert goers will have to adhere to a business casual dress code.

The evening starts at 8 p.m. with an awards presentation, then moe. will play for a half-hour. A dessert and cocktail reception will follow.

The Children’s Health Fund provides health care to the nation’s most disadvantaged children with 51 mobile health clinics serving more than 80,000 kids throughout the U.S. Those who can’t attend can still help.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYvMpsyFgIA]

moe. also announced Tuesday that they’ll re-release a limited vinyl run of their first studio album “Fatboy,” in honor of the band’s 25th anniversary this year. The record will be on sale this weekend at Summer Camp, and it will be available in stores May 26. The run is limited to 3,000 copies, so get it while you can!

moe Children’s Benefit

May 20, 2015
Free Outdoor Series in Lake Placid Headlined by Rusted Root
Rusted Root will headline the season for Lake Placid’s free outdoor music series Songs at Mirror Lake.

The lineup this year celebrates the series’ 10th season by bringing back some of the best acts that have played over the last 10 years.

When Rusted Root last played the series in 2013, more than 1,000 people crowded into the tiny park on Lake Placid’s Main Street to dance to the ’90s alternative band with jam elements and world beats.

Other successful acts including Amy Helm, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Lukas Nelson & POTR will also be back.

The free shows run every Tuesday night from the end of June through the middle of August. The shows are played in Mid’s Park, a small park in the middle of the Adirondack village that edges on Mirror Lake. Attendees can dance in the park or paddle over in a boat (or on a dock) and catch the show from the water.

The full lineup:
- Tuesday, June 30: Americana Night with Amy Helm (2013)
- Tuesday, July 7: World Rock Night with Rusted Root (2013)
- Tuesday, July 14: Celtic Night with Jubilee Riots (formerly Enter The Haggis) (2008)
- Tuesday, July 21: New Orleans Night with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (2007)
- Tuesday, July 28: American Rock Night with Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R. (2013)
- Tuesday, Aug. 4: Rockin’ Roots Night with Back Porch Society
  (formerly Roadside Mystic)(2011)
- Tuesday, Aug. 11: Blues Night with Quinn Sullivan (2014)
May 20, 2015
Initial Lineup Announced for PhanArt Presents: ‘In All Good Company’ Chicago July Fourth Weekend

Whether or not you have a ticket for one of the Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well shows at Soldier Field -Chicago will be the place to be 4th of July weekend. The windy city will host dozens of after shows and one very special art event. Part of the mix for the Dead Head invasion of Chicago is “PhanArt Presents: In All Good Company, Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Art.” The one-of-a-kind free art show will take place Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 2015 from 12pm-6pm daily at the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago, IL – only a mile from Soldier Field.

Exhibited art includes limited edition posters, clothing, pins, tye-dyes, books, photography and other unique Grateful Dead inspired art from a variety of vendors and artists. Musical performances from Chicago bands Jack Straw and Under the Willow will compliment the artists throughout the art exhibition.

The lineup of artists and exhibitors for “In All Good Company” so far includes:

John Warner Art
Phil Kutno
Richard Biffle
Rhoney Stanley
Tye-Dye by Courtenay Pollock
Uncle John’s Outfitters
Tripps Prints
Kingpin Designs Good Thoughts Printing
Not Fade Away Artwork
Michael Boyer
Dr. Wookles
Serlo Studios
Pin Me Down Dead Images by Robbi Cohn
Heady Teddy’s Outfitters
Erin Cadigan
The Shakedown Shop
Andrew Bryant
Pinsanity
Get Shit Done
Scott Harris Photo
Eden’s Rose Foundation
Grateful Girls Scarves
Zenster

May 20, 2015