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Hearing Aide: Tyler Smilo ‘Dust In a Grave’

Singing the songs of a true wanderer, traveling throughout the country before settling in Erie, PA, Tyler Smilo has numerous stories to share that are more than worthy of a listen. On top of his deep lyrics, Smilo’s shockingly powerful voice featuring incredible vibrato definitely hits a nerve right from the start of his second and latest album Dust in a Grave.

It’s hard not to get sucked right in to the intense emotions of this tremendously talented singer-songwriter. Spouting lyrics about love – and love lost – on “These Will Be the Days” memories of the good old days before technology took over on “Rescue the Radio” and death of a loved one on “Dust in a Grave.” This musician seems to have experienced a great deal of trials and tribulations for someone so young. Let’s hope he continues to have many more adventures that he is willing to sing about for years to come, as after listening to this album, I was left wanting more.

Because his thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics are so compelling, it is easy to overlook the fact that this musician has mad guitar talent too. Able to change rhythms on a dime, and switch between minor and major chords several times within just one measure, it is certainly worth honing in on his guitar licks while listening through his album.

In advance of his album, Smilo put out a series Rooftop Session videos recorded on the roof of the Renaissance Centre in his hometown of Erie, PA. Once you watch these videos, you’re going to find it hard not to delve deeper into Smilo’s music by checking out an upcoming show or purchasing one of his albums.

Key Tracks: Blood In the Water, Dust In a Grave, These Will Be the Days

February 11, 2015
Faith No More Announce Release Date For New Album: Sol Invictus

Finally! After years and years – fans waiting for the San Francisco CA hard rock band to put out some new material can finally rest happy knowing Sol Invictus is coming May 19.

This will be the 7th release for Faith No More since their inception way back in 1981. The band has released a few singles in advance on YouTube – check them out below. While Upstate will miss out on any local dates – those that “care a lot” can make a road trip to Toronto May 9 or hit NYC May 13-14 for a weekend FNM experience.

February 10, 2015
Tool and Mastodon Members Unite to Form The Legend of the Seagullmen

For those fans waiting for the upcoming Tool album who haven’t disintegrated into dust yet – here’s some good news to tide you over: “Best drummer ever” candidate Danny Carey and Mastodon lead axe man Brent Hinds (Whom also recently awesomely got himself booted out of the Grammy’s) are joining forces with OFF!’s Dimitri Coats and producer Jimmy Hayward for the nautically themed super group The Legend of the Seagullmen.

While no touring, album release, or additional information has yet to be provided, the band did drop two new tunes on their website: “The Deep Sea Driver” and “Ships Wreck”. Check em out below.

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February 10, 2015
The Lawn Boys at Lovin’ Cup: What a Beautiful Buzz

Tribute bands come and go and many jam fans – especially those of the Phish-y variety, tend to turn their noses up at them. But like most of life every rule has its exceptions. Band’s such as Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead) and Start Making Sense (Talking Heads) have generated ample buzz and following, dedicating their lives representing musical heroes with great respect and talent. The Lawn Boys seem perfectly poised to join this upper tier with their spot-on recreations of composition-based Phish pieces and their own fiery originality within improvisational jam sections that scream “Phish 1.0”.

After a nicely executed sound check “Possum” and a short break, the Boys took the stage and wasted no time getting into the fan favorite and relative rarity “Curtain With”. Featuring shreddy lead passages from TLB’s resident “Trey” Darren Rodney – this rendition could easily stand up among the tops of those of the phab phour themselves. After a fan requested a well done Funky Bitch, came one of the best duo’s of the night: “46 Day’s” into Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley”. The filled venue with fans of all ages did their part, bouncing all around the room dancing. The jam itself contained many hints at an impending “2001” funk-fest but ended up back into the main Sally theme. At least for this night, the band seemed completely focused on pre-hiatus material with the set ending on a peaktastic goose bump inducing “Slave to the Traffic Light”.

After a “we’ll be back in 10 minutes” break we all took a journey through the “Maze” before the second set got a phabulous anchor with a “Mike’s->Reba->Weekapaug” sequence with bassist Miguel Lantigua dropping soul shaking bombs all over the place and keys man David Kaufman making Page proud. Mid set the band showed their appreciation for Phish’s humorous side with the resident Fishman – drummer Andrew Mega – whipping out the vacuum for a hilarious take on “I Didn’t Know”. A well oiled “Harry Hood” would finish the set, but the packed Lovin’ Cup floor wouldn’t let them end quite yet so they came back out for a triple encore of “Chalk Dust,” “Fuego” (The only new era song for the night) and the obligatory “YEM” to finish it off. Boy Man God Awesome! Keep an eye on The Lawn Boys tour – and don’t miss your next chance to see them.

Set 1

Curtain With, Funky Bitch, 46 Days->Sneaking Sally, Split Open and Melt, Axilla, Wolfmans Brother, Slave to the Traffic Light

Set 2

Maze, Mikes->Reba->Weekapaug (unfinished)->Cities->I Didn’t Know, Theme from the bottom->Weekapaug, Harry Hood

Encore

Chalkdust Torture, Fuego, YEM

February 10, 2015
Hearing Aide: Mosh along with Blacklisted’s ‘When People Grow, People Go’

What better way to start off the year with a strong dose of strong raw hardcore. Philly based Blacklisted have crafted another dose of feedback driven, groove based, punk infused hardcore with their fourth record When People Grow, People Go. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, the album wastes no time getting its point across. The record is almost trapped in time with a sound that sounds straight out of the late ’90s early 2000’s era hardcore that got me into the scene. This is stuff you would have heard any given Saturday night at a VFW or community rec center. Songs that force you to bob your head along and say to yourself “man, this is good stuff”. The riffs are strong, the drums push the beat forward, and the whole thing is begging for a pit to open up.

The song “Riptide” in particular sounds exactly like the Syracuse hardcore scene I loved so much through my teenager years and every song on the record has a really stripped down approach that doesn’t rely on production gimmicks. It’s really refreshing in 2015 to hear a record that hasn’t been overproduced to the point of sounding like a robot recorded it. While I do wish there was a little more punch with the drums it feels authentic. This sounds like they just went into a room, banged out some songs, and recorded them. Nothing fancy about it. Just pure energy.

The signature sound on the record has to be the guitar layering. Traditional hardcore punk riffs with a nice mixture of chaotic feedback that blends to radical harmony. They also know how to speed things up when needed and add a little edge of aggression but at the same time when they slow it down a little and lock into a groove it’s beyond good. Opening track “Insularized” is a great example of them being able to shift gears from fast to slow and back again. Sometimes this causes a song to come off disjointed but they were able to keep it together without sounding like they cut and pasted two different songs together.

Blacklisted has become one of those bands that has started to really cultivate a strong catalog of releases. Some bands start their career off with a bang and slowly go downhill from there trying to chase after what they once had. And some bands just never get that light bulb moment where everything clicks together and they put out something really special. But Blacklisted have been able to be consistently good. Few bands can lay claim to being able to say that they haven’t put out a bad or disappointing record. While When People Grow, People Go doesn’t go outside of the box, it also doesn’t feel like they’re playing it safe. They made a record that has a very distinct sound that doesn’t bend to any trends. That should be applauded when more and more bands are slowly getting away from the things that made people fall in love with them in the first place.

Blacklisted have long been viewed as one of the best in their genre. They put on a live show full of energy with crowds that get whipped into a fury and now they’ve added to their legacy with a great all around record. While it doesn’t pack the punch of their previous releases it’ll please their fans for sure and they remain at the top of their class.

Key Tracks – Insularized, Deeper King, Riptide

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKKYYzIMHhA&w=560&h=315]

February 10, 2015
Hearing Aide: Driftwood’s Self-Titled Debut

Whether you enjoy the whimsical melodies of folk music, or the boot-stomping, heart-pumping beats of rock ‘n’ roll, Driftwood’s first full-length album has a little something for everyone. Hailing from Binghamton, the band’s ability to glue together a small piece of every genre is remarkable.

As a whole, the self-titled album Driftwood manages to paint very descriptive, colorful narratives of lessons and stories that unfold seamlessly. From the first few seconds of the first song, “High School Paycheck” listeners can glide along through a story ultimately about the sum of our days not being comparable to the amount of money earned. It’s a sentiment that people of all walks of life can relate to, and the listener’s journey has only just begun.

The softness of the first track should not be a reflection of what Driftwood manages to accomplish with the rest of the album. The second song, “The Sun’s Going Down” hits hard and heavy. We are encouraged to go along on the ride with them, listening close to their words and physically feeling what it is they are trying to convey. The rest of the album continues to raise the bar. “The Carburetor and the Steam Engine” slowly creeps up to a powerful peak of emotions and is followed by simple, yet soul tingliging lullabies such as “Outer Space.” Claire Byrne’s powerful ode “Before I Rust” could make anyone weak in the knees, as can her delicate and expressive fiddle playing. Combined with Joey Arcuri’s passionate bass lines, Dan Forsyth’s revelatory voice and Joe Kollar’s unique style of banjo, the four-piece has it all. Their spot-on harmonies and attention to detail round out the album like a classic novel, with heartfelt finality and precise conclusion. Driftwood’s collective songwriting skills are honed by the classics in music, and given their fire from the rock ‘n’ roll of our parents’ generation. When assembled, the words and melodies are nothing short of a masterpiece.

Key Tracks: The Carburetor and the Steam Engine, Before I Rust, Buffalo Street

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February 9, 2015
Hearing Aide: Murder by Death ‘Big Dark Love’

My roommate introduced me to the band Murder by Death. I found myself instantly impressed by their blend of soulful, Johnny Cash’esque blues and hard rock leanings. Some might simply call this Americana, but the Indiana born quintet is quite obviously deeper than the title of a genre. Their latest release, Big Dark Love, is proof of that.

The band’s fearless leader is Adam Turla. Over the course of the band’s history, his voice has deepened and matured like a tasteful red wine — only getting better over time. My introductory album was Red of Tooth and Claw — where songs like “Fuego!” and “’52 Ford” quickly had my attention. Big Dark Love is stylistically similar on a musical level, but Turla’s vocals have more fold to them this time around. He uses the fullness of his range and is not afraid to employ harmonies, but still stands with his emotional integrity — making the message of each song completely convincing. The creepy title track gave me chills, “isn’t that fun?”

Likewise, Turla delivers a tear – inducing performance on “Send Me Home,” which deals with death of a loved one. Quite the same is suit on “Hunted,” which lyrically encapsulates a man’s perspective on women’s issues. “We don’t know what it’s like to be hunted. We don’t know what it’s like to be wanted,” Turla admits.

But Murder by Death is not the Adam Turla show, thank God. Each member is quite obviously showcased in his or her own way, perfecting the art of being a band. Quite simply put, you can’t have one without the other. And none of their music is ‘simple rock songs’ either, which is why Sarah Balliet’s cello playing is so perfectly placed on each song. Cello isn’t a typical rock instrument, either. But before you dismiss her back to the first cello seat in orchestra class, realize that without Balliet, Big Dark Love would not have quite the round aggression it needs and accomplishes.

Likewise, the rhythm and bass section of the album simply kicks ass. With songs like “Natural Pearl,” and “It Will Never Die,” a strong ‘backbone’ is not the important thing. The important thing was to create a natural ambiance. The title track does this extremely well. The showcased members are less Turla and Balliet and more autonomously Matt Armstrong on Bass, Dagan Thogerson on drums — he delivers an equally emotional and driving drum performance — and a strong presence from David Fountain on keys and additional stringed instruments. Fountain’s performance (including his vocal harmonies) throughout the album displays a sort of musical growth for Murder by Death, as if the band has taken another step in the evolutionary process.

Either way, Big Dark Love is another slam dunk for Murder by Death. No questions asked.

The album can be purchased directly from the band and on iTunes,

Key Tracks: Big Dark Love, Send Me Home, Hunted

February 8, 2015
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood Coming to Woodstock

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood will be taking the stage at Woodstock’s Bearsville Theater February 10. The band, Chris Robinson, Neal Casal, Adam Macdougall, Mark Dutton, and newest member Tony Leone, will be bringing their brand of psychedelic rock to hollowed stomping grounds. None of the members in The Chris Robinson Brotherhood are strangers to Woodstock as they have played at either Bearsville or at Levon’s Barn, which is right down the road, in other bands through the years.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcmo8CxpC3A]

They are touring in support of their latest release Phosphorescent Harvest, which came out last April. It is the band’s third studio album in under 4 years of being together. The constant output of music by CRB have kept them tight as a band and lets them feel at home on stage playing to crowds all over the country. Chris has a strong love for this band saying that this is his future in music and sees no signs of it winding down.

Tickets for the show are on sale now and cost $30 for standing room, $49 for balcony, and $59 for the first two rows of balcony. Tickets can be purchased here. The show is an evening with, which means it is going to be a long two set show with a great rock and roll band that will move in and out of psychedelia at will. This is their only Upstate appearance for the band before they play the rest of the East coast, go to Australia, and go back to the West coast so don’t miss this one.

February 6, 2015
2015 Peach Music Festival Lineup Announced

Peach Music Festival lineup has been announced and festival goers will be pumped for what this festival has to offer in 2015. The headliners include: Gregg Allman, Santana, and Bob Weir with Billy and The Kids. The festival will take place August 13 – 16 in Scranton, Pennsylvania at Montage Mountain.

The spectacular lineup continues with – Willie Nelson & Family, Warren Haynes featuring Railroad Earth, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Lotus, Old Crow Medicine Show, G. Love & Special Sauce, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenues, Beats Antique, Dark Star Orchestra, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and so many more.

In addition to a lineup that outweighs the other recent festival announcements for 2015, Peach offers, a onsite water park (included in the cost of camping pass), General camping, VIP camping, and several all-inclusive travel packages offered by CID Entertainment.

Check out NYS Music’s coverage of The Peach Festival 2014 HERE

Tickets can be purchased HERE

February 6, 2015
Wage Love! Hudson Valley’s Fred Gillen Jr. CD Release Show Feb. 8 Peekskill

The Hudson Valley’s own Fred Gillen Jr. is set to release his ninth studio album this weekend, and he’s not doing it alone.

This Sunday, February 8, Fred will be performing a CD release show at EMBARK@EMC, a cozy performance space at 925 South Street in Peekskill. Joining him will be special guest Laura Bowman, a singer-songrwriter originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, and a full band including Paul Magliari (drums), Jeff Eyrich (bass), and Matt Turk (guitar/mandolin).

Sunday’s show starts at 4:30, and the $15 entry includes a copy of Wage Love.

Fred Gillen Jr. has performed at venues large and small throughout the country, connecting with his audiences through heartfelt performances of melody and lyric embracing the tradition of folk music with his own character.

February 6, 2015