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  • Dopapod Announces Spring Tour 2015

    Dopapod are gearing up for what appears to be their biggest year yet and the band has finalized their dates for the spring of 2015. Touring in support of their most recent release Never Odd Or Even, Dopapod will spread their music to the masses beginning in the south, moving up the mid west, crossing the border into Canada and working their way down through new england to a string of dates on the east coast.

    Moving into 2015 the band has already confirmed appearances at large festivals such as Bonnaroo and Wakarusa as well as a triumphant return to AURA in Live Oak, Florida. Currently Dopapod is set to the stage in State College, Pennsylvania on February 25th before heading to upstate New York and eventually making their way through southern states en route to AURA before their spring tour kicks off in the big easy in March.

    2/25 Levels – State College, PA
    2/26 Tralf Music Hall – Buffalo, NY
    2/27 Madison Theater – Covington, KY
    2/28 Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
    3/1 The Concourse – Knoxville, TN
    3/3 The Blind Tiger – Greensboro, NC
    3/4 Gottrocks – Greenville, SC
    3/5&6 AURA Music Festival – Live Oak, FL
    3/26 Howlin’ Wolf – New Orleans, LA
    3/27 Last Concert Cafe – Houston, TX
    3/28 Head For the Hills Festival – Kerrville, TX
    3/31 George’s Majestic – Fayeteville, AR
    4/1 The Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS
    4/2 Rose Music Hall – Columbia, MO
    4/3 Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
    4/4 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
    4/5 Mirimar Theatre – Milwaukee, MI
    4/8 The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI
    4/9 The Bluebird – Bloomington, IN
    4/10 Park Street Saloon – Columbus, OH
    4/11 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
    4/12 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
    4/15 Wescott Theater – Syracuse, NY
    4/16 Pearl Street Ballroom – Northampton, MA
    4/17-19 The Sinclair – Boston, MA
    4/21 Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA
    4/22 The Southern Cafe – Charlottesville, VA
    4/23 Hamilton Theatre – Washington, DC
    4/24&25 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
    6/11-14 Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN

  • Country Music Top Tours Making Stops at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center This Summer

    The 2015 summer tour announcements continue to flood the airwaves with two more huge country music artists announcing that they will be making their way through the New York area. Luke Bryan announced his 2015 Kick Up The Dust tour, while Rascal Flatts announced their 2015 Riot tour.  Both will make their way across the nation, stopping this summer at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with a good deal of country music to join their dedicated fans who reside north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

    country music darien lake
    Luke Bryan and Rascal Flatts To Headline at Darien Center

    Luke Bryan held a press conference in conjunction with LiveNation Tours to announce his Kick Up The Dust Tour.  Beginning in May, and taking the tour across the world, Luke will be joined on tour by Dustin Lynch and Randy Houser, as well as Florida Georgia Line at seven of the stadium shows.  The reigning CMA Award Winner for Entertainer of The Year will make his way through New York where we look forward to seeing the country music tour perform at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

    Luke Bryan 2015 Kick the Dust Up Tour Dates:
    5/08 – Grand Forks, N.D.
    5/09 – Sioux Falls, S.D.
    5/14 – Boise, Idaho
    5/15 – Spokane, Wash.
    5/16 – Tacoma, Wash.
    6/04 – Albuquerque, N.M.
    6/06 – Denver, Colo. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    6/18 – Tulsa, Okla.
    6/19 – Bonner Springs, Kan.
    6/20 – St. Paul, Minn. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    6/25 – Virginia Beach, Va.
    6/26 – Washington D.C.
    6/27 – Washington D.C.
    7/11 – Nashville, Tenn. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    7/16 – St. Louis, Mo.
    7/17 – St. Louis, Mo.
    7/18 – Cincinnati, Ohio (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    7/24 – Indianapolis, Ind.
    7/25 – Indianapolis, Ind.
    7/30 – Scranton, Pa.
    8/26 -Salt Lake City, Utah
    8/27 – Salt Lake City, Utah
    8/29 – San Francisco, Calif. (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    9/4 – Darien Center, N.Y.
    9/5 – Cleveland, Ohio (Stadium show with Florida Georgia Line)
    9/12 – Philadelphia, Pa.
    9/18 – Tampa, Fla.
    9/19 – West Palm Beach, Fla.
    9/20 – West Palm Beach, Fla.
    9/24 – Charlotte, N.C.
    9/25 – Raleigh, N.C.
    9/26 – Raleigh, N.C.
    10/15 – Sacramento, Calif.
    10/16 – San Diego, Calif.
    10/22 – San Antonio, Texas
    10/23 – Dallas, Texas
    10/30 – Detroit, Mich.

    Tickets for the show, meet and greets, and other giveaways can be found at lukebryanlive.com where you can enter for your chance to win.  Stay tuned for more information as we learn when and how tickets can be purchased for upcoming shows.


    Also announcing their 2015 Riot tour was Rascal Flatts.  Rascal Flatts, will be joined on tour this summer as they make their way across country by Scotty McCreery.   Rascal Flatts have continued to collect admiring fans over the course of their successful reign as one of the most loved and decorated groups in Nashville, while Scotty continues to collect fans from the moment he stepped on the stage for American Idol, to his continued success in Nashville.  

    RIOT TOUR 2015 Cities:
    Cozumel, MX*
    Atlanta, GA*
    Forest City, IA*
    St. Louis, MO
    Indianapolis, IN
    Hershey, PA
    Virginia Beach, VA
    Washington, DC
    Hartford, CT
    Columbus, OH*
    Cadott, WI*
    Dallas, TX
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Charlotte, NC
    Raleigh, NC
    Holmdel, NJ
    Philadelphia, PA
    Boston, MA
    Detroit, MI*
    Brownsville, OR*
    Toronto, ON
    Cleveland, OH
    Darien Center, NY
    Jones Beach, NY
    Cincinnati, OH
    Chicago, IL
    Albuquerque, NM
    Phoenix, AZ
    Irvine, CA
    Mtn. View, CA
    W. Palm Beach, FL
    Tampa, FL
    *Denotes Festival

    Anxiously awaiting more information on this particular tour and how to purchase tickets, please keep an eye on Rascal Flatts Tour Page in the  next few weeks for details.

    As the announcements continue to pour in for our summer events, please stay tuned to NYS Music.com for all the up to date information on all your favorite venues.

  • Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless to Seduce Washington Avenue Armory this Spring

    The Washington Avenue Armory will host the lone New York date for the upcoming Halestorm/The Pretty Reckless tour on Tuesday May 5, presented by Carnival Of Madness.

    halestorm pretty reckless

    After a year absence, the Carnival of Madness brand is back but not in the form of an actual Carnival of Madness tour. Carnival is actually presenting the tour and is powered by Monster Energy.

    Carnival’s Facebook page at the end of 2014 hinted at something special for the fans in 2015 with the possibility of two tours to make up for the loss of not being able to put a show together for 2014.

    Halestorm posted on their facebook page that another opener will be added soon to the line-up. The tour will stop in 14 cities so far through the U.S this spring with more dates being added.

    Two of the hottest women in rock music in Hale and Momsen will grace the stage on the same night in Albany. Every rock fan in the Capital Region should try to witness these amazing women in action.

    Halestorm is no stranger to the Carnival of Madness brand. The band was on the Carnival of Madness tour in 2012. Halestorm will be supporting their soon to be released third studio effort Into the Wild Life on April 7 2015. Their first single off the album Apocalyptic has been released to rock stations everywhere gaining positive reviews.

    With hits like “Familiar Taste of Poison,” “I Get Off,” “Love Bites” and “I Miss The Misery,” Halestorm has become a huge fan favorite for many music fans besides rock fans. Hales beautiful medlodic power vocals has virturaly made her a rock/metal goddess

    The Pretty Reckless is currently on their second studio effort Going to Hell released in early 2014. The album consists of the hits “Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World” and current single “Follow Me Down.” Former Gossip Girl star Momsen is starting to make a name for herself in the genre with her live performances and unique style.

    Click link to buy tickets or visit the Armory box office: Washington Avenue Armory. Tickets are $29.50 before fees and $32.00 day of show.

  • Is Watkins Glen Getting Revved up for Phish?

    While the major story in the music world the past few days has been the July reunion of the ‘Core Four’ members of the Grateful Dead featuring Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti, news that Phish may be returning to Watkins Glen International Speedway later this summer was lost in the mix.

    Two years ago, ‘s Johnny Goff spoke to WGI President Michael Printup to get the low down on the potential for a 2013 festival at the track. We got a firm ‘no’ from Printup but this year we haven’t heard anything official, leading to plenty of local media and fan speculation.

    watkins glen getting phish
    Photo by Andy Hill

    Based on reports from Syracuse and Ithaca newspapers, it looks like the track season ending early paves the way, literally, for Phish to perform at the track. Paving at the track in early August opens the potential for a large-scale concert at the racing grounds, and leaves open much of August for Phish to play at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival. This is of course dependent on paving ending in time for a music festival or large scale concert to be held. With Trey playing at Soldier Field in early July, that would potentially push Phish tour dates back a few weeks into late July, leaving a summer-ending festival lined up nicely for Watkins Glen.

    Considering the great deal of money that was added to the local communities as a result of Superball IX, and with the Southern Tier region of the state always in need of a good economic boost, a potential Phish festival couldn’t come at a better time. Phish could of course return to Maine, where they held three successful festivals in 1997, 1998 and 2003, but those festivals made sense back then, not now when there are a great deal of music festivals to compete with. Plus, Watkins Glen just makes more sense being geographically-centric to the Phish fan base in the Northeast and remote enough to have the built in intimacy that all Phish festivals have manifested.

    Phish playing the Finger Lakes goes back more than a decade, with memorable shows at Darien Lake, Canandaigua and Watkins Glen. According to ‘s Johnny Goff, in 2002, the County Executive of Chemung County reported that Great Northeast Productions contacted him to seek out a 300 acre space between I-90 and I-86 to hold a music festival. The region has long been a site with potential for a Phish festival, and with that in mind, the Finger Lakes region is prime for a Phish festival once again.

    Speculation from media outlets adds to this potential and keeps all eyes focused on August, likely before or after Peach Festival (August 13-16). We will keep you updated on any news of Phish’s potential festival as speculation develops.

    If Phish played Watkins Glen in August, would you also plan to attend ‘Fare Thee Well’ in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend?

  • Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Photographer Thomas Sgroi

    Thomas Sgroi or Big Tom as most of his friends refer to him is an upcoming name in the music photography world. Tom grew up all over the Northeast and New York State, including living in Albany, Utica and most notably Buffalo. Tom graduated from Alfred State College and earned a football scholarship to Division 2 Gannon University where he finished out his playing days. He then relocated to Buffalo where he attended the University at Buffalo and cemented his roots in the Buffalo area to present day.

    thomas sgroiTom has been involved with photography for a little over a year when a friend in the business peaked his interest while shooting Mountain Jam in 2013. Since starting his shooting experience wherever he could, he learned the craft on his own and has photographed some of the biggest names in the music scene. He prides himself for having quite an open palette for musical tastes as he loves it all. As Tom says, “If it’s live it’s great but if it’s local it’s even better.”

    While Tom isn’t going to musical events he is an avid sports fan. He is a Buffalo Bills season ticket holder and when he isn’t rooting for the Bills his eyes are on everything to do with the Buffalo Sabres. Some of Tom’s other passions involve cooking, traveling and sampling whatever local beers he can find. While Tom would like nothing better to do then travel and photograph musical acts, he has been involved in the auto industry and has a vast experience in sales and management.

    Tom has photographed quite a bit of his musical heroes yet there is still a few he wishes to cover, including Phish, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Metallica and The Disco Biscuits

  • Mastodon and Clutch Join Together for ‘The Missing Link’ Tour with New York Dates

    When two bands share a long-time friendship it’s bound to happen: a heavy-kicking co-headlining tour. Metal fans can rejoice this spring as Mastodon and Clutch make 29 stops around the United States and Canada. Supporting them for the earlier part of the tour will be Big Business with Sweden’s Graveyard taking over for the remaining majority of the tour. Mastodon is set to close many of the shows but Clutch will be taking the lead at a few throughout the tour.

    Mastadon-Clutch Tour 2015

    New York will catch the tail-end of the tour in May with stops at Central Park Summerstage in NYC May 19 and Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls on May 20. The only other Northeast show will be in Boston at the House of Blues on May 17. Mastodon will be headlining these three shows.

    Mastodon’s sixth studio album Once More ‘Round The Sun, released June 2014, has found a great amount of success, topping the CMJ Loud Rock charts for the 26th week in a row now and has been ranked highly on many year-end album lists. The song “High Road” from that album has been nominated for Best Metal Performance in The 57th Annual Grammy Awards being presented on February 8.

    Clutch has seen similar success with their latest release from 2013, Earth Rocker, receiving a good deal of praise against the field of 2013 hard rock releases.

    Tickets are on sale January 23.

    Tour Dates:

    Apr 16              *St. Paul, MN                 Myth
    Apr 17             * Winnipeg, MB              The Burton Cummings Theatre
    Apr 18              *Saskatoon, SK              O’Brian’s Events Center
    Apr 19             * Edmonton, AB             Expo Centre
    Apr 21             * Calgary, AB                   MacEwan Hall
    Apr 23             * Vancouver, BC             Commodore Ballroom
    Apr 24              **Vancouver, BC           Commodore Ballroom
    Apr 25              *Portland, OR                Roseland
    Apr 26              *Seattle, WA                  Showbox SODO
    Apr 28             *Oakland, CA                 Fox Theater
    Apr 29              *Los Angeles, CA          Palladium
    Apr 30             *Tempe, AZ                    Marquee Theater
    May 01             *Las Vegas, NV             House of Blues
    May 02             *Salt Lake City, UT      The Complex
    May 03             *Denver, CO                  Red Rock’s Amphitheatre
    May 05             *San Antonio, TX         Kapone’s Ballroom
    May 06             *Oklahoma City, OK    Diamond Ballroom
    May 08             Atlanta, GA                    Shaky Knees Festival
    May 09             *Raleigh, NC                 Lincoln Theatre Street Stage
    May 10             **Pittsburgh, PA           Stage AE
    May 12             *Clive, IA (Des Moines)   7 Flags
    May 13             *Milwaukee, WI             Eagles Ballroom Club Stage
    May 15             **Bethlehem, PA            Sands Event Center
    May 16             **Baltimore, MD            Pier Six Pavilion
    May 17             *Boston, MA                   House of Blues
    May 19             *New York, NY               Central Park Summerstage
    May 20             *Niagara Falls, NY        Rapids Theatre
    May 21             *London, ON                  London Music Hall
    May 24             **Columbus, OH           LC Pavilion

    * Mastodon closes the evening
    ** Clutch closes the evening

  • Upstate’s Joe Bonamassa Gives Albany the Blues

    Joe Bonamassa may have been born in Central New York, but his guitar prowess has taken him around the world many times over. In the blues community, Bonamassa built up a name for himself before it was legal for him to have a beer.

    On January 19th, Joe Bonamassa brought the blues to the gorgeous Palace Theatre in Albany. The two-set show was comprised of an acoustic first set, and an electrifying second set. Playing his hits, the crowd starting tapping their feet and bobbing their heads as soon as the first notes of “Dust Bowl” flowed until the end of the three song encore “Hey Baby”, “Oh Beautiful” and “So, What Would I Do”.

    Joe Bonamassa wasn’t the only living legend playing the blues on stage in Albany either. Reese Wynans (keys), who will be entering the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame this year with Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Carmine Rojas (bass, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder), Lenny Castro (percussion, Toto, Adele, Steely Dan), Tal Bergman (drums, Billy Idol, LL Cool J), Derek Sherinian (keys, Buddy Miles, Kiss, Dream Theater), Mats Wester (strings), Gerry O’Connor (strings) and an incredible horn section.

    Acoustic Set: Dust Bowl, Trouble Town, Still Water, Stones in My Passway, Slow Train, Different Shades of Blue, Black Lung Heartache, Happier Times, Athens to Athens

    Electric Set: Never Give All Your Heart, Hidden Charms, Living On the Moon, Can’t Be Satisfied, Double Trouble, Love Ain’t a Love Song, Gave Up Everything for You, One Less Cross to Bear, Sloe Gin, Ballad of John Henry

    Encore: Hey Baby, Oh Beautiful, So What Would I Do

  • Interpol Announce 2015 Tour

    Interpol have announced a 2015 tour behind their latest album El Pintor. The album has garnered rave reviews from the music community and the band hit markets throughout the country as well as overseas in the fall of 2014.

    These dates also include make up dates for Boston and Montreal from the incredible snow storm that took place last November. Interpol will be hitting Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn on  July 21 and then coming to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on July 29 to close out the tour. Tickets are on a pre-sale now through the band and go on public sale 10AM on Friday. All tour dates can be seen below.

    Interpol — 2015 Tour Dates

    Wed/Apr-8 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre

    Thu/Apr-9 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys

    Fri/Apr-10 – Indio, CA – Coachella

    Wed/Apr-15 – Las Vegas, NV – The Cosmopolitan

    Fri/Apr-17 – Indio, CA – Coachella

    Mon/Apr-20 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory

    Tue/Apr-21 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre

    Thu/May-7 – Richmond, VA – The National

    Fri/May-8 – Raleigh,NC – The Ritz

    Sat/May-9 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival

    Mon/May-11 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant

    Tue/May-12 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room

    Wed/May-13 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore

    Fri/May-15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts

    Sat/May-16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

    Mon/Jul-20 – Portland, ME – State Theatre

    Tue/Jul-21 – Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park Bandshell

    Thu/Jul-23 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

    Fri/Jul-24 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

    Sat/Jul-25 – Philadelphia, PA – Festival Pier @ Penn’s Landing

    Mon/Jul-27 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa

    Tue/Jul-28 – Washington, DC – Echostage

    Wed/Jul-29 – Albany, NY – Upstate Concert Hall

    Fri/Jul-31 – Montreal, QB – Metropolis

  • Blues Legend Robert Cray to Play Bardavon January 31

    Grammy Award winning blues guitarist Robert Cray and his band will play the Bardavon 1869 Opera House on Saturday, January 31.

    A 2011 inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, Cray released his 17th studio album in 2014. He has played with the likes of legends Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, and John Lee Hooker and on January 31 leads the Robert Cray Band to the stage of New York State’s longest continually running concert hall.

    bardavon robert cray

    Cray’s music falls under the blues umbrella, but jazz, funk, soul, R&B and rock influences can be detected throughout his catalog. According to Cray, “When I first started playing guitar, I wanted to be George Harrison – that is, until I heard Jimi Hendrix. After that, I wanted to be Albert Collins and Buddy Guy and B.B. King. And then there are singers like O.V. Wright and Bobby Blue Bland. It’s all mixed up in there.” He’ll let that all loose on January 31 in Poughkeepsie.

    Joining Cray on the guitar is Richard Cousins on bass, Les Falconer on drums, and Dover Weinberg on the piano. Cousins has played on and off in The Robert Cray Band spanning five decades while Weinberg played with the band in the 70’s before recently rejoining. On the drums, Falconer is beginning his third year with Cray. The band’s decades worth of playing together adds up to tight grooves and complete control under the limelight.

    Their Saturday night performance at the Bardavon is sure to be a hit. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here.

  • Hearing Aide: ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ Ushers In New Fall Out Boy Sound

    American Beauty/American Psycho marks the sixth studio album for Fall Out Boy and with it comes a major style change to a band that has constantly changed their sound. Long gone are the pop-punk songs of Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree. Fall Out Boy have now become as pop as any other artist on the top 40 chart. Beginning with Infinity on High the band started transitioning away from their roots and experimenting with elements taken from big bands and arena rock bands off the past. This culminated in 2008’s Folie a Deux, an album that was their most divisive with both critics, fans, and the band itself.

    Following the release of Folie a Deux the band took an extending hiatus before returning with 2013’s Save Rock and Roll and with it brought in a new direction. The album had a hard pop edge with big hooks in every song but also with it came guest heavy songs that gave it the feeling of being a “Fall Out Boy and Friends” album. And now with American Beauty/American Psycho the guest spots have been replaced with samples.

    American Beauty American PsychoThe album is absolutely drenched in samples which makes it sound less like a band playing and instead a Patrick Stump solo effort. It’s very weird to not hear much music actually being played. Guitar riffs are sparsely heard and Andy Hurley’s drums have been processed to the point I’m not actually sure he ever actually laid down acoustic drum tracks in the studio. Most of the drumming sounds like your standard club track beats.

    The effects put on Patrick Stumps vocals are mind boggling because the man has one of the best voices in the industry. The whole mix of the album is very flat and becomes incredibly distorted the louder you play it (think the controversy around how Metallica’s Death Magnetic was mixed). I can only wonder why someone thought it would be a good idea to overwork both the vocals and instrument mix to this extent.

    The songs still have the big bombastic hooks that the band is known for but they lack the heart that their albums used to have. The lyrics aren’t as clever as they used to be and some songs re-use lyrical themes of songs past. The emotion of the lyrics was always a huge draw for the band. From songs about loneliness and regret to break up songs, everyone could find something to relate to with a Fall Out Boy track. But now while still inventive, they just don’t have that emotional heft.

    Despite all this, the album does produce a few tracks that will (at least should) become live staples. “Uma Thurman” is the best song on the record hands down. It’s got an infectious chorus that begs you to sing along with it. “Novocain” has some really nice vocal patterns that gives more credit to Stump being a genius when it comes to vocal cadences and timbre shifts. The two lead singles “Centuries” and “Immortals” are strong songs but are also largely the key evidence of a band that has completely changed their sound. For longtime fans these will be the two throwaway songs on the album. If you compare those songs to anything from Take This To Your Grave or even Folie a Deux, they sound like a different band entirely minus the vocals.

    I need to be honest here. Fall Out Boy is my favorite band. It’s been really tough to listen to them change so much. Every time a new song was released from this album I had a sense of dread that the next song was going to be the one that makes the band jump the shark for me. As much as I dislike the change in ideals behind their songwriting process I can’t admit to disliking any of the songs on this record which wasn’t the case with their last record. I so badly want them to return to their old sound but I think that’s the feeling shared by a lot of fans that love a band that has been around for 10-15 years. Bands do change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But take it or leave it, this is what Fall Out Boy is now.

    But just remember, at least they still play the old stuff live.

    Key Tracks – Uma Thurman, Novocain, The Kids Aren’t Alright