NYS Music 20​15

Tag: funk

  • Fishbone to Play The Hollow in Albany

    Los Angeles born ska and funk pioneers Fishbone will make a stop in Albany tonight at The Hollow with guests Downtown Brown as part of their current U.S. tour.

    After 25+ years of making music, the band is continuing to reach into new territory with their most recent project, a mockumentary video series that picks up where their 2010 documentary, “Everyday Sunshine,” left off. The video project also comes on the heels of Fishbone’s latest album, Intrinsically Intertwined, released in April 2014.

    Fishbone.
    Fishbone.

    On top of their prolific career (17 album releases) and notable collaborations (Gwen Stefani, Flea, Chuck D, etc.), Fishbone is still intertwined in a notorious, long standing lawsuit in which a fan sued the band for 1.4 million after lead singer Dr. Maad Vibe landed ontop of her after, what one can only assume to be, a stage dive of historic proportions. As a result, your patronage for this show effectively fights the good fight for rock and roll, in addition to witnessing what is sure to be a kick-ass concert by American ska moguls.

    The show starts at 9 p.m., with doors at 8 p.m. Michigan based ska-punk-experimental-funk Downtown Brown will open the show, as part of their own national tour. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the show.

    Fishbone w/ Downtown Brown, Wednesday, September 16, 8 pm doors / 9 pm show, $20 advance / $22 day of show, The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, 79 N. Pearl St Albany NY

  • Lettuce and The Soul Rebels bring the funk in the sun to Central Park SummerStage

    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
    * w/ Soul Rebels

  • Stoops out, Sasser in as Kung Fu Keyboardist

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    In a shocking statement, funk group Kung Fu announced that the band and founding member/keyboardist Todd Stoops have parted ways, and that Beau Sasser, of the Alan Evans Trio and Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan, will be his replacement.

    Stoops co-founded the band in 2009, and Kung Fu has been a staple of the festival circuit ever since, with a unique blend of psychedelic funk, high-energy rock and jazz.

    Here is the band’s official statement:

    Change is exciting, challenging, and a constant part of life. It is the process of evolution and growth. We do our best to embrace change in our lives and the music we play, and it is in this spirit that we announce that Kung Fu and Todd Stoops are parting ways.

    Todd is our brother, a brilliant musician, and composer. This decision has been difficult for everyone involved. We wish Todd nothing but the very best for his family, his musical endeavors, and we are grateful for everything he has contributed as a founding member of Kung Fu.

    We would like to give a gigantic welcome to Beau Sasser as our new keyboardist. Beau is most notable for his work with Alan Evans Trio, Melvin Sparks, Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan, The Z3, Uncle Sammy, Ryan Montbleau and more. He is a beast of a different flavor on keys, with incredible song writing skills, and we are very excited to have him on the Kung Fu team. With Beau on board, we know that Kung Fu will continue to be one of the best live bands on the scene.

    We would like to thank you, our loyal and dedicated fans, for your continued support! We can’t wait to see you this summer!

    Peace, Love and Music-

    The Ninjas

    Stoops took to Facebook to issue his own statement, seeming to tell a bit of a different story. It appears the band kicked him out via email, and that it may not have been a mutual decision:

    Dearest Family, Friends, and Fans,

    This is tough, but here goes…

    It has been the utmost honor to have performed for all of you with Kung Fu for the past 5+ years. I have experienced some of the greatest highs of my life onstage with the band that I co-founded, and I consider myself one of the luckiest humans alive to have been able to share that energy with all of you.

    From the bottom of my heart, thank you…

    After an incredible run out to the midwest for sets at SummerCamp and Revival, I came home to an email Tuesday from the rest of the band informing me that I was being replaced. Effective immediately.

    Needless to say, it was as shocking to me Tuesday afternoon as it must be to all of you reading this now…

    I can only wish the best for the remaining members of Kung Fu as they continue their journey. They are good musicians. With only two original members remaining, I’m excited to hear the evolution of that collective.

    Moving forward….. 

    I have always kept a commitment to myself to perform with as many different artists and projects as possible. Always with the intent of broadening my musical vocabulary, personal growth, and most importantly, learning from everyone I have had the opportunity of performing with.

    I fully intend on continuing this mission.

    Much love!!
    Todd Stoops

    ‪#‎emailbreakupssuck‬ ‪#‎imwithstoops‬

    NYSMusic.com has reached out to Stoops and the band’s management for comment.

  • Alan Evans Reunites With Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

    Buffalo native Alan Evans is at it again. This time, it is a reunion with soul-funk icon Karl Denson and his band Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe.

    Evans is no stranger to the funk scene as drummer for the wildly popular band Soulive, as well branching out with his own (now defunct) trio PlayOnBrother. When Soulive was in their freshman years, he was an integral part of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe almost three decades ago as one of their first drummers.

    Alan Evans Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
    Alan Evans of Playonbrother

    Denson has seen his share of success – touring and recording with Lenny Kravitz’s band, then playing saxophone and singing for jazz/funk legends the Greyboy Allstars. More recently, Denson joined Slightly Stoopid, while still maintaining his Tiny Universe. Denson and his band recently released their debut album on Stoopid Records titled New Ammo. 

    With decades of experience and success behind them, Evans and Denson are most certainly a force to be reckoned with. Fresh off another successful Brooklyn Bowl residency – Bowlive – Evans will be shaking the walls with Denson. Though we have seen our fair share of Royal Family Records collaborations, this one is sure to leave fans begging for more. Keep an eye out for show announcements in the very near future.

  • NYS Music March Madness 2016 – Round 2

    Welcome to Round 2 of NYS Music’s March Madness 2016! This tournament-style competition includes the remaining 32 bands and artists who call Upstate New York their home.

    This year’s 4 regions are based on genres of music – Funk/Jam/Reggae, Metal/Rock, Bluegrass/Folk/Americana and Indie/EDM. Each region has 16 Upstate New York bands in their respective region, battling it out to reach the Final Four and claim this year’s title. Bands were chosen based upon their origins in Upstate and popularity in their respective genres.

    In the first round, nearly all Metal/Rock underdogs beat the top seeds, while reigning champ Lucid fell to Mister F in the Jam/Funk/Reggae region. Almost every top seed moves on in the Indie/EDM region while a very competitive Folk/Bluegrass/Americana/Country region has a mix of underdogs and favorites alike.

    Round 2 voting begins March 20 at Noon and ends at midnight on Monday March 23. Round three begins March 24, with additional rounds announced on the NYS Music Facebook page.

  • The Nth Power’s Escape Plan: Bring the funk

    People huddled around in front of Putnam Den, trying to stay warm, trying to stay excited for the night of funk that was to ensue inside with Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan, and The Nth Power on Friday, Feb 27. They were surely in for a treat as both bands prepared hot sets to warm the chilly bones of the crowd.

    To start the night, Beau Sasser had his Escape Plan ready to tear things up. The animated lead vocals and centerpiece of the group, Mary Corso, held the crowd’s attention with a soothing voice and a natural stage presence, and had the many in attendance eating out of her hand. High energy guitar solos by Justin Henricks and Craig Brodhead were a non stop staple throughout the set.. “Taxman” The Beatles staple, was an interesting choice for a funk band to tackle, but The Escape Plan did it flawlessly. Between the vocals of Mary and the drums of Max Creeks Bill Carbone, the beat was a completely different arrangement than the Beatles – a treat hearing a new twist on an old standard. “Whipping Post” the Allman Brothers classic, exemplified this tremendously, and the crowd was moving rapidly to the southern rock groove sprinkled with the sweet funk for which The Escape Plan is known. This was sheer brilliance. The band played a few encores, which was pleasurable to everyone in the packed room. The encore highlight came, however, when Nigel Hall, The Nth Powers organist sat in with the group. Beau moved over and the two geniuses went to town on the keys bringing cheer to all. It was the perfect was to end the set, and The Nth Power was still yet to come. It seemed there would be no way they could keep this fantastic vibe going, but Nigel and crew would bring an elegant mixture of rock , funk and blues to the stage that was nothing less than mind-blowing.

    DaveDeCrescente-EscapePlan-11

    Slow riffing guitar is not the typical way to kick off a funk show, nevertheless, Nick Cassarino proved that this could be done superbly. As the slow groove was picked up with drums by Nikki Glaspie, it threw a beat that left the crowd with little choice but move themselves to dance. The screeching solo and roaring drums were the perfect way to kick off funk. With musicians such as Nigel Hall, bassist Nate Edgar and percussionist Weedie Braimah the group was complete. As the evening moved forth they proved it time and time again, with tremendous drums solos sending energy through the building and the uncontrollably frantic audience. Funk also has a cousin, and that cousin is the soul. The Nth Power possessed so much soul it was exuding throughout the crowd and the melodic harmonies were out of this world. Glaspie and Cassarino made their voices seem as one, as the highs and lows blended in a way that could be matched by few others – these guys have it. The vocals were a gigantic part of the festivities, as Mr. Nigel Hall would provide some heavenly vocals backed up by the other two, to create the perfect three-part harmony.

    Weedie Braimah’s percussion was definitely a high point of the show. He genuinely looked as if he was having a spiritual experience while honing his craft, which overflowed into the crowd as they were even more uncontrollable than previously. Weeddie and Nikki dueled, leading the audience to know that they would each outdo the other, but how? Amazing. The music these five people made was exactly the sound they were going for. There are definitely bigger things to come for The Nth Power.

  • Winter Carnival 2015: The Royal Noise at the Waterhole

    The first night of Saranac Lake’s annual Winter Carnival kicked off Friday night with The Royal Noise bringing the funk to the Waterhole.

    The Philadelphia-based band featured Saranac Lake native Mike LaBombard on saxophone and keys, along with Rodrigo Pichardo on bass and Aaron Zarrow on drums. The band played a free show in the Waterhole’s downstairs bar area, and it was packed with revelers honoring the outset of the weeklong winter festival, one of the oldest in the U.S., which has a theme this year of the Groovy ’60s. The Carnival queen, Linda Jackson, stopped by in her robe and crown after her coronation to celebrate with her subjects.

  • Hearing Aide: Balkun Brothers ‘ReDrova’

    Emerging from CT with an explosive, funkified blues-rock sound, Balkun Brothers have been touring heavily up and down the East coast in support of their first full-length studio album, ReDrova.

    The trio features Steve Balkun on guitar/vocals, Nick Balkun on drums and Caleb Battersby on bass/vocals, creating a new age soulful blues with hard-hitting attitude. They’ve been voted “Best Blues Band in Connecticut” for the past two years in a row and ReDrova is a powerful testament to the title. The 12 track album covers a diverse taste of Balkun Brothers flavor with foot stomping, high-speed chase tunes to swampy Americana punk. The Balkun Brothers have shared the stage with such acts as Dopapod, Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, Mike Dillon and many more with hundreds of shows set at festivals and legendary clubs across the country.

    The album kicks off with an organized mess of a crescendo from the trio before slamming into heavy, classic rock guitar riffs and rhythms that throw the listener into the music with full force. The impressive rock star vocals with lengthy note holds and range are enthusiastic cliff hangers throughout the entire album. The blues rock is a swampy surprise as the twang of the guitar blends with the deep bass notes and steady percussion perfectly each time. The album takes a turn to slow it down for a heated focus on the sensual melodies only to segue into an upbeat New Orleans’s jazz for a ‘spin me around the dance floor’ free for all. Each song is fresh with an energetic punk meets blues rock and a heavy twist of Elvis Presley charm.

    ReDrova is available on their website for $10 as a digital download or as a hard copy at any of their shows. Catch them this weekend when they return home to Connecticut to perform at The Main Pub in Manchester on Friday, February 6 and to Upstate, NY on Saturday February 7 at Syracuse’s Funk n Waffles with special guests Canopy. Check out their website for all their upcoming New England show dates because with their hot new album release, this is the band to look out for this year.

    Key Tracks: Oh Yeah! (Last Jam), Got My Boots On, Sally’s Blues

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