NYS Music 20​16

Author: Erin Reid Coker

  • Fitz & The Tantrums Dance the Night Away

    American neo-soul and indie-pop band, Fitz & The Tantrums strutted into Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on June 23 to a large crowd of 18 and under kids accompanied by parents who for the most part stayed near the back of the venue.

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    The Los Angeles band, fresh off the Firefly Festival in Dover the weekend before, dominated the stage from the start in support of their third and self-titled album, Fitz & the Tantrums featuring “HandClap.”

    Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs delighted the energetic crowd during their 19-song set, which included the band’s classics “Out Of My League,” “Money Grabber,” “Walker” and “6 AM.” Although the band’s style has progressively changed over the past few years, there’s no denying their stage presence and dedicated fan base.

    Opening the night were fellow Californians, Finish Ticket. Signed back in 2014, the band performed a surprisingly hypnotic set which even included a cover of the Killers’, “When You Were Young.”

    Fitz & The Tantrums Set List:

    Get Right Back
    Spark
    Don’t Gotta Work It Out
    Out Of My League
    Run It
    Breaking The Walls
    Breakin’ The Chains of Love
    Walking Target
    Complicated
    Fools Gold
    Roll Up
    Do What You Want
    Money Grabber
    Tricky
    Burn It Down
    L.O.V.
    HandClap
    6AM
    Walker

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  • Boy and Bear Sell Out The Hollow

    Hard-working Aussies, Boy and Bear worked a sold-out crowd at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen on June 8. The five-piece indie/folk band barely fit onto The Hollow’s stage, but that didn’t seem to matter to the crowd, which appeared to be filled with a mix of 20-year-old girls and a handful of limb-flailing hippies. Pants cuffed, Boy and Bear ripped through an 18-song set with ease, and although there was little movement from the band, lead singer, David Hosking, mesmerized the crowd with his passion and digit-flaring moves. Throughout the evening, Hosking kept his eyes focused on the abyss, while periodically addressing the attendees with little tidbits about the songs. A few standouts from the Boy and Bear set include “Showdown,” “Back To Black” (Amy Winehouse cover) and “Part Time Believer.” All three songs played in succession, leading up to the grand finale of “Harlequin Dream,” “Southern Sun” and “Walk The Wire.” Hosking was nice enough to inform the crowd that there would not be an encore, and seeing that the band played 18 straight songs, nobody seemed to mind; it’s a trend that many bands seem to be embracing.

    Perhaps just as impressive as Boy and Bear was the Capital Region’s own Bear Grass. By chance, the foursome had a similar name, but couldn’t have been more different. Lead singer Katie Hammon drove an absolutely intoxicating 10-song set, which quickly won over The Hollow audience. The performance even seemed to win over Boy and Bear drummer, Timothy Hart, who more or less stood and watched the entire set. Even Hosking himself exited the tour bus to check out a few numbers. Hosking was quick to praise and thank Bear Grass as the night concluded, even though the two were sharing the stage for just one night. It’s easy to see why Hammon and Bear Grass are a local band that stand out as on the rise; she’s reminiscent of a Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt fame.

  • Boy and Bear to Make a Pit Stop in Albany

    Australian five-piece indie-folk band Boy and Bear will make a pit stop at the Hollow in downtown Albany on Wed., June 8. Venturing from Toronto to Albany and then to Buffalo and New York City, the group will give the Capital District a rare treat to see a band currently on the rise and promoting their third release, Limit of Love.

    The band formed in 2009 in Sydney by singer-songwriter Dave Hosking, who quickly teamed up with Killian Gavin (vocals, guitar), Timothy Hart (drums, vocals), Jonathan Hart (vocals, mandolin, keyboards) and David Symes (bass) to release their debut album Moonfire in 2011. The critically acclaimed Moonfire, which was recorded in Nashville, won numerous Australian Recording Industry Association music awards, while Limit of Love was formed at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studio in England. Limit of Love remains the band’s greatest attempt at honesty and good old-fashioned recording with zero automation and minimal takes, which is frequently matched and backed up in their live performances.

    Sandwiched in between Moonfire and Limit of Love was the band’s grandest release, Harlequin Dream, featuring the hit song “Southern Sun” that prominently featured slide guitar and was noted to be an homage to Australian artist and guitarist Richard Clapton. It was also the tenth most played track on the triple-A radio format in the United States in 2014. Smooth singing Hosking cuts through his lyrics like room temperature butter, making each song seem more heartfelt and emotional. While Limit of Love differs quite a bit from Harlequin Dream, both offer a shining glimpse into the guts and heads that make up Boy and Bear.

    WEQX welcomes Boy and Bear to the Hollow in Albany on June 8;  doors open at 8 p.m.

  • The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Brings Epic Performance to Stowe

    Looking back to my 18 years of photographing concerts, mostly throughout New York State, I can count on two hands the number of shows that I mention when someone asks, “What was the best show you’ve photographed?”. In the past, I could easily say Midnight Oil, Pearl Jam, Springsteen even. On one particular Saturday night at the Rusty Nail, in Stowe, Vermont, I ventured out nearly three hours to witness what is simply put, a top three show, ever as American County Blues band, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, out of Brown County, Indiana took the stage and flat out owned it from start to finish.

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    The hard working three pieced band rumbled through a set list with catchy tunes like “Mama’s Fried Potatoes” and “Clap Your Hands”. Master picker, Peyton and the ever hypnotic “Breezy” Peyton, on the washboard enticed and entertained the half full venue as part of a Spring Shakedown night which in all honesty was dominated by Peyton after a dropout of another band earlier that month. Nonetheless, the storytelling and raw talent of the band stands easily stands out and from a photographer’s standpoint is pure heaven and a band that any music lover would be wise to catch live.

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  • The Wild Feathers MOVE at The Hollow

    Hardworking Nashville-based band, The Wild Feathers made their first appearance in Albany on Friday April 22 as part of the weekend wide MOVE Music Festival.

    Music lovers filled into The Hollow awaiting an 11:30pm appearance from the band who feature original members, Ricky Young, (guitar, vocals), Taylor Burns, (guitar, vocals), Joel King, (bass, vocals), and Ben Dumas, (drums). Burns’ explosive vocals meshed perfectly with Young and King who all share lead vocals during the 13-song set.

    Fan favorite, The Ceiling closed out the set which drew Young into the audience. Shining on guitar was Nashville guitar phenom Daniel Donato who makes an instant impact and valuable addition to The Wild Feathers’ live show.

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  • Rock legends, The Cult “Hustle and Strut” at Upstate Concert Hall

    Rock legends, The Cult, ventured into Clifton Park’s Upstate Concert Hall on Saturday April 2, 2016 to a mixed macho crowd of mid 40-somethings. Formed in 1983, the British rockers gained a solid following due to songs like “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Fire Woman”. Thirty-three years later the bands latest release, “Hidden City:, the last in a trilogy of tightly woven albums features hard hitting and catchy tracks like,”GOAT” and Dark Energy”. What continues the bands long standing success and popularity are lead singer, Ian Astbury and Gretsch guitar toting god Billy Duffy. The two are also often credited as the two major songwriting talents for the band who have ten full length studio releases.
    The band led off with the 1987’s “Wild Flower” from the mega popular, Rick Rubin produced album, “Electric”. Throughout the 15 song set list Astbury projected a re-invented energy that seemed to be missing from parts of the “Electric” anniversary tour a few  years prior.  Fingers, sporting fresh tape from previous nights dominance of the tambourine resulting in numerous cuts only adds fuel to the passion that has always been the music of The Cult. Perhaps the catchiest new tune of the night is “GOAT” which means “Greatest of All Time”. A song that more than fitting for one of the worlds most talented lead guitarist, Duffy

    Opening up for The Cult was Holy White Hounds out of Des Moines, Iowa. Obvious fans of The Cult, frontman Brenton Dean duly noted how excited the foursome continues to be each evening to be opening for the band. The bands super short 7-song set list was a tad too brief to gain any real connection with the crowd but Dean kept his humor and energy in tact as well as his rapport with long time friend and bass player Ambrose Lupercal. The bands debut album, “Sparkle Sparkle” is scheduled to be released on May 6th with a return to Upstate Concert Hall on May 7th.

    The Cult – April 2, 2016 – Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY – Setlist

    Wild Flower, Dark Energy, Rain, Hinterland, Rise, Gone, Lil’ Devil, Birds of Paradise, Deeply Ordered Chaos, Sweet Soul Sister, Fire Woman, Phoenix, She Sells Sanctuary, GOAT, Love Removal Machine

  • Lindsay Ellyn with Buckeye Rooster trek to the North Country

    Best described as a “band of back-porch musicians, with a collective passion for American music, formed along the icy banks of the Hudson River“, Buckeye Rooster ruled the streets of Glens Falls Saturday, March 24, 2016 along with Nashville based singer-songwriter Lindsay Ellyn. It was a rare treat for the crowd at Mean Max Brew Works in a town that that offers a handful of small music venues that seem to be on the verge of breaking through with shows promoting original live music.

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    The six-person filled Buckeye Rooster led off the night in true Americana form with sharp harmonica and banjo driven tune, “Uncle Willy”. Throughout the fifteen plus set list the band held in classic form and succinct vocal prowess. The vocal combination of Bryan Lynch, Mike Colucci, Lynn Reno and Big Jon Randazzo flowed perfectly throughout the evening without one overpowering another. Perhaps the evening’s high point was a break into The Police classic, “Every Breath You Take”. Rooster provided Ellyn a hard act to follow but she quickly captured the crowds attention with her knack for storytelling and strong stage presence.

    Her set was beautifully highlighted by the haunting, “Somebody Love Those Girls”, a heartbreaking but optimistic song which can be found on her 2012 EP, Shores. Ellyn notes that the song “has connected with people in different ways—I guess that’s the beauty of music being so subjective, people can align their personal stories with stories I share. As I wrote it, the song is about what happens when we relinquish accountability for our own happiness. The relationship between our attitude and our actions. And who we’re left with when the dust settles”.

    Her latest EP, Out of Road, was named EP of the year in 2015 by Queens of Country  Produced by Dean Miller, the project features famed musicians including Chad Cromwell, Dan Dugmore, Steve Nathan and others.