Category: Photo Gallery

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.

June 16, 2016
Hinder Brings its Stripped-Down Acoustic Show to Binghamton

Hinder, best known for their hits “Get Stoned,” “Lips of an Angel,” “Better than Me,” “How Long,” “I Don’t Wanna Know,” and many others brought their acoustic set to Magic City Music Hall in Binghamton, NY, on June 7 in support of their new six-song acoustic EP titled Stripped. Stripped was released on May 13 via the End Records and includes the songs “Not An Addict,” “Intoxicated,” “Wasted Life,” Hit The Ground,” “If Only For Tonight” and “Get Stoned.” This is the band’s first strictly acoustic project to be released and is their second EP; the first being their 2003 debut Far From Close.

In March, the band announced the album would be titled Stripped and would be released on May 13. At the time the band also announced that they would be touring June through July with the New Zealand-based rock band Like a Storm in support of the new EP.

After a stellar didgeridoo-infused, 45-minute acoustic performance by Like a Storm, who played several numbers including “Becoming The Enemy,” “Amazing Grace/Southern Skies,” “Love the Way You Hate Me” and a cool rendition of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Hinder took the stage and began their set with “Intoxicated,” “I Don’t Wanna Know” and “What Ya Gonna Do” that had lead singer Marshal Dutton and the band joking with the crowd about mixing up the brands when your usual whiskey “ain’t workin’ no more.”

Despite a smaller than expected crowd, longtime band members Mark King, Joe “Blower” Garvey, Mike Rodden, Cody Hansen and lead vocalist and guitarist Marshal Dutton put on a fun-filled, entertaining and interactive show with an intimate audience and performed each song exceptionally well with great vocals and musicianship that they are known for. At times throughout the evening, various members swapped instruments with each other, showcasing how musically talented they are as individuals as well as a band. Hinder played a 12-song set with fun interactive breaks at times between songs and swapping instruments.

Hinder and Like a Storm continue their acoustic tour throughout the summer. If you’re out there and looking for a great show this summer, be sure to check out Hinder and Like a Storm.

Hinder Set List 6/7/16:
Intoxicated, I Don’t Wanna Know, What ya Gonna Do, Shoulda Known Better, Hit the Ground, Last Kiss Goodbye, Not an Addict, Red Tail Lights, Better Than Me, Get Stoned, Pussy Control, No Excuses

June 15, 2016
Buffalo’s Intrepid Travelers Hold Inaugural IT Fest

If you haven’t heard of the Buffalo-based quartet Intrepid Travelers yet, expect that to change. Forming in Buffalo in 2013, after two years the band seems to be hitting their stride with IT Fest. Intrepid Travelers consists of David Neimanis (bass/vocals), Brian Calisto (guitar/vocals), Donny Frauenhofer (keys/vocals) and Jon Fohl (drums/vocals).

They held their first festival event on Sat., June 11. The event took place on the property of Josh Skowronski in Alden, NY. IT Fest offered camping, a variety of vendors and three long sets of Intrepid Travelers throughout the day—all on private property with nature trails and a nearby creek.

The first two sets were a mixture of original songs with a few covers thrown in the mix. The last set they covered MGMT’s album Oracular Spectacular from start to finish. They put their own twist on the album, showing fans a side of the band that they might not be aware of.

David Neimanis had this to say about IT Fest:

We want to thank all those that attended this first-time event. We look forward to doing many more of these, and allowing this festival to organically grow with all of us. Josh really went above and beyond to put this together, and we couldn’t have asked for a better host. We are also incredibly grateful that mother nature had our backs and proved all the forecasters wrong by giving us a beautiful day. None of this would have been possible without all the help from sound engineers Ryan Bress and Tyler Dieckman, our volunteers and all the good people who came out and respected the land. It feels great to connect people together through music, and we are thrilled by the positive we received from everyone. We really can’t wait to have more Intrepid Travelers’ Family Reunions.”

The band is headlining an event at Neitzsche’s in Bufflalo on June 25, and will be heading out on a month-long tour starting July 8 in Ithaca, NY, and a July 9 hometown show at the Lockhouse. The tour will take them across the country and back, before closing out with a performance in East Aurora, NY, on Aug. 19.

The music scene in Buffalo is alive and thriving. Intrepid Travelers are a fine example of this, and they have the pieces in place to make some noise in the music world.

6/11/16 Setlist

Set 1: Cities^ Maddy and Anna, Dark Disease > Funnel > Shake Your Body#
^ Talking Heads
# Jackson 5

Set 2: On the Grass, All About It, Conquistadors, Randoh’s Island > Lochs of Dread*# Jungle Boogie^
* Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
# featuring Phil Driesin on guitar
^ Kool and the Gang

Set 3: Time to Pretend* Weekend Wars* > The Youth* Electric Feel* > Kids* > 4th Dimensional Transition* > Pieces of What* Of Moons, Birds and Monsters* > The Handshake* Future Reflections* Kung Fu Fighting % Woolify, Photo Booth, Youth, Stayin’ Alive^ Mountain Man
* MGMT
% Carl Douglas
^ Bee Gees

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June 13, 2016
Béla Fleck and the Original Flecktones’ Reunion Tour Hits Albany

The house lights dimmed and the Hart Theater at The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany grew dark. The house was packed; every seat was filled with a body consumed with anticipation. Four years had passed since most of these fans had seen the act that was about to take the stage, and for anyone else it had either been longer or not at all. Slowly, music started to escape from the speakers. The first sounds heard were from a jaw harp played by the instrumentally diverse Howard Levy as he walked out on stage. Next, Futureman came out with his Synthaxe Drumitar, laying down percussion in the most unique way with an instrument of his own design. Then came Victor Wooten and Béla Fleck, at the same time, filling the sound out with their respective bass and banjo. The June 8 reunion tour show of Béla Fleck and the Original Flecktones was underway.

The Nashville-based progressive bluegrass, jazz fusion quartet started their unsupported two-set show off with one of their oldest tunes, “Frontiers.” There was a thorough introduction to everyone’s capabilities right off the bat. Howard demonstrating his note-bending harmonica technique, Victor proving to be as solid as ever, helping to keep the rhythm in fine form, Béla plucking away at his banjo in the most expert of ways, and Futureman’s fluent ability to fill the rest of the sound with the perfect percussion.

The band played a few more songs before the crowd was addressed. Béla spoke first, talking about how long it had been since they’ve toured and how they are on a two-week run, slowly moving their way west to Colorado to play the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He talked about being back in Albany for the first time in four years and how he’s “always thrilled to be back at The Egg.” He then turned the crowd’s attention to his right and introduced Howard, who made mention of being a New York native, specifically from Brooklyn. Howard then introduced Victor who then introduced his older brother, Futureman.

The drummer extraordinaire gave some insight into the formation of The Flecktones. He mentioned that Béla called him one day and started talking to him about a project. Futureman urged Béla not to pigeonhole himself in bluegrass and told him how playing jazz on a banjo isn’t just a possibility—it’s already been done, but had fallen out of style. He talked about how back in the 1920s Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, a New Orleans jazz band, had a banjo as a main instrument. Futureman elaborated further after the show saying that Béla playing banjo in a jazz band would be like bringing that instrument full circle in a genre from which it had escaped years ago, likely due to the instillation of the guitar.

The show was not only loaded with truly fulfilling music, but it was clear that these four longtime bandmates were having some fun performing on the road again. Howard was using every bit of every instrument to make the sound he wanted the audience to hear, like reaching into the open top of the grand piano and strumming on the high octave strings. Victor played his nearly patented slap-and-tap, which always gets the crowd cheering. Béla continued to tear up the banjo with precision and Futureman was taking drum solos while not even sitting at a drum set. They finished up the first set with “Kayto,” during which they crowded together so all four could help play the bass and banjo slung over Victor and Béla’s shoulders.

The Flecktones came back from set break and ignited the second set with “Zenergy,” in which Victor played a monster bass solo. He told a fan after the show that a vast majority of any show he plays is him playing bass lines and not playing with more complicated technique; the band benefits much more from a solid bass line than constant soloing. (Either way, when people think of Victor Wooten, they think of one of the best bassists in the history of music and hearing him perform one of his solos is almost worth the price of admission by itself.)

The second set was going as could be expected—everyone dancing in their seat and giving little shout outs, cheering on these four gentlemen. One fan pointed it out the best, noting that it was simply amazing that what everyone was watching is a group of four guys who are all very talented musicians, quite unique in their own fashion, yet still manage to play symbiotically, as though they were one musical organism.

Toward the end of the second set, Béla gave the crowd some instructions, which included some “ooos” and “aaahs.” What came next was the crowd favorite, “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.” The set was capped off with another hit, “Stomping Grounds,” and then this incredibly unique band exited the stage, only to return moments later for their encore. Béla and his fellow minstrels finished the show with sincere thanks for everyone attending and then they broke into an electrifying “Sinister Minister.”

As the house lights came on, the audience started to file out toward the venue’s exit. However, some fans remained and started to congregate near the stage. These people knew something those who were already departing didn’t know; Béla, Victor, Howard and Futureman would be back out to do an unannounced meet-and-greet. They proved to be incredibly gracious and humble people who were more than happy to take pictures with fans and sign autographs, even for one gentleman who had the better part of a dozen CDs to sign. The evening left Flecktones’ fans fully satisfied, knowing that it was worth the four-year wait. The only hope was that the amount of time between this show and the next will be much shorter.

Check out the photo gallery below taken by NYS Music photographer, Frankie Cavone.

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June 10, 2016
Sterling Stage Folkfest Brought in the Crowd, 12th Annual Event

This year’s 12th annual Folkfest took place at Sterling Stage Kampitheater in Sterling over Memorial Day Weekend and brought in more than a 1,000 attendees. Featuring many great bands, vendors and artists, the location and crowd made for a fantastic weekend in the sun.

If you missed Folkfest, you can check out two more festivals that are taking place at Sterling Stage Kampitheater this year: Ameribeat Festi val of Arts (June 30 to July 3) and Last Daze of Summer (Sept. 1 through 4). Get your tickets here.

June 8, 2016
Dark Star Orchestra Treats Buffalo Crowd to Three Sets

Back in 1972 the cost of a gallon of gas was 55 cents. Richard Nixon was our nation’s president, soon to experience a fall from grace. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. “American Pie” by Don McLean was #1 on the music charts. March 25, 1972 was the date in Grateful Dead history that Dark Star Orchestra helped us relive in Buffalo. That original show took place at the Academy of Music in New York City.

DSO took the stage at the sold out Town Ballroom in Buffalo NY right after 8:00 p.m. They started the night off with the classic “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).” They would close the first set with “Bertha.” Throughout the night they teased the crowd saying they might play three sets.

By the start of the second set, DSO seemed to be feeding off the enormous amount of energy that the crowd was providing. “Mr. Charlie” got things started with set two. They would close this energetic second set with the sing a long classic “Casey Jones.”

The third set did not directly correlate with this date in Grateful Dead history. It was a filler set but you couldn’t ask for a better way to close out four hours of beautiful music. Songs like “Black Throated Wind” and “Tangled Up In Blue” really seemed to hit the sweet spot with the crowd. All in all it was a beautiful night of music. The crowd consisted of old school and new school Dead Heads. No matter what their age, every last one of them left the Town Ballroom with a huge smile on their face.

Set One: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Are You Lonely For Me Baby, Next Time You See Me, Brown Eyed Women, Smokestack Lightnin’, Sitting On Top Of The World, Sugaree, Looks Like Rain, Bertha

Set Two: Mr Charlie, Black Throated Wind, Deal, Playing In The Band, Turn On Your Lovelight, Casey Jones

Set Three (Filler): Chinatown Shuffle, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Black-Throated Wind, Positively 4th Street, Tangled Up In Blue

June 6, 2016
Final Night at Rock ‘N Derby Closes With Shinedown, Sixx A.M. and Sevendust

Rock ‘N Derby closed out its inaugural weekend at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds on Sunday, May 22. The first two days of the festival were really, really good, and Sunday’s lineup may have been the best of the weekend with the likes of Sevendust, Ghost, Sixx: A.M., Trivium, Megadeth, Collective Soul, Coheed and Cambria and, the headliners of the day, Brent Smith and Shinedown. The only disappointment was Like A Storm not being able to make the show due to its tour bus breaking down.

Shinedown closed out the first ever Rock ‘N Derby on the Derby Stage. In usual Shinedown fashion after the first couple of songs into the bands set, frontman Brent Smith united the crowd with each other and with the band. As drummer Barry Kerch provided the beat, Smith asked the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, New York, where you at? If this is your very first time seeing Shinedown, then raise your hands please.” Smith then told the people of the crowd to look to their left, then to their right, and said, “You see, there is a reason for this, you see that person standing next to you, you may have never met before tonight’s event. We’re gonna change that, everyone turn to your neighbor right now, I wanna see you shaking each others’ hands, giving each other high fives and tell them how nice it is to see them at the show.”

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Before the band got into the song “If You Only Knew,” Smith told the fans that he knows it’s been a long weekend, and told the crowd to give a big round of applause for all the other performers who played during the festival, and that he is honored that he gets to share the stage with them. Smith then said “With that being said, we’re not in those bands. We’re in Shinedown. And this is 100% between us, and all of you here tonight. So, did you bring your singing voices tonight? This next song is for all the ladies, where you at? This is dedicated to all the lovers and the ladies.”

Smith gave an extensive speech before the song “Enemies,” that created a moment that has to be witnessed live. He had everyone at Rock ‘N Derby jumping and going insane when the song kicked off.

As the rest of the members of Shinedown jammed on stage, Smith started his speech on stage, and then ended up in the middle of the crowd. He started off by saying “Let’s make 100 percent sure, that all of you here tonight are getting exactly what you want. Cause here’s the thing. You see, we only have one boss. It just happens to be everyone in the audience. So, if you’re not happy, no one’s happy, and you ultimately decide who stays and who goes.”

Smith then had the crowd split in the middle. Once the fans did. Smith left the stage and continued his speech to the fans. Smith then stated “Now listen up, this next song, we guarantee your gonna know the song. What I’m gonna do is this, I’m gonna go back up on stage, I’m gonna count to three. Then I’m gonna say the word go. When I say go, I want every single person that is able, I want you jumping up and down. I wanna see all this dust up in the air. I wanna see every single person in the state of New York bouncing simultaneously up and down. That’s gonna lets us know that we’re at a real rock show.” Smith then returned to the stage and said, “This is all on you. You not at the library, and this ain’t no funeral. Your at a rock & roll revival people.”

Shinedown was to play “State Of My Head,” but before the song, Smith asked for all the lights to be turned off at the fairgrounds. Smith then asked all the fans to light up their cell phones and lighters. In a beautiful sight, Smith said “It’s good to see the stars of New York State.”

Smith would be the last artist to acknowledged the 5-year old girl spending her birthday weekend at the festival. After asking her name Smith then said sincerely “Here’s the thing. I have to give her a lot of credit. ‘Cause 5-years old, and she’s been at a Shinedown show on top of the barricade all weekend. Her mother just mouthed it to me, that she’s been here not just for this show, she’s been here the whole weekend. So I think the least we can do is sing “Happy Birthday.” Smith then led the crowd in to sing “Happy Birthday” one more time.

After the last song in the set “Sound Of Madness,” Smith did his usual concert send off by saying “Our new record is called Threat To Survival. It’s available everywhere. Be good, be good to each other, God bless you all. It’s never goodbye, it’s just ’til next time.” Smith told drummer Barry Kerch to lock it down. Kerch pounded the drums a few times and closed out the set.

Sevendust showed how it’s done on the Derby Stage. The band walked onto the stage while the intro to the song “Thank You” played. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon took the stage and asked the crowd “Do you know who we are? We are Sevendust. Let me see your hands in the air. Y’all better make some fucking noise.”

After the song, Witherspoon again asked the crowd if they knew who they were. He then said to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen in the pit, you guys kick ass. I love it when I see the gentlemen invite the ladies in, and it ain’t nothing but a bunch of fun out there.” He went on and asked “Are you guys happy to see us this evening? Thank you for being here so early. We love you guys, God Bless. Are you ready for some more Sevendust music? I wanna see you dance. Are you with us out there? If you can’t be in the pit, I wanna see you bouncing.” Witherspoon the turned his attention to the fans in the back “How you all doing back there in the VIP, whats up?”

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After the band performed “Decay,” Witherspoon may have spilled the beans on a future tour. He asked the crowd if the were ready for headliners Shinedown. He then asked what the people in Schaghticoke knew about the band Ghost. Witherspoon then asked the crowd what they thought of a possible Ghost and Sevendust Tour. Fans cheered.

Witherspoon took the time before the song ‘Praise” to tell fans how close they make him and the band feel to the crowd. Witherspoon first asked fans if they were enjoying themselves. He then said “Can I say something to you? Thank you for making all of our dreams come true. Let me tell you why. And I say this, and I know I fucking say this before anyone else says this. If it wasn’t for each and every one of you guys, none of us would have a fucking job. So thank you very much. If you don’t know who we are, we are Sevendust. We do not have concerts. We have family fucking reunions. Let me see your hands in the air. Let me see what you all got.”

As Witherspoon was talking about the next song “Pieces,” He noticed a sign in the crowd that said split the crowd. Baffled by the request he said “Split the crowd? I never had anyone tell me to do that. I don’t know what that means. You guys wanna split the fucking crowd. Let me see you split right here in the middle. I never done this before. You had a fucking sign (points to fan in the crowd), just spread out right here in the middle. You know what I’d like to fucking do. Since he requested a split, let me see you guys walk around in a circle right in the middle of that split.” Sevendust dropped the track, and in a pretty cool site, fans moved in the pit so hard you could see a dirt cloud slowly rise up and get thicker where you could hardly see the band if you hung out in the back to watch the band perform.

Sixx: A.M. battled a slight rain storm for about 10 minutes, but that didn’t stop them from being one of the day’s, if not one of the weekend’s top performers. They are the total package. The have the look, they have the sound, they have the stage presence and they have the songs. They also sport two female backup singers on stage. Sixx: A.M. started off with “This Is Gonna Hurt,” and “Rise.”

Frontman James Michael took a break to chat with the crowd after the song “This Is Gonna Hurt,” and said, “What’s up Rock ‘N Derby? How you motherfuckers doing today? Let me ask you something. Who is seeing Sixx: A.M. for the very first time right here, right now?” After about everyone in the packed lawn area watching their set cheered because they seem to never tour in this area, Michael continued “Very good. Keep your hands up in the air, everybody put your fucking hands in the air and make a fist like I’m doing, and every time you hear us say the word rise, I wanna see you throw your motherfucking fists up in the air. Will you do that for me? Are you ready to Rise?

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After the song “Rise,” the crowd was so hot during the song, Michael yelled to the crowd “Ah Fuck yeah Rock ‘N Derby. He then introduced the next song in set “Everything Went To Hell” by saying “This one goes out to the bitch that ripped my fucking heart out of my chest. You know what I’m fucking talking about, don’t you.

Once the last song in the set “Life Is Beautiful,” concluded, Michael introduced the band. Nikki Sixx, the band’s bassist (also the bassist of Mötley Crüe) then took the mic and introduced Michael. Amazing live show left everyone wanting more.

Trivium hit the Derby Stage hard. After two songs in the opening of their set, singer Matt Heafy stopped to talked to the crowd. He asked “How the fuck we doing today? We are Trivium. Is this anyone’s first time seeing Trivium today?” After the first timers responded, Heafy said “Pleasure to meet y’all” and then asked “Is this anyone’s second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth or 10th time seeing Trivium? Alright my friends one very simple rule for a Trivium show my friends. Whatever the fuck we’re doing up here, we need you all to be doing down there. That’s headbanging, singing, screaming, moving your asses, sweating and all that good fucking shit.”

He then gave a rundown on what crowd on the festival circuit was the best so far. Heafy said the crowd “If you want be the motherfucking best my friends, we all got to step it the fuck up.” Trivium followed Heafy’s speech with the band’s current single “Dead and Gone.”

Next song in the setlist Heafy told the crowd that they were gonna go back to the fourth album, but needed the fans’ help before they play “Down From The Sky.” He went on to say that on the next song, “Lets make some noise together. I’ll do it with you, but y’all gotta do it with me too.”

Heafy introduced “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr.” He introduced the song by saying “This next song is an old motherfucker. This song goes real well with a nice circle pit or two or three or whatever you feel like doing but we need that shit.”

Heafy then explained how the pit works, “You run and you turn left, if they fall down, pick them the fuck back up. If you ain’t in that circle, you’re banging your head, you’re shaking your ass or you’re fucking moving your bodies.”

Queensbury native Frank Palangi opened the final day Sunday at Rock ‘N Derby, on the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage. Palangi played a good mix of original tunes and cover tunes. Palangi and his band came right out to get noticed, and they did. By the end of his set, most of the fans that were sitting over on the bleachers, made their way to the general standing area to rock out closer to him.

After his first song, Palangi asked the crowd, “You guys ready to make some noise today?” After the fans’ minimal response, Palangi then asked the crowd louder, “I said, are you ready to make some noise today?” He then went on to explain what the next song in his set is about. Palangi said the next song is about being lied to. he then asked the fans “Who’s ever been lied to?” After a couple shouts from the crowd he replied, “Just a couple of people? I don’t find that true. It’s a song about basically somebody taking your words and twisting them around.”

Before Palangi performed the song “Driving These Lines,” he gave a quick run-down about the song being about the ups and downs in life and the music industry. He said “You run into stuff that bothers you, but then its like, I can’t do anything about it. But that’s life.” After the song, he thanked one of the sponsors at Rock’N Derby, entertainment retailer f.y.e.. He then thanked the local f.y.e.’s for supporting local artists by selling their music in their stores. He said “f.y.e.’s here in New York support local artist and they are awesome.”

Drummer Josh Opitz and Palangi showed off some of their skills before they performed their new single “Break These Chains.” Optiz started off teasing a drum solo with Palangi shredding a rift on his guitar.

Palangi then played a cover by the band Full Devil Jacket. Palangi talked about how the band was a big influence on him since Woodstock 1999 and showed respect to singer Josh Brown. He talked about how he gave Brown his CD and he listened to it. Brown then gave it to his producer and said this is how it all got started for him and he hasn’t stopped since. Palangi then told fans that he met the members of his band on Craigslist, and that they are blessed to do music here the last couple of years. Palangi then played the song “Now You Know.”

Palangi paid tribute to friend and bandmate TR Remsen who passed away recently from cancer. He said he was right there with them, as he pointed to the empty spot next to him. The band closed with the song “I Am Ready.”

May 29, 2016
Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Clutch and Pop Evil Kick Off Inaugural Night at Rock ‘N Derby

Last weekend, upstate New York hosted the first-ever Rock ‘N Derby, which kicked off May 20 at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds. The Capital Region has been buzzing for months with anticipation for the Rock on the Range style three-day festival. Along with thousands of local diehard rock enthusiasts, fans from across the northeast and Canada made the hike on a beautiful early spring evening.

Day one of the inaugural affair saw the likes of Lamb of God, Clutch, Parkway Drive, Wolfmother, Pop Evil, Scott Stapp, Corrosion of Conformity, Red Sun Rising, Wild Throne and the first band to ever headline a Rock ‘N Derby festival, Fiver Finger Death Punch. Friday night also saw Tool cover band Schism play on the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage, during the after party for fans who wanted to rock on into the late night hours.

From Grand Rapids, MI, Pop Evil, had the honor to be the first group to not only play the Derby main stage, but the first band ever to perform at Rock ‘N Derby period. To everyone’s amazement, Pop Evil is now sporting a blond female drummer behind the kit. It’s been news that current drummer, Josh “ChaChi” Marunde, was departing the band for new opportunities that would keep him closer to home. At show time, no one was sure who she was, or if she will end up being a permanent replacement for Marunde, all I can say is that the girl is a total badass behind the kit. However, it has now been reported that the band has welcomed Hayley Cramer as their new drummer.

Pop Evil came out and set the mood for the day. Fans went wild once the band started the first song in the set “Deal With The Devil.” Before playing the band’s current single “Take It All,” frontman Leigh Kakaty shouted out to local rock radio station Q103 for playing the new single. Kakaty went on to say to the crowd, “For everybody who just wanted a little, but now you want the whole damn thing. This song is called ‘Take It All’.”

Kakaty then picked up a guitar and asked if there was any old-school Pop Evil fans out there tonight. After cheers from the crowd, Kakaty said, “Well here’s one off our first record for you guys then.” He started off the song “100 in a 55.” After completing the first verse, Kakaty asked the crowd, “If you still believe in rock-and-roll bands, make some noise,” which made the crowd roar with cheers.

Kakaty gave a small heartfelt speech before moving into the next song, “Trenches.” He said, “I just wanna say, what an honor it is to be amongst real people who come to rock shows early. All these little kids I see, I wanna thank you parents for not raising them on any of that Justin Bieber bullshit. I didn’t know it was so fucking complicated. We are a rock band, we play rock music for brothers and sisters like you.” He went on to say that the band is currently on tour with two of the greatest icons, Rob Zombie and Disturbed. He then relayed a message on behalf of them, telling fans Zombie and Disturbed said to “fucking rock and roll tonight.” Kakaty’s speech went on to thank another band who was playing that night: ” There is one more band on this bill that I have to give a special shout out to, cause back in the day, they were one of the first bands to take a chance on us. You guys know them as Ivan and Zoltan and everybody at Five Finger Death Punch.”

Fans sang along with the frontman during the last song in the set, “Footsteps.” Kakaty was so impressed it prompted him to sincerely say to the crowd, “Are you fucking kidding me? Wow, there’s no greater feeling on this planet than when your fans, excuse me, your friends, sing your songs back to you, God bless you. God bless you, New York, we love you.” Pop Evil showed a lot of fire and Kakaty was pretty good on vocals. Set Time 5:50–6:30 p.m.

Neil, Jean-Paul, Dan and Tim, better known as Clutch also rocked the Derby Main Stage. Going into this show, I knew about the band, but never really followed them until recently. I was really impressed by how good this band performed. These guys are talented live musicians that anybody could go and see and enjoy themselves.

Early in their set, singer Neil Fallon lightly slipped walking onstage. This made Fallon say, “I will tell you right now, at some point in the next 45 minutes, I will fall on my ass on this stage. It’s gonna be legendary. Did you spray this thing with WD-40 before we got up here? Set Time 6:50–7:45 p.m.

Red Sun Rising performed over on the Rock ‘N Stage. Before the band played “My Muse,” frontman Mike Protich, who was not sure how to pronounce Schaghticoke, asked the crowd, “So what should I call you cause I can’t pronounce the city I’m in right now….. Albany?” (This became an eventual theme for all of the bands on the bill throughout the weekend.) As Protich looked to the crowd for answers he said, “I love all these New Yorkers. People here just shouting shit. We’re red Sun Rising from Akron, Ohio. It’s a pleasure to be here with you today.” Set Time 6:55–7:35 p.m.

Lamb of God performed while the sun went down on the Derby Stage, and brought fans into the night. Frontman Randy Blythe was super pumped up during Lamb of God’s set, as he was constantly jumping around and moving. I swear, Monster Energy drink has to run through his veins.

Blythe was next in line to ask the crowd how to pronounce the village Schaghticoke. Blythe said, “What the fuck is up upstate New York? Look at all you motherfuckers out there. Let me get a big Ric Flair Wooooooo.” The crowd “wooooooooed” back at Blythe, which made him say, “Fuck Yeah. Holy Shit. For those of you who do not know, and for those of you who drank too fucking much before you got here and don’t know where the fuck you are….We are Lamb of God. We come from Richmond motherfucking Virginia. I know we are in upstate New York, but I’m not going to attempt to pronounce the name of this fucking town. I fucked it up like 50 times.” Blythe then went on and tried to say the name of the town, even calling it Shaggy 2 Dope ( from Insane Clown Posse), which made the crowd laugh. He then asked the audience to pronounce the name the town on the count of three. The crowd shouted “Schaghticoke” in unison.

About midway through the band’s set, Blythe acknowledged what would become another theme over the weekend. There was a five-year-old girl celebrating her birthday during the three-day festival down in the front row. After asking the crowd if they were having a good time, Blythe said to the crowd, “Somebody down there has a fifth birthday.” He pointed at the girl and said, “Don’t get squished sweetheart.”

The frontman then turned his attention to the next song in the set list. He dedicated the next song to the little girl in the crowd and all the armed forces in the United States. He stated, “This song goes out to some people who don’t get the recognition I feel they deserve most of the time. These people do a hard, fucked-up job. They do it from a long ways from home. Most of the time they don’t even get a fucking thank you for this. I speak of the men and women in the United States armed services. This next song is for them.” The band then played “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For.” The crowd was insane for Lamb of God. Set Time 8:15–9:15 p.m.

Parkway Drive was one of, if not the best, performers of the night. Parkway Drive headlined the Rock ‘N Stage Friday. Singer Winston McCall was going so insane onstage, I thought he was going to give himself a heart attack. He was jumping, bouncing and waving his arms so much, it was like he was teaching an aerobics class, while putting on a kick-ass rock show.

Winston asked fans if they picked up the band’s new album, Ire. He then told the crowd that they are going to play a song off that album. Winston then said to the crowd, “You guys are doing great. One thing, one thing only. Just keep that vibe up here [raises hand above head]. Don’t let that energy drop. Keep it coming, keep it coming. If you haven’t crowd surfed yet today, you’re obliged to on the rest of this set. This one’s called ‘Vice Grip;’ step it up another notch.”

Before the next song in the set, Winston screamed to the crowd, “That’s it. Keep it up here [motioning his hand above his head], keep your energy up here. Bring it in, sing with me. This one’s called ‘Idols and Anchors.’”

Impressed with the fans’ reactions toward the band, Winston had to ask the crowd something before he continued: “Has anyone seen us before?” After minimal cheers, he replied, “A couple. Hi again.” He then asked for the first-timers to many cheers. Winston then welcomed everyone and said that he was just checking out the stats of the crowd, then thanked everyone for their time. Winston said, time is a precious thing, and that he appreciated fans spending some of it on them tonight.

The frontman asked the crowd if they still had enough energy left in them, because he knows they must be fucked after Lamb of God’s set. He then asked if they had a little bit of energy left, because they were going to play another heavy track. Winston then said, “If you can hear my voice, get your hands up. Here’s the deal. If you have the energy to get your hand in the air, when this one drops, I need to see you get your feet up as well. That includes you guys in the stands.” The band then played “Bottom Feeder.” Parkway Drive will head back to the their native country of Australia for a tour after their RotR performance on Saturday. Set Time 9–9:45 p.m.

Five Finger Death Punch was ready to close out the inaugural first night on the Derby Stage. FFDP got fans pumped with the first song in the setlist, “Lift Me Up.” After the second song in the set, “Hard to See,” Ivan Moody said, “Holy shit,” and called the crowd “motherfucking crazy.” Moody then asked the crowd to do him an honest favor and protect all the kids that were there enjoying the show. On that note, Moody then said to the crowd, “Front to back, side to side. When I jump up, you jump up. Now you know what to do.” FFDP then played “Burn it Down.”

After bassist Chris Kael took over the vocal duties for the song “Got Your Six,” next on the setlist was the band’s cover of “Bad Company.” Moody asked the crowd, how many men and women have served, or are still serving for the United States military, and asked them to put their hands up. He then said to the fans with their hands down, “You guys see those fucking hands… you shake them, you thank them and you buy them a beer for our fucking freedoms. Thank you so much.” This of course prompted a big U.S.A chant from fans. Moody then brought the song in by saying, “I don’t know if you guys heard, but there were a couple of, um, I’ll call them corporations, that were talking shit about us online. What they didn’t understand is that we’ve got Bad Company [points to the crowd].”

FFDP did their usual routine and brought up various kids onstage to join them for the song “Burn MF.” Moody pointed to the kids and told the crowd to make some noise for the next generation of heavy metal. Moody went on to say, “You guys wanna show them how the big kids do this? Then give me the biggest circle you’ve got right now. If you don’t wanna get hurt, now is the perfect time to get the fuck out of the way.”

Guitarist Jason Hook and Moody did an acoustic medley of “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “Battle Born.” Moody then stated to the crowd that there are strict curfew rules here and that the band could only play one more song. Five Finger Death Punch then closed out the night with “The Bleeding.”

I felt a small letdown here, and expected way more from these guys. If this was your first time ever seeing the band, you may have a slightly different opinion of the band’s set. It seemed the boys were a little off the mark onstage, and frontman Moody sang out of key and didn’t have his usual intensity. The thing that was most noticeable was the band’s set list. Fan-favorite track “Burn it Down” seems to always b one the band’s setlists, but it was missing along with the two current singles off their current studio album. Overall, everything seemed repetitive and overly rehearsed. Set Time 9:45–11 p.m.

May 27, 2016
Skid Row Slays Turning Stone Casino Showroom

After rescheduling their performance last winter because the then lead singer quit the band, New Jersey’s own heavy metal lords, Skid Row, made up for lost time with the sold-out crowd at the Turning Stone Casino Showroom in Verona on May 14.

Taking over vocal duties for Skid Row is now the one and only ZP Theart, who’s best known as the former frontman of the power-metal band Dragonforce. Theart joined Skid Row after former singer Tony Harnell left the band in December.

ZP and the rest of Skid Row came out Saturday night to prove they could still kick ass — and that they did. The packed house didn’t stay seated for more than 30 seconds once the band opened with “Slave to the Grind” and continued with a heavy set featuring classic tracks from the group’s self-titled 1989 album and 1991 followup, Slave to the Grind. Skid Row even threw in a cover of the Ramones’ “Psycho Therapy” before capping off the night with a three-song encore that included “Quicksand Jesus,” “Beat Yourself Blind” and “Youth Gone Wild.”

This performance definitely showed diehards that ZP has the pipes to fill the shoes of Skid Row’s original singer, Sebastian Bach. Check out the setlist and gallery from the band’s United World Rebellion stop in New York below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe8ZUebehxU

Setlist: Slave to the Grind, Big Guns, Sweet Little Sister, Piece of Me, 18 and Life, Makin’ a Mess, Riot Act, In a Darkened Room, Psycho Therapy [1], I Remember You, Monkey Business
Encore: Quicksand Jesus, Beat Yourself Blind, Youth Gone Wild
[1] Ramones Cover

[FinalTilesGallery id=’791′]

May 19, 2016
Salsa and Cristal: NYS Music Goes to Cuba

NYS Music goes to Cuba is a multi-part series detailing Cuban music and culture, the impact of Western music on Cuban music and the potential for change given the recent pending normalization of relations between The United States and Cuba.

It’s 11:30 p.m. in Central Havana and I’m sitting in Casa de la Musica with my best friend, surrounded by stalking prostitutes and Cuban music videos streaming on the screens behind the stage. I am focused on taking notes of my surroundings for this article, ignoring the hooker who is not giving up on me before my third Cristal beer kicks in and my handwriting becomes completely illegible. I don’t usually ignore women when they talk to me at a bar or club, so this is a first. (Plus, we didn’t budget for prostitutes.) They can smell our CUCs through our cargo shorts; they’re good.

Rewind back to 10 p.m. We arrive to find out the club is closed until 11 p.m., so with an hour to kill, we are encouraged by locals outside the club to walk down the street with them to a small bar, El Coronet, and meet some women who are clearly prostitutes. We aren’t taking the bait and bail after we finish our lone drink. Los Van Van is on the television, and ironically, they are playing the other Casa de la Musica in Miramar, where we should have gone, but alas, here we are.

With two shows nightly, Casa de la Musica is open from 5 to 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., but 9 to 11 p.m. is the ‘how fast can we fleece the early arrivals for the show?’ show. We pay a 10 CUC cover, get security wanded and enter to find 10 people in the club. The stage is set for 14 musicians with smoke machines that are continually going off. With two large screens on either side and three tall screens behind the band, this place looks awesome and must scream L.A. club when it’s packed. But until midnight, it’s somewhat dead, yet it provides an escape from the pimps, grifters and panhandlers waiting outside for easy prey to saunter along. The prostitutes though, they’re among us.

It’s hard to tell if this is arranged with the venue, just allowed to happen, or a combination of both. But it’s the one thing bringing in women to the club, beyond the two girls sitting near us who clearly aren’t prostitutes. More on them later.

While we wait for the stage show to begin, we ask to speak to El Jefe of the club, a short promoter type whom I explain our presence to as music journalists, and he immediately says photo is OK but no video and we agree. We ask to speak in a more quiet area, and quickly ask my questions. He directs me to a bartender who can speak a good deal of English. Alex, a Vin Diesel type, is fine with an interview and seems slightly flattered.

We ask about the club, which opened in 2002 with a capacity of 1,000 and followed the Miramar venue that opened in 1995 for 300 capacity and caters to a more highfalutin crowd (my term, not his.) There is Salsa every night (tonight is Bamboleo); it is all Cuban music, every night, and packed every Thursday through Saturday. We ask how things may change with more Western influence, and he assures us they already have. There is more pop music, so much so that when Usher was here this past Saturday, everyone knew him. He was recognized, signed autographs and sang four songs unannounced — this island is not as isolated or secluded as you might think.

The club has no advertising, no presales, just day-of show sales only. Attendance depends on the bands ultimately. The stage is 21st century even if outside the building is mid-20th century. While we talk to Alex, we don’t notice the crowd filling in the place. The audience is a mix of locals, tourists and prostitutes, perhaps 300 are here by midnight. Locals are sitting around, taking selfies and snaps, while buckets and bottles pepper the tables. Two Cuban guys are warming up Salsa moves near us. It’s 12:30 a.m., almost go time.

DJ SARAO takes over from the PA with “Uptown Funk” and the night of music finally begins proper. He’s good, but we came for Salsa. There are more than 350 in the club now. It feels dead despite the crowd, compared to the potential for the space. Ever go on spring break and the club is randomly undersold? That is Casa de la Musica tonight.

It is now 1:05 a.m. and Bamboleo finally arrives. Horns and drummer on percussion are the signature sounds, and it’s good to see Sisqo still getting work. Chris leans over and asks if we are watching a Cuban Turkuaz. I laugh; it’s not far off, but the Talking Heads covers are missing. This is a large band, fully in sync, rehearsed but not scripted, and each member has their own flair and presence with the music altogether fucking stellar. The keyboardist looks like Pitbull. It might be Pitbull. He makes a lot of appearances. The performance is quite amazing and highly energetic at all points. The sound doesn’t let up and even though I know zero of these songs, I am loving it. If I had someone who wasn’t Chris or a prostitute to dance with, I’d be getting down. Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra prepared me for this, but not this. Turkuaz/Bamboleo tour 2021 is going to crush the Caribbean.

My effort to dance the Salsa is admittedly minimal. I am an observer. Five or six Cristals deep now and I work up the courage to talk to the two girls near us. I say I would have spoken sooner, but with all the prostitutes, I wasn’t sure. They understood, thankfully. We chat; they are from the Basque Country in Spain. They are as close to normal as we find tonight.

Toward the end of the show, Chris is denied shooting stage right low. I go to El Jefe. He says OK, walks up with us and says, “Go up.” We do, but we are turned away. A bouncer denies us and even El Jefe can’t override. El Jefe brings us stage left low. We are fine here, but the angle isn’t as good. We still take the shots. The cab driver for our ride was a fan of SARAO and waited inside the club to offer us safe passage to our hostel. The 25 CUC he charges is a rip-off, but a 10-minute drive is all we can ask for given the state of the night. We didn’t spend as much in the club as we did on the cab, something we need to work on the next few nights.

May 18, 2016