Category: Features

Sturgill Simpson Simply Stuns the State

Outside, on the streets of Ithaca, the plants were dying and the leaves were falling. But inside, in the cozy majesty of the State Theater, country was ‘In Bloom’ as Sturgill Simpson took the stage Thursday night.

Simpson and his big band (Laur Joamets on electric & slide guitar, Chuck Bartels on bass, Bobby Emmett on keyboards, Miles Miller behind the kit and on backing vocals, Scott Frock on trumpet, Brad Walker on saxophone and Jon Ramm on trombone) played over two hours in a career-spanning set. There was no opening act, there was no encore and there wasn’t an unsatisfied soul walking out the door at the finish.

Simpson’s albums famously stretch the fabric of country music, adding in threads of soul, roots, blues and psychedelic elements. Live it plays as kind of a country soul revue, with a three-piece horn section, ever-present slick guitar and a keyboardist that isn’t afraid to mix in some spacey Moog. The band was utilized to full effect throughout the set, whether covering material from his debut High Top Mountain or his breakout sophomore release, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, each of which dominated the first half of the show. The music also moved the audience to full effect, from head to toe, with head bobbers, shoulder swayers, fist pumpers, booty shakers and foot stompers. Surprisingly, the most country the band sounded all night was in a phenomenal twanged-up cover of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks.”

It was over an hour before they played material off Simpson’s latest, A Sailor’s Guide to the Earth. After a spacey and noisy intro, the album finally broke into the set with “Welcome to Earth.” The song built in intensity with the horns bursting out into a funky groove that smoothly found it’s way into the second track on the album, “Breakers Roar.” The set continued on as they tackled the entire album front to back. Simpson played the part of band leader throughout, coaxing more guitar, quickening the rhythm or adding more horns, simply with motions of his guitar or a nod of the head, commandeering the stage and in turn the packed theater. “Keep It Between the Lines” brought the outlaw country down to New Orleans with funky horns and B3 organ. They stretched the center out to fit extended solos in from nearly everyone in the band, including an extra groovy bass and drums section. It reached a fever pitch that was fit for a show-stopping set closer, but they were just getting started. Still yet to come was their stirring soul-country cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” the heavy-rocking “Brace For Impact,” with Simpson finally strapping on an electric, and the set-closing “Call to Arms” complete with a “Soulful Strut” jam and a proper off-the-rails scream-to-the-end finish.

Setlist: Living the Dream, A Little Light Within, Water in a Well > Long White Line > Call Me The Breeze (Lynyrd Skynyrd) > When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin), ?, ?, The Promise, Railroad of Sin, It Ain’t All Flowers, ?, Some Days > Turtles All the Way Down, Hero, Welcome to Earth > Breakers Roar, Keep It Between the Lines, Sea Stories > In Bloom, Brace For Impact, All Around You > Oh Sarah, Call to Arms

October 18, 2016
Hearing Aide: Bon Iver “22, A Million”

Five years since the release of Bon Iver, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon shares yet another piece of his artwork with our world. This indie folk band’s third album 22, A Million is an experimentally brilliant work whose meaning is difficult to fully comprehend.

While experimenting with the auto-tune and synthetics, Bon Iver explores the world beyond the conventional three-minute song while staying true to himself. Vernon hones his exceptional songwriting abilities throughout the entirety of the album. He revives his style of singing over simplistic piano with his track “00000 Million” just as he did on his 2007 release For Emma, Forever Ago as well as his self-titled work four years later in 2011.

The interpretation of Bon Iver’s lyrics, which are challenging to decipher is aided by the release of lyric videos to all ten tracks. Each lyrical video is accompanied by symbols that hold personal meaning to individual band members such as the rainbow featured in “33 “GOD””, geometric shapes in “8 (circle)” and countless others. Consistent with Bon Iver’s unique approach to 22, A Million, each song title unconventionally involves language, numbers and symbols to enhance its eccentric nature.

With every new discovery, this cryptic album continues to fascinate the listener. Beginning with “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” and ending with “00000 Million” as they perfectly sandwich the imperfect “22 #Strafford APTS”. The first time listening to this intentionally flawed song I assumed by headphones had been detached from my computer to only later discover that it was an artistic choice of Vernon to record “22 #Strafford APTS” so that it appears to be breaking up near the tail end of the song.

22, A Million is a cohesive work that when listened to in its natural order portrays the progression of its ten tracks. “21 M♢♢N WATER” seems almost indistinguishable as it flows into “8 (circle)” while effortlessly maintaining a similar feel in both songs.

The controversial album that is 22, A Million was successful in reinventing Bon Iver to the extent that he is compared to the works of Kayne West and Frank Ocean. With this album, Bon Iver reaffirms his ability to remain of interest to our scattered millennial generation and the contemporary world.

Key Tracks: 8 (circle), 33 “GOD”, 22 (OVER S∞∞N)

October 18, 2016
“From One Chord to Another,” Sloan Celebrates a Landmark at Daryl’s House

Sloan has been at it for 25 years, but could easily have been a footnote in Canadian music history if not for their fortitude. Formed at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax in 1991, the alt-rock quartet has made a name for itself in its homeland, winning several East Coast Music Awards and a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album — 1996’s One Chord to Another. This album, however, almost never happened at all. Sloan was signed to Geffen Records early on, as label executives rushed to find the next Nirvana. As part of a burgeoning Halifax music scene that included Eric’s Trip and Thrush Hermit, that saw a gold rush to the maritime province from the labels, Sloan was the band that survived.

The band’s first two albums Smeared and Twice Removed were released on Geffen in 1992 and 1994 respectively. After a dispute with the label over lack of promotion for Twice Removed, the band took some time off, leading some to believe they had broken up. Sloan self-produced and self-released the follow-up to Twice Removed, One Chord to Another. Sunday night, the band rolled into Daryl’s House Club in Pawling for an intimate rendering of that landmark album on its 20th anniversary of release.

Sloan has made its bones sharing writing duties, vocals and instruments among the band’s four original members: Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson, Patrick Pentland and Andrew Scott. Power chords, hand claps and Beatle-esque harmonies are hallmarks of the Sloan sound. All these elements were firmly in place for the intimate audience of hard core Sloan fans this night.

Make no mistake, this is not a simple pop band. To survive 25 years in the business requires more than just catchy songs. The lyrics from each of the members reveal a depth that belies the catchiness of the music.

Throughout the history of pop music, many of the most poignant songs have carried a sense of darkness. The Beatles exhibited this to the extreme in “Run For Your Life” from the Rubber Soul album. And while Sloan has never intro’ed a song as bluntly as John Lennon did with,”I’d rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man,” a quick glance at Sloan’s song titles bears this out: “Everything You’ve Done Wrong,” Nothing Left to Make Me Wanna Stay.” Sloan has the songwriting chops to turn a subject such as unrequited love into dark poetry with a pop melody.

Daryl’s House Club is an offshoot of Philly Soul legend and half of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo Hall and Oates, Daryl Hall’s popular internet, now MTV Live show, Live From Daryl’s House. Hall opened the club in Pawling in 2014 as a venue to feature intimate gigs similar to those seen on his show. Tickets are sold as reserved seating or standing tickets and all reserved seats are at tables, allowing patrons to enjoy a meal and some drinks prior to and during a performance. The main performance space has room for a couple of hundred patrons. Wait staff meander in and out of the seated areas, taking orders and delivering dishes. It makes for a a dinner theater type atmosphere that doesn’t much allow for audience participation during a show, especially one for a band with such uptempo music.

This tour is a celebration of the band’s watershed moment. They’re playing the One Chord album in its entirety during the first set of each show. However, the music they were celebrating almost seemed like an afterthought as patrons ate their dinner during the performance. Murphy commented on this fact a couple of times during the set, “Finish chewing your food and sing along with us on this one,” he said, introducing “G Turns to D.”

Despite the limitations on audience participation, though with many in the crowd being in their late 30s/early 40s, there may not have been a whole lot of physical participation anyway. The band rallied through the album in its entirety. The participation in the chugging “G Turns to D” included many hand claps and singing along from those in attendance. A smooth transition into the Beatles, by way of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, “A Side Wins” had fans swaying in their seats.

The set concluded with “400 Metres,” a song that wouldn’t be out of place on a Pavement album with its speak-talk lyrics. The hypnotizing keyboard presence mixed with Pentland’s guitar ended the set with a chill vibe reminiscent a late night ’70s FM radio show.

“Coax Me,” opened the second set, encouraging the devoted to sing along. This opened the doors to a rousing second set featuring many of Sloan’s greatest hits, including what is probably its best known song, “Money City Maniacs” as well as “Losing California,” a song requested all night long by some of the more boisterous fans in attendance.

The band seamlessly traded instruments and vocals throughout the night. Murphy stepped behind Scott’s sparse drum kit while Scott grabbed a guitar and sang and Ferguson took up the bass several times. The formula of equals behind this band is what has kept it going for 25 years. All four members contribute to the whole. And while there’s a formula to the sound, Sloan is far from formulaic. Their songs echo past eras, yet remain uniquely their own.

Those in attendance on this night were the Sloan faithful in downstate New York. Some traveling great distances to see their cult heroes in the intimacy of Daryl’s House. They were treated to a special show from one of music’s hardest working bands.

In a more fair world, Sloan would be playing a sold out show at Madison Square Garden rather than a small downstate club in front of noshing patrons on a Sunday night in October. Somehow, you can’t help but wonder if Sloan prefers it this way though.

Sloan’s One Chord to Another 20th Anniversary Tour continues throughout the U.S. in November, finishing with a show in Buffalo at the Iron Works Nov. 19.

Check out some fan-shot video of Sloan’s encore performance of “If it Feels Good, Do It” from the Daryl’s House Club show below.

October 18, 2016
Summer Reflections on the 2016 Great New York State Fair

Summer time is what NYS Music considers their busy season. With outdoor venues in full swing, festivals across the country, and every band that is touring out on the road at this time hitting the Northeast during the warmer weather, it becomes quite hectic keeping readers up to date on the latest of happenings. Sometimes once things settle down a bit, it is better to just reflect back with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee or a great Saranac Oktoberfest, and enjoy these highlights after the fact. In this case, it’s time to reflect on the 2016 Great New York State Fair.

With a brand new entrance, the Fair welcomed more than 1,117,620 visitors through its gates this year, breaking all previous records. With the new found space acquired after the demolition of the Grandstand area, the Fair was able to spread out a bit more giving fair goers more elbow room with its new configuration. With all concerts now completely free to Fair goers, it was a pleasure to be able to see a wide variety of acts as they visited Central NY this year.

The lineup this year offered a little something for everyone. Newcomers X Ambassadors made an appearance as well as Kesha, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Toto, Survivor, Macy Gray, Brian Wilson, Herman’s Hermits, Flo Rida, Culture Club, Rachel Platten, A Great Big World, and Chicago together with a multitude of other national and local acts from today and yesterday throughout the fairgrounds.

Being a child of the 80’s, Air Supply was one of those bands that dominated the airwaves during that time singing ballad after ballad touching the hearts of many. This Australian duo have been making beautiful music since 1975 and this long lasting duo was widely welcomed by fairgoers this year. Choosing from their expansive catalog of hits, such as “All Out of Love,” “Even The Nights Are Better,” and “Every Woman In The World” to name a few, Roger Hitchcock and Graham Russell jumped around the stage in the heat, waving and pointing to fans just as they did back in the height of their careers back in the 1980’s. Those in attendance were well entertained, and it was a pleasure to take the time travel back to my 7th grade dance once again.

Another band extremely popular in the 70’s and 80’s drew a huge crowd when The Commodores played on Day 5. Still moving and grooving like they did all those years ago, William King, Walter “Clyde” Orange and J.D. Nicholas played favorites such as “Nightshift,” “Easy,” “Three Times A Lady,” and their signature song “Brick House.” The electric experience had the crowd up on their feet the majority of the night singing and dancing along.

Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers also drew a large crowd. Playing favorites such as “Mandolin Rain” and “The Way It Is,” this musical master proved to be so much more than the pop star one expected. Traveling around in the early 90’s, Bruce joined the legendary group The Grateful Dead on tour, and has performed with legendary country performer Ricky Skaggs since 2007. You can see the influences of these two genres reflected in his new body of work which pleased me beyond belief. Concert attendees anticipated a remix of music that brought him to light and he delivered that and so much more with his new sound of bluegrass music. Amazingly entertaining was Mr. Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers. Yes indeed.

On the final Sunday fair goers had a nice mix of rock and blues as they welcomed legendary blues guitarist Robert Cray at the early show. Cray’s music was uplifting and catchy as he worked cute comparisons of love and food and animals into a mix of bluesy goodness that brought a smile to your face. With numbers like “Side Dish,” “Chicken In The Kitchen,” and “Great Big Ole House,” Robert Cray’s ability to work puns into his lyrics was endearing and his musical genius proved to the packed crowd that he is one of the greats.

Daughtry packed Chevy Court, as thousands of fans waited for the former American Idol star to take the stage. Surprised by the size of the crowd taking in the show,Daughtry howled at the crowd claiming that he “Did not know we had this many friends here in Syracuse. Damn, Ya’ll ready to have fun with us tonight? You ready to party with us?” Daughtry then led the crowd in clapping their hands as the band played “Feels Like Tonight.” Taking a quick breather after the song “Superman,” he shared with fans that the band was in the process of writing a new album and joked that the band didn’t have a new song yet to play for them, but all he knew was that it would be a rock album. Daughtry held the mic over the crowd several times as fans were singing along with him. Giving a shout out to his keyboardist, Elvio Fernandes, Daughtry shared that this local hometown hero was born and raised in Rochester. A very fan oriented musician, it was not a surprise when he called a fan to the stage to sign his guitar, and better yet, to have the entire band sign the guitar.

For fairgoers each year, there are tried and true exhibits, agriculture competitions, events, and food vendors one must visit to truly experience the fair. Whether it’s fried dough, wine slushies, rides, horse competitions, or the Indian Village, the Great NY State Fair has something for everyone’s taste. One of the new events that was most popular was the food truck contest. This event went over amazingly well as thousands took advantage of the $2 tasters all day long as the food trucks lined Chevy Court. From was peanut butter and jelly to meatballs, there was literally something for everyone. After a day long of tasting each purchase gave you an entry ticket to win prizes for both the taster and the food truck owner.

Literally thousands of new yorkers and tourists from beyond, visit the Great New York State Fair for 12 days at the end of summer, each year. Traditionally, the last day is reserved for the best deal, $1 admission. What appears to be the biggest day for attendance, has now become the busiest day for the Chevy Court. On Labor Day, Chicago entertained just over 30,000 people with a fantastic performance full of rocking guitar licks, heavy horn-playing, and soaring vocals. Beginning their 2-hour long set, the band embraced the stage for the first time in 26 years with an instrumental introduction before kicking off with “Questions 67 & 68” as “Dialogue (Part I & II)” followed. Throughout the whole show members took turns strutting their moves at the front of the stage, bringing fans deeper into their performance. Highlights of evening included their super hits, “Beginnings,” “Free,” “25 or 6 to 4,” and “Saturday in the Park” followed by a spectacular fireworks display at the front gate as attendees exited the fair for the last time.

Bruce Hornsby and The Noise Makers Setlist: On Western Skyline, Across the River, Funhouse, Tennessee Jed, Celestial Railroad, Pretty Polly, Every Little Kiss, Over the Rise, Jacob’s Ladder, Life in the Psychotropics, Mandolin Rain, The Way It Is, Encore: Rainbow’s Cadillac

Robert Cray Setlist: Chicken in the Kitchen, Poor Johnny, It Doesn’t Show, Nobody’s Fault but Mine, On the Road Down, Phone Booth, Two Steps From the End, Side Dish, Great Big Old House, I Shiver, Right Next Door (Because of Me), Strong Persuader, You Move Me. Encore: Time Makes Two

Daughtry Setlist: Go Down, Outta My Head, Feels Like Tonight, Waiting for Superman, Renegade, In the Air Tonight, Crazy, Tennessee Line, Home Sweet Home, Diamonds, It’s Not Over, Over You, Home, Long Live Rock & Roll. Encore: September, Purple Rain

October 17, 2016
Hearing Aide: Shovels and Rope “Little Seeds”

Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, better known as Shovels and Rope, pour their hearts out in the newest release, Little Seeds. What I found so fascinating about the album was the fact that they were able to touch upon so many different types of folk and Americana music, but still manage to paint a light coat of something distinctly them. While the songs may sound incredibly different from beginning to end, the duo’s gently massaged track selection presents an incredibly supple flow that highlights their talent and eclectic taste.

The first and second tracks introduce a band that is confident, gritty and loud! While some of the later songs may be appropriate for a quiet evening of snuggling up with your honey, “I Know” and “Botched Execution” would be more suitable for a late night party with some of your closest friends. It isn’t until the third track, “St. Anne’s Parade,” where we step into the chill zone with the soothing vocal harmonies and soft, simple acoustics that frequently drift into Little Seeds. I would consider this “soulful Americana” as Hearst and Trent passionately belt out the well-written lyrics.

“The Last Hawk” picks the tempo up in the most pleasant way and reassures the listener that this album is going to stylistically take us for a ride. As much as this studio project was about their personal experiences, many Upstate New Yorkers will connect with the references to Woodstock and Saugerties in this particular story. “Mourning Song” has a lyrical structure similar to that of a traditional Irish folk tune and tells the tale of a grieving wife’s connection with her deceased lover through music. The theme of birth and death and all that we feel in between is presented throughout Little Seeds, but the duo’s songwriting ability is so hardy that the same concepts are presented in such unique and different ways.

“Johnny Come Outside” is another one of the calmer, thought provoking numbers which has a hook resembling Bob Dylan’s widely covered “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” Where Dylan has had an influence on generations of folk, blues and Americana artists, Shovels & Rope are planting the seeds that will grow into the next garden of fresh young sonic storytellers. “San Andreas Fault Line Blues” introduces us to yet another taste of bluesy gospel music, but this time one can hear Johnny Cash casting his light on the duo’s lyrical approach. “BWYR” is a haunting and topical song that profoundly delivers the ugly messages of racial injustices in a world where all we need is some peace. The faint sounds of police sirens whisper in the background of this enlightening and important piece of poetry. “Eric’s Birthday” seamlessly fades into the last track, “This Ride,” and delivers the euphoric reminder of life and love before sending us all on our way.

Whether you have just given birth to a new child or have recently lost someone, Little Seeds will help you reflect. Ever experience loneliness, bliss, heartache or confusion? Listen to this album. If you enjoy gathering around the campfire with family and friends or spending the day alone in a busy city, this release is for you. Filled with powerful messages, spiritual symbolism, and deeply expressed life lessons, Shovels & Rope have created a robust collection of songs that you can play in front of your grandparents, your grandchildren and everyone that you meet along the way.

Key Tracks: St. Anne’s Parade, The Last Hawk, Johnny Come Outside

October 17, 2016
Hearing Aide: WOLF! ‘1-800-WOLF!’

If you’re looking for some new music to wind down your day or rev up your evening, dial up 1-800-WOLF! for a good time. WOLF!’s new album was released today by Royal Potato Family.

The band consists of guitarist Scott Metzger (JRAD, RANA), bassist Jon Shaw (Cass McCombs, Shakey Graves) and drummer Taylor Floreth. They were booked as the backing band for a singer at a Williamsburg club one night a few years ago. When the singer never showed up, instead of cancelling, the trio decided to play as an instrumental trio. With no material to go on, they winged it, filling the set with straight improvisation. It went exceedingly well and they were asked back for a regular gig. Thus WOLF! was born.

Most of the music on the record, the follow up to their 2015 self-titled debut, was borne of improvisation, either on stage or in the studio. The only preconceived track is the Metzger-penned Ennio Morricone-esque “You Are No Longer My Friend, My Friend.” Each song soundtracks short scenes the listener can almost visualize. The environment of the music is so clear, and while certainly borrows from music’s past, emerges as an original thought that is entirely of WOLF!’s making. There’s the surf rock late-night blues of “Furry Freedom,” the slinky Cuban groove of “Tomatillo Verde,” the swinging gypsy of “Oaxaca Ox,” the dripping Western romance of “Denim Love Affair” and on and on. “Bohemian Grove,” lilting and lazy, swells like the tide on a secluded island until it crashes in a wave on the sandy shore.

The only thing that raises questions on this breeze of a listen is the band name WOLF! The music doesn’t have the scream of all-caps nor the exclamatory punctuation. The music moves effortlessly from song to song, scene to scene, location to location. Perhaps, since the band backed into it’s existence, it would make more sense to read the name backwards? Indeed, the name “flow.” would suit this music quite well.

As good as 1-800-WOLF is, a band born on stage is surely best enjoyed on stage. The tri-state area has multiple chances to catch WOLF! live in the coming weeks, including opening for, and backing, Nicole Atkins on a few dates.
10/14 – The Acoustic – Bridgeport, CT
10/15 – Still Partners – Sea Cliff, NY
10/ 20 – Hometown BBQ – Brooklyn NY
10 /23 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
10/25 – LPR – NYC*
10/26 – BSP Kingston – Kingston, NY*
10/28 – House of Independents – Asbury Park, NJ*
* notes dates w/ Nicole Atkins

Key tracks: Tomatillo Verde, Bohemian Grove, Slow Stuff

October 14, 2016
Bob Dylan Awarded 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Swedish Academy announced today that it will award the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” The announcement breaks with convention, as past recipients of the prize have composed primarily in one or more of the traditional genres of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, or drama.

According to the New York Times story by Altar, Chan, and Sisario, “the Nobel comes with a prize of eight million Swedish kronor, or just over $900,000. The literature prize is given for a lifetime of writing rather than for a single work.” Dylan is the first American to receive the honor since Toni Morrison in 1993.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Dylan is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, having been inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, while receiving twelve Grammy awards, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a special citation from the Pulitzer prize committee, Kennedy Center honors, a National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom along the way. With this capstone achievement, Dylan has indubitably fulfilled the destiny many of his fellow musicians ascribed to him long ago. As Jerry Garcia had it, “Dylan gave rock n’ roll the thing I’d wished it had when I was a kid—respectability, some authority. He took it out of the realm of ignorant guys banging away on electric instruments and put it somewhere else altogether.” Though Garcia did not live to see it, we now know that ‘somewhere else altogether’ is to be among the planet’s foremost creators and thinkers in the annals of the Swedish Academy.

Bob Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941 in Duluth, MN, and was subsequently raised in nearby Hibbing, MN. At the age of nineteen, he cut out for Greenwich Village with a few songs and a guitar, a wannabe folk singer following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie. It was during this time, while performing at coffeehouses like the Gaslight Café and the Café Wha? that he honed his songwriting talent, cultivated his creative persona, and whetted his deft delivery to a razor-sharp edge. With the help of famed producer John Hammond, he released his eponymous debut in 1962. Its follow-up, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan came out in 1963, and when the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded the timeless single “Blowin’ in the Wind,” it skyrocketed to number two on the Billboard charts, thus catapulting Bob Dylan into the American consciousness. In August of 1963, at the age of twenty-two, Dylan, accompanied by Joan Baez, performed “When the Ship Comes In” and “Only a Pawn In Their Game” at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom just before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Over the course of his decades-long career, Dylan has confounded audiences at every turn. In 1965 he took the Newport Folk Festival by storm, toppling the acoustic expectations of the folk enthusiasts in a blaze of electric guitar-driven guerrilla rock heretofore unknown, declaring “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more,” and taking the whole of pop music with him. In 1966, during the height of a hugely successful foray into electric rock, which saw the release of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde, following a devastating motorcycle crash, he disappeared from the scene altogether, holing up with The Band in Woodstock, NY to work on The Basement Tapes in secrecy, which would not be released until 1975. Of this period, Allen Ginsberg said, “He was writing shorter lines, with every line meaning something. Each line had to advance the story, bring the song forward…There was to be no wasted language, no wasted breath.”

Photo by Billy Name, 1963

More surprises followed in the coming decades, as Dylan went on to record a country album, 1969’s Nashville Skyline, score and star in the 1970 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, and embrace a Christian rock phase, during which he released Slow Train Coming in 1979 and Saved in 1980. And in the years leading up to and following the turn of the millennium, Dylan experienced a profound reemergence as a supremely influential songwriter, albeit in a decidedly more jaded, wise, and curatorial register than that of his younger self’s high-strung psychedelic prophecies. His influence spread for the first time to a younger generation in search of stability in insoluble times, and for the second time for an older generation having grown decidedly jaded, wise, and curatorial themselves. Oh Mercy (1989), Time Out of Mind (1997), Love and Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006), Together Through Life (2009), and The Tempest (2012) form the canon for the latter half of Dylan’s recording career, which he has dutifully supported on his “Never Ending Tour,” which has been going strong since 1988. In keeping with tradition, Dylan has continued to defy expectations over the last few years by releasing a trio of classic cover albums, taking on tunes mostly from the traditional Christmas and Sinatra catalogues.

In addition to a prolific songwriting career, Dylan is a recognized painter, poet, scriptwriter, and memoirist. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and featured in his Drawn Blank series, his experimental prose-poetry piece, Tarantula, appeared in 1971, a compilation titled “Writings and Drawings” was released in 1973, and his memoirs, Chronicles, came out in 2004.

In what has been a strange and unsurprising autumn already, the announcement of Bob Dylan, a simple song and dance man, as the newest Nobel laureate in literature comes as yet another strange unsurpise. Strange in that, like most aging institutions, we are here to stand witness to the dissolution of the borders and guidelines that have so far constituted the Nobel prize for literature; yet unsurprising because Bob Dylan’s mystic oral erudition is so worthy and deserving of this honor, despite having immigrated from a genre far, far away. Perhaps Kris Kristofferson, the songwriter, actor, Rhodes scholar, and William Blake expert, offered the best summary of Dylan’s body of work, proclaiming, “His songs take us to another level. He is absolutely a poet. He made songwriting into an art form, and made it worthy of committing your soul to.”

For more information, including tour dates and tickets, check out bobdylan.com, and for a full list of this year’s Nobel laureates visit nobelprize.org.

And if you need “something to open a new door / to show you something you seen before / but overlooked a hundred times or more,” then enjoy Bob Dylan’s spoken word performance, “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie,” from 1963.

bob Dylan Nobel Prize

October 13, 2016
Jason Isbell Takes Syracuse to Church

Three stained glass windows hung behind Jason Isbell and his band as they took the stage Thursday night at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse. The lit windows showed birds around an anchor, perhaps in reference to the second song of the set, “Stockholm” with it’s lyric “Ships in the harbor and birds on the bluff / Don’t move an inch when their anchor goes up.” Whatever the interpretation, one thing was for sure, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Sadler Vaden on guitar, Jimbo Hart on bass, Derry DeBorja on keyboards, Chad Gamble on drums) were taking the theater to church, and they were reading from the Book of Isbell.

The show didn’t consist of too many extended rock outs though the musicians proved more than worthy of taking a song out to the woodshed on occasion, most notably for the bombastic guitar-fueled “Never Gonna Change” set closer. No, the highlighted items here were the songs, and o, what songs! Isbell’s last two albums, 2013’s Southeastern and last year’s Something More Than Free were met with much critical and award-winning acclaim. But no one needed the critics to tell them that they were witnessing the work of one of the greatest songwriters on the scene today.

The congregation sat in their pews, quietly attentive. They knew all the songs by heart, but they were there to hear Isbell’s voice sing Isbell’s words about Isbell’s life. His songs may be personal in genesis but, as with any great poetry, they are written to relate to any of its readers and listeners.

After lines of particular significance, the crowd would cheer loudly in approval. Amen! On the particularly poignant performance of “Cover Me Up,” with Isbell taking the stage solo for the first half, the audience was raucous after every single line. The rest of the band re-entered the stage one by one as the song built to a furious finish before some heavy mallet hits knocked it back down. The crowd weren’t the only ones to feel the power on that one. “Hell, let’s do that one again!” bellowed Isbell.

One enjoyable story was of the traditional spoken word variety. Isbell recounted the story of the band’s beginnings. He had been kicked out of his house and called up his good friend Jimbo Hart for a place to stay. He ended up sleeping in his kitchen on a futon he purchased for just that purpose. A few months later he also got kicked out of his band, the Drive-by Truckers. So he asked Hart if he wanted to be in his band. Hart again said yes and here they were, still playing music together.

In thanking tour mate Josh Ritter, Isbell said that Ritter’s on stage smiley personality was how he was off stage as well. “He’s either reading a different issue of the news than me or I’m just doing it wrong,” he quipped. Indeed, Ritter and his band (Mark Erelli on guitar, Zack Hickman on bass, Ray Rizzo on drums) played a joyful 45 minute opening set filled with his own brand of folk songs.

Unfortunately, they experienced some technical difficulties when the PA cut out, emitting a droning electronic beat. With the sound cut, the band went fully acoustic, and stood at the front of the stage for a two song un-mic’d performance. As a testament to both the acoustics of the beautiful old theater and the pure talent of the musicians on stage, they pulled it off perfectly, even producing the highlight of the set. To hear completely unfiltered voices and instruments come together is a rare treat, particularly in a venue of this size. It is always interesting to see how musicians will handle adversity during their set and, ever the optimist, Ritter made lemonade out of lemons.

Jason Isbell Setlist: Flying Over Water, Stockholm, 24 Frames, Outfit, Decoration Day, Traveling Alone, How To Forget, Different Days, Codeine, Elephant, Alabama Pines, Cover Me Up, If It Takes a Lifetime, Something More Than Free, Never Gonna Change E: Speed Trap Town, Super 8, Children of Children

Josh Ritter Setlist: Monster Ballads, Me & Jiggs, Cry Softly, Girl in the Water (acoustic, un-mic’d), Snow is Gone (acoustic, un-mic’d), ?, Henrietta Indiana, Long Shadows, When Will I Be Changed

October 13, 2016
Formula 5 was ‘The Band That Could’ at Owsley’s Golden Road in Boulder, CO
For a while on Saturday, October 8, the four intrepid members of the Albany based jamband Formula 5, in the middle of their first tour of Western states, thought they’d be trapped in a “The Little Engine That Couldn’t” scenario with their trademark 70’s tour van that may well have driven off the set of the disco-era cop show, Starsky and Hutch. The trouble began about 40 miles south of Boulder as they headed from a tour stop in Taos, New Mexico. The van engine sputtered to stop. From that moment, the engine stopped repeatedly in ever shortening distances. But they chugged and chugged until finally, at the last stoplight, the band was able to safely push their ride into a parking space in front of their intended destination, the aptly named Owsley’s Golden Road, named after the Grateful Dead’s longtime tour manager and longtime acid expert par excellance.

Quickly, Formula 5 became “The Little Band That Could, and Did.” Despite the vehicle trouble, the band wasted no time ripping into a collection of original melodies that spun into robust jams laced with the occasional harmonizing lyrics. Even with extended improvisations, Formula 5 didn’t waste notes as they chewed their way out of a paper bag of vinyl musical traditions including funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. They weren’t just the little band that could. They were the band that did. And then some.

Their tour rolls into Columbus, OH on Thursday, October 14, Athens, OH on Friday, October 15 and Scranton, PA on October 16.
October 13, 2016
The Evolution of Annie in the Water: An Interview with Mike Lashomb

Annie in the Water, with their combination of reggae, rock, funk and jam, is an Albany-based band that originated as a duo with Mike Lashomb and Brad Hester in 2007. This past spring, the duo added three more members, which you can imagine has had significant impact on both the sound and the overall feel to their music. NYS Music spoke with founding member and lead guitarist Mike Lashomb about that change and what fans can expect going forward.

Erin Clary: Before it was just you and Brad, and now you’ve added two more members to Annie in the Water. What brought on the change and how did this happen?

Michael Lashomb: It’s been an interesting learning experience. Brad and I started back in 2007. Back in 2011 we had a drummer play with us and he kind of just up and left when we were starting to get bigger and booking venues and stuff like that. So Brad and I started this looping, jam kind of style. As time went on, just trying to connect with the jam scene and we felt we were kind of in between all these different scenes and we didn’t really connect the way we were hoping to with our style. So as time went on we understood there was definitely a progression that needed to happen. There needed to be some way that we could branch out and diversify our sound and also our personnel and people. We added our bass player, Lucas, three years ago and then we added piano player in the summer of 2014, Dillon. Having Lucas Singleton on bass really added a big low end kind of contribution with a lot of his style. Then Dillon on keys was this different kind of musician oriented but transient, experimental sound. So it was good to have Lucas who brought in a lot of specific playing and structure and Dillon who was outside of the box with his expression and style. And in that time, Brad would constantly update his looping with the four of those guys, having them on and off for shows. Then this past winter we knew we wanted to get a drummer involved and really up the jams so we could switch around grooves, time changes and cues. Josh West was finishing up with Lucid as they decided to tone down the touring and everything and it was just a natural…we met him at Nectar’s as he was playing with his old band, Tar Iguana, and it was just a natural relationship that blossomed into a really cool band relationship. Kind of different evolutions and progressions brought us to now.

EC: Are there different challenges you find when switching from a duo to a full band?

ML: Definitely a change. Brad has pretty much grown musically and matured with me as his counterpoint. I had played in different fusion bands and different guitar bands since I was in 8^th grade so when we added the full band together it was definitely a whole new experience for Brad. It’s something that to this day he is totally changing and morphing in such an awesome, progressive way. So yeah there is definitely more personality which calls for more contribution artistically, personally and emotionally. It’s different. We went from having only a few people on the stage to suddenly having a lot more room being filled up. Not only physical space, but sonic space and musical space. A lot of what we had to do too was rehearse as we played shows because we had all the prior engagements set up with Duo shows but moving out of one house, just a lot of different things off the stage we were dealing with. It has been a really interesting transition but a really positive transition because everyone is really open to communication and evolution for sure.

Dillon Goodfriend, Lucas Singleton, Michael Lashomb, Brad Hester- Annie in the Water

EC: So you’re saying you weren’t latching on to a niche?

ML: Yeah, it’s hard to explain because there was a certain amount of people who are looking at what we’re doing with the Annie in the Water Duo acoustic set, that we still play to this day, but we will have some people who really jive with that and think it’s cool, the amount of sound we are able to produce with two people. It’s fun! There’s a certain element to having an absolute kind of experimental but also structured rhythm section. Having the rhythm section be human rather than having a syncopated beat box being looped for X number of measures for a certain amount of time. So Josh will change things up and everyone has been playing music for a long time and everyone has their own interpretation of when that happens. So we’re always creating a different show. When we were the Duo we were always big on experimenting and never having a setlist. Now that we have a full band it kind of brings in a little bit more people who are down to dance. People with a groove looking for a pulsating kind of sound. That’s kind of where we were in the middle of. We had that groove but we were missing the rhythm section. We would self-consciously catch people that normally would be like “oh these guys are really talented,” and suddenly like “I’m dancing and I’m reacting to it.” Then again we have people who like EDM and DJs who would go crazy for our looping stuff, but that’s not necessarily what we wanted to accomplish. To this day it’s an absolute trial and error to see who is reacting, how they’re reacting and why they’re reacting.

EC: What is the goal of Annie in the Water and what is success to you?

ML: It’s tough to say that there’s a finite point where it is success. I know that you aren’t assuming that either. For us, we’ve already achieved certain levels of success personally and musically that we’re really proud of. By having a certain ability to run as a functional business. So that was kind of our first goal. As that went on we had the goal of being a full live stage and live sound production whenever and wherever we were needed. In a long run, wider scope, our success is to just connect with as many people as possible on a human and spiritual level. I know that sounds heavy and I don’t want to say egotistical, but it’s pretty bold in that we feel that we have a responsibility to help in whatever way we can. If we can provide positive music to people than that’s it. I think one of the biggest sources of success for us is the ability to continue being full time musicians, playing wherever. My personal goal is I’d love to headline and have our own show at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, OH where I was born and raised. Yeah we’d love to headline a festival, that would definitely be a goal but we’d like to just contribute in the most unique way humanly possible. We want to just make whatever Annie in the Water is, an entity that promotes peace and positivity, and inspires people to do whatever they feel they are naturally good at and love and passionate about. So definitely multiple goals and ideas of success but if we can just keep on helping people and along the way while we’re able to keep this boat floating than that’s as much success as we could imagine and be grateful for.

EC: Are there other collaborations you’d like to put together for the future and can you reflect on favorites that may have happened recently?

ML: We’ve been having Jamie Armstrong from Lucid on the saxophone play with us. It’s been a sit-in that we really enjoyed. He’s been playing extended shows a handful of times. It’s not necessarily a side project, he has kind of given us a “Hey mister, what’s up?” and will be down to play a show. There’s a lot of different ideas we have for side projects. It’s kind of up in the air right now. We have our friend Garrett, this kid that we met at Dyken Pond. It was an absolute, random….he’s not even playing in a band he’s just living in New York City and he added this unbelievable style to what we’re doing and we’re having him play with us in New York City next week. He plays lead guitar. We kind of bounce back and forth. We had Gubb from Twiddle sit in for a show with us in Vermont. We’ve always talked about having a little jam session show in Vermont to keep our good friends there happy and dancing. It’s really cool because we got into the jam scene only as of recently having other bands kind of become our friends which is a difficult thing for the first couple of years, just because we didn’t really know what we were doing either. So now it’s like the doors are kind of open to all these different friendships and creative expressions with other bands. It’s exciting because all these other bands are really reaching out and playing with everyone. All we want to do is play with people and put in the frequency and energy that overall contributes to a beautiful experience. So we are open to whatever.

EC: Describe each band member in one sentence.

ML: OK this is fun…

Bradley Hester (Percussion, guitar, vocals, looping) – Hardest working musician and nicest human I’ve ever met.

Joshua West (Percussion, Drums) – A stoic little child who is so much fun to have behind the kit.

Lucas Singleton (Bass) – The dependable groove supplier and overall goof ball.

Dillon Goodfriend (Keys) – A pure musician and absolute music lover.

EC: And what about you?

ML: I’d like to say I just like to have fun when I play.

EC: Should we expect a new album out now that you’re all together?

ML: Yeah. We’re all looking at the overall picture and new music being recorded is absolutely on the radar and very important. What we’re trying to do right now is make sure that we’re choosing the songs that we have from our past that we’re writing down and we’re looking to write. We’re trying to make sure that we’re choosing what works best for the band. So the music will definitely become recorded but at this point we are getting everyone on the same page to decide how we want to move forward musically, personally and band wise. So the album is definitely in the works right now, we just have to decide the next step to make that happen that works best for everybody.

EC: You’ve made your homebase Albany.

ML: Yeah, we’ve been in Albany for four years but we haven’t played in Albany as much because we’ve been pursuing different opportunities in different parts of the Northeast.

Trying to do a lot of different hubs and also play at different mountains because snowboarding is a huge part of our culture. It’s been more or less that we’re in the progression of making that happen so seeing us in Albany is going to be more frequent for sure.

EC: The October 13 show with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad in Albany at The Hollow should be a homecoming show with lots of friends and family I presume?

ML: That’s going to be a really interesting show because we have a lot of friends from the Rochester area that have always talked up Giant Panda and I think vice versa. So this show is going to be the first time that we’ve actually ever met those guys. It’s cool because whenever you play a show with the band for the first time there’s a lot of learning and vibing of personalities. So when it comes to that night I would say wait for something interesting but until that night happens, that’s when the magic starts.

https://youtu.be/ARct1fM7OkU?t=1m20s

October 12, 2016