Category: Reviews

Turkuaz and lespecial Funk It Up Night Two at Brooklyn Bowl

Turkuaz continued their 2016 Digitonium Tour with a 3 night run at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring lespecial for their second night. If any NY funk lovers were looking for something to do for 3 days in April, this was it.

lespecial opened the night of groovy dancing and brought a lighter, funkier version of their death-funk/future-groove with some staples from Omnisquid such as “Fruit Wolf Dance”, “Sugaboi”, and “Pressed For Time” (guitarist/vocalist Gruskauskas’ vocal range truly shines on this track). The trio from Boston also featured classic cover of Les Claypool’s “My Name is Mud”, some new music in collaboration with some Turkuaz members and even a cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews, lespecial is truly one of my favorite bands to experience live as their genre-bending capabilities are unmatched!

Succeeding their funk-band-in-arms, Turkuaz took the stage and opened with a fitting “Introduction” from their recent album, Digitonium. Following a strong intro, a very funked up “The Rules” from the 2011 album Zerbert , had the crowd dancing and bopping from the floor to the bowling lanes. It was at this moment I realized what I had been missing; Turkuaz truly brings the funk and I had seen the light in only their second song of the night. Each piece of the band plays a very integral part as each member not only brings their extreme talent to each instrument and vocal aspect but also their own unique style. Some favorites from the night included “The Generator” and “King Computer” from Digitonium and “Tip Toe Through the Crypto” and “It’s So Hard” from the Stereochrome EP.

Turkuaz’s second set was very special as they dedicated the entirety of it to The Band. They opened with a very funky “Chest Fever” followed by an affectionately soulful “Ophelia” and then an extremely heartfelt “The Night They Drove Dixie Down.” “Up On Cripple Creek” seems to have been made for them to cover as they certainly shined in all aspects whilst rocking the track. Naturally, during “The Weight”, a beautiful sing-a-long manifested from the crowd and a very dancey “Don’t Do It” got everyone moving and shaking. Closing out with a fervent and almost spiritual “I Shall Be Released” it’s an understatement to say that Turkuaz did these anthems justice; they put their all into every track and made each one a unique experience. Turkuaz is an amazing spectacle of talent, color and funk. If you consider yourself a fan of live music and have not experienced a Turkuaz show, you’re doing yourself an injustice.

April 19, 2016
Hearing Aide: Baked Potatoes “Loaded”

Baked Potatoes is a group of reggae, ska-rockers based out of Oneonta, New York. The first time I heard their album I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. A lot of the colors in my musical palette have been the likes of Reel Big Fish, Phish, and Badfish, so it was phenomenal to finally find a more accessible, equally talented group.

The guys follow opening track “The Builder” with a tune called “Blue Dream,” a lovely reggae song that evokes mental images of innocence, relaxation, and contentment. Guitar and drums gently ease listeners into a euphoric mix of horns and hand percussion. With that, the scene is set for the vocals, sung in a style adds to the overall reggae flavoring.

After this, “Don’t Close The Door,” a song about winning a breakup, provides a nice change in pace to the album and leads into one of my favorite tracks on the album “Homewrecker.” Horns, a halftime drum shuffle, a vibey melody. THIS, this is what I need more of in my life. The precision of the guitar parts, the lyrics, and the way the instruments blend make this one of the highest of highlights in my books.

There is no drop in quality throughout the entirety of this album. Sometimes in the middle on album the project’s goals can seem to go off the rails a little bit, not here. ”No Shirt No Shoes,” “Postcard Song,” and “Satellite Beach” are a block of 3 songs that I would say stray out of the norm, and become more like an experiment. These songs seem dip their toes in the water of a more poppy sound, a sound I can still relate to nonetheless.

The project ends with “Satellite Beach” and “Unity,” two songs that give the album a strong finish. Unity’s rock-jazz influenced complexity makes it a strong ending song, and a great way to close out the project. I hope that others share my excitement in the future of this great band. Seriously, if Baked Potatoes are in your area, try and make it out to a show. Take it from a guy who’s seen enough to Ska to know the cream of the crop.

Key Tracks: Homewrecker, Blue Dream, Unity

April 19, 2016
Hearing Aide: Jocelyn & Chris ‘Edges’

They say that talent runs in the family, and this is certainly the case for Jocelyn & Chris Arndt. The two siblings are both students at Harvard and have a strong passion for making music. They just released their LP called Edges on platforms Spotify, SoundCloud, and iTunes.

The Arndts identify as rock artists and refreshingly don’t try to get too fancy labeling their music as a sub genre. They tag team during the writing process and for recording, Jocelyn handles the vocals and keys, Chris plays lead guitar, group member Kate Sgroi plays bass, and David Bourgeois plays drums. Though the artists have management, publicity, booking, and legal representatives on their team, it looks as though they are not affiliated with a record label. Up ahead in 2016, they two will be playing a few dates a month in places like New York, Virginia, Tennessee, and more.

The most defining characteristic of their music is Jocelyn’s voice; it’s seductive, powerful, distinct, and quite bluesy. She has such a unique vocal timbre that sounds like she’s emulating a once popular vocalist while adding a youthful flair. One complaint or weak aspect of her voice is that each song sounds quite similar. Furthermore, to get the sound she achieves, it sounds like her throat is constricted during certain notes. However, it’s truly impressive that a woman of college age can sing with such passion and emotion. The chorus of “More Than I Say I Do” is a great example of the powerful emotion she conveys through singing.

The haunting distorted guitar is an element not found in a lot of music today. Chris does a great job improvising little transition licks in between phrases to keep each song’s momentum going. He’s jazzy licks and sweeps sound controlled and have direction. “Cut the Cord” is a slower tune with heavy emphasis the piano’s block chords and includes a violin in the mix. The texture gets quite light towards the end and the listener can truly appreciate the lyrics before bringing the instruments back. The bluesy nature of their songs is perfectly exemplified in “Here to Stay.” The song features sax, trumpet, vibes, and a wailing guitar.

The album sounds like a strong compilation of songs that aren’t overproduced, but allow for the rough edges, as per the album title, to shine through. It seems like Jocelyn made a little music on her own in 2014 and 2015, but having her brother working with her seems like a move in the right direction. It’s clear they know how to structure songs and how to incorporate their own compositional elements.

Moving forward, the duo/recording group will need to focus on making music in relation to one another. It sounds as if the players are simply playing in time to cut and dry parts that are quite repetitive. It almost sounds as if Jocelyn and Chris hired a bunch of studio musicians to follow a chart and provide backing materials. There lacks a depth and personality with the other instruments. This sample of songwriting is probably just the beginning and they will probably grow and devote more time to their music once they’ve finished school.

Key Tracks: Here to Stay, Cut the Cord, Hot

April 18, 2016
The Human Experience/Gone Gone Beyond Thrive at House Of Yes

From his recent performance at House of Yes in Bushwick, David Block (The Human Experience) brought a night full of heartfelt, new music with his live endeavor, Gone Gone Beyond. The event opened with the artists asking all in attendance to momentarily pause, hold the hand of the person closest to you and have a moment of gratitude; this task was quite easy as House of Yes seems to engender a feeling thankfulness any time I find myself there.

The combination of The Human Experience and House of Yes is essentially a no-brainer; a musical artist that combines ethereal, tribal sounds with heavy, grooving bass and an amazing venue that feels as if a Burning Man camp was transplanted to Bushwick makes for a wonderful experience. The name of the event was “The Vibe” which was quite fitting as there certainly was an understanding and sharing of similar emotional and musical platitudes amongst all in attendance.

Opening with “Ain’t Giving up on Love” from their self-titled album Gone Gone Beyond, Danny Musengo’s gratifying vocals and Block’s melodic piano chords had the crowd swaying and singing along to the chorus. Horns were brought out for “Back Swing” whilst an aerialist performed on some silks in the middle of the venue and I felt like I was in a circus tent in New Orleans, certainly a sight to behold. Closing with “Carnival” was proper as it got the crowd moving, dancing, and smiling as an entire aerial performance was occurring above the band on stage invoking carnival vibes tenfold. Following Gone Gone Beyond, was David Block himself as The Human Experience. Block’s ethereal, world sound were in full effect as many patrons were moving intently with their eyes closed as if to truly feel the music. As mentioned, the blend of The Human Experience and House of Yes is like no other; Block’s celestial sounds with HOY’s vibe and performers is an unparalleled experience.

April 18, 2016
Hearing Aide: Snarky Puppy ‘Culcha Vulcha’

Eight years ago, there weren’t many people who knew Snarky Puppy. Heck, the pups were in their infant stages only forming four years prior. That was the last time the band hit the studio though in the traditional sense. Fast forward to today and the band is leading a very real revival of jazz music, gathering fans along the way with recent albums performed and recorded live. After the band’s first Grammy win in 2014 with Lalah Hathaway for Best R&B Performance from Family Dinner – Volume 1, the group followed it up in 2015 with a Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with Sylva, collaborating with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra. Both wins showcased the group’s formula of recording an album live with an audience, limiting retakes and capturing raw emotion.

That was then, this (only one year later) is now. The band has decided to throw their recent formula for success out the window and head into the studio for something one can only expect to be a tightly controlled exploration of freedom and expression. The verdict is in and the new album doesn’t disappoint. On April 29, 2016, Snarky Puppy will release Culcha Vulcha, their eleventh album and first traditional studio album in eight years. Recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, the band set their eyes within their home state, just 600 or so miles from where they formed at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Snarky Puppy is much like the ’92 Dream Team, all supremely talented individuals in their own right. And just like basketball, there’s not enough room within the bounds of a song for each to showcase those deep skills. Lucky for fans, this nine-track release strikes the perfect balance of calling the right player to shine on each track. Their understanding of timbre placement in both the forefront and background is vital in a group layered this deep and the band has always chosen wisely.

The album is blown wide open right from the start of the first track, “Tarova”, which features a sleazy riff, oozing with confidence, swagger, and a dark, cool demeanor. The opening piece features the most amount of members on any one track (17), giving you their all right up front. The rhythmically syncopated backbeat provides the protagonist to the song’s melodic antagonistic color. Michael League’s bass seems to mediate between the two, but throughout all of the interplay, the song’s identity aggressively shines.

As previous recordings have shown, Snarky Puppy has this way of bringing in worldly rhythm and feel to new audiences through their funk-laced, rhythmic jazz. As they say it’s, “music for the brain and booty”. While this influence ebbs and flows, “Semente” and “Palermo” are great examples of the worldly influence being more upfront, drawing a parallel to previous torch-carriers like The Derek Trucks Band.

The album progresses down many paths, taking on different feels yet always remaining true to the band’s unique sound. It’s the ability to draw with pencil, oil paint, acrylic, or chalk yet still have something that screams your name. Even with a mixed roster on each song, you hear this truth through the evolution. “Beep Box” is a great example of their maturation, featuring a tonally rich, almost J. Dilla, hip hop-esque feel. It’s certainly new ground, but again, inherently Snarky Puppy through and through. The slow moving, futuristic piece strips them down to their forward-moving vision. Chris Bullock’s flute work on this is delicately divine amidst the underlying pulse of the beat.

As with any other Snarky Puppy recording, it’s not about the individual tracks as it is the body of work and this is beautiful, dark, different, exploratory, and as layered as they’ve ever been. You can tell the band focused less on showing their talents and put that effort into pushing some new boundaries. What they’ve created with Culcha Vulcha is the next evolution of a dog whose getting even more bite.

Key Tracks: Tarova, Beep Box, Palermo

Culcha Vulcha will be available on April 29, 2016. You can pre-order the digital version on iTunes, the CD version on Amazon, or the CD and vinyl options through their website (vinyl ships in June).

April 17, 2016
Keller Williams’ KWahtro Livens Up the Westcott Theater

On April 8, multi-instrumentalist and one-man jam band Keller Williams, hosted a night of tasteful jams and brought along a fancy new group of amazing musicians to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. Adding Gibb Droll on acoustic guitar, Rodney Holmes on Drums, and Danton Boller on the upright bass, Keller dubbed the group The KW KWahtro (fun for quatro, meaning four). For anyone who’s seen Keller play live, whether solo or with any of his collaborations, knew the evening would be filled with danceable rhythms and charming lyrics.

With no opening performers, the show kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. allowing the group time to dig in and get comfortable. As the house music faded and lights dimmed, the subtle sound of a muted acoustic guitar began to get louder and louder. Soon enough, a silhouette appeared at the back of the stage and Keller then slowly danced his way forward with the rest of the band following behind him. The audience cheered with excitement as Keller strummed his way into a funky instrumental before the rest of KWahtro joined in with a groove.

Before the crowd knew it, the piece unfolded into the popular hip-shaking “Freaker By the Speaker,” followed with a jam that led into an upbeat version of Jerry Garcia‘s “Bird Song.” Keeping the rhythm flowing, Keller slightly changed direction and began singing “Birds of a Feather” by Phish, which rocketed the energy of the room. Towards the end of the set, came an incredible jazzy drum solo from Rodney Holmes, known for his jazz influenced style. The ensemble re-emerged from the dark, strapped on their instruments and began into “Up From the Skies.”

The second set followed suit with Keller entering the stage in the same fashion. This time around, the whole band collectively began jamming into the hit song “Best Feeling,” from the album Breathe, made popular by Williams’ collaboration with The String Cheese Incident. Included in the second half was a delightful “Scarlet Begonias” featuring a “China Cat” intro, “Victory Song,” and two new singles “Mantra” and “The Drop” from Keller’s most recent release, Vape. KWahtro re-emerged from the shadows of the backstage and asked the boisterous crowd, “Would you like to hear a rockin’ cover or a rockin’ original?” With sincere acceptance for both options, the group graciously jammed out the original tune “High,” seguing into Joe Walsh‘s “Life’s Been Good” to end the evening.

Overall, these four amazingly talented musicians can surely entertain any audience in any venue simply because they know how to hold a tight groove. Judging by the response from the crowd, KWahtro is welcome in Syracuse anytime and hopefully they make their way back again in the near future.

Set One: Instrumental Intro > Freaker by the Speaker > Pets > Freaker > Bird Song > Birds of a Feather, Baby Mama, Ripped Six Pack > Cheaper by the Bale, Kiwi & Apricot, Hate, Greed, Love > Moving Sidewalk > Rodney Holmes Solo, Up From the Skies, Fuel for the Road

Set Two: Best Feeling > Open-Close > The Sun & Moon’s Vagenda, China Cat Intro > Scarlet Begonias, Mantra, Apparition > Victory Song > Buena > Off Time Chorus Line > Breathe > The Drop > Breathe.

Encore: High > Life’s Been Good

April 17, 2016
Deadgrass Livens Up Garcia’s With Midweek Dose of the Grateful Dead

With its walls clad with Grateful Dead memorabilia and portraits of Jerry Garcia, Garcia’s continues its dedication to keeping the spirit of Jerry alive. A regular installment, DeadCenter Presents, brings the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead to the cozy club annexed to The Capitol Theatre.

Kicking off April’s series was Deadgrass, a collective of musicians from the Hudson Valley/greater NYC area delivering a captivating bluegrass interpretation of Garcia. Deadgrass is lead by Matt Turk (mandolin/guitar) and C Lanzbom, and joined by Clarence Ferrari (violin), Russ Gottlieb (banjo), and Dave Richards (bass).

Their two-set, full length performance weaved in and out of mellow grooves and blistering licks. For a late evening, mid-week show, the initially docile crowd found the mark with dancing feet before long once “Truckin’” rolled around. There was plenty of solo trading throughout the entire show albeit slightly more abbreviated during the first set. As the midnight hour drew nearer, especially during the second set, things loosened up quite a bit more as the songs became increasingly improv-laden.

After a short break, the second much looser second set marched forward starting from “Cumberland Blues” and included the popular run of “Scarlet Begonias” -> “Fire on the Mountain,” strung seamlessly together with a jam that slowly folded in the two-chord progression of the latter. Everyone on stage demonstrated some phenomenal chops in the jams, but Lanzbom’s blazing electric guitar solo on “Franklin’s Tower” gripped everyone’s attention.

One of the metrics for a Grateful Dead cover/tribute band is the vocal performance. On top of embodying the mix of structure and improv of the Grateful Dead in their set, Deadgrass did a great job in capturing the vocal harmonies and intonations led by Garcia. Both Turk and Lanzbom, who had a share in lead vocals, emulated Garcia’s performance well, particularly demonstrated by Turk on “Stella Blue,” a song in which the lyrics are a major component.

Deadgrass’ high energy and melodic bluegrass take on the Grateful Dead is refreshing and fun among the mix of the other great cover acts out there. For a Wednesday night, the DeadCenter series continues to be a substantial respite from the mid-week blues.

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April 16, 2016
Hearing Aide: The New Mastersounds ‘The Nashville Session’

In the last five years, funk has made a resurgence to the music scene in seemingly endless variations. There is the explosivity of Lettuce, the grooves of the Motet, and the thrill of Turkuaz – all of which boast impressive brass sections. Then there is The New Mastersounds who, without horns, are providing a sophisticated and perhaps jazzier version to the beloved genre for a new generation of funk feigns.

With 16 years under their belt, the British four piece has released nine studio albums, two live albums, one remix album and three compilations released in the U.K., United States and Japan. On April 22, they will release The Nashville Session, recorded at Welcome to 1979 studio right in music city.

The album contains 10 tracks from throughout their catalog. There are no overdubs or guest collaborations, leaving the listener with The New Mastersounds in their purest form. It’s an ideal introduction to the band for anyone who recognizes their name but has yet to dive in.

After recording to one-inch tape and then mixed down to quarter-inch stereo tape, the album was then cut directly to vinyl lacquer. They have released 1,000 limited edition vinyls before the digital version becomes available on May 27.

There is a certain level of clarity you get on each instrument that you don’t necessarily hear on their studio albums. Most notably each note of that quintessential funky bass line is crystal throughout each track. Like staring at a top spin on a flat table, Pete Shand lays down the foundation for what is a reliably fast paced and mesmerizing experience.

Eddie Roberts brings audible precision to the guitar, a clear indication of their jazz influence. On several occasions, the listener may become hypnotized by the steady rhythm only to be jolted back to reality by the pure skill of his craft.

“Burnt Back,” is bursting with mood-lifting energy and includes the only noticeable lyric on the entire album – a faint “woo!” during an appropriate pause. Though it’s not clear whether this originated from the band or one of the handful of guests having the pleasure to witness the recording.

“Drop it Down” is probably the most unique of all the tracks. It begins with a stagnated and heavy bass that hops throughout the intro. It begins dark and mysterious before swirling back to a smooth groove.

During “The Minx,’ Roberts delivers the familiar “bow chicka bow wow” modulation like the “Shack” theme song. It pairs nicely with his own style, often referred to as “roughneck.”

The only song not their own is the last track, James Brown’s “In the Middle.” Roberts provides a stellar take on jazz guitarist Grant Green’s arrangement. The finished product is fast and sassy. Dance to this in front of the mirror and watch yo sly self start to move to the perfected rhythm and groove!

The Nashville Session should be listened to in its entirety. While some could say all their songs sound similar, this consistency will make for a fun Friday night happy-hour in a dimly lit bar, while suitable for a sophisticated yet cheerful dinner party at home.

April 14, 2016
Hearing Aide: Telegram ‘Operator’

In an indeterminate attempt to coerce fans of psychedelic rock to see the horizons of modern-aged punk, the band Telegraph sits on a wobbly fence of musical identity. In a first attempt at studio success, Telegram releases their first album, entitled Operator.

While some could identify the Psycadelic Furs-inspired vocal intonation of lead singer Matt Saunders combined with the garage-band instrument distortion (featuring Oli Paget-Moon on bass and Matt Wood on lead guitar) as being true to their proto-punk origins, it’s this mix of old and new that throws off the ears of the listeners. Sometimes, punk rockers just want their punk rock without extra fluff, and adding progressive guitar riffs and odd vocal voicings jumble our sense of clarity throughout many of the songs on the album, leaving us unsatisfied with the final result.

That being said, this is a band that probably blows the roof off live. What makes punk rock so enticing is it’s simplistic, aggressive, garage-band nature, and sometimes that doesn’t come across in digital recording the way it should. Small mixing flaws like making the harmony louder than the melody, EQing the bejesus out of the frontman’s takes, and jumbling the lyrics in clouds of noise don’t necessarily reflect poorly on the band, but rather on what the band is meant to do, aka perform. Their recent visit to SXSW proved to be successful, playing a great show at the Javelina Bar and skyrocketing what was previously their curious visitors into super fans.

The 3rd track on the album, cleverly named “Inside Outside,” embodies the inner arguments of the brain in determining musical authenticity (along with the lyrics, of course). The groove that rings throughout this track, along with the 4th track of the album, entitled “Godiva’s Here,” is the sole responsibility of drummer Jordan Cook, who takes over an otherwise lagging unison of melody to a create a diverse rhythmic structure.

While songs such as “Aeons” and “Follow” were pre-released as singles on various music platforms, they don’t stand alone amongst the vast mounds of record submissions from punk rockstar hopefuls. They wish to embody organized chaos as a writing style, but we’re having a hard time following along. They try to engage prime and rusty punk rock with progressive interludes, but they’re not unified in their own sound. The saving grace of the album is their Floyd-influenced tune “Telegramme,” and their traditional closet-sized venue crowd favorite “Taffy Come Home.” These songs contrast in style, but equally identify the pre-developed intentions of this newly formed ensemble. What this band needs is time, and we’re more than willing to see where they will end up with a speech specialist, a little bit of fame, and the same aggression and confusion they throw at us in Operator. Until then, we’ll enjoy the wild ride of an album that put Telegram on the map for SXSW, and by default, everyone.

These guys are too hip for a website, so we’ll be tracking their changes via their Facebook page.

Key Tracks: Inside Outside, Taffy Come Home, Telegramme

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April 13, 2016
Rock legends, The Cult “Hustle and Strut” at Upstate Concert Hall

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

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

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

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

April 12, 2016