NYS Music 20​16

Category: Reviews

  • Zuli at Le Poisson Rouge

    Zuli took the stage at Le Poisson Rouge on Monday, January 25th, for their first Manhattan show of the year. The New York City based four-piece played a set involving strong three-part vocal harmonies, a complex instrumental cover and striking dynamic changes. I got the sense that the whole thing was admirably unlabored, despite the highly detailed musical composition, as the band moved between songs with a casual ease. Some thoroughly speedy guitar work, courtesy of frontman Zuli (Ryan Camenzuli), was underpinned by the nord electro keyboard and the bass, which made the songs followable, fun and accessible.

    zuliZuli arrived just in time for their 9.30 slot, having played another set – in another borough, no less – just beforehand. A pretty intense schedule didn’t impede the joyous musical moves that were on display throughout their performance. A large room like LPR, when not-quite-full with the mixed crowd of a Monday night – fans, friends of the other bands, NYU juniors catching up after their Christmas breaks – can create an awkward vibe for some live bands. If Zuli sensed this difficulty at all, they tackled it with jesting stage banter, the settling of a beef about their favorite restaurant (it might, after all, be CJ’s), and a set full of rhythmic surprises emerging like bold rabbits pulled from sonorous hats. I sense that Zuli are not quite at their peak, yet: they’re probably building up momentum for the spring, when they’ll hit SXSW and the West coast. In the meantime, Zuli have a busy March lined up with shows DC, Charlotte, New Orleans and Phoenix.

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  • Rick Nelson & Friends – A Priceless Free Show

    By way of a suggestion I stopped at my friend’s restaurant, Nanola, to see Rick Nelson & Friends on my way home from the North Country Thursday, January 28.  The key catch was Rick Nelson from the High Peaks Band.  I’ve always known him to be a talented, well balanced guitarist, so stopping on my way home seemed like a less than daunting task.

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    When I arrived, they were just breaking into their first set with a fan favorite and something I’m never sad to hear, “Up on Cripple Creek,” by The Band.  Rick & Friends moved through the first set as though they had been playing for years, although this was only their second show together.  The sets were completely comprised of covers, but if you closed your eyes during “The Weight” it didn’t matter who you thought you were listening to, your mind and soul were singing along.  The only thing that made my mind jump higher after that was the Ween cover “Roses Are Free.”  From there, the first set moved with smooth measure through the Stones’ “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” and finished with a solid and welcome “I Know You Rider.”

    Rick, Bob McKeon (Garcia Project), Mike Cassels (Stone Revival Band), and Joe Bodden (Antelope), joined the crowd enjoying a free show put on by Shane Spillenger (Sugar Productions) at Nanola, in Malta, NY, between the sets.  They were greeted by a group of people thanking them for such a solid first set.  Their overwhelming response: make sure you stick around for the second set.  They were not wrong.

    They started off with an ever recognizable theme song of the popular show, “Shaft.”  From there they grooved into “Shakedown Street,” which caused even the most skeptical of attendees to start shaking their butts.  Towards the end of the Dead favorite you could start to hear that resounding chord progression of “2001.”  And then it started.

    Suddenly my toes were dug back in the sand in Mexico.  “2001” led back into the hip-wiggling “Shakedown” before the beach came back into full view with “Shine a Light.”  The Friends orchestrated “The Shape I’m In” and “Psycho Killer” before melding “Chalkdust Toruture,” into “Gotta Jibboo,” which led to “Eyes of the World,” and back into “Jibboo.”

    These brazen cover artists finished off their sets with a rendition of “Suzy Greenberg,” which almost made people beg for them to not stop.  By the end of that song there was a full feeling of satisfaction; a feeling always desired at the end of a show.  There is nothing more that can be said other than that the next time these guys play, do not miss them.

  • Perfect Medicine for Winter Blues: Bluegrass with Floodwood

    The year was 2012 and it was my first Utica Music and Arts Festival. Asked to cover the festival by a friend who knew I enjoyed taking photos of bands, I dove right into the deep end of the pool of venues on Varick Street not quite knowing what to expect.  The diversity of music was amazing as the festival featured several venues throughout the city and artists from all over the country playing music from all genres. For me, this sensory overload had been an eclectic introduction to what would become a new passion for me –  music photography.  It being the final evening of the three day event, I followed the crowd as they dispersed to the hub of what was the final show of the festival to be held at the Hotel Utica.  Little did I know, this would be my introduction to a band that would quickly become a new favorite.

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    The crowd seemed eager and excited for the final show to begin.  Although I wasn’t sure what type of music this Floodwood played, I felt a sense of excitement in the room that piqued my curiosity.  Making my way to the front, which wasn’t an easy feat, I positioned myself front and center for the best access to these five musicians.  Given the green light to make my way in and around for crowd shots from behind the stage, I was excited to see what was in store and hoped to get some good shots.

    DSC_0507 copyAs the music began it was as though a bell went off for me.  Already a music lover of all things Celtic and all things country, this bluegrass sound mixed the two sounds I loved so much, the banjo and fiddle. And so began my love and appreciation of bluegrass music.  Bluegrass wasn’t new to me as I was raised during a portion of my childhood in the heart of Tennessee.  Bluegrass was prevalent there, but country music was beginning to become increasingly mainstreamed and less “picking and grinning” as Buck Owens and Roy Clark coined.  So this reintroduction was welcomed and so much more appreciated than those days of my childhood.  Playing the heck out of the set, the crowd didn’t allow the band to stop until more than three hours had passed.  It wasn’t until the management put their foot down that the music stopped and crowd dispersed. It was the perfect closing to an amazing weekend of music in the city of Utica.DSC_0339 copy

    Fast forward four years and several shows and festivals later and I find myself in the village of Clinton on a December evening at the Kirkland Art Center, a venue that often features some amazing music.  This sold out show was a highlight in my hectic month, and with some new additions I was anxious to see the new chemistry of the band.  Original members Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Vinnie Amico (moe.)were joined this evening by Chris Eves from Castle Creek, and Tony Markellis from the Trey Anastasio Band.  The chemistry they shared was as though they were meant to be.  Not missing a beat, this group certainly knows how to get the feet moving and the hands clapping along as they pick and grin. Their individual talents are outstanding, and together they are beyond exceptional.K. Stockbridge - Floodwood - IMG_8215

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    I highly suggest you take in a show soon this winter if you haven’t yet been introduced to Floodwood. You can thank me later for helping you beat the winter blues as I’ve never left a show without a huge smile on my face. #musicismedicine

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  • Formula 5 and Strange Machines Get Weird at Funk ‘N Waffles Downtown

    In these frigid mid-winter temperatures, sometimes even the promise of submerging the subconscious in metamorphic melodies is not a strong enough force to lure blanket-wrapped couch dwellers from the confines of ultimate comfort. Those that failed to emerge from their cozy cocoons missed Formula 5 and Strange Machines exploring an assortment of jam tactics at Funk ‘N Waffles downtown Saturday January 23.

    Massachusetts-based Strange Machines opened, featuring Mike MacDonald (guitar/vocals), Christian Perron (keys), Bill Noonan (drums) and Craig Holland (bass). They launched their set with a hard rock attitude, temporarily taming their monster sound and diffusing into a nebulous ambience before mutating into a funky breakdown.Mike MacDonald, Craig Holland, Christian Perron- Strange Machines

    Throughout their set Strange Machines continued to cross genre boundaries, fully utilizing distortion techniques to broaden the scope of their sound and keep the crowd intrigued. At the conclusion of a song that culminated in a unification of crashing symbols and heavy guitar strumming, MacDonald posed, “You guys are okay with weird, right?” Swerving into a hip hop beat, the band continuously shifted gears to undulate seamlessly between rock and reggae overtones.

    Mike MacDonald, Craig Holland, Bill Noonan- Strange MachinesMacDonald’s vocals fluctuated conjunctively between soul and rock. While he nailed a falsetto covering MGMT’s “Electric Feel,” as is often the case with instrumental projects, the sound from his lips fell short of the grandeur projected from the musician’s fingertips. Despite vocals that at times felt forced, MacDonald and Holland conveyed an organic chemistry during a bluesy portion of the set as they merged into a matching rhythm, momentarily mirroring subtle full-body swaying. Knees and hips swiveled as skillful fingers dexterously plucked the stringed instruments slung across their bodies.

    Formula 5 followed, the crew of young musicians channeling New York pride from their Albany home base. Joe Davis (guitar/vocals), James Woods (bass) and Matt Richards (keys/vocals) presented a gentler, more even-toned identity, flooding the room with a mellow jazziness. The pleasant tones washed the crowd in a sea of warmth, conveying a sensation of floating leisurely through tropical ocean waves, or perhaps burrowing in that same fuzzy blanket flung abandoned on the couch on a Saturday night.

    Formula 5 and Strange Machines’ cover choices appropriately blended with each band’s sound aesthetic. Collectively, they served up a medley of jam-based dishes for every taste ranging from plain buttered noodles to jazzed-up spicy stew.

    Strange Machines setlist:

    Steal Away > jam, Squid, Golden Rule, Juxtaposed > Enter the Interceptor, Little Monster, The Shape of Things, Electric Feel*, Brighton Tickler, The In-between

    * MGMT cover

    Formula 5 setlist:

    I: Earthbound$* -> Floating@ -> Earthbound, Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan), Pedro* -> Excalibur$, Coming Home -> Mellow Mood! -> Jam -> Hot Box

    E: Drum Solo -> Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)

    * – Unfinished
    $ – contains Tweezer (Phish) Tease
    @ – contains Divided Sky (Phish) Tease
    ! – Bob Marley & The Wailers cover, First time played

  • Hearing Aide: Gone Gone Beyond

    Gone Gone BeyondPicture a small, dimly lit venue with a dusty stage in the back. The ambiance is quite relaxed; the space is occupied, but not packed. There is minimal chatter between young music-lovers who appreciate innovative music and ideas. The crowd vibes in time to a conglomeration of folk, indie, and electronic sounds. This is the mental imagery that could conceivably accompany Gone Gone Beyond’s self-titled debut album.

    Danny Musengo’s raw, captivating vocals are quite prominent throughout the album. The raspy timbre of his voice coupled with the soul behind each note keeps the audience holding onto each syllable.

    “Back Swing’s” electric guitar sounds haunting with the echo distortion and open melodic intervals. More unique instrumentation includes a growly trumpet harmony and violin. “Carnival” nicely juxtaposes what sounds like acoustic piano with electronic percussion. It’s got a flair of EDM with a dance groove towards the end that gives the a song cool ‘B’ section. “Under Seige” implements the innocent female vocals of Colibri which gives the track a refreshing quality.

    Gone Gone Beyond says that the subject matter of their lyrics stems from life, nature, and love- The Human Experience. “Here for A Moment” highlights that love and life are both fleeting, and Musengo sings that he’s “here for a moment, then floating away.” The repetition of the line allows for the layers to build and solidify the concept. In “Ain’t Givin’ Up On Love,” it’s obvious the quest for love is ongoing and shouldn’t be missed out on. The longest and final track called “Long Day” is the longest track in the collection. This song seems to represent life as a whole as life can be thought of as one lengthy day. While lyrics touch on children growing older and seemingly unrequited love, the instrumentals say it all. The soft lull and highs and lows paint an aural picture of the ups and downs of life.

    It is evident that David Block (producer) put a great deal of time and energy into writing and blending each of the compositional elements. The majority of tracks are just over five minutes long, which deviates from the standard four minute norm. There is more consideration for development of phrases and transitions between different ideas, which ultimately takes more time than a regular indie or folk song. Each song begins with a very sparse texture and builds throughout incorporating more and more instruments. The choice of instrumentation and musicianship of the players are what make this album enticing to listen to. Traditional band instruments like guitar and piano are combined with flute, violin, trumpet, double bass, synthesized sounds, and steel pan. Each instrument has a specific purpose and isn’t incorporated for the novelty of doing so.

    This album is quite artistic in creation and the hard work of perfecting each of the elements is very apparent. Check the album out on SoundCloud and Bandcamp!

    Key Tracks: Back Swing, Long Day, Ain’t Givin Up On Love

  • Umphrey’s McGee Open 2016 Tour at The Beacon Theatre

    On Thursday, January 21, 2016 Umphrey’s McGee took the stage for their first night of a three night run at Beacon Theatre. 18 years to the day of their first performance ever, they brought the heat immediately.

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    Opening with “Gooneville,” track that had it’s debut in March 2015, Umphrey’s quickly segued into a the mathematical serenade of fan favorite, “Plunger.” Although it was only the second song of the first set, it felt as is everyone in the theatre was firing on all cylinders, fans included. “Plunger” took an ambient turn and segued into “40’s Theme” which had guitarist/vocalist Jake Cinniger telling the crowd to pick up some “New York City 40s.” “In the Black” and “Roulette” allowed Umphrey’s to display their prowess in transitioning from regaling vocal harmonies with backing chords to heavy, precision playing across all instruments. The band followed up with “Kimble,” which was fitting for a theatre as the song feels like it’s pulled from the soundtrack of a play or musical. “Attachments” was up next showing guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss’ vocal ability on full display. Closing out first set was an almost relentless rendition of “Rocker Pt. 2” which had fans going nuts and throwing up the Umphrey’s rock hands ( mm/) all over the theatre.

    Second set opened with “All In Time” which traversed an almost ethereal musical landscape at points. A very special “Booth Love” featured teases and full on lyrics from the recently deceased Glen Frey’s “You Belong to the City.” Umphrey’s surgical musicianship was in full view mid-second set with “Bridgeless” into “Remind Me,” a few “Xxplosive” (Dr. Dre) teases during “Tribute to Spinal Shaft” and a full on auditory assault with a segue back into “Bridgeless” to close out the second set.

    The highlight of the night was most definitely the encore. In homage to the late, great, David Bowie, Umphrey’s encored with excellent covers of “Space Oddity” and “Fame.” The band funked it up for their rendition of “Fame” which just seemed to fit them perfectly. Here’s to hoping we see more of it in the future!

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  • Thunder 106 Brings Kelsea Ballerini to Starland Ballroom

    Thunder 106 brought up – and – coming country artist Kelsea Ballerini to Starland Ballrom in Sayerville, NJ, for what promised to be a rocking night of female country artists. Kelsea Ballerini was supported by North Dakota’s Hailey Steele and NJ native Madeline Smith. Starland Ballroom has been hosting a slew of talented country artists in the recent months including Kip Moore and Michael Ray on the Wild Ones Tour and the upcoming show on February 14th with Dustin Lynch and Chris Lane.

    Madeline Smith opened up the evening with a mix of her own songs and various covers of popular country songs to get the crowd engaged and involved. Among the covers played by Smith were “We Were Us” by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, a good choice for a local artist to catch the attention of the crowd with a song they could sing along to, and her closing song, another by the extremely talented Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart”.

    Hailey Steele was up next after travelling from North Dakota to play two shows with Kelsea Ballerini, this show in NJ and the show the next day in Boston, MA. Steele took the stage with nothing but her guitar and strong vocals to captivate the crowd. She too played a good mix of songs including some of her more popular music from 2014 and 2015. “Another Like You”, an original by Steele was one of her most popular of the evening drawing strong favor from the crowd. The other song that seemed to stand out most with the crowd was “I Want Your Boyfriend” with a catchy chorus and highly relatable lyrics.

    By the time Kelsea Ballerini was set to take the stage the crowd was more than ready to see what the 22 year old, up – and – coming country artist would bring to the stage. Ballerini took the stage with command and confidence of someone well beyond her years. She has a stage presence and charismatic personality that sets her apart from many other rising artists and will enable her to continue to grow as a musician.

    Ballerini kicked things off with “Looking at Stars” off her first full length release, The First Time (2015). She continued on with a mix off songs off that record that had the crowd engaged and singing along including “Sirens” and her most recent single “Dibs” which was clearly a fan favorite from the crowd’s strong reaction. She carried on into “Peter Pan” which she introduced as a song for all of the girls who have encountered a guy that refuses to grow up and act his age, which is entirely relatable to the demographic of her fan base and the song “Stilettos, another relatable song for young girls about moving on from heartbreak and carrying on with your life. Ballerini is one of the stand out female artists in country currently that have been making a splash on country music radio with her strong willed, confident lyrics that resonate very strongly with the younger generation of country fans which is why she will continue to amass a dedicated fan base.

    A highlight of the evening was her cover of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” in which she enlisted the help Hailey Steele and had the entire crowd singing along emphatically as the two young women commanded the stage together. Ballerini ended the night on a very strong and memorable note with the spunky “XO” once again showing off her confident and spunky flare, and her most recognizable song, “Love Me Like You Mean It”. Ballerini took the country music world by storm with this song reaching gold as well as number one on the Billboard Country Airplay with her debut single. She is among ten other women in history to achieve such a feat including Carry Underwood most recently in 2006. Ballerini has had a lot going for her since her start and has capitalized on the many opportunities she has earned including her most recent nationwide tour opening for Jake Owen and Dan + Shay.

    The night was a memorable concert with three talented young women looking to make a name for themselves in country music. Each showed great potential to carry on and further their careers. It will not be long until Ballerini, especially, is preforming on much larger stages much like the ones she was on during her fall tour.

  • Hearing Aide: Sly Fox and The Hustlers “American Gypsy”

    Sly Fox and The Hustlers released their new, full-length CD, American Gypsy at The Hollow in Albany on January 9th. Well known in the Capital District and beyond, they’ve found a place opening for touring Nationals around the region and doing incendiary shows, large and small, since 2010. The band consists of Sly Fox: guitar/vocals, Dylan Storm: bass/vocals and Sean Ireland on drums. Collectively they’re a three-piece blues-rock outfit, individually, they’re highly accomplished at their craft, sharing a passion for live performance. This is the domain of blues-rock, its strength lies in presence along with the music, the more difficult part is translating that to recording.

    sly fox american gypsyThe opener and title source, “American Gypsy” skips the formality of introduction and goes straight to the point. It has a defiant, swampy feel of movement and searching that echoes Steppenwolf with its drive and instrumentation. It’s a tribute to the hit tv show “Sons of Anarchy” and the video illustrates it well. “Home By Morning” speaks to the blues leanings Sly obviously lives by. The guitar is down and dirty, the harp accentuates and the organ fills are well-placed. Then there’s the rhythm section, make no mistake, a soloist is a soloist, but blues-rock lives on the drive underneath and these cats are tight. It reminds me a bit of Foghat when they jam and just about any other 70s era outfit from their cut, like J. Geils.

    “Forever Young” is a tribute to the memory of a friend shortly before his passing. It’s soulful and spiritual with a reading that moves from Hendrix to Martha Davis in its gut-wrenching emotion. It’s blues with a spiritual longing, raved-up into expression. Followed by “Smooth”, contrasting the prior with a cock-sure upbeat rock tune. The mandatory clap and response section is a pitfall of trying to studio record a live action. “Angels Can Fly” strikes on another aspect of Sly’s musical personality and voicing. It’s softer, emotive and wanting, the guitar solo is crisp and clean, the string-feel adds that heavenly lift to the lyric.

    “Revolutions 2012” is a straight-up rocker spitting against the overwhelming injustices and practices of our times. It’s a rallying cry to the masses for revolution, it’s heavy on all counts and may well hold the best guitar work of this release. Sly flips another switch and turns on a Texas-Blues feel on “Let Me Down Easy”, his influences flying freely from Hendrix to S.R.V., a twist of Morrison in the vocal and the simplicity of ZZ Top in the roll. This is another road song, there are many here, but this one excels, highly.

    sly fox american gypsy
    Photo by Bryan Lasky

    “My Name Is Jimmy” tries to reach into the punk attitude jar, but gets its hands slapped with over-zealous imagery. It has its moments, but is disconnected and over-stated. “Jessica’s Song” is an acoustic guitar song, strumming out a Page-like melody. It’s just slightly dissonant, short and bittersweet, leading back to his and their strength with the closer, “Heart & Soul”. It’s got all of the pieces shining brightly, the organ holds such importance and is easily under-mixed, but not here. Sly meters out his thoughts, rips a few licks and rides on the driving rhythm, reaching into his basket of tricks for the soul aspect. “Got ta, got ta, feel it!”

    Sly has put together a solid release, exhibiting the many facets of his musical personality and life-experiences. It’s well done with maximum energies applied, at moments forced, but it’s damn hard to translate this style to the studio. Get out and catch these cats live, there’s plenty of evidence here that they’ll rip it up. Check them out on their website and on Facebook for news and upcoming tour dates.

    Key tracks: American Gypsy, Home By Morning, Smooth

  • Assembly of Strange Wine Unites Three Classic Bands

    There’s something to be said about bands that continue to perform to throngs of devoted fans who turn out no matter the venue or date. When Assembly of Dust, Strangefolk and God Street Wine perform individually, their well-honed crowds come out in support, even though some shows are less frequent these days. But bringing together these three bands that defined the ’90s jam scene is no small feat, yet a two-night run in Portchester, NY, at the Capitol Theatre and in Boston, MA, at the Paradise Rock Club, led to packed houses, marathon jams and plenty of dancing each night with Assembly of Strange Wine.

    assembly of strange wineAt the Cap, Assembly of Dust started the night with a short set that featured Scott Metzger on guitar, filling in for Adam Terrell who was on assignment in Mexico. The first big jam of the night opened up in “Revelry,” giving Metzger a chance to flex his ax for the crowd. “Whistle Clock” and “All in Time” brought out Jon, Luke and Erik from Strangefolk to join Assembly of Dust for the first of many superjams this weekend, while “Filter” swapped in God Street Wine for the members of Strangefolk and continued the loosely planned, well-executed jam session.

    Assembly of Dust setlist: Bootlegger’s Advice, Man with a Plan, Revelry, Honest Hour, Whistle Clock$, All in Time$, Filter^, Head on Straight*
    $with Strangefolk ^with God Street Wine *Reid solo

    The bands were warmed up and the audience dialed in for Strangefolk, the second act to take to the stage. Opening with “Rather go Fishin,” I felt a light nod to those who opted to head to Mexico for Riviera Maya, but there was no other place I’d rather be than seeing Strangefolk perform this evening. Jason Crosby shone on “In Deep” and added just the right touch of fiddle on “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad.” All of God Street Wine joined Strangefolk for “Sometimes” and “Westerley,” two songs patiently shared among the nine musicians. From the audience it seemed that taking the stage with friends you’ve played music with for nearly a quarter-century amid a focused and receptive audience has to be nearly utopian in terms of live performance.

    Strangefolk setlist: Rather go Fishin’, Udderly Addled, Furnace, In Deep, Goin Down the Road Feelin’ Bad*, Roads*, Sometimes^, Westerley^, Songbeard*
    *with Assembly of Dust ^with God Street Wine (entire set with Jason Crosby on keys/fiddle)

    God Street Wine took the stage last and made their presence known with “Life on Mars?” in tribute to the late David Bowie. A clean segue into “Molly” kept the energy high and the crowd danced well into the set. An extended “Goodnight Gretchen” > “Goodbye Oklahoma” were just getting things started, but it was during “Borderline” when the line between stage and audience blurred, as the energy spilled over with raucous approval (see video below). There was a chemistry onstage during GSW’s set that built off the sit-ins during the previous sets. Whether the bands had practiced together or planned anything in advance was unimportant; onstage everything meshed together well with only the few hiccups that come with having nine musicians onstage at the same time. A “Golden Years” encore paid tribute to Bowie once again (this was a recurring theme of the weekend to come). Night one was in the books and the bar was raised even higher for the sold-out show at Paradise.

    God Street Wine setlist: Life on Mars? > Molly, Bring Back the News > Goodnight Gretchen > Goodbye Oklahoma, Hellfire > Wall, Borderline*, A Good Dream, Sweet Little Angel, Cheap Utah Blues > Ballroom > 6:15
    Encore: Oh Wonderful One, Golden Years
    *with Strangefolk

    The Paradise Rock Club in Boston is, in stark comparison to the Capitol Theatre, a small music club that holds about half as many people. As the crowd filed into the small room, there was an air of excitement that could be felt from each attendee for the second of what would be two very special nights of music. The room hadn’t quite filled up by the time Assembly of Dust took the stage only 15 minutes after the ticket time. They immediately got the crowd moving when they opened with “Paul Henry.” The lineup featured the noteworthy additions of Scott Metzger on guitar and Jason Crosby on keyboards and organ. As they pushed through the set, they showed that this would not be a simple three-band show; it was truly an Assembly of Strange Wine. As AoD finished their set with “Harrower” and with eight musicians onstage, the audience knew the night was just beginning.

    Assembly of Dust setlist: Paul Henry, All That I Am Now, Cluttered, Lost & Amazed, Whatever, Ophelia, Telling Sue, Harrower

    After a brief set break, God Street Wine took the stage with “Epilog.” After moving through a few of their tunes, Crosby came back onstage and joined them on fiddle for “Chop.” Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton then came out for a handful of songs, including the newly penned “Oh Wonderful One” and Genauer on vocals for “Get on the Train,” into which he infused Strangefolk’s “Rachel” in the middle. GSW moved through the remainder of their set, which included crowd-pleaser “Imogene” and ended with “Into the Sea.” As they left the stage, the now completely packed room was waiting with bated breath for the third act.

    God Street Wine setlist: Epilog, Light My Candles > Stranger > Chop#, Oh Wonderful One*, Driving West*, Get On The Train* -> Rachel* -> Get On The Train*, Lighthouse > Imogene, Waiting For The Tide, Into The Sea
    #with Jason on fiddle * with Reid and Jon (entire set with Dave Diamond on percussion and Jason on keys except Chop and Lighthouse)

    Another short breather allowed the audience to cool down and relax before Strangefolks’s night-ending set. Opening with “Valhalla,” they sent a message that they meant business. They saw a rotating cast of musicians throughout their set, and for “Mama,” there were 10 musicians onstage, including four percussionists, to which Genauer commented, “There will be a lot of notes.” Their energetic set ended with “Burned Down.” As they came back out for the encore, those in the crowd who had heard the GSW cover of “Life on Mars?” from the previous night wondered if there would be another tribute to David Bowie. Sure enough, the notes for “Space Oddity” were played, and as the band moved from that to Strangefolk’s “Speculator,” the entire crowd was repeating “Can you hear me, Major Tom?” along with the band. The encore came to a finale with more repeating of those lyrics at the end. Walking back out to the cold streets of Boston was quite welcome after leaving the heat from the small room and the incredible music.
    Strangefolk setlist: Valhalla, Poland, So Well, Diary, Stout Hearted Man, Mama, Take it Easy > Memory of a Free Festival, Burned Down
    Encore: Space Oddity > Speculator > Space Oddity

  • The Bog Brothers w/ Ericka Longo at Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown Syracuse

    On January 13, Funk’n Waffles welcomed The Bog Brothers with special guest, Ericka Longo.  With Mike Gridley on lead vocals, mandolin, and banjo he brings a charisma to the stage.  Joined by Marc Odin on the guitar, Scott Wilson on the debro, and Steve Buck on bass and vocals, this quartet brings an eclectic mix of music ranging from roots, to folk, to Americana.  Joined this evening by special guests, Mike Lounsbery, who added some great energy to the stage with harmonica, percussion, and vocals; and  Ericka Longo who brought it all together with the violin, adding a beautiful presence to the stage.

    The Bog Brothers’ intimate, fun nature surely created an energetic atmosphere for all to enjoy, bringing not only their love for music to the stage, but also sharing many smiles and laughs in between sets with close friends and family who filled the dance floor.