NYS Music 20​16

Category: Genres

  • Twiddle Announces Show at Capitol Theatre

    Vermont quartet Twiddle announced they will headline Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre on May 7. The announcement happened in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night at the Irving Plaza in New York City.

    NYC’s instrumental rock-fusion band Tauk will open the Cap show.

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    Although the band has played larger venues in support of other artists, headlining the historic Capitol Theater is just another indication that the band’s rising popularity is backed by growing crowds and bookings into larger venues. Saturday night’s Twiddle show at Irving Plaza sold out days before the event. All indicators point to the show at the Capitol Theater to do the same.

    Twiddle celebrated the big news by debuting a fan-inspired song called “Collective Pulse.” Guitarist Mihali Savoulidis posted an acoustic debut of the song via his Facebook page on Feb. 13. Fans that missed the announcement and the song’s full band debut can check out this fan-shot video that highlights both:

    Twiddle continues to announces big shows and festivals that have the band touring late into the summer including a slot at the Lockn’ Music Festival and opening for the Disco Biscuits at Red Rocks on June 4. The band has also announced that they will host Tumble Down July 29- 30, a two-day music event in Burlington, VT.

    Twiddle heads to Florida for the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival on March 4-6 before finishing up the last leg of their Plumperdump Winter Tour.

  • Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds Returning to Brooklyn Bowl

    Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds make you feel like you’ve stumbled upon the real deal. Like eight vibrant, youthful individuals arrayed across the stage who would be your friends if they only knew your name, but in lieu of that, simply pour their hearts out musically just to see you smile. Almost a year to the day since their last appearance at Brooklyn Bowl, vocalist Arleigh Kincheloe and crew will once again be giving New Yorkers something to shake their tail feathers to on Saturday, March 4. Following recent appearances around Colorado, this Brooklyn gig lies just after the start of a 9-date East Coast tour running through the month of March.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJcFr4Vygeo

    The Dirty Birds are a soul-blues-gospel-rock band supporting a singer-songwriter vocal powerhouse whose songs ride the line between inwardly self-aware and personal and outwardly party oriented. The band’s current LP, The Weather Below, released last year, was recorded at the famous Bear Creek Studio near Seattle with producer Ryan Hadlock (Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers), who brought Kincheloe’s latest material to life with the greatest feeling of directness and transparency thus far achieved on any Dirty Birds recording. Several of the songs on this album are autobiographical in terms of Kincheloe and her band and have been staples of their live sets in recent years.

    Attendees of this show can expect to see ebullient original horn arrangements and soloing, the electronically processed harmonica virtuosity of Jackson Kincheloe, potential covers of Michael Jackson and Led Zeppelin or the like and a whole lot of original rock music in a range of styles and moods generally catered to the dance floor.

    Albany-based power trio Wild Adriatic and one-man gritty blues band The Suitcase Junket will open the show. Doors open at 6 pm and the music starts at 8 pm.

  • American Babies Raise the Dead in Albany

    On Thursday, February 25, those willing to boogie down on a school night took to the Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany to see Tom Hamilton’s American Babies. Considered to be “the hardest working man in show business,” Hamilton proved once again that this hard work pays off. The crowd, while somewhat sparse considering the talent on stage, was thoroughly impressed as evident by cheers, dancing and plenty of “Hamilton’s the man” exclamations.

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    The evening began with opening act Bump, a three piece ensemble with Americana sounds similar to that of their headliner. American Babies rhythm guitarist Justin Mazer joined the trio for a rendition of “Angels from Montgomery,” which was as rocking as it was sweet.

    American Babies played “What Does it Mean to Be” early in their set, a song from their new and still unreleased album, An Epic Battle Between Light and Dark, which kept the crowd as equally intrigued as it was satisfied. The song is about not feeling your age or what society tells us we should feel like at a certain age; the album is set to release on March 18.

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    The rest of the set was cover heavy and was surely influenced by Hamilton’s experiences in his other projects. “State Police” and “Let’s Start a Gang,” both Brother’s Past songs, provided opportunities for spacey yet upbeat jams. Directly following this was several Grateful Dead covers including “Big River” and “Cumberland Blues,” in which Mazer delivered the solo of the night.

    ER.COKER-AMERICAN.BABIES_05“Buckle in, we’re just getting started,” Hamilton tells the crowd as he took off his pin-decorated jacket to reveal a black t-shirt with the text “9:30” in large white letters, likely from the famed club in Washington D. C.  Drummer Al Smith also changed out a cymbal in preparation for what was to come.

    They picked up with another Grateful Dead song, “The Wheel” which led into the American Babies’ version of “Jolene” and then back into “The Wheel,” adding depth to the familiar sound and inches to my perma-grin.

    The Babies then did another cover, this time Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City,” but again adding something to it all their own.

    Throughout the set, Hamilton seemed to have chemistry with every member of the band. Smith and Bassist Mark Sosnoskie looked to him as a leader, awaiting cues for their next move while he and Mazer bounced back and forth taking turns as the star. His professional chemistry was only amplified by that of the romantic sort with guitarist Raina Mullen. They harmonize well on stage and off it as well as a couple.

    The night ended with even more Dead, “Deal,” and I’m just left thinking how much Hamilton really sounds like Jerry Garcia at this point. Clearly, his work with Billy and the Kids and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead has become ingrained in his repertoire. If for any reason John Mayer stops playing with Dead and Company, Tom Hamilton is the obvious choice to step in.

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  • Peaking Upstate: Twiddle Plumps Sold-Out Crowd

    It was fitting to see a sold out Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on Friday night for many reasons. Mainly, it signified maturity and growth for Formula 5 and headliner Twiddle, a jam-rock group out of Burlington.

    Formula 5 has been working very hard lately, just wrapping up their first full tour. Led by Joe Davis on guitar, James Woods on bass, Matt Richards on keys and Greg Marek on drums, Formula 5 has quickly carved out its spot in the Northeast jam scene. It’s impossible not to draw the parallels between the four-piece and Phish, especially because the group formed while waiting in line to get tickets to a Phish show in 2009. Davis has studied Trey Anastasio and it shows in  his precise, swirling, soaring guitar work

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    “Earthbound Tim” led way to “Pedro” which bled into “Excalibur.” Somewhere in the mix were “Down With Disease” and “Harry Hood” teases. “Floating,” “Epiphany” and a reprisal of “Earthbound Tim” closed out the show, leaving the hometown band exiting the stage with grins of approval.

    Following a short break, Twiddle took the stage, backed by the Frendly Horns, which added a layer to the band not seen very much. Touring in support of their latest release Plump, Mihali Savoulidis performed using a new guitar at the show, which looked like a custom mix of a Stratocaster and a classic Guild and it sounded wonderful. It was the third show of the band’s Plumperdump winter tour.

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    “Gatsby the Great,” “Honeyburste,” and “Brick of Beauty”, which featured a “Shakedown Street” jam, started the two-hour set and it featured periods of extended jamming. The horns allowed Savoulidis and keyboardist Ryan Dempsey a layer of rhythmic space and both used it wisely, trading licks and staccatos before weaving their way into “Polluted Beauty” where bassist Zdenek Gubb  took the lead this time and pushed the band, with the help of drummer Brook Jordan, through a funk excursion.

    “Classical Gas,” “Be There,” “Complacent Race” and “Frankenfoote” closed out the set, with the audience singing along with seemingly every word.

    For the encore, Twiddle had one final treat in store. Lowell Wurster, of Lucid notoriety, joined the stage to play the washboard on a version of “Did You Ever Look So Nice.”

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    This is the second year in a row Twiddle has sold out Upstate Concert Hall which has a capacity of nearly 1,300. Last year they did it with the support of Kung Fu. Formula 5 displayed it has the chops and dedication to continue to rise while Twiddle showed just how far they have come. It was apparent by the joyous mood outside the venue post-show that both these bands are just getting started and it’s been nice to watch them grow in the past two years.

    Stream or download Ed Guidry’s recording of Twiddle’s set

    Formula 5 Setlist: Earthbound Tim->Pedro->Excalibur, Floatin, Epiphany->Earthbound Tim

    Twiddle Setlist: Gatsby The Great, Honeyburste, Brick Of Barley[1], Polluted Beauty, Classical Gas[2], Be There, Complacent Race, Frankenfoote

    Encore: Did You Ever Look So Nice?[3]

    Show Notes: This show was a part of the “Plumperdump” 2016 Winter Tour. The Frendly Horns were featured for the entire show. This was a sold-out show. Formula 5 opend the show.
    [1] “Brick Of Barley” contained a “Shakedown Street” (Grateful Dead) tease.
    [2] “Classical Gas” contained an “X-Files Theme” tease.
    [3] “Did You Ever Look So Nice?” featured Lowell Wurster (Lucid) on washboard.

  • Rochester Got a ‘New View’ of Eleanor Friedberger

    Eight years ago Eleanor Friedberger played to a raucous sold out crowd at the Bug Jar with her previous band, The Fiery Furnaces. A lot has changed in eight years.

    The Fiery Furnaces have taken an extended and possibly permanent break. Friedberger has released three increasingly excellent solo albums in that time. Her post-Furnaces sound has developed over the three albums, emerging in the latest, New View, out earlier this year, as her most accessible and personal yet. But for any number of reasons, the crowd from eight years prior didn’t return. Friedberger and her backing band, Ice Water, who also played a short opening set, performed to a paltry couple dozen souls who saw fit to venture out on a Sunday night in Rochester.

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    Midway through the set Friedberger slipped up on the lyrics to “My Mistakes,” (apropos!) one of two songs she played off of her first solo album, Last Summer. After finishing the song, she admitted she lost her train of thought as she had been thinking about advice she had been given about how to play in front of 1000 people or in front of 10. She assured her audience, “If anyone is concerned, don’t be, I feel the exact opposite. Happy to be here.” Perhaps she was just excited to play under the Bug Jar’s whacky ceiling. Earlier she proclaimed it to be the “best ceiling in the world… except maybe that other famous one.”

    Her band, drummer Neil Hecht, guitarist Malcolm Perkins, bassist Jonathan Rosen, and his brother Michael Rosen on Wurlitzer piano and keyboards, were also the backing band for the album. They laid down tight slinky grooves with just the right touches and punch to bring Friedberger’s songs to life on stage. Often times the opening band sounds great until the headliner comes along and sounds even better. Such was the case on this night, except the opening band consisted of the same musicians as the headliner, more or less. Ice Water’s qualities were enhanced, refined and magnified under the scope of Friedberger.

    They ran through the entire new album in order, with just a few diversions sprinkled in from her previous two albums. The style in the older songs, with a more conversational cadence, stood in contrast to the newer material, which reached stronger melodic hooks.

    The set finished strong with the psychedelic “All Known Things” and proggish “Does Turquoise Work?” with an extended mid-section build. That left only one New View song unplayed. For the encore performance of “A Long Walk” Friedberger played solo on the stage alone, before the full band walked back up and kicked into full gear for a strong and jarring instrumental finish. They closed the night with the lone representative from 2013’s Personal Record, the fun and upbeat “Stare at the Sun,” with it’s appropriate lyric, “If that was good-bye then I must be high, you know I’ll be seeing you soon.” Those who elected to stay home missed a treat, one that might come around only every eight years or so, lyrics aside.

    Setlist: He Didn’t Mention His Mother, Open Season > Sweetest Girl, Roosevelt Island, Your Word, Because I Asked You, Never Is a Long Time, My Mistakes, Cathy With the Curly Hair > Two Versions of Tomorrow, All Known Things, Does Turquoise Work? Encore: A Long Walk, Stare at the Sun

  • Gramatik Electrifies Sold Out PlayStation Theater

    Gramatik kicked off his Epigram Tour at PlayStation Theater this past Saturday, Feb. 20th, 2016. Those lucky enough to snag a ticket to the sold out performance were gifted an amazing live show and the chance to experience the new album, Epigram, in full.  Gramatik knows his New York crowd and he delivered thusly.

    Alexander Lewis and Sweater Beats provided some serious bass fodder for their opening performances and warmed up the fans for the main attraction.  Once Gramatik and his guitarist, Andrew Block, took the stage the crowd lit up. Gramatik got into a groove immediately and invited Queens rapper, Adrian Lau, out for a few tracks which got everyone super hyped.

    It’s safe to say that Epigram is going to be an amazing album as the music everyone was raging to touched upon numerous genres; 70s funk and soul meshed effortlessly with crunching French electro-esque beats with tons of hip hop influences for good measure. Throughout the night some Grizmatik tracks made a cameo, heavy, hard, bassy remixes of 90s hip-hop appeared, a tease of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” went down and my favorite moment of the night was an absolute beast of a remix of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” which had people getting out of their seats and swiftly dance-walking to the crowd to get in the groove. Familiar tracks like “Just Jammin’” were also segued into the set to the crowd’s delight.

    A highlight of the night was when Orlando Napier came out and performed his vocals on “Native Son,” the first single off Epigram. It was a wonderful moment to experience the song live as that dude has some serious pipes and charisma.

    I’ll jump at the opportunity to see Gramatik perform again as his skill in creating funk-infused, crystalline soundscapes is unmatched. The Epigram Tour continues through the US this Spring. Check out Gramatik at Mysterland in Bethel Woods, NY this June as I’m sure he’s going to throw down some heat. Be on the lookout for Epigram’s release this Spring and be sure to download Gramatik’s entire discography for free here.

  • Hearing Aide: David Gans ‘It’s a Hand-Me-Down’

    David Gans It's a Hand-Me-DownDavid Gans is a man with many talents. After launching a music career in 1970, Gans became a noted and award-winning journalist born, writing for Rolling Stone, Relix and BAM, while also serving as editor at a few different publications.

    In the 1980s, he became a biographer of sorts for the Grateful Dead, writing Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead, with Peter Simon in 1985. Soon after, he created a nationally syndicated radio show called The Grateful Dead Hour and hosts a similar show today on SiriusXM.

    Soon after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, Gans got the itch to start playing music again. He played a string of shows in 1997 and 1998 with Phil Lesh in a band called the Broken Angels. Throughout the last 17 years, he has played in several bands who all paid tribute to his favorite band.

    Last year, David Gans released an album of Dead covers, titled It’s a Hand Me Down. The record is bare-bones minimalistic, with Gans giving his takes on such songs as “Loser,” “Deal,” “Terrapin Station,” “Stella Blue” and “Brokedown Palace,” among eight more.

    What sticks out most is how Gans strips down some of the Dead’s most cherished songs and serves them up the way he sees them. For a guy with a Ph.D in the Grateful Dead, he’s as qualified as anyone to give an inside perspective at what the Dead’s music means to him.

    The soft and serene tracks are perfect background music for a dinner party or solo reading time. Gans’ voice is unique, but similar enough to Garcia’s that you feel that comfortable peace that came with every word the man sang.

    Key Tracks: Stagger Lee, Wharf Rat, Looks Like Rain

    Here’s Gans performing “Brokedown Palace” in 2011 on Jam Cruise.

  • Legends Alert: Leon Russell and Dave Mason at The Egg on February 28

    Rock legends Leon Russell and Dave Mason will perform at the Hart Theater at The Egg Performing Arts Center on Sunday, February 28 at 7 PM. Part of the American Roots & Branches concert series, the two rock music icons will perform individual sets with their bands, performing a variety of classic songs from their storied repertoire, including Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady,” made famous by Joe Cocker, and Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright,” among many other hits from across their careers.

    Tickets for the concert are $34.50 and $39.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza, or by telephone 518-473-1845

  • Hearing Aide: Trinity Park Radio “TPR Comes Alive”

    TPR, short for Trinity Park Radio, just released a live album playfully titled TPR Comes Alive. Many nuances throughout this album make it an unique adventure from Cleveland to Chicago (more on that later), and these fun loving college guys have etched themselves a niche in the live music scene. Some live albums overshadow the band with long drawn out jams, and don’t highlight the personality of the band and focus on their ability. TPR connects with their audience in a more intimate way, making them feel as if they are part of the show. By recording in a cozy setting, the listener feels like they’re one of the people in the crowd.

    Right off the bat, “King of the Park” hits you in the face with pure adrenaline charged rock and roll while “Cleveland Gary” shows a different side of the band – a softer, more emotional side. “You’re on Fire” is a catchy little number with a fun repeating title phrase which speeds up to astronomical speeds, bringing out a silliness from the band members as they get increasingly excited and deliver that energy through the speakers.  TPR also put a hip spin on a grade school classic, the famous “Stop Drop and Roll.” These lads added rock ‘ n before the roll and all are left singing along. That wasn’t the only point in the album where the lyrics were ironic, the title “I Love Dick’s….Sporting Goods”, is another perfect example.

    The album closes out with “Carl Winslow,” yes, that Carl Winslow, the Chicago mailman from the ABC hit “Family Matters.” It’s a delightfully hokey song telling stories of Steve Urkel and others cast members, but the music itself is the most catchy part, although you may find yourself confused by the band saying Carl Winslow, as the music doesn’t fit the character at all – a middle class, mid-America man – does not translate to hard kicking guitar riffs and slamming drums.  Again, this fits the over riding motif of the album, with the titles and the lyrics making the listener believe they are going to hear one thing, but the music delivering another.

    Listening to TPR Comes Alive, the amount of effort put in becomes clear straight away. You can tell they don’t take themselves too seriously, but they are far from a joke. TPR is having fun toeing that line, and if they stay they the course it can only mean a bright future for these guys from Upstate New York.

    Key Tracks: Cleveland Gary, King of the Park, You’re on Fire

  • Twiddle Brings Plumperdump to Packed Syracuse Crowd

    Twiddle rolled into Syracuse this past Saturday to a sold out crowd at the Westcott Theater.  The third stop on the band’s Plumperdump Tour was also the third sold out show of the short winter run.  An indication that the band’s stock is rising, backed by a continuously growing fan base.

    The house wasn’t packed with just Twiddle fans from central New York.  Before the band took the stage, the room was energized by swarms of fans from all over the Northeast. Some chatted about the half day drive or relived the tour’s first two shows in Maine and Rhode Island and many new fans simply waited in anticipation of their first Twiddle show.The evening’s set list showcased songs from the band’s latest release, PLUMP- Chapter One, as well as a playful blend of covers and Twiddle fan favorites.  The music showcased a growth in exploration of self-education. Twiddle has found ways to weave together its new momentum and classic jams; a seemingly tricky task of bridging a new polished studio sound while exploring the space between the choruses.

    Beyond the much hyped message of the band’s music, is a less discussed musical workmanship that sometimes get lost within the hype of “frends” and “pe^king”.  What fans of the band are witnessing so far on the Plumperdump Tour, is the harmonious blend of the band’s musical journey; a tasty mix of hooky lyrics and feel good singalongs with whimsical improvisational composition while still creating an effective and intriguing blend.

    Twiddle is on a journey, that if continued, will shine best during the summer festival season, where Twiddle is poised to play a mix of regional festivals and high profile events, such as this summer’s Lockn’ Music Festival.

    The high profile growth seems to be giving the band a new approach to its performance. On this tour, Twiddle plays with an overwhelming sense of  love for the journey.

    In the show opener “Syncopated Healing” as well as in the evening’s extended version of the PLUMP single “Every Soul”, the band presented with a cleaner  and brighter quality to their sound.

    In “Carter Candlestick” and “Doinkinbonk”, Twiddle continued to showcase an onstage brotherhood by creating stand out moments for bassist Zdenek Gubb, who has eagerly driven the band toward a more dark, funky, but yet playful groove.

    What makes Twiddle endearing is that, as highlighted in the evening’s version of the disco classic “Funkytown”, they explore a more playful space.  Among their own original material, the song “Dr. Remidi’s Melodium” treated fans to the signature Twiddle reggae/funk/rock fusion that kept the crowd in a rhythmic bliss of engaging lyrics and danceable grooves.

    Twiddle also seems to be finding new ways to take risks within its sets.  The first set ended with not only a rousing rendition of the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon”, but also a  seldom heard vocal jam.  And although they may not be the first jam band to explore this technique, they are doing it their own way.  The Twiddle vocal jam is a captivating blend of beat-boxing and vocal rhythms that mimics the best video game soundtracks and electronic grooves – a group of twenty something musicians playfully distorting and manipulating the sounds of its generation into a unique musical moment.

    The only downfall of the evening was that the energy of the crowd felt too big for the venue.  The Westcott Theater staff found themselves turning fans away at the door.  And while continued sellouts are great to encourage the band to book larger venues, it’s that larger space that the band’s sounds is looking to fill.  For a band like Twiddle that is clearly looking to attract a mix of fans while blending a variety of musical textural sounds, the band will only continue to grow if the size of the spaces they play grows as well.

    Twiddle continues the Plumperdump tour Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo before heading to the Upstate Music Hall in Clifton Park on Friday, Feb. 26 with Formula 5 and Irving Plaza in New York City on Feb. 27.

    Setlist: Syncopated Healing, Every Soul, Carter Candlestick, Five, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, Doinkinbonk!!! > Funky Town > Doinkinbonk!!!, Rocky Raccoon

    Encore: Hattibagen McRat