Category: Genres

Hearing Aide: Last Conspirators ‘Hold That Thought Forever’

The Last Conspirators just released fourth album Hold That Thought Forever moves the band into new territory. While past releases’ lyrics have dealt with politics and the feelings towards how things have been moving along in the country, this album showcases a more personal side of the band. To go along with the lyric change, the music has also been toned down at times from the punk rock aesthetic known by their fans. The changes are welcomed and it is great to hear the band try something different and succeed in Hold That Thought Forever.

“Addiction” is one of the darkest songs on the record and the funk bass line that it follows goes right along with the subject material, taking the listener into the depths of what addiction can be. “1302” is the first track on the album to have the band start to rock behind Tim Livingston’s lyrics and constantly builds until the end when a fury of music takes over the proceedings and joins the voice in bringing the song to a fiery end.

“Two Days in May” is one of the tracks on the album that finds The Last Conspirators trying something new. The chorus almost comes out of an early Bruce Springsteen song when you could hear him and Steven Van Zandt harmonize with one another. The fact that The Last Conspirators have gone for a more eclectic sound on this record shows how many bands truly influence them as a unit and brings the history of music to the fore front as they continue to push on wish new tunes.

The song “Tracks” bring the punk attitude back, with Tim spitting the lyrics and Nick Bisanz laying down some dirty grungy guitar licks that would fit right in on an old Patti Smith record. “Alright” is great rocker with Mike Grundy and Al Kash constantly moving the song along with their fantastic bass and drum playing on what is sure to a great song to see live.

While most of the record isn’t political, “Truth and a Gun” hits the mark perfectly, especially with how crazy gun violence is gotten in the past year. The song easily makes clear which side of the argument the band is on and ends in a blaze of guitar work by Bisanz. Being a local Albany band, they may not get out of the state to play, but if you’re close enough they definitely are worth checking out. In the live setting their songs get you moving and thinking and this record does the same. Hopefully the band can keep the creative juices flowing and give us another collection of music soon.

Key Tracks: Addiciton, Tracks, Truth and a Gun

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS3pMUJk2Ow[/embedyt]

January 12, 2016
Syracuse ‘Fund the Bern’ Concert Raises $16,000

On Jan. 8, more than 700 people packed the Palace Theatre in Syracuse to “Fund the Bern.” Local music venue Funk ‘N Waffles hosted the benefit concert to support presidential candidate Bernie Sanders—and it made more than $16,000 in one night.

Photo by Carol Thoryk O’Leary

Syracuse musicians Joe Driscoll and Charley Orlando organized the grassroots event to raise awareness about Sanders’ platform and registering to vote

The Friday night show featured guest speakers and musicians from the Syracuse and Central New York community like Colleen Kattau, Jane Zell, Irv Lyons Jr., Grupo Pagan, Dave Risen, Root SHOCK, the Fat Peace, Subsoil, Castle Creek, Mage IX, Chris Merkley and Sophistafunk. Popular Syracuse food trucks PB&J’s Lunch Box, LLC and The Chicken Bandit were on hand to provide food.

On the event’s Facebook page, Driscoll shared a lengthy thank you letter, recounting the evening’s success:

“There are win-win situations, and then there’s whatever last night was—win-win times twelve, such good vibes, so many great performances, great food and tons of new volunteers recruited for the [Bernie] Sanders’ campaign… We raised awareness, we raised massive funds, we raised the roof and we raised some spirits. Most importantly, the sense of community in the room was so strong; it blew me away. And I haven’t danced and smiled that much in a while.”

Driscoll also reported that the volunteer group is planning to hold another concert at the historic Palace on James Street in Syracuse in April to continue raising funds for Sanders’ campaign, and he encouraged interested people to stay tuned via Facebook.

Photo by Dave Frisina

Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern Bern

January 12, 2016
Spring Fling Rock AF 2016 to come to Western New York

Buffalo and Rochester have been announced as two of the 15 cities on the Spring Fling Rock AF 2016 Tour.

The tour package will hit the Main Street Armory in Rochester on March 26 and roll through the Queen City on March 28. First Niagara Center will be hosting the event in Buffalo. Cage the Elephant, Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands are slated to perform on the multi-city run.

Tickets for both venues go on sale to the general public on Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. and range from $33 to $43. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone, or through the venue box offices. Pre-sales for fan clubs members for both of the bands and various radio stations sponsoring the event begin as early as Wednesday, Jan 13.

The tour features Grammy-nominated Kentucky based rock band Cage the Elephant, Alt rock veterans Silversun Pick-ups, up and coming UK indie rock band Foals and the Brooklyn based band Bear Hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBeohY2O2PA

With packaged tours becoming more of a rarity, the bands are all eager to hit the road together. Cage the Elephant front man Matt Shultz had this to say:

“There’s a real sense of camaraderie and a shared philosophy amongst all of us on this tour. We come from all over the world, but we share a love of music and being on the road. These shows will celebrate that spirit.”

The tour kicks off March 11 in Fresno, California. In addition to two other California dates Spring Fling Rock AF Tour will also make stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maine before wrapping up on April 1 in Portland, Maine.

Spring Fling Rock AF 2016 Tour:

03/11 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
03/12 – Sacramento, CA – Sleep Train Arena
03/13 – Bakersfield, CA – Radobank Arena
03/16 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
03/18 – Tulsa, OK – Cox Business Center
03/19 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center
03/20 – Johnson City, TN – Freedom Hall Civic Center
03/22 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Coliseum
03/23 – Norfolk, VA – Constant Convocation Center
03/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
03/26 – Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory
03/28 – Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center
03/30 – Hartford, CT – XL Center
03/31 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
04/01 – Providence, RI – Dunkin Donuts Center

January 12, 2016
Rubblebucket Brings New Songs in the New Year to Water Street Music Hall

In what has become a bit of a tradition, afrobeat-dance-pop partiers Rubblebucket once again worked Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall into their New Year’s weekend plans this year. Though their visit is never quite held on New Year’s Eve, they’re always sure to carry over some antics with them.

The stage was dressed with a painted and black-lit backdrop that was hit with various animations throughout the night, including jellyfish, clouds, hyperspace-esque bursts etc. The band continued their strong touring behind their latest album Survival Sounds. The show opened with “Shake Me Around” and “Sound of Erasing” and the rest of the set was peppered with more Survival Songs tracks. Past hits from Omega La La “Silly Fathers” and “Came Out of a Lady” (hilariously available now as a onesie) aren’t ready to leave the rotation though. Most exciting though, the band continued it’s slow and subtle evolution showcasing two brand new songs that will hopefully find their way into stores on a new album sometime in 2016.

First up was “Donna,” a song about imaginary lovers unrelated to the Richie Valens classic and just a smidge more upbeat. It featured Kalmia Traver back on the sax, something that has grown rarer, and Alex Toth making use of a megaphone. Later in the set, the band emerged with another new one, “Party Like Your Heart Hurts.” An apt title for a song by a band who brings a party every night and oozes love for their music, audience and life in general. With an undercurrent of electronics bubbling up, this one is immediately infectious and the crowd spent no time acclimating to the groove. It was as if they’d heard it a 100 times. Check out videos of both songs below.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z6utKdEqXM[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6BURv6gqy0[/embedyt]

After an hour long set that featured a tutu worn by multiple members of the band, confetti cannons, full-crowd jump-alongs, a horn march through the crowd, and Kalmia Traver riding through the crowd in an inflatable raft (impressively while still holding mic and singing), the audience wasn’t ready to quit this not-quite New Year’s Eve celebration. Rabidly chanting “One more song!” as loud as you will ever hear, when the band came back Alex Toth asked, “Is it OK if we play 2 songs?”

So two songs they played, the first a cover of Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” (video below) which brought a much harder edge to the mix. It served as a dynamic contrast to their usual bright sound and was a great addition to the repertoire. The night closed with “Save Charlie” and a huge balloon drop, including a massive blue octopus that snaked through the crowd. Rubblebucket continually out-Rubblebucket’s themselves over the New Year’s holiday, and Rochester happily hosted the party once again.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d2A1FIi2Z4[/embedyt]

January 11, 2016
Obituary: Norman Dimitrouleas, Former Keyboardist for The Werks

Norman Dimitrouleas, former keyboardist for Ohio’s The Werks, passed away suddenly over the weekend.

Having brought his older brother Dino into the band in 2011, Norman left the group in 2014, returning to jam with them at The Werk Out this past summer.

Norman’s brother Dino Dimitrouleas, current bassist for The Werks, shared this statement on Facebook:

It is with a heavy heart that I am traveling back to Ohio early to be with family and prepare services for my brother Norman who passed away in his sleep last night. I want to say thank you to the hundreds of people who have reached out to me to give their condolences and support for me and my family during this very hard time.
Norman’ s heart was always bigger than his brain and he was one of the kindest humans I have ever known. He would consistently put himself out to try to help others and anyone who knew him couldn’t help but love him (no matter how mad you wanted to be with him). As I scroll down my news feed and see all the lives he has touched and influenced in his short life I can’t help but be proud to call this great man my brother. I love you Norman… rest in peace. You were too good for this world.
I will post information about services as soon as I know what they are.

Norman spoke with Gratefulweb in 2012 discussing his early musical background.

My parents got me lessons from a teacher skilled in teaching classical music. I was pretty good at it, but I wanted to play some rock and roll. She had me playing Bach and Beethoven, so one day I brought in the Beatles Let It Be and another song and asked her if I could learn it. She ended up telling me that he ‘wasn’t ready’ for that type of thing and she gave me Bach’s second to learn. I went home and worked on playing “Let It Be” and just barely touched practicing Bach. When I went back to practice the next week she asked me to pull out Bach. I got through about two bars of it and she said, ‘That’s it?’ I told her, ‘But look what I did learn,’ and I played a ripping “Let It Be.” She looked at me kind of blankly and said, ‘Well, I guess I didn’t understand the direction you wanted to go in and what you’ve come here for.’ And from then on I’ve been playing rock.”

The track “Norm and T-Bone Improv,” shared by Digipossum, was recorded in 2003. Digipossum shared the significance of this particular track:

This was recorded at my college’s recording studio shortly after I met Norm. He was the first musician I was doing studio work with, and even though he was sick and had a fever, he came in and did this track, because he knew how eager I was to record live musicians just getting started into recording at the time. This was all improv and no loops. He played all the layers live. We never put this out, and I thought I’d lost this recording, so was very happy to find it today. Enjoy. And RIP Norman. You were a great friend as well as a great musician.

January 11, 2016
The Disco Biscuits 2016 New Years Eve Run: Keeping Everyone On Their Toes

Fresh off of Holidaze in the Dominican Republic, the Disco Biscuits returned to New York City for their 2016 New Years Eve run at The Playstation Theater.

You could tell that the band was excited for the run, as they had many tricks up their sleeves. They started the run off in style with a setlist constructed by two fans, Sean Gruchik wrote the first set, and Rich Steele the second. The second set featured a brilliant “Basis for a Day”/”Spacebirdmatingcall” pairing that took up most of the set and let everyone know that they hadn’t missed a beat since Holidaze.

New Years Eve featured a “Hot Air Balloon” countdown, along with a mix of some old and new sounds. After “Helicopters” > “Feeling Twisted” > “Pimp Blue Rikkis”, the band ended the set with a “Spaga” that included a “Final Countdown” by Europe intro. The Biscuits went all out for the third set which was almost entirely improv. The band played along as the 1982 Disney film Tron was projected onto a see through screen before dropping back into “Helicopters.” The set was incredible and was up there among the best things the Biscuits have done production-wise.

The show on the 1st was a wheel show, the second if it’s kind, which featured a wheel with songs and a few prizes. Fans, friends and even a band member spun it throughout the night to determine the set list. When it was spun while they weren’t in the middle of a jam, they fell back into the same “Mario Star Jam” which they played at the last wheel show in 2007, which gave you the feeling like you were watching some demented T.V. game show. The wheel added a few interesting kinks to the show as the band had to work their way through some uncommon segues and also had to play some rarities. No time for New Years hangover rust, the band stepped up to the challenge and delivered.

After the “Voices Insane” opener, the band played a robot porn soundtrack of “Moshi Fameus” > “Orch Theme” before the wheel delivered a one-two punch of “Mindless Dribble” and “Spraypaint Victory” to end the Set.

Showing their drummer Allen some love after 10 years with the band, they let him spin the wheel to open the second set. Coincidentally, it landed on “Floes,” a song penned by their previous drummer Sammy. That led into the highlight of the night, “Lunar Pursuit” > “Sweating Bullets.” Everyone was completely locked in but Allen and Barber really played off each other well for the segment, which was a nice reminder of just how far the two have come along in the last 10 the years since Allen joined.

Next up was the rarity, “The Unspoken Rhyme,” which the band had not played since 2001. The next person to spin cheated and stopped the wheel on “Munchkin Invasion” but the band decided to mess with her a bit, playing a rare standalone Waves instead, which wasn’t inverted, dyslexic, or chopped up like usual. The band then gave her what she wanted and played a “Munchkin Invasion” encore.

The last night of the run brought the heat and the horns. The Philly Stray Horns came out for the first set along with some Blues Brothers impersonators who sat in for some fun covers of
“Soul Man” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”. The Biscuits finished up their run doing what they do best. The last set was heavy on the improv, starting off with an almost hour long version of “I-Man” before slipping into “Svenghali” > “Astronaut” > “Reactor.”

The Disco Biscuits next run will be at the Fillmore in Philadelphia at the end of February, their first time playing the new venue. Tickets are on sale now.

[FinalTilesGallery id=’571′]

January 11, 2016
Lemmy to Live on as an Element on the Periodic Table?

Recently deceased Motorhead frontman Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy, may be the first metal legend to be named to an element in scientific periodic table. Change.org user John Wright, has created an online petition asking fans to help him name one of four newly discovered heavy metal elements as a tribute to the metal legend.

York, UK native Wright’s petition would like one of the four newly discovered elements which all have temporary names to be renamed “Lemmium.” The four temporary named elements on the periodic table include ununtrium (113), ununpentium (115), ununseptium (117) and ununoctium (118).

Wright created the online petition on Change.org, soon after the death of Kilmister. Wright’s petition already has over 135,000 of the 150,000 signatures needed to present to The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemestry (IUPAC), who is in charge of these sort of things.

IUPAC’s naming requirements state that new elements “can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place, country, property or scientist.” Wright stated that since a star is named after Kilmister, that his name meets the IUPAC’s requirements and jokingly added that Kilmister is also a rock & roll scientist.

Scientists who helped discover the four new synthetic elements typically have the honor of naming. After they are named, they go up for public review for five months before being confirmed and officially added to the periodic table.

Wrights petition even caught the eye of returning Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan who sent out a twitter message to fans to help support the petition by retweeting Wright’s post for his online petition.

Expressen.se reports that Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee stated that the band is now “over,” since the passing of Kilmister who died at 70 from an aggressive form of cancer. Dee stated that Kilmister “was” Motorhead, and being that Kilmister was the only original member left in the band, its only right to stop making music and touring.

January 11, 2016
David Bowie Dead at Age 69

Legendary singer, songwriter, and actor David Bowie is dead, as of Sunday night, at the age of 69. With a career that spanned nearly five decades, he not only created impactful, memorable musical moments but influenced generations of musicians.

The New York Times confirmed his death with his publicist, Steve Martin, on Monday morning.

According to a post on his Facebook page, “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family.” Various statements on Bowie’s social media accounts confirm he died after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Jan. 8^th not only marked Bowie’s 69^th birthday, but also the release of his latest album, Blackstar. Carnegie Hall recently announced plans for a David Bowie tribute concert on March 31. The Roots, The Mountain Goats, Cyndi Lauper, Perry Farrell, Jakob Dylan, and Ann Wilson (Heart) are all slated to perform in what will now be a tribute to Bowie’s life, music and legacy.

Longtime collaborator and producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bowie on his album’s since his 1969 breakthrough Space Oddity, wrote on his facebook page that he felt Blackstar was intended to be Bowie’s “parting gift.”

“He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life – a work of Art.

“He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn’t, however, prepared for it.

“He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry.”

Bowie released his self-titled debut album in 1967. Over the course of 28 albums, he constantly reinvented himself in persona, musical styling and fashion.

After his first UK hit, “Space Oddity” in 1969, Bowie emerged in the early 70s as “Ziggy Stardust”. His alter ego’s album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, was ranked #35 by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the greatest albums of all-time. The 70s also gave birth to Bowie’s first US crossover hit “Fame” while his 1975 release Young Americans saw another shift in style and sound.

Photo: Rex

By the 1980s, Bowie enjoyed mounting commercial success. In the UK, he landed #1 singles with “Ashes to Ashes” and the Queen collaboration “Under Pressure.” His career reached new heights in 1983 with the release of Let’s Dance, his best-selling album to date. The title track would become his biggest hit, reaching #1 in the UK, US and various other countries. The album also launched several other singles including “China Girl” and “Modern Love.”

Bowie continued to write and create new materials throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He stopped touring after his 2003-2004 Reality Tour. His final live performance was in 2006 for a charity event.

In addition to music, Bowie enjoyed success in both stage, television and film. He collaborated on an Off Broadway musical “Lazarus”, a sequel to his role in the 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth. His two dozen film roles included Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth and Andy Warhol in Basquiat.

Bowie’s legacy is highlighted by his 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in Feb. 2006.

David Robert Jones was born in Brixton, London on January 8, 1947. Bowie would later change his moniker in the mid 60’s to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees. He renamed himself after the 19^th-century American frontiersman Jim Bowie, who popularized the bowie knife. As a young man in the UK, Bowie studied art, music and design.

Read the true story behind Bowie’s arrest in Rochester in 1976.

Bowie is survived by his son, director Duncan Jones from his marriage with his first wife Angela Barnett, his wife fashion model Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid (known professionally as Iman) and their daughter, Alexandra “Lexi” Zahra Jones.

A slew of celebrities took to Twitter on news that Bowie had passed.

“Very sad news to wake up to on this raining morning. David was a great star and I treasure the moments we had together.” Paul McCartney

“Talented. Unique. Genius. Game Changer. The Man who Fell to Earth. Your Spirit Lives on Forever!” – Madonna

“David’s friendship was the light of my life. I never met such a brilliant person. He was the best there is. – Iggy Pop”

“I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie.” – Ricky Gervais

“Never imagined a world without him. He has ascended into the cosmos from whence he came. Farewell, David Bowie.” – Elijah Wood

“He never seemed of this earth. Now he’s left it. He bent rules, gender, genres, and our minds. RIP David Bowie. One. Of. A. Kind.” – Josh Groban

“RIP David . I loved your music. I loved you. One of the greatest performance artists to have ever lived. #sorrow.” – Russel Crowe

” David Bowie was a true innovator, a true creative. May he rest in peace #RIPDavidBowie” – Pharrel Williams

“I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me – I was not ready for this. RIP Bowie.” – Weird Al Yankovic

“I grew up listening to and watching the pop genius David Bowie. He was a master of re-invention, who kept getting it right. A huge loss.” – British Prime Minister David Cameron

January 11, 2016
Second Annual Winter Warm Up at The Linda Announced

Four regional bands will play the second annual Winter Warm Up at The Linda in Albany to benefit WAMC, Northeast Public Radio, on Saturday, Jan. 16.

Bryan Thomas, KoriSoron, SubSlab and The North & South Dakotas are contributing their performances to benefit the area’s non-profit NPR affiliate, at WAMC’s performing arts studio, The Linda. Beer, wine and pub fare will be available for purchase at the benefit.

Albany’s own Bryan Thomas will bring his self-described soul rock that promises to get everyone dancing. Schenectady’s acoustic trio KoriSoron will enchant the audience with their global tradition-influenced rock and progressive music. SubSlab will supply their female-led rock-n-roll. And The North & South Dakotas bring their old-timey Appalachian-style music, with elements of bluegrass, folk and honky-tonk.

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional non-profit radio network that serves parts of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with National Public Radio and Public Radio International. The Linda is a multipurpose performance space run by WAMC that hosts concerts, lectures, debates and films among other events, many of which are broadcast over WAMC’s radio stations.

The Jan. 16 show will take place at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 with all proceeds supporting WAMC.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hJRAd_0mtY[/embedyt]

January 10, 2016
Ha Ha the Moose Bring Late Night Shenanigans to Irving Plaza

If you love watching your favorite musicians become a band of late night time traveling trash talkers donning capes and Mexican wrestling masks, you may have already seen Ha Ha the Moose. For those unfamiliar with the genre, the band consists of moe.’s Rob Derhak – Dr Guano (bass, vox), Jim Loughlin – Sludge (drums, vox), and Chuck Garvey – Jeff VonKickass (guitar, vox) and prides itself on being anything but a great show.

Ha Ha the Moose

However, it always is and the joke was not lost on fans when last Saturday Ha Ha the Moose performed at Irving Plaza following moe.’s New Years Eve in Albany and offered up as a late night option during Phish’s 4 night run in NYC.

As with most HHTM shows they begin with booing from the crowd and insults tossed from the stage and in this instance went right into a ripping’ “Awesome Gary” to start the show followed by a longer than normal “Mr. Her,” a song about a transvestite that they dedicated to Caitlyn Jenner, for whom 2015 truly was her year. The boys also debuted two new songs this year: “Courtesy Flush,” a ripper about coming back through time to warn mankind the dangers when one does not have the courtesy to flush. Chuck’s sweet guitar arrangement alongside Rob’s powerful message has turned this tune into a beautiful reminder to always be considerate of others.

Ha Ha the Moose

With no setbreak the boys kept it going with “The 10 Things Vin’s Most Likely to Say,” “(Ha Ha the) Moose Theme,” and “Thirsty Carbunkle,” an instrumental that gives a nod to garage rock and makes you feel like you’re on nothing less than a heavy metal surf adventure. The second new song of the year, “F*** me, F*** you,” was dedicated to the fans and is probably the most exciting new tune from HHTM. This song featured not only hilarious lyrics, but some very heavy bass lines not recognized by the normal moe. trained ear. This song is a rager and while HHTM sticks to similar setlists each show, they are making time to introduce new material showing they like what they’re doing and hopefully continue to do it!

Ha Ha the Moose

The Moose proved there isn’t much one wouldn’t do at 3 am in NYC in the name of freedom, closing out the show with, “20lbs.,” “Devil Toad,” and “Redneck Trilogy.” There’s a saying when a Ha Ha show is announced that “the moose is loose”. Seeing Jim, Chuck, and Rob explore their musical boundaries all while keeping a casual atmosphere of belligerent antics, one can see the definition gets left open to their interpretation and for the fans, all for their benefit!

Review by Mary O’Hara

January 9, 2016