Category: Rock

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
Cousin Fungus Wows the Crowd at Finley’s of Greene Street

On April 2, Finley’s of Greene Street in Huntington, NY was treated to a performance by Long Island based band Cousin Fungus. The bar was packed and the dance floor full as Cousin Fungus took the stage after the cover band Run for Covers.

All the way in the back of the bar with an open overhead garage door, the stage set-up at Finley’s made it feel as though Cousin Fungus was performing in their own driveway. As the music started the crowd edged its way forward toward the long-time devotees already lining the front of the stage. The set list consisted of fan favorites Other People, Earth Turns, and Find Your Pipe along with unique jam style cover versions of the Traffic instrumental Glad and Grand Funk Railroad’s I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home.) The first song, Fanfare for the Common Man, was played in homage to the late Keith Emerson from the Emerson Lake and Palmer Band and two new original songs. Birthday was introduced following a special celebratory birthday shout-out to a fan and the show closed with their latest and greatest, Caravan.

Throughout the show heads bobbed and the dancing intensified with each crescendo. It was evident that the band was feeding off the effervescent energy of the crowd. Dennis sang with style as he passionately pounded the keys and Henry and Thomas grooved to the music flowing from their guitar and bass. Although Chris was hidden behind his drum kit at the back of the stage, his ever present and integral beats were “visible” during each and every song. The boys were in constant communication with each other as they flowed from song to song with smiles on their faces!

Customers come to Finley’s for fun and fellowship, and of course its large selection of craft beers. Cousin Fungus fans come from near and far to hear amazing music with great friends. This particular night the crowd got it all – Finley’s definitely delivered as promised!

*Who is Cousin Fungus??

A Long Island based band that hails from Port Washington, NY the journey of Cousin Fungus began in the early 90’s as a Phish cover band called Stash. Made up of brothers Henry, Christian, and Thomas Stanziale on guitar, bass, and drums respectively, along with friends Gary Menkes on keys and Billy Zweirlein on vocals their first performance took place in the summer of 1993 and they continued to play weekly in Port Washington. In the fall of 1993, Dennis Belline made an appearance with the band on keys, and when Gary moved off of Long Island Dennis became an official member. The band played all throughout the Northeast building a fan base now spreading from Long Island to Syracuse, NY. In late 1996 they debuted their first original song Rejhi and by the summer of 1997 they were playing mainly original songs. In April 1997, while performing at Hungry Charlie’s near Syracuse University the band was surprised when Jon Fishman walked into the bar. They invited him to the stage where he jammed out with them for the Phish classics Wilson, Funky Bitch, Rocky Top, NICU, and Slave to the Traffic Light. He returned to the stage for the encore drumming to Stash’s rendition of Derek and the Dominos Love So Sad. In October 1997, as the band focus moved toward solely original songs Stash changed its name to St. Ash. In March 1998 Billy Zwerlein left St. Ash and in May 1998 with Dennis now on lead vocals they renamed themselves Cousin Fungus, after a lyric from the song Low Tide High, and recorded their first album Thoughts of a Moth, which was released in the fall of 1998.

The fan base continued to grow throughout the Northeast and eventually expanded into the Mid-Atlantic. Cousin Fungus had intentions to get back into the recording studio in late 2000 but the album was delayed when Dennis Belline made the decision to leave the band. The Stanziale brothers continued to play as a threesome and in spring of 2001 Mike Sanchez joined Cousin Fungus on guitar and vocals. In 2002 they hit the studio with Mike to record Share the Air, which was released in December of the same year. In 2003 Cousin Fungus welcomed new keyboardist, Mike Sydor, and two months later Mike Sanchez moved on in his pursuits. They continued their musical career as a 4-piece band until their last show together in December 2004.

Since 2005, with over a decade of performing, the original members of the band reconnected for surprise shows all over Long Island. Thomas, Henry, Chris, and Dennis revived Cousin Fungus in 2012 when they returned to the Long Island music scene playing sporadic shows throughout the year. Cousin Fungus has been exciting its loyal fan base with more regular performances in the last 3 years, even performing at private parties. To the delight of fans, Billy has made a few surprise appearances on vocals.

Since 2012 Cousin Fungus has performed all over Long Island…and beyond. The band is hard at work writing original songs to add to its repertoire and new shows are announced every few months.

Cousin Fungus never lets down its fans. Friends and family can be seen at every show and a new generation of fans is evolving, to include the children of each band member! As the Cousin Fungus family continues to grow, old and new fans alike can be found dancing and singing along to each and every song. Definitely take a listen to Thoughts of a Moth and Share the Air and be sure to check the CF Facebook page for show announcements. Get out to a local show and experience all that is Cousin Fungus – you won’t regret it!

Set List – CF Finley’s Greene Street 4/2/16 :

Fanfare, Photo’s, Other People, Glad, Find Your Pipe, Birthday, I’m Your Captain (Closer to home), Caravan

Full Show Audio: Recorded by Patrick Kelly.

EARTH TURNS: Video Recorded by Henry Stanziale

GLAD: Video Recorded by Henry Stanziale

April 17, 2016
The Budos Band Strikes at Brooklyn Bowl
Slated for two nights at Brooklyn Bowl, the 9-piece Staten Island based Budos Band played to a small but excited crowd on Friday, April 1. Initially known for their instrumental funk and soul sound, The Budos Band has evolved into a darker and more psychedelic rock band.

This was evidenced on Friday night throughout their frenetic performance. Drum, bass guitar, and percussion beats were deep and the organ bellowed. The horn section blared a noisy sound while lead guitarist Thomas Brenneck chaotically worked his way around the stage with his guitar in perpetual motion; at one point he even wedged the head of his guitar between two amps to distort its sound.

The Budos Band is certainly unique – soulful afro-beats shaken and stirred with psychedelic hard rock. I had expected to experience a relaxed show with funky beats, but instead was greeted with an unconventional loud, frenzied night of music. The new sound of The Budos Band is upon us. Their fifth album, Burnt Offering, was recorded in Brooklyn and released in 2014 on Daptone Records.

The Budos Band:
Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone
Thomas Brenneck – electric guitar
John Carbonella Jr. – congas, drums
Mike Deller – organ
Daniel Foder – bass guitar
Andrew Greene – trumpet
Rob Lombardo – bongos, congas
Brian Profilio – drums
Dame Rodriguez – percussion
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

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vIAQy_6zMs[/embedyt]

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
Santana Smooths Over the Event Center at Turning Stone

Rated as one of the top guitarists in the world, Carlos Santana is a household name and his music and performances have been celebrated since the late 60’s. When Santana hits the road, he nearly sells out every show and they’re worth every penny. The 2016 Luminosity Tour brought the group to the Turning Stone Casino Event Center on April 7^th for an Evening With Santana, in support of their new album, Santana IV, which is due out on April 15. The 11-piece ensemble entertained almost 5,000 people in the venue and what a mighty fine evening it was.

The show kicked off with a brief Woodstock video montage while the band danced their way onto the stage. Each member took their position as Carlos strapped on his most popular custom PRS guitar (Santana I) and hit the proverbial gas pedal of Latin Rock. The rhythmic booty-shaker, “Soul Sacrifice” brought the audience to their feet and set an amazing energy to the room. The feel-good vibe stayed all throughout the performance as Santana played a number of hits including “Maria Maria,” “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman,” “Smooth” and a new single from their upcoming release titled “Love Makes the World Go Round.”

The Luminosity Tour will bring Santana all around the world this summer as the group travels across North America and then heads over seas to Europe before settling back in San Francisco in September.

Set: Woodstock Intro, Soul Sacrifice, Saideira, Love Make the World Go Round, Freedom in Your Mind, Maria Maria, Foo Foo, Europa, Corazon Espiando (Benny & Cindy Solo), Jingo, Evil Ways/A Love Supreme, Everybody’s Everything, Se a Cabo, Sacalo, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va

Encore: Smooth, Toussaint L’Overture

April 11, 2016
Hearing Aide: David Gilmour ‘Rattle That Lock’

In the former Pink Floyd guitarist’s recent solo release Rattle That Lock, David Gilmour, who recently celebrated his 70^th birthday, continues on his journey of exploring his own sound and style without confining himself within boundaries.

Prior to Rattle That Lock, Gilmour’s previous solo release On An Island was released almost a decade earlier in 2006. In the span of that near decade, terminal frost glazed over Pink Floyd’s wind-swept field as the band sealed its continuance with the concluding release, The Endless River.

In the later years of Pink Floyd after Roger Waters left, it was Gilmour’s creative bounty that gave the band a generationally different sound from its psychedelic roots, a trait that progressed all the way from A Momentary Lapse of Reason to the final song on The Endless River, “Louder Than Words.”

After Pink Floyd’s The Endless River set an incredibly high bar for future work from the PF family, one might expect Rattle That Lock to be a sort of continuance of that album. Instead, Gilmour crouches beneath the eminence of Pink Floyd’s shuttered doors and reaches his hand back to On An Island, met by a hand reaching back from the shadows.

Though a significant portion of Rattle That Lock is exploratory in nature, Gilmour gives us three tracks whose sound can be traced back to Pink Floyd’s Momentary Lapse of Reason, the first post-Waters album where he took the forefront of the creative body. The title track “Rattle That Lock” has a clever premise behind the music, where Gilmour turns a jingle heard in the mass transit system in France into a strong beat rock groove. “In Any Tongue” takes the ballad form similar to “On The Turning Away,” with an orchestration that embosses an added beauty to that sound. “Today” shares some elements of Momentary Lapse of Reason, though resounds more with 80s rock brightness heard on Gilmour’s solo 1984 release About Face.

The album commences with Gilmour asserting his ethereal guitar sound blended with a simple acoustic harmony, essentially translating his name through his guitar from the start. From there, Rattle That Lock does not follow a story line per se but has a clear structure as Gilmour weaves in and around exploring different musical elements anchored by his inimitable sound and intrinsic ability to compose and navigate the fretboard in all of the landscapes on the album. Just as it starts, Gilmour concludes the album with an instrumental précis that captures the essence of his renowned performance.

With Gilmour’s exploration on Rattle That Lock, the album features a few welcome surprises, though perhaps consternations to some. He incorporates jazz in a couple of spots including interludes on “Dancing Right In Front Of Me” and the jazz combo setting of “The Girl In The Yellow Dress,” along with an overall mellower tone than in previous recordings. Reading through the liner notes, it is easy to grin a bit as the cast of guest musicians reveals itself. David Crosby and Graham Nash, who also sang on On An Island make a return, and Gabriel Gilmour (David’s son), Jools Holland, and Roger Eno (brother of Brian Eno) all contribute piano parts. His touring band also includes many of the studio musicians who recorded with Gilmour on this album.

One striking moment on the album is when Roger Eno’s separated piano chords introduce “A Boat Lies Waiting” before Gilmour layers his guitar on top. With the theme of The Endless River still firmly planted in mind, the recognition of this song as a veneration to the late Rick Wright is almost instantaneous. In today’s multimedia setting, Gilmour has released several music videos on his YouTube channel to accompany the album, including “Faces of Stone,” “Rattle That Lock,” “In Any Tongue,” “Today,” and “The Girl In The Yellow Dress.”

Complimenting the music are the lyrics penned mostly by Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson. Most notably, the powerful “In Any Tongue” prods at hearstrings with a blunt perspective and conflict of a soldier – no sugar is enough to bring sweetness to his cup / I know sorrow tastes the same on any tongue. Gilmour’s lyrical writing on a few of the songs complements Samson’s well and is as fluid and lucid as the music itself.

Rattle That Lock diverges from the standards and expectations set by Pink Floyd’s final years as Gilmour greets an old friend and picks up where two left off those several years ago. It may take more than one listen to settle in but with more consideration beyond just one listen Rattle That Lock strikes a deep chord of appreciation for the music. But, it is not a bad thing that more than one listen might be required. It shows that Gilmour has done something noteworthy with Rattle That Lock: he has invoked us to think about the music just a little bit more.

Key Tracks: Rattle That Lock, In Any Tongue, The Girl In The Yellow Dress

Be sure to catch Gilmour’s final North American tour stops this weekend in New York City and follow NYS Music for a review of his performances. He is at Radio City Music Hall Sunday April 10 and at Madison Square Garden Monday and Tuesday April 11/12.

April 7, 2016
Thursdays at Funk n Waffles, Presented by NYS Music

NYS Music is once again proud to host Thursday nights at Funk n Waffles in April. A stellar lineup of music is on tap across multiple genres.

Thursday April 7 MISTER F and THE HEAVY PETS

Formed in 2013 from members of Northeast regional acts Timbre Coup and Capital Zen, Mister F is an eclectic, high-energy 4-piece band that takes a no-holds-barred approach to blending genres while keeping your feet moving. The members of Mister F are no strangers to the music community. Their first show on March 1, 2013 was so well-received that they’ve taken their show on the road to cities as far as Denver, CO and Atlanta, GA and are even performing with their previous bands at festivals such as Mountain Jam, Summer Camp, Camp Bisco, moe.down, and snoe.down.

The Heavy Pets are an American rock band that blends rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, disco and reggae with rock & roll. Called “A living, breathing force of nature,” by Relix Magazine, the Pets are known for their soulful songcraft and powerhouse live performances. Riding high on the success of their most recent studio effort, Two Horses, look out for The Heavy Pets as they continue to hit the road hard.

Thursday April 14 ROOT SHOCK and THE CORNERSTONE

Formed in the winter of 2012 by regional veteran musicians, Root SHOCK blends roots reggae, dancehall, heavy drum & bass, and soulful vocals with conscious lyrics into positive dance music that will make you want to move! Spearheaded by the stunning vocals of Jessica Brown, the band has been surprising and delighting crowds across the Central New York region and beyond with their unique high-energy style. Root SHOCK’s love of reggae music flows deep. The band’s dedication to spreading music with a positive message has paid off in entertaining, elevating, and energizing music lovers of all walks of life in a wide range of settings!

Root SHOCK will be anchoring a monthly Syracuse reggae night designed to bring the best and most diverse acts that modern reggae has to offer to the area. They’re not stopping there, though; Root SHOCK recording their first studio album and are set to hit the road to spread their uplifting message and vibes and take their renowned live performances to the masses!

Fronted by lead singer, songwriter, rhythm guitarist Jackson Wetherbee, The Cornerstone is a Reggae, Rock, Funk band hailing from the South Shore of Boston, Massachusetts. The band also features musicians formerly of The Aldous Collins Band and Last Call, two New England Music Award winning bands. Their sound is similar to that of Spiritual Rez, UB40, The Police, Sublime and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They put on a fun, energetic show where crowds dance, groove, and sing along to their tunes.

Thursday April 21 SPIRITUAL REZ and GRAYAK

With their latest release, Apocalypse Whenever, Boston’s beloved reggae-rock funkateers Spiritual Rez deliver their most triumphant musical offering yet. Produced by lead singer Toft Willingham, co-produced by bassist Jesse Shaternick, and mastered by legendary engineer Howie Weinberg (Ramones, Beastie Boys, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers), the 14-track collection of infectious anthems is chock-full of rollicking guitar riffs, ocean-bathed melodies, swagger-centric basslines, crisp soaring horns, and ska-infused jam sections that have come to define Rez’s progressive signature sound. While their groove is primarily rooted in rock, reggae, and funk traditions, the septet draws stylistic influence from nearly every musical movement of the 20th century. Over the past nine years, Rez has tirelessly toured the country ten times over, cemented their status as a consistent festival favorite, and honed their exhilarating live show into an incomparable, unabashed musical extravaganza. They have shared the stage with artistic visionaries including Toots and the Maytals, Rubblebucket, Gogol Bordello, the Dirty Heads, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Jimmy Buffett, and Bernie Worrell. Evoking their personal power animals, they fearlessly forge into a bold new chapter of their epic musical journey and prepare to hit the road for a nationwide tour once more….

Thursday April 28 JERRY JOSEPH AND THE JACKMORMONS

Joseph is a prolific and accomplished songwriter who has written hits for Widespread Panic. He has released 30 albums in his more than 30 year career, not only as a solo artist, but also with the Jackmormons, supergroup Stockholm Syndrome, his burning two-piece The Denmark Veseys, and with his beloved 80s cult band, Little Women. Playing over 150 shows around the globe a year, Joseph is a relentless live performer. He has toured with Vic Chesnutt, Chris Whitley and Walter Salas-Humara, just to name a few. Not only has he toured Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast with the Jackmormons, but also solo through Nicaragua, Mexico, south-east Asia, Israel, Nepal, Lebanon, and the bulk of Europe. Most recently he volunteered as a rock school music teacher in Kabul, Afghanistan. Over the years, Joseph and his Jackmormons have shown a penchant for picking a spot on a map, taking over a town, and putting on a festival. Last year, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons released a live concert DVD, Nicaragua, recorded over three nights just outside of Rivas, Nicaragua. Joseph was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in October 2015. He will be touring in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand this Winter and Spring in addition to the States. Check the Jackmormons’ web site for tour dates.

April 7, 2016
Hearing Aide: The Heroic Enthusiasts “Memory Wheel”

Rochester’s self-described “new wave influenced indie-pop” group The Heroic Enthusiasts have spun their new EP Memory Wheel and landed on a unique combination of musical genres.

Released in February 2016 on Jam Tom Music, the guitar-heavy tracks combined with lyrics delivered with a slight English accent put off a progressive rock vibe with a slight 1980’s tone. That’s no surprise as the group is led by James Tabbi and Tom Ferrara on vocals and guitar, both of whom are math majors and music lovers of Sicilian descent.

Tabbi and Ferrara have weaved intricate guitar stylings and open-for-interpretation lyrics into a soundtrack reflective of the tangled melodies of track 2, Falling of the Drop, which runs the gamut of emotions from a sense of foreboding to a feeling of release, a reminder that through music we we truly are “all one.”

“Suspended, connected, singularity of thought, the falling of the drop. In silent reflection, more powerful than fear, the falling of the drop.”

The lyrics in track 4 Broken Liquid could be about anything from broken friendships, regrets, love or loss.

“We say we’re friends but never can speak again. Leftover thoughts, discarded with broken plans. Isn’t this how it always ends”

Professionals by day, Tabbi and Ferrara started playing together performing covers, but soon realized they wanted to write their own songs. They’ve since recorded eleven songs as The Heroic Enthusiasts since 2013, four of which are featured on their first EP Memory Wheel, also featuring Dexter Redic on bass and Mike James on drums. The album is worth taking a spin, especially for those who enjoy a methodical and progressive approach to music.

April 6, 2016
Spring Fling Tour Invades Rochester’s Armory

When you work up a sweat at a show, you know you’ve had a good time. The Easter eve stop of the Spring Fling tour at Rochester’s Main Street Armory made sure the 6500 in attendance did just that. The package tour, headlined by Bowling Green, KY natives, Cage the Elephant along with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands, may become one of those hallmark tours mentioned years from now. This show puts together four perfectly complementing artists, all proving the state of rock and roll is alive and quite well, thank you.

https://youtu.be/uBeohY2O2PA

Headliners Cage the Elephant had the sold out crowd eating out of their hands from the opening notes of “Cry Baby.” Lead singer Matt Schultz’s stage presence evokes the spirit of peak Iggy Pop or Mick Jagger. Shortly into the set, his red sport coat and shirt were shed and audience members were surfing the crowd. This is the band the young crowd was here to see and a band sure to make waves in the mainstream if its current live show is any indication.

Like many great bands, Cage the Elephant is best heard in a live setting. Shultz commands your attention and the band is top notch. Particularly impressive was the interaction the audience had with the band during its performance. For an “indie” band, Cage the Elephant surely engages the masses. This was particularly exhibited during Cage’s “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” from their 2008 debut. Fans held their hands high in the air while singing along while others made attempts to surf the crowd.

Cage had tough acts to follow on this night. The earlier bands on the bill all delivered solid performances. Veteran Los Angelinos, Silversun Pickups could very well have been the headliners on this tour. The Pickups have been indie rock stalwarts since their debut Carnavas in 2006. Lead singer Brian Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger have an onstage chemistry akin to an older brother and younger sister. Aubert introduced the new song “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)” as Monninger’s first foray into lead vocals. She responded as being nervous putting herself out there but performed the song beautifully, winning over the audience. The Pickups set ended with a raucous version of their first charting song, “Lazy Eye.” Aubert’s vocal were hardly necessary as the crowd sang along word for word. It was a solid ending to a solid performance by one of indie rock’s most versatile bands.

Foals performed early, and while still working to win over the American public, they made it known that they wouldn’t be an opening act for long in the states. These Brits performed a set reminiscent of Joy Division meets the Clash. Lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis has a manic stage presence that makes you take notice. Foals will be making their presence known to the American mainstream in short order.

Brooklyn-based band Bear Hands opened the night. Out of the four bands on the bill, Bear Hands were the most indie of the bunch. Several times throughout the brief yet energetic set, one could imagine Interpol or the Smiths onstage. But Bear Hands absolutely proved their worth on this bill of indie heavyweights. We’ll be hearing more from this band in the future.

The Spring Fling tour has wrapped but Cage the Elephant is continuing to tour. Upcoming in New York is a date with Portugal, the Man and Broncho at the Times Union Center in Albany on May 11. You can also catch them at Summerstge in Central Park on May 16 and 17.

April 6, 2016