Radio host, Alexander Spinelli of the new music broadcast, Recess with Spinelli had a chat with the quartet, Dorothy after their show at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY. A fun chat with silliness abound, the band dives into some of their notions of “rock” in today’s music industry, origins, touring with the Struts and long walks on the beach in Hawaiian shirts, while sipping Mai Tais.
Listen to the abridged feature/interview
You can listen to the full feature/interview on the live radio broadcast
On-stage, the band’s presence is energetic, loud, raunchy and well, pure Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT
Northeastern blues can be heard echoing from the mountains of Vermont in Dave Keller’s new album Right Back Atcha. The September 23 release date came just a day after the start of fall and his lyrics are symbolically vibrant with a colorful spirit and a life-changing attitude.
Recorded in the Green Mountain State, Keller recruited a 3-piece horn section, two backup vocalists and a small string ensemble to collaborate with his usual members of The Dave Keller Band. The diverse talent was used right off the bat in “It’s Time You Made Up Your Mind,” which serves as the opening track and the lone cover on the album. Willie Clayton originally brought the song to the studio during the peak of his funk-soul era in 1974 and much like Keller, Clayton didn’t see much in the way of commercial success or critic recognition until he was ripe into his 40s. Keller tips his hat to the roots he knows best while adding his own modern blues sound to this underplayed gem.
Title track, “Right Back Atcha” has a very seductive brass and bass combination highlighted by Jessica Friedman’s baritone sax. Although the lyrical structure is very inventive, I found the song somewhat off putting, as I know that Keller is around the same age as my father and singing about his sexy time with a woman. The album artwork on the back of his LP lets us know Keller is still getting freaky and his not-so-subtle innuendos complete the picture. Putting my personal issues with the song’s story behind, Keller nails his silky guitar solo and gets some help from the backup vocalists to bring this sonic, sweaty bang to a finish.
After the most provocative track on the album, Keller hits us with his first love ballad entitled, “Deeper Than The Eye Can See.” Original band member, Ira Friedman, warms the tune up with a soft piano introduction before Keller gently harmonizes with the female backup singers. This lyrically and vocally soulful composition is reminiscent of Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” and will leave you feeling all the feels the same way Van the Man does.
“Circles” clocks in as the longest track of Right Back Atcha, which allows time for the Hammond B3 organ to really drive home the profound message. If “Deeper Than The Eye Can See” is Keller’s way of expressing the beauty of being in love, “Circles” tells the tale of how shitty life can be during the confusing parts. He lets his guitar solo do the crying as Friendman’s B3 steals the show during this deep-rooted blues piece.
Vermont may one of the least populated states in the country, but that doesn’t prohibit their bands from getting funky. While Keller’s subject matter may be geared towards an older crowd in terms of the over-the-hump, post mid-life crisis topics presented in the lyrics, I can still get down with the eclectic musical arrangements he brought to the studio. This isn’t the type of album that someone in their twenties would throw on during a party, but give me twenty more years of experience and Right Back Atcha may be found on my iPhone 17 shuffle.
Key Tracks: Right Back Atcha, Circles, You Make It Easy
Two underappreciated indie-rock bands made a stop at Mohawk Place in Buffalo on Saturday night. Mutual Benefit opened the evening with the ambient instrumental “Madrugada,” also the lead track off of their latest release, Skip a Sinking Stone. Members switched between guitars, keys, flute and melodica to create the soundscape that served as the perfect introduction to their set, a pleasant drift into the dream state.
As it dissolved into “Skipping Stones” (as it does on the album), the opening lyrics, “You are the first thing I see / When I open my eyes when I wake from a dream” reinforced the dream-like quality of the music that would envelope the room for the next 40 minutes. It was two guitars, bass and drums. Nothing too unusual, save some flute here and banjo there and a drum kit composed mostly of hand drums, but together they formed a blanket of sound, soothing, mellow and beautiful. It was the soundtrack of your most pleasant and colorful dreams. The songs drifted in and out of nothing, and like your subconscious thoughts, once the next began the last became a distant nearly forgotten memory. Each song existed wholly in the moment.
“What’s today, is it Thursday?” asked lead man Jordan Lee. It was Saturday. “For us, every day is Thursday, it’s a blessing and a curse.” The set closed with their most energetic number, “Golden Wake,” again with the all too appropriate line, “We woke for golden morning hours / Just to soak in all the power.”
With our minds sufficiently relaxed and pliable, Boston’s Quilt emerged to knead and massage our mental state into the trippiness of 60’s psychedelia. There is a sound that resides in the musical real estate between “Taxman” and “Crimson and Clover.” They find plenty of room to explore the landscape therein though, showing their influences but sounding fresh and original all the same.
The quartet that started as a trio had grown to a quintet, with keyboardist June West joining guitarist Shane Butler, guitarist Anna Fox Rochinski, drummer John Andrews and bassist Keven Lareau. They opened with the enchanting “Passersby” off of their early 2016 release Plaza. Throughout the set, composed fairly democratically between their three albums, it was apparent that what set them apart was the incredible songwriting and unique and various vocals. They have a knack for “discovering” new music that seems to have existed forever. Familiar, yet exciting and new. Rochinski, Andrews and Butler all shared vocal duties, harmonizing in pairs and altogether, both syncopated and out-of-sync, injecting a variety of different elements and surprises through their voices alone.
During extended improvisations, notably the early set “Saturday Bride” and late set “Secondary Swan,” like oil in a lava lamp, the music oozed slowly up and around themes, collapsing into itself and reforming into something different but similar. The environs did nothing to aid in this mental transportation, a dive bar with limited lighting, dark and overpowering backdrop, and disappointing crowd threatened to cut off the escape. But the music powered through.
“Is it Sunday?” Rochinski inquired. “No? Well it feels like Sunday.” It was in fact, most definitely still Saturday. It must be tough to keep track though, whether touring in a dream state or a time warp. No matter, that night was the right time to partake in a little bit of both, via Quilt and Mutual Benefit.
Setlists
Mutual Benefit: Madrugada > Skipping Stones > Closer Still, Let’s Play / Statue of a Man, Lost Dreamers, ?, Strong Swimmer, ?, Advanced Falconry, Golden Wake
Quilt: Passersby, Young Gold, Saturday Bride, Eliot St., Roller, Searching For, Arctic Shark, Hissing My Plea, Penobska Oakwalk, Secondary Swan, Talking Trains
Alexander Spinelli of the new music radio program, Recess with Spinelli spoke with Rhydian, the bassist of the Welsh band the Joy Formidable. Rhydian discuses motivation, recording process, tour life, Welsh culture, music & language and their new album, Hitch.
Listen to the abridged feature/interview
You can listen to the full feature/interview on the live radio broadcast
While on-stage, the Joy Formidable are a well pieced band who look like they are having the best time of their lives. But don’t take our word for it; look at the photos below.
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT
Just the first 30 seconds of this album is so refreshing to hear. It’s easy listening, rocking and grabbing songs that don’t get released these days and definitely don’t get enough publicity. Four Star Riot is the epitome of a garage rock band with a little bit of cultivation from other genre’s to make it pop in more ways than one. They consider themselves as power pop and soul rock and say their influences come from stars like Parachute and Maroon 5 and it shows, but they still have their own flavor. Their hooks are catchy, the tone is straightforward and the album is filled with a wide variety of tones, tempos and styles. And although their tracks aren’t ones that will have the listener sitting alone is their room, contemplating the meaning of the lyrics and color of the songs, one may find their music perfect for relaxing drive or a chill hangout night with friends.
The album does sound similar to their past albums, with only devoted listeners noticing the changes like the lack of keyboards and organs (which did add a nice flare and color to their rock pop sound) but they still power on without any sense of empty space. Tracks like “Waves” are among the heaviest of the album, with some fairly crunchy, distorted guitar and popping drum tracks. But the heaviness of a song is largely determined by the vocal timbre and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Steve Alex, who’s voice can comfortably reach some pretty impressive octaves, creates a lighter hearted take on a standard rock band sound. It’s his sultry, flowing voice that defines them as a pop rock band. A more aggressive and growling voice would easily turn this into a pop-punk band but Alex’s voice fits the bill perfectly and puts them up there with groups like Parachute and Maroon 5.
“Empty Spaces” is another track to pay attention to. It has a funkier groove to it , with a steady beat and loads of tricky high-hat rudiments from drummer Mike Chilton as well as plenty of voice from bassist Aaron Akers. Guitarists Alex and Finn Walling also use a variety of tones, from tight, high octave blips of funky guitar to phaser-filled chorus’ to move the styles around throughout the song. It makes for a multidirectional song that would definitely get bodies moving during a live performance.
Listeners should also delve into “Just Tell Me” to appreciate the versatility of the band. The style in this track could be compared to groups like The Fratellis or maybe even Arctic Monkeys in terms of a more punk-ish sound. The pace is picked up for the first time in the album, and although the guitar might be a bit clean and spacey at first, it quickly changes to a hard, dirty twanging strum that absolutely rocks. The chorus hook is catchy and the songs moves around in different directions, making it a little less predictable than most pop rock songs.
Other tracks like “Don’t Go”, “Torn & Tattered” and “So Far” lay a little bit lower in terms of energy and instrumental complexity. They’re definitely enjoyable to listen to, but they’re also the most straightforward tracks on the album. Listeners might gravitate towards tracks with more flare like the ones mentioned earlier, and other like “No Shore” which although is fairly predictable, still has a unique reggae taste to it that spices things up just a bit to draw the listener in.
“Baby Blue” is another surprisingly funky track from the four stars that keeps a consistent tone throughout the track, but makes little variations on each verse and chorus that keeps things interesting. It’s on the shorter side at 3:00 but it has on of the catchiest vocal hooks in the album that will keep the listener humming it day and night.
As said before, this was a surprisingly refreshing album. There were different styles, all executed and produced perfectly and is definitely worth delving into. There is a least one track that everyone can vibe with in this album and it’s available now on Spotify and iTunes for download.
Sterling Stage ended the 2016 festival season with Last Daze of Summer, a weekend of laughter, love, and creative expression. If you weren’t able to make it, make sure you check out next years festivals at Sterling Stage Kampitheater, located in Sterling, NY.
The weather in Albany was near perfect for the 7th annual Pearlpalooza street festival on September 17, 2016. This all day, free event has become a favorite among people in the Capital Region, and this years festival did not disappoint. Attendees had plenty of craft and food vendors to browse while rocking out to the stellar music lineup. This year’s Pearlpalooza featured Galactic, Warpaint, Maybird, Bassh, The Greeting Committee, and Rechorduroys.
Red Shift is a newly emerging alternative rock band from the Glens Falls area. They currently have four singles released: “Around the Sun,” “By Design,” “Heads or Tails,” and “Victorious.” The members consist of Keiran Dupper and Chad Jones on guitars, Andy Frasier on bass, Erich Hobus on drums, and Tim Ortiz on synth while providing the vocals. Named “Best Bets” by the Post Star, the band will release their first album on September 23.
Red Shift is a respectable band in the rock genre. Their music is impressive in many ways and, as a brand new band, they have a lot of potential. Ortiz has a very nice voice that fits in well with the rock genre. His voice is equally as impressive in “Heads or Tails,” one of their more rock-out tracks, as it is in “Around the Sun” which is slightly more mellow, giving the group plenty of options for the future.
One thing that I would like to see improve as the group continues to release albums is the lyrics. I felt in at least two of the four tracks that the lyrics could’ve been significantly better. I found some of the content a little cliche at times and if it wasn’t the lyrics themselves it was just the fact that the songs had vague and generalized subjects/topics. I found them relevant and relatable, but had trouble relating on a deeper level. While they were giving me a message, their songs’ messages weren’t particularly clear.
Despite these minor issues, I find the instrumentals in this group to be extremely impressive. Dupper and Jones on guitar have pleasantly surprised me with every track. Their guitar lines are fantastic and after every song I hear, I go away wishing I could play guitar like that. Frasier on bass does a fantastic job as well, really filling out that hardcore rock vibe and giving some great lines in the process. Hobus on the drums delivered some fantastic lines as well which helped fill out some of the instrumental breaks that seemed to carry out for a little longer than I would’ve liked them to, particularly in “Heads or Tails.” Personally, I believe the instrumentalists did a fantastic job throughout all of “Around the Sun,” which is my favorite track by far. I also greatly enjoyed the use of synth in their music because not only do I love synths, but it was both surprising and refreshing when I recognized the synth playing as I hadn’t expected one to be a major part in a band like this.
Overall, Red Shift is a relatively respectable rock band. They are new so there is plenty of time in the future for them to improve, and since they’re starting off in a very good position to begin with through great instrumentals, vocals, and talent, it will be exciting to see where this takes them in the future. On Friday September 23, Red Shift is holding a concert to officially release their first album. From 8pm-11pm Red Shift will be playing at Mean Max Brew Works in Glens Falls with Squanch and other special guests. Having only heard four of their songs, I’m curious to see what else they have up their sleeves for this album release and how it compares to what I’ve heard so far.
Key Tracks: Around the Sun, By Design, Heads or Tails, Victorious
On Thursday night at the Westcott Theater, Matt Butler and Everyone Orchestra concocted a musical potion that had us all under a spell. Butler played the role of lead hypnotist as he memorized not only the crowd, but also the band that he so craftily pulled together for this outstanding evening of sonic surprises.
Binghamton-based three-piece, Several Sons, opened the blissful trifecta of acts with their mellow harmonies and soulful unplugged sound. Their performance featured Bradford Allen on cajón drum for the entirety of the performance, which created a backyard fire-pit vibe. Kevin Ludwig took over the lead vocals and rhythm guitar, paving the way for Jack Bucher to display his bluesy chops on lead guitar. The mostly instrumental set list was capped off by a folk rock original, “Moonshine,” paying tribute to the act of getting drunk with friends. What a way to send us off into a set break.
Located just a couple of cities to the left of Syracuse is the blue-collar, “Bills Mafia” community of Buffalo, NY. Football probably holds the title for most discussed topic of conversation on a Saturday night, but I can guarantee that the local groove-rock quartet, Aqueous, is definitely on the minds of many Western New Yorkers. Their appropriately named, “2016 Random Company Tour,” fits the bill perfectly as the entire room anxiously awaits their arrival to the stage. As they entered to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here)” blaring on the speakers, we hoped they were about to make us lose our minds (sorry, I went there) and lose our minds we did.
“Strange Times” was first up and allowed Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss to share the spotlight on vocals and guitar solos. The two methodically went line-for-line on this lyrically appealing tune before dropping into a sludgy, greasy transition. Evan McPhaden pounded away on bass to symbolically clean up the jam goo. Solid improvising segued into “The Median” off the 2014 album, Cycles. Rob Houk’s drumming showcased their genre blending skills by combining elements of progressive rock and reggae with a hint of electronica. There was one point towards the end of “Median” where it almost sounded like a completely different piece, but long time fan, Mitch (the guy on the rail whose head seemed to explode note to note), explained that this phenomenon is common during one of their juiciest originals. Loss then seamlessly goes back and forth from guitar to keys while Gatzner pans for gold on lead guitar during the third and final song of the set, “Don’t Do It.” The crowd was definitely thirsty for more after the brief second act, but with Everyone Orchestra being served as an entrée, just about the entire room decided to take a break outside to work up an even stronger appetite.
Butler appeared on stage with his 7-piece mixture of talent to specify the guidelines of the show. He would be writing notes to the band and the crowd on his simple yet effective white board while signaling to all of us via hand gestures, screams resembling words and Hulk Hogan-like crowd controls. Realistically, Butler runs the show like a drag race in the movie Grease, “Rules are, there ain’t no rules.” The ceremony began with Butler warming up the fingers of the esteemed group of musicians as they delivered a tight and funky beat that got the room dancing immediately. Eric Yates deserves the first MVP award of the night due to his funky banjo plucking while Ryan Montbleau deserves a shout out for creating the lyrics, “What do I see in my sight? Westcott Theater on a Thursday night.” Rob Derhak’s bass was bumping along with Emanuel Washington’s drumbeat when Butler asked the crowd to throw an idea at Montbleau for additional lyrics. The best we could up with was “sexy night” which morphed into an entire band-crowd, call-response of “Ugly, sexy night, yeah!”
After a brief stretch of weirdness, the conductor brought us all back down to planet Earth and asked Yates to pick away on the banjo during a fast-paced, unusual and unplanned cover of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain.” The Westcott was transformed into an old-timey honky-tonk as the band turned the Dylan cover into something reminiscent of Johnny Cash in his prime. Montbleau and Yates had a dueling guitar-banjo section before turning the spotlight to moe.’s Al Schnier for a signature guitar solo. Syracuse’s own Adam Gold from Sophistafunk kicked off the next piece with a heavy yet buttery organ solo. Butler did an amazing job of hazing the Everyone Orchestra freshmen as each member of Sophistafunk joined the group for the first time on Thursday. The conductor wrote, “This is Part A” on the iPad while scribbling up directions on his whiteboard for only the band’s eyes to see. Tommy Weeks took over to deliver a spectacular sax solo before returning to Gold for a spacey synth solo. The baton was passed back to Montbleau for an Everyone Orchestra modification of his original “Dead Set” which features the lyrics “Observe your mind, and stop your thinking” which is good advice for a band expected to go with their gut on these improvised reconstructions.
Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer returned to the stage and the applause grew when Butler informed us that it was his birthday. “Soft” was written on the whiteboard as Gantzer took over with a silky guitar riff. The crowd participation was at an all time high as we yelled “Birthday” to celebrate the joyous occasion. The band was fully in sync at this point in the performance and it was evident through the design of a new smash hit “Hotel Party” which Montbleau creatively developed before our eyes. “There’s ice in the bathtub” and “Everyone’s invited” were only some of the outstanding sporadic lyrics sung by Montbleau which brought a collective smile to the room. Gantzer channeled the energy of Jerry Garcia, with a liquid fuzz distortion on his incredible solo before Gold killed the keys on Butler’s command. After the Holiday Inn jungle boogie, the show wrapped up in an epic formation of nine band members with the addition of David Loss from Aqueous and the return of Eric Yates on banjo. The conductor looked more like a mad scientist as he circled the stage giving each and every member one last time to shine. The evening was capped off with birthday boy Gantzer’s in-your-face knockout solo.
Butler thanked the crowd and noted that after 15 years of asking members of different bands to come together so that he can live his dream, they keep showing up and they keep showing up! There is no question that this traveling circus of insane talent brought the goods to Syracuse on Thursday. Some bands spend years touring and writing music together to find out what it is that makes them unique. Matt Butler pulls the rabbit out of his hat night after night by creating the magic rather than searching for it. He is a composer, a communicator, and a connector all in one while leaving his mark on music through his whiteboard, iPad and multitude of invisible air instruments. When asked to join the Everyone Orchestra in the future, just say, “Yes” and strap in for a truly special ride.
Aqueous Setlist: Strange Times> The Median, Don’t Do It
Everyone Orchestra Setlist (To the best of my ability): Funky Intro, Jam (Ugly Sexy Night), Buckets of Rain*, Part A Jam> Dead Set**, Gatzner’s Birthday Jam, Hotel Party Jam, Set Closing Jam
The newly erected Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse has had quite the summer for it’s first full season of live music. Covering a wide variety of genres from Snoop Dogg to Dave Matthews Band to Keith Urban to Phish. But, the season couldn’t end on September 4, without some good ‘ol fashioned southern rock Hall-of-Famers! Since the scheduled Gregg Allman canceled due to his health, ZZ Top and Charlie Daniels came to the rescue with some legendary entertainment.
Social Distortion‘s current guitarist Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham, kicked off the evening with some of his own original songs and a brief Charlie Daniels band cover before giving time to the band themselves. Within a few moments, Charlie Daniels Band made way to the stage minus the jolly fiddler, himself. The group bursted into an energetic instrumental as Mr. Daniels himself, stepped out in front of a cheerful audience. Sporting a large cowboy hat, white button down shirt, blue jeans, a massive belt-buckle, and his trusty fiddle, Daniels ripped into each song of their hour-long set with passion and enthusiasm ending their performance with the ever popular “Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
Texas Legends, ZZ Top, collectively took to the stage without hesitation, starting off with “Got Me Under Pressure” and “Waiting for the Bus,” before breaking it down with the bluesy “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill seemed to keep the energy at low for the beginning of their show until picking things up with “Give Me All Your Lovin.” The southern trio joyously included “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix and “Two Trains Runnin” by Muddy Waters in their set amongst other popular tunes, before ending the night with a 3-song encore.
Set: Got Me Under Pressure, Waitin’ for the Bus, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Pincushion, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, I Gotsta Get Paid, Rough Boy, Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix), Two Trains Runnin’ (Muddy Waters), Sixteen Tons, Cheap Sunglasses, Chartreuse, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT
Recorded in the 
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on 
Just the first 30 seconds of this album is so refreshing to hear. It’s easy listening, rocking and grabbing songs that don’t get released these days and definitely don’t get enough publicity. Four Star Riot is the epitome of a garage rock band with a little bit of cultivation from other genre’s to make it pop in more ways than one. They consider themselves as power pop and soul rock and say their influences come from stars like Parachute and 
Red Shift is a respectable band in the rock genre. Their music is impressive in many ways and, as a brand new band, they have a lot of potential. Ortiz has a very nice voice that fits in well with the rock genre. His voice is equally as impressive in “Heads or Tails,” one of their more rock-out tracks, as it is in “Around the Sun” which is slightly more mellow, giving the group plenty of options for the future.