We appreciate so many fans reaching out to tell us how much they miss moe.down music festival, and we know there have been many questions on whether or not we have plans to bring it back this year. At present, we do not have any plans for moe.down 2016. The moe.down discussion on bringing it back in the future is very much alive between all those involved. In the meantime, we will be announcing a few other special summer shows in addition to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – we hope to see you there!
Here’s hoping that 2017 will see the return of the festival that many moe.rons refer to as, “My home, my heart, my best friend.”
It is not often that artists can say that their albums debut at number one, but it’s no surprise to learn that Celtic Women’s Destiny did just this; it was the ninth album to do so.
As the Destiny tour begins this March in Nashville, Máiréad Nesbitt, Mairéad Carlin, Susan McFadden and Éabha McMahon, also known as the women of Celtic Women, will grace the stage at more than 79 cities as they make their way across the United States.
The multi-platinum, all female ensemble made its debut on PBS in 2005 and has achieved massive success encompassing 10 chart-topping albums, nine PBS specials, more than 8 million albums sold, and platinum sales in nine countries.
They sing like angels and float like the wind across stage, as they bring to you a bit of Celtic history in their musical stories. Destiny will feature a fresh fusion of traditional Irish music and modern songcraft, including the Waterboys’ classic “The Whole of the Moon,” Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” from The Hobbit film, and Mutt Lange’s “Walk Beside Me.” Traditional Irish highlights include “Bean Pháidín,” “Siúil A Run” and “Óró sé do bheatha ‘bhaile,” an anthem closely connected with the 1916 uprising that led to Ireland’s independence.
THE DESTINY TOUR – 2016 ITINERARY
3/4-5 Nashville, TN Tennessee Performing Arts Center
3/6 Memphis, TN Orpheum
3/8 Owensboro, KY RiverPark Center
3/9 Louisville, KY The Palace
3/11 Paducah, KY Carson Center
3/12 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Theater
3/13 Rockford, IL Cornado PAC
3/15 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre
3/17 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
3/18 Fort Wayne, IN Embassy Theatre
3/19 Wabash, IN Honeywell Center (2 shows)
3/20 South Bend, IN Morris Performing Arts Center
3/22 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
3/23 Bowling Green, KY Sky PAC
3/24 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff Center
3/25 Dayton, OH Schuster Performing Arts Center
3/26 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre
3/29 Cleveland, OH PlayhouseSquare
3/31 Williamsport, PA Community Arts Center
4/1, 2, 3, Lancaster, PA American Music Theater
4/5 Richmond, VA Altria Theater
4/6 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall at SevenVenues
4/8 Wheeling, WV Capitol Theatre
4/9 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome Theatre
4/10 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center
4/12 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
4/14 Spartanburg, SC Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
4/15 Winston-Salem, NC LJVM Coliseum Complex
4/16 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
4/17 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
4/19 Columbia, SC Koger Center for the Arts
4/21 Athens, GA The Classic Center
4/23 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
4/24 Gainesville, FL Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
4/27 Daytona Beach, FL Peabody Auditorium
4/28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Broward Center for the Performing Arts
4/29 St. Petersburg, FL The Mahaffey Theater
4/30 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
5/1 Niceville, FL Mattie Kelly Arts Center
photo credit: Jason Clark (L-R) Susan McFadden, Lynn Hilary, Mairead Carlin (back right), Mairead Nesbitt
5/3 Mobile, AL CC Theatre
5/5 Birmingham, AL BJCC
5/6 Jackson, MS Thalia Mara Hall
5/7 New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre
5/8 Houston, TX Revention Music Center
5/10 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre
5/11 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre
5/13 El Paso, TX The Plaza Theatre
5/14 Tucson, AZ Tucson Music Hall
5/15 Tempe, AZ ASU Gammage Auditorium
5/17 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Arena
5/20 Eugene, OR Hult Center for the Performing Arts
5/21 Yakima, WA Yakima Valley SunDome
5/22 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
5/24 Boise, ID Morrison Center
5/25 Salt Lake City, UT Maverik Center
5/26 Casper, WY Casper Events Center
5/27 Greeley, CO Monfort Concert Hall
5/28 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
5/31-6/1Denver, CO Buell Theatre at Denver Performing Arts Complex
6/3 Rapid City, SD Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
6/4 Bismarck, ND Bismarck Event Center
6/5 Grand Forks, ND Chester Fritz Auditorium
6/7 Bemidji, MN Sanford Center
6/9 La Crosse, WI La Crosse Center
6/10 Prior Lake MN Mystic Lake Casino
6/12 Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Performance Hall
6/14 Kalamazoo, MI Miller Auditorium
6/16 Warren, OH W.D. Packard Music Hall
6/17 University Park, PA Eisenhower Auditorium 6/19 Schenectady, NY Proctors 6/21 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre 6/22 Brooklyn, NY Kings Theatre
6/24-6/25Orillia, Ontario Casino Rama
6/26 Erie, PA Warner Theatre
6/28 Lowell, MA Lowell Memorial Auditorium
6/29 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center
6/30 Newark, NJ NJPAC
7/1 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
7/2 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
Jefferson Airplane‘s first female vocalist, Signe Anderson Ettlin, passed away a week ago at her home in Beaverton, Oregon.
Ettlin had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was recently entered into hospice care. In a strange coincidence, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane Paul Kantner also passed away the same day. Both Ettlin and Kantner were 74.
Former Airplane band member Marty Balin remarked on the coincidence on his Facebook page:
“I imagine that she and Paul woke up in heaven and said, ‘Hey what are you doing here? Lets start a band.’”
Born Sept. 15, 1941 in Seattle, Ettlin was raised in Portland but eventually moved to San Francisco. She joined Jefferson Airplane in 1965. The band’s debut album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, would be the only album Ettlin was a part of. She is remembered most for her vocals on “Chauffeur Blues” from the debut album.
Ettlin had her first child in 1966 and decided against a life on the road for her new family. Her final show was Oct. 15, 1966. She was replaced by Grace Slick, who helped bring Jefferson Airplane to mainstream success with the band’s next album, Surrealistic Pillow. Although her time was short with Jefferson Airplane, Ettlin is remembered fondly by former bandmates, being described as the den mother and the voice of reason by Jorma Kaukonen.
Ettlin moved back to Portland after leaving Jefferson Airplane. She continued to sing with a local band, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company. In a radio interview in 2011, she remembered her decision to leave Jefferson Airplane:
“You have to look at the priorities in your life, the reality in your life. I don’t regret having left.”
Signe Anderson Ettlin went on to raise two daughters, Lilith and Onateska. In 1977 she married her second husband Micheal Ettlin, who passed away in 2011.
Annie in the Water whose roots remain in Watertown NY, will be making their second stop on their 2016 Tour here in Syracuse NY, bringing their positive vibes to numerous venues throughout Vermont, Maine, Potsdam NY, Troy NY, Wilmington NY and their homestead Watertown. Founding members Brad Hester (vocals/percussion/guitar/looper) and Michael Lashomb (guitar/vocals) and featured member Dillon Goodfriend (keys) are sure warm the atmosphere with a mixture of high energy reggae/rock and uplifting lyricism.
Andrew Choi is the incredibly talented singer/songwriter behind St. Lenox, with Chris Hills / Nick Fed (guitar), Jorge Vega/Brandon Vitruls and Todd Celmar (drums), Chris Bolognese (bass) and Fritz Chrysler (mp3 Player). St. Lenox is a smooth mixture of jazz, classical music and electronica. Andrew Choi’s will surely bring some depth to the stage with some powerful lyrics from his debut album Ten Songs About Memory and Hopereleased on January 20, 2015. Andrew hopes to release their newest album titled Ten songs from my American Gothic in the Spring of 2016.
Doors open at 8:00 pm, show starts at 9:00 pm. Get tickets here.
Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance is back from his time away. He was seen behind the drum kit during yesterday’s soundcheck at their Panic en la Playa destination music festival in Mexico.
Widespread Panic had announced that Nance would be taking a leave from the band prior to their fall 2014 tour to deal with personal matters. He has since performed with various projects, but hasn’t played with Widespread Panic since their performance at the Phases of the Moon festival in September 2014. Duane Trucks has been filling in during his absence. Nance, a childhood friend of deceased guitarist Mikey Houser, has been with the band since their incarnation in 1986.
Nance’s return was announced on the Panic en la Playa Facebook page, where pictures of the soundcheck were posted. Panic en la Playa 5, the band’s festival in the Riviera Maya in Mexico, is scheduled to run Feb. 2 through 6. Upon returning stateside, Widespread Panic will embark on a short winter tour in February followed by a more extensive spring tour in April and early May. Tickets for their winter tour are currently on sale. Tickets for the spring tour go on sale Feb. 19 and 26.
Saratoga Springs police are currently in search of a possible street video that shows a street performer being attacked, according to the Times Union. Police are also talking to downtown bar owners about the situation.
According to the report, street performer Sam Mitchell of Montgomery County was a victim of an unprovoked attack as he came to the city to play his guitar on Putnam Street to entertain people as they walked by.
Police said that not only was the attack on Mitchell unprovoked, the beating itself was brutal. The attack happened in the parking lot of the Saratoga Springs Public Library sometime after midnight.
Mitchell, 53, was accused by a man between the ages of 25 and 30, of messing around with another vehicle. According to city police Lt. Robert Jillson, the man punched and kicked Mitchell to the ground as Mitchell tried to protect himself from the assault. Mitchell tried to shield himself with his instrument to no avail as the attacker smashed Mitchell’s guitar on the ground.
The assailant, who was accompanied by a woman, fled in a dark-color, four-door sedan. As of now, no arrests have been made.
Mitchell described the man as a short blonde hair and standing about 5-feet, 5-inches tall wearing a light-green hoodie. The woman was described as wearing black boots with maroon pants and black hair.
After the attack, Mitchell headed to police officers located on Caroline Street and told them about the attack right after it happened. Mitchell then went on to seek his own medical attention.
Mitchell suffered facial fractures and bruises from the attack. A GoFundMe page has been created to help him raise money for a new guitar. The page has currently surpassed the set goal of $500 almost two times, as the current total for his campaign is at $1,380.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 518-584-1800 or 518-584-TIPS.
The initial lineup for the fourth Annual Susquehanna Breakdown has been announced. On May 20-21, the Pavillion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania, will welcome Railroad Earth, the Infamous Stringdusters, Twiddle, Fruition and of course the gracious hosts themselves, Cabinet.
Cabinet is bluegrass, country, folk band that is quickly growing in popularity both in the Appalachian region and throughout the country. Also on the lineup is Pappy and Friends featuring Cabinet’s Pappy Biondo.
The Infamous String Dusters are set to release their latest album, Ladies and Gentlemen, on Feb. 5. Twiddle also recently released their latest album, Plump.
Additional bands are expected to be announced.
In the past few years, Montage Mountain has become a household name for music festivals, catering to various musical tastes. For this one, those wishing to camp will set up inside the venue on the lawn. Previous years have offered a farmers market, concert poster art gallery, kids’ activity area, as well as a slew of vendors.
Susquehanna Breakdown is a family-friendly festival. According to its website, quiet hours will be enforced from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Tickets for the Susquehanna Breakdown are currently available and with modest prices. Two-day passes with camping are currently $55 plus fees. Two-day VIP passes with camping are now $125 with fees. RV passes are also available for $100. Kids 10 and under are free with adult ticket purchase.
Rock band Candlebox made its mark in the 1990s with a self-titled debut featuring multiple singles, including “Far Behind,” “You,” and “Cover Me,” and follow ups Lucy and Happy Pills. Touring throughout the decade and selling over 8 million albums brought the band to a hiatus in 2000, but the reformed band reunited in 2006 for two more albums, Into the Sun and Love Stories & Other Musings.
An acoustic performance, featuring Kevin Martin and Adam Kury, will take center stage in Albany on Tuesday, February 2 at The Egg Performing Arts Center in the Swyer Theater at 8pm with Frank Palangi opening. Tickets are available at The Egg box office or online. Candlebox are currently hard at work on their new album, which is set for release on March 11, 2016. Preorder Disappearing in Airports.
Check out upcoming Tour dates and visit their Facebook and Twitter accounts to stay up to date on all things Candlebox.
Update 2/11/2016: Due to a member being sick, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad canceled their performance scheduled for the Waterhole’s reopening party Friday night. But never fear, Thunder Body is here!
The eight-piece Thunder Body, from Rochester, features founding members of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad Matt and Rachel and will headline the Friday night show in place of GPGDS. According to Thunder Body’s Facebook page, the band “dabbles in American roots, funk, soul, dub, afro beat, and more.”
Local group Painted Sol and Rochester funk/soul four-piece Funknut are still scheduled to open the evening. Doors are at 8 p.m. and the show is scheduled to begin at 9.
The ‘hole opens at noon Friday, and they’re hinting at some sort of live music surprise at 1 p.m., likely a little taste of Blind Owl! Don’t miss it! It’s gonna be a great Saranac Lake Winter Carnival weekend!
Update 2/4/2016: The Waterhole has announced that funk/soul group West End Blend will play upstairs directly after the parade. The 10-piece band from Hartford, Connecticut, will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, directly after the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Gala Parade wraps up.
Original post:
A local musician plans to revive the currently closed Waterhole for the legendary Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.
Luckily, Eric Munley of the Blind Owl Band, along with girlfriend Kiki Sarko, has taken over operations at the hallowed venue, and it will open temporarily Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13. The Blind Owl Band will headline a show at 10 p.m. that Saturday, which is Parade Day – the biggest day of the Carnival. Everyone comes out for the Winter Carnival Gala Parade, then hits the town and celebrates for the rest of the day.
The upstairs will be open for free directly after the parade, and Munley is still working on finding an act for that time slot. But later on that day, Maryland-based two-piece band Swampcandy will open for The Blind Owl Band in a show that is set to begin at 10 p.m. and will cost $10.
On Friday, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will headline. Funknut and Painted Sol will join them.
Munley and Sarko will operate the two days during Carnival on a temporary liquor license, then apply for a full one after the Carnival madness subsides. They expect to open the establishment in full sometime in March.
Due to the temporary license, only the upstairs bar will be operating during Winter Carnival, though the downstairs will be open to customers sans bar.
The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival began as a one-day event in 1897, put together by patients who had come to the Adirondack village to cure from tuberculosis. It was intended to get a break from the winter’s chill and to promote outdoor sports and games. Today, it’s grown to a 10-day festival that includes sports, games for kids, an ice palace and lots of live music. The whole town comes together and celebrates in one of the best weeks of the year.
The Winter Carnival theme for 2016 is “Superheroes and Villains,” so start working on your costumes now!
New York Blues Hall of Fame singer and Brooklyn resident Sari Schorr is gaining a lot of momentum as a solo artist. After being a member of Joe Louis Walker’s band in 2013 and then Popa Chubby’s band in 2014, Schorr met legendary producer Mike Vernon in 2015, who upon hearing Schorr’s original work came out of retirement to produce her debut solo album coming out later this year.
Schorr will be performing at the Lead Belly Festival taking place on February 4 at the fabled Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she will be joining Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon, and many others to pay tribute to renowned New York folk-blues musician Lead Belly. Her other New York performances include shows at The Falcon in Marlboro on February 7, Turing Point in Piermont on February 12, and The Cutting Room in New York City on February 17. NYS Music spoke with Schorr on topics ranging from working with Mike Vernon to performing at Carnegie Hall.
Nicholas Cho: Before singing the blues, I heard you first started in opera. Is that correct?
Sari Schorr: Yeah I was studying with a Julliard opera teacher. That was really the best thing that I ever did because it allowed me to learn how to use my voice properly, which is why now I can put a lot of demands on my voice now, and I don’t have a problem with my voice at all. I’ve been really lucky.
NC: When did you switch to the blues?
SS: I was doing a lot of jazz singing, and I wanted to make an album for a friend of mine who had a successful label here in New York. He had come to one of my shows and said, “Honey, you’re a blues singer. Why are you fighting this?” And I was, “Because I love the subtlety of jazz and the nuance.” It was kind of like a self-awareness thing—realizing that my voice was just so well-suited for blues and it was really the vehicle to use my voice to its full potential.
I had always loved the music from my early influences of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. When I went back to discover who were their influences, I discovered Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey and Big Mama Thornton. What I loved about the music that they were singing was that it was very honest, and it was this genre that would allow such honest communication between performer and audience. I loved this dialogue that the blues allowed.
NC: What was it like having Mike Vernon as your producer for your debut album?
SS: He’s a legendary producer—a pioneer—and he is the truest form of an artist I’ve ever worked with. He is so generous with his talent and with his energy. Working with him is perfect. I’m doing the next album with him and the one after that. We’ve already agreed to do two albums together.
We adore each other—he’s family to me. He brings out the best in everybody he works with. The musicians loved being with him in the studio. He’s got boundless energy and enthusiasm, and he has a vision so clear in his head on how to make the best possible album in keeping line with what the artist wants.
NC: How far into the recording process are you for your debut album?
SS: Well we just finished mixing, I would say, 80% of the album. There are two new songs on the record that we just added, so those will be getting mixed in the next couple of weeks.
NC: How did you get involved with the Lead Belly Festival?
SS: There is a terrific guy from Norway who is the manager of one of the venues I work at, and he talked me up to one of the producers of the show. That producer happened to be at the venue with an artist, and this manager, who is always promoting me in any way he can, told the producer, “There’s this singer, Sari Schorr—you’ve got to see her,” and that was the introduction.
The thing is, is that this venue is one that usually takes me two hours to get to from Brooklyn, and there were many times where I was exhausted coming back from overseas and jet-lagged, and I still went out there consistently, and that’s how it happened.
NC: What influence did Lead Belly have on you?
SS: Lead Belly was a phenomenal storyteller, and learning how to tell stories through music and use a lot of symbolism and imagery—that’s the influence Lead Belly had on my songwriting—this incredible honesty and simplicity in the lyrics that’s really deceiving. He’s speaking a lot under the surface of the lyrics.
NC: What is it like for you to be performing at Carnegie Hall?
SS: It’s an honor because it’s such a historic venue. It’s an honor because of the other artists that are going to be performing—Buddy Guy who I met when I did a co-bill with Joe Louis Walker and him up in Canada, and then with Eric Burdon and Walter Trout, who is going to be on my album. It’s really an honor to be a part of history in this way, and also being able to honor such an important man who contributed so much to blues music.
THE DESTINY TOUR – 2016 ITINERARY
Ettlin had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was recently entered into hospice care. In a strange coincidence, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane 
Schorr will be performing at the 
NC: What influence did Lead Belly have on you?