NYS Music 20​16

Category: Albany

  • Holly Bowling Announces New Album Date, Tracklist for “Better Left Unsung”

    Holly Bowling’s crowd-funded album now has a release date and a track list. Bowling’s set of solo classical arrangements of Grateful Dead songs, Better Left Unsung, is set for release Dec. 9 on the Royal Potato Family label.

    To date, Bowling has raised 38 per cent of her goal, with less than 60 days remaining in the crowd funding campaign.

    The three-LP/two-CD set includes over two hours of music:

    Help On The Way > Slipnot!
    Franklin’s Tower
    Cassidy
    Bird Song
    Wharf Rat
    Unbroken Chain
    Crazy Fingers
    Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One
    Row Jimmy
    Terrapin Station (Suite)
    Eyes Of The World (6/18/74 Louisville, KY)
    China Doll
    Dark Star

    Bowling revealed a sneak peak of what’s to come in a Jambase session for the magazine’s Twenty Years Later series, in which she also performs Buffalo’s own Ani DiFranco’s “Dilate” from the 1996 album of the same name.

    Original post:

    Pianist Holly Bowling, best known for her piano renditions of Phish songs, has announced a new album.  Bowling is crowd-sourcing the new album through Pledgemusic entitled Better Left Unsung that reinterprets the music of the Grateful Dead for piano.

    holly bowling - better left unsung

    Featured on the upcoming three LP,two CD album are her versions of the Dead classics “Eyes of the World,” a completely hand-transcribed interpretation of the 6-18-74 Freedom Hall rendition from Louisville and a “Terrapin Station” suite.

    Bowling’s tour kicks off in Columbus, OH Aug. 24 and heads west, including four dates in Colorado. New York stops on the tour include the Night Lights Music Festival in Sherman on Aug. 27 and Brooklyn Comes Alive on Oct. 22.

    Holly Bowling Upcoming 2016 Dates:

    Aug. 24 – with Joe Marcinek Ban – Columbus, OH
    Aug. 25 – with Joe Marcinek Band – St Charles, IL
    Aug. 27 – Night Lights Music Festival – Sherman, NY
    Aug. 31 – Owsley’s Golden Road – Boulder, CO
    Sep. 1 – Quixote’s True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 2 – Quixote’s True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 3 – Quixotes True Blue – Denver, CO
    Sep. 7 – Tin Pan – Henrico, VA
    Sep. 8 – The Shed – Durham, NC
    Sep. 9 – The Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
    Sep. 10 – The Music Farm – Columbia, SC
    Sep. 11 – The Gray Eagle – Asheville, NC
    Sep. 22 – Lost Sierra Hoedown – Blairsden, CA
    Oct. 13 – Lunalight Music and Arts Festival – Darlington, MD
    Oct. 22 – Brooklyn Comes Alive – New York, NY
    Oct. 23 – The Towne Crier – Beacon, NY

    Check out Bowling’s piano rendition of Phish’s “Harry Hood” from a performance in Seattle this past spring and check her out on tour.

  • Hearing Aide: Ampevene ‘Rometheu’

    12 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s how long it takes to listen to Ampevene’s new EP, Rometheu. But that’s not the total sum of each of the songs; it’s just one extended track!

    Ampevene RometheuAmpevene is a band that stemmed from Gabe Stallman’s solo project as a guitarist.  Now the full band consists of Gabe Stallman on guitar and vocals, Mack Hogan on bass, Bob Morris on drums, and Ava Smith on keys, and Jeff Nania on saxophone.  The progressive rock group is based in Albany, so it wasn’t too far to the studio, The Recording Company, in Esperance, NY.

    It’s not clear by the song why it’s called “Rometheu,” but it is the word “Prometheus” without the first and last letter… Perhaps the song was inspired by Greek mythology?

    Rometheu starts out with a rock blues that’s very guitar and bass ostinato heavy. The beginning is not in standard 4/4 time, but rather it’s written with a 6/8 feel – where the first and fourth beat are emphasized in each measure. This helps give the track a flowing groove. At around 2:47, the mode shifts into a fast 4/4, really driving the piece forward.

    The lyrics are posted to accompany the track on Bandcamp, which is immensely helpful. The lines don’t seem to relate directly to one another in a story; the emphasis and poetry are behind each individual line. There are only vocals in the first quarter and very end of the song; it’s clear the music drives this track.

    The crazy guitar riffs and multi-instrument improvisation are awesome and the instruments sound flawless showcasing their melodic riffs.  There’s a point where there is a lack of a clear tonal center, and the band just creates a powerful wall of sound.  At around 6:07, a slower groove is established without saxophone at first to allow the audience to breathe after the more intense section.  It is here where the piano is high in the mix complementing the haunting guitar melodies. The experimentation with the guitar distortion, some organ sounds, and smooth saxophone is quite soothing and fun to listen to.

    The coolest part of this track is the juxtaposition between musical ideas/styles. It makes the piece dynamic and engaging throughout.  The slow section is immediately followed by a short, quicker ending featuring a quick line of lyrics. Rometheu is very impressive from a compositional standpoint as well as a musicianship standpoint.  It’s a track you can’t help but jam along to.

    Listen to it on bandcamp here.

  • AWOLNATION ‘Sails’ Through Upstate Concert Hall

    AWOLNATION ‘sailed’ into Upstate Concert Hall on Wednesday, July 13, energizing the audience despite the imposing heat.

    Kicking off the evening were L.A. natives Irontom. With flamboyant gestures and high energy, the band quickly engaged the audience and became the highlight of the three sets of the evening. Irontom consists of guitarist Zach Irons, singer Harry Hayes, bassist Dane Sandborg, drummer Dylan Williams, and Daniel Saslow on keys. Lead singer Hayes was fascinating to watch as he gestured and mimed his way through the band’s set, almost reminiscent of Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz.

    AWOLNATION

    Unfortunately for the audience, Irontom’s set was over too soon, as time constraints forced them to end before their last song. Irontom has released a compilation album of their 2012-2014 recordings. Check out their upcoming tour dates.

    Following Irontom was San Francisco’s Finish Ticket, who just recently opened for Fitz and The Tantrums at UCH on June 23. While less energetic than Irontom (lead singer Brendan Hoye frequently cited the heat), Finish Ticket is reminiscent of Walk the Moon. The highlight of their set was a cover of the Killer’s “When You Were Young,” sounding perhaps better than the original.

    Finally, AWOLNATION took the stage around 10pm. Consisting of front man Aaron Bruno, Kenny Carkeet on keyboards and guitar, Isaac Carpenter on drums, and bassist Marc Walloch, AWOLNATION combines electronica and rock to create a unique sound. Their second album, Run, was released in March 2015.

    AWOLNATION

    Opening with “Run,” the band covered the majority of the tracks from their sophomore album, while also throwing in highlights from their debut. The crowd covered all of the floor at UCH, with little room left to spare. As the night went on, the temperature rose as condensation dripped from the ceiling.

    AWOLNATION didn’t let the heat slow them down, powering through “Hollow Moon,” “Not Your Fault” and “Jail Break,” joined by Irontom’s guitarist Zach Irons (replacing AWOLNATION’s Drew Stewart who left the band in September 2015), and with Irontom’s drummer Dylan Williams on one song.

    The band was thankful to be there and appreciative of their audience, frequently checking in with the crowd, telling people to look out for each other, and often remarking that their music “is for everyone.”

    AWOLNATION

    Highlights of their set include a drum solo, the appearance of inflatable shark pool toys in the audience (which one crowd surfer climbed atop), and “Dreamers” during the encore.

    The band closed the evening with a medley of “Now I Can See You” and crowd favorite “Sail.”

    Setlist: Run, Hollow Moon, People, Not Your Fault, Jailbreak, Soul Wars, Windows, Kill Your Heroes, Woman Woman, All I Need, Like People, Like Plastic, Drum Solo / Burn It Down, I’m on Fire, I Am, Dreamers, Sail

    Tune in below for an interview with AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno and Keller of WEQX, prior to their UCH appearance

  • Joey Pettinato Uses Music to Control Disorder

    Joey Pettinato is about to make the biggest deal of his life at 16-years-old.

    Pettinato, known by his stage name of “JJ Savage”, is about to sign his first contract with Overit Studios in Albany.

    The contract with Overit states that the studio will pay for Pettinato’s various expenses needed for things like recording, mixing and mastering.

    Joey Pettinato
    “I feel accomplished, I feel blessed, lucky and grateful,“ said Pettinato.

    Since he was five-years-old, Pettinato has battled Tourette Syndrome. Despite taking medication, his tics are still recurrent, especially when he’s nervous. “I take medication and it helps a little, but I get some tics especially when I am nervous,” he said.

    He doesn’t battle Tourette Syndrome empty handed. Whenever Pettinato picks up his guitar, his symptoms disappear. “When I pick up the guitar, the music totally takes me over and I get no symptoms…it’s amazing,” said Pettinato.

    This discovery did not only surprise Pettinato, but also his family. “My dad noticed [the lack of symptoms]. He sat and watched me play and the more he applauded, the more I played,” he said.

    A gift from his parents, Pettinato starting playing the guitar at ten-years-old. Loving the instrument, he immediately started taking guitar lessons. “I remember playing for hours,” he said.

    Pettinato recalls playing one hour per day when he got his first guitar. “After week two I couldn’t put it down, I played every chance I got,” he said. The first song Pettinato learned in it’s entirety was, “Iron Man”, by Black Sabbath.

    Now 16-years-old, Pettinato plays music from home. Being bullied from other students for his tics, Pettinato left public school around sixth grade. He is currently homeschooled.

    “I tried to go back in eighth grade which lasted one day, and then again in ninth grade. It lasted a few days, but the kids laughing and making fun of me was too much.”

    Although Pettinato has been out of public school for many years, he still is bullied. “I get laughed at by kids my age everywhere I go,” he said.

    The bullying Pettinato faced was difficult for him, but only fueled his passion for music. When he was 13-years-old, Pettinato wrote and recorded, “We Are The Brave”, a song against bullying.

    “I made 200 copies and gave them to anyone who wanted one free of change, and mailed them everywhere at people’s request,” he said. Pettinato was sold-out of his song in about two weeks, with the farthest recording being sent out to Vietnam.

    “It’s nice to know, and it makes me proud I spread the word about anti-bullying all over the world.”

    Through his success, Pettinato now has five endorsements from companies like Sinister Guitar Picks, Von York Guitar Strings and Intex Cables. Besides these, Pettinato was recently made a Gibson Artist.

    This January, Pettinato attended the National Association of Music Merchants Convention in Anaheim, CA. After playing some guitars at a Gibson booth, he was approached by a Gibson representative who inquired about Pettinato becoming an official Gibson Artist.

    “Behind a set of curtains they heard me play and wanted to talk to me the next day,” he said. “On day two I went back, and the AR rep told me they wanted me on the Gibson team.”

    Spending most days playing the guitar, Pettinato started his first rock band, Savage Child, at 11-years-old. “We were together for about a year. We opened for local acts at Humpy’s and the Fuller Roadhouse,” he said.

    Pettinato is currently a member of the rock bands Obsidian, Backlash and the John Morse Band. His band Obsidian performed last weekend at the Red Buddha Lounge in New Jersey and PJs in Mahopac, Putnam County.

  • Photo Gallery: Alive at 5 Welcomes Tumbleweed Highway and Molly Hatchet

    Tumbleweed Highway and Molly Hatchet performed in Albany at Alive @ 5 on August 4. The two bands gave a performance that rocked the hearts of all attending. The crowd roared with patriotism and pride as they listened to the sweet riffs and vocals of the southern rock bands. It put a great end to the Alive @ 5 free concert series for Summer 2016.

  • LoCash and Skeeter Creek at Alive at 5

    With only a five percent chance of rain forecast before the Thursday, July 28 Alive At Five event, who knew that there would be a cloudburst when Skeeter Creek took the stage at the City of Albany’s “Country Night’ featuring LoCash as the headliner. Fans of Skeeter Creek and those who arrived early for the headliner were soaked within minutes, but most didn’t care. The show was for free and seeing two great bands, getting something to eat and drink to unwind before the weekend is what Alive at Five is all about.

    locashSongwriters and vocalists Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of the LoCash band have charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts so the fans were out in force by the start of their fine set at Broadway & Columbia Street in Downtown Albany at Tricentennial Park after the rain stopped.

    LoCash’s country music style is a mixed bag of styles with a spattering of rock and rap mixed in flawlessly. It’s all good and so singable with audience friendly hooks galore as the many thousands of fans proved time and again with a sing-a-long throughout the show.

    The City of Albany Events Department has a nose for selecting their ‘Country Night’ acts. They’re always on the brink of moving up to bigger venues in the very near future. Several years ago they brought in an ass-kicking concert by Lee Brice, and later Dustin Lynch, and look at them both now! Lee and Dustin have both opened up for major country acts at SPAC, with Dustin having just opened up for Luke Bryan at SPAC.

  • 15th Annual Albany Jazz Fest Announces Lineup

    The City of Albany has announced the lineup for the 15th Annual Jazz Festival, to be held on Saturday, September 10. The day-long free event will be held at the Washington Park Parade Grounds, due to construction at Jennings Landing.

    The Ellis Marsalis Quintet headlines Jazz Fest, a legend of modern premier jazz piano. The father of Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, all legends in their own right, the patriarch of one of the world’s most famous musical families will perform with a quintet of musicians for a memorable headlining performance.

    Lucky Chops, a brass band who made their name in the NYC subway system, calling on their roots at LaGuardia Arts High School. Having toured Demark and France, as well as clubs all over New York, they were featured on MTV’s “Girl Code Live” and carry a wide fanbase that grows with each performance.

    KJ Denhert blends urban folk & jazz that can move you to laugh, dance and cry.  She steps out of the box for her latest recording, Album No. 9, exploring genres that have influenced her throughout her career. Praised for her pathos, originality and impeccable musicianship, KJ is a one-of-a-kind songwriter, guitarist and performer, not to be missed.

    Jazz Caravan, based out of Albany, is a trio blending west-coast modern and Latin jazz stylings. Roger Noyes (guitar), Tony Berman (bass) and Jim Ketterer (drums) make up this unique trio, drawing on mid-century swing to bop and post-bop, as well as Ellison-inspired music, mashups of Monk and Brubeck-based figures; an odd-meter remake of a traditional hymn, a swingin’ rendition of folk melodies inspired by Leo Tolstoy, a hard-backbeat take on baroque and klezmer music, and even a Latin-groove reconstruction of Led Zeppelin.

    Cliff Brucker & Full Circle is led by multi-instrumentalist and composer/producer Brucker, well known in the Capital Region for his 40 years of performance in the region. Full Circle includes Leo Russo, a local jazz legend, as well as pianist Larry Ham, trumpeter Dylan Canterbury, guitarist Mike Novakowski and bassist Otto Gardner, all masterful players who have performed with some of the most important names in jazz.

    Schedule of performances during the 15th annual City of Albany Jazz Festival:

    Cliff Brucker & Full Circle 1-2pm

    Jazz Caravan 2:30-3:30pm

    KJ Denhert 4-5pm

    Lucky Chops 5:30-6:30pm

    The Ellis Marsalis Quintet 7-8:30pm

    Since its debut in 2002, the City of Albany Jazz Festival has featured an eclectic array of all-time musical greats, critically acclaimed up-and-coming artists and local favorites at Albany’s most spectacular outdoor venues. Great food, beverages and vendors make the Jazz Festival an event for all ages – and admission is still free! No glass, animals or recording of performances. All City of Albany parks are now curb-to-curb tobacco-free.

  • WEQX Presents: White Denim @ The Hollow

    WEQX presents… White Denim at downtown Albany’s The Hollow on July 23rd.

    white denim the hollowWhite Denim is a fusion rock band from Austin, Texas including James Petralli, Steve Terebecki, Jonathan Horne, and Jeffrey Olson. Their music is influenced by dub, psychedelic rock, blues, punk rock, progressive rock, soul, jazz, experimental rock with a home-based recording, jamming approach, intense looping work and unusual song structures. Their sixth record, “Stiff”, was just released this March and is jam packed with adrenaline-fuelled sing-alongs that show off the bands talents. This is their first live album, recorded with traditional equipment and techniques to achieve an authentic sound.

    www.whitedenimmusic.com

    Doors 8PM Show 9PM

  • WEQX Presents: Bloc Party playing Alive @ 5

    Bloc Party will take the stage at Alive @ 5  with opening act Titanics on Thursday the July 21.

    bloc partyBloc Party is an English indie rock band with artists Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle (drums).  Their danceable rock music has made them one of London’s biggest hits. 

    The band has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and the Tonight Show, been featured on multiple magazine covers, and performed highly-anticipated sets at major festivals such as Coachella. 

    The band’s fifth studio album, Hymns, the first to involve Harris and Bartle, was released in January 2016. They have collectively sold over three million albums worldwide.

    Check out this playlist to see what Bloc Party has to offer.

    Mark Lombardo and Derek Rogers make up Titanics who were named “Best Best” by Albany’s Metroland, featured on San Francisco’s most prestigious music blog “Indie Shuffle” and Mercedes Benz’ September 2013 “Best New Talent” mixtape. Their use of synthesizers and electronic beats create tranquil sounds, spiritual feels and a pop sensibility. Check out their website below for news updates and music downloads.

    You can get a taste for the Titanics at their Bandcamp page here.

    102.7 WEQX is the real rock alternative

  • Tedeschi Trucks Band “Slides” Into SPAC For One To Remember

    The Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on July 14, bringing along the North Mississippi All Stars and Los Lobos. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi led the show getting the crowd going right away. The band opened up strong with “Laugh It Up” and “Made Up Mind.” TTB surprised the crowd with “Swamp Raga,” a song from The Derek Trucks Band. The group followed up with “Within You Without You,” a song by The Beatles.

    tedeschi trucks band slidesAt the end of the show members of both North Mississippi All Stars and Los Lobos came on to play “The Sky Is Crying.” The North Mississippi All Stars also celebrated their 20th anniversary. The Tedeschi Trucks Band wraps up their Wheels of Soul Tour on August 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Red Butte Garden.

    Setlist: Laugh About it, Made Up Mind, Darlin’ Be Home Soon, Swamp Raga, Within You Without You, Just As Strange, Right On Time, Goin’ Down to Mexico, Don’t Know What It Means, Idle Wind, The Sky Is Crying, Angel From Montgomery, Jam, Let Me Get By 

    ENCORE: Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring, Sticks and Stones