Rock legends Leon Russell and Dave Mason will perform at the Hart Theater at The Egg Performing Arts Center on Sunday, February 28 at 7 PM. Part of the American Roots & Branches concert series, the two rock music icons will perform individual sets with their bands, performing a variety of classic songs from their storied repertoire, including Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady,” made famous by Joe Cocker, and Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright,” among many other hits from across their careers.
Tickets for the concert are $34.50 and $39.50 and are available at The Egg Box Office at the Empire State Plaza, or by telephone 518-473-1845
TPR, short for Trinity Park Radio, just released a live album playfully titled TPR Comes Alive. Many nuances throughout this album make it an unique adventure from Cleveland to Chicago (more on that later), and these fun loving college guys have etched themselves a niche in the live music scene. Some live albums overshadow the band with long drawn out jams, and don’t highlight the personality of the band and focus on their ability. TPR connects with their audience in a more intimate way, making them feel as if they are part of the show. By recording in a cozy setting, the listener feels like they’re one of the people in the crowd.
Right off the bat, “King of the Park” hits you in the face with pure adrenaline charged rock and roll while “Cleveland Gary” shows a different side of the band – a softer, more emotional side. “You’re on Fire” is a catchy little number with a fun repeating title phrase which speeds up to astronomical speeds, bringing out a silliness from the band members as they get increasingly excited and deliver that energy through the speakers. TPR also put a hip spin on a grade school classic, the famous “Stop Drop and Roll.” These lads added rock ‘ n before the roll and all are left singing along. That wasn’t the only point in the album where the lyrics were ironic, the title “I Love Dick’s….Sporting Goods”, is another perfect example.
The album closes out with “Carl Winslow,” yes, that Carl Winslow, the Chicago mailman from the ABC hit “Family Matters.” It’s a delightfully hokey song telling stories of Steve Urkel and others cast members, but the music itself is the most catchy part, although you may find yourself confused by the band saying Carl Winslow, as the music doesn’t fit the character at all – a middle class, mid-America man – does not translate to hard kicking guitar riffs and slamming drums. Again, this fits the over riding motif of the album, with the titles and the lyrics making the listener believe they are going to hear one thing, but the music delivering another.
Listening to TPR Comes Alive, the amount of effort put in becomes clear straight away. You can tell they don’t take themselves too seriously, but they are far from a joke. TPR is having fun toeing that line, and if they stay they the course it can only mean a bright future for these guys from Upstate New York.
Key Tracks: Cleveland Gary, King of the Park, You’re on Fire
On Halloween 2014, Hall & Oates performed for the opening night of Daryl’s House in Pawling — owned by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Daryl Hall himself.
This week, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported that the venue is in the planning process to add an outdoor venue space for more than 1,000 guests. The current house hosts a combined restaurant and music space similar to its former tenant, the Towne Crier Cafe, which relocated to Beacon in 2013.
Dary’s House already has a few class acts lined up for what they are calling the Backyard Concert Series, including Todd Rundgren, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Lucius, Shovels & Rope, and Colin Hay, with more to be announced.
While the prospect of the outdoor venue is being received well locally, the venue is still in the planning process. The property owners have to obtain the necessary permits, otherwise the outdoor events won’t be able to take place.
Daryl’s House grew out of the “Live From Daryl’s House” series that Hall began as a web series in 2007.
Twiddle rolled into Syracuse this past Saturday to a sold out crowd at the Westcott Theater. The third stop on the band’s Plumperdump Tour was also the third sold out show of the short winter run. An indication that the band’s stock is rising, backed by a continuously growing fan base.
The house wasn’t packed with just Twiddle fans from central New York. Before the band took the stage, the room was energized by swarms of fans from all over the Northeast. Some chatted about the half day drive or relived the tour’s first two shows in Maine and Rhode Island and many new fans simply waited in anticipation of their first Twiddle show.The evening’s set list showcased songs from the band’s latest release, PLUMP- Chapter One, as well as a playful blend of covers and Twiddle fan favorites. The music showcased a growth in exploration of self-education. Twiddle has found ways to weave together its new momentum and classic jams; a seemingly tricky task of bridging a new polished studio sound while exploring the space between the choruses.
Beyond the much hyped message of the band’s music, is a less discussed musical workmanship that sometimes get lost within the hype of “frends” and “pe^king”. What fans of the band are witnessing so far on the Plumperdump Tour, is the harmonious blend of the band’s musical journey; a tasty mix of hooky lyrics and feel good singalongs with whimsical improvisational composition while still creating an effective and intriguing blend.
Twiddle is on a journey, that if continued, will shine best during the summer festival season, where Twiddle is poised to play a mix of regional festivals and high profile events, such as this summer’s Lockn’ Music Festival.
The high profile growth seems to be giving the band a new approach to its performance. On this tour, Twiddle plays with an overwhelming sense of love for the journey.
In the show opener “Syncopated Healing” as well as in the evening’s extended version of the PLUMP single “Every Soul”, the band presented with a cleaner and brighter quality to their sound.
In “Carter Candlestick” and “Doinkinbonk”, Twiddle continued to showcase an onstage brotherhood by creating stand out moments for bassist Zdenek Gubb, who has eagerly driven the band toward a more dark, funky, but yet playful groove.
What makes Twiddle endearing is that, as highlighted in the evening’s version of the disco classic “Funkytown”, they explore a more playful space. Among their own original material, the song “Dr. Remidi’s Melodium” treated fans to the signature Twiddle reggae/funk/rock fusion that kept the crowd in a rhythmic bliss of engaging lyrics and danceable grooves.
Twiddle also seems to be finding new ways to take risks within its sets. The first set ended with not only a rousing rendition of the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon”, but also a seldom heard vocal jam. And although they may not be the first jam band to explore this technique, they are doing it their own way. The Twiddle vocal jam is a captivating blend of beat-boxing and vocal rhythms that mimics the best video game soundtracks and electronic grooves – a group of twenty something musicians playfully distorting and manipulating the sounds of its generation into a unique musical moment.
The only downfall of the evening was that the energy of the crowd felt too big for the venue. The Westcott Theater staff found themselves turning fans away at the door. And while continued sellouts are great to encourage the band to book larger venues, it’s that larger space that the band’s sounds is looking to fill. For a band like Twiddle that is clearly looking to attract a mix of fans while blending a variety of musical textural sounds, the band will only continue to grow if the size of the spaces they play grows as well.
Twiddle continues the Plumperdump tour Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo before heading to the Upstate Music Hall in Clifton Park on Friday, Feb. 26 with Formula 5 and Irving Plaza in New York City on Feb. 27.
Setlist: Syncopated Healing, Every Soul, Carter Candlestick, Five, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, Doinkinbonk!!! > Funky Town > Doinkinbonk!!!, Rocky Raccoon
One of the timeless dangers of cataloguing relationship woes through song is the risk of drowning in cringe-worthy cheesiness. Bump and their debut album Broken Fix is swimming in an industrial vat of artery-clogging Velveeta. Released in October, the self produced album was recorded over the course of a week in an old barn in Cambridge, NY. Mixed by JJ Beck at Akin Studios and mastered by Larry DeVivo at Silvertone Mastering.
Formed in Saratoga Springs, cheesemongers Todd Pasternack (guitar), Angela Ford (bass), Gregory Nash (drums) and special guest Kirk Juhas (piano/B3) comprise Bump, and have formulated an almost unpalatable recipe over-salted with boring and predictable lyrics in a watered-down interpretation of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Any hope for attaining béchamel quality music on this album is melted by weak vocals.
The first track “Hello Again” serves up Pasternack’s whiney voice with Ford’s backup vocals adding more confusion than complexity to the laid-back rock flavor. He opens the song, “Hello again, did my text get through? And are we still friends, or did we lose that too? Just send me a picture of your broken heart, tell me once again we should never have started to care.” Predictability breeds familiarity, so despite the eye-roll inducing lyrics, many listeners can at least relate to their meaning.
“Wrecking Ball” opens with grungy guitar before Ford’s voice emerges, evoking a gentle Pocahontas quality that doesn’t support the musical tone reminiscent of “The General” by Dispatch. An alien-like mid-song lyrical breakdown is an intriguing experiment that seems out of character for the album as layers of Ford’s voice hauntingly echo each other.
In full Flight of the Concords fashion, “How Could You Go So Low” presents feathery falsetto and restrained instrumentation, emphasizing the exaggerated vocals. “Anymore” holds a promise of redemption with bluesy jazz instrumentation and whirling organ before the words “Just can’t maintain this lifestyle anymore/Will my spirit no longer fly? The wings are paralyzed,” interrupt the mystical instrumentals.
Key tracks: Wrecking Ball, How Could You Go So Low, Anymore
Ed Mann, Frank Zappa‘s longtime drummer, will join forces with Paul Green’s Rock Academy for a special night of Zappa music at The Hollow in Albany on Saturday, March 5.
Paul Green, founder of School of Rock and inspiration for Jack Black’s character in the movie of the same name, has been teaching children to play rock music, including that of Frank Zappa, since 1998. His students have played Lollapalooza, Carnegie Hall, CBGB and Austin City Limits. They have worked alongside many Zappa collaborators including Ike Willis, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Denny Walley, Adrian Belew and Mike Keneally.
The Rock Academy is about to kick off a yearlong collaboration with Zappa drummer Ed Mann, who has appeared on more Zappa albums than any other member of the band. Mann has had a successful career post-Zappa as well, including teaching music at different colleges, recording for film composers and pioneering the development of holistic sound therapy. In 2012, he began working with various jam bands on percussion and as sound artist.
The show takes place on March 5 at 8 p.m. at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen. Tickets are currently available for $12 in advance or $15 at the door the night of the show. Acoustic Trauma will play a late set beginning at 11 p.m.
The 7th annual Aura Music and Arts Festival is less than two weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited to show the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida some New York love! The Disco Biscuits and Thievery Corporation will headline this festival, one that many say is their favorite all year. In addition to a stacked lineup of various talented artists, one that we’re particularly intrigued by is Nunchuck!
Nunchuck! is a new project consisting of bassist Chuck Jones and drummer Scotty Zwang of Dopapod, guitarist Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz, and renowned percussionist Mike Dillon. The collaboration was formed specifically for Aura and despite what the name suggests, it’s not a Chuck Jones led group or even solely his brain child. (Nor is it affiliated with Lotus’ Mike Greenfield’s side project bearing the same name.)
Chuck Jones and Scotty Zwang of Dopapod.
Jones explained the selection of the other band members. He and Brodhead have become close friends as they both live in Hartford, Connecticut and are geographically displaced from the rest of their band members. Brodhead’s main project Turkuaz is also on Aura’s lineup. Mike Dillon – a member of Critters Buggin and Les Claypool’s Fancy Band – has past experience playing with Dopapod and even opened for them last year at this festival. The Mike Dillon band is on Aura’s schedule for Friday.
Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz
The four of them together make Nunchuck! – a “psychedelic punk rock” band that is sure to be something unique.
“The entire set list that we’re figuring out is all our favorite punk songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s,” said Jones. “All of us – myself, Scotty, Mike and Craig –part of our musical background has been inspired by heavier artists and genres so it will be nice for us to be able to experiment with that a little bit.”
Jones said their own creative palate is where the “psychedelic” portion comes in.
“That really means that we’re going to have not enough music to fill the slot, so we’ll be making lots of noise,” he said. “It’s going to be loud, aggressive and upbeat – so it will be fun!”
Mike Dillon.
According to Jones, the project was developed after Zwang expressed interest in participating in Aura, even though Dopapod is (sadly) not on this year’s lineup. With attendance around 5,000 guests in some of the most picturesque scenery, Aura offers something other festivals cannot.
“I love Suwanee so anything down there is a good time. I really think they do a nice job working with artists that are true to the festival circuit. Sometimes large ones pull in big names that they know will bring in a lot of people but they kind of lose its – I think the only way to describe it is ‘music festival vibe.’ Only people who’ve been to smaller ones and medium ones will know what that is exactly – the community vibe sort of thing.”
Nunchuck! is playing on Friday, March 4, from 8 to 9:15 p.m. in the Vibe Tent. Also playing at this time is Particle to which Jones sends a friendly challenge:
“I can guarantee with 100 percent certainty that Particle will be tighter and well-rehearsed, but…I don’t know if they’ll have as much fun as we are.”
In addition to The Disco Biscuits and Thievery Corporation, Nunchuck! will join the The New Deal, The Main Squeeze, The Werks, Snarky Puppy, Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), The Heavy Pets Tribute to the ‘80s, American Babies and more at this year’s festival March 3 – 6.
Aura also includes more than 25 yoga classes and an extensive Silent Disco lineup with guest DJ appearances from various musicians including Scotty Zwang.
Three metal shows are coming to Rochester at Montage Music Hall in May, including Like A Storm with Devil You Know, Texas Hippie Coalition and All That Remains.
Kiwi rockers Like A Storm are known for combining heavy baritone guitar riffs and hard rock songs with the didgeridoo, the traditional Australian wind instrument. They have shared the stage with Alter Bridge, Korn, Shinedown, Creed, Puddle of Mudd and Staind. They will be joined by metalcore supergroup Devil You Know from Los Angeles on Friday, May 6.
Texas Hippie Coalition will take the stage on Friday, May 13. Vocalist Big Dad Ritch describes their sound on their website:
It’s like Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top had a child, and Pantera ended up raising it. We’re Red Dirt Metal. That’s a flag we wave high. There wasn’t a line formed for us, so I created a line and jumped to the front of that bad boy. Ride On is the best example of what we do.
Opening for Texas Hippie Coalition is Sons of Texas.
Hailing from nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, All That Remains have released seven studio albums and sold well over a million records worldwide. They recently went through a lineup change back in September when longtime bassist Jeanne Sagan left the band. She has since been replaced by Aaron Patrick. All that Remains will play Sunday, May 22.
Steely Dan is hitting the road again this spring and summer, kicking off its tour at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have booked several New York dates in addition to the opener, including stops in Niagara Falls, Bethel and Saratoga Springs.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will first hit up theaters and event centers on the initial leg of the Dan Who Knew Too Much tour before Stevie Winwood joins them, hitting sheds and amphitheaters country-wide throughout the summer months.
Jeff York and Liz Strodel of indie soul/rock project Major Player kicked back at a local bar to discuss wardrobe malfunctions, zodiac signs and how Major Player was almost a funk cover band. Amidst the silly antics, York and Strodel expressed serious enthusiasm about the recent release of their debut album Grift & Gum, which was recorded, mixed and mastered at More Sound Studio. Their playful demeanors in conversation slightly contradict the album’s make-up, which manifests a moodiness wrought with the emotional drudgery of deteriorating relationships.
The somber title track offers minimalist guitar and drum work with Hammond organ weaving through ambiguous lyrics. The song grapples with the need to persevere in the face of an uncertain fate. York postulates “I laid down by better days/Reach out for better days,” his words chased by echoing organ, produce a resounding emptiness to match the dark intangible hope for a better future.
York notes how the straightforward instrumentation on the record affords the musicians wiggle room to improvise and experiment with live performances. Improvisation may become most necessary in instances when Strodel’s sticks weasel their way into the tangle of bracelets on her wrist, causing her to obscure the beat. Such was the case during their December show at Funk ‘N Waffles downtown, much to the audience’s amusement. York views these occasional hiccups as happy accidents explaining, “When she messes up, it sounds good.” Strodel jokingly mused how she can play down offbeat occurrences with an “I meant to do that” attitude.
The second track, “Hailey,” careening through slightly more buoyant rhythm, questions the validity of a soured relationship, asking as many couples have, “Could this mean at last now/that we’ve past our/infatuated moment/What drew us so close in.” “Static Noise,” speckled with bluesy guitar riffs imparts a dejectedness often felt after a breakup. Heavily distorted instrumentation adds a sense of unfamiliarity akin to the newly single state in which one relearns how to act independently. “Hard From Now On” showcases the most progressive rhythm on the album. The lyrics allude to finding new love in religion, or some greater cause contingent on the listener’s perspective.
Despite the melancholy nature of the album content, the abbreviated collection of songs is alluringly presented in the vein of ethereal trip hop. York assembled this first taste of Major Player from a larger catalogue of material he’s already written. As York plans to release more songs in the spring, the entire band also plans to write material collaboratively and continue to characterize their musical identity. Though Major Player has strayed from becoming a cover band devoted to The Meters, as was the original intent, listeners might recognize a cover or two thrown into live performances in the near future. York and Strodel, along with bandmates Nick Mazzeo (keys) and Andrew Greacen (bass) are looking forward to performing more in the warmer months.
With beer glasses nearly empty and conversation winding down, Strodel sarcastically offers to disclose their zodiac signs for interview purposes. So for anyone curious, York is an Aquarius and Strodel is a Saggitarius. Both wryly smiling York added, “Take that for what it is.” A simple sentiment which also reflects the bands’ laid-back attitude for their open-ended future.
The evening’s set list showcased songs from the band’s latest release, 
Formed in 
Paul Green, founder of School of Rock and inspiration for Jack Black’s character in the movie of the same name, has been teaching children to play rock music, including that of Frank Zappa, since 1998. His students have played Lollapalooza, Carnegie Hall, CBGB and Austin City Limits. They have worked alongside many Zappa collaborators including Ike Willis, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Denny Walley, Adrian Belew and Mike Keneally.
