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Kinky Boots Kicks It Up at The Stanley Theatre in Utica

“Be yourself because everyone else is taken!” is the recurring theme in this spectacular Tony award winning musical brought to the Stanley Theatre by the Broadway Theater League of Utica. Executive Director, Derek Clark, opened the show by announcing that they had the first ever “Pledge for a Purpose Gala” on opening night benefiting the LGBTQ youth and the Q Center of Utica. This community oriented event was a huge success at bringing support to a very worthy cause.

Kinky Boots, is set in a Northampton shoe factory where young Brit Charlie Price (Adam Kaplan) inherits his fathers ailing business. His father believed that the most beautiful thing in the world was a shoe.

However, Charlie’s father’s dream was not his dream. He had already moved to London with his girlfriend and had no intention of staying in the family business. With a loyalty to his father he returns, and a chance encounter with a drag queen named Lola (J. Harrison Ghee), this pair come up with a brilliant idea to cater to a niche market as a way to save the shoe factory he has inherited.

Lola and her drag dancers (The Angels) wearing very exotic and glamorous costumes and insist that these stilettos must bear the weight of a man. So, with the help of an enormously humorous dedicated cast of employees, they make boots for “women who are men.” The only stipulation for Lola’s assistance in this endeavor, they must be RED “the color of sex and passion and danger”. Born are the thigh-high “kinky boot”. Lola’s rendition of “Sex is in the Heel” was a soulful and sultry number that included The Angels, her “gaggle of fabulous drags.” By the end of this number, every member in the audience was ready to buy into a pair of Kinky Boots.

Memorable performances by Lauren (Tiffany Engen) and Don (Aaron Walpole), leave audience members in stitches throughout the show. Lauren’s crush on Charlie is portrayed in the hilarious “The History of Wrong Guys” and her school girl giddiness in his presence is beyond believable. Don is portrayed as a very macho man and is convinced he knows “What a Woman Wants.” It’s a great ride watching him change his tune by the end of the show.

This Tony award winning musical based on Broadway’s own Harvey Fierstein’s book and with a score written by Cyndi Lauper is a beautiful story of acceptance, love, and tolerance. The musical definitely attempts to educate the audience on these virtues, and indeed it does! When Lola sings the moving “Hold Me in Your Heart” to her estranged father, the entire theatre broke into applause for a length of time before the show could continue.

The final song “Raise You Up/Just Be” had everyone on their feet singing and dancing as the entire cast belted out the lyrics JUST BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE. A long and enthusiastic standing ovation followed.

Kinky Boots proves to be a memorable night at the theatre. It is a breathtaking event from the sets, to the elaborate costumes, upbeat songs, amazing dance routines that include cartwheels and splits, and a good blend of humor and reflection. It sends a valuable message to challenge each of us to accept others for who they are. As it makes it’s way across North America, it is definitely a must see performance.

TOUR DATES:

Pittsburgh, PA – Sep. 20 – Sep. 25, 2016
Tokyo, Japan – Oct. 5 – Oct. 30, 2016
Osaka, Japan – Nov. 2 – Nov. 6, 2016
Worcester, MA – Nov. 29 – Dec. 4, 2016
Waterbury, CT – Dec. 6 – Dec. 11, 2016
Wilmington, DE – Dec. 13 – Dec. 18, 2016
Ottawa, ON – Dec. 27 – Jan. 1, 2017
Salt Lake City, UT – Jan. 17 – Jan. 22, 2017
San Jose, CA – Jan. 24 – Jan. 29, 2017
Sacramento, CA – Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, 2017
Vancouver, BC – Feb. 7 – Feb. 12, 2017
Edmonton, AB – Feb. 14 – Feb. 19, 2017
Calgary, AB – Feb. 21 – Feb. 26, 2017
Spokane, WA – Feb. 28 – Mar. 4, 2017
Tucson, AZ – Mar. 14 – Mar. 19, 2017
Denver, CO – Mar. 21 – Mar. 26, 2017
Dallas, TX – Mar. 28 – Apr. 9, 2017
Clearwater, FL – Apr. 11 – Apr. 16, 2017
West Palm Beach, FL – Apr. 18 – Apr. 23, 2017
Sarasota, FL – Apr. 25 – Apr. 30, 2017
Jacksonville, FL – May 2 – May 7, 2017
Indianapolis, IN – May 16 – May 21, 2017
Dayton, OH – May 23 – May 28, 2017
Richmond, VA – May 30 – Jun. 4, 2017
Toledo, OH – Jun. 6 – Jun. 11, 2017
Louisville, KY – Jun. 13 – Jun. 18, 2017

September 21, 2016
Hearing Aide: Glens Falls’ Red Shift release debut EP

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

September 20, 2016
Just Say YES: Everyone Orchestra Gathers in Syracuse

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

*Bob Dylan Cover (Blood on the Tracks)

** Ryan Montbleau Cover (For Higher)

September 20, 2016
Sounds Like a Party To Me: Lettuce Interview Jesus Coomes

Music might be business for some, but for others, it’s a way of life. Lettuce is one of those bands where music is what you do, how you do, and why you do it. It’s family and friends and everything in between. Simply put, music is life. The band hasn’t gotten where they have been in their 20+ year run from stepping on others or chasing the next hit. Throughout their journey, it’s always been about the music and its ever present bond created between them on so many levels.

This passion and love spills over on the stage, in the studio, and through all of their interactions. It’s touching to see a band deservedly grow that embodies this spirit. In just over a year, the band has headlined Red Rocks (twice), released a new album (appropriately titled Crush), played to massive crowds, and hit other career peaks along the way. As the band packs up the bus to the hit the road on yet another tour, we got a chance to catch bassist, Erick “Jesus” Coomes, before a flight out to the east coast.

NYS Music: So you’re getting ready to kick off the Sounds Like a Party Tour, which is jam-packed with dates and riding high on how well Crush has been received. How are you feeling?

Jesus: I’m so thankful – everything is great! I’m in Long Beach right now, but leaving tonight for the tour. I’m going to meet up with my best friends in the world to make some music. The first gig is in Connecticut at Toad’s Place and a bunch of our original followers are there, so we’re going to get some of that hometown love right away. I’m excited about all of this.

NYS Music: There was a mention of Nigel Hall joining you guys via the Lettuce Facebook page. Is he joining for select dates?

Jesus: He’s coming for EV-ERY-THING bro. He’s going to be crushing this whole tour!

NYS Music: That’s amazing! I saw that Nigel has recently been playing some kind of synth onstage as opposed to just coming out for the lyrical songs. Tell me more about that and if we’ll see it on the SLAP Tour.

Jesus: He’s playing a Moog and a couple of other synths; he has a whole keyboard rig now. The thing is, we were having Nigel come on tour with us and he was literally sitting in the back for a long time until he got to sing a couple of songs. We’re like, this guy plays his ASS off on keyboards. Why don’t we set him up with a sick keyboard rig so he can play the whole show with us? We’ve been doing that for a few shows now and I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been!

NYS Music: On the topic of Nigel, has the band ever thought about including more of his vocals on an upcoming release?

Jesus: We definitely have and we want to do as much as we can with him. He’ll definitely be a big part of the next album. We’ve always kept it somewhat instrumental, but at this point, we kind of want to do a whole EP or album with him singing every tune. At the same time, we really love instrumental music, including Nigel, so it’s a hard balance but we want to explore that more on this tour.

NYS Music: Selfishly, I would just suggest recording a double album with one side all instrumentals and the other with vocals.

Jesus: Ohhhhhh….that’s a great idea! I love that idea!

NYS Music: Along those same collaboration lines, Lettuce worked with Wu-Tang Clan for the 2013 Bonnaroo SuperJam [audio]. Your music certainly incorporates hip-hop into your flavor of funk. Have you guys ever thought about bringing in a hip-hop artist on an album to rap over an original tune?

Jesus: Oh yeah, definitely. There are some things in the works right now that I wish I could tell you more about. I’ve had that same thought as well. Listening to a tune like “Trillogy,” I could totally hear Ghostface or somebody like that over it. I’d love to do a whole album like that called Lettuce Raps. I’ve had that thought for a long time – 10 years or so.

NYS Music: I feel like the hip-hop, jazz, and funk scenes are thankfully all starting to blend and collaborate in beautiful ways. What are your thoughts on that topic?

Jesus: I love it and just hearing you say that makes me so happy. I love what Kamasi Washington is doing, and my friend Josef Leimberg just dropped an album on Kamasi’s label. I think I played bass on a couple of songs on that. And then there’s my homie Thundercat just crushing the bass harder than anybody and being totally acknowledged for it. It just makes me so happy. Real music is becoming important again. We have some of the best music ever hitting the mainstream – I’m geeked out about it!

NYS Music: Changing gears, I watched the live-streamed Lettuce Lockn’ set and have since listened to it again. I’ve never heard the band explore their songs like that before, taking more than half of the songs over the 10-minute mark. Are you guys going to continue to do that in pockets?

Jesus: 100% we are – just hearing your enthusiasm makes me so happy. We’re on a good path and communicating really well right now. It allows us to take a jam and extend it without sacrificing quality. We’re always coming from the heart and I’m really excited where we’re taking it. I feel like the universe is putting us into the perfect place. It’s much bigger than any of us and we’re digging in. Music is such a deep art form. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the bottom of it, but we’re trying.

NYS Music: That’s so good to hear! In terms of new ventures, Lettuce just released a new music video that is pretty exploratory both musically and conceptually. Can you talk a little bit about the process behind it and why you went the direction you did?

Jesus: It was really incredible. The band was so excited about Crush as an album that we wanted people to hear a lot of it at once. We did the one video for “Phyllis,” but with this, we wanted to do a sneak peek of the whole album in a video format. I’m happy with the way it came out. We shot our parts and then the animators worked their butts off on the rest.

NYS Music: What are you excited about literally heading out shortly for this tour?

Jesus: The whole thing is so exciting, bro. I’m about to get on a bus with my best friends. Basically, I’m excited to see my homies and I just saw them all summer, every weekend. I’m so excited to hang out and make some smoothies. It’s like when you’re with your team, they make you better. When I’m with the guys in Lettuce, I’m a better person and I think we all make each other better. We live a healthy lifestyle and make great music every night. It’ll be nice to get back into that flow of making great music together every night and then having great days together. I’m really excited about the whole thing to be honest.

This Thursday, September 22, Lettuce will take the stage at The Tralf in Buffalo, NY. Tickets are still available for purchased. Additionally, their new album Crush can be purchased via iTunes here.

September 20, 2016
Syracuse Area Musicians Form Supergroup, 1000 Drops Of Venom

Syracuse area musicians that helped create the Syracuse metallic hardcore sound, have formed the supergroup, 1000 Drops Of Venom. Members from the band are from some of the area’s most prolific performers, and include frontman Karl Buechner (Earth Crisis, the Path Of Resistance, Freya), guitarist Jonathan Dennison (the Promise, Unholy, the Path Of Resistance), drummer Andy Miller (Unholy), and bassist Chris Reilly.

1000 Drops Of Venom is set to release the band’s first metallic hardcore style 7″ EP, which is now complete, and currently being finalized. The EP was recorded, mixed, and mastered at the Watchman Studios in Buffalo by Doug White. The studio has also produced the likes of the Gym Class Heroes, Brutal Truth, and Psyopus. The EP will be released on a label still to be announced. The band leaked its first single from the upcoming EP, “To Their Doom,” now available for streaming.

When talking about the new project, guitarist Jonathan Dennison said, “Well, talks of starting a new band together with Karl has finally materialized. I think fans of our past and present bands will like what we’re doing. Musically, this band represents how we feel and some things never change.”

Vocalist, Karl Buechner added:

JD and I became friends back when Another Victim toured with Earth Crisis in the nineties. Since then we have played music together in Earth Crisis, the Path Of Resistance, and Freya at different points. It was only a matter of time before we put a band together on our own. Our beliefs and our take on metal and hardcore are identical. There is genuine hatred in this music but it’s not back to square one. I think it’s the best elements of what were known for.

1000 Drops Of Venom can be seen Tuesday Sept. 20, opening for Crowbar at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse.

September 20, 2016
ZZ Top Closes Out Summer Series at Lakeview Amp

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

Encore: La Grange, Tush, Jailhouse Rock

September 19, 2016
Fitz and the Tantrums talk to Recess with Spinelli

From College Radio to Top 40 Radio, Fitz and the Tantrums have proven that they can cross multiple generations, genres and audiences. Alexander Spinelli of the radio show, Recess with Spinelli spoke with Keyboardist, Jeremy on the phone before their performance at the Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY.

Listen to the abridged feature/interview

You can listen to the Full Radio Broadcast of Fitz and the Tantrums.

Concert Photos:

Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM (https://academics.skidmore.edu/blogs/wspn/) and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT (6pm-8pm EDT) (http://www.hoxton.fm)

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

Follow Recess with Spinelli: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Mixcloud Tumblr and online at longbowmedia.us

September 19, 2016
Finding Inspiration with Stephen Douglas Wolfe

We are all products of the things we’ve seen and the places we’ve been. For singer/songwriter, Stephen Douglas Wolfe, the journey to find a place to live and hone creativity has been an interesting one. From his origin in Lawrence, Kansas, to the fast-paced New York City, to finally settling upstate in Syracuse, New York, Wolfe and his music have grown along with every mile traveled.

Lawrence, Kansas is described by Wolfe as an, “… open minded town in a closed minded state,” although despite the feeling of safety within his hometown, he left Lawrence to avoid the temptation to fall into a slump of complacency. Like many other musicians, Wolfe then moved to New York City with hopes of finding more inspiration for his music, however opposite those who preceded him, Wolfe simply could not create. He found himself working in retail management and having very little time to even think about putting pencil on paper. The bustling concrete jungle yet again seemed to swallow another talented musician, although Wolfe’s destiny had other plans. He then met his wife and moved upstate to Syracuse where the writer’s block finally broke and he was met with an explosion of creativity, pent up from the time in the Big Apple.

Two of Wolfe’s most recent releases, “Thoughts and Prayers” and “Believe Me,” comment on the absurdity of the societal and political status of the United States. “I’ve never really taken a stance musically before,” Wolfe says, “When I was younger it was natural to write songs about heartbreak… Now I feel like I have an obligation to speak my mind.”

“Thoughts and Prayers” is a track written in wake of the fatal shooting of Baton Rouge native, Alton Sterling, and later that month the shooting of six police officers, also in Baton Rouge, three of which were killed in the incident, the other three injured. The song is intimate and soft, only including elements of a single guitar and one voice. It calls on people to take action instead of just leaving the sentiment of thoughts and prayers with those in rough times because as Wolfe states, in these times, “Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough.”

“Believe Me” is a song with many layers and from different viewpoints. Part of its anthem refrain, “I will not run, I’ll pay for the mistakes that I’ve done and not done,” is written as hypothetical but truly hopeful words coming from the mouth of presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump with hopes that he will not continue in the run for President of the United States. Using the same refrain lyrics, Wolfe states, “I’m not going to run from my duty to speak out.”

September 17, 2016
Hearing Aide: TAUK “Sir Nebula”

On September 16, 2016 Long Island’s very own TAUK will be releasing Sir Nebula. This will be their fourth studio release, fifth along with their live double album, HEADROOM. Sir Nebula is being released by STS9’s record label, 1320 Records and is available at taukband.com.

Captivating the knowable instrumental fusion that is TAUK, the four piece has again proven they have earned their right to be performing on a professional level with bands such as Umphrey’s McGee, Lettuce, Thievery Corporation, and more. Since their lineup completion in 2012 TAUK has been working harder than most to show music appreciators their brand. Constantly spreading the name TAUK with tours of 30 plus shows, always writing new material, and producing albums on their ‘time off.’ Bassist Charlie Dolan says when the band is in the studio it is “a time where we can really try to expand what we do, try new things and rediscover who we are.”

Listening back to tracks such as “Side Project” from Pull Factors, you can really understand Dolan’s statement. TAUK’s use of melody and creating a singular sound with four people cohesively creating music is a consistency they will always have. As they have progressed and grown you will notice in this new album their use of effects and technology followed by true musicianship.

The first single “Horizon” follows the TAUK path but with a major punch. With a really interesting intro of each member coming in piece by piece into all four members melodically arpeggiating notes into a break. Following this path throughout the song with each member touching back at the their root tag but staying extremely progressive. A fully captivating tune. The track playing in the beginning of the video preview of the album (below), “Program Select,” will also give you further taste of what’s to come. At any giving moment this track can take you in a surprisingly new direction with trap into another explosive well section. The entire album follows this theme and keeps you interested. Individually each track ‘TAUK’s’ for itself but I would suggest sitting back and listening to it as a whole, keeping you interested and on a path of excitement of what’s to come next.

Watch TAUK talk about Sir Nebula:

Whether you’re at a show or festival with the desire to get down, driving all 119 miles from Montauk to NYC, or just feel like listening to music Sir Nebula is a perfect choice.

Key tracks: Horizon, Program Select, Time’s Up

September 16, 2016
Hearing Aide: Dinowalrus “Fairweather”

An album created by a band with a, simply put, different name like Dinowalrus, is sure to hold something different musically. Their soon to be released album, Fairweather, set to drop September 23rd 2016, is definitely one of a kind. The band congregates loads of influences into one, light and airy yet powerful tone that skillfully uses contradicting sounds to create a psychedelic, electronic rock, punk dance voice. It pulls from a mouthful of influences and the album shows it, but it’s not distractingly busy in terms of instrumentals. One might even call it easy listening. Others will call it party music. And the fact that it’s not easily defined makes the album pretty special.

The group of eclectic musicians from Brooklyn started to dabble with their sound in 2008, releasing several albums and touring with a number of groups including Real Estate, Screaming Females and A Place to Bury Strangers. When asked what inspires their song writing process, they said, “Songs always start with a beat and bass line that moves us in a new and different way than anything we’ve done before, then layers of synths and guitars expand intuitively on top of that, finally vocal hooks and lyrics drop into our heads when we least expect it, usually while lulled into a trance by riding the subway around our hometown of NYC.”

A big part of their tone is the contradicting instruments. Their drums and bass lines are driving and pushing through measures non-stop. They’re tight, driving and consistent while almost all other aspects of their tracks are at first, unexpected. The synthesizers are legato; long and flowing. Same goes for their vocals. Visually, this album is a gargantuan wall of bass and beats with wisps of melodies and harmonies seeping through the cracks.

The first track, “Tides”, is quite different than the remaining songs, maybe to ease the listener into more intense sounds. It’s a feel-good song with a major tonality but the bass and drum tracks make it a bit more energetic. The sound of the track stays pretty consistent throughout, but pulls out some unexpected stops, like a fairly distorted guitar solo that keeps things interesting. But the formula seems to be repeated throughout the album.

This is not to say each song sounds the same. Each beat is different as well as the key and tempo, among other things, but the direction of the song is always locked in. In other words, one gets a sense of what the rest of the song will be like within the first 30 seconds of listening to it.

“Falling Into the Periphery” and “Plain Sight” are similar as well. The vocal hooks are what differentiates the songs if the listener isn’t fully invested in the track. Sometimes a synth or guitar lick will mark the different songs, but the beats themselves, although very important to the unique tone they make, lie dormant and simple in the recording.

“Guilty” is where things start to get a little more interesting. There’s a few subtle things like a few key changes and momentary deletes in the bass track to give the sound more perspective. One of the most unexpected parts of any of the tracks, is an incredible shredding guitar solo that comes from nowhere but is unbelievably fitting for this sound. There is also a very prominent vocal addition that simply sounds awesome all together.

“Light Rain”; Once again the guitar solo’s are the highlight of the track. They stand out the most, almost more than the synth and vocal hooks and it’s because the timbre doesn’t fit the electric and spacey sound that’s prominent throughout every song.

“Scarcity” is unique to the album right from the get-go. It’s direction is more unpredictable as compared to other tracks which is very refreshing. The harmony, being lead mainly by the guitar, is a very nice change of pace, giving the song more of a not so traditional rock band feel, while still having traces of electronic dance to it.

“Final Wave” is definitely an attention grabber because of how different it is from the synthesizer focused tracks. The vocals are also a tad less spacey but still sound flowing and the tone is more instrumentally organic. The sound isn’t as busy as previous tracks, which are a result of layers and layers of instrument recordings. “Compass Rose” is the same way. It’s more streamlined and simplified, a bit less intense, but still has the same effect of energizing the listener in a grounded way. The guitar solos are still one of the most grabbing parts of the track and the songs wouldn’t be as energizing without them.

“Silent Earth” reverts back to the timbre at the beginning of the album, soft sounds but powerful grooves. It doesn’t move in any direction and is fairly predictable but definitely puts the listener in a trance. The consistent sound is very encompassing and is best appreciated with a set of good headphones on because the sound circles around the listener’s head making for a not so energetic but interestingly deep track.

“The Painted Desert” offers an acoustic guitar based intro that is a nice change of pace for the electronically centered band. The intensity of the bass and drums cuts in and out to give some perspective which makes the chorus’s that much more appreciated because there’s an obvious peak rather than one long one.

The album is truly one of a kind with such a wide array of instrumental color and genre influence, but there are several songs that aren’t as engaging and energizing as the band may have hoped for. Granted, very few artists can achieve a perfect album. But the songs that find that perfect combination are definitely something worth listening to.

Key Tracks: Tides, Scarcity, Final Wave

September 15, 2016