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Hearing Aide: Big Eyes “Stake My Claim”

Big Eyes, the female fronted punk rock band from New York City formed in 2009 by vocalist Kait Eldridge featuring Paul Ridenour, Malcolm Donaldson and Griffin Harrison. The band Big Eyes have a very Joan Jett vibe to them and with a comparable sound like that there is nowhere but up for this group to go. With their new album Stake My Claim being released on August 19 via Don Giovanni Records.

This album flows with each track, starting off with a bang with the title track, the perfect way to get things rolling and gives you a good sense of what else is to come. Powerful guitars and drumming really put this track together well along with Kait’s vocals. “When You Were 25” continues the high energy and keeps you pulled into the record, allowing you to reminisce about your early twenties and the struggle of being a reckless youth needing to face the hardships of adulthood. “Alls I Know,” the final track on the album, really ties the album up perfectly; this track starts off a bit slower than the rest and picks back up into that punk rock feel about a minute into the song.

With so much potential this band has a very high ceiling and it can be heard through this album, maybe one day this band will share the stage with Joan Jett. The potential of this group is tremendous.

Key Tracks: Stake My Claim, When You Were 25, Alls I Know

August 18, 2016
Rockin’ in Paradise: Styx at American Music Theatre

It wasn’t at the famed Chicago Paradise Theatre that the legendary classic-rock band Styx performed. This time it was the stunning and fairly modern American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on a warm summer night, August 15, 2016. The 1600 seat American Music Theatre first opened its doors in 1997 and has been the host of a multitude of Grammy winners, Grand Ole Opry legends, National Broadway Tours as well as numerous top musical acts and performers over its two decade span.

It may not have the history as the famed Chicago’s Paradise Theatre, however, but the classy modern AMT is surely a beautiful and relaxing place to catch a show with its wonderful mezzanine accessible by two grand staircases on each side of its spacious open lobby, a nice and unique gift shop, clean modern restrooms and two plentiful and delicious refreshment areas that are easily accessible from the main lobby directly outside the theatre doors. Seating is very comfortable and spacious with a good open view of the stage. There really isn’t a “bad seat” in the house. The AMT provides state of the art sound and lighting as well as top notch production, sound, lighting, crew, very friendly ushers and accommodating staff.

Styx, one of the world’s best selling bands of all time, formed in Chicago in 1972 by twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo and Dennis DeYoung along with Guitarist James Young. Tommy Shaw would join the band in 1975. Styx signed with A&M Records and released Equinox in 1975 as well which gained the band considerable recognition and airplay on FM radio in the relatively new Album Oriented Rock (AOR) format. The band’s 1976 album, Crystal Ball, would be the first to feature Shaw. The bands real breakthrough triple platinum smash album The Grand Illusion was released on July 7, 1977 and featured the mega-hits “Come Sail Away,” “The Grand Illusion” and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”.Â Styx would go on making huge albums and selling out arenas and stadiums throughout the late 1970’s and 1980’s with albums Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, Paradise Theatre and 1983’s Killroy Was Here.

At just a little after 7:30 p.m. in the sold out 1600+ seat AMT, the house lights went down and Styx drummer Todd Sucherman could be seen settling in behind his kit while waving to the crowd. As the intro music intensified, the other members of Styx walked out a stage door just to the right of the drum riser waving and moving into position. As the intro reached its crescendo the band, guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, founding guitarist James Young, keyboardist/singer Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman and bassist Ricky Philips established their musical diversity and ageless sound right away opening with “The Grand Illusion” followed by the timeless 1981 hit “Too Much Time on My Hands” and another from the 1977 Grand Illusion album, “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” which featured original founding bassist Chuck Ponazzo joining the band on stage.

The band was musically superb. Without a doubt the performance was outstanding as the band was as tight as could be, delivering a loud but clean sound with the amazing vocal harmonies the band is known for, dazzling guitar tones blended well with the mix of electric and acoustic six and twelve stringers along with the synth and piano from Gowan, who replaced founding keyboardist/singer Dennis DeYoung in 1999. Shaw however soaks up the majority of the spotlight while sharing frontman duties with Gowan as he took lead on at least half of the 18 song set as well as explained a little history of the band including Styx being one of the founders of “Album Rock” and “Story Telling” through LP’s. He commented that the goal in the late seventies for bands was the idea of Album Oriented Rock and that “If you made it through side A of the album and flipped over to side B, the more experimental and personal songwriting and sounds tended to find its way to the B sides”. Shaw introduced the next song as the second song from side two of the Grand Illusion album, “Man in the Wilderness,” as he strummed his beautifully crafted Gibson acoustic guitar.

Styx continued throughout the night with Young engaging with the crowd as well as he took lead on several numbers and introduced the next song, “Light Up,” from the 1975 Equinox album. He talked about the days when President Ford was still in office, before the cell phone era, when the band would engage in “not so healthy choices,” and when the crowd forty years ago would hold up actual lighters and a “so called aroma would permeate the air.” He urged the modern concert goers to instead hold up and light their cell phones as the band broke into the song sung by Gowan. Young then took lead on the 1977 song, again from the Grand Illusion album, “Miss America” and later on the 1981 song “Snowblind” from the Paradise Theatre album making reference to how hot it has been recently and for the audience to relax and cool down a bit for this song.

Shaw and Gowan performed a mesmerizing tribute to David Bowie with their rendition of “Space Oddity” featuring bewitching harmonies with only Shaw’s acoustic guitar and Gowin’s piano accompanying their vocals. A few other surprises were covers by The Beatles with “I am the Walrus,” Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” and Prince’s “1999,” as well as a rendition of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” all performed solo by Gowan while the rest of the band stepped offstage for a bit. It seemed the hits kept coming one after another. With close to 45 years as a band and over 15 studio albums with four consecutive albums being certified as Multi-Platinum from 1977-1981, the set-list could continue for hours. Styx’s AMT set included thirteen of their well known hits as well as five covers. The band tends to avoid adding some Dennis DeYoung songs to their set-list including “Babe,” “Mr. Roboto,” and “The Best of Times.” Needless to say, the set, the songs, the musicianship, the showmanship, the enthusiasm and energy all made for an amazing show in the very classy and comfortable American Music Theatre.

Styx had the audience highly entertained and engaged throughout the night in between their powerful guitar heavy rock songs such as “The Grand Illusion,” “Too Much time on my Hands,” and “Miss America,” and their more laid back hits such as “Man in the Wilderness,” “Crystal Ball,” and “Lights.” As the show progressed, Shaw urged the crowd to move up to the front of the stage and move around. And again, as expected, the crowd was enthralled in the moment, with much of the audience choosing to sit and watch the show from their relaxing theatre seats many of the other fans moved right up to the front of the stage waving and extending their arms in the air hoping to slap hands or catch a guitar pick from one of the band members.

The hits kept coming all night including “Blue Collar Man” and the mega power rock ballad “Come Sail Away.” Styx came out and performed two encores including “Rockin’ the Paradise” complete with confetti blasters on both sides of the stage and finally, from the 1978 album Pieces of Eight, “Renegade.”

Styx continues their summer 2016 tour throughout the months of August, September, October and November. Whether you’re an old fan or a newcomer to Styx, the band is timeless and the band features amazing musicians that perform all the Styx hits with flawless sound, energy and passion. Check out their upcoming tour dates, news and more at their website below.

Styx, August 15, 2016 – American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA

Setlist: The Grand Illusion, Too Much Time on My Hands, Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man), Man in the Wilderness, Light Up, Miss America, Space Oddity, Crystal Ball, I Am the Walrus, Snowblind, Lights, Blue Collar Man, 1999, Rocket Man, Dock of the Bay, Come Sail Away

Encore: Rockin’ the Paradise, Renegade

August 18, 2016
String Cheese Has An Incident At The Kings Theatre In Brooklyn

Colorado’s String Cheese Incident made their two-night debut at the newly renovated Kings Theatre in Brooklyn this past weekend to showcase their electronic fused jams rooted in Americana sounds and instruments. After months of not playing the big apple, the return was rewarding to fans in bust out covers and phenomenal playing across the board.

The first night’s first set started strong with “Johnny Cash,” and the energy would carry through as lead guitarist and violinist Michael Kang took the vocal duties from rhythm guitarist Bill Nershi. A favorite amongst the full room of fans came with “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance,” a song that lives up to its name. The first half of the first night came to a close with the SCI classic “Born On The Wrong Planet,” which flowed into an energetic rendition of the Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime,” and ending the set strong with “Colliding.”

The second set ignited with keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth’s gritty and groovy original “You’ve Got The World.” The electronic influence on this once stripped down group shined through on “Hi Ho No Show” where drummers Jason Hann and Michael Travis showcased their talents alongside Hollingsworth’s synth playing. Bassist Keith Moseley would take his turn at vocals during the uplifting song he wrote known as “Joyful Sound,” Perhaps the most favorable cover came with the encore of the classic folk song “I Know You Rider” that many in the crowd were familiarized with by the Grateful Dead.

Night two continued the theme of uplifting pockets of exploration and danceable music. The synthesizer and techno beat laced Irish trance opener “Valley of the Jig” picked right back up from the previous night and showed that the band was eager to put on a great performance. Moseley took the lead on “Sweet Spot” midway through the set, holding down the microphone and bass at the same time. To close out the set, the Cheese men reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out an age old classic known as “Round The Wheel.”

Set number two was filled with brilliant covers and SCI originals to close out the run. Hot off their performance at Peach Fest where they performed an Allman Brothers Band set, Nershi and the boys were joined by Greg Allman’s guitarist Scott Sharrad while they ran through the instrumental “Hot Lanta” followed by Cheese’s “On The Road,” and finally the Allman’s “Southbound.” The set ended with “Way Back Home,” the bluegrass standard “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” and the Led Zeppelin staple “Kashmir,” pushing the envelope on all three. A three-piece encore emerged featuring Nershi leading his bandmates through “Honky Tonk Heroes” and “Hobo Song,” and sharing the mic during “Rosie,” which was highlighted by Kyle Hollingsworth’s finger work.

After both nights were in the bag, the fun had been had, the music had been played, and there were positive memories to be cherished because of the music and the festive atmosphere that Cheese shows are notorious for. The only downside to having the String Cheese circus in town is the reminder that it doesn’t come to the New York market often enough.

August 18, 2016
Vulfpeck Announces New Album ‘The Beautiful Game’ with Unique Kickstarter

Funk band Vulfpeck announced their newest album ‘The Beautiful Game’ today in unique fashion. Sending out only the artwork and a link to a Kickstarter, with a goal of $1, the band offers up a download of the upcoming album for only $10, available in October 2016.

As of this writing, the Kickstarter has raised over $17,000, after only a few short hours since being announced.

Watch the video announcement of the album:

August 18, 2016
Strangefolk Returns to Eden, 20 Years Later
Photographs by Andrew Francke

“It’s like seeing an old friend again.”

This phrase was repeated a few times during Strangefolk‘s Garden of Eden weekend run in Jay, VT. Held only a few miles from Eden, VT, the original site of Garden of Eden festival in 1996, the weekend featured Strangefolk, Percy Hill and Assembly of Dust that brought back memories of Edens of the past, but also looked to the future of Strangefolk in an idyllic setting in Northern Vermont.

Photo by Andrew Francke

This was one of the shows where, even if you could stream it and take part in couch tour, the feeling of seeing faces from throughout the history of Strangefolk, their peers in the 90’s New England jam community, and weather that enveloped the mountains and Stateside Amphitheater in a cloud for much of the weekend, you had to be there. While FOMO is something alleviated by streaming services, there’s the innate ability to be there hearing new Strangefolk songs performed live for the first time that made a 5-hour drive from Albany beyond worth it.

Photo by Andrew Francke

Percy Hill opened each night with soul and funk found deep in the annals of bands that grew from the influence of the 90’s jam scene, bringing a familiar tone that is back for select shows this year, including a performance on Jamcruise 15 next January. “Color in Bloom” had a early SCI/Paul Simon vibe with the crowd getting down as each familiar song made an appearance.

Photo by Andrew Francke

Jason Crosby was on hand all weekend with Strangefolk playing fiddle and keys, as they kicked off the night with “So Well,” which later closed the second set on Saturday, appropriate for the line “20 years gone by,” sung aloud by the crowd and band in unison. Solid versions of “All the Same” and “Furnace” preceded a lengthy “Paperback Book” and a surprise “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to end the first set.

Strangefolk buttons at Garden of Eden #strangeart #vt

A photo posted by pete mason (@phanart) on Aug 12, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT

“Rather Go Fishin’” and “Faces” kicked off a looser, more jam heavy second set. The debut of “California Love,” a new Trafton tune, led to “Walnut” which gave way to two unique sandwiches – “Take it Easy on Me” > “Songbeard” > “Take it Easy on Me” and “Roads” > “Like You Anyway” > “Roads”, the latter featuring an ambient “Mind Left Body” jam. An encore of “Stout Hearted Man” and “Get Down Tonight” brought Percy Hill to the stage. And that was only night 1.

Saturday was a rainy one for much of the Northeast, and Jay Peak didn’t escape a drenching from Mother Nature. A VIP set in the Stateside Lodge featured fan favorites “Sidestep Blues,” “Things That Fly,” “New Glock 2,” and “Whatever.” As the evening arrived, so did a warm wind that blew in from every direction, sometimes bringing rain and other times blowing EZ-ups like tumbleweed.

Photo by Andrew Francke

Strangefolk arrived on stage one by one, first with Luke Smith working into “Strange Ranger” as bandmates joined him, then an intense and well received “Westerly.” “Come on Down” dropped smoothly into “Sometimes,” which led into “Udderly Addled.” “As…” and “So Far Gone” closed the set, which featured incredibly tight segues that were fluid and un-orchestrated.

Photo by Andrew Francke

The second set started out with the fan-favorite jingle “Juicy Fruit,” where a guy in a turtle costume joined the band and proceeded to smash a guitar on stage – hopefully not Reid’s, as he was performing on a Telecaster throughout the Amphitheater sets. A rare “Folka Polka,” a Crosby-led jam in “Pawn,” and the debut of “Sunday Soon” highlighted the middle of the set; the new songs that Strangefolk debuted over the weekend have that pure and familiar Strangefolk sound. A combo of “Diary” and “Lines & Circles” were a high peak of the set, yet the hits and heat kept coming: “Dance” followed by the ending of “So Well” capped of a throwdown set. An encore of the new “Introducing Everything” followed by “Speculator” with Yahuba Garcia from Percy Hill and Ryan Montbleau on vocals closed out a family affair, 20 years gone by.

Photo by Andrew Francke

To end the weekend, Assembly of Dust’s late night set in the lodge had friends gathering round to celebrate a successful return to Eden, with highlights “Love Junkie,” “Whistle Clock” which featured Crosby teasing “China Cat Sunflower” in a smooth jam, and “Songs We Sing” to close the night.

Stream or Download Friday and Saturday from Archive.org and watch video of the weekend below.

Friday

Set 1: So Well, Valhalla, All the Same, Near and Far, Furnace, Shift My Step, Paperback Book, Oxbow, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Set 2: Rather Go Fishin, Faces, California Luck*, Walnut, Take it Easy on Me > Songbeard > Take it Easy on Me**, Roads > Like You Anyway > Roads > What Say You > Reuben’s Place

E: Stout Hearted Man&, Get Down Tonight&

Saturday

VIP Set: Sidestep Blues, I Tell Myself, Angry at the Sun, Things That Fly, New Glock 2, Rachel, Sad, Hildegard, Whatever, Poland

Set 1: Strange Ranger, Westerly, Come on Down, Sometimes, Udderly Addled, As…, So Far Gone

Set 2: Juicy Fruit, Folka Polka, Alaska, Pawn, Sunday Soon*, Diary, Lines & Circles, Elixer, Dance > So Well

Encore: Introducing Everything* > Speculator^

* debut

& with Percy Hill

^ with Ryan Montbleau and Yahuba Garcia
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
- Photo by Andrew Francke
August 17, 2016
Kristen May Departs Flyleaf, Feels She Never Fit In

Flyleaf is now in search of a new vocalist after Kristen May posted a video recently on social media updating her status and announcing that she is departing the band. In the video, May stated that fans have been asking her what’s going on with Flyleaf; if they were writing new music and if the band had any touring plans.

May then did a quick recap of her career up to where she is at now, which is being a mother to her baby boy. She then stated that after three years she was leaving Flyleaf:

Now is the time that unfortunately have to say goodbye to Flyleaf. It’s sad to say that, because so many of you fans have really accepted me with open arms and loved me. And to not have played for some of you, and you know, I know we have a lot fans in South America and all over the world, um even with all the touring we did, I know I didn’t get to meet you all. So if you were a fan of what I have done with Flyleaf I just want to say thank you so much, and much love to you.

May plans to continue her music career, just not with Flyleaf. She then touched on another reason why she is leaving the band besides wanting to be the best mom she can be for her child. She says:

I’ve toured in bands, and been on the road and away from home for 12 years. And so for me to be able to plant some roots for a little bit with my son, and my husband, and our dogs here at my home is really, really important to me.

As far as will I make music later, absolutely. I know that I will make music again. I already am picking up the guitar again and getting time when I can to make music but, I don’t think it will be with Flyleaf. Though I love the album Between The Stars, and I feel like the guys and I really poured our hearts and soul in it. I never truly felt like I was part of the team in the way that I never truly felt like the band was mine. And I’m sure a lot of people feel that way when they come in to a band that had a previous lead singer, um the story isn’t all mine. And so I never truly felt like I fit in. Life is too short to stay where you aren’t fully growing. Anyway, to be completely honest with you, I need to grow and move elsewhere. Committing myself to one band, just isn’t what is right for me.

May took over for Lacy Sturm, who stepped down from Flyleaf in October of 2012, after the death of one of the band’s lead audio engineers, and to raise her son Jack. Sturm has recently returned to music with a solo album titled Life Screams. Could a possible reunion between Sturm and Flyleaf be in the works?

August 17, 2016
Pre/Post-Phish Shows at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas

Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas has a series of shows from the Disco Biscuits, Greensky Bluegrass and Twiddle lined up around Phish’s four-night Halloween run at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Disco Biscuits play three nights Oct. 27 to 29. They’ll be joined by the New Deal on Oct. 27. Doors for the Oct. 27 show open at 7:30 p.m. with the show starting at 8:30 p.m. The shows on Oct. 28 and 29 are late night with doors opening at 11 p.m. with the show starting at 12:30 a.m. Tickets for all three nights are on sale now for $39.50. Three-night passes are also available for $118.50 for general admission or $180 for club level admission. Those interested in the club level must purchase a three-day pass.

Greensky Bluegrass will play a late night show on Oct. 30 with doors opening at 11 p.m. with the show starting at 12:30 a.m. They will also play a special matinee show on Halloween to benefit the Waterwheel Foundation. Doors for that show open at noon with the show starting at 2 p.m. Tickets for both shows are on sale now. Tickets for the Oct. 30 show are $27.50 while tickets for the Waterwheel Foundation benefit are $22.50. Two-day passes are also available for $50.

For those looking to continue the party following Phish’s Halloween show, Twiddle will play a late night. Doors for their show open at 11 p.m. with the show starting at 12:30 a.m. Tickets are on sale now for $20.

August 16, 2016
Heavy Montréal Stands Strong With 30,000+ Metalheads

Once again, Montréal brought in thousands upon thousands of the world’s biggest heavy metal fans last weekend. The event known now as Heavy Montréal, was held on August 6 and 7 at the Plaine des Jeux at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The weekend was host to more than 37 bands that played across 3 different stages. Out of the 30,000+ fans that attended, approximately 23 countries were represented. Those countries include fans from, the United States, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Great Britain and more.

For those who attended the festival last year, there were two main differences. Those differences were the festival was dropped down to only Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The other difference being in the actual festival grounds. This year, the festival moved to the smaller side of the island known as the Plaine des Jeux. Over the same weekend, metal fans may have run across many hipsters wearing their colorful tank tops and board shorts while taking the metro to Heavy Montréal. The reason for the mix of music scenes was because right next door at the old Heavy Montréal festival grounds was the ÎLESONIQ festival which was headlined by artists such as Zedd and Skrillex.

Anyways, back to the metal. Saturday was a busy day for everyone it seemed. Only the most loyal fans to the headlining bands camped along the rail all day to catch that one band they came for. Pop Evil was one of the bands who started off the weekend and they seemed to love Montréal and the crowd loved them. The band opened up with the crunching riff of “Deal With The Devil”. Festival sets are never long, so everyone has to bring their ‘A’ game. The crowd support and reaction at just 1:30 in the afternoon was incredible.

In the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, it seemed to go back and forth from one great artist to the next. Bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Skeletonwitch, Fear Factory and Kataklysm were only some of the options early in the day. Each of those bands all seemed to draw respective crowds which was surprising when some of the sets overlapped. Somehow it seemed like no matter who was playing next, each stage was packed.

Saturdays biggest surprise was Escape The Fate. Playing on the Blabbermouth.net stage, these guys absolutely stole the show. Skeptical on how the crowd would react at a festival dominated by “heavier” bands, Escape The Fate provided that breath of fresh air in the afternoon. The band’s setlist consisted of mainly songs off of their last 2 studio albums, which were both solid from start to finish.

Other bands that played Saturday that put on unforgettable performances were Sabaton, Sebastian Bach and Black Label Society. Sabaton had the best stage set of the entire weekend hands down. The Swedish power metal guys in Sabaton brought both pyro to their stage set and a tank. Yes, you read that correctly, a tank. To go along with the awesome stage show, Sabaton ripped through a 10 song set list that consisted of songs like “Ghost Division,” “To Hell and Back” and “Night Witches.”

Sebastian Bach, who everyone knows as the voice of Skid Row, seemed to surprise the audience with a high energy impressive set. Sebastian came on stage to “Slave to the Grind” and was headbanging while swinging his microphone around him. Sebastian connected with the Montréal crowd by speaking lots of French to them, which brought roars from the packed audience. Fans of the TV show “Trailer Park Boys” were present in the crowd, which is a show Sebastian is commonly featured on. Fans brought in a sign for Sebastian, which he took, not to rip up and throw away like Axl Rose would have done, but instead Sebastian held it up high with laughs and propped it up on stage. It could easily be seen that Sebastian was in high spirits and truly loved performing at Heavy Montréal.

Black Label Society was one band that not a single person in Montréal should have missed. Friday night the band played a headline show in the city and on Saturday once again at Heavy Montréal. Watching Zakk Wylde shred on the guitar is mind-blowing. The man can virtually play anything with his eyes closed. The band was tight and ripped through a quick 8 song setlist, highlighted by “Funeral Bell,” “Bleed for Me,” “Godspeed Hell Bound” and “Stillborn.” The end of the set wasn’t the end of Zakk for the weekend. Everyone knew that Zakk and his band would be back on Sunday for more, but not to perform as Black Label Society, but under Zakk’s name instead for a softer set.

The end of the day 1 for Heavy Montréal was capped off by Mastodon, Nightwish, and last but not least Five Finger Death Punch. Mastodon, who was scheduled to play last year’s Heavy Montréal but was forced to cancel, came back this year and gave fans what they’ve been waiting for. The group from Atlanta, Georgia mixed with tremendous talent all around has been on the round behind their 2014 release of Once More ‘Round the Sun. As many fans hoped, Mastodon focused on that album playing track from it such as “The Motherload” and personal favorite “High Road.” Other fan favorites from the set included “Oblivion”, “Divinations” and “Blood and Thunder.”

Nightwish made its only stop in North America of 2016 at Heavy Montréal. For being a symphonic metal band from Finland, the crowd support for Nightwish was unbelievable. The band opened with “Shudder Before the Beautiful” which was off their 2015 release Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Their latest album seemed to be the focus of the night with 5 songs played off it in total. The band brought in an impressive pyro display wish some fans certainly didn’t expect. Between the frequent pyro blasts right in front of singer Floor Jansen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, the C02 cannons going off gave Nightwish the complete production package.

Night 1 of Heavy Montréal was closed out by one of the most bad-ass bands of today, Five Finger Death Punch. These guys have been non-stop with a vicious cycle of releasing albums and touring without taking a break. Work has already begun for their next album after just recently putting out Got Your Six. The road warriors opened their set with “Lift Me Up” which was off Volume 1 of The Wrong Side of Heaven And The Righteous Side of Hell. With a short set and so many tracks to choose from, it’s hard for the band to really dig into their catalog. The guys seemed to try and keep everything balanced by playing at least 1 song off of 6 different albums. The night ended strong with “Got Your Six,” “Under and Over It” and “The Bleeding.” Five Finger Death Punch gave the crowd everything they had and the crowd showed no signs of letting up. Fans at Heavy Montréal were ready for day 2 before they even left the island.

Sunday started off with bands I Prevail and We Came As Romans. Both drew in the younger crowds early in the afternoon. I Prevail played their hit cover song “Blank Space” which was made famous by Taylor Swift. Surprisingly, this rendition was awesome and I Prevail really made it their own.

Guitar genius Tosin Abasi was on site Sunday with his band Animals as Leaders. This instrumental djent band drew in all the guitar nerds in the crowd over to the Scène HEAVY stage to get a glimpse at Tosin doing his thing. Animals as Leaders was definitely one of the standouts of the weekend for their uniqueness.

One of the summer’s biggest metal tours made their stop in Montréal on Sunday. The tour features Saint Asonia, Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed. Saint Asonia was the creation of Adam Gontier, formally of Three Days Grace and Mike Mushok of Staind. Joining them in Saint Asonia are Corey Lowery on bass and Rich Beddoe on drums. Basically a “supergroup” these guys have been going strong after their formation in 2014 and touring behind their 2015 self-titled release.

Hatebreed also played on Sunday. Many fans may have missed the fact that Hatebreed was at Heavy Montréal because they were a very late addition for Trivium who had to cancel last minute. For a last minute add-on, Hatebreed came to destroy Parc Jean-Drapeau. Ironically, the band opened up with “Destroy Everything” and then immediately went into “Looking Down The Barrel of Today.” The band a total of 4 songs off of The Concrete Confessional which was a heavy hitting album Hatebreed released last May.

Both Blind Guardian and Zakk Wylde drew big crowds on day 2 of Heavy Montréal. Blind Guardian who just played Wacken Open Air in Germany 2 days before coming to Montréal, had the best sound of the weekend. The German power metal band played a 8 song set that featured tracks from 6 different albums. The most popular album of the setlist for Blind Guardian was Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The tracks featured on that album that were played during the set were “Into the Storm,” “Mirror Mirror,” and “Time Stands Still(At The Iron Hill).”

Zakk Wylde was playing for his 3rd time in 3 days. This time just under the name Zakk Wylde, but still with his BLS bandmates on stage with him. The set started out with “Sold My Soul,” which seemed like a 20 minute guitar solo that features Zakk going nuts by playing behind his head and with his teeth. The band played “In This River” which is a Black Label Society song, but this version definitely had a different spin to it. Watching the band transform and play something completely different than the day before was very cool. There probably aren’t many bands out there that can do what Zakk and his Black Label crew could.

Sometime during the late afternoon the rain finally came down. While it started out as a light shower and then stopped, things changed shortly after with a downpour. The rain didn’t last long but from what fans were saying, it was the first time it had ever rained at Heavy Montréal.

As stated earlier, Alter Bridge was in Montréal and ready to show the city what they’re made of. Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti together make one of the best guitar combos in rock. Together, with the rest of Alter Bridge, the band puts on an incredible live performance. Myles is one of the best vocalist there are today and the band creates some heavy hitting riffs that are hard to get out of your head once you hear them. Songs like “Come To Life,” “Ties That Bind,” “Isolation” and “Addicted to Pain” are just some of what Alter Bridge played during their short set. The only thing that can be said is that Alter Bridge needs to do a headlining tour and come back to Montréal very soon. With a new album The Last Hero due out on October 7, Alter Bridge fans may very well get that headlining tour they’ve been wanting.

One of the best bands of the day if not the best overall was the mighty Killswitch Engage. The guys in Killswitch Engage squeezed in 11 songs into their short set time and showed every other band over the weekend how it’s done. Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz lead the charge and opened up the set with “My Curse.” Between songs Dutkiewicz made sure the crowd did not calm down. This was definitely the set to see at Heavy Montréal. The crowd was a constant circle pit with crowd surfers and topless chicks. To sum it all up, the word would be chaos. Vocalist Jesse Leach was quite impressive in his ability to not only cover his original songs, but also some of the songs Howard Jones originally sang on. Songs like “Rose of Sharyn,” “The End of Heartache,” and “Holy Diver” sounded incredible with Jesse back in the band. On top of that, their newest material from Incarnate and Disarm the Descent was absolutely killer live. The mix of fast brutal riffs and energy Killswitch Engage brings to the table makes them a hard act to top for the rest of Heavy Montréal.

The 8th Heavy Montréal was closed out with Breaking Benjamin, Volbeat and Disturbed. Breaking Benjamin has been on the road ever since their release of Dark Before Dawn in 2015. With Benjamin Burnley is the only original member left in the band and he’s done a spectacular job filling the spaces next to him on stage. The reformed Breaking Benjamin sounds awesome together, especially Ben. It’s a pleasure to be able to see Ben back out on the road playing songs such as “So Cold,” “Breath,” “I Will Not Bow” and last but not least “The Diary of Jane.” To add to that, the new material off of Dark Before Dawn is also great live and the crowd in Montréal certainly helped Ben out by singing basically every word alongside with him.

Volbeat, who just released Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie came out with “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” The highlight of their set was performing “Evelyn” with the Barney from Napalm Death. Volbeat who now features a new bass player, Kaspar Boye Larsen and Rob Caggiano on guitar, still puts on a great live show, but the energy on stage was missing that came from their former bass player Anders, who left the band last year. The band was sure to play hits like “Sad Man’s Tongue,” which was introduced with a little “Ring of Fire” intro by Johnny Cash. The crowd was definitely familiar with Volbeat and their love and respect for Johnny Cash. The night for Volbeat ended with “Still Counting” and just about everyone at the festival could be heard singing, “Counting all the assholes in the room,” even the people waiting across the way waiting for Disturbed.

Back from their hiatus and hitting the road after releasing Immortalized, Disturbed has been destroying every arena, amphitheater and festival it can play at. Heavy Montréal was no exception to that statement. Bringing an onslaught of pyro, just like Nightwish did the evening before, David Draiman and the rest of Disturbed were there to show Montréal they were back and meant business. The set opened with “Ten Thousand Fists,” “The Game” and “The Vengeful One.” For a band that took a long break, one would expect them to be rusty and still not be in the swing of things. Not Disturbed, this band is a well oiled machine that shows no signs of slowing down. The biggest surprise was hearing the band play “Land of Confusion,” a song that hasn’t been featured in their setlist often on tour. The band obviously played it’s insanely popular cover of Simon & Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence.” Just about every cell phone and lighter was in the air for this song and it was a powerful performance to say the least. The night was full of other hits like “Stupify,” “Inside the Fire,” “Stricken,” “Indestructible” and “Voices.” The night and entire weekend came to a close with the song that just about everyone in the world could have predicted, “Down With the Sickness.” This was the perfect ending for a perfect weekend of metal music at Heavy Montréal.

If anyone has thought about going to Montréal for this festival, it’s highly recommended. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and getting to and from the festival is easy. On top of that, Heavy Montréal is one of the most organized and put together festivals in North America. Look for a lineup announcement coming to NYS Music for Heavy Montréal 2017 early next year.

August 16, 2016
Arise Festival Stands Tall Among Giants
There is an ancient Eastern ritual cycle known as Jo-Ha-Kyu which has been applied to tea ceremonies, martial arts rituals, and even theater performances. The cycle was created to create intention and awareness to the different stages of life. From August 5-7 outside Loveland, Colorado, a family-run, independent music festival, called Arise, enacted the spirit of that intentional cycle through its three-day event. The festivities opened with a beautiful opening ceremony that included a series of “Jo”-like songs, chants, and prayers aimed at infusing festival-goers with an air of respect and care not often found at music festivals.

The ritual “Ha” concept emphasizing the activity of becoming, often referred to “the swirl of days,” spun its way through the Arise weekend with a constant parade of live and electronic music acts including Jurassic 5, Colorado’s own, Elephant Revival, the Hard Working Americans, and Papadasio. The Area 51 stage hosted a bevy of bass-thumping EDM acts throughout the weekend. Still, mixed into the swirl were a number of self-reflective activities including yoga, philosophical discussion groups, and environmentalist workshops, including one led by the world-renowned activist, Julia Butterfly.

Certainly there are other festivals attempting to infuse self-reflective elements of artistic expression with art structures, live painting, play spaces, and spiritual growth workshops into the music scene. However, it is a testament to Arise organizers that they continue to grow as a family-run event in a saturated festival market that is increasingly being dominated by large-corporately-funded events. Arise grew this year even as a new festival, backed by a music industry giant, sprung up in a nearby location the same weekend.

The Arise weekend closed with rousing performances by the likes of Ziggy Marley, the New Mastersounds, and the Old World beats of Dirtwire, an EDM project founded by members of Beats Antique. A final ceremony closed the festival early Monday morning. “Kyu” rituals are designed to acknowledge the collections of communal experiences with the hope that participants have created a singular experience that is more than just another multi-day party. As the sun peaked over the rust-colored hills, and festival-goers slowly gathered in a circle to join hands, the sight was enough make one’s heart grow three sizes too large.
August 15, 2016
Brooklyn Comes Alive to Feature 50 Artists this October

On Saturday, October 22, Brooklyn Comes Alive, an indoor festival that debuted in 2015, will return with performances from 50 artists showcased across three venues – Brooklyn Bowl, Music Hall of Williamsburg and The Hall at MP, each a 10 minute walk from the others. Solo sets, unique acts and familiar and new supergroups will perform throughout the day from 12pm-12am.

Update 8/18: The first supergroup for the event, Breaking Biscuits, featuring both members of Break Science and Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits, has been announced.

Be sure to grab advanced tickets now to secure your spot at one of the most momentous musical occassions of the year! For those seeking to be fully immersed in the Brooklyn Comes Alive experience, consider purchasing VIP tickets, which grant access to the Brooklyn Bowl “Artist Lounge” as well as access to private VIP viewing areas at Music Hall of Williamsburg and The Hall at MP.

Members of The Disco Biscuits, String Cheese Incident, Ratdog, Lettuce, Trey Anastasio Band, The Nth Power, Dopapod, Gov’t Mule and many more will take part in the day long marathon of music. Musicians are encouraged to create their own groups and concepts, and bring together new collaborations with a spirit of community.

Music starts at noon on October 22 at The Hall at MP, with a brunch inside The Hall and at the adjoining restaurant MP Taverna. Brooklyn Bowl and Music Hall of Williamsburg will open up in the early evening, with all three venues remaining open all night long.

Note: both The Hall at MP and Music Hall of Williamsburg are 18+ venues, while the Brooklyn Bowl is strictly 21+. If you are between the ages of 18 and 21, you are welcome to purchase a ticket, however you will not be allowed access to the Brooklyn Bowl.

August 13, 2016