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Dave Matthews Band Gets Sexy With Sold Out Lakeview Amphitheater

Dave Matthews Band brought an eclectic mix of its unique catalog of songs and covers to an enthusiastic crowd of 17,500 at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse on Wednesday June 22. The show marks the first sold out show at the newly opened amphitheater.

Fans were a bit apprehensive about the traffic, the no tailgating policy and the venue’s ability to handle the large crowd, but the venue seemed to do a good job managing traffic. Shuttles were running constantly to and from alternate parking locations as far away as downtown Syracuse. The no tailgating policy was generously overlooked. People were having a good time enjoying a few drinks but it didn’t appear that anyone was out of control. However, a no pop-up tent and no grill policy was strictly enforced. Some lighting could be added to improve visibility toward the exits and in the parking lots and they definitely need to add some additional porta-potties. The sound quality and the views are the best I’ve experienced compared to other amphitheaters in the northeast.

Dave Matthews Band took the stage around 8:30 and opened with their classic tune “Warehouse,” followed by “When the World Ends” and mega hit “Crash Into Me.” It seemed as if every single person in the audience knew every song as they belted out the words with every breath. The audience continued singing and dancing through “Don’t Drink the Water.” The band slowed things down with “Stay or Leave” and immediately got the crowd revved up again with fan favorite “#41,” where Boyd Tinsley had the audience cheering as he showcased his awe inspiring violin skills.

As the band is currently on tour celebrating their 25th anniversary before they go on a hiatus in 2017, they had no problem celebrating as fans jumped up and down, pumped their fists and occasionally took the lead singing parts of songs. At one point the fans lead a chant of “Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself,” to which Matthews took a step back and treated the audience to his trademark impish grin and eyebrow raise.

Between songs, Matthews was relatively quiet, thanking the audience and remarking about the beauty of the venue. He did leave fans hopeful by stating, “I hope we can come back here and play for y’all again sometime.” The celebration continued as the band paced through a nineteen song set. Stefan Lessard rocked a beautiful six string bass for the occasion. Carter Beauford, smiling as always, pounded the drums so fast at some points it looked like his hands were vibrating. Guitarist Tim Reynolds zipped up and down the fret board, producing intricate and unique sounds while making it look completely effortless.

Jeff Coffin (saxophone) and Rashawn Ross (trumpet) were joined by saxophonist and old friend, Sam Kininger. Kininger has played with Ross in Lettuce and Soulive’s Shady Horns Section. The horn section showed they are more than just an accompaniment as they blared in perfect harmony through “What Would You Say” and “Jimi Thing.”

Matthews showed his silly side as he borrowed a party hat from an audience member and wore it through the band’s almost hilarious version of Prince cover “Sexy Mother F*cker” to end the main part of the set. You would think that after almost two and a half hours that the fans would start to fade, but instead they roared, cheered and many chanted their “wish list” song hoping the band would oblige and play it during the encore. Shouts of “Two Step,” “Halloween,” and “Watchtower” rang out over the deafening cheers of the crowd. It is this intense level of excitement and anticipation that proves why Dave Matthews Band is a summer ritual for so many fans.

The band took a short break and ended the evening with a two song encore that included “The Song That Jane Likes” and fan favorite “Tripping Billies.” Carter Beauford tossed out buckets of drum sticks as fans roared and begged for more.

Set list:

Warehouse, When the World Ends, Crash Into Me, Sugar Will, Don’t Drink the Water, Stay or Leave, #41, Samurai Cop, Grey Street, Satellite, Break Free, Lie in Our Graves, Shake Me Like a Monkey, Typical Situation, What Would You Say (with Sam Kininger), Jimi Thing (with Sam Kininger), Sexy M.F. (Prince cover) (with Sam Kininger)

Encore:

The Song that Jane Likes, Tripping Billies

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June 29, 2016
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival: More than Music

Beyond the incredible lineup promised for its four-day length, Grey Fox Bluegrass festival is guaranteed to host a unique music experience for every concert-goer this summer. Its ongoing activities and performances are sure to fill your whole weekend with activities, with plenty of opportunity to relax and enjoy the music as well. No matter what kind of concert-goer you are, we have a recommended event for you.

If you have kids

Unlike many other concerts that have booted out younger audiences with emerging festival culture, there is still a happy, safe place for families at Grey Fox. The Family Stage is live all weekend, featuring a variety of activities like tie dying and making instruments. There is also the well-known Bluegrass Academy for Kids, or BGA, which serves as a festival-long mock summer camp. Kids can learn to play and sing traditional bluegrass songs, featuring several performance opportunities.

If you have time, swing by the Creekside Stage to learn about the business of bluegrass and opportunities to study music from the International Bluegrass Music Association and Berklee College of Music. Oh, and no need to worry about loud noise at night with the specially marked quiet areas for families that could use some sleep after a long day of music.

If you’re a musician

Starting the minute you move in on Wednesday, musicians roam from all over Grey Fox to partake in their annual Open Mic. On a first come, first serve basis, you and your band (sadly, no solo acts) can play among with musical peers to add your voice to the vast space of Walsh Farm. With continuous jamming throughout the weekend, you can repair your own instrument or buy a new one with the various music vendors throughout the festival. Make sure you drop your name in the raffle as well for your chance to win a Deering banjo or a Beard Resonator guitar.

If you’re a foodie

If you plan on camping for four days, you should plan on buying some meals and snacks along the way. Luckily, Grey Fox offers more variety than your average festival cheeseburger. There is a variety of breakfast food, smoothies, pastries, pizzas, picnic foods, Greek specialties, Thai cuisine, Mexican food, and various vegetarian wraps and entrees.

The festival also features handcrafted beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New York State wines, coffee varieties, and other beverages to pair with your meals. For those with a sweet tooth, make sure to indulge in gourmet ice cream, chocolates, and crepes for that extra sugar rush, with vendors lining the festival common areas.

In addition to loving great music, most Grey Fox attendees fall under some or all of these umbrellas, and with endless kid’s activities, yoga and mediation, musical training, artisan shops and products, and endless food and drink choices, there is bound to be something for everyone, and we can’t wait to see what this year will have in store for us. The countdown is 14 days.

Never been to Grey Fox? Check out some of last year’s photos.

Otherwise, join in and buy your tickets here.

June 29, 2016
Exclusive: Space Carnival Debuts “Moon Boots” Video

Space Carnival, who are releasing their debut album Drawn In By The Sun later this year, have released the video for “Moon Boots,” a highly groovy upbeat number that was filmed at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY during their opening slot for Twiddle in April.

Drawn In By The Sun has 8 tracks that cover the melting pot of the genres that influence this young group, which will shine on the studio album for a band that has until now been best appreciated live for their improvisation. The album is the result of a successful IndieGoGo campaign this past fall.

The video was shot by Shane Sullivan, who has also been a featured vocalist on live covers since the band’s inception. Space Carnival is Cameron Fitch (keyboards/vocals), Jeremy Kraus (guitar/vocals), Chris Meier (bass/vocals), and Nick Tassinari (drums).

June 29, 2016
Tom Petty Has Fans on the Edge of Their Wildflowers

In 1994 Tom Petty released Wildflowers, a staple album from the time period and still to this day. Originally it was conceptualized as a double album. Petty is now considering performing Wildflowers the way it was originally intended to be heard.

He recently sat with Rolling Stone for an interview and talked about how he’d like to regroup the Heartbreakers to play Wildflowers in 2017.

After 20 plus years fans are still eagerly waiting for an expanded version of Wildflowers. Petty has released some outtakes from sessions on the soundtrack She`s The One that came out in 1996. “I think I put four of the [Wildflowers outtakes] on the She’s The One soundtrack just to fill out the album,” Petty explained.

Tom Petty has been against full album performances in the past but recently he’s changed his tune. “I’ve changed my mind because nobody has ever done something like this where you’re previewing the second part of a never-released album,” Petty revealed. “How often does that happen? It’s old and new at the same time.”

As for now there are no Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers dates booked as the rocker focuses on Mudcrutch. In the meantime, Petty fans can look forward to the possibility of an expanded release of his 1995 classic with a tour to hopefully follow.

June 28, 2016
Fitz & The Tantrums Dance the Night Away

American neo-soul and indie-pop band, Fitz & The Tantrums strutted into Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on June 23 to a large crowd of 18 and under kids accompanied by parents who for the most part stayed near the back of the venue.

The Los Angeles band, fresh off the Firefly Festival in Dover the weekend before, dominated the stage from the start in support of their third and self-titled album, Fitz & the Tantrums featuring “HandClap.”

Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs delighted the energetic crowd during their 19-song set, which included the band’s classics “Out Of My League,” “Money Grabber,” “Walker” and “6 AM.” Although the band’s style has progressively changed over the past few years, there’s no denying their stage presence and dedicated fan base.

Opening the night were fellow Californians, Finish Ticket. Signed back in 2014, the band performed a surprisingly hypnotic set which even included a cover of the Killers’, “When You Were Young.”

Fitz & The Tantrums Set List:

Get Right Back
Spark
Don’t Gotta Work It Out
Out Of My League
Run It
Breaking The Walls
Breakin’ The Chains of Love
Walking Target
Complicated
Fools Gold
Roll Up
Do What You Want
Money Grabber
Tricky
Burn It Down
L.O.V.
HandClap
6AM
Walker

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June 28, 2016
Phish Takes on Wrigley Field

Phish made its Wrigley Field debut this weekend and what a debut it was. Among the many highlights on Friday were a powerful first set “Sand,” and a “Down with Disease” > “Fuego” > “Twist” that started the second set off as strong as you could ask. Night 2 brought the return of “Fluffhead,” which was found after the one-two punch of “Carini” > “Tweezer.”

A new song “Miss You” debuted, as well as an acapella version of Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, with a “Run Like an Antelope” that followed for a “Space Antelope” encore on Friday. Phish returns to The Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA tonight.

Friday, 6/24/2016, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Chalk Dust Torture, Martian Monster > Rift, Yarmouth Road, Sand, Miss You[1], The Wedge, Free > Blaze On
Set 2: Down with Disease[2] > Fuego > Twist > Twenty Years Later > Waste > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup
Encore: Space Oddity[3], Run Like an Antelope

[1] Debut.
[2] Unfinished.
[3] Phish debut; a capella.

Saturday, 6/25/2016, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Set 1: The Moma Dance, AC/DC Bag > 555, Waiting All Night, Heavy Things, Happy Birthday to You, 46 Days, I Didn’t Know, Divided Sky, Cavern > Good Times Bad Times
Set 2: Carini > Tweezer > Fluffhead > Piper -> Steam > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Harry Hood > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: I Am the Walrus

Setlists via Phish.net

June 28, 2016
Rochester Jazzfest Visuals: Erykah Badu at Kodak Theater

Fans of legendary R&B artist Erykah Badu got to spend an extra hour and a half getting to know each other outside Rochester’s picturesque Kodak Hall at Eastman Center as the 8:00 p.m. scheduled show was delayed due to flight issues.

As the lights dropped around 9:30 p.m. Miss Badu’s band took the stage and quickly entered into a smooth jazzy jam for about ten minutes as the anticipation grew. Badu finally took the stage to a roar and portrayed her vocal mastery through a mishmash of hits and deep cuts deep into the evening hours. A few songs into the set she paused to reflect on her last trip to Rochester many years before and invited the crowd to come down and join her by the stage.

With no soundcheck, no time to prepare, and basically walking from a plane onto the stage, Badu proved her superstar status with an impeccable and flawless performance that will live on until she graces Rochesterian’s with her awe-inspiring presence again.

Rochester Jazz Festival, 2016.

Jazzfest continues all week long with Chick Corea (Tues. June 28), Bruce Hornsby (Wed. June 29), Chris Botti (Thurs. June 30) and Greg Allman (Fri. July 1) filling out the remainder of the Kodak Hall schedule. Check out the full schedule here.

June 27, 2016
Bernie Worrell Passes Away at 72

Bernie Worrell, keyboardist for Parliament/Funkadelic and the Talking Heads, passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

Bernie Worrell at Backwoods Pondfest, 2013. Photo by Pete Mason

In a post on Facebook, Worrell’s wife, Judie, posted “Bernie transitioned Home to The Great Spirit. Rest in peace, my love — you definitely made the world a better place. Till we meet again, vaya con Dios.” This news came nearly six months following her announcement of his stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis.

Born G. Bernard Worrell, Jr. in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1944 and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, Worrell began taking piano lessons at age three and wrote his first concerto at eight. He studied at the Juilliard School and went on to receive a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1967. The school awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in May.

Worrell, also known as the “Wizard of Woo,” was best known for his work with Parliament/Funkadelic, to which he is credited with giving the futuristic sound through the expert use of the Moog synthesizer. As one of the longest standing members of the band, he was among the 15 members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He became a de facto member of the Talking Heads through much of the ’80s, appearing on their studio album Speaking in Tongues and the much-heralded live album and concert film Stop Making Sense. More recently, he had formed the Bernie Worrell Orchestra, which featured a rotating lineup of musicians performing originals and songs from his past work with Parliament/Funkadelic and the Talking Heads.

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June 26, 2016
Grace Potter Proudly Returns to Saranac Brewery

Grace Potter brought an eclectic mix of pop, dance and soul music to an enthusiastic crowd at the Saranac Brewery on Friday, June 17. Potter, who parted ways with her band the Nocturnals, has been forging ahead as a solo artist this past year with her album Midnight. Potter and the band’s set covered several songs from Midnight, but also included hits from the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals catalog and covers of upbeat tunes like “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart and “When Doves Cry” by Prince.

Photo by Chris Besaw

Potter opened with “Hot to Touch,” followed by “Turntable” and “Empty Heart,” causing the totality of the audience to dance and sing-along. Fans continued singing and dancing through “Apologies” off the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals album This is Somewhere.

Potter was energetic throughout; she danced and engaged the audience the entire show. She often describes her shows as “a dance party” and invites the crowd to move up front to really get the party started. Potter showcased her vocal talents and range in the songs “Delirious” and “Stars.”

Between songs, Potter joked about her days at St. Lawrence University in nearby Canton. “Some of the best nights of my life happened right here in Utica,” she laughed. Potter ended the evening with a four-song encore that included “When Doves Cry” (Prince cover), “Stars” and the fan-favorite “Paris (Ooh La La).”

Set list: Hot to Touch, Turntable, Empty Heart, Your Girl, Apologies, Nothing But the Water, Alive Tonight, Do Ya Think I’m Sexy (Rod Stewart cover), Delirious

Encore: When Doves Cry (Prince Cover), Stars, Instigators, Paris (Ooh La La)

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June 25, 2016
Meet Jigsaw Youth: The New Riot Grrrls

On June 12 at the Grand Victory in Brooklyn, NYS Music caught up with Jigsaw Youth, an all-girl punk-garage band from New York City. Offstage they are three unassuming teenagers, but onstage they let it all out as hardcore punk musicians. Hailing from Staten Island and Washington Heights, NY, Jigsaw Youth is made up of Maria Alvarez on bass, Isabella Occhipinti on drums and Nastacha Beck on guitar.

Beck and Occhipinti have known each other since the sixth grade, and upon reconnecting in high school, they decided to start playing music together. Last year, Beck met Alvarez via Tumblr, as she was intrigued by Maria’s blog quote, “If I play the bass in your face, would you jack off?” Sight unseen, Beck bravely reached out to Alvarez who was serious about starting a band; and immediately, Beck, along with the group’s former drummer, Julia Mannarino, began writing songs. A few months later, Jigsaw Youth performed their first shows in NYC, and drummer Occhipinti joined in December 2015. In less than a year, this “grunge body with a punk soul” group has made a name for itself across the United States and abroad.

So, what led this three-piece to form a Nineties-esque punk band? It’s simple — the recurring challenges still relevant today from feminism to the government to social change and teenage angst. But, this is balanced of course with a healthy zest for life and redefining the riot-grrrl movement for today’s generation, as ambitious female musicians like Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Courtney Love (Hole) inspired them. Beck actually met Hanna — her idol — at a House of Bands show in Brooklyn, and shared with Hanna that her band’s moniker was an homage to the Bikini Kill song, “Jigsaw Youth” (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, 1993). Hanna then got up onstage and dedicated her next song to the blossoming band in front of the nearly 800-member audience. Alvarez has also crossed paths with her hero, Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Occhipinti is still vying for the opportunity to meet her icon, Alanis Morissette.

Rocking smartphones, and surprisingly, one flip phone, the ladies of Jigsaw Youth independently market their music on social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Tumblr; currently, they are working on getting their sounds on iTunes. (They’ve even received acknowledgements from Hanna and Love via Facebook.) Beck, Alvarez and Occhipinti shared that growing up in an era where the use of technology is required can be overwhelming at times, but all three agree that it’s about having intention when it comes to online posting. As a result of their smart online networking, they have connected with Joey Armstrong’s band Swimmers (SWMRS), who asked to record them for their song, “They Don’t Know,” and have also achieved an international presence. The Swedish webzine, Grrrl Collection, reached out to Jigsaw Youth, and then flew to New York to interview them for an upcoming web series.

When it comes to playing gigs, Alvarez is very proactive at reaching out to local festival creators and online music news outlets; she is not the least bit afraid to send mass emails to venues, radio shows, magazines and record labels. And sometimes organizers reach out to them like the most recent Northside Music Festival, where they shared the Grand Victory bill with Cutters, Luke Halloween: Teenage Halloween Solo and the One Handed Bandits. The band hopes to venture out into more live-music venues, but the challenge of being underage teenagers trying to book shows in Manhattan is often a struggle. They use their creativity to overcome this obstacle by playing house parties on Staten Island where they, “rage in basements.” In the interim, Jigsaw Youth recorded the song “Aunt Jenny’s Got My Back,” and has had four songs recorded by Princeton College Radio, with plans to professionally produce their first album in the near future — after their funds are replenished from senior prom.

With unique personal mottos ranging from “everything is going to be OK” (Beck) to “treat yourself” (Alvarez) and “no risk, no reward” (Occhipinti), their collective advice to other girls wanting to make an impact with their music can only come from shared experience: Have passion, take action, set your mind to it and follow the beat of your own drum, and focus on you and what you’d like to accomplish and success is bound to follow. Jigsaw Youth began their journey in the midst of taking the SAT and applying to colleges, making it possible to juggle school, jobs and music to achieve their goals. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about spreading the message that girls can start bands — and scream, too — without fitting into a cookie-cutter box. Catch Jigsaw Youth live in Staten Island at Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn on July 6 (the annual Rock Out Against Smoking concert) and at the Liberty Tavern on July 21.

June 25, 2016