Tag: albany

Hearing Aide: Eastern Electric ‘Suburban Daydreams’

Eastern Electric, alternative indie rock from Guilderland, NY, put out their latest album, Suburban Daydreams, on December 9, 2016. The album opens up with the title track, led by Will Burger’s dream-like voice, and sets the listener up for the rest of the album which can be characterized as emotional and dynamic. With a balanced blend of simple yet layered ambient instrumentation, Eastern Electric delivers an impactful performance on par with most signed, touring and recording acts. Immediately upon hearing their single “She’s a Quiet Driver,” I was greatly impressed by the talent and writing of this young band, but there was no way I could have anticipated how much I would enjoy the full album. With proper determination, I could easily see a larger audience listening to Eastern Electric.

Engineered, produced, mixed and mastered by Scoops Dardaris at the World Citizen Party House in Albany, NY, Suburban Daydreams clocks in close to thirty minutes in length. At first listen, all types of different influences are present. Tracks such as “I Don’t Know Yet” and “Raise My Fucking Grade” pull sounds from legendary rockers such as Nirvana and Brand New, especially between their bassist Ryan Keegan and drummer Jack Buttridge. Adding simple yet effective smoothness to the mix are Jackson Wolfe on guitar and Michael Beeche on keys.

I think the key element that gives Suburban Daydreams its x-factor is that none of the musicians featured on the album overplay. While the album certainly could have been longer and still kept the listeners attention, it is devoid of over complication or long, 80’s style guitar solos or extra sprinkled toppings, save a trumpet solo in “Whispering Goodbyes,” a violin lead in “Ignite,” and a harmonica featured in “Blue Eyes Cryin’.” Eastern Electric gets on their metaphorical stage, plays without giving a speech in between songs, finishes the set in short time, but leaves the metaphorical crowd in awe. Outside of metaphors, I’ve seen them live in Albany, NY and can attest to their professionalism and quality.

But Eastern Electric didn’t just put out a good album. They surpassed expectations set out for local bands at this stage in their career. They have my attention, and my respect, as I’m sure they will from many who enjoy groups such as City and Colour, Brand New and Cymbals Eat Guitars as well as many others. Personally, I’m looking forward to hearing their future work and seeing them live.

Key tracks: Suburban Daydreams, She’s a Quiet Driver, Blue Eyes Cryin’, Raise My Fucking Grade

December 14, 2016
All You Really Need: DSO at the Palace Theatre

On Saturday night at the Palace Theatre in Albany, Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) brought the good ol’ Grateful Dead back to life in a stellar fashion. Excitement filled the room before the first note was played as word had spread that Jeff Chimenti would be on keys for the entire show as he did the night before in New Haven, CT. Normally holding down the boards, Rob Barraco replaced Skip Vangelas on bass creating a music chairs scenario that we were all ready to embrace.

Opening the set with a heartfelt “Sugaree,” the Capital Region crowd began to “shake it” on low gear while blissfully enjoying Jeff Mattson’s passionate vocals. After the silky first set introduction, rhythm guitarist Rob Eaton wasted no time channeling the cowboy in Bob Weir with a wild west “Me and My Uncle> Big River” one-two punch. While “Me and My Uncle” is by far the most played song in the Dead’s expansive repertoire, I never get tired of the rockabilly energy release after a soul searching Jerry Garcia tune. Chimenti gave the fans a symbolic “YEEHAW” on the keys during “Big River” and reminded the room why he was invited by the remaining Dead members to join them on the “Fare Thee Well” run.

Slowing things down with an exceptional threesome of “Peggy-O,” “Cassidy” and “Friend of the Devil,” this show was starting to feel like a classic late-70’s gathering. Barraco displayed his nasty bass playing abilities during “Peggy-O” before Lisa Mackey floated her way on stage during “Cassidy,” playing the role of Donna Godchaux. She would return two songs later for “From the Heart of Me” which would turn out to be one of the last times this tune was ever played on stage. It was after “Ramble On Rose” that a wide-eyed seasoned tour-veteran giddily informed me of the Grateful Dead show the Orchestra was recreating: January 11th, 1979 from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.

My original hunch of a late-70’s show turned out to be true, but I did not realize the importance of the date until hearing the tear-the-roof-off “Jack Straw.” Cowboy Bob was back for this desperado masterpiece as Mattson threw in some rawer than usual jamming. Deadheads young and old call this one of the best versions of all time for the blistering Jerry solo and, nearly 38 years later, DSO honored their heroes to the fullest extent. Also noteworthy in the original performance was Bobby’s comical word-swap as he sang, “We used to play for acid, now we play for Clive.” But from what I heard on Saturday, Eaton left those lyrics in 1979. Out of all the stand-out moments of the first set, the vocal belting of “Jack Straw from Wichita” hit the crowd with a sonic uppercut that we didn’t recover from until after set break. The always rockin’ “Deal” closed out a set filled with Jerry’s greatest hits and some colossal Bobby moments in between.

Picking up right where the first set left off, “I Need a Miracle” carried the tidal wave of momentum that was felt over the intermission. “Ship of Fools” calmly sailed into the number two slot of the second set before kicking off another Weir-inspired highlight in “Estimated Prophet.” Chimenti, Barraco and Mattson provided the foundation for the psychedelic reggae and while we were in Upstate NY, the California lyrics were shown a lot of love. “My time’s comin’ any day” eerily stood out to me as the original 1979 show would be Keith Godchaux‘ last appearance at the famed Grateful Dead stomping grounds of the Nassau Coliseum. An even more fitting tune for the final night of Keith in Long Island, “He’s Gone” allowed my over-thinking self to read even further into the lyrics, symbolism and song placement of my favorite band. Fortunately, we were given a temporary vocal time-out and the spinners in the audience were treated to a short and sweet “Drums” by Dino English and Rob Koritz on kits and percussion.

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New Yorkers from Long Island to Albany were able to enjoy the home state lyrics delivered in the straightforward version of “Truckin’” before the second major highlight of the set, “Stella Blue.” Mattson made his guitar strings shine one more time during this bluesy crowd pleaser. “Stella” may have a somber tone, but Jerry’s fiery guitar solo always brings the boil to high during this signature ballad and the Orchestra perfected the nucleus of the original. Closing the second set with a reminder of all we really need, “Good Lovin’” pleasantly drifted off into DSO show history.

The boys encored with “Casey Jones,” which serves as a rarity in late-70’s era. The “upper” drug reference in one of the band’s most radio-played tunes gave the crowd the extra pep in their step before pouring out into the street of Albany for a night cap. Similar to the good ol’ Grateful Dead, Dark Star Orchestra seems to have a particular affinity for the Empire State. While I have not done the research, I would suggest that New York may have more Deadheads per capita than any other state from sea to shining sea. Saturday night’s recreation of a legendary 1979 Nassau show performed in front of an Albany crowd furthered my love for New York State, the Grateful Dead and the incredibly talented Orchestra that pays tribute to them tour after tour. DSO returns to the state with “the ways and means” for two shows on November 25th and 26th at The Paramount in Huntington.

01/11/79
Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, NY

Set 1: Sugaree, Me And My Uncle, Big River, Peggy-O, Cassidy, Friend Of The Devil, New Minglewood Blues, From The Heart Of Me, Ramble On Rose, Jack Straw, Deal

Set 2: I Need A Miracle, Ship Of Fools, Estimated Prophet, He’s Gone, Drums, Truckin’, The Other One, Stella Blue, Good Lovin’

Encore: Casey Jones

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November 22, 2016
Albany Institute of History and Art Hosting ‘Rock the Museum’ Event this Saturday

This Saturday Nov. 12, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., The Albany Institute of History and Art is holding the Rock The Museum event, featuring an exhibit from photographer Patrick Harbron.

Harbron is a New York City and Hudson Valley resident who spent his career photographing the early careers of rock icons such as Blondie, Elvis Costello and The Police as well as the later careers of The Who, Genesis, The Grateful Dead and KISS.

Attendees will get a rare opportunity to explore more than 70 of Habron’s concert and portrait photographs of influential musicians from the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition also includes some of his concert posters, memorabilia, and souvenirs, as well as guitars from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guests are encouraged to wear concert attire.

Tickets for Rock the Museum are available at the Albany Institute of History and Art’s website.

November 8, 2016
Photo Gallery – Galactic and Warpaint, Pearlpalooza 2016

The weather in Albany was near perfect for the 7th annual Pearlpalooza street festival on September 17, 2016. This all day, free event has become a favorite among people in the Capital Region, and this years festival did not disappoint. Attendees had plenty of craft and food vendors to browse while rocking out to the stellar music lineup. This year’s Pearlpalooza featured Galactic, Warpaint, Maybird, Bassh, The Greeting Committee, and Rechorduroys.

September 23, 2016
Hearing Aide: Ampevene ‘Rometheu’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listen to it on bandcamp here.

September 6, 2016
Photo Gallery: Alive at 5 Welcomes Tumbleweed Highway and Molly Hatchet

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

August 10, 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
Béla Fleck and the Original Flecktones’ Reunion Tour Hits Albany

The house lights dimmed and the Hart Theater at The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany grew dark. The house was packed; every seat was filled with a body consumed with anticipation. Four years had passed since most of these fans had seen the act that was about to take the stage, and for anyone else it had either been longer or not at all. Slowly, music started to escape from the speakers. The first sounds heard were from a jaw harp played by the instrumentally diverse Howard Levy as he walked out on stage. Next, Futureman came out with his Synthaxe Drumitar, laying down percussion in the most unique way with an instrument of his own design. Then came Victor Wooten and Béla Fleck, at the same time, filling the sound out with their respective bass and banjo. The June 8 reunion tour show of Béla Fleck and the Original Flecktones was underway.

The Nashville-based progressive bluegrass, jazz fusion quartet started their unsupported two-set show off with one of their oldest tunes, “Frontiers.” There was a thorough introduction to everyone’s capabilities right off the bat. Howard demonstrating his note-bending harmonica technique, Victor proving to be as solid as ever, helping to keep the rhythm in fine form, Béla plucking away at his banjo in the most expert of ways, and Futureman’s fluent ability to fill the rest of the sound with the perfect percussion.

The band played a few more songs before the crowd was addressed. Béla spoke first, talking about how long it had been since they’ve toured and how they are on a two-week run, slowly moving their way west to Colorado to play the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He talked about being back in Albany for the first time in four years and how he’s “always thrilled to be back at The Egg.” He then turned the crowd’s attention to his right and introduced Howard, who made mention of being a New York native, specifically from Brooklyn. Howard then introduced Victor who then introduced his older brother, Futureman.

The drummer extraordinaire gave some insight into the formation of The Flecktones. He mentioned that Béla called him one day and started talking to him about a project. Futureman urged Béla not to pigeonhole himself in bluegrass and told him how playing jazz on a banjo isn’t just a possibility—it’s already been done, but had fallen out of style. He talked about how back in the 1920s Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, a New Orleans jazz band, had a banjo as a main instrument. Futureman elaborated further after the show saying that Béla playing banjo in a jazz band would be like bringing that instrument full circle in a genre from which it had escaped years ago, likely due to the instillation of the guitar.

The show was not only loaded with truly fulfilling music, but it was clear that these four longtime bandmates were having some fun performing on the road again. Howard was using every bit of every instrument to make the sound he wanted the audience to hear, like reaching into the open top of the grand piano and strumming on the high octave strings. Victor played his nearly patented slap-and-tap, which always gets the crowd cheering. Béla continued to tear up the banjo with precision and Futureman was taking drum solos while not even sitting at a drum set. They finished up the first set with “Kayto,” during which they crowded together so all four could help play the bass and banjo slung over Victor and Béla’s shoulders.

The Flecktones came back from set break and ignited the second set with “Zenergy,” in which Victor played a monster bass solo. He told a fan after the show that a vast majority of any show he plays is him playing bass lines and not playing with more complicated technique; the band benefits much more from a solid bass line than constant soloing. (Either way, when people think of Victor Wooten, they think of one of the best bassists in the history of music and hearing him perform one of his solos is almost worth the price of admission by itself.)

The second set was going as could be expected—everyone dancing in their seat and giving little shout outs, cheering on these four gentlemen. One fan pointed it out the best, noting that it was simply amazing that what everyone was watching is a group of four guys who are all very talented musicians, quite unique in their own fashion, yet still manage to play symbiotically, as though they were one musical organism.

Toward the end of the second set, Béla gave the crowd some instructions, which included some “ooos” and “aaahs.” What came next was the crowd favorite, “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.” The set was capped off with another hit, “Stomping Grounds,” and then this incredibly unique band exited the stage, only to return moments later for their encore. Béla and his fellow minstrels finished the show with sincere thanks for everyone attending and then they broke into an electrifying “Sinister Minister.”

As the house lights came on, the audience started to file out toward the venue’s exit. However, some fans remained and started to congregate near the stage. These people knew something those who were already departing didn’t know; Béla, Victor, Howard and Futureman would be back out to do an unannounced meet-and-greet. They proved to be incredibly gracious and humble people who were more than happy to take pictures with fans and sign autographs, even for one gentleman who had the better part of a dozen CDs to sign. The evening left Flecktones’ fans fully satisfied, knowing that it was worth the four-year wait. The only hope was that the amount of time between this show and the next will be much shorter.

Check out the photo gallery below taken by NYS Music photographer, Frankie Cavone.

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June 10, 2016
Boy and Bear to Make a Pit Stop in Albany

Australian five-piece indie-folk band Boy and Bear will make a pit stop at the Hollow in downtown Albany on Wed., June 8. Venturing from Toronto to Albany and then to Buffalo and New York City, the group will give the Capital District a rare treat to see a band currently on the rise and promoting their third release, Limit of Love.

The band formed in 2009 in Sydney by singer-songwriter Dave Hosking, who quickly teamed up with Killian Gavin (vocals, guitar), Timothy Hart (drums, vocals), Jonathan Hart (vocals, mandolin, keyboards) and David Symes (bass) to release their debut album Moonfire in 2011. The critically acclaimed Moonfire, which was recorded in Nashville, won numerous Australian Recording Industry Association music awards, while Limit of Love was formed at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studio in England. Limit of Love remains the band’s greatest attempt at honesty and good old-fashioned recording with zero automation and minimal takes, which is frequently matched and backed up in their live performances.

Sandwiched in between Moonfire and Limit of Love was the band’s grandest release, Harlequin Dream, featuring the hit song “Southern Sun” that prominently featured slide guitar and was noted to be an homage to Australian artist and guitarist Richard Clapton. It was also the tenth most played track on the triple-A radio format in the United States in 2014. Smooth singing Hosking cuts through his lyrics like room temperature butter, making each song seem more heartfelt and emotional. While Limit of Love differs quite a bit from Harlequin Dream, both offer a shining glimpse into the guts and heads that make up Boy and Bear.

WEQX welcomes Boy and Bear to the Hollow in Albany on June 8; doors open at 8 p.m.

June 3, 2016
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Remembers Former Drummer Nick Menza

During Sunday night of the first-ever Rock ‘N Derby, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine asked the crowd for a moment of silence for late drummer Nick Menza. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but Nick went to heavy metal heaven last night,” he said, before leading the group into “Trust.” Watch the homage to the former bandmate in the video below.

On May 21, Menza, 51, died onstage during a performance with his current band, OHM, at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles. According to an official statement, Menza collapsed three songs into the set, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful; it was later reported that he suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

The late heavy metal drummer was with Megadeth during the group’s peak commercial success in the 1990s. Nick Menza contributed his signature drumming style to the albums Rust in Peace (1990), Countdown to Extinction (1992), Youthanasia (1994) and Cryptic Warnings (1997).

After news of Menza’s passing became known, the Twittersphere and other social media channels were abuzz with expressions of sympathy from former bandmates Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Chris Poland, among other rockers like Steve Lukather (Toto) and author J. Marshall Craig who was working with Menza on his memoir. In the excerpt below from Megadeth’s Facebook page (see the full post above), Mustaine explained his personal relationship with the former bandmate:

…As a player, Nick had a very powerful jazzy flair, unpredictable and always entertaining. And as great a drummer as he was, the time spent with him as a person, a bandmate, and a friend was even more fun. There were several times we discussed him coming back to the band, but for various reasons it never came together. We’ve been in touch all along, he had come out to our shows recently, and he had remained a great friend, a true professional and a larger than life personality…”

Before Megadeth played the May 22 show at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds during Rock N’ Derby, Mustaine announced plans to honor Menza through an all-alumni benefit concert in California on the Albany rock station Q103, according to Loudwire. Stay tuned for updates on this Megadeth band members reunion show.

May 23, 2016