NYS Music 20​16

Tag: eric krasno

  • Night Lights Music Festival to Take Place This Weekend in Sherman, NY

    The lights and sounds will come alive next weekend as the busy festival season begins to hit the final stretch in the Western New York town of Sherman with Night Lights Music Festival. The August festival has become the go-to festival in the late  summer as it continues to grow and heat up. The event and  place this coming weekend in Sherman, NY.

    The event begins Thursday, August 25 and runs through Saturday, August 27. It was moved up a few weeks from its normal September occupancy in hopes of having a little better weather.

    This festival serves as a great bookend to what has been a spectacular concert season on this side of the state along with the very successful Great Blue Heron Festival and Buffalove Music Festival . This year’s festival has some great returning acts with Aqueous, Jimkata, Funktional Flow and Lazlo Hollyfeld to name a few and newcomers Beats Antique, Eric Krasno Band, Moon Hooch and London Souls joining in. There are plenty of other fan favorites such as Smackdab and Spinners, Flomentum out of Cleveland, with one of the most epic drum circles to date, you have to be there to understand the unique experience.

    There will be plenty of vending, including Community Beer Works, one of the main sponsors of  the event. They will be in attendance serving local craft beer selections at affordable prices. Camping is included in the ticket price which adds incredible value to the experience.

    One of the highlights of the festival has always been the lights.  The woods throughout the site come alive with lights as soon as the sun sets. When not at the stage, one can wander through lit up trails that bring you back without worry, a definite plus to an already fun night. Tickets are on sale now at participating retail outlets and can also be purchased at the gates.

  • Night Lights Music Festival to Hold Battle of the Bands 2016

    Night Lights Music Festival will hold a Battle of the Bands to give two bands an opportunity to perform at the sixth annual event on August, 25, 26 and 27, 2016. NYSMusic is proud to sponsor this year’s contest.

    Interested bands are asked to submit a current Electronic Press Kit including a Hi-Res live video performance, a current band photo and social media details to nightlightsfestbands@gmail.com.  All submissions must be received no later than 11:59 P.M. on Aug., 3, 2016.  Finalists will be announced on Aug., 4th. Voting will run Aug., 5th through 12th. NYSMusic.com voters will have the final word, with the band with the highest number of votes will open up the festival’s Friday Main Stage. A second artist or band will receive the Judge’s Choice Award and a slot in the festival’s line-up.

    night_lights

    The Night Lights Music Festival is a magical three-day event in Sherman, NY that combines the power of sound and light to give festival-goers a unique sensory experience. At the top of the bill are the renowned fusion/electronica powerhouse Beats Antique, two-time Grammy Award winning guitarist Eric Krasno, Moon Hooch, the London Souls, Ithaca’s Jimkata, Holly Bowling, and Buffalo’s groove-rock quartet, Aqueous.

    This year’s festival will feature expanded and enhanced lighting trails and installations, and new daytime activities, such as a Kan Jam tournament, poetry readings from Just Buffalo Literary  Center, yoga, Hoop-a-Thon from UltraHoops, swimming, biking/ hiking and much more.

    For full lineup and more information on Night Lights Music Festival, visit their website.

  • Hearing Aide: Eric Krasno “Blood From a Stone”

    Eric Krasno and his debut solo album Blood From a Stone references an original composition, as well as the effort he put into singing on an album for the first time; indeed for him the experience was like drawing blood from a stone. Taking the album as a whole, the soul infused into the rock throughout the album (featuring Derek Trucks, the London Souls and more) creates a binding production, a step in a slightly different direction that will be welcomed by Krasno’s fans throughout this more than two-decade career.

    Fans will find a rock and soul project, rather than the jazz and funk instrumental feel of Krasno’s Chapter 2. “This is more of a lyrical and songwriting album with elements of improv and funk in there. This was more about presenting the songs and letting them take life from there,” said Krasno.

    The two-time Grammy winning Krasno shared that the album finds its influences in the era of Stax Records, with elements of Hendrix, psychedelic rock and the Grateful Dead, lyrically speaking. “I have very eclectic tastes from hip hop to Neil Young, and I pulled from many influences but made it a cohesive project — that was the toughest thing after wanting to go in so many different directions,” he said.

    In recent years, Krasno has seen a shift to the studio, producing albums for Allen Stone, Tedeschi Trucks and Aaron Neville, and started a record label, Feel Music Group. Reflecting on working with such legends, Krasno said, “Neville was a dream come true to produce for one of my favorite singers.” He has gotten a healthy amount of attention from the New York Times, which has helped to spread the word and brings new fans into the fold. Bowlive, an eight-night event that aims for a Spring 2017 return to Brooklyn Bowl, “helps the whole family grow — from Lettuce to Soulive, to Bowlive and the new record label.”

    Blood From a Stone shows a soul stirring and haunting “Jezebel,” an “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” influenced “Curse Lifter” featuring Derek Trucks, and “Wicked this Way,” a full bodied mellow funk number, featuring Alicia Chakour on vocals. The album’s longest track, “Please Ya,” is deeply bluesy, pain creeping from the words over the longing from a sad tempo. The flow to the album along with variety in the tracks makes it a passive or active listen — sit back or dive in, no matter what you’re easily hooked.

    The Eric Krasno live band will feature Danny Mayer (Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan), Mary Corso (Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan), Eric Kalb (the Dap Kings), Alex Chakour (Charles Bradley), and DeShawn Alexander (a Berkelee student whom Krasno met when he taught a Master Class recently) which was brought together after the studio album was complete. While the London Souls are featured on the album and Nigel Hall, too, Krasno set out to create a band that could tour in support of the album. Krasno went with musicians he’d worked with, whom he felt would rep the album well. Check out Eric Krasno Band tour dates and catch this new soul rock group as they draw blood from a stone.

    Key Tracks: Waiting on Your Love, Jezebel, Unconditional Love, Curse Lifter