NYS Music 20​16

Tag: The Westcott Theater

  • Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds Soar in Syracuse

    Prior to Saturday’s show at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater on October 29th, more than a few friends asked me, “what kind of music do Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds play?” Not one that prefers to pigeon-hole such a multi-talented band, I answered, “the good kind.” The band proved me correct, as the good kind covered a wide range from soul to blues, from rock to funk, from New Orleans to Memphis, from Motown to Muscle Shoals. In mere minutes, the Birds were sonically soaring and the crowd, both die-hard fans and first-time listeners, were hip-shaking their way to a memorable evening for all.

    Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds have built a well-deserved loyal group of followers, dubbed “Party Fowl,” through frequent touring and high energy stage shows. The band’s return to the Westcott Theater marked their fifth Syracuse appearance in the last two years, and they ramped up their party reputation by playing in full Halloween regalia. The group was decked out as a chili pepper, pirate, pharaoh, banana, space cowboy, Zorro, and a nun the likes of which I never saw in my elementary school days.brian-cornish-sister-sparrow-06

    Frontwoman Arleigh Kincheloe led the way, shimmying, sashaying, and practically skipping across the stage, seemingly incapable of standing still. She did manage to do so for an extended period, during her gorgeous rendition of an as yet unreleased song, “Matter of Time.” That song was a beautiful counterpoint just before the band segued from “Prison Cells” into a breakneck tempo version of the Ghostbusters theme. They followed that with a tease of the Addams Family theme during “Boogie Man.”

    This is a polished group that clearly has fun playing music together and melds many different styles to form their sound, even paying tribute to Edvard Grieg’s moody “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” as the intro to “Who are You?” The rhythm section of Dan Boyden on drums and Josh Myers, in a pimptastic silver jumpsuit with ski goggles and a cowboy hat, kept the beat and bottom end steady. That allowed Jackson Kincheloe to exhibit his prolific harmonica skills, Sasha Brown to add savage guitar riffs, and Phil Rodriguez and Brian Graham to round out the sound with the punch of a brass section, on trumpet and saxophone, respectively. All of which formed a platform for Sister Sparrow’s powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence.

    Sadly, this was one of the last five performances for the talented and entertaining Brown with the band, who announced last week that he will be leaving to explore other opportunities. The septet’s latest release, the live album Fowl Play, was released in March of 2016.brian-cornish-sister-sparrow-08

    The evening began with a pair of forty-five minute sets from local musicians. Amanda Rogers opened the night with her own songs performed solo, on piano. Rogers selected tunes at whim from a songbook resting atop her keyboard. Her classical training shone through, with interesting chord changes setting the mood to her songs, and melodic runs showcasing her skills.

    Following Rogers was Castle Creek, the performing entity fronted by Kim Monroe. This night, a shoeless Monroe played acoustic guitar in a four-piece outfit, accompanied by Nate Mansfield on acoustic guitar, John Jones on electric bass, and the ubiquitous Phil Leone on cajón box drum. Her own easy-listening songs with hints of blues music were mixed with popular covers including “Another Brick in the Wall,” and “Come Together.”

    Prior to their encore, Arleigh Kincheloe turned to the Dirty Birds and said, “Okay. Let’s hit it hard.” The band counted off and tore into an explosive cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Any remaining non-believers in the congregation were converted. Following their last note, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds readily chatted with familiar faces, and fans both old and new, adding dozens of listeners to the Party Fowl flock, ready for the band to fly high once again.brian-cornish-sister-sparrow-01

    Set list – Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY 10/29/2016

    Bad Love
    Don’t Be Jealous
    Make It Rain
    Stereo
    Borderline
    Catch Me If You Can
    Frankie
    We Need a Love
    Matter of Time
    Prison Cells > Ghostbusters Theme
    Boogie Man (with Addams Family Theme tease)
    Mama Knows
    Who Are You?
    Millie Mae > Feel Like Funkin’ It Up (Rebirth Brass Band cover)
    Sugar
    Encore: Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)

    [ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”188″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_blog_gallery” override_image_settings=”0″ image_quality=”100″ image_crop=”0″ image_watermark=”0″ image_display_size=”800″ image_max_height=”0″ spacing=”5″ border_size=”0″ border_color=”#FFFFFF” display_captions=”0″ caption_location=”below” ngg_triggers_display=”always” ngg_proofing_display=”0″ captions_enabled=”0″ captions_display_sharing=”1″ captions_display_title=”1″ captions_display_description=”1″ captions_animation=”slideup” order_by=”filename” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

  • Just Say YES: Everyone Orchestra Gathers in Syracuse

    On Thursday night at the Westcott Theater, Matt Butler and Everyone Orchestra concocted a musical potion that had us all under a spell.   Butler played the role of lead hypnotist as he memorized not only the crowd, but also the band that he so craftily pulled together for this outstanding evening of sonic surprises.

    Binghamton-based three-piece, Several Sons, opened the blissful trifecta of acts with their mellow harmonies and soulful unplugged sound. Their performance featured Bradford Allen on cajón drum for the entirety of the performance, which created a backyard fire-pit vibe. Kevin Ludwig took over the lead vocals and rhythm guitar, paving the way for Jack Bucher to display his bluesy chops on lead guitar. The mostly instrumental set list was capped off by a folk rock original, “Moonshine,” paying tribute to the act of getting drunk with friends. What a way to send us off into a set break.

    Located just a couple of cities to the left of Syracuse is the blue-collar, “Bills Mafia” community of Buffalo, NY. Football probably holds the title for most discussed topic of conversation on a Saturday night, but I can guarantee that the local groove-rock quartet, Aqueous, is definitely on the minds of many Western New Yorkers. Their appropriately named, “2016 Random Company Tour,” fits the bill perfectly as the entire room anxiously awaits their arrival to the stage.    As they entered to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here)” blaring on the speakers, we hoped they were about to make us lose our minds (sorry, I went there) and lose our minds we did.

    “Strange Times” was first up and allowed Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss to share the spotlight on vocals and guitar solos. The two methodically went line-for-line on this lyrically appealing tune before dropping into a sludgy, greasy transition.  Evan McPhaden pounded away on bass to symbolically clean up the jam goo.   Solid improvising segued into “The Median” off the 2014 album, Cycles. Rob Houk’s drumming showcased their genre blending skills by combining elements of progressive rock and reggae with a hint of electronica. There was one point towards the end of “Median” where it almost sounded like a completely different piece, but long time fan, Mitch (the guy on the rail whose head seemed to explode note to note), explained that this phenomenon is common during one of their juiciest originals.   Loss then seamlessly goes back and forth from guitar to keys while Gatzner pans for gold on lead guitar during the third and final song of the set, “Don’t Do It.” The crowd was definitely thirsty for more after the brief second act, but with Everyone Orchestra being served as an entrée, just about the entire room decided to take a break outside to work up an even stronger appetite.

    Butler appeared on stage with his 7-piece mixture of talent to specify the guidelines of the show. He would be writing notes to the band and the crowd on his simple yet effective white board while signaling to all of us via hand gestures, screams resembling words and Hulk Hogan-like crowd controls. Realistically, Butler runs the show like a drag race in the movie Grease, “Rules are, there ain’t no rules.” The ceremony began with Butler warming up the fingers of the esteemed group of musicians as they delivered a tight and funky beat that got the room dancing immediately. Eric Yates deserves the first MVP award of the night due to his funky banjo plucking while Ryan Montbleau deserves a shout out for creating the lyrics, “What do I see in my sight? Westcott Theater on a Thursday night.” Rob Derhak’s bass was bumping along with Emanuel Washington’s drumbeat when Butler asked the crowd to throw an idea at Montbleau for additional lyrics. The best we could up with was “sexy night” which morphed into an entire band-crowd, call-response of “Ugly, sexy night, yeah!”

    After a brief stretch of weirdness, the conductor brought us all back down to planet Earth and asked Yates to pick away on the banjo during a fast-paced, unusual and unplanned cover of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain.” The Westcott was transformed into an old-timey honky-tonk as the band turned the Dylan cover into something reminiscent of Johnny Cash in his prime. Montbleau and Yates had a dueling guitar-banjo section before turning the spotlight to moe.’s Al Schnier for a signature guitar solo. Syracuse’s own Adam Gold from Sophistafunk kicked off the next piece with a heavy yet buttery organ solo. Butler did an amazing job of hazing the Everyone Orchestra freshmen as each member of Sophistafunk joined the group for the first time on Thursday. The conductor wrote, “This is Part A” on the iPad while scribbling up directions on his whiteboard for only the band’s eyes to see. Tommy Weeks took over to deliver a spectacular sax solo before returning to Gold for a spacey synth solo. The baton was passed back to Montbleau for an Everyone Orchestra modification of his original “Dead Set” which features the lyrics “Observe your mind, and stop your thinking” which is good advice for a band expected to go with their gut on these improvised reconstructions.

    Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer returned to the stage and the applause grew when Butler informed us that it was his birthday. “Soft” was written on the whiteboard as Gantzer took over with a silky guitar riff. The crowd participation was at an all time high as we yelled “Birthday” to celebrate the joyous occasion. The band was fully in sync at this point in the performance and it was evident through the design of a new smash hit “Hotel Party” which Montbleau creatively developed before our eyes.   “There’s ice in the bathtub” and “Everyone’s invited” were only some of the outstanding sporadic lyrics sung by Montbleau which brought a collective smile to the room. Gantzer channeled the energy of Jerry Garcia, with a liquid fuzz distortion on his incredible solo before Gold killed the keys on Butler’s command. After the Holiday Inn jungle boogie, the show wrapped up in an epic formation of nine band members with the addition of David Loss from Aqueous and the return of Eric Yates on banjo. The conductor looked more like a mad scientist as he circled the stage giving each and every member one last time to shine. The evening was capped off with birthday boy Gantzer’s in-your-face knockout solo.

    Butler thanked the crowd and noted that after 15 years of asking members of different bands to come together so that he can live his dream, they keep showing up and they keep showing up! There is no question that this traveling circus of insane talent brought the goods to Syracuse on Thursday. Some bands spend years touring and writing music together to find out what it is that makes them unique. Matt Butler pulls the rabbit out of his hat night after night by creating the magic rather than searching for it. He is a composer, a communicator, and a connector all in one while leaving his mark on music through his whiteboard, iPad and multitude of invisible air instruments.   When asked to join the Everyone Orchestra in the future, just say, “Yes” and strap in for a truly special ride.

    Aqueous Setlist: Strange Times> The Median, Don’t Do It

    Everyone Orchestra Setlist (To the best of my ability):  Funky Intro, Jam (Ugly Sexy Night), Buckets of Rain*, Part A Jam> Dead Set**, Gatzner’s Birthday Jam, Hotel Party Jam, Set Closing Jam

    *Bob Dylan Cover (Blood on the Tracks)

    ** Ryan Montbleau Cover (For Higher)

  • Syracuse Area Musicians Form Supergroup, 1000 Drops Of Venom

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

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

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

    Vocalist, Karl Buechner added:

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

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

  • Keller Williams’ KWahtro Livens Up the Westcott Theater

    On April 8, multi-instrumentalist and one-man jam band Keller Williams, hosted a night of tasteful jams and brought along a fancy new group of amazing musicians to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. Adding Gibb Droll on acoustic guitar, Rodney Holmes on Drums, and Danton Boller on the upright bass, Keller dubbed the group The KW KWahtro (fun for quatro, meaning four). For anyone who’s seen Keller play live, whether solo or with any of his collaborations, knew the evening would be filled with danceable rhythms and charming lyrics.

    KWahtroWith no opening performers, the show kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. allowing the group time to dig in and get comfortable. As the house music faded and lights dimmed, the subtle sound of a muted acoustic guitar began to get louder and louder. Soon enough, a silhouette appeared at the back of the stage and Keller then slowly danced his way forward with the rest of the band following behind him. The audience cheered with excitement as Keller strummed his way into a funky instrumental before the rest of KWahtro joined in with a groove.

    Before the crowd knew it, the piece unfolded into the popular hip-shaking “Freaker By the Speaker,” followed with a jam that led into an upbeat version of Jerry Garcia‘s “Bird Song.” Keeping the rhythm flowing, Keller slightly changed direction and began singing “Birds of a Feather” by Phish, which rocketed the energy of the room.  Towards the end of the set, came an incredible jazzy drum solo from Rodney Holmes, known for his jazz influenced style. The ensemble re-emerged from the dark, strapped on their instruments and began into “Up From the Skies.”

    KWahtro The second set followed suit with Keller entering the stage in the same fashion. This time around, the whole band collectively began jamming into the hit song “Best Feeling,” from the album Breathe, made popular by Williams’ collaboration with The String Cheese Incident.  Included in the second half was a delightful “Scarlet Begonias” featuring a “China Cat” intro, “Victory Song,” and two new singles “Mantra” and “The Drop” from Keller’s most recent release, Vape.  KWahtro re-emerged from the shadows of the backstage and asked the boisterous crowd, “Would you like to hear a rockin’ cover or a rockin’ original?” With sincere acceptance for both options, the group graciously jammed out the original tune “High,” seguing into Joe Walsh‘s “Life’s Been Good” to end the evening.

    Overall, these four amazingly talented musicians can surely entertain any audience in any venue simply because they know how to hold a tight groove.  Judging by the response from the crowd, KWahtro is welcome in Syracuse anytime and hopefully they make their way back again in the near future.

    KWahtroSet One: Instrumental Intro > Freaker by the Speaker > Pets > Freaker > Bird Song > Birds of a Feather, Baby Mama, Ripped Six Pack > Cheaper by the Bale, Kiwi & Apricot, Hate, Greed, Love > Moving Sidewalk > Rodney Holmes Solo, Up From the Skies, Fuel for the Road

    Set Two: Best Feeling > Open-Close > The Sun & Moon’s Vagenda, China Cat Intro > Scarlet Begonias, Mantra, Apparition > Victory Song > Buena > Off Time Chorus Line > Breathe > The Drop > Breathe.

    Encore: High > Life’s Been Good

  • Anders Osborne Beams at The Westcott Theater

    American Babies - K. Stockbridge - IMG_3410 copyOn a night capping off a daylong deluge in Upstate New York, it was all rays of sunshine inside the Westcott Theater when Anders Osborne and Tom Hamilton’s American Babies took the stage. The two guitarists are both at the top of their game and were showing why to the well-packed and exuberant crowd.

    American Babies got things started with their unique blend of Americana and electronica, showcasing Tom Hamilton’s history, present and future together in one jam-happy presentation. Classics like “Tangled Up in Blue” started in the Jerry Garcia Band style before evolving slowly into an electronica-based section. While the first single off their forthcoming album, “Synth Driver,” exhibited the electronica influence early before mellowing into a spacey improv.

    After a solid hour-long set, the band thanked the audience and exited the stage while the house music took over. Seconds later, with no prompting from the crowd, the band came back out, “They said we can play some more.” And that they did! Another 30 minutes brought unexpected highlights like a lengthy “Old Time Religion” > “Joeline” combo, and a “What Does it Mean To Be” that blasted toward the finish line with a rocking jam. It was 50% more American Babies! What a deal.

    With set-opening “Five Bullets,” Anders Osborne and his band were “coming in hot!” as a member of the crowd aptly called out. Osborne smiled and pointed, repeating, “We’re coming in hot!” In previous years he might have started high and kept the energy high all night. With his current band, featuring his long-time bass player Carl Dufrene, Brady Blade on drums, Eric McFadden on guitar and mandolin, and Danny Eisenberg on keys, he was able to put together quite a dynamic set.

    Surrounding himself with such incredible players, Osborne wasn’t required to stand front and center every song playing blistering solo after solo. And because the band was so good, that was actually not a bad thing.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’636′]

    Things were immediately taken down a notch with “47,” where Osborne’s recent forays with Phil Lesh’s band came to the fore in a beautiful reserved Jerry Garcia-esque jam. More Dead-influence was showcased in “Dyin’ Days” that featured some excellent work by McFadden playing off Osborne. The song wound its way up to ferociously before erupting into a quick “Down By the River” finish that left the crowd wondering if the set was already peaking three songs in.

    With the bouncy blues of “Lafayette” and slow-building “Pontchartrain” from Osborne’s forthcoming album, it was clear this band still left room for surprises. Each song brought it’s own unique flavor, steeped in Louisiana’s musical cuisine.

    Anders Osborne - K. Stockbridge - IMG_5410 copy

    Tom Hamilton and his backing rhythm guitarist Raina Mullen joined just Osborne and a mandolin-wielding McFadden for a mostly acoustic take on “Friend of the Devil.” Then McFadden and Osborne continued acoustically to play “Coming Down” as a duo. with Osborne scatting along with his guitar and McFadden trading licks on the mandolin.

    [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGRXfgaQNw8[/embedyt]

    The slinky reggae groover “Sarah Anne,” took a turn when Dufrene stepped to the front and blasted the groove into a dark space. A full-band improv ensued that could best be described as a beautifully controlled madness. It set your arm hair at attention. Osborne clearly felt it too. As soon as the song ended, he raised his arms in victory, looking excitedly around at his band. After a couple mid-set hugs, he stepped to the mic with a huge grin, “What is this place? Why haven’t we played here before? This is my favorite gig of the whole tour!”

    Anders Osborne - K. Stockbridge - IMG_4219 copy

    The joy continued when they came back out for the encore. Osborne expressed his appreciation for the crowd, telling of his battles with addiction and how he’s built himself back up over the past seven years. This show, and the crowd’s enthusiasm, were vindication for all his hard work. He was truly excited about the amazing reception he was getting. On this rainy Syracuse evening. it truly was all sunshine on the inside.

    Setlist: Five Bullets, 47, Dyin’ Days, Lafayette, Pontchartrain, Lean On Me/Believe In You, Friend of the Devil*, Coming Down, Move Back To Mississippi, Sarah Anne, Windows, Send Me A Friend
    Encore: Call On Me

    *with Tom Hamilton on guitar and Raina Mullen on vocals

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’630′]

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’631′]
    Anders Osborne - K. Stockbridge - IMG_4773 copy

  • Twiddle Brings Plumperdump to Packed Syracuse Crowd

    Twiddle rolled into Syracuse this past Saturday to a sold out crowd at the Westcott Theater.  The third stop on the band’s Plumperdump Tour was also the third sold out show of the short winter run.  An indication that the band’s stock is rising, backed by a continuously growing fan base.

    The house wasn’t packed with just Twiddle fans from central New York.  Before the band took the stage, the room was energized by swarms of fans from all over the Northeast. Some chatted about the half day drive or relived the tour’s first two shows in Maine and Rhode Island and many new fans simply waited in anticipation of their first Twiddle show.The evening’s set list showcased songs from the band’s latest release, PLUMP- Chapter One, as well as a playful blend of covers and Twiddle fan favorites.  The music showcased a growth in exploration of self-education. Twiddle has found ways to weave together its new momentum and classic jams; a seemingly tricky task of bridging a new polished studio sound while exploring the space between the choruses.

    Beyond the much hyped message of the band’s music, is a less discussed musical workmanship that sometimes get lost within the hype of “frends” and “pe^king”.  What fans of the band are witnessing so far on the Plumperdump Tour, is the harmonious blend of the band’s musical journey; a tasty mix of hooky lyrics and feel good singalongs with whimsical improvisational composition while still creating an effective and intriguing blend.

    Twiddle is on a journey, that if continued, will shine best during the summer festival season, where Twiddle is poised to play a mix of regional festivals and high profile events, such as this summer’s Lockn’ Music Festival.

    The high profile growth seems to be giving the band a new approach to its performance. On this tour, Twiddle plays with an overwhelming sense of  love for the journey.

    In the show opener “Syncopated Healing” as well as in the evening’s extended version of the PLUMP single “Every Soul”, the band presented with a cleaner  and brighter quality to their sound.

    In “Carter Candlestick” and “Doinkinbonk”, Twiddle continued to showcase an onstage brotherhood by creating stand out moments for bassist Zdenek Gubb, who has eagerly driven the band toward a more dark, funky, but yet playful groove.

    What makes Twiddle endearing is that, as highlighted in the evening’s version of the disco classic “Funkytown”, they explore a more playful space.  Among their own original material, the song “Dr. Remidi’s Melodium” treated fans to the signature Twiddle reggae/funk/rock fusion that kept the crowd in a rhythmic bliss of engaging lyrics and danceable grooves.

    Twiddle also seems to be finding new ways to take risks within its sets.  The first set ended with not only a rousing rendition of the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon”, but also a  seldom heard vocal jam.  And although they may not be the first jam band to explore this technique, they are doing it their own way.  The Twiddle vocal jam is a captivating blend of beat-boxing and vocal rhythms that mimics the best video game soundtracks and electronic grooves – a group of twenty something musicians playfully distorting and manipulating the sounds of its generation into a unique musical moment.

    The only downfall of the evening was that the energy of the crowd felt too big for the venue.  The Westcott Theater staff found themselves turning fans away at the door.  And while continued sellouts are great to encourage the band to book larger venues, it’s that larger space that the band’s sounds is looking to fill.  For a band like Twiddle that is clearly looking to attract a mix of fans while blending a variety of musical textural sounds, the band will only continue to grow if the size of the spaces they play grows as well.

    Twiddle continues the Plumperdump tour Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo before heading to the Upstate Music Hall in Clifton Park on Friday, Feb. 26 with Formula 5 and Irving Plaza in New York City on Feb. 27.

    Setlist: Syncopated Healing, Every Soul, Carter Candlestick, Five, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, Doinkinbonk!!! > Funky Town > Doinkinbonk!!!, Rocky Raccoon

    Encore: Hattibagen McRat

  • Blind Owl Band Roars Through The ‘Cuse

    The Blind Owl Band rode their roaring four-stringed freight train right through the Westcott Theater in Syracuse on Feb. 6, and with a full house of faithful fans, they surely got the dance floor heated. The bearded band responsible for breaking in your dancing shoes consists of Arthur Buezo (guitar, vocals), Christian Cardiello, (double bass, fretless bass), James Ford, (banjo, vocals) and Eric Munley (mandolin, vocals).

    The band strummed their instruments so effortlessly, there were times I wondered if their swift fingers even touched the strings. They most definitely live up to their name the “Blind” Owl Band, if they were blindfolded I have no doubt their manic, musical mastery would be no different, as the dance floor was moving all night.

    If you missed this furious fleet of string masters, you can catch them in their hometown of Saranac Lake at the Waterhole on Feb. 13, the Hanger in Troy, NY, on Feb. 18 and at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT, on Feb. 19 with Bella’s Bartok.