NYS Music 20​17

Author: amy modesti

  • Collar City Faves Blue Machine Rock the Dino

    If you were in the mood to rock out to Classic Rock and British Invasion tunes from The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy was the place to be this past Friday, Sept. 22 as Blue Machine made their return back to the venue.

    Blue MachineThis was the first public appearance for the band since last December. The band’s return not only brought in a packed house, the performance was also entertaining, fun and it was a great night for their fans as they rock and rolled in the City of Troy.

    Blue Machine, featuring Kenny Hohman (guitar/vocals), Joe Daley (drums), and Lori Friday (bass/vocals) and front man Tommy Love (vocals/harmonica), have been bringing their own take on many popular Classic Rock and British Invasion tunes for over 10 years throughout the Capital District and New England. For over 21 years, Hohman, Daley and Friday perform as an international and local power trio called Super 400. Love, who at times can sing and sound like various performers such as Robert Plant, Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison, is also a lead vocalist in another local group, Blue Hand Luke.

    Blue Machine performed hit songs throughout the evening, starting with “Come Together” (The Beatles), followed by “Heart Full of Soul” (The Yardbirds), “Set Me Free” (The Kinks), “Badge” (Cream), “Tell Her No” (The Zombies), “Jumping Jack Flash” (The Rolling Stones), “Strange Brew” (Cream), “Born Under A Bad Sign” (Cream), “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (The Rolling Stones) and “Happy” (The Rolling Stones), among other tunes.

    “We’re going to give you some trippy music,” Love called out to the fans after the band had finished performing “Happy.” Love was making a reference to their next song, “Riders of the Storm” (The Doors) as Hohman began to play the memorable chords of the tune on the guitar. The Doors’ other hit, “Roadhouse Blues,” followed suit. From The Doors came The Allman Brothers Band. The band dedicated “One Way Out” and “Whipping Post” to the late Gregg Allman.

    Watching the band sing and jam out to these two tunes from The Allman Brothers was captivating, magical and entertaining. As Love sang his verses to these songs, the instrumental jam session began in full force. One moment, Hohman would play a soaring guitar solo, Daley would begin soloing on the drums, then Friday would begin her solo routine to Daley’s toned down drum taps for a given moment. As her solo ended, Hohman and Love reunited with the group to continue to perform their song(s) until it ended. The band, being as connected and passionate to these songs as they are, helped make these classic songs come to life.

    Closing out the first set, and then with a following encore performance, was the anticipated Led Zeppelin tribute. The tribute started out with a cover of “What Is and What Should Never Be” (Led Zeppelin II) followed by “Black Dog” (Mothership), “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (Led Zeppelin) and “Thank You” (Led Zeppelin II). Closing out their encore performance with Love on lead harmonica and vocals, Love belted out the lyrics to “Bring It on Home” (Led Zeppelin II). The end of the encore left Blue Machine fans happy and satisfied to know that rock and roll is here to stay in the Capital District.

    Like Blue Machine on Facebook to stay updated on where the band will perform next. Also, check out Dinosaur BBQ’s website to stay informed on the local acts that will be performing in the area.

    Setlist: “Come Together” (The Beatles), “Heart Full Of Soul” (The Yardbirds), “Set Me Free” (The Kinks), “Badge” (Cream), “Tell Her No” (The Zombies), “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (The Rolling Stones), “All My Loving” (The Beatles), “Strange Brew” (Cream), “Born Under A Bad Sign” (Cream), “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (The Rolling Stones), “Happy” (The Rolling Stones), “Riders of the Storm” (The Doors), “Roadhouse Blues” (The Doors), “One Way Out” (The Allman Brothers), “Whipping Post” (The Allman Brothers), “What Is And What Should Never Be” (Led Zeppelin), “Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin), “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (Led Zeppelin), “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin), “Thank You” (Led Zeppelin),
    Encore: “Bring It On Home” (Led Zeppelin)

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518.

  • Songsmith C.K. Flach Talks about His Songwriting and What Inspires Him

    Curtis “C.K.” Flach — pronounced flack — has a look and sound to him that clashes with today’s world. But, when he opens his mouth, people listen.c.k. flach

    The 25-year-old Coeymans Hollow native often takes to the stage dressed one necktie away from a job interview, with a clean white shirt and sports jacket, topped with a whimsical head of hair reminiscent of a flamboyant Jerry Lee Lewis.

    But, flamboyant, he is not. Though people may want to mispronounce his name as flash, there is little flashy about Flach, but the self-described “quiet kid” commands the stage like a master craftsman at work in the backwoods, strumming his guitar and sharing stories of struggle through a voice others have compared with the late Lou Reed.

    The association with Reed is no mistake. As Flach started listening to music as a musician, he came across Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and thought he could learn how to develop his vocal range through the late artist. “I felt I could learn a lot about what to do vocally by listening to him,” he said. “Then I found that I really, really like his writing style, how bold it was, and just went from there.”

    Reed’s music was often described as avant garde. Credited as one of the pioneers to the punk rock genre that started in the late ‘60s. A rebel renowned by music lovers of today, but woefully underappreciated by critics of today. Upon his death in 2013, Rolling Stone magazine apologetically held vigil by tweeting and reporting about his every last moment. But, in the past, the magazine was one of his harshest critics. So goes Reed’s style and polarizing persona. For the deadpan singer sharing stories about drug addicts and social misfits, there was no middle ground. People either loved him or hated him.

    “He’s a tough guy rebel. He’s the godfather of punk rock. You listen to him talk, he’s got that New York accent. He’s got a toothpick in his mouth while he’s playing on stage. Yeah. A real rebel. I don’t see myself like that at all. I’m quiet, to be honest with you. I don’t really stand out like that. I’m a pretty nice guy, I think. And, really shy at times as a kid. It’s amazing that I get up on stage and sing in front of people.

    Flach was born and raised on a steady diet of classic rock. He started drumming when he was ten. He only learned to play a few chords on the guitar when he was a teenager. By 2012, he was out of high school and in a band he started with his brother, called “The Kindness.” Then he started to songsmith.

    As a songwriter, Flach said he draws inspiration from what is around him: the landscape, lifestyle and people here in the Hudson Valley. Flach started singing and writing for “The Kindness,” which released an EP in 2015. That immediately took Flach to a solo project that produced “Empty Mansions” in 2016.

    Flach prefers to describe himself as a songsmith, because he sees himself more as a craftsman that is considering all aspects of music and not only the lyrics. Standing front and center on stage, he is wrapped in layers of song structure, lyrics, tone, and delivery. The placement of the bridge. Where to start the chorus. How does it relate to the previous song.

    “It’s important to think all of those things through,” said Flach. “I think the difference between writers and craftsman is that [a songsmith] thinks of all the angles, and tries to approach it as a total project and not just song. … I like that term “smith” because it makes me feel like a craftsman. That’s important to me.

    Flach began writing songs that spoke of social strife — politics, racism, division and corruption — and stories of love, loss, heartache and salvation. He said he was heavily inspired by Reed’s critically acclaimed album “Berlin,” which does the same. Stories, he said, that come through the “eyes of empathy.”

    “It’s an interesting world we live in,” said Flach, who said he doesn’t feel today’s pop music speaks to today’s problems — drug addiction, financial struggles and Washington politics. Though, he said, music is often an escape for some people, “but I also know there’s a place for songs to be realistic,” he said. “Sometimes things happen that we prefer didn’t. I think having a song or two about it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It might be comforting at times to have that relatable song that we can go to that helps us square up with reality and be aware of what’s going on around us. Another part of it comes through the eyes of empathy. Because, there are people out there who are struggling, and go through different things than we do. They may not have a use for a poppy song. It doesn’t really reflect their life at the moment, and I hope that anything that happens to someone, that’s not quite ideal, is temporary. Maybe in that moment, they could use a song or two that speaks from where they are coming from. … That place of empathy is where I’m coming from.”

    Flach said opportunities have presented themselves to him since the release of “Empty Mansions.” Aside from opening this year’s MOVE Music Festival with a sold out show at Cohoes Music Hall, people have approached him about collaborating. Though he is currently writing for another release, no timetable is set for a second album just yet. He plays next at the Dana Park free concert series on Monday, Aug. 7, with Let Go Daylight and Two Guys in Albany.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518.

  • REVIEW: Making up with Adam Levine

    Watching Adam Levine perform with Maroon 5 was a dream come true for me and likely for many of the fans who came to the Times Union Center on Tuesday, March 7. The band had previously cancelled its appearance last September due to the birth of Levine’s first child with wife, Behati Prinsloo.

    Opening the evening was the U.S. Virgin Island group, “R-City” (also known as “Rock City), featuring brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas with a half-hour set of Jamaican based hip-hop, rap, and pop hits from its debut album, “What Dreams Are Made Of.” Upon performing the hit, “Make Up,” the brothers continued to make the show kid-friendly by teaching fans some Virgin Island slang. The crowd went crazy for a medley of songs R-City recorded for other performers —“Replay” (Iyaz), “We Can’t Stop” (Miley Cyrus), “I Don’t Mind” (Usher) and “Pour It Up” (Rihanna). R-City closed out the evening with “Locked Away,” a track that features Levine, of which he would reprise later in the evening.

    A rousing, electrifying drum solo welcomed the crowd to Tinashe and her group of female dancers, as they opened to “Ride Of Your Life,” from her sophomore album, “Nightlife.” In her half hour set, Tinashe also performed hits from Justin Bieber (“Let Me Love You”) and a remix reminiscent of 5th Harmony’s “Work.” before leading on into her own “Company”  and “All Hands on Deck.” The dance choreography from Tinashe and her dancers was great to watch. At one point, they were all in formation dancing to an Beyoncé-inspired rendition of “Single Ladies.”

    By the time the lights dimmed and the music began to blare, the audience was on their feet in anticipation of Maroon 5. Levine and company opened with “Moves Like Jagger.” Levine (guitar/ lead vocals) and his band, featuring Jesse Carmichael (guitar/piano), James Valentine (lead guitar), P.J. Morton (piano), Matt Flynn (drums) and Mickey Madden (bass), wasted no time in getting the audience to sing, video tape, and dance along to a majority of the band’s hits from “Songs About Jane,” “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” “Hands All Over,” “Overexposed” and “V.”

    Watching Maroon 5 perform to an almost sold out crowd was an evening I will never forget. Levine’s famous falsetto range was on point for every single song he performed. If you’ve thought watching the band perform with Levine on The Voice was awesome, watching their live performance in person at a live venue is amazing. One of the highlights of the band’s first set was a high-energy performance of “Let’s Dance,” a tribute to the late David Bowie. While another was when Levine gathered the band to center stage for an acapella chorus of “Payphone.”

    The encore featured nothing but an electronic drum kit and a piano. Levine and Valentine opened with an intimate look at the timeless hit, “She Will Be Loved.” Valentine took the lead, performing on acoustic guitar as Levine sang. He dedicated the song to all of the beautiful ladies who came to watch the show. Morton and Flynn joined Levine and Valentine to perform, “Don’t Wanna Know.” After a few more songs, the band closed the evening with yet another tribute —an electrifying homage to Prince. Purple lights flashed and illuminated the stage as each of the members poured their hearts out to perform “Let’s Go Crazy.” Levine stepped up to the challenge, performing Prince’s blistering guitar solo at the end to the crowd’s delight.

    Amy Modesti is a visual artist, photographer and musician who’s dedicated to sharing what’s surrounding her with the rest of the Capital District and beyond. She’s one of the photographers for TheSpot518.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518.