NYS Music 20​17

Author: Chad Vergine

  • Woodhenge Music, Art and Sustainability Festival 2017 Announced

    Off the grid sustainable community, Woodhenge, has announced its first Woodhenge Music, Art, and Sustainability Festival, located in Adams Center near the Adirondacks, the community will host the festival on June 23-25, 2017.

    The three day event features a diverse mix of music genres including rock, jam, jazz, reggae, bluegrass, electronic, and funk, and features over 20 artist including Formula 5, Space Carnival, Root Shock, Intrepid Travelers, Lord Electro, Jiggawaltz and Drumadics.

    Fans will have the privilege to explore each morning the 60+ acres of nature and trails the area has to offer, along with yoga and workshops focused on how to live mortgage free, creating a sustainable lifestyle, optimal nutrition, and how to build with recycled materials. The event itself will be held in a field, between the village’s garden and orchard.

    In 1997, James and Krista Juczak, created the eco/self reliance village known as Woodhenge. The mortgage free community is set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains along the outskirts of a large forest, complete with a stream and waterfall set between a pond and an orchard. The off the grid solar and wind powered sustainable community practices upcycling, using environmentally friendly materials along with alternative building techniques.

    The village grows and cans most of their own fruits, berries, nuts and vegetables in their community garden and raises their own ducks and honey bees for honey and eggs. The community also hosts several workshops throughout the year on building a tiny house, living off the grid, and renewable energy.

    Known as the “King of Scrounge,” Juczak took 5 years to build his 3000 square foot home, set on 50 acres, out of recycled material including beams salvaged from an old bowling alley, and a two-story concrete column made out of scrapped manholes. Windows, doors, sinks, tubs, and other items were bought cheap, or salvaged for free from renovated buildings. The mortar holding the walls is made from 80% paper sludge waste from a nearby mill. The other 20% is made of masonry cement. Juczak has also buried a 10,000 gallon fuel tank used as a guest home buried into the side of a hill.

    Woodhenge has also hosted other music festivals in the past including Summer Solstice Campout in 2016, and the Halloween Costume Fiesta.

    Fans who purchase full weekend passes to the festival online will save some cash. The online pass costs $50 for all three days, and $60 at the gate on Friday, June 23. Other passes range between $20-$40. Camping is available in the field, and in the forest close by.

  • Rock AM Ring Festival Resumes After Possible Terror Threat

    With the most recent tragedy at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England still fresh, authorities are taking every security threat very seriously. Germany’s annual rock festival, Rock AM Ring, had to be halted on it’s opening night Friday for what authorities called “concrete leads,” in a possible terror threat against the festival that police wanted to eliminate before the festival continued.

    With over 80,000 fans attending the festival over the weekend, authorities wanted to make sure that everything and everyone is safe. Friday’s lineup included headliners Rammstein, Five Finger Death Punch, In Flames, Clutch and many more.

    rock am ring festivalAfter the Ariana Grande concert bombing, Rock Am Ring disallowed back packs at the festival and beefed up security to 1000 officers. Festival promoters made the following statement to fans after they were informed by the police:

    Due to a terrorist threat, the police have advised us to interrupt the festival. We ask all festival visitors to leave the festival site in a calm and controlled manner towards the exits and camping grounds. We have to support the police investigations. All visitors will be kept informed about any developments on all Rock Am Ring social media channels, radio and the speakers. We hope that the festival will continue tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation.

    One of the concerns involved a person who helped erect and organize the security fencing for the event. The Koblenz police released a statement about the possible threats:

    Because of the last attack on a concert in Manchester, the security concept for Rock Am Ring was modified in advance and the number of security officers was significantly increased to around 1,200… Since a threat could not be ruled out, all necessary measures were taken immediately. We cannot provide any further details on the background information. We take all tips and suspicious incidents extremely seriously and investigate closely.

    Rock AM Ring resumed early Saturday in Nurburg, once promoters got word that everything was clear. Festival organizers released a statement telling fans the festival would indeed resume, “After intensive searches and sweeps of the complete festival site by the police, the suspicion of a potential terrorist threat has not been confirmed.”

  • I Prevail Part Ways with Drummer

    Detroit rockers I Prevail have announced on social media that they have mutually parted ways with drummer Lee Runestad. No word was given as to the reasons for Runestad’s departure from the band, just a statement by remaining members on social media that read “Life an unpredictable journey that takes us all down different paths.”

    Fans who had VIP meet and greets with the band during the band’s most current headline tour, started to speculate if something was going on, as Runestad was absent from the fan interactions, hinting at a possible falling out.

    I Prevail’s full social media statement:

    ATTENTION I PREVAIL FAMILY: We have mutually parted ways with our drummer Lee Runestad. We wish him and his family all the best. Life is an unpredictable journey that takes us all down different paths, but the important thing is to value every step along the way.
    That said, we are stoked to have our talented brothers Gabe Helguera (drums) and Eli Clark (bass) joining us as touring members going forward.
    Things have never been more exciting in the world of I Prevail and we have TONS of awesome stuff coming your way soon. Stay tuned.
    See you at Warped Tour this summer.
    -Brian, Eric, Steve and Dylan

    Runestad, took to his personal social media page and posted the following brief statement about his departure:

    Hey guys. It was a difficult decision, but I Prevail and I have decided to amicably part ways. I enjoyed my time in the band and wish I Prevail luck in its future endeavors.

    I Prevail has just wrapped up their own headline tour, which featured an amazing performance in the Capital Region at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park in early May. I Prevail will head back out on the road this summer as part of the annual, Vans Warped Tour, performing on the Journey’s Left Foot stage.

  • Top DJ School Accused of Scamming Students and Teachers, CEO Steps Down

    A mix of 55 students and teachers have claimed one of the top electronic music production and DJ schools of scamming them out of classes that they have paid for, reports Thump. The students and teachers have accused Dubspot CEO, Dan Giove, of fraudulent activities and erratic behavior.

    Classes paid for by the students were never delivered, with no refunds offered by Dubspot. Classes cost students anywhere between $150 and $10,000. Students complained of poor communication by the Dubspot staff, and constantly rescheduling classes on numerous occasions. Students were left scratching their heads, instead of their turntables. Classes that weren’t cancelled saw instructors not showing up due to teaching fees not being paid.

    Nina Braith, a student from Austria, paid $4,396 for a Ableton Live Producer Certificate course that was supposed to start in March at the school’s New York location. She decided to visit the school in person after not hearing of an official start date for the course. After many unsuccessful attempts to have her money refunded, she took to her credit card company who did refund her money. Braith stated about the events:

    The school was a mess. There was hardly any equipment there anymore and I was offended by a guy who was [at the school], and rudely asked me to leave. I have spoken to two teachers who had worked at Dubspot before and can’t believe how much money Dan Giove already owes to so many people, students and teachers, and for how long this situation is already going on.

    Dubspot’s primary location in New York and its outlet in Los Angeles have both been closed without explanation. Some say that Giove, didn’t have sufficient funds to open the L.A outpost and was told several times by many colleagues that opening the L.A branch would not be a good idea. After a meeting in New York, Giove immediately fired at least six employees. Rumors are spreading that opening the L.A. portion of Dubspot, drained the company of funds, resulting in the closing of both locations.

    While some students were lucky enough to have their money refunded, several students from other countries already attained visas and apartments in the United States for what they thought was the beginning of their careers in the music industry, only to have a small vacation in the United States instead.

    Former Dubspot employee Mike Henderson helped design a vast majority of the school’s curriculum, and even taught his Traktor class with DJ Shiftee. Henderson stated that an apologetic Giove gave him a variety of audio gear, as payment for back paychecks and commissions owed to him. Dubspot, which was founded in 2006, saw several top level employees leave the company within the last six months.

    Days after the story broke, Dubspot CEO Dan Giove, sent an apologetic email to teachers and students which was attained by Thump. Giove admitted that opening the L.A. branch was not a good idea. Having to scramble for a new N.Y. location after the building they were housed in was sold, left them paying higher rent at their new location. Negotiations failed to lower the cost with landlords. Giove also cited personal problems as another reason. Giove will step down as CEO, which was requested by Dubspot investors.

    Dubspot online classes have resumed according to schedule, states Giove, with live classes coming down the line after the company holds down a new place of residence.

    Giove’s Full Email Statement:

    I write this letter today to apologize. These past several months I have let you, our community, our staff, our partners and extended family down. I have not been the person that I know myself to be and have been trying to get both my physical and mental health in order. I have been unresponsive to emails, calls, text messages, and social media. For this, and for anything else I have done to disappoint you, I am truly sorry. When I started Dubspot 11 years ago, I had a vision of building a place where I could learn to create music while at the same time being around like-minded individuals who were also trying to do the same. I never could have imagined the worldwide success that Dubspot would become over the years that followed. We have had so many happy students since 2006 who have realized their dreams and I am sorry this wasn’t the case for many of you.

    There are times when companies go through tremendous challenges and misfortunes. That time began for us about 3 years ago when I decided to open Dubspot LA. To be blunt, and looking back on things, I now realize that Dubspot was undercapitalized and without enough infrastructure in place to open the new LA school. From that point on, I have had a very difficult time sustaining and at the same time I have made some poor decisions. More recently, in June of last year, we were kicked out of our home on 14th street because the building was sold. We tried to move as quickly as possible to find our new space and did so. But after almost a year of struggling, we weren’t able to afford the rent, even after many attempts to negotiate with our landlords.

    Over the past several months, I have been doing everything I can think of to save the company and make things right. Contrary to some reports, we stopped taking registrations for NYC and LA Mid-March once we realized there was no way to survive in the physical locations. We have issued many refunds over the last few months and will continue to do so. Fortunately, I have found silent investors to help turn things around and return Dubspot to the successful business it once was. To that end, the core teachers of Dubspot have all agreed to a going forward financial arrangement and our online courses are now operating as usual. We have a small active staff committed to answering the phones, responding to emails, live chat on our website and we are dedicated to insuring that each and every student who has paid for classes will receive one on one consultations in order to best fulfill the classes that were paid for. We are also actively restructuring and looking for new studio space so that in addition to our online presence, those of you that want to come to live classes will be able to do so.

    I have been asked by my investors to formally step down from CEO of Dubspot for the foreseeable future to focus on my health and the birth my son. I will be assisting in a support role and will be focused on making sure all students are either refunded or continue online. In the next few weeks, we will be announcing the new interim director of Dubspot. Please stay tuned in the coming days for very important upcoming announcements about Dubspot and our students. In the meantime, please email us at support@dubspot.com, or call us at 1-855-9-DUBSPOT, so we can address any other questions or concerns. Or please email me directly here.

  • Sammy Hagar Talks Touring and the Possibility of a Van Halen Reunion

    In a recent interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, former Van Halen frontman, Sammy Hagar, shared his feelings on performing, touring, and the everlasting rumors of a potential Van Halen reunion. Hagar just wrapped up his annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure, benefit concert, that  featured artists including Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Don Felder, Mick Fleetwood, Vic Johnson, Sarah McLachlan, Steve Vai, Bob Weir, and Dave Grohl, who is sitting in for co-founder and Metallica frontman James Hetfield, due to touring obligations.

    van halen reunion

    Asked if he missed performing regularly:

    I always miss being onstage. But I don’t miss being on tour. The way I’ve been doing it for about the last seven or eight years, I’ll just take two shows — you know, Dallas and maybe Houston. But I got so old last year, I found myself having to go over to my studio five days a week and rehearse to get my voice into shape. Next thing I know, all I’m doing is getting ready for two shows. I wouldn’t do more than 40 or 50 shows a year. I just can’t. It’s my body and my time. And in my heart, I get out there onstage and I go, “You know, I don’t feel like doing it tonight.”

    After mentioning that fans are not only in love with his solo shows, but are demanding Hagar to perform with Chickenfoot and Van Halen. Hagar responded:

    That whole Van Halen thing lurking in the woods out there, I feel there’s a sniper out there — any minute the bullet is going to come flying in that says “VH” on it, “You’re it!” We’ll see what happens. I don’t understand them. I haven’t understood them in a long time. I would only do it with Sam and Dave anyway. I’d rather Dave (David Lee Roth) go out and sing his own songs. I’ll sing my songs. That would be the ultimate show, I think. If we could do it that way, I would suck it up. It would be fun.

    Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen in 1985, and parted ways in 1996. In 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. The singer also has his own line of spirits including Cabo Wabo Tequila, and Sammy’s Beach rum. A Van Halen reunion still seems far off, if it happens at all.

  • Linkin Park Frontman Tells Upset Fans to ‘Move The F-k On,’ While Shinoda Does Damage Control

    When it comes to evolving the band’s sound over the years, Linkin Park frontman, Chester Bennington has reached his boiling point with Linkin Park fans asking the band to go back to its roots and the sound of the band’s debut album that brought them instant success, Hybrid Theory.

    In an recent interview with NME/Music Week, Bennington was asked if anyone has told them that they “sold out,” after hearing the band’s upcoming seventh studio album, One More Light. He responded:

    We were asked, ‘What do you think of people who say you sold out?’ I don’t care. If you like the music, fantastic. If you don’t like it, that’s your opinion too. Fantastic.

    If you’re saying we’re doing what we’re doing for a commercial or monetary reason, trying to make success out of some formula … then stab yourself in the face. [jokingly laughs]

    When we made Hybrid Theory, I was the oldest guy in the band and in my early ’20s. That’s why I guess I’m like: ‘Why are we still talking about Hybrid Theory? It’s f–king years ago. It’s a great record, we love it. Like, move the f–k on. You know what I mean?

    Fearing a possible backlash from hardcore Linkin Park fans who may take the comments personal, co-frontman, Mike Shinoda, took to social media and posted a statement that all of Linkin Parks fans are welcome. Shinoda’s statement read:

    For the record, all fans of all albums are welcome here. Online or at the show, HT to OML. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

    Linkin Park will hit the road this summer to support their new album with the “One More Light World Tour,” that will feature Machine Gun Kelly and several special guest on select dates including One Ok Rock, Blink 182, Wu-Tang Clan, and Snoop Dogg.

  • Fyre Festival Hits New Low, Considers Suing Festival Goers

    Since Ja Rule’s cultural moment of music, art and food, known as the Fyre Festival  announced its last minute cancellation, organizers have been slapped with a $100 million lawsuit. The class action lawsuit was filed by on behalf of Danial Jung, a festival-goer who purchased a $2000 ticket, and fans purchasing tickets costing $10,000 each, not including travel expenses to the Bahamas.

    The Fyre Festival didn’t provide a specific reason for the cancellation other than a brief statement on social media that referred to “unforeseen extenuating circumstances.”

    No word as to how many fans were affected by the cancellation, but current estimates have the pending lawsuit, with over 1,000 inquiries, rumored to reach near the $100 million range. The suit claims fraud, breach of covenant of good faith, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation. Celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos, is heading the case while another attorney, Ben Meiselas, posted the following statement on social media:

    Fyre Festival and it’s promoters recklessly stranded thousands of consumers in a festival of horror, and cost them thousands of dollars on travel, lodging, and time off from work.

    Through this Federal Class Action we will make sure to hold Fyre — and all those who recklessly and blindly promoted the festival — accountable to make sure all consumers receive not only a ticket refund but also 100 percent reimbursement for travel, lodging, time off from work, and any other incidental and consequential damages.

    Some festival-goers thought they were going to party with the likes of super models Bella Hadid, Angel Elsa Hosk, Rose Bertram and Emily Ratajkowski, among other celebrities. Fans were also promised, as part of their experience, yachts, luxury cabanas, and celebrity chef catering to go along with great live music. What fans received instead was a last second cancellation with no explanation, resulting in many stranded without flights back home.

    Fans stranded at airports suffered water shortages, while multiple attendees had their luggage lost. The luxury cabanas resembled a refugee/disaster relief camp, while the celebrity chef cuisine was more like a cheap school lunch with two slices of bread, two slices of cheese, and small amount of salad inside a styrofoam container.

    In a bit of a nervy twist, the Fyre Festival is now considering suing fans, who took to social media posting their displeasure and pictures of what was going on. Fyre Festival lawyers sent one attendee a cease and desist order after he posted that the grounds looked like a refugee camp. The festival’s lawyers statement said that comparing the conditions to a refugee camp could “incite violence, rioting or civil unrest. If someone innocent does get hurt as a result [of your postings] Fyre festival will hold you accountable and responsible…Inciting violence crosses the line.”

    Vanity Fair has reported that questions have been raised about the motives the festival organizers had as the pitch for the festival was leaked. It points out that the festival was given $8.4 million of “market value” land on Black Point, Exuma in exchange for hosting the festival and advertising the island.

    Co-founder of the festival, Ja Rule, posted on social media in caps that the events were “NOT MY FAULT.” Fyre’s other co-founder and C.E.O, Billy McFarland, said it was the worst day of his life.

  • Rikki Rockett Talks Hall of Fame and New Poison Music

    Poison drummer Rikki Rockett was recently interviewed by Tigman for Albany area rock station Q103. In the interview, Rockett talks about the possibility of new music with Poison, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and how the band got its name.

    When asked whether he feels Poison deserves a Hall of Fame nod:

    I think we are, but I’m biased. [Laughs] Listen, honestly, I think the criteria for that is longevity, having lots of songs that have impacted people, which I think [we have] both of those things, and also a social impact. I think we have all three of those qualifications. So, really, I do. I think we should [go in there], for the sake of our genre.

    Rockett was asked if he is open to the idea of making new music with the band, and if he thinks that venture could possibly happen. He responded:

    There has been some talk. It’s acting on it is always the key thing. [Laughs] I would love to do it. I’ve been wanting to do new stuff for quite a while. I’m always thinking about ‘Okay, what would we do?’ Throwing ideas out there and stuff like that. I hope, I really, really hope, that maybe in the fall that we could go in and at least cut a couple of songs. Even if it’s not a whole record, we could get out there and do a couple of things.

    Tigman was curious as to how Poison became the name of the band, Rockett replied:

    Believe it or not, it was one of our road crew guys who spit it out. But it was with another name, like, it was ‘POISON something’ he said and we wrote it down and nixed all these other names and went back and said, ‘What if it’s just POISON and not ‘POISON anything else’?’ I forget what it was, what the extra word was that we threw in there. So we wound up shortening it to ‘POISON’ and went, ‘You know what? No one else has done it.’ And I love one-word band names. They’re easy to remember.

  • Joey Belladonna On His Vocal Longevity and That One Thing That Has Haunted His Career

    Oswego native and Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna was recently interviewed by Roy Turner of Trickykid Radio. In the interview, Belldonna talks about his one regret that has haunted him, how he keeps his vocals on point through the years, and being asked to perform John Bush era tracks.

    Turner asked Joey Belladonna how he can still perform at a high level today after decades of performing, and if he thinks that he’s better performer now than in the ’80s. Belladonna responded:

    I just love music a lot. I strive on getting better; I work at it all the time. I’m real conscious of just elevating my vocals and just being in a band…I don’t want to go out there and not do it well. That’s why I’m always trying to do it better. I always try. I have a cover band too. I also do that on the side. We do four hours of classic rock.

    I really focus. I really try. I’m not in fear of anything right now. Back in the day when I first started, I didn’t know the music so well. Vocally, it was really a challenge to just find a way to sing over that stuff. Because I like to sing so I’m not going to do something outside of all the new styles you hear now, it’s just finding a way to make it comfortable and legible and fun to sing as I can. You realize there’s a lot of words in our stuff and the keys and the speed…it’s real hard to sing over that stuff and make it work.

    On being asked to perform John Bush era music when he returned to Anthrax:

    Personally, I felt we had enough music. I was just trying to be a champ and try something. For some reason, when we get that rivalry crap that went on, it bugs the shit out of me. I have nothing against him or nothing against them. I don’t sit around and have a grudge, but I didn’t want to try… It’s hard enough when you do covers but doing something with the singer of the old [version] of the band. He had it rough, because for the sake [of it], he had almost to do older songs because then they’d really be fighting the good fight there. For me, I didn’t want to get too involved with doing that. I didn’t want to keep opening that door and what was I trying to prove? I’m glad I don’t have to. I just don’t really feel like it. I could, I’m sure, I always felt, nothing against those songs, forget you ever heard them, we could have done any of those records and I think they would have been cool. We don’t know because I never did them before other than that.

    If he has ever thought about what would have happened if Joey Belladonna never left the band, and lent his vocals to Anthrax’s sixth studio album Sound Of White Noise:

    That will always haunt me. The fact that those 13 years went away and they’re gone. They’re just gone. Maybe I just feel good about it now, right? With all the crap… I could add to this, but at the end of the day, it’s all good. I’m really glad for the fans too, and even myself, I’m proud, but I also love that people are enjoying it and all of these new people are coming up and get to see what was there before.

  • Ivan Moody Clarifies His Comments About Leaving Five Finger Death Punch

    Several metal and hard rock fans, and various music industry insiders, have always had a lot to say when it comes to Five Finger Death Punch frontman Ivan Moody. Over the last few of years, fans, music journalists and everyone else that has an opinion on this subject has always felt when it comes to Moody and his constant “meltdowns,” and “alcohol/substance abuse” problems, many are surprised that Moody has not been kicked out of the band.

    Moody was even replaced by All That Remains frontman Philip Labonte, to end the band’s 2016 run with Shinedown and Sixx: A.M., after Moody fell “ill,” and could not finish the remaining dates. As reported by NYS Music, many feel that Labonte’s time filling in for Moody was actually an audition and a possible glimpse into the future. So, at first, when several music news sites started reporting that Moody was departing Five Finger Death Punch after his 2017 commitments to the band started to circulate, not many were surprised that some kind of split between the band had finally happened.

    Hours later, Moody released a new statement saying that he’s not going anywhere.

    Moody’s KBPI statement read:

    I had a meltdown. I was like Kanye West without the money. To be completely honest with you, Death Punch and I have kind of come to a crossroads. We’re very proud of what we’ve done – years and years and years of work… It’s time for us to take our way and go do something else, so after this year… my new band, Villain… I’m so excited.

    After several hours, and no response for anyone in Five Finger Death Punch, Moody released a statement on the band’s Facebook page stating that Moody “sets the record straight,” with a link to the band’s website post of Moody’s statement about his comments to KBPI:

    It’s no secret that this has been a tough year for me and for my bandmates in Five Finger Death Punch. When you put everything you have into making music, both on and off the stage, it can be very frustrating when the music you work so hard to create is not allowed to see the light of day. I know we share this frustration with our fans too, who have come to expect new music from us – fans who mean everything to us. It is true that Five Finger Death Punch has come to a crossroads – and that crossroads is we’re all at a place where we will never again let someone or something hold us back from making music for our fans.
    The lawsuit by Prospect Park holding our new album hostage has taken a toll on me. I was in a rehabilitation facility when Prospect Park decided to sue the band last year, and that was very difficult for me to handle all at once.
    Yesterday I made a statement that was taken out of context by the media – a media always looking to create headlines that will make people click them. The truth is, I want to start a side-project like Corey Taylor has with Stone Sour or Maynard has with A Perfect Circle and I want to do it when Five Finger Death Punch’s deal with Prospect Park is over and we are out of this lawsuit.
    THIS DOES NOT MEAN I PLAN ON LEAVING FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH!
    The great thing about being a musician today is that you can explore your creativity in multiple ways without compromising your primary focus.  I learned this watching people like Corey and Maynard and I think their fans are glad they’ve put more music out into the world. I hope my fans are, too.
    All that said, Five Finger Death Punch fans can expect our next album via Prospect Park and we are geared up to tour all throughout 2017.  We are about to leave for South America and Europe and we have other dates TBD.
    All of us in the band have worked incredibly hard over the last 10 years to build this band and none of us are going to let that go just because our record company is trying to sabotage us.  I am sorry if the media took my statement as a resignation, but I assure you it wasn’t.” IVAN MOODY – vocalist Five Finger Death Punch

    Moody’s side project Villain will consist of members from Gemini Syndrome and Coal Chamber.

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