NYS Music 20​17

Author: Dave Ostroff

  • Hearing Aide: Creamery Station ‘Creamery Station EP’

    Connecticut isn’t known to pump out world renowned musicians like New York, Seattle and California do, so it’s refreshing to see a group of guys emerge from the backwoods of the state with some true talent and passion for the art. Over the past three years, Creamery Station has been cooking up a collection that’s surprisingly good.

    Creamery says they’re a combination of the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, The Band, Little Feat, Railroad Earth, David Grisman, Doc Watson, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and their first album is a fantastic representation of all these legendary groups. They manage to sound unique while giving glimpses of the defining characteristics of their inspiration rather than a copy of them. Some songs sound more familiar than others, but this is their  first compilation and it’s thoroughly impressive.

    They started from humble beginnings as a small band playing for a few house parties and slowly grew to a full seven-man group that brings a classic and a universally enjoyable country/ jam sound to the stage. They are based in CT but are making their way to New York City for the very first time and are definitely worth checking out.

    A lot of the inspiration came from the adventures some members endured, as well as a love for playing and performing music. All of the tracks were written and contributed to by every member of the band, which makes the connection between the musicians something truly exceptional, says singer and mandolin player Dylan Kader. “The energy between us when we play is something special and the crowd can feel that and they respond to it,” said Kader.

    This album is a bit all over the place, and that’s meant in the best way possible. Every song has a tie to country music with most of the tracks being based in that genre. But then some can, arguably, even have a reggae feel to it which is a combination that works surprisingly well.

    Things start off with “Ramblers Delight” and it’s about as country as it gets. It has a pretty straightforward chord progression with spices of mandolin a violin/ fiddle and relatable lyrical content. The feel of the song changes a bit when a very bluesy and fairly distorted guitar solo rings over the group that reminds listeners that a lot more is in store for the rest of the album. Country sounds are the basis of their musical content but that’s just the ground floor, and it’s a sturdy and simple one to build upon, giving Creamery free range to experiment with all sorts of genres.

    “Kansas City Blues” is appropriately named and placed at a  slower pace and even more like the typical melancholy country song. It’s the same sound as “Ramblers Delight” in terms of country sounding instruments, but the pace and chord progressions and lyrics make it a little more somber with just a few hints of uplifting major chords.

    “Walking for miles just to get a drink, then resting when we could find the shade, it’s hard to find the time for this poor boy to think, when he only eats if he sings and plays.” It’s still a well done song but this isn’t something that changes the minds of people who don’t like country.

    “Railroad Blues” is another very well-performed and professional sounding track. It’s comparably more upbeat and will definitely hit home with anyone willing to give Creamery Station a shot. There are light hints of country style instruments and it is based on a 12 bar blues chord progression which makes this one feel more rock and roll than anything else.

    Now “Sam the Clam” is where things get interesting. Harmonica player Don DeStefano dreamt up this song years ago in a separate band of his own while rehearsing backstage of a blues club called “Sam the Clam’s.” John Coltrane and Miles Davis were a big part of the inspiration behind this track as well as renowned harmonica virtuosos like Toots Thielmans and Little Walter. The combination makes for a jazzy, bluesy and damned smooth recording. It’s all instrumental to give keyboardist Jon Truelson, guitarist Jim Kader and DeStefano a chance to strut their stuff. The guitar is set to a perfectly smooth and warm tone, Truelson nails his time in the limelight and DeStefano absolutely kills his solo. It’s definitely the most fascinating song on the album and should be the go-to for first time listeners and those not soon keen on getting into the country scene.

    And just like that, “You Did Me Wrong” jumps on and the listener is thrown back into the world of country. Unfortunately, like the first three songs, it blends into the rest of the old-school country scene, but they still absolutely nail the style.

    “Out of Reach” is one of the most interesting songs on the album being that a country group created a pretty in-depth reggae sounding song. Everything about it is quintessentially reggae; a down beat, loads of percussion and funky guitar but a little hint of blues with a flavor of harmonica that sets this track apart from other songs of the same style. The best part of this song has to be the guitar solo. It’s a little dissonant and very similar to the styling of Carlos Santana. It’s a phenomenal track considering the roots of the band

    The album ends on a bit of a bittersweet note with “Sleep Late,” a very lazy country sound that leaves a little bit of an odd taste in the mouth of the listener, but again, as far as EP’s go, this one was really, really well done.

    Again, Creamery Station is coming to New York for the very first time and is going to blow the socks off of anyone that attends. This is a band that will be appreciated most in a live  setting, so see them on Friday, January 20th at American Beauty in Manhattan, find their free first album online, and keep an eye out for their soon to be released full length album, Pastures of Plenty.

    Key Tracks: Sam the Clam, Out of My Reach, Railroad Blues, Rambler’s Delight

  • Hearing Aide: Moon Hooch ‘Joshua Tree’

    Joshua Tree will be the fourth album from Moon Hooch, the jazz-fusion-dance group born out of the subway systems of New York City. Their sound is unique but it’s been heard before, especially to anyone that has lived in or spent time in a city.

    Unfortunately, their newest album won’t be something listeners will be fighting to get their hands on. On their website, Moon Hooch  themselves admitted that they could not think of what they wanted the album to sound like, so they just improvised and “somehow the process created 8 songs.” Their original intent was to seclude themselves for a few days in the Mojave Desert, just outside of the Joshua Tree National Park. They rented a house and turned it into a studio but no inspiration came to them, so they played whatever came to their minds. The idea sounds like a lot of fun for any musician and his or her friends, but as a third party it’s a bit hard to find enjoyment in it.

    Although it is good to see such talented street musicians make their way to the studio, their voice isn’t necessarily studio appropriate and sounds better in the echoing subway system of the big apple. They sound much more epic in a vast open area while in the studio, their sound is too empty and spacious. There is the opportunity to fill in those gaps, though. Granted, the three of them are astounding musicians that have a near mastery of their instruments, but there just isn’t enough of them to make a big enough sound. The drummer can be heard trying to compensate for that lack of power which can be overbearing in itself, never mind the fairly frequent squeals coming from the saxophones as well as other sounds that no one ever expected to come out of a reed instrument.

    Hearing this collection is shocking considering their prior studio works are pretty well done and  well known, such as “Number Nine,” a track off the Billboard Jazz Album Chart that allegedly peaked at the number nine spot, according to Wikipedia. The musicians are highly trained but they’re starting to get a little avant-garde and highly improvised. But when a group is limited to only three instruments, players will tend to stretch that voice out as much as possible, and the voices of the baritone, alto sax and drums have been maxed out and it’s time to move onto bigger things.

    The attractive part of a street band was that literally almost anyone could enjoy it. New York City, obviously, has one of the most diverse populations in the world and that means street performers need to appeal to a larger, more general crowd. Right now they’re only appealing to a small majority of the entire U.S. population. But bands need to experiment before they become widely recognized and this album will undoubtedly yield some interesting results, both positive and negative.

    Now, most people can enjoy a decent amount of wild improvisation, even though it gets a little unintelligible, but this is a new level. The track titled “Improv” really opens a door into what was on their mind when creating this. Before the song starts, there is an intro with one of the members describing how he wanted the rest of the band to go about creating the song “Improv.” He says, “Hit it as hard as possible…everything we do is intentional…literally no mistakes…mean every f*****g thing we do… zero hesitation.”

    It seems this technique is applied to almost every song and can be a little overbearing at times. It’s usually evened out by melodic tones and organized songwriting, but all of that can be very easily overpowered by improvisation and a very odd sounding baritone sax.

    If listeners can look past the odd parts of the album they will find some enjoyment in it. “Sandstorm” comes first and it starts out on a promising tone, but is quickly overshadowed by the baritone sax. “Jiggle” is pretty refreshing- still a little out there, but it’s comparably more upbeat and tight. It’s definitely a fun a get-up-and-go groove with loads of technical percussion and catchy sax licks. It’s one of the less complex tracks but definitely one of the most fun, which is the goal of street music.

    But just as quickly as it came, it’s gone when “Criminals” comes on and one begins to wonder if they’re just screwing around behind those microphones. They’re trying to accomplish this incredibly heavy tone that just doesn’t work. “Mountain Lion” is a more successful attempt at creating a heavy sound. It’s more organized but still has a sense of improvisation.

    It would be great to see these guys expand into a group with more people. They have the confidence and talent to be great band leaders and create something spectacular, they need to move past what they were raised to do but keep some of the attributes that make street bands so great. They’ve reached the limits of what they can do with the three of them and it most likely explains why they drew a blank out in the desert. The have put out an album almost every year so hopefully next year will bring something truly amazing from these very talented New York natives.

    The album is up for free download on their website.

    Key Tracks: Sandstorm, Jiggle, Mountain Lion, Outer Urge