NYS Music 20​17

Author: Frankie Cavone

  • Dead & Company Kick Off Their 2017 Fall Tour At Madison Square Garden

    Dead & Company kicked off their 2017 Fall Tour on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY. This was the first time back to the famous venue since their inaugural Fall tour in 2015. Dead & Company members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti took the stage shortly after 7 p.m.

    dead company Madison Square GardenWith the crowd excited to see what the band was going to open with, they started the night off with a unique “Shakedown Street.” Next, Dead & Company finally debuted “Greatest Story Ever Told.” The crowd erupted, making it one of the highlights of the night. This was followed by “Bertha,” giving John Mayer his first chance to sing. After a jam filled “Cassidy,” the band gave birth to the live debut of “Beat It On Down The Line” which was led by Bob Weir.

    Following the live debut was “They Love Each Other.” Towards the end of the the song, the band had a hiccup. It took them about a minute to figure out where to transition from the end of the song into “Cumberland Blues.” Once they were fully into the song, they shook off the cobwebs and went ahead leaving the awkward moment in the dust.

    Dead & Company started off the second set with the familiar combo of “China Cat Sunflower”>”I Know Your Rider” followed by “Ship of Fools.” Next was an electrifying “Terrapin Station,” leaving the Rhythm Devils to follow with their regulatory “Drums” > “Space.” The second set ended with “Casey Jones” giving the crowd another chance to sing along. With the crowd roaring for more, Dead & Company took the stage for a double encore featuring “Samson and Delilah” and “Werewolves of London” where Mayer and Weir traded verses.

    dead company Madison Square Garden

    Setlist:

    Set 1: Shakedown Street, Greatest Story Ever Told, Bertha, Cassidy, Beat It On Down The Line, They Love Each Other, Cumberland Blues

    Set 2: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Ship of Fools, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Standing on the Moon, The Other One, Casey Jones

    Encore: Samson and Delilah, Werewolves of London

    dead company Madison Square Garden

  • Watch Goose Cover “Crosseyed and Painless” with Chris Michetti

    Goose recently supported RAQ on a Halloween run all over the east coast.  On Friday November 3, the two acts played The Hollow Bar + Kitchen in Albany, NY. During the middle of Goose’s set, Goose invited up guitarist Chris Michetti of RAQ to cover the Talking Heads classic “Crosseyed and Painless.” Check out the video of the full sit in below!

    Goose continues their tour with shows at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT November 10 and Saturday November 11 at Ocean Mist in Wakefield, RI. For more information, click here.

  • Everyone Orchestra “Incites Love” in Saratoga Springs

    Everyone Orchestra brought a jam packed line up to the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs this past Saturday, November 4. This version of the improvisational group consisted of Al Schnier (moe.), Jim Loughlin (moe.), Vinnie Amico (moe.), Ryan Montbleau, Hayley Jane, Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy), and Eric Gould (Pink Talking Fish). The group spent the two previous nights at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY and Buffalo Iron Works in Buffalo, NY.

    everyone orchestra saratoga springsYes Darling, a duo featuring Hayley Jane and Ryan Montbleau opened the show playing for about an hour. This version of Everyone Orchestra played a number of improvisational jams “inciting love” throughout the crowd. The show filled the venue to almost its full capacity. The Putnam Den recently went through renovations updating the interior of the venue. With the soundboard now being located in the back, there was more room for people to dance and have a good time.

    Everyone Orchestra continues its fun with dates at Electric Haze in Worcester, MA November 9, Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY November 10 and Gypsy Sally’s in Washington D.C. on November 11.

  • Fusion Lives with John Mclaughlin and Jimmy Herring at The Egg

    “FUSION LIVES!” This was the mantra repeated by an enthused patron during breaks between songs at The Egg on Thursday, November 2nd. Few would disagree with her this evening, one that included the legendary and inspired sounds of Mahavishnu Orchestra great John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension, with Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip opening the night on the Meeting of the Spirits Tour.

    Herring’s new group includes former Aquarium Rescue Unit bandmate Jeff Sipe on drums, Matt Slocum on B3 organ and clavinet, Kevin Scott on bass and Jason Crosby on keyboards and violin – and they were just the opening act. Groovy funk lines from Scott laid the foundation for flowing instrumentals, with hints of the Flecktones heard in spots throughout the set. Crosby and Slocum blended together perfectly, and Sipe sat masterfully behind the kit. “Les Brers in A Minor” was a delight to all, nodding to Herring’s time with Allman Brothers Band and respect to the late Gregg Allman.

    As John McLaughlin took the stage with the 4th Dimension, the audience was ecstatic, with chirps of excitement coming out of the crowd in a raucous ovation. This being McLaughlin’s final tour, he played little new material, “El Hombre Que Sabia” in tribute to Paco Lucia, and made the music of Mahavishnu Orchestra come alive once again.

    There were instances where the foursome onstage – Mclaughlin, Gary Husband (drums/vocals), Etienne Mbappe (bass) and Ranjit Barot (percussion) – sounded like they were recreating Frank Zappa songs, but with fewer personnel needed to build compositions to a frenzied state before returning to earth. Mbappe’s tone on bass was like an Altoid – curious strong, for he was wearing gloves the entire night. Jazz musicians gonna jazz I guess.  Husband’s vocal effects on the kit and his superb double team with Barot (and later, with Sipe) drove the set towards a triumphant close.

    The Invisible Whip joined the 4th Dimension for Mahavishnu Orchestra compositions, and altogether with nine musicians on stage, Jimmy’s jazz rock and John’s jazz fusion took alternating turns leading the way, with McLaughlin stepping to the side at times to let Jimmy and the rest do their thing. When McLaughlin broke out the two-necked guitar, the audience was captivated. When he wailed on the whammy bar of his Paul Reed Smith ‘PRS,’ it created a most unique and melodic tone, not a wank on a note for show. Combined together, these two legendary guitarists, John Mclaughlin and Jimmy Herring, along with two powerhouse drummers, brought to mind influences that could be found among the music of Col. Bruce Hampton and Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phish, Frank Zappa, and all the rest who take a ride on the spacious musical journey that is improvisation.

    John Mclaughlin and Jimmy Herring

  • Little Feat Play To a Sold Out Crowd in Albany

    Little Feat played to a sold out crowd at The Egg on Sunday, September 10 in Albany, NY. Wasting no time, the group opened up with “Spanish Moon” and throughout their two hour set, Little Feat gave the fans what they wanted with tunes such as “Oh Atlanta” and “Time Loves A Hero.” For more information on Little Feat’s upcoming tour dates, visit littlefeat.net

    little feat albanylittle feat albany

  • The Funky Meters Strut Their Way Back To Albany

    Thursday’s Alive at 5 brought funk legends The Funky Meters to Albany on July 13. The highly anticipated show was moved to the Corning Preserve Boat Launch, Alive at 5’s designated rain location.

    The Funky MetersThe location is a perfect second option due to the stage and crowd space being located under a bridge. The Funky Meters formed at the 1989 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival during an informal jam with Art Neville, George Porter Jr and Russel Batiste Jr.

    The Funky MetersWurliday started the night off with their own signature sound of funk.  The Albany native band brings together soul and funk creating an exciting blend of music. The group of dynamic musicians released their album Bedtime Blazer which was recorded by Soulive’s Alan Evans at Iron Wax Studio in Miller Falls, MA.

    the funky meters Next Week’s Alive at 5 is country night bringing Lindsay Ell along with Anthony Fallacaro. Music starts right at 5pm and goes until 8pm.

    The Funky Meters

  • The Outlaws Brings Quality Rock and Roll to Albany

    This week’s Alive at 5 brought rock legends The Outlaws to the stage. The southern rock band famous for their song “Green Grass and High Tides” shocked the crowd with their guitar duels all night. PYX 106 brought their morning show hosts Quinn and Cantera to host the show and entertain Albany like they do every single morning.

    the outlaws
    The Outlaws

    The opening act, The Steppin Stones, also brought high energy rock and roll. They wowed the crowd with an amazing rendition of Neil Young’s “Ohio.” Guitarist Hannah Wicklund blew the crowd away with her ripping solos. She is only 20 years old and is already on her way to being the next prodigy.

    the outlawsAlive at 5 takes a week off for the 4th of July and then comes back the following week by bringing in The Funky Meters with Wurliday on July 13th.

  • Naughty By Nature Brings a High Energy Show to Alive at 5

    This week’s featured artist at Alive at 5 was the Grammy award winning hip-hop group Naughty By Nature. The weather was perfect on Thursday, June 22, and the energy was a max. The group got the crowd on their feet right from the start with one of their hit’s “O.P.P.” Naughty By Nature performed for about an hour. This also marked the first hip-hop group of this year’s concert series. The group from New Jersey is celebrating 20 years of creating music.

    Naughty By NatureNext week’s Alive at 5 Concert brings rock and roll band The Outlaws along with The Steppin Stones. Be sure to get down to Jenning’s Landing right at 5pm to catch both acts!

    Naughty By Nature

  • Average White Band Brings the Good Times to Albany

    This weekend marked the second week of the Alive at 5 concert series in Albany. This weeks headliner happened to be Average White Band much known for their songs “Pick Up The Pieces” and “Cut The Cake.” They are regarded as one of the best soul and funk bands of all time.

    average white bandDespite a short period of rain, the crowd toughed it out and was a great attendance. Albany’s Victory Soul Orchestra an up and coming band opened up for the funk legends leaving a great impression at the summer concert series.

    average white bandNext week’s Alive at 5 is bringing in Hip-Hop icons Naughty By Nature along with JB aka Dirty Moses, DJ Trumastr and Paul Nice. For the full Alive at 5 schedule click here.

    average white band

  • Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Brings The Funk To Alive at 5 Opener

    The city of Albany kicked off its annual Alive at 5 concert series in grand fashion with Saratoga’s Let’s Be Leonard and funk from Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on June 8. Leonard and Denson got the crowd going right from the beginning and launched the summer series properly.Karl Denson's Tiny Universe funk

    Next week’s Alive at 5 has Victory Soul Orchestra along with Average White Band playing right at 5pm.

    Karl Denson's Tiny Universe funkKarl Denson's Tiny Universe funk