NYS Music 20​17

Author: Jim Rizzo

  • John Prine Brings His Illegal Smile to Albany

    John Prine, the “songwriter’s songwriter,” is busy touring. He makes a stop in Albany in July to share his classic tunes.john prinePrine is known as the “songwriter’s songwriter” as many legendary artists have recorded his music, including Carly Simon, Johnny Cash, John Denver and Bonnie Raitt. His catalog includes classic songs like “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Paradise,” and “Hello in There.” At 70, he is still actively touring.

    Prine heads out on a month-long European tour in April after playing a handful of dates stateside. He makes stops in nearby Hershey, PA on March 31 at the Hershey Theatre and Newark, NJ on April 1 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, both shows with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Upon his return from Europe, he plays some shows in the maritime provinces in Canada.

    Prine makes a stop at Albany’s Palace Theatre on Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show go on sale tomorrow, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. with prices ranging from $38 to $102.50.

  • Hearing Aide: Marco Benevento ‘Woodstock Sessions’

    Marco Benevento is the latest artist to record his Woodstock Sessions at Applehead Recording in Woodstock. The live album, recorded in a single take in front of a sold out studio audience with his band consisting of Karina Rykman on bass and Andy Borger on drums, features tracks spanning his career – from “Bus Ride” off his debut album Invisible Baby through the entire title suite from The Story of Fred Short.

    The album kicks off with Marco giving the audience his permission to dance as he jumps into “Dropkick” off The Story of Fred Short, setting the tone for this often bouncy and highly danceable set of music. While the pièce de résistance is the entire “The Story of Fred Short” suite, the 22 minute opus spanning styles, the instrumental tracks “Bus Ride,” “Coyote Hearing,” and “Greenpoint” all show off the band’s musical talent. He returns to the bouncy dance music with “At the Show” to close out the album.

    While the band is tight and musically talented, Benevento’s vocals are a bit lacking and almost a distraction. However, they aren’t enough of a distraction to prevent this from being a fun collection of tunes. Any Marco fan is sure to enjoy the album, and new listeners can hear a great career-spanning collection of his music. Woodstock Sessions will be released on Feb. 17.

    Marco Benevento is currently on tour. He plays New York City’s Brooklyn Bowl tonight followed by The Hollow in Albany tomorrow night. He’ll also be at Higher Ground in nearby South Burlington, Vermont on Saturday. After a few more shows in the Northeast this month, he heads west starting in late-March.

    Key Tracks: Dropkick, The Story of Fred Short, Bus Ride, Coyote Hearing

  • Polyvamp Brooklyn Rooftop Jam

    Polyvamp looked to the skies when they rocked the Brooklyn waterfront for a rooftop jam session in Williamsburg back in October.

    Brooklyn-based six-piece electro-funk ensemble Polyvamp took to the roof of Cafe Biba in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on October 16 for a jam session. The event was filmed by Humza Deas, New York Magazine’s top Outlaw Instagrammer of New York City, using an overhead drone with views of the East River and the Manhattan skyline.

    Polyvamp is a groove-based funk, rock and electronic band formed in early 2015 initially as a trio, adding three additional musicians during their first year. They have played many of New York City’s top music venues and shared the stage with members of nationally touring acts, such as Lettuce, Kung Fu, Turkuaz and the Trey Anastasio Band. They performed at the city’s renowned CMJ Music Festival in October 2015.

    Polyvamp makes their Brooklyn Bowl debut on Tuesday, Jan. 24 when they perform along side Sprocket and the Insidious Rays.

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