NYS Music 20​17

Author: Joe New

  • JRAD Announces Extensive Fall Tour, Including 10+ East Coast Dates

    During an absolute barrage of topnotch shows and tours coming up this fall, one revelation proves to be the most stirring.  Joe Russo’s Almost Dead have carved more than a niche for themselves in the current jam rock landscape, and it’s reflected in their unbelievable ticket sales and current momentum.  Joe and the boys gained some real notoriety over the summer, playing and arranging the Dead’s music in a genuinely awe inspiring style at several festival dates including Peach Festival and two nights of Lockn, as well as a sold out two-night run at the Capitol Theater.  Beginning in October, the RADness will continue with six sold out dates at the Brooklyn Bowl, with the first run being Oct. 5-7 and the second weekend being the 12-14.  Following later that month will be a pre-party for Hulaween Festival down at Suwannee in Florida.  After a brief west coast sabbatical, JRAD will be back in late November for several more sold out bangers in Philadelphia and Boston. See below for full schedule.

    Having already seen over 10 JRAD shows this year, nothing excites me more than a proper tour just over the horizon.  Call ’em a cover band all you want; they’re playing the Dead’s music better than any touring band in the scene is playing their own music currently.  The quartet is beyond a force to be reckoned with.

    Tour Dates:

    At the Brooklyn Bowl – October 5*, 6*, 7*, 12*, 13*, 14*

    At Suwannee Halloween – October 26

    At the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, CA – November 9*, 10*

    At the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA – November 11*

    At the Fillmore Philadelphia – November 24, 25*

    At Dominican Holidaze in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – December 1

    At the House of Blues in Boston, MA – December 8*, 9*

    *= SOLD OUT

  • Hearing Aide: The Werks ‘Magic’

    At this point in their career, The Werks are one of the best established jam acts on the circuit today.  Through brilliant marketing with their festivals and events, relentless touring, and (most importantly) their entirely unique
    brand of rock and roll.  All of these facts considered, it should come as no surprise that their newest album, Magic, released on March 17, finds the Ohio natives sounding more comfortable in the studio than ever before.  Their familiarity with the recording process is evident upon first listen, even without the knowledge that this is their fourth full length studio album since 2009; no small feat considering the studio presence (or lack thereof) that most groups of the genre display.

    the werks magicWritten in their ‘sonic dojo’ The Werkspace, the album features eight inspiring tunes which traverse several different genres of rock.  Right out of the gate with the first two tracks, the delightfully upbeat “Wide Awake,” followed by the title track, the listener realizes that this isn’t going to be another pentatonic wank session that seems much too common in today’s rock landscape.  The Werks have an eclectic sound, reminiscent of 70’s rock gods yet avoids coming off as a cheap imitation.  “Slab” really hits the spot, with a gut buster of a riff that offers a pleasantly abrasive counterpoint to the smooth lyrical caress of the first few tracks.

    “Moonset” sees the boys moving in an even more experimental realm; a trance-fusion arrangement matched with ruthlessly proficient lead guitar that could get any naysayer’s head bobbing as if they were raging the Big Tent around 3 AM at the old Bisco.  The track took full advantage of the Sonic Lounge studio’s 1 of 13 in the world soundboard, found in Grove City, Ohio.  “Moving On” is the longest track of the album, coming in at 8 minutes and 36 seconds, providing a well needed canvas for perhaps the single most diverse track of the record.  Beautiful melodic hooks and a jaunty rhythm pull rock aficionados in like a sirens call, while the bridge section exhibits some bass runs that’d make Getty Lee pay attention.  “Lights Out” wraps the album up with some assistance from Ohio’s own Hoodoo Soul Band, who laid down some one of a kind horn riffs over the concluding tune.

    Key Tracks: Slab, Moonset, Moving On

    Magic can be yours today for the wonderful Name Your Price option on The Werks’ bandcamp.  Be sure to visit their website as well for upcoming tour dates, possibly near you!

  • Hearing Aide: Peter Karp ‘Alabama Town’

    New Jersey native Peter Karp has returned to the studio realm with his latest effort, Alabama Town. Beginning his career as a teenager in the blues band They Came From Houses, Karp has been musically inclined from a young age.  Growing up near New York City and later moving to backwoods Alabama left him with a unique perspective of the sounds of folk and blues, hearing acts such as James Brown, the Beatles, the Animals, and the Temptations live at a young age. After a foray into the film industry in the 90’s, Peter officially returned to the music world with the independently released Live At The American Roadhouse in 1998 with his band Peter Karp and the Roadhouse band. It’s been many years and many releases since then, including 2004’s The Turning Point with Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, but Karp’s old school blues-oriented folk rock still forces reminiscence of the founding fathers of American roots music.

    The album begins with the title track, “Alabama Town,” which immediately transports the listener to the slow moving pace of Southern living with an ambling blues riff and lyrical imagery that includes grits and grandpa drinking Jack Daniels out back. “Blues In Mind” also sounds as though it’s from an earlier time while maintaining a modern edge. One could almost imagine it coming from the radio of a ’59 Chevy Impala as it comfortably cruises through town on a warm Sunday afternoon. The other half of the sound that comprises the album is a bit softer, a slide guitar kind of folk music that exemplifies how the less is more concept can sometimes work in the musical world. “Lost Highway” has a poetic rhythm to it, with more of a story telling vocal performance. “Beautiful Girl” wraps it up with a mournful harmonica whine in a tale about a lost love.

    Anyone interested in celebrating the album release with Peter and his Roadshow Band can do so at the release party at Roy’s Hall in Blairstown, New Jersey on February 4.

    Key Tracks: Alabama Town, Blues In Mind, I Walk Alone

  • The Disco Biscuits Coming Home Again for 3 Night Run at the Fillmore Philadelphia

    The City of Brotherly Love has seen more Disco Biscuits shows than any other, and the tradition will continue on February 2, 3, and 4 with the band’s second 3 night run, home again at the Fillmore Philadelphia.  Almost a year ago to the day after their last visit to Philly, the Biscuits and locals alike are unanimous in their eagerness to get things started.  Having seen every show the band played last year, the fact that a slew of people consider last year’s Fillmore run to be one of the best in recent years in wholly unsurprising to me.  It’s the same concept of Home Team Advantage to make a seasonally appropriate football analogy; we’re all a little more comfortable closer to our roots.

    disco biscuits home againWe’ll be covering Friday night, right in the heat of it, giving first hand account of this writer’s 50th show.  Coming off a long, busy year of following the Disco Biscuits has honed my critical edge of their sound to a new level, and it’s safe to say that 2016 was one of their best within the last 3, 4, possibly 5 years.  The New Year’s Run at the famous Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA, was the band’s first outside region of their home town and the North East, and had some engaging highs and frankly embarrassing lows; will their return be triumphant?  Below you’ll find a video of the 3rd set’s beginning from New Year’s Eve leading into the countdown, a Trans-Siberian Orchestra cover entitled Wizards in Winter, with the most recent previous performance having been at the Rothbury Festival on July 3rd, 2008.