NYS Music 20​17

Author: Pete Mason

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Best Music Towns

    We’re proud to know that New York is one of the greatest states in the country, if not THE greatest state, for producing musicians and second to none live music experiences. All throughout The Empire State, venues across the state in villages, towns and cities are filled each night with up and coming and established musicians, with something new right around the corner. Your new favorite band might be playing in town tonight, and a few towns over tomorrow, and these are the artists that you can catch early and often, before they rise to stardom. We asked NYS Music’s staff and contributors, along with our readers, what they considered to be the Music Town in New York for 2017, and the winners both come from Western New York, Rochester and Buffalo.

    The venues are not the only reason why New York is such a great place for music. With the amount of national, regional and local acts touring through the state, we get the chance see bands and artists rise from their infancy playing bars and small clubs to playing larger theaters and arenas. In addition to the best music towns, we also asked our staff and readers for what they think are the acts to which we should pay the most attention.

    Best Music Town – Staff Pick

    Rochester

    Western New York had a dominant winner in Rochester as our staff pick of Best Music Town in the state. Rochester’s overall music scene might be one of the most complete in the state, with music legends teaching at the Eastman and Hochstein Schools of Music, the legendary House of Guitars which attracts musicians from around the world, plus venues that cater to a wide variety of music, aiding in the building of a strong scene. The Flour City’s proximity to Buffalo and Toronto also makes it a popular stomping ground for indie bands just starting out, and right off I-90 they bring in touring bands criss-crossing the state. Then there are the talented musicians in obscure bands that are just getting their start, leading to a great deal of artist collaboration, supporting each other as they rise in their respective parts of the overall scene.

    Between cafes, bars, theaters, and parks, live music is prominent throughout the Greater Rochester area. Events like Rochester Fringe, Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest, Lilac Festival, Park Ave Fest, and Corn Hill Festival keep the city alive from the spring through the autumn, touching on every genre. Funk n Waffles Music Hall opened earlier this year in the former Water Street Music Hall, serving up live music with a side of waffles. The Dome Arena also re-opened this year, providing a larger venue for national acts. Three Heads Brewing has attracted a consistent slate of bands that pair well with any of the brewery’s tasty offerings. The Main Street Armory, Flour City Station, The Bug Jar, Photo City Improv, and Montage Music Hall are a regular spots for catching touring bands passing through town as well as local bands providing support. The Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, offers a range of world-class events in one of the most beautiful venues in the state.
    Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

    Rochester is a breeding ground for talent. Rochester has a surprisingly large metal scene, one that is #4 in the country for metal bands, including punk band Primitive Screwheads, death metal band Gutted Alive, and hardcore band REPS. It is a point of pride for Rochester metal fans that Metallica came here to record there first album in 1983. Then there are some lesser-known and up-and-coming acts like Lost Wax Collective, Such Gold, Maybird, St Phillip’s Escalator, Total Yuppies, Tart Vandelay, Area Natives, The Medicinals, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Crooked North, Dirty Blanket, Periodic Table of Elephants, The Demos, The Dirty Pennies, So Last Year, Nerds In Denial, Carpool, Druse, Taking Meds, and Talking Under Water. Top notch music education has cultivated phenomenal young talent, such as Pilot the Universe, a band whose members are still in high school but already making waves, and 12-year-old Jack West, who recently had an opportunity to sing on stage with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Rochester bands are also getting national and international exposure. Rochester’s King Buffalo toured North America and Europe this summer with Elder. Following the release of their second album, Content, Joywave crossed the country twice this year – playing in support of Young The Giant and then again on a headlining tour. And Bon Iver chose local singer/songwriter/harpist Mikaela Davis to provide support on their European jaunt this year.

    Many famous musicians have called the 585 home, including Lou Gramm (a founding member of Foreigner), Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Chesterfield Kings, composer Samuel Adler, Jazz Brothers Chuck and Gap Mangione, bluesman Joe Beard, and acclaimed drummer Steve Gadd. The roots of Rochester’s music scene can be traced back over a hundred years, to artists like blues legend Son House and jazz musician Cab Calloway. The Rochester Hall of Fame has inducted Beard, Adler, Lewis, and Gramm, House and Calloway, as well as Lew Soloff, who taught at the Eastman School of Music after his many years in Earth, Wind and Fire.

    There’s something for every musical taste in Rochester, whether you’re a lucky resident or visitor.

    Best Music Town – Reader’s Pick

    Buffalo

    Buffalo, being the second largest city in the state and one of the largest in their region of the country, sees a lot of music come through its various venues, ranging from small clubs and bars to the large New Era Field. Buffablog organizes an annual event Herd Fest, a SXSW-style multi-venue showcase featuring some of the best musicians in the region. This year’s WLKK holiday music festival stretched out over three days. Then there are numerous venues including Nietzche’s, Tralf Music Hall, Shea’s Buffalo, Canalside, Kleinhans Music Hall, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Mohawk Place, Town Ballroom, Buffalo Iron Works, Sugar City, Key Bank Center, and first year fest Cobblestone Live.

    Many popular music acts got their start in Buffalo including the Goo Goo Dolls and Spyro Gyra. One of the current popular bands, Aqueous, whose latest EP, Best in Show, was our staff pick for album of the year and named once again to be a Band on the Rise by our readers. And a wide variety of artists having gained or gaining a fan base from the Queen City. NYS Music 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers and Folkfaces, folk rock icon Ani DiFranco, Rick James, Cannibal Corpse, Cute Is What We Aim For, Every Time I Die, On The Cinder, Del Paxton, Green Jelly, moe., Willie Nile, Billy Sheehan, and Wyatt Coin.

    Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has shared their stage at the landmark Kleinhan’s Music Hall with such greats as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Copland, and Yo-Yo Ma. With venues catering to a young adult audience, from the all-ages Sugar City to shows on the SUNY Fredonia campus, Buffalo is a fertile market for twenty-something alternative bands like Head North, Super American, MAGS, Previous Love, Ugly Sun, Made Violent, and Mason-Jar.)

    Buffalo is also home to recording studios who help regional artists lay down their work, but are talented enough to attract major recording artists. GCR Audio is a state of the art recording studio which attracts local as well as big-name artists, with a list of clients which includes A-listers like James Taylor, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Lil Wayne. Outer Limits Recording Studio has been serving regional and national artists for more than two decades, and its client list includes Eminem.

    But more than just the brick and mortar venues and studios, it’s the sense of community that makes the Buffalo music scene great. Artists are supportive of each other, cross-promote, and join in collaborative efforts between musicians to help each other create and grow. Overall, the bands, venues, and industry professionals are conscientious of the needs of audience members to not only have fun but also to provide a safe environment.

  • Mister F: The Hiatus Interview

    Not all bands make it. Some break up. Some grow apart, others go on hiatus. and fewer return. Mister F is a band about to go on hiatus. The group formed in March of 2013 with 3 members of Timbre Coup joining forces with Scott Hannay of Capital Zen, to form a prog-rock jamband, and one that had a slew of songs right out of the gate. A cover of Particle’s “Elevator” (inspired, purely by coincidence, by a video my friend Mark mad 10 years earlier) was a highlight, as were original tunes “This one Goes to 11” and “Hedgehog” among others. Drummer Matt Pickering gave me the heads up and had incredible enthusiasm for this project, and the half full Hollow agreed that this enthusiasm was well placed for Mister F’s debut, and not just among Arrested Development fans.

    Over 5 years, they’ve played more than 580 shows, produced one studio album, with another on the way in 2018, but for now, they’re stepping back from the road and performing for the near future. Their final show, for now, will be at The Hollow on December 30 with Goose, starting a hiatus in the same place where the band started their journey nearly 5 years ago.

    But how did the band end up here, calling for a hiatus after five solid years and a strong core fan base across the Northeast and Midwest? Was it preventable, a series of unfortunate events, or something else? With their final show before hiatus this week, NYS Music spoke to members of Mister F, past and present, as well as former managers, to get the first hand account of what led to this asterisk on their career. Read the story of a band who spent 5 years working tirelessly to make it as touring musicians, and discover what drove the band to get this far, and to decide to put the brakes on, for now.

    Mister F HiatusScott Hannay: We started writing music toward Mister F in late 2012 as a side project – a way to throw some tours in here and there, as Zen and Timbre Coup weren’t able to be in tour mode at that time. We all wanted to get ourselves out there. It quickly became a vehicle to do that, and overwhelmed the other bands. I was let go from Capital Zen, who moved on without me, and later that year, Timbre Coup also folded.

    Matt Pickering: When Timbre Coup was slowing down, the 3 of us who were living in the bandhouse were still interested in going full steam ahead and touring as often as possible. At the time, we really wanted to keep the same instrument switching aspects TC had and besides Dan (Gerken), Scott was really the only other person we could think of who played bass, guitar, and keys. We knew him as a keys player from shows with Capital Zen and we were quickly impressed with his guitar and bass skills when he sent us hopeful future parts/tracks that he wrote. Scott was great from the get-go and he was totally on board with our plan to play 140 shows a year. That was how the last 5 years of my life started.

    Andrew Chamberlaine: Before Joining Timbre Coup I was pursuing a degree in Music Ed at (The College of) Saint Rose. I had known Ben for a while because we were in the Music program at SCCC together. I played in a band for a short time With Dmitry Bolotny (who went on to form Dirty Paris shortly after) and crossed paths with the rest of Timbre Coup while playing a gig with them at Savannah’s in Albany sometime around 2008-ish. A few months after that gig I got a message from Matt asking me to try out for their band.

    We all knew that changes were coming for Timbre Coup so Mister F was formed out of necessity to continue our passion for creating unique music. Initially we wanted to keep the ball rolling with Timbre Coup and make necessary changes but it didn’t work out that way so we re-branded and started from scratch (more or less). In hindsight creating Mister F with most of our existing lineup allowed us to create some really cool new music and fix a lot of the things we felt Timbre Coup fell short with. TC’s music was pretty complex (I mean how does one dance to a song that’s in 7/8, 5/4, and 4/4 at the same time?! lol) so we decided to tone in back and reach our audience better while still keeping the music unique and original. At the very least we discovered two things with Mister F; 1: you really can make a song groove in an odd time signature, and 2: the van doesn’t smell good after a while.

    As Mister F began touring, there was a drive to the band to set goals for themselves. Relationships that had been developed over years as fans and musicians, particularly with Umphrey’s McGee, lead to official after-shows and greater opportunities and encouragement.

    Ben Pickering: I felt like there were a lot of factors pushing us when we first started touring. We started traveling as soon as we had enough material to play a show. Our sixth show was an Umphrey’s McGee after-show in Chicago. The relationships we made with bands in previous years allowed us to pick up great gigs and some great festival plays really early on. It felt really good and it didn’t take too long to feel like we achieved more in a couple years with Mister F than we did in our previous bands. Getting opening slots for some of the bigger band almost felt like we got their approval and helped push us to work as hard as we could. We’ve always been very goal oriented, whether it be playing X amount of shows in a year, or hitting a couple big festivals a summer, we always focused on one thing at a time and got it done. And we’ve always had a great team helping us along the way: David Limentani our booking agent, Mike Dean and Aaron Hagle both former managers, and Greg Bell were huge factors in getting us to this point.

    Mike Dean: I think I had only heard one or two songs the band recorded in their practice room by the time I decided to make the move to Albany.  I was a huge fan of Timbre Coup at the time, and knew what the guys could bring to the table musically. Aside from the logistics of moving roughly 700 miles away and entering an industry in which I had no experience, it was a no brainer.

    We were fortunate to be able to kind of pick up right where Timbre Coup left off.  Already having lots of contacts for venues, promoters and festivals along the East coast was a huge plus.  From that point, it was just a matter of increasing that base of contacts all across the country and trying to work our way further from home each tour.  Most of what actually gave the guys their running start was their desire to tour relentlessly from the get-go.  By 2014, we were already hitting 130+ shows a year.  We did quite a few Umphrey’s McGee after parties during my time with Mister F.  It was always a right place/right time scenario, and we were lucky enough to get the “official” stamp a number of times, which helped considerably with turnout.

    As things got rolling early, all signs were positive. The band dealt with ironing out aspects of their sound, including ending the instrument switching mid-set that was a staple of Timbre Coup and early Mister F. 

    MP: We were so young when we started Timbre Coup but we learned everything we know about how to play shows in that band. We were very serious about it, but it takes a few years to learn the business and really be on the road. So we started Mister F with lots of experience and one thing we wanted to do was find our sound. We were going for more funky, a bit less edgy. Timbre Coup had so much material so it’s hard to sum it up but it was prog based and more math-y fusion. We were shooting for a toned down version and with more keys. Just changing one member makes you sound incredibly different, though. So while we were writing early on, we worked fast but were very picky and choosy with what we went with. A couple years in we also decided to keep Ben on bass and off guitar, and Scott on keys and off guitar and bass. The instrument switching every show turned into a challenge. It also made it hard for us to find our sound we had so many that we could choose from with in our own band members we felt it was best and we wanted to put our best foot forward.

    SH: Our early goal after our other band obligations went by the wayside was just to tour as much as possible. We worked hard at booking ourselves in all sorts of places, doing it in-house with the help of our former manager Mike Dean. He had moved up from North Carolina to work for us because he was a good friend who believed in us and really went to bat for us, and I’ve always understood that’s the kind of person you want as your manager. We were reaching out to all our friends we’d made from our old bands to open for them, some were reaching out to open for us, we tried really hard to get everything we set our minds to. We got an opening slot for Suckerpunch (tDB/New Deal/Lotus side project) at the Howard Theater in Washington DC in our third month as a band, just because our friends rallied for us.

    Mike Dean: I reached out about the opening slot for Snarky Puppy the day I saw the show announced at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY.  We were playing directly before Snarky Puppy at Mantrabash festival in NC a few weeks before said show, and I still hadn’t heard anything back.  I’m pretty fuzzy on the exact details, but at some point after our set, Ben was backstage talking to Michael League (bass/band leader for Snarky Puppy) and mentioned how we had tried reaching out about the gig.  Michael said he’d touch base with their management as soon as he had cell service and make it happen.  A few days later I got a call from an unknown number and it was Snarky Puppy’s manager informing me that Mister F got the gig!

    Over the next two years, the band soldiered on, touring around the east half of the country and filling festival bills and drawing larger and larger audience at the club level. Then the band ran into some unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.

    SH: Unfortunately money for these things don’t always align with the opportunity. To make matters worse, our van was broken into and we had two instruments stolen, one of which a very unique and expensive custom-built guitar belonging to Andrew which he had to use buy now pay later loans to acquire. Mike ended up not being able to keep up with the small amount we were able to offer him, and his time with us came to an end around the same time Andrew gave his notice.

    MD: I hit that point where it became impossible to balance the life on the road with my own personal financial obligations.  I think almost anyone who has ever been involved with a touring band at this level can relate.  It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.  Working for Mister F was the most enjoyable and rewarding experience I’ve ever been apart of, and it was tough to leave that behind.  I’ll always cherish the friendships and memories I made during my time with the band.

    Andrew departed the band not because the guitar was stolen, but due to financial and family reasons. 

    AC: As much as it sucks having a guitar stolen that’s worth five times as much as your car at the time, that had little to do with my departure. I had two main reasons for leaving Mister F. The obvious one is money. Money had always been tight with both of our projects (Timbre Coup and Mister F), and we were working our asses off to create what we thought was good, forward-thinking music and I thought we were doing a pretty good job, however my wallet never seemed to agree. Around the same time Mister F formed I took a teaching position at Parkway Music. Both were growing at the same time and the balancing act became impossible. I only had one choice if I wanted to use my guitar and music to pay my bills on time. I love creating my own original music, there’s nothing quite like it, but I also love teaching the guitar & teaching people about music. I now have around 45-50 students, manage the lessons department at Parkway and can honestly say I love my job!

    The other reason was family. Being on the road as often as we were led to missing out on a lot of things, which for a while I dealt with. The main factor for me was the loss of my last grandparent, my Grandmother Ila. She had always supported me, really ALL of my family has always supported my musical endeavors which is why I’ve been able to take it this far (shout-out to my girlfriend, mom, dad, aunts, uncles and friends!) But she was a huge reason I was even able to pursue my passion in the first place. Sometimes you have a family member that really holds the whole family together, so when she passed away I knew I had to step in and pick up the pieces and be there for those who needed me as much as I’d needed them before.

    Guitarist Mike Candela replaced Andrew on short notice

    SH: At this point, we had a southern tour scheduled with McLovins less than a month away, with no manager and no guitarist. Mike Candela reached out to us because he’d just left his band. It was perfect timing, and he was able to learn the material and come on the road right away. Our writing dynamic was never the same, and it felt more like a bandaid had been affixed. Mike is one hell of a guitarist, but musical differences upon finding someone on such short notice eventually became apparent.

    Mike Candela: I actually opened for Mister F with my previous band Dale and the ZDubs. I left DZD due to creative and personal issues with frontman Dale Rodman. After leaving DZD I actually hit up Scott Hannay and asked if they had ever thought of a second guitarist and he initially told me they were good as a 4 piece but to come sit-in anytime. After Andrew left, Scott hit me up and we hit the road. In my time with the band we handled the road pretty well I think. We were fortunate in terms of the bands we played with and the venues we played at and got to play in front of a lot of people. We all were personal and talkative with the fans we already had who would come to shows and made a bunch of new ones. Musically I think we were constantly pushing ourselves play our best each night. In terms of growth, it seemed to me like we were always generating interest and praise, but we always tried to handle it with humility and stay focused on our goals as a band.

    I ended up departing the band for a number of different reasons. I wasn’t really aware of how badly the band wanted new material and thus didn’t try to write any songs. I was also very different stylistically from Andrew as a player, especially when it came to solos. I have always been more of a funk/jam player rather than a progressive/jazz guy. Colin was available and a much better fit for the band in my opinion. Obviously I left on good terms and have since sat in with the band a bunch, as well as covering for Colin when he had surgeries for kidney stones.

    Mister F Hiatus
     
    When Mike didn’t work out, the band found Fat Aztec guitarist Colin Shore to fill in, but there were complications.

    SH: We then looked to Colin Shore for our full-time replacement. We’d played with his band Fat Aztec and had him sit in with us before. We’d had a lot of great musical conversations with him, and had unanimously decided “he’s the guy”. He took over mid-July 2016. But shortly after he started suffering severe kidney stone issues that put Mike Candela back in the van with us for two full tours toward the end of the year. While it was fun playing with Mike again, we were all that time unable to pursue the growth in the areas that we were hoping to continue growing with Colin.

    Colin Shore: Fat Aztec was coming to a pretty organic close at the time. The other members of the band were moving on into other non-musical endeavors while I was still interested in chasing the tour life. My joining with Mister F happened at a good time in my musical career for sure.

    Having to take a break from touring to deal with medical issues was a huge drag. I was very fortunate that the guys in the band are such good folks and good friends that they were willing to work with me and be patient despite the roadblock. There may have been some slight interruption to our musical advancement at the time. But overall I felt a renewed sense of purpose and connection with the band coming back into the fold in 2017. I felt the band really evolve musically throughout the year.

    Starting in 2017, Colin was healthy and a new manager, Aaron Hagele, joined the band to work with the band and get things back on track. The bands van died only a few months into 2017, just as plans to record an album came into the picture. A Kickstarter with a simple goal of $100 was easily met, but they could not both fund an album and buy a new van. 

    SH: We didn’t owe it to people to buy a van, we owed it to them to record an album. And we were forced into an expense of minivan rentals for subsequent runs while not making any more than we were before. We then decided to take some time off from touring to complete the album that we owe everyone, and to figure out what as a band we need to do to carry on in a productive way without putting our own well-being at risk.

    Aaron Hagele: I started working with Mister F fall of 2016, when Mike was touring with the band temporarily. Colin is a beast, but in the most tasteful restrained way possible. The first time I heard him play I knew he had something unique, the ability to shred and play amazing runs but the restraint to play tastefully and listen on stage, being ever present. I however, would have worked with them with or without Colin. Matt and Ben Pickering as well as Scott Hannay are some of my oldest music industry friends, I had been gig trading with their previous bands going back 7 years. I wanted to work with them because I have always been inspired by ALL of their musicianship: Matt is one of my favorite drummers ever, with chops for days; Ben couldn’t be smoother in the pocket if he tried (which often seems like he doesn’t have to) and Scott has one of the most gifted musical minds on the planet, seriously.

    The real underlying reason is I thought I could help them further themselves on a professional level, improve aspects of their organization and help them grow; I wish I would have been able to do more. The reason I ultimately left was because it was clear that I was no longer able to help them enough to merit my role. It had been too little too late to affect the change needed to right the ship, I had become busy with my own band, and it had become clear that the guys no longer wanted to tour in the same way. We remain very close friends, and in fact Goose will be opening for Mister F in Albany on December 30th for a Twiddle afterparty, and as is tradition, hopefully they will have me up for a sit in!

    Mister F HiatusThere are a lot of ‘What ifs’ in the story of Mister F. What if the vans hadn’t broken down? What if touring led to a steady increase in revenue over the years? But more importantly, for touring bands out there who are just getting going, what are the lesson to be learned from the (still unfinished) story of Mister F? Fate is a fickle bitch who plays her hand as she sees fit, and certain fates fell upon Mister F in a slow moving succession that led them to this point. But maybe in a way, they did make it. Andrew Chamberlaine offers this parting thought on what might have changed the band’s circumstances:

    “Luck, and maybe more of a “business mentality” but who the hell wants to treat art or music like a business?! So much of this industry is based on luck. For every successful band/musician we know of there are at least 100 bands/musicians with more talent and originality that we won’t hear of because they didn’t catch that break or weren’t in the right place at the right time. I always think “Well what if I gave it more time?,” but the fact is time is finite for us all, just do what you love and have fun with the little time you have here on Earth and I can guarantee you’ve “made it” in your own right.”

  • Writer Garret Woodward talks Bluegrass ahead of Book Readings Dec 27 & 28

    Author and New York native Garret Woodward will host two readings and discussions of his first book “If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage.” The bluegrass-centric book covers interviews with dozens of bluegrass, folk and Americana legends, and dives deep into the genre with the performers themselves.

    Garret WoodwardWoodward will be at Champlain Meeting House in Champlain on Wednesday, December 27 and at Nine Pin Cider in Albany on Thursday, December 28. Both events start at 6:30pm. Currently based in Asheville and serving as the Arts/Entertainment editor for The Smoky Mountain News, in addition to duties as music editor for Smoky Mountain Living magazine, Woodward published his debut book earlier this year to rave reviews. His weekly column in The Smoky Mountain News, “This must be the place,” is a must read.

    NYS Music spoke to Woodward about his book, bluegrass in New York and what kind of music scene can be found in Rouses Point.

    Pete Mason: Your book “If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage” features interviews with numerous bluegrass musicians from around the country. How did you select the interviews that made the book, and do you have any particular favorites?

    Garret Woodward: Well, the book itself came as a result of my 2016 nomination for “Print/Media Person of the Year” from the International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, which is the overseeing body of the entire bluegrass industry. Kind of like the Grammys of bluegrass, in a sense. Though I didn’t win the award, I realized those that had won it previously had been involved in book projects. And yet, it’s not about winning the award. In all honesty, it was about realizing I needed to take my music journalism to the next level, which is doing long-term projects. As an arts and entertainment editor in Western North Carolina, in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, you really can’t throw a rock around these parts without hitting a talented bluegrass picker or singer. This is the birthplace of so many incredibly iconic bluegrass and mountain music performers. What’s interesting is, some of the finest, most intricate pickers I’ve ever come across never actually “left the porch,” where they looked at the picking after dinner or on the weekends as pure enjoyment, as if to say, “if you were lucky enough to hear it and witness it first-hand, you were lucky enough.”

    That said, in my five years at The Smoky Mountain News, I’ve had the pleasure of simply being around so many great bluegrass players, many of which live within an earshot of my home-base in Waynesville, North Carolina. Heck, one of the most successful and award-winning bluegrass groups nowadays, Balsam Range, all live in Waynesville. I run into them at the coffee shop, post office and local breweries. We’ve become great friends over the years, too, which I cherish. You also have folks like The Steep Canyon Rangers and Mountain Faith hailing from these parts. Beyond that, the more I immersed myself into the bluegrass scene, the more I kept discovering, the more questions I had, the more musicians I came across, all of which I had, and continue to have, a deep, unrelenting desire to interview and document.

    Truthfully, each of the interviews in the book hold a special place in my heart. First and foremost, my decade-long friendship with Peter Rowan, who also wrote the introduction to the book, stands out. He and I have sat down and interviewed more times than I can remember. A true cosmic cowboy. Alongside that, I would also have to add the time I headed up to Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame in beautiful Bean Blossom, Indiana, and covered the Hall of Fame induction of my friend, Western North Carolina native and banjo great Raymond Fairchild. That was a tear-jerker standing there, watching him finally get the recognition he deserved after so many years of being either overlooked or forgotten. And then there was the time I drove all the way down to a bluegrass festival in Florida, and had planned on doing a backstage interview with David Grisman, only to have the “Dawg” bluntly say he wasn’t interested in talking to me. So, I went and sat sidestage and still watched his show, mesmerized. I swear, he kept looking over at me every-so-often and grinned, as if to acknowledge my pure love and interest in what he was doing. Following the show, he came up to me and said, “Ok, you can ask one question, but it better be good.” We ended up talking for the better part of an hour, walking away as friends.

    PM: Why bluegrass? What is the appeal of the genre to you to compile a book of this nature?

    GW: The beauty of bluegrass comes from the mere fact you can’t hide behind anything. It’s a human being with an instrument and a voice, standing amongst others doing the same. What you see is what you get, what you hear on an album is exactly what you will hear onstage, and amid layers of intricate jamming and soloing. There are no gimmicks or stage tricks with bluegrass. It’s honest music about honest people trying to make an honest living in a sometimes cruel and confusing world. It’s also the music of the history of America. At its core, bluegrass is the intersection of British Isles ballad traditions and African/African-American culture, in terms of slavery coming to this country. Most folks don’t realize that the banjo is actually an African instrument. So, you take those two backgrounds colliding, add in centuries of mountain isolation and a crucial tradition of oral storytelling in these mountains, and you have bluegrass.

    PM: You grew up in Rouses Point, one of the northernmost towns in all of New York. I may only be able to get an answer once in a lifetime – what’s the music scene like up there?

    GW: The music of Rouses Point was, and I would surmise remains, similar to many other towns of the Northern Tier and Route 11 corridor. It’s a ton of tribute bands onstage in just as many dive bars, many of which playing a heavy mixture of The Tragically Hip, Grateful Dead, April Wine, Phish, an oddly large amount of southern rock, and so on. So many tribute bands, but all of which filled with familiar faces that had, and still have, a deep love for music and musicianship. Aside from that, there is a large segment, and also appreciation, for string music and bluegrass. You have to remember, a big portion of that British Isles culture didn’t come through Ellis Island in New York City, but rather through the St. Lawrence Seaway into Quebec and Ontario, onward into Upstate New York and Vermont. As a kid, I remember plenty of bluegrass festivals, in Plattsburgh, Jericho, Mooers Forks, or wherever there was an open field on a day that wasn’t freezing. Rouses Point is pretty far away from any type of scene, unless you wandered down to Burlington, Vermont, or over the border to Montreal. So, we’d all get a bonfire together and a group of folks, grab a few cases of Labatt Blue, and rock out. There were always instruments around, but more so it’d be somebody blasting the new Phish or Strangefolk bootleg in their rusty truck with a stereo and speakers worth more than the whole vehicle.

    PM: The North Country has a music culture all its own. What do you see as a standout feature to the music coming from this region of the state?

    GW: A big component of the North Country music scene kind of pertains to what I had just mentioned, which is this huge appreciation for music, and also a keen aptitude for sound and rhythm. In terms of the music itself, it’s sonic signature would reside in that every band is unique, and also a sponge that soaks up whatever everybody else is doing. Running around covering shows in the North Country, and also managing one of the area’s biggest bands for a spell, I will say the camaraderie between groups is incredibly unique for a scene. Everybody who is onstage playing one show will, like clockwork, all go and see the late-night band next door following their set, the same late-night band that was rocking out in the crowd at the initial show. I also have to point out that though the North Country may seem, and is, geographically isolated, it’s that same isolation that attracts interesting and talented folks from all over the world. You see and hear so many musicians up there where many of them came from somewhere else, and with that, brought along all their musical influences and skills, only to contribute to the ever-evolving and growing pile of creativity in the North Country.

    Beyond that, with never-ending, merciless winters and just the sheer nature of isolation from urban areas, folks up there have a lot of free time when they’re not hard at work trying to live and trying to survive. So, with that precious free time, they either practice their instruments or spend endless hours listening to music.

    What I’ve also always liked about my fellow North Country folks is their sincere gratitude for the experience of a live show. They’ll, and myself included, go to any band that’s playing anywhere in their town, just to get down and sweat out the lingering winter and perhaps stagnant nature of life itself in that small town. And the live show is a congregation of small towns in the North Country, maybe the one time of the week you run into most of the people you know where you live. Those same folks will also throw down on a big show, too. I can’t tell you how many friends and family members of mine truly save up throughout the year to do a Phish New Year’s Eve run or follow moe. around the East Coast. We love our music, especially when performed live.

    PM: How have you seen the brand of bluegrass found in New York compare to that of other areas of the country?

    GW: With New York bluegrass, the obvious ambassadors would be The Gibson Brothers. They’re from a couple towns over from where I grew up, in Ellenburg Depot, the epitome of a “cow town,” where there are more cows than people when it comes to the population. They have made quite a name for themselves locally, regionally, and nationally, as one of the premier bluegrass acts anywhere today. And their story of how they came across bluegrass, and what it means to be from the North Country and such, is very similar to mine, which is why we’re become good friends over the years of crossing paths at shows and events. With the Gibsons holding strong to that traditional sound, you also see a lot of scrappier, what we would call “mountain music” bands in New York, where it’s not technically bluegrass, in terms of a traditional or mechanical sense, but the attitude and sincerity of the stage show resonates just as deeply and passionately. That scrappier New York style of, well, I guess bluegrass, seems to be played much faster than the traditional style, and with more urgency, where it’s more about getting the crowd going than actually trying to impress the audience, as if to say, “there’s no time to show off, let’s get this party started.”

    PM: What is it about music that inspires you to write?

    GW: Music is the one thing that makes sense to me. Whenever I’m frustrated with life, whether my own or the world-at-large, going to a live show or throwing on a favorite album brings an immediate calmness to my heart, and also a much-needed spark to the fire within my soul. I started writing about music purely by accident. It really kind of happened out-of-nowhere. And it felt good, so I kept doing it. Now? It’s my “Zen zone,” almost like a meditative state, where I have my headphones on and I dive into the depths of my thoughts, emotions and interpretations of what I see and hear, and why it’s important to, and for, the greater good. I aim to share my love for music with others, because, as we music lovers and freaks are well-aware of, there’s nothing like a live show and making a connection with those onstage and around you.

  • Hearing Aide: Chris Eves and The New Normal ‘Find Your Way’

    Chris Eves and The New Normal debut their album Find Your Way this Friday night, December 22 at Funk n Waffles in downtown Syracuse, and on a busy night of Christmas parties and shows, its a must-see show given the prowess shown on this release. Recorded, produced and mastered at More Sound Studios in Syracuse by The New Normal and Andrew Greacen, this homegrown album and band sound ready to deliver in a live setting.

    chris eves Find Your Way
    Chris Eves Band

    Opening tracks “Remember to Forget” and “Green and Blue” show off the guitar work of Jay Lock, with the latter a stand out track on the album, truly soaring to height after height. “Walking on a Wire” is light and poppy in a Dave Matthews/Dispatch way, down to the built in crowd sing along. “Find Your Way” – all eight minutes of it – is a journey of a song, with peaks and valleys with an Assembly of Dust vibe throughout, down to Mike D’Ambrosio’s keys, which shine even more on “On Rainy Days.”

    The album doesn’t have a lull or soft spot, and halfway through there’s a steady rock groove that gets harder with “The Chains You Wear,” with an early Soundgarden vibe.  “Fall” is the hardest rocking track, bringing to mind moe.’s “McBain” and “George” amid an accelerated raging first half and a mellow reflective second one that turns up with Bayliss/Cinninger-esque guitar licks. Eves’ vocals are a treat throughout the album – like a diamond in the rough of jam band vocalists – notably, on the soul-extending “New Normal” and song of longing that closes the album, “Flown Away.”

    Most tracks clock in between 4-6 minutes, giving a sign that these songs will stretch out much further in a live setting. After a few listens to the album, two things are apparent: Find Your Way is a debut album with shine and depth, and The New Normal might be the best new band out of Syracuse.

    Key Tracks: Green and Blue, When the Stars Start Falling, Fall

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Albums of the Year

    With a wide ranging variety of music across the state, New York has an intense amount of bands releasing music each year, much of it recorded in New York State. Whether it was recorded at in Syracuse at Subcat Studios, at Albany’s Overit Studios, New Paltz’s Castle Studios, or Dreamland Recording in Woodstock (among the numerous options around the state), these 2017 albums from homegrown artists reflect the diverse music being produced right at home in New York.

    Best Albums by a New York Artist

    Staff Picks

    Dopapod MEGAGEM

    Dopapod may be taking 2018 off, but they left a fantastic album for fans prior to their year long hiatus. After their Fall Tour closing show in Syracuse this past Saturday, the band gears up for two final shows – December 30 at Fete Music Hall in Providence, and December 31 at Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Catch em while you can, because these NYS Music faves won’t be back until 2019!

    Read what Alyssa Ladzinski had to say about Megagem: “With their most themed release to date, its apparent the quartet knew exactly where they wanted to go, as they take their listeners on a dream pop journey to the center of self fulfillment. The 5th studio album comes a a bittersweet symphony, the last creative piece relinquished by the jam rockers before the looming hiatus. While its bittersweet to know you wont witness the live, raw talent of a band so deserving of its praises for an entire year, at the very least, we’re left to see how the entire album translates on stage and if any of those strings just so happen to surface during fall tour.”

    Big Mean Sound Machine Runnin’ For The Ghost

    Ithaca’s Big Mean Sound Machine is no small touring band. Nine members have been storming the Northeast for the past few years, and their fan funded album Runnin’ for the Ghost served as a catalyst for the group to launch outward in 2018. “Known for throwing some of the sweatiest dance parties in the Northeast, Big Mean Sound Machine has been ambitiously touring and working hard to welcome new followers with no plans of slowing down.  The new fan-funded album, Runnin’ for the Ghost, is just one example of how relentless experimentation on the road can lead to something positive and fruitful in the studio.” Read more of Ben Boivin’s review.

    Formula 5 All Points North

    Eli Stein said of the jam happy foursome “On All Points North, the new album from Albany jam-rockers Formula 5, ‘North’ is not a physical direction, but a mental state. North is up, and up is good.” Read more and don’t miss Formula 5’s final show of the year at DROM following Phish on December 30.

    The Other Brothers Jones


    New Paltz is alive and kicking with The Other Brothers storming out of the gates with their Jones EP, released in September with a sold-out show at American Beauty to celebrate. Alyssa Ladzinski said of Jones “With eclectic and effortless transitions between a broad horizon of styles, The Other Brothers don’t allow themselves to be labeled as a one-genre group, if anything, they’re simply contagious. Instead, they master a collection of ballads and soul-soothing soundscapes leaving their exploration and further projects open to directions of all kinds.” Read more here

    Folkfaces How Long

    Folkfaces have had a great year – they were one of the founding bands of NYS Music 87/90, they had a relentless Summer Tour, and released How Long back in April. Buffablog said of the album “From the back-country banjo charm of “Institution Blues,” to the rowdy foot-stomping pandemonium of album opener “Arrows We Break,” right on down to the sultry jazz elements of “Indian Lake,” there is something for everyone on this record. No matter what your poison, it is served with a smile on How Long.

    Reader Picks

    The Other Brothers Jones

    Readers loved The Other Brothers Jones, and why not? Their dedicated fans sold out their album release show at American Beauty in September. Check out our recap.

    Aqueous Element Pt. 1, Element Pt. 2

    Aqueous has had a monster year, including signing with Nugs.net and releasing not one but two live releases in the form of their Element series. Stream these jam favorites below and pick up the album at their Bandcamp store.

    Best Albums – Nationwide

    Staff Picks

    Mike Gordon OGOGO

    The evolution of Mike Gordon’s side project has been a delight to watch over the past decade. The current incarnation of Mike Gordon Band straddles the line between Phish’s jammy goodness and Mike’s inherent weirdness. Tracks like “Marissa” and “Crazy Sometimes” have made their way into Phish’s rotation this year and OGOGO was well received on Mike’s recent fall tour.

    Body Count Blood Lust

    Ice-T’s heavy metal band returned with their first album since 2014’s Manslaughter received a Grammy nomination for the song “Black Hoodie.”

    Kendrick Lamar DAMN.

    When you are named the greatest living rapper, you expect greatness. That’s exactly what DAMN. delivers. It ended the year as the #1 album on Billboard, and was nominated for Best Rap Album and Album of the year, which is Lamar’s third consecutive album to be nominated for the honor.

    Queens of the Stone Age Villains

    Marc Ronson produced the seventh album from the heavy rocking QOTSA, led to longer than usual tracks (six of nine are over 5 minutes long), all based on hearing the Ronson produced “Uptown Funk.” Frontman Josh Homme told VICE earlier this year “I knew I wanted to make something that sounded very tight, and with the air sucked out of it and very clear. So he was just a great reminder just as an opening and then his desires are so beat-centric. And so are mine […] we had this tremendous amount of overlap.”

    lespecial Cheen

    Boston’s heavy jamband lespecial produced a winning album in Cheen, released this past Halloween. Read more in our review, that said ‘lespecial has spent several years cultivating a dedicated fanbase with a sound that cleverly interweaves psychedelia, technical math-rock, metal, electronica, and a tribal influence that feels like it comes from deep in the jungle. The entire album has the coherent flow of a concept album, with its many themes seeming to bleed effortlessly from one song to the next.

    Dopapod MEGAGEM

    No surprise here – Dopapod was a staff favorite, enough to be selected as album of the year nationwide.

    Reader Picks

    King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Polygonawanaland

    Australian Psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard produce a style of rock that is as unique as their name. They’ve produced 12 albums in the past five years, with Polygonawanaland their fifth of 2017 alone. Stream the full album below and discover the weirdness within.

    Dopapod MEGAGEM

    NYS Music’s readers were on the same page with us. There’s no denying how great Megagem is.

    Kendrick Lamar DAMN

    Kendrick’s conscious rap received rave reviews from media outlets around the country. It’ll be a surprise if he doesn’t win top honors at the Grammys in January.

  • NYS Music’s Guide to 2017 New Years Eve shows around New York State

    NYS Music combed the state, across I-90 and I-87, up into the North Country and down into the Southern Tier, and has compiled a comprehensive list of all events coming up this New Year’s Eve. Make your plans for New Years Eve 2017 and say hello to a brighter 2018! (If we missed a show, email details to editors@nysmusic.com)

    Buffalo and WNY

    Join Intrepid Travelers and Folkfaces in their Buffalo hometown at Nietzsche’s. Event Link

    2017 new years eveRing in the New Year at Buffalo Iron Works with Moon Hooch, Gnomedad & Honeycomb. Get your tickets in advance – this show is sure to sell out! Event Link

    Aqueous has a Gorillaz-themed set planned for their bash at Town Ballroom. Event Link 

    Renown Pink Floyd Tribute band The Machine will be performing at Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls. Event Link 

    North Tonawanda’s Strand Theatre has Miller & The Other Sinners with special guest Cinnamon Jones. Event Link

    Celebrate The New Year in Jamestown at Jamestown Eagles Club with the Kates Brothers Band. Event Link

    Ithaca

    Big Mean Sound Machine’s Big Mean New Year’s Eve will mean of night of getting down at Lot 10. Event Link

    Get a double dose of folk rock at The Haunt with Driftwood. Event Link

    Rochester and Finger Lakes

    Rochester’s hottest new venue, Radio Social, has a hot show planned featuring harp-playing singer/songwriter Mikaela Davis. Event Link 

    Mosh your way into 2018. Floated Magazine is hosting a hardcore show a show at Bug Jar with REPS, The Weight We Carry, Kodivk, and Bone Mask. Event Link

    Funk n Waffles Rochester: Dirty Blanket & Root Shock. Event Link 

    Anthology has two nights of fun planned. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad plays both nights. On December 30 they’re joined by John Brown’s Body and Thunder Body. And on New Year’s Eve, they share the stage with Easy Star All-Stars (performing Dub Side of the Moon) Event Link

    Syracuse and CNY

    In Syracuse, Sophistafunk and Skunk City will rock out at Funk N Waffles Downtown. Event Link

    Or catch The Ripcords at the Fireside Inn in Baldwinsville.

    Verona – Mick Adams and The Stones at Turning Stone Casino. Event Link

    Capital District

    Throughout Albany, Schenectady and Troy this New Year’s Eve, celebrate responsibly. Call for a free cab in the Capital Region during New Year’s Eve, courtesy of Martin, Harding, & Mazzotti LLP.

    Twiddle will ring in the New Year, with a second performance at the Palace Theatre in Albany with special guest Giant Country Horns. Event Link.

    Join in on the mystique of Albany, at the Hollow Bar + Kitchens NYE Masquerade party with live music by The Late Shift, and Mirk. Event Link

    The Albany Hilton will host a NYE ’80s theme party, with music by The Refrigerators. Event Link

    A Pirate, and mermaid themed Shipwrecked party will take over The Desmond Hotel in Albany, with live music by The Audiostars, Skeeter Creek, and DeeJay Element. Event Link

    Playing With Fire Band, along with many others, will perform at Bethlehem’s First Night, in Delmar. Event Link

    Ring in the New Year at the annual First Night, in downtown Saratoga, where there will be a wide range of activities and live music. Event Link

    Vapor Nightclub at the Saratoga Casino and Hotel, with feature the biggest balloon drop in the Capital Region along with music by The New York Players. Event Link

    Motown will take over the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, as R&B and Funk legends, The Commodores, are set to ring in the New Year in the Electric City. Event Link

    Proctors Theater in Schenectady will hold their own Motown NYE bash with music by The Chronicles. Event Link

    Soul Provider will rock in the New Year at the Rustic Barn Pub in Troy. Event Link

    The Shop in Troy, along with other neighboring spaces, will host a Masquerade party with Burlesque performers and live jazz bands. Event Link

    Hudson Valley

    Kingston’s BSP Lounge will host Rubblebucket and local organist Marco Benevento. Event Link 

    Bearsville Theater will welcome Gratefully Yours on New Year’s Eve for a night of Grateful Dead music. Event Link

    In Woodstock, check out The Big Takeover at Colony Cafe. Event Link 

    North Country

    In Plattsburgh, The Monopole will host Groovestick for all night party with some Grateful Dead added in! Music starts at 10pm and goes until 6am. Event Link

    Saranac Lake at The Waterhole will feature Annie in the Water and Nina’s Brew. Event Link

    Westchester

    Portchester’s Capitol Theatre brings in Colorado’s String Cheese Incident for 3 sets! Event Link

    New York City

    Brooklyn

    They Might Be Giants at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Event Link


    Brooklyn Bowl will host the legendary funk troupe Lettuce along with rising dance artists Jaw Gems. Event Link 

    Rich Medina presents HOME at C’mon Everybody  in Brooklyn, performing house, rare groove and garage classics. Event Link

    Soul Clap will keep the Crew Love real this New Year’s Eve with special live performances from rhythmic house duo No Regular Play and Afro-Futuristic pilots The Illustrious Blacks. Event Link

    Budos Band will hit The Knitting Factory with Evolfo and Electric Citizen. Event Link

    Bell House hosts The Rub NYE featuring DJ Ayres, DJ Eleven, Makossa Brooklyn Cookout and Prince Klassen. Event Link

    Manhattan

    Holly Bowling will perform her annual pre-show at The Cutting Room at 4pm on NYE. Event Link

    Electric Love Machine hosts a FREE pre-party at American Beauty before Phish. Event Link

    Gov’t Mule will host ‘The Rockin Mule Revue’ at The Beacon Theater, with special guests including Jackie Greene, Shawn Pelton, The Chronic Horns and The Better Half Singers. Event Link

    Gramatik throws a dance party like no other at Terminal 5 on NYE. Event Link

    Prefer Jazz to kick 2018 off? Try The Birdland Big Band at Birdland. Event Link


    Three sets of Disco Biscuits await their loyal fans at The Playstation Theater in Times Square. Event Link


    Macy Gray’s soulful voice will be singing the crowd into 2018 at Iridium Jazz Club. Event Link


    John Digweed and Tara Brooks headline a bevy of DJs at Output. Event Link

    and of course, Phish at Madison Square Garden. Event Link

    Followed by and one final Phish After-party, this one with Kung Fu, Wyllys, Jerry Lounge Experience and more at American Beauty. Event Link

  • Keller Williams and Danton Boller Perform Intimate Show at The Egg’s Swyer Theater

    Guitar virtuoso Keller Williams returned to The Egg Performing Arts Center on Thursday, December 7, and performed two intimate one hour sets in the Swyer Theater, alongside stand up bassist Danton Boller, the first of three shows together.  Keller recalled his previous shows in the Hart Theater (which he referred to as the “Red Room”), and how years ago before going on stage, he stuck his head into the Swyer Theater and professed a desire to play the room.

    Keller Williams Danton BollerKeller started the first of two acoustic sets with the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song” and Phish’s “Birds of a Feather,” all while wearing a guitar strap featuring Angry Birds. Williams showed some more love for Jerry Garcia in the form of the Peter Rowan tune “Mississippi Moon,” and after the classic “Freeker by the Speaker,” wrapped up the first set with a 78 RPM version of “Samson and Delilah.”  Set 2 kicked off with the audience contributing to “Off Time” and “Breathe,” with one of Keller’s best hits, “Best Feeling,” emerging from an open call to the audience for suggestions. A little more Dead followed in the form of a tease-happy “Scarlet Begonias” wrapped up the show with an encore of “I Feel High” off the appropriate album, Vape. Keller Williams and Danton Boller will wrapped up their three show run on Saturday night at Stage One at FTC in Fairfield, CT.

  • Interview: Trevor Lewington of Enter the Haggis Prepares to enter Putnam Den

    Canada’s finest Celtic music export, Enter the Haggis, will return to the Putnam Den this Saturday, December 9, with Albany’s Black Mountain Symphony kicking the night off. Haggis Heads will unite for an energetic night of Celtic rock as part of the group’s “Broken Arms” Tour.  Trevor Lewington (guitar, mandolin, keyboard, vocals for Enter the Haggis) spoke with NYS Music this week to discuss their New York fans, the Irish connection found at shows around the state, and how their studio work remains fresh after more than 20 years.

    enter the haggis interview

    Pete Mason: Given New York’s large Irish community spread out around the state, do you find the crowds to be different when you play in New York, or are Haggis Heads a universal fanbase?

    Trevor Lewington: There’s a strong connection between the US and Ireland so just about anywhere you go in this country you’ll find people with Irish roots. That said, obviously New York has one of the largest expat Irish populations so when you play in a band with pipes and fiddle, there’s big support. Our music also blurs the lines between a number of styles and many Haggis Heads across the country have little or no connection to Ireland, which is cool too. There really is something about Irish and Celtic music in general that draws the listener in and tends to get people dancing and having a good time.

    PM: How was your recent show at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse? And you’ve got shows in February in Buffalo and Rochester coming up?

    TL: We’ve definitely been busy recently! Besides the Upstate shows, the last couple months have taken us to California, Texas and Ireland. The Westcott show was awesome as usual – we play a wide range of venues from seated theaters to standing rock clubs and the Westcott (and Putnam Den) are two of the most rockin’.

    PM: How do you feel your music has evolved over the past few years?

    TL: We started as very much a Celtic/Irish Rock band and over about 10 albums have gone in all sorts of directions. Leading up to our last couple of releases we were getting further from the Celtic sound and then had a furious swing right back to our roots as a band. I think we needed a little time away from it to get excited about Celtic Rock again. We’ve also come to realize that for whatever reason this band plays Celtic Rock music in a very natural and authentic way – it helps having a Scottish piper and a fiddle player who grew up competing on the Canadian fiddle circuit.

    PM: Given that 2012’s The Modest Revolution was written based on stories found in a 2012 edition of Toronto’s The Globe and Mail, and another album was written based on letters from fans, how does giving your albums themes keep the studio experience fresh?

    TL: Not only did it keep things fresh but it was a great way to engage listeners. Plus, it’s usually our songs that are based on specific stories that seem to connect with our fans. That said, we’re embarking on a new record and this time I mostly just pulled lyrics from the depths of my heart and brain… and my liver… this is starting to sound a bit like haggis.

  • Exclusive Premiere: Hard Soul’s EP “This Will Hurt”

    Hard Soul returns this week with their new EP This Will Hurt. NYS Music presents an exclusive premiere of the 5 track EP, due out tomorrow and available on the group’s Bandcamp. The first single “See Me” was released this past week.

    The EP features five tracks, including three brand-new songs and two new arrangements of previously-released acoustic tracks “Fairer ShorTes” and “Have To Be A Miracle,” which originally appeared on the band’s 2015 EP Fairer Shores.

    Lead singer Johnny Salka says of the latest release, “The new EP is a renewed approach to that songwriting ethos which represents the last three years and next step in the musical evolution of Hard Soul. We’re absolutely stoked to share the new songs with our fans and the rest of the world.”

    https://soundcloud.com/thehardsoul/sets/this-will-hurt-ep/

  • Get Brainwashed with ShwizZ’s Quirky video for “Listen To It”

    This past week, ShwiZz released their video for “Listen To It,” a satirical song with an equally odd video that bounces around similar to the jams ShwiZz performs. Watch below.

    “Listen To It” was conceptualized and written by Ryan Liatsis and brought to life in 2017 with the band ShwizZ. The self-referential tune encourages the listener to indeed “listen to it,” over and over again. Guitarist Ryan Liatsis shared some background on the video. “The original idea was to write more of a pop song to take the band in a different direction, but of course our love for Zappa shone through and we wound up adding quite a bit of humor and satire. The song is merely a mockery of the power mainstream media has over so many minds, “telling” them all what should be listened to, whether you like it or not! We are undoubtedly not the first people or group to shed light on this matter, but our hope is that people who view this video will consider giving a listen to small time bands, music you’ve perhaps never heard and non commercial radio and media. Or perhaps we just want to brainwash everyone as well.”

    shwizz at garcia's Shwizz Listen to it“Listen To It” was directed and produced by Paul Liatsis and Bridgeside Productions out of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, NY, and was filmed at Bridgeside Productions Studio in Nyack, NY.

    Catch ShwiZz on December 9 at B.R.Y.A.C in Bridgeport, CT, December 15 at Casa Del Sol in Nyack, NY and on January 11 at 10pm they’ll be part of a live TV performance “Raw Music Sessions,” available for viewing on Channel 79 Time Warner Cable and Fios Staten Island