New York City ensemble Shouthouse debuted their single “ANTS” last week on NYS Music, and today, they debut an elaborately choreographed music video for the tune. Watch below.
Composed by pianist Will Healy, shot and edited by Jack Frerer and colorized by Bobby Wagnerman at Haym Pictures, the music video traverses the city and combines various elements of New York City with “ANTS,” bringing two complex components together for one multi-dimensional video. Healy spoke with NYS Music about the video:
“Living in New York can become oddly isolating, even though there are so many people living there together. As you move through the streets and subways, it’s easy to feel alone in a crowd. There is an impersonal atmosphere in New York, and any amount of self expression can be seen as bizarre, shocking, or dangerous.
“For this video, I wanted each rapper and dancer to slowly transform from a normal face into the crowd into artists. As the music plays, they are shown walking or standing, and over time they separate from those around them, transitioning into movements and verses that express their inner dialogue.
“I wanted the viewer to get a sense of the different sides and heights of urban living, progressing from underground in the subways to ground level in Times Square, and finally on a roof overlooking East Harlem.
“We had a blast shooting this video. Any excuse to interrupt the routine among commuters gets great reactions (especially the shots on the escalator!). There are also so many interesting spots to shoot, the city was our playground for the day. There are three dancers in the video–Taylor LaBruzzo and Zach Gonder from Juilliard, and Quilan Arnold, who is a Brooklyn-based hip hop dancer. It was great to see their different styles interact, and they did a great job visually representing our unique style of music-making through their different genres of dance.”
Glens Falls native Frank Palangi has released “Set Me Free,” the title track off his upcoming EP. The hard rocking single puts Palangi’s gritty vocals and grunge-tinged sound on display ahead of the October 2 release of the Set Me Free EP.
Palangi draws on hard rock and metal influences such as Metallica, Creed and Daughtry, and has opened for a variety of artists including 3 Doors Down, Candlebox, Buckcherry, Starset, Spiritual Rez. Using powerful vocals layered on driving, upbeat rock and roll, Palangi brings a fresh sound to modern rock.
Set Me Free was produced and mixed by Frank Palangi, mastered by Robert Venable, and recorded at The Cat Room Recording Studios, Off The Wall Studios, and Palangi Studios.
“Set me Free” will be released on October 2. Pre-order on iTunes or Amazon.
For those who love modern classic rock, Midnight North returns to New York this week, bringing with them songs off their latest release Under the Lights. The band has found followings on the West and East coast, and perform on Tuesday at The Hollow in Albany, Friday at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock and Saturday at Brooklyn Comes Alive. Connor O’Sullivan, who plays bass and mandolin in Midnight North spoke with NYS Music about their latest release, their East coast fanbase and how things have changed in the past year for the group.
Pete Mason: What can fans in the Northeast who are venturing out to see you the first time expect in a live setting?
Connor O’Sullivan: For fans who’ve never seen us, it’s maybe rock n roll with a bit of twang, with a little jam thrown in there. It’s not a classic rock show, but it’s maybe a classic rock kind of sound with what we’re trying to do – write songs that will become classics, with a few covers sprinkled in here or there from the 60s or 70s – Dead or Dylan or CSNY – but it’s gonna be a rock show focused on classic songs and a lot of singing. We have 3 very powerful harmony singers in the band and every once in a while I’ll throw my voice in as a fourth. We try to keep it balanced between vocals, harmony, and soloing. I think the focus is on new classic rock songs and that’s what you’re going to hear.
We’ve been able to grow our fanbase in the Northeast after playing nationally for the past couple years, but the New York area is sort of a second home to us. We have super fans who travel 2-3 hours to see us and we are able to borrow gear from other bands. Sometimes the shows on the East coast are even better than the West coast and we feel that love. It’s a grind – you gotta stick to it and keep your head up and slowly build it up and that’s the philosophy behind us.
PM:Under the Lights is a fantastic album about the road, touring, traveling and the life of a band. How have the experiences since the album’s release compared to those that were reflected on the album?
CO: I think it’s similar – we’ve taken a very small step up. Those songs were written last summer. Since then, the shows are slightly bigger, and sometimes we still worry that we might not have a crowd. We know that we’re still a band building it up and growing, but because we’ve put in the work, the experience on the road is a bit easier and we’re more used to it. We are only a year and a half removed from the album, but we’re a little bit more experienced.
PM: At Brooklyn Comes Alive, you’ll perform a CSNY tribute. What is the influence of CSNY on your sound, and what will the set will be like?
CO: The set is going to be awesome. We started the idea at Terrapin Crossroads in the early days of the venue, even before there was a stage – there was no stage in the bar, no music every night, and we were one of the first bands to play there every night, so we would play there once or twice a week. We did the entire Grievous Angelalbum by Gram Parsons. Grahame (Lesh) would do the Gram parts and Elliott (Peck) did the Emmylou Harris parts, and there are few albums like that with male and female parts. It was great and we got a great response, right at the beginning of the band.
CSNY came about when we decided to spitball some new cover ideas, and we wanted a folk rock opus like “Suite Judy Blue Eyes.” There are different feels, difficult harmonies, tempo changes, and it took a couple months to learn it and people were losing their shit the first time we played it. That was one of the big covers we did for a number of years. From there, we left Gram Parsons at Terrapin and we ended up learning more than a whole set of CSNY songs and we did a show at Slim’s in San Francisco a year ago that was all CSNY. Phil Lesh played with us at Slim’s along with a bunch of other guests – Jay Lane (Primus, Furthur) and Lebo (Dan Lebowitz, ALO) on guitar. Brooklyn Comes Alive asked us to do the same. We also had a Terrapin Crossroads show with Mike and Phil on bass to start second set, just bass solo, and I sat back and played mandolin along with Grahame’s brother Brian and Rob James – this was sort of the original Terrapin musicians lineup playing all together.
PM: Has there been a moment where the band, or you individually have gone ‘Wow, this is… this is what we’ve been working for,’ throughout your career?
CO: There’s definitely been some shows on the East coast – The Acoustic in Bridgeport, CT – it was close to a sell out show and it really felt good – a place we hadn’t played before, where the room was full, it was our show only, and everyone was there to see us. It felt like it was starting to work.
Same feeling came when we toured with Twiddle and started opening for them. They draw a ton of people across the country, and they packed the Westcott Theater. We had the thought “This is a good band, this is gonna work,” and going on tour with them paid off and playing with them helped a lot, on top of being some of the nicest people in the world.
PM: What role does improvisation have in the live performance?
CO: Well, it depends on what kind of live performance. I grew up playing a lot of classical music and there is no improv there. Rock n roll, you get on stage and you’re essentially winging it. Your equipment might break, an amp might go down, you’re putting yourself out there, standing on stage in a rock club where people are usually drunk and things are supposed to be a little wild, and if it’s not, you’re not doing it right, and getting the real essences of rock n roll. It plays a big part in rock n roll, even if you’re not a jamband, you’re still up there with an anything goes attitude and I’d call that improvisation.
Tickets for Tuesday’s show at The Hollow are on sale now. Space Carnival takes the stage at 9pm, with Midnight North taking the stage shortly after.
Shouthouse, a 16-piece chamber orchestra from New York City has released their latest has released their single “ANTS” through NYS Music. Combining elements of jazz, hip-hop, and classical music, Shouthouse brings together talented artists from various backgrounds to achieve a new form of expression through powerful music while telling stories through notes, structures and words.
ShoutHouse began in 2012 as members of the afrobeat/hip-hop band Yes Noyes collaborated with orchestral musicians and composers. Over the past five years, the group has grown into a small orchestra and a large community of performing artists. Altogether, the project includes more than fifty musicians, dancers, visual artists, poets, and rappers. In 2016, Shouthouse worked with hophop and classical dancers, to develop choreographed performances, first presented at The DiMenna Center as part of their CrossCurrents series.
“ANTS” is part of a series of pieces that reflect on New York City, imagined through different time periods. Shouthouse’s upcoming album has pieces that are about the distant past, 1940’s New York, and the distant, dystopian future. For “ANTS”, pianist Will Healy shares “We were thinking about what modern life is like in an urban hive – a combination of massive, overwhelming concrete and exhilarating, fast-paced life. The track is constantly active with notes and fast changes, and the lyrics are full of stories, metaphors and references that all circle back to the concept of being a part of modern day life as specks in the big city.”
“ANTS” features Bush Tea and Nuri Hazzard, with music by Will Healy. The song was produced by Harrison Keithline and Tyler Wood and mixed and engineered by Jack Frerer, with additional editing from Mikkel Christensen and Skei’n Studios. Shouthouse’s orchestra includes Megan Atchley (violin), Allison Mase (violin), Drew Forde (viola), Olivia Harris (cello), Luiz Bacchi (bass), Jack Gulielmetti (electric guitar), David Valbuena (clarinet), Kelley Barnett (flute) Jesse Greenberg (vibraphone/glockenspiel), Aaron Ewing (drumset), Will Healy (piano) and conducted by Alex Burtzos.
Stay tuned next week for the premiere of Shouthouse’s video for “Ants,” exclusively from NYS Music. Follow Shouthouse on Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud and YouTube.
September’s installment of Funk Night in Albany will featured members of Mister F and Let’s be Leonard, and will be hosted by Justin Mazer and Starbird. The return of Funk Night on August 17 was a rousing success and the crowd that packed The Hollow got down to music from members of Kung Fu, Wurliday and The Chronicles.
Mazer has toured nationally with American Babies, Leroy Justice, and Miz and performed with Electron, Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge, Larry Campbell, Steve Earle, Blues Traveler, and Dave Schools. Starbird is a trio featuring Al Smith (formerly of American Babies), and Dylan Skursky (of Cabinet). The trio have long performed together in various side project and will bring original compositions that focus on groove oriented music, sonic soundscapes, and a bit of twang. They’ll lay down the beats for funk night and welcome three local musicians to the stage during the night.
Joining Starbird and Mazer are Scott Hannay of Mister F on keys and Connor Dunn of Let’s be Leonard on saxophone. Doors open at 8 with music starting at 9pm on September 21. Only $10 cover to get down with members of 4 bands laying down some funk! Take a peek at the last funk night:
On Night 9 of Phish’s Baker’s Dozen residency, Maple was the donut theme of the night and with that came jams that slowly dripped out from Phish’s tap, leaving 4 nights to go and not a single song repeated thus far.
A tribute to our Maple loving neighbors to the north started the show, with a spotlight on the Canadian flag and one on Trey as he tore into ‘O Canada!’ A dozen songs followed through in the set, with nothing overly ambitious or stretched out like the previous 8 nights but the band dove into their catalog for fan favorites and rarer tunes. Highlights included the upbeat “Daniel Saw the Stone” that felt like a church revival as the lights brightened the entire arena; “Guelah Papyrus” which included Page performing Scott Joplin’s ragtime classic “Maple Leaf Rag” in between sections; “McGrupp” and a firey “Walk Away” capped the set of a full Baker’s Dozen of songs.
Set 2 brought out a usual jam vehicle “Golden Age” that stretched for 20 minutes and could have been the jam of the night if it were not for the latter half of “Swept Away” > “Steep” which took a spacey spin for 12 minutes and grew into an improvisational jam that has been a staple of the residency. Growing from “Steep” was a trio of heaters: “46 Days,” the long awaited (but not slow built) “Piper” followed by “Possum” made for 35 minutes of firey rock n roll to cap the show. An encore of Bowie’s “Rock and Roll Suicide” didn’t have the emotional impact that the debut during Halloween in Las Vegas had, but Trey singing the Ziggy Stardust coda still packs an emotional punch.
Holes is the theme for tonight’s 10th show of the Baker’s Dozen. Could Phish pay tribute to the late Chris Cornell with “Black Hole Sun?”
Set 1: O Canada[1], Crowd Control, Sugar Shack, When the Circus Comes, Daniel Saw the Stone, Army of One, The Wedge, Guelah Papyrus, Maple Leaf Rag[2], Guelah Papyrus, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > Limb By Limb > Walk Away
Set 2: Golden Age, Leaves, Swept Away > Steep > 46 Days > Piper > Possum
Encore: Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
[1] Phish debut; instrumental. [2] Phish debut; performed solo by Page
On a night where jams were promised, jams were delivered. The complaint ‘Phish doesn’t jam anymore’ is now an antiquated phrase reserved for jaded vets and those looking for a reason to justify not attending a show. On Honey Dipped Jam-Filled Donut night, Phish’s Baker’s Dozen shifted into high gear starting the show with a 5 song first set with no song shorter than 10 minutes. By the time the show was over, the band had two 30 minute jams under their belt, as well as the debut of “End of Session” from 1998’s Story of the Ghost. The fourth night marked the best of the run, with nine nights still to go.
Starting for the fourth show in a row with an ‘S’ song, the normally simple “Sample in a Jar” topped out at 10 minutes, far longer than usual. It was when “Lawn Boy” started that fans were in for a treat among treats, and 29:59 later, after enormous blissful jamming that began when Page stood up to get his keytar, everyone knew they’d gotten something far out of the ordinary. Repeated listens will be required to fully absorb what Phish threw into this jam filled “Lawn Boy,” no, “Lawn Man.”
“My Friend, My Friend” and “Stash” both topped the 11-minute mark with stronger than normal Type I jams that kept the set flowing. “Bathtub Gin” followed suit, and despite these last three songs having as much punch as any first set jam this run, “Lawn Boy” slightly overshadowed the others, more for the factor of jamming “Lawn Boy” among all the other songs in their repertoire.
The second set started with “Fuego” clocking in at close to 20 minutes, followed by “Thread” which debuted in Chicago as a unique prog-rock number but also provided a bridge between jam vehicles, as “Crosseyed and Painless” provided an additional dose of jam that was promised. The Talking Heads cover veered into the usual improvisation and picked up speed as it dipped into a “2001” prelude that shifted gears and instead continued the “Crosseyed” jam in a third, or even fourth altogether different section.
“Makisupa Policeman” with nods to Page and Mike from Trey and the jam out of Makisupa melted into “End of Session,” which debuted to the delight of the few who recalled the final track on Story of the Ghost, an ambient composition on many fans bucketlists. The set was capped by “Tuesday” and “Cavern” and fans picking up the jaws that were dropped in the 33 minute “Crosseyed.”
To end the show, “Julius” came out rocking and segued into the ending of “Lawn Boy” to the intense delight of fans who saw the show come full circle, heading into Powdered donut night.
After two nights of Phish extending jams amid bustouts and debuts during the Baker’s Dozen, it was clear that these donut themed shows would be filled with jam and not jelly. On Red Velvet donut night, the audience was treated to a pair of Velvet Underground covers bookending the show, as a red hue illuminated the Garden and once again the mantra ‘Never miss a Sunday Show’ held true.
Opening with Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” with Fishman in a Cardinal’s stole and mitre, he sang a perfect song to fit the day and theme, all while blessing the crowd with the ‘holy water’ that was in his scepter. And with that, the show amped up the energy with “Axilla” driving the crowd into a frenzy, “Your Pet Cat” throwing in a dose of funk, and an 11 minute “Back on the Train” that easily ventured beyond the usual length for the Farmhouse fan favorite. “How Many People Are You” kept the energy flowing, and while “Glide” isn’t an intense song, the oft-chased after song was greeted by all as another example of working through the band’s deep catalog to ensure no repeats throughout the 13 show run.
After a standard “Theme From the Bottom,” the jam of the evening took off inside “It’s Ice,” with the band stretching this version out past the 15 minute mark with a deeply exploratory jam built on patience from all four members. Setting the tone with jams in non-traditional jam vehicles has been a hallmark of this tour (see: Dayton “Wombat,” Pittsburgh “Mr. Completely”) and “It’s Ice” with its jazzy improvisation follows this trend. Closing the set was “More,” something everyone was asking for after the “Ice” jam.
After a creamy first set, Phish came out firing with a brief, but punchy “AC/DC Bag,” which a lot of fans were hoping would get lengthy jam treatment. While it clocked in at its typical time, “Bag” still got the Garden dancing as Anastasio brought some youthful playing to one of Phish’s oldest and most played songs.
Whatever song was up next was sure to get stretched out, as the band has displayed incredible improvisational prowess on this tour throughout each show, but especially in the second sets. So, with the opener providing more of a quick rocker, “Wolfman’s Brother” brought out a very audible cheer from the crowd, as Chris Kuroda followed suit with maybe the most intense lights of the run so far. From behind the stage, it appeared, at times, that the red lights morphed into a reflective orange, which made the crowd appear, at times, on fire. Meanwhile, after Phish got through the song portion of “Wolfman’s Brother,” the band kicked it 50 yards past high gear with a sort of circular feeling ambient jam that saw Mike Gordon lead a layered approach to another old and beloved song, which bled into “Twist.”
This “Twist” can really be described by its several distinct sections, and was highlighted by Page McConnell’s stellar use of his new synth toy. It seems that every member of the band has added something new, at it showed in this jam, which gave way to a series of loops from Anastasio. When it all came together, the peak settled back gently into the song’s theme. “Waves” came next, and quickly went dark and deep, but the jam was the only flat part of the entire set. Some around the section were loving it, but others were not sold on the jam. “Miss You” filled in where “2001” seemed to be emerging from the spacey jam out of “Waves.”
“Boogie On Reggae Woman” and, of course, “Wading In the Velvet Sea” closed out the set in funky and somewhat emotive fashion. Everyone knew “Velvet Sea” was coming, and it was pretty well placed after a set chock full of improvisation, landing well.
For the first time since Deer Creek 2012, Phish busted out a fan favorite in the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.” Kuroda brought back the red light theme, and Phish played the song flub free, ending with the crowd in a frenzy as the Anastasio jumped up and down to conclude another stellar show of the Baker’s Dozen.
Night 4 of Baker’s has been announced as Jam Filled, with mini Raspberry donuts the theme of the night. Few things can get a phan’s heart pumping than to know a night full of jamming is on tap.
Setlist via Phish.net
Set 1: Sunday Morning[1], Axilla, Your Pet Cat > Back on the Train, How Many People Are You, Glide, Theme From the Bottom >It’s Ice > More Set 2: AC/DC Bag > Wolfman’s Brother[2] > Twist > Waves > Miss You, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Wading in the Velvet Sea Encore: Sweet Jane [1] Phish debut. Trey on drums. [2] Unfinished.
Doctor Pocket will celebrate their 15 year reunion show at Funk n Waffles in Syracuse on July 22, joined by James Adamo and Band of Heroes. In their 90s heyday, Doctor Pocket was one of the loudest and tightest rock bands in Central New York, with a solid following and the timeless live release Live at the Legendary Hungry Charley’s.
Doctor Pocket draws on a variety of influences, including Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Queen, The Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes and many more, and with these influences they melded together a deep sound with layered melodies that engage the audience fully; when they get into a pocket, they stay dialed in and keep rocking.
Guitarists Jim Adamo and Tom Binasco are rock guitarists in sync as they create grooves and have the powerful rhythm section of drummer Matt Belardinelli and bassist Brett Hobin (Syracuse bass veteran Steve Winston served as original bassist for DP). Combined, they are a mature rock band with Josh Farrell leading the charge on vocals with an inviting, resonating voice that brings the listener on a rock trip. The July 22 reunion show at Funk n Waffles starts at 9pm (doors at 8) and admission is $10 or $15 under 21. Don’t miss this show Syracuse!
Cal Kehoe one of the newest guitarists in the jam/rock scene, employs looping or a full band to bring together elements of Phish, My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name a few. His sound draws comparisons to Andrew Bird, and most notably, Keller Williams. With a distinct unique style that makes looping look easy, Kehoe employs rock and soul influences into his music and recently collaborated with Phish lyricist Tom Marshall to produce “Limbo,” recently released on Spotify and iTunes. The song was produced, mixed and engineered by Greg Giorgio (The National, Kurt Vile, Local Natives) at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. Nick Burns, an Emerson film graduate edited and directed the video below.
Kehoe said of the collaboration, “It was an honor to work and write with Tom. I’ve been listening to his podcast “Under The Scales” religiously every Monday since the day it came out and I have learned so much more about the Phish community and the heart and soul of the Phans involved. I’m looking forward to playing with Tom, Anthony Krizan and the members of the Amfibian All-Stars at the Iridium on July 25th for our Phish Baker’s Dozen after show.”
“For this video, I wanted each rapper and dancer to slowly transform from a normal face into the crowd into artists. As the music plays, they are shown walking or standing, and over time they separate from those around them, transitioning into movements and verses that express their inner dialogue.
Tune into the Under the Scales interview with Cal and stay up to date via