NYS Music 20​17

Category: Photo Gallery

  • Mayfest 2017: “One. Two. Three… Ascend!”

    This past Memorial Day weekend, I returned to Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY for the annual music, art, and yoga festival known (for now) as MAYfest 2017. This intimate, family friendly, wellness focused event has been a welcome addition to the arguably crowded, and monotonous festival scene here in the Northeast. Similarly setup to its cousin festival Catskill Chill, MAYfest offers attendees a picturesque, NY state campground littered with cabins, vendors, friendly faces, and a lake. However, unlike Chill or other primarily music-based festivals, this event is driven by founders Melia and Dave’s passion for yoga, and pursuit of positive energy.

    Mayfest 2017The schedule and setup (stage, yoga, and art space) was fairly identical to last year (see here), with one exception being the camping area, which was moved closer to the main building. Similarly, a few of the art activities that were across the lake found a new home in the main building and surrounding area. Now to be honest, this place is not that big, but it definitely cut down on a significant amount of walking (at least I’m out-of-shape), saving some energy to devote to taking on more classes, or relaxing between activities, which there was no shortage of. At any given moment during daylight hours, there were between five and ten activities happening, leaving little chance anyone should find themselves bored.

    The main stage was anchored each night by artists I have never seen, each offering vastly different musical stylings; singer-songwriter Dar Williams on Friday, Ozomatli on Saturday, and Rusted Root on Sunday. To be honest, I am not Dar Williams’ target demographic by any stretch of the imagination, so I have little commentary to offer beyond she has a lovely voice and a pretty damn sweet jacket (see below). But I am reliably informed if you attended Vassar in the 90’s, this was your JAM. Ozomatli on the other hand is my new jam. These guys have a ton a energy, and the fusion of Latin, rock, and hip-hop was perfect to get everyone moving their feet. I’m almost ashamed I was not enlightened to these guys earlier, but better late than never. Rusted Root kept the energy going on Sunday, starting off with a sit-in performance at the final yoga class in the gymnasium, and closing out the main stage with their classic hit, “Send me on my way,’ which was the encore for the weekend.

    Mayfest 2017Other musical highlights included DJ Taz Rashid, DJ Drez, Breakneck Boys, Hayley Jane & the Primates, and the Garcia Project, all who had crossover sets / sit-ins with yoga classes (except for HJ&tP). Overall, I’m going to say the line-up was well balanced. I arrived fearing it would not be able to compete with last year’s combination of Pink Talking Fish, the Sensory Collective, and Turkuaz, but the variety mixed well, and my opinion changed by Monday morning. What also had changed by Monday morning was the name of the festival, which will be known as Ascend moving forward.

    With merchandise already being sold for next year’s event, there seems little doubt that we will be back. Same place. Same time. Same good vibes. Till then, take a look at a few of the sights from the festival now formally known as MAYfest.

    Namaste

  • Mountain of Youth: The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown Recap

    “And they’re off!” On Friday, May 19 the gates lifted in Scranton, Pennsylvania and campers raced to grab the flattest and grassiest space on the The Pavilion Lawn at Montage Mountain.  They were not there for the 142nd Preakness Stakes, which traditionally takes place in Maryland every third Saturday in May, but instead were celebrating a new bluegrass tradition, the 5th annual Susquehanna Breakdown. Some attendees dressed in jockey-like colors and patterns with ridiculous hats and clothing combinations.  Others wore graphic t-shirts splattered with band names like Cabinet, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Greensky Bluegrass and Phish.  By the beginning of the first set at 6:30pm, one thing was clear… everyone was there to place their bets on a winning weekend.

    The Dishonest Fiddlers, orchestrated by founder Dave Brown, are a Scranton local bluegrass act that switches up the bill every time they perform.  The lightweight and easy listening bluegrass invited campers to put down their tent poles and join in the music at the smaller “Breakdown Stage.”  Breakdowners were delighted to discover that Cabinet’s own fiddle player, Todd Kopec, was sitting in during the festival’s opening act.  The Dishonest Fiddler’s performance marked the first of many expected Cabinet sit-ins over the weekend, but that comes as no surprise as the festival is named after one of their songs!  Next up on the bill was the American-festival veteran Keller Williams.  It is hard to think of the word “bluegrass” or just “grass” in general and not think of the pumpkin pie hair-cutted freak bouncing around stage barefoot from instrument to instrument.  Once you have seen one Keller show, you have seen them all, but that doesn’t stop anyone from attending.  Keller Williams got his start in parking lots playing to the energetic crowds that gathered before the main attraction, The Grateful Dead.  For over 20 years, he has been marching to the beat of his own drum, guitar, synth and whatever else he decides to bring on stage.  The completely improvised sets travel through space and time reminiscent of a spun-out music junky that can’t decide which radio station to listen to as they station hop.  Keller closed his roots-filled funky set with a cover of Marian Hill’s “Down,” which lyrically is the most genius song to kick off a festival.  If you hate on modern pop music, give this one a listen.

    As the sun finally disappeared on Day 1 of the festival, the audience was treated to more Keller Williams for the first semi-official Cabinet set of the weekend entitled “Keller & Cabinet.”  Launching into the bluegrass traditional tune, “My Grass Is Blue,” got the fans boppin’ and air pickin’ before a cover of “Float On” by Modest Mouse.  As more and more non-camping 2-day-pass holders made their way into the venue, the atmosphere began to feel less like a backyard BBQ and more like a full-fledged festival.  The communal body heat kept everyone warm as “Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow” served as a reminder that Montage Mountain was home for the next 36 hours.  It wouldn’t be Night 1 of a festival without some minor technical difficulties.  After three minutes of tinkering, the stage was back on track and Cabinet allowed Keller to take the wheel for his originals, “Alligator Alley” and “Sing for My Dinner.”  Before the final track of the collaborative set, Keller commented that he wanted to do a reggae version of the upcoming tune but Cabinet insisted on playing it fast.  Much like Ricky Bobby in Talledega Nights, they wanted to go fast, and fast they went through Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.”  Ironically enough, ambulance lights flickered through the crowd during the Winehouse cover as the first festival attendee maybe had too much too fast. Members of the crowd looked on in hopes that this would be the one and only emergency rescue of the weekend.

    On a brighter note, Cabinet came out swinging for their first major set of the weekend, tackling their catalog of reggae, bluegrass, roots and rock.  “The Smile” breezed into the first slot as the symbolic greeting tune of the evening.  “Hey Baby” gave Mickey Coviello’s guitar and Pappy Biondo’s banjo some focus in the spotlight and afterward they modestly commented it was “groovy as all hell.”  Pappy was once again the center of attention during their rendition of “Diamond Joe.” Building the song up with some fantastic peaks and valleys via JP Biondo’s mandolin and Todd Kopec’s fiddle, the 6-piece band transformed the poetic country tune into a jam-grass meltdown.  The “Diamond Joe” lyrics feature horses, betrayal and payback which are central themes in many old-timey tunes and Cabinet made this timeless piece their own to showcase their talent during this set.  The band mentioned that the crowd size was much larger compared to years past and I took it as a sign of festival growth, strength and some perfect weather.  The friendly fireside vibe of the Cabinet set was not complete without a singalong and “Pine Billy” served as a fitting choice.  The “way up on a mountain” lyrics got extra howls as families and friends belted out “Pine Billy” during the second half the short set.  “Sunday 60 Breakdown” finished off the set and the crowd significantly thinned as their beloved Cabinet went to get some rest before a big Day 2.

    The evening was not over yet as late night funk trio Organ Freeman treated the mountain to an ass shaking dance party.  Drummer Rob Humphreys, organist Trevor Steer and Erik Carlson on guitar answered the age-old question “Won’t you take me to Funkytown?”    For those in attendance looking for poppy instrumental jazz or experimental and danceable funk, they found it right off the bat with “We’re On Our Way.”  The band tested out several new songs during their set and considering most in the audience didn’t know the names to their originals anyway, it was all new and exciting to us.  The first cover came in the form of Stanton Moore Trio’s “Pie Eyed Manc.”  It was clear that Moore’s sound has a strong influence on Organ Freeman as they worked their layered grooves into every jam they went into.  My one critique is that at 1:30 in the morning, instrumental jazz begins to all sound the same.  As many non-campers such as myself began exiting the venue, it was incredible to clearly hear the echoes of funk during the entire walk back to the parking area thanks to mountain’s valley walls, which acted as natural amplifiers.  The successful first night of music was complete and the main attraction was only hours away.  The Breakdowners were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of mandolins played in their heads.

    CABINET FRIDAY NIGHT SETLIST:

    A Smile, Treat Me So Bad, Hey Baby, Diamond Joe, Mysterio, Eleanor, The Dove %, Pine Billy, Sunday 60 Breakdown

    % Brief Power Failure occurred twice during The Dove

    KELLER WILLIAMS SETLIST:

    My Grass is Blue, Float On*, Ripped 6 Pack, Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow, AGWT Reprise (post Power Failure), Alligator Alley, The Tower, Sing For My Dinner, Rehab **
    * Modest Mouse Cover ** Amy Winehouse Cover  (Setlist credit: Rich Stoler)

    ORGAN FREEMAN SETLIST:
    We’re On Our Way, (New Track 1), Only If You Mean It, Putin And I Get Along Fantastic, Life’s A Bench, Reptile Moonshine, Pie Eyed Manc*, Change For A Nickel, The Green Green Grapes, You Said You Quit Drinkin’, (New Track 2), Verve, Byrd vs Fish, (New Track 3), Go By Richard, Not By Dick  ENCORE: Hit The Ground Running, Come out Swinging
    *- Stanton Moore Trio

  • Photo Gallery: Mihali Savoulidis at the Hollow

    Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle rocked a capacity crowd at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany, NY on May 17.

    Mihali Savoulidis hollowThis was his 2nd stop from the recent six-show solo tour where he shared some Twiddle classics, material off the new album Plump: Chapter 2, and some crowd pleasing covers that had everyone singing along.  Adam Brockway of Eastbound Jesus started the night off, and set the tone for an epic night full of positive vibes. Check out the photos below!

  • Breaking Biscuits in the Bowl

    Brooklyn Bowl, the iconic music haven in the heart of Williamsburg, served up some delicious sounds last weekend, courtesy of a mashup of two giants in the jamtronica world.  Breaking Biscuits is the name of this super group which is comprised of Aron Magner (keys) and Marc Brownstein (bass) of Disco Biscuits fame alongside renowned drummer Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee (keys) who together form Break Science, an emerging force all their own.  As a sparse crowd of people took their hacks on the bowling lines on the other side of the room, the dance floor was full of attentive listeners and dancers enjoying everything this uber talented side project had to offer.

    Breaking Biscuits in the BowlThe show featured two opening acts in Upright Man, a relatively new act formed in the halls of NYU’s music school, and Space Bacon.  The latter of which was an ideal choice for an opener as the Disco Biscuits influence was palpable in some impressive jamming that saw virtual hat tips to Bisco staples like “Morph Dusseldorf” and “Basis for a Day” with a noticeable “Funkytown” tease thrown in for good measure at some point.  But the main course was served via two sets of precise and enthralling electronica orchestrated by some of the best in the business.

    With Deitch and Brownstein setting much of the rhythmic foundation, Lee and Magner seemed to go back and forth, trading incendiary leads and emptying out all the tricks their respective keyboard rigs carried.  While it didn’t quite have the raging intensity of a Bisco show, both sets featured constant downtempo grooves that were more than easy to move along to as well as selective covers of some of the genre’s finest like Air’s “La Femme D’Argent” and RJD2’s “The Horror.”  This was only the second night of a short three show tour, after playing only once before that, but it seems as if these artists have formed a collective that yields a unique sound that also pays respect to its forefathers in the electronica scene.

  • PA Line Folk-ed Up Buffalo Iron Works

    PA Line is a five-piece band hailing from Buffalo. Forming just two years ago, they are yet another band on the rise in the plump music scene in our beautiful Queen city. The band consists of Trevor Stribing (vocals, guitar, percussion), Pat Brown (banjo), Adam Nicpon (mandolin), Alyssa Wainwright (violin, vocals) and Lucas Honig (bass, vocals).

    The 2016 Western New York Music Awards winners of both Best Folk Band and Best Indie Band lived up to those credentials for their third ever performance at Buffalo Iron Works. Their set provided high energy and the band seemed to feed off of the crowd’s positive reaction. Filming was completed for their first official music video throughout the duration of their set at Iron Works. Stay tuned to NYS Music for when that drops.

    PA Line will be announcing some upcoming tour dates in the very near future.  The band had this to say: “All of us at PA Line love performing and when the crowd has great energy, we really feed off that. Its a priceless feeling when everyone at the show is just having fun and good energy is in the air. With that being said the fans were absolutely amazing last night, definitely a night we wont forget.”

    Setlist: Breathe, Time, Baby Don’t Go, Scream Out, Open, Shadows, Shut Up, The King, Liar, Escape

    Encore: The End

  • State Champs Sell Out Hometown Show

    Albany natives State Champs truly came around the world and back after selling out their hometown venue in Clifton Park, N.Y. With a full house, State Champs performed to the best of their ability for their friends and loved ones on Saturday.

    On May 13, State Champs alongside Against The Current, With Confidence and Don Broco sold out Upstate Concert Hall on their second to last night of their headlining tour.

    The night kicked off with Young Culture, another band from Albany, N.Y. Even from the start, they got everyone’s attention by performing their song, “Bedroom Floor” which features Derek DiScanio of State Champs. The support from fans of Young Culture led into the next band on the lineup, Don Broco.

    The England-based rock group kicked off the night with their fantastic stage presence, and unique sound. Frontman Rob Damiani made sure to jump into the audience for their hit single, “You Wanna Know,” which took the audience by storm.

    Don Broco, which sound like a heavier version of The 1975 as a comparison, had a perfect vibe to bring to this tour. With their outstanding energy and audience engagement, Don Broco left an impression on fans with their catchy pop-sounding choruses with rock undertones. With their unique vibe and style, had it been any other night of the tour, Don Broco have the ability to be the band to steal the show.

    Intense pop-punk group With Confidence picked the pace back up with their engaging and impressive vocals and energy. Opening their set with their hit song, “Voldemort,” the crowd immediately reacted accordingly to their performance. Fans were jumping and screaming the words to the song, and trying to get as close to the stage as they could. Due to the importance of this date of the tour, With Confidence dedicated their performance of “London Lights” to State Champs. “This goes out to anyone who knows someone who’s stepped on their fucking heart,” said vocalist Jayden Seeley as they led into their performance.

    With the crowd starting to get sweaty from all of the activity, the night shifted to pop group Against The Current to steal the stage. Frontman Chrissy Costanza immediately jumped on stage grabbing everyone’s attention. Despite being on the road for over a month, you would not have been able to tell from Costanza’s performance. Her vocals were great for a live performance with the amount of jumping and running around she does with her time on stage.

    Although some of her high notes could have used a bigger breathe for a cleaner note, this can be forgiven from her non-stop intensive energy song-after-song. The band also worked to get the crowd ready for State Champs by having screaming contests with fans. Perhaps their strongest performance of the night was their song “Runaway.”

    When the time came for State Champs to take the stage, the energy inside the venue shifted. There is something absolutely incredible when you feel the energy and excitement of the friends and family of the members of State Champs cheering along in support.

    “It was truly special for us to play in our hometown at Upstate Concert Hall,” said guitarist Tyler Szalkowski. “We grew up going to shows there when we were teenagers so to now come back as a headliner and sell it out was astounding,” he said.

    State Champs opened their set with a popular older hit of theirs, “Remedy.” Fans immediately made their way to the front of the venue in droves crowd surfing on top of each other to make contact with State Champs.

    With their first performance at Upstate Concert Hall this year, the feeling of love and support from seeing friends and family in the audience made the vibe for this hometown State Champs show indescribable.

    “The night was made even more special by all of our friends and family being there alongside us,” said Szalkowski.

    With the new release of the deluxe edition of Around The World And Back, State Champs were able to use their tour to debut performing their new song, “Slow Burn” which was received well by the audience.

    Along with performing their newer material, you could tell there was support from longtime fans at the show due to the amount of activity from performing an older State Champs song during the show. Their performance of “Deadly Conversation” led to not a single person still inside the venue. Uncommon for State Champs, on this tour they performed one of their earlier acoustic hits, “Stick Around,” followed by a single from their new album, “Around The World And Back.” Their performance of the ballad featured Costanza from Against The Current, and had every fan in the audience singing along. “We used to sneak into this venue when we were too young to get in,” said frontman DiScanio.

    If you have the chance to see a band perform in their hometown venue, you have to take that opportunity. With the nature of State Champs intense energetic performances, this style is only magnified while performing for their friends and family back home.

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  • Photo Gallery: Sunsquabi Rolls Through Boston

    Late Night Radio and Maddy O’Neal opened a long night of music at Wonder Bar in Allston, MA on Sunday, April 30 for Sunsquabi. Saxophone extraordinaire, Tommy Weeks (Sophistafunk, Funky Dawgs) came up and belted out a few rounds during Maddy O’Neal, and even impressed Sunsquabi enough that he was asked to come back up for a tasty jam with them towards the end of the night. The Squab-Train drove straight through til the wee hours of the morning, delivering that funky Colorado sound we’ve been waiting so long for.

  • Photo Gallery: The Slocan Ramblers Slide Into Glens Falls

    Canadian based bluegrass band, The Slocan Ramblers filled the Folklife Center at Crandall Library in Glens Falls, NY on April 27 to a packed basement soundstage. The four-piece staple, a 2015 Edmonton Folk Fest Emerging Artist Award recipient, quickly won over the North Country crowd with a sharp 21-song set list which consisted of 7 originals in support of their two releases, Coffee Creek and Shaking Down the Acorns. 

  • Big Mean Sound Machine Bring The Funk To The Root Cellar

    The 9-Piece powerhouse brought their album-release tour to The Root Cellar in Greenfield, MA on Saturday, April 15. Big Mean Sound Machine played their hearts out for two incredible sets for a crowd of locals ready to dance. They’re taking their groove back for a hometown throw-down in Ithaca, NY this Friday before taking a short trip down the east coast in early May.

  • Foolin’ Around with moe. at The Paramount

    On Saturday, April 1, at The Paramount, Buffalo-based moe. took April Fools’ Day to the next level by sonically messing with the minds of everyone in attendance.  The die-hard moe.rons in the crowd knew that an inevitable prank was coming in some form, but the anticipation led to an even more exciting Saturday night show.  Opening with “Defrost” the boys did not wait to get the venue dancing.  The historically rare instrumental was the third appearance of “Defrost” in 2017 and it was frequently played in 2016, leading fans to assume that this oldie-but-goodie is not just getting a dusting, but being taken off the shelf permanently.

    Moe. brought out the heavy hitters early with a transition into an epic “Brent Black” in just the second slot.  Al Schnier and Rob Derhak chiseled the signature song into form while Chuck Garvey used his guitar pick to work on the intricacies.  Garvey celebrated his birthday on Thursday night in New Jersey, and on stage he has been having his cake and eating it too during the entire 3-show run.  “Lost Along The Way” gave the already sweaty crowd a much needed breather which was followed by “Blue Jeans Pizza” off the decade old album, The Conch.  One of the more lovey-dovey moe. originals, “Pizza” found Schnier switching from guitar to minimoog allowing Garvey to take full leadership of the solo to the delight of the crowd.  The only annoying aspect of this part of the set was the crowd chatter being at an all-time high.  While I felt that the energy from “Brent Black” never went away throughout the entire set, there are times to talk and times to STFU.

    Jim Loughlin lead the tribal transition into “Bring It Back Home” as Schnier jumped back onto his guitar for some added flare.  Loughlin remained in the spotlight while Derhak and Vinnie Amico tag teamed the next tune, “Billy Goat” off the most recent release studio release, No Guts, No Glory.  The surfer-rock jam found on the Smash Hits release, “Tailspin,” got the crowd spinning around again.  The very impressive first set was praised throughout the break as moe. spanned their entire career in just seven songs.

    moe at the paramountThe April Fools’ prank ensued as soon as the 5-piece reentered the stage for the second set.  Over the 28-year career of moe., many different rumors have been spread describing the origin of the band’s name.  One rumor was that moe. is a simple acronym for “monkeys on ecstasy” and on April 1, 2017, the monkey was brought to life in one of the stranger moe.ments I have seen a long time.   As members began tuning up for the start of the second half of the evening a person dressed in a monkey costume with giant headphones appeared next to Amico’s drum kit, fist-pumping to what sounded like a mashup of “Plane Crash” and Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey.”  The odd display transformed the rock venue into an electronic dance club and judging by the smile on Derhak’s face, even the band got a kick out of the gag.  The prankster monkey seemed to fall into his own trap as he slipped and fell while trying to get off the stage.  They covered it up nicely as the “too f**kin’ high” primate took off the giant headphones and put them on Derhak’s head before exiting the stage.  Was the slip a set up or did the gag lead to an injury?  The world may never know.

    moe at the paramountAfter the shenanigans ensued, “Rainshine> Understand” got the show back on track.   As the light two-song combo fizzled out, a reggae-influenced intro to “Time Ed” got the room swaying back and forth.  The band had a few laughs during the line, “Born a monkey from the sky (monkey, monkey)” before Loughlin returned to business as usual during his flying trapeze percussion section.  Throughout the song, he switched back and forth from bongos to MalletKat to xylophone in harmonious fashion.  The final segue of the set occurred during a strung-out “Haze” into one of their more euphoric songs off Dither, “So Long.”  Every jam band has their own repertoire of songs that cuts to the core of their loyal fan base and mellows out the room.  “So Long” is a chameleon of sorts because while it can act as the fluffy cloud to space out the heavier songs, it can also get pretty intense on its own, which is exactly what happened on Saturday night.

    Schnier came out as he usually does before the encore to read some fan shout-outs.  On certain nights he has no problem deciphering what the writers are trying to say, but in Huntington after a night of debauchery, he seemed to struggle through the chicken scratch handwriting.  There was some light banter from Loughlin as he announced the next song was one that he wrote.  The dark lyrics and southern-rocking Widespread Panic-esque sound of “Don’t Wanna Be” is not really my cup of tea and with little head nodding in the crowd, I felt like there had to be one more crowd-pleaser to end the incredible weekend of moe. in the Northeast.  Sure enough, “New York City” was served as the entrée of the encore and considering many fans came to The Paramount on a train from the Big Apple, the famoe.us tune was well received.

    The boys will play four sold-out shows at The Sinclair before departing for the South to cover some ground in warmer territories.  The recently added set entitled “phil.moe.” at Lock’n was the latest news from the band, and from now until the special dead-inspired set, they will headline Summer Camp and the return of Moe.Down.  The bright future and booked calendar gives the moe.rons hope that while the band may be up for a good time and a few pranks, they are in no way ready to cool it down.

    moe. – 4.1.17 – The Paramount – Long Island, NY

    Set 1: Defrost > Brent Black, Lost Along The Way > Blue Jeans Pizza > Bring It Back Home, Billy Goat > Tailspin

    Set 2: Rainshine > Understand, Time Ed, She, > Sensory Deprivation Bank, George, Haze > So Long

    Encore: Don’t Wanna Be, New York City

    moe at the paramount