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 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
As we continue our look at the best of and the brightest in music in 2017, we shift our focus to up and coming bands that are ready to burst on to the national stage. While our staff picks may mirror those of last year, NYS Music readers have voted for a new act that’s ready to join the ranks of other popular New York bands with bight futures.
And if you’ve missed any of our previous voting results from earlier this week, check out our winners for Best Venues, Best Albums and Best Festivals.
For the second year in a row, our staff has selected Aqueous as a band on the rise as the Buffalo, NY quartet continues their steady progression towards national relevancy. Playing bigger festivals, opening for acts like The Disco Biscuits, and collaborating with members of moe., fellow Upstate New Yorkers, in addition to a steady touring schedule have all contributed to this band’s surge in popularity. This should come as no surprise to Buffalo area music fans who have been singing the group’s praises for years now. They’ll get to enjoy Aqueous back in their hometown as they ring in the new year at Town Ballroom. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
At least the readers of NYS Music have offered up a new taste this year for their Band on the Rise selection as they’ve chosen The Other Brothers. Fresh off the heels of their recently released EP Jones, this band has seen a steady rise in prominence in 2017 thanks to increased exposure this summer at local festivals like Disc Jam and strong word of mouth. They hang their hat on being able to mix delicate ballad-like songs with focused and heavy jamming in the live setting.
Artists You Should Know
We’re always looking for new music, especially bands from New York State, and this year we stepped up our game and found bands from all corners of the state playing our local bars and clubs, just getting started.
We checked in with our readers, and they overwhelmingly suggested three New York artists: The Backseat Bullets (for fans of shoegaze and a 90s grunge influence), Aqueous (jam stalwarts of Buffalo), and Hartley’s Encore, the new funk powerhouse in Albany.
Meanwhile, we asked the staff who were some artists readers should know about, and we ended up with an impressive list of 21 different artists to check out. There’s no sense in sending you off to listen to three or four bands worth checking out when there is so much variety in store. So here’s the NYS Music Staff list of Best Artists You Should Know for 2017.
The beat goes on as NYS Music continues to count down the best, the brightest and the most impactful events surrounding music in the year 2017. If you’ve missed any of our previous entries, check out the Staff and Reader Picks for Best Venue and Best Album compiled earlier this week. Today, we tackle Best Music Festival in New York State as well as the country. And, somewhat unsurprisingly, there’s a striking simoe.larity between the Staff and Reader Picks for both.
STAFF PICKS – NY FESTIVALS
A sizzling Saurday night set from the Brooklyn rock/funk outfit known as Turkuaz was just one of the highlights of this year. This came after the highly anticipated and well received set from up and comers TAUK. Holly Bowling displayed her prowess on the piano all weekend with both an intimate late night set on Friday and by serving as the “Artist-at-large” all weekend, seemingly sitting in with everyone and everywhere. Saturday late night sets from Break Science Live Band and Consider the Source served as more than ample entertainment before Pink Talking Fish closed out the festival on Sunday night. NYS Music was on the scene, naturally. Check out our review here which features this awesome highlight video to give you a taste of 2017 and whet your appetite for next year.
In somewhat of a sleeper pick, our staff was also really high on this fairly new and quite atypical music festival. In fact, this festival is self-billed as a “multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts festival” with all of its events/performers spread out across the entire scenic city of Rochester.
Fringe organizers have boasted that the event brought in over 78,000 attendees this year, which is a 15% rise from 2016 and can only pay dividends for the local economy. And while most “traditional” music festivals take place over a long weekend or two with several stages in a fixed location, The Fringe couldn’t be more opposite as it spreads the fun out over 10 days and dozens of stages, with hundreds of shows from which to pick. In addition to spotlighting local talent such as Rochester’s own The Demos or Ithaca’s Big Mean Sound Machine, this year’s Rochester Fringe also featured the American debut of the renowned French street theater company Plasticiens Volants and comedy courtesy of headliner John Mulaney. With a truly diverse schedule in all aspects and rising attendance, it’s clear this festival is doing something right with next year’s rendition already scheduled for Sept 13-22, 2018.
For a more in depth look at this up and coming fest, check out our own Paula Cummings’ reviews of Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 8 of the festival with some accompanying photos courtesy of Staff Photographer Brian Ferguson.
This Lake George-based festival also has somewhat of a unique set up and ranked highly among our staff. Promising music from 2 pm to 3 am, ADK Music Fest delivers this by showcasing bands on two stages right in Charles R Wood Park by the southern tip of the lake during the day and then late night sets at nearby King Neptune’s Pub. With a very reasonably priced ticket (there were a limited amount of $60 weekend tickets available) and a slew of hotels nearby, this is one of the more accessible festivals in the state as well as one of the more scenic ones thanks to views Lake George has to offer.
ADK Music Fest offered some of the more nationally known acts during the daytime sessions with bands like Twiddle, Ryan Montbleau, Kung Fu and Twiddle gracing the stage while the late night sets were dominated by favorite “local” acts like Mister F and Formula 5. This was the third year of the festival, so it’s still in the nascent stages of development. But with a strong attendance this year, and the continued rise of some NY State bands, there’s no reason to think planning insn’t already underway for year four.
For a deeper dive on this festival, check out NYS Music’s review of the weekend. Here’s a clip from Twiddle’s set which closed things out on the main stage Sunday night and featured a special sit in from Lucid’s Lowell Wurster on washbord.
And the last of our Staff Picks just so happened to be the same as the definitive winner as chosen by our loyal readers…..
Not even the heavy rains and infinite mud that were both prominently featured at this year’s moe.down could keep our staff and readers from agreeing that this is truly one of the best festivals the state has to offer. Perhaps there was a sentimental vibe to this joint pick as well as moe.down returned after an excruciatingly long, near three year absence. Returned to its roots at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, this festival always does a tremendous job of creating an artist lineup that mixes both local “up and coming” acts with nationally known bands that may or may not be regularly associated with the jam scene. And seven sets of moe.in the span of three days doesn’t hurt either.
While, traditionally, moe.down has been a Labor Day Weekend festival, in 2017, it was moved up to the weekend preceding the 4th of July. This made for some warmer temperatures but, unfortunately, the rain that can be often found at this fest was plentiful. However, that didn’t deter campers from going out and enjoying acts like The Hip Abduction or Fishbone. New York was well represented with other sets from Mister D and Wild Adriatic that had to navigate some questionable weather at parts throughout the weekend. And in traditional moe.down style, the hosts were more than generous with the main stage. Ryan Montbleau and Haley Jane (sans Primates) came out for a rousing rendition of Fleetwod Mac’s “The Chain” on Friday night. That night also saw Kung Fu join moe. on stage for the second set for some powerhouse collaboration.
Saturday was no different with both Fishbone and guitarist Charlie Star of Blackberry Smoke both sitting in at points. And Sunday, percussionist Mike Dillon was the guest du jour with appearances on the moe. staples of “McBain” and “Okayalright.” Weather aside, the whole weekend was ‘alright’ enough for NYS Music readers to declare this the best festival in New York State. Let’s see if it gets a chance to defend its crown again next year.
Check out our team review here that goes a little more in depth about this memorable weekend. It also includes links to retrospectives on moe.downs of years’ past for those interested in seeing how this festival has blossomed from a relatively low key annual gathering of moe.rons to one of the “cant miss” festivals of the summer.
Of all the contemporary music festivals the Northeast has to offer, The Peach Music Festival seems to be gaining the most traction towards becoming a widespread or nationally known “must hit” event on the summer festival circuit. Throw an emotional 2017 with the deaths of founding Allman Brothers Band members Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman on top of that and it’s no wonder why The Peach ranked high on our national festival survey. Similar to moe.down, but on a slightly larger scale, this festival offers camping on a giant hillside that’s used for skiing as well. But it also doubles as a water park in the summer months, replete with water slides and a lazy river. This is all in addition to three different stages offering music for seemingly all tastes.
One of the best parts of any festival, or music in general for that matter, is the ability to use it to heal and bring people together. With ugly events transpiring in Charlottesville, VA that weekend, the 2017 Peach Fest served as testament to the good side of humanity and showed just how powerful it can be when large groups of people assemble for the right reasons. Sadly, those reasons this year were linked to the aforementioned deaths and an opportunity to really say good bye this time to one of the most influential American bands of all time in The Allman Brothers. Fittingly, the Peach pulled out all the stops this year with a tremendous tribute set spearheaded by keyboardist Chuck Leavell. When all was sang and done, he was joined on stage at various times by the likes of Warren Haynes, Scott Sharrard, Dave Schools, Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring as well as other members of rock royalty.
Peach Fest also proved that while one chapter of music may have closed, the ones to come are very promising. Newcomers Spafford played to a packed house on The Grove stage, the smaller of the three. Hayley Jane and The Primates also played a set there while Rich Robinson took his new Black Crowes-esque offshoot The Magpie Salute out for a spin on the main stage. And in perhaps the clearest sign yet that there’s great promise for tomorrow in terms of musicianship, 14-year old guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer left jaws agape after his sit in with Widespread Panic on Saturday night. For a more detailed look at what went down at this year’s Peach, check out Eli Stein’s review here with photos courtesy of Alex Buschiazzo of 215Music.net
And while some of the inspiration behind this festival may no longer be with us, the show will go on in 2018 and the festival has announced the new dates this year of July 19-22. Rumor has it that the festival’s typical mid-August weekend may be compromised by a certain other major festival thrown by a fairly famous foursome from Vermont. You heard it here first.
In perhaps our other sleeper pick this year, Rock on the Range, a hard rock festival in Columbus, OH, was another popular staff selection. Held at Mapfre Stadium, home to the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, this festival compiles some of the biggest and mainstream hard rock. This year’s event saw revered bands like Metallica, Primus, Korn and The Offspring all grace the main stage with their presence and successfully turn a soccer stadium into a giant rock show.
Sadly, Rock on the Range was not immune to tragedy this year either. The untimely passing of Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell immediately preceded the festival and forced the Grunge era legends out of their headlining spot. Much like Peach Fest, this community seemed to dust itself off and use the three day festival to pay tribute to both Cornell and his band with various covers and tributes.
Even though NYS Music couldn’t be there to review the festival this year, here’s a clip of Metallica performing one of their classic hits to give you a taste of the harder energy that’s associated with this increasingly successful early summer tradition in the heartland of America.
This year marked the 11th consecutive year of Rock on the Range with attendance increasing each year. It’s gone from a relatively small one-day festival with an attendance of 35,000 to a gigantic three-day outing with total attendance this year nearing 135,000 people so it must be doing something right. 2018 shows no signs of slowing down as headliners Tool, Avenged Sevenfold and Alice In Chains have already been announced for this year’s rendition taking place May 18-20. For those looking to sprinkle in a little hard rock in their summer musical outings, this appears to be a necessary stop.
Once again, our final pick from the NYS Music staff is perfectly in tune with our readers…..
In a shocking development, moe. once again serves as the common thread between Staff and Readers as the Upstate NY rockers have co-hosted this annual rite of passage into summer with their Midwestern brethren Umphrey’s McGee since 2003. Summer Camp is held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL every Memorial Day Weekend and is another true festival success story, growing from 1,000 attendees in its first year to more than 20,000 in recent years. It’s evolved from a regional music fest to near essential travel destination for fans throughout the country. Umphrey’s McGee and moe. have built a strong friendship over the years and this carries over into the relaxed, family reunion vibe this festival has developed over the years, allowing it to truly live up to its name which conjures up memories of adolescent summers and the annual get togethers with friends .
Unfortunately, in another common bond among early summer festivals, the rain made its presence early and often this year at Summer Camp, creating muddy terrain and slippery conditions everywhere. But it would take a whole lot more than rain to keep campers from seeing other performing acts like Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, Pretty Lights Live and The Disco Biscuits throughout the weekend. Side projects were prominent at Summer Camp this year as well as Les Claypool not only played with Primus , but also with his Claypool Lennon Delirium project as well. Phish’s Mike Gordon took his band out here as well, joining bandmate Trey Anastatio and making for some popular sit-in rumors that never came to fruition. Aqueous, a clear band on the rise out of Buffalo, was also prominently involved this weekend with multiple sets.
The videos above and below give a fantastic sampling of everything this year’s Summer Camp offered festival goers, including the copious amounts of mud. For a photo retrospective and some additional video, check out our review of the proceedings. This festival shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and while it may not be exactly local to New York, with moe. serving as co-host and a top notch artist lineup that seems to get better every year, this is one that’s clearly worth the travel.
That’s a wrap on Best Festivals of 2017 as voted by NYS Music and its readers. Stay tuned tomorrow and the rest of the week as we continue with our look back on 2017 and the best music it had to offer.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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 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
Ring 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
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
NYS Music is celebrating the end of 2017 by sharing our staff and reader picks in 10 categories, and today we are highlighting the winners of the Best Venue in New York State.
This new venue in the heart of the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn has been quite busy in its first year of existence. Playing host to such acts as Ween, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Turkuaz and Yo La Tengo, this 1,800 person capacity room prides itself on open sight lines and great acoustics thanks to a roof specially designed to keep in sound. The venue’s name is derived from the previous use for this building on the corner of Frost and Debevoise streets, steel fabrication, and patrons are constantly reminded of this with a minimalist decor furnished with scrap metal.
Owned by Bowery Presents, the similarities between Brooklyn Steel and Terminal 5, another Bowery Presents-owned NYC music venue, are unmistakable. Both rooms have an industrial feel to them, highlighted by the standing room only viewing areas that surround the stage on both sides. With fairly easy access thanks to the L line Subway stop nearby and featuring a room with good sound and sight lines, it’s a pretty easy prediction that Brooklyn Steel will be a staple of the city music scene before long.
Here’s an interesting time lapse video showing the remarkable transformation of an old steel factory into a first rate concert venue.
The Capitol Theatre
Located just a short drive outside the city is Port Chester, home to the historic Capitol Theatre which is constantly housing first rate bands and artists. It was originally designed and used as a theater for cinema and Vaudeville acts when it first opened way back in 1926, but it’s since been redeveloped as a music venue and has seen a wealth of musical royalty pass through its doors. Acts like Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Traffic and The Grateful Dead, who played 13 gigs there in a one year span from 1970-71, all drew large crowds there back in the day just as acts like moe., The Disco Biscuits, Twiddle and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead do now.
Affectionately known as “The Cap,” this building has all the looks and feels of a classic music hall with modern day amenities. An open floor area generally has more than enough space for concert goers, even for shows that are sold out, while the expansive mezzanine offers seats as well as additional bars upstairs. And if that’s not enough, the adjoining establishment to The Cap was bought out and turned into a bar as well, appropriately named Garcia’s. Peter Shapiro, who also owns Brooklyn Bowl, has done a nice job of refurbishing and putting the Capitol Theatre back on the map as a first rate home for live music in New York State.
Here’s a clip of moe.’s performance from last year that gives you a little idea of the views and the usage of the walls to double as projection screen of sorts at The Cap.
The Egg
The last of our staff picks for best music venue in NYS is that oddly shaped building you might have seen at Empire State Plaza in Albany. Completed in 1978, this circular shaped performance venue actually holds two different theaters inside with the 982 seat Hart Theatre being the one mainly used for concerts. Although the smaller, 450 seat Swyer Theatre that resembles more of a lecture hall than a music hall recently played host to an acoustic evening of Keller Williams tunes.
As you would expect from observing it from the outside, The Egg has no sharp angles or straight lines inside with almost everything having a gentle curve to it, even the walls as they meet a gently concave ceiling above them. This results in not only a relaxed atmosphere for a show, but impeccable acoustics as well. Phish’s Mike Gordon even put out a live release that was recorded here simply called The Egg. It may not host the large, national touring acts that can fill an arena, but for a pure musical experience with pristine sound in a sit down environment, it doesn’t get much better than The Egg.
Here’s a clip of the aforementioned Keller Williams playing piano in the smaller Swyer Theatre that gives you a taste of the sound and intimate feel of the room.
Readers’ Pick
Bearsville Theater
The NYSMusic.com readers have spoken and, in a bit of a surprise, the Bearsville Theater located in Woodstock came out on top when the polls closed. This iconic, yet quaint, music hall is located on the outskirts of town and a perfect location for an intimate evening. Stop next door at Bear Cafe for fine New American dining options before the show, then saunter next door and enjoy the warm ambiance of the lounge and bar inside, before entering the venue and enjoying the incredible acoustics of a popular venue in one of New York’s most iconic towns for arts and music.
Stay tuned all week for more of our series of the Best of NYS Music.
A modern jazz club manifested at Anthology Thursday, December 14, welcoming Victor Wooten Trio with Dennis Chambers (drums) and Bob Franceschini (sax). A red curtain backdrop stippled with strands of soft yellow lights dripping to the floor radiated an understated elegance, setting the mood for the trio’s dichotomous playing style. A melodic infusion of jazz, R&B and funk abstractly bestowed upon eager ears, many belonging to fellow musicians.
The relaxed musicians stood comfortably on stage, emulating a nonchalant but composed demeanor similar to one who might stand in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal while contemplating life’s deep questions.Victor Wooten Trio provided a musical approach that can seem simple upon first listen or to the untrained ear. They offer an underlying complexity that grabs the listener’s attention more fervently with purposeful, controlled sound than a performance riddled with wickedly intricate sequences.
Their performance seemed to unfurl organically, in a free flow of notes with ever-changing rhythms that kept the head bobbers and toe tappers constantly reinventing their own body movements in a frivolous attempt to mirror the music. Wooten, Chambers and Franceschini know when to push and when to pull back, leaving ample space for each musician to unhurriedly showcase their style.
In Wooten’s words from a TEDx talk at Gabriola Island a few years back he offered: “To be a good musician you have to be a good listener. Doesn’t matter how great I am as a bassist. We can put five of the world’s best musicians on this stage but if we’re great separate from each other it’s gonna sound horrible. But if we listen to each other and play together, individually we don’t have to be as great and it’ll sound much better.”
Wooten contrived several noteworthy instances, the least of which was casually slipping from electric to double bass. The latter an instrument he less commonly plays, yet fingertips danced across the fingerboard unabashedly. Fusing classical and modern, he even doubled back to brandish his bow across the electric bass to create provocative sounds. Perhaps one of Wooten’s most intriguing acts unfolded as he utilized his loop pedal to create multiple polyrhythmic melodies, adding each note one at a time. The mounting complexity of this sequence mesmerized listeners because of the precision and patience behind it’s development.
The method of slowly building a progression note by note could be traced back to Wooten’s TED talk where he describes music as a language, and one that he learned at a very early age, when he was also learning the language of speech. Just as children begin by learning one word at a time to build their vocabulary, Wooten still applies that same basic principle on a professional stage decades later to communicate with his audience.
Midway through the evening, Wooten introduced his two comrades before jokingly introducing himself as Stanley Clarke, a prominent jazz bassist. Later on in the set, he treated listeners to a mashup of Clarke originals to the delight of those familiar with his work. The trio inserted other Easter eggs throughout the set, including a Stevie Wonder sample, but even these more recognizable riffs were cleverly disguised, detectable to those listening intently.
What was plainly obvious was Wooten’s almost comically precise ability to manipulate his bass to sound like other instruments. At one point I found my eyes furiously darting across the stage to locate the elusive flute player. Low and behold, it was coming from Wooten’s electric bass. The running joke of the evening was that after talking to him for ten minutes, he could probably make his bass sound like that person’s voice. Perhaps this feat of musical wizardry can serve as his next musical conquest.
Albany has always had a diverse music scene. The Capital Region has a way of nurturing countless acts and genres throughout the years and our city always seems to have a surprise up its sleeve. The biggest surprise in 2017 has been the release of the newest project from Wavy Cunningham, Welcome to the Wave. This endeavor showcases Wavy’s ear for samples and his ability to paint a story. Ever eloquent, Wavy shows us that he can be the light of the party.
Wavy’s most ambitious project yet starts with “Sunrays,” a calypso-inspired introduction track whose chorus echoes the theme that persists throughout the album, “518, if you didn’t know you know now.” He peppers his storytelling with various local references and a sound that encompasses the feel of the State Capitol. This is apparent in his upbeat manifesto, ‘Welcome to the Wave,’ which is a prime example of how Wavy can balance the tempo, timbre, bass and rhythm of a track while spinning a yarn to the listener. The most impressive aspect of Wavy is the sheer number of genres he uses in his samples. Two shining examples of this are the incredible Barry White sample in ‘Back on the Scene’ and the Bob Marley vibe surrounding ‘Montego Bay’. However, Wavy is able to move past relying on popular samples by creating his own atmosphere which permeates the album. ’Bout Me’ possesses a striking West Coast influence while maintaining Wavy’s Northeast attitude and the angelic track, ‘Ain’t Fo Sho’ flourishes while Wavy floats amongst syllables. Welcome to the Wave shows that hip-hop is alive and well in Albany. This is the perfect summertime album and while we may be in the depths of winter, don’t be surprised if the next 518 party you attend has Wavy playing in the background.
Key Tracks: Sunrays, Welcome to the Wave, Aint fo Sho
The fact that Five Finger Death Punch falls under the groove metal sub-genre is either fitting or ironic for their latest album Decade of Destruction because I can’t tell if they’ve found their groove (metal) and are sticking to it or have been stuck in a decade long creative rut. For diehard fans of 5FDP the two never before released songs on this compilation album are able to justify picking this album up even if you have all their other albums, but for casual fans such as I who find most songs interchangeable, it gets really difficult to recommend. So to help here are two semi quick reviews of the new songs on the album.
The first track, “Trouble,” opens with lyrics that I hate to say feel like the band is satirizing themselves:
“I don’t look for trouble, trouble looks for me/That’s how it’s always been, that’s how it’s gonna be.”
The song is full of what fans love about 5FDP including aggressive vocals interrupted with anthemic chants, but there’s not much to say about it. If you love 5FDP’s emotional lyrics then this is another song to add to your collection when feeling down or angry at the world, otherwise it’s completely forgettable/replaceable. There’s nothing necessarily bad about the song it’s just another 5FDP song for better or for worse.
5FDP is known for covering songs, some from fellow metal bands, some from completely different music genres. Their track record is without a doubt a mixed track record. “House of the Rising Sun” and “Bad Company” are well praised and favorites among fans but then there’s songs like “Mama Said Knock You Out” originally by LL Cool J which is best not mentioned. Unfortunately the latest song to be covered by 5FDP, “Gone Away,” originally by The Offspring is most likely to end up sharing company with the likes of “Mama Said Knock You Out” instead of “Bad Company.” There’s just nothing about this cover that warrants its place on a greatest hits album and was also a wasted opportunity of a library such as The Offspring’s which is chock full of songs that fit 5FDP’s usual subject matter. Songs like “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” and “The Kids Aren’t Alright” would have been perfect songs to be covered by 5FDP, so to find out that “Gone Away” was the song 5FDP decided on is just truly disappointing.
Overall this is a mixed and confusing album and not just because it’s a “greatest hits” album with new material. While bands like Cannibal Corpse have also stuck to one sound, refusing to experiment, they have worked to improve that sound so that anyone can hear the difference between Vile (1996) and Red Before Black (2017) but 5FDP has relatively stayed the same for over a decade without improving their sound. In conclusion if you like 5FDP you’ll like ‘Decade of Destruction’ because it’s full of “greatest hits” and two new songs but if you don’t like 5FDP then you should be used to this by now considering they’re for better or for worse the closest thing metal can get to mainstream music.
Key Tracks: Lift Me Up (feat. Rob Halford), Jekyll and Hyde, Remember Everything
“You should know that as of five o’clock last night there were still lights and speakers still being hung,” said Proctors CEO Philip Morris at a Wednesday morning press conference to announce the opening of the Adeline Graham Theatrical Training and Innovation Center on Nov. 29 (The Addy for short) “In fact, you might even smell the dust burning off of the LEDs.”
Named after the philanthropist and longtime supporter of Proctors Theatre, the third floor space of the complex now houses a 100-seat theatre, multi-use classrooms, a media lab, a dance studio and a variety of amenities Proctors expects will serve more than 500 students and 10,000 patrons annually.
Proctors CEO Philip Morris speaks with visitors during the unveiling of The Addy on November 29
“There is nothing for us as exciting as opening The Addy,” said Morris. “This is as laser focused as our mission gets — bringing together education, entertainment and economic development in one ‘wow’ package. We are beyond proud.”
The Addy is already in use by the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s CHIME program, serving 60 musicians from local elementary and middle schools. But, in January, The School of the Performing Arts at Proctors will host more than 200 students in weekly classes, including the middle school-based Acting Academy and the high school-oriented TheatreTECH.
Built as part of a larger capital campaign, the $2.2 million project was supported by grants from Empire State Development and the Capital Region Economic Development Council, Schenectady County, Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority and the Wright Family Foundation.
“Philanthropy was such an important part of Adeline’s life,” said her niece, Heather Ward, now chair of The Wright Family Foundation, Inc. “She shared this passion with so many organizations, and she dedicated so much of her time and energy to Proctors because she really understood the importance of education, training and community education through the arts.”
With the Workforce Development Institute and TheatreTECH, The Addy will provide participants apprenticeship programs, training and certification that will allow them to work in a variety of performing arts careers. The performance space will also add another distinct venue to Proctors—serving as art house cinema, concert hall and theatrical stage.
A classroom currently used by the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s CHIME program at The Addy.
“Any time you are willing to affect youth, you have an opportunity to change the world,” said Arnold Will, deputy regional director of Empire State Development. “In this case here, it’s really what we’re doing. We’re glad to be a part of taking a vacant facility, renovating it, being a part of the revitalization of downtown Schenectady, and we wish our continued support for Philip and continued success of this project.”
Ray Gillen, chair of Metroplex, said the new creativity hub should only help Schenectady as a whole, as it adds another venue to attract visitors to the city.
“This new venue completes the renovation of the cherished Carl Company, one of the last undeveloped spaces on State Street,” he said. “The third floor now features performing and exhibit space, including a versatile 100-seat theatre that will draw more people to downtown Schenectady.”
This article was originally published by The Spot 518 and is the property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.
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.
Ring 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! 
Capital District
The fact that 
