NYS Music 20​17

Category: NYS Music Staff

  • Vans Warped Tour Caters to Hardcore in Connecticut

    Dust, blood, sweat and smiles don’t begin to describe a typical day at summer’s largest traveling music festival. Currently in its twenty-third year, the Vans Warped Tour returned for fans of all genres to enjoy their best day of the year on July 9 in Hartford, CT.

    Originally created by founder Kevin Lyman as a festival for alternative rock music, the tour has adapted in it’s over 20 years of activity to cater towards a variety of music genres. This year, the tour made an effort to reign in metal and hardcore fans by featuring bands such as GWAR, CKY, Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, Municipal Waste, Anti-Flag and Carnifex.

    Alongside these musicians, bands such as Bowling For Soup, Goldfinger, Jule Vera, Streetlight Manifesto, Watsky, Neck Deep, Alestorm and Plain White T’s worked to showcase the festival’s diversity in musicians.

    Besides showcasing bands and musicians such as the popular Andy Black, Never Shout Never, Beartooth and Dance Gavin Dance, the festival also had a knack for highlighting up-and-coming bands and bringing them into the spotlight. With this year’s Full Sail Stage, Knocked Loose, Trophy Eyes, Movements and Boston Manor are a few of the bands on the rise that were able to give everything they had to their performances.

    Although the main stage bands tend to bring in the largest crowds at the festival, this year fans should focus their attention on the Mutant Party Zone, the set of two stages side-by-side labeled Mutant North and Mutant South. The two stages which focus more on heavy music, held hidden treasure performances by some bands that shouldn’t be missed.

    Blessthefall, the five-piece metal band from Arizona, put on a genuine performance that kept fans entertained from start to finish. Whether it’s frontman Beau Boken jumping into the crowd to sing with his fans, or guitarist Elliot Gruenberg jumping and getting in fans’ faces with his guitar, Blessthefall were a highlight of the Vans Warped Tour lineup this year for many reasons.

    Even for Warped Tour attendees who don’t enjoy heavier music, Blessthefall  are a must-see band on this year’s tour.  The consistent energy from every member of the band make watching Blessthefall a genuine pleasure. Besides the fact that they don’t miss a beat, there is not a moment of silence during their set. They will go out of their way to make sure everyone in the audience is noticed, and thoroughly entertained. Where some musicians may get on stage and play their instruments, Blessthefall showcase what a performance really means.

    Another band that knows how to perform for their fans is Gwar. Fans will find themselves in a sea of fake blood while watching the legendary rock band takeover Warped Tour. Opening sets with a decapitation and then blood spewing onto the audience leaves nothing but smiles on fans faces as their white clothes turn into light shades of red.

    The crowd became filled with smiles as fans chanted, “God what an awful racket,” and went out of their way to have their white t-shirts they bought for the show covered with blood. For the sake of the experience, make sure to watch Gwar on the Vans Warped Tour. Depending on where you stand, you will leave with minimal blood on your clothes, and an understanding of why Gwar are a once in a lifetime rock group to see.

    Whether you’re a fan of pop, rock, heavy metal or rap, the Vans Warped Tour has you covered for a good time. For fans that attend to see multiple bands they adore, they will get their money’s worth for an entire day of meeting and watching their favorite bands they may not get the chance to see elsewhere. Although it’s difficult to get the entire Warped Tour experience in one day, you’ll understand why it continues to be the longest running music festival in the country, and continues to dominate the music scene as the must-see music festival of the summer.

  • Mountain Jam 2017 Keeps Pumping out Great Jams

    Mountain Jam Music Festival in Hunter, NY celebrated their 13th anniversary with a tremendous lineup of legendary, famous and diverse musicians. Passes to Mountain Jam were an unforgettable gift for Fathers Day!

    You know you’re on a ski resort when you see ski lifts overhead and snow machines beside you.  RV’s and tents were discretely and comfortably located making for exceptional accommodations.  Only a bit of cool light rain cast a shadow, but it’s cooling was welcome.

    The Thursday night pre-party crowd packed The Healy Brothers Automotive stage in Hunter Lodge for Marco Bennevento Band, who  warmed up the audience with their rendition of Sunday’s Headliner Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.” Most of the hits they played were from their newly released album Live from Woodstock. Closing out the pre-party and reappearing on Friday night was adopted Brooklyn son Sinkane. He’s an English man via Sudan who blends kraut-rock, progressive-rock, electronica, free rock, funk and Sudanese pop, creating one big late night dance party.

    The endurance award goes to the energetic Andy Frasco and the UN. The joyous smiling Frasco with his giant wavy afro played five different times during Mountain Jam. Twice he performed impromptu because he’s so much fun to dance to. Andy’s energy is so contagious the audience just needs to let loose.

    The star of Friday and perennial crowd favorite was Colorado’s own The String Cheese Incident. For their debut to Mountain Jam the band played a distinct blend of rock and jam grass for about three hours. They played twenty songs spanning their 23-year career. They encored with their song “Nothing but Flowers.”

    Seattle’s own The Head and The Heart also performed earlier on Friday playing energetic folk rock blended with beautiful harmonies. Their catchy tunes made for a fun sing-along. Also from Colorado was Elephant Revival who delighted Hunter Mountain with a mix of folk and bluegrass exporting the Rockies to create a Colorado high that was thoroughly delightful

    Toronto’s own highly anticipated Glassnote recording artists The Strumbellas brought an exciting mix of pop folk rock. Their performance of “Spirit” lived up to The Mountain Jam video preview with the whole crowd singing along almost knowing all the words.

    Warner Brothers recording artist Gary Clark Jr, a recent guest on the CBS show NCIS New Orleans brought soulful blues which rocked the mountain. He sure did not disappoint the ladies. His shredding on the guitar echoed legendary blues musicians in a Louisiana blues tradition. He’s scheduled to open for Eric Clapton in Los Angeles in September. (Did I tell you the line up was fabulous? Let me say it again).

    Shovels and Rope project a big booming sound for a Southern rock duo. Hailing from South Carolina the couple delighted the crowd featured their 2013 song of the year “Birmingham.”

    Saturday’s headliner Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would have been great alone but bringing out Marty Stuart was a bonus guest playing on a classic hit. He also played plenty of hits including “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Falling” and “Refugee” which turned Mountain Jam into one big sing-along. The crowd knew every word of all his songs including songs from the 90’s album Wildflower.

    The handsome 6’4″ Matisyahu, a Jewish American reggae vocalist and beat boxer played hits like “King without a Crown” and “One Day.” Best of all Matisyahu introduced his new album Undercurrent. Performing with his band, we were truly wowed by his control of the audience

    Michael Franti, a Bay area native led the crowd in the Sunday morning yoga session. Later he and his band Spearhead played a really fun afternoon love-dance set. Encouraging the crowd to dance together and mingle was just more joy to compliment the beautiful sun shining day. His special guests were Lucas Nelson and his percussionist to magnify his great party atmosphere on this beautiful bright sun shining day, playing his hits “Say Hey” and “Sound of Sunshine.” His spouse, an ER nurse inspired their foundation Do it for the Love, supporting the terminally ill. Please go to their website and nominate a deserving hero today. It’s free for all to do.

    Nashville and Hollywood Walk of fame recipient Peter Frampton sparkled as ever with phenomenal musical energy playing all his hits including “Show Me the Way” and “Do You Feel Like I Do.” He played “Black Hole Sun,” a tribute to acknowledge the recent loss of former tour mate Chris Cornell. His use of the talk box made it one of the coolest cover renditions I have ever heard.

    Top headliner Steve Miller Band closed out the fabulous Jam. Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee The Steve Miller Band played an energetic sing along set including their most popular hits “Abracadabra,” “The Joker” and “Fly Like an Eagle.” The hi-light of the set was when he brought out Peter Frampton to play a rocking blues hit that awed the audience with all their skills.

    With so many great bands playing with such beautiful weather, Mountain Jam 2017 was one great festival, so if there are some bands on the lineup you love, buy some early bird tickets and go jam on the mountain because you will have a blast!!!

  • 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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  • Metal Couch Cast Returns With Season 2, Talk The Rods Returning, Feuds, and Review Obituary’s New Album

    Metal Couch Cast, the metal talk show on YouTube based in Syracuse returns after a brief hiatus, now featuring two of NYS Music’s writers Jay Saint G and Black Metal Steve

    Along with voice actor Matthew “Moshpit” Fardo, with Steve Losurdo Productions handling all of the show production go into a frenzy of metal topics including Tool’s recent tour announcement, along with The Rods new album and label with much, much more.

    Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe.

  • Photo Gallery: LOCASH at Vapor Nightclub

    The Nashville-based Country/Pop duo LOCASH performed along with a full band on February 16 at Vapor Nightclub in Saratoga Springs, to a packed house.  The show was hosted by 100.9 The Cat.

    locashChris Lucas and Preston Brust, whose powers’ combined make up LOCASH, were in especially good spirits after receiving their first major Country Music Industry award nomination earlier in the day for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year. Lucas and Brust, along with their band, were riding high throughout the show, taking the opportunity to celebrate this milestone in their careers with their fans who showed up for them in droves and packed the club out.

    The ACM Awards will air live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 2nd.

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