The Ann Arbor, Michigan born quartet Vulfpeck took the Brooklyn Steel stage Friday, September 8, as well as the following weekend, before departing for their upcoming tour in Europe. The venue holds a max capacity of 1800, as well as multiple bar areas and a mezzanine. The Brooklyn Steel is a popular new theatre in Brooklyn, and was the perfect setting for Vulfpeck to perform a great show. The show was entirely sold out, but the crowd was very laid back before the show started, something not common in a crowded setting like this.
Multi-instrumentalist Joey Dosik was the opening act for the night, but he was not alone, accompanied by Vulfpeck’s Theo Katzman. Katzman played both bass and drums for this portion of the evening. Dosik elicited large amounts of excitement from the crowd, who seemed to be starstruck by his acapella rendition of “Stories” by Bill Withers. His tone and dynamic control were something to behold, and he seemed to be humbled by the praise he received. When his set ended, he then joined Vulfpeck on the stage and played along side them for the rest of the night, this time equipped with a saxophone. The vibe of the show was incredible.
While Vulfpeck performed, everyone in the venue became a unit. There was a magnetic pull that draped over the crowd like a blanket, and it seemed that not one person was standing still. With high energy, dancing, and lots of hollering, the people of the crowd could be seen having the time of their lives, living in the moment and through the songs the band banged out with expertise. Vulfpeck’s setlist for the evening contained some of their most iconic songs, such as “Daddy’s Got A Tesla,” “Game Winner,” and “Back Pocket.” However, not one song was played live in the same style as the studio version. Improvisation was a driving force at this show in the best way possible. They fed off of each other musically, trading ideas and including the crowd whenever possible.
The crowd harmonized as a group a number of times, the harmonies led by Theo Katzman. Not only that, but Vulfpeck spoke to the crowd like they would to a friend. The atmosphere was comfortable, and Vulfpeck made it easy to relax and enjoy a quality night of music. The acoustics of the venue were crisp, making each sound travel smooth and clear. Vulfpeck is a force to be reckoned with, being arguably one of the most diverse and unique music groups in the scene as of right now.
Little Feat played to a sold out crowd at The Egg on Sunday, September 10 in Albany, NY. Wasting no time, the group opened up with “Spanish Moon” and throughout their two hour set, Little Feat gave the fans what they wanted with tunes such as “Oh Atlanta” and “Time Loves A Hero.” For more information on Little Feat’s upcoming tour dates, visit littlefeat.net
It doesn’t seem like the easiest feat to get a small music festival up, running and successful, but that’s just what the organizers of the Adirondack Independence Music Festival did this past weekend, September 2-3.
In its second year and hosted in Lake George at the Charles R. Wood Commons, the two-day festival brought a stacked lineup to eager fans, and may have solidified itself moving forward as an Upstate New York gem. Ticket prices were beyond reasonable, the atmosphere was relaxed and omnipotent and every person who graced the stage brought something unique and memorable.
As the weather turned fall-like on Day 9 of the Great NY State Fair on Thursday, August 31, country music’s Leann Rimes took to the stage and welcomed both the cooler weather and the crowd that braved the elements as they sat huddled in hoodies, sweaters, and blankets. Beginning her set with a bluesy tune called “Love Line,” it was apparent her powerful vocals could make every genre of music sound amazing.
Leann Rimes is a multiple award winning musician, collecting awards from the Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, Country Music Association, and Country Music Television, to name a few, however she’s probably best known as the youngest to win a Grammy with her rendition of Bill Mack’s song, “Blue.” Although the song was to be recorded by Patsy Cline, it never was to be and although it did go on to be recorded by others, it would be Leann Rimes to make the song a top ten hit for Bill Mack. Rimes is often compared to Patsy Cline as they both share a similar soprano vocal style. She was asked to honor Patsy Cline a few years ago with a melody of Patsy’s hits, which she once again performed for fair goers last evening to their happy approval.
With an eclectic mix of both old and new tunes performed throughout the evening, Leann wowed the crowd and warmed them up one-by-one with her most amazing vocals all night long, ending the evening with a tribute to those victims in Texas singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Although Leann Rimes is best known for her number “Blue,” I can guarantee you that not one fan left last night in that state of mind.
Setlist: Love Line, Nothin Better To Do, One Way Ticket/Fast Car, Blue, Patsy Cline Medley, I Need You, Love Is Love, How Do I Live?, Commitment, Long Live Love, Bottle Let Me Down, What I Cannot Change, Life Goes On, Can’t Fight the Moonlight, Summertime
Opening the evening at Darien Lake Amphitheater for the Grammy award winning Green Day, was the British punk rockers Catfish and the Bottlemen. New to some, however highly popular with the younger crowd in attendance, these four young musicians filled the amphitheater with smoke and energy setting the scene for the crowd, who already was primed, to see their favorites, Green Day.
Oakland based punk and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Green Day, graced western New York’s Darien Lake Amphitheater, Saturday, August 20 with the summer stretch of the Rev-Rad Tour.
Band members Billie Joe Armstrong (lead vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bassist), and Tre’ Cool (drummer) were joined by Jason White (guitar) and Jason Freese (keyboards, accordion, and saxophone). While Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” played, the audience sang along in unison; you could feel the excitement and energy through the venue.
Green Day immediately had fans screaming and to their feet as they took the stage with “Know Your Enemy” and “Bang Bang” leading straight into “Holiday” and his decree about Nazis, racism, and sexism and his dislike of Donald Trump. He was then quoted as saying “This night isn’t going to be about politics, just fun,” and it was clear to all present that he got the message across that maybe the best medicine against hatred is joy and unity.
Armstrong is indeed quite the showman, to him there was no barrier between the rock legends and the simple fan. He invited one teenage girl on stage to sing “Know Your Enemy” sending her back to her spot with a swan dive into the crowd. He soon thereafter invited an 11 year old boy on stage to sing the lyrics to “Longview,” and immediately followed that performance with a 15-year-old girl as she played guitar on Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge,” giving her the instrument to keep as she exited.
Green Day did not disappoint fans reaching far back into their catalog with Kerplunk, playing “2000 Light Years Away,” right up to ending the two and half hour setlist with songs from their newest album Revolution Radio, playing “Still Breathing” and “Forever Now.” The group then returned on stage for an encore of “American Idiot,” and “Jesus of Suburbia” off their concept album and highly acclaimed “Punk Rock Opera” American Idiot.
Ending this incredible evening Armstrong played an acoustic version of “21 Guns” then right into “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and yes Billie Joe this audience indeed had the time of their lives.
At the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday, August 31, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead performed to a sold out crowd for their first ever show. The performance was an exclamation point on the talent and meteoric growth and appreciation for the super group’s knowledge of the Grateful Dead’s catalog.
The setlist below speaks for itself: JRAD took every twist and turn in the first set, weaving “New Speedway Boogie” throughout the set, a roaring “Dancin in the Streets” and emotional “Box of Rain” sung by guest bassist Oteil Burbridge.
The crowd exploded with joy at every twist and turn of the night, hanging on each note as they battled on and off rain all night.
The second set featured a jam on “Harry Hood,” the debut of Donovan “There is a Mountain,” and an explosive “I Know You Rider.” JRAD will perform next at Brooklyn Bowl October 5-7 and 12-14.
The Chenango Blues Festival has annually attracted many of the top names in the field. This year was no exception with headliners North Mississippi Allstars with John Medeski and Victor Wainwright. The two-day affair, hosted by the Chenango Blues Association, drew record crowds for its Silver 25th Anniversary fest at the Chenango County Fairgrounds in Norwich Aug. 18 and 19. A mid-afternoon storm did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd or performers, as many crowded under the tent enjoying one of the most talked about performances of the day from Jason Ricci and J.J. Appleton with Cliff Schmitt on stand-up bass.
As he gestured with a harmonica in his left hand, Ricci said, “I’ll tell you what, man. Check it out. More people, this is a fact, I checked it out. You know they have internet on computers now, and more people have been in outer space than have made a living playing this thing.” People all over the world have noticed Ricci’s prowess, as just two days prior to his Chenango performance, in Tulsa, Ricci was awarded the 2017 Player of the Year Award by the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica. Ricci then launched into an exhausting seven minute solo, complete with blues, jazz, train sounds, and a tease of “Low Rider” that left the crowd in awe of his abilities. Other notable performances during the set were covers of “Black Limousine” by the Rolling Stones, with Appleton on vocals, and Ricci’s ferocious vocals on Otis Rush’s “Double Trouble.”
This showcase offers a wide range of music that can all be classified under the wide umbrella of the blues. This year’s artists included the delta offerings of Alvin Youngblood Hart, the soulful and powerful Muddy Magnolias to the jump blues of the Mannish Boy Allstars.
Lead vocalist of the Mannish Boy Allstars, Sugaray Rayford endeared himself to the Norwich faithful, leaving the stage to mingle with those in attendance mid-song. The Mannish Boys are truly an all-star act, culling its lineup from the best the blues has to offer. Accompanying the charismatic Rayford were Anthony Geraci (keys), a Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year Award nominee; Kid Ramos (guitar), who has worked with Roomful of Blues and the Fabulous Thunderbirds; and Willie J. Campbell (bass) and Jimi Bott (drums), who both also worked with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Allan Walker, a sideman for the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Drifters and Marvin Gaye, rounded out the Mannish Boys lineup on the main stage.
Festival favorites, the Memphis-based Ghost Town Blues Band had the most unorthodox entrance of the festival with a New Orleans style second line parade. The band entered through the crowd while playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” marching onto the stage to raucous applause.
Following a three song open that included the Beatles’ “Come Together” and “Norwegian Wood” into Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” lead singer Matt Isbell took a ribbing from one of the audience members asking, “Do you know any blues numbers?” With that, they broke into a new original “Shine” that featured the most entertaining man of the festival, Suavo Jones on trombone. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Isbell has a gruff soulful voice that evokes that of both Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes. Ghost Town closed its set with a blistering cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” as another round of rain pounded the fairgrounds.
Following the festival, Ghost Town Blues Band laid down a particularly greasy set at the downtown Norwich bar the Blarney Stone. Utica harmonica player and Beale Street veteran Matt Lomeo sat in for two songs during the late night set.
Following a lengthy 40 minute weather delay, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers took to the main stage. Castro hosted Richard “Magic Dick” Salwitz, most famously of the J. Geils Band in the rain-shortened set. Castro ripped through some soulful memphis blues before welcoming Salwitz to the stage for a number of J. Geils Band songs including “First I Look at the Purse,” “Give it to Me,” and Magic Dick’s signature solo, the crowd pleasing “Whammer Jammer.”
One of the most highly anticipated sets of the festival was that of Victor Wainwright and the Train. Wainwright, a Georgia born and bred pianist, reminds one of a young Dr. John with his honky-tonk boogie style. Wainwright didn’t disappoint. His hands were a blur the majority of the set. He injected stories about his songs, including one about a rollicking song his 87 year-old granddaddy, who is still playing, taught him called “Alabama Jubilee” which was one of the highlights of the set. Guitarist Pat Harrington, who is from Buffalo, had several friends and family members on hand. He laid down a particularly blistering solo during “I Wanna Be Like You.”
The North Mississippi Allstars with special guest, keyboard maestro John Medeski closed out the festival. Touring behind their latest release Prayer for Peace, NMAS have a renewed vigor and have gone back to their Mississippi roots on this outing. Guitarist Luther Dickinson has established himself as one of the premier slide guitarists in music today. He mentioned that when discussing the set list with drummer and brother Cody Dickinson, the question arose of what the Chenango audience might want to hear. Luther thought the crowd was in the mood for “some of that Mississippi stank.” And some of that Mississippi stank is what they got.
The raunchy set saw seamless interplay between the the Dickinsons and Medeski, who has a history with the brothers and Robert Randolph in the gospel outfit The Word. Luther and Medeski fed off of each other with Medeski’s keyboard magic taking the bluesy stomp to another level. A cover of the traditional blues classic “Deep Ellum Blues” sung by drummer Cody and accompanied by Medeski’s keys, proved to be a highlight of the set.
In this era of flailing and failing festivals, the Chenango Blues Fest does it right. The volunteers are all cheerful and helpful to a fault and the organization is top notch. The festival has grown over its 25 years to gain the reputation as one of the best blues festivals on the circuit. This is a testament to the community, the organization and the numerous sponsors.
The Chenango Blues Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established to foster an appreciation of blues, zydeco, jazz and gospel. The group is run by a group of volunteers who not only organize the Chenango Blues Festival each year, but also curate a summer-long free concert series in Norwich each year. In 2016 the Chenango Blues Festival was the recipient of the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Award. For more information on the Chenango Blues Association and the work that they do, visit their website.
Gary Clark Jr., aka “The Chosen One”, brought his high energy fusion of blues, rock and soul to the Jersey Shore’s iconic Stone Pony on Saturday August 26th. The Austin, Texas native was accompanied by London, England’s Michael Kiwanuka, and New York City’s Tangiers Blues Band. The Tangiers feature photography legend and New Jersey home town hero Danny Clinch on harmonica. It was a perfectly curated trio of blues bands on a cool late summer evening in front of a capacity crowd. With the sunset behind the stage and the ocean across the street, fans flooded the open air venue for a memorable night with a powerhouse guitarist at the helm.
Lake George celebrated the 200th Anniversary of the steamboats that are a staple of the Adirondack vacation town.
The three boats – Minni-haha, Mohican and Lac du Saint Sacrement were docked and boxed in the stage so attendees could watch from the dock or on one of the historic steamboats. Perfect weather and clear skies brought out the crowds and the bands took it from there. Capital Zen kicked off the day with intense ska/funk energy with horns a-blazing for the first set of the day. Goose followed and their perfectly crafted songs and jams were highlighted in a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and the smooth rock original “Creatures.” Mister F led off their set with the “Family Feud theme,” continuing their summer series of TV show themes to open their sets and added in the “Goldeneye 007 Dam Theme” later on. Formula 5 capped the night with the first local performance of “Hot Box” in over 2 years, as well as a debut cover of Widespread Panic’s “Disco.”
The music keeps rocking this coming weekend with Adirondack Independence Festival taking place at Charles R. Wood Park on September 2 & 3, featuring Twiddle, Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Hayley Jane and the Primates, Formula 5, Mister F, Capital Zen and many more. Tickets are on sale now
New York City-based rock band Upright Man got down at the Bowery Electric on Wednesday night, August 23rd. In support of their self-titled album which was released earlier this month, bandmates Aidan Dolan (guitar/vocals), Nick Katz (bass/vocals) and Max Yassky (drums/percussion/background vocals) brought some timeless, old school charm to their set. With singles like the haunting “Checked Out” or the glittery Beatles-esque “Three Easy Pieces”, this trio possesses some great songwriting skills and creates some wonderful arrangements that are soothing to the ear.
In support of Upright Man was San Francisco based, Royal Jelly Jive. With an already huge following on the West coast, RJJ dazzled the audience at Bowery Electric on Wednesday night. Their style of gypsy jazz is light, contagious and makes you want to get up and dance. Vocalist, Lauren Bjelde’s tantalizing, soulful pipes and infectious smile just lights up the stage. We look forward to seeing more of them on this coast.
The crowd harmonized as a group a number of times, the harmonies led by Theo Katzman. Not only that, but Vulfpeck spoke to the crowd like they would to a friend. The atmosphere was comfortable, and Vulfpeck made it easy to relax and enjoy a quality night of music. The acoustics of the venue were crisp, making each sound travel smooth and clear. Vulfpeck is a force to be reckoned with, being arguably one of the most diverse and unique music groups in the scene as of right now.
In support of Upright Man was San Francisco based,