NYS Music 20​17

Category: Special

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Best Music Towns

    We’re proud to know that New York is one of the greatest states in the country, if not THE greatest state, for producing musicians and second to none live music experiences. All throughout The Empire State, venues across the state in villages, towns and cities are filled each night with up and coming and established musicians, with something new right around the corner. Your new favorite band might be playing in town tonight, and a few towns over tomorrow, and these are the artists that you can catch early and often, before they rise to stardom. We asked NYS Music’s staff and contributors, along with our readers, what they considered to be the Music Town in New York for 2017, and the winners both come from Western New York, Rochester and Buffalo.

    The venues are not the only reason why New York is such a great place for music. With the amount of national, regional and local acts touring through the state, we get the chance see bands and artists rise from their infancy playing bars and small clubs to playing larger theaters and arenas. In addition to the best music towns, we also asked our staff and readers for what they think are the acts to which we should pay the most attention.

    Best Music Town – Staff Pick

    Rochester

    Western New York had a dominant winner in Rochester as our staff pick of Best Music Town in the state. Rochester’s overall music scene might be one of the most complete in the state, with music legends teaching at the Eastman and Hochstein Schools of Music, the legendary House of Guitars which attracts musicians from around the world, plus venues that cater to a wide variety of music, aiding in the building of a strong scene. The Flour City’s proximity to Buffalo and Toronto also makes it a popular stomping ground for indie bands just starting out, and right off I-90 they bring in touring bands criss-crossing the state. Then there are the talented musicians in obscure bands that are just getting their start, leading to a great deal of artist collaboration, supporting each other as they rise in their respective parts of the overall scene.

    Between cafes, bars, theaters, and parks, live music is prominent throughout the Greater Rochester area. Events like Rochester Fringe, Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest, Lilac Festival, Park Ave Fest, and Corn Hill Festival keep the city alive from the spring through the autumn, touching on every genre. Funk n Waffles Music Hall opened earlier this year in the former Water Street Music Hall, serving up live music with a side of waffles. The Dome Arena also re-opened this year, providing a larger venue for national acts. Three Heads Brewing has attracted a consistent slate of bands that pair well with any of the brewery’s tasty offerings. The Main Street Armory, Flour City Station, The Bug Jar, Photo City Improv, and Montage Music Hall are a regular spots for catching touring bands passing through town as well as local bands providing support. The Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, offers a range of world-class events in one of the most beautiful venues in the state.
    Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

    Rochester is a breeding ground for talent. Rochester has a surprisingly large metal scene, one that is #4 in the country for metal bands, including punk band Primitive Screwheads, death metal band Gutted Alive, and hardcore band REPS. It is a point of pride for Rochester metal fans that Metallica came here to record there first album in 1983. Then there are some lesser-known and up-and-coming acts like Lost Wax Collective, Such Gold, Maybird, St Phillip’s Escalator, Total Yuppies, Tart Vandelay, Area Natives, The Medicinals, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Crooked North, Dirty Blanket, Periodic Table of Elephants, The Demos, The Dirty Pennies, So Last Year, Nerds In Denial, Carpool, Druse, Taking Meds, and Talking Under Water. Top notch music education has cultivated phenomenal young talent, such as Pilot the Universe, a band whose members are still in high school but already making waves, and 12-year-old Jack West, who recently had an opportunity to sing on stage with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Rochester bands are also getting national and international exposure. Rochester’s King Buffalo toured North America and Europe this summer with Elder. Following the release of their second album, Content, Joywave crossed the country twice this year – playing in support of Young The Giant and then again on a headlining tour. And Bon Iver chose local singer/songwriter/harpist Mikaela Davis to provide support on their European jaunt this year.

    Many famous musicians have called the 585 home, including Lou Gramm (a founding member of Foreigner), Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Chesterfield Kings, composer Samuel Adler, Jazz Brothers Chuck and Gap Mangione, bluesman Joe Beard, and acclaimed drummer Steve Gadd. The roots of Rochester’s music scene can be traced back over a hundred years, to artists like blues legend Son House and jazz musician Cab Calloway. The Rochester Hall of Fame has inducted Beard, Adler, Lewis, and Gramm, House and Calloway, as well as Lew Soloff, who taught at the Eastman School of Music after his many years in Earth, Wind and Fire.

    There’s something for every musical taste in Rochester, whether you’re a lucky resident or visitor.

    Best Music Town – Reader’s Pick

    Buffalo

    Buffalo, being the second largest city in the state and one of the largest in their region of the country, sees a lot of music come through its various venues, ranging from small clubs and bars to the large New Era Field. Buffablog organizes an annual event Herd Fest, a SXSW-style multi-venue showcase featuring some of the best musicians in the region. This year’s WLKK holiday music festival stretched out over three days. Then there are numerous venues including Nietzche’s, Tralf Music Hall, Shea’s Buffalo, Canalside, Kleinhans Music Hall, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Mohawk Place, Town Ballroom, Buffalo Iron Works, Sugar City, Key Bank Center, and first year fest Cobblestone Live.

    Many popular music acts got their start in Buffalo including the Goo Goo Dolls and Spyro Gyra. One of the current popular bands, Aqueous, whose latest EP, Best in Show, was our staff pick for album of the year and named once again to be a Band on the Rise by our readers. And a wide variety of artists having gained or gaining a fan base from the Queen City. NYS Music 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers and Folkfaces, folk rock icon Ani DiFranco, Rick James, Cannibal Corpse, Cute Is What We Aim For, Every Time I Die, On The Cinder, Del Paxton, Green Jelly, moe., Willie Nile, Billy Sheehan, and Wyatt Coin.

    Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has shared their stage at the landmark Kleinhan’s Music Hall with such greats as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Copland, and Yo-Yo Ma. With venues catering to a young adult audience, from the all-ages Sugar City to shows on the SUNY Fredonia campus, Buffalo is a fertile market for twenty-something alternative bands like Head North, Super American, MAGS, Previous Love, Ugly Sun, Made Violent, and Mason-Jar.)

    Buffalo is also home to recording studios who help regional artists lay down their work, but are talented enough to attract major recording artists. GCR Audio is a state of the art recording studio which attracts local as well as big-name artists, with a list of clients which includes A-listers like James Taylor, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Lil Wayne. Outer Limits Recording Studio has been serving regional and national artists for more than two decades, and its client list includes Eminem.

    But more than just the brick and mortar venues and studios, it’s the sense of community that makes the Buffalo music scene great. Artists are supportive of each other, cross-promote, and join in collaborative efforts between musicians to help each other create and grow. Overall, the bands, venues, and industry professionals are conscientious of the needs of audience members to not only have fun but also to provide a safe environment.

  • Best of NYS Music: Biggest Musical Losses of 2017

    As we continue to look back on the year in music in 2017, no retrospective would be complete without recognizing the artists that we lost this year.  Fortunately, even though they may no longer be with us, their music is eternal and will survive the test of time.  The following musicians are huge musical losses, and each impacted audiences on a large scale and surely served as inspiration for some and will be missed by all.

    Tom Petty

    Perhaps no celebrity death this year, musician or not, impacted as many people as Tom Petty’s did, serving as a testament to just how influential his music has been not only in America but worldwide.  Petty succumbed to cardiac arrest just weeks shy of his 67th birthday in October, shortly after his last tour had finished.  His music was and is pure Americana, often featuring simple, heart felt lyrics that had a personal touch to them combined with passionate guitar work and melodies.  Starting with his first band Mudcrutch in Florida and ending with his long time backing band and friends The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty’s music spanned generations and served as inspiration to aspiring song writers everywhere.  It’s hard not to even know a Petty tune as song like “Free Fallin,” “Running Down a Dream,” and “American Girl” have been thoroughly infused into popular culture, proving that his music not only spanned generations but tastes as well.  Even if you weren’t a huge fan, odd’s are that there’s at least one Tom Petty song you know and like.  Petty was fittingly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and leaves us with an enormous musical catalog to remember him by.

    Here’s a clip from Petty’s final show at the Hollywood Bowl in September, showing that he still had plenty of speed on his fastball and, in a way, went out on top.

    Chuck Berry

    In terms of influencing other artists and redefining an entire musical genre, no one we lost this year had more of an impact with that than Chuck Berry who literally forged a new era of music.  Taking elements of rhythm and blues, Berry combined them with frenetic guitar work and pure showmanship in serving as one of the true fathers of rock and roll.  When artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles cite you directly as an influence, something must have been done right.  Songs like “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven” were unheard of at the time in the late 1950s with their rousing guitar-driven sound and Berry’s on stage showmanship.  But Berry helped bring this new form of musicianship into the light and served as inspiration to entire generations of musicians who took this and ran with it. Fittingly, Berry was one of the first ever members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it opened in 1986.

    Charles Bradley

    Self dubbed “the screaming eagle of soul,” Charles Bradley’s voice was synonymous with soul music and his death in September after a battle with stomach cancer was felt by many in the music industry.  Bradley’s performances were known for his visual outpouring of emotion, connecting with his audience on a personal level and, of course, soul.  Bradley started out his career as a James Brown impersonator and wound up as an acclaimed performer and one of the faces of the Daptone Records label.  His delivery was known to evoke memories of Otis Redding and his influence has even spread to the world of hip hop where his unmistakable voice can be heard in samples.

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Bands on the Rise and Artists You Should Know

    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.

    Bands on the Rise

    Staff Pick

    Aqueous

    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.

    Readers Pick

    The Other Brothers

    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.

    The Backseat Bullets

    Aqueous

    Hartley’s Encore

    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.

    St. Phillip’s Escalator

    Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

    Sydney Worthley

    Big Mean Sound Machine
    King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

    The Honey Smugglers

    lespecial

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

    Vulfpeck

    Turkuaz

    oh wonder

    The Seratones

    Sofus

    Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals

    Portugal. The Man

    The Wood Brothers

    Root Shock

    Parquet Courts

    Mary’s Blood (Japan)

    Highly Suspect

    Royal Jelly Jive

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Festivals of the Year

    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.

    Rochester Fringe

    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.

    Adirondack Independence Music Festival

    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…..

    READERS’ PICK – NY FESTIVAL

    moe.down

    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.

    STAFF PICKS – NATIONAL FESTIVALS

    Peach Festival

    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.

    Rock on the Range

    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…..

    READERS’ PICK – NATIONAL FESTIVALS

    Summer Camp

    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.

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Albums of the Year

    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.

    Best Albums by a New York Artist

    Staff Picks

    Dopapod MEGAGEM

    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.”

    Big Mean Sound Machine Runnin’ For The Ghost

    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.

    Formula 5 All Points North

    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.

    The Other Brothers Jones


    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 How Long

    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 Element Pt. 1, Element Pt. 2

    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.

    Best Albums – Nationwide

    Staff Picks

    Mike Gordon OGOGO

    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.

    Body Count Blood Lust

    Ice-T’s heavy metal band returned with their first album since 2014’s Manslaughter received a Grammy nomination for the song “Black Hoodie.”

    Kendrick Lamar DAMN.

    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.

    Queens of the Stone Age Villains

    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.”

    lespecial Cheen

    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.

    Reader Picks

    King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Polygonawanaland

    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.

  • Best of NYS Music 2017: Staff and Reader Picks for Best Venue

    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.

    Staff Picks

    Brooklyn Steel

    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.

  • Exclusive Premiere: Hard Soul’s EP “This Will Hurt”

    Hard Soul returns this week with their new EP This Will Hurt. NYS Music presents an exclusive premiere of the 5 track EP, due out tomorrow and available on the group’s Bandcamp. The first single “See Me” was released this past week.

    The EP features five tracks, including three brand-new songs and two new arrangements of previously-released acoustic tracks “Fairer ShorTes” and “Have To Be A Miracle,” which originally appeared on the band’s 2015 EP Fairer Shores.

    Lead singer Johnny Salka says of the latest release, “The new EP is a renewed approach to that songwriting ethos which represents the last three years and next step in the musical evolution of Hard Soul. We’re absolutely stoked to share the new songs with our fans and the rest of the world.”

    https://soundcloud.com/thehardsoul/sets/this-will-hurt-ep/

  • Get Brainwashed with ShwizZ’s Quirky video for “Listen To It”

    This past week, ShwiZz released their video for “Listen To It,” a satirical song with an equally odd video that bounces around similar to the jams ShwiZz performs. Watch below.

    “Listen To It” was conceptualized and written by Ryan Liatsis and brought to life in 2017 with the band ShwizZ. The self-referential tune encourages the listener to indeed “listen to it,” over and over again. Guitarist Ryan Liatsis shared some background on the video. “The original idea was to write more of a pop song to take the band in a different direction, but of course our love for Zappa shone through and we wound up adding quite a bit of humor and satire. The song is merely a mockery of the power mainstream media has over so many minds, “telling” them all what should be listened to, whether you like it or not! We are undoubtedly not the first people or group to shed light on this matter, but our hope is that people who view this video will consider giving a listen to small time bands, music you’ve perhaps never heard and non commercial radio and media. Or perhaps we just want to brainwash everyone as well.”

    shwizz at garcia's Shwizz Listen to it“Listen To It” was directed and produced by Paul Liatsis and Bridgeside Productions out of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, NY, and was filmed at Bridgeside Productions Studio in Nyack, NY.

    Catch ShwiZz on December 9 at B.R.Y.A.C in Bridgeport, CT, December 15 at Casa Del Sol in Nyack, NY and on January 11 at 10pm they’ll be part of a live TV performance “Raw Music Sessions,” available for viewing on Channel 79 Time Warner Cable and Fios Staten Island

  • Author Garret Woodward to Discuss “If You Can’t Play, Get off the Stage” in Champlain and Albany

    North Country native and author Garret Woodward will give a reading and discuss his book “If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage” on Wednesday, December 27 at Champlain Meeting House in Champlain, NY, and on Thursday, December 28 at Nine Pin Cider, both starting at 6:30pm. Currently based in Asheville and serving as the Arts/Entertainment editor for The Smoky Mountain News, as well as music editor for Smoky Mountain Living magazine, Woodward published his debut book earlier this year to rave reviews.

    author garret woodward

    Diving into the rich, vibrant and controversial history of bluegrass music, “If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage: Bluegrass in Western North Carolina and Beyond” features interviews, profiles, quotes and conversations with the biggest names in bluegrass, mountain and string music, including: Andy Hall (The Infamous Stringdusters), Balsam Range, Billy Strings, Bobby Osborne, Claire Lynch, Dave Johnston (Yonder Mountain String Band), David Grisman, David Holt, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, Eric Gibson, Frank Solivan, Graham Sharp (The Steep Canyon Rangers), Jeff Austin, Jesse McReynolds, John Cowan, Larry Sparks, Marty Stuart, Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass), Peter Rowan, Raymond Fairchild, Rhiannon Giddens, Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie Reno, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and many more.

    Born in Rouses Point, Woodward graduated from Quinnipiac University and then crisscrossed America for several years as a music journalist, covering backyard get-togethers and festivals like Burning Man, Rothbury, Grand Targhee, Outside Lands and Wakarusa. In 2015, Woodward won first place in the North Carolina Press Association awards for “Arts & Entertainment Reporting” for his cover story “Bless Your Heart — The State of Women in Bluegrass.” In 2016, Woodward was nominated for “Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). The NCPA also recognized him with another first place in 2016 for “Lighter Columns” for his weekly column in The Smoky Mountain News, “This must be the place.”

  • Exclusive Premiere: Tart Vandelay “Cloudy Doubts”

    Rochester indie pop group Tart Vandelay has released the first single, “Cloudy Doubts,” off their upcoming EP Flow, which is due out on Friday, December 1. Like others on the EP, “Cloudy Doubts” uses nature as a metaphor for personal trials and tribulations, overcoming challenges and adversity. The idea is to see how nature flows and functions and use that as a guide to narrate one’s own life. The EP was recorded at Wicked Squid studios and was produced by Josh Pettinger.

    Tart Vandelay Cloudy DoubtsYes, that band name is inspired by a classic Seinfeld, but this group is a sonic importer/exporters that began as a duo featuring musical couple Marty LoFaso and Katie Halligan. The two began dating in 2011 while studying music in their hometown of Rochester, NY. After moving to Boston, MA, the couple officially formed Tart Vandelay in the summer of 2014. The duo added a rhythm section recently, adding Stephen Petoniak on bass and Christopher Dubuc-Penney on drums in spring of 2016, and in 2017 Pete Zamniak replaced original bassist Stephen Petoniak. Stay up to date with Tart Vandelay and listen to “Cloudy Doubts” below.
     

    Follow Tart Vandelay on Instagram, Bandcamp, Facebook and at their website.