Syracuse-based groove rockers Boogie Low have a hometown party planned for the release of their new eponymous album at the Westcott Theater Saturday March 18.
Photo Credit: Nicole Carey Photography
Opening for Boogie Low Saturday night are fellow Syracuse-area natives, Barroom Philosophers, who are also promoting a new release. Tickets for the show are $10 and can be purchased at Sound Garden in Armory Square or online through the Westcott Theater’s website.
The quartet first formed as the Boogie Low Trio in 2011. Founding members Tommy Dennis (bass), Loudon Smith (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Caza (drums) used a reggae-tinged sound reminiscent of Sublime and other Long Beach, CA bands of the early ’90s as a base. The band ditched the “Trio” from its name when it brought on guitarist Matthew West in 2012. The band parted ways with Caza in 2013 and was replaced by Brandon Au, completing the band’s current lineup. Other contributors to the new album include Ray Wiggins on drums, Ty Hancock on keys and Josh Alaniz, also on keys.
The new album, simply titled Boogie Low, has influences ranging from the aforementioned Sublime to Santana, moe., Umphrey’s McGee, 311 and Calexico. This range of influences allows Boogie Low to create its own distinct sound that encapsulates all of them.
Smith’s vocals are rhythmic, soulful and smoky, while West’s western-style guitar solos wouldn’t be out of place on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. This is especially prominent on the tracks “Mexico,” “Eldin” and the band’s signature jam vehicle “Shadows,” which closes the album. Wiggins’ drumming and Au’s percussion work is what keeps this train moving. Their beats are at the forefront of Boogie Low’s sound. The accents Wiggins and Au provide help to propel the rest of the band to the next level. One can easily feel the jamming possibilities in a live setting being propelled by the percussion.
The CD was produced at SubCat Music Studios in Syracuse by Jeremy Johnston and mastered by Patrick MacDougal. The band credits Johnston as being the captain of the ship from start to finish. Physical copies of the album will be available at the Westcott Saturday night or directly through the band’s website. Following the show, the album will be available through iTunes, Spotify and on Pandora.
Track list:
1. Mexico
2. Eldin
3. Back to Nothing
4. Better Way
5. Colas in the Sky
6. Annie
7. Miss Bliss
8. Tommy’s Song
9. Walk On
10. Mckenna
11. Shadows
Key Tracks: “Mexico,” “Colas in the Sky,” “Shadows”
In a vast sea of pop punk bands, Lighters emerges as a stand-out from the crowd. On their latest EP, Fear of Missing Out, they pay homage to the nostalgic aspects of the genre, while at the same time redefining the boundaries.
Photo: Corinne Cummings
To learn more about what went into the making of Fear of Missing Out, I met up with the members of Lighters: Matthias Galley (lead vocals/guitar) Will Westveer (lead guitar), Jake McDermott (drums), and Alan Pelton (bass) at New Roots Coffeehouse in their hometown of Rochester. We talked about recording at home versus the studio, the stories behind the songs, and the best places to go in Rochester for a garbage plate.
Paula Cummings: So why Lighters?
Will Westveer: Plural nouns were the thing two years ago. Every band was a one word name with an “s” at the end and without the “The,” and we thought Lighters would be good. Part of the reason we changed our name (from Cult Classic) was because there was already a band called Cult Classic. But now there’s another band called Lighters. So it’s really unavoidable.
PC: How would you describe your sound?
WW: It’s very old school. There’s a lot of old school pop punk, old school emo.
Matthias Galley: Early 2000’s – The Get Up Kids, Blink
Jake McDermott: My girlfriend said last night, “You guys sound like newfound glory.”
Alan Pelton: We’ve also got that newer emo going. Modern Baseball is a huge influence.
MG: We’re not a straight up punk band, but that’s definitely where a lot of my roots came from – just like that pure aggression and energy and maybe not being technically the best but having heart behind it. I think that’s a lot of our philosophy.
JM: But we also want to get out of that and be more modern, like alternative emo.
MG: It’s really hard to put your music in a genre because you just have so many influences and you put them in the box and you don’t know what’s going to come out.
PC: The new EP, Fear of Missing Out, where did you record and who helped you put that together?
JM: First we tried recording at my house.
WW: It didn’t sound too bad, but it was too much work.
JM: My parents were out of town for Halloween weekend last year. We set up my drums in the living room. We put pillows next to the fireplace so no one would hear outside. And we just recorded drums for the entire day. Then we recorded their vocals and stuff for the next two days. We finally were almost done and we were on the last song when someone rang the doorbell. I forgot it was Halloween. So my dog starts barking, and we’re like “Okay, we’re just going to get someone to do it.”
WW: It was the last straw.
PC: Yeah, DIY is great, but it takes a lot of work.
WW: We recorded it with one of our friends in a band called REPS. They’re a hardcore band, they’re really good. They have a rehearsal space over off Park Ave and they’re turning it into a studio too. We’re one of the first bands that used it. The guitar player Jordan Foehner helped us. We were really happy with it. HQ Audio – they were deciding the name as we recorded.
MG: It’s cool to be at the beginning of something like that.
PC: And then the album art – that’s a throwback.
MG: That’s my roommate Billy Lyons. He’s a local artist. He had a show at the Bug Jar a while back and he just had a show at Ugly Duck Coffee. I was like, “Hey can you draw something that looks like 1990’s cartoons, like Rocko’s Modern Life style?” We had him base it off our friend Bobby Heath, who is the guy on the album artwork for the other EP. Bobby comes to a lot of our shows. We’ve known him forever.
AP: We kind of made him look like he’s not really fitting in, like everyone’s having a good time and he’s hanging around.
PC: And that fits the title of the album, Fear of Missing Out. So let’s talk about the tracks. Tell me about “It’s Cold, I’m Sorry.”
MG: That song I wrote after my 21st birthday. I went to a show at the Bug Jar. And it was my 21st birthday, so I left the bar and I forgot my coat inside. And my girlfriend was like, “What are you doing, you have to go in and get it.” So she went and got it for me. It was such an insignificant thing, but I thought it was kind of cute.
PC: The cold seems to be a theme, because there’s mention of the cold in the next song.
MG: You have to write about what you know, right?
AP: It’s something that happens in Rochester.
WW: It’s a reoccurring theme – you can’t get away from it.
PC: But then your EP came out right at the beginning of a heat wave, which was ironic. Tell me about the second song, “Cult Classic.”
WW: That’s one of my favorite songs, I think. That’s a song that we wrote in our old band Cult Classic. That’s why we named it. Back then it was only a verse and a chorus, like verse-chorus-verse-chorus. We only played it once or twice, but I always thought that the chorus was super catchy. We had this other song that we wanted to put on the EP, but we were on the fence about it. And I was like, “Let’s go back to that, let’s revamp it, let’s add a few more parts.” I think it turned out really good. That song’s about Rochester.
PC: But then there’s “Cranberry Lake,” which does not sound like a Rochester reference.
MG: Cranberry Lake is a campground up in the Adirondacks. It’s more of a return to a natural setting. We talk about Rochester, then we shift settings.
PC: I think punk pop bands have like three prerequisite songs, and one of them is always about getting out of town.
MG: We try to avoid those tropes because it’s really tough being a punk pop band.
WW: But you can’t really avoid the pop punk clichés.
JM: We love pizza and buffalo chicken.
PC: And then “Mary Jo,” that one’s a little different than the other ones.
AP: The title is my grandma’s name. One of the first times we played was at the Vineyard Community Space. She came and a ton of my family came and they took up half the room. She had like a folding chair – she got a chair from somewhere, I don’t know where – and she put it right in the front, like right in front of our mics. She put some ear plugs in and she just sat there for the whole thing. That song didn’t have a name, so we just slapped her name on it and it stuck. I kinda like it.
MG: I really like that venue. It’s cool. It’s all ages, which is amazing around here. You know it’s tough. I don’t know how you can encourage people to keep moving into the scene if you have venues that you can only go in if you’re 21. I just wish there were more all-ages venues around.
PC: The last song is “No Pictures Please.”
MG: The song itself I wrote two summers ago. Cold is kind of a theme for the whole album, but this swings to the opposite end of the spectrum. This is about summertime. We had put out our first EP and we were trying to write new songs, to generate new material and come together as a band. At the same time this was in between classes and I was living at home, because you can’t live on campus during the summer break. And you feel anxious and you just want to move on to the next phase. And I think that’s what the song is about – trying to advance as a band and a person.
Photo: Corinne Cummings
PC: How was the experience recording this one different than your first EP?
WW: The EP we did at RIT at WITR studio. We recorded the whole thing live so we played it all live in this tiny room. We did vocals afterwards. This time we had a lot more control. It took way longer. Last time took only a day. This time took a few weeks and we tracked everything separately, so we got to mess around with some tones. We did a little editing. It was a lot more professional this time around, and a lot more fun, really.
MG: Yeah, it was cool. We really did enjoy recording at HQ Audio. It was a really nice, relaxed environment. I didn’t mind coming in multiple sittings because it’s enjoyable recording with them and doing what we do.
AP: Jordan knows what he’s doing. In “No Pictures Please,” at the end, he jumped in too and that was super fun.
WW: Yeah, it was me and Alan and he’s got a booth with all of his board. Me and Alan were standing outside the booth with headphones and a microphone. And he’d hit go and run out with headphones on.
MG: He was really involved.
JM: It was fun doing vocals with Jordan.
WW: He helped out a lot too. A lot of harmonies and input.
AP: He pushed you to make it sound better – “No, you can do better than that” and “do it again, do it again.”
MG: Yeah, it definitely would have sounded different if we went with someone else. He had a lot of good constructive criticism.
PC: In your band interests you mention garbage plates. What’s your favorite place to go for garbage plates in Rochester?
JM: I like Steve T’s the best – on Lyell. It used to be Nick Tahoes. It looks really trashy, but it’s good.
WW: I love a greasy spoon.
AP: But I like Henrietta Hots, they’re consistent. They’re open late, too.
PC: Anything else you’d like to add?
MG: We had a lot of outside help, between Jordan and Billy who did the album artwork. And Bobby, too. He comes to shows whenever he can. And Tim Avery. He’s the reason we play shows. The majority of shows come through him and he’s the one who gave me my first shows when I was 16 or 17 years old. The way he goes about his business is very commendable and I really appreciate what he does for the scene.
The Syracuse Area Music Awards, affectionately known as the SAMMYS, wrapped up its 25th edition Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Palace Theater in Syracuse with a brief performance from freshly inducted Hall of Famers moe.
Ahead of Saturday night’s show at the F Shed, moe. closed out the two-night affair with a three song set of “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” and “Buster.” Friday night’s awards ceremony, hosted by veteran Syracuse DJ and staunch supporter of the local scene, Dave Frisina, featured awards in 18 categories, including three People’s Choice categories, and performances by four Syracuse area bands, reflecting the broad range of styles and talent found in and around the Salt City.
The SAMMYS is the brainchild of Frank Malfitano and now under the care of Liz Nowak. In 1993 Malfitano created the celebration of area music for an event at the Landmark Theatre. The event changed venues several times over the years before finally settling on the grand old Palace Theater on James Street in the Eastwood district.
The festivities began with the Hall of Fame dinner Thursday night, upstairs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The Dinosaur has been one of Syracuse’s premier music venues since opening on Willow Street in 1990 and was a fitting venue for the honors and stories that filled the room.
This year’s inductees were Mohawk Valley via Buffalo jamband moe., pioneering new wave singer/guitarist Meegan Voss, 70s blues rock artists Jukin’ Bone and singer-songwriter Paul Case. Also being honored were Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis for Music Educators of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Vincent Falcone. It was a night that had the feel of a class reunion. Hugs and excited shouts from people who haven’t seen each other in years mingled with stories of years’ past in venues no longer around.
The inductions and awards ceremonies were hosted by Dave Frisina, a 1994 SAMMYS Hall of Fame inductee, long-time Syracuse radio personality, champion of local music and self-professed band dad. His son, Mike is a member of Syracuse-based band Simplelife. Most, if not all, of those in the room have dealt with him in some way throughout their career. A man like Frisina is what every music town needs. He is local music’s strongest advocate and has the platform for it at his current station 105.9 The Rebel.
Induction and acceptance speeches were filled with anecdotes and inside jokes. Though, most in attendance, were on the inside of those jokes. Memories of broken down vans, vanished venues and bad decisions peppered the speeches. It was the talk of well-worn musicians who have dedicated their craft not to become famous, but simply to play. To the outsider, it was a look at a scarcely seen side of the working musician.
The first honor of the night was for Educators of the Year. Husband and wife, Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis, two area music teachers were honored for their decades of influence on local musicians at Syracuse University, Colgate University, LeMoyne College, the Lyncourt School and Onondaga Community College. They were inducted by their well-spoken and surprisingly laid-back granddaughter Olivia.
Voss was inducted by her husband and band-mate in the Verbs, drummer Steve Jordan. In her acceptance speech, she pleaded to “Save the clubs.” Case, visibly touched at the recognition for his long career avoided revealing too much of past days on the road, “My kids are in the room.” He lavished praise on fellow musicians in the room, including Jukin’ Bone member Joe Whiting as well as the master of ceremonies.
Case, sporting a black tux and pronounced the Best Dressed in the Room by Frisina, closed his acceptance speech saying, “You get up. You drive to the gig. You set up. You play your ass off. You tear down. You drive a million miles home, week after week, month after month, decade after decade. You do it for the music.” He then dedicated his award to the late Bob Fleming of the Mossback Mule Band, who passed away in September.
Accepting for Jukin’ Bone was Whiting, Mark Doyle and John DeMaso. Discussing the problems of being a young band, Whiting offered a piece of advice, “I would recommend not signing contracts under the influence of anything distilled or brewed, made in a laboratory or passed around and smoked,” eliciting loud laughter from the audience.
The final inductee of the night was moe. Al Schnier spoke first in accepting the honor, speaking of all the Syracuse area venues spent taking in shows as a fledgling musician. Schnier lauded promoters such as Chuck Chao of Creative Concerts, who inducted the band, thanking them for shaping who they became as musicians:
We came here as kids to see concerts Chuck (Chao) was promoting. They made us fans. Whether it was Driving Sideways or the Todd Hobin Band or the New York Flyers or 805; these were the bands we looked up to as kids. They could have been the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead; they were the same to us. You guys were rock stars.
Drummer Vinnie Amico attributed the band’s style to its Upstate New York roots, “We all wear our hearts on our sleeves. We all kind of have this style, this thing we do, because of where we’re from. We’re blue collar, baby. We work hard, we play our music that way. There’s an edge to our music and that’s a testament to Upstate New York.”
“The Oddities of the World” – the SAMMYS Hall of Fame Class of 2017
On Friday, 54 artists were nominated among 13 Syracuse Area Music Awards categories. Sprinkled in among the awards were performances by several of the Syracuse area’s finest musicians, representing genres ranging from blues rock to country, rap, alt-rock and jam. There is definitely a varied and vibrant scene in Central New York.
Emcee Dave Frisina kept the event lively and loose, often interacting with presenters and winners as they approached the microphone. Best Jam Band winner, Joe Driscoll, affectionately referred to the host as a jedi to laughter from the crowd.
The performances throughout the night revealed the depth of talent in the area. The Ripcords opened the night accompanied by the Boneyard Horns. They ripped through three bluesy/tex-mex style songs, kicking off the night in a celebratory fashion. Unfortunately, just as they seemed to be letting loose, their set was over. You can get a taste of what the Ripcords have to offer at their ReverbNation page here.
Best R&B recipient Alani Skye had several family members in attendance and received perhaps the most vocal and joyous reception to a win. Her win for Don’t Forget About Mewas never in question for the vocalist as she accepted the award.
A performance by rap artist Curtis “Tall Bucks” McDowell and the Brownskin Band followed. The rhythm section of the Brownskin band mixed equal parts jazz and funk behind McDowell’s rhymes. A guest appearance by Syracuse rapper Real Tall for the song “Solar Radiation” had elements of early ’90s era Leaders of the New School collective.
The reality of life as a working musician came to light when Lauren Mettler was awarded the SAMMY for Best Folk. After an awkward pause waiting for the recipient to make her way to the stage, her brother made his way up to accept. In his speech, he stated how he had just texted her and she was still on her way to the theater. So, as any good brother would do, he stalled for time as she made her way down the aisle, peeling her coat off as she ran towards the stage.
Mettler mentioned how she had just gotten out of work and was trying to get to the theater as quickly as possible, even though she never thought she’d win. Such is life for those looking to make a go of it in the music industry. Everyday jobs sometimes throw hurdles at you along the way. Mettler was genuinely surprised and pleased with her award.
One of the night’s cutest moments came when the award for Best Hip Hop/Rap was awarded to World Be Free for the album Nigg@$ to Gods. He was on the West Coast touring and couldn’t attend the ceremony. As his family accepted the award on his behalf, his young son took a turn on the microphone as his dad’s public relations manager, exclaiming, “My dad has CDs for ten dollars!”
Country artists Chris Taylor of the Custom Taylor Band plead with the audience to get up and dance along to their performance. A funky “Keep Me in Mind” slowly drew the audience to its feet and a rousing rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” easily won over the crowd.
The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist was awarded to Funk ‘n Waffles regulars, reggae-soul band Root Shock. This presentation seemed to be the biggest crowd pleaser of the night as fellow musicians and fans alike rose to cheer their win.
Previous Bourke Award winner, the Spring Street Family Band took over the Palace with their high energy alt-rock performance that even had a band member’s dad jumping up on stage to take video with his phone. Their performance brought the audience to the stage, turning what was a somber awards ceremony into a full-fledged rawk show with a funk-metal-alt sound reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine or Faith No More.
The ceremonies concluded with the awarding of the People’s Choice SAMMYS. Over 110,000 online votes were tallied in categories of Best Band, Best Live Venue and Best Festival or Music Series. The New York State Fair wrapped up the venue and festival categories with their representative thanking all of the venues in the area for supporting the live music that becomes a part of the fair each year.
The award for Best Band went to Cortland-area country band, Small Town Shade, who also won the SAMMY for Best Country Performance for the EP Ring it Up.
moe. wrapped the SAMMYS with a lively three-song set that included “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” > “Buster.” Schnier commented about the lack of curfew at the venue and suggested they keep playing until they are thrown off the stage. To the disappointment of many, Schnier apparently as well, the lights came on at the end of “Buster,” bringing a close to the two-day celebration of Syracuse area music for another year.
Best Jazz: Second Line Syracuse, Second Line Syracuse Best Other Category: Syracuse Society for New Music, Music Here & Now Best Folk: Lauren Mettler, Patchwork Best Jam Band: Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, Monistic Theory Best R & B: Alani Skye, Don’t Forget About Me Best Pop: The Jess Novak Band, Inches From The Sun Best Americana: Driftwood, City Lights Best Blues: Tas Cru, Simmered and Stewed Best Hard Rock: Breaking Solace – Shatter the Silence Best Alternative: Bell & Sgroi, Bell & Sgroi Best Rock: King Chro and the Talismen, King Chro and the Talismen Best Hip-Hop/Rap: World Be Free, Nigg@$ To Gods Best Singer/Songwriter: Alanna Boudreau, Champion Best Country: Small Town Shade, Ring It Up EP
Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist: Root Shock
People’s Choice Awards were conducted in an online poll for three categories. Over 110,000 votes were tallied. The winners were:
Favorite Band: Small Town Shade Favorite venue to see live music: Chevy Court at the New York State Fair Favorite festival or music series: The Great New York State Fair
The Radio Dept. kicked things off in Boston on Tuesday, March 7, playing to a packed crowd at Brighton Music Hall. The indie dream-pop group from Sweden consists of Johan Duncanson who started making music with Martin Larsson in the late 90s and scored some impressive reviews from NME upon their first album release, Lesser Matters in 2003. For this tour they were backing their newest 2016 album, Running Out of Love, which is their fourth studio album and is a great representation of how The Radio Dept. is able to consistently bust out music within the realms of their niche style they began to perfect back in the early 2000s.
“Swedish Guns” is a clear favorite off their newest record and in the live format the group was able to put on a show with the song in a manner complete with necessary energy yet with the laid back, shoe-gaze nature of The Radio Dept. Actually what makes The Radio Dept. so enticing as a live band and a band on record is their ability to incorporate from so many genres. This is where the keyboards shine as an entirely vital aspect of their somewhat playful sound. Another favorite off their new album has to be “Committed To The Cause,” which has a groove similar to something Thievery Corporation might come out with, matched with a 90s style bass line along the likes of “Cannonball,” by The Breeders. What really makes the song come together is the synth line halfway through – a definite crowd favorite of the night. The chemistry between Duncanson and Larsson is clear on stage as two friends who have been playing together for quite some time are consistently feeding off each other to push and maintain their musical bounds. Sometimes reeling in comparisons to the likes of Pet Shop Boys, The Radio Dept. is a perfect modern, indie, more down tempo version of the 80s legends.
With a duo opener straight from Brooklyn, GERMANS eased the early birds into the night with vocals and bass performing on top of song samples. Their hit song “Cruel” has everything a modern Brooklyn indie band reminiscent of the 80s could ask for.
Last June, Westchester based psych-rock band Indigo King celebrated a victory at the Pleasantville Battle of the Bands competition, winning a slot on the main stage of the Pleasantville Music Festival as an opening act for national bands, including Guster and KT Tunstall. Now the band members have announced Indigo King’s debut album, Cloud Neon.
The band, who routinely play shows throughout Westchester County and New York City, spent the last year recording and mixing the album, mainly in their homes in Ossining and Hartsdale. The lead single “Metaphor,” released February 10, is a confident and optimistic feel-good tune that emanates a wave of sun-soaked feeling.
Singer/guitarist Faiz Lone called the album, “a cross-section collection… an album that ranges from somber introspection to proliferating elation.” The album spans 15 songs and will be available both online and in a physical format.
The Cincinnati, OH based band Telehope released their debut and self-produced album Chasing Dreams on January 1 of this year. Lengthwise, the group’s eight-track album fits in between some people’s description of an EP and a full-length album. With that being said, Telehope most certainly does not lack content as each song showcases the best of what this up and coming band has to offer our thriving music scene.
This quintet, consisting of Mark Brad, Adolph Goetz, Ben Malson, Nate Trammel and Brett Sackenheim, combines each of their individual talents to create the sound that is Telehope. In most of today’s music, musical interludes seem to be less prevalent than they used to be. Telehope has thankfully not fallen into this trap and utilizes the emotional power of instrumental outros in songs such as “Joy” and “Have My Heart”.
They have also effectively matched a song’s musical mood with a title’s intended meaning as seen in “Insomnia,” the third track on their album. “Ghost” is another interestingly arranged song as it begins stripped down with merely vocals and ukulele. Near the end, just as you think the song is beginning to wind down, the volume of all the instruments and vocals drastically increases for a split second catching the listener (certainly myself) off-guard. Though at first I questioned this creative choice, I came to the conclusion that it added an element of surprise ‘coincidentally’ reflecting the purpose of the song’s title.
Pulling from influences that are visible in their music such as Walk the Moon and The 1975, this indie/pop band hopes to shine positivity through their music and succeeds in doing just that with their first album.
Key Tracks: Joy, Have My Heart, Ghost, Chasing Dreams
Catskill Chill festival lovers received a disappointing announcement that the fest is going on hiatus for 2017. Fans have been waiting for an announcement on 2017’s Catskill Chill Festival since the stage lights extinguished on 2016’s festival Sept. 25. Hoping for a lineup and date announcement for 2017, fans received the opposite news instead. Festival lovers can only hope the festival returns in 2018.
After seven years, Catskill Chill will take a hiatus in 2017. In a post to fans on social media, the Chillfam team reflected on how the festival brought people together and the one of a kind atmosphere that the festival created. The Chillfam team also thanked everyone from fans, vendors, bands/artist, volunteers, venues, promoters and media, who have supported the festival since its inception in September 2010.
One thing the festival promoters did not state in the post was why the festival would not take place, just stating that they needed to take a step back and that they will be be announcing Chillfam parties throughout the northeast real soon.
Many jamband favorites have played the festival throughout the years including Mike Gordon, George Clinton & Parliamant/Funkadelic, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, moe., Twiddle, Dopapod, Kung Fu, Nth Power, Papadosio, and Pink Talking Fish to name a few.
Below is the festival’s statement issued through Facebook regarding the hiatus:
This Wednesday, March 8, Melvin Seals & JGB will return to The Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The “Keepers of the Flame” are no strangers to Central New York, having played the same venue less than six months prior and every year since 2012.
The folky Dishonest Fiddlers as well as Upstate’s own Los New Yorkers are opening for Seals and his band, so fans can expect a little bit of everything on this upcoming hump day. The Syracuse show is the third stop in the Empire State this tour, following their Friday night performance with special guests Ron Holloway and John Kadlecik at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and the Tuesday night gig at the Buffalo Iron Works with Pink Talking Fish.
Melvin Seals and JGB continue to show their love for New York as they return to the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, March 11 and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Sunday, March 12. The different bills feature eclectic opening acts from all over the Northeast, so prepare for something unique and special to happen at every show.
Tickets for Wednesday night’s show at the Westcott Theater are still available and the remainder of the tour dates can be found here.
Montage Mountain, in Scranton, PA is ready for another four-day festival weekend this summer, as the Peach Music Festival, has announced its 2017 lineup for the festival’s sixth annual event which takes place Aug. 10-13.
This year’s lineup will include several New York State, including New Hartford native Joe Bonamassa, NYC natives Lettuce, who will feature Chaka Kahn during their set, and Buffalo’s Aqueous, performing two sets during the festival.
Other artist appearing over the four-day festival will include Gov’t Mule and Friends, My Morning Jacket, Dark Star Orchestra, Rusted Root, Mike Gordon, Papadosio, the Record Company, Whiskey Myers, Pink Talking Fish, Holly Bowling, the Jauntee, Elise Testone and Widespread Panic, who will be performing on two separate nights.
Also, Umphrey’s McGee, and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, will each perform 2 sets in one night during the festival.
Jam band fans love the Peach Music Festival. The festival has a wide variety of music genres that include folk, country, jazz, and several styles of rock.
The festival was created by the Allman Brothers Band, along with Live Nation Entertainment, in 2012. Festival lovers were worried in 2015, that the annual event would end, after the Allman Brothers Band decided to quit touring after 45 years in 2014, but side projects of band members appearing at the festival, helped ease the minds of attendees that the Peach Music Festival is sticking around for awhile.
Vendors for the festival have not been named as yet, and the festival itself is still taking vendor applications.
There are several different ticket levels to purchase. Pass levels include General Admission (GA), Reserved, VIP, and Super VIP. All passes include all four days of the festival. No single day passes are available. Prices for passes increase $20-$30 over time as the show draws closer. Children passes (ages 6-10) will be available at the door for $60 before fees while supplies last. Children five and under do not require a ticket.
WEQX, The Real Alternative, has three big shows in Albany this weekend! Thursday March 2: Slothrust at The Hollow
This Brooklyn-based trio of graduates from Sarah Lawrence College bring their Indie-grunge rock with influences of jazz and blues to The Hollow on March 2nd. They recently performed at Upstate Concert Hall this past November. Check out their latest album Everyone Else.
This pop duo from California hits The Hollow the following night, and will be performing at SXSW Festival later this month. Fun fact: singer Asa Taccone (brother of Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone) helped Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer produce “Dick in a Box,” among other Lonely Island numbers.
Self proclaimed ‘Dairy Rock‘, this San Francisco garage pop rock comes to The Low Beat on Sunday night. Their latest EP, We’re Set, has found them joining the stage with the likes of Hinds, Night Beats, Adult Books, SWMRS, The Aquadolls and many more.
The band, who routinely play shows throughout Westchester County and New York City, spent the last year recording and mixing the album, mainly in their homes in Ossining and Hartsdale. The lead single “Metaphor,” released February 10, 
The Cincinnati, OH based band 
