NYS Music 20​17

Category: Electronic

  • Catskill Chill Takes Hiatus in 2017

    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:

    https://www.facebook.com/CatskillChill/posts/1592016847493442

  • Buffalo’s Humble Braggers to Tour in Support of Debut Album

    Synth-pop trio Humble Braggers are heading out on a run of shows across the state. The tour coincides with the release of their debut full-length album, I Know Better, I’m No Better. It all starts with a hometown show at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo on March 10. From there, they travel across the state and circle back to Fredonia on March 22.  Tickets are on sale now.

    Tour Dates:

    March 10 – Neitzches – Buffalo

    March 14 – Bug Jar – Rochester

    March 15 – The Range – Ithaca

    March 16 – Silvana – Harlem

    March 17 – Ralph’s Diner – Worcester, MA

    March 18 – Pianos – Manhattan

    March 22 – BJ’s – Fredonia

    I Know Better, I’m No Better is out on Admirable Traits Records on March 10. The single “Weight” can be streamed now on Soundcloud.

    https://soundcloud.com/admirabletraitsrecords/humble-braggers-weight

  • Minus Zero Winter Sports and Music Festival Finalizes Lineup

    Putting an end to the winter season, the Minus Zero Winter Sports and Music Festival, is ready for another go-around.  Festival organizers have announced the lineup for their second annual event, taking place at the Stratton Mountain Resort, in South Londonderry, VT, on April 7 and 8. Minus Zero, not only features music across three different stages, festival goers can also hit the slopes with their skis or snowboards.

    Zeds Dead, will headline the opening night of the festival, with Bassnectar and GRiZ, headlining the closing night. Fans will see support from Illenium, Pierce Fulton – who returns for his second stint on the festival – and a back-to-back set by Nekro and Exssv.

    Fans with lift passes can head up the mountain where they will find the Summit Stage, and take in not only beautiful scenery, but some live music before heading back down one of the 97 trails the mountain has to offer over it’s 670 plus acres. The summit stage will run both days (weather permitting) from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm.

    Last years inaugural event saw the likes of Deadmau5, and Kaskade in the headlining spot with support from Surge Devant, Thomas Jack and Tony Arazdon to name a few.

    Two day passes will cost $139.00 before fees. Fans in Manhattan can purchase a 2-day shuttle option to and from the festival for $209.00 before fees. Single day tickets cost $69.00 before fees. One, Two, and Three day lift tickets are available for $62, $122, and $180, before fees. Onsite lodging, V.I.P passes, and free parking are also available.

    Friday’s Lineup: (Main Stage)
    Zeds Dead  – 10:30 – 12:00
    Illenium  – 8:50 – 10:20
    Marvel Years – 7:50 – 8:50
    Dj Shift – 6:50 – 7:50
    Dudenguy – 6:00 – 6:50
    Lestats – 5:00 – 5:55

    Apres Ski:
    Bamboora – 3:10 – 4:00
    Voltran – 2:20 – 3:10
    Nekro/Exssv – 1:30 – 2:20
    Detox – 12:40 – 1:30
    Michael Pata – 12:00 – 12:40

    Saturday’s Lineup: (Main Stage)
    Bassnectar – 10:30 – 12:00
    GRiZ – 8:50 – 10:20
    Pierce Fulton – 7:35 – 8:35
    Yookie 6:40 – 7:35
    Brightside 5:50 – 6:40
    Mike Chach – 5:00 – 5:50

    Apres Ski:
    Sam Allan – 3:10 – 4:00
    Vavo – 2:20 – 3:10
    Adam Scott – 1:30 – 2:20
    Shotgun Styles – 12:40 – 1:30
    Nelvis Tolentino – 12:00 – 12:40

    Summit Stage (Friday/Saturday, 11:30 – 3:00 – weather permitting):
    Auten, Average Joe, FENX, Fifth Year, Lucid Noise, Sicoli, Tony Mancuso, Vinny Vibe.

  • The Peach Music Festival Announces 2017 Lineup

    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.

  • Disc Jam 2017 Initial Lineup Announced

    Disc Jam Music Festival 2017 announced the initial lineup for its 7th edition.  The June 8-11 festival returns for the third year to Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown, NY, a Berkshire Mountain town near the Massachusetts border.

    The weekend of music, art and disc golf features more than 60 acts on its twin main stages and two side stages and features headliners The Motet, Break Science Live Band, Dopapod, Turkuaz, Manic Focus, TAUK, Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Aqueous, Gubbulidis (Twiddle side project), Ghost-Note (Snarky Puppy side project), Electric Beethoven, Consider the Source and Honeycomb.

    The festival’s grounds are home to a 27-hole disc golf course that will play host to a number of tournaments throughout the weekend appealing to the enthusiasts as well as casual players.

    Other announced artists reads like a list of the Northeast’s best talent, including: Yheti, lespecial, Esseks, Brightside, Of the Trees, Spiritual Rez, Roots of Creation, Holly Bowling, Hayley Jane, Agent Lockhart, the Mallett Brothers Band, Strange Machines, Congo Sanchez, Sophistafunk, Wild Adriatic, After Funk, Funky Dawgz, Funk You, Swift Technique, Litz, Calliope Musicals, Earphorik, West End Blend, Teddy Midnight, Mister F, Formula 5, Chromatropic, Annie in the Water, Goose, the Mushroom Cloud, Eggy, Lord Electro, William Thompson Funk Experiment, Ben Silver (Orchard Lounge), Toadface, Saltus, Uncle Bob, DELTAnine, Klassik, Leila, Detox, Tsimba, Zerogravity, Zoologic, Bunk Buddha, Bells & Robes, Icculus, Echo Mecca, Kroma Kode, In Flux, Stephen Lewis, Mether, Qwill, Oogee Wawa, the Other Brothers, Humble Digs, Monotronic, Resin Heads, Big Jon Short, Zack Slik, Political Animals, Schooley Mountain Band and Cal Kehoe.

    Promoter Tony Scavone said of the talent:

    We’ve put together a Who’s Who of Northeast musical talent without straying from our funk/jam roots, while keeping with the times to include the electro-fusion craze that has taken hold of new music being created by today’s fastest rising acts

    In addition to the breadth of music and disc golf, there will also be flow arts workshops, interactive art throughout the grounds and daily yoga sessions. Craft and art vending will be sponsored by PhanArt.

    Early bird tickets are available now at the Disc Jam website for $125. This includes camping and early entry to the grounds. Special VIP packages include a stay at nearby Jiminy Peak.

    Check out Dopapod’s performance with the West End Blend horns from last year’s festival below:

  • Hearing Aide: Thievery Corporation ‘The Temple of I & I’

    Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, better known as the electronic duo, Thievery Corporation, have been genre-blending their way from upbeat dance halls to groovy lounges for over two decades. Their new album, The Temple of I & I, which drops on February 10, presents two middle-aged music-heads redefining their sound once again. While their last album, Saudade, took the group to Brazil to gather ideas from their bossa nova upbringing, Temple drops them off on the beautiful beaches of Jamaica in search of inspiration from a higher power.

    The roots rock reggae feel can be found immediately as “Thief Rockers” treats listeners to their first hit and much like featured artist Zee’s lyrics indicate, the sound has also “got the magic ganja gonna make your head spin.” The delicate mix of ambient-dub with Jamaican vocals sets the vibe for the remainder of the hour-long Caribbean vacation.

    Thievery Corporation is known for eliciting talent from hip-hop to trance backgrounds, and in their new album, they discovered Kingston’s own singer and MC, Racquel Jones. “Letter to the Editor” is the first of two tracks she appears on and her fast paced flow glides well with the disco-dub beat. Long-time collaborator, Mr. Lif, uses his lyrics to tackle worldwide socioeconomic conditions in “Ghetto Matrix.” After a highly political 2016, this protest-tronic piece fits into early 2017 with unfortunate ease. “It’s a complex plan that keeps us confined,” can be easily said about political interest in Jamaica as well as here in the states and around the world.

    Our nation’s capitol is where Thievery Corporation calls home and in tracks like “Weapons of Distraction,” “Road Blocks,” and Mr. Lif’s second appearance, and“Fight to Survive,” there are signs of revolt and reaction to injustices from the duo and the supporting artists. While The Temple of I & I could serve as a good sit-down and smoke a joint album, it also works as a stand up and raise a fist mix.

    “Strike the Root,” showcases a Thievery Corporation regular, Notch Howell, singing over a dub beat with a horn section that sounds reminiscent to the Star Wars “Force Theme.” “Let The Chalice Blaze” is a timeless track from these electronic kingpins that would fit nicely on to any one of their eight studio albums. The Temple of I & I may be one of their wordiest releases to date, but this instrumental track brings new and old Corp. fans to a safe space.

    In reference to the record’s title, Hilton explains, “It is a place of worship that exists only in our imagination.” While the album sounds uniquely different from previous releases, there is the central theme of consciousness and self-reflection that melodically finds its way into most of their work. The eclectic arrangement of varying themes and sonic journeys give each listener a chance to enter one’s own temple.

    Key Tracks: Thief Rockers, The Temple of I & I, Let The Chalice Blaze

  • Spafford at Buffalo Iron Works

    It’s the beginning of February in beautiful, not so sunny Buffalo. The cold weather was no match for the barn burner that took place at Buffalo Iron Works on the first of the month with Aqueous and Spafford. As the crowd trickled in, The Emporium (Dave and Mike from Aqueous) took the stage to the hometown crowd’s delight. The set of mainly covers set the tone for the evening. Aqueous drummer Rob Houk joined in towards the end of the set and took the vocal lead on the Stone Temple Pilots cover “Plush.”

    If you don’t know about Spafford , it’s about time to change that. These guys are good and poised to take the scene by storm. Hailing from Prescott, Arizona, the band formed in 2012. Brian Moss is the lumberjack behind the axe.  Jordan Fairless is the man with the plan holding down the bass line and Red Johnson on keys. Last, and certainly not least, is Nick Tkachyk on drums.  Their sound is extremely tight. The segues were seamless. It was a beautiful night of music.

    Spafford continues on with their East Coast portion of their Winter Tour with upcoming dates supporting Umphrey’s McGee. Be sure to check these guys out.

    Setlist: Dream Jam , Windmill , BDF, Reds Jam, Weasel, Pallisaids, Weasel, Slip N Squander , LLO

    Encore: Tods Tots

  • Photo Gallery: Escort at the Brooklyn Bowl

    Escort played their second night of a two night run on Saturday, January 28 at the Brooklyn Bowl, with Horizon Wireless opening. DJ Harrison Waxenberg created the electronic textures while drummer Daniel Lyons kept the beat driving, getting the crowd nice and warmed and setting the tone for the night.

    The sold out crowd was crammed on the floor by the time the headliners took the stage, and they kept up with them, matching the energy Escort was putting out. They started out the night with a string of originals before treating everyone to section of disco covers.  They finished off the night with their hits and the crowd kept on dancing to a closing set by DJ Speakerbot.

    Following Brooklyn Bowl, Escort finishes the run in Philly and Washington D.C. this week.

  • Firefly Music Festival Lineup Announced, Passes Now Available

    Firefly, the first ever fan curated music festival, has announced the lineup for this year’s weekend of live music and camping. The sixth annual event takes place on June 15-18 at The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware. With the lineup announcement, rumors were laid to rest and the Swedish House Mafia will not be part of the lineup, and they won’t be missed with the stacked lineup Firefly has produced for 2017.

    Headliners for the biggest east coast music and camping festival will include the Weeknd, Muse, Twenty One Pilots, Chance the Rapper and Bob Dylan and his band. The festival will also feature Thirty Seconds to Mars, Alan Walker, Weezer, Dillon Francis, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Galantis, Benny Benassi, DJ Jazzy Jeff, AFI, Flume, Phantogram, K. Flay, Kesha, O.A.R., Franz Ferdinand, Daya, Capital Cities and OK GO.

    Being the first ever fan curated festival, Firefly festival lovers had the chance to pick the lineup, choose what merchandise was sold and what designs would look like, activities, food and even the entertainment for Wednesday night’s pre-party as NYS Music reported earlier this year.

    Since its inception in 2012, Firefly has produced a great mix of musical talent across several genres. Some of the best in the music industry have graced the festival stages throughout the years. Past performers include Paul McCartney, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, John Legend, Bassnectar, the Killers, Lupe Fiasco, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, the Chainsmokers, Blink-182 and Deadmau5.

    General admission passes for the four day weekend are now available and start at $289. Camping packages are also available at the FireflyFestival website.

  • Hearing Aide: Adoration Destroyed ‘Ritual Damage’

    Austin, Texas may have found it’s industrial groove with Adoration Destroyed and their debut album Ritual Damage, which is released via Cleopatra Records.  This album restores the old school, trippy, psychopathic sound that is similar to the Pretty Hate Machine-era of Nine Inch Nails, Mindless Self Indulgence, and Combi-Christ with the vocal style of Orgy.

    This album makes you feel like you’re taking a dark path into a mind of a disturbed loner, which is not a bad thing.  The synthesizers and trippy beats on this album will be a treat for the true industrial lover to listen to.  You can argue that the sound from this album is unoriginal, but it’s industrial in its purest form.  And that’s all you can ask for.   You will be curious to see this band live after listening to this album, and you will want to know if they can truly bring the essence of the album live to stage.  Ravers will love this album.

    Opening track “Here To Bleed” and the uber dark track “Lost” are real stand outs, and they managed to squeeze in a cover of Marilyn Manson’s “Coma White” as well as a cover of Till Tuesday’s “Voices Carry,” which is a testament to what this band is all about.  The album closes with the title track to finish on a very slow and dark note.  Overall, this album is consistent, but an easy listen.  It doesn’t take any risks, but it stays true to its theme and has great production. You can purchase the album here.

    Key Tracks: Here To Bleed, Lost, Coma White