NYS Music 20​17

Category: Metal/Hard Rock/Punk

  • Alter Bridge Rocks Rapids Theatre In Niagara Falls

    Even though they were part of rock’s biggest tours last year with Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin, that is no way to enjoy an Alter Bridge show.  During that run, which did travel through various cities across New York State, Alter Bridge only played a small handful of songs during their opening slot.  If you really want a display of heaviness and fun and REALLY get your money’s worth of Alter Bridge, then seeing them headline is the best route to go. Those who were lucky enough to catch them on The Last Hero Tour with Nonpoint and Weapons Of Anew at Niagara Falls’ Rapids Theatre were blessed with a kick ass night of music.

    Unfortunately for me, I was unable to catch Weapons Of Anew due to the travel conditions, but I came in just as Nonpoint was performing “What A Day,”one of their trademark songs.  Nonpoint must have been a part of the tour because Mark Tremonti is a fan, and I believe they were an appropriate choice.  The urban flavor they bring to metal and hard rock makes them a standout, not to mention that this is their 20th anniversary tour (which is hard to believe at this point).  They had a very loud and energetic set; the crowd was really into it.  Some of the stand outs were their new songs such as “Divide and Conquer” as well as their cover of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.” They ended their set with their anthem, “Bullet With a Name.”  It’s great to see that the band is twenty years strong and still bring a lot of energy into a show.

    Alter Bridge graced the stage by opening with “Writing On The Wall” which is off their newest album The Last Hero.  Alter Bridge is a very rare and unique talent.  Not since Judas Priest has a band had two lead guitarists/soloists that share the stage, alternate solos and really feed off each other.  Vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy and guitarist/vocalist Mark Tremonti are the perfect complement to each other and are a powerhouse force on stage with the most wicked one-two punch that most metal and hard rock bands are lacking.  Alter Bridge made a wise decision by playing not only a hefty amount of songs off of The Last Hero, but also from their previous album Fortress which came out in 2013.  But they didn’t really tour behind it much because Myles was busy with Slash’s band and Mark had his hands full with his band Tremonti.  So it was awesome to hear songs like “Cry Of Achilles” and “Addicted To Pain,” but the real stand out was “Water Rising,” which gave Mark Tremonti to display his lead vocal.

    If there is any complaint about the show, you could say the bass was too loud.  Now that isn’t a fault of bassist Brian Marshall, it’s on the venue’s sound crew.  It just sounded muffled.  But luckily, Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti’s guitar playing is so clean and they shred so much that the muffled bass sound coming off the venue’s sound didn’t interfere with the guitars or drums for that matter.

    The best part of the show was hearing the bands best song, “Blackbird.”  It’s their masterpiece.  It’s their “Free Bird” (no pun intended) and afterwards they closed their set by finally playing material off their debut album One Day Remains with “Metalingus” and “Open Your Eyes.”  I was surprised they didn’t play much from that album, however, material from the last two albums had to be heard, not to mention that with five albums in, you only can play so many songs.  Those who stayed for the encore were in for a treat as they came out and played “Show Me A Leader” which was the lead single off The Last Hero.  Afterwards, the crowd was treated to a guitar battle between Kennedy and Tremonti, which was a great way to really see their talents on display and was fun to see.  This is something I wish bands did more.  Finally, the band left the crowd wanting more in closing with Blackbird’s “Rise Today” which is band’s trademark closing song.  Overall, it was a great set from Alter Bridge who definitely deserve more recognition in the music industry and need to headline more shows. I would recommend this band to almost anyone.  And I will definitely catch more shows at Rapids Theatre.

     

  • Coheed and Cambria Announce Tour for Breakthrough Album “Good Apollo”

    Coheed and Cambria have announced a U.S. tour for their monumental third album, Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness for this spring.

    After releasing a mysterious video on their YouTube channel, the band announced the tour for the album the day after. The tour, entitled the NEVERENDER GAIBSIV tour, will visit North America from April to May with the progressive rock band performing the concept album from 2005 in its entirety. The Dear Hunter will be direct support for the tour on non-festival dates.

    Good Apollo, which features the most popular works by Coheed and Cambria including “Welcome Home” and “The Suffering”, has sold over a million records worldwide.

    The name “NEVERENDER” for the tour comes from Coheed and Cambria’s performances of the album originating in 2008, where they performed their first four albums over the span of four nights.

    Stops on the tour include Terminal 5 in New York, Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA and the “Welcome To Rockville” festival in Jacksonville, FL.

    Tickets are on sale today via Ticketmaster and you can visit the band’s website for more details.

    NEVERENDER GAIBSIV Tour dates:

    April 11 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
    April 13 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
    April 14 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
    April 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
    April 18 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park
    April 19 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
    April 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
    April 22 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
    April 25 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
    April 26 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
    April 27 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
    April 29 – Jacksonville, FL – Welcome to Rockville*
    April 30 – Saint Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
    May 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
    May 3 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
    May 5 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
    May 6 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
    May 7 – Concord, NC – Carolina Rebellion*
    May 9 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
    May 10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
    May 11 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
    May 13 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
    May 15 – Saint Louis, MO – The Pageant
    May 16 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
    May 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE – Indoor
    May 19 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
    May 20 – Columbus, OH – Rock on the Range Festival*

    *Festival show, No Neverender or The Dear Hunter

  • 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.

  • This Week in Protest Music – Gorillaz, Frank Turner and Carole King

    Artists of all genres and popularity take part in this American tradition, one that we at NYS Music hold dear. Our series “This Week in Protest Music” arrives at a time when there should not be silence from the media and amplify the voices of the people who strive to be heard, in particular those who are amplified by musicians. Dissent is patriotic.

    This week we have the first new song from Gorillaz in six years, Frank Turner’s “The Sand in the Gears”, an ode to protesting, with lyrics beginning “Can’t I spend the next four years at a punk show?” and ending “Let’s be the sand in the gears for the next four years,” Carole King’s re-released “One Small Voice,” reaffirming the role of the individual voice, and Radney Foster’s “All That I Require,” singing about the rise of fascism in politics today.

    Most recently, Bruce Springsteen performed in Australia on Friday, performing “American Land”, and saying “America is a land of immigrants, this is fundamentally un-American. This is a song about immigrants.”

  • 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

  • Band Profile: The Further Unsound

    Almost 40 years ago, the world was inspired by the lyric “Break on through to the other side” and the future of music was about to explode. A generation was about to change, they were ready to fight the establishment and now they had the soundtrack to do so. It was a time when music reflected more art, improvisation, and poetry. Forty years later that same musical work ethic is being applied in upstate New York.

    further unsoundExperimental three-piece project Further Unsound has made its way at warp speed, gaining recognition locally and performing live all over the East Coast.

    “I mean, this is how my brain is wired man,” said guitarist and vocalist Matt Malone. “We all have our own way to interpret our feelings to the world and playing live happens to be how I like to do it.”

    Which is exactly how this group took it to another level when writing and recording its latest release. Along For The Ride was a culmination of songs written by Malone, Cole Riddering and the band’s founding member, Sean Cranston.

    “I’m a firm believer that playing live is where it counts most,” said Cranston.

    Along For The Ride, was recorded at the The Linda Norris Auditorium in November 2015 and released in 2016.

    Riddering, the band’s bassist, was the last piece in the puzzle. Prior to bringing Riddering into the project, Malone and Cranston sold everything they had, packed the car and headed to the West Coast.

    With no time restraints, the three booked shows and jammed at random open mics and house gigs along the way, with just the desire to just play where ever they could in their travels.

    “The live recording of Along For The Ride was a good experience, it showed me how much of a conduit I was between my bandmates and pushed me to become exactly that,” said Riddering. “The great thing about writing new music is that we have become a band in the last year and a half, we understand what we’re trying to do with our individual styles and are understanding how to put our talents together. The last album was awesome but I’m excited to be a part of the entire process this time around.”

    The Further Unsound from CRUMBS Cafe on Vimeo.

    Non-stop hard work has brought The Further Unsound into territory none of the bandmembers expected. Since the album’s release, The Further Unsound has played live with Creed Bratton (of The Office), the Launch Music Conference in Lancaster, Penn., the Willimantic Connecticut Street Festival and the recent Drink Albany Fest.

    “Touring the world would be ideal for the future,” said Cranston. “We have started writing our next batch of tunes and, from what we’ve started, I’ve got a feeling that our next effort will be more unique than its two predecessors.”

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Rock Band Iüdica Talks New Album, Roots and The Glens Falls Scene

    Upstate New York rock band Iüdica just got out of the studio after recording their first album entitled Brain Carvings and debuted it in proper fashion. Earlier this month, the band held an album release party at Gug’s in Glens Falls, NY with Paradox Saints, Chestnut Grove, Dustin Sawyer and Germy Cats supporting them. NYS Music spoke to frontman Brian Alvarado, drummer Nate Fidd and bassist Chris Walker about their recent rise in the scene.

    IüdicaFrank Cavone: First of all, I would like to congratulate you guys on the new EP Brain Carvings. What was the process like writing the album all the way to mixing?

    Brian Alvarado: Recording and mixing this EP with Jason Brown at Starling Studios was a great experience. I had the worst feeling in my stomach the days leading up to the recording session. The band had practiced every week several times a week for months leading up to the recording session though, and we all managed to talk ourselves into a point of calm collected mindsets.

    After about an hour of setup, we recorded these songs in one take. Everything, the vocals, drums, guitars at once – but through separate tracks of course. It was amazingly easy, and after all that worry – we proved to ourselves we were indeed ready to rock. After a couple of touch ups here and there, we are now left with our Brain Carvings EP.

    FC: So the name Iüdica is a cool name that you guys chose as a band. Where did the name originate from?

    Nate Fidd: Brian actually had the name from a prior band. It was the name of a song first.

    BA: Iüdica is a Latin word that means to judge yourself. Especially from past actions that you make and transgression with the same conviction as god himself.

    FC: What were your influences prior to forming the band?

    Chris Walker: I like to keep an open mind but I would definitely say that classic rock and grunge are my favorite genres of music.

    BA: The bands that really mean alot to me are Modest Mouse, Brand New, and Nirvana.

    FC: What are your favorite local bands that you have played with?

    NF: There are a lot of great bands in the area but I would have to say playing with Formula 5 at a benefit concert was pretty cool and the Paradox Saints.

    FC: Over the past year, the music scene in Glens Falls has expanded. For those outside the area, what is your scene like?

    BA: My favorite venue to play is and always will be Gug’s. I see a lot of potential in places like the 190 grille. The scene is developing and I think that we are in the middle of a boom. There is going to be even more live and local music and that is what the area needs more of.

    To check out the Iüdica’s new album check out their Bandcamp and stay up to date with the band on their Facebook page.

  • Streamstock 2017, a Streaming Inauguration Day Music Fest

    Musicians have joined forces to livestream a concert, Streamstock, during Inauguration Day on Friday, Jan. 20, to protest the Inauguration of the 45th president of the U.S.young the giant streamstockStreamstock 2017, an online music and arts festival that describes itself as, “by the people and for the people,” will begin at the same time as the Inaugural Address to raise awareness for various progressive causes.

    The festival’s lineup includes Young The Giant, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Reed Mathis & Electric Beethoven, Lettuce, Holly Bowling and more. Additionally, Bill Kreutzmann, drummer of the Grateful Dead, will debut his new project, Bill Kreutzmann’s Rooster Conspiracy, exclusively for the event.

    The festival reached out to the public asking for musicians, spoken word artists and poets to submit videos of their work to be a part of the performance. Besides the performance, Streamstock’s main goal is looking to promote progressive causes supported by themselves and the bands on the lineup.

    The grassroots project hopes the event will help bring awareness to groups like the NAACP, ACLA, GLAAD, Women’s Rights and Environmental Organizations, Standing Rock and more, which they feel will need additional support under the Trump presidency.

    In order to view the event, viewers must have the Facebook Messenger app. Visit the Streamstock 2017 Facebook page to download their app. The event launches at 10 a.m.

  • The Year of Agony Continues, Life of Agony Announces New East Coast Dates

    Brooklyn’s Life of Agony is looking to make 2017 a huge year.  They recently announced the arrival of their long awaited album A Place Where There’s No Pain, and last week announced a full U.S. tour on the East Coast.  The tour kicks off in Allston, MA and finishes in Sayreville, NJ.  The dates include April 28 in New York City at the Irving Plaza (CD Release show), April 29 at Poughkeepsie’s The Chance Theater (with Sworn Enemy opening) and Long Island’s Mulcahy’s host a show as well on May 13.  Check out all the tour dates below.

    The band has yet to release full songs online and have not performed any of the new material live, so this tour is the perfect opportunity to hear the classics and the new material live for the first time.  All of these shows are expected to sell fast so it is recommended not to wait to get them at the door.

    Tickets for the New York City show are available through Live Nation. The Poughkeepsie and Long Island shows can be bought through Ticketweb.

    Life of Agony Spring Tour:

    April 27 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA
    April 28 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
    April 29 – The Chance – Poughkeepsie, NY
    May 12 – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
    May 13- Mulcahy’s – Wantagh, NY
    May 19 – Chameleon – Lancaster, PA
    May 20 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ

  • The Machine New Year’s Eve show in Niagara Falls

    Judging how well a tribute band does is a weird task to ask someone to do. For one thing, they’re not playing any original music. And the audience is there only to hear someone else’s music, mainly of a band or artist long since dead or disbanded. Sometimes you get an act that should be better off playing in a hotel bar. But others, you could swear you genuinely got the original. On New Year’s Eve at the Rapids Theatre, the people of Niagara Falls got their fill of one such band, Pink Floyd, in the form of The Machine.

    The Machine bills itself as America’s longest-existing Pink Floyd tribute band. Made up of Joe Pascarell on guitar, Ryan Ball on bass, Scott Chasolen on keyboards, and Tahrah Cohen on drums, they’ve been performing the Floyd’s music since 1988 and are regarded as one of the first and best tribute bands. It’s hard to come across a cover band with live DVD’s of shows in Amsterdam and performing with a symphony orchestra, but such is the demand for Pink Floyd music that sizable droves will show up like it’s one of the band member’s solo tours.

    The Machine started off right away with the first five songs from The Wall. From the first riffs of “In The Flesh” through the audience chanting along with “Another Brick in the Wall,” the audience got immediately hooked, living for every recognizable music line or lyrics, even coming from a ballad off the Atom Heart Mother album. The band certainly appeared to be having the time of their lives with songs you could tell were their favorites. Chasolen was living for every different keyboard effect used on “Welcome to the Machine,” along with the saxophone solo on “Money” played on keyboards too.

    There was a break between sets for the audience to refill their drinks and to watch the ball drop on two screens beside the stage. The second set, fittingly enough, began with “Time,” the clocks chiming at the beginning drawing immediate applause, while later on, the vocal interplay between Pascarell and Ball sounded just like it came from the Dark Side of the Moon album.

    The Machine wasn’t afraid to shy away from the longer Floyd songs either. They ended the first set with “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” from the Animals album, which Pascarell certainly got very involved in once the talkbox solo came in. They also performed the first half of “Shine On you Crazy Diamond,” complete with the long synth and guitar intro with visuals of a child playing and laser lights.

    I’m sure if I saw Pink Floyd back in their heyday, or one of the Roger Waters or David Gilmour solo tours, this would be quite similar to what I’d get from those. Certainly the kind where the long instrumental passages and medleys are best enjoyed with the assistance of some substance in your system. And considering this is as close to hearing a genuine Pink Floyd show I’ll ever come to, I was pleased with the authenticity. There were no flying pigs, but I can take that.