Since the 1990s, JJ Grey and Mofro have been dishing out hearty helpings of southern soulful blues rock. Based out of Gainesville, Florida, these seasoned road veterans have played around the globe spreading their brand of musical expertise that hearkens to the likes of Otis Redding, Jerry Reid, and The Allman Brothers Band. Lead singer and soul-bent swamp rocker John Higginbotham aka “JJ Grey” infuses his music with a definitive southern flavor, transporting all who listen to the landscape of his youth. If you have a hankering for upbeat feel good music and you love to, as lead singer Grey states, get “Janky” this is the band for you.
The current lineup of JJ Grey & Mofro includes JJ Grey on vocals and electric guitar, Dennis Marion and Marcus Parsley on trumpets, Todd Smallie on Bass guitar, Craig Barnette on drums, Zac Gilbert on guitar, and Eric Brigmond on keyboards.
Live Nation Promotions will be presenting JJ Grey & Mofro along with special guests The Commonheart at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park NY on Thursday October 19. Get tickets here.
Just in time for peak fall foliage, the Blind Owl Band are set to release their third studio album, Skeezy Patty on October 13. Hailing from the beautiful Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Mountains, this 7-year-old quartet resembles the type of grizzly musicians you expect to see kicking up dust at a bluegrass festival. The self-proclaimed “Freight Train String Music” that they create can be heard heading down the tracks with a thunderous roar that certainly resembles bluegrass, but with a little extra coal added to the fire.
In the third spot, “Hit Em High” clocks out as the longest track on the album and tightly packs a fantastic bass breakdown into the genre-blending composition. Christian Cardiello’s uniquely placed slaps add a jazzy undertone to the heavily bluegrass driven tune which combines the elegance of a downtown Manhattan lounge with the rowdiness of an Upstate NY dive bar. The clever lyrics are sung as a team and give each of the members a voice in the storytelling. Imagine a group of gnarly pirates sitting around a bottle of whiskey as the waves chaotically surround and collide into their ship and that is “Hit Em High” in a nutshell.
“Reloading” was thought up by guitarist Arthur Buezo who exchanges lyrics with James Ford on banjo for the song. As the band developed “Reloading” for live shows some of the stylistic layers were transformed into the current composition. One major addition to the studio version is the voice effect used. It is reminiscent of the Tom Waits appearance on Primus’ “Tommy The Cat” which adds a haunting and sadistic character to the lyrics which cover the topic of rejuvenation. For a band that has played over 700 shows since 2011, they know a lot about being on the road and the importance of time management. “We are stronger than we were” suggests that these periods of reloading have been an integral step to developing their first studio album in almost 5 years and now that they are refreshed, they can showcase their growth on the road.
“The Gates” has a waltzy ballroom feel before energetically dancing back into the bluegrass barnyard realm that primarily rules the album. Buezo’s burly and hellish vocals are complimented by the speedy mandolin playing of Eric Munley. As a special addition, an electric guitar finds its way into the studio full of wood and steel for a rare and powerful moment. “Two Sides of Story” is the final track and once again the intelligently crafted lyrics are the highlight of the piece. It comes as a surprise to hear the hipster-esque “Hey!” chant in the background, but this dark and stormy album is anything but predictable. The straightforward composition is a soothing way to close out an album full of peaks and valleys, much like the land where the band was born.
The first Skeezy Patty release party will take place this Friday, October 13 at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse before making their way east to The Hollow in Albany for round two of their album release. Tickets for both shows are available online or at the box office on the day of the show.
Key Tracks: Hit Em High, Electric Chair, Waterhole
On Friday September 29, folk powerhouse Cabinet landed in Ithaca, NY, and played two long sets at The Haunt. Since their birth in 2006, Cabinet has built a committed grassroots following by providing an eclectic roots sound. They have earned unconditional respect with their commitment to quality songwriting, and impressive ability to cross between genres of bluegrass, country, jam, and psychedelic. Before Cabinet’s foot-stomping performance, NYS Music had the opportunity to sit down with Cabinet co-founder, singer, songwriter, and mandolin player JP Biondo. NYS Music is ecstatic to present you this edition of “In Their Own Words.” Here we have a collection of bite size nuggets of knowledge, quoted directly from J.P Biondo of Cabinet:
On a Musical Childhood:
My first instrument ever was a Tuba. I joined the band as a young teenager in around 1998. As a child, I always loved music. I always loved singing a bunch. I came from a very musical family. Growing up, I was surrounded by music all the time. For example, my dad would teach me how to sing harmonies on car rides.
I come from a very large musical family. My dad has eight brothers and sisters, and so, I have like a whole slew of 1st cousins. There is a total of 35 of us or something like that. The family has at least one family reunion every year at grandma’s house. She lives on a big farm near Scranton, PA. At last year’s family reunion, there was like 180 us. Every year, the sun goes down and everybody knows it’s time to get around the campfire and sing. We sing, play harmonies, and just hang out and have fun. This is how I first learned to sing. At our family reunions, I would pick an elder out for the night and stand by their side and listen to everything they were singing. I would be like, “ohh thats how you do that. Ok cool.” So a lot of my teaching came organically that way.
Later on, I started to take playing very seriously. I started playing guitar when I was about 14 or 15. I learned every Dave Matthews song in the book–like any young kid does. I just loved it. I always loved music. Until this very day, music pulls me like nothing else in life. When it came to playing music, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
On Songwriting:
I don’t have a specific goal. Every song is different for everybody. I like to write about life experiences, For example, I wrote a song called “The Tower,” about this place where I grew up, we called it the “Dry Dam.” It’s a dam that was supposed to provide drinking water for the town of Scranton, but, for whatever reason or another, it didn’t end up working. The lake stayed there, and above this dam there was a big tower. It was like 30 or 40 feet high. As kids we would climb up the tower and jump off into the lake. We also would just hang out, drink under age or whatever, all the stuff kids do. It was a big time hang out spot for me and friends. I had a lot of fun experiences there. I like writing about my personal experiences and hopefully, someone can relate to them in some sort of way.
Advice For a Kid or Young Adult With A Passion For Music:
Follow your heart…Decide if music is something you’d like to make money at or if it’s something you just enjoy doing. Try to decide that as soon as you can, and either way is fine, but, just make that decision at some point and know where you’re at with it.
Eminem put President Trump and his supporters on blast in a video that aired during Tuesday night’s BET Hip Hop Awards. The freestyle rap titled “The Storm” has Eminem lashing out at Trump as a “racist grandpa” and for being a hypocrite.
He also calls out Trump for using Twitter to distract from bigger issues and for his responses to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, the violence in Charlottesville, VA and the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
The nearly five minute video holds nothing back and is sure to generate controversy. Several celebrities and athletes including LeBron James, T Pain, Colin Kaepernick, Keith Olbermann and Ellen DeGeneres have lit up the twittersphere in support of Eminem. Olbermann called it “Best politcal writing of the year, period.”
Eminem is no stranger to controversy nor criticism of Trump. In October he released a freestyle called “Campaign Speech” where he called Trump “a loose cannon who’s blunt with his hand on the button.”
The Detroit rapper also took his followers to task in his lyrics:
And any fan of mine/who’s a supporter of his/I’m drawing in the sand a line/you’re either for or against/and if you can’t decide/who you like more and you’re split/on who you should stand beside/I’ll do it for you with this (middle finger)
Swedish band Akaba has released their newest video “Starfly,” a collaboration with Kjahart, who used stop motion film and also created the album cover art for The Rust Within, recorded at Roth Handle Studios in Stockholm, Sweden.
Åsa Carild tells of the song’s background “I used to sing in a band that was, for a little while, very successful. Being very young at the time it became an important part of how I defined myself. When all that faded, I was no longer who I defined myself as. The song is about the struggle with this.”
Akaba will release their debut album The Rust Within on October 13 and will perform at Pianos in NYC on October 14. Doors open at 6:30, with Akaba performing at 7pm.
Akaba was born from the ashes of two other prominent Swedish Indie bands, Pineforest Crunch and Reminder. Åsa Carild, Tobias Ljungkvist and Mattias Olsson have toured extensively in Sweden playing everything from Thai restaurants to 600 seat venues, as well as touring the west coast of the United States, Toronto, London and New York City. Follow Akaba on Facebook, Soundcloud, Instagram, and tune in on Spotify or order their album on Amazon.
At the age of 12, Roger Hodgson was given a guitar that would mold his destiny of writing and composing music. For anyone who has listened to Roger’s music, you can tell it’s written from the heart as it touches those that hear it in a way that is personal to them. The lyrics are meaningful, melodies well thought out and it’s composed as a classical piece of music is, with thought and organization. As one of the founders of Supertramp, Roger Hodgson would have numerous Top 10 hits, sell out arenas and live a life that most musicians strove to achieve. However, in the height of success, Hodgson chose to leave the group in 1983. The decision would speak volumes and give his fans an insight to his personal character. When faced with a choice of continuing on a trek of selling out arenas or being present in the lives of his wife and children, he chose the latter.
Arriving early to take my seat at the Turning Stone Showroom, I anxiously awaited a moment I never thought I would get to experience: hearing the voice of Supertramp. As a child of the ’70s and ’80s, the band disbanded by the time I was old enough to be able to go to concerts on my own. I was only able to listen to recordings and mentally visualize a show. It was a moment I didn’t think I would have an opportunity to experience, and one I was relishing in as a teenager in an adult’s body.
Roger Hodgson got right into his set, starting the party with “Take the Long Way Home.” Most artists don’t come right out of the gate with such force, especially when they have a two hour set to play. Not to worry though, with a catalog of popular hits both with Supertramp and that of his solo career, the choice of songs to perform was more of the struggle rather than filling the two hours with music the crowd would love.
A successful leader, whether in the corporate world or musical in this case, surrounds himself with the best of the best to bring out the best in themselves. This is the case with Hodgson’s band. He’s surrounded himself with some of the best musicians in the business and their ability to play together is seamless and without effort as they feel the music and perform as a cohesive team. Front and to stage right you’ll find Aaron MacDonald on saxophones, harmonica, keyboards and backing vocals; behind the plexiglass is Bryan Head on drums; behind Roger stage left is Kevin Adamson, also on keyboards and backing vocals; and center stage behind Roger is David J Carpenter on bass and backing vocals. Not to take away from the original band, but to close my eyes and listen to the music I wouldn’t have known it wasn’t the same band as these guys played without effort and with the same passion I heard time and again in the music I grew up with. It was refreshing to see Roger share the stage with these guys and see the respect he gave them as they played their parts along with him. It is apparent that they are a musical family.
Throughout the night Hodgson played many of his hits such as “Breakfast in America,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer” and “Give A Little Bit,” to name just a few, demonstrating his fluid keyboards and hitting all the same high notes as he did all those years ago. But it was with his solo music that this multi-faceted artist blew me away. With hits such as “Had a Dream,” he blew me away with his guitar skills, and with “Fools Overture” I saw the musical genius he had as he took three songs that didn’t stand up on their own and melded them together in a musical composition that one must listen to many times to truly appreciate the sound. As I listened to it for the first time last night, I could hear musical influences of the times in the piece such as the sound effects interspersed within, and the story line that took you someplace else. The music itself took you on a roller coaster ride with highs and lows of sound, bringing you back home with meaningful lyrics. I urge you to check his recording out on his Youtube channel as he’s accompanied by an orchestra which truly punctuates the genius in this number.
Another number that truly impressed me and brought me to another place was “Death and a Zoo” from Hodgson’s fourth solo album, Open the Door. Not only could you imagine what it would be like, you could feel through the music the question he posed – as a wild animal faced with the choice of death or living your life out in a zoo, which would you chose? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
As a teenager at the time Breakfast in America came out, this album was one that I enjoyed from start to finish. I would put on my headphones and lose myself for hours, song after song. There was one song in particular on this album that spoke to me. This song would be my ‘go to’ song when feeling confused, sad and misunderstood, as most teenagers tend to be during those years. Heck, even as an adult we find solace in music. It was uplifting to me then and still is today as it helped me find faith in times I need it most. As Roger spoke to the crowd about this song, it was comforting for me to hear that he wrote this as a teenager, and that it was a way for him to find a voice in those years as well. Years later, he would sit there and tell us how his music touched others, and that perhaps it was because he writes from the heart for himself that it also can touch those heartstrings for so many others. I made a special request that he play “Lord Is It Mine,” and as he called out my name and that of another mother and daughter that had also requested he play it, he dedicated it to us all. It was difficult to hold my composure as I felt a full circle moment occur. Yep, it was pretty darn cool. Thank you Roger for writing this beacon of a song, and for making it even more special to me last night with your dedication.
You know how sometimes you’re glad that you didn’t experience something as a child but instead as an adult? This was that situation for this journalist. Like the crowd, I truly appreciated this show, this music and the story of this amazing musician that chose to love his family first. That mindset is what makes this musician so talented, his music has heart and he gives that heart to all he loves. Last night, it was his musical family that he shared his heart with.
Setlist: Take the Long Way Home, School, In Jeopardy, Lovers in the Wind, Breakfast in America, Hide in Your Shell, Along Came Mary, The Logical Song, Lord is it Mine, Death and a Zoo, The Awakening, Had a Dream, Child of Vision, Fool’s Overture Encore: Dreamer, Give a Little Bit
Capping off the third show of their first weekend at Brooklyn Bowl this October, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) dialed into their interpretation of the music of the Grateful Dead, with a full “Terrapin Station” suite, and welcomed multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie to the stage for a good chunk of the show.
A first set that started out with an “I Need a Miracle” > “New Speedway Boogie” > “Playin’ in the Band” sequence that took the band on a 45 minute rockin’ ride, with a spacey jazz odyssey inside PITB. “Eyes of the World” featured Stuart Bogie on saxophone, aptly filling the role of Branford Marsalis on the live version found on Without a Net. Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger all took a turn at the helm, everyone steering the ship in their own way, before settling back into safe harbor. “Dancing in the Street” and “Brown Eyed Woman” closed out the set, the latter with a brief “Eyes of the World” reprise and a “Stella Blue” tease/jam at the end.
“Uncle John’s Band” kicked off a 4-song second set with Bogie on flute, later switching to sax for “The Other One” which included jams on “Cryptical Envelopment,” “Roadhouse Blues” and “How Many More Times” before a long segue into the full Terrapin Station suite which found Bogie on clarinet for the lengthy composition. An encore of “Samson and Delilah” with Bogie once again closed out a warm, full night and enticed fans heading to this weekend’s 3-night run at Brooklyn Bowl.
Setlist compiled by Peter Costello Set One: Jam -> I Need A Miracle -> New Speedway Boogie -> Playing In The Band @ > Eyes Of The World @ % -> Dancing In The Streets @ ^ -> Brown Eyed Women & -> Stella Blue Jam
Set Two: Uncle John’s Band @#$ + The Other One @ ++ > Cryptical Envelopment Jam @@ > Terrapin Station Suite @#$ ##
Encore: Samson & Delilah @ *
@ – With Stuart Bogie on Tenor Sax # – With Stuart Bogie on Flute $ – With Stuart Bogie on Clarinet % – With a Marco Solo that evolved into a Marco/Tommy Duet, a DD Bass Solo & the circa 1973 ending in 7, not played since (I think) 2013-01-26 at Brooklyn Bowl, a gap of 122 shows. ^ – With “Shortnin’ Bread” (James Whitcomb Riley), “Hoedown” (Aaron Copeland) Teases (MB) and an “Inspector Gadget” Theme (Shuki Levy and Haïm Saban) Tease (Band) & – With Throwing Stones and Eyes of the World Jams / Teases (Band) + – Proceeded by a “Some Like It Hot” (The Power Station) Tease / Jam. That tune was continually referenced throughout the set. Also included a Duo Jam, and a “Becky” (Benevento Russo Duo) Jam ++ – With a “Roadhouse Blues” (The Doors) Jam, A “How Many More Times” (Led Zeppelin) Jam, a “Money” (Pink Floyd) Jam @@ – First Time Played by Almost Dead as an Instrumental, with a St. Stephen Tease (SM) and an Uncle John’s Band Tease (DD) ## – With a The Wheel Jam, a Swingtown Jam (led by MB) & a “Some Like It Hot” (Power Station) Tease * – With a “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward Howe) Tease (Stuart Bogie)
The mall was the place to be on Sunday October 8 as Spafford returned to Albany for their second performance of the year. After making plenty of new fans opening for Umphrey’s McGee at the Palace Theatre back in January, Lucky Strike Social in the Crossgates Mall earned a spot on their massive 34-show Fall Tour. This time around, the enthusiastic crowd was treated to two full sets that went until midnight, the longest Sunday show to ever have taken place at the newer venue. Lord Electro started the night, their first time performing at Jupiter Hall, and opened the night with an EDM power trio sound, highlighted by songs like “Home” (The New Deal), “So-Laflay” and “Business,” which closed their enthusiastic set.
The Arizona quartet opened the show with “Simon and Lily” and “Galisteo Way” before treating us to “Mind’s Unchained” and “People.” The highlight of the first set was their bluegrass’esque cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Soul to Squeeze” before going into their original, “Windmill,” which had the fans clapping for more as they wandered off stage. They came back from the break with a cover of Johnny Russel’s “Catfish John” before the band soared through a jaw-dropping combination of “Dream Jam” > “All My Friends” > “Bee Jam” > “Alternate Ending” and finally “Ain’t That Wrong” to end the set. Never one to disappoint, they came out once more for a bluesy-pop encore with one of their own, “Shake You Loose.”
Setlist Set 1: Simon and Lily, Galisteo Way, Minds Unchained, People, Soul to Squeeze, Windmill Set 2: Catfish John, Dream Jam > All my Friends > Bee Jam > Alternate Ending > Ain’t That Wrong Encore: Shake You Loose
Friday October 6 at Funk n Waffles Music Hall in Rochester started with one voice and one guitar, as Woodstock’s Connor Kennedy took the stage to warm up the stage for Amy Helm. He would end the night, as part of Helm’s band, on a two-neck guitar. Three and four-part harmonies would be the centerpiece of Helm’s set, which culminated with five songs by Tom Petty songs as a part of a six-song encore. One two three four five six… though Amy Helm and band put on a show that was anything but paint-by-numbers.
Kennedy highlighted his emotive country-ready voice in a short set of fresh original folk tunes. He was appropriately decked out in denim head to toe, though he admitted a “clerical error” in not wearing his Nick Tahoe’s tee. During “Down by the Water” a voice emerged from the audience, in perfect harmony. Amy Helm, enjoying the set from the crowd, decided to sing along, beautifully “sitting in” without taking the stage. His set ended with him seated at the Rhodes, to play the title track off of his excellent just-released album, Somewhere.
Helm’s set started with a small hiccup, as Kennedy had some guitar amplification issues. The rest of the band soldiered on, extending the beginning of “Didn’t It Rain” into a funky little jam, complete with improvised vocals. They funked, but didn’t waffle. As soon as the guitar was ready, the band immediately clicked into the song proper, as if it was part of the plan all along. The rest of the set went on without a hitch, mixing and matching genres like soul, R&B, roots, country, funk and blues. “Rescue Me” took on a southern rock feel and “Cotton and the Cane,” a new song co-written with Mary Gauthier, showed more twang, but the band’s incredible harmonies were present throughout. They mixed in two great ones from the late great Alan Toussaint, “Yes We Can Can” and “Freedom for the Stallion,” both times Helm remarked how relevant the lyrics still were in our current time. The set closed with a searing rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning,” which opened with some thumping bass from Ted Pecchio, closed with a rollicking solo from Sean Dickson on drums, and was pure fire in between.
The encore opened with another cover, one of more recent significance, a near a capella rendition of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” with only the Rhodes and some very subtle bass and drums as accompaniment. A beautiful tribute, but wait, there’s more. Helm said they knew in the lead up to this gig, a part of a quick three-show stint, they would need to play a Petty song. But once the time grew closer, they realized they couldn’t just play one, they needed to play five. So the encore became a mini Tom Petty tribute set. They continued on, with “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” an acoustic one-mic bluegrass version of the deep cut “No Second Thoughts” and “Waiting is the Hardest Part.” Helm then held back tears as the band beautifully dedicated the hymn “Gloryland” to Petty. This immediately led into an explosive finish, with Kennedy strapping on the aforementioned double-neck guitar for a perfect “American Girl.” We give it a ten!
Let’s Be Leonard have released Live at Nectar’s, from their June 16, 2017 performance at the fabled Burlington venue. Tune in below and check out Let’s Be Leonard on their Fall Tour!
Arriving early to take my seat at the 
A first set that started out with an “I Need a Miracle” > “New Speedway Boogie” > “Playin’ in the Band” sequence that took the band on a 45 minute rockin’ ride, with a spacey jazz odyssey inside PITB. “Eyes of the World” featured Stuart Bogie on saxophone, aptly filling the role of Branford Marsalis on the live version found on Without a Net. Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger all took a turn at the helm, everyone steering the ship in their own way, before settling back into safe harbor. “Dancing in the Street” and “Brown Eyed Woman” closed out the set, the latter with a brief “Eyes of the World” reprise and a “Stella Blue” tease/jam at the end.
The Arizona quartet opened the show with “Simon and Lily” and “Galisteo Way” before treating us to “Mind’s Unchained” and “People.” The highlight of the first set was their bluegrass’esque cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Soul to Squeeze” before going into their original, “Windmill,” which had the fans clapping for more as they wandered off stage. They came back from the break with a cover of Johnny Russel’s “Catfish John” before the band soared through a jaw-dropping combination of “Dream Jam” > “All My Friends” > “Bee Jam” > “Alternate Ending” and finally “Ain’t That Wrong” to end the set. Never one to disappoint, they came out once more for a bluesy-pop encore with one of their own, “Shake You Loose.”
Kennedy