NYS Music 20​17

Category: Genres

  • Hearing Aide: Doug G The Nightchild ‘Nightchild’

    New York hip hop is often thought of as music with a classic “boom-bap” style beat, intricate rhyme schemes, vivid lyrical content, grittiness and smooth flow. When people think of NY hip-hop, the five boroughs and their respective legends come to mind…But everyone always forgets about the suburb attached to the City’s hip; Long Island. When you think of Long Island, you think of rich people, strip malls & mindless self-indulgence. Musically you think of pop punk and garage bands. But walk into a Long Island bar or music venue and you might just catch a rare breed; the Long Island emcee. Among this rare breed there’s a sound that would be hard to forget; Doug G the Nightchild performing tracks off of his EP Nightchild.

    Doug G The NightchildThe Nightchild EP coincides with the change in Doug Gallardo’s moniker from “Doug G” to “Doug G the Nightchild.” Going for a darker, grittier route in both instrumentals and lyrics, songs on the record cite feelings of disgust, hate, rage, teetering on brokenness and impending apathy. In other words, the boiling angst that can be found in the millennial counterculture. Doug delivers this feeling through hard-hitting, atypical beats, clever word play, smooth flowing multi-rhyme schemes and tons of vocal energy that most people can’t muster live nor in the booth.

    “66669” is the song that will get the audience jumping and shouting back the lyrics. The hook is as simple as the chant “six-six-six-six-nine” over a trap style beat, with edgy, aggressive vocals. “66669” in context of the song is Doug being the “devil” and “69” being what he’s doing/will be doing to your girl, the game, etc. My initial reaction to the song was “damn that sh*t is thug as f*ck”…but the Nightchild isn’t thug, just a real NY lyricist.

    Doug captures the essence of what he’s living and feeling a la songs like “Death to Your Drug Dealer,” which captures the state-of-affairs on Long Island where addiction to heroin and opiates runs rampant. The issue of this poison ruining the lives of young men and women is one that many listeners will be able to connect to. “Emotionless” expresses the guttural feelings of “hating the pain away,” and taps in to the apathy that most millennials are feeling.

    Overall, this five-song EP does two very essential things; it snapshots an energetic and constant performance that would appeal to a new listener, and it gives Doug’s established fan-base something with a lot of substance and some new flavor to enjoy. By being able to accomplish these things, Doug G The Nightchild continues to grow his following both online and at live shows. What makes this EP a noteworthy piece of art from the Long Island music scene is first and foremost Doug’s vocal performance and energy. Without having to utilize a singer, catchy hooks or overbearingly fast flow (disclaimer; people are dumb enough to think rapping fast equivalates to having the best flow), Doug establishes a unique sound that captures your attention throughout the entire EP.

    Be on the look out for Doug G the Nightchild at a NYC or Long Island music venue, often performing alongside his counterpart Bearded Legend as BLDG.

    Key Tracks: 66669, Emotionless, Death to Your Drug Dealer

  • Eddie Angel Comes back Home, and brings The E Street Band’s Garry Tallent for a Show in Troy

    Rensselaer native Eddie Angel is coming back home, and he’s bringing along a guest.

    eddie angelThe former Star Spangled Washboard Band guitarist has not been a stranger to the Capital District since he moved down to Nashville in 1984. When he’s not performing with his band, the Los Straitjackets, he still gets together with Johnny Rabb to tour regularly as members of The Neanderthals. But, Angel’s recent plans don’t involve getting pre-historic on a local audience. He will, however, be tipped a hand to his familiar rockabilly roots during a May 9 performance at The Hanger in Troy.

    Angel is currently touring with Garry Tallent, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and the only founding member of The E Street Band (sans Bruce Springsteen) still performing. It’s Tallent’s first solo tour since he started playing along with those kids from Asbury Park 46 years ago. And, he does so in support of the release of his Break Time LP.

    “Fans always wonder what it is I do between E Street Band tours: This is my answer,” Tallent told Backstreets Magazine, a quarterly periodical exclusive to news on Springsteen. The E Street Band has long been associated with Springsteen since the 1973 release of Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

    Break Time is the E Street bassist’s first solo album, on the label he co-owns, D’Ville Record Group. Initially available only on vinyl and digital download, a CD edition is to be released later this month. The 12-track release serves as an anthology of American rock and roll in several different forms: from Cajun to honky-tonk, rockabilly, and rhythm and blues.

    “They’re my songs,” said Tallent, “and I chose the ones that fit the mold of the album that I was trying to do, which is my tribute to the ‘50s. That’s always been my favorite era of music.

    “It’s not a Bruce Springsteen record.”

    Angel co-produced the album at Tallent’s Moon Dog Studios in Nashville. They are joined on the album by Johnny Cash’s bassist Davie Roe, and the versatile Fats Kaplin on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. Also appearing on the album is Jimmy Lester on drums, Dave Roe on standup bass, Randy Leago on accordion and Kevin Mckendree on piano. It should be noted that E Street band mate Nils Lofgren sings harmonies on one of the tracks, too.

    Tallent has spent nearly half a century playing alongside Springsteen. In those years, there have been a handful of E Street Band members who have stepped out on their own to make a name for themselves. Before his death in 2011, Clarence Clemons released several solo albums, and was featured with Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, and Jackson Browne, with whom he charted a hit single “You’re a Friend of Mine” in 1985. Most recently Steve Van Zandt appeared prominently as an actor in the hit cable series “Sopranos.” Despite his band mate’s successes, Tallent has only now struck out on his own.

    And, Angel is right along with him.

    At first glance, one can’t see how a Jersey boy and a Rensselaer kid managed to cross paths. But, it’s a friendship that goes back more than 20 years. Angel said it’s based upon a mutual love for good ol’ rock and roll.

    “We’re both fans of ‘50s rock and roll,” said Angel, who can recall his first love for music involving The Beatles and its 1964 release of “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” “But, this is the first time we’ve done something like this. It’s the first time Garry’s ever done a solo tour. When he called me up a few years ago… he asked me if I could help him produce and play on it, I was really thrilled. I was very flattered that he would think of me. Because, he could ask anyone, you know?”

    Break Time is Tallent’s interpretation of rock and roll’s roots. It’s not Top 40, and not alternative. Tallent and his band play a sound that is steeped in rock’s primordial soup that produced Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Lee Dorsey. Despite it not fitting into your typical radio format of today, it’s still very popular.

    “It’s like asking why blues is still popular today,” said Angel. “There’s no time limit on it. When I hear on the radio, Chuck Berry or Jerry Lee Lewis, that never sounds dated. When I hear a Madonna song, it sounds dated. Something from the ‘90s? It sounds dated. So, I think there’s something classic in that music. A timelessness.”

    Just a few days prior to the launch of the tour, Angel said he was looking forward to coming back home to the Capital District. Though Nashville was where he struck out to pursue his music career more than 30 years ago, he said he still won’t see it in the same way he does Rensselaer.

    “It’s a great city but it’ll never be home,” said Angel. “My dream is when we become empty nesters, we’ll come visit in the summer. We won’t ever move back. We can’t afford New York state taxes.”

    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.

  • Hollis Brown in the Kitchen

    Hollis Brown markets itself as an American rock band which, lately, is the best way to describe groups that lean towards the origins of rock and roll — a little bit of blues, a little bit of soul and a splash of funk.

    Listen to Hollis Brown’s latest single, “Run Right To You,” off its October release Velvet Elk, and you’ll hear nothing that resembles the fabricated sound of Top 40 radio, or anything that would remind you of their home. The band takes its name from Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” which opens with “He lived on the outside of town.” Vocalist Mike Montali said the homage pays respect to what he perceives to be the song’s message of redemption and rebirth. He and band co-founder Jonathan Bonilla call Queens home. Along with drummer Andrew Zehnal, from Cleveland, keyboardist Adam Bock, from St. Louis, and bass player Brian Courage, from Long Island, they play a sound that’s more in place at a roadhouse in rural America than your coffeehouse in neighboring Brooklyn.

    “We somehow fit in though,” said Montali, who admits the roots-edge sound of Hollis Brown clashes against any dance scene perceived to come out of Manhattan or Long Island. “New York, historically, has had a lot of great bands come out from all different styles and great songwriting. So eclectic, that it’s hard to really define.’

    “In particular with the New York scene, and the press, we’re outsiders for sure, in a way,” he said. The perception, however, is only reality to those expecting a band with “a couple of iPads and some synth.”

    “We do really well in New York,” said Montali. “It’s home, and it’s been good to us.”

    Since forming in 2009, Hollis Brown has attached its name to Lou Reed, Bo Diddley and the Counting Crows. Its 2013 debut album Ride On The Train, garnered song and video premieres from Rolling Stone, Paste and American Songwriter, along with placement in several movie trailers and an online ad campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch. Following a Reed tribute concert in New York City, Alive Naturalsound asked the band to record a tribute to the Velvet Underground’s Loaded as a limited-edition vinyl release for Record Store Day 2014. Hollis Brown Gets Loaded took on a life of its own, with airplay on influential radio stations, resulting in a full CD and digital release.

    Locals who didn’t catch Hollis Brown’s music through the above likely caught on when the band tagged along with Counting Crows and Citizen Cope when the three played the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the summer of 2015. Still relative no-names, the band that sounds nothing like New Amsterdam garnered the admiration of Crows’ frontman Adam Duritz. Duritz, who updates Twitter more often than President Trump, constantly expressed praise towards Montali and his crew.

    “I think that’s pretty rare for a guy with his level of success,” said Montali of Duritz. “He’s a fan first. He always has been, more than a musician, himself. He loves music and he loves the process of seeing bands starting out in their hometowns to become national acts. … We’re fortunate that we got on his radar and made good friends with him.”

    Flash forward to 2017, Hollis Brown will tour across the country with stops at Mountain Jam, Karoondinha Festival and more. “Steady Ground” is a featured-exclusive on Amazon’s playlist Amazon Acoustics. The band’s vinyl EP, Cluster of Pearls, was chosen as one of the 300 select releases throughout the world for Record Store Day last year. “Cluster of Pearls” followed the 2015 release 3 Shots, which featured Diddley’s collaboration “Rain Dance,” and the duet “Highway 1” with acclaimed alt-country songstress Nikki Lane.

    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.

  • PA Line Folk-ed Up Buffalo Iron Works

    PA Line is a five-piece band hailing from Buffalo. Forming just two years ago, they are yet another band on the rise in the plump music scene in our beautiful Queen city. The band consists of Trevor Stribing (vocals, guitar, percussion), Pat Brown (banjo), Adam Nicpon (mandolin), Alyssa Wainwright (violin, vocals) and Lucas Honig (bass, vocals).

    The 2016 Western New York Music Awards winners of both Best Folk Band and Best Indie Band lived up to those credentials for their third ever performance at Buffalo Iron Works. Their set provided high energy and the band seemed to feed off of the crowd’s positive reaction. Filming was completed for their first official music video throughout the duration of their set at Iron Works. Stay tuned to NYS Music for when that drops.

    PA Line will be announcing some upcoming tour dates in the very near future.  The band had this to say: “All of us at PA Line love performing and when the crowd has great energy, we really feed off that. Its a priceless feeling when everyone at the show is just having fun and good energy is in the air. With that being said the fans were absolutely amazing last night, definitely a night we wont forget.”

    Setlist: Breathe, Time, Baby Don’t Go, Scream Out, Open, Shadows, Shut Up, The King, Liar, Escape

    Encore: The End

  • Sammy Hagar Talks Touring and the Possibility of a Van Halen Reunion

    In a recent interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, former Van Halen frontman, Sammy Hagar, shared his feelings on performing, touring, and the everlasting rumors of a potential Van Halen reunion. Hagar just wrapped up his annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure, benefit concert, that  featured artists including Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Don Felder, Mick Fleetwood, Vic Johnson, Sarah McLachlan, Steve Vai, Bob Weir, and Dave Grohl, who is sitting in for co-founder and Metallica frontman James Hetfield, due to touring obligations.

    van halen reunion

    Asked if he missed performing regularly:

    I always miss being onstage. But I don’t miss being on tour. The way I’ve been doing it for about the last seven or eight years, I’ll just take two shows — you know, Dallas and maybe Houston. But I got so old last year, I found myself having to go over to my studio five days a week and rehearse to get my voice into shape. Next thing I know, all I’m doing is getting ready for two shows. I wouldn’t do more than 40 or 50 shows a year. I just can’t. It’s my body and my time. And in my heart, I get out there onstage and I go, “You know, I don’t feel like doing it tonight.”

    After mentioning that fans are not only in love with his solo shows, but are demanding Hagar to perform with Chickenfoot and Van Halen. Hagar responded:

    That whole Van Halen thing lurking in the woods out there, I feel there’s a sniper out there — any minute the bullet is going to come flying in that says “VH” on it, “You’re it!” We’ll see what happens. I don’t understand them. I haven’t understood them in a long time. I would only do it with Sam and Dave anyway. I’d rather Dave (David Lee Roth) go out and sing his own songs. I’ll sing my songs. That would be the ultimate show, I think. If we could do it that way, I would suck it up. It would be fun.

    Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen in 1985, and parted ways in 1996. In 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. The singer also has his own line of spirits including Cabo Wabo Tequila, and Sammy’s Beach rum. A Van Halen reunion still seems far off, if it happens at all.

  • Juggling Day Jobs Takes Time away from the Music, but Holly & Evan Keep an Eye on the Big Picture

    Holly Taormina rushes into the quaint side room set behind the bar at The Orchard Tavern where her bandmates are waiting to order lunch.

    “Words cannot describe how much I hate driving a car,” she exclaims through clinched teeth, as she takes her seat. The Holly to Holly & Evan can be as tempestuous as the energy she exhibits on stage. Especially if she’s caught behind someone driving too slowly. “I have no tolerance or patience for people who don’t know how to put their foot on the gas pedal.”

    Between raising a family, logging in 40-plus hours at the U.S. Postal Service Honors Pete Seeger with New StampU.S. Postal Service where she works, and the precious little time spent with the band, Taormina is a woman with places to go and too much in her way. It’s a feeling shared by the rest of the band. There are obstacles standing in the way, and they’re itching to move past. A local radio station continues to play a single the band released a few years ago. It’s the only one they have. Despite having enough songs to cut a CD, finding the money and time to get together to record is a challenge in itself — something to which all bands juggling day jobs can relate.

    “It’s one of those things we want to get to,” said Evan Conway. “It’s tough to get everybody together to get this thing out. It’s been like that for a while.” As with most bands, musicians juggle their time between the day jobs that pay the bills, and the nightlife that satiates their dreams to play music. No one is living off music alone. Except, maybe, Josh Greenberg, the band’s sax player. He’s a retired music teacher.

    “Josh plays with, I don’t know how many different bands, a good number of them. That goes into figuring out when we can play. But, Bob [Morris, the band’s drummer] also plays in a number of different bands. Holly has a job that she works six days a week, [with] overnights…”

    Around the table, there is a sense of family. Greenberg helps Taormina’s daughter out with picking from the tavern’s menu. Once the food arrives, everyone gives Morris a hard time for stealing a chicken finger from Taormina’s son. The band’s been together for more than five years. In the case of Morris and Conway, they’ve played together since the two were in high school more than a decade ago. So, when everyone mentions Taormina’s demanding job schedule, it’s all out of respect. On top of her obligations as a mother of two and her pursuit of a supervisor’s position at the post office, she continues to write songs. Some of which, Greenberg describes as “hip-hop” in origin. A description she greets with a smile, though she jokes, her songs sound like that because she’s angry.

    “I think the insane work schedule that Holly works has created this situation over the past year, where we play fewer performances, but we knock ‘em dead,” said Greenberg. “I think there is something that is just beginning to change. With Holly being the songwriter, and with Holly and Evan being the music arrangers. I think the music is brilliant. It’s meaningful, it’s original and it absolutely deserves to get out there.”

    Holly and Evan is a self-described “blues based Alt Rock” band that’s “tinged with jazz and soul.” The band’s Facebook page lists off Skip James and Robert Johnson among its influences, old-school blues performers with no earthly ties to the Capital District. Johnson died in Mississippi in 1938 at the age of 27. His life story was the inspiration behind the 1986 Ralph Macchio film “Crossroads.” Legend says he sold his soul to the devil. A gifted guitar player, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Conway, too, is a gifted guitar player. His father, Ed, said he has the unnatural ability to pick up a song by ear and play it. As a kid, he’d play before gatherings at the Hibernian Hall. His first taste at playing in front of a crowd.

    “I think this band is poised to have a product and a presence, there’s no doubt about it,” said Greenberg. “I think the live performances have just come alive. I think Holly’s performances are phenomenal. I think all of us are performing at a very high level. We know the material. We’ve been playing together for a number of years, so it’s very intuitive. And, we just absolutely have a great time playing.”

    The band works without the aid of a manager to book gigs or maintain social media channels. Some of those duties fall on Evan’s mother, Kathy. Nonetheless, it’s Evan’s responsibility to update Facebook. He admits, months can go by between posts. Despite the relative quiet internet chatter, the band has gained a larger audience. Gigs outside the Tri-City area have been more frequent, including a near regular appearance at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Mass. The inn, that dates back before the American Revolution, has hosted Leonard Cohen and James Taylor.

    Taormina believes it’s the band’s penchant for original work, instead of a “jukebox full of covers,” the audience appreciates most. She believes musicians are artists, and should obligate themselves to not just the instrument they play, but to apply thought towards stage presence.

    “That’s what really bothers me about music nowadays,” said Taormina. “I mean, I look at The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, and I look at them as artwork. The way they dressed and the way they performed. Nowadays it’s just plastic. Not to put anybody down. It’s just not visually stimulating. It doesn’t do anything for me visually or mentally. The clothes, you know? Fashion and music, it all goes together. Nobody is grasping that now.”

    [A scornful stare.] “It’s like watching a play. Like a high school play,” said Taormina. “Not to put her down. It’s great for her, but I miss the seriousness of it. I took my kids to see 21 Pilots at the Times Union [Center]. They were unbelievable. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of shows. … Two people on stage. The set was all art. He did a backflip off the drum platform. They lifted the drum platform, and he played the drums on top of the audience. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen. There’s a band that is innovative, and thinking, and trying to get people to think. That’s important. We can do it on a small-scale. I mean, it’s as simple as thinking about what I’m going to wear before I walk on the stage. It’s how I’m going to do my hair.”

    This weekend Holly and Evan play the main stage at Albany’s Tulip Fest. That, too, shows another evolution to the band’s growing popularity. It will be the band’s second time at the annual Mother’s Day festival. Its first appearance was relegated to the local stage.

    “We’re getting to that point,” said Greenberg. “So, I think that somebody’s got to come along and produce it. Somebody’s got to come in and take care of that business. Promotion. Promotion. Promotion. It would have to be somebody who is willing to invest a lot….”

    “Someone willing to work with four cranky people,” said Evan.

    As Greenberg said, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Things are beginning to open up for a band juggling daytime obligations with nighttime dreams. Short of making a deal with the devil, Evan said there’s always a need to strive towards the big picture.

    “You have to have the big picture goal,” said Evan. “You have to have that picture where you’re sitting on the beach in Tahiti in the middle of winter. To say, I can afford anything I want. You’ve got that dream.”

    “I don’t even care about that,” said Taormina. “I just want my Grammy.”

    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.

  • SOLARiS to Perform in Saratoga and Brooklyn this Weekend

    The electronic jam sounds of SOLARiS return to New York State this weekend with two big shows in Saratoga Springs and Brooklyn. 
    Saturday catch SOLARiS at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs featuring Orchard Lounge DJ Ben Silver and on Sunday at Brooklyn Bowl featuring Wax Future and Polyvamp.

    solaris saratoga
    Solaris

    The all instrumental SOLARiS features a great deal of original music with a range of electronica including dubstep, drum n bass, jazz fusion and funk, all intertwined between drummer Daniel Scott Lyons, keyboardist Jared Raphel and bassist Vinny Naro. Naro shared his thoughts on the upcoming run:

    “Expect a new and improved Solaris. We’re sounding surprisingly more polished these days, most likely from the result of the new sounds we’ve been developing and just simply being together as a band for 7 years. While there will always be the staple original songs, like “Vice” and “Nostromo,” there are some new covers as well; such as the “Stranger Things” TV theme, our new instrumental remix of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” and more. As always, we will also be doing our usual exploratory improv, finding new sounds, deep electronic grooves, etc… If you’re attending the shows this weekend, put your seatbelt on because it’s gonna be a very intense and funky ride.”

  • Chris Cornell, Dead at 52

    Within an hour of completing a performance at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell was found unresponsive in his room at the MGM Grand Hotel after a concerned call to a friend from his wife, Vicky. Cornell was declared dead at the scene. The medical examiner later determined his death was self-inflicted by hanging.

    chris cornellMost famous as the front man for the Seattle grunge-era band Soundgarden and later Audioslave (formed with the remaining members of Rage Against the Machine after Zack de la Rocha’s departure), Cornell was the voice of a generation with a commanding stage presence. A Cornell performance demanded your attention.

    With his long mane of dark curly hair swirling as he delivered dark and introspective lyrics, Cornell’s image became the calling card of the fledgling Sub Pop Records and the developing Seattle scene of the late 1980s. The band’s mix of metal and punk, informed by the Sonics and the Wailers, helped forge a new sound in American rock.

    Cornell struggled with drug abuse and depression from a young age. He quit school at the age of 14 after his parents divorced, taking a job to help support his mother. He used music as his refuge during this period, eventually forming Soundgarden in 1984 with guitarist Kim Thayill and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell originally pulled double-duty on drums and vocals before Scott Sundquist joined to allow Cornell to focus on vocals. Sundquist subsequently left the band in 1986 to spend time with his new family and was replaced by Skin Yard’s Matt Cameron. The band signed to Sub Pop records in 1987, releasing its debut EP Screaming Life that year. The combination of Thayill’s drop-D tuning and Cornell’s four octave vocals, laid the groundwork for what would become the grunge scene.

    Soundgarden was the first of the big four Seattle bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains round out the four) to score a major label deal, signing with A&M for 1989’s Louder Than Love, but it wasn’t until 1994’s Superunkown, that the band became a household name. Managed by Cornell’s then wife, Susan Silver, who also managed Alice in Chains, she was the band’s biggest champion. Cornell and Silver’s marriage came to an acrimonious end in 2004.

    chris cornell

    In 1990, Cornell contributed to a tribute album to his former roommate, Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood, entitled Temple of the Dog. The band was comprised of former members of Mother Love Bone (Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, both later of Pearl Jam), Mike McCready (also a future member of Pearl Jam) and Matt Cameron (a member of both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam). Eddie Vedder also appeared on the album that was largely unnoticed until the success of Pearl Jam’s debut in 1991 earned the album recognition. The single “Hunger Strike” featured Cornell and Vedder trading vocals. Cornell later stated about the session, “He sang half of that song not even knowing that I’d wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively.”  Temple of the Dog did a brief reunion tour in 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album.

    chris cornell emek
    Poster credit: emek.net

    Following Soundgarden’s breakup in 1997, Cornell began recording as a solo artist, releasing his solo debut, Euphoria Morning in 1999. The single “Can’t Change Me” was nominated in the Best Male Vocalist category at the 2000 Grammy Awards. During this period, he also contributed songs to several films, including Mission Impossible 2 and Casino Royale.

    In 2001, Cornell partnered with the members of Rage Against the Machine following the departure of de la Rocha. The ensuing supergroup, Audioslave, was well-received from the start. Guitarist Tom Morrello described Cornell’s introduction to the band:

    He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t just sound good. It didn’t sound great. It sounded transcendent. And … when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can’t deny it.

    Cornell left Audioslave in 2007 citing “musical differences” as reason for his departure. Rumors of a Soundgarden reunion began to surface in 2009 and the band eventually returned to the stage, headlining Lollapalooza in 2010. The band released its sixth album, King Animal in 2012 and has been touring since. Thayil has indicated that the band has been working on material for another Soundgarden release.

    In 2012, Cornell and his wife formed the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation to help children facing homelessness, abuse and neglect. Cornell suffered from depression throughout his life, discussing it openly in interviews. He did not leave a note prior to his suicide and gave no indication of his intentions. The investigation is ongoing. Devastated family and bandmates are cooperating in the investigation.

    If you or someone you know is showing signs of depression or thoughts of suicide, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day (1-800-273-8255). The National Institute of Mental Health has information on how to identify symptoms of depression and resources available to those suffering. Additional information, about how a mental health diagnosis can be empowering can be found here.

    The shocking death has been felt throughout the music world. Tributes, including a quickly organized memorial at seminal Seattle radio station KEXP, expressed the effect Cornell had on the music world. The Seattle landmark, the Space Needle, also went dark from 9-10 p.m. in tribute to Cornell Thursday night. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth paid tribute while on tour in Japan, performing a version of “Outshined.”

    Chris Cornell was a game-changer, an instrumental part in the early grunge scene and its doorway to the world, Sub Pop Records. He helped forge a sound that challenged and changed the music industry and in turn helped put Seattle on the rock and roll map. He is survived by his wife of 13 years, Vicky Karayiannis, their two children, Toni (12) and Christopher (11) and his daughter with Susan Silver, Lillian Jean (17).

    https://www.facebook.com/KIRO7Seattle/videos/1612291538790593/

  • Artist Profile: Within the Fire

    Author Charles Bukowski focused his writing on the plight of ordinary people, drudging through work, alcohol and relationships.  In the end, he wrote, “What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.”

    Some may think Bukowski is referring to the plight of getting through life’s drama. Some may live on the dark side, and see it as a warning to not get burned by the flames. But, what happens when you step Within the Fire?  It opens doors to a whole new world.  Pushing  the envelope, testing the boundaries and expanding the horizons.

    within the fireThe local metal band Within the Fire pushes that envelope from the inside, leaving the past behind and perfecting years of musical journey into a volcano of sound.

    The band was started by guitarist, RJ Pipino (former Cutthroat guitarist) in 2010.

    “He is a big fan of classic metal from the ‘80s,” said bassist Joe Paciolla, of Pipino, “ranging from Dokken to Exodus. [And, he] was inspired to start a band with his younger brother, Kyle.”   

    Already an impressive resume of musicians, the brothers wrote several songs and recruited help from friend, drummer Tim Parent (Section 8). When ready They reached out to vocalist, Scott Featherstone (Attica Enertia), who ended up coming into the studio on the day when vocals for this project were scheduled to be recorded with another singer.

    Paciolla adds “The session turned out better than everyone expected and Scott ended up joining the band full time.  Our influences range all over the rock spectrum, but a few that were a big influence to the style of Within The Fire are Dokken, Metallica and Exodus.” The band has released a full length cd Still Burning and  was recorded at The Recording Company in Esperance, in the summer-fall of 2015. It was completed in the spring of 2016.

    “Tim Lynch is an absolute professional and we were all very happy with his dedication and work on this album,” said Paciolla. “RJ was really involved in making sure the songs sounded exactly like he envisioned them and was at the studio  every minute of the recording and the mixing.”

    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.

  • Linkin Park Frontman Tells Upset Fans to ‘Move The F-k On,’ While Shinoda Does Damage Control

    When it comes to evolving the band’s sound over the years, Linkin Park frontman, Chester Bennington has reached his boiling point with Linkin Park fans asking the band to go back to its roots and the sound of the band’s debut album that brought them instant success, Hybrid Theory.

    In an recent interview with NME/Music Week, Bennington was asked if anyone has told them that they “sold out,” after hearing the band’s upcoming seventh studio album, One More Light. He responded:

    We were asked, ‘What do you think of people who say you sold out?’ I don’t care. If you like the music, fantastic. If you don’t like it, that’s your opinion too. Fantastic.

    If you’re saying we’re doing what we’re doing for a commercial or monetary reason, trying to make success out of some formula … then stab yourself in the face. [jokingly laughs]

    When we made Hybrid Theory, I was the oldest guy in the band and in my early ’20s. That’s why I guess I’m like: ‘Why are we still talking about Hybrid Theory? It’s f–king years ago. It’s a great record, we love it. Like, move the f–k on. You know what I mean?

    Fearing a possible backlash from hardcore Linkin Park fans who may take the comments personal, co-frontman, Mike Shinoda, took to social media and posted a statement that all of Linkin Parks fans are welcome. Shinoda’s statement read:

    For the record, all fans of all albums are welcome here. Online or at the show, HT to OML. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

    Linkin Park will hit the road this summer to support their new album with the “One More Light World Tour,” that will feature Machine Gun Kelly and several special guest on select dates including One Ok Rock, Blink 182, Wu-Tang Clan, and Snoop Dogg.

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