NYS Music 20​17

Category: Genres

  • Interview: Marco Benevento Kicks Off Northeast Tour, talks Duo, Fred Short and his new Instrument

    Marco Benevento kicked off tour last night in Syracuse and performs tonight at Buffalo Iron Works. The Woodstock resident took time to talk with NYS Music about his recording studio in Woodstock, performances with JRAD and The Duo, as well as his forthcoming album Woodstock Sessions, due out this Friday, February 17. Catch him at The Rongo in Ithaca on February 1, Brooklyn Bowl on February 2 and at The Hollow in Albany with Maybird and Band of Ghosts on February 3. Marco Benevento sat down for an interview with NYS Music ahead of these shows.

    marco benevento interviewBen Landsman: You just played the first Duo shows with Joe Russo in years. What was it like reviving the Duo sound?

    Marco Benevento: It was so much fun. It was bit of work because we hadn’t done the music in a while and had to have a couple of rehearsals. I hadn’t done foot basslines on the Hammond in a while, but it was really well received.

    BL: Has performing in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead change your chemistry at all?

    MB: It did in a way. We play the part when we do the Grateful Dead stuff and go into character, even through we’re doing our own twist on it. We’re doing a very improvisational take on it. Maybe we’ve spent a lot of time playing together and the classic rock stuff, maybe it carries over from the complex nature of the Duo music. We’re good at reading each other’s minds, knowing when to move onto the next section. We have as pretty dialed in musical relationship.

    BL: You started singing within the last few years. How has that changed your sound, given that your piano lines/melodies can sound like lead vocals.

    MB: Singing is a new instrument for me, and now when I sit down I write lyrics before melodies at times. Coming up with lyrics on the spot and intuitively singing right from the start as far as the song-writing process goes, quite honestly im hooked. I love the new instrument, the new process that I have. I still don’t like the sound of my own voice, but after we do shows I get a lot of positive feedback from the audience, which I need because I’m still a beginner at it. I do love the process of lyric writing and the act of just singing with people live. It’s more of a connection with the audience than ever before. I’m currently working on my seventh record and have about 15 songs and they all have words and vocal melodies, so I can’t stop now.

    BL: You are the founder and recording engineer of the Upstate NY recording studio. Fred Short. What artists have recorded there and how has the studio changed you as a musician?

    MB: I have a lot more time to create. My studio is right next to my house, so then the kids and wife go to bed, I can get pretty busy out there pretty quickly. It’s all wired up so 1 or 2 on switches and we’re rolling. I’ve been super busy, I can’t believe I’ve been without it for so long. It’s so great to have a recording space that I know so well. I’ve had my friends come and record, a bunch of stuff for other people. A.C. Newman, the keyboardist for The New Pornographers did all the keyboard stuff for his album in my studio. I’ve done some stuff with Mike Gordon from Phish, he came up and we had a nice session with his band there. I did some new stuff with my friend who does the music for Bob’s Burgers and did some music for some of those episodes. Mainly I’ve been working on my own stuff and had Kalmia Traver from Rubblebucket come up to record “Limbs of a Pine” off my album TigerFace. A friend of mine calls it ‘Inspiration Station,’ a small room with tons of keyboards, some drums, bass amp and guitar amp.

    BL: Are you still using circuit bent electronics/toys/instruments? If so, which ones?

    MB: I’m not using it as much as I used to. For a while I went through a phase where I could use a toy help me write a song. There’s something about those toys – I call them ear candy – that sort of give me fun sounds to get started. Over the last couple years I haven’t been using them a lot, and did it so much. They’re battery operated pieces of plastic and sometimes they break on the road, which is part of why I don’t use them anymore. Casio drum machines I will use here and there and random Japanese kids toys too. I love them to death but haven’t been using them lately.

    BL: What have you been listening to lately?

    MB: Tons of vinyl, I have a pretty serious vinyl addiction. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff off this record label Light in the Attic; they put out a Native American compilation that’s pretty dope. This band called Relatively Clean Rivers. I’m a big fan of the keyboardist from The Arcs, Leon Michels, he has some pretty cool stuff out there. I subbed for him this past May and really got a chance to hang out with those guys and check out some real vinyl and got pretty inspired by them. We made a record with Richard Swift from The Arcs, so whatever Richard, Dan or Leon does, I really dig.

    BL: What other musical ventures do you have planned this year?

    MB: We have Northeast tour right now, then off to the West coast via Colorado, then we have a 3 week West coast tour coming up at the end of March into April from Washington State down to L.A., promoting the new live album we have coming out called Woodstock Sessions, and touring around that for the next few months to promote the new live record.

    Full tour dates can be found here.

  • 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.

  • Bebe Rexha Announces ‘All Your Fault’ Tour

    Update 01/31/2017: Just announced, after her Irving Plaza show sold out in NYC, Bebe Rexha has added a second date inside The Big Apple on March 31, at the Warsaw, in Brooklyn.

    Original article follows:

    New York’s own, Bebe Rexha, has been one of the hottest, in demand rising stars over the last two years. The vocalist has not only been turning out her own hit tracks. Rexha, with her captivating unique voice, can be heard on many different chart topping tracks expanding multiple genres over the last couple of years.

    Bebe RexhaAfter opening for artists like Nick Jonas and Ellie Goulding, Rexha is ready to embark on her first headline tour. Rexha will have a busy month of March as the “I Got You” singer will hit 20 different cities across North America during the month in support of her first studio album titled All Your Fault: Pt1. The album, which the tour is named after, will be released on Feb. 17, courtesy of Warner Bros.

    The curtain will open March 1 at Trees in Dallas, Texas and take a final bow March 30 at the U Street Music Hall in Washington, D.C. Rexha will return home to New York and play NYC on March 29 at Irving Plaza.  Opening for Rexha on the first leg of the tour will be Daniel Skye.

    After being disrespected by some in the music business, Rexha made a name for herself against all odds on the heavily rock genre favored Vans Warped Tour in 2015. Since then, Rexha has dyed her hair blonde and has never looked back. Rexha lent her many talents to various artists in her young career either performing, writing or both on tracks for artists like Eminem, Selena Gomez, Bella Thorne, Nick Jonas and Iggy Azalea. Rexha has performed on many hit singles including “Take Me Home” (Cash Cash), “Hey Mama” (David Guetta), “Me, Myself & I” (G-Eazy) and “In The Name Of Love” (Martin Garrix).

    Tickets cost $18. VIP packages are available.

    Full Tour Dates Listed Below:

    Bebe Rexha

  • The Disco Biscuits Coming Home Again for 3 Night Run at the Fillmore Philadelphia

    The City of Brotherly Love has seen more Disco Biscuits shows than any other, and the tradition will continue on February 2, 3, and 4 with the band’s second 3 night run, home again at the Fillmore Philadelphia.  Almost a year ago to the day after their last visit to Philly, the Biscuits and locals alike are unanimous in their eagerness to get things started.  Having seen every show the band played last year, the fact that a slew of people consider last year’s Fillmore run to be one of the best in recent years in wholly unsurprising to me.  It’s the same concept of Home Team Advantage to make a seasonally appropriate football analogy; we’re all a little more comfortable closer to our roots.

    disco biscuits home againWe’ll be covering Friday night, right in the heat of it, giving first hand account of this writer’s 50th show.  Coming off a long, busy year of following the Disco Biscuits has honed my critical edge of their sound to a new level, and it’s safe to say that 2016 was one of their best within the last 3, 4, possibly 5 years.  The New Year’s Run at the famous Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA, was the band’s first outside region of their home town and the North East, and had some engaging highs and frankly embarrassing lows; will their return be triumphant?  Below you’ll find a video of the 3rd set’s beginning from New Year’s Eve leading into the countdown, a Trans-Siberian Orchestra cover entitled Wizards in Winter, with the most recent previous performance having been at the Rothbury Festival on July 3rd, 2008.

  • Everyone Leaves, Fossil Youth, and Pine Bring Indie Road Show to Rochester

    An eleventh hour scheduling change brought alt rock bands Everyone Leaves, Fossil Youth and Pine to Rochester, on the final weekend of their tour, to the delight of local fans. Everyone Leaves and Fossil Youth are standouts among the indie acts emerging from America’s heartland. Canadian band Pine joined them for the northeastern leg of their journey. Despite the last-minute notice and the bitter cold weather, the show drew in a crowd at Vineyard Community Space.

    Pine

    Local singer-songwriter Rosehip warmed up the crowd with her soft, sweet voice and finger-picked melodies. Female-fronted Pine took to the stage area next. Dreamy melodies created a backdrop for sad songs about writing letters to ghosts and a long lost father. Between a couple of songs, lead singer Darlene Deschamps commented on the Rochester weather – and this is a band from Ottawa who knows what cold is!

    Fossil Youth

    Fossil Youth picked up the pace a bit.  Strong beats and heavy riffs were interspersed with soft melodic interludes. Singer/guitarist Scottie Noonan delivered emotionally charged lyrics with passion and conviction.  The set included songs from their recently released full-length album, A Glimpse of Self Joy, such as “Forest Eyes” and “Late Night Swim.” They also deviated from the set list to accommodate audience requests for songs from their earlier EP, Intertwined with You, including the title track. 

    Everyone Leaves

    After a quick set change, Everyone Leaves was up. The five-piece band from Columbus, Ohio serves up pop punk featuring multi-part vocals. They performed “Better Love” and other songs from The Lonely End, their latest EP. Given the weather, it was fitting that they also played last winter’s single “Seasonal Affective” which ends with the lines “I won’t let the weather take me/I won’t freeze over again/I won’t let the winter take me/I’ll never hide myself again.”

    Local punk trio Tandygrey closed out the night with original garage-band grunge from their someday-to-be-released demo. They’ve played the Vineyard Community Space before and I’m hoping to catch them there again soon.

    Nestled in the city’s South Wedge, Monroe Park Vineyard Church graciously offers the bottom half of a converted house for indie artists and performers in order to promote community building and friendship. The communal space is filled with comfortable couches, throw rugs and eclectic decorations, creating a comfy home-like atmosphere.

    Throughout the event, band members were readily available to chat, sign autographs and sell merchandise. Music and merchandise are also available online: visit Take This To Heart Records webstore for Fossil Youth and Pine, and Little Heart Records webstore for Everyone Leaves.

    For more on Fossil Youth, read the interview by NYS Music.

    Photos by Carolyn Ambriano 

  • Umph Gets Extra Oomph with Joshua Redman in Rochester

    On a quiet and cold late January Sunday night, one beacon of activity in Rochester was drawing in warm bodies from all over Western New York. The line wrapped from Anthology’s doors, down the tour bus-filled alley and around the corner as showtime quickly approached. Bundled-up ticket seekers marched with their fingers out in hopes of scoring an opportunity into the sold out show. Progressive rockers Umphrey’s McGee were set to take the stage in moments, in what would prove to be one of the biggest shows the young East Ave. music hall would host to date.

    Anthology is a smaller venue than the band is used to playing at their current popularity. For the intimacy, the crowd was trading in the opportunity to catch the buzz-worthy jam act Spafford. The stage couldn’t accommodate them for their scheduled opening slot. Likewise, the low ceilings couldn’t accommodate Umphrey McGee’s massive lighting rig. Additionally, guitarist Jake Cinninger was sitting the show out with a sickness, doctor’s orders.

    No opener. No lights. No Jake. No problem. The quintet née sextet was up to the task.

    The dual guitar assault combined with the vibrant and chaotic lighting assault can make an Umphrey’s McGee show an overwhelming overload of the senses. This was a chance to take a step back and enjoy the more subtle nuance of their music and appreciate the musicians’ efforts on a more individual level. From the opening “Domino Theory” and on through the whole night, the rhythms laid down by drummer Kris Myers and percussionist Andy Farag really shone through and became front and center moreso than usual.

    Wisely and fortunately, guitarist Brendan Bayliss didn’t attempt to make up for his partner’s absence by redoubling his efforts. He took a more laid back stance, allowing the music to breathe. It certainly helped that their special guest for the evening was none other than saxophonist Joshua Redman.

    Redman, no stranger to playing with the band and finishing up a four-night run with them, was no ordinary guest. “Thanks for saving our ass,” Bayliss quipped. During his stint, which spanned the final three songs of the first set and the first five songs of the second set, he all but controlled the action. Entering first on “The Linear,” he immediately locked horns with Bayliss as they jammed in unison. Later on “Example 1,” he intertwined with some intense drum leads from Myers.

    The highlight of the night came as Redman took over in the mellower run through “Upward” and the rare “1000 Places to See Before You Die,” which slowly built to an intense and fiery jam highlighting Myers once again. Myers and Redman continued to punctuate the action in “Similar Skin” and when the dust settled it became apparent that Umphrey’s McGee had played almost an hour without any notable guitar solos.

    One young fan spent the entire night on their father’s shoulders just a few rows back from the stage. Bayliss noted him early on, sending him a rock salute. But the real treat came later in the evening when he dedicated Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” to the lucky kid. He sure had a good story for show and tell the next morning. Fans both young and old got a rise out of the set-closing fist-pumping singalong “Front Porch” which contained a rare romp through “Muff II” for good measure. As the last notes hung in the air, the sated crowd filed out and the quiet and cold returned to Sunday as the page flipped to Monday.

    Setlist (via umphreesmcgee.com)

    Set 1: Domino Theory, Loose Ends > Turn & Dub > Yoga Pants > The Linear[1], Example 1[1], Make It Right[1]

    Set 2: The Triple Wide[2] > Upward[1] > 1000 Places to See Before You Die[1] > Similar Skin[1], Lively Up Yourself[1], Robot World > Front Porch > Muff II: The Revenge > Front Porch

    Encore: Orfeo[3], Waiting Room

    [1] with Joshua Redman on saxophone
    [2] with Joshua Redman on saxophone; with Cocaine Blues (Escort) teases
    [3] just Joel on piano
    Notes:
    entire show without Jake
    last Muff II: The Revenge 12.30.2013 (311 shows)
    [FinalTilesGallery id=’965′]

  • Phish Announces 13-Night Summer Run at MSG

    Rumors of Phish breaking with summer tour tradition and taking an extended stay at Madison Square Garden have been circulating all winter, and today the band announced that they will indeed be taking up residence at MSG for a 13-night run.Phish 13-Night MSG

    The famed New York City venue has played host to Phish 39 times since their sold-out debut there in 1994, while the Baker’s Dozen shows will bring them up to 52 performances at the Garden by summer’s end.

    The run will start on Friday, July 21 and conclude on Sunday, August 6, with scheduled days off on the Mondays and Thursdays between. Tickets will be sold as the whole Baker’s Dozen package (13 shows for the price of 12) or as individual shows. Travel packages are available and pre-sale tickets are available now through Sunday, February 17 at Phish’s website. All floor tickets will be general admission.

    Phish 13-Night MSGAlong with the Baker’s Dozen announcement, came news that Phish will not be touring this fall, so it’s MSG or bust, Phans!

    Phish – The Baker’s Dozen, a 13-night run at MSG

    Friday, July 21
    Saturday, July 22
    Sunday, July 23
    Tuesday, July 25
    Wednesday, July 26
    Friday, July 28
    Saturday, July 29
    Sunday, July 30
    Tuesday, August 1
    Wednesday, August 2
    Friday, August 4
    Saturday, August 5
    Sunday, August 6

    Watch the announcement video below.

  • 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.”

  • Bret Michaels Talks Future of Poison

    Ready to embark on a summer tour with Def Leppard and Tesla, Blabbermouth reports that during a recent interview on Sirius/XM’s “Trunk Nation,” hosted by Eddie Trunk, Poison frontman Bret Michaels, talked about his upcoming reunion with all the original members of Poison, and the future of Poison.

    Trunk asked Michaels why he felt it was the right time to re-connect with the original members of Poison for the upcoming summer tour:

    It’s two things. One, it will be awesome – honestly – it will be awesome to see Bobby [Dall, bass] and C.C. [DeVille, guitar] and Rikki [Rockett, drums] again. We always have fun. I know there’s notorious stories of… You know, the great thing about us, if we have any problems, we don’t bother to air it out backstage, we just wait until we’re onstage to beat the hell out of each other. So I’ve always laughed and told you, it’s great music, there’s always a great energy, and occasionally you get a lot of pyro and a good prizefight once in a while. But, honestly, to me, we’re mixing up with the solo dates and with Poison/Def Leppard… We had such a great time out with Def Leppard last time, and obviously with Tesla out there, it’s just a great early summer… I call it early summer, but it’s starting off… kicks off first week of April, I believe in New Hampshire, and I’m really looking forward to it — playing all the greatest hits and just being out there and having fun.

    Michaels was asked if he has had any contact with any of the band members since their last stint. Michaels replied:

    We go and do some of the private [gigs as Poison], and it’s really great. And every time we do it, we get together [and] we rehearse, everyone’s having fun, it’s great to catch up, but not on a daily… You know, I don’t see them on a daily basis. It’s like I said, we’re four guys that if you asked us for direction to any place, we would give you four completely different directions to get to the same location. It’s just our personalities. But also that energy – the fact that none of us are ‘yes’ men to the other person, we all have our own individual identity, but when we get out there on that stage and it’s working, there’s a certain energy in the air and a certain party and feeling that everyone’s on their feet, hands in the air. And it’s truly a great time. And probably of all of ’em, Bobby’s the one I’m in the most contact with. You know, we’re all friends, but Bobby’s probably the one I speak to the most about… not just about Poison; just about life in general.

    Michaels on the future of Poison after the tour:

    We would all have to go do this and have a great time together and say, ‘Look, next year I think we’re gonna go out, just headline, pick out twenty or thirty dates, and go play.’ But I think we have to go through this… I think you just simply go through this. This isn’t gonna be one of those scenes where — God forbid — we’re ever inducted into the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame, and no one will show up or this; there’s none of that. It is truly as real as it gets. Those moments that we’re having a great time are real, and when it goes ugly, it’s real; it’s not a pre-thought-out thing. And I think we just go through this, have the best time in April, May and June. We’ve added more dates through Canada and a bunch of stuff, and just see where it goes. I would literally, when it’s done, say, ‘Hey, guys, I think it would be killer next year to go out, pick out some great headlining dates and have an amazing time again.

    If fans could expect a possible new Poison album:

    Very simple. You know with me that I still live and breathe for the creativity and making new music. A lot of the reason, for me, to be able to go out with Pete Evick and all the guys in the solo band… We get on that bus and we truly get up there, and even before and after shows, we’re up there at soundcheck writing new music, playing new music. And, of course, one day it would be awesome. I don’t look at the business of it. It would be great if we could sit down as Poison and say, ‘Look, let’s just make a really fun, upbeat new ‘Nothin’ But A Good Time’ or ‘Talk Dirty To Me’…’ I’m not saying the same song, but something that just feels like what we do, obviously with modern production, and have a great time making a new song. But in the meantime, I’m gonna keep creating with what I do, with the solo band.

Built in Breakdance