Philadelphia rockers Foxtrot & The Get Down have had their share of success between touring and playing hometown shows in the city. The February 24 release of their full length album Roots Too Deep finds the band creating a more focused sound with nostalgic lyrics and high energy blues/rock songs. Lead singer and songwriter Colin Budny has a voice that was clearly meant to be paired with pristine rock guitar tones. Erica Ruiz provides the background vocals, fitting perfectly between Budny’s voice and the band’s driving rock melodies.
The first track “Postal” is a great intro to the album, but the second track is where the good stuff begins. “Roll Down The Road” is the anthem song, tugging at your urge to sing it loud and proud. Ruiz and Budny have the perfect duet of voices that can instantly make listeners smile. Blues rock bands often fall back on familiar habits, but Foxtrot & The Get Down have developed their own style without totally losing that thing that makes a good band great. “Roll Down The Road” is peppered with catchy lyrics and is a fantastic representation of what the band is striving to show their audience.
“Letter To Myself” slows it down a bit, opening with a guitar riff very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. The song features Ruiz singing lead, with a voice that is the perfect mix of sultry and strong. The lyrics are a perfect reminder of what not to do, providing a fantastic build up to a guitar solo that bursts open the song at the seams.
Track seven “Ramblin’ Back To You” switches up the genre a bit, with more of a lighter, Americana feel. If you’re at all a fan of The Eagles, then this is the song that will bring you back to your roots. There really is something for everyone on the album, including rock ballads, love, loss and a yearning for something more. Budny and Ruiz’s harmonies have the ability to really tie certain songs together, providing the perfect backdrop for the rest of the band to shine.
Foxtrot & The Get Down currently share their time between the City of Brotherly Love and Nashville, where they were recently signed to indie record label American Echo records in 2015. There aren’t currently any tour dates listed, but keep an eye on their Facebook page and website for upcoming shows.
Key Tracks: Roll Down the Road, Just A Kid, If I Had It My Way
After what felt like an eternity, Austin-based indie rock band Spoon returns on St. Patrick’s Day with their ninth full-length album, entitled Hot Thoughts. They haven’t released a full album since their 2014 masterpiece They Want My Soul, which contains some of the best silver in Spoon’s musical vault. The gold goes to their 2007 record Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which not only has some noteworthy songs, but truly put them on the map towards success and credibility as songwriters.
This new 10-track release on Matador Records drives the band in quite a millennial-type of electronica direction, while maintaining the same pure frustration of garage punk that made us fall in love in the first place. Songs like “I Ain’t the One,” “WhisperI’lllistentohearit,” “Shotgun,” and the title track “Hot Thoughts,” can only be described as disco punk, with a driving rhythm section featuring bassist Rob Pope and drummer Jim Eno, that feels easy to dance to. Add in synthesizer effects that not only compliment a willful resistance, but also engage in a transient, almost Beatles-comparable element to balance out the aggression. Spoon properly confuses the listener, tossing in sample bits and adding artistic effect pedals to give each instrument its own voice and purpose.
Sprinkled throughout the album, in tracks like “Pink Up” and the final song “Us,” Spoon throws us some instrumental curve balls, featuring cameo appearances from a strings section and a mysterious saxophone solo. In their sexiest tune and pre-released single “Can I Sit Next to You,” we hear a sarangi-sounding pitch bend technique by synth guru Alex Fischel. The arguably best song on the album, “Do I Have to Talk You Into It,” bestows upon us a somber intonation in singer and guitarist Britt Daniel’s voice, as almost a means of inner disapproval. The song’s lyrics are hard to pin to a particular event or substance, but its dark descriptions certainly contrast the overall uplifting feel of the song. Once again, this band tricks us into calling them a punk band, and then convincing us that they can do rock (and even jazz) just as easily. To say this band parallels the indie rock genre isn’t completely accurate, as they are always dipping their feet into deep musical waters, and surfacing with sensibilities similar to Trent Reznor, John Lennon, Chris Martin, and Miles Davis to create a multitude of concepts. This album shows us that Spoon is going in a new direction, but they remain true to their roots. This album features electric guitars, xylophones, honky-tonk pianos, strings, saxophones, and sampling experiments that mock existing ideas, while also creating new ones. This album represents the ‘hot thoughts’ that have been stirring in the brain of Spoon, and this album meets and exceeds expectations of anyone who listens to Spoon, or ‘indie rock’ in general.
Just in time, Spoon is touring their way around the country, conveniently making stops in NYC for the annual Panorama Festival, followed by an appearance at the XPoNential Festival in Camden, NJ. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit Spoon’s band page.
You can hear the full album on Spoon’s Soundcloud.
Key Tracks: Hot Thoughts, I Ain’t the One, Do I Have to Talk You Into It
Chuck Berry’s name is synonymous with rock and roll. The singer-songwriter-guitarist got his start in the 50’s with hits like “Maybellene”, “Rock and Roll Music” and “Johnny B. Goode.” His music redefined the fabric of the musical landscape and provided inspiration to musicians for generations. The legendary musician passed away on March 18 in his Missouri home.
Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry in St. Louis Missouri in 1926, Berry was the fourth of six children in a middle class family. He was interested in music and entertaining at a young age, and began performing as a teenager. It was about this time he also started his lifetime conflicts with authority, landing in a reformatory until his 21st birthday. In 1948 he married Themetta “Toddy” Suggs, and they had a daughter together in 1950. Berry began performing with local bands on the side of his day job to supplement his wages.
Berry’s break came when he met Muddy Waters in Chicago in 1955. Waters connected Berry with Leonard Chess of Chess Records. With the label behind him, Berry recorded “Maybellene.” The single went on to sell over a million copies and reach number one on Billboard magazine’s rhythm and blues chart and number 5 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart.
Berry’s trademark songwriting elements, including driving beats and flashy guitar solos, became defining standards for rock and roll. He also helped shape the subject matter, with lyrics appealing to teenagers and consumer culture. His showmanship and attitude of defiance also became hallmarks of the rock and roll persona. Berry was a trendsetter for generations to follow, inspiring bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys. His influence on the genre runs so deep that John Lennon once said, “if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”
With a career spanning more than six decades, Chuck Berry recorded 20 studio albums and a dozen live albums. His contributions to the music industry garnered him such honors as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On the eve of a massive blizzard in the Northeast, on Monday, March 6, and after the dreaded “spring ahead” of Daylight Saving Time, Phil Lesh and The Terrapin Family Band took to the stage of Brooklyn Bowl to fall back into time, specifically, to recreate a June 7, 1977 at the Winterland Arena in San Fransisco, California.
Honestly, I’m not positive when it was announced that the TFB would be recreating this iconic show in its entirety, but the fact that it coincided with the aforementioned weather and skip in space-time continuum was, if nothing else, extremely amusing to a few of us in attendance. Joined by Eric Krasno of Soulive, the Terrapin Family Band sounded fresh and eager, breathing new life into a set of Winterland ’77 that is nearly 40 years old.
Without hesitation, I will attest to having heard this show many times. I own the box set and collected the bootlegs. But for a few hours last night, I hung on every note with anticipation of what was to come next. And that is the large part of the appeal, to what is, the expansive catalog of the Grateful Dead. Even after all these years and incarnations and cover bands and the like, there just might be something new around the corner when you least expect it.
Grateful Dead Live at Winterland Arena on June 7, ’77
Set 1: Bertha, Jack Straw, Tennessee Jed, Looks Like Rain, Peggy-O, Funiculi Funicula, El Paso, Friend Of The Devil, The Music Never Stopped
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias, Fire On The Mountain, Good Lovin’, Candyman, Estimated Prophet, He’s Gone, Drums, Samson And Delilah, Terrapin Station, Morning Dew, Around And Around
St. Phillip’s Escalator released the video for “Sleepy Silver Train Haze.” This rollicking tune is the opening track on their upcoming album, The Derelict Sound.
This Rochester trio is known for its profoundly dynamic sound, which is deeply influenced by the traditions of the delta blues and psychedelic rock. The video was shot live on the stage at The Little Theatre, the nation’s oldest continuously-running independent film theater. It was produced with the help of JR Kraus, Chris Hogan-Roy, and Eric Maira, and the audio was recorded by Alex Patrick and Schuyler Skuse.
St. Phillip’s Escalator is: Ryan Moore (guitar/vocals), Noel Wilfeard (bass guitar) and Zachary Koch (drums). The Derelict Sound, follows their 2006 debut LP Endless Trip and 2015 EP Elevation. It is set to be released on Record Store Day, April 22, and will be available in multiple formats, including vinyl. The song “New Age” from the upcoming LP is already available digitally for streaming and purchase. Follow St. Phillips’s Escalator for updates and news on upcoming shows.
The Clifton Park performance on Sunday, March 5 for the Rest in Space Tour may have left fans covered in pizza and Doritos, but smiles were stretched across their faces. Pierce The Veil acted as kings for a day performing at the sold out venue alongside Falling In Reverse and Crown The Empire as they all brought the Rest in Space Tour to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park.
The show opened with metal group Crown The Empire who kicked off their set with the hit “Zero” off of their most recent album, Retrograde. Crown The Empire kept the energy up from the very start of their set, encouraging fans to crowd surf to the front of the venue. Front man Andy Velasquez tried to encourage the action by discussing their tradition of having crowd surfers at the venue.
During their hit “The Fallout,” a fan crowd surfed to the front of the venue with two beers in hand for the band. “Is this what I think this is? This is the best day of my life,” said Velasquez as he took the beers from the fan. This was the first time that Crown The Empire played a sold out show the Clifton Park venue. Due to this, there seemed to be additional energy and joy given off by the band. The set contained an entertaining performance by Velasquez by using all areas of the stage to get fans’ attention, as well as from bassist Hayden Tree and guitarist Brandon Hoover.
Following Crown The Empire was the rock band Falling In Reverse who initiated a food fight during their set. Fans found themselves being victims of the “Bad Girls Club” after foods like Doritos and an entire pizza were rained upon them. Besides food being thrown around during “Bad Girls Club,” the song of the night seemed to be the way the crowd reacted to “Fashionably Late.”
When the band started “Alone,” a fight broke out in the middle of the song, and as security escorted people out of the venue, Falling In Reverse decided to start the song over again. This was Falling In Reverse’s first performance at the Clifton Park venue since their headlining show in 2012 which resulted in front man Ronnie Radke leaving mid-set due to his disapproval of actions by the audience.
After personally kicking out fans who came to the show to protest Falling In Reverse, this was the first time in four years that the band decided to play their set at the venue. Although this led to the show starting on an odd note, by the end of the set, Radke seemed grateful for the way the crowd responded to their set. The band all bowed together, as Ronnie thanked the crowd for the performance
When Pierce The Veil took the stage, the sold out venue became the loudest it was the entire evening. All four members took the stage exhibited intense energy which included guitarist Jaime Preciado jumping to all parts of the stage. “Do you guys like to make noise out there, Clifton Park?” said frontman Vic Fuentes as the crowd screamed back at him.
Their set opened with fan favorite “Dive In,” off of their new album, Misadventures. A more emotional song of the night, Fuentes spoke a little before performing their first single off of their new album, “The Divine Zero.” “I was a super timid kid and I didn’t have that voice yet, I didn’t have my confidence yet,” said Fuentes. For Fuentes, music became his, “one thing” to build up his confidence. With this, he dedicated the song to everyone in the audience.
A treat for older fans of Pierce The Veil, for their Rest in Space Tour show, the band decided to do an acoustic performance of “Stay Away From My Friends,” a song off of their second full-length album Selfish Machines, and a song not commonly done by the band live.
Besides the songs they performed, Pierce The Veil gave an incredible performance. There were minimal errors to be heard in their live performing in comparison to their studio recording. Vocals by Fuentes were crisp, and he was able to do harsh vocals that complemented that of their recordings. The guitar by Preciado was exceptional compared to that of their recorded work. During fan favorite “Bulletproof Love,” Pierce The Veil brought one lucky fan on stage with them throughout the beginning of the song for Fuentes to serenade. “Are you ready to cut f-cking loose on this last song?” said Fuentes as they led into their encore.
When it came to the end of their performance, Pierce The Veil closed their set with their intense, powerhouse song, “King For A Day.” The venue felt electric with the energy from the vocal performance by Fuentes, guitar by Preciado, the bass chords by bassist Tony Perry and drumming by drummer Mike Fuentes. The Rest in Space tour concludes on March 10 in Pheonix, A.Z.
The Syracuse Area Music Awards, affectionately known as the SAMMYS, wrapped up its 25th edition Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Palace Theater in Syracuse with a brief performance from freshly inducted Hall of Famers moe.
Ahead of Saturday night’s show at the F Shed, moe. closed out the two-night affair with a three song set of “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” and “Buster.” Friday night’s awards ceremony, hosted by veteran Syracuse DJ and staunch supporter of the local scene, Dave Frisina, featured awards in 18 categories, including three People’s Choice categories, and performances by four Syracuse area bands, reflecting the broad range of styles and talent found in and around the Salt City.
The SAMMYS is the brainchild of Frank Malfitano and now under the care of Liz Nowak. In 1993 Malfitano created the celebration of area music for an event at the Landmark Theatre. The event changed venues several times over the years before finally settling on the grand old Palace Theater on James Street in the Eastwood district.
The festivities began with the Hall of Fame dinner Thursday night, upstairs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The Dinosaur has been one of Syracuse’s premier music venues since opening on Willow Street in 1990 and was a fitting venue for the honors and stories that filled the room.
This year’s inductees were Mohawk Valley via Buffalo jamband moe., pioneering new wave singer/guitarist Meegan Voss, 70s blues rock artists Jukin’ Bone and singer-songwriter Paul Case. Also being honored were Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis for Music Educators of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Vincent Falcone. It was a night that had the feel of a class reunion. Hugs and excited shouts from people who haven’t seen each other in years mingled with stories of years’ past in venues no longer around.
The inductions and awards ceremonies were hosted by Dave Frisina, a 1994 SAMMYS Hall of Fame inductee, long-time Syracuse radio personality, champion of local music and self-professed band dad. His son, Mike is a member of Syracuse-based band Simplelife. Most, if not all, of those in the room have dealt with him in some way throughout their career. A man like Frisina is what every music town needs. He is local music’s strongest advocate and has the platform for it at his current station 105.9 The Rebel.
Induction and acceptance speeches were filled with anecdotes and inside jokes. Though, most in attendance, were on the inside of those jokes. Memories of broken down vans, vanished venues and bad decisions peppered the speeches. It was the talk of well-worn musicians who have dedicated their craft not to become famous, but simply to play. To the outsider, it was a look at a scarcely seen side of the working musician.
The first honor of the night was for Educators of the Year. Husband and wife, Anthony and Patricia DeAngelis, two area music teachers were honored for their decades of influence on local musicians at Syracuse University, Colgate University, LeMoyne College, the Lyncourt School and Onondaga Community College. They were inducted by their well-spoken and surprisingly laid-back granddaughter Olivia.
Voss was inducted by her husband and band-mate in the Verbs, drummer Steve Jordan. In her acceptance speech, she pleaded to “Save the clubs.” Case, visibly touched at the recognition for his long career avoided revealing too much of past days on the road, “My kids are in the room.” He lavished praise on fellow musicians in the room, including Jukin’ Bone member Joe Whiting as well as the master of ceremonies.
Case, sporting a black tux and pronounced the Best Dressed in the Room by Frisina, closed his acceptance speech saying, “You get up. You drive to the gig. You set up. You play your ass off. You tear down. You drive a million miles home, week after week, month after month, decade after decade. You do it for the music.” He then dedicated his award to the late Bob Fleming of the Mossback Mule Band, who passed away in September.
Accepting for Jukin’ Bone was Whiting, Mark Doyle and John DeMaso. Discussing the problems of being a young band, Whiting offered a piece of advice, “I would recommend not signing contracts under the influence of anything distilled or brewed, made in a laboratory or passed around and smoked,” eliciting loud laughter from the audience.
The final inductee of the night was moe. Al Schnier spoke first in accepting the honor, speaking of all the Syracuse area venues spent taking in shows as a fledgling musician. Schnier lauded promoters such as Chuck Chao of Creative Concerts, who inducted the band, thanking them for shaping who they became as musicians:
We came here as kids to see concerts Chuck (Chao) was promoting. They made us fans. Whether it was Driving Sideways or the Todd Hobin Band or the New York Flyers or 805; these were the bands we looked up to as kids. They could have been the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead; they were the same to us. You guys were rock stars.
Drummer Vinnie Amico attributed the band’s style to its Upstate New York roots, “We all wear our hearts on our sleeves. We all kind of have this style, this thing we do, because of where we’re from. We’re blue collar, baby. We work hard, we play our music that way. There’s an edge to our music and that’s a testament to Upstate New York.”
“The Oddities of the World” – the SAMMYS Hall of Fame Class of 2017
On Friday, 54 artists were nominated among 13 Syracuse Area Music Awards categories. Sprinkled in among the awards were performances by several of the Syracuse area’s finest musicians, representing genres ranging from blues rock to country, rap, alt-rock and jam. There is definitely a varied and vibrant scene in Central New York.
Emcee Dave Frisina kept the event lively and loose, often interacting with presenters and winners as they approached the microphone. Best Jam Band winner, Joe Driscoll, affectionately referred to the host as a jedi to laughter from the crowd.
The performances throughout the night revealed the depth of talent in the area. The Ripcords opened the night accompanied by the Boneyard Horns. They ripped through three bluesy/tex-mex style songs, kicking off the night in a celebratory fashion. Unfortunately, just as they seemed to be letting loose, their set was over. You can get a taste of what the Ripcords have to offer at their ReverbNation page here.
Best R&B recipient Alani Skye had several family members in attendance and received perhaps the most vocal and joyous reception to a win. Her win for Don’t Forget About Mewas never in question for the vocalist as she accepted the award.
A performance by rap artist Curtis “Tall Bucks” McDowell and the Brownskin Band followed. The rhythm section of the Brownskin band mixed equal parts jazz and funk behind McDowell’s rhymes. A guest appearance by Syracuse rapper Real Tall for the song “Solar Radiation” had elements of early ’90s era Leaders of the New School collective.
The reality of life as a working musician came to light when Lauren Mettler was awarded the SAMMY for Best Folk. After an awkward pause waiting for the recipient to make her way to the stage, her brother made his way up to accept. In his speech, he stated how he had just texted her and she was still on her way to the theater. So, as any good brother would do, he stalled for time as she made her way down the aisle, peeling her coat off as she ran towards the stage.
Mettler mentioned how she had just gotten out of work and was trying to get to the theater as quickly as possible, even though she never thought she’d win. Such is life for those looking to make a go of it in the music industry. Everyday jobs sometimes throw hurdles at you along the way. Mettler was genuinely surprised and pleased with her award.
One of the night’s cutest moments came when the award for Best Hip Hop/Rap was awarded to World Be Free for the album Nigg@$ to Gods. He was on the West Coast touring and couldn’t attend the ceremony. As his family accepted the award on his behalf, his young son took a turn on the microphone as his dad’s public relations manager, exclaiming, “My dad has CDs for ten dollars!”
Country artists Chris Taylor of the Custom Taylor Band plead with the audience to get up and dance along to their performance. A funky “Keep Me in Mind” slowly drew the audience to its feet and a rousing rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” easily won over the crowd.
The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist was awarded to Funk ‘n Waffles regulars, reggae-soul band Root Shock. This presentation seemed to be the biggest crowd pleaser of the night as fellow musicians and fans alike rose to cheer their win.
Previous Bourke Award winner, the Spring Street Family Band took over the Palace with their high energy alt-rock performance that even had a band member’s dad jumping up on stage to take video with his phone. Their performance brought the audience to the stage, turning what was a somber awards ceremony into a full-fledged rawk show with a funk-metal-alt sound reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine or Faith No More.
The ceremonies concluded with the awarding of the People’s Choice SAMMYS. Over 110,000 online votes were tallied in categories of Best Band, Best Live Venue and Best Festival or Music Series. The New York State Fair wrapped up the venue and festival categories with their representative thanking all of the venues in the area for supporting the live music that becomes a part of the fair each year.
The award for Best Band went to Cortland-area country band, Small Town Shade, who also won the SAMMY for Best Country Performance for the EP Ring it Up.
moe. wrapped the SAMMYS with a lively three-song set that included “Tailspin,” “Spine of a Dog” > “Buster.” Schnier commented about the lack of curfew at the venue and suggested they keep playing until they are thrown off the stage. To the disappointment of many, Schnier apparently as well, the lights came on at the end of “Buster,” bringing a close to the two-day celebration of Syracuse area music for another year.
Best Jazz: Second Line Syracuse, Second Line Syracuse Best Other Category: Syracuse Society for New Music, Music Here & Now Best Folk: Lauren Mettler, Patchwork Best Jam Band: Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, Monistic Theory Best R & B: Alani Skye, Don’t Forget About Me Best Pop: The Jess Novak Band, Inches From The Sun Best Americana: Driftwood, City Lights Best Blues: Tas Cru, Simmered and Stewed Best Hard Rock: Breaking Solace – Shatter the Silence Best Alternative: Bell & Sgroi, Bell & Sgroi Best Rock: King Chro and the Talismen, King Chro and the Talismen Best Hip-Hop/Rap: World Be Free, Nigg@$ To Gods Best Singer/Songwriter: Alanna Boudreau, Champion Best Country: Small Town Shade, Ring It Up EP
Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist: Root Shock
People’s Choice Awards were conducted in an online poll for three categories. Over 110,000 votes were tallied. The winners were:
Favorite Band: Small Town Shade Favorite venue to see live music: Chevy Court at the New York State Fair Favorite festival or music series: The Great New York State Fair
The Radio Dept. kicked things off in Boston on Tuesday, March 7, playing to a packed crowd at Brighton Music Hall. The indie dream-pop group from Sweden consists of Johan Duncanson who started making music with Martin Larsson in the late 90s and scored some impressive reviews from NME upon their first album release, Lesser Matters in 2003. For this tour they were backing their newest 2016 album, Running Out of Love, which is their fourth studio album and is a great representation of how The Radio Dept. is able to consistently bust out music within the realms of their niche style they began to perfect back in the early 2000s.
“Swedish Guns” is a clear favorite off their newest record and in the live format the group was able to put on a show with the song in a manner complete with necessary energy yet with the laid back, shoe-gaze nature of The Radio Dept. Actually what makes The Radio Dept. so enticing as a live band and a band on record is their ability to incorporate from so many genres. This is where the keyboards shine as an entirely vital aspect of their somewhat playful sound. Another favorite off their new album has to be “Committed To The Cause,” which has a groove similar to something Thievery Corporation might come out with, matched with a 90s style bass line along the likes of “Cannonball,” by The Breeders. What really makes the song come together is the synth line halfway through – a definite crowd favorite of the night. The chemistry between Duncanson and Larsson is clear on stage as two friends who have been playing together for quite some time are consistently feeding off each other to push and maintain their musical bounds. Sometimes reeling in comparisons to the likes of Pet Shop Boys, The Radio Dept. is a perfect modern, indie, more down tempo version of the 80s legends.
With a duo opener straight from Brooklyn, GERMANS eased the early birds into the night with vocals and bass performing on top of song samples. Their hit song “Cruel” has everything a modern Brooklyn indie band reminiscent of the 80s could ask for.
American singer, songwriter and musician, Lou Reed, will soon have his archive of various unreleased material available at the New York Public Library. Reed’s wife Laurie Anderson told the New York Times that she didn’t want Reed’s work to get lost in an archive that only people with white gloves could see. Reed, a Brooklyn native and Syracuse University alumnus, died at the age of 71, on October 27, 2013 from liver disease.
Included in the archives, is an estimated 600 hours of demos, concerts, and poetry readings, from throughout Reed’s career. The archives also consist of more than just recordings, as there are several various types of paperwork and photographs in the collection.
Wanting for everyone to see the big picture, Reed’s wife Laurie Anderson first contemplated putting the works online before finally deciding to hand the collection over to the library for public viewing. The archive will take at least a year for the library to catalog, and make available to the public. The works can be found in the New York Public Library’s performing arts branch, the Library for the Performing Arts, at Lincoln Center.
Reed’s recordings date back to near the beginning of his career in the mid ’60s, when he was on the verge of his Velvet Underground Days. There are around 3,600 audio recordings to go along with 1,300 video recordings. Another cool thing about the collection that music historians love, is that the collection of recordings, shows the evolution of the recording industry for over a half of century, from reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, digital audiotapes and finally, computer hard drives.
When Anderson was going through the tapes with hired archivist Don Fleming, some mysteries were brought to light. There is a reel of Velvet Underground, with handwritten notes “Delightful,” and “Gas,” that Fleming believes may be from Warhol. In May of 1965, In an even bigger mystery, Reed mailed himself a five inch reel-to-reel tape. The box remains unopened to this day, and it’s contents on the reel unknown. Fleming thinks this may have been an attempt for Reed to establish a copyright for the material.
Anderson and Fleming went through the archives for almost three years. Anderson noticed a New York Times article about the library having a program that is able to digitize archival material, giving her another reason to reach her decision on what to do with the collection.
Anderson stated about her late husband’s work to soon be viewed at the NYPL:
Lou is kind of Mr. New York. This is the city he loved the most. It doesn’t make any sense for him to be anywhere else. Then what’s the best place in New York? This is the best place in New York. I just love that somebody who is so loud is in the New York Public Library.
Friday, March 3: the first Sunday of Lent. In Buffalo, that normally means every restaurant has their take on fish fries out and people are trying to better themselves through personal sacrifice. However, those attending The Waiting Room that evening found themselves in a very party-friendly environment. One that resulted in a lot of spilled beer on the floor. But given that the band was from Australia, a country known for their heavy drinking, it seemed only fitting. And it also seemed fitting that the band, The Griswolds, named for the Vacation film series family often driven to their limits, was the main event.
The Griswolds hail from Sydney, Australia and were on tour behind their new album, High Times for Low Lives. The lineup, made of Christopher Whitehall on lead vocals and guitar, Daniel Duque-Perez on keyboards and guitar, Tim John on bass and Lachlan West on drums, claim to be inspired by the likes of 2000’s indie bands Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and Of Montreal along with Kanye West and the Beach Boys.
Whitehall definitely gives off the impression of an Australian man, with a scruffy head of long hair along with a somewhat trimmed beard. His thick accent when he spoke to the crowd was the common kind of slurred speech people often expect to hear from Australians. That sort of made his open attempts of getting the audience to party all the more amusing. His guitar sported the phrase “Love Trumps Hate” in a slightly more pleasant looking matter than if Tom Morello would’ve done it.
The music itself does bear the influences of the band on its sleeves. The walk-on music for the band was the same “In High Places” sample by Mike Oldfield, used in Kanye West’s “Dark Fantasy” before going into “Role Models.” The various tricks performed were often found in prominent 2000’s acts, like the weird synth vocals in “16 Years,” the psychedelic sounding keyboards of “Right on Track” and high-pitched chorus line of “Be Impressive.”
At one point, Whitehall asked if anyone in the audience had a birthday, and a few did raise their hands. He then told the crowd it was the drummer’s birthday and replied, “This is the best birthday ever” in a similarly thick accent. After a round of “Happy Birthday,” the band delved into their own song titled “Birthday,” one that played much slower and less joyous, but went in deeper. Compared to the much more upbeat, “If You Wanna Stay,” which probably got the most party-like reception the band wanted, The Griswolds really run a gauntlet of various tastes.
After ending with “Down and Out,” complete with Whitehall doing a guitar solo with the guitar strapped to his back, and a plainly obvious attempt at an encore, they played the very Vampire Weekend-esque “Beware the Dog,” another song where the drummer got into the hard rhythms. In a rather surprising move, Whitehall, after asking the audience if they wanted one more, invited one of the opening acts, Dreamers, onto the stage. The now 8-person band on stage, in one last bit of fun-giving, played the ever-classic “Hey Ya!” Whitehall and Dreamers singer Nick Wold traded verses and lines in the chorus, trying to channel whatever parts of Andre 3000 they could muster.
The Griswold’s music was plenty entertaining enough, with their odd mix of new wave, electronics, and funk rhythms. But at the same time, they didn’t make too much of an impression of me beyond that. I was interested in seeing this band because of the question, what would a band named The Griswolds sound like? And now that I have, I can say I’ve heard plenty of other bands trying the same thing. It’s not anything original, but it’s not anything to completely discount either.
Philadelphia rockers Foxtrot & The Get Down have had their share of success between touring and playing hometown shows in the city. The February 24 release of their full length album Roots Too Deep finds the band creating a more focused sound with nostalgic lyrics and high energy blues/rock songs. Lead singer and songwriter Colin Budny has a voice that was clearly meant to be paired with pristine rock guitar tones. Erica Ruiz provides the background vocals, fitting perfectly between Budny’s voice and the band’s driving rock melodies.
After what felt like an eternity, Austin-based indie rock band Spoon returns on St. Patrick’s Day with their ninth full-length album, entitled Hot Thoughts. They haven’t released a full album since their 2014 masterpiece They Want My Soul, which contains some of the best silver in Spoon’s musical vault. The gold goes to their 2007 record Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which not only has some noteworthy songs, but truly put them on the map towards success and credibility as songwriters.
Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry in St. Louis Missouri in 1926, Berry was the fourth of six children in a middle class family. He was interested in music and entertaining at a young age, and began performing as a teenager. It was about this time he also started his lifetime conflicts with authority, landing in a reformatory until his 21st birthday. In 1948 he married Themetta “Toddy” Suggs, and they had a daughter together in 1950. Berry began performing with local bands on the side of his day job to supplement his wages.
Berry’s break came when he met Muddy Waters in Chicago in 1955. Waters connected Berry with Leonard Chess of 
Without hesitation, I will attest to having heard this show many times. I own the box set and collected the bootlegs. But for a few hours last night, I hung on every note with anticipation of what was to come next. And that is the large part of the appeal, to what is, the expansive catalog of the Grateful Dead. Even after all these years and incarnations and cover bands and the like, there just might be something new around the corner when you least expect it.
Included in the archives, is an estimated 600 hours of demos, concerts, and poetry readings, from throughout Reed’s career. The archives also consist of more than just recordings, as there are several various types of paperwork and photographs in the collection.
When Anderson was going through the tapes with hired archivist Don Fleming, some mysteries were brought to light. There is a reel of Velvet Underground, with handwritten notes “Delightful,” and “Gas,” that Fleming believes may be from Warhol. In May of 1965, In an even bigger mystery, Reed mailed himself a five inch reel-to-reel tape. The box remains unopened to this day, and it’s contents on the reel unknown. Fleming thinks this may have been an attempt for Reed to establish a copyright for the material.