NYS Music 20​17

Category: Festival News

  • One Final Trip To The Pines: A Sterling Stage Last Daze Festival Preview

    Three festival weekends each summer, Sterling Stage Kampitheater (‘The Pines’) returns to Sterling, NY for four days and nights of music, dancing and art. This year’s Sterling Stage Folkfest and Sterling Stage Ameribeat have passed us by, however, Sterling Stage Last Daze of Summer 2017 is just around the corner.

    This summer’s annual Sterling Stage Last Daze 2017 will take place Thursday August 31 through Sunday September 3.

    Take a glance below and click the play button. You’ll find a Rochester Groovecast podcast episode. This episode is a preview of the upcoming Sterling Stage Last Daze of Summer Festival.  During the episode, you’ll listen to The Werks, The Blind Owl Band, Root Shock, The Honey Smugglers, Creamery Station, Los Blancos, Electric Mud, Personal Blend, Boogie Low, Subsoil, and Chris James & Mama G. All of these bands will be at this year’s Sterling Stage Last Daze of Summer. If you scroll even farther down, you’ll find a detailed episode timestamp. Get your tickets here!

    Episode Timestamp:
    00:00: The Werks- Into The Moss
    03:41: Episode Introduction
    07:21: The Werks– Magic
    13:24: The Blind Owl Band- Map With Roads
    18:03: The Blind Owl Band- Sailor Song
    23:44: Root Shock- Freedom
    27:55: Root Shock- Sage
    33:55: The Honey Smugglers- Nasty Old Man
    37:49: The Honey Smugglers- Should Have Been A Farmer
    45:49: Creamery Station- Back To You
    49:03: Creamery Station- Wash Away
    53:56: Los Blancos- Backbeat Rhythm
    59:26: Los Blancos-Get Along
    1:04:45: Electric Mud- Cover of Eddies Gospel Groove By Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
    1:10:55: Electric Mud- Cover of T-Bone Boogie By T-Bone Walker
    1:14:31: Personal Blend- Judgement
    1:18:10: Personal Blend- Wiseman
    1:23:15: Boogie Low- Mckenna
    1:28:38: Boogie Low- Miss Bliss
    1:34:00: Subsoil- Joe Rogan
    1:37:39: Subsoil- On The Bus
    1:41:49: Closing Comments
    1:43:48: Chris James & Mama G- Thank You For The Diamonds
    1:48:22: Chris James & Mama G- Further

  • Chenango Blues Fest to Celebrate Twenty-fifth Anniversary

    The Chenango Blues Fest will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary on Aug. 18 and 19 at the Chenango County Fairgrounds in Norwich, New York headlined by the North Mississippi Allstars with John Medeski. The event kicks off with a free show on Friday night beginning at 6:00 p.m., with stylish showman Reverend Shawn Amos.

    Following Amos will be 2017 International Blues Competition Best Band Winners, Dawn Tyler Watson & the Ben Racine Band. Headlining the opening night will be twenty-time Blues Music Award nominee Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials. Lil’ Ed Williams continues the lineage of such Chicago slide guitar masters as Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, and Williams’ uncle, J.B. Hutto. The fan favorite, fez-wearing, toe-walking showman is not to be missed.

    Chenango Blues Fest anniversarySaturday’s ticketed event ($25 advance, $35 day of show) has a jaw-dropping amount of talented musicians. Acts will alternate between the main infield stage and the tent stage.

    Main Stage:

    11:30 – Gracie Curran & the High Falutin’ Band
    1:45 – Muddy Magnolias
    4:00 – Mannish Boys Allstars
    6:30 .- Tommy Castro & the Painkillers w/s/g Magic Dick
    9:00 – North Mississippi Allstars w/s/g John Medeski

    Tent Stage:

    12:45 – Alvin Youngblood Hart
    3:00 – Jason Ricci and JJ Appleton
    5:15 – Ghost Town Blues Band
    7:45 – Victor Wainwright and the Wild Roots

    Gracie Curran, Muddy Magnolias, and the Ghost Town Blues Band all continue to confirm the Chenango Blues Festival’s ability to identify and feature emerging artists that captivate audiences and quickly become fan favorites, as the GTBB demonstrates with their third Norwich appearance since 2015. Alvin Youngblood Hart’s powerful vocals will kick things off on the tent stage, where he will be followed by Jason Ricci and JJ Appleton. Ricci is one of the most talented and creative harmonica players playing anywhere. Blues harp fans will come from far and wide to hear him. He teamed with Appleton on the 2015 acoustic blues release, Dirty Memory.

    The Mannish Boys Allstars is a dream team of veteran award-winning bluesmen including lead vocalist and front man extraordinaire Sugaray Rayford, guitar wizard Kid Ramos, Anthony Geraci on keyboards, and the rhythm section of Willie J. Campbell and Jimi Bott.

    Tommy Castro & the Painkillers will add harmonica ace Magic Dick Salwitz, known best for his work with J. Geils Band, to their lineup.

    Closing out the tent stage will be 2017 BMA Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year winner Victor Wainwright, appearing with his eight-piece project, Victor Wainright and the Wildroots. This band won the 2016 BMA Band of the Year Award. This group is a full-blown aural onslaught replete with piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums, horns, harmonica, and backup vocals.

    Headlining the main stage for the second time are the North Mississippi Allstars. The duo of brothers Luther (guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, piano, synth bass, vocals) are steeped in the traditions of Mississippi hill country blues music and will be complemented by in-demand keyboard virtuoso John Medeski. Expect the unexpected with this collaboration.

    More details on the 25th Chenango Blues Fest can be found here.

  • Huichica East Festival Features Real Estate, Charles Bradley, Cass McCombs

    The 2017 Huichica East Festival brings headliners Real Estate and Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires to the Hudson Valley next month for a two-day music, food and wine festival.

    Huichica East takes place Aug. 25 and 26 at Chaseholm Farms in Pine Plains. The small “boutique” festival brings Sonoma County wine from Gundlach Bundschu Winery and farm-to-table food, much of it sourced directly from Chaseholm Farms, together with a strong music program. With attendance capped at 700 tickets, the festival will be an intimate experience for all attendees.

    Headlining the music on Friday, Aug. 25 is Real Estate, performing along with Doug Tuttle, Marissa Nadler, Surf Curse, Currituck Co., John Andrews and the Yawns and Ruth Garbus. Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires headline Saturday, Aug. 26. Also performing are the Cass McCombs Band, the Mattson 2, Mail the Horse, Meg Baird, Driftwood Soldier, ARD, MV & EE and the Cut Worms.

    Huichica East tickets are $90 for the two days. Camping passes are available for $30 for up to eight people. The family-friendly event encourages attendees to bring their children with free admission for those under 16.

  • Levitate Festival Brings The Rythym To South Shore

    Levitate Music Festival said this year there would be two days and it was groovy. July 8 and 9 in Marshfield, MA, this little grassroots festival brought thousands of fans to the fairgrounds for some of the best and brightest names touring today.

    Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad had people going ape in the pits to start off on Saturday. The good tunes kept rolling as New Orleans’ own Rebirth Brass Band brought that southern jazz you never knew you needed. These Grammy winners didn’t become a NOLA institution by accident. You can’t help but get down to this kind of funk. I was a little disappointed to find that Mihali & Friends was dueling with Rubblebucket, but the festival was so well organized that I was able to move between stages with ease to make sure I captured as much of the magic as possible. Deer Tick and The Revivalists were followed by the first set of Umphrey’s McGee. A heavy dose of Umph goodness echoed over a packed crowd. The guys took a quick break to let local-legends Stick Figure tear up the main stage, and then returned with a jam-heavy second set that took over that little fairground. The headliner for the night was the legendary Dispatch, and the rails were surging as they rocked the crowd til the sun had finally set on a magnificent first day.

    Guitar prodigy and singer/songwriter Quinn Sullivan really impressed to start off Sunday. The teenage phenomenon has made a true name for himself in his short career. It was a treat to see him and his star-packed band play a hometown show. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong opened the main stage with their insanely contagious energy and funky jams that cannot be matched. Once “Melting Lights” was done melting everyone’s brain, Ripe followed on the Style Stage. This funk/pop group has completely taken this scene by storm with Robbie Wulfsohn’s sassy and soulful presence. Their cover of Ellie Goulding’s “On My Mind” is one of those songs that you can play on repeat for an hour… at least. Trevor Hall and JJ Grey & Mofro had the pits screaming so loud I thought my ears were gonna burst. Vermont favorites, (and yours), Twiddle blew the fans away and blanketed them with dreams and relaxation. You couldn’t help but sing along when they played their new song “Orlando’s.” The Style Stage was closed out with the hottest folk-rock band out there right now, in Lake Street Dive. The reggae legend, Ziggy Marley closed out the festival in pure style. The festival could not have ended on a higher note. Check out the pics from Zatchmo Lives Media and remember to Dream Big, Live Bigger.

  • Wild Adriatic to Host ‘The Summit’ Hometown Music Festival

    After years of planning, Wild Adriatic unveiled details of their very own music festival. The Summit will be an annual hometown event featuring up-and-coming live bands. Wild Adriatic aims to use the event to bring music lovers together to foster community and collaboration. The premier on September 29 and 30 at the Queensbury Hotel will include performances by Aqueous, Madaila, Girl Blue, NYS Music 87/90 artist Let’s Be Leonard, Angels on the Fourth, the LateShift, Ramblers Home, Last Daze, Paradox Saints and Chestnut Grove.

    Wild Adriatic spends much of the year on the road. Fresh on the heels of their new album, Feel, the power trio is currently on tour. They dish out high-energy rock and roll, creatively incorporating elements from influences including Motown and classic rock.

    Wild Adriatic member and festival producer Mateo Vosganian issued the following statement regarding the new festival:

    We’re three guys who were raised within two miles of each other in Queensbury and we’ve been fortunate enough to build a career of touring the world playing our music. Our hometown played huge roles in that in so many ways and we’ve been looking for ways to do something fun, memorable, and community oriented.

    The Summit is an opportunity for us to gather friends from all over the northeast under one roof with the intention of collaborating and creating a special, memorable weekend that we can build on as a yearly function. We’ve already been poking around about next year and adding an outdoor mainstage, so this is something we’re looking to keep cheap, fun, and accessible for our local community for ideally a long time to come.

    Featured artists for the festival include bands that they’ve played with over the years. This sense of camaraderie is sure to add fun to the festivities. Live performances will run from 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. both nights, running on two stages within the Queensbury Hotel. The festival is a bargain at $15 for one day or $25 for both, thanks to partnerships with Mean Max Brew Works, Empire Audio Recording + Sound, and the Queensbury Hotel. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, July 20.

  • Lineup Announced for Cortland’s Seedstock Festival 2017

    This year’s Seedstock Fest lineup is stacked with some of Central Region’s best musical talent over the span of three days from August 4-6, 2017, the festival will feature performances by 27 acts, including Sophistafunk, Digger Jones, Floodwood, and Root Shock.

    Now in it’s 9th year, Seedstock Festival brings together a crowd of 1000 music enthusiasts to Reed’s Farm in Cortland. While day passes are available, many attendees take advantage of the camping on the picturesque site. This family-friendly festival also includes activities for kids.

    Friday, August 4: Sophistafunk, Root Shock, Mosaic Foundation, Quona Hudson, Next to Kin, Horizon Wireless and Red Brunette.

    Saturday, August 5: Digger Jones, The Unknown Woodsmen, and Molly and the Badly Bent Bluegrass Boys, The Blind Spots, Chris Eves and the New Normal, The New Daze, Dapper Dan, Tanksley, and Adam Ate the Apple.  The late-night silent disco will feature sets by DJ Tech and Weasel Dust.

    Sunday, August 6: Floodwood, Analogue Sons, Milkweed, The Local Farmer’s Union, Bea, Austin MacRae and Rachel Beverly.

    Tickets are available at the Seedstock website.Follow Seedstock Festival on Facebook for updates.

  • Jeezum Crow Festival Returns to Jay Peak for its Fourth Year

    Jay Peak Ski Resort welcomes locals and travelers alike to the fourth annual Jeezum Crow festival.

    Nestled in the mountains of the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont, Jeezum Crow has been a staple of the summer music scene in the NEK. Jeezum is a family-friendly event that not only allows concert-goers to enjoy a varied slew of live music, but also allows them to sample many of the area’s great eateries and experience the rich culture of northeast Vermont. A variety of vendors arrive each year to showcase and sell a myriad of products, creating a veritable shakedown street right next to the beautiful slopes of Jay Peak.

    In previous years, Dark Star Orchestra has headlined the 3000-person festival, and bands such as The Werks, Aqueous, Percy Hill, Blind Owl Band, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, and Lucid have graced the two stages in the past, with some acts performing in a large amphitheater facing the slopes, and smaller acts performing at the Bullwheel Bar, for many a rowdy, late-night dance party.

    This year welcomes for the first time, 90’s rockers Big Head Todd and the Monsters, as headliners. Also for the first time, premier bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters will be taking the main stage at the Stateside Amphitheater. Crowd favorites, Rick Redington and the Luv return to Jeezum. This year welcomes eclectic cover-band, Pink Talking Fish, who will no doubt deliver their high-energy take on the music of Pink Floyd, the Talking Heads, and of course, the Phish from Vermont. The Mallett Brothers will also be returning to Jay Peak, however this marks their first time on the roster of the Jeezum Crow festival. Also featured on the lineup for the fourth annual Jeezum Crow festival are: local rocker Seth Yacavone, The Balkun Brothers, Barika, Eric Gales, and Soule Monde. This will be the first year that late-night performances will be held on both nights, rather than only on Saturday.

    With the addition of Big Head Todd, the Stringdusters, and Pink Talking Fish, Jay Peak is expecting quite the turnout, as Northeast Kingdom locals and music fanatics far and wide conjoin for two nights of great music and fun on the breathtaking slopes of historic Jay Peak. Come for the music, the food, and the party; stay for the otherworldly, gorgeous scenery. Get tickets here.

  • Camp Bisco XV Returns to Montage Mountain

    Welcome back campers! The Disco Biscuits are bringing Camp Bisco XV back to Montage Mountain again this year for the third time on July 13, 14 and 15. The line-up is shared by both jambands and EDM acts along with a few other genres thrown in.

    The headliners feature some usual suspects and past Camp Bisco alumni. The beats will be thumping to start things up on Thursday with Griz and Gramatik along with the Disco Biscuits playing a set to give everyone a taste of that thing they call Bisco.  On the more ethereal side, Emancipator and Nightmares on Wax are not to be missed.

    Things get a little more jammy on Saturday with two more sets of Biscuits, Lotus, Twiddle and Sphongle live. If you are at Camp to wait for the next drop, you can get your fill at Bassnectar. For more sexy beats, make sure to check out Classixx. The Disco Biscuits end things off on Saturday with 3 sets, the last of which will almost certainly feature a Basis. Pretty Lights live band and Action Bronson round out the headliners for the final night. Want to party like you’re at Studio 54? Check out Escort! For that Union Station feel, check out Too Many Zoos.

    If you want to keep the party going into the night than the Renegade stage is for you. Located in the RV lot, this stage will start up after midnight, featuring a takeover by a different label each night. On Thursday will be Sermon, Friday Mr. Bugsly, and Saturday Good Looks.

    Then of course, there is the ultimate Camp event, Color War! Returning for year 12, Color War features friendly yet competitive team events (this year it’s Biscuits fans vs Bassnectar fans for the ultimate bragging rights) including Capture the Rage Stick, SpacebirdVolleyball, Disco Biscuits Trivia and so much more! Read our profile on Color War from last year’s Camp and sign up on Friday to join the teams for one of the best Camp traditions going 12 years strong!

    Tickets for Camp Bisco are on sale on here. There you can find 3 Day, Camping, Saturday, Box Seat and VIP passes. See you on the mountain!

  • Photo Recap: Summer Camp Music Festival 2017

    Summer Camp 2017 was another fantastic year in the Midwest festival’s history. Amid powerhouse sets from hosts Umphrey’s McGee and moe., and alongside memorable performances from Trey Anastasio Band, Pretty Lights Live, Gov’t Mule, Turkuaz, TAUK, The Disco Biscuits and dozens more artists from across the country.

    Tributes to Gregg Allman, who passed away on the third day of the festival, poured out almost immediately, with Eric Krasno Band, Flaccid and Gov’t Mule all covering “Whipping Post” within hours of his death. Trey Anastasio Band followed suit the next day by covering “Midnight Rider,” just a small sampling of the immense influence and praise Greg Allman earned from nearly 50 years of performing. Watch Gov’t Mule’s star-studded tribute:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVt8ni18N50

    Buffalo’s Aqueous played three sets over the weekend, each one drawing a larger crowd than the last as they finally moved from the Camping Stage to the Starshine Stage. The following Aqueous has developed over the past decade is a testament to the band’s work ethic and connection with fans as far back as performances at Nietzsche’s. They welcomed moe.’s Vinnie Amico and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee to the stage for a cover of Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne,” putting an exclamation point on their breakout weekend.

    Lettuce alums Break Science and Eric Krasno Band stepped out on their own for well received performances, as did Brooklyn’s Turkuaz, who blew the crowd away at the Campfire Stage late Saturday night with a powerhouse set, putting them head and shoulders above others in the funk world. Wild Adriatic and Intrepid Travelers performed at the Camping Stage, a stepping stone for the many rising bands that Upstate New York produces. Both bands dropped spirited covers to the Camping audience, with Wild Adriatic covering Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Intrepid Travelers paying homage to Prince with “Electric Avenue.”

    Of course moe. performed five sets throughout the weekend, with one set being rained out on Friday afternoon. Their late night performance in the Red Barn with Everyone Orchestra was full improv, and a treat for all ticket holders. moe. later brought up Turkuaz horns for “Ophelia” and “Happy Hour Hero” and bringing a jaw-dropping opener “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity” from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and was part of moe.’s Halloween performance last year. Turkuaz later came out in full for “Life During Wartime” in a show that featured a giant “Meat” sandwich of the entire second set on Saturday. Sunday’s performance closed out with pure moe. start to finish, including a “Chromatic Nightmare” sandwich of the second set and “Opium” featuring Allie Kral of Yonder Mountain String Band on fiddle.

  • Clearwater Festival Returns After a One-Year Hiatus

    Returning to Croton Point Park after taking last year off, the Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival (Clearwater Festival), the country’s oldest music and environmental festival started by none other than folk legend Pete Seeger, came back full force in 2017. Taking place during its usual Father’s Day Weekend, Clearwater continued its tradition of being one of the most family-friendly festivals out there, making it the ideal location to take dad on his special day.

    From the kid-oriented Story Grove and Family Stage, providing entertainment and education to people of all ages, to the Dance Stage and Circle of Song, giving folks the opportunity to actively participate in the music, to the “new this year” Workshop Stage, giving audience members the chance to see artists in a more intimate setting and learn more about their backgrounds and how they got into music, not to mention the main Rainbow and Hudson Stages, featuring some of this event’s biggest named artists to date, Clearwater has something for everyone.

    Saturday’s line-up featured Clearwater favorites Toshi Reagon, Holly Near and The Kennedys to ring in this year’s festival, helping to bring everyone back into the spirit of this folk­ gathering. Day One also included Woodstock locals Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, a Hudson Valley Song Swap, indie/folk singer Josh Ritter, NYC’s dance brass band Lucky Chops, the soulful and sultry Joan Osborne and bluegrass-influenced Lake Street Dive. And this is all on top of the lovely and varied crafts, jewelry, and clothing to be found in Handcrafters’ Village, the Artisanal Food & Farm Market, where everything from tempeh reubens and kombucha to shiitake mushroom starter kits could be purchased and, perhaps most excitingly, the sending off of the Sloop Clearwater on a historic sail to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate to our country’s officials that clean water is a right for all.

    Sunday, the hotter but drier day of the two, saw its own share of big names mixed with festival faves like David Amram and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason (based out of Ashokan, from right here in our backyard). A day of commemorations unfolded, including Story Songs of Harry Chapin, featuring Harry’s equally talented brother Tom Chapin, Songs of Leonard Cohen, which climaxed with an emotional sing-along of “Hallelujah” and a 50th anniversary celebration of the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  given a New Orleans twist by Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution.  Acts on the main Rainbow Stage included the Dolly Parton-meets-Beyonce, Valerie June, ‘60s British folk rocker Richard Thompson and folk trio Cry Cry Cry, consisting of folk legends Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell, performing together for the first time in 18 years. To top it all off, with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop on the Hudson River Stage, jamband The Barr Brothers flawlessly meshed guitar, bass, percussion and harp in a bluesy-folky blend. And perhaps the most fitting way to end the festival on the Rainbow Stage was Arlo Guthrie with his signature political folk stylings.

    Clearwater provides a plethora of musical entertainment, tasty food choices and unique shopping options, and plenty of opportunities to learn more about environmental issues and ways to help make this world a better place. You can feel good about buying your ticket to this festival as all proceeds go directly to support Clearwater’s environmental research, education and advocacy efforts to help protect the Hudson River. For those who haven’t been able to make it to a Clearwater Festival yet, this is definitely one you’ll want to be sure to add to your calendars for next year’s Father’s Day Weekend.