NYS Music 20​17

Category: Festival News

  • Packed Lineup Highlights Strangecreek’s 15th Year

    There are few things in life that are certain, and the Strangecreek Campout festival has become one of those things.

    This weekend at Camp Kee-Wa-Nee in Greenfield, Mass., the Wormtown Trading Company will celebrate the 15th iteration of the beloved Western Massachusetts festival, headlined every year by Connecticut mainstay Max Creek.

    Festival founder Mark Blanchette sees this year as being one of the stronger lineups he’s put together.

    “We’re getting a lot of great feedback on this year’s lineup and it looks like it will be a very festive gathering indeed,” says Blanchette. “It looks like we’re going to celebrate 15 years of StrangeCreek with a whole lot of friends this year.”

    Other headliners include Badfish: A Tribute To Sublime and The Eric Krasno Band, who will join returning mainstays Max Creek, Ryan Montbleau and Zach Deputy, as well as The Machine, Pink Talking Fish and more than 70 other bands on multiple stages over three days and three nights, along with food and craft vendors, family activities, a community bonfire, and roaming musicians.

    If you have a weekend pass in hand, you can arrive on Thursday and pay only $30 for early entry. If you purchase tickets before Friday, it will cost you $145, but be prepared to spend $160 if you buy at the gate. And honestly, there isn’t a better deal in the Northeast festival circuit than Strangecreek.

    Gates formally open Friday at 9 a.m., and guests need to be packed and on their way home by noon on Monday. In between, it’s fun, sun, jams and, literally, magic. New to family camping this year is the addition of a magician, who will add to the wonder of a highly celebrated weekend. There will also be guided stargazing.

    Another new and anticipated feature is the Holistic Village, a place where revelers can go “nurture body, mind and soul in natural, healthful ways.” Jeff Bujak will be hosting a silent show, where fans will listen to him perform through headphones. Think Silent Disco style.

    Camp Kee-Wanee is an inclusive summer day camp with an emphasis on the arts. Wormtown’s music festivals provide a key source of funding for the camp’s summer programming; the camp has been home to Wormtown’s StrangeCreek Campout and their fall show, Wormtown Music Festival, since 2003

    In addition to Max Creek, Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime and The Eric Krasno Band will be making their debut appearances. Ryan Montbleau and Zach Deputy are back on the bill along with hybrid cover band Pink Talking Fish and The Machine.

    New York progressive wizards Consider the Source will be thumping the main stage, along with the Werks, David Gans, who is celebrating the life of Grateful Dead keyboardist and crooner Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and area favorites Hayley Jane and the Primates.

    Western Massachusetts grown The Alchemystics, Dead cover band ShakeDown, Albany area favorites Gang of Thieves, The Z3, Beau Sasser Trio and Skeleton Keys are other notable bands on the bill with ties to the state of New York.

    Llama Lasagne, a rotating collective of Pioneer Valley musicians who concoct thematic concerts featuring a mix of musicians from local bands are putting on a special “theme” set for the third straight year.

  • The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown: Affordable Scranton Bluegrass

    What can you do with $50 in Scranton, PA this weekend?  How about two days of incredible bluegrass, folk, and funk?  The 5th Annual Susquehanna Breakdown begins Friday, May 19 with local act, The Dishonest Fiddlers taking the stage at 6:30pm followed by most Deadhead’s favorite one-man band, Keller Williams, at 8pm.  Members of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s own Cabinetwill be joining Williams on stage for the 9:30pm “Keller & Cabinet” set which is sure to be full of surprises.  Cabinet will then take over the stage at 10:45 for the first of three weekend sets.

    When Susquehanna Breakdown was founded in 2013 by Cabinet and Live Nation Entertainment, their aim was to shine a light on the regional artists, farmers and craft vendors of Scranton, PA.  Over the years the festival has added bigger names and larger crowds to their Montage Mountain home, yet the tight-knit friendly vibe, cheap ticket price, and local sponsorship has remained.  While Cabinet continues to be at the nucleus of the event, bluegrass juggernauts, Greensky Bluegrass, have taken over 2017’s headlining slot at 9pm on Saturday night.   Other sets to check out on Saturday include Binghamton, New York’s Driftwood at 12:30pm, a daytime acoustic set from Cabinet at 2:15pm, the soulful folkie Wood Brothers at 4pm and Billy Strings tearing things up at 8pm!

    The full schedule is posted and as in years past, the festival organizers have set the separate stage times so that attendees are able to catch a glimpse of every band with little to no overlap.  And did we mention the late night acts?  The funky West Coast trio, Organ Freeman, will be taking over the party on Friday night and the traveling powerhouse, Turkuaz, will be sending Breakdowners home after one more Saturday night set.  Sandwiched in between all this funkiness is Tom Hamilton’s Breakdown All Stars at 11pm on the second day which will be full of festival-wide collaborations.

    The Northeastern festival season is now upon us and this showcase might be the best bang for your buck you will find this year.  Whether you plan to attend on Saturday only or camp for both nights on the pavilion lawn, there is plenty to do and hear at this year’s Breakdown.  An eclectic collection of acts from around the country sharing the space with local bands and vendors makes this the perfect practice run for the rest of the summer’s events.  The Susquehanna Breakdown shares the same space as Montage Mountain’s larger summer extravaganza, The Peach Festival, but at a fraction of the cost.  While Scranton locals may consider Peach to be the big brother of the mountain’s two jam-heavy festivals, the Breakdown just hit another growth spurt and is ready to rival its older sibling in 2017.

    NYS Music had the chance to sit down with The Dishonest Fiddlers founder, Dave Brown to discover what makes “The Electric City” the perfect place for a breakdown…

    Ben Boivin: What is the concept behind The Dishonest Fiddlers and where did you first come up with this unique idea to play with different artists at every show?

    Dave Brown: Well, I played solo prior to forming the band and I still enjoy the solo sets very much but the band has given my music a chance to take a different shape and myself a chance to play with and learn from a lot of different musicians along the way.

    BB: What is your connection with Cabinet, the band that founded the Breakdown?

    DB: Well my introduction to Cabinet came maybe 4 or 5 years ago in Scranton.  I ordered lunch from Pizza by Pappa’s, and JP [Biondo] delivered it. I was not expecting him, nor was I expecting the pizza to have several bites out of it either. JP agreed to let me take a few bites of the next pizza he had to deliver, and after playing a few tunes I agreed we were square. Since then I started picking up my orders from Pappa’s and listening to Cabinet.  Lately I’ve been fortunate enough to have Todd Kopec, from Cabinet, playing fiddle with us and he’ll be on stage with me at the Breakdown too.

    BB: I know that you are on the road all summer and visiting many different festivals.  What do you feel is so special about the Susquehanna Breakdown?

    DB: The Breakdown has really evolved into something a lot of people really look forward too. I’ve met people from all over the country at the Susquehanna Breakdown over the years. I was a spectator at the first one and its definitely special to have the opportunity to be playing this year. It’s also nice that our family and friends have a chance to be there and share the day with us

    BB: What is the band you are most looking forward to seeing at this festival?

    DB: I recently had a show with Driftwood and I got a copy of their new album so I’m looking forward to hearing some of those tunes again.  I’m also interested in hearing Billy Strings for the first time.

    BB: What would you like to see for The Dishonest Fiddlers?

    DB: Well tours and new albums all sound great but mainly I want to keep having fun and keep writing music. If I can manage to keep enough air in my tires and the lights on at home, the rest will fall in place.

    Tickets for the Susquehanna Breakdown can be purchased at the festival or via Ticketmaster while supplies last.

  • Fyre Festival Hits New Low, Considers Suing Festival Goers

    Since Ja Rule’s cultural moment of music, art and food, known as the Fyre Festival  announced its last minute cancellation, organizers have been slapped with a $100 million lawsuit. The class action lawsuit was filed by on behalf of Danial Jung, a festival-goer who purchased a $2000 ticket, and fans purchasing tickets costing $10,000 each, not including travel expenses to the Bahamas.

    The Fyre Festival didn’t provide a specific reason for the cancellation other than a brief statement on social media that referred to “unforeseen extenuating circumstances.”

    No word as to how many fans were affected by the cancellation, but current estimates have the pending lawsuit, with over 1,000 inquiries, rumored to reach near the $100 million range. The suit claims fraud, breach of covenant of good faith, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation. Celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos, is heading the case while another attorney, Ben Meiselas, posted the following statement on social media:

    Fyre Festival and it’s promoters recklessly stranded thousands of consumers in a festival of horror, and cost them thousands of dollars on travel, lodging, and time off from work.

    Through this Federal Class Action we will make sure to hold Fyre — and all those who recklessly and blindly promoted the festival — accountable to make sure all consumers receive not only a ticket refund but also 100 percent reimbursement for travel, lodging, time off from work, and any other incidental and consequential damages.

    Some festival-goers thought they were going to party with the likes of super models Bella Hadid, Angel Elsa Hosk, Rose Bertram and Emily Ratajkowski, among other celebrities. Fans were also promised, as part of their experience, yachts, luxury cabanas, and celebrity chef catering to go along with great live music. What fans received instead was a last second cancellation with no explanation, resulting in many stranded without flights back home.

    Fans stranded at airports suffered water shortages, while multiple attendees had their luggage lost. The luxury cabanas resembled a refugee/disaster relief camp, while the celebrity chef cuisine was more like a cheap school lunch with two slices of bread, two slices of cheese, and small amount of salad inside a styrofoam container.

    In a bit of a nervy twist, the Fyre Festival is now considering suing fans, who took to social media posting their displeasure and pictures of what was going on. Fyre Festival lawyers sent one attendee a cease and desist order after he posted that the grounds looked like a refugee camp. The festival’s lawyers statement said that comparing the conditions to a refugee camp could “incite violence, rioting or civil unrest. If someone innocent does get hurt as a result [of your postings] Fyre festival will hold you accountable and responsible…Inciting violence crosses the line.”

    Vanity Fair has reported that questions have been raised about the motives the festival organizers had as the pitch for the festival was leaked. It points out that the festival was given $8.4 million of “market value” land on Black Point, Exuma in exchange for hosting the festival and advertising the island.

    Co-founder of the festival, Ja Rule, posted on social media in caps that the events were “NOT MY FAULT.” Fyre’s other co-founder and C.E.O, Billy McFarland, said it was the worst day of his life.

  • The Meadows Festival, Featuring Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jay Z, Weezer, NAS, Gorillaz Announced for September in Queens

    The second year of the Meadows Festival, held in Citi Field, is set to host a plethora of artists reaching across a variety of genres. Tickets went on sale May 10 with prices starting at $275, plus fees, for an early bird three day general admission ticket.

    the meadows festivalIt is unclear if any more artists will be added to the lineup, but can be expected with such a large gap of time between now and the first day. Last year, there were several late additions to the lineup, which would lead people to believe the same will happen this year. The current lineup can be found on the festival’s website and includes some of the following: Future, Bassnectar, LL Cool J ft. DJ Z-Trip, M.I.A., Foster the People, Big Gigantic, Milky Chance, and over 40 more.

    The first year of the festival went off with a few glitches both during and prior to the event. First, according to the Meadows website, Kanye West’s show ended a bit early due to a, “very frightening and unexpected family emergency.” Refunds were not issued, which may have flustered many patrons after Founders Entertainment, creators of Governors Ball and the Meadows, billed West’s performance as a make-up show after his Governors performance was cancelled due to heavy rain.

    Legal trouble came about prior to the event after the announcement of festival’s partnerships and supporters. A report by Billboard.com revealed that the festival announced it had the support of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Alliance (FMCPA), which was false. The poor communication resulted in a clash between Founders Entertainment and the FMCPA mainly because of two large events being held in the same general area on the same day (the Meadows Festival and the Makers Faire.)

  • Confirmed: Mysteryland 2017 Canceled

    Looks like the rumors are true. After various reports, it has been confirmed that the Mysteryland USA Music Festival will not happen in 2017 and is canceled. The event was supposed to take place at the Original Woodstock Grounds in Bethel, NY on June 9-12. The event has been held in Bethel since it’s debut in 2014. Mysteryland has given no explanation as to the reason why the festival has been scrapped. Mysteryland was set to feature headliners G-Eazy, LCD Soundsystem, and Major Lazer during the 3-day event.

    The rumors started after several scheduled artist, started making moves on social media, making it obvious that the festival was leaning toward being cancelled. G-Eazy and LCD Soundsystem pulled the date from their upcoming shows, and Ekali, one of the many artists set to perform at, confirmed the rumors with his post on Reddit, stating that he was informed the festival was a no go. The post was deleted shortly after.

    Dancing Astronaut posted that a source from within the festival confirmed the show was canceled. Organizers were said to be left in a bad position when one of their PR firms parted ways with the festival, leaving them looking for a replacement firm. This would coincide with another rumor that the festival didn’t garner much interest due to a poor lineup and bad ticket sales.

    Mysteryland promoters spoke on social media about the cancellation and how to get your ticket purchases refunded:

    Dear Nomads,
    Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mysteryland USA will no longer take place in 2017.
    Since 2014, we have strived to produce the best possible experience for our festival attendees, and are truly humbled by all of the love and support that you, the artists, the beautiful venue of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the Town of Bethel have shown us as we celebrated life through music, culture and art.

    Paylogic has started the refund process. Full refunds will be issued automatically to the bank account used to pay for the order within the next 3-5 business days. Paylogic will send all ticket buyers an update with more details about the refund process. The refunds will be processed automatically. No further action is required from your side.

    Mysteryland will mark another ID&T produced festival to march off into the sunset, after 2015 saw the end of TomorrowWorld. With the Mysteryland cancellation, Electric Zoo is the only major EDM festival left standing in the NYC area.

    Fans who already had plans to attend the festival, and were looking forward to a weekend full of live music can explore another option, although a different type of festival, Disc Jam will take place around the same time as Mysteryland was originally scheduled,  in Stephentown, NY, on June 8-11. Disc Jam will feature some of the best jam bands across the nation including Pink Talking Fish, Tauk, Aqueous, Dopapod, and Kung Fu.

  • Albany Tulip Festival Brings Minus the Bear and the Delfonics

    The Albany Tulip Festival, now in its 69th year, is the city’s signature spring event featuring a variety of activities for all ages. The music lineup features headliners Minus the Bear and the Delfonics along with several local acts, including Wild Adriatic.

    minus the bearHeld at Albany’s Washington Park, the Tulip Festival showcases local artisans and businesses, available on hand selling their crafts and food. The music is the main attraction with two stages featuring both national and local acts. The main stage headliners are Minus the Bear on Saturday and the Delfonics on Sunday.

    The Mother’s Day Weekend festival kicks off on Saturday, May 13 at 11:30 a.m. with the Tulip Queen coronation ceremony. The Mendelssohn Club of Albany performs during the procession and coronation on the Washington Park Lakehouse Stage. Music on the main stage begins at 1:30 p.m. with local act Wild Adriatic.

    The festival features other musical attractions, including the KidZone stage featuring entertainment for children of all ages. The Albany School of Rock has a tent at the festival where attendees can check out the future of music performing throughout the day.

    69th Annual Tulip Festival Schedule of Events
    Saturday, May 13
    Tulip Queen Coronation Ceremony
    Washington Park Lakehouse Stage
    11:30 a.m. – The Mendelssohn Club of Albany
    11:45 a.m. – Tulip Queen Procession (Begins at formal Tulip Beds by Moses Statue)
    12:00 p.m. – Tulip Queen Coronation (Lakehouse Stage)

    Main Stage
    Washington Park Parade Grounds
    4:30 p.m. – Minus The Bear
    3:00 p.m. – The Palms
    1:30 p.m. – Wild Adriatic

    Local 518 Stage
    Washington Park Lakehouse Stage
    4:45 p.m. – Dryer
    3:30 p.m. – Cannon the Brave
    2:15 p.m. – Jasper
    1:00 p.m. – Maurizio

    Sunday, May 14
    Main Stage
    4:30 p.m. – The Delfonics
    3:00 p.m. – Erin Harkes
    1:30 p.m. – Holly and Evan

    Local 518 Stage
    4:45 p.m. – Ramblin’ Jug Stompers
    3:30 p.m. – Dyer Switch Band
    2:15 p.m. – Sydney Worthley
    1:00 p.m. – Andrew Wheeler & Donna Marie Tritico
    12:00 p.m. – 19th Annual Mother of the Year Award

  • X Ambassadors Curate Inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival

    Ithaca natives, the X Ambassadors, will return to where it all started, as the alternative indie rockers return home to headline and present the inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival. The festival will take place at historic Stewart Park, on Sept. 22-23. Tickets go on sale March 31, at 10 a.m.

    Alternative hip hop, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon house band, the Roots, will headline an evening as well. Other artists performing during the two-day festival include K.Flay, the Knocks, Tei Shi, Margaret Glaspy, Jukebox the Ghost, Savoir Adore, Crush Club, Sammus, Izzy True, Imperials, Stone Cold Miracle, and Mail the Horse. More artists will be announced later.

    Cayuga Sound will showcase vendors from across the region that will be on hand to feed festival goers, along with local brews made just for the festival from Ithaca Beer Company. The full food lineup will be announced soon.

    X Ambassador frontman Sam Harris commented about the upcoming fall festival:

    My brother Casey and I are proud to call ourselves native Ithacans. The city is an important part of our identity, personally, and professionally. We cut our teeth as musicians in Ithaca, so X Ambassadors owe the city a great deal. We wanted to curate a music festival in Ithaca that celebrates the city where we hail from. With an eclectic line-up of artists from all different genres of music, wonderful food and drink from local vendors and the opportunity to give back to the community we are so proud of.

    X Ambassadors debut full length album VHS, debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, and is certified gold by the RIAA. The album churned out three hit singles.  Their single “Jungle,” which features Jamie N Collins and Jay-Z, is certified gold. The band’s release of the single “Renegades,” earned them their first certified platinum hit, and the X Ambassadors biggest selling single, “Unsteady,” is certified twice platinum. X Ambassadors are featured in the hip hop track “Sucker For Pain,” which is certified twice platinum and features Lil’ Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic and Ty Dolla $ign.

  • 2017 Vans Warped Tour Lineup Confirmed

    Vans apparel company has confirmed the lineup for the annual Warped Tour. Festival creator and organizer, Kevin Lyman, announced the lineup at the Warped Tour’s artist announcement party live from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

    Before getting into video packages unveiling which artist will play on which one of Warped Tour’s several stages, Lyman touched on some of the negative social media post that started to circulated once the lineup leaked. Lyman said that they found who leaked the lineup, and asked, if you’re a professional in this line of work, respect the privacy and what so many have worked hard on since the conclusion of the previous year’s tour, and let the news come out naturally.

    Set to appear at the 2017 installment of the tour is:  Andy Black, Gwar, Hatebreed, Our Last Night, American Authors, Bad Omens, Sylar, Beartooth, Hands Like Houses, Bad Seed Rising, I Prevail, Blessthefall, New Years Day, Separations, Dance Gavin Dance, Sick Of It All, Memphis May Fire, CKY, Emmure, Fire From The Gods, Silverstein, William Control, and on limited dates, Bowling For Soup.

    Warped Tour kicks off June 16, at the Century Link Stadium’s North Lot in Seattle, WA, and closes on Aug, 6, at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. Warped Tour will make stops in New York on July 8, at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh and July 13 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center. Surrounding areas that would make an easy road trip for New Yorkers include July 7 at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J. July 9 at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, CT and July 15 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J.

  • Korn To Headline the Return of K-Rockathon

    After going on what seemed like a forced hiatus after it’s 20th year anniversary due to various reasons, K-Rockathon makes its triumphant return in 2017 at the Lakewood Amphitheater on July 19, as they mash-up with Korn’s “The Serenity Of Summer Tour,” with some minor alterations.

    First thing Central NY fans will notice, is that the festival has moved to the Lakeview Amphitheater from it’s usual stomping grounds at Chevy Court, inside the the New York State Fairgrounds.

    After 20 festivals, and last year’s hiatus, it looks like K-Rockathon, will shed is numeration, and replace it with the current year the event takes place.

    K-Rockathon’s Wednesday, July 19 date also means that the festival will not take place on a Saturday as in year’s past.

    So far, K-Rockathon features a much smaller lineup than usual, with only five bands performing instead of twelve, but more bands should be added down the line according to the radio stations Facebook page. Syracuse’s K Rock  falls in line with what many other radio stations have been doing over the years when trying to organize bands for a one day festival. Each year it seems to be getting tougher for promoters and organizers to put together these type of events for fans, so it only makes sense for local radio stations to put their name on a show, and promote what they feel will be the hottest tour for their genre for that said year.

    Slated to appear at this years K-Rockathon will be headliners Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet, Yelawolf and DED. Korn, Stone Sour and Skillet are all supporting new music on this tour.

    Korn released their twelfth studio album The Serenity Of Suffering, on Oct. 21 2016. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200.

    Stone Sour’s sixth studio album, Hydrograd, will be released in June of 2017, just in time for the upcoming tour.

    Skillet released it’s tenth studio album, Unleashed, on Aug. 5 2016. The album reached number thre on the Billboard 200.

    Tickets go on sale to the general public March 10, with ticket prices slated at $74.50, $54.50, and $25.00. VIP packages are also available.

  • Gorillaz Announce Demon Dayz Festival

    Gorillaz, the Grammy-winning virtual band co-created by multi-instrumentalist Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett in 1998, has laid plans for its own festival, which is to be called Demon Dayz Festival, after its second album. While the lineup has yet to be released, this is slated to be Gorillaz’ first live performance since the conclusion of 2010’s Escape to Plastic Beach Tour in Auckland, New Zealand.

    demon days festivalAt that show Albarn warned fans that it might be the last ever for Gorillaz, so today’s news comes as a sigh of relief for Gorillaz fans worldwide, who, for several years now, have been inundated with rumours of Albarn and Hewlett’s falling-out, delayed releases, and other speculation.

    The announcement comes following an increase in social media activity by the band, which has included biographies for the band’s four virtual members—2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russell Hobbs, and Noodle—a revised timeline of the band’s history, and the January release of “Hallelujah Money,” a single featuring Benjamin Clementine. While an album of new material has been in the works for a couple of years, a 2017 release now appears to be imminent. Check out the video for “Hallelujah Money” here.

    The single-day Demon Dayz Festival is scheduled for June 10 in Margate, England at the Dreamland amusement park. Tickets are now available starting at £60.00, with priority entry tickets for £70.00. Tickets include full access to the park’s rides. RedBull TV will also live stream the festival. Click here to visit the Demon Dayz website for tickets and more information.